This recipe is a nice change from the standard cooked cranberry sauce.
I make both at Thanksgiving.
1 qt. fresh cranberries
2 apples (cored, not peeled)
2 oranges (cored, not peeled)
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 can crushed pineapple (optional)
Grind ingredients in blender (except pineapple).
Add sugar and pineapple and mix well. Refrigerate.
Chow Chow can be found in almost all the family style restaurants in Lancaster County, PA. It is a Pennsylvania Dutch pickled relish. This is an item that is hard to come by if you don’t live in an area populated by Amish or Mennonites . Since I have not been able to find Chow Chow in Colorado, I decided to break out my canning equipment and make my own.
September is the perfect time of year to make Chow Chow; with vegetables fresh from your garden or a local farmer’s market.
When I cook, I usually have many different recipes in front of me. I take a little from each one and make my own version. That is really easy to do with Chow Chow, since you can make it with so many different kinds of vegetables.
Here are the veggies that I like to use:
Mary Ann’s Chow Chow
3 cups chopped cauliflower
1 chopped green pepper
1 chopped red pepper
4-6 fresh ears of corn on the cob – cooked for 4 minutes then cut off the cob
2 -3 cups sliced carrots
3 cups yellow and green string beans – cut into 2 inch pieces
1 can of red kidney beans
3 cups lima beans
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon celery seed
2 cups granulated sugar
1 quart of white vinegar
Chop vegetables in varying sizes and cook until just tender (do not overcook). Cook vegetables in separate pots then mix them all together.
Combine sugar (you can adjust this to make it less sweet), vinegar and dry mustard in a large pot and bring to a boil.
Pack sterilized canning jars with mixed vegetables and pour the vinegar solution to 1/2″ from the top of jar; seal and process in a hot water bath (water should cover jars by 1″-2″). Process 15 minutes in the boiling water bath. Increase time if at high altitude – check freshpreserving for times. If you have a pressure canner, that would be the preferred device.
I attended a local theatrical production this past weekend, Age of Aquarius, at Harrington Arts Academy in Loveland, CO.
Here is a description of the play from the playbill:
The 1960’s heaped one tumultuous event upon another which severely tested our country, and perhaps, changed it irrevocably, despite recent efforts to change it back. Whether or not that change was ultimately for good or for ill remains a major cause for disagreement. We, the people, ended up with higher standards of government, more concern about the personal well-being of all people, a better attitude toward the world in which we live, individual and social responsibility, as well as the consequence of too much unchecked power being wielded by “Uncle Sam”, the “Man”, “Big Brother”, “Mr. Char-lie”. “The times, they were a changing”…. and still the so-called war in Vietnam raged on and invaded our living rooms with gruesome and disturbing images and weekly death counts.
We entered our adolescence inspired with the misty-eyed belief in our great good indivisible nation by the heroes of the Civil Rights Movement and the peerless leadership of Rev. Mar-tin Luther King, Jr. and John F. Kennedy. As young adults we held self-centered illusions about dispensing with hypocritical traditions. Wouldn’t that be cool? We would challenge all convention through the mantra of “sex, drugs, rock n’ roll” and bogus notions of “alternative lifestyles” instigated in part by a Harvard Psychology professor named Timothy Leary, who fashioned himself into the pied piper of a half-witted drug-induced social rebellion. One way or another, we, the Baby Boomers, would change the world. It was our birthright….until one assassination after another, race riots, a brutal and unpopular “war” in Southeast Asia, campus insurrections, and other upheavals taught us the hard truth about re-making the world over night. We felt that we’d been denied our birthright.
Idealism faded into despair. Despair gave birth to rejection. Before this generation of immature people who’d never been told “NO” in their lives, had time to take stock, the revolution of hope became a revolution of rising expectation. If it is indeed true that the 60’s raised too many questions that no one could answer, it also turned the hope that America would soon fulfill its destiny more likely than ever before. We could also take comfort in the knowledge that if we could survive the 60’s, we could survive anything.
The 60’s were “the best of times, they were the worst of times”. But, hey, back then I was just a kid…Thank God!
Mary Bahus-Meyer, one of the players in the production, had given me a heads up that the music would bring smiles to my face and also tears. Mary had the honor of reciting Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech. I kind of doubted that I would actually cry from a small town play. I have attended some of the most popular shows on Broadway, when I lived near NYC, and don’t consider myself someone who is easily impressed.
