A delicious breakfast
I love making pancakes on the weekend. The recipe I use is from my Uncle Al’s and is on a simple white piece of paper written down by me when I was somewhere between 6 and 8 years old. It is a unique piece of my cooking history and the receipe has served me well over the years.
Yesterday I decided to tweak the recipe I have been using by adding one ingredient and changing the way I add my eggs to the batter. The resulting recipe yielded a fluffier pancake that Becky, Charlotte and Steve liked a little better than the original.
Unfortunately I forgot to write down the amount of baking soda I used so this morning I decided to use the rest of the blueberries and make another batch. The pancakes came out just like yesterdays and this time I took note of how much of each ingredient I used.
Below is the recipe for a small batch of pancakes which I doubel to feed four.
Ingredients:
- 1 c. all purpose flour
- 2 tbs sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda (new addition)
- 1 tbs vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg
- 1/2 c. milk
Directions:
- Combine dry ingredients in bowl and whisk together to ensure even distribution.
- Crack egg and separate the yolk from the white.
- Place white in a bowl and beat until stiff peaks form. (new addition)
- Add egg yolk, vanilla, vegetable oil, and milk to dry ingredients and mix.
- Add egg white to batter and fold in.
- Cook on butter greased griddle over medium high heat until golden brown, flip over once to complete cooking.
- Serve with syrup, butter and enjoy!
Mason and his Uncle Mitch
I wanted to try a couple of changes to my pancake recipe and invited Steve and Charlotte up this morning for a breakfast. They were more than happy to serve as my guinea pigs and found the new pancake recipe to be very tasty. While I was cleaning up the kitchen the subject of our plans for the 4th came up. Becks and I did not have any firm plans aside from grilling some kind of meat over hot coals later in the day and Steve said that we could come down to their place to grill. However, Becks noted that Iris from work could be stopping by to see Mason so instead we decided to cook out at our house later in the day.
While Becks and I got the house ready to have people over Mason went with Grandma. Once Becks had dusted and swiffered the floors I swept and mopped the two bathrooms and the kitchen. I then made the second trip of the day to Winn-Dixie (the first had been that morning for flour) to get some blue cups, red plates and ingredients for Becks to make South Georgia Caviar.
Mason and his Grandma
Once the South Georgia Caviar was chilling in the fridge Becks helped me to move the round table underneath the large live oak tree in the backyard. While I moved the chairs over she spead out a white table cloth and placed an American flag runner on top. We also got the large wash tub out of the shed and filled it with ice to keep drinks and the watermelon cold.
Steve, Charlotte, Mitch and Mason arrived at around 1:30 p.m. Steve remembered that he had his iPod dock in his truck and we ran an extension cord from the back of the house to under the tree so we could listen to some tunes. Steve and Charlotte also brought some hamburger meat, hot dogs, buns and beer.
Mitch, Steve and Brother Raymond
It was nice having Iris and Sam over to visit and they headed back to Tallahassee around 4:00 p.m. for their own cookout. Becks then decided to take a swim with Mason. He enjoyed being in the water and Becks floated him around on his back as he looked up at the sky.
Mason and his daddy
Meanwhile, Mitch discovered that I did not have enough charcoal to grill with so I made my 4th and final walk to Winn-Dixie. I was very glad that we live next door to the grocery store! When two bags of charcoal were secured we lit the fire and put some burgers, hot dogs and Italian sausages on.
Even though Monticello did not put on a fireworks display I had a great 4th of July sitting under the live oak tree with friends and family!
Mason and his new friend at Well Read Well Fed
Last night Becks mentioned that since we had Friday off she wanted to go on an adventure instead of sitting around the house. I agreed with her and this morning we packed Mason up and headed north on U.S. 19 towards Andersonville, Georgia.
The drive up through Albany was very pretty and around 12:30 p.m. we arrived in Americus. We were hungry and ended up eating at a little place located on North Jackson Street called Well Read Well Fed. As the name implies, it both a cafe and a bookshop. While Becks and I looked over the menu Mason smiled and cooed at the staff until one of them asked if she could hold him. He was very happy sitting in her arms and eventually showed the lady his new trick of grabbing things. When I took him out of her arms I had to pry his chubby little fingers off of her glasses.
