The Whatevers or The Lilydale Quintet Debut

Welcome back to The Whatevers…our monthly collaboration in Creative Storytelling. Here is my story and project for this month. Also a fabulous recipe to share!

Spring really is right around the corner here in Lilydale, NY. The crocuses are peeping throughout the still cold ground and the ice on the lake is starting to melt. It is evident in the bustling around in town as preparations are being made for the return of most of the Lilydale residents.

It's a strange town because as soon as the residents return  visitors from all over the world come to visit. As I got older I learned the real truth about this town that I had grown to love…no longer missing the hustle and bustle of NYC.

I also could tell that seasons were changing when my Papa started rehearsing with four of his friends. Papa was, besides all his other jobs, also a musician. He played almost all the instruments and made sure his children played several instruments also. Our living room looked like an orchestra pit and one of us was always in there practicing. Papa loved to sing and had a beautiful baritone voice, he also was the director of this singing group. They called themselves THE LILYDALE QUINTET and performed often in the town gazebo during the summer months. Papa also directed the band and orchestra that played in the town concerts.

The LILYDALE Quintet were very serious about their performances. Papa would dress as a conductor and the other members in beautiful red and white striped jackets, neatly pressed white pants and a jaunty straw hat. I loved sitting outside the living room while the practiced as they figured out their harmonies and songs. They sang without background music and Papa called it  

'a capella'.

Of course there were always some type of tea bread that Mama would have waiting for them at the end of practice {my absolute favorite was Lemon Tea Bread}. They sat in the dining room eating and reminiscing about times gone by. I often would eavesdrop because I knew there would be some quiet conversations about Lilydale. I kept hearing words like spirits and mediums, readings and headings. My curiosity got the better of me and finally Mama and Papa sat me down and explained everything to me. Of course this will have to wait and I will tell you everything I learned.

 Here is the recipe: 

Lemon Tea Bread {makes 1 loaf}

1//2 c. butter, room temp.

1 c. sugar

2 eggs, beaten

grated peel 1 large lemon

1 ½ c. flour

1 tsp. baking powder

½ c. milk

½ c. chopped walnuts

Glaze:

¼ c. sugar

1/2c. fresh lemon juice

grated peel 1 large lemon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Grease a 9”x5” loaf pan

Cream Butter & sugar until light & fluffy

Stir in eggs & lemon peel

Add flour & milk alternately to sugar/egg micture

Blend in Walnuts

Bake 45 min. or until golden brown

While bread is baking make glaze

Remove bread from oven

Pierce bread & brush juice mixture evenly over top.

Cool 10 min., remove from pan & allow to cool completely

Make sure you read all the different stories that have been concocted by our group. Here are links to the other creative stories about The Whatevers. Please stop by and see what these fabulous artists have created.

Nathalie Kalbach

 http://wp.me/p3Cnxf-4ha

Catherine Matthews Scanlon

http://cmscanlon.blogspot.com/2014/03/the-whatevers-march.html

Vicki Chrisman 
http://vickichrisman.blogspot.com/2014/03/whatevers-two-march-2014.html

Cuchy Mc Sc

 http://la-almohada.blogspot.com/2014/03/whatevers-ii-team-of-month.html

If you would like to play along it's not to late to join in. Here are all the details that you need to know.

Here is how it works ~

• Vicki, Cat, Cuchy (Carmen), Nathalie and I have made a one-year commitment to each other and picked twelve photos with Whatevers whom we will give a story.
• Every month – if possible always on the 15th –  each of us will do a post with an individual story that goes along for us with the same photo.
• If you want you can play along and we will have the photo for you to download and show us your version of The Whatevers. The photo will be posted at the end of our blogposts- not on Facebook!
• There is no rules to the story itself- it can be funny, sad, uplifting, breathtaking- WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the length or the form of the story- it can be a short sentence, an essay, a poem or a soap opera – WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the artform you choose – it can be a scrapbook layout, an altered art project, an artjournal page – WHATEVER
• Here is a rule though: if you take the photo you have to link back to us and show us your story.
• These pictures are from our personal stash and are for personal use for you only! If you want to use them for a publication whether a book or magazine in print or digital form please ask for permission!
• If you want to participate we’ll have a linky list for each Whatever Post.
• You can also join our The Whatevers -Facebook Page

HERE IS THE PHOTO FOR THIS MONTH'S WHATEVERS:

Thank you for stopping by!

