Mid-Winter ‘Comfort’ Breakfast!

When I got up this morning, I looked outside and noted that it was still gray and a little depressing…although the fog was mostly gone.  With January morning temperatures to date mainly ranging from the high 30’s to the low 40’s, it seemed like a good morning for ‘comfort food’.  My better half perhaps wisely declined my offer to make her one of these ‘breakfast’ creations…

I started by assembling the following ingredients: Two brown eggs; a piece of bread from Fresh Market; 2 split left-over grilled hotdogs; a ladle and a half of Laurie’s homemade HOT ground beef and bean chili, and; some shredded sharp cheddar cheese.

I heated the chili and the hot dogs in the microwave; then I toasted and buttered the bread.  My preliminary assembly was as follows:  toast on the bottom; split hot dogs on the toast; chili ladled on top, and; I spread the shredded cheese liberally on top of the hot/HOT chili…and it melted nicely. 

My final step was to fry the 2 eggs easy-over in butter with a bit of pepper…and then I slid them into the place of honor on top of the toast, hot dogs, chili and cheese.  What a luscious combo! 

This was a very comforting breakfast on a gray day…and it definitely carried me through until dinner time!

Just click on any photo to enlarge the photo…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave   

Cooperstown – The National Baseball Hall of Fame

Continuing with our late summer/early fall 2011 road trip…

Well baseball fans, here it is!   The reason that most visitors go to Cooperstown New York... The center of the baseball universe… The tabernacle of swat… The temple to the ‘gods’ of the game…The National Baseball Hall of Fame!

The front entrance and the overall facilities of The Baseball Hall of Fame are quite impressive.  Despite the rainy weather and of course, most family vacations were over for 2011, the Hall of Fame was busy, if not overflowing, with true aficionados of the game.  Now, while Laurie and I can’t be counted as true baseball fans…we do like to watch a good game and we always watch the season ending playoffs plus the World Series…we couldn’t visit Cooperstown without making a pilgrimage to the town’s most famous attraction…

We definitely are not Yankees’ fans…but this cow reminded us of the summer that Mayor Daley had decorated and painted full sized cow sculptures all around downtown Chicago.  Plus…the glasses reminded us of Harry Carey!

This is Laurie’s all time favorite Chicago Cubs baseball player!  There is no doubt that she’d leave home for Ryno… We would both like to see him return to the organization as Manager for the Cubs.  He did a great job for the organization at the minor league level in Kodak Tennessee with the Smokies.  One of our goals is to live long enough to see the Cubs win the World Series!

Ryno was named the National League's Most Valuable Player in 1984, he was voted onto the League's All-Star team for 10 consecutive years and he also earned a Gold Glove award for 10 consecutive years.  His .989 fielding percentage at 2nd base stands as a major league record. 

Unfortunately, Ryne left the Cubs organization in 2010.  However, as the Manager of the Philadelphia Phillies top minor league affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, in 2011 he took them to the championship of the International League and he was named the Minor League Manager of the Year. 

Next to the Cubs, the St. Louis Cardinals is our favorite team.   Laurie’s entire family, especially her sister Karole and Karole's son, Marc, are passionate Cardinals fans! 

Note: In addition to the plaques, awards, trophies, player’s equipment and uniforms, there is a room in the Hall of Fame devoted to baseball related art work, especially paintings.  The painting shown above shows Stan ‘the man’ Musial signing autographs for some young fans.

Then there was Bob Gibson, another great Cardinals’ star player!  He had an “OK” career...  In 17 years with the Cardinals, he was elected to the National League’s All-Star Team 9 times; he had a career ERA of 2.91…and in 1968, he set an NLB Major League record with an ERA of 1.12; he pitched a no hitter; he won 9 Gold Glove Awards; he recorded 17 strike outs in a World Series game; he had 3,117 career strike outs; he won 2 Cy Young awards; he was his team’s most valuable player, (MVP), in two World Series, and; he was the National League’s MVP in 1968!  Not too bad… Bob Gibson was elected to the Hall of Fame during his first year of eligibility and it happened on the first ballot!

