My June Vacation in September (Part 4) - Memphis, Tennessee

A photo op at Mud Island Park - more
about this later.

If you haven't seen the previous three posts in this series, my sister and I try to take a vacation together at least once a year, and this year, we had originally planned to take the trip in June, but life happened and we weren't able to go until September.  We went to Nashville first, then to Hot Springs, Arkansas, and on the way home, we stopped in Memphis, Tennessee.

And no, we did NOT visit Graceland!  There are other things to do and see, believe it or not.

Kids were fascinated by the
ducks - indoors!

Our first evening, we drove downtown to the Peabody Hotel to see the ducks in the lobby fountain.  Yes, there really are ducks inside the lobby, and they spend all day paddling around the Italiante marble fountain.  The ducks parade on a red carpet to the fountain at eleven in the morning, and back to their "palace" on the roof at five in the afternoon.

Hi, Duck Master!

We were there Monday afternoon, expecting to avoid a crowd, but we were mistaken!
After finding a great vantage point, the whole lobby started filling up.  By the time the "parade" started there was standing room only!    About a half hour before starting time, the Duckmaster gave some of the hotel's history, including how the lobby ducks started.  Supposedly, in the 1930s, Frank Schutt, the hotel's general manager returned, well lubricated, from a weekend duck hunting trip and he and his friends left their LIVE decoy ducks in the hotel lobby fountain for a joke.  The ducks entertained the hotel guests so much they were allowed to stay!

The front facade of the Duck Palace.  In the
 back is a fairly pedestrian, but roomy and
super clean duck pen!

North American Mallards replaced the original ducks, and that's what kind of ducks you'll see today - one male and four females.  In 1940, the first official Duckmaster, bellman Edward Pembroke, a former animal trainer with the Barnum and Bailey Circus, volunteered to care for the ducks and trained them to march to and from the fountain.  Pembroke retired from the post in 1991, after 50 years.  The ducks are raised by a local farmer, serve for 3 months, and then retire to the farm.

The lobby gift shop is stuffed with duck-related souvenir items, including rubber duckies, playing cards, tote bags, arty decoys, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and books (Make Way for Ducklings, for example).  Duck is not allowed to be served in the Peabody, including Phillippe's, possibly the only French restaurant anywhere without duck on the menu.

The fountain was is one piece
of travertine.  I'd like to know
how much it weighs!

After the ducks had ridden the elevator to the roof, we followed in their web-footed steps to see this alleged Duck Palace.  Well, it certainly LOOKED like a palace, but that was the front.  Around back is a nice big comfortable duck pen where you can watch the ducks do whatever it is ducks do in their off hours.  Here's where they have their food dishes, a couple of duck "houses" for privacy, and a mini-pond for more swimming.

Besides the ducks, the lobby itself is something to see.  The centerpiece is the ducks' fountain, carved from one piece of travertine marble.  The ceiling is carved and painted wood.  We walked around the mezzanine craning our necks at the craftmanship above our heads.  Even the elevators were unique, each one with a different design on its floor, and on the "skyway" (actually the thirteenth floor), the elevator doors each had a different floral motif.

The Peabody was a totally different experience from what we'd expected!  Definitely worth the effort.  If you get a chance to go to Memphis and you're in the mood for some good old fashioned fun, go see the duck parade!

Creamy Wild Rice Soup (A Comfort Food Recipe with Options)

This is a creamy, hearty soup that hits the spot if you've been working outside in the cold.  I originally got the recipe from the mother of a girl in my daughter's Girl Scout troop.  It's quick and easy, especially if you use leftover rice, prepackaged shredded carrots, and frozen mirepoix vegetables for the onion and celery.  When I fix long grain and wild rice for a side dish, I always make twice as much as I need so I can use the leftovers to make this soup.


Creamy Wild Rice Soup

6 T butter
1/2 c chopped onion
1/2 c chopped celery
1/2 c flour
3 c chicken broth
2 c cooked wild rice OR long grain and wild rice blend
12 oz cooked chicken OR 1/3 c chopped cooked ham
1 c milk OR half-and-half
1/2 c shredded carrots
3 T chopped or slivered almonds
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t white pepper

In a 3-quart saucepan, melt butter and brown onions and celery.  Stir in flour and cook 1 minute.  Blend in broth, bring to a boil and cook 1 minute, whisking smooth, until thickened.  Add the remaining ingredients and heat to a simmer, then serve.

NOTE:  If you want, use 2 12-oz cans of chicken breast, reduce the broth to 2 cups and add the broth from the cans with the broth specified in the recipe.

Chicken with Cream Biscuits (A Non-Trendy Comfort Food Recipe)

This recipe is inspired by a blogger I follow, The Frugal Girl.  I tweaked her version some because I'm lazy (!) and didn't want to make the biscuits for the topping completely from scratch, plus I like to make roux for sauces in the microwave because it's easy to control and doesn't burn.  If you want something more like a biscuit-topped chicken pot pie, you could add a package of frozen peas and carrots with the chicken.

