Hanky
Panks, or, "Don't Judge an Appetizer by its Appearance."
1 pound sausage and 1 pound ground beef
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t onion flakes
1/2 t red pepper
1/2 t garlic salt
1 pound Velveeta
2 loaves of party rye or pumpernickel
Brown meat, drain. If you are feeling fancy, you can always add real minced
onion and garlic, then the red pepper. Or, you can just follow the recipe.
Also, Janet uses spicy Bob Evans sausage.
Cut Velveeta into chunks and melt into meat mixture. Stir until uniformly
unattractive.
Spread on party rye, place on cookie sheets and freeze. Then freeze in plastic
bags.
To serve, place frozen Hany Panks on cookie sheets and bake at 400 degrees for
10 minutes or until hot and bubbly. These make an unappealing monochromatic
presentation, but when you put them in your mouth you forget all about that.
Vidalia
Onion Dip
1 large Vidalia onion, chopped
1 C mayo (real, people!)
1 C shredded good quality Swiss or Gruyere
Combine,
bake in stoneware crock for 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees.
Hot
Crab on English Muffin
1 stick margarine
1 jar of Old English Cheddar
1 1/2 t mayo
1/2 t garlic salt
1 can crabmeat
Combine margarine and jar of Old English Cheddar. Add seasonings. Gently stir
in crabmeat.
Split one package of English muffins and broil for one minute.
Spread mix on muffins and freeze them on cookie sheet for 15 minutes.
Remove from freezer and OLD BAY 'em, then split into quarters, refreeze in
baggies.
To serve, remove from freezer and place on cookie sheets, broil a few minutes.
Aunt Rose's Blue Cheese Ball
Mix one brick softened cream cheese with one small container Wispride or
similar cheddar spread and one hunk of good gorgonzola or danish blue cheese,
crumbled. Shape like a log, roll in toasted pecans, refrigerate.
July 2010: Fun on the river in Southern Maryland
Friends of ours were gracious enough to invite us back again this year for a summer weekend--and all of us had a fantastic, exhausting time tubing, jet- and water-skiing, and generally playing in the sun and water all day. I think this is a Power Ranger pose, but I'm not entirely certain. I just know it inspires a feeling of awesomeness whenever I look at it.
Bow Wow! Pets on Wheels Fundraiser June 24!
Moose was featured prominently on the cover of the invitation to the Howard County Pets on Wheels Fundraiser, "Sit, Sip & Stay." But here's the information you need if you'd like to attend, or just contribute. It's really a worthwhile program. Just ask Moose.
March 30, 2010
My brother, John, just sent a load of old photos to my siblings and me, and this one made me laugh out loud. And it also reminded me of the "fish story" column I wrote that goes with the mood of this shot, captured on Fire Island, in New York--so I'll copy it, here. The only sibling not pictured is my youngest sister, Patti, who was born ten years after the youngest one here--Jo. Because I am feeling very nostalgic I think I'll take on the rich photographic subject of Patti later in the week. Actually, I should be working on my column now but I'm having way too much fun!
A fabulous production of "Oklahoma!" at our local high school finished its run this weekend, and my husband and I continue to be amazed at the student vocal and acting performance level here in Howard County. I hope to post some video clips soon. We're also astounded by the parent involvement--from sewing costumes to building props and sets. Truth be told, though, the fine arts department at our school has pretty inspired leadership, and I believe the atmosphere these teachers create trickles down to all the families, who then want to be part of such a wonderful musical theatre experience. Here's a photo of a specialty cake designed and made by my friend, Adnil Ikswogiluk (privacy protected spelling method utilized here). The entire cast enjoyed this confection one night during "tech week" after a long rehearsal. I heard it tasted as good as it looked--that particular night wasn't my carpool night, sadly.
