Retro Morning Coffee

I’ve had the General Electric 12-cup percolator for about a month. After a long-term relationship with Mr. Coffee, I find this coffee maker just right, and I’m enjoying a cup of Eight O’clock Coffee as I write this. Sorry to say, Eight O’clock Coffee rebranded its iconic red and black packaging so I’m not totally retro this morning.

Mr. Coffee never really delivered. Sure, it was coffee, but not good, hearty coffee. I tried Black & Decker and Proctor Silex. No, not right either. On a whim and after remembering Mother’s percolator, I went retro. Of course, if I really wanted to do retro right, I’d use a stovetop percolator like Paula Deen’s 8-cup percolator, about which she’s quoted as saying, “No kitchen would be complete without a nostalgic percolator.”

I have to agree. Happy Saturday!

A Patriotic Rocky Road to Recovery

What better than a cone of ice cream to celebrate the Fourth of July? I found a new flavor of Edy’s ice cream at the grocery store today.

What caught my eye in addition to the patriotic colors was the little product note on the back.

At Edy’s®, we have a history of lifting spirits. In 1929, we introduced a new flavor of ice cream to bring a smile to people during the dark days of the Great Depression. That flavor was Rocky Road. Now 80 years later, we’re at it again. To brighten the summer, Edy’s is proud to unveil a new Slow Churned® Light Ice Cream Limited Edition Flavor: Red, White & No More Blues!

I’ll let you know what we think, but I’d be surprised if I didn’t like it.

The Edy’s folks are doing their part to further economic recovery. Now, go out and buy something. That’s is if you still have a job.

Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive

Put this on your calendar, America: Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive is coming up. HSP, where I work, gets food from the Stamp Out Hunger Drive, which happens on Saturday, May 9. Food from this drive largely fuels our Feed the Kids summer nutrition program.

Lots of food pantries need your help. Simply leave your donation next to your mailbox and your letter carrier will pick it up if your local office is participating. Call yours to see. Sadly, some are not. If that’s the case, Google food pantry and the name of your town and then take your donation to a local agency who needs it. Feeding America has a pantry locator too.

What should you donate? Peanut butter and jelly (our shelves are pretty bare), hearty soups, pasta, pancake mix requiring no eggs, syrup, cereal, tuna, coffee (we never get enough of this), mayonnaise, ketchup, canned tomatoes, canola oil, oatmeal, juice (V-8 is my favorite), crackers, Ensure, and low-sodium or sugarless products.

No glass or expired products. That’s really all you need to know. Except . . . there are so many in our country who really do need food. I talk to people everyday looking for help. Shouldn’t be this way. Not in America. Go forth and donate.

Cow Talk

TURLOCK, Calif. – Hundreds of thousands of America’s dairy cows are being turned into hamburgers because milk prices have dropped so low that farmers can no longer afford to feed the animals.

You won’t find this AP story on the Real California Milk Web site amongst the Happy Cows merchandise, but if you are still in the mood after reading it, you can cast a vote in the contest to pick the next California Happy Cow, part of the California Milk Advisory Board’s (CMAB) integrated TV and Web campaign.

While People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sued the CMAB over this ad campaign and lost, they haven’t given up on the issue as you can see if you visit UnhappyCows.com

You bet the CMAB campaign plays on myth and fantasy. Cows don’t talk, and for the most part, they don’t frolic around in green pastures under a canopy of crystal blue skies with puffy white clouds. Nor do they parachute onto football fields like the American chicken fast-food chain Chick-fil-A Holstein hucksters. Not even in California.

However, dear gentle readers, I have digressed. When I saw the story this morning, I felt sad. You see I struggle with a love of animals and yet have chosen to continue as a non-vegetarian. I am rethinking this position, by the way, in case the more militant PETA folks decide to get after me for this inconsistency.

Still, we have another example of the trickle downturn in the economy. Mr. O, my hope needs a boost today as I pass shuttered stores and street corners with store-closing sign holders, and I think of the loss and the loss to come.

Coffee Talk

Yes, I would agree with Consumer Reports taste-testers who picked Eight O’Clock Coffee as America’s best-tasting coffee. Put those beans in your grinder, Starbucks, and grind them!

Seriously, though, on one level , I respect Starbucks’ successful marketing efforts, but I do not especially like the robust products found there. And I know many small coffee houses were run out of business by the giant. But, hey, isn’t that the American way? Please don’t take my random ramblings as anti-Starbucks. Did I show just a tad too much glee that the mega company got bested?

