Aug 31
Tarrant Figlioretro food
For nearly a decade, my birthday has had an “apple festival” theme. Don’t ask why. It is a long sordid story.
In any case, this past weekend we celebrated my birthday with an “apple festival” which meant-we fed my mother, the prairie dogs, the dog and drove an hour away to pick a few apples and spend the night at the Holiday Inn. (Free–courtesy of the Priority Club points). We picked some apples. We bought a bag of windfall apples. Now I need to do something with them.
I told the kids I would make applesauce…crockpot applesauce and I probably will. Crockpot apple butter is more my thing. I wonder if we have enough apples for both. Likely. In any case, the house will smell good!
Of course, I likely won’t peel first and don’t have the exact apples-so it won’t be exactly like either–but you can’t go wrong with homemade applesauce.
Aug 17
Tarrant Figlioretro food
Today you, my youngest child, Elizabeth, turn 12. We spoke yesterday on the phone–you are in New Zealand having a wonderful time. You love the park with the cargo nets, the luge where you only wiped out once, and I suspect you loved the sky swing though you said it was really scary. You will have had lamb for birthday dinner; it wouldn’t be what I would make for you, on the other hand that isn’t what you would request for your birthday at home.
You don’t know this, being on the other side of the world, but the news is all about the Blagojevich verdict tonight. Blagovech, governor of this state when we moved here, caused quite a scandal and FBI action after the last presidential election. The trial occured. the jury deliberated for two weeks, but they only managed to come to agreement on one count. A retrial is expected on the other counts charged. You might wonder why I mention this tidbit of national news, this your birthday post after all, not a “Today in history” but really a birthday post really contains today in history.
The most important historical event to happen on this day: your birth. But, I should have known that this would be the day Blagojevich dominated the news. The day you were born was dominated by another huge court case: Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton. Yes, Bill Clinton, not Hillary. Bill Clinton, president at the time had some questionable actions with an intern Monica Lewinsky. Blue dresses from the Gap were used as evidence. While in labor with you–that dominated television coverage. My labor with you didn’t allow me to stray far but the tv with its few channels all Lewinsky and Clinton all the time didn’t appeal.
On the other hand, as I write this post, I wonder if these two events don’t fittingly encapsulate something precious about you. You seem a born politician. Not necessarily in a bad way (and I do hope you never are the center of a messy scandalous trial) but in the way you approach life. You go through life playing by your rules and making them everyone else’s rules as well. You negotiate with the best of them. You plan your strategies, you work your play book, and you get what you seek. I think this vexes us all when we end up on the wrong side, but at the same time, we admire that streak.
This ability allowed you to sail into sixth grade and the waters of middle school with enviable ease. No not everyone fell in love with you on the first day. Some people in middle school are mean. Some people just obviously have no brain to not recognize you for the amazing creature in their presence.
I suspect the same will hold true for you throughout your life. You have the August woman potential to charm when it suits you. You shrug off the rest–also an August thing I have heard. So yes, your 11th year was filled with first bras, braces and blogs–but today I have to say it was all about politics.
Aug 14
Tarrant Figlioretro food
While the elderly people in your life might forget even what year it is…their caregivers remember for them. This blog is a bit of remembering for my mother.
I remember the recipe for Eggs Benedict with Holiday Sauce and share it with you and my children. My mother probably thinks she remembers but I am not sure. She probably does since it was woven into the years over and over. I know she can’t make it now.
But, I wanted to remind you to nominate a caregiver YOU know for a cruise and a chance for some R & R through the Home Instead Caregiver Hero cruise sweepstakes. The deadline is tomorrow–8/15. Those caregivers are all around us. You have to know someone. You may even be one or have been one. Odds are that most people will be one in their lifetime. Find a moment to comment on these posts and to nominate a caregiver. You’ll be glad you did.
What recipes are you a caretaker for in your family?
Aug 09
Tarrant Figlioretro food
I still have a BlogHer hangover-despite hours of sleep yesterday and no alcohol. I admire those bloggers that come home from BlogHer and launch straight into great recaps, picture posting, adding to their feed reader. I am not one of those bloggers. I have a post bubbling out of me at 1 am at the end of day 1 that gets shushed so I get some sleep. By the time I get home that post lost itself in my head.
Last year, BlogHer totally revolved around my keynote, around THE DRESS, and around the overwhelming whirl and twirl. This year, everyone would come up to me and say one of three things:
“I love Denise. Do you know how fantastic she is?” Uh, yeah, that is why I pursued her with intention after wooing her with my incredible Internet Community skills.
“Your daughter! She’s so beautiful, incredible, fabulous, intelligent and poised.” There I am guilty of downplaying all of the above, it seems wrong to say “Why yes, yes, she is!, ” even though well, Rebecca truly does rock. I want to confess that as much as I love every inch of her, inside and out, she still has the human foibles peculiar to girls at her stage in life. Those foibles that can make me want to pull my hair out.
