Tag: Marysville

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Mondays & Memories of My Mom – Take The Junk Out Of Junk Food

Thank God Its Monday, again! I personally look forward to all Mondays because they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

#NationalJunkFoodDay

Friday, July 21st, is National Junk Food Day! For decades, fast foods and junk foods were always getting a bad rap from the critics, regarding how unhealthy they were. However, over 50 years ago, my mom figured out how to make those taboo foods at home – where she controlled the ingredients, thereby taking the junk out of junk food.

Mom was a trailblazer in the 1970s, when she carved out a new niche in the food industry. She called her concept “copycat cookery” for “eating out at home”. The fact is, fast food and junk food recipes weren’t found in any cookbooks, back then. So she found ways to imitate our favorites at home and for less cost!

In the early 1970s, Mom started investigating how to imitate famous dishes, junk foods, fast foods, and grocery products, at home. She looked forward, every day, to investigating all the possibilities from this new platform! If it saved her household money, she shared it, to help others save too!

Mom took the junk out of the junk foods that the critics warned us not to eat. For 40 years she wrote and self-published more than 40 cookbooks, as well as hundreds of newsletter issues. Over those four decades, her recipe catalog grew from a couple hundred imitations to tens of thousands! I’m still working on a master index list of all of her recipes.

‘THE JUNK FOOD COOK… Is a person who can make instant decisions and not be upset by an exhilarated lifestyle. They are a bit reckless in their choices, usually preferring total freedom and personal happiness even if there is a risk to be considered. They don’t like to waste time and cannot be troubled with unimportant details or pretensions. They like short-cuts because they are usually impatient – but extremely thrifty.’ – Gloria Pitzer, Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipe Report (Secret Recipe Report, St. Clair, MI; Issue 85, January 1981; p. 2)

FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – Best Of The Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 6). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]

[FAST FOODS & JUNK FOODS]

THE CRITICS WHO CONTEND that ‘fast foods’ are ‘junk foods’ and not good for us, have probably never prepared these foods themselves. Certainly, they have no access to the closely guarded recipes from the food companies that created these dishes…

There are only a few people in each operation that are permitted the privilege of such information! So, 99% of the critics’ speculations are based on their own opinions.

To know what these dishes contained, they’d have to be better chemists than I, as I have tested over 20,000 recipes with only the finished product as my guide to determine what each contained.

‘Fast foods’ are not ‘junk foods’ unless they’re not properly prepared. Any food that is poorly prepared (and just as badly presented) is junk! Unfortunately, ‘fast food’ has carried a reputation, by default, of containing ingredients that are ‘harmful’ to us.

Yet, they contain the same ingredients as those foods served in the ‘finer’ restaurants with wine stewards, linen tablecloths, candlelight, coat-check attendants, and parking valets; which separate the plastic palaces of “fast food” from the expensive dining establishments.

One ‘eats’ at McDonald’s, but ‘dines’ at The Four Seasons. Steak and potato or hamburger and French fries – the ingredients are practically the same. How they are prepared makes the difference!

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

Junk foods and fast foods are also considered “comfort foods”. Science has frequently shown that emotions and food are significantly linked together. It’s widely believed that, in times of stress, “comfort foods” often make us feel better, providing nostalgic or sentimental value but with very little nutritional value.

According to TimeAndDate.com: “Studies have shown that consuming junk food ONCE-IN-A-WHILE does not have a negative effect on health – it is only when one eats junk food for a majority of their meals that their diet can be considered unhealthy. Consuming large amounts of foods considered to be ‘junk’, can lead to several health problems, including a high risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart issues.”

Throughout the first two decades of being the Recipe DetectiveTM, Mom demonstrated her talents for imitating some of our favorite “junk foods” – like KFC’s fried chicken, Oreo cookies, Hostess Twinkies, Famous Amos Chocolate Chip Cookies, and more – on national TV shows like the Phil Donahue Show, ABC’s Home show, and PM Magazine.

Mom’s favorite interviews were those with the hundreds of radio talk shows, nationally and internationally, which she enjoyed doing for 40 years! It’s unfortunate that many of those shows aren’t around anymore because the information they provided became so easy to find on the internet.

I’d like to add that YouTube.com has a music video called “Junk Food Junkie”, by Larry Groce (1976). I remember Mom liking that song when it came out. For great information and ideas with which to celebrate Junk Food Day, check out Chiff.com.

MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

The Second Helping of Secret Recipes (National Homemakers Newsletter, Pearl Beach, MI; July 1977, p. 1-2)

DE-BUNKING THE JUNK!

WHAT IS THE TRUTH about junk food? The food experts have been referring to many snack foods and fast foods as ‘junk’ in an attempt to disqualify their value when compared to foods containing high amounts of protein and vitamins.

No one has confirmed a definition of the expression ‘junk food’, yet the public has been conditioned to accept any snack food, sweets, candies, confections, baked goods and many beverages as ‘junk food’ when, in reality, these are not without nutritional value.

All by itself, a raw carrot could hardly support the human system substantially; neither could a cup of yogurt. Yet, a candy bar or a small piece of cake or a hamburger on a bun is considered, by some of the food industry’s most prestigious experts, as having little or no food value in our daily diets.

The junk food paradox has caused school systems and other public institutions to ban the sale of any foods we would consider snack items, making it illegal, in fact, in the state of Michigan and some others, if such items were sold to children through vending machines on the premises.

‘There really are very few recipe secrets!’ – Gloria Pitzer

This is infuriating to the good cooks and… food chemists among us, who know that JUNK FOOD is actually any food that is poorly prepared. ALL food has nutritional value. Some just seem to have more than others. But, in the final analysis, it is purely personal taste that will determine the popularity of one food over another.

The ‘fast food’ industry has been the most successful of any phase in the business. Their success depending largely on the fact that their recipes are all closely guarded secrets! I say, ‘baloney!’ As a very believing public, we have been spoon-fed a good deal of shrewd publicity by some very skilled… advertising people, who count on our susceptibility to commercial advertising campaigns to buy their products.

Whether we’re buying a hamburger in one of McDonald’s restaurants… or a Twinkie off of the grocer’s shelf, we still believe that these products can’t be equaled by any other company in the industry, nor by the average cook in a standard, home kitchen… AND this is wrong!

EVEN MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

Eating Out at Home (National Home News, St. Clair, MI; September 1978, pp. 2-3)

SECRET RECIPES

YOU DON’T HAVE TO KNOW exactly how the original dish was prepared by the commercial food chains. All you need is a basic recipe to which you will add that ‘special seasoning’ or that ‘secret method of preparation’ that sets one famous secret recipe apart from those similar to it…

When I work to duplicate a recipe so that the finished product is as good as (if not better than) a famous restaurant dish, I begin by asking myself a series of questions: I want to know what color the finished dish has…[and] was it achieved by baking, frying or refrigeration?…What specific flavors can I identify?… and about how much of each may have been used…

Similar tests are used in chemistry…[to]…break down the components of an unknown substance and try to rebuild it. So the cook must work like a chemist (and not like a gourmet; who, most of the time, never uses a recipe – but, rather, creates one.)

The most remarkable part of the duplication of famous recipes is that you can accept the challenge to ‘try’ to match their [dish or product]. Sometimes, you will be successful. Sometimes you will fail in the attempt. But, at least, it can be done [‘practice makes perfect’], and it certainly takes the monotony out of mealtime when, for reasons of financial inadequacy, we cannot always eat out…

Stop cheating yourself of the pleasure of good food. Eat what you enjoy, but DON’T OVER eat…This is what really causes the problems of obesity and bad health – rather than believing the propaganda of the experts that ‘fast food’ is ‘junk food’…It is not! Poorly prepared food, whether it is from a fast-service restaurant or a [$20-plate in a] gourmet dining room, is ‘junk’, no matter how you look at it…if it is not properly prepared…

To debunk the junk…don’t think of Hostess Twinkies as junk dessert but, rather, the very same cake ingredients prepared in the Waldorf Astoria kitchens as the basis for their “Flaming Cherries Supreme”. All we did [to imitate the product] was shape the cake differently, adding a little body to the filling and putting it INSIDE the cake, rather than on top as the Waldorf did!

LAST THOUGHTS…

Mom’s original concepts for “eating out at home” and “taking the junk out of junk food” has brought so much joy to so many people who couldn’t afford eating out or indulging in junk food; either for monetary or health reasons. Since its inception in the early 1970s, Mom gained many followers with her copycat concept and influenced many other copycats.

Friday is also… National Be Someone Day!

#NationalBeSomeoneDay

Be a friend… Be a mentor… Be a light… Be something to someone… BE SOMEONE SPECIAL!

IN CLOSING…

In honor of July, being National Hot Dog Month, and Wednesday, being National Hot Dog Day, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Coney Sauce, like Lafayette’s” (Detroit, MI); as seen in her self-published cookbook, The Original 200 Plus Secret Recipes© Book (Secret RecipesTM, Marysville, MI; June 1997, p. 42).

#NationalHotDogMonth

#NationalHotDogDay

P.S. Food-for-thought until we meet again, next Monday…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

July’s observances include: National Baked Bean Month, National Culinary Arts Month, National Grilling Month, National Horseradish Month, National Blueberry Month, National Independent Retailer Month, and National Picnic Month!

Today is, among other things… National Lottery Day, National Peach Ice Cream Day (it’s also National Ice Cream Month AND National Peach Month) and World Emoji Day! Plus, as the third Monday in July (for 2023), it’s also… National Get Out of the Dog House Day!

Tomorrow is… National Sour Candy Day and National Caviar Day!

Wednesday, July 19th is… National Daiquiri Day! 

July 20th is… National Fortune Cookie Day, National Moon Day, National Lollipop Day, and National Pennsylvania Day! Plus, as the third Thursday of the third quarter (for 2023), it’s also… Get to Know Your Customers Day!

Saturday, July 22nd is… National Penuche Fudge Day and National Hammock Day!

July 23rd is… Gorgeous Grandma Day and National Vanilla Ice Cream Day! Plus, as the fourth Sunday in July (for 2023), it’s also… National Parent’s Day!

#GorgeousGrandmaDay

#NationalParentsDay

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…29 down and 23 to go!

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Mondays & Memories of My Mom – Tourist Town Treasure

Thank God Its Monday and, as such, #HappyMonday to everyone! I personally look forward to all Mondays because they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

#SeeFrankenmuth

There are some places (within a couple hours’ drive or one-day-road-trip destinations) that my husband and I enjoy so much we love to visit them frequently. One such place, which was also a favorite destination of Mom and Dad’s, is Frankenmuth, Michigan!

Michigan is rich in German heritage, especially in its own little Bavarian gem, known as Frankenmuth. This little town, just southeast of the Saginaw-Bay City area, has been world-famous throughout generations, for their German-heritage and family-style, fried chicken dinners (among other things).

Michigan-based restaurants that Mom would frequent to taste-test their dishes and develop imitations of them at home included palette pleasures from Zehnder’s and the Bavarian Inn restaurants in Frankenmuth, which are the two major restaurants in Frankenmuth that serve the world-famous family-style chicken dinners.

Zehnder’s was originally the Exchange Hotel (1856). The Zehnder family purchased it in 1928 and began serving their first chicken dinners in 1929. Zehnder’s and the Bavarian Inn’s restaurants are owned by different relatives of the same Zehnder family. In 1984, the two became separate corporations, with friendly competitions between relatives.

Tourists flock to the tourist town treasure called Frankenmuth year-round, from all over the world, and stand in line for hours for the famous chicken dinners served at one of the two major establishments in town, Zehnder’s and the Bavarian Inn.

All the food is served in dishes, set in the middle of the table (family style, just like at home), from which “the family” helps themselves. The wait staff refills the serving dishes as needed. [Note: Reservations get you in more quickly than waiting in line.]