The first time I made this, the biscuits for the topping were a surprise super hit and elicited specific positive comments; they are tender and creamy and delicious.


Chicken with Cream Biscuits

2 c Bisquick baking mix
2 t sugar
1 c heavy cream
6 T butter
1/3 c flour
1 1/2 c chicken broth
1 1/2 c milk
1 T chicken base
1 t salt
1/2 t white pepper
3 c cooked, diced chicken

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together Bisquick, sugar, and cream until completely moistened.  Roll or pat out on a lightly floured surface to about 3/4 inch thick.  Cut into rounds with biscuit cutter or small tumbler.  Let the biscuits rest while making the filling.

[This step can be done either on the stovetop or in the microwave]:  Melt butter, stir in flour, and cook about 1 minute.  Stir in remaining ingredients except chicken.  Bring to a boil, whisking frequently.  Cook until thickened.  Add chicken and bring back to a boil.

Pour chicken and gravy into a buttered or sprayed 2 1/2-quart casserole or baking dish.  Arrange biscuits over the top.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until biscuits are browned and filling is bubbling.  Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

NOTE 1:  Instead of cutting the dough into rounds, you can shape it to fit the dish, covering it edge to edge.  Personally, I like the individual biscuits.

NOTE 2:  If you want to use canned chicken breast, you'll need 3 12-oz cans.  Drain the chicken, reserving the broth to replace some of the broth called for in the recipe.

My June Vacation in September (Part 3) - Hot Springs, Arkansas, Continued

If you haven't seen the previous two posts in this series, my sister and I try to take a vacation together
at least once a year, and this year, we had originally planned to take the trip in June, but life intervened and we postponed it to September.  We went to Nashville first, then to the main event, Hot Springs, Arkansas.  This post continues the Hot Springs saga!

Taking the advice of one of our cousins who had visited Hot Springs before, we went to the Buckstaff bathhouse for an authentic traditional Hot Springs mineral bath experience.  We weren't allowed to have cameras during the process, so you'll just have to use your imagination!

We checked in, made our way to an upper floor where we waited on benches for our names to be called.  We undressed, were wrapped in sheets toga-style and led to our individual bathing cubicles where we literally climbed, via a step stool, into the biggest bathtubs I've ever seen.  These tubs are long enough that I stretched my legs out straight and had to have a spacer placed behind me so I wouldn't slide down too far!  And they were deep enough that only my head was above the water.  The water, cooled to a temperature of about 110 degrees before being piped to the bathing area, gushed out of a 2-inch pipe to fill the tub.  The attendant turned on an old fashioned whirlpool machine and left me to cook for half an hour with two cups of hot mineral water to drink, which she replenished several times.  "Be sure to keep drinking!"

When the stewing was finished the attendant helped me out of the tub, wrapped me in another sheet and took me to a table where she placed towels soaked in the hot mineral water and had me lie back onto them.  Then she added more hot towels on my legs and arms, wrapped some ice in a cold towel to put on my face, and gave me a cup of ice water to sip.  The whole time I was on the table, the attendant insisted that we all drink our water, and she kept our cups filled.

After the table, I got ten minutes in a sitz bath - basically, you sit your rear end only in a miniature version of the bathtub.  The first few seconds were the hardest - hot seat!!!  After that, it became bearable.  After that, three minutes in the "vapor cabinet."  They don't call them steam cabinets because it's just the "vapors" from the hot spring water, which isn't hot enough to be "steam."  Three minutes was plenty, though!  I must have looked ridiculous, with just my head protruding from a big white box.

After the sitz bath, it was time for a lukewarm "needle shower."  This is an early version of the trendy shower tower panels of today.  There are vertical pipes mounted in the corners of the shower stall with tiny nozzles that make a needle-fine spray over your body, part of the cooldown phase.  After the shower, I could have had a Swedish massage, but there was a long wait, so we decided to skip it.  The attendant led us back to the changing room, where we dried off and got dressed.

After that treatment, we were basically worthless.  Completely relaxed, but worthless.  It was GREAT.

About twenty miles north of Hot Springs is Hot Springs Village, a gated community (the largest in the world!) of mostly empty nesters and retirees.  It's been around a LONG time.  I mean, I remember going to the state fair when I was in high school and seeing a booth in the Exposition Hall with pamphlets about Hot Springs Village.  It was kind of a big deal.  We'd seen a couple of writeups in the tourist information magazines we'd picked up along the way that basically said that if you wanted to visit, you had to enter by the east gate.  So, being the nosy Parkers we are, we decided to drive up there and scope out the place.  We drove on two-lane highway most of the way, and it looked like there was nothing ahead but the boonies, when we started seeing signs to the East Gate.  All right!  Here we go!  It turned out you can't go in without a sponsor - someone you're visiting (and who is expecting you!) or a real estate agent.  We had neither, so we had to turn around and go back to Hot Springs.  It was fine.  We had a nice drive and we got to gripe (but good-naturedly) all the way back about the people who had written those misleading articles.  The one bust of the trip.  If that's the only thing that went wrong, that's not too bad.

