AN AMAZING 1961

As you are aware, we old folks do a lot of day dreaming about the “Good Old Days”.  It's so much better than remembering the “Bad Old Days” and screwing up our dreams.  During one of my remembering the good old days I have no idea why, but my thoughts went to the year 1961.  I think it might be the result of looking at all the commercials for beautiful cars and then checking out some of the current prices.  Yes, even old guys like me think about buying one of those beautiful new machines.  My thoughts, however, jumped to my first ever brand new car in my life.  At the ripe old age of 25 I purchased a pretty, dark blue 1961 Plymouth Valiant.  I paid a whopping $2,400.00 for it.

That was the start of a very momentous year.  I heard that a house on our street was going to be sold at auction.  I was intrigued and decided to go.  Just in case I wanted to open my mouth at the event I needed to have $1,000.00.  I didn’t have it but knew where to get it….a loan from my uncle.  Armed with the needed deposit I went to my first ever auction and unbelievably ended up buying a house. Marge was not involved in my crazy venture so I was able to go home, open the door, and pull what could have been one of those “LUCY I’M HOME” guess what I bought skits?  By the way, I bought this, my first house, at auction for the grand total of $12,500.00.  Even paid my Uncle off with a quickie home improvement bank loan.  If I remember correctly the monthly mortgage payment for house and loan was something like $109.00.  Prices have certainly escalated haven’t they?

1961 continued to be momentous, since I had also recently taken a new job with Bowman Products selling Bolts and Nuts and thousands of other automotive and industrial items.  In thinking about these times, I can’t believe I either lacked the brains of had some very large b___s to make these moves.

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Recipe for today’s Blog:    I love Swordfish if prepared properly.  I’ve done this recipe and was very happy with it.  Unfortunately this recipe can feed four or more so I don’t have many occasions to make it.  Marge and I can’t handle two pounds of fish, not even in our prime but the left overs go well in next day’s salad.      

SICILIAN STYLE SWORDFISH

3 ounces raisins

5 tablespoons olive oil

1small onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 pound ripe tomatoes, diced

10 green olives, pitted and minced

2 ounces pine nuts

¼ cup capers

2 pounds swordfish steaks

Salt and pepper to taste

 

Soak raisins in lukewarm water for 30 minutes.  Drain and set aside.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

 

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or skillet over high heat.  Saute onion and garlic until soft.  Stir in raisins, tomatoes, olives, pine nuts and capers.  Cover pan, reduce heat to medium and cook for 15 minutes.

 

Season steaks with salt and pepper.  Place in a lightly oiled baking dish and cover with cooked sauce.  Bake in preheated oven for 15 to 20 minutes, until steaks are firm.

 

 

 

 

 

Back with a Bitch

After having written 192 Blogs to date I thought I was pretty well out of any decent blogs to invade your computer.  I figured that most of you  had seen just about all of my popular bitches and did not want to begin reading repeats.  But I missed doing the blog and believe it or not a few of my readers missed seeing them.too....hard to imagine, huh.  

While sitting  around thinking about a way to begin this long awaited Blog entry, a few crazy thoughts entered my mind: How many elderly seniors go hungry every day because they were unable to put together their tool kit.  I'm sure you're thinking, Bill, what the hell are you talking about?  But think about it.  The senior must have a razor knife or some type of sharp knife, a pair of pliers, scissors, maybe a screwdriver and of course bandages in case of tool misuse.  Now he or she would be prepared to attack the sometimes impossible task of removing the food from it's overly secure container.

Don't laugh, it's even become a major chore to rip open the cereal bags and God forbid  you need a snack and need to rip the potato chip or pretzel bag.  How about opening that pickle jar....it's easy, all you need is a huge knife to beat the shit out of the lid.  Then you're a hero when the lid slides easily to expose the briny delight.  Those items packed in one of those hermetically sealed heavy plastic boxes defy destruction.  Those should merely be thrown away since only explosives well get you the prize.  

And make sure your fingers are in good shape.  You'll need to rip one of them off to get at your milk or orange juice.  Oh, I forgot a pretty important bitch.  Remember the scare created when some wacko began poison the pills in Tylenol bottles. Problem was solved though......you can't open any pill bottles without good eyesight to show you the needed lineup of the top lid and bottom container.  Kraft Salad Dressings they get to me every time....I really wonder why I keep buying them. The tops are an nightmare to prepare for the escape route of dressing.

I guess you get the idea of this Blog by this time. I truly wish the so-called design engineers should have to field test their on paper creations.

