"You Say Tomato, I say Tomahto"

Ahh, those are much remembered song lyrics my daddy used to sing to us kids in our childhood, he had another one about a, " pickle in the middle, mustard on top," crazy the things you remember as a child.



One summer we took a vacation back East to visit with some of his family, he wiled the miles away with singing, he was a GOOD singer too, he'd been a choir boy as a child. One of my favorite songs he sang was "Rye Whiskey, he'd really give it his all............when he was done, I'd beg him to sing it again, he always did, he loved to sing.



That was also the most memorable vacation for getting "spankins' on the side of the road." Just tell me, who takes a vacation in an Electra 225 Buick with three kids in the back, designated barriers between one another, and think it's going to be a peaceful vacation.? I mean, just how many miles is it from Phoenix, Arizona to Green Bay Wisconsin, Lake Michigan, Chicago?? It's a long way, let me tell ya.



Steve (our brother) sat on one side of the backseat, me (the darling baby) on the other, and they put the oldest, Karen, in the middle............boy did she like that! Especially since she was a goodie two shoe and bookworm." She was always reading, she's still reading....................!



Steve and I would get bored, start pinchin' one another back and forth, across the front of Karen. On one occasion, "Miss Perfect" got caught elbowing the heck out of our brother just about the time that Dad looked in the rear view mirror................OH LORD, watch out Karen. That car came to a screeching halt on the side of the road, Dad told her to "get out!" As she was getting her butt whipped, another fine vacationer with his family in tow, in his luxury sedan, drove by and honked his horn as loud as he could, he gave Dad the equivalent to a "high five" hand. Then and only then, did we feel real sorry for sister Karen. So...............Steve and I vowed to behave for Karen's sake, didn't last long though. Seems every hundred miles or so we'd see steam come out of Dad's ears, the sedan would pull to the right and stop abruptly................we knew we were dead!



"You say Tomato, I say Tomahto," lyrics from 1937, George and Ira Gershwin to be exact, Daddy could tell you who wrote the lyrics, what movie they came from along with just about every other factoid you might want to know at the age of 7.



Daddy loved driving also, any chance he could talk Mama into loading up a picnic and heading out of the city he would. We always headed North, usually to water, flowing water. Daddy had a convertible, he'd roll that top down and we'd hit the highway (I'm actually surprised my mother went along with it, she had immaculate hair-do's at that time). Daddy made this incredible "picnic punch" when we'd go, we only had it on picnics, I'm not sure why, it just was.



Today, while canning my tomatoes, the "tomahto" song lyric kept popping into my head, that happens with me often, I guess it's because my daddy always sang to us. In fact, just the other day I belted out "Rye Whiskey" for "the Man" while sitting outside. I think he liked it.............I sure miss my daddy, I think about him often.



He was not a tall man, but he wasn't short either, he was just right. He had a jolly belly to him, I guess it was all the ice cream he ate. He had a wonderful full beard and a long, full handlebar mustache that he waxed daily. He wore a gorgeous top hat at special events, when he died, he passed it along to his best friend, Pat. Pat now wears that gorgeous top hat to special events.



You never, ever know when a person you love will perish...............leave ya bone dry and sad. I've lost many a loved one in the past sixteen years; a brother, a grandmother, my daddy, my brother-in-law, my dog "Gayla." I'm tired of losing loved ones, so remember to always tell those you love, just how much you love em' and do it often.

Home-Canned Tomatoes (Tamahtos)

4 pounds tomatoes

8 basil leaves

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons kosher salt

Blanch tomatoes just until the skins loosen, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, pull the tomatoes from the hot water and place in chilled water. slip the skins off the tomatoes. Quarter tomatoes and pack into hot sterilized pint jars, stopping 1/2 inch from the top. Periodically, push down on the tomatoes so they make their own juice. Bury 2 fresh basil leaves in each jar and add 1 Tablespoon lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Use a knife to release any air pockets. Wipe the rim very well, place hot sterilized lid on the top and seal with ring. Set them in a water bath and bring to a boil. Process for 35 minutes.

Marinara Sauce

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 large onion, coarsely chopped

1 medium carrot, thinly sliced

4 cups home-canned tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1 Tablespoon chopped fresh basil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic, onion, carrot and cook over moderate heat for 5 minutes.

Pass the tomatoes and their juices through a food mill. Add the tomatoes to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Cover partially and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Pass the sauce through a food mill and return it to the skillet. Add the butter, basil and oregano, cover partially and simmer for 30 minutes longer.

My Daddy's Picnic Punch

(September 29Th, 1927-July 5Th, 1998)

Mix together, 2 cans frozen, thawed orange juice along with 1 can frozen, thawed lemonade juice. Serve chilled. Sometimes I think he may have added 1 can frozen, thawed pineapple juice also.

8th Annual Deer Springs Pig Roast

What a glorious day for a pig roast..................although we did get rain upon our arrival. We were attending the annual Deer Springs Inn pig roast. "The Man" and myself look forward to this event every year.

The sponsors of this extravaganza are Ed and Mary King, owners/operators of Deer Springs Inn Resort. We met this couple in the Fall of 1999. We stayed at their resort, which by the way, is approximately 7 miles of any beaten path, and off the grid..........(NO T.V., NO blow dryers, No electric lights BUT they do have wood heat, kerosene lanterns or solar lights, flashlights, running water, toilets, tranquility.... lots of it!) It requires a 4-wheel drive vehicle or a vehicle with chains in the winter time to proceed back into their place, summer time you just need water, time and the view (I've seen turkey, wild horses, elk, deer and black bear)

We really, really like this couple, Mary especially! She is a fun gal............witty, kind, loyal and an all around good human being. Her significant other, he's funny (sometimes), a kind human (sometimes), a real talker (all the time). So, as I was saying, we love to attend this function.

The criteria for attending this function......you must know the Kings or be in tight with someone who does. You also have to bring a side dish to accompany the pig BBQ. It's a fun network of people, some we've met during the pig roast, some we've met while staying at the resort, some we know simply by yakking with them throughout the day.

This pig(who's name was "Ed" by the way) is slow roasted in an indirect method. Ed(the man, not the pig) feeds charcoal and wood to this pig, which is wired to two heavy-duty grates, placed in a shallow (grave), I mean "pit," covered in walls of tin including the top, and slow-roasted for many hours. The atmosphere is terrific, the smell of pig roasting permeates the tall pines, which makes everyone salivate profusely, which is why we all drink a lot.

Now when this pig is done roasting, Ed and his entourage of "worker bees," (I mean friends), gather round to hoist the pig up, and out of the fire, and onto a table. This is when Ed subjects his enemies( I mean friends) to "pig pullin' ." Now I've had the honor of pig pullin for a couple of years, my mama has had the honor of pig pullin a couple of years..............this year it was time for some new blood! I nominated my son-in-law Toby, and our new neighbor (from S. Cal) Joe Hicks, I also nominated them early that day, before anyone arrived so Ed would know who to "pick on." Sometimes Ed listens to me......................most often NOT!

This job is NOT for the weak or tender................this requires asbestos gloves, a big bucket of water (to cool your hands down in the asbestos gloves), and some real strength. The "pig pullin' " begins, they pull and pull, place in trays, pull and pull and place in more trays......until the entire carcass of the pig is plucked clean like a vultures been at it..................then the good times roll, we get to eat!

Now these eats are some of the best in the world. I have to say, they outdid themselves this year, it was the BEST pig to date. It was tender, mellow smoked, juicy, just a real FINE pig. Top that off with some of Jack's homemade BBQ sauce, a lil' slaw, some homemade bread, doesn't get much better folks. Also.....................Connie's Sangria was out of this world (it was hidden behind the pavilion, behind a tarp, in a cooler, in the back, and off the beaten path). In fact, I'm pretty sure that not too many people knew where the Sangria was hidden except for Ed, Mary, myself, Connie's son, and Connie. Man is that some good stuff!

Well, I'm real sorry ya'll missed this shingdig, it's a "hoot" of a time.................until next year, bon appetit!!

JACK'S FAMOUS BBQ SAUCE

80 ounces ketchup

1 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 1/2 cup brown sugar

2-4 Tablespoons celery seed

6-12 cloves garlic, minced

cayenne to taste

3/4 cup Bourbon (not Canadian Club)

Add all together except the bourbon and let boil for approximately 5-10 minutes. Cool. Add Bourbon. Bottle.

*You may want to halve this recipe as this makes a large batch for a large crowd.