Ronaldo's outside area

One of the restaurants we hit was Ronaldo's Speakeasy - delicious Guatemalan fare.  Another was the Ohio Club, a REAL historic speakeasy.  During Prohibition, it was turned into a cigar store up front by the street, but behind was the speakeasy.  We also visited a coffee shop, Kollective Coffee and Tea.  All of these buildings are directly across the street from the bathhouses, so were backed up to the rock face of West Mountain.  Ronaldo's has a back entrance where you climb up some stairs to the back door and an outdoor seating area that's on the mountainside, level with the second floor of the building.  Kollective Coffee and Tea has big windows that overlook the "alley" behind the building.  There are about three feet between the outside wall of the building and the mountain's rock face, so from inside, it looked like the rock face was right up against the window glass.

OH!  There was ONE other thing that didn't pan out.  We had wanted to take a boat tour of Lake Hamilton, but the one day we could go and there was space available it rained.  All day.  All night.  So we missed out on the boat ride.

All in all, Hot Springs was a pleasant surprise.  Plenty to do.  Relatively inexpensive.  We had FUN!  And we never even went to the casino and horse track - HA!

Next, we drove to Memphis, but that's the next post.  Until then...

Autumn Harvest Soup (A Throwback Recipe from 1971)

Back in the olden days, before microwave ovens were common, I subscribed to something called the "Betty Crocker Recipe Card Library."  The initial package contained a large plastic card file box with a hinged lid, category dividers, and the first set of recipe cards.   Every month I received another set of cards to place behind another divider.  The last shipment contained the final set of recipe cards and the index.  When completely assembled, it weighed around 6 pounds!  If you'd like to see one of these wonders, there are several listed for sale on Amazon and Etsy.

During a period of decluttering a few years ago, I went through those cards and pulled out the ones I liked and some I still hadn't tried and pitched the rest.  This is one of those I hadn't attempted.  I've tweaked it a little because so many of the recipes from back then were, well, BLAND.  When I made this version, I got an "Excellent Soup" from That Man - not an adjective he throws around loosely. 

Soup's on!


Autumn Harvest Soup

1 lb lean ground beef
1 c onion, cut up
1 c carrot, cut up
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 c beef broth
1 bay leaf
1 T Worchestershire sauce
1 T Italian seasoning
1 t garlic powder
1 t minced basil
1 t salt
1 t pepper
28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained

In a 4-quart pan or dutch oven, brown ground beef and onions.  Add the remaining ingredients except the tomatoes, cover, and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Add the tomatoes with liquid and simmer an additional 10 minutes.  Remove the bay leaf before serving.

Veterans Day 2019 - Don't Forget

Growing up in a military family, Veterans Day and all the other patriotic holidays are important to me.  During World War II, Dad started out in the Army Air Corps, which became the Air Force.  After retiring from military service, Dad opened his second act as a college professor.  After retiring from academia, he returned to the military and joined the Indiana Air Guard, eventually retiring as a Brigadier General. 

I'm one of Those People who tear up singing the Star-Spangled Banner or during an Independence Day parade or a Memorial Day or Veterans Day commemoration ceremony.  These are days to remember.

Veterans Day originated as Armistice Day to mark the end of World War I.  Although the actual peace treaty, the Treaty of Versailles, wasn't signed until the following year, the Armistice took effect at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the year 1918,

I know we've heard it so much it's become a cliche, but freedom ISN'T free.  There are veterans all around us, and we should thank them.  So please, at eleven o'clock this morning, remember.

Easy Peasy Cheesy Souffle (A New-to-Me Recipe)

I happened across Rachel Ray's TV show a few weeks ago, and she and Jacques Pepin were making a cheese souffle.  It was supposed to be easy, and watching the show, it sure LOOKED easy, so I went to the website and printed it off.  The ingredients were easy to find, except for the cheese.  The recipe specified Gruyere, and for some reason, the crummy Kroger closest to our house only carries one Gruyere (Boar's Head), and they hide it near the deli case.  But I dug through the piles of cheese packages and finally uncovered one.

I tried making the recipe, and it was indeed EASY.  I made a couple of very minor adjustments, like making the roux in the microwave instead of on the stovetop, and here's the result!  It's supposed to serve 4, but they'll be BIG servings!

Isn't that purty?

Easy Cheese Souffle

6 T butter
1/3 c flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 t white pepper
2 c milk
6 eggs
8 oz Gruyere cheese, shredded
3 T minced chives or finely chopped green onion
grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Butter or spray a 2-quart casserole dish.

In a 1-quart microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter (about 1 minute on high power).  Stir the flour, salt, and pepper into the butter until smooth.  Microwave on high 15 seconds, then stir.  Add the milk all at once and stir it in well.  Microwave on high 2 minutes, then whisk.  Keep microwaving at high, one minute at a time, whisking after each minute, until thick and smooth.  Set aside to cool for about 10 minutes.

