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. 

Let's Compare Generations

 On this election day, we have endured countless and nauseating political advertisements, riots in our streets, unending rhetoric from politicians who proclaim to work for the common good and people, yet smirk and disregard what is needed from the ground up for all American's, legislating for the will of the few rather than the will of the many, unending and false accusations that have utter divided our country, glorifying and justifying relentless flag burning and hatred for those who love this country, tearing down our past so that future generations will have difficulty understand and correcting our mistakes in the future, limiting and preventing freedom of speech solely for ones party affiliation, allowing the poor and underemployed to fend for themselves while our government prevents help purely for partisan reasons and so much more.

Because of these antics, we have only enabled and allowed this generation to continue on with this bad behavior without repercussions and the understanding of how to cope with that which makes us stronger and grow as an adult. This generation, I fear, will never grow up and learn how to cope with struggles, hardships and that which butts heads with our ideals. We teach our children to accept that which we cannot change as well as coping with outcomes that we don't agree with. Many of this generations youths do not know the meaning of complacency or acceptance. Let's put this into perspective from one generation to another and maybe we can all sit back and pull our big boy pants up or understand that the world does NOT evolve around us.

If you were born, for example, between 1905-1910 and lived a normal lifespan of 85-90 years old, as many of our great grandparents and grandparents did, you.....

-Lived through the devastating WWI, the War to End all Wars. When you were a child, the talk at the supper table, schools and on the street scared you to death from 1914-1918.

All the while hearing about about 5 million of your loved ones and fellow American's being drafted and dying on the front lines. You were scared, yet you endured and made it!

-Lived through the troubling Spanish Flu a year later in 1918 and lasting for 2 years. 

With over a third of the earth's population infected and almost 700,000 dying in America alone. You were scared, yet you endured and made it!

-Nine years later, the great Depression hit close to home...literally! Food was scarce, money non existent and jobs vanished(along with your families assets).

Lasting 10 years, your family was scared, yet you endured and made it!

-When the Depression subsided and your parents(or you if an adult)pulled yourselves up by the boot straps, WWII began. Your family, again, was called to their patriotic duty and fought for your rights and ability to feed yourself. Over a million of your friends and family were either maimed or killed during this conflict. And if that wasn't enough, you found out that over 10 million of your Jewish "family" was killed just because they threatened German ideals. You were scared,  yet you endured and made it!

-Now that you are in your 40s, a whole new 'war' broke out, the Cold War. For decades, culminating in the Cuban Missile Crisis, you thought that any minute, the "Reds" were going to land on our shores and take over our country. And the possibility was all too real. We did indeed come within days of beginning a global, and catastrophic, ending to life as we were accustomed. Our fears were fueled by accusations and witch hunts that were baseless and only sought to input fear into our minds by Sen. McCarthy. You were scared, yet you endured and made it!

-Now in your 50s, you watch as your children or grandchildren are scared to death as they learn a new 'game' at school. The Duck and Cover.

These children could remove themselves from the television and family talk about the "Reds" but now this same fear rearing its ugly head at school. They were taught how to survive a nuclear attack by shielding themselves underneath their school desks! You were scared for them and yourself, yet you endured and made it!

-Now in your late 50s and the Korean Conflict breaks out and we involve ourselves in 1950. About 100,000 of our American family were wounded and almost 50,000 died. You were scared yet you endured and made it!

-Getting ready to relax for your golden years, the Vietnam War breaks out and you are worried for your loved ones once again.

For the next 10 years, you would lose almost 60,000 of your friends, family and neighbors during this conflict, and it scared you. Yet you endured and made it!

-Inching closer to finally being able to stash away some money for retirement, the recession hits close to home, preceded by the stock market crash of 1973. You couldn't get out to buy gas because of the oil crisis and the economic boom from the last World War came to a screeching halt. You many not have been scared but you endured and made it!

-The Cold War of the early 80s brought back that feeling from the 60s. Constantly worried that communist Soviet Union would launch a fearsome ICBM right into your back yard had you devouring news as soon as it became available. This threat was real and daily and we were reminded of just how powerful another land was on earth and if we didn't mind our p's and q's, an all out conflict was inevitable. Yet we endured and made it!

-Now fully retired and having learned to deal with that which you cannot change, the Gulf War begins in 1990. Being able to watch every move of our troops on television in real time only fueled your anxiety and fear but as you had done throughout your entire life, you endured and made it!

    So the next time you feel a need to run  to your safe room because you are made at someone or lost an election, feel the need to destroy someone else's property because you did not agree with a decision or you find the need to grab your support iguana in order to cope with an obstacle, remember how your grandparents and great grandparents were able to cope in order to function daily, eat, sleep and exist to the best of their ability. How do you think they would view the way you are acting when you can't handle something that you don't agree with....or that scares you?

A Couple More Weeks....

 (I must preface this post by assuring you that all links are perfectly safe to click on. It just sends you to the particular business and Holiday so you can see for yourself who and what I am speaking of).

     I have 2 great events coming up in the next few weeks that I would love to invite everyone to. The first one will be at the Levant Landscaping and Construction. Every year, they put out the best variety of mums and fall flowers anywhere.

On top of that, they have a huge selection of produce and Maine made gifts, crafts and edibles that are simply the best as well. Another line they have(now here is my own plug)is The Yankee Chef's line of fall treats. And I do mean treats. From apple, pumpkin chiffon and blueberry pies to pumpkin spice bread, old fashioned apple pie bread pudding and pumpkin caramel bread pudding, decorative and unique caramel apples, spiced candied apples with unique coatings and flavors(starting with watermelon, raspberry and grape in October), unique popcorn balls in October and German Apple Cake....and a few more.

To honor my National Fall Foliage Week, I will be giving away full sized Apple Crisp desserts for ANY purchase at all. It will be on Saturday, October 3, from 11-3 and only last until I run out. And even then, I will most likely dip into a pie or other dessert and start serving away.

You can purchase just one cucumber and be able to get a crisp. Buy a caramel apple, and get a crisp. By a stick of gum from the owner and I will dish you up a bowl of apple crisp. But even if you simply come in off the street and do not buy a thing, I am not going to say no to at least a sample portion...but I never NOT give away the farm at events like this.

So I truly urge you all to pop over and take home the fullest mum around(they have 1000's o them to choose from) or even a pansy and then pop over to my table, say hi while I am dishing you up a treat. If you like it, you can buy your own pan of it. If you don't like it....well, I never thought about that actually.

     My second even is with a very dear friend and relative of mine, Bob Craft. For those of you who don't know him, he owns the Orono IGA and Calais IGA(both in Maine). He has been with me since the very beginning but I really should say I have been with him since MY beginning.

He has been a staunch supporter of mine since the day we met a few years ago and has been quite an influence on my 9 year old son as well. So anyone who treats my son like family deserves my attention and respect.

Anyway, I will be in Calais, Maine IGA a week later, Saturday, October 10, from 12-4 dishing up a free hot sundae to everyone. I have a line of products in Bob's stores called It's Just That Simple. They are very popular in his stores and it is a treat to go up to my(and Bob's)ancestral stomping grounds to meet people and dole up something free as well. I always have a great time and the folks at the store are like family as well. He does an amazing job hiring only those who are personable and down home oriented.

So remember both dates and I really hope to see family and friends at one or both events. There is NOTHING more I like than to chat like a Yankee, a true Yankee!

Homelife!

I have just begun to notice that I do not write much about my homelife, thinking instead of business, business, business. And I don't think that is what a blog is meant for.  I notice most people talk about more personal things on blogs and leave the business to their websites. So I think I WILL follow suit and begin pushing my website, theyankeechef.com, for cooking and use my blog for passionate endeavors and other, more intimate details. For example, many of you may be aware that my son and I spent days and days digging up the ground for a 21 foot pool.

 And to top it off, instead of having sand trucked in for the floor(under the mat), we decided to sift every bit of sand we dug and use it for coving as well.

Everything worked out perfectly, plus I saved a ton of money. A little hard work never hurt anyone.

                     https://www.facebook.com/james.bailey.165033/videos/3821097067906239/


Now on top of that, my family and I took our yearly pilgrimage to Topsfield to 'say hi' to our ancestors and what a beautiful scene we came to when we went to Thomas Bailey's grave.  Above, find the headstone of Thomas BAiley and his father Josiah of whom my book was relentlessly written. While on our way to Topsfield, we decided to FINALLY take a picture of my son Nathaniel(named after Josiah's father and founder of Baileyville, Nathaniel Bailey) with my grand daughter Aviana at 3 generations of Baileys buried in Lincoln, namely my Dad Jack, his father Samuel and his father Jesse, along with Jesse's wife Alice and my dear Uncle Val.

And speaking of graves, I am elated that my other son Thomas is the first one to say yes when I ask him to do something special for someone else. A longtime friend of mine living in Topsfield was looking for someone to clean her mothers headstone in the next town over from where I live and she offered a pile of rhubarb in consideration for me doing her a favor. Rhubarb?!?! Ahh....that was a no brainah'. Thomas even jumped at the chance of helping someone. Plus what a great learning experience for him.

And last but certainly not least is our down time.

With a youngin' to keep wet and cool this summer in Maine, Aviana and her mom Jessica(along with Thomas and I) went to the splash pad in Bangor and Aviana met her great aunt Diana for the first time along with a cousin, Lindsay.
Boy does Aviana have a huge family to get to know. A whole slew of cousins just itching to play.