Soul Food - A Recipe Of Sorts

This morning afforded me a few hours to cook with a little passion and creativity. Time has been short, of late... hasn't it, Joe? We're in dire need of a serious food fix, so I put up a humongous pot of Bolognese sauce and baked an awesome tart. Y'all might recall the serious little gizmo I purchased for apple peeling, coring and slicing. Well, I'm here to tell you that it helps to bring a rustic apple tart to near perfection. As the fruit bakes and softens, it collapses onto itself in an orderly way, making each resulting mouthful burst with flavor. This one came crispy enough to serve as one would pizza. As for the recipe, I used honey to sweeten the apples and gingersnap crumbs/walnuts to top it. You know what to do.

Come on over for a cuppa, a wedge and a stroll through our erupting gardens. 

Good Morning, World

LOOK at what greeted me, this morning! Squisito.

Get This!

We recently stopped at a Cracker Barrel restaurant. Their food is pathetic, but I like the shop. They carry lots of junky, too-flashy stuff that the KidGrands love to receive for holidays. Oooh-kay... in came the credit card bill. Yep, there are the legit charges, and there are...

$

A $700 charge to AT & T in Tennessee, this for a fancy-schmancy printer and other pricey merchandise... and...

A $162 charge to some alien store... and...

A credit for the $162.

$

We later discovered that the savvy merchant handling the latter charge requested answers to security questions; they could not be provided. OF COURSE. But the Big Kahuna amount somehow got through. It was reimbursed, the card cancelled and reissued, and the crook reported. We learned that he'd already been canned. Clearly, his criminal career will be shortlived.

Moral of the story... BEWARE! These incidents are becoming far too frequent. For the record, we did not send the card off with the guilty, although he did have it in his possession for swiping. Go figure.

Round 1.. JOSHUA LEDET.. Round 2.. JOSHUA LEDET

From My Early Call -
Joshua/Elise/Phillip

Though Joe and I agreed that in a technical way Joshua took both rounds on last night's IDOL, let it be said that it's still anyone's win. The extent of talent is astounding, and personalities will clearly factor in. I also loved, loved Phillip Phillip's second round and Elise Testone's first. Who is going home? 

It's anybody's guess. If you love someone, you must VOTE!

And updating on elimination night: In yet another twist, Colton goes home. The IDOL audience is a fickle bunch... no one is a shoe-in.

Forever Young

Getty Image

Show me an American boomer who didn't grow up with Dick Clark and I'll show you a boomer-in-a-bubble. My gosh, I can conjure up our den in Massapequa, where I watched and listened, as early rock 'n' roll unfolded. Even the introduction of my Neil Diamond happened on "American Bandstand", in 1966. And how 'bout that Rate-A-Record segment of the show? Ever classy and ever young Dick Clark had the beat. May he rest in peace and eternal love. He'll be missed - 
another chunk of childhood gone.

Baby's Corner

Last weekend, in one of the largest fires ever seen in our Catskill county, the Grandview Palace burned. It originally opened in 1944 as the Brown's Hotel. Y'all know it as the inspiration for "Dirty Dancing". It had been converted into condominiums that almost four hundred people called home. Thank G-d no residents' or firefighters' lives were lost, due to the diligent ground patrol, as well as multiple responsive companies, including Brian's. Just a few weeks ago, Ellenville's Tamarack also burned; that one proved to be arson related. Enough said. 

LIM - Simple Salmon Sandwich

Last night's baked salmon and onions became a delicious lunch salad, when combined with Chobani plain and hummus. It's easy to skip the mayo, with this combo. Trader's corn tacos are so delicious, as mentioned before. An extra serves as a crunchy bonus and enables me to resist Joe's oily, salty tater chips.

It's Tulip Time

Seemingly overnight, tulips began popping out in our gardens... gorgeous, gorgeous. 

"*Injoy* The Story! I Hope You Do!" ♡

We had such a happy time with Hunter and Chloe, in spite of threatening fevers and rashes. :-) Furthermore, did you know that we are cool? "Why?" you ask. "I can't believe I have a G'ma and G'pa with Wii in their house," 
said Hunter, as we drove home to Stacey, last week. 

Wii games aside, we had lots of time slots to fill with events. We did it all, blessed with balmy temps and somewhat sunny skies. Even the postponed Christmas project was accomplished, for Dawn and Christian. 
And Junior Jeter got a piece of almost every ball that was pitched to him.

In my previous entry, I mentioned the drawing that the children love to do, in the wee, wee hours of the morning. In addition, Hunter likes to write and illustrate stories. This trip's version was hand assembled and crafted for Lil Sis. It's about the unlikely love between an eagle and a tiger. 
Imagination... it is such an exquisite thing... I share a bit of it with you, *in joy*...

