HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Throwing a Halloween Party tonight?  Or need something frightening when the kids get home from Trick or Treating?  Or just staying in and watching old monster films on TV?  Well, I’ve got the perfect brew for you!  Dracula’s Blood Punch is a sweet and tasty punch just perfect for a night like tonight.  Only one thing could improve on it … if a storm should blow in some lightning and thunder.  BOO!!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

Dracula's Blood

If you can find wax or plastic fangs, they can float in the punch.

2 3 oz. packages cherry gelatin
1 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
4 cups cold water
1 package cherry flavored unsweetened drink mix (such as Kool-aid)
2 quarts cranberry juice cocktail, chilled

Dissolve the gelatin and sugar in the boiling water, stirring well. Stir in the cold water and unsweetened drink mix; transfer to a bowl. Refrigerate until the gelatin is nearly set, 2-3 hours. Alternatively, you can just leave the mixture on the counter and it will jell, but it will take much longer.

Pour the gelatin mixture into a punchbowl; stir in the cranberry juice cocktail.  Makes 18 servings.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GARY!!!!

Today is my brother Gary’s birthday.  He’s in Ohio and I’m in Florida, so we can’t celebrate as we always did, but I can Blog about him and share with everyoe what a wonderful brother he is. 

I have more memories of doing things with Gary because was at home longer (I was eleven when he married, only three when my brother Jim married).  One of my first memories of Gary is of us playing toy soldiers together.  I’ll admit, I was a bit of a tomboy – mostly thanks to Gary, who (rumor has it) really wanted a brother when I was born!  One time he walked me over to “A. Bell & Sons” (a dime store in nearby Reading), and bought me these really neat metal painted soldiers.  Fifty years later, I still have them!

Gary and Frankie

I also remember going to his bedroom and laying on his bed while he read to me from the Uncle Remus books.  Sometimes he’d read Tom Sawyer, but usually it was Uncle Remus.  And he had a 45-Record (dating ourselves now, aren’t we?!) of Theme from a Summer Place that he would play over and over for me.

Linda, Nancy & Gary

Gary Linda & Nancy

 

At the Cemetery in Greenville -- and you thought I was kidding???

A really early memory is crying myself to sleep  the night we left Gary at college.  I guess no one in our family had ever been away from home before, and I thought I’d never see him again.  I cried and cried.  But in the end, it turned out that some of my best memories are of visiting Gary at college in Greenville, Illinois.  I especially remember visiting the cemetery (yes, you read that right) where he went to study (I can’t explain that one – maybe someday he’ll write a blog of his own!).

And one of my all-time best memories of being with Gary was our Saturday trips downtown.  The best time was in the Fall, when the air was crispy cool.  He would take me down on the bus, and we’d shop all day – having lunch at Niesner’s Fountain.  And he’d buy me paper dolls or coloring books.  In 1965, he took me downtown to see Mary Poppins when it was first released, and afterwards he took me to Shillito’s department store because the blue suit which Julie Andrews had worn in the film was on display in their front window.

I remember one special time in the early 1960s when Gary bought a new TV for his room.  It was the first color TV we’d ever seen.  The whole family crowded in his bedroom to watch Gunsmoke that night.  We were all so excited over it!

I remember sitting with Gary when our family went to the Cincinnati Royals basketball games at the Gardens (Cincinnati had a pro basketball team then!).  And we were always going to the Emory Theatre in Reading to see movies.  Gary would buy us a box of “Dots” candies, and we’d roll the black ones down the aisle and listen to them “ping” up again the screen.

 

My brothers, Jim and Gary

I really had fun growing up with Gary.  We shared a love of movies and football – and we were closer than most brother and sister who have a fourteen year age difference.  I guess I have so many special memories because I have such a special brother.

