Memory check No. 1 - Fried Bologna/Boloney Sandwich

Back when we were still in Akron, we were talking with folks at dinner aabout foods of childhood that we no longer eat. I mentioned that one of the ones that fell off my list of things to eat years ago is the fried bologna, pronounced boloney, sandwich. The primary reason for that is that Del wouldn't eat bologna if you paid him, well, maybe if you paid him a lot! Early in our marriage, he explined that he had taken a bologna sandwich to school every day for twelve years, and that's enough punishment for any one person, no matter how cheap it was and how poor we were. My comment that his lunch sandwiches were not fried, and back then when no was concerned that children's lunches be kept cold and schools were not air conditioned, his bologna was room temperature by lunchtime, whatever temperature the room was, did not sway him. (Digressing, as I am apt to do, why is it we didn't all die from food poisoning?) I commented to those at the table that Del had taken me to a little hole in the wall place where he and friend Mark ate occasionally so Mark could have a bologna sandwich. I was surprised when the sandwich came on toasted Texas Toast, which should be redundant, but apparently isn't. Why isn't Texas Toast in its untoasted state called Texas bread or some such thing, but I digress, yet again. The meat itself was cut about a half inch and while warm through, was barely browned. It did come with mustard and lettuce as I had requested. People began to talk about the bologna sandwiches of their memories, and I was surprised to find that there were almost as many ways to skin that particular cat as there were people at the table. Everyone except me agreed with friend Mark that the bologna should be sliced thick, and one couple even agreed with his habit of making it with mayonnaise. The others made theirs with yellow mustard. No one remembered lettuce. One person asked why only lettuce, no tomato. Just because, is the only answer I could come up with. I was the only one who remembered making them in the Robinson way. Robinson Fried Bologna Sandwich 2 slices squishy white bread yellow mustard 2 thin slices bologna iceberg lettuce Place two slices of bologna/boloney in a skillet and cook until brown on each side. It doesn't hurt to let it get a little crunchy if you are so inclined. If you want the slices to lie flat, make cuts around the edges a little more than 1/4 inch or so in toward the center. Otherwise, just hold it down with your spatula so it won't cup and will brown pretty evenly.. Place on UNTOASTED squishy white bread that has been liberally spread with plain yellow mustard. None of that fancy stuff. Add a couple of pieces of iceberg lettuce. Again, none of that fancy stuff. The beverage of choice with a bologna sandwich, if I recall correctly, was what little girl Rosa used to call "coldfreshmilk." For once, my running together of words is not a typing error, she always said it as though it were one word. I decided after that dinner that I would try some of the foods I enjoyed as a child but no longer eat, to see if I'm missing anything. One afternoon when Del was not going to be home for dinner, I stopped after school to buy two slices of bologna and some iceberg lettuce. Once home, I set about to almost recreate the sandwich of my childhood. Almost, because I decided to use the whole wheat bread we already had instead of squishy white bread. Maybe that influenced the results, or maybe my tastes have changed, because as I ate my bologna sandwich I could not decide why it tasted so great in my memory and just okay that night. Results of first memory check: Memory: 1 Reality 0 Maybe the next food down memory lane will be potted meat. No one else mentioned that at the dinner, and I hesitated to, being a Southern country girl who will, to quote the young David, "eat things the dog won't eat." Did you ever eat potted meat?

What? A Pajama Party? At Her Age?

Del goes to Cleveland Clinic for his yearly check-up each December and for the last few years, I have not been invited. I've figured out that my going would make the appointment have more importance than he is willing to give it, so Ive stopped arguing with him - about that. So, this year,instead of staying home by myself worrying, I decided to have a pajama party. Not a usual thing for a 66 year old to do, I suppose, but I knew it would take my mind off the event, which blessedly turned out to be what Del calls a waste of a world class surgeon's time. My second reason for throwing the pajama party was because the Carroll County Democratic Party party was set to happen here a couple of days later, and I have a severe decorating anxiety. Del and I had decorated the trees and put a wreath on the door, but it didn't look like a party. So, I asked 3 Democrats and 1 Independent to pack their toothbrushes and jammies and head out to work, I mean, party. Bless their hearts, the pajama party crew arrived with a load of various types of greenery and their talents and transformed the place. I had known that one of my friends is an interior designer, but was unaware that lawyer friend also studied design at one point. Woo hoo! The rest of us were willing workers. By midnight, we were pretty much worn out, but stopped working and continued to talk until about 1:30 when we all gave up and went to our rooms. Other than beds for everyone and adult beverages, things seemed pretty much as they did in the old days - gossip, boy talk, too much food, etc., but we did not break out the nail polish or orange juice can rollers. Speaking of food, our dessert was a big hit. One person threatened to lick her plate. I had made an adult version of Easy Chocolate Eclair Dessert. The recipe for the original version was posted on 3/9/12, and it is delicious for any occasion, but if you feel in the mood for a little kick in flavor, try this: Adults Only Easy Chocolate Eclair Dessert Follow recipe in 3/9/12 post with these exceptions: 1. Substitute 1/2 cup Baileys for 1/2 cup of the milk needed for making the pudding. 2. Stir 3 tablespoons of dark unsweetened cocoa powder into the canned frosting to cut down on the sweetness. 3. Be responsible. Do not serve without making sure guests are aware of the alcohol involved. Come morning, each person stumbled out looking tired and muttering something about coffee. For some reason, we ate our breakfast of baked apple oatmeal standing around in the kitchen instead of at the kitchen table. Maybe we didn't want to get that far from the coffee pot. By noon everyone was on the way home, and by 1:30, I was curled up on the sofa for a nap! I think I'll have another Cleveland Clinic pajama party next year. If someone else will have the Democratic Party party, we won't even have to work!