The Bonfantis in front of the National P.O.W. Museum
Concerning lunch, I had a Reuben which was pretty good while Becks had a grilled ham and cheese sandwich. When we were finished we hopped back into the car and made the short drive up to Andersonville to tour Camp Sumter and the National Prisoner of War Museum.
Our first stop was the museum which portrayed the experience of American P.O.W.’s from the Revolutionary War to today. The exhibits also posed many questions that are relevant to today such as who should be classified as a P.O.W. and how those persons should be treated. The one artifact that stood out in my mind was the concrete cross made by American P.O.W.’s who were being held by the Japanese following the Bataan Death March. It was amazing being able to touch the monument they made with a defiant spirit after being pushed to the limit by their captors.
33,000 men lived between the stone pillar and the other hillside
Following our tour of the museum we drove over to the site of Camp Sumter that is more commonly known as Andersonville Prison. Within its 26 acres the prison held up to 33,000 Union soldiers in squalid conditions. The prison sat on the slopes of two hills with a small stream running through the middle of it. The prisoners had to use the stream for both drinking water and basic sanitary needs. However, due to its sluggish speed a swamp of human refuse developed and disease was rampant. The prisoners also had to make their own shelters which consisted of crudely made tents over holes dug into the ground.
As I stood on the north end of the prison looking over the now perfectly manicured grass it was hard to imagine the atrocities that had occurred on this spot 145 years ago. Baking in the hot Georgia sun for a few minutes quickly became uncomfortable but at least I had the refuge of our air conditioned car. For those soldiers being held there hope must have been in short supply with disease and death a daily part of life. I think that many would have probably preferred to die on the battlefield than go through the hell they endured at Andersonville.
Graves of Union soldiers who died at Camp Sumter
The last portion of our visit at the Andersonville National Historic Site was the National Cemetery. It was very peaceful as we drove through the cemetery’s avenues with the only sound being the flapping of the numerous American flags in the breeze. In addition to serving as the final resting place for 12,920 soldiers who died at Camp Sumter the cemetery is still active and accommodates new internments. Concerning the Union soldiers who are buried there, their grave markers are so close together as they are buried shoulder to shoulder. This was done in response to 100 dying each day and lack of time and resources to make proper coffins.
While some trips to historic sites are fun this one was sobering. I felt weird smiling for pictures in front of places where thousands of sons, husbands and fathers died. I also felt uncomfortable during my visit as I was made to confront the torture fellow Americans had to endure in the pursuit of defending our freedoms. Overall, the experience made me appreciate the sacrifices made by our citizen soldiers who were willing to fight, be captured and die for our country.
I like to try new places to eat in Tallahassee and have been poking around the local thread on Chowhound.com. Concerning Mexican food numerous posters stated that the best place in the city to get authentic food was La Hacienda located on Bannerman Road in the northeast part of town. This afternoon Becks and I decided to venture up there to check it out and see if the reviews were true.
After picking me up from my office it took us almost 25 minutes to drive to the restaurant. Upon entering we noticed that we were the only people eating there despite the fact it was the middle of lunchtime. However, the place was very clean and we were seated at a booth near the window.
The waitress then took our order and brought our drinks in a very timely manner. Becks and I barely had enough time to eat some of the tortilla chips and salsa before our meals arrived. I ordered a lunch special that consisted of a taco, burrito and an enchilada while Becks opted for her standby, a quesadilla.
The food was okay but nothing spectacular and after La Hacienda being hyped on Chowhound I was disappointed. I think that many of the restaurants on the Mexican Mile have similar quality food and they are much closer to where Becks and I work. While La Hacienda was not bad, it was not worth the drive and I do not see us trekking out to Bannerman Road anytime soon for another meal.
When I wake up on the first of the month I say “rabbit, rabbit, rabbit” to myself. This is an old superstition that is supposed to bring the person saying it good luck for the remainer of the month. Folklore notes that the practice began in the early 1800’s and that there are several variations including “rabbit, rabbit” and “rabbit, rabbit, white rabbit.”
I have been saying that one word three times on the first of the month since my sophomore year of high school. I started after hearing a story from my English teacher of the time, Mrs. Helen Ferguson, that it was something she did to have good luck.
