That little dish I picked up on yesterday's adventure came wrapped in a section of year-old newspaper. The only possible name I can find on it, Weekender, seems unlikely especially since it's dated Thursday, January 24, 2019.
There's a regular column called The Amish Cook authored by Gloria Yoder and on this day she's telling the tale of Frogmore Stew. Her picture and recipe are intriguing... and the story about how she was first introduced to the dish is cute. The editor notes that it's more commonly known as a Low Country Boil and is an example of how non-traditional foods find their ways into unexpected kitchens and become family favorites.
I can't wait to try this!
FROGMORE STEW
Broth:
1 cup ketchup
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup vinegar
3 oz pkg of your favorite crab boil (I like Zatarain's but this is Old Bay country....)
3/4 cup salt
2 tsp black pepper
16 cups of water
Stew:
6 lbs chicken breasts or tenders
5 lbs link sausage (I'd pick Andouille or a smoked sausage ring and cut it into pieces)
2 lbs shrimp
12 unpeeled potato wedges (or as many new potatoes as you want)
1 1/2 lbs baby carrots (or big ones cut into 2-inch pieces)
18 cobbettes of corn
1-2 green peppers, chunked
2 12 oz pkgs of button mushrooms
3 lg onions cut into wedges
Leave burner on high at all times. Bring broth to a boil and cook for 30 minutes. Add potatoes and carrots and cook for 10 minutes. Add sausage and cook for 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook for 20 minutes. Add mushrooms, onions, and corn and cook for 10 minutes. Add shrimp and peppers and cook for 5 more minutes. Turn burner off and let sit for 5 minutes. Drain liquid and serve immediately by dumping onto the center of your table (or on a big cookie sheet placed on the table). Have dipping sauces available.
Ms. Yoder suggests catsup, barbeque sauce, sour cream, and ranch dressing. I might add cocktail sauce and horseradish infused mayonnaise to her list...
In her story, she tells of being a young woman working at an Amish store and being invited to the boss' house for dinner. They only told her the meal was Frogmore Stew and she was curious but also a little worried it was made from frogs... When she arrived, she was shown to their dining room where the table had been expanded to accommodate several guests along with the family and was covered with a plastic cloth. She noticed that there were no plates set, only napkins and forks... After a prayer of thanks, she watched in wide-eyed fascination as they dumped several piles of drained vegetables, chicken, sausages, and shrimp right onto the table! Dips were passed around and each person dobbed the ones they wanted on the table in front of them and then used their fork to stab a morsel from the pile, dip it, and enjoy.
The dish made such an impression that she and her parents made it for a visit from her out-of-state boyfriend (and later husband). Maybe it's the dish that won his heart?
Well, you know... Valentine's Day is coming right up!!
Showing posts with label Thrifting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Thrifting. Show all posts
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Saturday, February 1, 2020
Where The Road Took Us
When I got up this morning, I felt in need of an adventure. This probably isn't the brightest move since every time I take Nelly out on the road I have a niggling worry if she'll make the trip or die somewhere along the way. But I did it anyway. I took the doggies and stopped for gas and then we went wherever the road took us. All my stops were unplanned but quite wonderful!
Somehow we ended up on Rt. 28 in Wiley Ford, WV. (Confession: I thought Wiley Ford was an auto/truck dealership the first time I saw the words in a newspaper but it's less car and more wading across the river kind of ford.) We followed this road as far as it goes. I stopped to check out the discount grocer that's out there and got couscous, salsa verde, canned beans, and some cheese that was on sale. We went on through Short Gap and other places with names that I'm sure must have stories like Hanging Rock and Loom. When we got to Romney, I drove around looking for a bathroom... Thank the Lord for the region's abundance of Sheetz! And instead of getting headed toward home, I made a wrong turn and we were on the way to Winchester, VA. It's a pretty drive, even on a day as dreary and gray and wet as this first of February. Sometime after crossing the Little Cacapon River, I found a place to turn around.
Even in the drizzling rain, I took the opportunity to stop at every historic marker (except the couple of them where it wasn't safe to pull over), thrift store, and interesting looking wide spot in the road! Right after we crossed the decidedly green John Blue Bridge I learned about the Civil War skirmishes fought over the railroad line at Camp Washington and the Wire Bridge Engagement.
