Cape Cod Rock Hopper

Hello New Year & Puppy Chow

Well tis the time of year that we say our goodbyes to the old year and welcome in the new year. We look back to what went well and try to carry that on, and if we found anything that just didn't work try to leave it behind and not duplicate in any near future. For some its a time for making new resolutions, but for most they will never make it past the first week of the year. For others of us, we gave up new years resolutions long ago, knowing we either could never live up to our own expectations of wishful thinking or just realize that even the best of intentions sometimes just don't pan out.

So with that as I look back through this past year what went well for me? Well if nothing else the consistency of being here week after week, and even more is you folks reading what I have to offer. Another is the help of my wife in searching out cookie recipes. So if she will not mind as we take on a new direction in desserts this year hopefully she will continue to help. Third is my love for the Cape, this of course depends on who you talk to if it is good or not, as I still drive some if not most in my family nuts on my obsessiveness over all things Cape Cod. Fourth I would be remiss if I was not thankful for a job, a roof over my head and  cloths on my back, this is good, even if the job and roof are not always in the location that really want, it is more then a lot of people have right now.

Looking towards next year what can we look forward to in this thing call Cape Cod Rockhopper's Memories. First I will continue to try to come up with new stories and memories from years gone bye. Second you will continue to get travel tips, from a family view as well as a couples view as we have been on both sides of that fence. Third, the recipes will continue to be there, a cocktail week one (still not sure of the theme for this year). Next side dish for week two (always something to complement the main dish). Speaking of main dishes week three ( this year a break from the seafood, we will be doing soups, stews and chowders. However don't be looking for any clam chowder from my wife, that is still a closely guarded secret she is not evening letting me get my hands on.) Week four will be dessert week, this year will be bar cookies or sheet cookies and maybe even a brownie or two recipe.) On those occasional five week months as it has been it will just a the usual potpourri of whatever I feel like.

There you go, the line up for the coming year, a little old, a little new, a few tips and some good grub. And again there may be a week or so that something prevents me from giving you a story however to the best of my abilities you will always have a recipe. So here is to looking forward, and as always I just ask someone to keep the lamp in the light house lit till I can find my way back again, hopefully sooner then later.

Last recipe of the year is a straight up fun one for you and the kids, and when the spouse or significant other finds it out you will have to make a second batch for the rest of you. This one came from my wife's child care years at the church for our choir from one of the parents kids she was watching. There have been a view variation on this one but we like this one the best. So get the kids to give you hand and enjoy this snack treat.

Recipe of the week; Puppy Chow

•         9         cups      Chex cereal (you choice in flavors)
•         1          cup        chocolate chips
•         1/2      cup        peanut butter
•         1/4      cup        butter
•         1/4      tsp.        vanilla
•         1 1/2   cups      powdered sugar

Microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter, and butter n high for 1 1/2 minutes, stirring after 1 minute. Add cereal and stir till coated with chocolate mixture. Once cereal is well covered, sprinkle with powdered sugar till completely covered. Portion out some for yourself and hide it cause one everyone else tastes this one there will be non left for you.

Christmas Week & Aunt Susan's Black Walnut Cookies

It’s Christmas week and I wondered just what I should write. I look at the pictures all covered in snow, with visions of summertime dancing in my head. The dunes now all white with winters cruel fright, while memories by gone summer’s heat beaten sand still tickle my feet. The harbor’s now packing up slowly with ice, while I chose to remember the boats that packed it just 4 months ago. The cute little restaurant with good morning breakfasts now looks like a frozen gingerbread house stuck back in a black and white frame. Now Main street in Chatham is piled up high, while cute Christmas lights dance through widows so bright, and not many a persons can be found on the road. Yet it still seems so close that I walked down those streets in shorts and a tee shirt eating ice cream and sweets. Oh where oh where did my summer Cape go, like sugar plums dancing around in my head. I hope all I remember is not just a dream. I can’t help but look at those rough angry seas, and remember just recently how calm they could be. While swimming and play the Nantucket Sound in waters just right for a mid-summers dip. My memories are fading now slowly to white, while snowflakes continue to dance from the skies. But this much I know that all this will not stay, and just down the street and around the next bend. I will find that warm Cape that my brain so remembers. And all will return to a warm summer’s day.

Here’s hoping for a short winter and a quick thaw,, in the meantime someone keep the lamp in the lighthouse lit till I can find my way back. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all.        

The recipe of the week comes from the wife's side of the family,, again. This time it is from her Grand Aunt Susan. There are two names for this cookie for the first is called the Pride of Iowa Cookies. However I prefer the other which is Aunt Susan's Black Walnut Cookies. Just for record sake my wife's Aunt Marjorie used this recipe in their church cookbook "A collection of Recipes" Columbus Baptist Temple 2003, Columbus, Ohio. Since this is Christmas week, will not bore you with anything more.

Recipe: Aunt Susan's Black Walnut Cookies

•         1    cup    brown sugar
•         1    cup    white sugar   
•         1    cup    shortening
•         2               eggs
•         2    cups  flour
•         1/2 tsp.   salt
•         1    tsp.    soda
•         1    tsp.    baking powder
•         1    tsp.    vanilla
•         1    cup    coconut
•         2    cup    quick rolled oats
•         1/2 cup    black walnuts

Mix brown and white sugars with shortening, add eggs then mix in flour. Once gently mixed incorporate salt, soda, baking powder, and vanilla. Mix together. finally mix in Coconut, oats and black walnuts. I will be best to do this last step by hand. Once everything is mixed together Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and flatten with bottom of glass. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes.

Birthday Disney and Creamy Seafood Stew

Ok folks, now for a little explanation of my absents last week. I can only do this since the GodFather himself took the liberty for one week so am I. Last week was my birthday and the wife and I went and celebrated in Disney. Now in contrast to what the GodFather did in renting a house with other family members, the wife and I stayed at Animal Kingdom Lodge. My daughter who is a Disney nut, (in a good way) is an expert in knowing how to work the plans to our best advantage. We ended up doing 5 days and 4 nights with the standard meal plan, way plenty of food for the wife and I, and with a hopper pass. The Hopper pass allows you to play in the park that opens early, play in a different park in the afternoon, then go play in another in the evening, especially if one is staying open late. Also the hopper allows you to not have to kill yourself seeing everything at once and to go bad to different parks as they have different parades at different times. And especially this time of year when they have all the Christmas and Holiday specials going on. Disney may be for kids, but it is also for grown ups who just want to have an enjoyable time.

Just a couple of highlights to share,  first, the food this year was outstanding. Not that it's ever bad, but there were 2 occasions that we were just in culinary heaven. The first was on my birthday, we had eaten and earlier dinner at one of the restaurants in Animal Kingdom. A very nice dinner in and of itself, however later that evening after walking off that we had consumed the wife and I were getting a bit hungry and wanted a lighter fare for an evening snack and did not want just sweets. So we ended up at the Jiko restaurant in our Hotel, WOW, we were spoiled to no end. The waitress sat us up at the chefs counter were we were entertained by both the chefs, one from Puerto Rico and the other from South Africa. I can not say thank you enough to these guys for making that evening the culinary highlight of our entire trip. The specialty flatbreads were out of the this world, and extras, including a soup and something called Non-bread were something else, and the South African wine,,, ok ok,, my mouth is watering all over again. These guys conversed with us, talking about their backgrounds and then what they were doing, making and just generally conversation that it make for one of the best evenings I could have ever asked for on my birthday. The second highlight was a new place on the Boardwalk called Kouzzina by Cat Cora, and once you eat there you understand why she is an IronChef. Starting with the Kouzzina Sampler with the Hummus and the Olives and the skewers with shrimp and chicken and Tzatziki and grilled pita,, and that was just the appetizer. I followed that up with the Fisherman's Stew and the wife had the Wood Grilled Flank Steak. I also had a Cat Flight of wines, 3 different wine tastings that just went so well with dinner. What a wonderful wonderful evening of eating. What can I say,, this ain't no kids play here, although folks were bringing in there kids, this is true grownup eats. WOW.

Ok one last notation. On thursday we did the hotel hop, going to most of the deluxe resorts to see their Christmas trees and and decorations. We hopped the monorail for one, then the boat for another, then back on the monorail. What a wonderful time of relaxing, not having to rush to a park, not having to be anywhere for anything. Just a relaxing time,

So Disney or the Cape, for couples or families. In both situations the answer is the same,, BOTH. The Cape is great for family time and family get aways, however there is so much that just couples can enjoy just by themselves. Same with Disney, don't think that it is just for kids, if you do, you will deprive yourself from a wonderful experience that you and you significant would enjoy. So for this time, instead of talking about the sun and the fun of the Cape, I had to share my sun and fun at Disney. And until next time,, someone leave the light in the lighthouse lit so I can find my way back to the Cape very soon..

This weeks recipe is my own combination. I have used a couple other recipes for reference then adapted it for our own likings. Since my wife is not a give tomato fan, I can not make a stew or or dish that has a lot if any tomatoes in it. I also need to be careful in that my son loves fish but he is not a big fan of shellfish, strange boy, must be the milkmans, (just kidding). However both my kids over the years have been very willing to try just about anything I put in front of them at least once. This includes new main dishes, vegetables, and fruits. My wife does most of the baking and non of us have could do much complaining on that either.

So when I am looking for recipes I am looking for easy and ingredients that everyone will be able to find something they can like in it.

So with all that, I give you my   version of :  Creamy Seafood Stew

•         3       Tbsp     butter
•         1        small   onion (minced)
•         3/4   cup        celery, chopped
•         1/2    pd        mushrooms, chopped
•         1/2    pd        crab meat, chunked
•         1/2    pd        shrimp, fresh or frozen
•         1/2    pd        scallops,
•         1/2    pd        clams,
•         1/2    pd        white fish, (halibut, flouder, fluke, or cod)
•         2        cups    heavy cream, (for a lighter fair split out with milk)
•         1         tsp      fresh parsley, chopped
•         1/4    cup      chives, chopped
•         1        tsp       Old Bay Seasoning
•         1        tsp       pepper (fresh ground if you have)
•         Dash            cayenne
•         1/3    cup      brandy

Melt butter in a stew pot, add minced onion and sauté about 1-2 minutes. Add celery, and mushrooms and continue to sauté for another few minutes. Next add seafood and cream, Old Bay Seasoning, cayenne, and pepper. Heat, stirring regularly until mixture comes to about a boil and reduce heat, cook till seafood is cooked through, but don't overcook or will become rubbery. Finally add parsley, chives, and brandy right at the end. Service with oyster crackers, or serve with rice or couscous.

Sweet Potato Pie & Nothing Else

This week is my birthday, in fact today the 9th and Im out making merry and frankly I really don't care this week about my blog as I am celebrating my 49th year. The end of the first 1/2 century of living and just being a royal pain in the nuggies. The only problem is that I feel that I have more nuggies to dish out and there are still those that I need to continue to be a royal pain to.. So pardon the attitude while Im out parting and I will be back next week. But as I promised, you will get a recipe, so enjoy, can you guess where this one came from, another one from my wife's Mother's collection.

Recipe of the week:  Sweet Potato Pie

•        2       cups           Mashed sweet potatoes
•        3      eggs
•        4       Tbsp           margarine melted
•        1       cup              sugar
  
•        1       tsp.              vanilla
•        1       tsp               nutmeg    
•        1       Tbsp.          lemon juice
•    1/2     cup            "Good" Bourbon

Beat Eggs into mashed sweet potatoes. Next mix in rest of ingredients until all are well incorporated. Pour into a pie shell and bake at 325 for 45 minutes.

(I think I should have rewritten this to read 1 cup of Bourbon separate into two 1/2 cup portions. 1 portion for the pie, and 1 portion for the cook)

(remember: when using spirits and wine in cooking, if you wouldn't drink it normally

December Brings Cape Memories & 3 Swedish Fish

All I can think about going into this December is the smell of a wonderful Christmas Pine tree. Ok Im cheating on this one, like I have not mentioned it before. One of the most memorable things about going to the Cape are the signs and smells that tell us that we are getting close. One of the first things that is noticeable if the smell of the pine trees, that wonderful fresh smell of pine. I don't know what if it is just the concentration of the pines or the type of pines that are in the southern coastal Massachusetts area or what, but the further south and west you go the strong scent of pine quickly leaves and you are left with a more earthy smell in the air then that of fresh pine. The other sign and scent that is noticeable is the salt air. For those that live on the Cape or near the coast, after a while you just grown use to the smell just being there. But for those us who live so far away and have more city smells or "farm" smells, the salt air is very refreshing and very distinct.

One of the other memories that we have of the Cape are the specialty Christmas shops. Traveling up and down 6A we have found many shops that seem to specialize in Christmas. One that will always be a memory is a little Christmas shop between West Barnstable and East Sandwich on the south side of 6A. It looks like a house that an elf would live in and the door is so short that at 5'9" even I have to duck or I will hit my head getting in. But once inside it is jammed packed with all kinds of Christmas tree ornaments and Advent calendars. It has been a treat to go in year after year and see what is new and see what we can add to our growing collection of Christmas goodies. Down the road in Brewster are more shops that  including Linda's that you can always find something Christmasy and then the Strawberry Patch is another that has ornaments and other goodies the filled with the Christmas spirit.

So when it comes to December and the air turns colder with winds start to bit, there are plenty of things to remind me of the Cape. So if you don't live on the Cape share your own memories of things that bring joy into your home of the Cape through your visits. And if you live on the Cape take the time to remember the things that make the Cape such a wonderful place to be that not many others will get that chance to experience year round. And in the mean time, someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit till I can find my way back.   

This weeks recipe has turned out to be more like 3 recipes instead of one. Why? Well it seems that there are more varieties of fish that swim to the beat of a  Swedish drum then there are actual fish that swim in Sweden. I think I looked at least 12 to 15 recipes and Im not sure I found two exactly the same. Close but no two alike, kinda like snow flakes. So figuring its December and we all will need a shot or two sometime through the season, especially dealing with,, oh I mean entertaining the in-laws and out-laws, you might want to give all three of these a try. Enjoy and please drink responsively.

    Recipes of the week: Swedish Fish Cocktail Shots,

    Swedish Fish 1                                  Swedish Fish  2                              Swedish Fish 3

    1 oz        Peach Schnapps                   1 oz     Vodka                                       1 oz       triple sec
    1 oz        Blackberry Schnapps        2 oz     Blackberry Schnapps         1 oz      Blackberry Schnapps
    splash Cranberry Juice                    splash Cranberry Juice                  splash Cranberry Juice

All recipes are poured into a shot glass (or double shot) and float a Swedish Fish Candy in the bottom of each one.

Giving Thanks & Monster Cookies

It's Thanksgiving week and I would be remiss not that give thanks for friends and family over the years for allowing us to enjoy the Cape and to allow me to come to a love for the Cape that I dare could be rivaled by many. Friends, who over the years have supplied us with cottages that under normal conditions or times we would have never been able to afford, either my Mom and Dad and our family, or my present family with my wife and family. People who could have gotten much more for their cottages allowed us the opportunity to have vacations that we just could not have afforded otherwise. And several years my Dad and his wife would give up 4-7 days and go travel around New England so that we could have some sort of vacation. They would always leave a day late or a day early so my wife and I could get out by ourselves, that we so rarely ever could do. Even today I have to say a thanks to a Motel owner who I am honored that he calls me friend and takes care of me from year to year.
    Cape friends over the years have supplied our family with food from their gardens, good from their refrigerators and food from their freezers. There have been friends that have taken us out into there gardens in Hyannis and have made sure we had a bounty of good eats before we left. Fresh tomatoes, corn, carrots, and several kinds of beans and wonderful beats. We have had friends who have gone berry picking and have been so blessed themselves that they often would bring over either fresh fruits or jellies, jams or other homemade goodies that they had made from their harvest. Then there where those who fished and would have gone out during Blue season, or Striper season, or Cod season, and had a freezer full of fish to share for Mom to bake or cook in some other manor. When times were so very tight in the 70's and 80's, friends of the Cape opened up and gave us more then we could have ever imagined and we ate many years like royalty.
    Today we have friends that ask about family present and extended every time we show up. We even have folks that ask about us on a regular basis when we are not there. And when folks that you associate with on a regular basis care enough to remember you year after year after year, are folk I am privileged to be able to call as part of my Cape family.
    Thanksgiving, a time to give thanks for all the good things that God has given us. And may I never forget all that He has allow us to do and be a part of and someday be able to give back in the same manor that others have given so much to us while being part of the Cape family. Thank you to all the past friends and contributors and a continued thanks to our present friends for making Cape Cod such a wonderful and special place for me.

Now the MONSTER cookies

    Recipe of the week is another goodie from the wife's collection. This is a wonderful holiday treat that can also make wonderful gifts to give. But let me warn you these cookies are not for the faint of heart or those with weak arms. This is a monster of a recipe and it makes cookies the size fit for a monster with a monster appetite. So what better name for these wonderful cookies then to give you:
   
            Monster Cookies

•         12                    eggs   
•           2    lbs           brown sugar
•           4    cups        granulated white sugar
•           2    Tbsp. +   baking soda
•           2    tsp.          baking soda
•           1    lbs.          softened butter
•           3    lbs.          peanut butter
•         18    cups        oatmeal, (42 oz)
•           1    lb.             chocolate chips
•           1    lb.             M & M candies
•           2    tsp.          vanilla

        Beat eggs, Mix together remaining ingredients in order given. Mix well (get your teenager to help on this one and mix by hand). Use ice cream scoop to drop on ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. Do not over load your cookies sheet these will spread and they are big. Please don't try to downsize these things its just not the same...     

Breakfast memories & Sherried Shrimp Bake

         What better time to talk about food then at this time of year, and with all the recipes I have been finding and have been able to share it brought another memory to mind of the Cape. Breakfast time. Now during the year, Mom always had something for me before I was off to school, but breakfast was not a big whoop de do time. At the Cape mornings were slow and laid back. There was no rush to get up most mornings, although Mom rarely every slept late but Dad and I did our fare share of catching up on the ZZZs we had lost over the last 11 months except when there were the occasional early morning tee off times or fishing expedition that Dad and I would do together. Breakfast then would turn into bunch many times and the pleasant Cape mornings were good for making muffins or doing a quick breakfast bake or a quiche of some sort. We did not overeat when we were at the Cape and Mom always planned well so that we could spend our money on other things besides going out to eat all the time. On special occasions Dad would get up and make eggs and toast and either bacon or sausage or Dad would make the run down to the bakery for some fresh donutes. Some would not think this much, but Mom would put the coffee on and we would all get up and eat breakfast/brunch together as a family. It meant a lot to me over the years to be able to spend time with my folks like that, and that the were willing to take me along with them. Breakfast the rest of the year was each at their own appointed time of leaving for school or the office. But vacation time meant we eat together, and got special goodies that we would not normally get when at home..
    Over the past couple years when the wife and have gone by ourselves, we don't eat out every breakfast. It's one of the meals that we skimp back on, taking some cereal or granola bars or even some small boxes of cereal to snack on. Then once or twice we find a new breakfast nook to go and try out, I would love to do more but one I don't need the extra calories and two I don't need to spend the extra money, again if not spending on more expensive breakfasts then we have more to spend shopping. And someone in this house prefers to shop, and I won't say who. But those times we do go out for breakfast are always special as during the normal work week I do not take the time in the morning to eat, except the mug of coffee on my way to work followed by the Stanley Thermos then two yogurts somewhere mid morning to get me to lunch.
    If only every morning could be laid back enough to be a vacation morning like the ones I remember as a teenager or even those special breakfasts that the wife and I enjoy at a good breakfast nook. And if only every morning breakfast could be enjoyed on the Cape, but until that day,, someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit till I can find my way back. And someone find a good place to have a great breakfast, and share it with the family, or your significant other.

    This weeks recipe is another one of those  hand written ones on a pharmaceutical note pad which means it from my wife's Mothers collection from either one of the nurses or staff from my Father in laws Podiatric practice or from a patient. So thank you to whomever as there is no name associated with where Mom got it from. So staying with the them of the month,,,

            This weeks recipe is: Sherried Shrimp Bake

•         2        lbs          fresh shrimp
•         1/4    cup         butter
•         1         cup        hot milk
•         1/2     cup        sherry (regular sherry not cooking sherry)
•         1          cup        bread crumbs
•         1/2      cup        chopped parsley
•         1          clove     garlic chopped/minced
•         1/2      tsp.       salt - to taste
•         1/2      tsp.       pepper - to taste
•         1/2      cup       soft butter
•         4          Tbsp     parmesan cheese
•         1/4      cup        melted butter

        Saute shrimp in 1/4 cup of butter. Once they are cooked place into an oblong baking dish. In separate bowl place bread crumbs, and pour hot milk and sherry over top and mix stir allowing to thicken. Add parsley, chopped/minced garlic, salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup butter to the bread mixture and mix well. Spread mixture over shrimp and sprinkle with parmesan cheese the pour 1/4 cup melted butter over top. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes, Brown under broiler before serving.
                   

Beach Hat Memory & Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Almonds

Hats of to the ladies head gear of yesteryear

Not mom, but hats typical of the era.