In a bowl, beat the eggs with a fork.  Add the Gruyere, minced chives/green onions, and sauce to the eggs and mix well.  Pour into the casserole dish and sprinkle the top with grated Parmesan-Reggiano cheese.  Bake 35-40 minutes on the middle rack.  The souffle will be puffy well browned.

My June Vacation in September (Part 2) - Hot Springs National Park, Arkansas

If you haven't seen the previous post in this series, my sister and I try to take a vacation together at least once a year, and this year, we had originally planned to take the trip in June, but life intervened and we postponed it to September.  I picked her up in Louisville and drove to Nashville, where we did a little sightseeing.  From Nashville, we drove to Hot Springs, Arkansas, the main event of the vacation.  At 97 degrees, Nashville had been hot, and we were looking forward to going somewhere milder.  But when we arrived in Hot Springs, it was 98 degrees!  And no relief in the immediate forecast.

The first day in a new place is always our orientation day.  Where are the grocery stores, shopping centers, and gas stations?  How do we get to the local places of interest?  So Sunday we drove all over the place, reconnoitering.

We wound up walking around downtown Hot Springs and ended at the Arlington Hotel, a historic building and the largest hotel in town, with 500 rooms.  The dining room was elegantly old-fashioned and the food was amazing!  I ordered a lunch portion of meatloaf, but a dinner portion arrived at the table - three huge slabs - a mountain of meat!

Arlington Hotel

The town was way different from our expectations.  We thought there would be a row of bathhouses and not much else, plus the mountains on either side.  But it's a real for-real town!  The historic downtown sits on the opposite side of the street from the bathhouses, and the newer parts are south of the historic street.  There's a casino and a horse track - the track has been there since 1905!  Hot Springs is where spring training for baseball started.  Babe Ruth and other famous old-time ballplayers were here - and gangsters, too.  So much history!  So much fun!

Our first day, partly because of the heat, we took a couple of tours at the National Park visitors center.  One was a walking tour outside and focused on how the thermal springs work, and we walked to an open

Hot water cascade

spring, plus up to the Grand Promenade to see a whole lot of springs that have numbered protective covers over them.  All the water is piped to holding tanks and sent to thermal jug fountains, drinking fountains, and bathhouses - about 700,000 gallons A DAY.  Unbelievable!  There was also an unnumbered seep in a grassy area.  When one of the people on the tour asked about it, the ranger said it's a new spring that showed up about five years ago!  The hot water from that little spring flowed across the grass and the Promenade, and into the grass on the other side, then soaked into the ground.  The water was hot enough that any grass it touched was brown.

Tufa Trail

After that short presentation, we walked farther down the Grand Promenade to the Tufa Trail, which connects the Grand Promenade to the Arlington Hotel's historic grand lawn and a hot water cascade.  Then back along the main street, Central Avenue, to the visitors center for a tour of the Fordyce bathhouse, which houses the visitors center.  We saw the changing rooms, the bathing rooms, the shower rooms - everything!  There were HUGE bathtubs, sitz baths, "needle" showers, cooling rooms, "vapor cabinets" that looked like something straight out of a 1930s Popeye cartoon, and the hydrotherapy room.

Fordyce Bathhouse "skylight"

The men's changing room had a fancy fountain - an Indian maiden offering a duck to DeSoto.  Seriously - a DUCK.  The guys' side also had a beautiful stained glass ceiling/skylight that included naked ladies.  Oh my!

DeSoto and Duck fountain

Nothing like that on the gals' side!  Upstairs were a gymnasium, gathering rooms, resting rooms.  There was even a roof garden.

Then we walked down to the Superior bathhouse, where they've opened a microbrewery and cafe.  They use the spring water to brew their beers, including ROOT BEER.  We had fabulous portabello sandwiches, potato salad, and root beer floats.  YUM!

Lamar Bathhouse

After lunch, we walked to the Lamar bathhouse, where the National Parks has the gift shop.  They sell glass jugs to fill with spring water if you didn't bring your own.  There were always people filling jugs at the spring fountains, many with multiple gallon jugs.  We had a good time looking at all the fun stuff, then walked back to the Fordyce where we looked at the exhibit rooms and watched a couple of videos - one told about Hot Springs history, and the other demonstrated the typical sequence of a bathhouse treatment.

Hot Springs Mountain Tower

The next morning, I drove up to Hot Springs Mountain and North Mountain to look around and explore the loop road.   There weren't many people up there, so it was quiet.  On North Mountain, I saw a doe and a fawn at the side of the road.  On Hot Springs Mountain, I checked out the tower and discovered that with a National Parks Passport you get a discount on the ride to the top.  Then down to pick up my sister for lunch.