Mary was spot on. The music brought back specific days, when I was just a kid. Emotions rose to the surface as I watched historic photos flashing on a side wall of the theater. I remembered, as if it were yesterday, the events of my day when President Kennedy was shot. I was in third grade and everyone I saw that day was crying. We were dismissed from school and everyone went home and watched their TVs in disbelief of the tragedy. There was a blanket of sadness that lay over our nation.
Age of Aquarius was written and directed by Steve Harrington. It is a tribute to seven Veterans from Loveland, Colorado who died in the Vietnam War. As photos of each Veteran were projected on a side wall, I felt tears running down my cheeks as a flood of memories came back to me. I remembered watching Walter Cronkite on one network, and Chet Huntley and David Brinkley on another, delivering the uncensored nightly news. It was almost unbelievable the graphic details they were sharing with the nation. I imagine the competition between television broadcast networks drove them to sensationalistic and vulgar levels.
I also recalled the day that my brother, Radford, boarded a train heading for Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, Texas to do his basic training. That was August of 1966 and I was going into 6th grade in the Fall. I had no understanding of what my brother was about to embark on. I only knew he looked great in his uniform and I didn’t know when I would see him again. It wasn’t a big surprise when he received his orders that he would be going to Vietnam; most of his buddies were already stationed there. Rad looked so young and innocent in the photos taken of him before boot camp.
I have a few photos of my brother that were taken in Vietnam. Something had changed in how he looked, and I guess it would have to in order to deal with the horrors of war. My brother was a carefree guy before the war, he always had a smile on his face. He was one of the fortunate soldiers; he came home without any physical injuries. I consider Rad to be a walking wounded Veteran of that military conflict. The psychological impact was great
Throughout the period of time that I watched TV coverage of the Vietnam War, and that was explicit footage, I would ask my teachers and the adults in my life why we were over there fighting. It all sounded like propaganda to me. Teachers told us that the Communists were at our doorstep and we had to fight them back.
My father was in the Navy during World War II. His ship, the USS Helena (CL-50), was damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor and sunk in the Battle of Kula Gulf (Solomon Islands) on July 6, 1943. Questions that I had about the Vietnam Conflict were not welcomed and if I had comments against the war, I was viewed as being unpatriotic. I heard horrible stories from my father about the Kula Gulf Battle. When I read the book, “Unbroken” I felt like I had a better understanding of what my father went through as he floated in the water after the Helena was sunk, not knowing if he would be rescued. He was among the over 750 men who were rescued by the destroyers, USS Radford and Nicholas. I understood why he joined the Navy and I understood the need to defend our country against an enemy attack.
To this day, I don’t understand why our country was involved in the Vietnam War and why so many young men had to die. In spite of my father’s disapproval, I became very vocal about getting our troops out of Vietnam. I had pictures of the Chicago Seven posted on the wall of my high school locker. You could also find a copy of Abbie Hoffman’s Steal This Book on the top shelf of my locker. The Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young song, Ohio, struck me to my core. That song continues to remind me of those turbulent times. Young people were willing to lose their lives to get the attention of the government to get our troops out of Vietnam. Although I did not believe in our participation in the war, I was very proud of my brother for all he endured during the conflict.
One common thread that I saw in my father and brother was, they seemed to have lost some of their humanity as a result of what they experienced during their years in the United States Armed Forces. There is a mighty cost to freedom.
There are many lighthearted moments in Age of Aquarius play. The cast sang Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. And yes, I did sing along. Everyone I knew watched the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. After that show, I memorized the song, I Want to Hold Your Hand and sang it constantly to anyone who would listen.
I give this play a hearty thumbs-up! In high school I was involved in “Stage Crafters” – the students who worked on building sets for the school productions. I thought the set and props for this play were very creative, especially with the limited budget that local theater generally has to work with. When you can get an audience to engage and bring out their emotions, you have done a fine job. The play runs again this weekend, Friday and Saturday, August 14 & 15 at 7:00 pm – Age of Aquarius.
Jesus Christ Superstar will be performed at Harrington Arts Academy on November 13 to 22, 2015. I played that record album (along with Joni Mitchell’s Blue album), non-stop, in the early 70’s – I will have to attend this performance to get another flashback experience. Ah, the days of halter tops and bell bottom jeans.
I love to find easy recipes that I can whip up in a short period of time, especially after a long day at work. You can’t get much easier than this Artichoke Pasta Sauce recipe and it is always a hit. If you don’t like mushrooms, just leave them out. If you like capers add a bunch, if you don’t like capers just add a few.