I really appreciate you taking the time. 

I know I need to catch up on my blog & I have every intention but LIFE just keeps happening ;)

The WHATEVERS or Flossie and the Turnip Truck!

 Hello…hello. Welcome to The Whatevers 2014. Hard to believe not only are we in a new year but halfway through January. So let's get right to the story and take a look at this strange cast of characters we have living in Lilydale, NY.

"I never understood why people made fun of Flossie. I thought she was the sweetest little lady who always carried lemon drops in her pocket for all the children. Now I know it looked odd as her husband Fred had to use a wheel barrel to move Flossie around the small town but it didn't to me. Fred didn't care because Flossie was the love of his life. Flossie always had a knowing smile on her face.

Fred and Flossie lived away from the small village on a small farm that grew fresh vegetables for the town, turnips were there specialty. They came to town every Sat., at the same time, just like clockwork. They had to come down Melrose Place to get to the Maplewood Inn so they could deliver the fresh produce Mama ordered every week. The houses on Melrose Place were fancy, painted several different pastel colors and always decorated with beautiful banners and flags. You could hear the wheel barrel as it went over the brick road. People would come out on to their porches just to laugh and giggle as Flossie went by. Flossie would just grin and wave back like she was a queen.

When they arrived at the inn Flossie would jump off the wheel barrel and skip over to the little swing near the grape arbor. Most of the children were afraid of her because she spoke in rhymes and gibberish. I, on the other hand loved to sit with Flossie and listen to her stories. I didn't hear rhymes or gibberish I heard beautiful fairy tales about all the ghosts Flossie saw walking around Lilydale. Sometimes she would even talk to the ghosts as they approached her on the swing. Funny thing is I saw them too. Mama would always bring out lemonade and a loaf of freshly baked banana bread. It seemed like Mama wanted Fred and Flossie to be on their way and not stay long for a visit.

I never told anyone about seeing these ghosts because I thought no one would believe me. Little did I know that most of the residents of Lilydale saw them also. It was only later in my teens that the truth of why we moved to Lilydale came out.

My curiosity got the better of me and I finally asked Mama what happened to Flossie. Mama had a sad look on her face as she replied "When Flossie was younger…she just fell off the turnip truck!" And that was it.

RECIPE:
{This is a recipe that I have had for years. I found the recipe on Cooks.com}

BANANA-JAM BREAD

1/2 c. shortening 1 c. sugar 2 eggs 1 c. mashed ripe bananas 1 tsp. lemon juice 2 c. all-purpose flour 1 tbsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt 1/2 c. strawberry jam 1 c. chopped pecans Preheat oven to 350°F.Cream the shortening, gradually adding sugar. Beat until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine banana and lemon juice. Stir into creamed mixture. Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to creamed mixture, stirring, just until combine. Some lumps may remain. Stir in jam and pecans. Transfer batter into 2 greased and floured 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 3 inch loaf pans. Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean.

Here are links to the other creative stories about The Whatevers.

Please stop by and see what these fabulous artists have created.

Catherine

Cuchy

Nathalie 

Vicki 

If you would like to play along it's not to late to join in. Here are all the details that you need to know.

Here is how it works ~

• Vicki, Cat, Cuchy (Carmen), Nathalie and I have made a one-year commitment to each other and picked twelve photos with Whatevers whom we will give a story.
• Every month – if possible always on the 15th –  each of us will do a post with an individual story that goes along for us with the same photo.
• If you want you can play along and we will have the photo for you to download and show us your version of The Whatevers. The photo will be posted at the end of our blogposts- not on Facebook!
• There is no rules to the story itself- it can be funny, sad, uplifting, breathtaking- WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the length or the form of the story- it can be a short sentence, an essay, a poem or a soap opera – WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the artform you choose – it can be a scrapbook layout, an altered art project, an artjournal page – WHATEVER
• Here is a rule though: if you take the photo you have to link back to us and show us your story.
• These pictures are from our personal stash and are for personal use for you only! If you want to use them for a publication whether a book or magazine in print or digital form please ask for permission!
• If you want to participate we’ll have a linky list for each Whatever Post.
• You can also join our The Whatevers -Facebook Page

HERE IS THE PHOTO FOR THIS MONTH'S WHATEVERS:

Thank you so much for stopping by. Have a great rest of the week ;)

It's WHATEVER Time or Christmas Comes to Lilydale

It's that time again to share The Whatevers photo and our own creative storytelling take on it!

