SOME FUNNY STORIES
Yesterday I had a very full day - My friends and I started out at 1:00 pm, I didn't get home until 9:30 pm - a high school production of "Grease" in the afternoon, dinner out and THEN the movie "Married Life."

There is never a lack of conversation with these ladies and yesterday was no exception! Come to find out one of the ladies was a food demonstrator and so was I. That lead to a lot of funny stories:


Photo: Cranky Media Guy CC BY-NC-SA

Harriet did some demo work here in Florida and one day she was told her next assignment was going to be to give out samples of Stay Free Pads!! Her response was "this area consists mainly of seniors, that's not a product they would be interest in." Well, management said, "don't let it bother you, do the demo."

She did and was she ever swamped, she couldn't give them away fast enough. Leave it to those seniors to find uses for that product like shinning shoes or polishing furniture!

That story reminded me of the time I was told I should alert the grocery buyer to stock up on lemon pepper seasoning since I was going to be doing "fish." The day came, I set up, put up a display of the product and went to get the fish - NO FISH had been delivered, fortunately for me, I didn't have to do "fish" but I bet the grocery department had an over-abundance of lemon pepper seasoning for a long time!

Those stories reminded me of the time I was in need of some kitchen chair pads. I looked in K-Mart, Walgreens and Walmart. No one seemed to carry them. ( those were the days before Linens and Things and Bed, Bath and Beyond ) In desperation I thought "I'll try the supermarket."


Photo by Roadsidepictures CC BY-NC

Off I went to the market, went up and down the aisles- no chair pads! Finally I saw an elderly gentleman who was the store floor walker. I asked, " could you tell me in which aisle I might find chair pads?" He brightened up and said, "follow me."

Oh happy day, I was going to get what I had been searching for, for so long!! He took me to aisle 9. I remember it like it was yesterday, and there they were - Kotex PADS!!

He must have been hard of hearing!!

posted by millie garfield @ 3:44 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 16 comments

 
THE COFFEE BREAK
How many of you need that 3 o'clock coffee break?

Where ever I am, whatever I have been doing I just need that caffeine lift. Up north there are a number of places that are open all day long where I can stop in, get off my feet, have a beverage and something sweet.

It's another story here in Florida. Most bagel shops are open for breakfast and lunch then hang up the "Closed" sign. Some shops are opened for breakfast and lunch, close and then reopen for dinner. Restaurants open for lunch, close and then reopen for dinner.

Fortunately for me and many other people in the area we now have two choices.



A Dunkin Donuts shop opened in the area and boy are they busy!

My second choice is at the Carnival Flea Market . Not only do they carry a variety of NEW merchandise, but they also have a food concession where you can purchase sandwichs, salads, knishes, ice cream, my beloved coffee and much more.

Now I want to tell you what prompted this post.



The other day I was at the flea market and it was time for a pick-me-up, got my coffee and a delicious piece of pastry, took a seat at a table that you share with other customers.

I noticed a young man who looked to be in his 50's with a well dressed elderly gentleman, probably in his 80's. They were sitting so close to me, I could not help but over hear their conversation

From what I overheard I surmised they were father and son. My impression was that the son was visiting from out of state. He was so pleased that his father was enjoying the pastry he had purchase for him and said, "before we leave I will pick up some for Ma, I'm sure she'll like it too." That lead me to believe that the man's wife was in a nursing home.

Then I heard the son say, "before we go see Ma, how would you like to get a breath of fresh air by the ocean." The father said, "I'd like that."

If I had been with a friend I would not have been aware and would have missed a very meaningful coffee break.

posted by millie garfield @ 8:30 AM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 16 comments

 
THIS ONE IS FOR ME
The months, weeks and days have been flying by and before I know it I'll be packing up and heading north.

Usually when I make a post I try to make it either informative, entertaining or humorous. Maybe there are times I am sucessful and it's all three. ;-)

This season has been a particularly busy one with a variety of activities. Some of the things I've done are already getting vague in my mind. Fortunately I have kept some of the playbills and flyers from events that I have attended.

As I said in my title, this one is to remind me of some of the "happenings this season."

THEATRE



The Boca Raton Theatre Guild production of "Company"
Stage Door Theatre production of "Baby."

"Company" and "Baby" were both fun with a cast of talented performers.

Delray Playhouse - An evening with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy.



An evening with Jeanette and Eddy was most enjoyable. Before the show started we were invited to partake of cheese, crackers, fruit and wine. The theatre has a unique location. it's off the beaten track and if you don't know where it is, you could get lost. One of my friends still drives at night and she knew just where it was!!

The cast consisted of a narrator, a female and male singer. The narrator presented the history of the stars and "Jeanette" and "Eddy" sang songs from those times in their careers. All in all it was a most delighful evening!!

And who knew, there is a Nelson Eddy Appreciation Society, a non-profit organization since 1969, honoring the memory and legacy of both Nelson Eddy and Jeanette MacDonald.

OPERA LUNCH

Lunch at Benvenuto's and "Love Makes the World Go Round"
A beautiful restaurant,, a fine lunch and romantic songs, It was Valentines day , and to top it all off, each lady received a rose!!

