Antiquing

Today I was rearranging a shelf and found several pages of a book I was writing about antiquing in England and France.  I had traveled to do this very thing every time I had time off from my teaching job.  But, did I have a ninth book in me...probably not.  This travel activity had been going on from 1979 to 2005, totaling around one hundred trips in all and I felt I had had it with this particular subject. A new friend encouraged me to rethink it.  I am not doing a book, more like essays, but thought I would share some excerpts of my scribbles on this blog.  ( I had done a blog on the subject of antiques and my trips for a long time years ago, but have not shared these particular pages.)

Also, I want to keep copies of these essays for my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren so that they would know me.

ENGLAND


I have to love a man who has a propensity for parades.  My husband is a real fan.  If he hears of one or sees one forming, he's there.  Andy and I were riding passed Hyde Park on a double decker bus on our way back to the hotel from the Camden Passage flea market when he spotted the Beefeaters with their be -plummed horses and surmised they were preparing to march. The only other person on the upper deck of the bus was a tosspot who was asked what he thought was going on in the park."Well, it's the queens birthday parade isn't it?" Andy had eagerly awaited the reply because he felt a parade in the air and on that assumption he tried to pry me from the bus. All the way back through the heavy London traffic he cajoled me for forty minutes to no avail. As soon as we arrived at the hotel he said he was going back to see the Queen.  No truer words were ever spoken.  In fact, he saw several hundred queens.  Andy had missed the Queen's birthday parade but unknowingly briefly participated in a gay rights shindig. By the time he realized that the couples were of like-gender, he was in the throes of the event.  When he got back to the hotel I expected this long dissertation about the  Queen's birthday parade.  Finally, in a pique, he confessed that he'd missed the entire birthday gaiety, but had encountered the same spirit in a different form altogether.

Harrogate

For some years I had heard about Harrogate being second only to London in antique merchandise.  Finally, on a long England holiday, we decided to take a train there to see what all the fuss was about.  The Queen was to be there that day as well, and since she'd been missed on every scheduled occasion, we were sure we'd have a combined treat.

Temporarily forgetting that all English trains are not bullets, we climbed aboard a milk train which has the duty of stopping whenever someone wanders near the tracks.  It was going to take forever to get there, but I contented myself with mentally listing all of the antiques I would find to crow about.  Either my list was too short or the ride was too long because my mind and eye started wandering.

The young girl sitting knee to knee within a nearly empty car had dropped asleep as soon as she hit the seat.  She'd had a rough partying evening, she said, and that had been her opening and closing remarks.  But there was one more set of interesting prospects to inspect. A prototype English country couple. A movie director could not have wished for a more classic pair.  He, the lord of the manor, was in brogues, knickers, and the obligatory tweed jacket with elbow patches. Never mind it was one of the hottest days on record.  His doting wife could not have been more accommodating had she lain in front of him as a footrest.  I always wondered what men did to get women to behave like that...  Andy wonders the same thing.  I just couldn't get my tongue out of my cheek as I watched the tableau being played out before my eyes.

First, the weather was thoroughly discussed for, oh, I'd say five ever-lasting miles.  Each stop was gone over until I had to brace myself from plugging my ears and crossing my eyes.  They found us equally interesting I might add, so I did have to refrain from doing American things like chewing gum, speaking in tongues, and throwing money from the train.  My tension level mounted while "Mother", as he called her, clucked and plucked imaginary lint from her man.  She couldn't keep her fawning hands off the old boy and he wasn't minding it a bit.  After finally straightening his three strands of hair for the last time, she decided to feed him. After taking each little item, one at a time, slowly and carefully from a hidden hamper, obviously bottomless, she unwrapped dainty three-cornered, crustless sandwich, spread his napkin across his ample stomach and allowed him to chew the food himself. The sandwich was the size of a dime, but she wanted to be there for him in case he choked. He took exactly five bites per sandwich---I alone could have put four of them in my mouth at the same time. He chewed each bite ten times. I felt myself slipping into naughtydom, when Andy, whom I had forgotten entirely exclaimed aloud...really loud, "Look at those sheep."Everybody did. Prying my eyes away from the afternoon tea party I looked questioningly at the pastoral view afforded all of us. "Which sheep, Andy?" What about them? "Well, they are obviously not like our American sheep!" He looked at me like I had lost my mind (which was about to happen anyway.) The pressure gave way to insane laughter which I could not stop.  It was like laughing in church wth God frowning at me.  I laughed on and on, and on. The girl across from our knees woke up, the ticket taker reexamined our tickets, and the couple forgot their repast completely.  It didn't help as Andy continued to explain the sheep's differences.  Never mind that he had never spent five minutes on a farm in his life.

Luckily, the train stopped, I thought to throw me off, but no, we had arrived in Harrogate.  People hurried from our car as though we were chasing them with New York knives; I laughed on.

Once more anonymous we set about tracking every single antique shop or fair that could be reached on foot.  There were plenty of them, but none held our particular likes.  We only bought one little glass tumbler, and, we missed the Queen to boot.  What a day!  If laughing keeps one young, I'll live forever.

"Do you want a drink before we get on the train?" Andy asked. 

Butternut squash

I was in Trader Joe's and spotted bags of cubed butternut squash and suddenly I craved a sweet treat of the squash bathed in a little brown sugar and a lot of pumpkin pie spices and melted butter.  Tossed together these two bags and their toppings went into the oven for around 15 minutes and there you go.  Delicious.  You could bag these and sell them for candy. LINE YOUR BAKING SHEET WITH FOIL BECAUSE THESE MAKE A MESS. I am sure you all have been doing this for years and I am just catching up--I always think squash is savory, not sweet, and that is the reason I have not done this before. I think this would be welcome on a Thanksgiving table.

Around nine Mondays until spring is officially here, but I think it comes early in March rather than the 19th.  It has felt and looked like spring for a month now, so bring it on.  We are ready. I have not gone out too much wanting to avoid the flu.  I am like a hermit with benefits; good books, the computer, cooking, Andy for company.  Who could ask for more?

Have you watched Escape to the Chateau on public television?  It is at 10:00 on Monday night here.  I love that show! This interesting couple bought a Chateau in France for around $250,000 euros...  Cheap for a 45 room Chateau with a moat, and seven out buildings.  Trouble is it was a wreck.  I have been watching them bring it back to life for two seasons.  I think you would like it too.  Give it a try. The good shows are making a slow return.  Where are the rest??? With all the talent at their feet, why not get going and produce quality shows?

P. S. I am politically exhausted!!!

Taste of summer

I am cooking from the supplies I have in the freezer and pantries.  Today I pulled out a large bag of last summer's peaches that had been cut in half and left with the skins on.  Now I did not really want to deal with this bag of delight, but I took a slice out of the bag and with thawing the skin just slipped off.  So, I tore into the bag, skinned them and popped them into a heavy pan with a tiny bit of sugar, some homemade vanilla and a good dose of Amaretto liqueur.  There was a little left in the bottle, so I just used it up.  There are two things I used up right off the bat. The peaches were so juicy that I did not need to add any more liquid, so I put the pot into the oven for about an hour or until it bubbled.  Then I put my new favorite Ginger Evans biscuit and baking mix in dollops on top and baked it for another hour or until the biscuit mix was cooked through. It was like tasting summer...the best cobbler I ever made.

Hello Sunshine...book club

Reese Witherspoon has a book club, Hello Sunshine, with a good list of books that you might like.  A friend told me about it when I was urging her to read Where the Crawdads Sing.  She had already read it since she was reading books from that list and had read Crawdads before I did.  I have read one book from the list, so far, and ordered another on my Kindle by the same author. Lucy Dawson is the author I am reading from the list. I like psychological thrillers and that is what Lucy Dawson writes.  I read His Other Lover and now I am starting Don't Ever Tell. I am in my six weeks reading cycle now.  It is strange, I read like a nut for six weeks and then not again until the urge hits me and that restarts the big reads.

I have perfected frittatas. lol. (There is little chance of messing them up really.) I have made the two of us a frittata for three days in a row and we have loved them.  I am not an egg person, but I do like a good frittata. The base, in a skillet sized for two people, I start little bits of bacon and when it is nearly crisp I add several circles of green onion; then on top of that I add the tips of broccoli florets, and then a layer of fresh spinach.  Once the bottom of bacon and onions firms up, I pour in three eggs beaten in a bit of half and half along with parsley, pepper and not too much salt. Oh, I shake in some sriracha for a kick.  (The bacon and cheese give it enough salt so that we don't actually add salt.) Pour that mixture over the bacon and vegetables and add a layer of your favorite melting cheese on top.  Stick it in a preheated over for less than ten minutes, depending on your oven, or just until there is no jiggle and the cheese is melted and then Bob's your uncle. I use whatever vegetables I have in the fridge; it just so happens I had a plethora of broccoli and fresh spinach.  I think cauliflower florets would be really good in there as well. I have also made it with leftover roasted vegetables and that was the best one of all. Just let yourself go and enjoy. I have made it with a base of mini tater tots on top of the crisp bacon and onions and that makes a lovely frittata too. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.

Only another month of winter so I think I am going to make it. It has been a mild winter here in Ohio, but a dingy one too. I am just glad to be alive, so I'll take what is given.

Trader Joe's shrimp burgers

Note: Egg whites are what holds the shrimp burgers together so well. I have a shrimp burger recipe from Cook's Corner that used egg whites, so it was an ahhhha moment.

Looking for a shrimp burger recipe from Trader Joe's (because their's cost $6.99 for four patties) I discovered several videos secretly shot in a Trader Joe's store which is a good and a bad thing. The one guy has been thrown out of three Trader Joe's stores for filming without permission.  He is very knowledgeable and his reviews are fair--the proof is on the package. He tells you about the good and the bad as far as content is concerned.  He did not do the shrimp burgers because they are new and not in the store where he filmed.  They are actually delicious, firm, packed with shrimp and they stay together when cooked right from the freezer.  I have had them outdoor grilled and pan-fried and there is nothing wrong with them taste-wise, but the price is ridiculous! So I am on the hunt trying to find out what is holding the tightly packed shrimp together.  I picture serving these at a party as hors d' oeuvres but you would really have to love your guests to have them stick those in their mouths. In my mind, I might be tallying up every bite unless, of course, I had had several glasses (tiny glasses) of Prosecco.

If anyone knows the secret of what holds these burgers together, let me know. Note: The secret is not egg whites, it is grinding a few raw shrimp together and they become gelatinous and you add that paste-like concoction to the raw whole shrimp and that holds the burgers together. Sept. 13, 2020.

We went back to Trader Joe's to review every single frozen food item there. You guys love the frozen food section of Trader Joe's because they have very uniq...

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Trader Joe's Frozen Food Review - What to Buy & Avoid!

We went back to Trader Joe's to review every single frozen food item there. You guys love the frozen food section of Trader Joe's because they have very uniq...

Soup to-do

People are fighting over my cauliflower, potato, and broccoli soup! Well, that is an exaggeration. I made a large pot of that soup and Andy had one big cup of it topped with crisp bacon and onions.  He went back for seconds and it was gone.  I heard Matt's family was down with the flu, so I made a large care package of two soups, special crackers and sent it to them with Mike. Andy was in a snit carrying on about the missing soup.  So when he was leaving for Kroger, his daily visit, I asked him to get the things necessary for the soup that he liked so much.  He did and I did and that was that.  He is full and sassy at the moment.  He had told the soup story to the produce lady at Kroger as he was picking out all of these vegetables--will I ever hear the end of it?  Not likely.

Andy is taking classes again at OSU. The subject is the Cosmos and he is raving about the professor who really knows her subject.  He has taken, and aced, his first test today and is feeling cocky. (Well, not at the moment, he is sleeping off the soup.)

I am feeling a little like entertainment withdrawal.  I have not had a group here since July.  That is a long time in my world.  I may have forgotten how to do it. lol

Where the Crawdads Sing

I may forget many of the books I have read, but I won't forget Where the Crawdads Sing.  For some reason I loved that book and did not want it to end.  It was the author's first novel though she had written three or four books that are in a different language about her experiences.  I cannot wait to see what she comes up with for her next novel. Ending that book was like watching my favorite barn burn down. Now I've done it...when you start reading it you will think what on earth did she see in that book; what can I say, it was relatable.

Mid-January and it is like spring.  I will take a winter like this every year if you please. 