It seems like time has flown by since Mama and Papa made the decision to move our family to Lilydale, NY. So many visitors, most importantly Auntie Esmeralda and her two daughters. That was a huge surprise for us all! I think Mama and Papa have accepted their arrival and enjoy having them here. I love having other girls to play with around the living quarters of the hotel, not just my brother.

Fall has come and gone and Christmas is right around the corner. Mama and Esmeralda have been busy getting the hotel decorated, cookies baked and all the necessary preparations. Even though they would be humming and singing as the busily worked I could tell something was wrong…they couldn't hide it. It seems since moving to Lilydale I can see what others are thinking…it's a weird feeling and I try to hide it.

I was soon to find out what the worry was about. Grandma Effie, a widow and her sister Belinda, my maiden great-aunt announced they would be coming for a Christmas visit. Mama  was worried because Grandma never thought she did anything right and Esmeralda hadn't seen her mother since she ran away with the Gypsy prince. I wasn't sure about them, they seemed larger than life to me…they were very stern and really disliked noise and fun. They would say that children were "to be seen but not heard".

They arrived dressed up like the "Queens of Sheba" …at least that's how Mama described their outfits. Grandma Effie and Great-aunt Belinda expected everyone to wait on them. They were stern with us, even when we were just sitting. I dreaded their arrival just like everyone else in the hotel. The only good thing about their arrival is they would bring with them my favorite Christmas treat.

Christmas finally arrived and after opening our gifts a very grand dinner would be served. I didn't really remember what we had to eat because I was saving room for after dinner desserts. There would be roasted chestnuts and dried figs, a variety of cookies and a huge plate of my favorite, STRUFOLI, a Neapolitan dessert that is traditionally prepared at Christmastime by my Grandma Effie.

Although the time they stayed with us was tense it seemed like they were happy to have Esmeralda back. Of course they spent several hours in adult conversations that we were always sent out of the room. Grandama tried unsuccessfully to convince Mama and Papa to move back to NY city. She told Mama and Papa that Lilydale was not the place to raise children with all the strange going's on. Everyone had a sigh of relief the day Papa took them back to the train station. Mama and Auntie Esmeralda fell into each others arms laughing and giggling and we went back to all our mischievous fun before the visit. Christmas had come and gone and we did survive the visit.

Here is the recipe for STRUFOLI. Since my grandmother never wrote this recipe down I was able to find this recipe from Franco Lania { http://www.huffingtonpost.com/franco-lania/struffoli-italian-christmas-tradition_b_4378585.html }.

In Italy, Italian home cooks traditionally make large quantities of these tiny honey balls for friends and family. When one visits relatives during the holidays, a plate of struffoli often is brought along as a gift to spread holiday cheer and in keeping with the theme of Christmas as the season of giving.

Struffoli: (serves: 10-15)

Ingredients: for the dough

Sugar - 1 cup
Butter - 2 oz. (unsalted)
Eggs - 5
Vanilla - 2 teaspoons
Flour - 4 cups
Baking powder - 2 teaspoons
Lemon - 1, grated

The honey syrup:

Sugar - 1/2 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Honey - 16 oz.
Cinnamon - 1/4 teaspoon

Frying:

Vegetable oil - 6-8 cups

Garnishing:

Candied mixed fruit - 1/2 cup, chopped
Sprinkles - 1 tablespoon

• In the bowl of your electric stand mixer with the paddle attachment in place, blend together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. This should take 5-8 min on medium speed, scraping the sides of the bowl down from time to time as needed.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, blending well after each addition.
• Add the vanilla, flour, baking powder, grated lemon zest and blend well until a soft dough is formed. (If dough seem to sticky, add a little additional flour in order to achieve a workable dough that will not stick to your hands.)
• Divide the dough into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece on a lightly floured board into a long rope the diameter of a pencil. Then cut each rope into 1/2 inch size pieces. Lightly roll between the palms of your hands to create small ball shapes.
• Heat the oil to 350 F.
• Fry the dough pieces in the hot oil about 12 at a time. Cook until golden brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a sheet pan lined with absorbent paper to drain. Repeat until all dough had been fried and drained. Then transfer all to a clean bowl and reserve until needed.
• In a medium pot, combine the sugar and water. Stir over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved. Then add the honey and the cinnamon. Continue to stir until mixture reaches a simmer.
• Remove the pot from the heat and pour into the bowl with the fried dough balls, mixing and tossing the balls gently and simultaneously with a spatula to make sure that all are coated well.
• At this point, you can toss some of the candied chopped fruit into the bowl and mix in reserving the rest of the candied fruits for the garnishing.

Here are links to the other creative stories about The Whatevers. Please stop by and see what these fabulous artists have created.

• Catherine Matthews Scanlon
• Cuchy Sanchez
• Nathalie Kalbach  
• Vickie Chrisman

If you would like to play along it's not to late to join in. Here are all the details that you need to know.

Here is how it works ~

• Vicki, Cat, Cuchy (Carmen), Nathalie and I have made a one-year commitment to each other and picked twelve photos with Whatevers whom we will give a story.
• Every month – if possible always on the 15th –  each of us will do a post with an individual story that goes along for us with the same photo.
• If you want you can play along and we will have the photo for you to download and show us your version of The Whatevers. The photo will be posted at the end of our blogposts- not on Facebook!
• There is no rules to the story itself- it can be funny, sad, uplifting, breathtaking- WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the length or the form of the story- it can be a short sentence, an essay, a poem or a soap opera – WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the artform you choose – it can be a scrapbook layout, an altered art project, an artjournal page – WHATEVER
• Here is a rule though: if you take the photo you have to link back to us and show us your story.
• These pictures are from our personal stash and are for personal use for you only! If you want to use them for a publication whether a book or magazine in print or digital form please ask for permission!
• If you want to participate we’ll have a linky list for each Whatever Post.
• You can also join our The Whatevers -Facebook Page

HERE IS THE PHOTO FOR THIS MONTH'S WHATEVERS:

Thank you so much for taking time of these busy, hectic days as we prepare for the upcoming holiday season. 

If you would like to share your Whatevers here is the link:

It's WHATEVER Time or Who is Esmeralda and Why Does She Visit Lilydale?

Welcome back to The Whatevers. I hope you have enjoyed the stories and recipes so far. Let's take a look at the goings on at Lilydale, NY.

Who Was Esmeralda and Why Did She Visit Lilydale?

 I remember the first time I saw Esmeralda pull up in her brightly colored wagon. She was so different from all the others who came to visit at Lilydale. It was like all the colors in the world just got brighter and brighter, like the colors exploded and sparkled.

She pulled up in back of the hotel kitchen and when Mama saw her pull in she got a terrible expression on her face. She quickly wiped her hands on her apron and ran out the back door right to the wagon. The minute Esmeralda saw my Mama she fell from the truck and into Mama’s arms. It was such a curios sight because I never saw Mama act like that before.

They were hugging and crying at the same time. I thought Mama was happy but she kept looking around the yard to see if others had seen the new arrival. She was tense and nervous as she quietly spoke to this strange woman.  Esmeralda opened the small door to the covered wagon and out jumped two young girls, dressed in the most beautiful dresses I had ever seen in my life. Nothing compared to the simple dresses I wore everyday. They even had headdresses on that matched their dresses.

At the same time Papa came around to the back of the hotel and he too had this very strange look on his face when he saw the new arrivals. He quickly ran over to Esmeralda and grabbed her in a big bear hug but I could see he was also nervous. He quickly went to the horses and moved the wagon behind the barn where no one ever wandered while Mama ushered Esmeralda and her two daughters into the kitchen. They were speaking a language I had never heard before even though I heard both of my parents speak in different languages, Mama often spoke German while Papa spoke Italian and French.

Analetta and Rosella hid behind Esmeralda as they moved into the kitchen. They were as curious to see me as I was  to see them. Finally Mama brought them over and introduced us to each other. I would soon discover that Esmeralda was my Papa’s sister who many years ago had run off with a Gypsy Prince. She was never allowed to come back home but somehow Mama and Papa stayed in touch.

When the Gypsy Prince died suddenly Esmeralda started off hoping to find this place called Lilydale. She knew that Mama and Papa had finally moved to this strange place. Little did I know the extent of the entire goings on at Lilydale but I was soon to find out the real truth.

It was decided that Esmeralda would help Mama in the hotel kitchen but there was no room for them to stay. It wasn’t really a problem because the small wagon really was where they preferred to sleep; it was the only home they had ever known.

It was getting close to the hotel dinnertime and Esmeralda pitched right in to help Mama make her famous meat pies. Mama called them Bierocks but I called them delicious! All the young ones were sent to bed while Mama and Papa caught all the news with Esmeralda. I wish I could have stayed and listen because I could tell this story wasn’t over and that it really had just started!

Here's the RECIPE:

BIEROCKS/RUNZA {10-12}

Frozen bread dough or 16 ounces hot roll mix

1-1/2 lb. ground beef

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 cups cabbage, shredded

2 cups onions, chopped

1 shredded carrot {optional}

3 minced garlic cloves

OPTIONAL:

1 teaspoon caraway seed

1/2 lb Velveeta cheese, cubes or 1/2 lb swiss cheese, grated or 1/2 lb cheddar cheese, shredded

Directions:

Brown ground beef, onion  and minced garlic in skillet.

DO NOT DRAIN!

Add shredded cabbage & carrots, salt and pepper to meat and onions and cover. Stirring occasionally.

While cabbage and meat mixture is cooking, follow the recipe steps 1 - 4 on the Hot Roll mix. Don't form into shapes.

When dough is ready, pull off small balls of dough and roll out.

Place meat mixture into middle of the dough.

Fold the dough around the meat mixture.

Place on baking sheet and cook at 375 for 15 - 20 minutes, until golden brown.

Here are links to the other creative stories about The Whatevers. Please stop by and see what these fabulous artists have created.

• Catherine Matthews Scanlon
• Cuchy Sanchez
• Nathalie Kalbach  
• Vickie Chrisman

If you would like to play along it's not to late to join in. Here are all the details that you need to know.

Here is how it works ~

• Vicki, Cat, Cuchy (Carmen), Nathalie and I have made a one-year commitment to each other and picked twelve photos with Whatevers whom we will give a story.
• Every month – if possible always on the 15th –  each of us will do a post with an individual story that goes along for us with the same photo.
• If you want you can play along and we will have the photo for you to download and show us your version of The Whatevers. The photo will be posted at the end of our blogposts- not on Facebook!
• There is no rules to the story itself- it can be funny, sad, uplifting, breathtaking- WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the length or the form of the story- it can be a short sentence, an essay, a poem or a soap opera – WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the artform you choose – it can be a scrapbook layout, an altered art project, an artjournal page – WHATEVER
• Here is a rule though: if you take the photo you have to link back to us and show us your story.
• These pictures are from our personal stash and are for personal use for you only! If you want to use them for a publication whether a book or magazine in print or digital form please ask for permission!
• If you want to participate we’ll have a linky list for each Whatever Post.
• You can also join our The Whatevers -Facebook Page

HERE IS THE PHOTO FOR THIS MONTH'S WHATEVERS:

Thanks for stopping by and spending some time with me. I'm looking forward to next month's Whatevers. 

It's WHATEVER Time or Visits To The Fairy Trail at Lilydale

Welcome to this months creative storytelling with THE WHATEVERS.  I hope you are enjoying all our stories. You will find links and more information at the bottom.