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup butter
2 T. flour
2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cloves minced garlic
1 cup sauteed good quality sliced mushrooms
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Capers and finely chopped parsley
2 cans artichoke hearts – chopped
Linguini noodles
Cook oil, butter, flour and chicken broth until it thickens. Add garlic, artichoke hearts, lemon juice and cheese. Continue cooking until flavors blend. Add capers and chopped parsley. Cook linguini, drain and mix with sauce. Garnish with a sprig of basil.
I was listening to the radio the other day and caught a conversation about why women should not use the word just. I thought about it for a moment. I use this word all the time. Apparently, this trend began with an article by Ellen Leanse, former Google executive. The gist of what bothers Leanse about the word is, “it is a “permission” word – a warm-up to a request, an apology for interrupting.” Women tend to use the word far more than men. This post has received over 3 million views.
I write a few blog posts and I am quite positive I have over-used the word just; If not on my blog posts, certainly in my email correspondence. That is until I heard the radio spot and read some blogs posts about the use of the word. Now I catch myself deleting the word. I don’t know if there is a bit of validity to the negative connotation, but there may be. I looked the word up in the dictionary and it is synonymous to exactly and precisely. Another definition: to an exact degree or in an exact manner. That doesn’t sound apologetic to me. But that is just me. You can find a tremendous number of articles about the use of the word just; both praising the article and condemning it. You can come to your own conclusion. I certainly find it entertaining.
When I read the latest issue of the 4th Street Chronicle, at first I was sad to see that the founding members (Erin Borsdorf and Jenna Gronberg) were turning the newspaper over to Robbyn Wood. But then I saw a full page article written by Erin Borsdorf about her recent trip to Homer, Alaska. Erin will be writing the travel column for the 4th Street Chronicle. I know that Erin’s plate is quite full, running her successful restaurant/bar – Generations Wine and Martini Bar. I hold Erin in high regard; she has worked diligently in her business since opening in January 2012. You can find an article that I wrote about Erin at: LCBD Rising Star. I am happy to see that Erin will be squeezing in time to be a contributing writer for the newspaper and that Lauren Stevens will continue to proof the paper.
Robbyn Wood has several years experience publishing local community newspapers and is a former resident of Loveland, CO. It is heart-warming for me to look through the 4th Street Chronicle, as I always see Loveland Center for Business Development (LCBD) clients in the articles and advertisements. It thrills me to see the businesses get recognition and exposure.
The cost of print advertising is so high that most small businesses can’t afford to enter that area of marketing. The 4th Street Chronicle has reasonable rates and those ads encourage people to get out and spend their money in Downtown Loveland.
I believe in having multiple sources for getting local news. We tread on dangerous ground when there is only one voice being heard. The first issue of the 4th Street Chronicle was distributed in November, 2013. I hope to see the paper thrive and continue to exist for many years to come.
My grandson has a saying, “If you think you can do it, you can do it.” That was certainly the attitude of the U.S. team during the final game of the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
I don’t normally enjoy watching televised sports. That was the case until I watched the Women’s World Cup final on July 5, 2015. I was mesmerized by the incredible athletic skill of the players; the footwork seemed to be a magical dance. I will now be a fan of anything related to this tournament. The United States Women’s National Team won their third Women’s World Cup title on Sunday by defeating Japan 5-2. Soccer is a team sport and it takes a team to win, but this World Cup was clearly Carli Lloyd’s tournament. Lloyd will go down in sports history as the first woman to score a hat-trick in a World Cup final and the cherry on the Sunday, receiving the Golden Ball and the Silver Boot trophies. After the game, the coach of the U.S. team said to a reporter, (talking about Lloyd) “She is my beast.”
The discussions regarding the 2015 Women’s World Cup being played on artificial turf will most likely continue for years. The U.S. Team should be commended for conquering the difficulties and dangers of playing on artificial turf. I have a hard time understanding why a tournament location wasn’t picked that offered natural grass, since this is the first time in either men’s or women’s World Cup history that an artificial turf arena has been chosen.
A Nike television commercial aired after the World Cup to the tune of “American Woman” by The Guess Who. The commercial showcased the ardent training of female soccer players; featuring Abby Wambach, Alex Morgan, Sydney Leroux, Carli Lloyd, Christen Press and Megan Rapinoe. This commercial was a perfect ending to an amazing tournament. The phrase, “Strong Alone. Champions Together.” was the last shot in the commercial.