This is Stan Musial’s locker at the Hall of Fame… Stan ‘the man’ is still a big time hero in the St. Louis area.  His entire baseball career, 22 seasons, was spent with the Cardinals…from 1941 to 1963.  He was named to the National League’s All-Star Team 24 times. (Note: For  a few years, there were two All-Star games each year)

 Stan had a lifetime batting average of .331, was 4^th all time with 3,630 hits and he won the National League’s batting title 7 times.  He was named the National League’s Most Valuable Player 3 times, won 3 World Series titles and he was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame on the first ballot in 1969.  Stan Musial is currently the longest tenured living Hall of Famer at 91 years of age…

Ozzie Smith is another Cardinal’s favorite… Osborne Earl  Smith was fast and he made many fantastic defensive plays, many of which Laurie and I witnessed.  Ozzie had a MLB recorded 8,375 put out assists and 1,510 double plays.  He set a National League record, playing 2,511 career games at shortstop.  Ozzie also had 580 stolen bases, earned 13 National League Gold Glove awards as well as being selected for the League’s All-Star team on 15 occassions.  He was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of elegibilty…with 91.7% of the vote!

I love this sculpture of Casey Stengel!   I remember him looking exactly like he was depicted by the artist!  One of the reasons that I remember Casey so well is that I was a Detroit Tigers fan during his reign with the Yankees.  Casey and the Yankees won the American League Title 10 times and the World Series 7 times while he was managing the team! 

The old “Perfesser” as he was called, played baseball for the Brooklyn Dodgers, Pittsburgh Pirates, Philadelphia Phillies, New York Giants and the Boston Braves…from 1912 until 1925.  Then he went on to manage the Brooklyn Dodgers, Boston Braves, New York Yankees (f0r 12 years!), and the New York Mets…beginning in 1934 and retiring in 1965.

We were amazed by these life-like and life-sized statues of Babe Ruth and Ted Williams.  Each of them was carved from one piece of laminated basswood by Armand La Montagne from North Scituate Rhode Island.  Everything you see is carved from wood…the clothes, the caps, etc.

This photo is a little blurry…but it represents the only skill that I had when I played baseball.  I could hit pretty well.  But this batter/professional baseball player who’s skill is graphically demonstrated above, was one of the best hitters ever!  The space occupied by the balls represents the strike zone for Ted Williams.  The number shown on the balls is his batting average for that segment or portion of the strike zone.  No spot in the strike zone was safe!

Ted Williams lifetime batting average was .344 and he was the last major league baseball player to hit over .400 for a season…(.406 in 1941).  Ted spent all 21 years in major league baseball with the Boston Red Sox.  He won the American League’s MVP award twice, the batting crown 6 times, the triple crown twice and he was voted on to the American League’s All-Star team 19 times.

Despite the fact that he spelled trouble for my Tigers, I was always fasinated when he came up to bat.  His lifetime on-base percentage was 48%!  The “Splendid Splinter” as he was called, was elected to the Hall of Fame on the 1^st ballot with 93.38% of the vote!

Yes, I couldn’t resist.  I had to pay homage to my favorite player for the Detroit Tigers…from back in my younger days!  The plaque tells his story.  He had a .297 lifetime batting average, had over 3,000 hits.   Al Kaline was durable (22 years as a player for the Tigers), he had a great glove, a great arm and he was always exciting to watch.  He was elected to the American League’s All-Star team 18 times and he was awarded a gold glove 10 times.

The best part about this story is that at 77 years of age, Al Kaline still works in the front office for the Tigers…in fact he’s know as “Mr. Tiger”.

I thought that it would be appropriate to end our tour of the Baseball Hall of Fame with a tip of the cap to the unsung heros of baseball…the Umpires.  This painting by Norman Rockwell was for the cover of the Saturday Evening Post back on April 23, 1949.  It has several names…”Three Umpires”; “Game Called Because of Rain”; “Bottom of the Sixth”, or my favorite; “Tough Call”. 

