Driving to the Sunday Brunch at the groom’s parents’ home, we’d checked out of the hotel. We were sitting at a red light. Mary handed me the camera but I told her maybe the credits should read- photo by Ruth Hendricks with assist by Mary Hendricks. Wouldn’t have gotten it without her! We had a wonderful wedding celebration in the Quad Cities and were sad to say so long.
We took almost all the Bride and Groom’s suggestions for “Eats” in the Quad Cities. What is a Magic Mountain? Hamburger meat on Texas toast and fries, cheese sauce and “snow” chopped onion. Our server Lissa at Ross’ 24 Hour Restaurant had the chef make us one even though we had eaten breakfast, just so I could photograph it! A nice couple reading a map struck up conversation- they were from Chambourg IL. Photographed the 2 pound cinnamon roll first. Mary had corned beef hash and farm fresh eggs. We had ice cream sundaes for lunch in Moline Il at Lagomarcino’s Soda Fountain. And Friday night we ate on the patio overlooking the Mississippi River at the Boat House Restaurant- catfish filets and some Pale Ale local beer. A freight train rolled by and I photographed the cars. We drove over the river before the wedding and saw the John Deere Pavilion in Moline.
Anna is 7 today. Here is a stop animation 1 minute video I made for her, not intending to when I shot the pictures. It just spoke to me when I saw them in a folder and I thought it would work! This will take 60 seconds to load.
Mary and I ate dinner along the Mississipi River at the Boat House in Davenport. Char grilled catfish filets. Our hotel overlooks the river in Bettendorf. A huge riverboat transformed into a casino.We’re in Iowa to celebrate our first cousin’s daughter’s wedding tomorrow. Driving along River Road we saw this home decked out for Halloween. The photo doesn’t capture it sufficiently. I couldn’t have answered what the Quad Cities were before today.Moline IL East Moline IL Rock Island IL and Davenport IA
Christopher Jones will be returning to the Club Café, 12 Street, this Saturday, October 9, from 7-9 PM with a four-piece band of excellent Western PA musicians–Jim Spears on bass, Mark Weakland on drums and Max Schang on guitar. Peter King, will open for him @7. (peterkingmusic.com).
A couple of Christopher’s songs from his CD Heartland Variations are on the soon-to-be-released DVD I’ve finished, Michael Wurster: City Books Session.(Thank you Christopher) And there will be a re-release of Christopher’s 1978 Transatlantic recording No More Range to Roam available Saturday night. Admission is $10 @ the door.
June 2009. Jackson Square in the Heart of the French Quarter.
Mr. Bob Cummingham makes a case that the rule is of little use “Examples of exceptions to the rule: Sticking for the moment to the basic rule, “i before e except after c”… here are some exceptions…..beige, cleidoic, codeine, conscience, deify, deity, deign,
dreidel, eider, eight, either, feign, feint, feisty,
foreign, forfeit, freight, gleization, gneiss, greige,
greisen, heifer, heigh-ho, height, heinous, heir, heist,
leitmotiv, neigh, neighbor, neither, peignoir, prescient,
rein, science, seiche, seidel, seine, seismic, seize, sheik,
society, sovereign, surfeit, veil, vein, weight, weird”
From the archives. My sister noticed I post a lot of food on the blog. It’s true. Tonight it could have been the pesto on penne and the apple plum one crust pie. Instead I went to an old folder. You probably didn’t know there’s a Sock Monkey Exhibit in the Midway Village Museum in Rockford IL. Mary and I went when we were visiting family. The Rockford socks are no longer manufactured in Rockford but by Fox River Mills in Osage Iowa. I have made a few sock monkeys in my day. People have feelings about Sock Monkeys.There is a convention called Sock Monkey Madness in Rockford. They call the monkey Nelson after the man who invented the knitting machine that made the socks.
A chill in the air, the leaves start to turn. October 4th is a good day. My DIL was born. She would rather eat a bowl of soup than a piece of cake. Happy Birthday Erika ! I watched my friend Roberta make this pot of minestrone Friday night. Fragrant, nourishing, delicious. We all ate a bowl and had some Hearth Bread from Whole Foods and it was a great kickoff for the beginning of soup season. I photographed it on my kitchen table in one of my mother’s bowls. The recipe is from The Best Recipe Cookbook by the editors of COOK’S ILLUSTRATED. Follow the recipe to the letter and you will be surprised. It is a different method and has no garlic unless you add it in the pesto or Rosemary mixture at the end. The key to the recipe success is the real Parmesan Cheese Rind.
2 small leek washed thoroughly, white and light green sliced thin crosswise
2 medium carrots peeled and cut small dice
2 small onions peeled and small dice
2 medium celery stalks trimmed and cut small dice
1 medium russet potato peeled and medium dice
1 medium zucchini trimmed and medium dice
3 c stemmed spinach leaves cut in thin strips
1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes packed in juice, drained and chopped
1 Parmesan cheese rind about 5×2 inches
1 can cannellini beans drained and rinsed, added last 5 minutes
ground black pepper
at end add 1/4 c basil pesto or 1 T rosemary mixed with 1 teaspoon minced garlic and extra- virgin olive oil
Bring vegetables tomatoes and 8 cups of water, cheese rind and 1 teaspoon of salt to a boil in a big soup kettle or pot.
Reduce hear to medium low simmer uncovered, stir occasionally,until vegetables are tender but still hold their shape about an hour.
Add beans and cook just until heated through about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat.
Remove and discard cheese rind. Stir in pesto or Rosemary mixture if desired and adjust seasonings adding pepper or more salt if necessary. Ladle into bowls and serve immediately.
If you want to add pasta be sure to cook separately, drain and put in soup bowl, then ladle soup over it so it doesn’t suck up all the broth.
In the school parking lot. Just sitting there lined up as if someone placed them there to slip into.