Well last week was suits and sun glasses. This week will not be as long but I am sure your memories might get you really thinking. Beach Hat wear. Yes I am going to try to just touch on this subject because I don't think there is enough time in all the world to really cover this subject.    Hat wear for guys has always been fairly simple, a ball cap of any kind, with any kind of beer logo, baseball team, or you name the product or character. Every now and then you might find a guy wearing a driving cap or chapeau, and in an extreme measure I've seen a few other makeshift coverings. But in the end always simple and not a very big to-do about it...
    Ladies however are another story. I remember my Mother going to the beach year after year with a different hat on each, and sometime she would have had to take 2 or 3 in order to trade out if the first one was still damp from the day before or from last nights dew as it got left on the porch and did not get brought in for the evening. I remember one hat in particular, a rather floppy brimmed hat that had a short round center that had almost a box top cut. It was white with big yellow circles all over it and had plastic flowers attached to a band and the flower was of course bright yellow as well. I'm sure there was even a bathing suit that went with it, but the hat so stands out in my mind that I can not remember. Mom did not wear tons of hats during the year while I was in my teens, that I remember, I am sure she did earlier on in life. But when it came to beach wear, it seem the bigger the more flamboyant, the more outrageous the better Mom liked it. Now I understand the function of a hat and the bigger the brim, the better the sun light is kept out of the eyes.
   And all the dermatologists love them and wished they covered more up. But stop and remember back in the 70's and 80's what the ladies on your beach where wearing. Come on, sometimes they looked like a fruit stand that had just been hit by a hurricane, or a vegetable garden wind swept into a frenzy. They were never small, and never subdued, they were in many cases just plain huge and had more brilliant colors than a New England fall color filled mountain side. Another year Mom had gone from the cloth floppy hat to the straw like hat, that had the dome top. It too had the big band that went around it and had some kind of oversized flower attached to it. And lets not forget that each one had a tie that went under the chin so to keep them well secured to the head so they did not blow off.
    Ok if beach hats didn't get you, how about the swim caps. Same thing, in that they were brilliant in color and many had that rubber chicken looking flower like thing stuck to it. Swimming caps were big when perms where the hot items for ladies and Mom did not want to get that perm ruined with salt water the day before church. So on went the swim cap and never did the head go under the water.. Oh well those were the days I guess.
    Well, I hope that was just enough to get the juices flowing in your head of a beach hat memories. Like I said, this is a subject if you think long enough, you will start to remember what Aunt Ethel wore in 1946, or Grandma Brown in 1951, or even what your much older sister dawned in the mid 60's before they burned it with their bras. So give us one or two and lets see what we can come up with.
    Have a great day on the Cape, keep your eyes open for those hats that still seem to crop up in the most unusual places and have a laugh or two remembering the rest. And in the mean time, someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit till I can find my way back.
    Recipe of the week, this is an easy one, and worth trying. Don't be afraid of Brussel Sprouts, they don't bite and they are tasty. They are like tiny cabbages with a lot of flavor. Now if you don't like cabbage then there's nothing I can do about that. But at least given them a try.

        Sauteed Brussel Sprouts with Almonds

•     1    lb             Brussel Sprouts
•     3    Tbsp       butter
•     2    cloves    fresh garlic minced
•     2    oz           almond slivers
•                           salt and pepper

    Cut brussel sprouts in half, and set aside. Melt butter in good heavy skillet on lower heat and place minced garlic in with melted butter. Place brussel sprout halves in skillet and allow to brown slowly. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over sprouts while in pan, cook until tender and lightly browned. Do not overcook, they will get soggy and if too high of heat will burn the butter and the garlic which will then taste bitter. Low and slow on this one. Right before you remove from stove, sprinkle Almond slivers over top, place lid on pan and turn heat off and allow to sit for 30-60 seconds and serve.

Swim wear & Sun Glasses, served with a Shrimptini Cocktail

Year after year swim wear changes, most styles go out as quickly as they come in. The designers try to make just enough change from the year before so that anyone thinking of pulling out ye old swim wear from last year will look as out of place as a Manatee in a Dennis harbor.

If the stores and shops don't let you know that your previous wear is out of date, one thing for sure is always to let know your out of date, and that would be your kids. And if nothing else by last resort we should look into a mirror before we head to the beach as see if mirror mirror on the wall, do I really look so bad?

Well as the flapper era has gone so has the bathing suits of by gone years, I just wish someone had told my Dad that, the year he walked out onto the beach with his wrestling style swim suite on, in dark blue with stars all over it. I know I've written about it before but when doing beach attire I have to mention it. Any kid on any beach would quickly disown a parent for even thinking of wearing such a thing (still can not find a picture of him in it), let alone actually doing it. Mom just acted as if she didn't know him but after awhile had to give in.

Then there was the Speedo days, they where/are not that bad if you have a body that can handle it. But those who have added an extra love handle or moved from a six pack stomach to a Michelin X should think twice what they look like. Today all the young folk want to wear these board shorts, my opinion on those is, they look like shorts for someone twice and tall and most the time they hang half off there butts and look like the are for someone twice their size. If ya don't want sun, don't go to the beach, there are middle of the road swim suits that are complimentary without looking like you shopped at good will and could only find a size that would fit Larry Bird and you are only 5'5'.

Ok and ladies were not looking for the bloomer days when they felt they had to wear more cloths going to the beach then to a Sunday morning church service. But please if, like the men, your years of size 2 to 4 is now 24 please be mindful that the 2 piece sting bikini is probably not for you. I remember my mother started out with a very modest 2 piece in the beginning years. But as the years we on she changed to a one piece or a two piece that looked more like a one piece and was still very stylish. So next time you are at the beach, look around and see who's kids as farthest away from an adult and you will most likely see a parent in swim wear that is out of date and out of style.
    Another thing that has changed over the years is sun glasses.. My mother up until her passing away I can remember wearing those huge Nancy Reagan glasses that covered more of her face and looked like two people could hid behind then. Today we have the style minded, money spenders, with the Gucci, and the Oakly or name any of the name brands. They are sleek and flashy and have that emblem that tells everyone I was dumb enough to spend more then a weeks wages on these things that are about to get scratched by sand when I lay them down to go into the water. It they go in at all. Then there was the John Lennon look that was so opposite of the Nancy Reagon look that and so small at time I though that wearing 2 pair could have done better. But hey got to be hip.

Oh well, so much for suits and glasses, Im not even going to mention the hats,,,,, at least not today,, that in itself is a good beach laugh and memory. So for now this is it. Look into your draws, your summer boxes, your vacation cloths trunk and find those old suits and glasses,, and do us all a favor, through them out please and rethink what your going to be wearing next year. Oh ya and if it embarrasses your kids at lease once,,, you've done your job as a parent for that trip.

Have a great day, don't get frost bite laying on the beach this month,, and someone leave the light on in the light house so that I can find my way back, to wonderful Old Cape Cod.

    Recipe of the week is another small but fine cocktail, remember please drink responsibly.
       
        This weeks recipe: Shrimptini Cocktail

•         3    oz    Gin (or Vodka)
•         1    oz    Dry Vermouth
•         dash        Tabasco Sauce

Pour all ingredients into a shaker with cracked ice and shake. Strain and pour into a martini glass. Garnish with a cook shrimp.

Adversities and Amish Cookies

          Adversities in life are a part that I honestly feel I could do without. The wife and I sadly have marked most of our travels through life by the road-blocks, hurtles, pot-holes and detours that have been put in our way. Although we would not have changed a thing, starting the marriage off between a teenaged girl and a myself just in my 20's with a child on the way is not the most recommended way to start out life as a married couple.  But even in those early months we were blessed enough to be about to spend a couple days that first year, with the bun still in the oven on the Cape. Next was the issues with my Mother and her years with cancer. The first memory is the year I got my first car, a 1979 Old's Regency 98, Silver, this was before I was married. My Mother said of all the trips that car was the most enjoyable riding car she had ever driven in to the Cape. I also remember us locking the keys in the car along I-80 in Pennsylvania. During the final years of Mom's life, she was able to enjoy having her grand-daughter with her on the Cape. Mom and Dad would take our daughter and watch her for an evening so the wife and I could have an evening out without the responsibility of having to get a sitter to watch her that we could not afford. Dad would also make sure that I had enough money to take the wife to a nice place. Then Mom passed away in July of 1988,,,,, it was also the summer that we found out that CommonWealth Winery was going out of business. Not a good summer  , but Dad opened the cottage to us again, and watched our daughter so the wife and I could go out. Also something else about that year that was an adversity was right before we left to go to the Cape the wife's Grandmother passed away. Two deaths within a months time of each other. The Cape for me was a haven, the Cape for the wife, well, was an escape that could have waited, but she went with and we used it to reflect what we had just gone through. This does not even account for the next year 1989 that less then a year later my wife's mother passed away in April. That year the Cape would bring a change as my Dad had remarried and his new wife was now with him on the Cape. But there, Ollie continued to open the cottage to our family and to take us in and love us and care for us as if we were her own. Those two years at that time were some of the hardest for us, but she brighten out days with opportunities on the Cape that we would not have had otherwise.
    Over time our lives quieted down from the death issues, I managed to do other things with build my/our own road blocks that the Cape would become issues because it was something that "I had to have" or it was "lets keep Dad happy" thing. Sometimes the best of things can be thrown out of whack when the rest of life is not going the way it needs to be going. I would find solace in coming to the Cape while at times the war would rage for other issues that I had created, thus making the Cape not so pleasant a trip for the rest of the family. But the family allowed the trips to continue and even through the turmoil good times prevailed and memories were made.
    Over the years we had car, issues and money issues that should have kept us from going, but either due to my stubbornness or what not, we continued to make it to the Cape for a yearly retreat. Yes there where years that it just did not happen, 1984, as we had just moved back to the Mid-West, we had no money, living with the in-laws, a new baby and I then got a new job and a vacation was not even a thought, either cost wise or if I wanted to keep my job and the list goes one....
    One might begin to ask what has brought these kinds of memories to the forefront of my thinking. Well about 8 years ago our daughter had the unpleasant experience of having her first major ankle surgery on her 18th birthday. Today, again, she has had to endure her 7th major ankle surgery in 8 years after blowing out one of the tendons that had been previously repaired and this time to such a tune that the damage pulled part of the bone from the foot away when the tendon blew. What is ironic is that through these 8 surgeries she has been to the Cape with us 6 of the past 8 years. This year was only the second she had not gone with us. The first a couple years ago when the wife and I went in September and she stayed home and watched our son as he was still in school, and this year as she had a new job. What is amazing is that every year despite having surgery after surgery she was never in a cast for the time that we were at the Cape. ( Ok if I missed this one you will read about it below). But still through all the adversities of surgeries and recouping, we were given the opportunity to go back to the Cape for some relaxation, rest and fun.
       The Cape has always been a place where I have been able to find my rest through the adversities that life has brought my way or even the ones I have created myself and put needlessly my family through. But in all I hope that somewhere alone the way, that these adversities can come to an end, and that the Cape will be more then just a reload for another adversity that is only too short on the horizon. I hope your life is filled with wonder and treasures and smooth sailing, and that live is good to you every step of the way. But when those times are tough, I hope that the memories of the Cape both before and after those hard times are ones that will bring relaxation and a smile to your face and give you something to look forward to the future. And don't be creating more adversities then what life will bring on its own,, trust me its hard enough you don't need any more then what's already been a lotted you. LOL,, And until that time I can find my way back someone keep the lamp in the light house lit so I can always find the way.
    Ok here is another cookie recipe from the realms of my wife's mother's collection of hand written wonders. As we live in the Mid-West the Amish community if very prevalent and simplicity is what the Amish lifestyle is all about. Although I am usually looking for recipes that either come out of the New England area or with Coastal cooking in mind. I believe that the Amish style of simpler ways fits right in with what I continue to look for to offer for today's Cape Cottage Kitchens. Cottage or full size who wants to be stuck in the kitchen for long hours. Home cookin' is only good if you can relax and enjoy what you've made. Ok enough preachin' to the utensils on with the recipe;    Today's recipe Amish Cookies

        Amish Cookies

        Mix these ingredients together and set aside

•     1    cup        white sugar
•     1    cup        powdered sugar
•     1    cup        margarine (oleo)
•     1    cup        vegetable oil
•     2    tsp        vanilla
•     2                  eggs
•                         dash salt

        Sift together

•     4 1/2    cups      flour
•     1            tsp        cream tatar
•     1            tsp        soda

        Blend we ingredients with dry ingredients until well mixed

    Drop by spoonfuls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. flatten with a fork. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes.

How who remembered it and Broiled Buttered Oysters

     Memories are funny things, many are how we wish to remember them and not how they really are or were at the time.
    For instance, how come the cottage or camp that we as kids grew up going to was just the biggest and best thing that was this side of the canal. In reality the square footage was equal to or smaller then the three bedrooms in our modest, mid-west split level house. And this included the kitchenette, no bath tub and the only shower was outside, WAY COOL. The parent's view: of this could be, here we are 4 -5 people in a tiny 2 bedroom cottage with not enough hot water to bath three kids with sticky salt water and sand all over them. What in the world were we thinking.
    Wow, Dad took me fishing at this lake and we got to spend all morning in a boat while I got to fish. Dad help me get on these really creepy worm things with pinchers, but I did get to catch some fish that we could take home and have for lunch. It was really neat and I had a really fun time.  The Dad's view: great I had to get up  at an unGodly hour on my vacation to take the kid fishing in a pond that really I wasn't sure the fish were really edible to eat. The boat we were let was a row boat, so guess who to job of rowing, ya you guessed it, and how had to bate those hooks, do you know how many times I got pricked by those stupid pinchers those things have. And who in the world thought to us worms that have pinchers? Oh ya, did we really have to take those small fish home, guess who got to clean them, you got it again me. What in the world was I thinking about.
    Hey Mom, with you go with me to check out the play ground. I hear its really big and has lots of things to play on. Its not to far I think, and you can take you knitting, I wont bother you and you can just sit and watch me play, please please please. A Mom view: Ok son, the play ground is all the way in the back of the park, but that's Ok, I don't mind the walk, and walk and walk. And were was I suppose to site, and knit, there were no chairs, and no tables to sit at, Ok and all the play gound stuff mounted to 3 swings, a wobbly merry-go-round thing and a teeter taughter. So who pushed who on the swing and who tried to helped you with the merry-go-round. I didn't mind, but what was here that we didn't have at home close by.
    Let's got to the north side of the Cape and lets go drive along 6A, its really cool and the little shops are fun to go into. There are all kinds of things to see and do and I/we wont complain at all. The parents remember: how much longer do we have to stay in the car, when's the next shop, I have to go potty, why is Daddy made at that car in front of us and why are they driving so slow.
    Ok, yesterday the cottages were big and today we can't figure out how we all fit in that place without killing each other. The fishing trips as kids were wonderful experiences, today we want a charter that does all the work for us, and those playgrounds although small could entertain us for hours, today we barely know how to play any more.
    We used to think playing an inexpensive par 3 and pretending to be Jack Nicholas, Arnold Palmer or Lee Trevino, was the world especially on the Cape as the big name golfers got to travel and so did we. Today can you find a par three any more, you know the one like SeaView used to be like. We used to dream of working in a light house and being the one would sound the horn or bell to call for the rescue to help people. Today we look around and wonder how to modernize that old thing and wonder how they ever lasted a summer in that small keepers house let alone the cold drafty winters.
    Those days when we were kids were so simple, so at ease, so relaxing, then we grew up and our eyes got foggy with what wasn't or what isn't. Sometimes we should take a step back and go back and be a kid and not worry about how big the cottage really was, do we really need the 5 bedroom house with maid service and eating out every night. Do we have to spend so much on our toys and games and miss the simple pleasures that are still right under our noses. Can we slow down a little and enjoy just driving along route 6A  or many other back roads of the Cape just exploring what is there. Sometimes we think things always have to get bigger or cost more to get better. When all we need to do is see with child eyes again and just relax and enjoy our times on the Cape like we did the first years we set foot on those sandy beaches.
        What are your memories that need to be revisited, what memories need to be relived, to help us enjoy life a little more, and remember how special the Cape really can be. And until that day, someone keep the lamp in the light house lit until I can find my way back to Old Cape Cod.

    This weeks recipe was to have come from the hand written recipes that have come with my wife from her Mother. Some of you will remember, some will check up on me and others of you, ok you really don't care, but will say "hey didn't do a recipe like this once before?" The answer to that is yes. So what was that recipe: Quick Scalloped Oysters that I posted 7-19-07. In fact the more I looked at what I was going to do today and that recipe they resembled each other so much and what I was going to do today was so outdated to what any normal person would do in the kitchen today I decided to dump it. So instead I did a little research and decided to get back to basics and found a recipe that again I tweaked and bettered to my own tastes and feel much quicker and easier for the modern cook. So without any further delay,
     The recipe of the week is: Broiled Buttered Oysters

•         1    pint        oysters (fresh are best)
•         2    oz           bacon ( a couple strips or you can use a slab)
•         2    Tbsp      butter
•         1/3    cup     chopped green onions or scallions
•         1    each       lemon (the juice of)
•         1    tsp          Old Bay Seasoning
•                               Ground Black Pepper
•                               Sea Salt (Hickory Smoked if you have it)(Salt Optional)

   
        Place oysters in a shallow baking pan (be sure no shells or sandy grit gets in the pan). In a skillet, saute the bacon in the butter until bacon until crispy and remove bacon and crumble, put on side. In skillet with bacon and butter renderings add chopped onions (or scallions) and lemon juice, along with Old Bay Seasoning Pour half the rendering over the oysters and sprinkle the crumbled bacon on top. Add a grind or two of black pepper and a light pinch of Hickory Smoked Sea Salt. Place baking pan with oysters under the broiler and bast a couple times with remaining bacon rendering until oysters are done, (watch for edges to begin to curl). (Don't over cook as oysters will become rubbery.) Service hot.            

A View of Autumn & Autumn Butternut Squash

           So Columbus Day has come and gone. Most of the seasonal places are now closed or are in their last days of operation. And winter/off season hours are definitely in place. My friend and owner of the motel we stay at has finally said his good byes to the last of this guests till next year and is starting to enjoy a life again after being tied to place since Memorial day without much if any of a break. Many of the locals now feel it is safe enough to venture out of their hiding places and that they might make it to the market without getting run over by a half dozen or more tourist, and that's just getting from the front door of the house to the car. Restaurants are calmer and an evening out is not so filled with families that were out in the sun too long and the kids didn't get there needed naps and are now whiny and cranky while your trying to get a bite to eat. And how come they found your favorite place that use to be a place only the locals knew about. You can take a ride down to the harbor and most of the pleasure boats have been pulled out of the water and winterized. The only ones left are the real fisherman who still need to make a living and need to go out every day to put bread on the table. But the view and surroundings are surreal from what had been throughout the summer months, as you can sit and look out across the water at the changing color in the leaves on the other side of the harbor. The sun gets up later, and goes down a lot earlier and winds that blow across the waters are not as warm has they once were, as the air now holds a bite to it that was not there just a holiday ago. While visions of festivals that drew the last of the visitors are now fading quickly from the scenery.
       So what is there that still beckons the call to some to visit the Cape when most have gone. The charm of seaside towns with no hurries about them as you can stroll from shop to shop on a lazy fall afternoon. (And yes; believe it or not more shops are staying open throughout the year). The enjoyment of watching the sun set across autumn skies while walking a lonely boardwalk. Visiting the real local bazaars and craft-shows that build toward Thanksgiving and Christmas. Hearing the crunch of fallen leaves under the feet and the smell of outdoor fires after a fall yard cleanup while sipping Hot chocolate and eating smors . You might think that everyone leaves the Cape the day after Columbus Day and the last one over the bridge (if you can get over it) turns out the light and locks the door till next season. But that is not so. If you have the opportunity for a lazy weekend, or a romantic get away, or just some R&R, don't forget the Cape. Book a Bed & Breakfast, or a centrally located hotel and explore a Cape that you are not used to. Don't expect the flash or the glitz, but enjoy just some real down to earth Cape Codding.
         So until my time comes, someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit so I can always find my way back.

   No special introduction needed on this. It is a wonderful dish for the Fall and Autumn times of the year. You can substitute Acorn or other fall nutty squashes in place of Butternut squash. This is just my rendition of an old standby recipe. Experiment and have fun with it.

        Recipe of the week: Autumn Butternut Squash

•     1-2    each     Butternut squashes (total 3-4 pds)
•     4       Tbsp     Butter
•     1/3    cup       Brown sugar (depending how sweet you like it a little more or a little less)
•     1        tsp        ground nutmeg
•     1        tsp        ground cinnamon
•     1        pinch   sea salt       
•     1        grind    black pepper
•                             mini marshmallows (totally optional)

    Cut butternut squash in half and remove seeds and pulp. place in baking pan face down and put about 1+ inches of water in bottom of pan and cover with foil. Place in 350 degree oven and bake until fully cook or soft to touch or poke (you can also us the knife or for test if it pokes easily its done), normally 45-60 minutes.
Upon removing from oven drain off water and scoop insides of butternut squash out of shell and place into a large bowl (use an oven mitt or heat resistance ). While squash is still hot place butter in first to allow to melt, then brown sugar and mix well then add rest of spice, and mix till smooth consistency, (like good mashed potatoes  no lumps please). Place mixture in a casserole dish or 9 inch pie pan. This can now be either allowed to cool and place in refrigerator for later or even frozen. Before serving heat squash in oven, at last possible minute place mini-marshmallows on top and turn on broiler to brown marshmallows. Serve hot. 