Mrs. Ferguson lived down the street from me on Golden Oaks Drive with her husband and two little girls. She was a nice lady who had a passion for teaching and made English 10.1 fun. While I liked reading and writing at 15 there were other subjects that I was more interested in, namely science and history. Despite this while I cannot remember exactly what we studied that year I do remember enjoying her class.
I also have two specific memories that concern her. The first is one day school was closing early due to a snow storm. I was waiting near the library for a ride home when she pulled up in her car. She recognized me and said that since she was headed in my direction she could give me a ride if I needed one. I took her up on the offer and while we drove through Salem’s newly snow covered streets we chatted about school and what I wanted to do when I graduated.
The second memory is much darker. In late February of 1994 Mrs. Ferguson was attacked while going out to get coffee for her husband who operated a cleaning business and was on a job site in Lawrence, Massachusetts. I cannot recall when I first learned that she had been attacked, it was either after one of my parents read the newspaper or it was on the local news. I do remember that at first rumors were swirling that the identity of her assailant was unknown and that she had been hit in the head with a a wrench and slashed with a screwdriver. Her injuries were severe and Mrs. Ferguson died on February 27th as a result of the attack.
It was later learned that Mrs. Ferguson had been attacked by her own husband, and the tools used to beat her were found in the ceiling tiles of the Shawmut Bank he had been cleaning. Mr. Ferguson was eventually charged with murder and found guilty.
The death of a teacher shook Salem High School and having been in her class made the entire event surreal. At the time I was in shock but I remember how odd it was to go to school the following Monday, sit in her old classroom and know that she would never be coming back to teach.
In recent years I have made a small addition to the superstition passed on from my 10th grade English teacher. After saying rabbit three times I also say a little prayer for Mrs. Ferguson and her family. May she rest in peace.
I had a mediation this morning I headed home to watch Mason for the day. He was very excited to see me when I picked him up and after giving him a bottle he took a nap for almost two hours. I decided to wake him up at 3:00 p.m. since I had to go shopping to get some items for dinner and fill my gas tank.
After a quick fuel run to the Petro Mason and I headed over to the Jefferson County Farmer’s Market on East Washington Street. Mason is so heavy now that it is easy for me to carry him than lug him around in his car seat and with him on my hip we browsed their selection of vegetables.
While I was filling a bag with some beautiful yellow crook necked squash I heard a woman behind me say “Ohhh! Look at that chubby little baby! He is adorable! He has two little pork chops hanging out of his outfit.” I turned around and she smiled. She then gave Mason’s little pork chop thighs a squeeze. Mason smiled and gave her a little laugh.
In addition to the yellow squash I bought three gorgeous plump red tomatoes and some small pickling cucumbers. We then headed down to the Winn-Dixie to pick up some other items for dinner. Once I had everything we went home and I began making a salad and slicing the squash while Mason sat in his swing. I also made up a batch of dry rub for the chicken which I planned to cook low and slow on the grill outside.
At 5:00 p.m. I drove down and picked Becky’s brother Mitch up so he could join us for dinner. When we got back to the coals were ashed out and I put them in the fire pan. While we waited for the chicken to cook Mitch and I had a beer on the patio and played with Mason.
The chicken took about 2 1/2 hours to cook and when it was done it was delicious! It was very moist and the dry rub gave it a nice sweet spiciness. Dinner was very good and I think Mitch appreciated having a home cooked meal while Charlotte and Steve are on vacation in the keys.
I had been able to mow the majority of the grass on Friday afternoon but had not been able to cut the portion extending from behind the row of bushes next to the drive to the fence. I had also not cut the area where the yellow jacket nest was last year. I think they are gone but mowing that area freaks me out at the possibility of being eaten up.
After drinking a cup of coffee headed outside to finish cutting the back yard at around 8:00 a.m. It was already hot but thankfully most of the grass was in the shade. It took me a little under 40 minutes to finish and by the time I had my t-shirt was soaked with sweat.
When I rolled the lawnmower into the shed I tilted it back to see what was going on with the blade. Apparently I hit a rock on Friday and bent the end of the blade. This explained the PVC sewer line cover exploding into a hundred pieces when I ran over it. It looks like I will have to make a run to Sears and buy another blade before I can cut the lawn again.
After showering and eating some breakfast Becks and I spent the rest of the day playing with Mason. It was a very uneventful but relaxing day.