Tower view of North Mountain 

We ate The Purple Cow, a doo-wop style diner - great onion rings, lots of I Love Lucy memorabilia, oldies playing in the background, and PURPLE milkshakes!    After lunch, we headed back to the mountains and up the tower.  Expansive vistas of green hills and deep blue skies met us when we exited the elevator.  We couldn't avoid the gift shop at the base of the tower, and we parted with some folding money there.  Driving down from the mountains we saw another doe and two spotty fawns.

 In the morning I drove up to the mountains again and hiked the two-mile trail that loops around the top of Hot Springs Mountain.  I only encountered two people on the trail, hiking in the opposite direction from me.  It was definitely warm, but shaded, and it wasn't miserable in the mid-morning.  Later the heat was oppressive - again.  That's the way it was every day of this trip - hot hot hot.  Ugh.

All these trips to the mountains sound time consuming, don't they?   But the truth is the historic town of Hot Springs is situated in a narrow valley between Hot Springs Mountain and West Mountain.  Hot Springs Mountain rises directly behind the bathhouses and the historic buildings across the street are backed right up against the face of West Mountain.  When you drive up Hot Springs Mountain, you can look directly down at the roofs of the bathhouses.  There are a couple of steep trails that start downtown and end at the Hot Springs Mountain Tower, and I saw crazy people climbing them in that terrific heat.  Looked like unnecessary self-inflicted torture.  Not me, thank you very much!

The following day, we "took the waters," but that's in Part 3, so you'll have to wait to hear about that!

Five-Bean Pantry Chili

The weather's cooling off, and it's time for chili!  I've tried a lot of chili recipes, and this is the one I've come up with - some Tex-Mex heat, some Cincinnati cinnamon, and lots of tomatoes, beans, and chili powder, all from the pantry.

This makes a lot because I believe in planned leftovers (less cooking that way).   You can use the leftovers in place of the meat filling in my Mom's tamale bake.

You can serve this with cornbread, saltine crackers, cooked macaroni, cheese, or sour cream, or leave it nekkid!


Five-Bean Chili

1 lb lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
2 cans chili-ready diced tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes and green chilis
1 can diced tomatoes
1 can Ro-Tel (hot)
1/2 c dark chili powder
1/4 c sugar
1 T hot sauce, or to taste
1 T cinnamon
1 t cumin
1 t salt
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can red beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed

In an 8-quart stockpot, brown and break up the ground beef and onion.  Add all tomatoes and seasonings.  Bring to a boil.

Add beans and return to a boil.  Turn down heat and simmer 10 to 15 minutes.

EASY Apple Strudel

Here's the last of the Oktoberfest recipes!  Dessert!  Eat it warm.  With ice cream.  Oh my.


Apple Strudel

1 apple, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
3 apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
1 c brown sugar
1 c golden raisins
1/2 c sliced almonds
1 pkg frozen puff pastry, thawed
1/4 c milk
1 egg

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Place apples in a large bowl.  Stir in brown sugar, raisins, and almonds.  Whisk egg and milk together.

Place puff pastry sheets on baking sheet.  Arrange apple filling lengthwise down the middle of each pastry sheet.  Fold the pastries lengthwise around the filling.  Seal by rubbing the pastry edges together with wet fingers.  Brush the top of the pastry with egg mixture.

Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until golden brown.

Hot German Potato Salad (A Microwave Recipe)

When my sister and I vacation together, we keep a lookout for German restaurants wherever we go.  We found one in Nashville, Tennessee, and one in Hot Springs, Arkansas, on our most recent trip.

Here's a quick and easy way to make traditional hot German potato salad.  This is the second Oktoberfest recipe I promised to post.  It's one of my favorites!


Hot German Potato Salad

4 potatoes, peeled and sliced
6 slices bacon, cooked, chopped, fat reserved
1/3 c flour
1/4  c sugar
1 1/2 t salt
1/2 t celery seed
1/8 t pepper
1 c water
1/2 c vinegar

Place potatoes and bacon in a shallow 2-quart baking dish.

Place bacon fat in a microwave-safe bowl.  Stir in flour, sugar, and seasonings.  Microwave 1 or 2 minutes at full power.  Stir in water and vinegar and cook at full power for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring after each minute, until mixture boils and thickens.  Remove from microwave and stir smooth.  Pour over potatoes in baking dish and stir.  Cover dish with plastic wrap, venting one corner.

Microwave at 70% power for 20 minutes.  Remove and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Old World Sauerbraten (A Slow Cooker Recipe)

It's October, and that means Oktoberfest!  I usually go a little nuts at some point in the month and make a German feast at home - sauerbraten, sweet and sour red cabbage, hot potato salad, and apple strudel.  I've already posted the red cabbage recipe here, and today is sauerbraten.  Apple strudel and hot potato salad will appear in the next couple of weeks!

This is a really easy recipe, and if you've never made sauerbraten, there is a surprise ingredient in the gravy.  Read on!