I have written about the corporation before when the Glen Ellyn, Illinois, Starbucks ran afoul of one customer and garnered some media attention. A couple of years ago they apparently kicked a 70 year-old woman out of the downtown Starbucks claiming employees mistook her for a homeless person. She wasn't.

But I have a couple of new Starbucks stories.

One of the former interns for the nonprofit I work at rallied a bunch of Starbucks customers at the location where she worked as a barista, and they put up a Christmas tree with the names of needy kids and bought a bunch of Christmas gifts for them. Now that’s nice and it really helped our organization when toy donations were down.

The second Starbucks story comes via my daughter-in-law whose car got hit by a sign while she was in the drive-through. Apparently, everything was handled to her satisfaction—the car damage will be taken care of and they gave her some free coffee coupons. Good thing she likes Starbucks.

Well, I did digress dear gentle readers. Chock it up to too much caffeine this morning. And in case you wondered, I was drinking Trader Joe’s French Roast.

Talking Turkey

I’m doing a little shopping for Thanksgiving dinner today. My two sons, daughter-in-law, husband, granddog and I will be together Thanksgiving for our traditional dinner. Last year I wrote about my Thanksgiving “disaster” and if you are so inclined, you can pop over and see what dumb thing I once did.

Stories abound of similar cooking disasters. Feel free to share your mishaps if you dare. Or better yet, share a pleasant memory.

Comfort Food

I so rarely spend the afternoon in the kitchen these days. Husband is easy to please or maybe I should say at least he doesn’t complain and meals can be rustled up quickly and simply. However, yesterday I took the time to make some comfort food. You know, the stuff we grew up with—macaroni and cheese, meatloaf, mashed potatoes or chicken potpie, which is what I set about making.

The steam from the boiling chicken warmed the kitchen while I searched for my old recipe. Yes, it had been that long and I have never been one to remember recipes. When I couldn’t find the tried and true, I used the Joy of Cooking version. The peas and parsley were okay now that son was away in college. The rhythm of peeling and chopping went quickly and soon the veggies were sizzling in a glob of butter, unsalted for good health. Another glob melted and melded with the flour, half n half and chicken stock for the cream sauce. Soon the de-boned chicken met the chopped carrots, celery and onions, and I topped them with a purchased piecrust. Love pies. Hate making the crusts.

After the half hour or so in the oven, my creation met with approval. “This is really good,” said my better half, “and better than the ones you used to make. They tasted like frozen.” See, I told you husband is not one to complain. I wonder what else I could improve?

What the Fork

A few short minutes from Springfield’s main tourist spot, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, is the giant fork. I decided it was visit worthy, especially since husband and I were going that way to see a movie at the cheap theater anyhow.

Now this mega utensil is off the well-trodden path for sure. Hidden behind Noble, the advertising firm that owns it, the fork is barely visible from the main street in Chesterfield Village, a planned residential and shopping district. Since we had arrived early for the movie, I yelled to my driver, “Turn around. It’s behind that building.”

And that dear gentle reader explains the photo of Springfield, Missouri’s giant fork. Husband’s photo looked prettier than mine. He’s awfully indulgent of me, isn’t he?

As if this wasn’t enough about the fork, I will tell you that apparently the fork was once located at a nearby restaurant, and I guess Noble bought it when the restaurant went belly (couldn’t help it) up. They have a lot of clients in the food industry. Makes sense.

Well, anyway, tweren’t a sole around except us. Saturday afternoon in Springfield, Missouri. Not bad.

The Super-Sized Nation

And the Winner is: Ta Da. . . Mississippi. Alabamians have a saying, "Thank God for Mississippi." Well, this time we can all point to Mississippi as the state with the fattest residents, but I wouldn't be so smug. More states, especially Southern ones, aren't far behind. I admire Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee. While serving Arkansas as governor, he fought the battle of the bulge and won. It’s a battle a lot of us are fighting. The latest study from the Trust for America's Health shows we aren’t getting any thinner as a society, and in fact we are increasing our girths to the point of danger.

A year ago I embarked on my own battle when I hopped on the South Beach Diet bandwagon. One year later, I am over 20 pounds lighter. In January, my doctor told me I was hypoglycemic and at risk for developing diabetes. Add to this the fact that I had birthed two nine-pound-plus babies, and this risk is real. I was scared. Scared enough to get serious about exercising more for a while. Then came the stress of moving, and I fell out of my healthier routine and it’s only now that I’m resuming my workouts at the gym.

