 I have written about my walks around the neighborhood with my Doodle. Thanks to Spire, I get to see how folks walked around here when our houses were originally built in the early 1900s.
The pictured cobblestone was recently unearthed as the Spire crew began their work. It made me think again of our sweet Marie and how her family built their houses here. She proudly showed us pictures of her the newly built home. She would always comment about how they had curbs before paved streets. Big Guy and I were so blessed to live next to Marie for many years and I have loving memories of our time together. I am very thankful to have this symbol to remind me of her family. It also fills me with gratitude of those who walked our streets and built our wonderful neighborhood of Carondelet.
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 The Doodle Dog and I have noticed the appearance of robins in our Carondelet neighborhood on her daily walks. The first signs of spring are just around the corner. The budding of the trees and the daffodils always adds an extra bounce in our step.
The final sign for us is the appearance of the mulch man. Dean started taking care of my parent’s gardens over 30 years ago, and eventually we hired him to do our garden. He is like a family friend who “visits” once a year. It always makes our day to have a brief chat with him before he moves to his next job which has grown to include our neighbors. As the smell of mulch hangs in the air it reassures us that Spring is finally here!
I have written in the past about my love of Greenfield Village at the Henry Ford. One of my favorite buildings is their Cotswold Cottage acquired and relocated by Henry Ford from the Cotswold Hills in southwest England. To read more about the relocation, check out this blog.
I have also written about my mom and her love of painting. When we first moved to Michigan, we started visiting the village often and my mom too fell in love with the little cottage. When she started taking her painting lessons, she decided to tackle the cottage as her focus. The painting turned out to be one of her best ones which I now proudly hang in my home. My appreciation goes out to Artmart and the exceptional folks there who cleaned up the painting and gave it a proper frame. It is the perfect way to remember my parents and our visits to Greenfield Village.  The world is full of shocking news which prompted the question of how I stay so positive. I admit I tend to keep my television off and my social media to a minimum which allows me to control my emotions. I read my news the old-fashioned way via newspaper, so I get a digested report instead of breaking news which keeps useless anxiety at bay.
The real secret is my golden doodle. How can you have a difficult day when you look into those brown eyes?! Big Guy and I walk her every day. There is sheer joy on her face and an extra bounce in her step which encourages Big Guy and I to do the same as we share these walks. Plus, she is quite the celebrity as most of the neighborhood knows her by name. If we mention the name of a friend, or her groomer Ms. Maggie, she cocks her head and starts to wag her tail. The best part of the day is when we have our happy hour. Doodle has her special treat after doing her happy dance and high fives with me. Pure joy, love, and excitement. It doesn’t get any better.  I am a lucky lady in that Big Guy and I both achieved our goal to retire early. We absolutely love it and highly recommend it to our family and friends.
I do find it interesting how home issues now take on greater priority than when we were working. For instance, we have a lovely finch that attacks our windows during mating season. We have done our best to put up distractions along with reducing the window glare, but I cannot help but wonder how long this has been going on. Did this bird do this while we were at work and never knew it? Is this another of the lengthy list of weird things happening during COVID? Do not get me started on the great mouse hunt of 2020 or the ants that took out our air conditioner in 2021! We have attempted to deal with all of it using humor. If you don’t laugh you will cry! Thank goodness for our daily outings with the Doodle!  One of my favorite places to visit is Greenfield Village in Dearborn, Michigan. Henry Ford had a vision to create an experience where visitors could see history firsthand through a living museum. It has grown over the years and is currently known as The Henry Ford.
One of the buildings he purchased was transformed into the Eagle Tavern. I guess you could say it was always a farm to table restaurant in that it stills strives to serve seasonal meals grown in Michigan and curated to the original Eagle Tavern menu. The first time I went I was seated at a long table with twenty other people. As my family got into the experience, we were told that family style seating and eating was how people would enjoy a meal at the tavern in the 1800s. While initially surprising, it turned out to be a wonderful experience especially sharing stories with people from all over the world. I am looking forward to again travelling freely without concerns regarding COVID. Obviously, this special place will always be on my list!  Do you ever feel out of control in the kitchen? I am not trying to say too many chefs crazy, but it seems like you do not have enough hands.
I am lucky Big Guy loves to cook as well so we often tag team recipes. I recently wrote about the mushroom bourguignon, but I did not share the part where I needed to do three things at once. I was sauteing mushrooms, mixing broth and wine and attempting a roux at the same time. In hindsight, when I make the recipe again, I will certainly do my mise en place, but I will also have my sous chef Big Guy there too. Oh, and a wine glass to drink the half bottle I did not use in the recipe!  Do you remember your first drink of soda? Or, where I grew up, your first sip of pop?
My parents were of the generation that soda was a treat doled out on special occasions. It was always a momentous day when my brother and I would see a six-pack of Pepsi in our refrigerator! My mom loved her daily instant tea, so I was incredibly surprised when our family went for a drive to the new Towne Club upriver near Detroit. It was soda heaven! We would grab our wooden case and start picking out our favorite mix of twenty-four-glass-bottle sodas to take home. It was a walk down memory lane and interesting to read the history of Towne Club. The impetus to create “pop centers” was to give families flavors of soda not typically offered in the grocery store. As you were able to return the bottles and the case on your return trip, it was an entertaining way for kids to pick out their favorite flavors of soda and recycle in the same trip. Good times!  I have written in the past about the perfection of pizza. I am not a snob either as I like all kinds of pizza: thin, thick, or somewhere in between.
Big Guy and I have always enjoyed a BBQ chicken pizza, so we set out to recreate it at home. We bought flat bread and chicken fingers from our grocery store deli. Big Guy chopped up red onion and red peppers to add to the mix along with our ever-present bacon and favorite BBQ sauce. We tend to have a bag of Imo’s cheese in the fridge, so we topped the ingredients with it and placed it all in the oven. The smell started to envelope the kitchen immediately and we were “dying” with anticipation of eating this version of our pizza. Once it was cooked, we were absolutely delighted with the outcome. We have decided this has to become part of our usual routine of meals served in the Carondelet Kitchen!
It is Lent in St. Louis so you know your mission. Fish Fry Fridays!
I was one of those people who did not think a fish fry was for me since I am selective about the type of fish I will eat. I will just say “bad fish experience” as a kid, and you can guess the rest of the story. I was first persuaded to try the Fish Fry at St. Cecilia’s. If you are unaware, this is the Hispanic parish in St. Louis, and they do an outstanding festive fish fry. The last time we attended they had chips and salsa for sale while waiting to order your food. The music was fun, and despite the wait, everyone was in a great mood. As it is close to the Carondelet Kitchen, I would be remiss if I did not mention our favorite fish fry. For us, it is St. Stephen’s. The food is excellent, and the room is always abuzz with friendly banter and fun games. So, wherever you go for your Lenten fix, be kind and tip well. I know the work is intense for the volunteers and it is all for a worthy cause…our kids! |
AuthorJust a super cool old couple who love to cook and eat and drink in their Carondelet Kitchen in South Saint Louis, Missouri! Archives
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