Oh, and here's a photo of my husband, John, and me after opening night with our son, who had the role of "Will Parker." You can click on it to enlarge it but frankly I think I look better in the small format. John had the role of backstage-guy-firing-the-starter-pistol for the gunshot SFX in a couple of scenes. I had the role of running the Hoedown Luncheon with my friend, Ellehcim Sdrahcir, for about 100 before the Sunday matinee. And if you'll excuse me, now I'm going to refill my coffee cup this Monday morning!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Simply Smashing Onion Soup
1. Take out a few old bowls you're really tired of and set aside for culinary excitement, later. 2. Peel and slice 4 large Vidalia (sweet) onions. Separate into rings. 3. In a large heavy-bottomed soup pot, saute onions in a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 2 T butter. 4. Once they are transparent, turn heat up and brown/caramelize the onions, stirring constantly. 5. Lower heat and add 1 clove garlic, minced. 6. Add 4 C beef stock (or 4 C water/5 t beef bouillion), 1/4 to 1/2 C red wine, 1 T Worchestershire, black pepper to taste. If you need to add salt, you can add a dash or two of Soy Sauce. 7. Simmer for 15 minutes or so. Then, grab bowls and smash them on your floor. Clean this up. This allows the soup to simmer for 5 more minutes. 8. Slice baguette and top with grated Gruyere cheese. Toast in microwave and slide onto bowls of hot soup and serve.
(Of course, you could achieve the same result by broiling to melt the cheese in your bowls, but if they're like my dishes, they'll explode in the oven and you'll have to start over!)
Enjoy! XO
Saturday, February 6, 2010--Blizzard fun. Well, at least it was fun for the first half hour of shoveling.
January 25, 2010
I arrived home Saturday night after a week helping my folks as my Mom recovers from a serious operation on her eye. The news is good: it looks like her eye can be saved.
I've always been a little queasy about medical procedures. I've managed to get through quite a few with my children and husband but I always look a little peaked while they're happening and I often feel kind of nauseated afterward. So you can imagine my shock and horror when my Mom's surgeon kept comparing the state of her eye to the "type of gunshot injury" he saw as a result of gang-related violence. I soon learned to position myself so I would not be able to see the exam of her injured eye. Eyes are kind of scary, vulnerable looking things in the best case.
But as you can see from this shot many years ago of my Mother and first-born son, my Mother's eyes are lovely, and I'm glad that we're headed in a good direction now and she's not in imminent danger of losing it. I thank everyone, all of my family members and friends, who kept my Mom in their thoughts and prayers.
January 17, 1010
I'm writing this entry from my parents' home in Florida, where I am spending the week trying to help my Dad help my Mom recover from a pretty bad experience--a retina torn in three places; the surprising and pretty terrifying outcome of what our entire family expected to be routine cataract surgery. For the next three weeks, Mom has to spend all of her time sitting in a chair that sort of resembles a massage chair, but with her head at an awkward angle. She gets fifteen minutes break per hour from this chair, and when she calls it a day, she has to sleep face down in a similar contraption.
Today was my first full day helping out, and I think my Mother said "thank you" to me about a zillion times, whether I was making her a cup of tea or massaging her shoulders or just turning on "This American Life" podcasts I had loaded onto my iTunes for her to enjoy while stuck in this chair.
She is gracious and upbeat and uncomplaining, just as she has always been when bad stuff happens. I am amazed and inspired. But mostly I am just glad to be here.
January 5, 2009 Why I love my job.
Here's another piece of lovely mail I received about my January 3rd New-Year's-themed column, reprinted with the permission of the author.
Hello Janet,
On your suggestion in this weekend's Sun column, I'm writing a note of encouragement, and I'm writing it to you! Thank you for the fun and laughter of your writing, it's good work and I hope you'll continue. Thank you for suggesting to people that they smile a little more. It costs us so little, and yet can have a big impact. I also enjoy hearing about your dog. Combining smiles and dogs is my work. I run the Howard County Pets on Wheels program. About 60 volunteers and their dogs (plus 3 cats) visit nursing and assisted living homes. A smile and a wag make a big difference to people who are confined to senior homes. Our motto is " the cold noses that warm hearts". If you ever had extra time, consider bringing your dog for a try out. Many volunteers tell me it's the most rewarding volunteer work they have ever done. Your dog might be a natural, if nothing more the story could make a great column. Even if we never meet, I'll be wishing you well every time you make me laugh.
With sincere thanks,
Tricia Summers
Naturally, I responded to this highly effusive and accurate email by sending Tricia a photo of Moose, and she responded with a photo of herself and Harry, which you see here on the left. I think you'll agree that they are both exceptionally cute and photogenic. I've also included a link to the information on volunteering with Howard County "Pets on Wheels." It sounds like a wonderful program and it just might be a great way to start off 2010. Tell them Moose sent you.