And now I’m again thinking about the glycemic index, carbs, sugars and prediabetes. I highly recommend reading Dr. Arthur Agatston's book, The South Beach Diet, even if you don’t plan to get whole hog into this particular plan of eating. Go to a bookstore and turn to page 75 in the paperback edition. That’s where you’ll find the chapter entitled, “Is It Diabetes Yet?” Only 10 pages in length, it’s a great introduction to why you should take action now while you still can.

And finally before I step off of the soapbox, I leave you with:

Sheila’s Top 11 Reasons We Are Fat and Getting More So Every Day
1. “L.A.S.” aka not enough exercise
2. Large portions
3. McDonald’s
4. Fried chicken, French fries, etc.
5. Soda pop and other sweet drinks
6. Pre-sweetened cereals
7. Overly processed food
8. Too many sweets
9. White bread, potatoes, corn
10. Snacks like chips and crackers
11. TV and passive pursuits

Top 10 Things You Can Do Today
1. “G.O.Y.A.” and exercise
2. Drink water, plain tea or coffee instead of sodas or other sweet drinks
3. Cook and eat at home more
4. Eat whole grains
5. Snack on nuts or grab an apple
6. Eat less meat and don’t fry it
7. Try more salads and veggies
8. Use multi-grain pasta and eat less of it
9. Half an entrée and share or make it another meal
10. Don’t skip meals but skip the potatoes and corn

Yes, You Can Go Home Again. Sort Of.

Interstate highways mostly obscure historic Route 66 these days although you can pick up sections of the old road as you travel from Chicago westward. One particularly delightful stop along the way is in St. Louis, Missouri. We hadn’t been to Ted Drewes in several years and despite the rampant overgrowth of the town, I navigated the family Camry right there to our Mecca on Chippewa just as if time had stopped. Surprisingly, I was the one so intent on stopping. The guys were anxious to get home to television and a soft sofa to rest on after a long day in the car.

Maybe Ted Drewes is foreign to you. If so, I must implore you to seek out Ted Drewes if you are ever in the vicinity of St. Louis. And what dear gentle and curious readers is this Ted Drewes I speak so highly of? Some of the best frozen custard--a. k. a. ice cream--my friends. Okay, time has robbed my memory of what sundae I used to routinely get once a week. But I think Cardinal Sin with gooey hot fudge and tart cherries was awfully close.

And while time had moved on like a drop of Mississippi River water, Ted Drewes’ frozen custard was as good as I remembered.

Road Trip to the City of Broad Shoulders

Montgomery, my old hometown, called itself the Cradle of the Confederacy and the Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement—how far apart is that?

Chicago goes by several names like this too. Of course, everybody knows it’s the Windy City, although my mother always swore Oklahoma City was windier. The City of Broad Shoulders is a good one. Thank poet Carl Sandburg for that one. Second City is another nickname for Chi-Town you might have heard.

Philly is the City of Brotherly Love. I like that one. There's far too little of that and oh to be in a city of peace and love of fellow humankind. Does anyone know if they have much crime there? Wouldn't think so with a nickname like that, would ya?

Although, I’ve never been to the Big Apple, everyone knows where it is without me saying so.

Several cities like the Queen City moniker. Cincinnati does. My new hometown, Springfield, Missouri, is known by some as the Queen City of the Ozarks. I’d like to propose that the city’s fathers and mothers make the official nickname, Home of Cashew Chicken. There’s a cashew chicken joint on every corner. But please don’t make the mistake I did and think that this is a typical Asian-style cashew chicken. This is a uniquely Springfieldian way to serve what are in essence fried chicken nuggets in brown gravy.

More later about the road trip along parts of Route 66.

Days of Vine and Salad

A fellow blogger was looking for a healthy way to get more veggies into her diet, and I promised to share a recipe I like. This recipe is great this time of year in the States when fresh, beautiful tomatoes are plentiful. Plus, garbanzo beans (chickpeas) are super good for you. High in fiber and protein, coupled with pasta they make a great light lunch or dinner.