Oysters, a Shooter and a Cocktail

        It was kind of funny as I opened today's CapeCodToday News blog and what do I read see is all about Shellfish and Wine, as my feature this month is oysters. Both my Mother and Dad loved fresh seafood, any and all kinds, whether fish or shellfish and we had it as regularly as we could. Needless to say when we would come to the Cape Mom would have a hey day going to the fish market every couple of days to get something fresh for dinner. Then we had those friends who would keep us stocked with Strippers and Blues that they had caught earlier in the year and now offered some of their bounty to us. This is were I learned some of my love for being in the kitchen as Mom would let me help her whenever it was possible, and the older I got the more she let me do. Mom would do everything from baking fish, to frying it, (never in deep fat, just in light butter almost more of a saute), or putting it in a strew or easy soup. And Dad on the other hand would grill fish whenever he could, fish fillets or some nice fish steaks. Of all the fish my favorite was the Swordfish tails that Dad would do on the grill with just a little bit of lemon and butter, major yum.
    Mom was also not afraid to work with shellfish, from steaming clams and mussels to sauteing scallops, or making an oyster stew that was to die for. Dad and my favorite thing to add to the oyster stew was good old fashion Trenton Oyster Crackers, I believe the actual name is Original Trenton Crackers. Those little odd pillow shaped crackers that you had to take two in your hand and  squeeze together to get to break. We never used those other round disc thinks that were thin and went soggy faster then anything. It had to be OTC or nothing, a spat of butter and some black pepper. Wow this is making my mouth water really really bad.
    The last two things are kind of funny, in that as much as my Dad loved fish and every kind of shellfish and crustacean known to the east and west coast man, he never could do the raw thing. However my Mother did, and from her I found my love for raw Oysters and raw clams and we would share some treats before dinner when we would go out on those rare occasions to eat. Now to top it all off my wife will does not eat oysters at all, nor any raw shellfish, but will eat them cooked about any way you can serve it.
    Last thought, It is times like this in remembering these small things that I miss my Mother the most. She has been gone now for 21 years, taken by cancer at the age of 57. Mom and I had many many special moments in the kitchen, and she taught me how to enjoy cooking. I just wish I would have written more things down, or pushed to get her recipes after she died. But who knows where they all went, some to my sister, but not sure from there. Point is, if your Grandmother or Mother is still living and you shared this bond with her,, male or female you be, sit down with them and go over recipes, write them down, make copies, so when the time comes, you can remember them with memories that will last for generations to come.
    Someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit so I can find my way home, through any storm that may impede my journey, may it burn ever so brightly. Till that day, when you can enjoy seem memories of Old Cape Cod.

    Recipe of the week is gonna a a two-fer. One is a standard recipe for the featured food of the month, the second fits my want to just be fun and find something that is out of the norm. So Shot the first drink, then sip the second, or in whatever order you wish. But as usual do it responsibly.

    Recipe #1: Oyster Shooter

•         1                     Whole Oyster
•         1/2     oz        Tequila (Gold)
•         1/2    oz        Tomato juice
•         1    splash    Tabasco

            Place Oyster in bottom of shooter, then the tequila, followed by the tomato juice (fill rest of shot glass), then top of with Tabasco

    Recipe #2; Oyster Bay Cocktail

•         1    tsp        Anisette
•         1    oz        dark rum
•         3/4    oz    lime juice
•         1    oz        grapefruit juice
•         1    oz        papaya juice
•         1    oz        pineapple juice
•         2    oz        mango juice
•         1/2    oz    sugar syrup

            Add all ingredients into an iced or cold shaker and shake well. Strain into an ice filled Highball glass and garnish with fruit.

Another Story From My Dad & Crabbies

         This weeks story is just an interesting thought. My Dad and I were together this past weekend as he is preparing to move into a retirement community. We go to talking about the Cape as somehow I always manage to bring it into the conversation. As we were talking about my love for the Cape and the cost of housing today Dad quickly advised not to remind him of the past and some opportunities missed. Now one must know that my Father has never been a financial wizard, has never had a ton of money but has never gone for want or need. My Father has been very blessed to be able to do things most folks will never have the opportunity to do and go places that a lot of us only dream of, and all on a measly pastoral salary and retirement (however his retirement plan is overseen by some of the most respected in the business). So when you understand this, you begin to understand how special coming to the Cape really was when I was growing up. We came because someone gave us a key to their cottage and said "pay me what you can" and really meant it and never expected a dime, although Mom and Dad did some checking and always tried to keep as close as they could with what the area was getting for monthly rentals.
    Over the years Dad said he had several opportunities to buy different places, but because of his lack of financial understanding and more-so lack of disposable finances Dad never made the move to pursue any real estate on the Cape. One of the first places that Dad had the chance to get into was the ground level to some brand new condominiums on Old Wharf Rd. They were built as condo's and not converted hotel space. They have a pool and access to a private beach right across the street, and the views from most of the units can see water without much obstruction. The cost at that time of pre-construction in the late 70's was 29,000. Someone had told Dad if he even just borrow a little for the down payment it would be a wise investment. But Dad did not like to be in debt to anyone and did not want to be put in a position of borrowing money from someone in the church, as he felt and still does that there are those in the ministry that take advantage of some people who are very generous, and Dad did not what that reputation. So Dad passed up that one.
    Then there was a opportunity to buy a cottage in the camp grounds that we used to stay that a cottage became available. Again the people who owned it were willing to work with Mom and Dad on payments and financing. They even had folks that they knew that would rent the cottage when we were not there that were good renters. But again, Dad not wanting to be in debt or feeling that he should take on that kind of financial responsibility.
    Then last one that Dad really remembers and the one that he wishes he could go back and do over again was a retired pastor friend of his lived right on Swan Pond in Dennis Port. Next to his home was an empty lot, Dad says Pastor Hudson said, "Ray, just pay the folks $10.00 a weeks until its paid off, they will be happy to sell it to you and later on in life you can come back and build a retirement home." Dad says to this day if he could have bought anything on the Cape it should have been that piece of land. "But then again if I knew then what I know today", Dad says, "but I didn't."
        Some think my love for the Cape is nuts, many don't understand all of the where's and why's and reasons I do. Some try but never will. Knowing that my love is rooted in someone else's graciousness, someone else's love passed on to me, and someone else's wishes that I could enjoy the finer things of life, then rolled it all into one and was implanted in me that the Cape was where it happened for me. Im still longing, and looking for that day when it will become permanent, but for now it my relay on memories and way to short of visits year after year. Maybe before my Dad is taken to the big sand box in the sky, I will be able to invite him to my house located in the heart of Cape Cod. But until that day someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit so I can always find my way back. Until then,,,,,,
    Recipe of the week is one that comes the wife's Mother's files that she got from one of the nurses that used to work for my Father-in-Law's Podiatric office. It fits right in with the seafood theme we have going for this year and thought this a good place to put it in as  5th week teaser appetizer. So without further ado,, (and no wise cracks here, as this is a family show),
   
        Recipe of the week: Crabbies

•     1             cup        butter - softened (1 stick)
•     1             jar         Old English Cheese spread
•     1 1/2     Tbsp.     mayonnaise
•     1/2         tsp.        garlic salt
•     1/2         tsp.        seasoned salt (this is where I would use Old Bay)
•     1             can        crabmeat - cleaned ( 7 oz can)
•     6             each      english muffins

        Mix together all ingredients (ok minus the english muffins), place in freezer in about 10 minutes to allow to firm up. Spread on english muffins and broil till bubbly. Cut in half and service (or serve whole).

Road HeadAches & Straw Stack Cookies

           Reading along in the News blog about all the road construction brought on a memories that we will never forget, our trips to and from the Cape before the RT 25 widening and rotary days. I can remember the days, traveling with my family in ye old station wagon. Dad preferred to drive at night as Mom and I would sleep some and the roads were less traveled so it was a much easier trip. The only problem was that we would a lot of times get to the Cape on a Saturday and leave on a Saturday and driving through the night would put us into Rhode Island in the earlier morning. Then onto that dreadful stretch of road that would lead up to the Bourne Bridge Rotary. Many a years we would get into the traffic about 10 AM of so and would just sit and crawl and crawl and crawl. We were fortunate that we did not end up on the side of the road like many others with overheated engines and and heat related car problems. I remember Dad always trying to make up his mind if he wanted to do RT 6 and get caught in the traffic doing the Sagamore Rotary crawl or take the chance and just get over the bridge and do the RT 6A two lane crawl. Most the time Dad chose to just get round the closest rotary and get "onto" the Cape.
    Getting off the Cape was no prize either before they put in the fly over and got rid of the Sagamore Rotary. The only thing I can liken it to is what they are experiencing today with the wonderful construction going on. Traffic getting off the Cape would be backed up sometimes to exit 2 and 3 with slow downs starting at exit 4. And don't think you are going to dodge it by taking that scenic RT 6A route through Sandwich, past the power plant and sneak into traffic without being noticed and just slip over the bridge. I think you could have gotten better results trying to swim across the Canal.
    Todays trips are still filled with some traffic and slowdowns if you pull close to the Cape during peak morning hours on a beautiful summer Saturday. But with widened roads, like RT 25 and RT 6, and a defunct rotary now gone in front of the Sagamore bridge the trips have become much easier to drive. Today we have also learned to stretch out our last day on the Cape and instead of packing up and having to head straight out. We take our time, stopping for breakfast, then doing some last minute shop stops, then finally the last two things we do before leaving is the outlet mall and the Christmas Tree Shop. Once those are done, we are out of money and out of time. Over the bridge and through the pines it's homeward bound we go, ok so a play on an old song may not be what is going through my head as we leave. But I have never had a trip to the Cape that I wished I wasn't doing, and always dread the seeing it in my rear view mirror, knowing that I would not be waking up to the salty air and sandy roads.
    Todays trips are so much easier then they used to be, unless of course you are experiencing bridge repair or construction. But overall they are nothing like the older days of the 70's and 80s.  May I never get tired of the drive that brings me to the Cape and may I someday soon find that when I do look into the rear view mirror that it is my house that I see that I will be returning to later that day. Until that time someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit so I can find my way by soon.

    Recipe of the week is a another no bake but is so fitting for this time of year. Is another recipe from the wife's family collection and is another time tested goody. So bring on the kids (its that easy) and pour up some cider or milk and enjoy some of these fun filled treats.
    This weeks recipe is Straw Stack Cookies

•     6    oz           butterscotch morsels chips (1 bag)
•     2    Tbsp       peanut-butter
•     1    can        chow mein noodles
•     1    can        spanish peanuts (optional)

    Melt in pan, 2 Tbsp, of peanut-butter along with the 6 oz package of Butterscotch morsel chips. Stir in 1 can of chow mein noodles (and spanish peanuts if using) into the melted mixture and mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and refrigerate.

2009 Vacation Review & Broiled Oranged Scallops

          Vacation review time, as last week this time the wife and I were shopping and gallery hopping by mornings and I was beach laying in the afternoon while she took her afternoon rest. Then by evening, an earlier dinner and just light touring as the off season hours were in force. The weather ended up being better then what had been initially expected and I was able to be on the beach all week with the exception of Friday and if we had not been running around in the morning I could have even gotten some sun then as well. But we chose to do other things.
    For some reason, I think when the wife and I go alone it gets me into more trouble and cost me more then when the kids have been with us. But anyway, here we go, new shops I got sucked into and found some good buys, Cranberry Jewelers in Harwich Port, Mrs Ms Summer House in Hyannis, along with Red Fish Blue Fish, this was a fun little shop. Then there was the Kingsley Gallery in Chatham with all kinds of need things, including bling for the wife. And then under new management and newly renovated Empicure of Chatham with a fine array of wines and sprits including locally produced products. Then the standards that need to be mentioned, the Chatham Candy Manor, what can I say about their Truffles, in my book the best anywhere, the family eats up the rest of the shops chocolates. Then there is the Chatham Beach Dog and Yankee Ingenuity, seems we can't walk out of this shop without leaving some my hard earned dollars in exchange for whatever. Then there is the Cranberry Goose in Harwich Port, by the way he moved this year down the street, I know its late in the season but don't miss him, and then the ever fun Doctor Gravity's Kite Store. And what would a trip to the Cape be if we did not visit the Lemon Tree Shop on 6A in Brewster and the Cook's Shop. The Lemon Tree shop know for its collection of pottery good, from spice jars to goblets to plates and more plus so much more for the garden and yard decorations. Then the Cook's Shop is filled with all kinds a specialty items that any good cook didn't know they needed but were convinced that by the time they left could find use for everything in the shop. Wow what fun. Then finally Mrs. Mugs out towards Sandwich, always a exciting place to go and the Christmas shop a unique little shop with all the Christmas ornaments one could with for plus advent calendars from around the globe. I could go on, but not enough time or room.
    Finally Food,, glorious food, new place for us the Optimist Cafe in Yarmouth Port for breakfast was a pleasant surprise. Medium priced but enough food that we left without want. What a delightful place, we will be looking to going back there. The other new find that some will say what took us so long was the Lobster Claw in Orleans. Yum, what more can I say, we went for lunch, stumbled into a discount we were not expecting and my lobster with and ear of tasty corn and cole slaw was wonderful. Three notable return to eateries, first out favorite pizza place of anywhere we go, DennisPort House of Pizza, start with their in house made Greek dressing for the Greek salad,, Man you need to bottle that stuff and sell it., then finish with a small pizza 'tween the wife and I. Can't beat it, his sandwiches are just as good also. Next is the BBC in Hyannis, Ok British Brewing Company, if you like to sample beers get their sampler, excellent choices for a really good deal price wise, and the food is even better then the beer. I know this is hard to believe sometimes. And last Clancy's in DennisPort on Upper County Road. I have said this before and I will say it again, there is no better place I have been that you get your moneys worth at this place. Cheap no, High end, no, mid range priced but the amount of food you get could feed a small army. The grilled swordfish this year was unbelievable and the after dinner drinks  are more then generous for the price.
    So there is the run down for this year, David M. thank you again for a wonderful stay at Old Landing Motel, you continue to be a gracious and wonderful host. I will look to being back, if I don't by a place sooner, then I will just have to put up the relative there in my place. Thank you for so many wonderful years, and many blessing for you and your future.
    Until then someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit so I can find my way back, hopefully sooner then later, and until then enjoy all your days and memories of Old Cape Cod.
   
    Broiled Oranged Scallops

•     3/4    tsp.     Old Bay Seasoning
•     1/2    pd        snow pea pods
•     1        can      mandarin oranges (15 oz can drained -save 2 Tbsp. of liquid)
•     20-24            sea scallops
•     1/2    cup      Truro Chardonnay (or a dry white wine)
•                             juice of 1 lemon
•                             juice of 1/2 lime
•                             ground pepper

    In baking pan, lightly toss Old Bay Seasoning with snow peas and mandarin oranges. Place scallops on top in baking pan. Mix lemon juice, lime, juice wine and remaining 2 Tbsp of orange liquid. Pour mixture over ingredients in baking pan. Sprinkle with ground pepper. Broil until scallops are lightly browned and tender, between 6-8 minutes.

Flashback Memory & Fall Tomato-Cucumber Salad

            As I was sitting on the Sea St breach a few days ago I sat up and was looking across the glistening Sound as the sun danced off the gentle afternoon September waters. The air was pleasant and the water was,, well refreshing, and there was a light breeze in the air. As I looked west down the coast I counted no less then 10 Sunfish sails out in the water enjoying an afternoon of sailing, the last of the season I am sure for many of them. How many summers had I spent doing the same thing the last days of August, squeezing in every last opportunity I could get to be out on that boat enjoying any thought of a wisp of a breeze I could muster into that the sail of that boat. I stood up and just watched for several minutes lamenting those times that were so care free and easy. Little did I realize that those where really the good old days when all I had to worry about was another year of high school or a first or second year of college while still living at home. Sailing was such a release for me, I learned it quickly and enjoyed every minute of it, ok well just about every minute of it. Sailing was so much of my summers from my early teens on that I would not have a thought about coming to the Cape without being able to sail. 

But alas, that was yesterday and today is another issue, as I stand watching. Dad did by a Sunfish for the lake he lives on in Michigan and I have been able to enjoy it very much. I have been very thankful for what he has enabled me to continue to do on a smaller scale, but as I watch my heart so longs to be out there on the Sound in my Sunfish, gliding across those glistening ripples and gentle waves. Memories are wonderful things sometimes, yet very painful in others, when you are left holding empty dreams that you had hoped would continue well into the future. The moral to this memory is this, grab hold of your dreams and never let them go. If you let it go, let it be because you wanted to let it go, not because you lost it. So.....

Until that day, someone keep the lamp in the light house lit for me,, (by the way I do not believe that the light on has anything to do with the sharks either.) Have a wonderful day on the Cape,

This weeks recipe is a nice light side dish that combines an old favorite with a slight twist.  

Fall Tomato-Cucumber Salad

•                2-3    medium   Tomatoes - seeded and chopped
•                2-3    medium   Cucumbers - seeded and chopped
•                1       medium   bunch of Radishes, halved and sliced
•                2       tsp.         salt
•                2       tsp.         sugar
•                1/2    cup          vinegar, cidar or red wine.
•                1       tsp.         basil
•                1       tsp          oregano
•                                       ground pepper to taste

       In a small bow, whisk salt and sugar in vinegar till desolved together, add basil and oregano mix and set aside.

       Cut Tomatoes in half, remove seeds and chip into medium size pieces, (larger then if making a salsa relish, but still bite size)

       Cut Cucumber length wise, remove seeds and chop into medium pieces

       Cut Radishes in half and slices into thin pieces.

       In larger bowl pour vinegar mixture over chopped vegetables and add pepper to taste. Place in refrigerator and allow to site for at least 1/2 - 1 hour before     serving. You could also add chopped garlic if you wanted to kick this recipe up little. Hope you all enjoy this twist on an old classic.   

Sharing Cape Cod & A Toasted Fisherman

        Vacations are an interesting fraction of our life. In some parts of the world they are referred to as going on Holiday or observance or just going on a trip. Whatever you call it wherever you are, we work our behinds off in order to take a few days away from the rate race we call home and work. Some of these excursions are way to long, (these are the ones spent with relatives that you didn't get along with before this reunion), but normally when good, are not long enough and we only wished was even longer if only the money would not have run out 3 or more days ago. Along the way some have found ways to turn their summer retreats into year round residents while the rest of us become envious of having to leave time and time again the place we have come to enjoy so much. So what is my story here, what is my point.
    The Cape has become such an integrated part of my life that the only part of it that does not engulf the Cape is my physical being the majority of the year and my longing for being on the Cape drives the rest of the family to the point of wanting to through me out. Someone at worked asked me just this past week, is there really enough to do on the Cape to go year after year? The only question worse to ask me and get me started talking, is about my love for my Jesus.,, Is there enough, what an opportunity to share my love of the Cape. First for how long, then the beach, then the sights and sounds, then the food, then the, and the, when there was the,,,,,. Finally break time was over and I had no other choice but to end the conversation. Someone else had ask about a month ago, about going and taking kids and the cost involved. Again my button was pushed. I has able to share all the free stuff one could do in these tough economic times. Then in coming years you add little things on as the kids get older financial times become better. I went over places to stay, places to eat, places to shop, places that are a must see and places that can wait till next time. Finally had to get work done so back into my own little 6x6 cubical world in front of my monitor, dreaming of the day I would be back on the Cape.
    Do you feel it, to you see my point here. When you have vacationed somewhere for 44 summers, you don't keep going back when you don't like someplace. You don't keep returning to the same place if there is nothing to do or that interest you. But the Cape is all of that to me. The people we have met over the years, the friends we have made. The restaurants we frequent, the shops we visit and galleries we have to keep up on. Each year it becomes harder and harder to get around to everyone, so that no one is offended that we/I did not stop in and say hello. Each year it becomes harder and harder for me to leave. Then again it would give my wife a  break from my constant obsessing of the Cape. LOL, She has been a good sport and continues to come with me year after year.
    Again my point to all this, when was the last time you were able to share your love for the Cape with someone. When was the last time someone asked you what you thought of the Cape and you got so excited that you nearly talked their ear off. For me,, it is always a pleasure to talk about the Cape the retreat I love to visit. Be open be ready and when someone ask, share your heart with all the Cape has to offer and the fun and the joys that all can have while visiting Old Cape Cod.
    Keep the lamp in the light house lit till I can find my way back. Until we meet again,, Share a Cape Cod smile with someone.           
    I love the first week of the month for recipes. I love to look a the names of all the different kinds of cocktails and just I could publish half of them. Others I would love to know the true story behind, then again probably best if I don't. There are those that have two or three well published names, is this cause someone was too intoxicated to remember the original and just made up a new one on the spot. Oh well, so much for the world of cocktails and their wacky names. This week I am sure several on the Cape have seen one or two of these. Now you can just drink one..
    Have a great time and drink responsibly;
   
        This weeks recipe: A Toasted Fisherman

•         1    shot    Canadian Whisky
•         1    shot    Amaretto
•         1    shot    sweet & sour mix

                And a splash of lemon lime soda

    Mix all together over crushed ice and service with either a cherry or mint leaves.