I've received a lot of terrific emails on this week's column, and thought some of you might be interested in what one of my readers had to say about a course offering on the subject of happiness. With his permission, I've reprinted this email from Bob Llessur, below. Naturally, I have spelled his name backward for privacy:
Hi, Janet.
I just read your New Year "happy" ideas column and thought I'd add an item to your list.
I teach a course at Howard Community College called The Psychology of Happiness - A Humanities Approach. While it is taught under the humanities rubric (HUMN102), it really is a brief introduction to positive psychology, a relatively new area of study that increases the range of Psychology from one that simply helps miserable people become less miserable to one that scientifically studies interventions that can make people lastingly happier. While old psychology only dealt with a "disease model" (fixing what was wrong . . . not a bad thing at all), the new science helps "average" people become happier than they already are.
Aristotle and others, including U.S. founding leaders, feel happiness is either the ULTIMATE goal of life or at very least one of the inalienable human rights.
Bottom line: people can sign up for the course at HCC offered in Spring 2010 which starts in February. Increased happiness and a full 3-credit humanities course on your transcript is just a registration away: http://www.howardcc.edu
Bob
January 1, 2010
Thinking Happy Thoughts...
More ways to kick-start a happy 2010!
1) Learn a new song, either vocally or on your instrument of choice. Kazoos count. 2) Try a new ethnic food. If you're in Maryland, Lotte Plaza is a great place to explore your options. 3) Play a family game. "Old Maid" is still a hit with those under ten. And there are so many great ones, new and classic, from "Sentenced" to "Monopoly" that can work with all ages. Don't keep score. 4) Cover a pine cone with peanut butter and roll it in birdseed and hang it on a tree somewhere. 5) Take a walk around your neighborhood or drive around other neighborhoods to see the lights and decorations while they're still up. 6) Clean out a closet or two and make a pile for Amvets/Salvation Army/MS--you pick! 7) Watch a classic film you've never seen. I, for example, have never seen "Casablanca," and I think it's about time! 8) Make "real" popcorn, in the pot with the oil. Be careful, of course, but savor this trip back in time because the flavor is really incredible. 9) Buy two hula hoops and put on some music and exercise with a friend. This makes it more fun. And I think I read somewhere that hula-hooping is very good exercise. 10) Go to a holiday party and sneak one of your neighbor's "floating candles" from the dining room centerpiece and place it in the downstairs powder room toilet. I must admit I laughed out loud when I heard this idea last night at a New Year's Eve party from Mit Nnud, whose name has been spelled backwards for privacy.
December 20, 2009
When December
rolls around each year, I find myself thinking a lot about Mary, the Mother of
God.
What little I know
of her I was taught in religious education class at St. Christopher's School in
Baldwin, Long Island, which I attended from grade one until grade three. This
was pretty straightforward stuff: the Angel appeared, told Mary she was going
to have a baby, the baby was to be the son of God, and that was that. Our class
quickly moved on to the manger and the wise men and the singing of "Joy to the
World" at the conclusion of the Christmas pageant.
Really, this was
all we needed to know about Mary in elementary school. In a way, we kind of
took her for granted, much the way small children take their own mothers for
granted.
Later, after I
transferred to public school, I attended Saturday religious education classes.
I vividly remember being shocked when one hipster middle-school teacher, hoping
to foster an energetic discussion, asked how many of us knew what "Immaculate
Conception" really meant, and how many of us believed it?
I truly didn't
know at the time that there was an option not to believe the Bible stories I
had been told, but once I got the gist of this particular one, I had to admit,
it did sound far-fetched. And I felt incredibly sorry for Mary, with all of
this baggage foisted upon her. I began to see her in a very real way; her
pained face the same as the faces of the pregnant unmarried girls on "Need
Help?" posters at bus stops. I suddenly understood why no one had room for her
and Joseph in Bethlehem; I pondered how horrible it would be to so young and so
judged and misunderstood by others.
And I began to
love her.
Her quiet strength
was formidable; she seemed to be a very level-headed person, managing not to
screech at her child when she discovered him in the temple, teaching, after she
had been frantically searching for him all over town. She even held her tongue
when Jesus spoke to her like the all-too-human adolescent he was, essentially
saying she and Joseph should have known where to look all along. I'm not sure I
would have tolerated that cheekiness, even from the son of God.