Garbanzos and Pasta Salad
1 can (19 oz) garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 or 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice or red wine vinegar or a mix
2 or 3 tablespoons fresh cropped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano or fresh if you have it
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups small pasta (note: I use Barilla’s Plus Multigrain Pasta)
2 cups fresh, ripe summer tomatoes, cubed
1 cup diced celery
1/2 cup diced red or Vidalia onion

Combine the garbanzos, oil, lemon juice or vinegar, parsley, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl and let stand while you cook the pasta in salted water. Don’t overcook the pasta—just until al dente. Drain, rinse in cool water and drain again. Add the pasta, tomatoes, celery and onion to the first bowl. Toss and serve at room temperature.


I remembered a photo I took at a Roman market and thought it would be appropriate here. I always carry a camera with me when I shop at local markets--in Italy, in Alabama or wherever. The shot of the tomatoes was made last year at Montgomery's Curb Market. And yes, they were as good as they look.

As Easy as Pie

LEMON CLOUD PIE

Prepare one small package of lemon pie/pudding mix (the kind you cook, not the instant) according to directions on package. Beat 2 egg whites (you’ll have these left from the yolks that go in the mix) and 1/4 cup sugar until stiff. Beat a 3-ounce package of cream cheese into hot pie filling. Fold egg whites into pie mixture and pour into a piecrust. I use a graham cracker crust. Chill. An easy and family-friendly recipe great for hot summer days.

Kool Aid Pickles

Have you heard about Kool Aid dill pickles? I hadn't until daughter-in-law Natalie put me onto the story. She's editor of Fancy Food Magazine, but I can't call these Kool Aid dills fancy food by any stretch of my imagination. The New York Times had a story about the pickles and others are picking up the story.

We in the South will eat a lot of strange stuff like salted peanuts in Cokes and such and while I'd heard of fried dills, the Kool Aid version was intriguing. Seems they originated in the Delta region of Mississippi. It seems you make a double strength batch of Kool Aid and then soak the dill pickles in that, ending up with a kind of candied pickle. They are rather pretty, all red, but this pickle lover is gonna pass on this trend.

Heed the Warning

One of my favorite Montgomery bloggers wrote about a subject we need to heed. Alex from The Apocalypse Papers posted Competition Trick Eating where he talked about an experience at an all-you-can-eat buffet. Check his blog out and I won’t have to put in my two cents. Sex Toys and Elvis is a good post too.

Southern Food and Packing on the Pounds

For over a year now I’ve held a steady weight of about 175 pounds despite occasional bouts of exercise. Recent news about the dangers of being even a little overweight prompts me to get serious. I take a medicine, Aromasin, that’s notorious for adding pounds. I’m hypoglycemic and I have Hashimoto’s (a thyroid disorder). My work is cut out for me.

If I’m honest I’ll also have to admit to crappy food choices and eating out too much lately. So goodbye (for a while) to a typical “meat and three” Southern diet of corn, fried green tomatoes, fried chicken, fried okra, potato salad, peach cobbler and banana pudding. Now don't think I normally eat that every day because I don't. No alcohol, pasta, bread or rice either for a couple of weeks. I’m going on the South Beach Diet. The plan seems fairly sound and not too extreme. Follow me and see how it goes. I will exercise at the YMCA too when I can tolerate Fox News on the televisions in the workout room.

Shameless self promotion: The steer fridge magnet from my cafepress shops reminds me to think before I open the door.

Road Trip to Mobile

Just back from a small road trip to Mobile with my better half. Funny, but the main draw was to go to Morrison's Cafeteria. We left at 5 a.m. yesterday in order to get to the printer's by 8 a.m. for a press check.

When I was a kid, my mom would take me to Morrison's after a day of shopping. It was my reward for enduring what seemed like hours in the the tiny ladies' dressing room at J.C. Penney's. My mom had to shop on Saturdays since she worked full time as a secretary during the week in an age when most moms stayed at home. She was the main breadwinner, and she made sure I had whatever I needed. I never did acquire her love for shopping. But I did love those Saturday meals of trout almondine and macaroni and cheese and coconut cream pie.

Anyway, Mobile still has a Morrison's. The rest of the chain was taken over by Piccadilly and was never the same. This one, however, is pretty close to what I remembered. Good roast beef and potatoes and pie. Tons of old folks as you might expect at a cafeteria. For dinner, the printer's sales rep and his wife took us to Ed's. This is a fish place overlooking Mobile Bay with great fresh seafood and a typical beach decor.

I didn't see much of Mobile, but I would want to go back and check it out sometime.