Lecturing ones’ daughter is such a waste of effort, even if she is a daughter like mine.  Mine is absolutely perfect.  On and on I go, “Precious Girl, in this life, it is not What one knows, it is Who one knows”.   It’s the truth, if ever a truth was spoken. 

For this ‘Truth’ there is proof, and this installment of Community Blog is about just such “who I know”.   In this particular case, it is about two lovely ladies I think about all the time.  Both are so wonderful, so warm and pretty too.  Both make me happy.  Both are busy, fun people who are about ‘giving’ to others. They are not kin to me, not blood, just wonderful friends.

We get thrown together by virtue of extended family. It’s one of those adopted, 3^rd cousin’s brother-in-law, once removed, ex-2^nd wife’s Step Mother and her back door, neighbor best friend. It’s not really, but how much fun can figuring out that mess be instead of reading on ahead where the pictures are.

It’s usually on a holiday that I see them, a luncheon where all the family gets together to eat and eat and eat.  Each guest having cooked something they were asked to bring, or just slipping a recipe in, made especially for someone because it’s their very favorite. Here is the last example of what I brought last time.    Down South, this is a traditional family lunch on Easter day.   Sliced ham baked with pineapple, a glaze of brown sugar, clove, and a fresh fruit juices is the primary dish

Right here is where the 1^st  special ‘who I know’, comes in.  She is Virginia.  She is a princess.  No one denies it, no one disputes it. Her smile stops traffic, right?     Virginia knows I love homemade jelly made from local berries in season.  My favorite is native plum jelly; but having none, Virginia made some Mayhaw jelly for the dinner rolls on the menu that day.  On its side was some orange marmalade.  Pass the Jelly please.  The color was so bright and clear. She had extra for me to take home.

The plate should look like Easter, fresh and light.   A stuffed egg, or two, is always riding the plate edge nearby.  Potato salad with sweet pickles and celery is always piled high. Here there is some slaw made from shredded cabbage and onion, over which is something green, crisp asparagus.  Someone from our family’s past, gone now but never forgotten, is there too. It is she who put the paprika there.  Others long gone are close at heart too on days like this. They are around the table eating potato salad with their fork working more pickle juice into the spread.  Surely you have some of those same ones at your table on these days.

With the last one pushing back from the table and with a deep breath rushes “whew”, comes the signal to bring on the dessert.  That’s when the 2^nd special ‘who I know’ steps up.  This day she had made for ME some apple dumplings.  They rested in a sauce so light and sparklingly flavorful.   Tex is a small little lady, but big in heart, mind, and purpose.  Any job on her ‘to do’ list gets done, even if she is littlest one still standing.  Here she is poised over the dumplings.   Minutes later, there I was at the table with a plate decorated with some. 

Like I said, it is not what one knows.  I am thankful that I have these two Precious Friends. 

Remember to give thanks for being fortunate enough to know people like Tex and Virginia.  They brighten up more than a room, they bring the lights up on your life’s joys. 

DownUnder, a sandwich is a Big Deal. It must have the flavor, the jest, the spice, otherwise some Dundee guy comes out of the river acting ugly. They are like that, serious, pointed.  Oh, It also has to have the protean factor.  Everywhere I traveled, food must excite the senses. One should never leave the table hungrey, and certainly not bored.  “Good” is extra.

Here is my version of Bacon Lettuce and Tomato Brunch, Aussie Style.  The “Aussie Style” is about a fried egg on top.  A Sunday brunch is a meal to crank up the day’s events, and DownUnder one never knows how eventful the day might be.  Consequently, eat up.

Fresh bread, toasted brown. If you want toast, brown it.  Otherwise, have some warm bread.  Hellman’s Mayonaise resides just to the side.  Never forget the Hellman’s.  They don’t pay me for that, they don’t have to.  Ever wonder why on the cooking programs the mayonaise jars are always covered with paper printed Mayonaise?  The stuff is even better than homemade.

Now it’s a BLT afterall, so you gotta have some bacon.  How about some thick sliced bacon cooked crispy?

