God's winks...like Mother, like daughter!

God's winks...like Mother, like daughter!
My youngest daughter, Danielle, has grown into a beautiful young woman. She's a wonderful mom and wife. When Danielle was about 4 I realized I needed to enter her into pre-school. She had been home with me and was not very sociable. Where my older 2 children entered a room with bright smiles and happy chatter, Danielle entered a room with her face resembling a storm cloud with eyes filled with lightening bolts. A friend once commented that she was my child from the dark side.
It took close to an hour the first day to get Danielle dressed for pre-school. She was flat out refusing to go. I finally let her wear her bathing suit under her clothes as a compromise. While I was signing her in at the door she disappeared. The entire school went on alert hunting for her. I found her in the car with all the doors locked. It took a bribe of eating lunch at the "Ben Franklin" to finally enticed her to unlock the doors. This was the beginning of years of battles to get her to go to school.
 We had battled every morning for weeks. Each morning ended with both of us in tears. She managed to miss the bus every morning. I'd drive her to school only to then battle to get her out of the car once we got to the school. The teacher would call encouraging words from the porch of the school once I got her there.
One memorable morning, Rick, my oldest son. told me, "Go in the house Mom, I'll get her on the bus". I closed the garage door watching him lug his book bag, a musical instrument case, Danielle's book bag with Danielle tucked under his arn to catch the bus. It kinda reminded me of a homeless man in Washington D.C. trying to lug all his belongings from one place to another.
The entire family worked at finding creative ways to get Danielle to go to school. It took her 6 months to get a week of stars on the calender to have lunch at McDonalds and almost a year to get her ears pierced.
I'm glad Danielle couldn't see my smile yesterday when she called. Apparently, Danielle's 4 year old daughter, Kyla, hates school. They have had to battle with her every morning to get her to go. I feel Danielle's pain very well, but I also feel God's wink!

Sternwheelers and Ice Cream Trucks

The majestic Mississippi Queen was inspired by Mark Twain’s famous quote: “Someday, they’ll build the biggest steamboat the world has ever known; and she’ll be long, white and gleaming in the sunshine…And that one shall be the Queen of the Mississippi.”

This weekend is the Sternwheeler Festival at Heritage Port. I love Sternwheelers. I always envision gamblers with garters around their arms and dancing hall girls with feathered costumes performing on them. When I was small my parent's took me to see the Mississippi Queen when it was in town docked at what is now Heritage Port. It was so glamorous. It had lights and bright big ornate decor. Calliope music was played through the loud speakers.It would probably be considered tacky by today's standards. But to an 8 year old it was glorious.

Over the years I took my own children to see the Delta Queen in Pittsburgh and when it came to town. They weren't as impressed as I was when I had been their ages. It did work to my advantage though. When Alex and Tony were small we'd get their baths and then snuggle on my bed to read bedtime stories. When they were about 4 and 5 years old calliope music would start to play around 8:45 in the evenings. Alex looked at me the first evening he heard it and said; "That sounds like one of those big boats on the river." I replied that he was right it did sound like a big boat on the river.The calliope music played every evening all summer long. We'd wonder where the boat was going. I was able to share with the boys how the sternwheelers played into the city of Wheeling's history along the Ohio river. Those times when they were small are such precious memories.

One evening when the boys were around 8 and 9 years old I didn't get them into the house in time. A friend was visiting her parents up the street. The music began and my friend looked at her son and my sons. She said those dreaded words, "C'mon let's go get ice cream off the ice cream truck!" The boys were astonished. Tony looked at me and said; "Mom, can you believe it all these years we could have been getting ice cream."

I just smiled.

If you'd like to learn more about The Sternwheeler Festival visit: http://www.sternwheeling.org/
Or like their page on FB: http://www.facebook.com/groups/157721918266/

If you'd like to learn more about sternwheelers visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sternwheeler

Sharing...not always a good thing!

We love to share with folks. We love when folks share with us. I love when my children share with each other. I love when they share with others.


We have so many ways to share in today's world. We can share by google. We can share on facebook. We can share through snail mail or email. We can share our thoughts on facebook with our friends and family on our phones. We can tweet and linknd. I have never tweeted but I hear its the best way to share up to date news.

I like sharing recipes. I like when others share recipes with me. We share thoughts and memories. We share time together. My congregation shares worship with me every week.

One particular thing I'd really rather NOT have shared but over the years I have found my children share this easily and fequently...The flu. Alex returned to school today. His shared germs are going back to bed after taking more meds. And yes I have comfort clothing on, ratty sweatshirt and flannel pj bottoms.



Jess, Rick or Dee, this is the link to the recipe for Chicken Crescent Rolls you wanted.



http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/savory-crescent-chicken-squares/8d5b35f0-69ef-4a69-bbaa-d4c18fbbe696/

9/11 and The Hillbilly Snack Shack

Today my thoughts and prayers have been with those loved whose lives were changed forever in a single day. I visited the online memorial for the 9/11 and read the letter written by the foundation's president Joe Daniels. If you'd like to read it the website is  http://www.911memorial.org/commemorating-11th-anniversary-911-0 . Its well written and its hard to add anything to his comments. I was pleased to hear that the day had been honored at Wheeling Park High School.
The hotel where I was working filled that evening with the troop that had been deployed from southern West Virginia. It was heart renching watching these young men bravely going off to defend their country. Many of these young men had never been away from home before this. The hotel staff went beyond the call of duty to ensure that these young people had the best send off we could provide. Each and every soldier was hugged over and over. It was a scary day and the sacrifice was certainly brought home by meeting this troop of brave soldiers.

I lightened my thoughts and mood by stopping in to visit Ed and Tracy McDaniel. Ed and Tracy own The Hillbilly Snack Shack. Ed known as Mac is retired from the military. The two of them had a dream. The Hillbilly Snack Shack is the dream.
It was a good day to stop. They have enlarged their menu and extended their hours starting today. The warmth of the owners fill the restaurant. Their hope is to provide a place for young people and families that is alcohol and gambling free. The prices are already very affordable.

The food is scrumptious! The hoagies are filled with fresh meat, cheese and vegetables. My favorite is the steak and cheese hoagie smothered in grilled onions. Mac slices down the steak and grills it to perfection! It literally melts in your mouth! My other all time favorite item is the Corn Dog. Fried to perfection it brings back memories of every fair I've ever attended without the flies. The hotdog menu is awesome! There is a slaw dog but I'm not sure if its a West Virginia Slaw Dog.

To accommadate the new members of the community they have added the "Oil Field Trash Burger" to the menu. This burger is 1/3 lb. Angus burger, 2 pieces of cheese, bacon, sauteed mushrooms and onions with cole slaw and fries on the side. The menu also includes a variety of salads served with rolls and butter.Kid friendly, there is a children's menu. The extended menu includes dinner items for the extended hours. The Hillbilly Shack is now open from 11am - 9pm, Monday - Saturday. The Hillbilly Snack Shack is located on National Rd. outside of Triadelphia. Visit and like them on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Hillbilly-Snack-Shack/237623356285098.   Mac was stirring hot dog sauce when I got there. Here's my recipe though I'd suggest trying his first.   Chili dogs are great for bon fires and cookouts you can make the chili sauce ahead of time and all you have to do is grill the hot dogs long enough to get some deep char marks. They cook up quickly and can feed many!
INGREDIENTS:

2 pounds ground beef

1 small onion, finely chopped

a pinch of salt

3 teaspoons chili powder

2 1/4 cups water

1 cup ketchup

4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Cook ground beef with onion in a large skillet over medium high heat, stirring until beef crumbles and is no longer pink; drain well. Return to heat. Add salt, chili powder, and beef. Cook 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 2 1/4 cups water, ketchup, Worcestershire, white vinegar, dry mustard and pepper.
Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally until most of the liquid evaporates. (About 30 min.)

Sunday dinners with family! Recipe for City Chicken

Sundays with family!


Sunday, we gathered at my Mom and Dad's home to celebrate my daughter and son-in-law's first anniversary. My Mom prepared a beautiful meal. The star of the meal was the city chicken. Her city chicken falls off the stick when you put a fork to it. My Mom has always been a good cook which makes her home the natural choice for gathering. More important than the food, my Mom and Dad have created a place where children and grandchildren can gather full of confidence that they are loved and accepted.

Our family gatherings have dwindled. We use to gather every week together when our children were younger. We now gather to celebrate milestones. This has made the gatherings all the more precious! Certain elements are constants. My Mom always cooks enough food as if she's expecting a small army to show up! The food is always home cooked, to die for comfort food, artery busters. There is typically conversation about which ballgame to watch.. This Sunday football was on in the living room and tennis was on in the kitchen. Catch up conversation is a must and includes everyone's work, school, and new endeavors. We also share memories of past events and highlights from previous dinners.

Starting her own memories my 2 year old grandaughter included everyone in her game of "swipe dog". This game is what inspired her nickname for Alex, Uncle Sneaky Fox. Its pretty simple someone swipes her dog from her and hides it. She then puts her finger to her chin and says, "Mum, this is a mystery." We then have to find dog. This caused alot of laughter as poor dog was passed around from person to person and hidden and sometimes found.

My parents have a record of everyone's height on their kitchen wall. This always prompts a measuring contest on who has grown most since the last visit The kids always look forward to when they have passed my Mom in height. Sunday my niece officially passed my Mom. It seems to be a milestone into young adulthood. My nephew presently holds the #1 position for being the tallest of the grandchildren. My two younger sons have hopes of passing him up. My girls never passed their grandma.

Family dinners are a dwindling tradition. I sometimes wonder if the dive in the economy has to do with a need for us to get back to basics, rediscover the important things in life. I cherish my memories of family dinners growing up. I learned about family and the importance of them in my life.These times are priceless. These family dinners create memories for our minds, hearts, souls and tastebuds!

City Chicken is an odd name given to this dish that originated in the 1700's but became popular during Depression in the United States when chicken was ridiculously expensive, and pork and veal were cheaper to buy, go figure! The cubes of pork and veal are sewered on a wooden stick and thought to resemble a drumstick.The only meat market in Wheeling where you can buy "real" city chicken is Miklas Meat Market, http://www.miklasmeatmarket.com/ . I say "real" city chicken because the city chicken in the grocery stores is made with pork and beef cubes. Miklas uses veal. Miklas' is located on Edgington Lane, visit their website for more information, http://www.miklasmeatmarket.com/ .

Below is a recipe for my Mom's City Chicken or rather what I think is her recipe.


City Chicken

Ingredients

2 pounds of city chicken

wooden skewers if they're not included in the meat pack

salt and ground black pepper to taste

4 eggs

3 tablespoons milk

2 cups of seasoned bread crumbs

1 cup water

1/4 vegetable oil

Directions

Alternate the pork and veal on the skewers. Sprinkle each skewer on all sides with salt, and black pepper. Set skewers aside.

Whip the eggs and milk together in a bowl. Crush bread crumbs in another bowl. If baking after frying place water in a baking dish.

Preheat oven to 350 F if frying on the stove in a skillet and then baking. Heat oil in a electric frying pan or skillet.

Dip each skewer of pork into the egg mixture, then dip in crumbs. *Optional dip the skewers a second time into egg mixture and then crumbs. Place the skewers into the hot oil, and brown until the coating is crisp and golden brown. Once the skewers are all browned either add water to electric skillet and cover or place in baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Simmer an additional half an hour in electric skillet or bake in oven aproximately a half an hour. If you prefer them a little crunching uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes. I like to cover mine in marinara sauce instead of water.and bake.