We ate where..... & Vanilla Sticks

            As many others have done and will continue to do my condolences to the Kennedy family in their loss. Sometimes the greatest respect come for those who you disagree with the most. I may not have agreed with the stands that Senator Kennedy took but I respected him in his approach and his commitment to what he believed in and his love for this great country he so served. I had thought about remembering those discussions with our friends in Hyannis who knew the Kennedy family, but since I have noted that a couple of different times I will just refer you to reading my past stories. But I think there is one story that as shorter and rather cute. My Mother, my Dad and I were in Hyannis doing some shopping. It was getting a little past lunch time and we were looking for a place to eat. We had asked someone and they pointed us to a small fish and chips place on a side street past the railroad station. As we got upto the shop there was a black limo parked outside. We did not think much of it and went on in. The chauffeur was inside eating his lunch. We ordered and sat down to eat. As we where eating the chauffeur finished his, and on his way out the door the owner of the shop called him by name and said "Tell the Senator I said hello, and don't be a such a stranger, and give my regard to Rose as well."  After we finished our lunch, Dad, as he was always good at doing, went up to the counter and inquired. The gentleman behind the counter confirmed that he was Senator Kennedy's chauffeur and that he would stop in at least once a week and even the Senator would stop in from time to time. My Mother always found it interesting that we had eaten where a Senator had eaten on the Cape. My Mother was always tickled by the little things in life, even when it is as simple as where we ate and who also ate at that establishment.
        May we agree to disagree in our passions and our quests, and may we find respect with others when we choose to walk a different paths in life. The Cape has held to this belief for many centuries and it continue this way for generations to come. Someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit so I can find my way back, only dim it for a few days as we pay our respects to the last Senator Kennedy.

        Through the summer I have tried to stay with no bake cookies, but like the weather not all thing turn out as we plan. And since this season has been a little cooler and we are closer to September then going into July or August I am taking the hint from the wife to using this next recipe. She has only been pushing this for the past 3 or 4 months, so I guess its time to use it. Again another hand written recipe on a 3 x 5 card by her mother that was most likely gotten from one of my Father-in-laws patient's or from one of his staff. So on with the show.

        Recipe of the week: Vanilla Sticks

•         4           egg whites
•         1    lb    powdered sugar
•         1    lb    unblanched almonds (approx. 3 cups finally chopped)
•         1            vanilla bean

    1). Grind almonds and vanilla bean into a coarse powder.
    2).  Beat egg whites & powdered sugar for 20 minutes, ( add powdered sugar a little at a time as you beat eggs
    3). Take out about 1/3 & same for icing.
    4). Add vanilla nut powder to remaining egg white mixture.
    5). Shape into bars (or sticks) on a ungreased cookie sheet and "ice" with hold out 1/3 whites & sugar.
    6). Bake in 275-300 degree oven for 20 to 30 minutes.
        (Note the whites & sugar mixture is a meringue that does get baked on the bar/sticks)

    Great for a late summer or early fall light dessert or just a treat for you and the family. 

Crabs, Toes and Baked Mussels

        This weeks memory I hope a lot of you can sympathize with me on, although I hope many of you learn from mine and our mistakes. I am not one to go into the water with shoes on. I have tried the water socks, the mesh water shoes, even old sneakers, and I just can not bring myself to wearing things like that into the water. Fins for swimming, sure fine, but once in the water you don't walk in fins unless your trying to look like a silly goose or a dumb duck. Walking in sand in my bare feet has never bothered me, and in fact I enjoy it, (as long as the heat is not baking the bottoms of my soles off). But when it comes to being in the water I like my feet to be out and naked, I want to feel the sand underneath and the tide of the water flowing over top. Seaweed is not my favorite to walk though but I can take it, shells are not always pleasant to step on and on many occasions I have even found the razor sharp ones that choose to pierce through the skin and slice it pretty good. That I do not find enjoyable just for the record. That in a sense I step lightly and normally can feel them under foot and move before I really do something dumb. No what really bothers me are the crabs in the water. Those pesky crustaceans that come looking for my tender toes-ies to grab a hold of and make chopped liver out of them. I get out  past the jetties or I get too close the jetties and those things seem to multiply in great numbers. Kinda like the bunnies of the sea, and when I get into the water they know and can sense my displeasure or (for lack of another way to say it) fear of these these and come to me like sea gulls to a beach picnic. You would think that I would learn just to wear the dumb shoes and be done with it. I know it doesn't  solve all the problems, but they sure do go a long way. But will I ever learn,, unfortunately I doubt it and for some educated crab reading this blog a big hooray just went out to the masses.
       To think that I only run into this problem while in the Nantucket Sound itself, think again. To anyone who has done some swimming or skying in the Bass river will tell you, in past years the abundance of crabs in that river have been understated, please ask my toes. Or what about Swan Pond River or Swan Pond itself. I do believe even in Chatham Harbor I have run into many a crab while putting out and taking in the boat for flounder fishing. Crabs seem to love my toes no matter where ever I am, and until I learn my lesson, they will always seem to have a snack with my feet. Maybe one of these years I'll figure out not to get the point and save myself some grief.     But until then someone keep the lamp in the lighthouse lit so I can find my way back,,,,, permanently.          
       This weeks recipe is an adaptation of one you will find in many seafood cookbooks. It doesn't use that many ingredient, although this one does take a little effort is wonderful to pull off when having another couple or 2 over or you just want to surprise your sweetie with something special, (just make sure she or he is not allergic to shellfish). Take your time on this one and it will be a wonderful delight and you will be for sure the hit of the evening.
   
       This weeks recipe : Baked Mussels

    4+     pds.      mussels, well cleaned, (remember to remove the beards)
    16      oz.        tomatoes drained and chopped, Roma or Plum, (1 can)
    1/3    cup        bread crumbs (I prefer the herb or Italian seasoned)
    1/3    cup        green onion, chopped very finally (you can substitute scallions)
    1/4    cup        fresh parsley, chopped
    1        cup        white table wine (if you can't drink it don't cook with it)
    1        cup        water
    1         tsp        Old Bay Seasoning
    a         pinch   sea salt
    to        taste     fresh ground pepper
                              Extra Virgin Olive Oil

           Place mussels in a large pan, add water and wine, cover pan and steam till mussels open, (remember if any do not open through them out as they are bad). Drain and allow to cool. Once cool remove mussels from the shells, keep half of the shells as you will be reusing them. Once all removed, arrange half shells onto a baking pan and place 2 or 3 mussels into each shell.
           In a bowl combine tomatoes, bread crumbs, green onions, parsley, Old Bay Seasoning, and sea salt, mix well. Place a small amount of Tomato mixture on top of each mussel boat. On top of the tomato mixture a little pepper then drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Place baking pan into preheated 450 degree oven and bake for about 4-6 minutes or until slightly browned. This recipe should yield about 16-18 mussel boats. Service Hot.

Cars that got me to the Cape & 4 Pepper Sauté

5th Anniversary

So on my 5 year anniversary to writing this thing we call an editorial Blog to Memories of Cape Cod, what do I write about? Then I came to me,, how did we get here. No not the circumstances, not what brought us to live the Cape. I mean the cars or vehicles that transported our fluffy behinds over the canal. The objects that were attached to the rubber that met the road called the Cape Cod Highway, or RT 28 or the Old Kings Highway (Rt 6A). And as I thought about it throughout the day it really began to stir my it thinking. In fact to such a point I ended up calling my Dad and talking to him about it as well.
    Dad and I started our conversation off with the normal pleasantries and so forth, and the fact, that he count not believe his "not so good at school son" had been so bless to write for this E-News service for so long. Then the conversation turned to the subject, "Hey Dad, can you remember the first car we took to the Cape?" We had to go back a few years before and get the thinking into drive. " Lets see, we started going in what 65?" Dad said, "If I remember right we were in Parkersburg, is that right?" "Yes Dad" I replied. "Ok well then I traded a White Ford station wagon we got in Maine a few years before for the new Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, if I remember right, we went down to Huntington, W.Va. to get it right before we left that first summer, it was Gold in color with wood trim and had the big window above the rear seats." Surprisingly I remember that car well. it made the trip to and from the Cape Dad and I figured about 4 years. Dad said, "back then we weren't as smart and thought we needed a new car every 3 to 4 years. Boy were we dumb then, we should have kept it a lot longer, that was a great car." The next car is in question, Dad and I debated this one or awhile and he feels my memory is a little better then his at age 82 now. Honestly I only wish I knew all that he didn't remember I would still be smarter then I am today. Anyway we know it was another station wagon, blue in color. I believe it was another Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser. These wagons gave us the room to load up the car in unbelievable ways. Enabling us to take just about everything except the kitchen sink, including the bikes on the rack on the top of the car.
    After that my sisters were gone from the house and we did not need such a big car to haul 5 people's worth of stuff to and from. So Dad got a Green Mercury Grand Marque somewhere about 1975 or 1976. Dad loved this car and kept it till I was out of school and gone from the house. I said to Dad " and that was suppose to be a downsize in cars,, that thing was a boat" Anyway from there he was on his own, with Mom and they have bought Honda Accords ever since starting in 1987 with and 88 model.
    I started with my own road trips to the Cape starting in 1981 with my used 1976 Olds Regency 98, Silver with a Baby Blue interior. The back seat had never been sat in and the passenger seat had been used as a brief case holder. I remember taking Mom to the Cape that summer, as she was dealing with cancer treatments and Dad had to stay back for a couple days. Mom said it was one of the most enjoyable rides to the Cape she had ever had. Only problem is along I-80 we stopped at a rest area, the ignition key and door keys were different and Mom did not realize that. I had given her the key to the door to get into the glove compartment and she set it aside. When we got out I locked the doors,, Oops, door key still in the car and electric windows, that were not forgiving to get a coat hanger into to pop the electric locks. Took us a while but we finally got it with some friendly help. In 1982 I could not afford to keep the Olds so I traded it for a 76 Mustang Gia, that was a fun little car. Unfortunately after the wife and I got married and moved to Philadelphia the transmission went out on it, we were kids and didn't know better and traded it. Oh well, ended up with a 1979 Subaru, that was a great little used car and made the trip to the Cape from Philadelphia in the middle of the night to surprise my folks for a weekend stay that we really should not have done as she was she was about 6 or so months pregnant and I really did not have the money to be spending on traveling and the gas.
    After that we made our way back to Ohio and again got rid of a good car, should have had the head gaskets fixed instead we got a Renault., worst car we ever owned, Had it for three years, and it only made the trip to the Cape once. I don't think it could have made any more even if we could have afforded the trip. From there we traded that for an brand new red 1987 Olds Calais. My wife loved that car and to this day has NOT let me forget it. It was a wonderful to drive, the trips to and from the Cape were comfortable, and the trunk had plenty of room and the back seats were wonderful for longer trips. But me and my wisdom, knew with a new child we needed more room, and any one knows you only keep a car 3 years or it looses value. So I traded it for a brand new 1990 first edition Oldsmobile Silhouette. That vehicle served us more then 10 years and 7 or 8 trips to the Cape. It had great room and loads of space for the kids and all our junk that I had to haul for a weeks stay, as if we were staying for a month. Then there was the Honda CR-V that did its work from 2003 to 2009 and this year the new Honda Accord will take over the duties.
    Each car has its own personality, what we were able to pile into it, and how comfortable or uncomfortable it made the trip. Was it a gas hog, a muscle car, an old station wagon, or a post kids sedan or coupe. So do you remember all the vehicles that got you to the Cape. I just wish they would stop bringing back off the Cape and leave me there. Oh well maybe one of these trips will be the one, Until then keep the lamp in the lighthouse lit till I can find my way back to a home on the Cape.

    This weeks recipe is so simple so summer. I saw this done on an older TV food show and could not remember what all went into it so starting with my own. I am sure there are adaptations to this all over the place since it is so simple, but sometimes we forget just how tasty they can be. Take away anything, add anything, make it healthier, make it spicier, or just enjoy the basic recipe without any extras. So on with the show.

    Recipe of the Week: 4 Pepper Sauté

    4        large     sweet peppers (1 each Red, Orange,Yellow, Green)
    1        large     sweet Vidalia Onion
    1-2    cloves   garlic
    4-8    Tbsp     butter (if you want to be really healthy us Virgin Olive Oil)
    1         tsp        Old Bay Seasoning
    1         tsp        basil
    1         tsp        oregano
                             fresh ground pepper
                             pinch of sea salt  (for a little more flavor us a flavored sea salt)

    Cut peppers into julian strips, Cut onion into into 8 wedges then cut wedges in half length wise again. (as close to julian strips), and crush your garlic as fine as you can get. Start with 4 Tbsp. of butter (1/2 stick) in pan and add garlic along with Old Bay Seasoning, once butter begins to melt. Do not let garlic brown as it will turn bitter. As soon as butter is coating bottom of pan place peppers and onion into pan and sprinkle basil, oregano, ground pepper and salt over top. Add a little more butter if needed, you do not need to over do. Keep Peppers and onions rotating in pan till they are tender not mushy. Serve immediately while still warm.

Tough Times & Fish House Punch

        My apologies for a bum week in story writing. Today we buried the 3 member of our family in 4 months, with funeral and all, this will be a short story.
    Cape Cod was always a time for relaxation for my Dad as he would leave the church duties to others for the month of August and prepare for the coming year. Dad would read, read and read more, he would plan out his sermon series for the year and get study guides and commentaries lined up that he wanted to use. He would go through hymnals paring songs that were relevant to his sermon themes. Then Dad would read more. Every now and then Dad would call back to the church to see if anything was going on that needed his attention. However Dad always left competent people in charge so he did not have to worry and he could get the rest and studying done that was needed. I can only remember once or twice that Dad had to leave the Cape and go home for a funeral, as most time either the youth pastor or convention's area minister on call or even another local pastor close to the church would take on the few that rarely came while Dad was away. It seemed interesting how things worked out that Dad never had to worry about this kind of thing. The Lord was very good to Dad over the years allowing him that time to prepare without a lot of interruptions, and to spend time with his family.
    My memory here is that the Cape has always been a haven of rest for our family. A place to relax, be able to put the worries of this earthly confines on the self for time, and be able to forget the hustle and bustle of this world.
    For now we just ask that you keep this family in your prayers for strength to go through each day. Even though we have believe in a loving, forgiving, merciful, most gracious God those who are left behind do grieve for those who have gone on. There is a hope for those who believe and trust in Jesus, and we believe and hold dear to this trust in Jesus, not just for today but for our eternity..
    Someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit until I can find my way back to Ole Cape Cod,,,       
    Most the times I have done recipes that have are either shoots, or cocktails, basically single drink recipes. However with summer and backyard parties and hopefully warmer summer days of August this punch bowel of liquid libation will be greatly enjoyed by all.     
    Recipe of the week: Fish House Punch

    36 oz    dark rum
    24 oz    lemon juice
    25 oz    brandy
    4   oz    peach brandy
    3/4 lb   superfine sugar
    40 oz    water

    Dissolve sugar in some of the water. Add juice and the rest of the water. Add liquor 2-3 hours prior to serving and refrigerate. Serve over ice.

Jellyfish & Jellyfish Drinks

         Ok, so after last week what do we follow up with, well all I can think of is that which is related to our recipe this week Jellyfish. Now the Cape is not prime waters for anything spectacular, and we don't get the rare Portuguese Man of War (which I recently found out was not actually a jellyfish, although is widely thought to be. But the Cape water's (the Nantucket Sound) do from time to time get their fare share of moon jellies, especially if there are storms blowing in or other overly active water current activities happening. I have been one of the lucky ones that has not have the experience of being stung by one of these pesky little critters that they say  has the felling of being stung by a bee. (I don't like bees either, especially the ones that sting). But I have seen many a kid and even several adults that have come hauling out of the water like a some Orca had just shown up hootin' and a hollerin' to no end. Most of us kind of thought it funny, however I am not one to make fun of since I run at the sight of a bee. Anyway jellyfish have always had there interesting moments or times to show up in places I could have done without then. Most of the times when I have been sailing and running into rather ruff seas. I remember looking over the side of the boat wondering if the boat was going to tip over, between the winds and the waves and all of a sudden seeing schools of jellyfish pass me by. All I could think of was ain't no way I'm going into those waters, I don't care if I have to climb the mast of my Sunfish. The only problem to this story is that is just didn't happen once, yet several times over the years. You would think I would watch the weather a little better or watch for changes in the ocean current activities.
    I have also seen on occasion, jellyfish floating by while laying on a float or in a rubber boat when I have been out towards the sandbars that are beyond the jetties. We have watched them float on by and as kids do antagonized these creates of the ocean to see what would happen. Ohhh, big bad bullies we were, but hey what else were we to do while getting more sun then any dermatologist would ever recommend. Anyway, every now and then after a storm would blow through we would find a could jellyfish mixed in with the seaweed that had strewn up on the beach. Again we would poke at it and on occasion dare each other to touch it or try to fling it back into the water.
    But the fascination of jellyfish has always been there and still today continues to spark interest for me today. As I go to aquariums and watch these interesting creatures and notice the differences between them and how they like snow flakes really are different from each other. I have also noticed the difference in sizes and shapes and colors, and in the different waters they occupy. In all of this are interesting living creatures that deserve our attention, to watch out for so not to get stung, but also to be careful as we share there waters and there habitat as we swim and boat in the water off Cape Cod...
    Someone keep the lamp in the lighthouse lit till I can find my way back. Have a great day and watch for our friendly jellyfish.

    This is the fifth wednesday of the month we it is extra month. So with that I am going for a two-for this time and both are called by the same name. We are going drinks this month, Both recipes are documented on many different sights so its take your pick. One is a shot specialty the other a true cocktail, so whichever your fancy, or are just having the heebee jeebies about things and go for both, in either case please drink responsibly.

    This weeks two-for is the Jellyfish.

    Recipe #1: Jellyfish Shooter

    1/2 shot    white creme de cacao
    1/2 shot    amaretto almond liqueur
            Bailey's Irish Cream
            grenadine syrup

    Pour the white creme de cacao into a shot glass then add the amaretto almond liqueur. Float the Bailey's Irish Cream to cover then top off with a few drops of grenadine into it, and serve. Careful you don't get stung by drinking to many.

    Recipe #2: Jellyfish Cocktail

    1 1/2    oz    vodka
    1 1/2    oz    blue curaca
    1 1/2    oz    white sanbuc
       1/2    oz    cream

    Into a Highball glass filled with ice you will want to layer, first the vodka, then carefully float the blue curaca, then next float the white sanbuc, and finally pouring over the back of a spoon add the cream. Stir oh so delicately not to ruin the jellyfish effect, and serve. 

Sand Castles 2 and Creme de Menthe Balls

            This weeks memory is about sand castles. Over the 4th of July I started seeing castle competitions for all ages and this got me thinking about when I was a kid and my summer afternoons on the beach building sand castles and sand sculptures. Wow what fun. I remember getting the buckets and the shovels and spoons and going down by the waters edge. I would first look to see if the water was coming in or going out, then start to build my castle or sculpture accordingly. Sometimes  it was small and it didn't take long for the water to rush in and wipe it all out. This happened more-so in my younger years when I really didn't understand all the tide stuff. But as I got older I became more aware of my surroundings, and the castles and sculptures become more planned, bigger and further up the water line to try to out last the waves and the tide. It didn't matter the age I just loved to build things in the sand. Then I started to realize that other people were taking notice of the castles and sculptures that I was making and I liked that. And it all became a game. But when all was said and done we just loved to build them and see how long they could stand to the rising water with the change of the time, or in some cases,, survive to many toddlers running up and down the beach not looking where they were running.
    As an adult I still have loved to build sculptures in the sand, however the older I get it seems I either don't take the time or just am too lazy to get done what I once enjoyed and still have visions dancing in my head of images to be created in the sand. Now I sit up on the beach or stand on the end of the jetty or up high on the hill and watch and the small kids run back and forth from the waters edge to where they are have starting building their small castle. They don't care how big or how small, they just pack the sand and stack them up and wait for someone to acknowledge their work, then forget all about it as the water takes it down as fast as it was built. Then there are the older kids who try to set up shop away from the little kids and build methodically towers, and walls, moats, and bridges, and then watch as the details grow. But again when its all over who's will last the longest,, but in the end they all know they will be gone tomorrow. Then there are the competitions with the adults and the masters of sand. The castles, the sculptures, the creativity that goes beyond what we as kids ever could dream of. But in even with these beautiful creations they are not expected to last forever. If not totally tide and wave, then rain and even just human traffic takes it tole and each work returned to its original place on the beach with all the other grains of sand.
    Interesting perception as I have gotten older in life, sometime wondering how we try to hold onto things as adults that we should learn to just let go. With that thought, I am reading a book that touched on this whole theme and got me thinking of this memory of sand castles. With permission from UpWord and the author please read the following story exert from the book, oh ya the rest of the book is even more worth wild reading.
    The book is called "And The Angels Were Silent" by Max Lucado, published by Thomas Nelson 1987, (I write with permission from UpWord and Max Lucado). This is taken from Chapter 17 entitled "Sand Castle Stories". Hot sun. Salty air. Rhythmic waves. A little boy is on the beach. On his knees he scoops and packs the sand with plastic shovels into a bright-red bucket. Then he upends the bucket on the surface and lifts it. And, to the delight of the little architect, a castle tower is created. All afternoon he will work. Spooning out the moat. Packing the walls. Bottle tops will be sentries. Popsicle sticks will be bridges. A sand castle will be built. / Big city. Busy streets. Rumbling traffic. A man is in his office. At his desk he shuffles papers into stacks and delegates assignments. he cradles the phone on his shoulder and punches the keyboard with his fingers. Numbers are juggled and contracts are signed and much to the delight of the man, a profit is made. All his life he will work. Formulating the plans. Forecasting the future. Annuities will be sentries. Capital gains will be bridges. An empire will be built. / Two builders of two castles. They have much in common. They shape granules into grandeurs. They see nothing and make something. They are diligent and determined. And for both the tide will rise and the end will come. Yet that is where the similarities cease. For the boy sees the end while the man ignores. it. Watch the boy as the dusk approaches. Each wave slaps an inch closer to his creation. Every crest crashes closer that the one before. But the boy doesn't panic. He is not surprised. All day the pounding waves have reminded him that the end is inevitable. He knows the secret of the surging. Soon they will come and take his castle into the deep. The man, however doesn't know the secret. He should. He, like the boy, lives surrounded by rhythmic reminders. Days come and go. Seasons ebb and flow. Every sunrise that becomes a sunset whispers the secret, "Time will take your castles." So, one is prepared and one isn't. One is peaceful while the other panics. As the waves near, the wise child jumps to his feet and begins to clap. There is no sorrow. No fear. No regret. He knew this would happen. He is not surprised. And when the great breaker crashes into his castle and his masterpiece is sucked into the sea, he smiles. He smiles, picks up his tools, takes his father's hand, and goes home. The grownup, however, is not so wise. As the wave of years collapses on his castle his is terrified. He hovers over the sandy monument to protect it. He blocks the waves from the walls he has made. Salt-water soaked and shivering, he snarls at the incoming tide. "It's my castle," he defies. The ocean need not respond. Both know to whom the sand belongs. Finally the cliff of water mounts high above the man and his little empire. For just a moment he is shadowed by the wall of water... then it crashes. His tiny towers of triumph crumble and disperse and he is left on his knees,,, clutching muddy handfuls of yesterday. If only he had know. If only he had listened. If only... But he, like most, never listens.............
    Finally thought, its good to remember building sand castles, its even good to build them as adults, but remember the waves will come, the tides will come, don't be caught trying to hang onto something that wasn't meant to last forever, there are more important things that are eternal then one earthly sand castle or sculpture. Think about it..... Someone please keep the lamp in the light house lit till I can find my way home to the Cape,,,
    This weeks recipe is another from my wife's recipe books and is another No Bake. Summertime is not meant for hot ovens and long times in the kitchen, especially when you have blankets to sun on, sounds to swim in and what else but beaches to build sand castle on, with or without your kids. So with that here is another fun cookie (type) recipe.