NOVA Southeastern University
Fort Lauderdale

Dale Chihuly's "The NSU Glass Garden"



This was a day trip that took us to the university. The main reason for this excursion was to see Dale Chihuly's "The NSU Glass Garden" which is in the Alan Sherman Library. That was the first piece of work that I had seen of his, now that I've seen it, I'm sure to recognize his work

Robb & Stucky (fine furniture store)
Mizner Park, Boca Raton

My friend and I happened to be at Mizner Park the day that there was a design presentation at Robb & Stucky. We decided to listen in, not that we will be doing any decorating in the near or distant future. What we learned is "wallpaper is back. green is the new black and animal prints are always in."

After the talk we wandered around the story and what do you know - This beautiful piece of glass artwork was on display - the only thing I could find out about it was price - $7,000.00. It looked like Chihuly but?? ---

FAMILY AND FRIENDS

The one thing that I'm sure not to forget is all the good times I've had with family and friends down here. Some friends live up north but they are not nearby, some old friends have moved down here permanently and some cousins also live a distance away from me but live in the Delray area. Florida brings us together.

If I had to write all this down, I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't have the patience to do it and my handwriting is not what it use to be.

Now that I've completed this post, anytime I want to remember the highlights of 2007-2008, I'll just check out my blog.

Thanks for listening.

posted by millie garfield @ 6:04 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 9 comments

 
MY CHICKEN SOUP STORY - PART 2
A few weeks ago I put up a post about my unsuccessful attempt to make chicken soup, I had no time to peel, cut and chop. Chancy from Driftwood Inspiration asked if I could put up the recipe for my soup. I haven't made it in a long time but the memory of that soup never fades.

When I was single and lived at home my mother made it without fail every Friday. Not only was the soup delicious but the boiled chicken that was in the pot was so moist, that was a treat in itself.

As much as I enjoyed the soup I did not appreciate having it EVERY Friday night. Too much of a good thing!! It's a different story today, if someone made it for me every week I would be delighted.

Millie's Chicken Soup

6 chicken leg quarters
water to just cover the legs
1 peeled onion
3 or 4 carrotts - sliced
3 stalks celery with tops - sliced
1 parsnip - cut in chunks
fresh parsley
Kosher salt to tsste
Pepper to taste

Place chicken legs and water in a large pot, bring contents to a boil and keep skimming off the scum. Once the water is clear turn heat down to low. Add carrotts, onion , celery and parsnip. Add seasoning and continue cooking for about 1 1/2 hours.
Add the parsley when the soup is almost done.

Note: This is not a low cholesterol soup I do not remove the skin or fat from the chicken, that's one of the reasons the soup tastes so good. Using kosher salt makes a difference too. Parsnips are not alway available in the market but when they are available they add a sweetness to the soup.!

Now - I'm not done yet!

If you want to make the traditional soup you should cook some thin noodles and add to the soup. AND what's a ckicken soup without matzo balls? The easy way to make them is to BUY a package of matzo ball mix and follow the directions. It's a never fail recipe!

Now - all that's left to do is ENJOY!!!

posted by millie garfield @ 4:18 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 12 comments

 
I Can't Open It - Fabulous


YouTube | Quicktime 640x480 | M4v iPhone/iPod | MP3 Audio

This time Millie can't get the spray cleaner to spray, it's foams a little, and then sometimes it works.

Steve comes in to help.

Note: Recorded last year

Labels: fabulous, milliegarfield

posted by Steve Garfield @ 4:32 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 15 comments

 
MY CHICKEN SOUP STORY
A few weeks ago I was in the supermarket and saw that chicken legs were on sale. Should I or shouldn't I? I don't really have time to cook down here but I was tempted to buy them because I've been thinking "I'd love to have some homemade chicken soup."

So, what do I do?

I come home and put the chicken in the freezer and when I have the other ingredients I need, I'll take the chicken out and make my soup. Time marches on and finally I have the carrots, celery and onions and am ready to cook.

I have the chicken defrosting in my refrigerator, I have all I need to start cooking but there is one thing I do not have, it's TIME.

After a few days I start getting concerned, how long can the chicken sit there? I have no time to peel carrots, clean celery and slice onions. What to do?

Forget the chicken soup, I decided to make a very fast and easy recipe:



Millie's Quick and Easy CHICKEN with RICE

8 chicken legs
1 package Lipton® Recipe Secrets® Onion Soup Mix
1 cup rice
2 1/2 cups of water
seasonings to taste
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 small can mushrooms

Rinse chicken legs and place in a 9x12 pan. Mix remaining ingredients together. Sprinkle with seasonings.

Cover chicken and bake at 375 degrees for one hour. Uncover and bake at 450 degrees for 1/2 hour.

When pan is uncovered, stir the mixture. If it looks dry, add a little water.

Looks like the only way I'm going to get my chicken soup is, order it in a restaurant

Labels: chicken, onion soup

posted by millie garfield @ 2:09 PM | Permalink | I LOVE COMMENTS >> 13 comments