Over the years, Mom came up with almost two dozen imitations of some of Frankenmuth’s famous dishes and treats from the two major restaurants mentioned above; plus, some bread and confection imitations from the local bakeries and fudge shops. Several of Mom’s imitations from Frankenmuth can be found on the Recipes tab of this website.

Mom and Dad loved to take road trips to Frankenmuth, as do me and my husband. It’s a beautiful drive through small towns (if we stay off the expressway). Once there, you’ll find unique shopping and eating experiences among all the German culture that this small, sightseer town has to offer!

The town’s German heritage exudes from its many restaurants, bakeries, fudge shops, hotels, breweries and other quaint little stores that line the mile-plus length of the main street through town – from Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland (which is all Christmas, all year) to the Frankenmuth Brewery!

Frankenmuth is a unique town that has, for decades, been renowned for their sit-down, family-style chicken dinners. It’s a hop-skip-and-a-jump from Saginaw, where one of Mom’s favorite radio shows used to air for decades. It was called “Listen to the Mrs.”, hosted by Art Lewis on WSGW-Radio.

I came across some of the show’s cookbooks recently, in a Millington antique shop near Frankenmuth. They included recipes that Mom had shared on the show, as well as those offered by others. It’s too bad that the internet has made these kind of shows obsolete. Now, AI is going to be eliminating more people and programs from radio, as well.

FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, p. 66)

COME INTO THE KITCHEN

FAMILY RESTAURANTS and homestyle meals are returning to popularity. During the war-protesting days of Vietnam, the right to ‘be different’, the right to protest, to be individual made anything even slightly related to ‘family’ and ‘home’ forbidden or corny. People became impersonal to each other…

Now the pendulum is swinging the other way. The family and home have been reinstated…even in our restaurant industry. Today it is changing back to the personal, the warm, the family. The restaurant industry, in its urgent bid for the public’s loyal attention, is trying to make their dining experiences like your home away from home. Hospitality is becoming their badge of honor!

The kitchen… is the best place to be when we’re home! You’ll notice that current home designers are getting away from the formal dining room area… Homes are becoming more functional in design, as well. In our continuing efforts to economize, to restrict energy sources and to bring the family back to the warm, bright, openness of a country kitchen, we have rediscovered the personal advantages of the best room in the house…

The classic country kitchen is coming back, where there is one large working space close to the appliance area and also open to the informal, large, eating area… It was a warm and workable kitchen that reflected a family as a unit… Every inch of it said: ‘Welcome!’ If you were a stranger when you entered, you were a friend before you left.

L.V. Anderson’s article, The United Sweets of America (Aug. 24, 2014), claims that Michigan’s unofficial “state dessert” is fudge! Likewise, Thumbwind.com’s Top 13 Best Foods Which Made Michigan Famous, by the Thumbwind staff (Sep. 25, 2020), also alleges that Mackinac Island Fudge is the #1 favorite!

Also on Thumbwind’s list of famous Michigan-made foods, is Detroit’s Coney Island Hot Dog, at #2 (see Mom’s recipe to imitate it at the close of this blog post) and Buddy’s Detroit-Style pizza at #3. Those were followed by Traverse City’s tart cherries, the U.P.’s pasties, and Frankenmuth’s home-style chicken, to round out the top six choices.

No matter where you go across North America – from Michigan’s own Frankenmuth, to California’s See’s candy shops, to Orlando’s Walt Disney World in Florida, to Niagara Falls’ Maple Leaf Village – fudge is a tourism staple and the very making of fudge, right before our eyes, has become an art form that entertains millions of tourists every year.

#SeeFrankenmuth

Have you ever heard of the term, “Christmas in July”? Coincidentally, Frankenmuth is the perfect place to visit for “Christmas in July”, as Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is all about Christmas (and is the largest Christmas store in the world). It’s open all year, every day (except Christmas Day).

PureWow.com’s article, The 6 Most Charming Small Towns in Michigan, by Dan Koday (May 26, 2022), lists Frankenmuth as #2, tucked between Charlevoix and Petoskey, respectively; which are much further away than a one-day-road-trip (from southeast Michigan). But they were also among Mom and Dad’s favorite Michigan vacation destinations.

TheCrazyTourist.com’s article, 15 Best Small Towns to Visit in Michigan, by Jan Meeuwesen (Jan. 26, 2020), also lists Frankenmuth as #2. However, Jan tucked it between Saugatuck (which was #5 on Dan Koday’s list) and Copper Harbor (in the U.P.).

LAST THOUGHTS…

“Willkommen”, which is German for “welcome”, adorns the arch across Gera Road as you enter Frankenmuth, right by Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, from the south. I must say, Frankenmuth really is one of the most welcoming small towns I’ve ever visited. For a 3-mile-square, small town, they have a lot to offer it’s tourists.

There are blacksmith demonstrations, as well as taffy and fudge making demonstrations. You can also learn how to hand roll pretzels, the traditional German way. The town hosts various festivals throughout the year, too.

Frankenmuth has multiple indoor water parks, an 18-hole putt-putt course, zip lines, and an aerial rope course. Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland is open daily, year-round. The Frankenmuth Brewery offers tours and taste testing, too.

There’s also an old, covered, wooden, traffic bridge; which crosses the Cass River, where it winds through town between the Bavarian Inn and River Place Shops – a Bavarian themed outdoor shopping mall. Aside from the shopping and food you can tour the town by horse-drawn carriage, riverboat, or a 16-person peddle trolley that also offers beer.

If you’ve never been to Frankenmuth, Michigan, it’s a tourist town treasure that’s worth adding to your bucket list!

IN CLOSING…

In honor of Saturday, being National Give Something Away Day; and July, being National Ice Cream Month; and next Sunday, being National Ice Cream Day; here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Fried Ice Cream Balls” and “Best Fast Hot Fudge Sauce”; as seen in her self-published cookbook, The Original 200 Plus Secret Recipes© Book (Secret RecipesTM, Marysville, MI; June 1997, p. 15).

#GiveSomethingAwayDay

#NationalIceCreamMonth

#NationalIceCreamDay

P.S. Food-for-thought until we meet again, next Monday…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

July’s observances include: National Baked Bean Month, National Culinary Arts Month, National Grilling Month, National Horseradish Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Independent Retailer Month, National Blueberry Month, National Picnic Month, and National Peach Month!

#NationalCulinaryArtsMonth

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

Today is also… National Kitten Day and National Pina Colada Day!

Tomorrow is… National Cheer Up The Lonely Day, National Rainier Cherry Day, National Blueberry Muffin Day, All American Pet Photo Day, National Mojito Day, and National 7-Eleven Day!

Wednesday, July 12th is… National Pecan Pie Day and Eat Your Jell-O Day!

Thursday, July 13th is… National French Fry Day, National Beans ‘N’ Franks Day, and National Delaware Day!

Friday, July 14th is… National Grand Marnier Day and National Mac & Cheese Day! In honor of the latter, here is a re-share of Mom’s imitation of “Macaroni And Cheese Like Woolworth’s” (our family’s favorite)!

#NationalMacAndCheeseDay

July 15th is… National Tapioca Pudding Day and National Gummi Worm Day! Plus, as the third Saturday in July (for 2023), it’s also National Strawberry Rhubarb Wine Day and Toss Away the “Could Haves” and “Should Haves” Day!

Sunday, July 16th is… National Corn Fritters Day and National Personal Chef’s Day!

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…28 down and 24 to go!

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Mondays & Memories of My Mom – Workaholics

Happy Monday and happy July to everyone! I look forward to Mondays, as they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

#IndependenceDay

#IndependentRetailerMonth

#NationalWorkaholicsDay

Today is Independence Day Eve! Plus, July is Independent Retailer Month. Additionally, Wednesday’s celebrations include National Workaholics Day! Most independent business owners are workaholics so naturally the two should be observed together!

Mom and Dad were classic workaholics. Their generation was brought up that way. Once their feet touched the floor, they hit the door, running. From the time they got up until they went back to bed, they made the most of every day, being as productive as possible.

FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, pp. 65-66)

WORKING FROM HOME: A DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE RECIPE DETECTIVETM

AN ORDINARY DAY for us begins at 6:30 AM. Even though, I may have had a midnight or middle of the night radio show to do, the alarm still goes off at the crack of dawn. I realized some time ago that I could not roll out of bed and go directly to the stove to make the coffee and scramble the eggs and then, upon cleaning up after all of that, still go directly to my drawing board and my IBM composer for the rest of a long day.

I could but I would not have had a good attitude. So, Paul and I go, instead, to the restaurant in the mall downtown and let THEM make the coffee and scramble the eggs for us. Then we stop by the post office and pick up the mail and, by the time we are back home, I feel like a normal working person who leaves the house every morning to go to their office.

Depending on how swamped we are with mail and subscriber contacts, book orders and government papers to be filled out and filed, we will try to take a break around noon for either a sandwich at our desks or, better yet, will run down the street to the Burger King for an orange juice and fish sandwich; or over to The Voyageur [restaurant] for half of a ‘Captain’s Salad’ or a croissant special and a view of the St. Clair River, with freighters passing up and down stream that we can feel truly inspired and refreshed when we leave there.

A break like that will renew our creative energies and also give us a chance to ‘visit’ with each other – a practice that few married couples really seem to enjoy much anymore – if they ever did at all. These breaking off periods of getting away from the house and our office within, look to others, I suppose, as if we really aren’t that busy that we can frequent the local restaurants as much as we do.

What they don’t see, however, is the kitchen where, for three or four solid hours, I was testing and trying to develop a particular recipe – making it perhaps three or four times before either giving up on it or feeling victorious and happy to print it in the next newsletter.

We take a lot of kidding about how often I am seen pushing a cart in the local supermarket and how often I am seen ‘eating out’ that you’d ever guess I cooked at all. It is, because I try to maintain and encourage a happy balance between the recipe testing and our normal life with friends and family, that we have never found the enterprise in which we are engaged, a burden to us.

So many people we know do nothing but complain about their jobs, their work and regret. My cup runneth over and over and over! I WOULDN’T GIVE IT UP FOR THE WORLD!

By five or six o’clock in the evening, we’re ready for another break; and, in between, I have probably talked to two or three radio stations, answering questions for their listeners as they call into the station; which, by the miracle of telephone, puts us in touch with each other as if the host, the listener and I were all in the same room!

The radio visits that began with [our] good friend, Bob Allison, and his very successful show [‘Ask Your Neighbor’], with nearly 30 years, opened so many interesting and helpful doors for us. All of the other radio stations since, with whom I work, became a part of our schedule after years of providing listeners with the right information, with entertaining ideas and friendship and concern for their needs.

Sometimes I have received calls from hosts of radio shows who heard me on another station than their own and asked to set up an hour with them. Some of the programs run two hours. Many of them only use 15 minutes in which to discuss a healthy menu on the latest restaurant dish to imitate at home. No two radio shows are ever exactly alike, yet in one respect they are all incredibly enthusiastic and inquisitive…

Mom and Dad loved to take a day or a weekend to just go on a scenic road trip and unwind from the workload at home. Often, however, “work” would manage to creep back in whenever they stopped somewhere for a bite to eat. Mom always managed to find something good that she wanted to analyze and duplicate when she got back home.

Some trips involved pre-planned Secret RecipesTM work too. Mom really did enjoy what she laughingly called her “work”. It was easy to incorporate a restaurant review and an imitation of a dish (or two) into any trip. Even an occasional, in-studio, radio show interview could be worked into a vacation or road trip, instead of through the phone lines, as Mom usually did.

One time, she and Dad went on a “working” road trip/vacation to Branson, Missouri with one of her favorite radio show hosts, Art Lewis, from ‘Listen To The Mrs.’, on WSGW-Radio (Saginaw, MI) and “the crew”.

MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 94)

EVERY DAY, IN OUR OFFICE

EVERY DAY, IN OUR OFFICE and our home, because it’s hard to separate the two, is the fact that things here are quite unpredictable! The layout of the newsletter is done – as I described it before – like a patchwork quilt, [as] are the books, at best, for there is not enough ‘quiet’ time in which to carry out a major project.

