Carmela Soprano's Pizza Style Potatoes (Patate Alla Pizzaiola) and Anna Sultana's Patata Fgata (Smothered Potatoes with Fennel, Maltese Style)

Like the song says
You say po - tay - to
I say po - tah - to.

Carmela and Ma knew what to do with a potato, no matter what they called it.

In Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos, there's a nice variation on her roasted potatoes - Patate Alla Pizzaiola.  

Don't panic.  

It's Pizza Style Potatoes.  

Easy.  No crust.

In a roasting pan place, in a single layer
2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

Toss with
6 large plum tomatoes, sliced
2 medium onions, sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
A sprinkling of
garlic, oregano, salt and pepper

Make it as spicy or mild as the family likes.

Roast the vegetables at 450º, stirring twice, for 1 hour, until the potatoes are cooked.

Sprinkle with
1/4 cup grated Romano and cook 5 minutes more.
Serve hot.

Ma had something similar.  Patata Fgata.
Smothered Potatoes with Fennel.  No, this isn't a stew.
I'm talking fennel seed, not the vegetable.
Although that could work, too.  

Back to Ma's Patata Fgata

Slice
6 potatoes
2 onions
Place them in a dutch oven.

Add
1 chopped clove of garlic
a sprinkling of fennel seed

1 cup of stock (chicken, beef, vegetarian - your choice)
2 tablespoons olive oil.  

Season with
salt and pepper

Cover and cook over high heat to bring it to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer another 15 minutes, until done.

Would I make Patate Alla Pizzaiola again?  

Sure, with Parmesan.  When the oven is on.

And I wouldn't peel them.

Would I make Patata Fgata?

Why sure.  When the oven is off.

Another recipe down.  Thirty-nine more to go.

Freedom's Just Another Word - Being 60 (week 26 - by Margaret Ullrich)

Winnipeg has just held another General Civic Election.

Sam Katz won his third term.

The people have spoken.

Well, some of them.

Okay... the weather was awful.  Something called a weather bomb suddenly plunged us into winter winds.  There was a better turnout - 48 % - than we had in 2006, when only 38.2 % bothered to vote.

In 1998 more than half - 53.6 % - of the voters took the time to make their voices heard.  And 58.77 % voted in the the Mayor Byelection in 2004.  That election was held in June.

Is it just because of the weather?

Are we turning into wusses?

Voting is a big part of Democracy.

In some countries people risk their lives to vote.

In Australia anyone who doesn't vote gets fined.

Winnipeggers are too damn lazy to throw on a jacket and vote?

In Winnipeg's North End we're facing another election on November 29.

Last weekend there was a triple shooting in the North End.  One victim, Samantha Stevenson, is a 13-year-old girl.  Parents are afraid to let kids go trick or treating, so a community party is going to be held to keep them safe.

The North End is notorious for low voter turn out.

Come on, people.  

These are the folks who make the decisions on how you are living.

On how safe your streets are.

Mike Sutherland, the president of the Winnipeg Police Association which backed Katz, said his group will make sure Katz keeps his promise to hire 58 more officers.  Mike also has great faith in a helicopter's ability to protect kids.

The helicopter might help - if our famous elm trees aren't in full bloom, providing lots of cover on what's happening in the streets.

People in the community have ideas on what will improve the area.

Ideas beyond a cop in the sky.

It doesn't do any good to just stay home and keep those ideas to yourself.

Get off your asses and vote.

Carmela Soprano's Chicken Paillards with Tomato-Olive Salad and Anna Sultana's Brodu tat- Tigliega (Stewed Chicken in Broth, Maltese Style)

Last week I tried a recipe from the Fit for a Bride Chapter.  Enough said about how Roasted Potatoes could just drive a Bridezilla like Janice over the edge.

This week Paul was in Ottawa where they are showing his cartoon at The Ottawa International Animation Festival.  

Just your basic business trip.

Time to crack open the Small Events for Women Only chapter in Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos, invite some gal pals over and entertain them, New Jersey-style.

We live in Winnipeg's North End.

Enough said.

Sometimes things just work out, you know?  There is a recipe for Chicken Paillards with Tomato-Olive Salad.  Sobeys has boneless, skinless chicken breasts on sale.  I still have some tomatoes left from my garden. 

It was meant to be.

Okay.  I pounded the chicken breasts until they were 1/4 inch thick.  Why I'll never know.  But, I followed the recipe and beat the little boobies.  

I thought I had to since I cheated on the salad.  

Carmela uses mesclun.  

Hello?  

Did I mention I live in the North End.  

Romaine or Iceberg.  Take your pick. 

Easy olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing.

Don't forget the black olives.

Back to the breasts... after the pounding, they are tossed with olive oil, thyme (or basil), salt and pepper.  Then they're cooked on a lightly oiled skillet over medium-high heat, 5 minutes on 1 side, 2 minutes on the other.

This should've been in the Fit for a Bride chapter.

Weight Watchers would love it.

Did Ma make Chicken Paillards?  No.  

To be honest, chicken doesn't feature strongly in Maltese cookbooks.  Ma would fry chicken parts, with their bones and skin still attached.  She would also roast whole birds, chickens and turkeys.  

One recipe that does feature chicken in Maltese cookbooks is Chicken Broth, Brodu tat- Tigliega.  Soup is a staple in Maltese homes, especially during the winter.

As it's almost November, it's just the right time to make some soup.

In a dutch oven place

1 stewing hen

the giblets, except for the liver and heart

----

Chop and add

1 large carrot

1 stick celery

1 onion    

2 potatoes

----

Add

some chopped parsley

2 litres of chicken stock (made with 1 chicken cube)

Simmer gently on low heat until the chicken is cooked, about 2 hours

----

Add

1 teaspoon tomato puree

the liver and heart

3 tablespoons of rice or small pasta

Cook until done

----

Remove the chicken and either serve it as a main course or cut it up and serve it with the broth.

Would I make the Chicken Paillards again?

Well, I'm going to try the breasts, unpounded, and see if it makes a difference.

I don't think it will.

The Tomato-Olive Salad?  Sure.

Would I make more soup?

Is the Pope Catholic?

Another recipe down.  Forty more to go.

Welcome, Ghosts - Being 60 (week 25 - by Margaret Ullrich)

I now believe in ghosts.

Up to now I never gave ghosts much thought.  I've always enjoyed watching a spooky movie as much as the next person.  But, I just thought of ghost flicks as wonderful flights of fancy.

You'd think I'd know better.

I was born a Catholic.  Had Dominican nuns as teachers from kindergarten to grade 12.  The good sisters did their job.  I memorized the Baltimore Catechism and learned all about the Communion of Saints and how our dear departed, along with our guardian angel and saints with a vested interest (the ones we were named after) are looking over our shoulders trying to make sure we'd eventually join them.  

I received the sacraments and married in a church wedding ceremony.  

I'm a third Order Franciscan and I volunteer in my parish as a Lector and a Eucharistic Minister. 

I've read saints' biographies.  Lots of them mention having really chummy chats, while alive, with saints who had predeceased them.

Saints don't lie, right?

So... why did it take 60 years for me to believe?

It started with the flu vaccine.  I'd heard on Monday that the vaccination clinics would be running until October 23.  I planned to go early today while I was out getting the newspaper.  I jotted a reminder on the calendar. 

I didn't give it another thought.

My dead Ma did.

First I had a dream of Ma having a cup of tea with me and asking me when I was getting my flu shot.  The dream didn't seem that weird.  Every year, since I turned 50, Ma asked if I'd gotten my flu shot yet.  I just thought I was having a little flashback of when Ma was alive.

I liked the sharing tea part of the dream.  

Much cozier than using the phone which we had to do since she was all the way in New York and I am in Winnipeg.

Then yesterday I had the dream again.

I couldn't shake the feeling that I couldn't wait until tomorrow.  All day the thought was nagging at me.  Finally, at 3:00 p. m., I walked over to the clinic.

Hoo boy...  

There was a large sign.

The clinic in our neighborhood was running to October 22, not October 23.  It would close at 4:00 p. m.

I had 50 minutes left.

I filled out the consent form and waited my turn.  After I received my shot I had to wait 15 minutes, just in case there was an adverse reaction.  As I was leaving I saw 2 people being turned away because they were too late. 

Like I said, I now believe in ghosts.

And I love sharing a cup of tea instead of having to use the phone. 

Bet Ma loves it, too.

Carmela Soprano's Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic and Anna Sultana's Roasted Potatoes, Maltese Style

Okay...  The Fried Mozzarella Sticks was not the only Soprano dish I served on Thanksgiving.

I was cooking a 9 kilogram turkey.

The oven was on for an awfully long time.

Couldn't let all that heat go to waste.

In Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos there was a recipe for Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Garlic in the Fit For A Bride chapter.

If it were me, I'd have stuck this recipe in the Graduation Parties - it's great for hungry teens - or the Dinner for Twelve chapter.

I have never seen a bride, starving herself for the big day, deciding, "Oh, the hell with it.  I want a platter of roasted potatoes.  He'll take me as I am.  I don't give a damn how I look in the wedding pictures."

Yeah, right.

Sometimes I wonder about Carmela.  

Maybe she has a weird sense of humor.  I wouldn't blame her.  The girl's been through a lot of stressful times.  

But, Fit For A Bride?  Maybe Carmela had it in for Adrianna.  Maybe Carmela cooked this up for one of her sister-in-law Janice's many weddings.

Maybe Janice was reacting to being too big for her wedding dress when she bumped off her boyfriend Richie.

Don't get me wrong.  Roasted Potatoes are fine.  And easy.

Small boiling potatoes, about 4 pounds, are peeled and halved, then placed in a single layer in a large roasting pan.  

They are then tossed with

1/3 cup olive oil

3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary  

salt and pepper

They're roasted at at 400º for 30 minutes.

Then 2 large cloves of garlic, thinly sliced, are stirred in, and the potatoes are roasted
another 20 to 30 minutes, until they are brown and tender.
Serve hot.

Ma roasted potatoes regularly when we had a big holiday dinner.  She wasn't as big on spices as Carmela.  Salt and pepper were enough for her.  She also had mashed and baked potatoes on the table, too, along with lots of vegetables.

That was Ma's rule:

Fill up on veggies and potatoes and leave some of the roast for leftovers.

  

Maybe I'm hardwired to roast potatoes when I'm roasting a turkey. too. 

Would I make roasted potatoes again?  Sure.

It's an oldie and a goodie.

Salt and pepper are enough for me.

Another recipe down.  Forty-one more to go.

Being Grateful - Being 60 (week 24 - by Margaret Ullrich)

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanskgiving.  The weather has given us an extra bit of time to enjoy the outdoors before we hunker down for another Manitoba winter.

Autumn can be a lovely time.  

It can also be a sentimental time...  

A time to look back, see how things went.

So, I'm feeling a little nostalgic.

On the American Thanksgiving Day it's almost guaranteed that, along with the Macy's parade and the Kennel Club dog show, there'll be a showing of the 1947 movie Miracle on 34th Street.  It's a lovely movie which begins with the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade.  So that - along with the reminder that Christmas is just around the corner - makes it a perfect film for the day.

I wish there was something traditional for the Canadian Thanksgiving Day.  

With all the multiculturalism in Canada, might I nominate the 1990 movie Avalon as a proper film for the day?

If you haven't seen Avalon, it's a personal story about writer-director Barry Levinson's family.  Either his Dad's or his Grandfather's generation had immigrated to Baltimore.  The movie is about the changes the family went through over the years.

There are scenes in it that, if you are a child of immigrants, really hit home.

As an infant, I had immigrated with my parents to New York.  They came to join Pop's siblings who had arrived before us.  I can remember how important it was for the relatives to gather regularly.  There were struggles, but there was unity.  Everyone worked together.

At first.

Then, I don't know why, splintering happened.

Distance has nothing to do with it.  I get e mails about how this one isn't speaking to that one, even thought they live a few miles apart.

My husband is third-generation American.  He likes the movie, but can't relate to the comfort and pressures that are part of being first-generation.

He understands the splintered branches.

Lots of his relatives are just names on Christmas cards.

Always been that way.

That's just what happens.

No big deal.     

The American way.

Don't get me wrong.  

I'm grateful my family immigrated to America.  After the war, during which Malta had been terribly bombed, it seemed the only sensible thing to do.

I'm grateful my husband and I immigrated to Canada.  New York was bankrupt and losing businesses.  There weren't jobs for couples starting life.  It seemed the only sensible thing to do.

I just wish the splintering hadn't happen.

I wonder if it would've happened if we had stayed in Malta.

Is it something about America or about the people who choose to come to America?

Is it the American way, or is it just the way? 

Changes!!!

Welcome to the new, expanded I'm Turning 60...

I've removed a few items and added some new features.

I hope you'll scroll down to the bottom and check out the daily horoscope and the seasonal foods - just click and get some great recipe ideas.

You can also get free e-cards!!

Hope you like the changes!!

Carmela Soprano's Fried Mozzarella Sticks and Anna Sultana's Appetizers

Sorry.  I'm a bit late with this week's post.

I decided to try one of Carmela's appetizer recipes on Thanksgiving.

Now that the dishes have been done and the stomachs have settled, I can tell you how it went.

In Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos there was a recipe for Fried Mozzarella Sticks in the Small Events for Men Only chapter. 

It was easy enough.

Cut the mozzarella into strips 1/2-inch wide and thick.
In a shallow plate beat
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

On a piece of wax paper spread
1/2 Cup flour

On a second piece of wax paper spread
1 Cup bread crumbs

Dip the sticks in the egg, then roll in the flour.
Dip again in the egg, then roll in the bread crumbs.

Place the sticks on a rack and refrigerate for 30 minutes or overnight to set.

Heat over medium-high in a heavy skillet until very hot

1-inch of oil

The sticks are fried for 5 minutes.
Do not crowd the sticks.
Drain on paper towels.
Fry the remaining sticks.

They're served hot, plain or with tomato sauce.

They did not go over well. 

Our crowd is getting on in years.  Deep frying is turning into a no-no.  To be polite, everyone tried one.  Then they went to the stomach friendly veggies in the antipasto platter.

Did Ma make appetizers.  No way.  

Ma thought our appetites were big enough.  She'd no more think of trying to increase our appetites for food than she'd try to increase our appetities for bigger allowances.

But Ma did serve chicken broth before big dinners.  She also served an antipasto platter, followed by something starchy, like a lasagne, then the main course with more vegetables.  

She'd also remind us, regularly, to save room for dessert.

Her logic went like this:

Fill up on the broth and the veggies and the lasagne.  By the time the main course comes, you won't be so hungry and there'll be leftover meat for tomorrow's dinner. 

Would I make the cheese sticks again?  Nope.

The broth and veggies are easier on the stomach...

and the budget.

Can't argue with Ma's logic.

Another recipe down.  Forty-two more to go.

Happy Thanksgiving

Okay...  I said I'd include more recipes.

Happy  Thanksgiving!!! 

May your stuffing be tasty 

May your turkey be plump, 

May your potatoes and gravy 

Have never a lump. 

  

May your yams be delicious 

And your pies take the prize, 

And may your Thanksgiving dinner 

Stay off your thighs!   

Happy Thanksgiving!!! 

Anna Sultana, come on down!! - Being 60 (week 23 - by Margaret Ullrich)

No, I don't think I can bring the dead back to life.

But today would've been Ma's 88th birthday and I've been thinking about her.

Ma enjoyed 2 things: cooking and watching game shows like Let's Make a Deal and The Price Is Right.  

She was really good at pricing the merchandise.  If she'd worked as a Wall Street trader with those skills, she'd have made a fortune.  She got such a gleam in her eye as the bidding continued.  

She always said she wished she could be in the audience and that she'd hear the famous phrase: "Anna Sultana, come on down!"    

She would've taken everything.

Another thing Ma loved watching on TV, especially in recent years, was cooking shows.  She had a thing for Emeril and his Bam!  She had said she wanted to go to New Orleans and meet him.

When we visited, Ma would pull out shallots - an unknown item during my childhood - and pass on bits of cooking wisdom she'd learned from the master.  I always brought recipes and we'd try a couple before Paul and I returned to Winnipeg. 

Most of my memories of Ma have to do with food.  One of my earliest, I was about 3 years old, is of peeling onions so she could pickle them.  As the oldest and for 5 years only child, I was her extra pair of hands.  

Ma took to shopping in Manhattan like a duck takes to water.  She would read the ads in the Daily News and plan where we'd get the best deals.  We'd take the IRT to Manhattan, then switch to the downtown train to 14th Street.  I can remember sitting in the train with a ham about my size plopped in my lap, getting woozy from the smell, as we returned from a door buster sale at Kleins.

Ma loved sales.

When they visited us, Ma and I would settle in the kitchen and cook.  Sometimes we'd make something traditional, like ravioli, sometimes we'd try something new.

Once, on the phone, Ma talked about a cake a friend of hers had baked and brought to a Seniors' Club meeting.  Ma liked it and described it.  It sounded familiar, so I copied and sent her the recipe.  Ma baked the cake and brought it to the next meeting.  

Her friend was so annoyed.  

"How did you figure out my recipe," she demanded.

Ma just smiled.

Green Tomato Pie - Margaret Ullrich

Okay, you need to use up some of those green tomatoes because your cousin is coming for Thanksgiving and needs a place to crash and she's too fussy to share a spare bed with green tomatoes. 

No problem.

Here's a pie that could be served on the big day.

                        GREEN TOMATO PIE

Preheat oven to 425º           

-----

Pastry for 2-crust pie or use Easy as Pie Crust

Line 9-inch pan with half of pastry

-----

Arrange in pastry shell

4 Cups   1/4 inch unpeeled green tomato slices

-----

Combine

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ginger

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

Sprinkle over tomatoes

-----

Pour over tomatoes

1/4 cup corn syrup or molasses

Dot  with

2 tablespoons butter

-----

Cover with pastry or crumbs

bake at 425º 15 min. plus

bake at 350º 35 min.

Cool and serve

Easy as Pie Crust - Margaret Ullrich

Here's an easy pie crust recipe.  Best of all, you don't roll it out.

                        SPEEDY PAT-IN PIE CRUST

Preheat oven to 425º           

-----

In a 9 inch pie pan mix together

1 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar         

3/4 teaspoon salt

-----

Beat together until creamy

1/2 cup oil

3 tablespoons cold milk

add to flour mixture and pat in to fill the pan

-----

if baking empty shell: prick and bake 15 min. 

if baking with filling: use filling's instructions

                        CRUMB TOPPING

In a bowl mix together

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1/4 cup margarine

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Sprinkle over filling in pastry-lined pie pan

Anna Sultana's Meatless Tomato Sauce, Maltese Style

An easy tomato sauce, where you control the salt content.

Stay healthy.

                        MEATLESS TOMATO SAUCE

in a heavy-bottomed pot combine

2  28 oz. cans crushed tomatoes

1  6 oz. can tomato paste

6 bay leaves

6 whole peeled garlic cloves

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt, to taste

1 cup cold water

Over medium heat bring the sauce to a boil. 

Reduce heat, and simmer for at least 2 hours.

Stir occasionally. 

Add water, as necessary

Just before serving remove bay leaves and garlic. 

Serve over pasta

Have available on the table

grated Parmesan and/or Romano (your choice)

Tomato Buttermilk Soup - Margaret Ullrich

If you've got a few tomatoes that were hurt by the frost, here's a soup for the good bits.

  

                        TOMATO BUTTERMILK SOUP

in a large pot heat       

2 tablespoons oil

1/3 cup chopped onion

cook until the onion is slightly browned           

-----

stir in

2 tablespoons flour            

-----

stir in

2 cups buttermilk                 

stir over low heat

-----

add

2 cups diced tomatoes

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon pepper

2 tablespoons minced parsley

heat but don't boil

Carmela Soprano and Anna Sultana Use Fresh Tomatoes / Carmela Soprano's Bow Ties with Fresh Tomatoes and Mozzarella

I admit it.  I have tomatoes on the brain.  

Also in my laundry basket, on our spare bed (sandwiched between layers of newspaper so they'll ripen slowly) and on my kitchen counter.

I can take a hint.

Time to eat some tomatoes. 

Now I know Carmela doesn't garden.  How could she with that honking big pool in her yard?  And that deck where they throw the parties...  

Oh, well, I'm sure she does other things to fill up her time.

Like looking for money in the bird seed bin.

But there must be times when she has to cook up some fresh tomatoes.  

I mean how many salads can a person eat?

Looking at Tony, not many.

Back to Carmela's Entertaining with The Sopranos.  Fresh tomatoes... Fresh tomatoes...  

Well, she starts with fresh tomatoes, then turns them into a sauce.  Okay.  Good enough.

Bow Ties with Fresh Tomatoes and Mozzarella. 

The sauce is easy and ecologically friendly:

4 chopped ripe New Jersey beefsteak tomatoes (Yeah, right)

1/2 cup torn fresh basil leaves (Give me a break)

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine and let stand at room temperature up to 2 hours.
Toss with a pound of cooked pasta.
Add 8 ounces diced mozzarella.
Serve immediately.

Don't get all crazy about the Bow Ties bit.  What you got, you got.

Ditto for the fresh basil.

Likewise for the tomatoes.

Did Ma make room-temperature tomato sauces?  Nope.  

I don't know why but Maltese recipes like to apply a lot of heat to food.  Not spicy.  Just cooked.  Served hot.  Sometimes cold.  Mostly hot.

Did Ma serve fresh tomatoes?  Yes.  Quartered and sprinkled with oregano.  Not a sauce on hot pasta.  As a side dish.  We'd help ourselves to them.

Would I make the room temperature sauce again?  

Sure.  Easy is good.

I prefer a teaspoon of oregano.

Another recipe down.  Forty-three more to go.

There's Always Next Year - Being 60 (week 22 - by Margaret Ullrich)

Calendars don't mean much to me any more.

A week ago, on September 23, it was the first day of Fall.  We even had a full Harvest moon shining that night.  

How much more official could it get?

But it just didn't feel like Fall.  When we walked through the neighborhood many of the trees had branches full of green leaves.

Seeing is believing.  

It was still summer, okay a wet summer, but summer, no matter what the calendar said.

We'd had a cold night on September 18/19 - turned out to be the coldest time in the month - But, we just threw a couple of blankets over our tomato plants and didn't think much of it.  At most we wore sweaters and enjoyed the sun whenever it appeared.

But yesterday it was official.  The geese were flying south like they'd all just cashed in their airmiles.  We were facing a hard frost night.

Blankets on our plants wouldn't cut it.

Time to harvest and take a tally of the crop.

Gardening in Manitoba isn't for sissies.  We get it all.  Droughts, flooding, whatever surprises Mother Nature has up her sleeve.  

We just plant in the Spring, hope for the best and expect the worse.

Sometimes the crop is a doozy.  

Sometimes it's not. 

I have to admit I've picked more tomatoes than this at the end of the summer.  And in better condition.  The extra rain didn't do much for my tomatoes' quality.

Oh, well.  Could've been worse.

Many are green and will ripen in the basement.  Some have odd spots - probably got nipped the night of September 18 - that can be cut out.  They're not pretty, but still good for a sauce or a steaming bowl of soup.

Aren't we all?

We start out with hopes for the best.  We get through the rainy and dry times.  There's always a frost that leaves a mark.

But, the rest is good.  

Good enough for bowls of soup.

One Year Anniversary - Margaret Ullrich

Happy Birthday to I'm Turning 60...

Okay, actually I'm a few weeks short.

But I really wanted to make some changes.  

Now.

This has been a year of change.  At first I was really overwhelmed by everything that had happened.  But, little by little, I'm getting used to life after the passing of my parents and our dog BoBo, and my turning 60.  

In a few months, my husband Paul will be 60, too.

Changes, changes, changes...

Life is still good.

There's much to enjoy and share with friends.

In July Blogger started keeping track of which blog postings get the most hits.  

Carmela Soprano's Baci Cake, Anna Sultana's Pudina was the most popular.  

Who knew?  

I'm Turning 60... has been included in Canada's search engine Canadian Planet/Manitoba as a Personal blog.  

Blogger has listed I'm Turning 60... as a Food blog.

So I'll have a bit of both.

One thing I've learned is that you like recipes.  

Okay.  I will post recipes.  

A few a week.  

After a month this blog will have a list of links, regularly updated, for the most popular recipes so you can easily click and cook.

I will also return to the tales of Tina and her family.  

Don't know what happened, but I let the stories drop.  I have gotten some e mails asking what happened to the girls.  

So, they will be back, every week.

I'm also amazed at learning where you live.  I mean, I expected Canada and the United States.  I have relatives in New York.  But, I was completely floored to learn that people in Israel, the United Kingdom, Australia, Malta (again, maybe family), Germany, France, Brazil and the Netherlands.  

A little different from the folks who visit my Winnipeg is Better Than Chocolate blog.  

No problem.  

Different strokes for different folks.

And I want to thank you for visiting with me, whether you're a weekly or occasional guest.

I'd also like comments.  Really.  It's easy to do.  Just click on Comments and write.  Tell me what you like.  Happenings, recipes, anything.