Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame

I love music. I love the lyrical words that are set to the music. It is pure poetry in motion. If I could live out my dream –I would have either been a music writer or a roadie for a rock band.

When I first heard that Cleveland was selected to be the home for the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, I was ecstatic. It just seemed the right place to build it, since Alan Freed, a Cleveland Disc Jockey, was credited with coining the term – Rock and Roll. The shore of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland was a fitting home for the building, which opened in 1995.

 

Then the architect was selected – I.M. Pei, a Chinese American architect, who is often called the master of modern architecture. I first became familiar with him when I took an Architecture class in college. I love his design of the building, steel, glass, and concrete. The front is shaped like a large glass pyramid with the top of the building shaped like an old fashioned record player.

 

There are seven floors in the 150,000 square foot building. There are so many displays, videos, films, and listening posts to hear an assortment of music, by many music groups and musicians. On the top floor there is a movie dedicated to everyone who has been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Along the walls are the signatures of the Inductees. One floor hosts the special exhibits.

 

There is no doubt in my mind that any music lover will definitely want to visit the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame. Until then, click on to the Hall of Fame Website for more information.

Paid in Food

Working at my daughter’s catering kitchen is hard work. I always have said that after working there for a day, I drag myself home, pop two aspirins into my mouth, and sit down waiting for the throbbing pain in my back, legs and feet to go away.

 

But on the positive side, my work has kicked up a notch or two. I don’t seem to open the dishwasher just before it starts to spry the water. My knife skills are a bit better and I still can do an above average on my platter presentation. I also seem to keep my apron and work area cleaner than before.

 

My perk isn’t the pay but I do get to taste Chef Jeff’s foods. I waxed and waned about his Chicken Osso Bucco in a previous blog. But the past few weeks, I have been around to get some samples of his other foods…like his Stuffed Pepper Soup. And to be honest, another “Aah” escaped from my lips. The soup was to die for but I didn’t. I love stuffed peppers and loved his flavorful soup. It was perfect and I lucked out and took a small container of soup home for dinner.

 

The following week, I was able to sample his Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup, where an  “Oh,’ escaped from my mouth. The flavor was fantastic and there was the perfect amount of broccoli and cheese in the soup. That day, I ate a bowl of soup for lunch and had another take out container to put in my freezer for a future meal.

 

The following week, while the day drew to a close, Chef Jeff made us a Beef Au Jus sandwich. Oh yeah…this was heavenly. The rolls were toasted, and then he scooped on the thinly sliced beef, and the golden braised onions. But along with the melted provolone cheese, it was a hint of Blue Cheese that gave the sandwich an Emeril “Bam” to it. I sat  and enjoyed every mouthful that I ate.

 

Who needs to be paid for work? with Chef Jeff around and his food samplings, I am in heaven. And if any of this tickles your gastronomical fancy…you can always order a take- out of Chicken Osso Bucco, Stuffed Pepper Soup, and Broccoli and Cheddar Cheese Soup. Check out (erinsfinefoods.com) or stop into Erin’s Fine Foods, on Highway 19 in the North Hills area and see one of her take out menus to place an order. And don’t forget to peek into the kitchen and say hi to the kitchen staff!

Sky Jet Restaurant

A few days ago, when a friend and I took a road trip toward Erie, we went off the interstate onto different roads. We found ourselves hungry and ready to stop some place for dinner. According to the sign, we found ourselves in Tionesta, Pa. On a side street, we saw a woman getting out of her car. I asked her if there was a good restaurant in the area. She directed us to turn around, take a left, go up the hill, past the Church on the right. We would see an ice cream cone, and there would be a restaurant. At first I thought – Dairy Queen. But we were hungry and followed her directions. We found the restaurant tucked around the side of the ice cream cone.

 

The restaurant was an inviting wooden building. Inside it was a cozy interior with homey Early American interior and decorations. We were able to sit wherever we wanted, so we chose a table by the window. Besides that was 6:00 p.m. on a Sunday evening, and we were the only customers in the restaurant, so we had the full attention of the friendly waitress and cook.