    Creme de Menthe Balls

    2            cups        vanilla wafers finally crushed
    1 1/2     cups        pecans finally chopped
    2            cups        powdered sugar ( sifted )
    4            Tbsp.      light corn syrup
    2/3        cup        Creme de Menthe (white or green)

    for coating:     granulated sugar

    Mix; Vanilla wafer, chopped pecans, and sifted powdered sugar till well blended (best to do in blender or food processor). In separate bowl mix corn syrup and Creme de Menthe, then add dry ingredients and continue to mix till sticky & stiff. (DO NOT do this mix in the blender or processor as mixture becomes to sticky). Shape into balls, drop into granulated sugar, and place on cookie sheet. Chili overnight. (DO NOT BAKE THESE ARE NO BAKE COOKIE BALLS).

Rafts & Clam Fritters

I had a story a ready to do up for this week then and a special addition to put in it,, then I left the material in another place so it will have to wait till next week. Please be sure to come back next week, I hope it is worth the wait.
        So the question is what's floating around in the old gray matter this week. Well,, how about rafts and floaters. Before you fall on the floor laughing, stop and think about it. What a memory, these things bring back. First we have to remember all the places we used to get them at. At the Baskins at the corner of Lower County Rd and Shad Hole road, or what about the old 5 & 10 right in DennisPort.

   I also remember getting a couple at the old Bradlees department store. Good grief i had a nickel for every one we have bought over the years I think I might still be pushing a Thousand-air. I remember when we first started coming to the Cape we all had to have one and of course no one remembered to pack the old ones from the year before, and half of those had holes in them anyway from being used on the snow hills over the past winter. Anyway in the beginning they were skinny and short, and made of cheap thin plastic, mainly plane colors, but we all had to have. And in those days we were not smart enough to get them filled with air at the store. No we brought them back to the cottage promising dear old Dad that we would blow them up.

   Ya, doesn't Dad wish he had the other nickel for each time we all said that, cause eventually Dad got stuck blowing up each one of the rafts and by the last one was so winded he almost didn't want to go down to the beach with us, he just wanted to take a nap. Anyway, once we would get down there we all had to take them out and try each one. Of course we all got our lectures about not going out to far, be careful which way the tide is going and the wind is blowing. And don't be horsing around cause someone might get hurt. We all heard them, did many of us listen, heck no. Its was a toy, in the ocean and we were going to have fun. So fun we did have, we played King of the raft, Pirate games, Shark bits, BattleShip and a host of other games. We could make the most of a day in the water just us kids and our rafts.
    Over the years however, the rafts have gotten more sophisticated, they have become longer and wider, (I think from eating all the food we did while on vacation they figured over the years we put on a few extra pounds). They started getting more colors and designs, and each of us had to have the latest move hero or cartoon character that was hot on the T.V.. The material became stronger and sturdier and more durable, (some manufacturer was not thinking to brightly on this one). Then we started to see the shapes start to change to crazy and wild object. I remember when I had to have the Killer Whale, (and I was an adult by this time), what it practical, heck no but it was cool. This time though I remember Dad and him turning blue with the smaller rafts and got smart. Fill'er up I said to the store clerk when they asked if I wanted air. The only problem was then trying to figure how to get this big honking thing in the car to get it back to the cottage. Then there came the Sharks and the Gators and you name it. And before it was all over we had to get the inflatable boats that we could row out in, lay in, turn it over and lay on it and the games for even better, especially if you used the paddles correctly as a water blaster...
    Ok, now who is laughing about my memory, its for real, they bring back some really fun times, at the beach and in the water. Oh ya but one thing you never never ever did was if Mom was out in the water on her raft, you never tipped her over,, that was cause for time out for waaaaay to long of a time for any kid, at any age. Don't mess with Mom and her raft. Ok have a great day on the Cape, grab your raft and head to the beach for me, and before the day is done check the light house lamp to be sure its lit cause I still need to find my way back, the sooner the better. Here is to Old Cape Cod.
    Normally I stay with the recipes from our families books and boxes, however in my traversing my material for this weeks recipe I discovered just how few recipes I have for my main ingredient Clams. The primary recipe I have that comes from the family is Clam Pie and that I used 08/15/07 and I try not to repeat myself. So the next thing I do is go out to the extended family recipes to see if they have anything that I can use, barrow or down right beg or bribe to use. If that doesn't work I will start to look through my cookbooks to see if there is anything that sounds good, has been around for a while and that can be easily modified to fit my tastes. Well that latter is where I am at today, I found the premise of this weeks recipe in an old cookbook that also took its roots from another cookbook that dates back to the mid 1800. As usual I have added a couple things and changed up a couple others but, its a simple recipe that could be found in many older cook books. So with all that said here is my version of:
       
        Clam Fritters

•     4    cups      finally chopped clams, (of course best if using fresh) drain well
•     3    each      eggs, separated
•     2    cups      bread crumbs (for a little added flavor use the Herbed or Italian seasoned)
•     1    tsp        sea salt
•     1    tsp        pepper
•     2    tsp        Old Bay Seasoning
•     1    Tbsp.    parsley finely chopped
•     1    Tbsp.    shallots minced
•     1/2    cup     milk
•              vegetable oil

    Beat egg yolks to a froth, then add in the rest of the ingredients except vegetable oil and mix well. Add enough milk so that you have a thick batter.  Beat egg whites until stiff then fold into batter. If you have a heavy skillet that would be best to use, get hot and put in enough vegetable oil to just cover bottom of skillet. Using a teaspoon or small spoon drop the batter into the pan to fry. You will need to turn once so that both sides are browned.  (If you have a deep fryer could also drop the batter balls into that as well, please consult your manual for length of time to leave in oil). When you remove from pan place on news paper or paper bags to draw off any excess oil. Place in oven to keep warm until you have enough for dinner.

Arial Banners & Cucumber Salad

You know something that has been around for many many years and that is the banner planes that fly up the down the coast. I remember  in the early years around 1969 or 1970 first really taking notice of airplanes. I became very interested in airplanes in general and was always on the lookout for airplanes. But coming to the Cape brought a whole new meaning to plane watching for a young lad so enamored by these flying machines.  I remember sitting on the beach one early August summer weekend day and hearing that familiar sound. I looked all around the saw off in the distance the plane coming down the shore line. As it got closer I noticed it had a big banner that it was towing behind it and was so excited to see such a sight. It was an older single engine plan, probably an old crop duster or something like that but to a young impressionable kid it might as been a fighter jet or a space ship. Over the next weeks I saw more and more of these wonderful planes and the banners they brought. At that time I was more interested in the planes then in the banners they were towing, but when you have a kid on a beach pointing out, plane, plane, plane to his parents the advertisers just got their moneys worth as every banner got viewed by every adult with a kid on every beach. And every kid got treated to every kind of single engine plane over the years, from old Cub Cadet crop dusters and bush planes, to early Cessnaes and Pipers. Single overhead and under belly winged plans and an occasional biplane would fly by and dazzle all who where there to see.

Over the years my interests have changed and now I have actually become more interested to see how creative the advertising banners have gotten. The planes and the banners seemed to become more prevalent between the 80's and 2000, however after 911 things seemed to calm down a bit, and for good reason. The banners have seemed to compete with each other to who could outdo who in size and the amount of verbiage being used and if they added any designs to the letters. I have noticed as I have gotten older that economic times also has played a great role on how many planes and banners are going by and who is doing the advertising. Some years we have had an abundance of restaurants others have brought condos and time share real estate. Then there are the ever creative liqueur adds which seem to out do the rest hands down. And can I do an editorial like this and not mention those, I love you banners and will you marry me ones. You wonder just how many guys actually got a NO answer cause he really ticked her off that morning by tracking sand back into the bathroom where his girlfriend had just cleaned it for her mother, ouch, LOL.

Anyway I still love sitting on the beach and watching those planes go by, and trying to guess what the next plane's advertisement it going to be. I also love to look up and try to guess what kind of plane they are using and wondering how many summers it has done its job pulling the big banners down the coast line for all the tourist to see. Next time you see one,, give a wave and the give the pilot something to notice, you might be surprised that some of them can actually see the people on the beach.

And until I can get there to wave myself, someone please keep the light in the light house lit till I can find my way back.. Till then always enjoy the Cape. ...        

The recipe of the week was made for a warm sunny summer evening dinner or for the picnic on or near the beach. It is cool, tasty, and easy and can different things can be added or subtracted to suit the tastes of your guests. So look it over add your own ideas and make put a tasty twist to this summertime favorite.

Cucumber Salad

•     2    med-lrg   cucumbers thinly sliced with skins left on
•     1    bunch  green onions chopped
•     1    med  yellow/orange sweet bell pepper thinly sliced in strips
•     1    med-lrg  tomato chopped, the less seeds the better
•     1    cup  sour cream
•     1/3    cup vinegar (preferably cider, white will work however cut back to 1/4 cup)
•     1/2    tsp.  salt (for a zing use a flavored sea salt)
•     1/4    tsp.  pepper
•     2    Tbsp.  sugar

In one bowl put, sliced cucumbers, green onions, sweet peppers, and chopped tomato, cover and set aside. In separate bowl mix sour cream, vinegar, salt pepper, sugar and whisk together. About 2 hours before serving add to cucumber mixture and allow to marinate in the refrigerator. Service chilled. If you allow to marinate for too long your veggies risk getting soggy, and no one wants a soggy cucumber.

As I said add or subtract what you want, my wife normally does not eat tomatoes,, she is the only one in the family who does not but you do what you gotta do. I like tomatoes...enjoy.

Vacation Tips & a Bearded Clam Cocktail

      Since this is the real go line for the summer tourist season I thought I might throw out some of the places that we have grown to love over the years. Some old time places, some newer places and some places that have been redone. Im not slighting anyone and whomever reads, please add your favorites to the list. We all could use new places to go to and definitely support any of the out the way places that are hidden from the normal heavy traffic areas.
    First on the list for us is the Cape Cod Potato Chip factory in Hyannis. Its not big, its not long but its free and its fun. If you are a fan of kettle cooked chips then this is place for you. The kids will have fun peering into the windows and watching potato chip made right before their eyes. It a wonderful place that does not take long and is fun.
    Next is the Chatham Light and Chatham Light House beach. Besides the historic end of the light house itself the view looking over the Chatham harbor and being able to look up and down the coast is just a spectacular view. If you go on a Wednesday the lighthouse is open for tours from 1 -3:30 throughout the summer and again its Free. After you get done here go stroll the Main Street of Chatham for wonderful galleries and shops. And don't forget to visit the Chatham Manor Candy Shop for some of the best chocolate not only on the Cape but anywhere in my book.
    Another fun place to visit is Mrs Mugs in Sandwich along 6A. We came upon this place a couple years ago and have just fallen in love with it. Its a fun little shop with a wonderful collection of ,,, what else,, MUGS,, but also Cape Cod jewelry, and for those hard to find Crocs. This is a fun place to side track to when you have done Sandwich and and glass factory and tour, (this will cost a little but is worth it). Don't forget Dexter's Grist Mill and again more shops.
    Speaking of Grist Mills, don't forget Baxter's in Yarmouth and Stony Brook Grist Mill in Brewster, both have wonderful trails and Herring runs and beautiful ponds. Stoney Brook is open limited hours during the summer but when it is you can watch them grind corn into meal. This is something I've enjoyed over the years.
    Some of the most quaint shops that we have found have been along 6A. I truly believe you could take a couple weeks going from Sandwich to Orleans and you would still miss shops and galleries. Everything from Antiques to art galleries to general stores and more. Along the way another free must experience is Grey's boardwalk in Yarmouth that stretches out into the Marsh and ends looking out onto the Cape Cod Bay. The sunset here are some of the most spectacular on the Cape. And while you are traveling along 6A don't forget Scargo Tower in Dennis, another free-be that on a clear day you can see from Provincetown in one direction to the Cape Cod Canal in the other. Wow what a view.
       The problem with something like this is, is one could go on and on and on. In tough economic times it is good to plan your trips wisely. Don't feel you need to spend, spend, spend to have fun or to see some of the best that Cape Cod has to offer. Be frugal and don't go overboard. If you leave feeling you got a bargain vacation this year, how much more will it be worth coming back next year as well. If to make the best of your time in a particular area. Research where you are going on any given day, ask at your hotel, at the restaurant your eating at or even other guests you meet were you are staying and friends. The Cape can be a wonderful place filled with adventure and fun without killing the budget. So if you haven't made your plans, make a few phone calls, there are hotel bargains to be had, and there are places see and people to meet. And there is no better place to do it then on wonderful Cape Cod.
        Someone please keep the light lit in the Light House till I can find my way back, and we meet again...

    Recipe of the week, is just a fun one that could be found if you just dug below the surface of the sand at low tide. But this one you do not need a sizer ring before you consume it. So pour down and drink up,,, responsibly please. This weeks recipe >>>
        Bearded Clam Cocktail

•         1    oz            Canadian Whisky
•         1    oz            Ameretto Almond Liqueur
•         1    splash    Cranberry Juice

    Fill cocktail glass with crushed ice and pour all ingredients over ice. Stir. Add mint as garish if you wish.

1975 Heat Wave & Goody Cookies

Over the years the Cape has not been know for its extreme high temperatures in the summer. With the gentle breezes that blow off the Nantucket Sound from the South to an occasion Easterly wind blowing off the Atlantic ocean, or lest we forget that NorthWesterly winds blowing across the Cape Cod Bay, the Cape usually is kept to a very comfortable temperature range in the lower to mid 70s for June and the mid to upper 70s for July and August. Ok so 2009 has been a bust for this theory with damp weather and cool temperatures. So what better time to talk about record heats then when the Cape is Cool and other parts of the country are experiencing the hot and sticky.

Researching this subject was not the easiest, especially for a part of the country that does not normally have heat issues. But what I have uncovered was interesting. Over the past 100 years I can find less then 10 years that temperatures have gone over 100 degrees for SouthEast Massachusetts including Cape Cod. The most recent years that I have remember have been 1975, 1977, 1995, and 1999 with only 1 year actually hitting the 100 degree mark on the Cape and that was near the Cape Cod Canal in 1975. That summer I remember us getting to the Cape as a family. I was 14 years old and was about to start junior high school in the fall. I can remember my mother being up in the middle of the night and going out and sitting on the porch looking for any kind of a breeze. Mothers were out with there little ones in strollers at midnight and after trying to get them calmed down, and Dad and I pretty much after the recognition went back to bed and back to sleep with the fans going full blast. That was one summer that Mom really thought about getting a cottage in the future that had air conditioning. The only problem was they didn't exist back then and still today are scarcely found. For the most part you don't need one if you have a good cottage that has windows that open on all sides. Anyway the heat went on for several days, and is still considered one of the worst heat waves that the Cape and New England has seen. Most of the other years a heat wave on the Cape is temperatures that ride above 90 for a couple days then rescind back into the mid to lower 80s.

Well no one want a heat wave with temperatures near 100, however I don't think there is anyone who would mind at lest a warming trend that would include some mid to upper 70's and a lot more sunshine then have been around this year. Besides the kind of weather that has been happening this June 2009 is more like when I was there the beginning of April, and its now almost July,,, Oh well, I still can not say enough that a bad day on the Cape is better then any other day any other place I can think of. In the meantime, someone keep the light in the lighthouse lit till I can get there, and someone please turn up the heater.  Until then,,, Enjoy the Cape for me, no matter what the temperature is.

Recipe of the week is a nice No Bake recipe that my wife found in her family books of cards and cuttings. As we go into the warmer months of the summer why would we want to heat up the kitchen with our ovens if we do not have to.

So with that in mind...

This weeks recipe: Goody Cookies

•     2  cups white sugar
•     4  Tbsp.  cocoa (heaping)
•     1/4  lb.  butter
•     1/2   cup  milk
•     1  cup peanut butter
•     3  cups  minute oats
•     1  tsp. vanilla (real)

Place peanut butter in one bowl and the minute oats in another and set off to the side. Then in a saucepan combined sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Bring to full rolling boil stirring constantly. Boil for approx. 1 minute. Pour the syrup mixture over the peanut butter. Add vanilla and stir until the vanilla is dissolved. Next add minute oats, stir quickly.

Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper, or aluminum foil.

DO NOT BAKE.

Allow to set and firm up. 

A Drive in Movie & Lobster Newburg

This week's remembrance is about driv- in theaters. I wish I could remember where it was located either in Dennis Port, Harwich or Hyannis. I was about 9 or 10 years of age. There was a family that we had become friends with at the church and it was their sons birthday and they invited me to the party. After the cookout and dessert we loaded up the wagon with about a half dozen boys with their blankets and in PJ's and headed off to the drive. Tonight was the opening of the Disney movie THE BOATNIKS. Since then many things have been said about this movie but to a bunch of young boys in the middle of the summer on the Cape out late as the sun was setting,,, well this was just the best thing to happen.

We all got our popcorn and we even were able to get a soda - pop (Ok this argument goes on in our family and has for years. East coast says Soda,, Mid-West says Pop,, Excuse me but Pop is a sound or another name for my Dad but it's not something you drink, and New Englanders have this stuff called Tonic, I thought you put that on your head not in your mouth. So call it what you whatever you want.). Somewhere though the evening the parents of the birthday boy even splurged for a candy bar for each of us. We had ourselves a wonderful time that night. All I remember of the movie was some jewel thieves, a submarine, a pretty lady, and a lot of laughing. We have a wonderful time that night. All with friends, on the Cape making memories for bygone years to come.

If anyone can remember,, was there a drive-in theater in DennisPort or Harwich in 1970 or was it just in Hyannis. Let me know.. And as always someone be sure to keep the light in the Lighthouse lit until I can make my way back.

This week's recipe is from the crustacean family. Just a note or two to begin with, first if you have not noticed most of the recipes I do are more family oriented and everyday cooking, not some overly romantic dinner for 2 that takes 6 hours to prepare and you need a culinary degree to understand most of the ingredients. Yes I like to experiment with foods, and yes I can do wonderful dinners that are romantic (although getting sometime to do that is near impossible even with adult kids still at home). But everyday dinners need to be kept simple and fun and easy and variety minded.

Second, pertains to this weeks recipe, if your children do not just jump at the crustacean family or shellfish family of foods after they have tried it once, don't force them to eat it please as either they may be allergic to it and that is the way their bodies tell them stay away. Or if forced to eat when they dislike they may never come back to try it again later. Give them time, besides if they never gain a liking for it,,, it just means for us who do enjoy it..

Anyway on with the show with this weeks recipe,, a lot of people think its hard to make, when in fact it is very easy and very yummy.

Lobster Newburg

•     3   cups  cooked lobster meat
•     8   Tbls.  butter
•     2   cups  heavy cream
•     1/2  cup Maderia or sherry
•     6  each egg yolks, lightly beaten

•      salt
•      pepper
•      Cayenne
•      Old Bay Seasoning

Cut lobster into nice bite size pieces. Melt butter in a medium size heavy saucepan. Once melted add the lobster meat, add salt, pepper, cayenne, and Old Bay Seasoning ( a sprinkle of each, about an 1/8 tsp but don't over do it you can always add you can't take away), and simmer for 2-4 minutes. Add in the cream and bring to a boil then add Maderia or Sherry.

In separate bowl place the egg yolks and beat, add a little of the hot liquid to the yolks until well beaten, (You do this so you don't end up with scrambles eggs with you lobster).

Pour the egg mixture back in with the lobster and cook over a very low heat. (This can also be done in a double boiler).

Stir constantly until thickened. Do not boil at this point. Serve over toast or rice.

This should serve about 4.