The true hard core baseball fan could lose themselves at the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Even for casual fans such as Laurie and I, it was well worth the trip to Cooperstown as well as the price of admission. ($19.50 Adults/$17.50 AAA and $12.00 Seniors/$10.75 AAA) For more information, just go to: http://baseballhall.org/.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Italian Dining in Cooperstown!

Continuing with our late summer road trip to New York and Pennsylvania….

We spent a couple of days in Cooperstown New York.  I’d researched possible dining spots before we left on our trip…and I learned about a popular restaurant that serves quality Italian food.  Trip Advisor ranked it #4…with four ‘stars’ out of five, based on 117 reviews. (www.tripadvisor.com)

Nicoletta’s Italian Café is a nice looking casual yet upscale restaurant in downtown Cooperstown.  It’s located close to Abner Doubleday Field and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.  Nicoletta’s façade is warm and inviting.  The restaurant was fairly busy despite the early dinner hour but even though we didn’t have a reservation, we were seated within a few minutes after we arrived.

Inside, Nicoletta’s can best be described a casual chic.  The old hardwood floors, oil paintings and white linen, juxtaposed with an original tin ceiling, all blend together to create a warm and friendly dining environment. 

Given its location in such a high profile tourist town, combined with its reputation for quality Italian dining, many high profile diners have broken bread at Nicoletta’s.  They include: Cal Ripken Jr.; James Earl Jones; Wayne Gretsky; Connie Chung with Maury Povich, and; Bob Costas.

Laurie ordered the Veal Saltimboca Romano ($17.95) This is described as tender scaloppini of veal, imported prosciutto and spinach, sautéed in a sage butter broth with melted provolone cheese.  Laurie thought that it was very nice…if a little richer tasting than she’d expected.

There are 8 appetizers or salads on the menu ranging from a dinner salad ($3.95), Oven Roasted Kitchen Made Sausage ($6.95), Calamari Fritte ($8.95) to a Supper Salad for 2 ($9.95).  Six pasta courses are available.  These include: Semolina Spaghetti with marinara and a meatball or sausage ($10.95); Linguini with baby clams in olive oil, with garlic, lemon and a touch of zinfandel ($16.95), and; Penne Primavera with gulf shrimp and penne pasta tossed with sautéed vegetables and fresh tomato, herbs, olive oil and white wine ($16.95).

I enjoyed my entrée very much…but it isn’t evident with this lousy photo. (Sorry, I took this picture! This is why Laurie takes most of our photos…) Believe it or not, this is the Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo ($14.95).  I didn’t expect the tomatoes on top, but I did like this version of a standard Italian entrée.

Other available entrees include: Veal or Chicken Marsala ($16.95); Scampi Delicious with fresh gulf shrimp sauteed in a lemon butter caper sauce with carmelized garlic ($16.95); Lobster Ravioli Pomadoro ($16.95), and; Bisteca Bianco Gorgonzola, 8 oz. black angus filet mignon, pepper encrusted, pan seared, and served over fettuccini pasta in a light gorgonzola cream sauce ($21.95).  There are a total of 10 entrees on the menu.

Nicoletta’s Italian Restaurant is located at 96 Main Street in Cooperstown New York. Phone: 607-547-7499. Website: www.nicolettasitalianrestaurant.com.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

The Farmer’s Museum – Cooperstown NY

Continuing with our late summer road trip…

When in Cooperstown, it’s all about the Baseball Hall of Fame…or is it?!

This is the Main Barn and entrance to The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown New York.  This barn was built in 1918 for a wealthy local family for their herd of prize cattle.  The stone Colonial Revival style barn, the adjacent creamery and herdsman’s cottage were designed by architect Frank Whiting and they all are part of the museum complex.

The Main Barn serves as the ticket office and the museum’s exhibition center.  When we visited, there was a large exhibit of past and current food items created and produced in New York State.  We also saw the Cardiff Giant, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff_Giant), as well as a plethora of 19^th century craft and farm tools plus antique farm equipment.

This was one of Laurie’s favorite buildings at the Farmers’ Museum…the Empire State Carousel!