My faith journey
veered off the Catholic track in high school, but I hung on to the image of
Mary. It seemed rather natural to turn to her with my problems and questions;
she was always a good listener who would understand, having been through so
much. She had proven herself quite a good friend to me.
Later, when I had
my own children, I drew strength from her serenity. I would meditate on her in
times of trouble, in a "Let it Be" sort of way, and feel a sense of calm.
Increasingly, I reflect on the tableau where she takes Jesus in her arms after
his death on the Cross and see it as profoundly moving. There are women in
Baltimore and all over the world today who will no doubt call on her as they
cradle their deceased children.
So this Christmas
season, though I do not attend Church, I will continue to hold Mary so very
dear. It is in her ear that I whisper my hope for a Catholic Church that will
ordain women, and welcome people of all sexual orientations.
I
think she is listening.
November 16, 2009
It's not my birthday yet, but I've already had quite the lovely quasi-surprise gift. Two weekends ago, my husband attempted to surprise me by arranging to have my daughter, one of my local friends and my college roommates here for the weekend.
And here's how I spoiled my own surprise. I had spoken with my daughter, who was dancing in a Tisch showcase on Friday night, November 6th. She was in three different pieces, and I mentioned that if I got my work done, I'd take the Megabus up to see her. On the phone, she said "Oh, no, don't come...you really don't have to come," and other such comments, and I thought she sounded sort of down, so I was determined to go. I called my husband at work Monday and told him of my plan to surprise my daughter and go see the show. Further, I mentioned, I wasn't going to hurry back Saturday because our daughter sounded to me like she could use a lift--she uncharacteristically kept discouraging me from coming to the show--and I thought I'd hang out with her Saturday and buy her lunch.
That's when my husband had no choice but to tell me that my daughter was already coming home--along with, in fact, two of my college roommates, as an "early birthday surprise."
I actually enjoyed knowing because I got such joy out of looking forward to the weekend. We all had a fantastic time. And I have one fantastic husband, that's for sure. I can't wait to see what he plans for my 100th birthday...
October 25, 2009 Backstage at the High School Musical
I just spent the weekend either watching or working behind the scenes at our local high school's original student production, "Jukebox V." I'm always amazed at the level of singing, dancing and acting talent among high school students today. I saw the show each time it was performed and noticed something different and wonderful each time. It also struck me that so many audience members did not have a child performing; they had just brought their families because it was an energetic, entertaining production. That says a lot! My kudos to all the students involved and to the key parents who volunteered far more hours than I did, spearheading all sorts of committees from tickets to refreshments. Here are a few shots I took backstage...the center one is an original decorated cake in the image of the Jukebox set, handmade by parent volunteer Adnil Ikswogiluk, whose name has been spelled backward for privacy. Which just goes to show you that some of the creativity and artistry we saw on stage might have been influenced by heredity, right?
October 11, 2009
Three or four times a week, I walk with my friend Maureen and my dog Moose. It's really uncanny how many times we end up dressed alike--but last Thursday, we met up in her neighborhood as we usually do and discovered we were wearing matching St. Mary's College of Maryland sweatshirts. Or course, I was in pink to bring out my ruddy complexion, and Maureen was in green to match her lovely eyes. I had to ask my husband to take a photo of us. My wish for you all this Sunday is that you have dear friends to walk and talk with on a regular basis. If you have a dog, that's nice too, although they are not so good at giving advice.
October 6, 2009
Enjoy a couple of extra photos from my Saturday at Lincoln University.
Already, that briefcase is feeling kind of heavy...
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Here
is the photo that appeared in today's paper of a few Lincoln University
students and me before the walk. I really had a great day, thanks to
them. In fact, when it comes time for my son to visit law schools,
I'll probably check the universities' calendars first to see if there's
a fitness walk scheduled--it's a great way to discover a campus and get
an impression of the student body!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
First things first...
Grandma Flood's Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe:
2 T unsalted butter. The real stuff, people! 1/2 pound (1 box) Baker's bitter (unsweetened) chocolate 1 T cornstarch mixed with 2 C sugar 1/3 C white Karo syrup 1 can evaporated milk
Combine all in the top of a double boiler; cook "low and slow" for one hour, stirring frequently. Freezes well once cooled.
And what you see below is an early photo of one of my children (he’s 15 now!) enjoying a first taste of Grandma Flood's Hot Fudge Sauce--excellent on ice cream, pound cake, pretty much anything--even green beans.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009