 

Since it was Sunday and chilly outside, I craved one of those old fashioned home cooked meals that my mother would have made. I ordered the special which was rolls, a stuffed chicken breast, with an absolutely delicious stuffing, a bit of gravy, baked potato, carrots and salad. Both my friend and I didn’t think we would be able to finish the meal but it was so good that we did. I’m embarrassed to say that I even found some room for a piece of homemade cherry pie. This was by far the best homemade pie that I have ever had. The crust was light and flaky, but the cherry filling was perfect with a balance of tartness and sweetness.

 

After we complimented the chef, we asked about the restaurant and both she and the waitress told us the story of the Sky Jet Restaurant and also gave us a write up of the place from an old menu.

 

The origin of the Sky Jet Restaurant began as an Airplane Hanger before 1965. The Sky Jet Restaurant has been a family owned business since 1979, with the first owners, Rita and Delbert Wagner. After their deaths in 2001-2001, the current owners are now Wagner’s daughters, Angela Sorvelli, and Jeannie McCleary, along with their spouses and children, who have successfully continued to provide homemade meals at reasonable prices. And I will add…delicious tasting meals!

 

If you ever find yourself in Tionesta, stop in at the Sky Jet Restaurant – you will not be disappointed. You can also visit the Sky Jet Restaurant on Facebook.

It's Complicated

Being an ex-wife isn’t always easy. One always has to tread lightly. Never react to your spouse’s name and his second wife. Never react to what is going on with them or the trips they are on or any new news.

 

Just recently we had a shower for my youngest daughter. It was a wonderful time and my daughter’s face radiated her total happiness. Sometimes, I wish that I could be that happy and young again and oblivious to what might be waiting for me around that curve in life’s road.

 

If there is anything that I can say to help others in my situation it would be to get a message to the second wife and that sould be not to be so intrusive in the face of the first wife. The fact of the matter is that you are not my children’s mother, or my grandchildren’s grandmother. You are the second wife.  I was the one who gave birth to my nine children, nurtured them and took care of them and was their designated driver. I spent a lot of time with them alone, despite being married.

 

It is difficult enough being around my ex and seeing he has another wife and has her own children as well, and listening to the wife wax and wane about her big family. I repeat, you are not their biological mother, despite you making yourself the center of attention at my youngest daughter’s shower. I have been civil to you and never mean. Please try to put yourself in my position. Please try to use your head and your sensitivity to my feelings. Please try to blend into the background when I am around. Please try to remember I am their mother and their grandmother. When you entertain them in your home with your husband, I don’t care how you act. But when we are all together, could you please be less intrusive and invasive and use your common sense.

 

The shower would have been more beautiful and a happier time for me but only ended up with me feeling like I crashed my own daughter’s wedding shower.

 

Maybe ex-spouses and new spouses should take a course in sensitivity. It still isn’t too late to figure this out.

Thanksgiving Meals by Erin

Thanksgiving Meals

 

If the thought of turkey and the trimmings ruffles your feathers – let me take care of the meal while you take care of the guest list and decorations. You take the praise, while I take over the hassle of holiday cooking.

 

This traditional Thanksgiving dinner and all the fixings include: Tender Roasted Turkey, Corn Bread, Stuffing, Fluffy Mashed Potatoes, Savory Turkey Gravy, Cranberry Orange Relish, Green Bean Casserole, Sweet Potato Pecan Bake, Corn Chowder Casserole, Assorted Dinner Rolls, Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie.

 

Menu Package Pricing:  8-10 People $170.00   12-14 People $225.00   18-20 People $280.00

 

You may place your orders for the full turkey dinner or for a la carte items by Wednesday, November 14. Orders maybe be picked up Monday, 19^th, Tuesday, 20^th, Wednesday 21, until 7:00 p.m. Only full dinners may be picked up on Thanksgiving Day, November 22 by 11:00 am.

 

This year make sure your Thanksgiving is stress free. Call and order your meal in plenty of time. To place an order call 412-366-5095 or visit (erinsfinefoods.com).

Road Trip

Something that I have always wanted to do was get into my car and go off on a road trip. Just drive somewhere randomly, get out of the car wherever I want to and take photos or just walk around and then get back into my car. I always wanted to be a little bit like Thelma and Louise without killing anyone or driving off a mountain!

 

Recently, I just fulfilled my dream of a road trip and took it with a friend. We got into her car and headed up I-79 to 80 and took a few turns onto a few different roads. We traveled through Emlenton and some other small towns, stopping to take a photo of an eclectic looking house. The place looked like a small Southern house with two stories and a flat roof, and vining flowers growing up one of the metal trellis. Two painted trees are strategically placed on each side of the front of the house on the second story. The iron gate caught my eye and camera with a “Please Go Away” spelled out in iron. I have never seen such massive and healthy ferns in pots in front of the house…whatever it was they were huge and thriving. The house was picturesque and lent itself to a camera buff.

 

After we drove along and stopped at a few old cemeteries, where I realized how the styles of grave markets and monuments have changed over the years. There are a lot of stories, silenced, in those cemeteries.

 

The leaves hadn’t changed colors, yet the trees and scenery was spectacular. Along the drive, we even braked for two baby Ruffled Feather Grouses (the national bird of Pennsylvania, which was something I learned from being a Cub Scout Den Mother).

 

Evening found us in Tionesta, Pennsylvania, on a Sunday night and we ate at a delightful restaurant, the Sky Jet.

 

Next time, it might be better to travel on a Saturday and be able to go into some of those eclectic shops.

Fallingwater

It was a perfect day to take a trip to Fallingwater. The weather was warm, but not overly warm. The sky was a beautiful blue and the sun made it easy to drape a light sweater across my arm. Even the leaves had started to change into their fall colors.

 

Fallingwater was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, in 1935, for the Kaufmann Family; Edgar J. Kaufmann, Sr., and his wife Liliane. Kaufmann owned Pittsburgh’s Kaufmann Department Store. The home was built as their mountain retreat. It sits among 5,100 acres of lush land in Bear Run Nature Reserve in Mill Run, Pennsylvania. The house is considered the crown jewel in Wright’s many architecture masterpieces.

 

Wright’s innovated style of the home included open floor plans, low ceilings, narrow hallways, and floor to ceiling steel framed windows, gravity floor heat, carports, cantilevered roofs, and the use of flagstone rocks. It is built over the water and the falls and the home is one with  the scenery and the area. This was a contemporary home before its time and included tables that opened for eating extensions, wall seats and the Wright signature ceiling lighting design. It also contained buttons discreetly installed by the bedsides to summon the servants.

 

The Kaufmann’s art collection was something to behold with priceless art pieces of Picasso, Rivera, Hiroshige, and more, along with Tiffany lamps. Room after room brought an exclamation from the visitors. The out-door decks were privy to the beauty of the environment and the sound of the water and falls.

 

The house inspired me and I could see myself in the rooms or on the deck sitting in a chair writing or just enjoying the beauty of the surroundings. So, as a tourist, all I could do was take out my camera and snap a number of out-door shots. Indoors, cameras and cell phone cameras are prohibited. I even saw myself in the servant quarters or visitors quarters or even enjoying a dip in the swimming pool.

 

After the tour, my friend and I followed the sign to the view and what a view! To our amazement and delight, we found a perfect camera shot of Fallingwater rising majestically above the water and falls where the trees seemed to have parted. The house was in full view; a definite achievement to Frank Lloyd Wright and a perfect photo op for myself and my friend.

 

This was my third trip to Fallingwater and now I have visited the home in three different seasons, except winter. I can only imagine how cold it would be in winter but how beautiful Falling water would look with snow on the house, grounds and trees. A proverbial winter wonderland! I could also imagine how much I would enjoy the scenery from the house, with a fire going and looking out the windows at all the beauty outside.

 

If you have never been to Fallingwater, I think you would love to tour the place. For more information about the place try (www.fallingwater.org).