Old World Sauerbraten

3 1/2 to 4 1/2 lb beef roast, preferably rump or sirloin tip
1 large onion, sliced or chopped1 c water
1 c vinegar
2 T salt
2 T sugar
10 whole cloves
4 bay leaves
6 whole peppercorns
12 gingersnaps, crumbled

Place beef and onion in the slow cooker.  Mix together the water, vinegar, salt, and sugar and pour it over the beef and onions.  Place the cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns in a cloth spice bag and place the bag next to the beef in the slow cooker.  Cover and cook on low 8-10 hours.

Transfer as much of the juices as possible to a saucepan, stir in the gingersnaps  (the sauce will foam!), and bring to a boil.  Turn down and cook for about 5 minutes.

When done, remove the meat from the slow cooker, slice, and place on a serving platter.  Pour gravy over the meat. 

My June Vacation in September (Part 1) - Nashville, Tennessee

So I'm back from my June vacation with my sister.  No, we weren't vacationing for three months.  We had planned the trip for June, but because of my caregiving for That Knee, we rescheduled for September, and this time, we made it!

We met in Louisville and drove to Nashville.  We went to the Parthenon!

Yes, there's a Parthenon in Tennessee, a full-size replica of the one in Athens, featured in The Lightning Thief - the book, the movie, and now, the musical.  It was HUGE but didn't look it until we were right up next to it.  I read somewhere that the building's proportions are so perfect that it doesn't look as massive as it is.

The original Parthenon was built in the fifth century B.C.E. to house a forty-two-foot tall statue of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom.  The Nashville Parthenon was built in 1897 without the statue for Tennessee's Centennial Exposition.  In 1990 a gilded replica of the Athena statue inspired by nineteenth-century drawings and older descriptions was unveiled.

The figure standing in Athena's right hand is Nike, goddess of victory.  Just to give you an idea of the scale, this Nike is six feet tall!

In the end galleries are smaller-scale replicas of the east and west pediments, and plaster casts of some of the figures from the Elgin marbles which were removed from the pediments and are now housed in the British Museum in London.

The Parthenon is the centerpiece of Nashville's beautiful Centennial Park, the grounds of the 1897 Tennessee Centennial Exposition.  There is a man-made lake from the Exposition with a one-mile paved path that follows the lake's border and showcases some of the park's gardens and a brand-new tribute to the women's suffrage movement.

Even though it was hot hot hot (97 degrees!), there were plenty of people in the park running, feeding the ducks, and strolling around the lake.  There was also a quinceanera celebration, with the girls dressed in a rainbow of extravagant tulle and organza gowns.  The dresses were reminiscent of Civil War-era hoop skirts.  No wonder the party was outdoors - I doubt those dresses could have fit through most doorways, but the girls were beautiful!

This stop was just the prelude to our planned week at Hot Springs National Park in Arkansas.

Stay tuned for Part 2!

Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops with Pineapple Topping (A New-to-Me Recipe)

After eating out for nearly two weeks in September (more about that in an upcoming post), I was in the mood for some home cooking.  Unfortunately, I'm the one who does the cooking!  Or, perhaps, fortunately.  I don't know what would happen if one of The Guys took over.  Probably Subway every day for lunch and a rotating menu of takeout from Culver's, Taco Bell, KFC, and Big Hoffa's Smokehouse (a local barbecue place - YUM)!

I went to The Magic Box (A.K.A. the freezer), opened the door, and a package of thick-cut boneless pork chops leapt out at me.  Going through my stack of Recipes to Try, here's what I chose for dinner.  It's sweet but has a spicy kick to it, and it was quick and easy to make using everyday ingredients.  Just my kind of fast food!

There was no coriander or cayenne pepper in the house (how did that happen?) so I was forced to make a special trip to buy them.  It was worth it!

I served this with oven-roasted potato wedges and steamed vegetables.  Eight-ounce pork chops are huge (pork-zilla?) and each is probably two "normal" servings.  (But hey, what is "normal" anyway?)  Nobody at our house had seconds because we were all groaningly full.  I will make these again!

Spice-Rubbed Pork Chops with Pineapple Topping

 

For the rub:

1 1/2 T packed brown sugar

1 t ground coriander

1 t ground ginger

3/4 t garlic powder

1/2 t salt

1/2 t black pepper

1/4 t cinnamon

1/4 t nutmeg

1/4 t red cayenne pepper

For the chops and topping:

4 6- to 8-ounce boneless pork chops, 3/4 to 1 inch thick

2 T canola oil

2 c pineapple, cut into 1-inch pieces (I used a 16-oz can of sliced pineapple)

2 T packed brown sugar

2 T lime juice

2 T minced fresh cilantro

Mix all the rub ingredients in a bowl.

Mix the pineapple, brown sugar, and lime juice for the topping in a small saucepan and set aside.

Trim the chops, pat dry, and rub evenly with spice rub.  Heat the oil in a 10 1/2- or 12-inch skillet at medium heat until it just smokes, or until someone yells "It smells like something's getting hot out there!"  (Guess who.)  Lay the chops in the skillet and cook covered until well browned on one side (about 5 minutes).

