Pretty Pretty Bang Bang

Welcome to a new weekly topic. Last weekend I was visiting my dad when I came across some old cookbooks of my grandmother’s. Set in the late 1950s-early 1960s, these tomes are chock full of helpful hints, delicious recipes and party ideas for every occasion. Join me as we take a walk on the culinary wild side.

This week, in light of summer’s end, we’ll explore “Patio Sandwich Suppers.” Yum! Today’s recipes make liberal use of gelatin, a chef’s best friend.

Our Menu:

• Walking Sandwiches - these are just bread, meat and cheese with your choice of condiments. I guess they’re called “Walking Sandwiches” because you just want to walk right by them in hopes of something better on the table.

• Tomato Salad Mold - everything’s better when it’s served in a decorative mold! This recipe consists of lemon-flavored gelatin, hot water, tomato sauce, vinegar and salt. Mix well, pour into a decorative mold and serve! Delicious. Note: holds no nutritional value, but does add a splash of color to your table.

• Tuna Mousse - a simple can of tuna becomes a hostess delight when served in a loaf-shaped mold! Combine unflavored gelatin, water, lemon juice, mayonnaise, tuna, cucumber, green olives, onion juice, horseradish, salt and paprika. Pour into a loaf-shaped mold, chill and serve with lime wedges. I suggest tossing the tuna mousse and using the lime with tequila. You’ll need a stiff drink after making this.

• Perfection Garden Salad - Combining vegetables with gelatin is perfection, people. It just doesn’t get any better than this. Combine unflavored gelatin, sugar, salt, boiling water, cold water, vinegar, lemon juice, shredded cabbage, celery, green pepper, pimento, and green olives. Mix, chill in a loaf-shaped pan and serve with garnishes of carrot curls and ripe olives. Hell, it looks so bad, might as well cover the thing with the garnish.

Pictured below: Walking Sandwiches, Perfection Garden Salad, Tuna Mousse - Bon Appetite!

I found this fun quiz on Suzanne’s blog and thought I’d share. Click here and find out who should paint your portrait. I promise it only takes about 30 seconds to do. Post your findings here.

Andy Warhol should paint mine!

Dear Dr. Busch,

I apologize I goofed off during Geometry. I now see how learning it and actually retaining that knowledge might come in handy now that I’m a metalsmith. You see, tonight I’m attempting to construct a stand for my vessel. I want to create three rings with three tubes that run through them. The result will be something very retro and cool. However, I didn’t retain any of my knowledge of 10th grade Geometry. So I’m now attempting to figure out the diameters of my circles, dividing them into three parts, and figuring out what the angles should be for each set of holes so my legs stand straight. I’m creating a paper/cardboard mock-up but the results, so far, are less than stellar.

I’m a bit pissed about the whole math thing in general. I mean, how was I supposed to know I’d be needing to convert pennyweights into ounces and figuring the cost of precious metals? I really thought when you told us we’d need this knowledge someday it was a bunch of teacher BS. However, now that I realize its value, I want to apologize for not paying attention. Now, about that circle diameter…sure could use some help here.

Sincerely, Tammy Kirks, Greenwood Class of ‘84

This Friday I will introduce a new feature to the site. Topic of the Week will no longer be posted, but I guarantee you’ll love what’s coming.

Stay tuned.

More random, useless information about myself. Please feel free to chime in with your own info. I promise this is it. I’m posting this in lieu of the Topic of the Week since nobody seems to care about it.

• I’ve never had a passport.
• The only time I’ve officially left the US was to visit Niagra Falls in Canada.
• Really, does Canada count as “leaving the country”?
• My dad’s alcoholism affected me so much that I refuse to drink alone and monitor my own alcohol intake.
• I can recite all the states in alphabetical order.
• I’ve never lived anywhere but Springfield, MO.
• For years, I felt like an outsider around my mom’s side of the family. I still feel that way occassionally.
• I love movies about the mafia.
• I love to read true crime novels.
• I think most new music is crap.
• My music collection includes rap, country, opera, heavy metal, rock, jazz and almost everything except new age.
• I freakin’ hate new age music.
• My favorite book is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
• My second favorite book is In Cold Blood by Truman Capote.
• The character of Dill in TKAM is modeled after Truman Capote who was friends with Harper Lee.
• My love of both books is purely coincidental to their relationship.
• I’ve never done drugs. Of any kind.
• Except alcohol. But I haven’t abused it.
• I was once married to a gay man.
• He didn’t realize it at the time. Neither did I.
• I have played the piano, violin, bugle, clarinet and tenor sax in my life.
• I wasn’t really great at any of them, but moderately good at piano and sax.
• My husband is 4 years younger than I am.
• I’ve always liked younger men.
• I’m not politically active, but consider myself a Democrat.
• I think watering the lawn is a waste of water.
• I don’t like SUVs or minivans.
• Excessively needy people drive me nuts.
• I don’t like whiners either.

If you haven’t seen the adventures of Chad Vader on You Tube then do yourself a favor and watch it now. This is episode 3 but you can search for the first two.

Hilarious!

I believe I have just witnessed the worst fashion tragedy ever. Seriously. It’s cooler here which means that some people are dressing for the fallish temps, while others seem determined to hold on to summer as long as possible. Case in point, what I witnessed at the grocery store today. This woman refused to give up her beloved flip flops (and you all know my feelings on flip flops) so, lest her feet get cold, she took a pair of old, faded red scrunchy socks and cut out the toes so she could slip her feet into her flips flops. It was a retched sight. Trust me.

We’re never prepared to lose a loved one. It seems like when they go we shout, “I’m not ready to lose you,” and think of the last conversation we had or the last time we saw them. This morning’s peace was shattered by a phone call from a good friend. She lost her brother last night. They were very close despite an age difference of about 15 years. He was doing what he loved best, helping his son’s Boy Scout Troop, when he suffered a fatal heart attack. Naturally, my friend is a wreck. She works in the funeral industry so planning the service is what will get her through this time. She talked fondly of him, how close they were, and the plans she had to honor him. It’s going to be a tough road for her ahead, but she’ll make it.

Another friend is facing the challenge of watching her sister battle cancer. Things don’t look good, but her sister’s attitude is positive which will serve her well in the long run. Miracles do happen. When things look darkest, a light shines and all is better. I hope that’s the case here. In the meantime she, too, will take life day by day.

Today, hug someone a little longer than you normally would. Take a few minutes more on the phone to a good friend. Stop what you’re doing and be thankful for what you have. Have a wonderful day everyone.

Many people assume that since I don’t have a “real” job, I have tons of time to do nothing. It’s like they think I spend all day lounging around the house just waiting for someone to call so I can have something to do. Well, they’re wrong. My days are busier than ever and will get worse as the holiday season approaches. So, lest you think I have nothing to do, let me tell you about my day so far.

I got up around 7-ish, drank some water and worked out. When I got home from my walk/run I did some sit ups on my exercise ball. I did relax for about a half hour while I read the paper and had a cup of coffee. Then I ate breakfast and got in the shower. Since the weather has changed, I took about 15 minutes to go through my fall clothes and find something to wear. I then left the house, ran to Target, went to a noon ribbon cutting, ran a quick errand and returned home around 12:30 pm. I ate lunch and went over to school. Class is from 3-6, but I’m working on my project and wanted to get there early. I worked from 1-5 on my piece then came home. Checked email, gathered discs for Vickie to come pick up and am now writing this blog entry. My evening will consist of enamel work and maybe (a strong maybe here) some housework.

So that’s today. Tomorrow, I’m going to spend the morning in the studio, then I have to work at school until 4:30, then more studio work if I feel like it. All in all, my days are filled. I’m really happy with my schedule, but if I don’t answer the phone, forget to do something or sound rushed when you talk to me, please understand I’m actually busy!

Last night started out innocently enough. Steve and I met Greg, Matt and Sarah for happy hour at Hickok’s. We’d all had long weeks and were looking forward to relaxing at one of our favorite places. Hickok’s has the best brewed beer in town and it’s half price during happy hour. After the first round, we were all feeling relaxed and a bit sassy. I started goading Chris, the bartender, into impressing us in some way to make us vote for him for best bartender in 417 Magazine. Everyone else joined in and the next thing we knew, Chris was inventing a drink for the table. The rules were no vodka (my request), use whiskey (Hickok’s is known for their selection) and no more than 4 ingredients. Our table was located by the bar so we could check out the action. About 10 minutes later, Chris presented us with a lovely coral-colored concoction. The taste was sweet, but very smooth. He’d taken the recipe for a Rum Runner and adapted it for whiskey. He lost points for adding a splash of grenadine for color, but we declared it a success. At this time, we were all VERY happy. Some appetizers and lots of water sobered us up enough so Steve could drive us to dinner. We decided not to stay downtown, opting instead to try a new restaurant on the North side of town.

Everyone piled into our car and headed North to Fire and Ice, a restaurant inside the Oasis hotel. This used to be a Howard Johnson’s about 30 years ago, and has been completely revamped as an upscale, but affordable, hotel and restaurant. What made Fire and Ice compelling for dinner was that Matt and Sarah had recently tried it and said the food was wonderful. Driving to the North side of town is always a little weird. You feel like you’ve left Springfield and entered another town completely. Once we hit Commercial, traffic became heavy with cars stopped in both lanes. As we were crawling along wondering what the deal was, we noticed crowds of people lining the streets. Some were camped out on lawn chairs or in back of pick up trucks. Sarah yelled out, “Hey, what’s going on,” and the response was that they were waiting for the parade of cars. Apparently, there was some sort of car show being paraded down Glenstone. This made all of us laugh for some reason. It was just so weird; so North Springfield. Now, on to dinner.

We arrived at Fire and Ice and I was impressed by the decor. Very modern, but not cold - except for the bar. The bar has a cold section that runs the length of it. Like one of those cold stone ice cream places. Here’s where you can set your drink and it will stay chilly the entire time. Genius! We were seated in a cozy round booth, with high sides, near the bar. We decided appetizers would be the best to order and we’d pass everything around for tasting. Steve ordered an actual dinner of meatloaf because he was curious about it. Their meatloaf is beef and choirizo sausage covered in bacon and served with garlic mashed potatoes. I don’t even like meatloaf and it was delicious! At $9 it was a bargain. The chef at F&I is the grandson of the man who invented Cashew Chicken and ran Leong’s Tea House so I ordered the Cashew Chicken skewers. They were so wonderful! Lightly breaded chicken served with a light cashew oyster sauce and duck sauce (which I didn’t try). I also got a salad which was delicious. Fresh greens, light vinaigrette, grape and gourd tomatoes made for the perfect combination. Matt ordered the Empanadas which were light and spicy. Sarah got crab cakes which we all declared as good, but nothing exceptional. Greg ordered duck, which I cannot comment on since I don’t eat duck, but he also got the seafood bisque. It was divine. So rich it came in a cup and we all had a small sample. It was so flavorful and satisfying that I might be tempted to order it myself.

Because we were still feeling sassy we challenged the bartender to make our new drink, The Steve. We explained the basics and the waitress brought us a sample for our approval. It was a bit heavy on the banana liqueur, but we decided it was good enough to drink. Thank you Matt for buying us the round.

By the time we were ready for dessert the entire table was stuffed. Steve, however, cannot pass up the opportunity to have something chocolate so he ordered the Chocolate Lava Cake with vanilla ice cream. It was rich, creamy and delicious, but his complaint was the raspberry sauce. Steve doesn’t like raspberries, but I liked the contrast of the tartness against the sweetness of the chocolate. Total bill including tip? Our part was $40. Not bad for an evening out. And we were very satisfied. I failed to mention earlier that not only was the food excellent, but the presentation was artful. Everything was lovely to look at as well.

We took a short tour through the hotel to the indoor pool which Steve fondly remembered swimming in as a kid (when it was Ho Jo’s). The place has been completely remodeled with lots of steel, mosaic tiles, waterfalls, and modern lighting. It felt like something you’d see in Miami, not Springfield.

Good friends and great food make for the perfect way to start the weekend.