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Today's Shared Recipe:   This is a fabulous appetizer my daughter Mary Ann prepare for many family events.  They won't last long on the serving tray.

SAUSAGE APPETIZERS

1 pound ground beef         1 pound sausage

1 pound Velveeta cheese, cubed

1 tablespoon oregano       1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 loaf cocktail bread

 Brown beef and sausage, drain fat.  Return to pan.  Over low heat add cubed Velveeta, oregano and Worcestershire sauce.  Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted.  Spread on bread slices.  Can be put in freezer on baking sheets at this time and then stored frozen in zip lock bags until use. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until tops are browned.

 

 

Chateau D' Yquem

No, this Blog will not be in French, only the wine in the photo.    Years ago I learned about a wine that was created at this Chateau in France.  The grapes grown there were used to create a very fine Sauternes desert wine. Years ago with picking time near at the vineyard, and it was discovered that the grapes were attacked by a virus.The Chateau owner decided to have the grapes picked and make the wine anyway.This virus causes the grapes to shrivel and produce way less juice.  But the droplets from every little botrytis-pruned grape are incredibly concentrated and make for sweet, elegant wines. It is also what makes the wines expensive to begin with, it simply takes exponentially more work and more vines to squeeze out a bottle of wine.  Because the resulting wine is so good they have since called the virus "The Noble Rot"and look forward to the infestation.  I was very impressed both with the history and expert reviews for this wine and more than once expressed an interest in someday owning a bottle.  The only one I ever saw in person was a 1975 vintage at the Yankee Spirit store in Sturbridge, Mass.  The $75.00 price tag secured the  empty space in my rack.  Knowing my desire to own a bottle, my daughter Mary Ann and my brother Peter went up to Sturbridge and surprised me with a bottle.  The once empty space now contained a marvelous looking golden Chatteau D'yquem sauturnes desert wine..  Now a new problem existed....what does it taste like. So I opened my wallet and sent them back for another bottle. 

A short while later when my mother and aunt were still alive we had them over the house to join us in a grand opening.  It's was so long ago, about 40 years, than I remember very little about the occasion.  The remaining bottle was the stored and reached the grand age of 46 years waiting for a suitable occasion to celebrate and open it.

 Instead of celebrating individual family anniversaries Marge and I decided to take our four children and their spouses to dinner each year to celebrate them altogether.  We've been doing this for a few years with the exception of last year due to Covid 19.  It seemed that 2021 should be that year:  Covid restrictions have loosened up somewhat, Marge and I are celebrating our 67th year married on September 11th, and we had no desire to have the wine outlast the both of us, so all ten of us had the wine opening and dinner at Flair Restaurant in Southington this past Saturday the 11th.

The decision was made.  We're going to open this wine which now had an average replacement value of $1,260. Is it spoiled?  Did I store it correctly.  Will it taste as great as they said it should.  These were my thoughts over the past few years of indecision.  As it turned out there had been no reason for concern.  Except for a some breakage of the cork, the wine was fabulous, not only in appearance but also in a taste that lived up to all the great reviews for the 1975 vintage.  Celebrating all anniversaries together has been great and I'm already looking forward to the next one in 2022.....even without an old bottle to open.

Can't forget the usual recipe:

Classic Greek Bean Soup / Fasolada

 1 pound medium-sized white dried beans

2/3 cup extra-virgin Greek olive oil

3 large onions peeled and chopped

3 medium-sized carrots

3 celery stalks or 1-1/2 cups chopped wild celery with leaves

6-8 cups water

Salt and pepper to taste

 1-2 tablespoon vinegar or balsamic vinegar to taste

 Soak beans overnight.  Rinse and drain them. Heat 1/3 cup of olive oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onions, carrots and celery together until softened, about 10 minutes. 

 Add the beans and toss to coat in the oil. Pour in the water.  Raise the heat and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat and let the beans simmer, skimming the foam off the top, for about two hours, or until the soup is thick and creamy and the beans and vegetables are very soft.

  About 10 minutes before removing from heat, add the salt and pepper.  Stir in vinegar to taste.  As soon as the Fasolada comes off the stove, pour in the remaining olive oil.  Serve hot.                                                                               Serves 6

DISAPPEARING SERVICE

Company ads in publications and television commercials continue to tell us how great their service programs are.  After listening to one of the ads, I began to give some thought to services we enjoyed years ago.  I was a recipient of services that most people living today never experienced or even heard about.  When my car needed gas I went to a "real" service station.  Calling them a service station meant that you pulled into the pump area, waited a bit and was soon greeted by an attendant who proceeded to begin filling my tank.  He then requested that I raise the hood to enable him to check my oil, the water in my radiator, and even the water level in my battery.  Then of course he wiped my windshield.  How does this compare with your last fuel stop where all these tasks are left up to yourself.  I suggest that gas station should be unable to add the word "Service" to their name.