Flip the chops, cover, and continue to cook until the meat registers 140 degrees with an instant-read thermometer inserted into the middle of the chops (about another 5 minutes).  Remove from heat and let sit covered to rest while you make the topping.

Cook the pineapple topping on medium-high to high heat until it boils, then turn down to medium heat and cook about 5 minutes.  Take it off the heat, stir in the cilantro, and serve spooned over the pork chops.

Sweet, Sticky, and Spicy Chicken (A Quick Skillet Recipe)

Here's another recipe I found in a magazine recently, and I couldn't wait to try it out.  It's really good served over rice.  In fact, it's so good, I'd recommend doubling the recipe!


Sweet, Sticky, and Spicy Chicken

1 1/2 T lite soy sauce
1/4 c honey
1/4 t ginger
1 T minced garlic
1 T hot sauce (or to taste)
2 T brown sugar
1/4 c chicken broth

1 1/2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" strips
1/3 c flour
1/4 t pepper
canola oil for cooking

In a small bowl, mix together the soy sauce, honey, ginger, garlic, hot sauce, brown sugar, and chicken broth for the sauce.

Mix together the flour and pepper and dredge the chicken pieces in it. 

In a skillet, heat 2 T of oil.  Brown chicken on medium heat about 1 minute each side.  Don't worry about cooking it through at this time.  Work in batches, adding oil as necessary.  Return all chicken to the skillet and pour sauce over chicken.  Lower heat and simmer 8-10 minutes until sauce thickens.

Agnolotti with Creamy Pesto, Peas, and Asparagus (Comfort Food with a Difference!)

This is a pretty, really GREEN dish!  I found this recipe in a magazine quite a while ago.  That Boy isn't a big fan of vegetables, so he picks out pasta and chicken for his plate, leaving more lovely peas and asparagus for the rest of us!


Agnolotti with Creamy Pesto, Peas, and Asparagus

3 T butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c flour
2 1/2 c milk
1/2 c pesto
1 t salt
20 oz agnolotti, tortellini, or ravioli
1 lb fresh asparagus, 1" pieces
1 lb frozen pea, thawed
1 c diced cooked chicken (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a 2-quart saucepan, melt butter and cook garlic.  Blend in flour and cook 1 minute.  Blend in milk slowly to avoid lumps.  Blend in pesto and salt.  Cook 6-8 minutes until thick.

In a 4-quart pan, boil agnolotti 2 minutes.  Add asparagus and peas to pasta and cook 2-3 minutes.  Drain.  Add chicken, if desired.  Stir in sauce.

Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish, sprayed with non-stick spray.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.  Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

What Happened to My CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Posts?

No pretty veggie pictures!  What's happened?  Inquiring minds may want to know!

I haven't gotten much from the CSA this summer.  I got a nice selection in June, and I just got a couple of tomatoes and a couple of zucchini this past week.  That's it.  Disappointing.

We've already eaten our beautiful tomatoes, and I expect to do something with the squashes tomorrow.  Probably zucchini bread (yum!) and steamed squash.  Gotta use 'em before they get mushy!

Wild, Wild, Wildwood Days!

In an earlier post I mentioned going to the beach, and boy oh boy we went to the BEACH.  That Girl and I loaded up the Grands and journeyed to Wildwood, New Jersey, billed as "The World's Finest and Safest Bathing Beach."  Last year on a whim we drove farther north on the shore to Ocean City, New Jersey, to just see the beach and stroll the boardwalk there, but this year we did it right.

Head 'em up, move 'em out!

We arrived in Wildwood way before our hotel's check-in time, so looked for a place to eat lunch.  The Doo Wop Coffee Shop was a block away.  The decor was definitely doo-wop, and the food was fabulous and reasonable.  Burgers, of course, and big salads, cheesesteaks, wraps, hot and cold sandwiches, and a big breakfast menu.  Cash only!  I would have gladly eaten every meal there, except they don't do dinner, darn it.

We checked in at the Nassau Inn and hauled our stuff up to our one-bedroom suite.  It WAS sweet!  Two beds in the bedroom, a pullout sofa in the living room, and a kitchenette - absolutely spotless, even at the end of the season - impressive!  Throwing our overnight bags in the room, we changed into swimsuits and headed across the street to the beach.

The view from our balcony.

A Marine landing operation requires less equipment.  The troops deployed with a beach cart, boogie board, umbrellas and sand anchors, chairs, life jackets, sunscreen, beach mats, towels, sunglasses, the works.

Gotta try that boogie board!

Smiles all around!

Once we traipsed across the dunes and ginormous expanse of sand and planted the beach cart under an umbrella, we hit the water.  Grand #1 grabbed the boogie board and set about figuring out how it works.  Grand #2 got his feet wet and FROZE.  As the waves washed the sand out from under his feet. we tried to get him to walk a little.  No dice.  After a lot of cajoling and tugging, he took a step, and another, and another. and suddenly he was a fearless, unstoppable force of nature!  He sat in the water until a wave reached him; then he'd leap to his feet and laugh like crazy.  When the water retreated, he'd flop back on his bottom and wait for the next wave's advance.  Grand #3 held on to Mom for dear life.