Mostly, it is a day filled with pleasant interruptions – such as the grandchildren dropping by to see us for a few minutes – or a radio station calling and asking me to fill in at the last minute! There are visits from the rest of the family, a phone call from my mother once in a while, when she needs somebody to talk to… and I am always a ready listener.

There are the discussions over how to handle a particular problem with a shipping order, or how a dish should be coming out that doesn’t! Countless things occur in this office (and/or home) that contribute to the overall picture.

This is what I tried to describe… to Julie Greenwalt of People magazine, when she called and asked me to think about those typical things that happen, here, which could be photographed to accompany the story she was writing about us.

It will be interesting to see how it comes out, as this book [cited above] will be ‘going to press’ before People does with their story [which was in their May 7, 1990, issue].

I love the attitude of George Burns, who was always an inspiration to everyone, of every age! Doing what we like best, whether we succeed or not, is what keeps us going and keeps us happy. I cannot imagine doing something badly that I enjoy doing.

So, of course, we do our best at something we enjoy, because that is part of the satisfaction of doing it – seeing the good that results from our efforts.

[Paul and I,] both, take time during the week to enjoy something completely unrelated to our work and even our family. I bowl on a wonderful women’s league every Wednesday morning and Paul bowls with the men’s league on Friday nights.

For the past four or five years, I’ve driven to Algonac, about 40 miles round-trip, to participate in one of the nicest groups I’ve had the privilege of belonging to; and while I have yet to have that 200-game, whether I bowl badly or splendidly, I drive home all smiles, happy that I went!

Paul, on the other hand, bowls just down the street from us here in town. He bowled so much when we were dating, I tell people we were married by an ordained pin setter!

Friday is the 42-year anniversary of Mom’s FIRST appearance on the Phil Donahue Show (July 7th, 1981), from which a workaholic’s be-careful-what-you-wish-for nightmare arose. We received over a million letters from that episode, as it played and re-played world-wide! It was both, overwhelming and a godsend.

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

LAST THOUGHTS…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

July 3rd – Aug. 11th is considered The Dog Days of Summer. “The dog days” is a term we often hear, and many of us assume it refers to how dogs lie around, lazily, on these extremely hot days. However, “the dog” is actually an ancient celestial reference.

According to History.com’s “Why Are They Called ‘The Dog Days of Summer’?”, by Christopher Klein (no date), “… it’s a throwback to the time when ancient civilizations tracked the seasons by looking to the sky. The ancient Greeks noticed that summer’s most intense heat occurred during the approximate 40-day period in the summertime when Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, rose and set with the sun…”

Ancient Greeks believed that Sirius (aka: “the dog star”), which is also part of the Canis Major (aka: Greater Dog) constellation, gave off heat like the sun because it was so bright. Thus, they supposed that it’s daytime appearance, along with the sun, contributed to the extreme daytime heat.

When Sirius breaks its sync with the sun, returning to the night sky, it’s considered to be a sign of the end of “the dog days”. FarmersAlmanac.com’s, “Why Are They Called ‘Dog Days Of Summer’?” (by Farmer’s Almanac Staff; updated July 11, 2022) claims that the exact dates of “the dog days” vary by latitude.

Currently, in the U.S., it’s around July 3rd through Aug. 11th; but Farmer’sAlmanac.com also reports that, in ten thousand years or so, Sirius’ coordination with the rising and setting sun “will fall back so late on the calendar that future civilizations in the northern hemisphere will experience ‘the dog days’ of winter.”

IN CLOSING…

In honor of Wednesday, being National Hawaii Day, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for “Aunt Jenny’s Pineapple Bars”; as seen in her self-published cookbook, The Original 200 Plus Secret Recipes© Book (Secret RecipesTM, Marysville, MI; June 1997, p. 5).

#NationalHawaiiDay

P.S. Food-for-thought until we meet again, next Monday…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

July’s observances include: National Baked Bean Month, National Culinary Arts Month, National Grilling Month, National Horseradish Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month, National Blueberry Month, National Picnic Month, and National Peach Month!

Today is also… National Fried Clam Day, National Eat Your Beans Day, and National Chocolate Wafer Day!

Tomorrow is… National Barbecued Spareribs Day and National Caesar Salad Day!

Wednesday, July 5th, is… National Apple Turnover Day and National Graham Cracker Day!

Thursday, July 6th, is… National Hand Roll Day and National Fried Chicken Day!

Friday, July 7th, is… National Strawberry Sundae Day and National Macaroni Day!

July 8th is… National Freezer Pop Day and National Chocolate with Almonds Day!

Sunday, July 9th, is… National Sugar Cookie Day!

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…27 down and 25 to go!

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Mondays & Memories of My Mom – Fair Food Fever

Thank God Its Monday and, as such, #HappyMonday to everyone! I personally look forward to all Mondays because they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

There’s always something special to see and do in Michigan! Summers (and fall) are especially jam-packed with carnivals, fairs, and festivals of all kinds. For me and many others, the food is always the best part of these special events. In fact, food truck fairs and rallies have even become quite popular – especially in the past few years, it seems.

Other fun summer events include air shows and hot air balloon rides, yard sale trails, farmers’ markets, mud bogs, classic car shows and cruises, outdoor concerts, fireworks displays, and so on. But the best events are all the carnivals, fairs, and festivals found throughout this beautiful state. Michigan is rich in county fairs – as many as 86, in all.

Marshall, Michigan’s Calhoun County Fair, is the oldest, continuous running, county fair in the state – except for 2020, of course. The Calhoun County Fair was first held in 1839. Marshall is also famous for being home to the world famous [Win] Schuler’s restaurant, since 1909.

Parade.com featured a wonderfully informative article, along with 29 recipes, to ‘…Recreate the Best State Fair Food at Home…’ that was written by Megan Porta (August 25, 2021). She listed “10 of the most popular state fair foods…”, as follows:

    1. Deep Fried Oreos
    2. Fried Chicken in a Waffle Cone
    3. Deep Fried Snickers
    4. Pizza Cone
    5. Cannoli Dessert Nachos
    6. Deep Fried PB&J
    7. Corn in a Cup
    8. Turkey Legs
    9. Deep Fried Cheese Curds
    10. Cookie Fries

I’ve seen many of these favorite fair foods featured on Noah Cappe’s hit show, Carnival Eats. I love that show – it always makes me want to go to a carnival or fair. I call it “Fair Food Fever”. Incidentally, Megan’s article also offers 29 recipes for imitating fair foods at home!

Here’s a bonus for you… Mom’s copycat recipe for “Batter-Fried Cheese Balls” like Cedar Point (Sandusky, OH), as seen in her last book… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 134). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition)].

#CarnivalEats

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

Carnival and fair foods are often equated with junk foods. Critics of the junk food and fast food industries thought that Mom’s type of copycat cookery was a fad that wouldn’t last long. But it was only the beginning of a revolutionary movement in the food industry – one that Mom called “Taking The Junk Out Of Junk Food” and “Eating Out At Home”!

In contrast to those critics who condemned “junk food” as being bad for us, Mom’s definition for real “junk food” was simply “poorly prepared food”. People know what they want and they like the so-called “junk” food that’s purportedly so bad for them.

However, along with the “everything in moderation” theory, Mom found a way to – forgive the pun – “have her cake and eat it too”, by “taking the junk out of junk food” through making copycat versions at home, where she controlled the ingredients.

FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

The Second Helping Of Secret Recipes (National Homemakers Newsletter, Pearl Beach, MI; July 1977, p. 1)

DE-BUNKING THE JUNK

WHAT IS THE TRUTH ABOUT JUNK FOODS? Food experts have been referring to many snack foods and fast foods as ‘junk’, in an attempt to disqualify their value when compared to foods containing high amounts of protein and vitamins.

No one has confirmed a definition of the expression ‘junk food’, yet the public has been conditioned to accept any snack food, sweets, candies, confections, baked goods, and many beverages as junk food when, in reality, these are not without nutritional value.

All by itself, a raw carrot could hardly support the human system substantially, neither could a cup of yogurt. Yet, a candy bar or a small piece of cake or a hamburger on a bun is considered by some of the food industry’s most prestigious experts as having little or no food value in our daily diets.

The junk food paradox has caused school systems and other public institutions to ban the sale of any foods we would consider snack items, making it illegal…in the state of Michigan and some others if such items are sold to children through vending machines on the premises.

This is infuriating to the good cooks and the more intelligent food chemists among us who know that junk food is actually any food which is poorly prepared. All food has nutritional value. Some just seem to have more than others but, in the final analysis, it is purely personal taste which will determine the popularity of one food over another.

The fast food industry has been the most successful of any phase in the business. Their success depending largely on the fact that their recipes are all closely guarded secrets! I say, ‘Baloney!’

THERE REALLY ARE VERY FEW RECIPE SECRETS.

In many of Mom’s self-published cookbooks and summertime newsletters, she imitated some fair food favorites, herself – “Carnival Cotton Candy”, “…Circus Elephant Ears”, “Candy Apples” like Cedar Point (OH), and “Fudge” like Disneyland (CA) just to name a few.

Going to Cedar Point, in Sandusky (OH), was always one of the highlights of my summers, when I was young. It was full of unforgettable family fun; going on all the rides and eating ridiculous amounts of junk food. Sometimes we’d also spend the night at The Breakers hotel, next door, right on the beach of Lake Erie.

KRCGTV.com features ‘Beyond the Trivia – State Fairs’, by Dick Preston (July 29, 2021); another great informative article about state fairs, as well as county fairs. Did you know there are only two states in the U.S. that don’t sponsor a state fair? Some states have more than one. Some states also have many county fairs and others have none at all.

Michigan has two State Fairs (one in the “mitten” and one in the U.P.). Detroit’s started in 1849 and ran until 2009, when the governor, at that time, halted funding for it, due to state budgeting issues. The very first lower Michigan State Fair was originally held in Ann Arbor in 1839 but it was so poorly attended that it wasn’t continued.

However, a decade later, it was successfully revived in Detroit. The official State Fair Grounds were established in 1905, on Woodward Avenue. By 1966, attendance of the Michigan State Fair peaked at about 1.2 million attendees. Unfortunately, by 2009, the fair’s attendance had declined more than 80%, to about 217,000 visitors.

Nevertheless, in 2012, the State Fair was revived, once again, as well as relocated, again; moving from Detroit to Novi’s Suburban Collection Showplace, where it’s been ever since. The U.P. State Fair has been held in Escanaba since 1928. It’s the oldest state fair in Michigan.

MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

The Second Helping Of Secret Recipes, Revised (National Home News, St. Clair, MI; Nov. 1978, 4th Printing; p. 1)

DEAR JUNK FOOD JUNKIE, YOUR FIX HAS ARRIVED

BEING A HOPELESSLY INCURABLE junk food addict has its drawbacks in a world that today cries out for a better balanced diet.

When famous recording star, Larry Groce, first coined the title ‘Junk Food Junkie’ in his best-selling album of the same name, those of us who had been hooked on hamburgers, Hostess Twinkies, haute cuisine of the other snack foods, could breathe a sigh of relief – somebody understood. But nobody seemed to be doing anything about it…

Of course, the cookbooks published weren’t doing anything to help us cure the chronic case of junk food addiction because they were feeling the pressures of the need for nutritional education, cancelling out the credibility of snack foods as having any value at all.

Well, my friends, only half of the story was being told and so I began the publication of recipes for fast food imitations you could prepare at home and enjoy as if you were eating out.

It seems that there’s always something to celebrate, every day of every year – even if it’s not an “official” holiday. And almost everything that is celebrated or observed, usually involves food. Many of us find happiness in food. Food is comforting. Food is rejoicing. Food is fun. Food is love!

Nothing attracts and gathers people together more than food. These days, almost every holiday, special event, and the like are, in some fashion, marketed in the food industry!

