Sunday, August 20, 2017

CRACKER JACK, KLATSCUS AND ECLIPSE


Thirty-three cents, caramel corn and eleven peanuts, give or take. Still like the flavor but a lot has changed since Cracker Jacks were first introduced and, in the 1950s, this kid's staple snack. I would open the top, bump it against my lips and fill my mouth with a wonderful mixture of caramel corn and roasted peanuts. I think folks have always complained that there were never enough peanuts and appears this complaint has stood the test of time. 

Youngsters back then were smart enough not to eat the prize inside. Decoder rings, noise-makers and enough prize variety to keep us coming back for the snack and the prize lurking inside the box.  

Today, the prize is a paper sticker. Hard to light a kid's imagination after a quick sugared high with a sticker. Dull and sad. But what is today that was the same yesterday? 

Two boxes of CJ eaten here as I start this week's post. Yummy. Anyone wanna trade for a Step up to the Plate fuzzy baseball image guy sticker? 

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KLATSCUS

It's a Perogi. Lithuanian origin as this recipe came from the old country and grandma's kitchen. The only time I can remember it being made was when were at the ranch. Mom would help grandma make them for afternoon lunch. 

All the ingredients then came from the farm - other than the flour for the dough - milks, creams, eggs and cottage cheese. As I think back now, I believe that this dish was a money-saving way to add flavor and bulk to different meal options for feeding a haying crew and using ingredients from the farm.

From grandma, via mom's handwriting:

If any left over you can cut it up and fry in butter. Very good!

Cut milk down to one half cup (maybe inserted after recipe made)

1 full recipe of dough
1 lb. package of cottage cheese curds (Lucerne at Safeway's)
1 whole egg plus one egg yolks- makes 15 or 16
3 small eggs
1/2 or 3/4 cups of milk
3 1/2 Cups of flour approx. to make rubber like dough
Salt to taste (Note: I see this a lot in mom's old recipes)
This makes a large batch of dough

    Use low cal cottage cheese curds and squeeze dry - (or use an CC curds available. Dry curds were most important)

    Add one egg to cottage cheese curd, a little salt and mix well.

    Pinch off a small portion of dough and flatten evenly in the palm of your hand and add cottage in middle of dough.

    Squeeze edges of dough together to seal in mixture.

   Put into boiling water with salt to taste for about 15-20 minutes and serve hot with sour cream. 

   Can be put in baking dish and put in the oven with a little butter and sour cream over it. 

I was not a huge fan of the hot boiled Klatscus served with sour cream or butter. I ate it w/o fuss, but not one of my favorites from the farm lunch table. BUT nothing matched the cold leftover Klatscus the next day, sliced into 1/2" wide strips and fried in butter. The dough and the cottage cheese would take on a butter crisp from the frying.

TRANSFER STATION ART





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SOLAR ECLIPSE TOMORROW

The moon is going to cover the sun and block out the light for a few moments. Gonna be an event. Peeps are flocking to the forecast dark swath across the USA from Oregon to South Carolina. Starts a little after 10 am in the north west and finishes a quarter to three in the south-southeast.

I am trying to think of some of the after headlines. But I know in my heart that I cannot be clever enough to top the real situations folks are going to experience and the headlines. "Get the widow on the set." Accidents, altercations, eye and camera lenses burned, emergency room visits, power outages and the need safe places. End of the world stuff with hands fluffing the air; omg omg. Animals running a muck down main street.

If I was of a mind and wanted to join the crowds (stay away from crowds), I think I would position myself a day ahead of time in an out-of-the-way knoll, free from peeps. May be hard to do. Someone will already have a lemonade stand set up ahead of me to turn a quick dollar. Well, thirteen cents after permits and taxes.

This is probably the only full eclipse to see in my remaining years and I am not motivated by a need to experience the quick darkness. I think anti-climatic for the work involved to get into the path. Although we are going to experience nearly a 70% here on the hill. Might be eerie.

I took this pre-eclipse photo earlier this morning. Seems to be an anomaly gathering near the bottom. What does it mean? Is it them?

You saw it here first.
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Have a wonderful week.

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