Precious, our Babes. We miss them already. It's so quiet around here.

♡

Silly Faces In The House♡

Several Soll-family members went down like a bunch of Dominos, this Spring break: Aubs with her tonsils and a longer-than-anticipated road back to her girlie voice; Hunter and Chloe inflicted with some bizarre virus that delayed their arrival; an ailing Great Grandmother; and ultimately, two daddies... Christian with weird fevers and Bri with calamari-related food poisoning, we think. Jeesh. I suggest that we go back to the days of old and rent a condo on the Gulf, where germs seem to be non-existent???

Yesterday, we finally met Christian to gather our distant, germy-but-adorable Grands for a shorter-than-anticipated stay. Hey, we'll take what we can get! Furthermore, we're notorious for cramming a lot into a day. 
And so....

We'd already had a diner breakfast of pancakes and bacon, when we hit the Goshen florist for a quick errand. Check out the time on the steeple clock... the kids allowed me a minute to snap the pretty view, but they were happy to arrive "home" to an official start of playtime.

After an active workout and a "late night" till 9:00 p.m. (musical kids love IDOL), they were quick to fall asleep and rarin' to go again, this morning. To digress... one of Joe's and my favorite things to do when Brian and Christian were growing up was to pretend we were asleep, as we listened to their morning exchanges. They'd go into their bathroom with the double sinks, only to engage in really neat exchanges that we could hear through shared walls. Precious. And so, I let the KidGrands do their 6:00 a.m. artwork, as I secretly listened. Hunter usually supervises this part of the day, but in a role reversal, Chloe knew exactly what the drawing was to depict:

"This is a tank of water, Hunter, and the waterfall is here. It's under the sea, 
and the octopus is like the Nemo one," etc., etc.

"That's a really good idea, Chloe, and it's okay for this one to be for G'ma and G'pa; we'll do another one 
for Mommy and Daddy," responded Big Bro, as he added his hot air balloon, turtle, and lovin'.

Top Of The Mornin' to y'all. Back to the laughter in the house, our first twenty-four hours successful.

♥

IDOL Chatter - Don't Count Her Out

My pick for last night's win is Elise Testone, performing none other than the Lady herself. Awesome job... 

She's a contender and is pictured (#2) in my "call" shot from early in the season! Yep, there they are, five of my six picks, still remaining... not too shabby.

Elimination Night Update: In the bottom-right corner of the photo sits Jessica, clearly the best voice in this year's competition. But appeal counts, and it seems that the teenybopper girls did their part in affording her the lowest number of votes. She was set up to go home, but the judges used their one save, begging the audience to please vote for "the best". Goes to show that a package performance does count, even more so than technical skills. We shall see. A twist on IDOL.

Every Picture Tells A Story

Circa Last Friday

The KidGrands love to hear stories about their Dads. Who wouldn't? Brian and Christian are so darned cute!! 
So, when Gavin came in with a bouquet of double-daffodils, the other day, I said, "Uh-oh, Honey, I hope these weren't from the neighbor's garden," thus reminding myself of a time gone by...

Circa Childhood... L♥ve Grows 

Ink Sketch Circa 1923...an auction
find I could not part with

My boys used to love to surprise me with flowers... or, rocks that we would then paint. They were especially fond of Neighbor Bonnie's marble stones... you know... the expensive kind that many use for the final touch on garden beds. Of course, we quickly taught them to go for the less extravagant, random ones that are found in the woods or on the roadside. Gavin got a big kick out of this anecdote, saying, "Did they get in trouble, G'ma?" 
Mouths of babes...

Not to worry about the flowers. It seems that another neighbor discarded many garden cuttings in the woods beneath our home, gifting us an amazing field of doubles. 
Aren't they gorgeous? 


Boys Will Be Boys

♥

It's A Start

Unfortunately, the Catskills began to tank before the word "recession" began falling from tongues. And when the economy took its real nose dive, the effects were disastrous, here. Empty storefronts still abound, in spite of the mandated aesthetic improvements we've watched unfold, over the last few years. "Town" actually looks pretty, with its rows of nifty streetlights and blooming flowers, all along Broadway. Now what? The economy is still tanked; real estate values have plummeted; more businesses are failing. Where was everyone, when I shot this at 6:30 p.m., last evening? Hey, but we're brighter... 
a good sign?

Vicki's Moon ♡

Happy Birthday, Sweetie. I guess Mother Nature somehow drove me to an early awakening, this morning, for a capture of your moon... shot at 5:55 a.m., from our front yard. Serenity now. Give thanks. 

