My friend by the beach

I have mentioned my friend Glenda on my blog before. I have known her since our kids were babies, 19+years. We met attending church. Good place to meet friends. You know their heart is in the right place. Glenda is not perfect by any means and I am so glad. She is fun, a fantastic sense of humor and so loving. We have been in and out of touch over the years, but our bond has always been there. We were going through raising toddlers, cheating ex-husbands, doubting our faith and doubting ourselves. But every time we were together or just talking on the phone it was like a breath of fresh air. Even though we were struggling with everything, it was still a fun thing.

I am so jealous of Glenda because she is one of the most talented people I know. THE WOMAN CAN PAINT! And I don't mean in an amateur way. We are talking art gallery calibre. I didn't ask her if I could post this picture, but it is my very favorite of her paintings. I personally think it embodies everything that women are all about. Disheveled, beautiful, sad, elegant, melancholy, romantic, etc. The name of the painting is Ardith in the Morning.

Glenda now lives in Virginia Beach and I had promised her that if I were ever in her neck of the woods, no matter what I would stop and visit her. So I did. I called her while we were on the road towards VA. It was last minute, but I also knew she would move mountains for us to get together. We made arrangements to meet at a sports bar. Glenda and her husband had arrived first. Side note, we had not met each others "new" husbands. When I walked through the doors of the establishment I see this blur running towards me at full speed with arms wide open and I was tackled. It was fantastic. Glenda and I had not seen each other in years. It was the best hug and greeting ever. From that point on it felt like we had never skipped a beat. The only thing is that everyone calls her Glenny now. Sorry, I just can't get used to that, she will always be Glenda to me.

We introduced our husbands and then we took over a table and talked and talked and talked and talked. And to top off the evening, the bar had ALL YOU CAN EAT CRAB LEGS. Love love love. Tons of crab legs, tons of butter and lots of beer. Good friends and a good time makes food taste even better.

I asked Glenda about her paintings and she told me she hasn't painted in a long time. I will not share her personal issues without her permission. But I was heartbroken. I hope she starts soon. I have always wanted to hang one of her paintings in my home. We had a fantastic evening. It was hard to leave. But she has told me that she is coming to town in December to see a Carolina Panther's game. I am so excited. We will try to get tickets for the same game and go tailgate up a storm. To be honest they are really coming to see Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings, but I forgive her only because it's Brett and I understand.

The next morning my husband and I decided to walk around the beach. My husband said that the reputation of Virginia Beach in the past was that it was a bit dirty and a lot of loitering took place. I don't know about then, but it couldn't be further from the truth now. Virginia is for Lovers, and it is in full force at the beach. What a beautiful place. What was so surprising was all the art work along the boardwalk. The boardwalk is now made of cement though. It is so organized. There is a bike lane. That is so great of the city to think about sharing the boardwalk.

It was the perfect day for a walk, not to hot or scorching sun.

We knew our vacation was coming to an end and that we had to face reality soon, but at the same time we were happy that we were on our way home. There is nothing like sleeping in your own bed.

I AM IN LOVE WITH A NEW GADGET

My stepfather's birthday was this past Saturday. My mother wanted to celebrate with a different kind of food. We almost always have Latin food. Having lived in New York City we have had friends from almost all over the world that taught us to cook a variety of international dishes. And if not, we had different restaurants we could go to and try a variety of global cooking. My mom wanted to go Italian. So my sister, my mom and I sat and discussed the menu. This is a big ordeal, planning a meal. In my family it has to be perfect, and a lot. When my mother cooks it is not for just the folks that are attending the get together. She plans enough food for all of us to take to work for lunch and have leftovers the next day in all the households that showed up.

The menu consisted of:
*Antipasto
*Sauteed shrimp fra diavolo
*Steamed clams with spinach, topped with cream sauce and baked
*Spinach and shrimp lasagna
*Buffalo mozzarella topped with grilled Roma tomatoes, strips of basil and drizzled with balsamic vinegar
*Cannoli Cheesecake

All of the above was for 7 people only. And then I wonder why I am struggling with my weight. It should be against the law to know how to cook as wonderful as my mother does. My sister and I picked what we were going to make in order to contribute to the party. My contributions were the antipasto and the dessert.

The antipasto all was store bought, but it turned out amazing. Even buying things from the store takes some thought. You have to combine the ingredients properly in order to end up with an amazing dish. I went to a super warehouse store to buy the different components. I found a jar of grilled vegetables in olive oil. Absolutely amazing. It contained grilled eggplant slices, artichokes and red peppers. I added mozzarella balls to the platter and pimento stuffed olives. The colors were beautiful. We served it with crostini's.

When we had the conversation about the dessert, my first thought was to make a tiramisu. But I knew that everyone is familiar with tiramisu and I wanted to learn to make something new. So I went to the good Ole' dependable google and I entered the words "Italian Dessert". And the one thing that caught my eye was Cannoli Cheesecake. In New York City we all have had cannoli's, so this was the choice.

I am going to share the recipe with you. You need to make this the day ahead. And this is definitely not diet food.



Cannoli Cheesecake

Ingredients:

1 3-pound container whole-milk ricotta cheese (6 cups)

7 large eggs

1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp. grated fresh orange peel

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate mini-chips



Topping:

3 Tbsp apricot preserves, melted

1 can mandarin oranges (whole segments in light syrup)

1/4 cup shelled pistachio nuts, skins off.



Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease and flour an 8 inch spring form pan. Tap out the excess flour. Wrap the outside of the pan with heavy duty aluminum foil, molding it tightly around the pan to prevent water from getting into it. This is key. Take your time in making sure water won't get in the spring form pan.


Process the ricotta cheese in a food processor, scraping down the sides once or twice until it is completely smooth. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla extract and grated orange peel until blended. Stir in the ricotta. Blend until smooth.


Pour batter into prepared pan and spread evenly. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Place the spring form pan into a large roasting pan in the oven. Pour hot tap water into the roasting pan to a depth of 1 inch. Bake for 1 1/2 hours or until the top of the cheesecake is golden and the cake pulls away slightly from the sides of the pan. The middle will still jiggle slightly when pressed lightly.


Turn off the heat and prop open the oven door about an inch. Let cake cool in the oven for about 45 minutes, not disturbing it. Remove from the oven, then remove the foil. Let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.


3 hours before serving, take out the cheesecake, unwrap and run a knife around the edge to loosen away from the spring form pan. Open the spring form and move the cheesecake to a platter. Melt the apricot preserve and spread half on top of the cheesecake. Add the mandarin slices around the top. Add the rest of the apricot preserve over the mandarins and sprinkle the pistachios over the top.



Now the recipe originally called for orange slices but I substituted it for mandarins instead. They are a time saver and a bit sweeter. Also, I put the pistachios in a plastic baggie and I pounded them into a coarse grind. I thought it would be easier to eat. My family loved it. Now, it is not an overly sweet dessert. I thought it would be with all the toppings, but it wasn't. Some people prefer desserts that don't make your teeth cringe. And it is not a creamy cheesecake. Ricotta cheese has a grainy consistency which I imagine was the way the dessert was originally made. Cheeses were not over processed back in the day. I think that in order to appeal to the American palate, I will add less ricotta cheese and substitute the balance with cream cheese. I will let you know how the test comes out.


Now, where does my new gadget come in? With the orange peel. I normally do not like the peel (zest) of citrus fruit in desserts and breads. I guess it is because the zest bits are big and chewy, and you can taste the bitterness of the white part of the peel, the pith. This microplane just skims the surface of the fruit. It made the most beautiful tiny curls of zest. The white pith of the fruit was never touched. And when I added it to the cheese mixture, you couldn't even see the zest. It was a wonderful hint of citrus throughout the cheesecake.


Go to your local kitchen supply store and get a microplane. You can grate fresh nutmeg, which is an ingredient for pumpkin pie (hint hint-Thanksgiving is right around the corner). You can grate hard cheeses as a garnish and of course fruit zest.


Here is a picture of my new baby. I purchased this one at a kitchen outlet on sale.



One thing on blogging about food is that I need to learn to carry a camera with me at all times and I forgot to take it to my mother's house this time. So I guess I have to make another cheesecake :-)

I stand corrected

I received a message today from an anonymous reader saying that I had the wrong picture of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel as my intro. I stand corrected and have taken the picture off. Like I mentioned I was driving and I could not take pictures. I was just so excited to share this beauty that I didn't really see the name of the bridge. But this has given me a new place to aim for in Maryland. Thank you to my reader. I am excited I have a new place in my beautiful country to see in the future.

In this day an age of hard economic times, I am a big advocate of supporting your home country. When President Obama took over The White House, it was announced that he was going to decorate a few rooms with furniture MADE IN THE USA. I was stunned at the backlash that he received. Now, I am not a politician or like to debate policy or even create a lot of controversy, but this topic touched a chord with me. He was chastised for saying he was going to use pieces made in this country only. He was accused of protectionism. IT IS THE WHITE HOUSE FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!! Our White House, where our presidents have lived since the early1800's. Construction began in the late 1700's. I appreciate the gifts that have been received from around the world and are on display, but every permanent piece should be MADE IN THE USA, period end of story.

I know that it would be exciting to travel to other countries, but these 50 states are gems. Instead of Rome, Italy there is Rome. Georgia. Instead of Paris, France there is Paris, Illinois. London? It's in Ohio.

I am as guilty as the next person in having purchased products not made in this country in the past. I have a Nissan Sentra. I would trade it in and buy an American car, but I can't afford to do it now. But now when I go to the store and shop I really, and I mean really try to by products made in MY country. I have found light bulbs, kitchen throw carpets, thread and any produce or fish I can find at the grocery store. I was taught by my parents that the solution starts with you. One small purchase at a time. I love the way private labels try to trick you. The food labels say, "Distributed by City, USA". What are they distributing? A tanker full of imported product? We are all in this right now, buying foreign and working for foreign. Baby steps.

I admire my husband for trying to support the local farmer at the restaurant. Local tomatoes, apples and herbs. Yes, the products are more expensive, but it is worth it in so many ways.

We went to Cherokee, NC one time and I went around the shops to find Native American Pottery. When I looked at one of the clay pots on the bottom to see who made it, I was stunned. Made in China. It took several shops and asking around to find a true Cherokee made artifact. We went to the museum shop and I found a cutting board made in arrowhead motifs of different inlaid woods.

Here is the link to the shop:

http://www.cherokeemuseum.org/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=CM&Category_Code=W

This is a picture on the museum website of the cutting board I purchased. Absolutely beautiful. I can't bear to cut on it. I have it next to my stove with my spices on it. I can look at it every day.

My parents are immigrants and I am proud of that. We speak the language and eat the native foods in our house. I will never forget that. But my parents came here looking for all things USA.

I don't remember who told me this joke:

There were 3 Latinos trying to get to the USA. They hitched rides, walked the desert, had little food and water and swam across the Rio Grand. They were able to jump the fence and run into the night towards Los Angeles. Once they arrived in Los Angeles they asked their friends and family members where were the factories to get a job? One of their uncles answered them and said, "Hey man, didn't you hear? They moved to Mexico!

P.S. I am Latina.

Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel

I know I haven't written in a while. Life is insane these days. Too much going on. But I'm back and I have to share this experience of going over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. It is one of the most amazing things I have seen. And I was driving the car. I have driven over the 7 mile bridge going from the edge of Florida towards Key West and that was pretty amazing. But the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel is astounding. It is 20 miles long. I don't think I can do it justice by explaining, so I am obtaining some data from the website.

For over 44 years, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel has captured worldwide attention as a modern engineering wonder and an important East Coast travel convenience. Crossing over and under open waters where the Chesapeake Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean, the Bridge-Tunnel provides a direct link between Southeastern Virginia and the Delmarva Peninsula (Delaware plus the Eastern Shore counties in Maryland and Virginia), and cuts 95 miles from the journey between Virginia Beach and points north of Wilmington, Delaware.
Following its opening on April 15, 1964, the Bridge-Tunnel was selected "One of the Seven Engineering Wonders of the Modern World" in a worldwide competition that included more than one hundred major projects. In addition, in 1965, it was distinguished as "The Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement" by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
To date, over 100 million commercial and passenger vehicles have crossed the Bridge-Tunnel. In order to meet future traffic demands and provide for a safer crossing, construction of a parallel crossing project began in summer 1995, and opened to four-lane traffic on April 19, 1999. No less challenging than construction of the original span, this project once again drew focus to a remarkable achievement in engineering and construction.

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel spans the Chesapeake Bay between Cape Henry and Cape Charles. It is the largest bridge-tunnel complex in the world. Measuring 17.6 miles from shore to shore, the Bridge-Tunnel consists of of more than 12 miles of trestled roadway, two mile-long tunnels, two bridges, four man-made islands, almost two miles of causeway, and 5 ½ miles of approach roads, totaling 23 miles. The Bridge-Tunnel's concrete supporting columns are called pilings. There are 100 miles of pilings, 5189 in all. If placed end-to-end, the pilings alone would reach from New York to Philadelphia.

Now back to my story:

The picture above shows you the sections were ships and I'm talking big ships go through. It is mind boggling. The picture below is a satellite photo of the bridge. If you study the picture you will see the breaks in the bridge. That is where you go underwater into the tunnels.

It is a bit unnerving to be on a stretch of bridge and all around all you see is water for miles. Then you go down into this tunnel. And there are signs all over for you to maintain your speed - 50 mph. Then my husband mentions he wants to stop at the gift shop. What you don't know is that at exactly the end of the 2nd tunnel, going at 50 mph, you have to make a sharp U-turn to go onto the side road towards the gift shop. Talk about burning rubber with the Highlander. My heart was pounding. So we stopped at the gift shop and immediately I looked for post cards. I couldn't take pictures while driving, so this made up for it. My husband had also mentioned a pier. Now I am not a big fan of heights and this pier is very high. And it was a very windy day. There were a lot of people fishing.

Notes about fishing at the pier from the website: Striped bass entering or exiting the Bay must pass through the Bridge-Tunnel complex, and past its' islands and pilings. Barnacles, shellfish, and various crustaceans make the rocks around the islands their home. They attract baitfish, and the baitfish attract stripers. Cast up near the rocky shores of the islands in the early mornings, and catch the stripers feeding on the baitfish.
The stripers use the pilings to hide behind, and ambush baitfish being swept past the pilings by the tidal currents. Fishing is usually best around the pilings on the outgoing tide.
Besides striped bass, more than 20 other species of fish are caught around the Bridge-Tunnel.
It is said that fishing at the Bridge-Tunnel varies between good, better, and fantastic!

We didn't do any eating at the pier because we had to get to Virginia Beach to hook up with my girl Glenda.

Crazy Busy

I want to apologize for not posting on my blog. I am just waiting for the troubled waters at work to settle and make sure I still have a job by the end of the week. I am behind on the vacation information and recipes and my MADE IN THE USA notes. I haven't cooked, neither has my hubby. Life has been insane. We are working and working and working. By the time we get home we are eating pizza out of a box. Pitiful. We are the cooking house, not pre-made. My son's friends call this The Condiment House. The kids always wanted to raid the refrigerator and all they ever found were jars and jars of sauces, marinades and spices. I promise that soon I will post regularly. Hugs, D.

Ferry Ride from Cape May to Delaware

We checked out of the hotel and drove to the pier. It was a windy day, but it was still great to be at the coast and not at work. Once you go all the way down to the coast to Cape May, you would have to drive up and over to get to Delaware. So we took a ferry. We were on our way to Virginia Beach. It was a spur of the moment thing. I wanted to see my friend Glenda. But I will get back to her soon.
This ferry is pretty big, even motor homes were lined up to board. Once we drove on to the ferry, we went upstairs and found a table. The ferry ride is approximately one hour. My husband went to the bar and got 2 Bloody Mary's. I went to the gift shop to get a deck of cards. We started playing and I took a sip of my drink and I was totally surprised. The Bloody Mary was really good. I have only had one better than this one that no other bar has been able to surpass and that was in Altoona, Pennsylvania at the Blairmont Country Club when my brother in law got married. So when we were ready to order the 2nd Bloody Mary, I went to get it so that I could see how the bartender prepared it. I was a bartender and I love to see how cocktails are prepared by fellow bartenders.
Now I debated whether I should share the recipe or not because my dream is to open a bar along with my husband. And having a great Bloody Mary recipe is key to attract customers for brunch. But being the softy that I am, I will give you at least the ingredients, but you need to experiment and make it your own.
So here you go:
Worchestershire Sauce
Tobasco sauce (optional)
Pepper
Triple Sec
Rose's Lime Juice
Vodka (Pepper Vodka if you like spicy)
Bloody Mary Mix of your choice.
You can either make them individually or a pitcher full.
Garnish with a wedge of lime and a celery stalk.

The country club Bloody Mary's had other garnishes that were so surprising, but those I am not sharing those. You will just have to come to our bar some day.

Now what made the ferry ride real fun was all the rocking and rolling. The day was gray and gloomy and with a lot of wind. This ferry does not have the stabilizers like a cruise ship. If you get motion sickness, my heart goes out to you. Going to the restroom was an adventure. Every stall has handle bars. My husband told me that even the urinals have a handle bar. The guys can't use 2 hands. Too funny. The captain tells you to leave your car without an alarm because with all the rolling, the alarms are constantly going off.


What I hadn't noticed since we were one of the first one's on the ferry, was a whole row of motorcycles. When we went back to our car to prepare to disembark I was floored. They were awesome. All shapes and sizes. Harley's and custom made. I had seen a few folks in leather, but there were a whole lot more. There was a tricycle that attracted my attention. It was custom made for the owner. We talked to the owner and I asked him if I could take a picture of his bike. He said that I could even get on it to get a picture. Now normally I hate to have my picture taken, but I did just for the bike, but I am not posting it here.

Once we were in our car, all the bikers were standing around and they turned on their radios synchronized to a rock n' roll station. It gave me the chills. I WAS JEALOUS!! They seemed so happy. It was not your typical kick-butt riding group. They were firefighters and police officers and from other professions. I asked them where they were headed. One of the guys said they were going to Bike Week at Ocean City, Maryland. And then, they turned on the bikes, ALL OF THEM. The rumble was amazing. My husband has always talked about owning a bike. Now I can see myself holding on to my hubby with a cool pink helmet and riding into the USA horizon.


Our next destination was Virginia Beach. I wanted to visit my dear friend Glenda. This was a spur of the moment decision. There are certain people you meet in life and they leave an indelible mark on you and Glenda is one of those people. We met attending a church over 20 years ago. It seems like it was just yesterday. I hate to say it, but I don't remember how we started being friends, but I thank God we did. There are times we have lost touch with each other, but she has always been in my heart.


What I didn't know was that to get to Virginia Beach from the direction we were coming from, you have to cross the Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel to get there. EVERY, and I mean EVERY American has to cross the Bridge Tunnel at least once. WOW, that is the only word to describe it, WOW. I think it ranks up there as a wonder of this country.


Next story - crossing the Chesapeake Bridge Tunnel.