The Draw of the Cape & Yummy Potatoes

       When the skies are sunny and the temperatures are warm and sitting in my 6 x 6 cubical on the third floor of a suburban office building with windows I have to stand up to even get a glimpse out of. Staring at a computer monitor 8 plus hours a day, ones mind begins to wonder while scenes of Cape Cod are displayed on my background. At lunch time the first thing I want to do is check on the weather, what are UV ratings for the day and what are the wind speeds and the air temperatures, it's got to be good day for hitting the beach. But here I am stuck in this 6 x 6 cubical in suburban Mid-West city office building. Wait a minute did you say Mid-West,,? Yes 800 miles from my beloved Cape Cod, and I'm checking daily the weather conditions, the news and the current affairs. And yes my home page is set to CapeCodToday.Com. Some (including my family) think I'm way over the top, way out of my league, close to being (ok I just am) considered obsessive about my love the Cape. But what can I say. Some do the same with Disney, Las Vegas, Souther California, Hawaii, Caribbean Islands, Bali, Fiji, the list goes on and on. But for me it is all Cape Cod.
    Why? What is the draw for me, what is the call, the mystic that keeps bring me back, year after year. First the obvious, the landscape of the Cape. The ocean, the Sound the Bay, water, water, water on all sides, then there are the beaches that go on for miles and miles. Low flat beaches, cliff hugging beaches, dune covered beaches. Beaches built for walking, for exploring, for sitting and watching the sun rise and beaches to watch sunsets from. There are nature trails and bike trials and even off road trails (never done this one) to explore. Then there are the marsh lands that beckon to be canoed or kayaked. You're still not convinced that I really know my Cape, Then there are the old villages and towns with all filled with shops and charm that will sit second to no place else I have been before then the when you think you can find nothing else just travel The Kings Highway route 6A. from Sandwich to Orleans, Wellfleet and Truro, and finally Provincetown as you check out all the Harbors that have made the Cape what it is over so many years.
    Another draw is the artist community from Falmouth to Chatham, to Provincetown, then back to Sandwich. It does not matter where you are  on the Cape look around you and you are sure to fine a gallery not to far from where you are standing. If you don't appreciate the style of one, go down a block or two to the next artist. If you can not find one that you like or can associate with, you could travel the world and you will not find anyone you like. The diverseness of style, medium, price, subject matter goes on and on and on. Art work that is to be hung on walls and enjoyed to bring beauty and color to a room, sculptures to grace a foyer or a walkway or garden spot. Functional art that will grace your tables at dinner or your kitchen with pottery or your desks, end tables or dressers with pots and vases. And then there are the artisans that work with jewelry and clothing and other everyday items.
    Ok still not convinced? Well then other then the season changes, and yes I understand that Spring is a little damp and the water is not really ready for a long leisurely dip, but the crowds are not there yet and the pace is quiet a bit more laid back. Then there is the fall, again the crowds have dissipated and the days are not as long. But the water is still warm enough to enough well through September. Yes you need to adjust your nightly strolls through the towns as shops close a little earlier, but the sun goes down earlier and sunset watching happens earlier. But oh the fall colors and and smells and,,,,, ect. Ok so winter may have some of you, but it does not bother me to be around cold and snow. It is part of what makes the rest of the year so wonderful.
    This is what draws me to the Cape, this is what compels me day after day to try to find a way to move to the Cape, and make it my home. Am I a true local,, by definition of another blog posted 06-10-09 NO Im not and never will be a "true" local, always either a wanna be or a transplant someday hopefully. But my spirit and will, will always reflect that of being a true local Cape Codder.
    Bring your wife, your family, your significant other and visit the Cape. See what it's all about, what we who are obsessed by this place called Cape Cod. And start your own list of what draws you back the next time and the next and the next. Then go share it with someone. But be ware you will be called crazy or nuts,,, but hey I will wear that name proudly,,, especially on the day I finally call Cape Cod my home.. Until then will someone please keep the light in the Lighthouse lit till I can find my way back. Have a great and wonderful day on Cape Cod
    Recipe of the week is another type written goody from the family books, ok, ok, the wife's side. Anyway; I have come to hold to the fact that one can never have to many potato recipes. They are always a good filler and you can normally find a sale going on. And when all else fails in the middle of the night when my 18 year old is hungry, he's the one to fix himself a baked potato, butter, sour cream, and if we have it bacon. So here is another potato recipe that I think all will like... if nothing else the kids will like the name.
    YUMMY POTATOES: (yes this is the real name, its not because I didn't know that name and just made this up myself)   

•     1    2 lb pkg    frozen hash brown potatoes
•     1    stick          butter melted
•     1    8 oz pkg   shredded cheddar cheese
•     1    8 oz pkg   sour cream
•     1/4    cup        minced onion
•     salt & Pepper to taste

   
    TOPPING: 2 cups crushed corn flakes
             1 stick melted butter
   
    In 9 x 13 pan that has been sprayed with non stick spray put in the hash brown potatoes. Then in a bowl mix together the melted butter, the shredded cheddar cheese, sour cream and minced onion. Pour over top of the the hash browns. Then add the topping (listed below) and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hours.

Cape Cottage Projects & a Rock Lobster

          This weeks story is headed for the short side, as this evening my wife and I found a platform bed that of course I had to put up tonight. What starts out as a 30 - 60 minute project ends up being a 2-3 hour project. It is little things like this that even remind me of the Cape. No this is not another Bed story,, although how many of those do I have. But this memory is about projects.
    Velma owned a cottage right across from the one we stayed at in Campers Haven. Velma and her husband owned a business outside Boston and would spend their weekends and more on the Cape throughout the summer. By the time we started going her kids had grown and had started out on their own so it was just the two of them. Velma over the years would keep me busy throughout the summers with odd jobs and projects that we always thought would take 15 or so minutes and then end up taking one to two hours instead. Velma always took care of me with the gratuities although I would have done it for free, she always insisted I take something for my time.  Some of the jobs included painting outdoor furniture, trimming the little bit of grass that was around the cottage, and even staining the deck a couple of times. There were also odd jobs inside the cottage that she always could use my help on and I was all to glad to help.
    Velma and our family grew close over the years and through the passing of her husband and then my mother we shared moments of pray and concern for each others families. Velma a couple years ago (now in her 90s) finally had to sell the cottage, as she moved into an assisted living community outside Boston and closer to her kids. I have not heard much since then but will never forget the good times we had working together to make her cottage look the best it could over the years.
    Thank you Velma for wonderful years of Cape friendship and putting a little spending money in a kids pocket.
    Someone keep the light in the Lighthouse on till I can find my way back please,,,,, Here's to being on the Cape ,,, enjoy.

    This weeks recipe is another one from the liqueur cabinet. Just don't drink so much of it that you feel like your head is caught in a claw or that you end up getting pincher-ed in the back side.
    This weeks cocktail; Rock Lobster

•     1 shot     Razzmatazz liqueur
•     1 shot    whisky, (Bourbon or Canadian)
•     2 oz        cranberry juice

    Pour razzmatazz and whisky into glass filled with ice. Pour cranberry juice over top and service

Dad's trip to Martha's Vineyard & Cowboy Cookies

      As I was visiting my Father this week end he conveyed me a couple of stories which are rather cute. My Father had been asked to step in and preach at one of the Baptist Churches on Martha's Vineyard. Someone on the main land had heard Dad and his wife Ollie where going over and knew what he was going over for and knew that my step mother had some disabilities. This person had a cousin who worked for the ferry and they told Dad, when you get there go through the gate, and got to the end, someone will meet you. So they did, Dad said all he could think of was where in the heck were they going to put them. Towards the end someone met them and pointed to a spot along the side and said park it there it will be fine, and put a special permit on the car. The only thing Dad can think of was that it was employee parking and fact they did not have to pay to park and did not have to walk a distance was a blessing. Dad still could not get over it, he said all I could think was where in the deuce an I going.
    On this same trip it was during the time of the Clinton administration and the time that the Clintons visited Martha's Vineyard. My step mother Ollie the good Democrat that she was felt compelled that the Clintons should at least be offered a place to worship on the Sunday morning that they were on the island. So she did her patriotic duty and sent the Clintons an invitation to come to church where my Dad was going to be preaching that Sunday. Well it so happened that President Clinton ended up going to church with his wife to the Methodist Church. But yes Ollie did send a letter of invitation, Dad still wonders today what it would have been like to preach knowing that the President was in the congregation. Knowing my Dad would not have changed one word that he had already prepared.
    The last story of this trip Dad tells me that they were to stay over at a small Bed and Breakfast. When they got there the host had already prepared a room and was ready for them. Later on Dad found out this dear lady had given up her own bedroom for Dad and Ollie to stay at her Bed and Bedroom. She had taken an inflatable mattress and set up in a small office room and spent the night basically sleeping on the floor. Dad tried to convince her she did not have to do that, but she insisted that it was not a big deal and she was honored to have Dad and Ollie stay the night in her room. Now that's hospitality.
    Dad say's it is a visit that he will never forget. And to think I have never been there yet in the over 43 years since I began going to the Cape. Gotta get there sometime soon.
    Well here is to Cape and the Islands and all they have to offer. Keep the light lit in the lighthouse till I can make my way back.
    Recipe this week is another one of my wife's finds, this time from her Great Aunt Helen. Now just a word here about the name Helen, in my wife's family as you go from her Mother on back there are more Helen's in this family then I know of any other. And between her family and mine  same names or names that sound a like, its almost ridiculous. But we all have fun with it and life goes on, and so must this week COOKIE recipe. This recipe goes out to all the horse farms on the Cape.
    Recipe of the week: Cowboy Cookies

•     2        cup         flour
•     1/2    tsp.         backing powder
•     1        tsp.         soda
•     1/2    tsp.         salt
•     2        cups       rolled oats
•     2        cups       shortening (not butter!)
•     1        cup         white sugar
•     1        cup         brown sugar
•     2                       eggs   
•     1        tsp.        vanilla (real if you can)
•     1        pkg.       semi-sweet chocolate chips

    Stir together and set aside flour, baking powder, soda and salt. Blend together shortening and sugar. Add eggs and beat until light. Add flour mixture and mix well. Add rolled oats., vanilla and chocolate. Dough will be crumbly. Drop by teaspoon on a greased cooked sheet and back 15 minutes at 350 degree.

Beach Sleep & Seafood Salad

I have talked about sleeping quarters in the past, but I'm not sure I have ever told this story. After I got married, I got into the habit of driving to the Cape through the night. I must have learned this from my Dad, as I rarely ever remember stopping in the middle of the trip to "sleep over" someplace. First reason is we never had a lot of money and that was just an extra expenditure that took away from money we could spend on the Cape. Second, with kids driving through the night meant that most the time the kids would sleep in the car and not constantly be doing the "when are we going to get there" routine. And third, I like my father get very excited about going and trying to sleep the night before is like poking a bear in his den when he is hungry and grumpy, it isn't pretty, (don't bother asking my wife she will tell you I am the bear).

Anyway, over the years like my father we got into the habit of driving through the night. We would stop in Connecticut for breakfast right as the sun was rising and by then the kids would be starting to stir and would need to be gotten up and taken care of. I knew there was only a couple of hours driving left and could make it into Dennis Port if on nothing else but adrenaline. We would get into Dad and Mom's (and later the Motel) and as soon as we could get our stuff out of the car. Once all was at least accessible, I would head off to the beach, sometimes with one of the kids, sometimes by myself, and every once in a while all of us. But I would get the towels out and down for everyone and then was my time. Within minutes, I am sure on many occasions, I would be out like a light. The beach as my bed and an extra towel for my pillow. Although I would start out with suntan lotion on, you can only go so long before it doesn't work any longer. And this fair haired, semi fair skinned Mid-Western once awaken from my slumber would have looked more like a well done Steamed or Boiled Lobster then what one should ever look like. I will say on may occasions the wife would come down and cover me up, but I sleep like a fish out of water, flipping and flopping around, so any covering does not stay on for long so after time, she gave up, (do you blame her, me leaving her with the kids).  I remember my father sleeping after his drives through the night, only difference was that he just hit the bed instead of the beach, and saved himself much grief over the years. I guess that would have been a big difference if I had been able to spend a month at a time on the Cape instead of only 1 week at a time.

The moral to this whole story is, if you drive through the night, either take a nap in a real bed and enjoy the beach throughout your stay, or have someone wake you up after to either add more lotion to you or to get you out of the sub before your trip gets overly miserable for you or you make it miserable for the ones you are with.

Until then please keep the light in the lighthouse lit and the lotion handy and make that trip the Cape Cod a pleasurable one for all.

Recipe of the week is another one from the hand written files of my wife's collection from her mother, who most likely got it from one of the nurses or staff from my father in laws practice. But it fits well to the theme of the year and into this month's planning as well as a great recipe for this weekend if not throughout the summer. And don't fall over, a seafood dish from me that does not have Old Bay Seasoning in it. Now on with the show.

Seafood Salad (or Crab & Shrimp Salad)

•     1  lb fresh crabmeat (cut into 1 inch pieces)
•     1 1/4  lbs  cooked shrimp (cut into 1 inch pieces)
•     1 1/4  cup diced celery
•     2  Tbs  diced onion
•     1 Tbs +  1 tsp lemon juice (fresh is best)
•     1/2  cup mayo (if you need a little more fine but don't overdue)
•     salt and pepper to taste

Mix cooked cut Crabmeat and cooked cut Shrimp together. In separate bowl combine celery, onion lemon juice, mayo, and salt and pepper and mix well. Add seafood to mixture and lightly mix, cover and chill.

Cape Food and Snow Pea Pods

      This week on FOODTV was a reminder of some of the things I love about the Cape as Bobby Flay's Throwdown was in Hyannis. It was a rerun, but seeing good food with friends close by sharing good times together. What more could someone say about the real Cape. Year after year I can not get over the variety of foods that are offered on the Cape. Sure there is Seafood, what is the Cape without seafood. From the blessing of the rakes that i just saw to happen to the blessing of the fishing boats in Provincetown and Chatham. But there are so many other wonderful foods to be had. Portuguese, Greek, Italian, Mediterranean and good old American bistro, and the infamous American Dinner and the American Bar & Grill. I know I am missing some, but the Cape is so wonderfully blessed and filled with so many different varieties of good eats (no not the show), where else would I want to be. From where we stay in DennisPort there really is not a place to far away that we would not consider driving to for a good inexpensive meal. Each year we have our standard places that we like to go, but we like to try someplace new that we have not had the experience of eating at before. Where do our recommendations come from ? Friends of course, locals that we have come to know and trust their judgment, reviews from our own CapeCodToday writers, and just basic word of mouth.  So the next time you are on the Cape as a visitor, ask around, find out what is new and what is good. As about the old tried and true places then go try someplace new that you have never been before, and don't be afraid to eat someplace that doesn't specialize in seafood. And you locals please get out there and let us know what is hot and what's not, so that we can help support the local businesses that are doing a good job.
    Until the next time I arrive, please keep the light in the lighthouse lit, the tea kettle on the stove and someone find me some good new restaurants to try out. Have a great week and even a better one if your spending it on old Cape Cod.
   
    This week I am going to do a recipe with an ingredient that we rarely eat. Many have said that they think most folks are turned off of this vegetable as a baby and from there it is just down hill. What am I talking about and that is peas. Most folks when they hear of peas can give you a horror story as a kid being forced to eat tin tasting, bland, squishy, mossy green brown peas. Its no wander most of us don't like them. But I will eat them frozen, but I like them best if fresh, and in salads. Then there are these things call snow pea pods, they are wonderful, full of flavor, and a wonderful color. But they have the work Pea in them how can they be good. Well they are and I hope you give them a try. These are not your old tin can peas, so please, just give them a try.

    Snow Pea Pods with Mushrooms and Garlic

•     1        pd     snow pea pods, (be sure to trim the ends off)
•     1/2    pd     mushrooms (don't be afraid to mix different kinds together)
•     4                 scallions (chopped)
•     2       clvs   garlic (cloves fresh minced)
•     1/3    cup    butter
•                          Old Bay Seasoning
•                          Salt   
•                          Pepper (fresh cracked)

    Place butter in pan with garlic and just warm enough to melt butter, (do not over heat and brown or burn your garlic it will become very bitter in taste). Add Snow pea pods, mushrooms, and scallions, sprinkle with Old Bay Seasoning, Salt and Pepper to taste and saute till tender and warm throughout. 

Sunrises & a Crabby Soul Man Cocktail

       So the sun is now getting up earlier and earlier, and its warming raise are helping the temperatures to climb out of the frigid and into a range that is more the likings of beach combers and sunbathers. Mornings and I have never had a liking for each other, and to this day I would rather see sunlight after what most call mid morning then to see is cracking over the horizon while you can still hear the birds snoring or yawning to wake up themselves. While on vacation my mother would never require me to get up early or to be a rise and shiner, but then again she would never let me sleep till the afternoon. Vacation was a time for relaxation and a time to let the lazy hazy days start slow and end long into the night.
    But there were those occasions that would demand our attention at what I would consider unGodly hours in the morning to be up and stirring. Dad and I going to the play a round of golf, Dad and I going fishing with a friend, Dad and I,, you get a pattern here. Looking back I think it is kind of funny, that Mom never really did the early morning thing either. But there were those rare times when even Mom would get up to go digging for shellfish. But on each occasion that we would rise and leave the cottage we were never shorted of what would be called a spectacular event. Whether watching the sun rise over Bass River while on a golf course through the mist rising off of dew covered fairways or sitting in a boat in Chatham harbor while watching the sun rise over the horizon of the Atlantic ocean and the National seashore.  Have you ever been on the north shore flats when the tide is out in the standing on the cool sand and watching the first raise of sunlight come over the duns to the east, what a spectacular sight. Or how about sitting in a row boat in the middle of Swan pond in Dennis Port watching the sun climb into the sky while looking down Swan river.
    Mornings may not be your thing, but it is would be well worth your wild to take a chance and try it every now and then. Whether you are a local or a traveler, grab an extra cup or mug of strong coffee or hot tea and go sit on a jetty or on a boardwalk and just watch as the sky is filled with such wonders of colors and beauty. Take your son, your daughter, sure they will grumble, they may even growl, but when down the road they will have a memory that will never be able to be taken away from them, that you took the time to share a moment that was special to just the two of you. ,,,,,,,, Here is to beautiful sunrises on Cape Cod that can not be copied anywhere else.         
    The first week of the month is always fun for me. I love looking for cocktails and drinks and seeing some the most odd named things that I have ever seen. And many that have names that would make any sane grandmother blush. Well you can look those ones up yourself, I will not be listing those here however one that I found for this week fits into both the theme of the year and my theme for this month and also has my favorite juice for mixes in it Cranberry Juice. So on with the show.
    This weeks recipe: Crabby Soul Man Cocktail

•     2 oz        Absolute Mandrin Vodka
•     3 oz        Cranberry Juice
•     1               7-Up

    Fill glass with ice, add Mandrin Vokda , then add Cranberry Juice ( 2 - 3 shots depending on how strong you want your drink) then top off with with 7-Up.     

Pasta & Feta Salad and another note

         Well almost another month gone, and we are almost out of the cold weather which means one month closer to summer and vacation season. If only it could come quicker. I know I was just there about 4 weeks ago, but I think it was just a teaser to remind me of how much I love the fresh seafood, the salt air, and the sand under my feet. It didn't matter to me that the temps could have been a little warmer so I could have actually done the beach. And yes I understand that living there is much different then vacationing, as you have to earn a living. But to me there is no other place to be then on Cape Cod. Well, still in chill mode give me just another week and hopefully by next week will back in full swing. Keep the lighthouse oil lamp lit for me so I can find my way back and keep the sun shinning so it warms up a little more for my next visit... Here is to Cape Cod.....
   
    Recipe EXTRA; EXTRA; EXTRA as this is the 5th Wednesday night in the month, this is bonus week.
    This week is a Salad recipe that I got from a co-worker over 15 years ago that every one in the family has fallen in love with and said this was one for this week.
    So without further ado

        Pasta & Feta Salad  (I know how original right)

•     1    box          Bow tie pasta (16 oz box)
•     1    med.        green pepper (chopped)
•     1    med.        colored pepper (chopped)
•     1    can          ripe olives (12 oz black olives sliced)
•     1    small      Feta Cheese (approx 6 oz container)
•     1    bottle      Kraft Greek salad dressing
•     1    pkg          grape tomatoes (cut in half)

    Cook the pasta, drain and cool. Add chopped pepper, olives, cheese. Pour dressing over top and mix well. If you can allow to sit over night. When you serve you can either add tomatoes before serving or serve on the side. Good as main course or as side dish. Great for spring or summer cookouts.

A quick visit and Ting-A-Ling Cookies

        My son and I had a nice visit on the Cape for a couple of day the week between Palm Sunday and Easter. It was rather funny when I saw the artical on the tail of 2 Capes as that is what we did. Spent Palm Sunday in Rockport, Mass, spent a couple days in Boston doing places like Freedom Trail, Fenway Park tour, Samual Adams Brewery, and several other places, then came out to the Cape for a day and a half. It was his senoir spring break and for the past 5 years we have done something together, just he and I. And this year he chose Boston and allowed me to visit the Cape for a couple of day.
    Rockport is nice, but give me good old Cape Cod,, Have a great and wonderful day as you remember good times on the Cape.

    As this is the forth week in the month, it's time for COOKIES,, Personally I think the name of these cookies are just funny, and my wife is insistent that we use this recipe so here we go. This comes from Mary M. who worked in my father-in-laws podiatric office for many years.
        This weeks recipe is Ting-A-Ling

•     1    can        chow main noodles (large can)
•     1    can        peanuts (small can cocktail peanuts)
•     1    pkg        chocolate chips (8 oz pkg)
•     1    pkg        butterscotch chips (8 oz pkg)

•     Melt chips in a double boiler.
•     In large bowl break up chow main noodles into smaller pieces.
•     Add peanuts to noodles and mix
•     Add melted chips to noodles and mix thoroughly
•     Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper and chill/
•     This recipe makes about 3 1/2 doz.

Baked Stuffed Striped Bass & An Honorable Mention.

This week; this blog is pure Tax relief, as there will be no taxing issues mentioned here, just pure food enjoyment. And one very honorable mention.

First the honorable mention is a YouTube event that is worth your wild watching. I mention it as the Cape is so filled with a history of Art and Artisans that I felt this fit right in. I understand that this was not done on the Cape, but is a 4 minute show that was done at one of our local churches Easter Sunday morning in service. The artist is a personal friend of ours by the name of Darrin Hoover who has sold his works round the globe. Just click and watch and be amazed, (or copy and paste) then pass it on.

Thats all...Have a great week either on the Cape or remember those wonderful memories.

So on with the cooking...This week Baked Stuffed Striped Bass

•     3-5    lbs.         whole stripped bass
•     2        cups        whole grain bread crumbs
•     2-3    Tbsp.      melted butter
•     4        Tbsp.      chopped parsley
•     2-3    Tbsp.      chopped onion
•     1         cup         chopped mushrooms
•     3-4     Tbsp.     chopped almonds (slivered can be used
•     1-2      tsp.        Old Bay Seasoning

•                 salt,
•                 pepper
•                 extra virgin olive oil
•                 lemon and orange slices (optional)

Take one cleaned bass with head and fins still on, be sure to pat dry. Mix bread crumbs , mushrooms, melted butter, parsley, onion, and almonds and Old Bay Seasoning , add salt and pepper to taste. Pack cavity of fish loosely with stuffing mixture and close with either toothpicks or cooks twine. Drizzle outside of fish with Olive Oil and gently brush till covered. Use a pepper mill and grind fresh pepper over the top. Bake in a 350 degree oven uncovered for 30-45 minutes depending on size of fish or until meat is flaky.  Garnish with citric slices and serve.           

Aunt Helen's Relished Mushrooms & a Note

     This is from my wife's Aunt, and our kids (like 18 and 25 are kids) love this side dish. I hope you enjoy them.  

Baseball Memory & a Flaming Mr. Fish Cocktail

As baseball spring training winds down and looks to head north in just a week or so, I can not forget going to Fenway Park on jaunts from the Cape. Back in 60s and 70s the RedSox would give out free or discounted tickets to Pastors and Minister and my Dad and the Pastor of the church we attended on the Cape would get these tickets and take his son and I along with them to the game on many occasions. I loved going to the see the RedSox play and over the years have become a RedSox fan in the American League.  Hopefully soon, I will be able to take my son to visit Fenway and take a tour of the Park. He has come to love the RedSox almost as much as I have and enjoy following them through the past several seasons.

I remember the year that the RedSox and the Reds played in for the World Championship and it went to 7 games. Living in Ohio we have two teams that we live between and since I already rooted for the RedSox that counted out one team. I have been a lifetime fan of the Cincinnati Red for the National League, so when the World Series was these two team I could not loose. I would watch the games on TV and kept a score card on each game, for each at bats and ever hit and out. I kept that score card for years after and only after 20 some odd years later finally gave up the tattered and torn pieces of paper that I had cherished for so long.

What is interesting is that my love for the RedSox would have never happened if I had not had the connection to Cape Cod and my Dad had not been able to get tickets like he did. I would like to that the past RedSox owners for thinking of the Clergy and making this opportunity available that has led to me being a long time fan of the RedSox. ,,,, Thank you Cape Cod for another memory that is ongoing, and has been passed onto another generation of my family.

Final note: Tonight we have just learn that we have lost another member of our family. This morning my wife's Aunt Edith suffered a major stoke, by late afternoon she went home to be with the Lord. Although up in years she had been in good health and was a delight to be around and with. She was our genealogy specialist of the family and had provided much of the work that has gone into tracing my wife's family (from her Mother's side) back through the Mayflower and even back further into English history. May her husband find comfort in the coming days, and may those who knew her dearly remember her smiling face.. God had blessed all of us who knew her and had been touched by her graciousness. Until we meet again...

This weeks recipe: Flaming Mr. Fish Cocktail

•     1 1/4     oz    vodka
•     2 1/2    oz    sambuca
•      raspberry lemonade

Put vodka and white sambuca into a shaker with 3 - 4 ice cubes.  Shake and strain into hurricane glass and top off with raspberry lemonade.

I remember/They remember, and Scotcharoos

       Memories are funny things and there are three kind. First there are memories as everyone remembers, then there are memories that only a few remember but most can associate with. Then there are the memories that someone, like you, are the only one that remembers them and everyone else has there own version that somehow is so radically different from yours, you wonder if they were at the same place you were, (and they think the same about you).  Now on the Cape most could associate these memories with a favorite pastime called fishing. However many times have you gone fishing with your Dad, and somehow by the time you get home to tell Mom all about the one that got away, what started out as a minnow, might has well ended up to be a whale. I remember on several occasions this to be the case, whether fishing for Yellow Perch on Swan Pond in Dennisport, or for Flounder off Chatham Harbor. I seemed that Dad always had a good memory for the one that got away from me, Yet when it came to how green he could get while at times while out on the water, his memory always seemed to get real bad. Dad was good when the boat was moving, however if the boat would sit still for to long and would start its bobbing up and down in the gentle waves, Dad would turn more shades of green in the shortest time, then there are different colors of leaves in the fall in all of New England. However Mom would ask how things went and amazingly Dad would say, oh things went "rather" well, which usually meant, I only turned 7 shades of green. If things went "Ok" then he only 15 shades, and if ever he admitted that things did not go well, all I can say you get the picture. But again,, how come he always remembered my fishes but never how sick he was when I was catching them.
    Another memory like this is weather memories. You remember. the year that you went to the Cape and the temperatures were so cold that you had to make the special trip to Cuffy's to buy those sweats because all you brought were shorts and sleeveless shirts. Funny how you went home and bragged how nice the weather was, and the walk on the beach was the best you had ever experienced. What's even funnier is the look on your spouse's faces who was very pregnant at the time and has a completely different remembrance of the whole ordeal. Lucky someone ever got to come back. Then again, I never remember bad weather at the Cape, it must have been when someone else was at the Cape and having their own laps in memory.
    Note at all the last but then there are the shopping trips. It is amazing when at home if you have to drive over 3 miles to get to a place to shop or to a mall, you might as well be driving to Timbuktu. But on the Cape everything is just a few minutes or miles away. You remember, you are in Chatham and that other dog shop in Mashpee Commons. Ya right a few minutes, or just a few miles. Or maybe  that little jaunt up to the winery in Truro, ya I remember it was just above, uhm,  Orleans, right, ya thats it,, as you are sitting in middle of Hyannis, and the list goes on and on. We all have those stories of short trips that ended up somehow taking all afternoon getting to and from. Yet next year why is it no one can remember last years time consuming fiasco trips. You would think someone in the family could do a little better at planning the shopping trips, Oh ya that's me.
    Anyway family trips to the Cape can bring out some of the best stories and memories in all of us, even you are shopping for a better fish story in your sweats. Oh well I've never caught a fish I could fry and eat, or a day I couldn't enjoy a walk on a beach after spending the better part of the morning shopping up and down 6A. But in all the best part of all of these memories is that they all happened on Cape Cod.. Till our next trip, when we forget all the above and start over again.. Keep the light lit in the lighthouse for me, as I start to look forward to another trip to my favorite place,,, Old Cape Cod.

    This weeks recipe is another from my wife's Mother's recipe box. These are are fun to make and even better to eat, and personally I just like to say the name. So if you like Butterscotch you will love these cookie bars. We have no idea where this came from as it was on a 3 X 5 card typed, so if anyone has seen these before, or has a better origin, please don't hold this against us, this card is more the 30 years old.

    Recipe of the Week: Scotcharoos

•     1    cup          White Karo Syrup
•     1    cup          White Sugar
•     1    cup          Peanut Butter
•     6    cups       Rice Krispies
•     1    pkg.        Chocolate chips (milk or dark is fine)
•     1    pkg.        Butterscotch chips

   
    Combine Karo & sugar in sauce pan & bring to a boil. Boil for a few minutes, take off stove and add peanut butter. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour over Rice Krispies and mix. Press Mixture in 13 x 9 x 21/2 buttered pan, (butter is preferred over spray). Butter hands and use them as mixture is stiff. Melt Chocolate chips & Butterscotch chips in top of double boiler. Stir and ice mixture. Chill and cut in 2 x 2 squares. (Note these are very hard to cut when really cold so either cut before you chill or allow to warm up before you cut).

Making Up a Game & Baked Blue Fin Tuna

          This week as we still remember my Step Mother, my daughter reminded me of this memory. Ollie was one for games, any kind of game, even if she made it up on the spot or had an adaptation of something from the past. Ollie loved to take walks, but walks just weren't walks to her, especially if one of the grandkids were with her. They would always turn into a treasure hunt or a collectors walk. Well, one of the years that we had gone to the Cape, and Ollie took our daughter on one of her "walks. When they got back to the cottage, there was much to-do about what they had found, only problem was the rest of us were not allowed to see. Instead this was to become a game. One by one they would bring something to each of us (My Dad, wife, and myself) that had been put in some kind of box. We were not allowed to look at the item, smell it (although sometimes we wondered by the smell just what could this be), or ask questions about it in any way, we could only touch or feel it. Each one of us had to write down our answers, then at the end, we went over what each one person thought it was then one by one Ollie and Elizabeth after lots of giggling and laughter would show us what they had found on their walks.
    This past weekend at Ollie's memorial service it was amazing the stories that were shared, and often how one of us from my household would say, I remember doing that at the Cape with her, or do you remember we used to do that when we went to Cape Cod. Ollie loved to play games, any kind of game, and she loved being with family. Next time you are on the Cape, Grandparents, take your grandkids on a walk and create a game by collecting things you find. Parents, don't be afraid to join in the fun and make the experience a better one for your young ones. It is memories like these that will have lasting value, not how much you spent or how many shows to got to. And when it is time to say Good Bye you can look back and say how wonderfully rich of a blessing you had to be able to share a special moment with people that meant the most to you in life. And what a better place then to make those memories while on Cape Cod.
   
    This is one of those recipes that could show up anyplace. This one came from my Mother who collected recipes from different places and eventually she or I would copy them onto 3 x 5 recipe cards for later. I keep finding these in different places and as I go along. Hope you enjoy this one.
    Recipe of the week; Baked Blue Fin Tuna
        Should yield about 4 servings

•     1                        egg beaten
•     1        Tbsp.     lemon juice
•     1        tsp.        Old Bay Seasoning
•     1/2    tsp.        salt (sea salt preferred)
•     1/2    tsp.        pepper
•     1/2    cup        bread crumbs
•     1        tsp.        marjoram
•     1        tsp.        basil
•     1        pd.        Blue Fin Tuna Steaks (could go 1 - 1 1/2 pds)

    In one bowl whisk together egg, lemon juice, Old Bay Seasoning, salt and pepper. In a second bowl mix bread crumbs, marjoram, and basil. Dip Tuna Steaks into egg mixture, then coat with bread crumbs. Place tuna steaks in a 9 x 13 baking pan, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes at 375 degrees or until fish flakes easily with fork.

In Memory - Spinach Salad

T

his is simply in memory of Olga Gimmi 1924-2009, thank you for giving my Dad, and our family 20 wonderful years and for allowing us to be a part of you. Thank you for being willing to share the cottage at the Cape after you and Dad married and for many years after. Thank you for sharing your family with us as well. Although we grieve your loss, your home going to glory is a wonderful celebration. May we remember you often in our every day lives, and may we always remember your sharing with us your time on the Cape when you really did not have to. 

       Ollie as we all knew her by, became part of our family 20 ago after my mother had passed away of cancer. She understood what my father was going though as many years prior she had lost her husband to a heart condition. They made a wonderful team.  

Thank you and welcome home...I know all the saints in glory were waiting for your arrival.

- CC Rockhopper

   Spinach Salad

•     2        pkgs      fresh spinach 16 oz bags
•     1/2    box        cheese croutons
•     6        each      hard boil eggs chopped       
•     1/2    lbs         bacon, fried and crumbled

    Dressing

•     1        each      onion, chopped medium
•     2/3    cup        sugar
•     3         tsp         prepared mustard
•     1         tsp         salt
•     1/2     tsp         pepper
•     1/2     cup        vinegar
•     1/2     cup        oil

In bowl mix: spinach, croutons, hard boiled eggs, and bacon. In a blender mix chopped onion, sugar, mustard, salt and pepper, and quick mix. Next add oil and vinegar slowly together till emulsified. Pour dressing over spinach mixture and serve.  

Shells & a Blue Fin Cocktail

        When I was young I was fascinated by all the different kinds of shells that were on the beach. I didn't care if they were big or small, or if where they came from. I just liked to look for shells. I would look for ones that had different different colors in them and were different shapes. Mussel shells, Clam shells, Oyster shells, and the fun-nest were to find a Conk every now and then that was still in tack. There of course were shells that were crab shells and snail shells, with their pretty twists and swirls, and if you got a really good one it had lots of blues and or oranges in the shell. But in the end it really did matter I was just happy with any and all the shells I could find.
        But, it is amazing with kids, whenever you think you find a really good, and interesting hobby or something to collect, why do parents, especially Mothers think they have to intervene. Mom would make me leave the shells outside and in buckets of fresh water. She would say they need to be cleaned to get the sticky stuff off so they would not smell later on. And when it came to the Conk shells or snail and crab shells, very rarely would she let me keep those, unless Dad could be positive that there was nothing still living inside, and Mom was not going to do any boiling or bleaching. So Dad and I would always have a challenge convincing Mom that there was nothing still living inside, in order to keep a really cool shell.         Well over the years it seemed that I would bring home more shells then there were left on the beach, or at least that is what my folks used to think. Before we would head home, it was usually Dad that would have to say, ok now, you can take a small bag home but no more. They will break all up and, "what are you really gonna do with them" he would ask? But Dad,, no, you can leave them here for next year so you have something to look for. We would go back and forth and somewhere along the way Dad would allow a compromise and I would always take home more then he really wanted but less then a beach full that I had intended. Today, I still enjoy finding different shells, of different colors, and shapes and sizes, but the fascination of having to keep each one has gone. My wife is happy for this one. But as I look up and down the beach I can still see younger children and kids, with there buckets, fascinated with each and every shell they pass. And Mom and Dad having to say well lets leave that one here for another day or maybe we can look for some more tomorrow.. Oh to only be so care free again..
              Amazing how the small things mean so much the older we get from out childhood days, shells how simple, but how memorialized in my mind of a much quieter and care free time of life... all on wonderful ol' Cape Cod

        Recipe of the week is a: BLue Fin Cocktail
    Drink too much of this and you will be swimming as well.

•         2 oz    Criton Vodka
•         1 oz    Hpnotiq liquor
•         3 oz    White Cranberry Juice

   
        Add all Vodka, Hpnotiq, and cranberry juice to shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and     strain  into cocktail glass and garish with swedish or gummy fish.  

Any Good Restaurants & Salted Peanut Cookies

I have been reading over the past several weeks of all the troubled times with the restaurants on the Cape. I started to thinking of all the good times and outstanding meals we have had over the years, some with my folks from bygone years, most with the wife and family, but on those rare special occasions with just the wife and I. When I was growing up, going out to dinner was not the way of life. First we did not have the money, on a Pastor's salary, especially in the late 60's, 70's and 80's,, well, lets just say 1 could eat while the on-lookers sniffed a lot. And second being there for the entire month in the early days, eating out would have gotten boring. But as the years passed and I got married and had my own family and we only have been able to go for a week, eating out has become a part of the experience of our vacation time. Only during the earlier years, when my Mom and Dad would offer to look after the kids and my Dad would feed me a couple extra bucks, were the wife and I able to get out for that special meal, and a couple years ago when the kids did not come with us gave us some time together alone at some new places.

So what restaurants where there, well the Regatta in Falmouth was a wonderful place and right along the harbor with all the beautiful yachts lined up. Then there is the Regatta at Cotuit, one of the most elegant dinners we have ever had on the Cape. Although we have not been back in many years I have watched and seen that they continue to win awards for their food. One of the most scenic views was at Anthony's Cummaquid Inn, looking out over the marshland and past to the Cape Cod Bay. There have been places like the old Thompson's Clam Bar and the old Rosemont that my folks would be invited to along with the elegant Chatham Bar Inn which still today graces the streets of Main St.. How can I forget the wonderful meal my wife and I had at the Dan'l Webster Inn where we ran into some other vacationer with the same last name as us, from Germany. We know most of the folks in the US and knew none were on the Cape so the table must be for us, WRONG,, it was the other folks, we all had a good laugh, then a wonderful meal.

Today, we have found some new favorites like Brax Landing and their Sunday Brunch, my mouth is already watering for the roast beef, the seafood newburg and on and on. Then there is Jason's Tavern and what about Cook's Seafood, who by our standards has some of the best fried clams on the Cape, Ok so there are others, but this is my memory. We have fallen in love with Clancy's on Upper County Road, not the cheapest but with the amount of food you get a really good deal for the money. And have we even started to really tap the line up. This is not a list I have been looking at on some web sight, these are my restaurants that are just spilling out of my head as I long for a decent seafood meal in the middle of the winter.

Memories are made up of things that we either remember as very good times or very bad times and how we choose to surround each event. Restaurants have always been special for me as growing up as a kid we did not go out a lot. Even today we do not have the money to do the higher end meals and I have a real problem paying for something that I could prepare at home as good if not better then what I am paying $50.00 or more for a plate, or when the bill for 2 is seeing $100.00 in the rear view mirror. For me I can buy 2 weeks or more of meat for my family of 4 and all are 18 years of age or older for that price. But I enjoy sitting down to a comfortable, reasonably priced meal and being able to relax. That is what is a good memory for me, the experience combined with good food at a price that I do not feel gouged at. So look around, visit a good establishment, share it with us, and your experience, tell us if it was a good memory or not,, or remind us of someplace you remember that is no longer around. And hopefully we can all pull through these hard times together before we lose too many more of our wonderful Cape Cod eateries.

Here we go with another fun filled dessert that everyone can enjoy anytime of the day... COOKIES, it is another recipe from the wife's side of the family.

This week: Salted Peanut Cookies

•     1  cup  melted butter
•     2  cups  brown sugar
•     2  eggs
•     2   cups  sifted flower
•     1   tsp.  baking powder
•     1   tsp.  salt
•     1   tsp.  baking soda
•     2   cups  oatmeal
•     1   cup  corn flakes
•     1   cup  whole salted peanuts
•     1   tsp.  vanilla

1. Blend 1 cup of melted butter with 2 cups of brown sugar. Beat 2 eggs and add to butter mixture.
2. Sift 2 cups of flour with 1 tsp. of baking powder and 1 tsp. salt and 1 tsp. soda.
3. Mix butter-sugar blend with flour mixture.
4. Stir in 2 cups of oatmeal, 1 cup of corn flakes, 1 cup of whole salted peanuts and 1 tsp. vanilla.
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
6. Drop cookie dough from teaspoon onto greased backing sheet (cooking spray) and bake for 12 minutes
7. Remove and let cool on cookie rack.
   

Cape Trinkets & Baked Flounder

       As I was digging through my desk drawers the other day I ran across some trinket reminders of past years at the Cape. I started thinking of all the little things that we have bought over the year and of course of the things that  I will most likely buy over the next number of years. And I started to wonder what am going to do with all these things. Mostly key chains and key keepers and a few other kind of keep sakes, but I've spent my money on these things over the years, to do what, throw them out several years later as I've collected more trinkets and gadgets that have over taken the first batch? To be honest I really don't want to get rid of things as they are part of my memories. We have keepers marked with Cape Cod on it, we have keepers with the pictures and outlines of the Cape on it. We have Key chains with Chatham, and Dennis, and keepers with P'Town and Orleans. I have ones with Falmouth and Sandwich and heavens only knows what in half of those boxes that I have buried in the basement that I have not really open in years. But all of these have memories of places we've been and different people we have met over the years, and I really don't want to get rid of these things.
    So what do you do all of these things? Well it came to me, we have a fiber optic Christmas tree, I know its February and Christmas is past you are saying. But stay with me here for a minute. Our fiber optic tree can not handle heavy ornaments, and even some of the normal weight ornaments can get a little heavy for these branches. But these key chains and key keepers are plastic, (great if you have kids or animals that can get into you trees), and they very light weight. I have wanted to put together a Cape Cod Tree for some time. So now I think I have a way to do it without breaking the piggy bank. This year as I am cleaning out boxes, (which my wife will tell you is an oxymoron with me as I rarely get rid of much, especially if it's something from the Cape), I am going to start pulling together all those Cape Cod trinkets from over the years that we have collected and are now either just taking up space or were in places we did not even know that still existed. Also as I come back to the Cape I can start to look more carefully for other ideas that would work well as Christmas ornaments that one would not normally think of as being used on a Christmas Tree, who knows might even find some of those things at the Christmas Tree shops. Then in coming years as you and kids pull out ye old Tree, and start to hang your new ornaments, you can talk about your past trips to the Cape. Where did you get each ornament, how many years ago, what did you do as a family, and what good times you were able to have. It then will become more meaningful as your family remembers good times together on Cape Cod,, and you can see that those spent dollars on cheesy trinkets didn't all go to waste.
    Well looking at those key chains just gets me going more to wanting to be on the Cape, but for now I better come back to reality, then again why,, when there are so may wonderful things we can picture up, as we are remember those wonderful time we have had on old Cape Cod... Keep the light on and turn up the heat.