It’s important to have some tomatoes.  While you are at it, use some brought to the table by Mr. Long.  These are the best of the year.  Each year the months go by.  None is more important foodwise, than Tomato Month.  The ones you see here are perfection.  May a year never go by that I cannot touch such a tomato.   Thank you, Mr. Long.  

Now comes the Egg.  Simple, so fine, so good.  The Yolk melts into the tomato. Garnish with lettuce. I love summer home grown tomatoes. I love good toast. I love good bacon. I love a fried egg.  I love them all.  What’s not to love?  Stack ‘em on a platter Sunday morning and enjoy.

Sunday Brunch is so fine, whether in New Orleans, New York, Melbourne, or the Bullet Proof Cafe.  Enjoy!  Did I fail to mention fresh cracked black pepper?

If one is to go hunting, why not try to bag something that can take care of itself? Once, with the help of technology, one has bagged the groceries, why not cook him up brown? Hasenpfeffer, yes, that’s Rabbit. They are out in the woods, and they are some really ‘good eats’.  They also are at Wilson’s Meat Market.

Last month I decided to go on an adventure.  I was south of Jackson on my way to Crystal Springs, Mississippi.  There I hoped I would find a market known far and wide for its vision of customer care.  It was Wilson’s Meat Market down on Highway 51 South of town.  There it was on the rolling up and down road side, hilly, red clay neighborhood inherited from GrandPa, a ….never mind…….a parking lot full of cars.  Curiously, there were Illinois tags. There were tags from Missouri and New York. Sure the neighbors tags were parked there, but what’s the deal with Illinois?

It took only a walk inside.  People lined in front of the long counter.  The glass cases full of meats, all kinds available in small towns.   Looking closer, one sees others, not so common.  Thick cut calves liver was there at $1.60/.  Pork, all kinds, including sausage, and there seemed to be the reason all the cars were in the lot.  The sausage is made from Wilson’s recipe, and that recipe must be really popular.

From this point I could go on and on about Wilson’s ………really it was the sausage that brought the crowd.  People from all over, especially those where Southern style smoked sausage is not available, filled the place.   

What I wanted was not there.  “We can’t do that.” is what I heard. Ok, I had heard that before and was prepared.  What I did see was Rabbit.  Marked Crosby, Mississippi, frozen, vacuum packed, this package spoke, no yelled, to me.  I took a package home.

Cut up, whole rabbit in the freezer, cleaned, flour dusted, sautéed in olive oil looks like this.  Add some Wilson’s pork sausage with onion, garlic, celery, for Creole authentication, and we’re in business.

Once the rabbit is browned, the trilogy cooked, the sausage juiced; set it all aside.  Add some rice, brown it in the sausage juice.  Add some seasonings, I tried sage, red pepper, thyme, chili powder, and more garlic.  From there, I added some dry white wine, maybe a Cup to reduce.  Then came some chicken stock to get some braising liquid in the pot.   Return the return the sausage sliced, the trilogy, the rabbit pieces to the pot.  Just like this:

Cook it all covered at 375° F for 45 minutes.  It’s done.

Sprinkle some parsley, test the salt, and serve.

Eat a glass of that white wine you opened before.

I never got what I took the adventure for.  Searching for PinBone Serloin steak was what the tour was about.  Along the way, I met a Preacher, roadside style.  I think he might have a clue. 

 Try an adventure soon. One never knows, on the road or in the kitchen. 

 Bon Appetite.

Around 1965, It happened that, with my guitar bought in “Memphis Tennessee, Jug band music sounded so sweet to me. Well, it sounds so sweet. Oh, Oh, Oh, It’s hard to beat. Jug band music certainly was a treat to me”.¶ Another \”Jug Band Music\” Lover

Here is an example of the Real Deal.  Again a bit o’ lookin’ on YouTube, perhaps the greatest thing ever since yeast got mixed with sugar, finds this treasure of what a Jug Band truly was.  Too bad I had no chance to touch these people. ¶ Real Jug Band Music

Anyway, this 33 1/3 of Jim Kweskin’s Jug Band music became a worn out disk from listening and learning every song. Did I get them right? No, but I do still love them so. Ukulele Lady” was a particular favorite.

It’s an “evergreen” song by Gus Kahn and Richard A. Whiting. Published in 1925, the song was first made famous by many true musicians like Vaughn De Leath, Paul Whiteman, Arlo Guthrie, and Lucinda Williams. Bette Midler performed the song live in the 1997 TV special “Diva Las Vegas” and later recorded the song for her album Bathhouse Betty. ♫ It’s a fun song too, sung by non-musicians like Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy and even Peter Sellers, a favorite actor.

“Evergreen” means that the song is so good, so universally loved, that it grows again music season after season, style after style, artist after artist. It abides with me, for sure. So here it is, an amateur production from the Cozy at the Bullet Proof Café. £  Ukulele Lady

¶ Thank You: YouTube
£ Thank You: Robbie Scruggs Photography
♫ Thank You: Wikipedia.org/Ukulele_Lady

Three weeks ago the Mississippi State Four Ball Championship was held in Hattiesburg, Mississippi with careful set up and administration by the Mississippi Golf Association.  Canebrake Country Club was the venue, a residentially developed track that has undergone a wonderful improvement with the resurfacing of its greens.  They have every advantage, mostly lots of young, active people living nearby to play.  It’s a very friendly track, well especially from the “Super Senior” tees, from which I was “forced” to play.

Golf was just wonderful! I made 10 birdies in 54.  Putting was fun, due to the surface of the greens, and a taste of confidence.  The fact that I was hitting the driver so well, a very unusual thing for me, made the course very short.  From these tees, a well hit driver is a ‘macho’ thing.  Never mind the rest. 

How about the friendship of golfers?  That is why I am writing this tonight.  Let’s start with my partner, a particularly wonderful gentleman, George Hinman.  

Padno

He became my friend somewhere around 1967.  Never has he fretted with my terrible game.  He keeps me for a partner because he is too good and kind to kick me away.  He is a winner. He’s won and won, been Cup Match Champ so many times.  He is also really good at this game called golf, and that means so much more than hitting and finding and hitting again a dimpled ball.  Some call him “Magic”.  He is everything wonderful about the game-a friend, a competitor, honorable, and a player too.                     For two days due to the picayune pairing system called “Who you know”, we were fortunate enough to play with two men who beat us horribly.  Who cares? Well, we cared, but not so we lost sleep.  Gene Byrd and Jack PIttman.   Here is the MGA write up:   

Gene & Jack

 Gene Byrd and Jack Pittman played great on Sunday to take home the title of the Bill Cass Super Senior Four-Ball at Canebrake CC.  Byrd/Pittman shot 68 in the final round to finish 12 under par 201. Two teams, who are former Bill Cass Super Senior Four-Ball Champions, Ken Hogue/Jerry Stubblefield and John Huntwork/Bob Eakman tied for runner up at 10 under par 203. Chris Wilson and George Hinman round out the top 4 at 206.”     

Gene and Jug only beat us 7 and 6, and we were 2 under par.  (If you need to know how bad that drubbing was, go ask someone.)  Fact is, they birdied 8 of the 1st 10 holes.  Joe and I did not.  We knew we were in a jam when Joe made a 45′ putt on #3 only to be covered up by Jug’s 25′ tie.  Later Gene’s 3rd shot from deep in a red clay rut from 70 yards over a ditch to within 2 feet sealed our fate that day.  We were about to win that hole, my 18′ eagle putt assuring a birdie would have gotten us on the road to a turnaround. His shot, of course, made me gag mine gaining no ground. Regardless of that resounding defeat, and you can bet that it resounded for days back at the Clubhouse, I tucked my golfing tail, took my licking, and begged Gene to teach me how to hit that shot.  He refused, but took me for a partner in another tournament instead.  

 Gee Whiz, this tournament was such fun.  Between playing golf with Gene and Jack, seeing so many other great friends like my Meridian buddy Squeaky and too many other buddies to name, then having one or two very cold lite ales after play, and then ending with a visit about an old and dear friend, Bob Travis.    

Bob Travis & me

Thank you, Gus.  Playing competitions is just the most fun.  Put the card in your pocket, careful of the Rules, hit it, go find it, hit it again and usually in my case, go find it again.

Now, when I thank “Gus”, many more Golfers get embraced.  They live far and wide. Gus understands, and I say with the most sincere heart, that I hope you understand too.

 

 

 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Maybe this dish is Cuban.  I like to think it is regardless, but the glazed chicken (Miss Goldie) legs, Frenched, so to speak, is Chinese inspired.  Roasted very hot in the oven, they get a glaze twisted toward the Cuban tastebuds for lime, cumin, some fruit, coriander, and pepper.  I add some Chipotle pepper in Adobo, for that deep smoky piquante I like.  Last night the CD played Ry Cooter’s “Buena Vista Social Club” one cut of which I hope you are playing now from the above YouTube video.                 Open- Chan Chan
        The whole thing begins with onions sauteing in a pan with olive oil.  What’s new?  I add some jalipino, then a taste of celery, 1 teaspoon toasted cumin seeds, and two toes diced fresh garlic. Those saute until onions cooked through.  Next comes the juice of 1/2 fresh lime, one chopped Chipotle pepper in Adobo, one teaspoon of crushed coriander, and black pepper to taste.  From there one adds one cup of cooked rice flavored with Adobo powder.  Then one can of black beans. Mix it, cover it, and place in a 250° F preheated oven.  It’ll cook for 30 minutes or until the last glazing of the chicken.  Once the chicken is ready to glaze for the last time, take out the Beans and cover them with a white  melting cheese, recover, return to oven to finish. 

 For the chicken, French the legs, push up the meat to make a POP.  Season with salt and pepper, brush them with a glaze made from 2 T Olive Oil, 4 T chinese oyster sauce, fresh cilantro, juice from 1/2 lime, some of the adobo from the can of Chipotles, and quite honestly anything else that comes to mind. Here they are ready for the lower rack of a 450° F preheated oven to cook in a cast iron skillet for 15 minutes.  After that, remove and reglase them, then cook for 15 minutes more.  When finished, remove them. lower heat to 300° F, reglase them and replace in upper rack of oven cooking for 10 to 15 minutes more so that the glase has begun to caramelize and there are some dark char bits in sight.  During this period take the last step with the beans that is described above.

   The beans are ready too…..

so serve the beans and rice, then place the chicken happily, garnish with fresh chopped cilantro and a lime slice.

  Here it is, Glazed Pops with Black Beans and Rice.  The side is steamed broccoli with my special “Thousand Dollar” dressing.

A Classmate from RHW in 1965.  My first business vendor charging a very fair price of $100 for my first business cards, stationary, and invoice forms.  He, like always, was optimistic that I would need them one day.  A believer in our community, he was with me a Charter member of Sertoma, Service to Mankind.  A groomsman in my wedding, looked great in the tux.  A recipe sharing cook, and one who with me would take a nip of Malt from time to time.  Yeah, he was a friend of mine.   Peary Lomax. His passing is hard on many of us.

My music is so amateur when put up to his.  Still it’s music, and we shared that too along with the many others in whose memory he will always abide.  Here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YuR3R3OiNkk

 It’s hard to live by Rules.  Rules conjure up images of Authority.  They cut away at being free.  Still, we all do to one degree or another. If one looks aside at the particularly painful side to rules, there is a brighter side where one finds a few that are a pleasure to follow.  One example is the list of four rules that always spell success for my days.  Here they are:    

      1. Try to learn something new every day.  Large or small, it matters not.  Pay attention and think about it after it becomes noticed.  That way, it’ll be nourished and grow, spreading into so many others patches

      2: Have some fun. Fun brings laughter, it’s so contagious. The day goes faster, things become more productive, and usually lead to….

      3. Make a new friend.  The whole existence we enjoy becomes more meaningful if it gets shared.   A friend is someone to whom we give.  Makes little difference what we give, so long as its free and good.

      4. Beat someone.  One does not have to be the BEST, it only matters that we work hard, given what resources we enjoy, so as not to finish last.  That way, we each work hard and accomplish something positive.  It is not about competing, it is about confidence. 

  So, there they are.  Try them, they really work. Sit down and see if you followed them all today. Early today, I did. 

 Because I took a chance one afternoon several years ago by saying “Hi” to a lady in the Denver airport who was carrying a guitar- thereby following Rule #3.  Following #3 that day, led to following today’s #1.  Check it off the list.

All it takes sometimes is a taste of cah…cah……cah…..courage to say “Hi” to a total stranger, without fear of rejection.  It doesn’t hurt, not for long anyway. The “Hi” can be totally rejected with a sneer on the face of that stranger, and that’s about as bad as can happen.

 Turned out this person and had a common bond.  A guitar with caring for.  She’s a songwriter/singer who spends her days jumping between the mountains of Massachusetts and those of Colorado. Bernice Lewis has two feet, and she stands squarely upon them.  I like that kind of confidence.

 So we exchanged e-mail addresses, and that was that.   One day after, I got an e-mail- Bernice Lewis newsletter.  All kinds of news about her songwriting, teaching, and performing.  She even does House Concerts.  That’s a neat personal touch with fans.

 Today brought one of her news letters. They come monthly, proving that she is the consistent type, sticking in there still standing on that foundation of confidence.  I caught a glimpse of the 1^st subject-

 “The Ladies Auxiliary Ukulele Orchestra at Dewey Hall in Sheffield”. 

 Whoa, I do love a Ukulele.  Even spelling it is a joy.  One of my favorite songs is a Jim

Kweskin Jug Band tune, Ukulele Lady.  She lingers in the moonlight, you know?

  The Devine Miss Bette

 Another of the Ukulele links took me to Mumford and Sons.  Ever heard of them.  Their music is pretty powerful.  I told you before this thing spreads into so many other patches.

 Mumford & Sons

 Still another caption caught my eye. “Finding Your Voice:  a workshop for singers and wanna-be singers”.  It went on:  “You sing in the shower, in the car when you’re alone, and it always feels so good! We’ll talk about the cultural phenomena of Silencing……”  

  Oh Fun, another trail to follow

 And there is was.  A new word. Afine word. A word that causes pause. 

 “Tournesol”

 It’s a French word for “Sunflower”.  Translated it means “turns towards the sun”. For sunflowers, turning towards warmth and nourishment is natural.

 # 3 led to #1.  So, Turn toward the sun, Little Darlin’, turn toward the sun……and so it goes!

This tune was playing as I wondered about dinner.  Can you sing the next line?

Ft Forth Cheese Steak Sandwich

 Ingredients:

Roast of Beef (leftovers)      ½ #, trimmed of fat & sliced very thin

 Vegetable Oil                        2 TBS

Onion                                    1, Medium sized, Thin sliced rounds

Garlic toes                            2 Chopped fine

All purpose flour                    1 TBS

Tomato paste                        1 TBS

Good brand dark beer           1 Cup

Beef stock                             ½ Cups

Kitchen Bouquet                    1 tsp

Cherry tomatoes                   10 quartered

Refried beans                         2 TBS

Melting Mexican Cheese          1 Cup

Seasonings:  Fresh thyme,       3 sprigs

                       Black pepper      2 tsp

                       Kosher Salt        Pinch

                       Red pepper flakes      1 tsp

                       Cumin Seeds             1 tsp, toasted

                       Chipotle pepper in Adobo  1 (or 2-seeded or not), chopped fine

Jalapeño                                                  1, seeded, sliced into rounds

Green Onions                                           2, sliced into rounds

Limes                                                       2, (squeeze 1 for juice & slice other)

Add other TBS oil, & add flour, stir into a paste, cook for 3 minutes stirring & add garlic.

Add tomato paste, seasonings, beer & stock.  When fully mixed, bring to a simmer.  Add Kitchen Bouquet.  Stir mixture, replace onions, & add the beef.  One should have a dark, rich gravy bubbling with beef simmering.

 At this point, add enough of the refried beans to thicken gravey. Adjust salt.

 Toast a slice of French bread.  Ladle over bread beef, add cheese, pour over gravey.

 Garnish with Jalapeño, tomatoes, green onions, lime juice, & cilantro.

 Serve.

OR

Place all that in a soft flour tortilla to make a Burrito with sauce inside, placing green onions, tomatoes on top mixed with cilantro, lime squeeze, & chopped jalapeño.

There was a furious Taxi ride to the Sydney Airport, at the end of which all the guys and all our gear arrived just on time.  Was it an easy load? Air transport in ‘Strailia’ requires planning.  Something like 61# of baggage is allowed within the limits of the ticket price.  Over that, one gets out the Visa for lots more fare.  A Golf clubs avec accoutrements weight in at 33#.  

Quite frankly one partner spends lots of time packing making sure his outfits are just right.  Now, that translates into the trespass of a Cardinal Sin. In the interest of the “Privacy Act”, I shall not go farther.  JC wears virtually nothing, and AC travels fast and light,  and Moi?  My old cotton shirts from 1990 speaks for themselves. 

Off to Tasmania we flew.  Ok, so a bit over weight, we were. Maybe 1.5 hours to Hobart.  JC had arranged things perfectly once more.  Van, hotel, and here comes some luck.  That day began the World’s largest Wood Boat Festival in Hobart.  Seeking the restaurant took us to the Harbor, and there every PUB was full.

The Map of Tassie, they call it.  Double entendre, it turns out.  What do you think?  The Aussies are nothing but people WITH imagination.  I caught on PDQ. 

I could spend “billions and billions” of bites here to tell the story, but really, Things began with a restaurant.  The food was just astonishing.  This is supposed to be about golf.  A fat, happy golfer, on the otherhand, cares little if double bogies are on the card. 

Another story will tell about Tasmania.  Things are clean, people are friendly.  Maybe there was this mountain top retreat with which some took exception, but not this explorer.  No strangers on that porch front, grog aplenty, smiles and cap tips to travelers along the byway.

 See Barnboogle Video of Lost Farm

Barnboogle Dunes was the destination.  It’s new sister, Lost Farm was next door, both fitted onto the extreme Northeast Coast of Tasmania, a Glasgow to Dornoch drive from Hobart.  Modern design can accommodate LINKLAND so that not every bulldozer in the Cat inventory must be employed to create an astonishingly beautiful Golf Course much like the old ones.  Unlike Whistling Straights, and like Bandon Dunes, modern design specialists can create wonder for the golfer.  One gets the feel of 4^th through the 12^th of Royal Portrush.  Some of Lahinch is there. One or two of Oregon’s Bandon reveal the modern touch.  These people who design know their business.  

The sea never threatens any shot, but some close views keep one’s attention away from the shot.  The grass waves in the wind maybe much like Dorothy felt in Kansas.   A three club wind is common, so don’t get comfortable.  Only, this is on the other side of the planet so the wind blows the other direction.   

Common to many Linksland courses, fairways are wide off the tee. Bunkering is carefully placed so that a poor shot results in most times a need to advance the ball to safety with little chance for GIR. The 2nd shot, always a bit more gamble with bunker penalty in view. Alastair ManKenzie’s influence exits everywhere.  He won the Australian golfer’s heart by working hard in the 1920’s with some quality design.  

Both courses are fun.  Barnboogle Dunes the superior, in my opinion, offers more challenge, but it is at least completed fully.  Lost Farm, not quite so. Oh the holes are complete, but details like walking paths, a few ditches, and Club House amenities not quite so.

On one trudges with his faithful trolley.  These things weigh nothing, push like a feather, keep on keeping on.  

All in all they bring back the game of golf as something even more social than we have come to understand it.  Ok, so one cannot haul an ice chest full of beer. At the end of the round, that same beer is so fine. Fit for a people to enjoy while bragging about their personal best. 

Here is a common indecision.  What happens over that scrub…just how far must one carry the next shot?  There might be a caddie that can tell you but the mind out on the land gets confused since it does not agree with the eyes.  

These are the two Featured Linksland courses in Tasmania.  We noticed one outside Hobart, but time cut us short and without major published Notoriety we skipped it.  This Barnboogle Dune development is very nicely done and stands along any of the new Linksland projects worldwide as a place to explore. 

Once one adds the landscape along the way, Bruny Bay Oysters, the sea so blue it soothes, and the really nice people still living a slower time; it is worth the energy to get there.