The Carousel has 25 hand-carved animals representing agricultural and natural resources found in New York State as well as chariot rides in a scallop shell, and Erie Canal boat and an original Lover’s Tub.  Folklore panels depict Uncle Sam, the Deerslayer, Susan B. Anthony, Teddy Roosevelt, Grandma Moses and Jackie Robinson.

The 19^th Century Historic Village was formed by gathering more than 25 period buildings from rural communities around New York State and then restoring them, piece by piece.  The idea is to show what both domestic and commercial life was like in a rural community during the late 18^th and early 19^th Century.

The village is very well done.  The view shown above, strikes me as a genuine look back at 1800 in rural America...probably in a fairly prosperous settlement.

Even though we were a bit out of season, the week after Labor Day, several of the buildings at the Farmers’ Museum’s ‘village’ were staffed with re-enactors.  The photo above is of the interior of Dr. Thrall’s Pharmacy.  A medicinal herb garden was adjacent to the pharmacy.  This building dates back to 1832 and was moved to the site from Hartwick New York.

This weaver was working on a very large frame loom in the back portion of the Westcott Shop.  This Greek revival building is representative of the small commercial buildings found in central New York in the 1840’s. 

Other buildings in the village include a creamery; Todd’s General Store; Morey Barn/Children’s Barnyard; two 3-sided drive sheds (1800’s ‘car’ port for carriages, sleighs, etc.); an 1827 blacksmith shop; a printing offce from Middlefield, NY; a doctor’s office; a law office; the Lippett Farmstead; a poultry house; a granery; two wooden barns; a hop house (for drying hops); a big church with a pipe organ; the 1795 Bump Tavern; a carriage house; two homes; a kitchen and woodshed, and; an 1814 shoolhouse.

This view is across the cemetery next to the Cornwallville Church toward the Lippitt Farmstead.  Several heritage breeds thrive at the farm, including Narragansett turkeys, Devon cattle and Cheviot sheep.

The farmstead is a living example of how a farm would have operated in the mid-19^th century.  Different seasons result in changing scenes and farm chores.  Hops are cultivated and harvested, farm animals are raised, sheep are sheared and their wool is combed, spun and woven.  Children can feed and pet the young animals…

Laurie and I noticed this strange learned behavior by one of these cows… Can you see what we noticed?  The cow closest to the barn has discovered that she could scratch her itchy nose by inserting the other cow’s horn in her nostril.  She repeated this seemingly unusual action several times while we were watching!

This Devon cow has been called into the barn for milking.  The re-enactor who was handling the milking chore/demonstration just stood outside the barn and called the cow by hollering, “Here Cow!”

And here is our happy milkmaid!  Laurie hadn’t milked a cow in a many years…since she was a little girl.  She did a pretty good job too…except that the farmer/re-enactor commented that she’d be a while if she had a whole herd to milk…

As the Farmers’ Museum was closing for the day and we were walking back to the big stone barn, one of the staff working at the carousel called out and asked us if we’d like a free ride.  It was a perfect ending to a nice visit!

This museum is a great place to visit!  There is enough for children to see and do plus there’s plenty of space for them to run around.  With a few exceptions, the Farmers’ Museum is closed from the end of October until the end of March.  The facility is fully opened and staffed from around the 2^nd week in May until the 2^nd week in October.  For more information, just go to www.FarmersMuseum.org.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

A Diner in Cooperstown (Twice!)

Continuing with our late summer road trip…

As mentioned previously, when we go on a road trip, I always research our route, hotels, attractions, and of course, places to eat.  I didn’t have any place to eat listed for Cooperstown, so I once again resorted to TripAdvisor.com.  I was rewarded with a diner…something that we don’t find in East Tennessee…and which was even hard to find in Chicago.