Today I’m sharing two of Gary’s favorite things to eat.  He LOVES Golden Corral’s meatloaf and I found a copycat recipe of that!  And when Roy Rogers Restaurants were still in operation, he really enjoyed their Cheesy Apple Crisp.  So I’m adding that here for him, too.  I just wish Gary was here with me today so I could make these old favorites of his for his birthday Dinner!

GOLDN CORRAL MEATLOAF

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 medium onion, finely chopped

½ to 1 teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon dried basil

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1 teaspoon ground black pepper, or to taste

1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 eggs

1/2 to 2/3 cup milk

1 1/2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil

1/2 cup tomato juice or tomato sauce (Do not use ketchup)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine ground beef, onion, garlic, oregano, thyme, basil, cloves, salt, pepper, bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese in a large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, beat eggs with milk. Add to meat mixture along with oil and tomato juice. Mix well with hands.

Form into loaf shape and put into a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. (Alternately, form into a loaf and place on a baking sheet with sides, lined with parchment, such as a jellyroll pan.) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Remove and drain well; serve with brown gravy if desired.  Serves 8.

CHEESY APPLE CRISP

6 -8 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
3/4 cup sugar (more or less depending on the tartness of the apples)
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup butter or 1/2 cup margarine
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375; butter a 6 cup casserole dish. Place apple slices into casserole dish; pour ½ cup water over the apple slices.

In a mixing bowl, mix the sugar and flour together; cut in the butter using a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Add in cheese and cinnamon; mix well.  Sprinkle over apple slices.  Bake for 40-45 minutes or until apples are tender and top is golden.

YOU’LL GO “BATTY” OVER THESE!

We all have one, I suppose.  A dark side.  Mine began as a child and has moved along with me through life.  It’s a fascination in and love of those strange creatures of the night … the vampire!

Mine began with watching Shock Theatre every Saturday afternoon on our local TV channel.  These were the gold old days before the slash and dash tyope of sick films today.  These were the classics.  The Universal studeos monsters and I looked forward each week, hoping it would be Dracula with Bela Lugosi.  I grew a few years and when I was around eleven, I fell hopelessly and madly omn love with Dark Shadows’ Barnabas Collins, played by Jonathan Frid.  Several years later, I had the opportunity of meeting Mr. Frid on two occasions, and he was the kindest , most caring gentle man I ever met. 

 Who could mention Dracula without caling attention to the greatest Count of all filmdom … Frank Langella from the 1979 film version. 

And although I’m old enough to be his mother, once the Twilight series of books was brought to the screen, I was immediately on Team Edward, after seeing Rob Pattinson’s debut as the sensitive Edward Cullen. 

So with Halloween just a few days off, my mind turns to bats and these sensational appetiozers for Haloween parties … BAT WINGS!  Don’t faint!  They’re really just barbecued chicken wings, but what a perfect effect for the Holiday!

Bat Wings

2 lbs chicken wings (wings and drummettes separated)

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup Coca-Cola

chopped chives and black sesame seeds for garnish

Put the chicken wings in a zip lock bag and pour half the soy sauce on top.  Move the wings around in the bag until they are well-coated. Allow them to marinade for 10- 15 minutes at room temperature.

Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-heat. Saute the chicken wings until they are golden brown on each side about 8 minutes. Pour the remaining soy and Coke into the wok. Bring the liquid to a simmer. Simmer the wings for 15- 20 minutes, until the liquid is reduced to a glaze.

Transfer the chicken to a plate, garnish with chives and serve.

A CENTURY OLD

Today would have been my Aunt Frances’ 100^th Birthday.  To write just a little about my Aunt Frances is like trying to write just a little about my Mom!  There’s just too much to tell in a single page.  So I’ve highlighted just a few special things … like the many visits we used to make when she & my Uncle Everett lived in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Nancy with Aumt Frances

Whenever we’d visit, Frances & Everett always had the most wonderful things planned for us.  Breakfasts at the beach, shopping in Miami Beach, cook-outs and trips to three of our favorite places:  The Seaquarium (where we even got to see the real Flipper!), The Sepentarian (where we got to see Bill Haast handle the big cobras!) and Silver Springs (when we’d all go when Frances & Everett came up to visit Papaw & Mamaw). 