We love you so much... Aunt Nick 'n' Uncle Joey

LIM - Another Crustless Quiche

As Aubrey's sous chef, I was extended permission to add to the fare, yesterday morning. It's a pity that I didn't remember to take a picture as my quiche exited the oven, when it was all poufy and gorgeous. C'est la vie! 
It's still not too shabby looking, a day later. It included sautéed onions, artie hearts, broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, eggs, milk and Swiss cheese, all enhanced by lots of herbs. The secret ingredient, though, came by way of the bagel-crumb topping. YUM! What crunch it added, as gazillions of crust calories were saved. 
Oh, and since Easter is an egg-y sort of a day, I used a few yolks.

Success!

Reporting back to say that the Grand Opening of JANG'S was a huge success. I relinquished my quick-action-seat-to-the-kitchen to our Master Chef, who did a fine job of executing and serving. Her first customer? It was our co-owner, the G in our name, who had worked up an appetite by giving guided tours and taking orders from a fixed menu.

We did a time tally at the table, adding the hours spent on Friday to the prep time of the morning; it totaled about five hours. Then, I asked Aubs, "And how much time did it take to devour your delicious fare?" With comical emphasis, she responded, "About forty-five minutes, G'ma!" Bingo. Then, I shared someone's quote... was it Julia's? 
"That's why you wait for good food...
it doesn't wait for you."

As I write, Aubs is having her tonsils removed. She'll be rarin' to go, upon recovery. In the kitchen, a place she's growing to love, we'll be moving on to some more complicated recipes. She's ready. In thinking back, I remember being able to put a meal on the table by the age of ten. It's a genetic thing,
the love of cooking. 

And as I conclude, Kelly's message and photo arrives... ALL DONE! 

♥

Happy Days.

At The Lake

Photo by Bri

Easter Morn

As Easter and Passover Collide, May Yours Be Blessed and Colorfully Inspired ♡

Sneak Preview of JANG'S

We surprised Aubs and Gav with a sleepover on Thursday night, and during yesterday's early chill, they set about getting (link) JANG'S ready for Easter morning. They are dedicated workers, and with goals in mind, they spent hours creating what it takes to debut the best restaurant in town. So what if there's a little dust on the dishes and the cake is two days old! Some things need to be thought out, with great attention paid to artistic detail. 

I share with you the joys of egg dyeing, cake baking, sign making, silverware rolling, table setting and coloring.

Happy Easter from JANG'S!

Holiday Mountain Eagle Sighting

Last week, we took a ride to Plank Road, but of course migrating birds are long gone and residents did not grace us with an appearance. Here for birding acquaintances, though, is this morning's tale of woe and bliss:

Another Day * Circa 2010

I was heading eastbound at about 10:00 a.m. and nearing Exit 110, when I spotted one big bird, flying over Wanaksink Lake. The sky was crystal clear and redefined "sky blue". As I came out of the exit, opposite the lake, there he was, right above the treetops. I pulled over to watch, window down, as he crossed Old 17/Wurtsboro Mt. Road to head back to the Neversink. White tail and head feathers were right at my fingertips, but Nikon was home. Bad, bad photographer.

How lucky to have such royalty soaring above Stacey, Sylvan and the ski hill. Next time...

IDOL Chatter... Joshua 'n' Jessica

Outstanding performances from the 19- and 16-year-olds left everyone floored... or in a standing ovation. Moments before J.Lo uttered the same words, Joe said, "We might be looking at the finalists, here..." Our picks for the night were just unbelievably brilliant.

Sadly, we think Hollie might be heading home. We shall see...

Thursday Night Update: It's so good to be wrong! Hollie is safe; Deandre has left the competition.

"Beautiful, just beautiful...," said Steven.

"And the seasons, they go 'round and 'round and 'round... and painted ponies go up and down..."

During my search for a couple of photos, this morning, I came across this hilarious one from 1961. Evidently, Dad had just shoveled our Massapequa driveway and put chains on the tires of his Hot Rod Of The Year. In retrospect, that was his male-midlife-crisis car. I'll never forget the day he came home with the green and cream convertible... ha, ha... Madre was so pissed. Ronnie and I loved it. Cool dude, our Dad. Forever young. I'm amused further by the fact that Joe was just telling our lake-neighbor, Dick, about Dad and snow chains! 

He went nowhere without them.

And today, the Weeping Cherry is in full bloom... the bumblebees have already found its sweet, 

snowy white blossoms. 

"We're captive on the carousel of time..."

All lyrics by Joni Mitchell from "The Circle Game"

INCREDIBLE!! When Aubs awakened in Christian's room soon after I wrote this entry, she looked out the window and exclaimed, "G'ma!!! I thought it had snowed when I saw the tree!!!"

