Thomases Progress

 Here is Thomas playing a selection of music that encompasses third position, which is hard in itself. But what I found out what was even harder for him to learn was vibrato. I never gave it much thought, but I can imagine it is difficult for a 10 year old, but he is doing fantastic! Hope you think so as well. Now I do want to say that I used my laptop to live feed it to facebook. Yes...I am still a dinosaur when it comes to anything tech related. So you will notice his bow strokes don't match the actual audio, being a second behind. For that, all I can do is apologize.

WOW!!! Over two months and not one single post.....

 

     I don't remember the last time I took so long to post something on this blog. Marketing professionals always tell me to post something at least once a week to keep your audience coming back, but you know something? I think family is much more important than audiences! That is why I got rid of my cell phone years ago, reverting to a simple landline WITHOUT an answering machine. As growing up, if someone wants to contact me and talk, they call and if I don't answer.....they call back. Life is much less stressful when you take control of your own life and do as you see appropriate. And my anxiety and stress levels have never been lower, which means my life is full and much more robust.

     Anyway, the past few months have been spending time with my 10 year old in a host of things, from sports, schooling, horse back riding and violin. He has been playing for a year and a half and finally is with the Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestra program, which he is very excited about. Although he has now joined the school band, he is not learning anything BUT is spending time with his friends during the practice sessions and it seems to have worked, keeping his interest high. He is the last of this generation to keep violin going and I couldn't be more proud. Five generations...think about that!

     I have also been working on my first nonfiction and just completed another book, on sale now on amazon here.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09GJFZ7D1

A simple, low content journal in time for the Holidays. It comes in both paperback and hard cover and is a keepsake to hand down throughout your family for generations to come so that they can refect on all the Holidays you enjoyed any given year. This is a 2 year journal and comes with tips, hacks and ideas to make those special days even more special. 

     Now I wouldn't be a true Yankee Chef if I didn't add a couple of my all-time favorite, fall recipes so here is my #! and #2 favorite recipes for this time of year. Enjoy and I will not wait so long again to write.

5-Minute Indian Pudding-Two Ways  

     The original Hasty Pudding, or Indian Pudding, is probably the very first dessert ever made on New England shores by our European ancestors. Don’t listen to other so called culinary historians when they note that Indian Pudding should be baked in order to be classic. This is entirely untrue! This New England dessert was made in a “great kettle” over the open fire. Eggs were not wasted in this pudding originally, and are not needed now. When eggs are added, then Indian Pudding should be baked, creating a firmer textured preparation.

     This recipe is perfectly spiced as our Yankee ancestors prepared, but with a little cranberry tartness added. By letting this 'hasty pudding' chill in the refrigerator, the dried cranberries absorb the liquid, making them soft, tender and super flavorful.

2 cups milk                                                                                        

1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins, optional

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon                                                                  

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 cup sugar(optional but recommended)

3 tablespoons butter or margarine                                                  

1/4 teaspoon each nutmeg and dried ginger                                                               

1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons cornmeal

1 tablespoon vanilla                                                                   

Vanilla ice cream or heavy cream if desired

Place first 7 ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir well. Place over medium high heat, stirring once or twice to prevent milk from scorching. Once milk mixture is scalding hot, and while constantly stirring with one hand, slowly pour the cornmeal into milk. Once added, reduce temperature to low and constantly stir for 2 minutes. It will thicken substantially.

Remove pan from heat and stir in vanilla. Transfer to a bowl and serve hot with vanilla ice cream melting over the top or cover and refrigerate until completely cold. Serve as is or with a dab of heavy cream over the top.

Makes about 3 servings or if your’e a Yankee….less

To make Baked Indian Pudding, double the amounts above, but use 1/2 cup cornmeal and simply allow stove top Indian Pudding to cool 10 minutes before slowly adding 2 beaten eggs. Pour into a greased 10-inch greased cake or pie pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300-degrees F, or until the center is just firm.

Blueberry Coffee Cake

     I hate to start with the oven being turned on now. It just doesn't seem possible that both spring and summer has come and almost gone. I remember my father saying that HIS father used to repeat "Maine has 2 seasons. Winter and August". It is almost true. So sitting down to a great tasting New England coffee cake is a feel good snack or dessert. Even a husband can make this delightful cake.

Topping:

1/3 c. brown sugar

3 T. flour

1/2 t. cinnamon

2 T. butter or margarine, melted

Cake:

Nonstick cooking spray

2 c. flour

3/4 c. sugar

1 T. baking powder

1/4 c. butter or margarine, melted

3/4 c. milk

2 eggs

1 T. lemon juice

1 1/2 c. fresh or frozen blueberries

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Grease an 8-9-inch square baking pan or cake pan liberally with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.

In a small bowl, blend together brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Add melted butter and stir until flour mixture is entirely moist; set aside.

In a large bowl, place all cake ingredients at once, except blueberries, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Fold in blueberries. Pour batter in prepared pan and evenly sprinkle crumb topping over the top. Bake 45-50 minutes, or until the topping is crisp and the cake bounces back when touched in the middle. Use a toothpick if needed to make sure it comes out clean. Remove from oven to cool slightly before cutting to serve.

     

Where Has All The Music Gone?

      

My grandfather and father.

Although the internet and anything related to this unseen world has taken over the worlds interest and hobby enjoyment, there is one extra curricular activity that has been the hardest hit....musical instrument interest!

     When my grandfather was a child, back in the first decade of the 20th century, there  was little else but imagination  that fed a childs hunger for excitement. Playing an instrument was a luxury because of the cost. Jump ahead to the early 1940s, when my father was a child, purchasing a violin, for example, became easier because wealth had increased and instrument costs were lower because of the supply and demand aspect.

     Now taking a leap to my childhood in the late 60s and purchasing a violin was even cheaper and many more kids my age was in an orchestra or band. I was proud to show off my musicianship to neighborhood friends and family. I had the luxury of my father teaching me at home and having the two finest teachers of violin as my teachers at school, Mrs. Lyndz and Marion McKenney. With my grandfather Samuel having graduated from the Boston Conservatory and my father attending the conservatory in Bangor, Maine, I had the distinct privilege of wise instruction from the age of 5 years.

     Now here we are in the 2020s, with my 10 year old son Thomas being the fourth generation to pick up the same violin and he is at a brick wall. I have been teaching him for over a year now and it is getting more and more difficult to keep him interested. Sure, I(as a parent)control his time in front of the computer or game system but the issue that is facing him, as with so many other kids today is keeping them interested beyond the home. None of his friends play the violin, the school he attends has no orchestra program, even when he enrolls in high school!

     So I have looked outside the box, to the Bangor Symphony Youth Orchestra. But even this ancient organization is severely lacking in offering something that would keep children involved musically. And this is such a shame. He does belong to this group and has even participated in a virtual session, which has yet to be put together by those in charge. It truly is heartbreaking to think at any given moment, Thomas will lose interest even before he becomes fully aware of his potential. I will never forget the thrill I received when the telephone rang one day when I was 9. My mother answered, her face and demeanor lit up while she was speaking with someone on the other end and burst out with joy after hanging up the receiver. I was invited to play with an orchestra of teens at the University of Orono, Maine that summer as a first chair violinist. Even I was ecstatic. 

     It is sad to think what our youth is going to be like without the opportunity to indulge in music at the level of past generations. I would love to hear methods, stories, ideas or gimmicks from those of you who are experiencing the same thing but have found a way to keep our kids curiosity and motivation piqued.

I Just Don't Know.....

 For the past few months, I have been getting a slew of correspondence emails from IONOS, the platform that theyankeechef.com is on and they are telling me about this virus and that attack on my website, potentially exposing not only my banking information, but the addresses of all those who subscribe. And I do not believe it is going to end soon. In fact, I suspect they will continue to get worse as the months progress because of the ways and means hackers are able to gain access to various platforms. Heck, you see it at least once a day on Facebook alone. 

So what I did today was suspend my website until I make a determination on whether or not it is worth the expense, frustration and constant wondering. So I think for the time being, I am going to add more recipes on this forum, starting with my go-to grilling recipe for this summer.

Yankee Chinese Red Spareribs

     This will be you favorite recipe during this summer when you have an urge to cook some Chinese-style spareribs. Honestly, you will never order out again, they are that good! Althouh the glaze/marinade is thick, it is the perfect consistency not only to marinate the ribs, but to keep as a slathering glaze and for dipping as well.

1/2 cup maple syrup

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

15 drops(about 1/4 teaspoon)red food coloring

2 tablespoons vinegar(see NOTE)

1/2 teaspoon celery seed, optional

2 pounds boneless, country-style pork spareribs

     In a large bowl, whisk together first 8 ingredients; set aside. Cut spareribs in half from top to bottom, making each half as thick. Place in a shallow container in a single layer and pour bowl of sauce over the top, making sure each rib is fully covered. Refrigerate at least 24 hours and as long as 2 days for an intense flavor.

     After removing the ribs from the marinade, transfer to a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, remove from heat, cover and serve alongside the ribs for dipping.

     Preheat only one half of an outdoor grill on high. Place ribs on the grate that is NOT over the flame. Close top and indirectly cook ribs for about 10 minutes before flipping over to continue cooking until completely done. 

If you want to cook these on the stove top, simply add 3 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add ribs, in a single layer, and cook for about 10 minutes per side, until thoroughly cooked. 

NOTE: Because this is a Yankee recipe, of course I use apple cider vinegar. It imparts a fantastic flavor, but use rice wine vinegar if desired. If you would like, add a 1/4 cup hoisin sauce as well, but it really isn't needed. Honey can also be a great substitution for maple syrup. 

My Newest Book

 Well, well, well.......Looks like I have not been on here for quite some time. But, all for a good reason. I try to crank out 1 book a year and if you look at my author page on amazon, you will see I have been able to do that for the past 4 years and this year was no different. Actually, it  was much easier because of the covid issue. 

     This book, Abnormal Behavior: Deranged Serial Killers of our Past was a lot of fun to do. I know I keep promising a fiction, but this subject has always fascinated me, and I ain't gettin' any younger. My next book will be a fiction, but a rift on a century old classic by Rudyard Kipling. Let's talk about this book though today.

     We all grew up hearing about mass shootings and killers who were so deviant that we wouldn't allow our children to read about them. But this day and age, no matter how hard we try, the internet is available to them every second of every day. So if you can't beat them.....

     The stories of these murderers are so gruesome and just plain weird and offensive that I was very careful to explain their crimes in a way that is not overtly offensive, if that makes sense. I quote verbatim the killers own words, and as we all know, someone on death row or living the rest of their natural life in prison don't care what comes out of their mouth. It was a struggle to forward the true meaning of their spoken words and crimes and still give you the their exact acts of violence.

     See, now I am struggling to find the right words to say here as well. As many of you know, I abhor vulgarity, heck I don't even say h..e...double hocky sticks in any social platform I belong to. And this book was no different. 

     For example, there are multiple offenses many of these killers committed that involved sexuall brutalizing their victims. I could have easily told you what they did simply by using colloquial wording. But if I did that, it would forever bother me. So I wrote their actions so that you know exactly the extent of their brutalizations, but without overtly offending anyone. That is the best way I can describe it. 

So enough of this rambling. Here is the link to my book and with over 80 forgotten freaky killers of our past, I think you are going to love reading it. I can honestly say you will cringe at what some of these killers were capable of. I can also honestly tell you that Ted Bundy, John Wayne Gacy, Ed Gein, Ted Bundy, Jeffrey Dahmer, Richard Ramiriez, Aileen Wuornos or Charlie Manson cannot hold a candle to the killers in my book. They would be considered playground bullies at best when compared to what you are about to read in:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WJPMY47?fbclid=IwAR2R6J_PTevTM5cQTsBVkwax7FcwY5EfBBKimmT7BJYF-XsN3tHedER93qY

     As you will see on amazon, I published this book targeting adults rather than teens or children because of the offensive behavior of most of these criminals. But I can promise that I wrote it so that it is void of vulgarity in speech and context. 

UPDATE: Look to your right for my new children's book.