Frances & Everett’s home was so elegant and beautiful, with a gorgeous patio and grill.  Linda and I always got to sleep out in the Florida room, and we loved that.  And I think I’ve logged in hundreds of hours just standing in front of Frances’ “picture wall” and looking at all our family photos.

In 1978, I flew to Florida to spend three weeks with Frances and Everett.  The trip turned out to be more than I could have ever dreamed for … they chartered a plane and took me to Nassau!!!  What an exciting time we had!  We saw things on the back roads that normal tourists probably never get to experience.  On the same trip, they took me to Disney World, Lion Country Safari and the Winter home on the Ringling Brothers Circus.  I will never forget doing all those wonderful things with them.

When Frances & Everett moved to Ohio in 1979, we began a tradition that has continued all the remaining years of their lives – Thanksgiving at their home in Loveland each year.  I look forward to that about as much as Christmas!  There was always so much wonderful food, and it was a time when we can all just lazily sit around together.  We usually get out old photos and look at them, and share old memories.  How much we miss Francis and Everett at this and EVERY event!

Everett & Frances on a date in 1928.

The greatest thing Aunt Frances gave to us was when she married Uncle Everett.  They were married in 1929 when he was was 23 and she was just 14 years old!  But my Grandparents must have sensed what a wonderful man he was, one who could always take care of their daughter, which he did for their 70 years of marriage!  There was only ONE Uncle Everett -- and I adored him!

Uncle Everett & Aunt Frances on their Weddng Day -- July 3, 1929

 

Everett & Frances Whitaker in the 1940s

I may look like my Aunt Kay, but I’m a lot like my Aunt Frances, too.  Family means so much to both of us.  We appreciated things that belonged to family members – not valuable things, but the sentimental things.  And we both felt very blessed to be in the family we were in.

When Frances passed away, she had already signed her home, a threestory home called The Rookery in Loveland, Ohio over to me, so that in reality the last year of her life she was living with Steve & me.  A lot of my cousins still hate me over that, but getting that house was what enabled us to sell and move to Florida, which ultimately saved my life because that’s where I was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure and put on dialysis.  So thank you Aunt Frances for always making my life so happy and for helping to save my life.  I love you!  XO

 

the Home Aunt Frances gave to me -- The Rookery in Loveland, Ohio

For every occasion, Aunt Frances made her Chicken & Dumplings.  They sat right next to the turkey on Thanksgiving and the ham at Christmas.  They are loved by everyone and a source of great comfort, just like Aunt Frances herself.  So I can’t think of anything better to past for her Centennial Birthday today!

Chicken ‘n Dumplings

 

Chicken and Broth:

 

 3 quarts Water

 1 3-4 pound Chicken, cut up

 1-1/2 teaspoons Salt

 1 small Onion, sliced

 2 stalks Celery, chopped

 1 clove Garlic, peeled and quartered

 1 Bay Leaf

 4-6 whole Parsley Leaves

 1 teaspoon coarsely ground Black Pepper

 1 tablespoon Lemon Juice

 

Dumplings:

 

2 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 tablespoon Baking Powder

1-1/4 teaspoons of Salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Milk

 

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot.  Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley to the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours. The liquid will reduce by about one third.

 

When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside.

 

 Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum. You only want the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out.

 

 Pour 1-1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe-it can be frozen). You may also want to use a smaller pot or a large saucepan for this.

 

Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the dumplings.

 

For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes.

 

Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2 inch thickness.

 

Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock. Use all of the dough. The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick. Stir often.

 

While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle. Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin. Cut the chicken meat into bite-size or a little bigger than bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot. Discard the skin and bones.

 

Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5-10 minutes, but don’t stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart. You want big chunks of chicken in the end.

 

When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot.