Marlena Spieler on the BBC

Marlena Spieler on the BBC!

Listen HERE. Just turn it on and go about your business. Fun to listen to!

We loved it when she was at our house!

How about looking at my cats?

Please keep Buddy out of my box.
Don't hate me because I'm beautiful.
I got your glass...up here!
The cat's outta the bag.

My cat Max used to lay in the sink like this kitty. I still miss Max.
The new litter box....Buddy likes it. He's waiting for me to leave.
Taking turns laying in the corn box. Stan and Buddy fought over that box the entire day.

Stella......sunbathing. Nobody bothers her.

The Week (or so) in Food

Spicy Shrimp Pho
Pulled pork sandwich...with cole slaw.
From the garden....love those armenian cukes
Collard and mustard greens
out of order sandwich
Rancho Gordo Rio Zape beans in pot likker from the greens! So damned good!
Kira O'Donnell pie....from Dave's birthday celebration

Pasta sauce made from gardne tomatoes and two kinds of squash.
Crock pot pulled pork.

Hurry Daddy!

When The Beatles hit the scene in Choteau, Montana....I was in the 4th grade. My father made good money as a supervisor for a drilling company, and mom ran a restaurant...chief cook and bottlewasher! She brought the all night smorgasbord to Choteau, Montana. (this is the town where Dave Letterman married his wife, in the past 5 years or so).

Anyway....us kids were often at the restaurant... peeling potatoes, chopping veggies, running the dishwasher. This one night though...The Beatles were going to be on Ed Sullivan. It was Sunday night at 6 pm, Mountain time. My father was helping mom and I begged him to take me home. "Please daddy...take me home. The Beatles are going to be on Ed Sullivan in 30 minutes. He kind of laughed but then I began to cry. "Please ..take me home to see Ed Sullivan". He did. Maybe my bro and sisters were there too..but I don't recall. We lived a mile outside of town. It was February 9th, 1964.

I raced into the house and turned on the "blonde b&w television, with the record player in the bottom". Whew! We made it. Ed Sullivan started and there they were! Then...the lights went out a few minutes later. It was winter and this often happened. I began to fret. My father was so kind..."it's okay..it will come back on like always...be patient." The electricity came back on like 2 minutes before The Beatles began singing again. My father watched me in awe...I recall that. I was just so happy he brought me home...and that he listened to me.....and especially that he didn't make fun of me. BTW....I was never a screamer.

The Beatles had been a nice and welcome distraction from all that had happened in November of 1963. My mother had been badly burned and was hospitalized. She had a long and painful recovery. Later on that month, President Kennedy was shot and then we were watching tv when Lee Harvey Oswald was shot. Mom had taken us kids out of school in September to go see Kennedy in Great Falls, Montana, which was about 50 miles SE of Choteau. I just adored the president. Wonder if 4th graders even know who the president is these days?

Anyway...my young love for The Beatles (John Lennon) kept my mind busy. A good thing, because we ended up in one of the worst floods in Montana history--early June of 1964. Many Native Americans were killed in and near Browning...but not much was mentioned in the news about it. :( I'll never forget the horror of that flood. We watched this huge wall of water come closer to us as my father raced through town and up the hill, we were all yelling, "hurry daddy!." We looked back to see the water spilling over Choteau..like a tsunami. We could see the horses and cows in the fields below trying to outrun the raging, muddy waters...but they couldn't. We watched it hit our house...which was on the outskirts of town. My sister held our yellow Cat tightly as dad arrived on safe ground...the tiny town of Farmington...and the gym that would be many resident's "home-sweet-home" for a time.

The aftermath of that flood was the beginning of the end for my parents...which is a story for another time.

Skaweeeze!!

Ethan....chillaxing by the Sandy River (all images by mike harris)
My Oregon kids!
I want to go there Mike!
Elaina chillaxes by the Sandy River.
What a fun day we had there! It was the Schitz.
Water babies.

Nice shot! Love the lighting.
Ethan loves the water.

The Top 105-110 Cookbooks of All Time :)

Okay...looked through many of my cookbooks and came up with my favorite ones. I might have another amended list later. Some of my cookbooks are in the garage...in boxes. I have about 600, give or take 10-15. Many are old and out of print. I read them like some people read novels.

Here is my list, in no particular order:

The Neighborhood Cookbook by The Jewish Women of the Portland Section of the Settlement Center (located at 2nd and Wood..Portland, Oregon) 1914

The Joy of Cooking by Rombauer

Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (1970..my very first)

Jim Fobel's Diet Feasts
James Fobel's Beautiful Food

Cooking Kosher-the Natural Way-Jane Kinderlehrer

Nose to Tail Eating by Henderson

Weber's Big Book of Grilling by Jamie Purviance & Sandra McRae

Food for Paradise..Meatless Cookbook by Russian Orthodox Church

Mrs. Rasmussen's Book of One-Arm Cookery by Mary Lasswell
Sud's in Your Eye by Mary Lasswell

Everyday Meals from a Well-Stocked Pantry by Nathalie Dupree

James Beard's Theory and Practice of Good Cooking

The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer

Angel Food - recipes and reflections from great Catholic Kitchens

Recipes of the 5 Brothers, Volume 1-Leah Rosch

Fire and Smoke by Maggie Waldron

Hands-off Cooking by Ann Martin-Rolke

Dinner at Omar Khayyam's by George Mardikian 1944

Tons of Woman's Day Encylopedia's of Cookery

The Food of Vietnam by Trieu Thi Choi and Marcel Isaak

Everyday Cooking with Jacques Pepin

Still Life with Menu Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

Marlena Spieler Cookbooks: (more in garage)
Jewish Heritage Cookbook..Jewish Cooking
The Vegetarian Bistro
Grilled Cheese
The Flavor of California
Yummy Potatoes
Macaroni and Cheese

LaBelle Cuisine by Patti LaBelle

Barbecue Bible by Steve Raichlen

Betty Crocker's Cookbook...old

The Art of Eating by MFK Fisher

Clay Pot Cooking by Paula Wolfert

Southern Memories by Nathalie Dupree

The Tortilla Book by Diana Kennedy

The Natural Healing Cookbook by Bricklen and Classens

Biba's Italy by Biba Caggiano

Soup Suppers by Arthur Schwartz

The General Foods Kitchen Cookbook

Les Halles Cookbook by Tony Bourdain

The French Laundry and Bouchon by Thomas Keller

Sunflower Sampler-Recipes from the Jr. League of Wichita, KS.

Cooks Country-America's Test Kitchen Recipe Books (last 4)

Larousse Gastronomique...need I say more?

Helen Corbitt's Cookbook

Stocking UP-How to preserve the food you grow naturally, organic gardening and farming (1977)

Secret Ingredients-The New Yorker Book of Food and Drink

The Silver Palate by Julie Rosso and Sheila Lukins

The Very Best Indian Cookbook Ever by Shankari Easwaran

The Complete Cookbook of Pasta and Noodles -Cooks Illustrated Book

Favorite Recipes from Our Best Cooks-Grand queen committee, Shawnee, KS. 1968

Der Rumtopf by Margrit Diethelm

Favorite Recipes of America-including wild game, seafood and poultry 1952 (great book to look at..fun)-Favorite Recipes Press Staff Economist

Mexican Cookery by Barbara Hansen

Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook..one of mom's favorites

The Food and Wine of Greece by Diane Kochilas

Jewish Cooking-traditional recipes for the contemporary cook-Crescent Books-Helen Burdett

The Enchanted Broccoli Forest and Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

Bouchon and French Laundry by Thomas Keller..did I mention these??

Almost Vegetarian by Diana Shaw

Antoine's Restaurant Cookbook by Roy Guste, Jr. 1979 (ate there then)

Amish Cooking by Crescent Books

The Barefoot Contessa by Ina Garten

A Thousand Years Over a Hot Stove-a history of American women told thru food, recipes, and rememberances by Laura Schenone

Lydia's Italy by Lydia Bastianich

Cook's Illustrated Guide to Grilling and BBQing (Dave's Favorite..and he has Many)

The Gourmet Gazelle Cookbook by Ellen Brown

North American Wild Game Cookbook by Bill and Anita Mabbatt

Babbo by Mario Batali

The Frugal Gourmet Cooks America--you know the guy

Simple French Recipes for the Home Cook by Guy Savoy

Cook Once a Week, Eat Well Every Day by Theresa Albert

Salads by Sonia Uvezian

Heirloom Beans by Steve Sando

Mexico..One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless

The Best Pressure Cooker Cookbook Ever by Pat Dailey

The Wisdom of the Chinese Kitchen by Grace Young and Alan Richardson
The Breath of a Wok..same two

German Cooking Made Easy...author?

Fish Without a Doubt by Rick Moonen

The Healing Foods Cookbook by Jean Rogers

The Bread Baker's Apprentice by Peter Reinhart

The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum

The New McDougall Cookbook by John and Mary McDougall (vegan)

You've Got it Made by Marion Burros

Tolliver/Rosenberg Family Reunion Cookbook (my family)

Okay about 10 chili cookbooks and 15 BBQ cookbooks

Intercourses-aphrodisiac cookbook by Martha Hopkins Lockridge (gave to husband for Valentine's Day one year--gorgeous photos!)

I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown

The Joy of Pasta by Joe Fanularo and Louise Imperiali

Eat this and Eat thisToo! by Dom DeLuise

Ginger (East to West) by Bruce Cost

Sara's Secrets by Sara Moulton

Mexican Cooking by Diana Kennedy

The Best of Taste-Williams Sonoma

The Pleasure of Your Company by Molly O'Neill

How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman

Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Simone Beck, and louisette bertholle
*************************************************************
Whew! My newest? Heirloom Beans by Steve Sando and I absolutely love it.

Putting the Schnit Back in Schnitzel

Veal Schnitzel, Garlic Mashed Garden Potatoes, Cole Slaw
Bought a veal roast and then cut my steaks...time to pound after that. Not too thin.
Egg mixture with seasoning AND plenty of lemon zest, flour with seasoning, Italian Bread Crumbs. In egg mixture, then flour, then back to egg, then finish in the bread crumbs.
Get canola oil hot...fry quickly on both sides. We don't want overdone veal! Crisp on the outside.
Delish. I made it last night too..but instead of cole slaw, we had green beans seasoned with bacon, lemon zest, and sliced almonds along with a gravy of bacon bits, cream, and mushrooms and a bit of lemon zest. See a theme here? Lemon makes everything better!

If ya eat lamb, why can't ya eat veal? You can use pork too, or chicken..or turkey.

Dave's Birthday Pizza

First, I started the pizza sauce.
Made a mess making the dough

Almost forgot to take a photo!
and later........................