The Cooperstown Diner was rated 4 out of 5 “dots”, (aka. Stars), in Trip Advisor.  The rating was based on 54 customer reviews…and it ranked 5^th out of 27 restaurants listed in Cooperstown.  This is definitely a ‘diner sized’ restaurant...tiny for sure!  As you might have noticed, the hours…6 AM to 10 PM daily…are truly diner type hours…

The inside of the Cooperstown Diner is small, seating no more than 24 customers at the tables and along the counter.  We sat at the counter.  Patrons consisted of tourists and a number of regulars. 

We ate at the Cooperstown Diner twice… On the first occasion, Laurie went for a grilled bacon and cheese with curly fries.  She loves grilled cheese sandwiches and she loves bacon…and she was very happy with her selection!  The fries were pretty good too…

I’d read a review about the honey dipped fried chicken dinner…so I ordered it for lunch accompanied by applesauce, cole slaw and broccoli.  The chicken was crispy with sweet overtones and I really liked it!  The slaw was very nice and the broccoli was cooked just perfectly…not overdone.  The applesauce was just applesauce…

The above photo includes those condiments that I feel should be standard items in any diner or corner restaurant.  Everyone has ketchup…but Tabasco should be a basic table item…or at least an available item in an local restaurant.

For our second visit to the Cooperstown Diner, I chose the Jumbo Burger with those nice curly fries.  The burger was indeed huge, medium rare and the bun was toasted.  Once I removed the lettuce and tomato, (left on for the photo only), I devoured a very good cheeseburger!

As the Cooperstown Diner was highly recommended for breakfast, Laurie opted for her basic morning meal when dining out.  Two eggs over easy with buttered toast, bacon and home fried potatoes.  She gave her meal a two thumbs up!

When considering food quality and quantity in conjunction with price, the Cooperstown Diner is a good place to catch your basic diner style meal.  With drinks, tip and tax, we averaged about $22.50 per meal.  Appropriately enough, given its small size, the diner is located at 136 ½ Main Street in Cooperstown.  Phone: 607-547-9201.  To check out the reviews for the Diner, just go to the Trip Advisor website at:   http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g47529-d407722-Reviews-Cooperstown_Diner-Cooperstown_New_York.html. Laurie and I would give it 4 ‘stars’ in keeping with the overall rating…

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Willie’s Restaurant – An Update…

Laurie and I have never hidden the fact that Willie’s Italian Restaurant in Seymour is our favorite place to eat in East Tennessee.  When you combine the price with the quality of the food, it’s very hard to beat… Now, if only they could serve wine with dinner!

Here's a little feedback regarding our most recent visit to Willie’s…

We drove over to Willie’s for dinner with our friends Joel and Holly as well as Karen and Charlie.  Everyone had eaten at Willie’s previously and this planned group visit had been a request…no argument from Laurie and myself!

This was our appetizer…a small White or Bianca Pizza ($8.95).  This pizza is all cheese…Mozzarella, Provolone, Romano and Ricotta, with fresh garlic and basil.  This is one very tasty pizza!  Everyone loved it…  

I’m not going to repeat myself by showing pictures of the salad or the delicious garlic bread knots that come with dinner, nor am I going to repeat myself by posting photos of meals we’ve previously enjoyed and posted on my blog site.

We did have one complaint this evening… Three members of our group had their hearts and appetites set for the big crowd "pleaser" entree!  We were shocked to learn that as of about 5:30 PM on a Saturday, Willie’s was out of the Lobster Ravioli! ($10.99) Apparently, the crowd on Friday night had wiped out this pasta favorite.

So, it was back to the menu, looking for alternatives.  Charlie chose the Garden Trio Tortellini, (see above), tri-colored cheese tortellini in the house recipe tomato-cream sauce with shrimp. ($11.98) Charlie commented that he might just like this better than the Lobster Ravioli.  Everyone else that tasted this dish agreed that it was very good!

Joel decided to go with an old Italian restaurant standard…the Chicken Parmesan. ($7.99) Joel and Holly have traveled around the world with their careers, but Joel said that this was probably the best Chicken Parmesan he’d ever eaten!  The tomato sauce was rich and very fresh tasting plus the chicken breast was breaded and fried to perfection.  I tasted the chicken breast and I’ll probably order it the next time we go to Willie’s…very nice!