‘Any reason to celebrate, is a reason to celebrate with food!’ – Laura Emerich (Feb. 24, 2020)

That should be somebody’s slogan – and remember, I coined it, here, first!

I remember when my family and I first moved to St. Clair from Algonac – one of our new neighbors came over with food for our dinner that evening so Mom didn’t have to worry about doing that amidst all the unpacking. That made such a wonderful, lasting impression on us.

LAST THOUGHTS…

Every summer that I can remember, while growing up in Michigan, there was usually a couple of family trips and some special one-day-events like a festival, the beach, a park picnic, and backyard barbeque – food was always in the mix. Our summers were filled with a lot of fun memories and fun food.

This Saturday we’ll be halfway through 2023, as July begins. One of July’s fabulous month-long celebrations is National Picnic Month, about which I recently wrote in my blog post, Summer Road Trips And Picnics. Why not imitate your favorite, fun, fair foods to take on your next road trip picnic?

IN CLOSING…

In honor of June, being National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, and TODAY, being National Coconut Day, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for a delicious dessert, called “Dayton Summer Fruit Pudding”; as seen in her self-published cookbook, The Original 200 Plus Secret Recipes© Book (Secret RecipesTM, Marysville, MI; June 1997, p. 53).

#FreshFruitAndVegetablesMonth

#NationalCoconutDay

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

The month of June observes, among other things… National Candy Month, National Camping Month, National Caribbean American Month, National Country Cooking Month, National Dairy Month, National Great Outdoors Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Papaya Month, National Soul Food Month, National Rose Month, and National Turkey Lovers Month!

Today is also… National Beautician’s Day and National Chocolate Pudding Day!

Tomorrow is… National Onion Day, National Ice Cream Cake Day, and National Orange Blossom Day!

Wednesday, June 28th, is… National Paul Bunyan Day and National Alaska Day!

June 29th, is… National Camera Day, National Waffle Iron Day, and National Almond Buttercrunch Day! Plus, as the last Thursday in June (for 2023), it’s also National Bomb Pop Day!

Friday, June 30th, is… National Meteor Watch Day and National Social Media Day!

Saturday begins the month of July, which observes, among other things… World Watercolor Month, National Baked Bean Month, National Culinary Arts Month, National Grilling Month, National Horseradish Month, National Hot Dog Month, National Ice Cream Month, Independent Retailer Month, National Blueberry Month, and National Peach Month!

July 1st is also… National Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day, National Gingersnap Day, National Postal Worker Day and National U.S. Postage Stamp Day! Plus, as the first Saturday in July (for 2023), it’s Hop-a-Park Day and National Play Outside Day (which is the 1st Saturday of EVERY month)!

Sunday, July 2nd, is… National Anisette Day!

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…26 down and 26 to go!

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Mondays & Memories of My Mom – My Dad, My Hero

Once again, thank God it’s Monday and, as such, #HappyMonday to everyone! I personally look forward to all Mondays because they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

Sunday was, among other things, National Go Fishing Day AND Father’s Day, as well as the beginning of Universal Father’s Week. Yep – that’s right. Sorry Mom… Not only do pickles get a whole week of celebration but so do fathers.

Dad was the king of our castle – Mom said so. He was strict but also loving and forgiving. Family was extremely important to him, as were education, honesty, and working hard. When he wasn’t working hard, Dad loved contributing to our Algonac community, through the Lion’s Club and little league coaching. He also loved bowling, fishing, and playing golf.

Dad retired early (from Willie Sign Co.) to help Mom full time, managing the business end of the family enterprise. Dad opened the mail, filled the orders, delt with the printer, did the banking, paid the bills, kept all the records and so on. He was the organizer. Mom was the “detective”, developer, writer, illustrator, and promoter.

#UniversalFathersWeek

Going through Mom’s and Dad’s old photo albums always brings up so many wonderful memories of our family and summertime vacations. Mom, almost always, was the one to photograph all of our special family moments. Although Dad would take some pictures every now and then, so Mom could be in some shots as well.

On our family vacations, whenever we were lost, Dad didn’t like to stop and ask for directions (that was decades before GPS and Google Maps). Instead, he told us, he was “taking the scenic route”. We often kidded him about his “scenic routes” because Dad loved to joke around. He was the king, knight, and court jester – all rolled into one.

In June 2002, Mom and Dad reprinted and self-published Mom’s popular “short-cut-cooking” cookbook, Gloria Pitzer’s Mostly 4-Ingredient Recipes. Early in 2014, they were still self-publishing, promoting (through radio shows and lectures), and selling that book, along with seven different, 2-page, recipe “bulletins”.

Each bulletin was comprised of related recipes for imitating various popular “brands” like Sanders, Bill Knapp, Bob Evans and others. There was also a 4-page “folder”, called Soup and Other Comfort Foods. They lived and worked together, 24/7 – day-in and day-out, every day, until Dad passed away unexpectedly, in October 2014.

Father’s Day has become one of those days when I miss him most! Like any daughter might feel about her dad, my dad was and will always be my hero. Dad was the cornerstone of our family, the “super” glue that held us all together. After he was gone, the family started to crumble and fall apart.

Mom tried to hold us all together, the way her mother tried, with her and her younger sisters, after my grandpa passed away, but to no avail. Unfortunately, in both cases, what little family bonds were left, basically became severed after the family matriarchs were each gone, as well.

Since this is Universal Father’s Week, I want to share with you an old (circa 1974), satirical article that Mom wrote about Dad called ‘Father’s Day (or) the King and I’, which I found in her one of her first year newsletter issues, from June 1974.

#FathersDay

There weren’t many things that stumped my mom more than understanding my dad’s love of football. She eventually started watching football with him – just so that, when he fell asleep in his recliner, she could grab the remote and change the channel to an episode of “Murder She Wrote” or a Hallmark movie. Most times, Dad woke up before she could do it.

I mentioned earlier that Sunday was also National Go Fishing Day, because going fishing with my dad is top among my most favorite childhood memories of me and him. Speaking of which, Mom drew a cartoon (below), in 1971, based on my love for fishing and my big brothers’ irritation of it.

#NationalGoFishingDay

When Dad passed away, he had apparently been feeling poorly, but never said anything to anyone because he just wasn’t one to complain about his own ailments. Also, at the time, he was more worried about Mom’s seizures, as she had a couple grand mal ones that required hospitalizations and many follow-up doctor visits.

Dad was always more focused on Mom’s health, because of her seizures, and she was always more focused on Dad’s health, because of his diabetes. That’s just a small example of why there are so many different national “health awareness” days, weeks, and month-long observations now – the key word is AWARENESS!

Correspondingly, I want to mention that last month, May, was also National Stroke Awareness Month, National Mental Health Awareness Month, and National Older Americans Month but, again, these should be observed every month.

Amid everything going on mid-way into 2014, with Mom’s hospitalizations, she and Dad had to completely retire their recipe business; which relieved Dad, immensely, since he was six years older than Mom and had been wanting to fully retire for a while but wouldn’t until they could retire together. Mom just never felt ready, like Dad.

Completely retiring the whole business left Mom feeling kind of empty, like she had lost her child. No more stories to write… No more recipe investigations… No more radio shows… Even traveling had become too taxing. Then we found out that Dad was losing his sight. Neither of them could drive anymore but they still took care of each other.

For eight months, following Dad’s passing, my sister, Cheryl, and I took turns everyday, taking care of Mom – being her companion, watching her for seizures, helping her with the housework, taking her to her appointments and occasionally shopping. I always knew how much Mom did for Dad but I never fully realized, until then, all the things he did for her, too.

One morning, in the summer of 2015, we found Mom on her bedroom floor and had to call 9-1-1. The doctor at the hospital said she had suffered from another grand mal seizure AND a double-stroke, at some point during the early morning hours.

It was a very scary time for us. Mom was in the hospital for quite a while and even in the ICU for a brief time, followed by months of various therapies at a health care facility, as she had also acquired dementia from the double-stroke.

Afterward, Mom had to move into a “retirement place” that had 24-hour, on-site, nursing care and other special amenities for her, as she needed a lot more than what Cheryl and I could offer her, since we both had full-time jobs to work, as well.

Mom went through a lot of changes and losses from early 2014 until she passed away in January 2018. However, it was her undying faith that kept her going. She truly believed that she and Dad would be together again. “When the Lord sees fit to do so,” she would always say.

FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

Excerpts by Gloria Pitzer, as seen in…

The Original 200 Plus Secret Recipes© Book (Secret RecipesTM, St, Clair, MI; June 1997)

RESTAURANT RECIPES

WHEN THE RECIPE CARDS became so popular that we were packaging them, sometimes in complete [$40] sets of the full 200 selections, I began to look at the possibilities of doing my own recipe books – less-expensive to the customer, surely, and less work for us considering all of the myriad choices one can have with 200 individual cards.

I assembled several single page books that I could mimeograph, remaining independent in the production of them, and came up with several workable ideas. It was very shortly thereafter, [from] a printer Paul was dealing with, at the company he worked for in the city, that we learned how to layout our own camera-ready copy and provide the recipes quite inexpensively. It was such a relief to be rid of the messy mimeograph machine. (p. 28)

BLESSING IN DISGUISE

IT WAS A BLESSING in disguise that Paul’s assignments at the company where he worked had given him the job of purchasing agent, for it certainly prepared him strongly for the responsibilities that would come our way in branching out into self-publishing our books.

Every department he worked in at Willey Sign Company gave him a basic foundation for being able to structure our business into a self-sufficient operation, from advertising to marketing and bookkeeping.

It was right after the ‘National Enquirer’ and ‘People’ magazine and ‘The Washington Post’ interviewed us and [printed] stories about our work, that he found himself spending every evening (after he got home from his job), every weekend, and his two-week vacation time, as well, working on our recipe business.

He knew he had to make a choice. He had to give up his 20-year job and the benefits and such in order to devote full-time to Secret RecipesTM. It was a decision we have never regretted.

With only $1000 in the bank and all of the bills that continued to come in day after day, we launched our ship of dreams and have never once had any regrets. Nor have we ever gone one day [as of this printing – June 1997] since that date, August 13, 1976, without an order! (p. 30)

LAST THOUGHTS…

I found out, while taking care of Mom, that Dad was just as much her hero as he was mine. Throughout her last 39 months without him, Mom never lost faith that they’d be together again, someday. She believed that it wasn’t for her to know when, why, or how – only that IT WILL BE!

‘There’s a powerful wisdom we don’t understand. It comes down to believing… To having faith.’ – Gloria Pitzer; as seen in… This Is Not A Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food For Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 60)

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

IN CLOSING…

In honor of TODAY, being National Garfield The Cat Day, here are THREE of Mom’s copycat recipes – Chief Boy Hardley Italian Dinner Sauce Mix and Lasagna [like “Two Guys From Italy” (CA)], with [Quick] Ricotta Substitute; as seen in… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – The Best of the Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, pp. 73 & 74 – respectively). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition)].

#NationalGarfieldTheCatDay

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

P.S. Food-for-thought until next Monday…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

June observes, among other things… National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, National Candy Month, National Camping Month, National Caribbean American Month, National Country Cooking Month, National Dairy Month, National Great Outdoors Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Papaya Month, National Soul Food Month, National Rose Month, and National Turkey Lovers Month!

Yesterday, as the third Sunday in June (for 2023), began… National Play Catch Week and Animal Rights Awareness Week!

Today is also… Juneteenth and National Martini Day! Plus, as the start of the third work week in June (for 2023), it’s also… National Boys & Girls Club Week! #BGCWeek

Tomorrow is… American Eagle Day, National Vanilla Milkshake Day, and National Ice Cream Soda Day!

Wednesday, June 21st, is… National Peaches ‘N’ Cream Day, National Daylight Appreciation Day, National Selfie Day, National Arizona Day, Summer [Solstice] Begins, and National Seashell Day (which is always on the first day of summer)!

June 22nd, is… National Chocolate Eclair Day and National Onion Rings Day!