We went by the places where even earlier forts stood... Fort Forman, Fort Sellers, Fort Ashby, and coming home, Fort Cumberland. Each has an interesting history that I'd never heard of before living here.
We kept passing brown tourist signs for an Excursion Train and finally went past Wappacomo Station where you could board the Potomac Eagle.
One of the markers I couldn't pull over to read more than the name, Oriskany Sand, marks a specific sandstone formation where more than a million cubic feet of gas has been produced.
Coming homeward, a bathroom break was again making its need known... I pulled into a little strip mall in Augusta and thought maybe I can find one in Goodwill while I see if they have anything interesting. They had something interesting... but it was the Burger King across the parking lot that saved the day!!
I saw lots of places today that beg for more exploration! Stonewall Jackson's headquarters, Indian Mound Cemetery (where we saw a gravestone with the captivating epitaph "Dead yet Speaketh"), and the site of Blue's Gap Battle are on the list.
Now, we are back and I've made Jambalaya for dinner (mental note: get Zatarain's next time!). Now to settle in for the night and plan for future adventures!
Somehow we ended up on Rt. 28 in Wiley Ford, WV. (Confession: I thought Wiley Ford was an auto/truck dealership the first time I saw the words in a newspaper but it's less car and more wading across the river kind of ford.) We followed this road as far as it goes. I stopped to check out the discount grocer that's out there and got couscous, salsa verde, canned beans, and some cheese that was on sale. We went on through Short Gap and other places with names that I'm sure must have stories like Hanging Rock and Loom. When we got to Romney, I drove around looking for a bathroom... Thank the Lord for the region's abundance of Sheetz! And instead of getting headed toward home, I made a wrong turn and we were on the way to Winchester, VA. It's a pretty drive, even on a day as dreary and gray and wet as this first of February. Sometime after crossing the Little Cacapon River, I found a place to turn around.
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| Photo courtesy of bridgehunter.com. The John Blue Bridge crosses the South Branch of the Potomac River. John Blue was an early settler in the area, arriving in 1725. |
We went by the places where even earlier forts stood... Fort Forman, Fort Sellers, Fort Ashby, and coming home, Fort Cumberland. Each has an interesting history that I'd never heard of before living here.
 |
| Photo courtesy of Potomac Eagle Facebook page. Two of the engines that pull the Potomac Eagle Excursion Train that runs from Wappacomo Station to Petersburg. |
One of the markers I couldn't pull over to read more than the name, Oriskany Sand, marks a specific sandstone formation where more than a million cubic feet of gas has been produced.
 |
| It's marked California Pottery but it reminded me, both in color and shape, of some of the Homer Laughlin china lines. I'm using it as a spoon rest. This is my 52 cent treasure from the Augusta, WV Goodwill! |
I saw lots of places today that beg for more exploration! Stonewall Jackson's headquarters, Indian Mound Cemetery (where we saw a gravestone with the captivating epitaph "Dead yet Speaketh"), and the site of Blue's Gap Battle are on the list.
Now, we are back and I've made Jambalaya for dinner (mental note: get Zatarain's next time!). Now to settle in for the night and plan for future adventures!
Saturday, January 25, 2020
Brownies With That Delectable Edge
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| Copper Chef Divided Brownie Pan |
You know. Someone like... ME!
Then I Googled it and found out it should be more than just the pan and dividers. There should also be a lift-out tray.
Sigh. Inward whine.
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| The dividers are removable so you can adjust portion sizes. And everything has a non-stick cerami-tech coating so food doesn't stick! |
Now the recipe is nothing special. It's 2 boxes of Betty Crocker mix and the oil, water, and eggs it calls for on the back of the box. (The pan is 15 1/2 X 9 1/2 so two don't even fill it generously!) What is special is how the dividers create that slightly crispy from the side of the baking pan edge on every side of every single brownie!!
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| I think I'll sample that little one up in the top corner that got a little shorted on batter... |
The best video I found about using the pan was put out by QVC in 2017 when they were selling them (with a lid - I want... whine!) for close to $30. In it, they give some other ideas of food to cook in the pan like lasagna, shepherd's pie, quiche, and meatloaf. Put the divider in after the dish is cooked and... perfect portions! For my brownies, I used all the dividers so it made 18. For these other dishes, I'd pull some out so it makes 9 servings.
Brownies are a hit! What shall I make next?
Saturday, January 18, 2020
HLC Restaurantware
If you read about The Gawd Awful yesterday, you might have noticed the cute little platter I served myself on. I have 2 of them and they found their way into my kitchen as new-to-me pieces just a couple of days ago. I picked them up at an independent thrift store... 2 tiny platters for $1. I probably would have paid more since I'd already seen the marking on the back for the Homer Laughlin China Company but the dollar made me feel like I'd made a real thrifting score!
This purchase both thrilled and intrigued me. I wasn't quite sure yet what I'd picked up, but with that mark, I was pretty sure I couldn't go too far wrong. And besides, I need a few plates. And these are tiny and cute... And they called my name, saying "I must go home with you!"
Just to give you a sense of the size, I picked up a McDonald's straw that was handy (don't judge; I was in the car and it hasn't been cleaned out... in a while) and laid it lengthwise. The straw is just slightly longer than the platter! They truly are tiny!!
I knew the brand because I'm a small-time collector of Fiesta with dreams of having enough to set a table for 8 with all the serving pieces, too. But like I said at the beginning, I didn't really know what I'd just picked up so I asked about them in an HLC enthusiast group on Facebook. That's where a more veteran collector confirmed that it's Restaurantware, sometimes called Hospitalityware since it is sold broadly to both hotels and restaurants all around the United States. It's known for its durability. But I did have to chuckle when someone commented that they were "sturdy" and meant for daily use.
Well, I do believe in using the nice things I collect. And in-between times when it's being used on the table, I will proudly display it with my Fiesta (which I also use!) even if it is kind of like the red-headed stepchild whose Momma came from the wrong side of the tracks!
This purchase both thrilled and intrigued me. I wasn't quite sure yet what I'd picked up, but with that mark, I was pretty sure I couldn't go too far wrong. And besides, I need a few plates. And these are tiny and cute... And they called my name, saying "I must go home with you!"
Just to give you a sense of the size, I picked up a McDonald's straw that was handy (don't judge; I was in the car and it hasn't been cleaned out... in a while) and laid it lengthwise. The straw is just slightly longer than the platter! They truly are tiny!!
I knew the brand because I'm a small-time collector of Fiesta with dreams of having enough to set a table for 8 with all the serving pieces, too. But like I said at the beginning, I didn't really know what I'd just picked up so I asked about them in an HLC enthusiast group on Facebook. That's where a more veteran collector confirmed that it's Restaurantware, sometimes called Hospitalityware since it is sold broadly to both hotels and restaurants all around the United States. It's known for its durability. But I did have to chuckle when someone commented that they were "sturdy" and meant for daily use.
Well, I do believe in using the nice things I collect. And in-between times when it's being used on the table, I will proudly display it with my Fiesta (which I also use!) even if it is kind of like the red-headed stepchild whose Momma came from the wrong side of the tracks!
Saturday, May 30, 2015
Prayer Beads?
A couple of weeks ago I went to a garage sale where an older gentleman was selling the last of his wife's jewelry as she had passed away a year or so ago and they had no children to take it. I picked up a little packet of unusual beads for $1. When I got home and unpackaged them for a closer look, they were part of a necklace or possibly a crucifix since there is a copper cross attached to the one end. The strand is broken but there's a good number of beads and I've been pondering what to do with them ever since.
My first thought was some kind of art display for these oh-so-bare walls. But how to accomplish that? Then a friend suggested stringing them for a bookmark in my Bible. I'm still uncertain if I want to do that but I do like the idea of being able to touch them because they have such a unique feel when you hold them in your hands that's both pleasant and disturbing. I like the elements of irony and contrast and surprise in jewelry and decor.
Besides the cross, there are 8 of these skulls. Each is approximately the size of my small fingernail and they are VERY primitively carved. No two are the same and some barely resemble a skull while others look very much like one. The material feels like polished bone or possibly ivory. There's probably a simple way to tell the difference and I'll feel silly for questioning it once I find out... The other beads are a little smaller than pony beads and either dark brown or black glass.
When I came to the cross, I was stumped. Why would skulls be part of a religious item? Turns out I was again woefully undereducated. Skulls have a long history of symbolism in religious art as a reminder of the transitory nature of our life here on earth and the certainty of our physical death. Very old paintings of saints such as Mary Magdalene, Jerome and St. Francis of Assisi often included a depiction of them meditating over a skull. Some pictures of Jesus' crucifixion show a skull over the cross presumably as a reminder that He could not rise again and offer us resurrection and salvation without first experiencing death. And more than a few religions have been known to keep a human skull on the premises for their members to use as an aid to meditation. It seems a little macabre to me considering the squeaky-clean image of a very nice father-figure God most of modern Christianity holds but a Google search shows that skull prayer beads are pretty widely available today and appeal to a variety of faiths.
This description for a set of Buddhist mala beads was interesting: "...Buddhists integrated Tibetan skull images into malas to represent the brevity of life and the restrictions of human understanding. Skull-shaped mala beads help chanters [consider] the inevitability of fatality and the requirement of accepting lives filled with empathy." (Source: http://www.slideshare.net/panoramicnun5041/what-is-the-meaning-of-skull-prayer-beads).
I find it fascinating when looking at world religions just how much we all have in common. And this is another example... that our earthly life is short and, while we don't understand everything we are here to do, we are to be compassionate and helpful to others on this journey.
While the idea of using the beads in meditation is appealing, a Rosary is not part of my faith's tradition and it's not something that feels comfortable to me to introduce into my personal spirituality. (I really know very little about Rosaries beyond they are an aid to repetitive prayer. My most simple explanation is that each bead is like a place marker to keep you focused on the part of the prayer you are reciting.) And I'm not really sure what to do with the cross as, again, that's not part of my faith. Mormons choose to focus on the ministry of the risen Christ and the promises of eternal life and see the cross as an instrument of death... a common method of executing criminals in that part of human history. It's not pretty and pleasant to consider, and it shouldn't be... but could it possibly be more painful to bear than what He experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane when taking our sins caused blood to pour from his body like sweat?
So... if you had these beads, what would you do with them?
My first thought was some kind of art display for these oh-so-bare walls. But how to accomplish that? Then a friend suggested stringing them for a bookmark in my Bible. I'm still uncertain if I want to do that but I do like the idea of being able to touch them because they have such a unique feel when you hold them in your hands that's both pleasant and disturbing. I like the elements of irony and contrast and surprise in jewelry and decor.
When I came to the cross, I was stumped. Why would skulls be part of a religious item? Turns out I was again woefully undereducated. Skulls have a long history of symbolism in religious art as a reminder of the transitory nature of our life here on earth and the certainty of our physical death. Very old paintings of saints such as Mary Magdalene, Jerome and St. Francis of Assisi often included a depiction of them meditating over a skull. Some pictures of Jesus' crucifixion show a skull over the cross presumably as a reminder that He could not rise again and offer us resurrection and salvation without first experiencing death. And more than a few religions have been known to keep a human skull on the premises for their members to use as an aid to meditation. It seems a little macabre to me considering the squeaky-clean image of a very nice father-figure God most of modern Christianity holds but a Google search shows that skull prayer beads are pretty widely available today and appeal to a variety of faiths.
This description for a set of Buddhist mala beads was interesting: "...Buddhists integrated Tibetan skull images into malas to represent the brevity of life and the restrictions of human understanding. Skull-shaped mala beads help chanters [consider] the inevitability of fatality and the requirement of accepting lives filled with empathy." (Source: http://www.slideshare.net/panoramicnun5041/what-is-the-meaning-of-skull-prayer-beads).
I find it fascinating when looking at world religions just how much we all have in common. And this is another example... that our earthly life is short and, while we don't understand everything we are here to do, we are to be compassionate and helpful to others on this journey.
While the idea of using the beads in meditation is appealing, a Rosary is not part of my faith's tradition and it's not something that feels comfortable to me to introduce into my personal spirituality. (I really know very little about Rosaries beyond they are an aid to repetitive prayer. My most simple explanation is that each bead is like a place marker to keep you focused on the part of the prayer you are reciting.) And I'm not really sure what to do with the cross as, again, that's not part of my faith. Mormons choose to focus on the ministry of the risen Christ and the promises of eternal life and see the cross as an instrument of death... a common method of executing criminals in that part of human history. It's not pretty and pleasant to consider, and it shouldn't be... but could it possibly be more painful to bear than what He experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane when taking our sins caused blood to pour from his body like sweat?
So... if you had these beads, what would you do with them?
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