The Wrecking Crew is a must see music documentary, directed by Denny Tedesco. Denny is the son of the late Tommy Tedesco, who was a notable member of an elite group of musicians. This documentary tells the compelling story of a group of studio musicians, located in Los Angeles, who were used in the 1960s and 1970s. These were the unsung musicians behind some of the biggest hits of that era. Who used them? Almost everyone used them: The Beach Boys, The Righteous Brothers, Nancy and Frank Sinatra, The Byrds, Herb Alpert, Sonny and Cher, Mamas and The Papas, The Carpenters and The Monkees. They were also used for television them songs, film scores and advertising jingles. As a young girl, I watched every episode of TV show The Monkees. As I grew older, I heard that The Monkees were hired for their acting ability and not their talent as musicians. I did not know that The Wrecking Crew played the instruments on their albums. I am sorry that The Wrecking Crew did not get recognition for their work on the recordings they were involved in.
How surprising it was to see that Glen Campbell and Leon Russell were a part of The Wrecking Crew and that there was a woman guitarist, Carol Kaye.
I am elated that Denny Tedesco had the vision and determination to make The Wrecking Crew. Just to get the licensing for over 100 hit songs used in the movie had to be a daunting task. Denny raised $312,000 through a Kickstarter campaign to create the movie. I could watch this movie over and over. The interviews will totally captivate you. On The Wrecking Crew website, Denny gives credit to his mother, “If my father hadn’t had my mother, he wouldn’t have been as successful as he became. She really kept it together.” As you listen to the interviews in the movie, it becomes apparent that these studio musicians spent most of their time working. If they had families, it would have taken an incredibly supportive spouse to keep up with all the family obligations by themselves. They are also the unsung heroes in this story.
I recently embarked on a long road trip, heading to Northern California. As a memento of my trip I picked up a few postcards, as I always do when I travel. I purchased a postcard that was produced by Ranger Doug’s Enterprises. The postcard was a reproduction of a 1939 Works Progress Administration (WPA) poster by artist, C. Don Powell. Ranger Doug’s Enterprises reproduces WPA National Park serigraph posters. This company hand-draws every screen from original black and white photographs. From the new screens they recolor each poster using period artwork and palettes.
I also picked up a copy of The Historic Yosemite Postcard Book. This book has perforated pages and each postcard is quite charming. Finding these reproductions inspired me to search for original vintage postcards from this region. I thought that would be an easy task, and I am sure I could find tons of vintage postcards on-line. But that would be too easy. I would rather riffle through a stack of postcards at local antique shops. I journeyed to one of my favorite antique shops, expecting to find scads of postcards from Yosemite and the Redwood National Park. I only found one from this region. The back of vintage postcards can be as interesting as the front. This Redwoods postcard looks like it was mailed in 1949 and was mailed for one cent.
On October 1, 2015, Yosemite Park will commemorate the 125th anniversary of the establishment of Yosemite National Park. President Benjamin Harrison signed the legislation creating the nation’s third National Park. Yellowstone was the first National Park.
While searching through vintage postcards, I came across a great postcard of Grand Central Depot. I was looking for more information about American Studio, the company that produced this card, and discovered an interesting site: http://www.metropostcard.com. If you enjoy vintage postcards, you will have to spend some time on this site. Opening paragraph from the Metropostcard website: “At the beginning of the 20th century a perfect storm arose between the growing forces of technology, economics, and art that created the Golden Age of Post Cards. It marked a major paradigm shift in which postcards moved from solely being a means of correspondence to a collectable item. More cards were produced and collected on a worldwide basis during those early years than at any other point in history. It is these cards in particular that are the most sought after by today’s collector, but the entire spectrum of postcards ranging from the earliest 19th century postal to digital cards is what makes up the field of Deltiology.”
There was a period in time when advertisements (vintage mural ads) were painted on brick buildings and barns. The peak period for this form of advertising was 1920’s to 1940’s. The signs that you may come across today are most likely faded and I love that look. The sign painters were called “wall dogs”.
A gem of a ghost sign is located right in our own back yard on the east wall of Coopersmith’s Pub in downtown Fort Collins. The Coca-Cola/Angell’s Delicatessen sign was painted in 1958 by local sign painter Dan Brown. He received $400 for the fabulous work.
Preservation conservator, Deborah Uhl from Ethereality, was selected to restore the painting in 2011. The finished work keeps the integrity of the faded piece, yet protects it from further fading and chipping. In 2013 the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) awarded The City of Fort Collins the Award of Merit for the preservation and interpretation of the Coca-Cola/Angell’s Delicatessen sign.
I find the restored ghost signs, that keep their faded appearance, to be quite enchanting. I am equally thrilled to see a revival in ads painted on buildings in these modern times. Colossal Media has brought this form back into vogue and has been credited by The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times for solely bringing a resurgence to this form.
As I travel around the country, I will be taking photos of painted building signs to share on this blog.