One other comment… I had the Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, ($7.99), plus a side of Meat Balls ($2.99). Joel said that my meat sauce was one of the best he’d ever had, very rich and satisfying…and Karen commented that the meatballs were very, very good, and she is very picky when it comes to meatballs…

FYI…This is Willie!  He’s from Queens in New York City.  Willie knows Italian food!  Laurie and I have recommended Willie’s to many friends and relatives and we’ve never had negative feedback…other than the absence of the Lobster Ravioli this past visit. (Even that worked out…as our group was ‘forced’ to try other entrees, all of which were highly enjoyed!)

Willie’s Italian Restaurant is located at 11612 Chapman Highway, (US 411), in Seymour Tennessee.  Willie’s is open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, but closed on Sunday.  Phone: 865-773-0170.  Willie’s now has it’s own website: http://willies-restaurant.com/.  He is also on Facebook, where customers can view daily specials and post comments.  Check it out at http://www.facebook.com/pages/WILLIES-RESTAURANT/128199593345?sk=info.

I promise not to blog about Willie’s again in 2012 unless we try a dish that we haven’t tried or posted before.  Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

On the Road to Cooperstown…(Part 3)

Continuing with our late summer road trip…

Just south of US 20 on New York Hwy. 166, we came across another little town with an interesting past…

The village of Cherry Valley New York was established in 1740 by John Lindesay and it was initially named Lindesay’s Bush.  During the American Revolution, 47 residents were slaughtered by a British and Iroquois raiding party in what is now referred to as the Cherry Valley Massacre.

This is the Cherry Valley Museum.  It’s located at 49 Main Street in the village.  The museum is packed with early Americana, ranging from Victorian furniture to housewares, toys and clothing.  There are also artifacts from the Cherry Valley Massacre, historic portraits, a Civil War flag carried by the NY State 76^th Volunteers in 1862, fire equipment and much, much more.  This compact museum is quite a bargain…no crowds, lots of interesting artifacts and admission is $5.00 for an adult, $4.50 for seniors…and children are free with an adult.

The current population of Cherry Valley is about 550.  At one point, it was a growing enterprise but after the railroad pulled out, the New York Thruway was completed, and a bypass was built just north of town for US 20, the town has been sliding into a long decline.

Cherry Valley has many old homes and a lot of interesting architecture.  The town looks much like it did in the 19^th century.  For that reason, and because of its isolation, Cherry Valley has a long history as an artist and writer’s community.  Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg used to visit here to escape city life.  Ginsberg purchased a farm nearby.  Willa Cather wrote “O Pioneers” while living in the village.  It became a haven and destination point for many of the major players from the “Beat” scene.  This included William Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Peter Orlovsky, Herbert Huncke, Ray Bremser, Anne Waldman, Robert Creely, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Harry Smith…  Just ‘Google’ any of these names for more information about them…

Its hard to believe but this is the former Delaware & Hudson Railroad freight depot.  The Cherry Valley Branch began as the Cherry Valley & Sprakers Railroad.  After several mergers and buy outs, D & H bought the line in 1908.  The last train from Cherry Valley departed on August 17, 1956.  At least the basic structure has been put to good use…

Poet Charles Plymell still lives in Cherry Valley as does jazz pianist Paul Bley, artist and writer Jack Walls, artists Richard Saba and Mark Mastroianni, film maker James Rasin and novelist Dana Spiotta.  Andy Warhol superstar and transgender pioneer Candy Darling is buried in the Cherry Valley Cemetary.

One final item of interest… With the assistance of his cousin, Judge James Otis Morse and Amos L. Swan, both of whom lived in Cherry Valley, it was here that Samuel F.B. Morse developed the first working telegraph machine.  Was Cherry Valley the birthplace of the Information Superhighway?!

For additional details about Cherry Valley and its history, just click on the following website: http://www.livingplaces.com/NY/Otsego_County/Cherry_Valley_Village/Cherry_Valley_Village_Historic_District.html.

Just click on any photo to enlarge it…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!!

Wishing Everyone a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave