Dog Lovers are Nice People

bienen-davis handbag with rhinestones

I was on in Phoenix last week on business.  While looking for an ice tea for a sick friend I found a thrift store sponsored by the Arizona Animal Welfare Animal League.   The ladies there were so friendly and helpful.  We started talking and we traded dog pictures. They asked me about what I was going to do with my purchases. I told them about SVintageCollection and my blog.  Little do they know I am writing about them, so I hope they do follow through and read my blog.  Here are some pictures of my cool finds.

3 earrings sets

If you ever get to Phoenix make sure to support them at 19^th and Dunlap.

The next morning I went to the park for a walk before I had to fly home.  I met Mike and his two Akitas.  He introduced me to Louie the groundskeeper and we shared a few laughs.   Mike wrote down some good restaurant recommendations in the area on the back of an inspirational poem about dogs.  The back of his T shirt said, "Will Fly for Food" as he is a pilot who does arial photography for his customers.

So it got me thinking about how many people I have met walking my dogs, the conversations we have shared and the friendships and connections we have developed.  Diane was my very first friend in Cincinnati, she had a framed picture of her dog on her desk at work at that's how we started our first conversation.  JD and I met while we were walking our "now grown" puppies.   The dog walking group who changed to book/movie/social club friends - Alexis, Robin, Nancy,  JD and sometimes Veronica have turned out to be valuable and trusted friends. 

So this blog is dedicated to all those “dog” people out there and their pooches. 

Here’s a recipe that I got from http://www.kingarthurflour.com/to share with your four legged friends.  Before making them, please check with your veterinarian to make sure they are safe for your pet to eat.

Best of Breed Dog Biscuits

         2 cups King Arthur White Whole Wheat Flour or Premium Whole Wheat Flour

         1 cup rolled oats, regular or quick

         1 tablespoon dried parsley or 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

         1/2 cup Baker's Special Dry Milk or nonfat dry milk

         1/2 teaspoon salt

         2 large eggs

         1 cup peanut butter, crunchy or plain

         1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon cold water, enough to make a cohesive dough

 Directions:

1) Preheat the oven to 300°F. Lightly grease a couple of baking sheets, or line them with parchment.

2) Mix together the flour, oats, parsley, dried milk, and salt.

3) Add the eggs and peanut butter, stirring to combine; the mixture will be crumbly.

4) Add enough water to bring the dough together; depending on the season, you may need to add a bit more (winter), or a bit less (summer).

5) To make biscuits using a dog-bone cutter, roll the dough about 1/4" thick, and cut with a 3 1/2" cutter (or the size of your choice). Gather and re-roll the scraps, and continue to cut biscuits until you've used all the dough.

6) To make dog "cookies," drop the dough in walnut-sized balls onto the prepared baking sheets. Flatten them to about 1/4".

7) Bake the biscuits for about 40 to 60 minutes, baking the smaller cookies for a shorter amount of time. When finished, the biscuits will be dark golden brown, and will be dry and crisp all the way through.

8) Remove the biscuits from the oven, and cool right on the pans.

Yield: about 42 larger (3 1/2" dog-bone) biscuits, 60 smaller (round) biscuits. Lucy and Snoop  Recipe approved by Lucy and Snoop

Lady in Red

Who was the Lady in Red?  

svintagecollection.com

Who was the lady that wore this beautiful vintage red raincoat?

Estate Sales tell you a story of the people or person who lived in the home.  As I wander from room to room, many hints of the past are still there.  Was it a couple?  Did they raise their family at this home?  Had they lived there a long time?

Many times I feel sadness.  I see old love letters written from a soldier at wartime to his love back home.  Sometimes there are old black and white photos of couples and families.

Often you can tell the occupant's occupation, as there are mugs or awards from an employer.  Some companies are still in business and some are from a time past.

Hobbies and collections are evident.  Sewing and/or crafts, doll collections, bowling trophies and golf clubs.  I have even witnessed a home with rooms and rooms of Native American items complete with several tee pees out back.  What was this person's connection?

My favorites are the homes where it appears the families were raised in the 40’s or 50’s.  The home are smaller, the garage is a one car.   More than likely the basement always has a room that is designated for gatherings and parties.   The concrete walls and floors are painted with a rug over top.  There is always a bar and bar stools.  Sometimes there is a very old stereo for dance music and usually a card table.  Occasionally there is very heavy slate pool table.   I leave with a sense of family and good times of past.

So who was the lady in red?  Who was the lady who wore this bright red raincoat?  She had flamboyant style.  Her clothing in her closets was bright and stood out. She was not married, as there was no evidence of male clothing or belongings.  She was an artist.  The home was filed with art supplies, painting and pottery.  She loved to entertain and play the piano.   There was a huge kitchen and baby grand piano in the living room.  Her ceilings were high and the home was airy and full of light.  

But then the Lady in Red’s health became poor. It was evident by the marks in the carpet, that she could no longer climb steps and had installed a staircase lift.

I think the Lady in Red would have served martinis and appetizers in grand fashion.  I have added a Crab Salad Canapes recipe below from one of my favorite sources www.marthastewart.com.  I can imagine the Lady in Red serving these with Cosmopolitan martinis to her guests. 

I think I would like to have known the Lady in Red 

Crab Cake Canapes
www.MarthaStewart.com

Ingredients

• • 1 orange bell pepper
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 2 teaspoons whole-grain mustard
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 baguette or ficelle, cut into 1/4-inch-thick pieces
  • 1/4 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked clean
  • 1/2 celery stalk, strings removed, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices
  • 1/2 small carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch-long matchsticks
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon fresh marjoram leaves, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat a grill to hot, or turn on the broiler. Cook bell pepper until it is completely charred, turning so all sides cook evenly, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer warm pepper to a small bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside until cool.
2. Using your hands, rub off charred skin. Slice pepper in half, and remove seeds and stem. Cut pepper into diamond shapes that are slightly larger than a piece of baguette.
3. Using a wooden spoon, mix together butter and two mustards in a small bowl until well combined. Spread a generous dollop of mustard butter on each slice of bread.
4. Place remaining ingredients except marjoram in a medium bowl, and toss to combine. Place a pepper diamond on each piece of bread, and top with a mound of crab salad. Garnish each canape with several marjoram leaves, and serve.

Oh Those Wonderful 70's

Oh Those Wonderful 70’s

When I first found this Guild Condiment Set it screamed 1970’s with its avocado green color. A flood of memories overcame me.  The yellow lily pad flower reminds me of the lily pads in Carr’s Cove (named after my ancestors) at Cayuga Lake.  Canoeing in the lily pads is always a challenge as the paddle gets tangled. The scent of those blooming flowers is incredible.

The 70’s were a wonderful time for me.  I lived in the beautiful Finger Lakes area, I was in high school living and loving life.  So many good memories, people, friends, music and activities, I couldn’t help myself and just had to purchase this bit of nostalgia.

The first thing that came in mind was a picnic.  You can’t imagine a more beautiful place then these gorgeous crystal clear lakes with rolling hills.   The picnic menu might consist of Cornell chicken (recipe follows), Hoffman hotdogs, baked beans, salt potatoes, fresh corn on the cob – just picked today from the farm, Cato’s Italian bread and half and half cookies.    The transistor radio is playing songs from WMBO, WAUB or a Geneva station if you moved the antenna around.  Build a campfire and complete the evening with somemores and maybe some Boones Farm Strawberry wine for 99 cents a bottle.

I can’t help smiling when I look at this set.   It makes me think of one of my favorite songs – to quote Simon and Garfunkel

Kodachrome, they give us those nice bright colors

Gives those greens of summer

They make you think all the world’s a summer day

I would love to hear  your special memories, please feel free to share and comment on your most favorite times/memories of the 70’s below on the blog.

Enjoy this delicious recipe along with a little history of it’s creator.   Information taken from http://americanfood.about.com/

This central New York specialty was invented by Dr. Robert Baker, a professor at New York's Cornell University. He wanted to create a delicious way to grill smaller chickens, so that the local farms could sell more birds, sell them sooner, and more affordably. One taste of his Cornell chicken recipe and you'll know why he was so successful.

From Makes 4 Portions Grilled Cornell Chicken

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Marination Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 3 hours, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

•               2 whole dressed chickens (2 1/2 - 3 pounds each), cut in half 


•               For the basting sauce:

•               2 cups cider vinegar

•               1 cup vegetable oil

•               1 egg

•               3 tablespoons salt

•               1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

•               1 tablespoon poultry seasoning

Preparation:

Combine the basting sauce ingredients in a blender and blend until emulsified. Place the chicken halves in a large zip-top plastic bag and pour in 1/2 cup of the sauce. Seal the bag and shake gently to coat the chicken evenly. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

Remove the chicken from the marinade, and wipe off excess sauce from the surface. Grill over charcoal, turning and liberally basting with the sauce every 10 minutes, for about an hour, or until cooked through.

Note: Dr. Baker's original recipe used a barbecue pit with the chicken cooked on racks, several feet away from the coals, so that the chicken cooked relatively slowly, but this recipe still works fine if you use a deep, kettle-style grill.

This recipe makes enough basting sauce for 4-5 whole chicken, and any extra can be stored in the refrigerator for several weeks.

Condiment set for sale at http://www.etsy.com/listing/96208758/vintage-avocado-green-lily-pad-condiment?ref=ss_listing

Coffee, Carrot Cake and a Cute Toucan in 1940's California

SVintageTimes

by SVintageCollection

California Pottery 1940's Creamer

As I find and collect vintage pieces, I am reminded that they all hold a bit of history. It includes history of where they originated and history of who owned them.

This creamer was found in a home in Akron Ohio.  It originated from a company in Whittier California called Artistic Potteries.  It has been described as a Toucan, Parrott, Parakeet or just Bird Creamer.

Artistic Pottery Company

Artistic Potteries operated a factory in Whittier California and a showroom in Los Angeles. Little is known about the company. It was in business from about 1945 to 1948. The pottery made vases, bowls, figurines and other art pottery. Pieces are marked "Artistic Potteries California" or just "Artistic California."

So I decided to find out what was going on in the town of Whittier California when this little guy was created.

The Whittier News

Through archives I found newspapers from the 1940’s -  Whittier Times. There were articles about war, society news, fashion, comics, crossword puzzles, grocery advertisements, classified ads and sports.  It’s pretty much what we read today in the paper, however the paper cost 3 cents versus $2 that we pay today. Coffee prices were much cheaper.

So I thought about this little creamer holding the milk or cream for coffee and perhaps being pared with a dessert from the 1940’s.

The 1940s were all about rationing, protein stretching, substitutions, rediscovering "grandma's foods", and making do with less. Home cooks made sugarless cookies, eggless cakes, and meatless meals. Cookbooks, magazines, government pamphlets, and food company brochures were full of creative ideas for stretching food supplies. Why the shortage? Food was needed to food soldiers fighting World War II. Farmers and food manufacturers were tapped to supply growing military needs, thus creating a shortage of foods available for domestic civilian consumers. Rationing was introduced in the United States by the Office of Price Administration in 1942 as a way to equitably distribute diminishing food supplies. It ended in 1947. The American government encouraged homeowners to create Victory Gardens, small plots of fruits and vegetables to supplement personal and community food supplies. USA food rationing ended in 1947. The last item lifted from this regulation was sugar.

Whittier Sanitary Dairy Co.

The Creamer perhaps was filled with milk of cream from the Whittier Sanitary Dairy Company where the advertisement stressed health for the lady of the house and her family. I could imagine the lady of the house serving coffee and dessert for her friends or perhaps a special dessert for the family.

1940's Recipe - Carrot Cake

Here’s a carrot cake recipe I found from www.foods.com dated from 1940.  I haven’t tried this recipe but it is very similar to one that my mother-in-law made in the 70’s.   This is definitely a cake that needs to be consumed in moderation.

1940’s Carrot Cake
Ingredients
2 cups white sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
4 large eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups carrots grated

1 cup walnuts, chopped ( pecans can be substituted)

FROSTING

12 ounces confectioners' sugar

6 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons milk

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. In large bowl, beat sugar and oil. Add eggs and beat well.

3. Sift together flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt into egg mixture; mix well; fold in carrots and nuts.

4. Place batter in greased 9x13 pan; bake for 45 minutes.

FROSTING: Beat together powdered sugar, cream cheese, vanilla, butter and milk; spread on cooled carrot cake.

Parrot or Toucan Pottery Bird

1940’s Vintage Bird Creamer – California Artistic Pottery

For sale at

http://www.etsy.com/listing/95841921/california-pottery-bird-creamer-1940s