Grand Love

Matriarch Gran Overseeing The Shindig

You've all met my Gran, the one and only Queen Mary... remember? Linked is my 2009 tribute; but she's been the star on CMI numerous times. She was clearly royalty and a woman born long before her time, in terms of knowing who she was and why she was here. Liberated. Gloria Steinem, are you reading? If my calculations are correct, this combination of party animal and angel of mercy would be turning one hundred and twenty years old, today. If I've miscalculated, Ronnie or one of my cousins will be quick to correct me.

Party Frock Handmade by Gran

We always did birthdays up big-time. Here's little me, wearing a special frock made by Gran. I'd give up both pinky fingers to have that gorgeous piece of artwork in my possession today, as it was borne from the talented hands of a once professional seamstress. In the above photo, I am surrounded by Mom, Gran, Dad and Aunt Vee... another year and another birthday at Gran's summer bungalow, where she constantly hosted mobs of us, for this celebration or that. (Standing to the left, you'll see baby Cousin Dale of Cape Cod fame, in his Mom's arms.) See the hutch directly behind them? It resides in my living room, to this day, refinished in Grand style. Ah, if only it could speak.

Today, I'm reminded of another birthday... my own Sweet 16, brought to mind because of Michelle, who has waited patiently to celebrate her very own significant date.

Way back when, I was given the choice of a party or a trip with Gran. Well, that was a no-brainer! With her fear of flying still in mind (later to be evaporated by a forced flight from Italy to France), she, Ronnie and I took off for Florida, where we spent Spring break. Mode of travel? Train. Twenty-four hours of train... one way. I can set myself into motion by just thinking about it! Dad took me shopping for "a" bathing suit; I ended up with three, 'cause I couldn't decide on just one. Mom came home with seven dresses, purchased with her employee discount at A & S's. I wore one of them on Easter Sunday, to go to church and Uncle Rocco's (Gran's crazy brother), for dinner. The other six returned by train, tags on. "Why?" you ask...

Sure, we were supposed to go back to the uncle's home in Hollywood, Florida. But Ronnie and I begged and pleaded to stay at the beach/pool, in Miami. Gran was so easy. She aimed to please us. WHAT A BLAST WE HAD. I'll never forget that vacation, and I can see the photo of Gran in her bathing suit, in my mind's eye. 

I can't find it, right now; but I shall.

Many anecdotes comes to mind, but I must mention one more. Legend has it that Gran was once partying hard with family that included one Uncle Dave, whom I did not know. They were dancing fast and furiously, when both went down. I can picture that as well as I can my roommate, who upon receiving a phone call in the middle of the night would arise, pack, and be off to help someone in need.

Ah, sweet memories. Gone so long and yet here she is, making me laugh and cry at the same time.

That's Gran.

♡

April - A Role Reversal

So, what ever happened to March's modus operandi, "In like a lion and out like a lamb..."? Lamb-ish behavior was clearly personified by last month's weather. As for today? A roaring lion has taken over the ruling reins, forcing Mother Nature to enact her boldest of behaviors. 

Last week, buds were prematurely bursting, thanks to seventy-degree temps. When frosty evenings recurred, they sheltered themselves by remaining partially closed. Amazing! Now, they await a new wave of warmth.

Happy Lion Of Spring. 

And So It Goes... And So It Goes

And we love you lots, too, Sweet Girl.

Ah, we all know that some weeks can be brutal... mentally and physically challenging in ways that we don't always anticipate. And then, in strolls Michelle, reminding us that cancer isn't pretty and things could sure be worse. Though I've mentioned time and time again that the grace possessed by this gorgeous girl and her family is unsurpassed, I'm afraid you'll have to listen, yet again. Nothing to apologize for here; some things 

warrant repetition.

When the mail arrived, yesterday, it felt like my birthday. All I can say is, "WOW!"  Joe and I were floored. Michelle took the time to share another chapter of her life, via a long letter and photos. Yet again, our home is brightened by her gifts of sunshine and an invitation to her postponed party of last July.
And she thanked Gav for his gift of thoughtfulness...

During the KidGrand circus-weekend sleepover, you might recall that Aubs busily spread some of her own (link) Sunday sunshine. At that time, Gav disappeared, popping up now and again to ask, "Where is the Scotch tape, G'ma?" and other applicable questions. I must interject here that he loves business calling cards and actually carries an inch-thick pile of them, in his pocket. Okay, with that in mind, he'd helped himself to my stash of flipper cards and proceeded to make the poster pictured... this without suggestion or prompting... precious!

So, imagine along with me... the kid with cancer is sending us gifts of appreciation for merely holding her in our hearts and thoughts and prayers. 

"In every heart there is a room... A sanctuary safe and strong... 

And so it goes and so it goes..." (BJ)

♡

ONE ROCKIN' IDOL NIGHT!

Simply cannot call just one winner!