    Recipe of the week is another one that my wife's Mother  had put in the back of her recipe box. I know that it was one of those that came on a Realtors post card and has to be at least 21-25 years old if not older. Of course as usual there are always a tweek here and tweek there but its pretty much a straight forward standard recipe like one that my Mother use to make. So on with the show for this week,,,

    Baked Flounder

•     6 - 8             Flounder filets
•     1/2     cup    crushed potato chips (or cracker crumbs)
•     1/2     cup    parmesan cheese
•     1         cup    milk
•     2 - 3             shakes of Tabasco sauce
•     1/8     tsp.   Old Bay Seasoning.

    Combine milk, Tabasco sauce, and Old Bay Seasoning, and soak flounder in milk mixture for 15 - 30 minutes, (the longer the better). Mix crushed potato chips with parmesan cheese and dip filets in the chips and cheese mixture. Place filets in a greased casserole dish and back in a a 500 degree over for 10 minutes.

Wind, Kites & Vegetable Dip

       As the winds blew wildly outside our condo tonight, I can not help but think back on the times that I used to go down to the beach and pray that the wind was strong enough to raise my kites but not so windy that it caused the sand to whip up and burn the heck out of your legs. Every year we would have to go either into Dennisport to the Five and Dime store and get a kite or go to Bashton's Five and Dime on Lower County Rd (sorry if I butchered the spelling) and get a new kite. Each year would be another feet of attempting to get a really cool kite to fly as high as we could get it and not loose it. The windier the weather the better chances we had of loosing our kite as we never really had good kites string. and in out attempts to make the length longer the knots we tied were never the best and a lot of times in stronger winders for undo and off would go our kites. Most of the time we were just happy if we could get our kit into the air and to stay up for any length of time and could enjoy our success in flying our new found friend.
    Dad's in general should get a special prize for putting up with kids and their kites. As Dad who really knew better that there was not enough wind would take their kids down to the beach and run along the waters edge trying to the get the kite in the air as their sons and daughter would sit on the side lines cheering him on waiting for him to return with the kite high in the air and  chance to take the bobbin and hold it for a bit, or until they let go and Dad was left to chase the kites half way across the Cape it seem. But eventually if not tangled in some wires or landing on top of a cottage roof, Dad would reappear after a while out of breath and carrying a war beaten kite ready to try again
    Today I have not flown a kite for some time, but the adult designs and patterns have caught my eye. I have gone down to the beaches and watched as grown men and woman fly these magnificent kites and do outstanding stunts with them. They bring back the memories of bygone years as a kid and beckon me to try my hand once more. Maybe this year will be the year, maybe this year I will go and by a not so kiddy kite and try my hand once more at flying a kite and relive my youth sitting and watching as I fly my kites as high as I can on a warm summers evening on a strip of Cape Cod beach..
    Recipe of the week is another one from my wife's Mother's recipe box typed on a 3 x 5 card, so who knows where it  actually came from. It is simple, is great for an appetizer or with lunches or dinners. You don't eat this by itself but its a wonderful item to be able to through together (although best if left to set for at least an hour if not overnight)  to add a little something to a meal or before.
    This weeks recipe Vegetable Dip,,,    don't run away, service with Crackers or hollowed out rye bread, or cut up vegetables, like carrots and celery, broccoli and cauliflower, and even jicama and radishes. This dip is wonderful and makes eating spinach fun...Now on with the recipe

    Vegetable Dip

•     1    box    frozen spinach (chopped)
•     1    cup    sour cream ( your could use equal part sour cream and mayo)
•     1    can    water chestnuts
•     1               small onion
•     1               envelope vegetable soup mix (this recipe uses Knorr

    Thaw out spinach and drain, use raw. Finely dice water chestnuts and onion, mix all together the day before, let set. Serve with crackers, hollowed out bread and cut up vegetables.

Memories for my Cottage Fever & a GOLDFISH

     There comes a time during every winter that cabin, of in my case cottage fever sets in. You start climbing the walls and the only thing you can think of is those warm hazy lazy summer days. And for someone like me, where does my mind go to but down on a beach that is welcoming the warm waters of the Nantucket Sound. When temperatures are are now 8 degrees outside my door, what I wouldn't give for a warm sunny day around 77 degrees. A spot on the beach where you can relax and either just lay and soak up the rays or catch up on a good book, (ok, so apparently I am not thinking of an August weekend). The only think that break the peace and quite is the sound of gulls flying high in the,, well not so high in the,,, Hey leave my potato chips alone, and your give me back my ,,, oh well so much for feeding the birds. How many time have you see it,, someone who has been basking in the sun, catching every beautiful ray,, then the time comes and off to the water they trot. They walk from jetty to jetty looking for that perfect spot to enter. Then first the toe, in and out, then a little walk then in goes the feet, one at a time, then Oh come on you are saying to yourself get in the water. Then it happens, they take off into the water with a splash and a dive, ok, they did it, they are in, the cool water on the warm sun baked skin has now past and you are enjoying bobbing along, as you are out a little ways at low tide. Then it from out of nowhere you see them circling your towel, your bodiless towel and you forgot to put the chips away. They are like vultures zeroing in on your beach towel,, you can't move fast enough, and from the water you hear the individual,, shoo, shoo, get away from there, no NO quite eating my food! But too late, they got them,, and what is worse the rest of us just sat around and watched those stupid birds land  next to your blanket and walk right up and take your stuff. Problem is they have done it to my stuff, and the folks have sat around and just watched also,, probably you were one of them.. Oh well, the chips were stall anyway and after being in the sun all day would not have tasted that good anyway. Look at it this way, what were you going to do with them later,, remember sand has now gotten into the bag,,, ya, like you were going to take them back to the cottage where someone was going to give you grief for eating the whole bag.
    Now that you have the picture can you tell, I know my Cape beach, I and the beach commune well together, and to me there is no better place to find relaxation. Yes, I have cabin fever bad,, I want some warm Cape Cod sand beneath my feet, and the smell of salt air in my nose, and when the evening comes and I retire to my room or cottage, I just want to sit out in front of my dwelling, look up into the sky and remember what a warm beautiful day I had just experienced,,, if you can do it with someone who loves the Cape as much or more then you it makes it even better. But you learn to savor those moments cause somewhere down the road, you are going to be sitting in a dwelling looking at temperatures falling outside your doors and windows and the only thing that is going to keep your brain warm is those memories of your days on a warm summer Cape Cod beach......... Keep the light on,,, and someone don't forget to turn up the heat,, ITS COLD OUT THERE.

    This weeks recipe is what I call my fun recipe. Cocktails, Shots, and Punches always seem fun to me, especially reading some of the names for these things. If you would come into my condo, you would not find much alcohol, but who said you had to be a big drinker in order to find some drinks with fun names or drinks that you may enjoy every once in a while.
    So with all that the recipe of this month is:  GOLDFISH

•     1 oz    Vodka (citric or plan)
•     1 oz    Peach Schnapps
•     2   -    canned mandarin orange wedges

    Mix Vodka and Schnapps in shot glass and add mandarin orange wedges
Drink to many and these and you will be swimming like a Goldfish.. Enjoy responsibly please.

Reflection of Time & Mom's Molasses Cookies

      Vacations and get aways, never long enough as a kid, even shorter as an adult. As a kid growing up I was taught that there was time for work, then there was a time for play. And taking time to get away from the job and taking family time was very important to my Mom and Dad. I remember the last year we vacationed in Maine, and going outside and picking blueberries right outside the cabin, and looking at the bear tracks, and swimming in the lake. My father remembers it a little different, a drive into no-mans land, seeing a BEAR wear his family was and not very happy about it,, and a lake that only kids without feelings in there body could stand to get in as it a glass of melting snow felt warmer then the water did. It was a nice area and we had a nice time,,, But
    Then came the change, Cape Cod here we come. Sandy beaches, ocean water that didn't turn your lips blue when just your toes were dipped in the edge of the shore. Civil existence, that was not hours of driving away and no sighting of bears,,, a few skunks, a fox, a coyote or two, but No Bears.. When we started going to the Cape it was the first time that Dad started to get a whole month off for vacation. So we would pack up the car and off we would go with just about everything but the kitchen sink. You would have thought we were going to move there permanently with all the stuff we packed away in the car. Dad would use his time to read some, then read some more, then find even more things to read. He would plan his sermons and lessons for the next year, and hymns that would he thought would go well as a support to his teaching for that Sundays lesson. Some would say, wait a minute this is vacation. But Dad would never sacrifice the time with the family to do work, the planning was always secondary. As a kid I also saw these days filed with Mom relaxing on the beach either knitting or doing cross word puzzles or reading. She was always busy with a project or two that was relaxing yet was still being productive with her time. As for me,, in the beginning I did what ever kid does at the beach, play, play play,, they (my folks) where meant to pray I was meant to play.. But as the years went on I began to take my trumpet along and would practice and would learn the use of time even while on vacation. As the a kid there were never enough hours in the day, or days in a week that we could not ask for more to play with, and being at the beach was the best time in the world and all to soon we would be packing up and heading home asking where did the time go. As a teen, I learned that time went even quicker, and that my weeks more so turned to days and my days hours that I had to enjoy laying on the beach. Now mind you I did all I could to stretch it out, but somehow the time always seemed to get shorter.
    Now as an adult in the beginning I thought the world operated on month long vacations, to which I so rudely found out was not the case. My month long vacation the first year of marriage I was delegated to only 2 days. 2 DAYS what was this world coming to, from a month long vacation to 2 days. Ok so I had not worked at anyplace long and I did not have time. Then I got a more permanent job and they told me you can take 2 weeks,, again, 2 weeks ?! What were they thinking, but you have to do what you have to do,, only problem now was how to pay for it, and 2 weeks reduced to 1 week thanks to Mom and Dad with a place to stay. Yikes what was happening, my wonderful month long vacation that I thought was already getting to short as a kid growing up was now disappearing faster then I was getting older.
    Then came the years with the children, my wife would probably say that the week some years felt like a month, without the toys of the house or the things to keep little ones busy with. For the kids they loved it, for the parents, sometimes it can become overwhelming and not in a good way. But after time you learn what to take as a parent and again, when times are good, that family time goes by way to fast and again its time to pack up the family and head for home.
    Finally when you reach the time when the kids are able to function on their own, dont have to be hand held, you find out that your 4 weeks of vacation time can not be taken all at once and when you find that wonderful spot that you so love, it cost more then I can afford and so my time is back to ,,,,,, you get the picture,, Time, our vacations and get aways, never long enough, and by the time we can get away long enough we cant afford it..
    Oh course a lot of this is all in fun, but how true. As you look back over the years that you have been coming to the Cape, cherish each and every visit as if it were your last. Make every visit as full as you can without breaking the bank or breaking your spouse trying to do to much. Learn to relax and unwind while also getting things done that you did not have time to do at home, like make a plan for the next year of projects, read books for fun, for self help and personal growth, do cross word puzzles and stretch the mind. But go places that don't cost anything to do, go see things that are not normal where you call home, and find new things to experience and enjoy. Make each day worth something, so that at the end you can say WOW that went quick, but in the same sense you can say WOW what a wonderful time. And to think Cape Cod has been my haven, my respite, my play of relaxation. It is always too short of stays whenever I go and always calls me back for more.. For past years I say thank you, and to future years I look forward to, making every minute I am there count for something and making the most of my time there. Thank you Cape Cod for such a wonderful place to visit and want to be. Looking forward to our next time together.

    This weeks recipe for desserts is the kick off to a year full of fun. A lot of these you will be able to make with your kids or turn into a family time together. I think by the time this year is through, everyone will be able to find at least two or more months they will just crave to have several times a year. What am I talking about,,, COOKIES,, wonderful home made COOKIES. All kinds of of cookies and all kinds of shapes. Some will be wanna-be knock offs and others may be something you have never heard of or thought of. So enough of the talk and on with the recipe. This week is one from my wife's Grandmother, and if you really make them right to make them the size of a coffee can lid. No you don't to make them that big....        One last word,, a big thank you to my wife the last couple of weeks, as I have been working unheavenly hours she has help me find these recipes,, so to her a big THANK YOU,,, Now on with the recipe.

    Mom's (Grandma's) Molasses Cookies

•     1    cup        Crisco
•     1    cup        sugar
•     1    cup        molasses
•     6    cups      sifted flour
•     1    cup        buttermilk
•     2    tsp.       ginger
•     2    tsp.       cinnamon
•     1/2    tsp.   cloves
•     1/2    tsp.    nutmeg
•     1    tsp.        salt
•     4    tsp.        baking soda

    Cream shortening & sugar. Add the molasses. sift 2 cups of the flour with dry ingredients and add alternating with the buttermilk. Stir in the other 4 cups of sifted flour. Chill thoroughly for several hours or even overnight. Roll out very thick - about 1/2 inch and cut with a 2 1/2 round cutter. Place far apart - only six on a greased cookie sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes. (note here: you can make them a little smaller, as these will spread when baked and be a very good size cookie). Hope you enjoy. 

Fresh Seafood & Buttered Broiled Monk Fish

       As the weeks go by the one thing I really miss week after week and month after month is not being able to get fresh seafood. Yes we have fish departments and they fly it in on a regular basis. But there is nothing like knowing your fish was in the ocean less then 24 hour before you are cooking it. Finding this love comes directly from 2 places, first my time over the years on the Cape. I would get to go with my Mother to the fish market either Bass River Fish Market in South Yarmouth (in the early years) then Swan River Fish Market in Dennisport. Mom would go and pick up something fresh the day we were going to use it. Since Dad and I were always willing to try new things, Mom was always looking for a bargain and different things to try, so we would regularly get things that were different, but easy to fix. I never forget Mom going into the Market once and the fish Monger told Mom about Swordfish tails, which at that time were extremely cheeper then the steaks. He convinced my Mother to give then a try, so she brought them home and Dad preceded to do them on the grill with a little butter and lemon juice and a sprinkle of Old Bay. Although we could never afford the steaks we sure learned to love the taste of Swordfish thanks to a knowledgeable monger.
      Second place I learned to love fresh seafood, was when I worked at a meat market in Philadelphia and they allowed me to run the fish department and taught me the ropes, from ordering to case presentation to dressing and filleting of fish. My love for the Cape and the knowledge that I had gained from the Mother made it easy for me to learn the business and I was able to talk to the customers with a confidence about fish that most young 20 somethings would not normally have. We would order or fish every other day and have it delivered right from the docks to our store packed in ice and most of it still flapping their gills.
    Between this job and the Cape my love and passion for fresh seafood runs deep in my pallet, and I have became so spoiled that l really do not enjoy buying my fish any other place except for along the coast. I hope you can find a food fish market in your area and become friends with your fish monger and ask him or her to make suggestions. Look for recipe cards that use different kinds of fish and shellfish that you normally would not have tried but due to a special or good suggestion are willing to try. Those of you who live on the Cape are very blessed to have this available to you year round, don't be afraid to try new things. And for you who only get there periodically on vacations, if you have a place to cook, please try new things, ask the local market monger what is in season, and don't be afraid of things that have heads. Ask the monger, he will be happy to remove it for you, before you take it home. Just don't tell my Asian friend I told you that, as she told, "leave head, tail and fins on,, if removed, so go flavor, and after cooked head and tail in garden make tomatoes big and juicy." I will never forget her, she taught me so much. Anyway, enjoy the Cape and all it has to offer, especially its bounty from the local waters and may your kitchen always be filled with wonderful aromas and tasty treats, especially if the ingredients come from Cape Cod and the local areas.
      This weeks recipe comes from an adaptation from an old store recipe card that my Mother got when my folks liked in Chicago. The card had a notation on it call Pier 14 so if this looks somewhat familiar please don't shoot me. When I lived in Philadelphia I was privileged to work as the main worker in the fish department and learned to love this kind of fish. So when I found this recipe and knew of the fish I just could not pass this one up. Monkfish used to be called poor man's lobster, and does have the consistence of lobster meat. The taste is very mild and usually a not an expensive purchase. You will rarely fish this fish sold with its head on, as it is one of the ugliest fish you would ever want to see, but it has a wonderful taste and easy to cook with.
    This weeks recipe:  Buttered Broiled Monk Fish

•     2        pds        Fresh monk fish, ( have your fish monger cut into fillets )
•     1/2    cup        water
•     1/2    cup        butter, melted (1 stick)
•     1        cup        fresh mushrooms sliced (give or take a cup)
•     1/2    each      red, green, yellow sweet pepper sliced into strips ( small peppers )
•     1        cup        shredded cheddar cheese
•     2       Tbsp       Chopped parsley
•     1        tsp.        Old Bay Seasoning
•     1/2    tsp.        salt
•     1/4    tsp.        pepper

      Place fish in a skillet type pan with water; cover and simmer for about 6-7 minutes. In a bowl combine butter, salt, pepper and Old Bay Seasoning. Remove fish from the skillet and place in a broiling pan; brush the fish with butter mixture. Broil for about 5-7 minutes, basting about every 2 -3 minutes. Combine Mushrooms, peppers, chopped parsley and shredded cheddar cheese, spread this mixture on top of the fish and pour the any remaining butter overtop. Broil another 2-3 minutes longer until nicely browned and fish is nice and flaky.                

As Winter Winds... & Gourmet Potatoes

       As winter winds are whipping up a wicked gail, and snow is blowing to and fro, where oh where are those sun baked Cape Cod beaches with broiling sand and bottles of coconut oil. The cabin fever is starting to stir within as the long dark nights with frigid temperatures crawl deep in the crevasses of my bones that want to cry out for a long Cape summer's day with warming sunlight to sooth my joints and muscles. It is times like these that make one long so much for that nice warm aromatic Cape Cod beaches. Till reality wakes me up and I look at my weather tracker and see that the Cape right now is only but a few degrees warmer or colder then where I am sitting right now. So quickly I close my browser, then my eyes, and pull the sheets up close around my chin and drift back off to sleep where Cape Cod summer days never end, and miles of wondrous Cape Cod beaches are beckoning to be discovered. Where Truro dunes rise high above the rolling seas and Wellfleet's harbors welcome fleets of fisherman returning with their catch. Brewter's by-way brings me back to simpler times at the old Grist Mill, and leads me down a path so green by herring streams and filled with sweet perfume of natures bounty that Cape Cod calls it's home.
    Oh may I not wake a moment to soon to be reminded of the cold,, but may I slumber not a moment longer then I must, lest I miss another adventure on that wonderful place called Cape Cod. Memories are made during warm sunny days so that in the depth of these cold winter nights we have a hope and remembrance that soon all be right again in this world when we can return to our favor place for some new adventures on that place we call Wonderful Old Cape Cod.

    Recipe of the week is one that has been enjoyed in our family for many many years. It is especially enjoyed by our kids as they have requested this time and time again. If you love potatoes and cheese, this will be a sure hit in your family as well.
   
    Gourmet Potatoes

•     6         medium    potatoes
•     2         cups          shredded cheddar cheese
•     1/4     cup            melted butter
•     1 1/2  cups          sour cream (room temp)
•     1/3     cup            chopped green onion
•     1         tsp              salt
•     1/4     tsp             pepper
•     2        Tbsp          melted butter (for the top)

    Boil potatoes in skin, peel and shred, (use a grater to shred your potatoes). Mix together 1/4 cup of melted butter with room temp sour cream and mix in the 2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese until blended then add green onions, salt and pepper. Now add mixture to potatoes and put in a casserole dish and drizzle remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over top and bake at 350 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes.  Serve hot. 

A New Year and an Arctic Fish Cocktail

Well it's a new year and time to look forward a bit, with hopes and dreams of things to come. Where they will lead I really do not know, except my desire and dreams of the Cape continue to rage within me. My hopes of someday moving permanently to Cape are still alive and well, and will never go away even till the day I am no longer here on this earth. But until then, I will do my best to promote the best of the Cape and my adventures until I run out of words or until they shut my blog down. This year I will continue to tell stories of my past, mostly about my childhood, and a few as an adult and with my family. Hopefully most of the time, all will bring a smile, a smirk or if nothing else a good grin as we reminisce of places that are no longer there, or of things we all used to do or still attempt to do while on the Cape.

Recipes this year of Cocktails and Entrees will have a theme swimming through them, and the desserts will also have a consistent idea. All I hope would be easy to make and well conducive to a Cape Cottage Kitchen, but if not all will be at least be tasty and good for the stomach. May the love for the kitchen and cooking be relevant in what I write as my mother taught and instilled in me for so many years.

In all things the Cape has been so much to me, may in the coming weeks and months may I be able to share again with you some of these times and places and may you be inspired to share your own memories with others around you and your families. Till that time that I can write from the Cape...someone keep the light on for me, and keep the memories alive all year long. 

Here's to Old Cape Cod!

Recipe of the week I think will fit for just about anyone this time of year...

Arctic Fish Cocktail

• 1 part    Vodka
• 1 part    Surge-Citrus soda (grape soda)
• 1 part    Orange Juice
• candy fish

Fill glass with ice and candy fish, add vodka, grape soda, and orange juice, DO NOT STIR  serve well chilled.  (Please note every recipe site I found made reference to the Surge brand citrus soda and it being a grape soda)