The third thing: “I loved your keynote (dress) last year.” I did too. It definitely goes on the list of most awesome experiences ever.
I missed meeting up with the food bloggers–but I will see bunches of them in October. I went to a number of the job track sessions. I sat with the schedule and wished for a Hermione type time turner, so I could be in far more sessions at once. That would leave me with more of a hangover though.
The closing keynote rocked my world. Really. When the liveblog is ready-you need to read it, hear it, internalize it. Embrace your power, use it. Have fun with it.
Jul 28
Tarrant FiglioRecipes, Vegetables, retro food
My 14-year-old got excited about this recipe when she saw it. What isn’t to love about corn fritters? Corn, deep-frying, a doughnut disguised as a vegetable.
Another recipe from “My Favorite Maryland Recipes”
2 cups corn, fresh or canned (of course, true Silver Queen fresh off the vine works best)
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 egg, well beaten
1 teaspoon melted butter
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder for frying
Chop corn very fine, add salt, pepper, egg, butter, milk, flour and baking powder. Mix well. Fry in hot deep fat, 1 tablespoon batter for each fritter. Serve with strips of fried bacon or with brandy sauce. (I just dusted mine with powdered sugar.)
Jul 25
Tarrant Figlioretro food
A hand written recipe tucked into a cookbook of my mothers and in her hand. I have a crab allergy, but would sneak a bite every so often. She didn’t make it often because my father also did not eat seafood.
Crab Casserole
1 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c. milk
2 hard boiled eggs-minced
1 lb crabmeat
4 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 tbsp parsley-minced
2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 c. breadcrumbs
cracker crumbs
Melt butter–Add flour, stir to smooth. Add parsley, mustard, lemon juice, salt, pepper, milk and stir until browned. Add crab meat (shrimp, lobster) and eggs and stir until mixed. Remove from heat and when cool, place in casserole. Sprinkle with bread crumbs. Dot with butter and paprika. Bake at 350 until warmed through.
Jul 17
Tarrant Figlioretro food
This isn’t retro at all. I have seen these from the beginning of time, but this one came on the back of a pad from a local plumber last week–a grocery reminder list. Not a bad list, but not a soy product on there or even much of what we end up picking up at the grocery store. Baby supplies is a grocery. Wieners is deli, but hot dogs is meat.
I am also bemused by being able to pick up incontinents at the store. I already have one of those at our house–as you can read in my post Caregiving Surprise on my review blog. Go over and read it and enter a caregiver you know for a chance at a cruise. More importantly, read the rest of the great posts on the topic. All of them are really touching and wonderful.
Jul 08
Tarrant FiglioMeat, Recipes, retro food
I am not sure whose famous barbecued meatballs are but based on the tattered look to the recipe they were someone’s favorite. I am getting better with the grill though still getting teased about char by my family. Oh well. These don’t require a grill and thus are immune to teasing by family.
I leave out the additional salt-the seasoned salt, Worcestershire sauce and celery all add enough saltiness for our house.
Famous Barbecued Meatballs
1 pound ground beef
1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
1/2 cup milk
1 egg
1 small onion, minced
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups diagonally sliced celery
Blend all ingredients, form into balls using 1 tablespoon of mixture per ball. Place in a greased shallow pan or cookie sheet with edges (to catch the grease). Bake at 350 degrees about 20 minutes. This is so much easier than browning in a skillet. Drain cooked meatballs carefully on paper towels before putting into sauce.
Sauce
1 onion minced
2 tablespoons butter
3/4 cup catsup
3/4 cup water (may need more later)
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 tablespoons prepared mustard
1 teaspoon salt
Saute onion in butter; add remaining ingredients and simmer 10 minutes. Place meatballs in sauce; simmer 15 minutes. Serve hot with toothpicks.
Jul 07
Tarrant FiglioVegetables, retro food
There comes a time in summer when all the fresh sliced tomatoes, tomato salads, tomatoes eaten like apples gets old. But, tomato season runs all too fast to turn up the fresh, wonderful, farmer’s market tomatoes. Time to add something else to the mix…like baked tomatoes. This recipe works perfectly with the overripe tomatoes as well as the not quite ripe tomatoes.
Baked Tomatoes
4 large tomatoes
Salt and pepper
1 Tablespoon minced onion
2 tablespoons each fresh chopped basil and dill
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/2 cup bread crumbs
4 teaspoons butter
Remove stem ends from tomatoes without cutting flesh. Cut tomatoes in half horizontally. Set cut-side-up in a shallow baking dish or casserole. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion, herbs, toasted bread crumbs. Dot with butter. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Jun 23
Tarrant Figlioretro food
.Yes, there is such a thing. I am not entering though-so tempting.
Read more at Swissmiss.
Older Entries
RSS