It's quiet here. Beth has taken a new puppy down to New Orleans to Alyssa, her daughter.  My poor little Bella was traumatized by that frisky Westie boy and she is glad, once more, to be the only dog in the house. I want to get another Yorkie, so if you hear of one needing a home or if there is a litter of them that you know of, I am very interested.

I hope you all missed the flu.  It is everywhere it seems and really saps it out of you. I know at least five people who have suffered with it.

Stacy has been bed-ridden and she has two babies with the croup.  I have made two soups for Mike to take to them tonight.  There is not much more that I can do for them.  Poor Matt is run ragged dealing with that and working full time. Young parenthood is not an easy time of life for sure.

Trader Joe's again

I am obsessed with Trader Joe's shrimp burgers in the frozen food section of the store.  They have been out of them for about a week and I feel like standing at their window looking in to make sure I know exactly when they will arrive.  Of course, Beth found them first and bought two boxes for me.  That won't be nearly enough (lol) but I appreciate her effort as always.  Beth first introduced me to them as she was standing in the dark manning the grill with shrimp patties.  I was drawn outside like a zombie sniffing the air and was led directly to the woman flipping shrimp burgers in the dark.  (It gets dark here about five o'clock, but the scene was still dramatic.)  I am making them today because Andy can't have food today. (He has a procedure tomorrow and so he needs to fast.) So, I can have them all.  Just kidding, he can have one once his test is over.

An early rise

My one remaining dog and I got up at 4 o'clock this morning. I needed coffee in the worst way and a sandwich.  Go figure. Josh's mother is coming to town for lunch and a visit. (Josh and Alyssa who just got married in Italy.) But that is not the reason for my early rise.  There is no reason other than I was finished sleeping. It may have something to do with the fact it is like spring out there even this early and it is supposed to get near 70 degrees today. We are having the best winter ever and I don't envy the snowbirds heading south.  We are torn, we love it here so much we hate to leave yet our bones need winter baking and we could do it, but haven't for a while.

I am setting up a chocolate babka and coffee bar for the visit.  I don't want to ruin our lunch out, but I thought a bite of something sweet after a two-hour drive might revive the traveler.

The Saturday cooking shows start about 7 o'clock so maybe Bella and I will go back upstairs and watch a few while we wait for daylight and activity beginnings.

I have no big cooking plans today.  We will see where the day leads.

Spring in January

We have a gentle rain and it feels warm today.  A January surprise for sure. I am doing self-maintenance today.  But, the main meal is on my mind as are shrimp dishes. I did not find shrimp patties as you know at Trader Joe's so I am figuring out how to do them on my own.  When I try any patty, it always fails to hold together. I fuss with them and turn them too soon which is the main part of the problem.  The taste is there but it looks like a dog's breakfast. Sigh.  So, today it is shrimp alfredo which is not a bad second choice. Speaking of Trader Joe's;  I have a great-granddaughter who loves Trader Joe's. She is three years old and when asked where she would like to go she always says Trader Joe's. I may pass the cooking baton to her in a few years because we obviously think alike. 

Oh goody.  Part of my maintenance is getting a new case for my phone.  I have had mine for years and now it is acting up.  I do hate a trip to one of those phone stores.  Getting waited on takes forever. Then it is on to the nails--I do love the hot foot wax and the leg wrap...sounds better and better so I am off.

Here's what's happening

We lost Posy yesterday.  Two dogs in four months is difficult to take. Both were over 100 years old in dog years but that does not make it easier. My nephew once said he always thought dogs would make good people and I agree. We are now down to Bella the Yorkie and she is a delight but the others are missed.

Last night Beth fixed me a shrimp pattie on the grill and it was great.  Today I rushed to Trader Joe's to buy several more packages of it in the frozen food section where the salmon patties are sold. Dang.  They were out of them due to a hitch in production and they are not expected until after January 15th when they arrive in the warehouse. Man. Well, I didn't leave empty-handed, of course, so there will be many fresh goodies to deal with this week. I bought a bag of multi-colored carrots and they are now roasting in the oven.  Everything was so fresh at Trader Joe's, Wednesday is a good day to shop there. Along with the carrots we will serve a marinated pork roast--one of those small, long, pork log like items that roast in no time for a quick supper.

Pet your dogs for me today and cherish them while you have them. We don't get to keep them very long.