The Whatevers and the FAIRY TRAIL FESTIVAL:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of the fictional Sherlock Holmes not only believed in spiritualism and all of the phenomena of the séance room, but he also believed in fairies. He even wrote two pamphlets and a book The Coming of the Fairies. When he would travel to Lilydale it was often for the FAIRY TRAIL FESTIVAL held towards the end of the summer season. The Fairy Trail is a winding path cutting through the heavily wooded forest.

It always started with a long walk to the Fairy Trail with the adults leading us. They often told stories of seeing fairies, and fairy legends. Once we arrived a new Prince Fairy and Princess Fairy would be crowned. I had always hoped it would be my turn but it never happened.  This year it was my cousin Franz and his sister Gertrude {we called her Tootsie behind her back}. They traveled from Germany for a visit {really it was to move to here} and spend time with Mama and Papa at the Hotel. What I didn’t know at that time was ALL of my family would become permanent residents of Lilydale. But that is a story for later and I will tell you more about Lilydale and my dislike for Tootsie.

Ahhhh…..Back to the Fairy Trail Festival. Once crowned the Prince & Princess would lead the parade through the trail. All the children would be looking and looking for Fairies. We looked under stumps, beneath decayed fallen trees covered in kelly green moss, monster-sized mushrooms and overgrown forest ferns. We would find little trinkets along the way and there would be squeals of excitement. The grownups would clap and laugh and continue on with the conversations that we were never allowed to hear.

It was along walk back to the hotel but always in time for afternoon tea. Mama would be waiting with cold pitchers of lemonade for us. The adults would get small glasses of MAMA’S CHERRY BOUNCE and one of her special desserts. The children were never allowed to try the Cherry Bounce. Mama always said that when we grew up then we could try it.

I can tell you that once I grew up and became an adult I knew why Mama said “not for children”. It has quite the kick to it. I carried on the tradition of making Cherry Bounce for Christmas Eve.

Recipe: Cherry Bounce {6~12 oz. bottles}

CHERRY BOUNCE

2 qts. fresh sour cherries, washed and stems removed

1 lb sugar cubes

48 oz. vodka

1 gal. glass jar

Directions:

Place sugar cubes and sour cherries in sterilized gallon glass container with tight fitting lid.

Pour over sugar cubes and cherries and shake.

Store in cool dark place, shaking once a day for one week and once a week for 2 months.

Strain vodka, pour into clean, sterilized bottles.

Enjoy.

WEll I hope you enjoyed my story. I can attest to the fact that Cherry Bounce is real and it is something I often make for Christmas gifts. I usually make it around the 1st of July when sour cherries are in season and know it will be ready around the beginning of Dec.

Here are links to the other creative stories about The Whatevers. Please stop by and see what these fabulous artists have created.

• Catherine Matthews Scanlon
• Cuchy Sanchez
• Nathalie Kalbach  
• Vickie Chrisman

If you would like to play along this is what you need to know:

Here is how it works

• Vicki, Cat, Cuchy (Carmen), Nathalie and I have made a one-year commitment to each other and picked twelve photos with Whatevers whom we will give a story.
• Every month – if possible always on the 15th –  each of us will do a post with an individual story that goes along for us with the same photo.
• If you want you can play along and we will have the photo for you to download and show us your version of The Whatevers. The photo will be posted at the end of our blogposts- not on Facebook!
• There is no rules to the story itself- it can be funny, sad, uplifting, breathtaking- WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the length or the form of the story- it can be a short sentence, an essay, a poem or a soap opera – WHATEVER
• There is no rules on the artform you choose – it can be a scrapbook layout, an altered art project, an artjournal page – WHATEVER
• Here is a rule though: if you take the photo you have to link back to us and show us your story.
• These pictures are from our personal stash and are for personal use for you only! If you want to use them for a publication whether a book or magazine in print or digital form please ask for permission!
• If you want to participate we’ll have a linky list for each Whatever Post.
• You can also join our The Whatevers -Facebook Page

HERE IS THE PHOTO FOR THIS MONTH'S WHATEVERS:

Don't forget you can link up your Whatevers also.

Have a great day and see you in Nov. for the next chapter of THE WHATEVERS!