June 23rd, is… National Detroit-Style Pizza Day, National Hydration Day, National Pink Day, and National Pecan Sandies Day! Plus, as the Friday after Father’s Day (for 2023), it’s also… Take Your Dog to Work Day!

June 24th, is… National Pralines Day! Plus, as the Saturday after the Summer Solstice (2023), it’s also… Summersgiving!

Sunday, June 25th, is… National Strawberry Parfait Day and National Catfish Day!

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…25 down and 27 to go!

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Mondays & Memories of My Mom – Marriage Made In Heaven

Thank God Its Monday and, as such, #HappyMonday to everyone! I personally look forward to all Mondays because they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

#NationalLovingDay

Today is National Loving Day! It’s another one of those celebrations that should be observed and expressed every day of the year, as if it were our last, because you never know when it will be. I miss being able to tell my parents how much I love them.

This Friday will be their 67th wedding anniversary. They first met in 1955, while working for the same company. They were together for 59 years (the last 38 years were literally 24/7), until Dad unexpectedly passed in October 2014. Even when they were mad at each other and fighting, they still practiced loving every day.

It’s said that “practice makes perfect” and “nobody is perfect”, thus (as a perfectionist-wanna-be), I think we should never stop trying to achieve it. Marriage is more than one day of ceremony and celebration. It takes strong dedication and steadfastness (from both parties) – and a lot of forgiveness – to generate a lifetime of rewards from marriage.

Marriage is truly a commitment, in which two compatible people promise each other “to be faithful… to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, until death do us part”… as are the basic, standard, civil marriage vows commonly recited.

Dad retired early, in 1976, to help Mom full time, managing the business side of their family enterprise, so she could concentrate on the creative side of it. They spent almost every single day together, 24/7, for the rest of their lives! LOVE, compatibility, forgiveness and communication are probably the top four qualities found in any successful marriage.

Throughout the decades, Mom and Dad’s marriage was tested in more ways than one – money, children, family, their business, even a little fame – but it withstood all the trials and tribulations… and not until death did they part. I still miss them, both, so much; but I find peace, in the belief that their spirits are together for eternity!

Mom wrote a lot about hers and Dad’s lives together, in matrimonial bliss with five children; using a loving, satirical twist, like combining the TV shows, “The Brady Bunch” and “Married With Children”. By the way, Frank Sinatra, one of Mom and Dad’s favorite performers, sings the latter show’s theme song, “Love and Marriage”!

‘GOOD MARRIAGES ARE made in heaven, or so it may seem. But, if that’s the case, a lot of the details will have to be worked out, right here, on earth.’ – Gloria Pitzer, My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, p. 11)

MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

My Cup Runneth Over and I Can’t Find My Mop (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Dec. 1989, pp. 62-64)

COMPATIBILITY & FORGIVENESS

THE MOST OFTEN ASKED question about Paul and I working together in this family enterprise is how we managed to remain so compatible after 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, since August 1976. The basis, I believe, for every successful relationship is always between two good forgivers.

Sure, we get in each other’s way once in a while. But we never stay mad for long. When we were in Ventura, California, in August 1989, we visited an old Spanish mission that was founded over 200 years ago. In the church edifice was a one-word sign on the wall near the rear of the room.

It’s so greatly impressed me that I thought about it for days. The word was FORGIVE. A powerful message. The essence of The Master’s own message during his earthly ministry nearly 2000 years ago. FORGIVE – who, why, what for?

In forgiving, we free ourselves from the imprisoning thoughts of resentment, of retaliation [and] anger. In forgiving, we let go of bitterness, contempt, even hatred. We are free then to love, to heal, to be healed altogether.

One word – FORGIVE – but 1000 messages. A dictionary says of this word, ‘to give up resentment against or the desire to punish; pardon (an offense or offender).’ Forgive! It’s final, complete. There are no stipulations, no exceptions in the activity of forgiveness – no qualifications for anyone to meet.

Whatever the offense, we let go of the urge to see the offender punished when we forgive. It’s a cleansing action. It wipes clean the slate of past grievances. The more we remember past offenses, the less likely we are to exercise our freedom to pardon.

Sometimes, forgiving ourselves is even harder than forgiving someone else. Forgiving requires loving. And loving is spiritual activity. Spiritual activity is prayer. So, when we are praying, we are also forgiving and, likewise, being forgiven.

Our Heavenly Father forgives us so easily, so completely. He never withholds His forgiveness from His children, His beloved offspring, which include each one of us – you, me, everyone! So, in examining the meaning of the word forgive, I can erase the pain of past offenses.

I can put the word, ‘forgive’, into action – put it to work in my relationship with others. It’s remembering to do so that takes a little work and a lot of practice, but before you know what, it becomes a habit!

The last thing every night and the first thing every morning, I whisper a ‘thank you’ to God for Paul. The last thing every night Paul’s arms are around me as we go off to sleep, and I find his arms around me again when awakening in the morning…

My first conscious thought is ‘Thank you, Father, for this good man’s love, for the beautiful partnership we have in our marriage, with our family, in our work… Thank you.’ It’s something I do automatically every night and every morning.

Even the laws of physics and physiology can never reveal to us the indisputable way in which the Creator constantly participates in the life of each of us. It points out to me over and over again that the launching pad for successful change around us is actually the change within us!

To be in marvelous accord on a number of important issues in a conversation with someone you love, who loves you back, is grand. But… lasting marriages just do not ‘happen’. They have to be shaped and molded out of the good that one or both who are concerned will see and act upon opportunities to inspire improvements.

Most marriages begin with the expectation that they will last forever. In marriages that do last, forever is not only a hope, but an ongoing philosophy. The partners simply do not think seriously about divorce as a viable option.

This attitude that a marriage will last, must last, tempers their approach to conflicts and imperfections. These people are committed to the marriage, as well as to each other. They know that love needs time to take root and then expand; that in an enduring marriage, time is on your side.

Time allows you the security of taking each other for granted, in the best sense of the term, without having constantly to impress or to prove yourself.

[As for me and Paul,] I don’t know how or when the transformation took place, but it did – gradually, beautifully. I am not sure, but perhaps the Divine hand of heaven moved the family to become more harmonious. We never really talked about specific changes in attitude or behavior…

Most folks don’t like to be ‘preached’ to. To be ‘ministered’ to is different, however. When we are ‘ministered’ to, we are cared for, looked after and handled with quiet compassion – but never with pity. We can inspire someone to change but we dare not insist upon it!

When we see those we care about, somehow in conflict, and we know we can’t interfere; we can, instead, give out strong, moral support in silent prayer. Sometimes we focus so much on what is WRONG, that we failed to see how to correct it. We worry too much on WHO is right, rather than on WHAT is right!

In overcoming just the ordinary aggravations of being in business for ourselves, we also had to iron out the little conflicts over who would handle certain aspects of the work and how it would be handled.

We were constantly having to compromise. That was the toughest step! Paul’s mother surely would have been proud of us and what we had accomplished together, if she had been able to witness any of this.

LAST THOUGHTS…

National Loving Day is very special – in fact, so is every day we are given. Love who you love. Be who you are. These are part of our 1st amendment rights, to pursue happiness, and should never be denied to anyone. Check out NationalDayCalendar.com, for the fascinating story of how today’s celebration came to be.

IN CLOSING…

In honor of Wednesday, being National Strawberry Shortcake Day, here’s Mom’s secret recipe for Sugar Free Strawberry Shortcake (one of Dad’s favorite summertime desserts), as seen in her self-published cookbook, The Copycat Cookbook, (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; April 1988, p. 91).

#StrawberryShortcakeDay

P.S. Food-for-thought until we meet again, next Monday…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

June observes, among other things… National Candy Month, National Camping Month, National Caribbean American Month, National Country Cooking Month, National Dairy Month, National Great Outdoors Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Papaya Month, and National Soul Food Month!

This week celebrates the start of… Men’s Health Week [the second Sunday in June through Father’s Day, which is always the 3rd Sunday] (11th-18th for 2023)! Additionally, the second week in June, is also… National Little League Week and National Flag Week, which is always the week of [June 14th] National Flag Day (11th-17th for 2023)!

Today is also… National Red Rose Day (plus, it’s National Rose Month), National Jerky Day, and National Peanut Butter Cookie Day! Beginning the second Monday of June (for five days), it’s also… National Business Etiquette Week (12th-16th for 2023)!

Tomorrow is… National Kitchen Klutzes of America Day, National Weed Your Garden Day, and National Sewing Machine Day!

Wednesday, June 14th, is… U.S. Army Birthday, National Flag Day, National Bourbon Day, and National New Mexico Day!

Thursday, June 15th, is… National Smile Power Day and Nature Photography Day!

June 16th, is… National Fudge Day! Plus, it’s Mom and Dad’s wedding anniversary. In honor of both, pictured below is a reshare of Mom’s “Somewhere in Time Chocolate Fudge” recipe, as seen in her last book… Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – Best Of The Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 235). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).] It’s one of our family’s favorites!

#NationalFudgeDay

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

Additionally, as the third Friday in June (for 2023), it’s also, National Take Back the Lunch Break Day! And, being the Friday before Father’s Day (for 2023), it’s also… National Wear BLUE Day!

Saturday, June 17th, is… National Eat Your Vegetables Day (it’s also… National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month), National Stewart’s Root Beer Day, National Apple Strudel Day, and National Cherry Tart Day!

June 18th, is… National Splurge Day! Plus, as the third Sunday in June (for 2023), it’s also… Turkey Lovers’ Day (plus, it’s National Turkey Lovers Month, too)! Additionally, beginning the third Sunday in June (18th-24th for 2023), it’s also… National Play Catch Week and Animal Rights Awareness Week!

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…24 down and 28 to go!

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Mondays & Memories of My Mom – Camping Michigan’s Great Outdoors

Happy June! Thank God Its Monday, again; and, as such, #HappyMonday to all! I personally look forward to each and every Monday. They’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

#NationalCampingMonth

#PureMichigan

#GreatOutdoorsMonth

June is finally here, celebrating, among other things, National Camping Month and National Great Outdoors Month! Summer unofficially started last weekend but it’s a little more than 2 weeks until the official start – Summer [Solstice] Begins June 21st. It’s the longest day of the year.

Summertime is the best time for picnics, road trips, and going camping! A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I have a camping checklist, part of which I use for my picnic “basket”. Nowadays, my camping checklist is quite extensive. It’s grown and shrunk and re-grown over the years. I find that the older I get, the more conveniences I like to bring.

Worth repeating: “It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!” My husband and I have not yet advanced to a camper or motor home. I call our style of camping “Comfort-Camping-Without-A-Camper”. Motorhome or camper style “camping” is often referred to as “glamping”, particularly by those who camp in tents.

There was a 5-year span when we had a van, in which we slept, while using our dome tent as a “shed” for our “stuff”, instead. Now, we have a mid-size sedan, in which we pack everything we need and want – including a large, octagon tent AND 10’ x 10’ gazebo. Organization is key!

When I was young, our family always stayed in motels when on vacations. We never camped. “Roughing it” was when the power went out for a week (at home, in Algonac), during a winter/spring ice storm. We had to use candles for light and the fireplace for heat and a “stove”.

Mom and Dad started “camping” AFTER becoming empty-nesters. They invested in a motorhome and joined the Good Sam [RV] Club. They first learned about “RV-ing” and Good Sam from Mom’s older sister, Hazel, and her husband, Chris, who were members of Good Sam’s California chapter. Mom and Dad joined the Michigan AND Ohio chapters.

While on the road, Mom and Dad usually ate in local restaurants. Mom never stopped looking for different dishes to try and imitate when she returned home. Their camping friends often kidded Mom, about being the Secret Recipes DetectiveTM and never using the oven in their motorhome. She did do some microwave cooking, on occasion.

I learned about camping (in a tent) from some friends decades ago when my children were very young. It was an inexpensive way to vacation with kids. Through experience, came more knowledge. I often learned cool camping hacks from other campers whenever we went camping with a group. Camping with friends is so fun!

FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret Recipes, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 43)

YOU’VE MADE A FRIEND

A SMILE IS THE universal, unspoken language between us. Some people smile more easily than others, but a smile is as good as a hug. I just LOVE people who smile a lot! Even when I’m shopping or [when Paul and I are] walking around the campgrounds on one of our abbreviated ‘get-aways’ with our motorhome, I find myself smiling at people I have never seen before, and they smile back. It’s contagious!

People don’t smile as much as they should! I’ve noticed lately how seldom strangers smile at each other in shopping centers and restaurants and other places where average folks mingle or pass. It occurred to me that there was nothing to lose by smiling and nodding at people as I shopped or glanced across a restaurant to other tables.

A surprising thing happened! Grim looking faces spontaneously responded with smiles and nods, as if they were trying to place me or recall where we might have met before. It was just wonderful!

Joining the Good Sam [RV] Club was among Mom and Dad’s most favorite experiences. It was a huge source of wonderful friendships and memories for them. Mom kept many scrap books full of photos and special keepsakes from their many trips with the Michigan and Ohio chapters of Good Sam.

Mom often wrote about those trips in her summer newsletter issues – from the new restaurant dishes they tried as they traveled (of which Mom imitated when they went home) to all of the great people they met everywhere they went.

Mom and Dad especially looked forward to Good Sam’s big “Samboree” events! Mom would sometimes give lectures at these events, regarding her copycat and short-cut cookery concepts, such as those published in her Mostly 4-Ingredients cookbook (and the recipe I’m sharing today is from that book).

MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

Gloria Pitzer’s Secret Recipes Newsletter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Jan-Feb. 1988, p. 1)

GOOD SAM, GOOD EXAMPLE

ONE THING AMONG MANY that I have learned from Good Sam, the national RV organization, to which Paul and I have belonged for three years now [since 1985]; is that you should never ever withhold your enthusiasm for caring about others.

Never regret anything you do or say on behalf of the good it might bring to those [about whom] you care – for, if your motives are unselfish, and your intentions are to encourage or enrich or benefit others, you can’t lose.

You should jump right in, adding enthusiasm to whatever it is that you are doing that might appear to be just a passive condition when enthusiasm is needed. Try a little enthusiasm!

…Enthusiasm and optimism go hand-in-hand with happiness. These provide us with an emotional springboard from which we can dive quite smoothly, into deep and troubled waters, and still surface refreshed and invigorated.

During Michigan’s unofficial summertime [Memorial Day through Labor Day], tourism is on the rise. There’s so much to do in Michigan’s great outdoors! May through October is the best time for Michigan camping getaways. There are 1,190 licensed campgrounds in the state.

[Pictured below is my extensive camping check list, all of which fits in our Pontiac sedan (as pictured above). I am not paid to advertise for any companies but I am brand specific on a few things because, from my personal experience, they work the best – Dawn dish soap, SOS (soap filled steel pads), and Kingsford Matchlite charcoal.]

If you’re planning to go swimming or doing any water sports or activities along the shoreline surrounding most of the state, the warmest lake water temperatures are generally found July through September, depending on where you go. As beautiful as the Memorial Day weekend was, it was too cold to swim in Lake Huron – I know – I was there.

I’ve mentioned at least a few times, in previous blog posts, that Michigan holds the record for the longest fresh water shoreline in the United States, coming in at 3,288 miles. In fact, regardless of water type (sea or fresh), Michigan is only second to Alaska, in total length of coastline.

Over the next couple of weeks, kids will be getting out of school for their big summer break. Many families are planning their vacation times, now. Summertime in Michigan is also a popular time in which to plan events like company picnics, graduation parties, class/family reunions, and outdoor weddings.

There’s always something special to see and do in Michigan! Summer’s also the best season for car shows and cruises; outdoor concerts and music festivals; art, 4-H and county fairs; plus, other carnivals. Speaking of which, I love the hit Canadian show, Carnival Eats, with Noah Cappe! The food is always the best part of any special event.

Activities and entertainment venues vary slightly, by region – but usually, throughout the summer, you can often find, somewhere nearby, a botanical garden, flea market, farmer’s market, petting zoo, classic car shows; as well as thespian renaissance, art, craft, and/or music festivals.

Pools, beaches and water parks are now open for the summer season. Even though the big lakes’ temperatures are still a bit cold for swimming, Michiganders can’t wait to dip their toes in, at least. Additionally, you’ll find seasonal amusement parks, small-town carnivals, and big county fairs all over the state and nearby.

Some of the outdoor, summer sports and other such activities that Michiganders enjoy include baseball, softball, soccer, track, golf, disc golf, putt-putt golf, tennis, volleyball, and horseshoes (the game). Then there’s the backyard games like cornhole, ladder toss, washer toss, and so on.

Many table-top games have been made into large lawn versions for people’s backyard enjoyment (or to take them to a park or when camping). Many in-land summer activities include picnicking, camping, hiking, biking, motor sport racing, motorcycling, motocross, dirt biking, “4-wheeling”, “mudding”, dune buggy riding, horseback riding, and more.

Popular water sports and other such activities include kayaking, canoeing, sailing, boating, jet skiing, water skiing, parasailing, swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, and fishing – even building sand castles on the beach. Sand sculpting can be quite amazing!

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

LAST THOUGHTS…

Here, again, are four basic tips for planning road trips that I’ve shared a couple of times, previously…

    • Always bring a hard copy roadmap, as there are places that may not have cell or wi-fi service for miles.
    • Allow extra time and gas (or electric charge – whatever the case may be) for spontaneity. In case you decide to take a detour or two to other map dots along the way!
    • Stop frequently and take breaks – “smell the roses”, photograph the memories, and talk to the locals.
    • Pack a cooler with some drinks and snacks, even if you plan to eat at restaurants along the way. You know what they say about the best laid plans…

IN CLOSING…

In honor of June, being National Candy Month, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for Coconut Confections; as seen in her self-published cookbook… Gloria Pitzer’s Mostly 4-Ingredient Recipes (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; April 1986, p. 6).

#NationalCandyMonth

P.S. Food-for-thought until we meet again, next Monday…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

The month of June observes, among other things… National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, National Caribbean American Month, National Country Cooking Month, National Dairy Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Papaya Month, National Soul Food Month, National Rose Month, and National Turkey Lovers Month!

Starting the first Saturday in June and running through the second Saturday (June 3rd-20th for 2023) it’s… International Clothesline Week and National Fishing and Boating Week! Starting the first Sunday in June (4th-10th for 2023), it’s… National Gardening Week and Community Health Improvement Week!

Today is also… National Gingerbread Day and National Veggie Burger Day!

Tomorrow is… National D-Day, National Gardening Exercise Day, National Drive-In Movie Day, and National Applesauce Cake Day!

Wednesday, June 7th, is… National Chocolate Ice Cream Day, National VCR Day, and National Oklahoma Day!

Thursday, June 8th, is… National Best Friends Day and National Upsy Daisy Day!

Friday, June 9th, is… National Donald Duck Day and National Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day!

June 10th, is… National Egg Roll Day, National Ballpoint Pen Day, National Iced Tea Day, National Black Cow Day, and National Herbs and Spices Day! Plus, as the second Saturday in June (for 2023), it’s also… National Rosé Day!

June 11th, is… National Making Life Beautiful Day, National Corn on the Cob Day, and National German Chocolate Cake Day! Plus, as the second Sunday in June (for 2023), it’s also… National Children’s Day; and the start of… Men’s Health Week [the second Sunday in June through Father’s Day (11th-18th for 2023)]! Additionally, as the start of the second week in June, it’s also… National Little League Week and National Flag Week, which is always the week of [June 14th] National Flag Day (11th-17th for 2023)!

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…23 down and 29 to go!

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Mondays & Memories of My Mom – Pen Pals And Handwriting

Once again, Thank God Its Monday and, as such, #HappyMonday to everyone! I personally look forward to all Mondays because they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

Summer has unofficially started and I’m so looking forward to summertime road trips and picnics like I wrote about last week. I’m also looking forward to going camping, again! June is just a few days away and it celebrates, among other things, National Camping Month and National Great Outdoors Month! I’ll be writing more about that next week.

#NationalPenPalDay

Today, I want to write about pen pals, as Thursday is not only the start of June, but also National Pen Pal Day! Handwriting and letter writing are becoming things of the past – nostalgia keeps it hanging on by a thread, though.

Have you ever been a pen pal? Many young pen pal relationships start from a brief friendship at summer camp or as strangers that never met, such as through a school writing program or magazine ad. Nowadays, you can get pen pals online.

My first time, as a pen pal, was when I was in 5th grade and “assigned” a pen pal who was also in 5th grade, in another state. That was through a national school writing program. We only corresponded for one semester.

We learned about each other’s likes and dislikes, families and friends, as well as school and community events. I loved being and having a pen pal. I wrote to several others, over the following years, most of whom I found through ads in various teen magazines.

It was wonderful, getting mail addressed to me and reading about my new friend’s life in another state. And the reciprocation was just as special. Eventually, most stopped writing, as they got older and busier, which happens often. Very seldom do people ever maintain friendships from childhood into their teen years, let alone into adulthood.

However, I’ve remained friends with one pen pal for over 46 years, now! Although, nowadays, other than some notes on our annual Christmas cards, we don’t physically write letters to each other anymore because we often keep in touch on Facebook. We’ve still never met in person, though.

Sometimes pen pal relationships last less than a year. However, most pen pals remain friends for many years – some for a lifetime. The best pen pals are usually those with common interests or who are open-minded to learning about other people, cultures, and languages. Pen pals generally want to connect with the world outside their own borders.

Pen pals can be people who already know each other but live far apart. Most often, pen pals are strangers that never meet in person. Through an exchange of letters, they share mutual interests and teach each other about their different backgrounds, religions, and lifestyles.

Mom was pen pals, for her entire adult life, with one of her classmates that had moved to New York. She also offered a monthly pen pal exchange in her newsletter, during its first year of publication, in 1974. Mom always encouraged my own pen pal friendships when I was young.

WHEN WRITING…

I ALWAYS TRY TO BE brief in my messages of importance to someone on whom I wish to make an impression. As often the importance of what you want to say is lost in too many words. Another writer [Robert Southey, English Poet (1774-1843)] put it best: ‘Be brief, for words are like sunbeams – the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn!’ – Gloria Pitzer, This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 62)

#GetCaughtReadingMonth

According to Wikipedia.org, pen pals “are people who regularly write to each other, particularly via postal mail [aka: snail mail]. Pen pals are usually strangers whose relationship is based primarily, or even solely, on their exchange of letters.”

The term, “pen pals” (which began as “pen friends” in the 1920s), has steadily been around since the 1930s; thanks to the Student Letter Exchange society, formed in 1936, to help people find suitable pen pals. It also helped students from different countries connect through letters and learn about each other’s cultures, while improving reading and writing skills.

98five.com’s The World’s Oldest Pen Pals Have Turned 100 Years Old [author unknown (Jan. 9, 2023)] is a really interesting and inspiring 2-minute read about a British man and American woman who’ve been pen pals since 1938, when they were both 16 years old. They both recently turned 100 years old and still correspond (with some help). Check it out!

At MarthaStewart.com, How to Find a Modern-Day Pen Pal, by Alexandra Lim-Chua Wee (April 16, 2019), is a great source from which to start, if you’re feeling nostalgic and want to establish a pen pal relationship – with a peer, an active military member or a veteran, a senior citizen, a “shut-in”, or someone from another country just to name some examples.

Nowadays, we mostly use email and social media platforms, for corresponding. But some of us “older folk” still prefer the old-fashion way – handwritten, with pen and paper (maybe even fancy stationary), an envelope and stamp, a walk to the mailbox, and don’t forget to put the flag up so your postal carrier knows there’s mail waiting to go out!

It’s the simple things in life – like getting or sending a personal letter or card in the postal mail (aka: snail mail) – that still thrill some of us and make us smile, with happy memories of days gone by.

If you’ve never been a pen pal, you may be wondering: “What should I write in my first letter?” I suggest that you first write about where you found their details. Then begin your initial introduction – the basics of who you are – such as name, age, occupation (or grade, if a student), where you’re from, a little about your family/pets (if any).

Next, share your common interests and other details about yourself – hobbies and interests, likes and dislikes. You can also write about what your typical day is like. Keep it personalized but don’t overdo it. Ask your pen pal some questions about their life but, again, don’t overdo it. Save some for the next letter, too.

In From Me, With Love: The Lost Art of Letter Writing (Nov. 26, 2016), as seen on TheGuardian.com, the author, Jon McGregor, wrote:

“I asked people to send us letters; real letters, written by hand and sent through the post. I sat in the office with my student assistants and waited for the letters to arrive. There was something exciting about sorting through the pile, letters from Canada and the US, from Spain and Germany and France, from Donegal and Dublin and Brighton and Tring. We set to work with the letter knives and started to read. I was hoping that they would, while still being framed as letters, take the form of stories, essays, poems, memoir, criticism. What actually happened was that almost everyone wrote about the nostalgic and rare pleasure of sitting down to write a letter at all.”

Reading and writing have many benefits – physically, mentally, and emotionally. They’re great, simple “workouts” that stimulate brain function. Writing is a wonderful way for seniors to exercise their minds and hands. Pen pals often write about their day’s events or current affairs, which helps keep one’s mind sharp.

Therefore, writing is also known to help with memory and putting your life events in perspective with how people in other parts of the world live, too. Writing also improves communication skills, productivity, and overall happiness; while decreasing stress and anxiety.

LAST THOUGHTS…

Handwriting is becoming a thing of the past. Everything is written electronically these days – school papers, emails, texts, even notes. In the unending, human quest for making life easier, the latest contributor to the dying practice of writing, is AI – Artificial Intelligence. Personally, I think it’s a scary thing.

In general, writing anything by hand is becoming a lost practice. I’ve heard that cursive writing (penmanship) isn’t even taught in school anymore. Although “handwriting” and “penmanship” are often used interchangeably, they’re really not the same. “Handwriting” is self-described – the act of writing by hand. “Penmanship” is the ability to write legibly.

Remember when we all used to send and receive handwritten holiday, birthday, and anniversary cards, as well as “Thinking of You” and “Thank You” notes? They are all becoming dying traditions.

Thankfulness is an emotion. Gratitude is an attitude – that of appreciation under any circumstance. Gratitude involves being thankful, but it’s more than just that. Gratitude means being thankful and appreciative of life every day – even when it’s a bad day or nothing special is happening.

THANK YOU!

IN THE MEANTIME, we open letters every day from people all over the world, saying ‘thank you for writing your books’ – ‘I feel as if I know you just from reading your books’ – ‘I don’t know whether to keep up on reading or run to the kitchen and bake something’ – and then I know [nothing can] keep me from continuing with this work. – Gloria Pitzer, as seen in Gloria Pitzer’s Mixed Blessings – Recipes & Remedies (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; March 1984, p. xv)

IN CLOSING…

In honor of TODAY, still being May and National Salad Month, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for Chicken Salad Like Hudson’s; as seen in her self-published cookbook, Secret Fast Food Recipes – Revised (Secret RecipesTM, Marysville, MI; Oct. 1998, 20th printing, p. 28).

I also gave this recipe out a couple of years ago, on Kathy Keene’s ‘Good Neighbor’ radio show, on WHBY (Appleton, WI). Kathy has since retired. The show was discontinued and, unfortunately, my link to the recorded audio doesn’t work anymore.

#NationalSaladMonth

P.S. Food-for-thought until we meet again, next Monday…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

May is still celebrating, among other things… American Cheese Month, Better Speech and Language Month, National Asparagus Month, National Barbecue Month, National Hamburger Month, National Inventor’s Month, National Photography Month, National Salsa Month, National Strawberry Month, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

#GetCaughtReadingMonth

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

Today is also… National Coq Au Vin Day! Plus, as the last Monday in May (for 2023), it’s also… National Memorial Day!

Tomorrow is… National Creativity Day, National Water a Flower Day, and National Mint Julep Day!

May 31st, is… National Macaroon Day, National Utah Day, and National Smile Day! Plus, as the last Wednesday in May (for 2023), it’s also… National Senior Health & Fitness Day!

Thursday begins the month of June, which observes, among other things… National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month, National Candy Month, National Caribbean American Month, National Country Cooking Month, National Dairy Month, National Iced Tea Month, National Papaya Month, National Soul Food Month, National Rose Month, and National Turkey Lovers Month!

June 1st, is also… National Olive Day, National Say Something Nice Day, and National Hazelnut Cake Day!

June 2nd, is… National Rotisserie Chicken Day and National Rocky Road Day! This day is also National Leave The Office Early Day – unless June 2nd falls on a weekend day then it’s observed on the nearest [Friday or Monday] business day. Plus, as the first Friday in June (for 2023), it’s… National Doughnut Day, too!

June 3rd, is… National Egg Day [which should be in May, with National Egg Month], National Repeat Day, and National Chocolate Macaroons Day! Plus, as the first Saturday in June (for 2023), it is also… National Trails Day, National Bubbly Day, National Prairie Day, and National Play Outside Day [which is the first Saturday of every month]!

Additionally, starting the first Saturday in June and running through the second Saturday (June 3rd-20th for 2023), it’s… International Clothesline Week and National Fishing and Boating Week!

June 4th, is… National Cheese Day, National Cognac Day, and National Hug Your Cat Day! Plus, as the first Sunday in June (for 2023), it’s also… National Cancer Survivor’s Day! Additionally, starting the first Sunday in June (4th-10th for 2023), it’s… National Gardening Week and Community Health Improvement Week!

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…22 down and 30 to go!

Posted on

Mondays & Memories of My Mom – Summer Road Trips and Picnics

Thank God Its Monday again! I love Mondays. They’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

#RoadTripDay

#NationalCoolerDay

You can almost feel summer in the air now. Even though it doesn’t really start until June 21st, Memorial Day has become the unofficial start of summer. And this Friday is the unofficial start of the Memorial Day weekend. Among other things, Friday is also National Road Trip Day and National Cooler Day! 

#PureMichigan

When my parents were empty-nesters and needed a break from their long work week, they’d often go on a road trip somewhere – for the day or the weekend. It didn’t matter if it was a planned trip or a “new scenic route” (when Dad got lost), because they were together, exploring, and enjoying Michigan’s beautiful scenery.

Did you know that Michigan has 3,288 miles of coastline that borders four of the five Great Lakes? It’s the longest freshwater coastline in the U.S. In fact, regardless of water type (sea or fresh), Michigan is only in second place, to Alaska, in total length of coastline.

Sometimes, however, “work” would manage to creep back in, because whenever they stopped for a bite to eat, Mom always managed to find someone’s [restaurant] “house special” that she wanted to analyze and duplicate when she got home.

Whenever possible, my husband and I LOVE to go on road trips to different areas in our scenic state of Michigan, just like my parents used to do. We really enjoy exploring the sparkling, blue water shorelines of the Great Lakes, surrounding most of our state; as well as the in-land lakes, small towns, rivers, forests, farmlands, and parks.

Additionally, Sunday is celebrating National Beef Burger Day and National Hamburger Day, all of which adds up to more great reasons for a road trip and picnic (or a backyard barbecue) this weekend to celebrate the unofficial start of summer!

May is coming to a close soon so, this weekend, celebrate that it’s still National Barbecue Month, National Hamburger Month, National Salad Month, American Cheese Month, National Egg Month, and National Salsa Month!

What are your favorite go-to picnic or backyard barbecue foods? Among classic picnic treats, the finger foods that travel well and won’t spoil on a warm day include sandwiches/wraps, fried chicken, fresh vegetables and fruit. Remember – if anything has mayo in it, keep it chilled!

Aside from the “main dish”, popular picnic foods include appetizers like deviled eggs, pigs-in-a-blanket, and stuffed mushrooms; sides like mac-n-cheese or baked beans; coleslaw and salads like pasta, potato, veggie, and fruit; desserts like pies, brownies, bars, and cookies; plus, snacks like string cheese, meat sticks, chips, pretzels, and trail mix.

Just as in any celebration, throughout the year, a very important part of picnic activities, besides socializing, getting fresh air, and making memories, is eating the food! Therefore, I’m including, here, a list (based on a Google search consensus) for 10 popular food choices to take on a picnic.

10 Popular Picnic Food Picks:

    • Fried Chicken
    • Hot Dogs
    • Sandwiches/Wraps
    • Pasta Salad
    • Potato salad
    • Baked beans
    • Deviled Eggs
    • Watermelon
    • Brownies
    • Pie

Things to do on a picnic outing (besides eating) include playing music, singing/dancing, walking, playing table/yard games, bird watching, people watching, sun bathing; plus, if you’re at a beach, you can add in searching for skipping stones or sea shells, swimming, fishing, and building sand castles.

NEEDLESS TO SAY, I can’t wait until we can begin our ‘motor-home camping’ again with our Good Sam friends. It’s our weekend vacation pleasure, May through October. Becoming part of the Good Sam organization is the best thing that has ever happened to us, where we could both enjoy mutual friendships and activities. Wonderful, caring people, who constantly remind us that ‘there are no strangers in Good Sam – only friends we haven’t met, yet!’ – Gloria Pitzer, as seen in… “GOOD SAM – CARING AND CAMPING”, from Gloria Pitzer’s Secret RecipesTM Newsletter (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May-June 1987, 126th issue, p. 3)]

You don’t need to go on an expensive, fancy vacation or plan an extravagant party to reconnect with family and friends over the Memorial Day weekend. A simple picnic is a fun and relaxing way to gather and make memories. But if you want to have MORE than a “simple” picnic…

Have you ever heard of a mystery picnic? I recently discovered this fun twist on our iconic, seasonal tradition at CuriousCampers.com, out of Australia. I can’t wait to create and host my own scavenger hunt style picnic for a special summer gathering with friends and family!

According to the website, “mystery picnics” combine travel, food, and fun; while solving a series of clues that take you to various places, where you collect things to add to the “picnic basket” at the final destination. It’s a fun idea to explore the area, as you collect “picnic basket items”, and then gather with the other guests to share your collection and adventures.

The difference between a treasure hunt and scavenger hunt is slight. A treasure hunt has only one thing for which to hunt (aka: the treasure) – the first one to find it wins. Once “the treasure” is found the hunt is done for everyone. A scavenger hunt offers each guest a list or variety of things to find/collect.

Both hunts use riddles and clues to send participants from one place to another. Usually, participants can work in pairs or in teams or individually. A scavenger hunt is typically played in an extensive outdoor area but it can also be scaled down to play at home, like a treasure hunt.

The host typically creates a “trail”, so that the answer to one clue reveals the next one. You can either write them on pieces of paper hidden at the chosen locations or put them in an “online” forum (like an “event” or “group” page on Facebook) that gives clues to the answers, as well.

The first riddle should be included in the initial invitation. Guests have to figure it out before they start, so they know where to go first and collect something for the picnic, along with a clue to the next destination. Repeat as often as necessary, before getting to the final destination – the “mystery picnic” spot.

LAST THOUGHTS…

A checklist comes in handy, when packing for anything. I use part of my camping checklist for my picnic “basket”, which is actually a plastic tote. It’s always on the ready so I can easily throw it in the trunk of our car, along with a food bag and cooler, whenever my husband and I want to go on a spontaneous, all-day Road Trip.

It may seem like a lot of stuff but it actually packs up fairly small and compact. As a Mom of three, I learned from my own mom, over the years, (as she used to have to pack for a family of seven) how to pack 10 pounds of stuff in a 5-pound bag. I found organization is key. As the old adage says: “It’s better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!”

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

IN CLOSING…

In honor of May, also being National Salad Month, here’s Mom’s copycat recipe for Macaroni (or Potato) Salad, Like the Colonel’s; as seen in her last book, Gloria Pitzer’s Cookbook – Best Of The Recipe Detective (Balboa Press; Jan. 2018, p. 29). [A revised reprint of Gloria Pitzer’s Better Cookery Cookbook (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; May 1983, 3rd Edition).]

I also gave this recipe out a couple of years ago, on Kathy Keene’s ‘Good Neighbor’ radio show, on WHBY (Appleton, WI). Kathy has since retired. The show was discontinued and, unfortunately, my link to the recorded audio doesn’t work anymore.

#NationalSaladMonth

#GetCaughtReadingMonth

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

P.S. Food-for-thought until we meet again, next Monday…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

May also celebrates… National Asparagus Month, National Inventor’s Month, National Photography Month, National Strawberry Month, and Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

Today is… National Craft Distillery Day, World Paloma Day, National Maritime Day, National Solitaire Day, and National Vanilla Pudding Day!

Tomorrow is… National Lucky Penny Day and National Taffy Day!

Wednesday, May 24th, is… National Yucatan Shrimp Day, Brother’s Day, National Escargot Day, and National Wyoming Day! 

Thursday, May 25th, is… National Brown-Bag It Day and National Wine Day!

May 26th, is… National Blueberry Cheesecake Day! Plus, as the Friday before Memorial Day (for 2023), it’s also… National Don’t Fry Day! 

Saturday, May 27th, is… National Grape Popsicle Day!

Sunday, May 28th, is… National Brisket Day!

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…21 down and 31 to go!

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Mondays & Memories of My Mom – Etiquette and Manners

Thank God Its Monday and, as such, #HappyMonday to everyone! I personally look forward to all Mondays because they’re my 52 Chances a year, in which I get to share Memories of My Mom with you!

#TheRecipeDetective

#NationalEtiquetteWeek

As the second full week of May, this is National Etiquette Week! According to Wikipedia.org, Etiquette is a code of ethics or set of standards for acceptable social and personal behaviors, which are observed and practiced in polite societies, as well as in social classes or groups.

Etiquette refers to socially suitable and responsible behaviors. In simpler words, it’s a guideline of customs for good manners and civil conduct in a cultured society. Synonyms for “good mannered” include civil, considerate, cordial, courteous, and gracious, according to Thesaurus.com.

There are a lot of great benefits that come from using good manners. Obviously, it makes you more pleasant to be around and draws others to you, like a magnet. Knowing how to behave and what is expected of you, in various social situations, produces positive reinforcements from others. Another benefit is that it helps build confidence and self-esteem.

My husband and I were recently discussing how our parents taught us these things (etiquette and manners) throughout our childhoods. We raised our children in the same manner. Somewhere along the way, parents stopped teaching these things to the next generations. I work in retail – so I witness it all the time.

Some examples of using proper etiquette include saying things like “please”, “thank you”, “I’m sorry”, and “excuse me”. Be punctual, professional, responsive, and respectful. Practice active listening and don’t interrupt others. Speak with kindness, honesty, a smile, and eye-contact. Give compliments and avoid negative remarks and criticisms.

The list goes on and on! Open doors for others. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. Dress appropriately. Shake hands/fist-bump in greetings or agreements. Don’t be boastful or arrogant. Respect your elders. Be kind and compassionate. Show appreciation and gratitude.

Table manners and meal etiquette is usually different at home than it is at someone else’s house or out in public. Commonly though, chew with your mouth closed; be observant of your surroundings and other people; read the room and choose your words/topics wisely, watching your volume, as well. Avoid using your cell phone in social settings.

These are all examples of good manners that show consideration for others. Holidays, weddings, funerals, and church services are other settings/events that follow certain rules of conduct (or etiquette). Etiquette and good manners are essential in life, as they help us to behave well at home and in society.

FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

No Laughing Matter, By Gloria Pitzer (Circa 1971)

WHY WASTE ETIQUETTE BOOKS ON ADULTS?

SOMETHING HAS GOT TO be done about etiquette books. All of them seem to be written for grownups. This makes as much sense as sending Twiggy to a sauna bath. The grownups I know have beautiful manners. It’s a joy to be in their company.

On the other hand, how many children are invited to catered [affairs]? Give a grownup a present for his [or her] birthday and he [or she will] be as happy as a hippy with a new string of beads. He [or she] doesn’t burst into tears and declare outrageously: ‘But I already have a Hot Wheels [or Barbie] case!’

Emily Post has wasted her energies on adults. She should have directed her talents to children. We’re all aware of little children’s charms. I have noticed this whenever I take my 4-year old with me.

I have yet to have the produce manager at the ‘A & P’ pat me on the head and offer me an apple. Nor has the bank teller offered me a sucker, only to hear me rapt: ‘But I want a purple one. I hate green!’

The experts claim children learn by example rather than precept. I wish they would then explain why a child would rather sit ON the table or UNDER it, when parents sit on chairs – with all four legs of that chair on the floor, yet!

Most parents hope to instill in their offspring, during infancy, the simple precept of keeping their fingers out of the Pablum; and accelerate it through teenage adolescence, with more sophisticated postulates of good table manners.

We then hope they come to know that forks are NOT for tapping table legs or catapulting peas off of somebody’s head. Heaven knows we parents try! Yet, children, in spite of their endearing young charms are not socially in demand.

Grandmothers do not invite them to spend the entire summer with them – a weekend, maybe! And you’re not about to serve fondue to them, at dinner because, for one thing, little children would rather build something out of their mashed potatoes than eat them.

The trouble with children is they fail to realize that parents are emotionally insecure. And the reason children must be taught to conform to basic social graces is that, someday, they too will be adults. They too will become attached to certain material objects they will respect and cherish and want others to respect and cherish…

Like plants and vases and ball point pens – that bicycles are very expensive and should not be left in the drive-way, where the garbage man might run over them.

A six-year old cannot understand, even though you’ve explained it to her 37 times why she cannot take your silver gravy ladle to the sandbox or your wiglet to ‘show-and-tell’. But just wait until you try to throw out a bald-headed Barbie doll, with a string missing from her back and [only] one leg.

Reasoning and civilized behavior are what distinguishes human beings from animals. We start to learn etiquette at a very young age – from our parents and family, as well as from institutions like schools, churches, and businesses.

There are a variety of different “codes of etiquette”, depending on diverse places and events – such as in a store, place of business, or corporation; during formal/informal “meetings”, at weddings and funerals, while dining/eating out, when talking on the phone, and even bathroom usage.

Kids are sponges. Teach them early about good behavior. It takes a village – so set good examples for them to follow! Etiquette is not written rules with which everyone HAS to comply, or else. However, there are consequences to bad behaviors, while good behaviors are rewarded. When we use good manners, life is so much more pleasant!

Etiquette teaches us how to behave appropriately and treat others respectfully, in any context – such as being a good neighbor and citizen. There’s also proper etiquette for travel, in workplaces and schools, and on the internet [aka: netiquette]. By the way, National Business Etiquette Week is the first full business week [Monday to Friday] in June.

‘I believe these people agree that there is a greater need to recognize decency and honesty, but in good taste; savoring dependability, unselfishness, compassion and, yes, good manners – all of which are basic to the good life for both the individual and the community.’ – Helen Hayes (in a commencement address). [As seen in… This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret RecipesTM, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 17).]

MORE FROM MOM’S MEMORIES…

As seen in…

This is not a Cook Book! It’s Gloria Pitzer’s Food for Thought (Secret Recipes, St. Clair, MI; Oct. 1986, p. 8)

HAVING A GOOD EXAMPLE

EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE a few good examples to follow at some time in their life. I’m fortunate to have found several… My next door neighbor is one good example to follow.

She’s the one [who’ll] take a cake to a new neighbor, to welcome them. And she’s the one [who’ll] collect for flowers if there’s a death in the neighborhood. She always waves when she sees another neighbor and always smiles. A good example!

My mother is another good example I’ve followed. Her best gift and her greatest asset is that she’s always been a patient listener and a wise advisor. She was absolutely loyal to my father, through all of his mistakes, in each of his blunders.

The world could turn their backs on her children but she would always be there for [us] when we needed her. She’s given me an example that’s going to be tough to equal. In time though, I hope that I can say I’ve had so many good examples to follow – I’ll try to be one, myself, to somebody else.

Have you noticed how much neighboring and neighborhoods have changed over the years? In the past, people used to bring their new neighbors casseroles or baked goods, just to introduce themselves and say, “Hi! Welcome to the neighborhood!” Years ago, neighbors often offered to help with the “move-in” or some other project.

Sometimes they’d stop by for a cup of coffee and some small talk, chatting about current events and asking questions about each other. According to TheSpruce.com, Neighborhood Etiquette used to include sharing things like tools and garden equipment, so everyone didn’t have to go out and buy expensive items that they didn’t often use.

Neighborhood parties and barbecues are becoming faded memories as people barely know their neighbors anymore. By the way, tomorrow is National Do Something Good for Your Neighbor Day. Let’s get back to being good neighbors!

LAST THOUGHTS…

All forms of good etiquette begin with “The Golden Rule” – treat others as you would like to be treated. We’ve been taught this since we were toddlers in a sandbox. Why does it seem like so many of us tend to forget about that once we age into the double digits?

According to Wikipedia’s analysis of All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Robert Fulghum (the author) “explains how the world would be improved if adults adhered to the same basic rules as children; i.e. sharing, being kind to one another, cleaning up after themselves, and living ‘a balanced life’ of work, play, and learning.” Basic etiquette.

IN CLOSING…

In honor of Saturday, being National Pick Strawberries Day, and May, being National Strawberry Month, PLUS Wednesday, being National Juice Slush Day, here’s Mom’s copycat recipes for Strawberry Brutus and Brutus Orange Beverage, as seen in her self-published cookbook, The Second Helping Of Secret Recipes Cookbook – Revised (National Home News, St. Clair, MI; Nov. 1978, 4th Printing; p. 17). Remember Brutus? He’s the one who “did in” Julius!

#NationalPickStrawberriesDay

#NationalStrawberryMonth

P.S. Food-for-thought until we meet again, next Monday…

#LearnSomethingNewEveryDay

May celebrates, among other things… American Cheese Month, National Better Speech and Language Month, National Asparagus Month, National Barbecue Month, National Egg Month, National Hamburger Month, National Inventor’s Month, National Photography Month, National Salad Month, National Salsa Month, and National Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month!

#GetCaughtReadingMonth

#GloriaPitzersCookbook

https://www.balboapress.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-001062253

The second full week in May [14th-20th of 2023] also celebrates… National Salvation Army Week and American Craft Beer Week! Additionally, National Bike to Work Week [14th-20th of 2023] is always the week of National Bike to Work Day, which is the 3rd Friday in May [19th for 2023]!

Today is also… National Chocolate Chip Day and National Nylon Stocking Day!

Tomorrow is… National Barbecue Day, National Love a Tree Day, National Mimosa Day, and National Biographer’s Day!

Wednesday, May 17th, is… National Pack Rat Day, National Cherry Cobbler Day, National Walnut Day, and National Idaho Day!

Thursday, May 18th, is… National Visit Your Relatives Day, National No Dirty Dishes Day, and National Cheese Soufflé Day!

May 19th, is… National Devil’s Food Cake Day! Plus, as the 3rd Friday in May (for 2023), it’s also… National Pizza Party Day, National Bike to Work Day, and National NASCAR Day!

May 20th, is… National Be a Millionaire Day, National Rescue Dog Day, and National Quiche Lorraine Day! Plus, as the 3rd Saturday in May(for 2023), it’s also… National Armed Forces Day and National Learn to Swim Day! 

Sunday, May 21st, is… National Waitstaff Day, National Strawberries and Cream Day, and National Memo Day!

#TGIM

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-thank-god-its-monday-day-first-monday-in-january/

…20 down and 32 to go!