Okra - Poor Maligned Veggie.

Will everyone who considers okra inedible please say "aye"? Now, how many of you have actually tried it? Ha! I thought so. Many of you have just been put off by by what you've heard - mushy, stringy, slimy. I have even heard an indelicate person use a slang word for that which is produced by a runny nose.

Del and I grew up eating okra. Mother either fried it or made it with tomatoes. She also made okra pickles with dill. By the time I came into the family, Mrs. Williams put it in soup or stewed it. She usually put whole pods on top of her butter beans, but she always took them out and served them in a separate dish because Mr. Williams didn't like the way okra made the beans taste. Or he did if he knew they had been cooked together. Just one of the little secrets cooks keep from their families.

Both our families grew okra and used it fresh. I buy it frozen, and usually keep both the sliced, but unbreaded, and the whole pods in the freezer. When David, Tracy and Rosa come, I usually fry it, but I also use it in soup and stew whole pods or cook them on butter beans.

Here are the ways I learned to cook okra. If you try them and still aren't converted, you might want to grow a few plants anyway, because dried okra pods are beautiful in arrangements. When picking fresh okra, you might want to wear long sleeves and gardening gloves, because it is an itchy plant.

Fried Okra (Serves 6)

1 lb. frozen sliced okra
1/2 cup white stone ground corn meal
1/2 tsp. salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
healthy shake of ground red pepper
Oil to barely cover bottom of iron frying pan or other pan large enough to to hold okra in a single layer (You know your frying pans. Some may require more oil than mine do,)

Remove okra from freezer to refrigerator to partially thaw. When ready to cook, put into paper bag with meal and seasonings. Shake, shake, shake.

Put enough oil into frying pan to cover bottom of pan. It will be shiny but not of any depth. Turn onto medium high heat. Check temperature by putting a tiny pinch of meal into pan. If it sizzles, shake bag again and pour everything into the pan. Spread okra into single layer, if possible. Cook on medium heat, turning as it begins to brown. Much of the meal will fall off the okra, but that is to be expected. Continue to cook, turning frequently, until the meal is brown. You may need to turn the heat down if it browns too quickly. You want the okra to be tender and the meal brown, not burned. Taste from time to time to check texture.

Note: This will not look at all like the okra you get in Cracker Barrel and such, but the green taste of the okra comes through and it is not greasy.

Boiled Okra

Fresh or frozen okra pods, partially thawed, if frozen

Salted and peppered water to barely cover


Depending upon size of okra pods, allow 3-4 per person. Simmer, covered, for 5 -10 minutes. The okra is done when the tip of a paring knife pierces it easily. Start testing for doneness after 5 minutes. You want it to be tender but not cooked to death. Do not let it come to a full boilor cook it too long, and do be sure to gently turn it instead of stirring because the pods will break and the result will be slimy and mushy. I'm okay with that, but I expect that for the uninitiated, it would be rather like eating a raw oyster, without risking Hep whichever letter. Because of my work and our travels, I've had my shots, but here are not enough shots in the world to persuade me to eat one of those, so I can't say for sure. Apply some kind of heat, however, and it's a whole other story. But I digress.

Note: You can also lay the pods on top of your fresh/frozen butter beans (baby limas), but be sure to check often because they will cook much quicker than the beans. To be fair to Mr. Williams, the flavor of the beans will be slightly changed.


Stewed okra

Mother didn't write down a recipe for stewed okra, so this is a method based on my memory of what she did, substituting store bought/short cut ingredients.

1 can stewed tomatoes
1 cup frozen sliced okra
1/4 cup frozen corn (my addition)
salt and pepper
hot sauce

Combine tomatoes and okra and simmer for 3-5 minutes. Check after 3 minutes for tender/crisp texture. Add corn and simmer for 2 minutes. Add salt to taste and a good bit of black pepper. You can also add some garlic powder and onion powder if you like. Add a couple of big shakes of hot sauce or allow each person to add it at the table.

Okra in Soup

Add either okra slices or pods to soup during the last 10 minutes of cooking. I prefer slices because they are more forgiving of over cooking and freeze well if you make a big batch of soup.

Dilled okra

I haven't made pickles or canned anything else since I used to help Mother, so I don't know the modern rules for safety, and would hesitate to tell anyone how to proceed, except to the grocery store. Up Nawth, you may have to go to a fancy store, but I used to buy them in Ohio without difficulty.