Ok, how about bottle and can returns?  In my day we put the empty bottles into a wooden case, brought it to our grocer who then handled the return.  Today.....you collect them in a bag, haul them to a store where you hope the line won't be too long.  Then handle each and every one of those sticky wet vessels and individually insert them into a machine.  But of course, every now an then you have a can or bottle rejected because their computer hadn't been programed for that brand. In that case you need to find someone who can handle the transaction and get you your nickle. Then search for the soap and napkins to remove the sticky fruits of your efforts.

And how about the non-service at checkout in the supermarket.  Haul your own carry out bags into the store, pack them yourself and then get them into your car.  There were time in years past when you even had help bringing your purchases to the car.

I won't even get into the situations that were handled for you by an actual human being.  Forget it today, when you are expected to be proficient in all computer functions and do the damn things yourself.  The only benefit to this is the increase to my pulse rate.  Frustration has a way of doing that.  Hopefully it forces me to improve my patience, which unfortunately I have very little of.

Recipe of the day:    Here's a treat we were served during a wildlife boat trip in Juneau, Alaska.

Taku Smokeries Famous Pate 

1 pound smoked sockeye salmon

16 oz. cream cheese

1 cup mayonnaise

1/2 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1/2 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tsp. dill weed

A few turns of fresh ground pepper

 Remove skin and finely shred the smoked salmon.  Add softened cream cheese in small chunks.  Process all ingredients in food processor.  Enjoy on crackers, bagels etc.

 

CHICKEN REVIEW & MORE

 

Picking the best Chicken Sandwich is proving to be a more difficult job than I thought it would be.  Obviously, the key ingredient to compare should be the chicken itself.  There’s where the problem begins.  In all the sandwiches we tried each contained a very nice, crispy, deep fried breast of chicken.  The only variable to the breast was its size.  A few I considered overwhelming in size.  Buns in almost all cases were a vast improvement over the previous use of a regular hamburger roll.  Rolls like brioche, pretzel and others now were used to hold offerings such as pickles, tomato, lettuce, and even cole slaw.  I really felt that the sandwiches we tried from six locations were all darn good, making a “best” a tough decision.  We’ll keep testing.  Perhaps we’ll chance to run across one we can call the champ.  At the present time my personal choice is the one offered at KFC.  By the way, I was very disappointed in the French fries at all locations.  This man’s opinion only.

Work on the pool, base, new liner installation, and filling with nice clear water from Cheshire, all finished.  Ready to hopefully start enjoying some nice summer weather. Family and friends events should be a vast improvement over last year’s Covid-19 tense atmosphere.  Especially since every member of our family and friends have all had their two vaccine shots.

The year 2020 messed up a lot more things besides backyard parties. Over the past few years instead of celebrating a whole bunch of anniversary and birthday parties for our married children and spouses, Marge and I hosted a party at a restaurant to cover all those very important dates.  Our family has had a very good track record.  Years married for all of us combined in 2021 amount to 212 years:  

Wisk Sr’s                             67 years

Pixton’s                              42 years

Wisk Jr’s                             38 years

Palko’s                                36 years

Elliott’s                               29 years

Anniversaries are milestones where you can pause and look back at your life, to cherish all the beautiful memories and bind yourselves to all the wonderful promises that are yet to be fulfilled…   

                                                                 HAPPY ANNIVERSARY 

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Recipe of the day:   Great soup for that hot summer day.  This is one I make on a regular basis every summer.  Nice and refreshing and low cal. (I think)

           

              Cold Beet Soup

 

4 cans, 15 ounce, sliced beets

2 medium cucumbers peeled, and coarsely julienned

Water as needed

1/4 cup cider vinegar (white vinegar also ok)

1 pint sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon dill (optional)

 

Drain beets, reserving the liquid.  Stack the beet slices and julienne.  Add water and reserved beet water into a pot to bring up to about 2-1/2 quarts.  Take a cup or so of the liquid and whip in the sour cream.  Add julienned beets and cucumbers all ingredients into a pot stir and chill.

May be served with a boiled potato and a dollop garnish of sour cream.

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