When everyone was sufficiently exhausted, we returned to the hotel and hit the saltwater pool, where the kids suddenly revived.  Grands #1 and #2 clambered up and shot down the slide in a continuous loop.  Grand #3 held on to Mom for dear life.

Pool fun back at the motel.

Hunger struck, so off we went.  After dinner (remarkable only for its awful mediocrity - note to self:  don't eat at any restaurant with "rusty" in its name), we sought ice cream and discovered the Sea Shell Ice Cream Shop.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  Sixty flavors of hand-dipped scoops as big as your head!  YUM!  Cash only.  There seems to be a theme here...

In the morning, the small fry were too tired for another foray to the beach.  After checking out, we noshed on bagels (per Grand #1's request) at the Bagel Time Cafe.  Excellent breakfast foods and New York style bagels with amazing amounts of cream cheese, but spotty service.  After breakfast, we headed to the boardwalk.  It was hot hot hot, and the small fry were still tired and fussy, so we didn't stay long.  A great place for older kids, though, with two amusement piers, tacky t-shirt shops, and lots of food options.  Oh, yeah - and the beach!

Wildwood was immortalized in the 1963 song, "Wildwood Days," sung by Bobby Rydell.  Along the boardwalk, we discovered a mural dedicated to him.

In the Broadway play and movie "Grease,"
Rydell High was named for Bobby Rydell.

Wildwood was a blast from the innocent past - an old-fashioned, family-friendly beach town where everyone stops when they see people trying to cross a street.  When we were finished at the beach the first day and thought we might hit the sand in the morning, we left our loaded cart outside our motel door (like everyone else), and nothing was missing the next day.  Try THAT other places.  

"Doo-wop" style architecture from the 1950s and 1960s survives in many of the older motels.  The Doo Wop Preservation League Museum has a "garden" of neon signs from demolished motels and offers nighttime tours of the remaining vintage neon around town.  Because of the small fry contingent, we didn't think that would be a good choice for this trip, but it's on my list for next time!

Can't wait!!!

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Here are the lyrics to “Wildwood Days” sung by Bobby Rydell:

Spring’ll soon be gone, summer’s comin’ on
I’m-a dreamin’ of lotsa summer love

All I think about (Wildwood days)
After school is out (Wildwood days)
Headin’ down the shore (Wildwood days)
To have a ball once more

Whoa whoa whoa whoa those Wildwood days
Wild, wild Wildwood days, oh baby
Every day’s a holiday and every night is a Saturday night
Oh those Wildwood days, wild, wild, Wildwood days
And then those party lights wild, wild Wildwood nights

Say baby you’ll be mine ’cause it’s kissin’ time
Gonna twist again like remember when

Sleepin’ on the beach (Wildwood days)
Seven days a week (Wildwood days)
Rockin’ every night (Wildwood days)
Till the early bright

Whoa whoa whoa whoa those Wildwood days
Wild, wild Wildwood days, my baby
Every day’s a holiday and every night is a Saturday night
Oh those Wildwood days, wild, wild Wildwood days
And then those party lights wild, wild Wildwood nights

Whoa whoa whoa whoa those Wildwood days
Wild, wild Wildwood days
And then those party lights wild, wild Wildwood nights

Sleepin' on the beach (Wildwood days)
Seven days a week (Wildwood days)
Rockin’ every night (Wildwood days)
Till the early bright

Whoa whoa whoa whoa those Wildwood days
Wild, wild Wildwood days, oh baby
Every day’s a holiday and every night is a Saturday night
Oh those Wildwood days, wild, wild Wildwood days
And then those party lights wild, wild Wildwood nights
And then those party lights wild, wild Wildwood nights

Tamale Bake (From Mom's Recipe Card File)

This is another childhood favorite I resurrected last year.  Some people call it Tamale Pie.  To-may-to to-mah-to; po-tay-to po-tah-to.  Whatever you call it, casseroles from the 1960s are making a comeback at our house.



Tamale Bake

1 lb ground beef
1 c chopped onion
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 15-oz can chili ready tomatoes
1 15-oz can whole kernel sweet corn
1 15-oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 package Jiffy corn muffin mix
1 egg
1/3 c milk
1 T canola oil

Brown ground beef and onion.  Add the taco seasoning, tomatoes, corn, and beans and heat to a boil.  Pour the mixture into a 3-quart casserole dish sprayed with non-stick spray.

Mix the rest of the ingredients together, then spoon over the meat mixture.

Bake at 400 degrees for 25 - 30 minutes.


I will often substitute leftover chili for the meat mixture.  When I make chili, it's a HUGE pot, so there's always plenty left over, and this is one way to use it up.