If you are on a diet, or can’t eat rich oooey cheesy goodness, DO NOTmake this recipe. And this is not your mama’s mac and cheese, it’s a special occasion make once in a while kind of deal.
And oh yes, as a related aside, I love these old vintage Dansk Koben Style Dutch ovens from the 1950’s and 1960s? I picked a couple up in sunny yellow at different tag sales years ago.
Dansk is reissuing them and selling through Crate and Barrel. Boy am I glad I scored mine at $5 a piece quite a few years ago. They are quite the tasty price now if purchased new in 2012 (the pricing is a bit ridiculous I think). I have a 4 quart and what I make the Mac & Cheese in, a 6 quart. They also reissued the baking pan from the Koben Style line. Save your money on that one – everything sticks to the enamel on that particular pan, so unless you want to be a dishwashing slave, skip it.
Anyway…These Dutch Ovens (Dansk Kobenstyle) do show up often on Ebay and at tag sales. The prices on Ebay can get a little rich for my blood on them. But if you can score one of either size for $20 or under, you got a great deal. Mine were a steal, but I collected them before they became collectable – my original impetus was my mother had a 6 quart Kobenstyle Dutch Oven and I loved cooking with it and wanted one of my own. I ended up with two. And seriously, I use them ALL the time.
The Best Macaroni and Cheese…Ever
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup flour
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups low-fat half and half
1 3/4 cups light cream
8 oz cream cheese (block not in the tub)
1 box of elbow macaroni or small pasta of your choice (16 oz)
5 cups of grated/shredded cheese (I buy the mix – Cheddar and Monterey Jack, or the “macaroni and cheese blend” which also has American)
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 a medium onion minced
Healthy dash of Worcestershire sauce
Healthy dash of Tabasco sauce
Small dash of ground mace
8 slices of cooked and crumbled thick bacon
Melt butter in dutch oven. Add onion, cook a few minutes until translucent. (4 minutes on my stove on a medium flame I watch like a hawk so not to burn butter.)
Reduce heat to low and whisk in flour and salt and mace. When it all comes together like a white paste you are finished with that step.
Slowly add half and half. Add Tabasco and Worcestershire.
Slowly add light cream.
Bring it up to a boil and then reduce heat to low.
Add grated parmesan cheese. When that is incorporated and smooth, add cream cheese. When that is incorporated and smooth slowly add the other cheese (cheddar blend see above).
Stir, stir, stir so nothing sticks and turn off burner and move sauce off the heat. (Here’s a tip – I remove a cup of the sauce to a separate container – I usually cook this a day ahead, so when I reheat I add the extra sauce as it heats up – some people just heat up with extra milk – I find this thins it out)
Cook your pasta as per the instructions on the box. Drain but do not rinse.
Fold into your cheese sauce in the Dutch Oven. Add the crumbled bacon and gently fold a little more until all incorporated. Check your mac and cheese and add additional salt and fresh ground pepper to your taste.
You can either serve as is, or throw Dutch Oven into the fridge and eat a day later. If you choose the eat a day later option, reheat slowly on stove top on very low and add back in the extra cheese sauce which you put in a separate air tight container and refrigerated along with big batch of mac & cheese.
If you don’t use the extra cheese sauce in the re-heating of the mac and cheese, you can store for a few days and use on other things (like broccoli)
This is very rich, but super yummy. This recipe will serve a crowd easily as you won’t want to dish up honking huge portions.
And hey, if dishing up to grown-ups give a rough chop to some fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley and toss on top when serving as a garnish.
Enough of politics and development for the week, let’s get back to cooking!
So….you know I have a thing about “magic” or “seven layer” bars…they are easy to make, look much fancier than they really are…and kids (of all ages LOL) love them.
So can you stand yet another variation??
Chocolate Peanut Butter Madness
1 package Devil’s Food Cake Mix (or dark chocolate or even German Chocolate will do)
1 egg
1/2 cup of butter melted
1/2 cup of peanut butter (smooth) melted
1 bag of Reese’s peanut butter chips (they are usually about 10 oz)
1 1/3 cups of semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips (I like those 60% dark cacao ones)
1 1/3 cups of shredded coconut
1 cup chopped pecans or peanuts
1 can of Eagle brand condensed milk (unless you are buying say the Goya equivalent use Eagle, it is the best)
Mix the cake mix, butter, and egg. It turns into a dark, slightly uncooperative play-doh.
Take a greased and lightly floured 9″ x 13″ cake pan and smush the cake mixture into bottom of pan evenly- you might wish to try to smush down with the back of your hand (as if your hand were in a fist and you have the flatness of your fingers all four together).
Next sprinkle on evenly over cake mixture in the following order (do not deviate):
1. shredded coconut
2. chopped peanuts or pecans
3. shredded coconut
4. peanut butter chips
5. chocolate chips
Next drizzle melted peanut butter evenly over top.
Next drizzle condensed milk evenly over top.
Bake in 350 degree oven for approximately 25 minutes (today I think I baked them for 28)
The long and short of it is, now I know what that itty bitty zoning notice was about on Little Connestoga Road that I saw within the past few months.
How saddened am I by this news? A lot, actually. Among other things, although I don’t know Chester County really well yet, I think this is proposed rather close to the Byers Station Historic District. This is all being proposed in Upper Uwchlan, a municipality I know nothing about.
I am pretty sure when the hot air balloons landed on 9/11, they landed within a Toll Development – maybe even Byers Station. It was a very Welcome to Stepford feeling with rows and rows of houses exactly the same. From the air, they looked like Lego buildings. The field we landed on had something to do with the development’s septic. I don’t know much about this stuff, but that was what I was told when I asked why everything had a wafting odor of rotten eggs – you know that icky sulphur smell?
Anyway, I am very troubled by all this development. Not just because once open space and agricultural-use land is gone, it’s gone, but also because Chester County is so very beautiful.
I don’t like plastic houses. I don’t think developers should be allowed to continue to contort Chester County into a series of homogeneous plastic communities with no spirit, no soul, zero individuality.
Here’s the article I found today. Below it is a very interesting one from the Inquirer in 1987 which talks about the Frame property now in play….when it was a cattle farm and they were worried about then proposed plastic house developments causing the farm to flood.
Again, this is all happening in Upper Uwchlan Township. I guess Upper Uwchlan sees its future as being composed of 100% recycled plastic material? Will they be substituting grass for Astroturf too?
When is enough development enough in Chester County? Where do communities draw the line? What do you think about development in Chester County, especially in this economy?
What happens here is bog turtles are discovered? (And by all means, if you have seen bog turtles around here, by all means speak up!)
And based upon the article I found in the archives of the Philadelphia Inquirer, when did this Frame family go from their position back then of concern about development, to becoming part of the problem?
09/21/2012 – 11:55 AM EDT Updated 09/21/2012 – 7:28 AM EDT
UPPER UWCHLAN – The Toll Brothers company is currently seeking a conditional use approval from township supervisors in their attempt to construct 67 new single-family homes on the Frame Property.
The conditional use would include use of the Flexible Open Space Design Option, and placing improvements within steep slopes to construct the dwellings. The proposed site for the construction is located along Little Conestoga Road.
The hearings, which have occupied three supervisor meetings and remain ongoing, have addressed wastewater treatment, traffic planning and design, recreational space.
With the proposed houses within service area of the Route 100 wastewater treatment plant, Toll has proposed use of the plant and disposal in their existing field sites at the Reserve at Eagle, Byers Station, and Ewing subdivisions….
John Snook, a professional land planner at the Brandywine Conservancy, was hired to consult for the township regarding Toll’s proposed plans.
Snook said that there are a few significant concerns that he hopes will be addressed through conditions that the township might impose on the developers, such as replanting vegetation in some areas to strengthen riparian buffers.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service previously requested a study to determine whether bog turtles inhabit the area, which has yet to be accomplished. Snook said that wetlands in the northern and eastern tracts of the property were characteristic of habitats that typically harbor bog turtles, which are protected under the U.S. Federal Endangered Species Act. Should bog turtles be found, the commonwealth would institute greater constraints on the development project.
March 15, 1987|By Wendy Walker, Special to The Inquirer
Developer Phil Davies of Kimberton has presented a plan for Eagle Falls, a proposed 183-townhouse subdivision, to the Upper Uwchlan Planning Commission.
The 31-acre tract borders Little Conestoga Road and Route 100 and is zoned for townhouse development. At Thursday night’s meeting, Davies said the townhouses would be built in clusters of four, five and six units and would be divided into three “villages,” each with its own residents association.
The developer said that the main entrance to the tract would be on Little Conestoga Road opposite Buckingham Drive. A road would run through the site to a shopping center planned for property owned by Frances Funderwhite on Park Road, Davies said…..
In other business, farmer Robert Frame Sr. and his son, Robert Frame Jr., told planners that a 49-house development proposed by Bernard Hankin Builders of Exton would flood Frame’s 103-acre cattle farm on Little Conestoga Road.
“I know every inch of that land. I’ve farmed it for years and years, and it’s a bad situation,” the elder Frame said.
“Pop’s right,” said his son, who is a lawyer and a member of the Planning Commission.
The Frames said that they also were concerned that future residents could use chemicals on their lawns, which could pollute the farm’s water and poison the cattle.
“What’s going to happen when we have animals that are all four legs in the air?” the younger Frame asked the planners. “Who’s going to take the responsibility?”
WILLISTOWN- Police are investigating a burglary in progress which occurred Thursday September 20, 2012 at approximately 2:35 p.m.
According to a press release from Willistown Police, a homeowner witnessed a white man leaving the rear of a residence on Hilldale Road. The man was reportedly wearing a single black glove, and might have been armed with a small pocketknife.
The burglary suspect is described as being in his mid 30’s to early 40’s, with short dark hair, about six foot tall, and weighing approximately 200 pounds, with a muscular build, according to police.
According to the release, the man was wearing a black T-shirt, black pants, and black boots and he had a noticeable scar on the left side of his neck.
The suspect was last seen fleeing the area in a dark blue or black Jeep Liberty, with an unknown Pennsylvania license plate number.
Anyone who recognizes the subject in the sketch or has any information concerning this investigation, please contact Willistown Detectives at (610) 251-0222 or (610) 647-1440.
I first heard about this with an alert from Malvern Patch. Contained within the comments on the article on Malvern Patch, was a reference to another recent burglary on Duffryn Avenue. The Duffryn Avenue burglary is not believed to be related to yesterday’s Hilldale Rd burglary.
Here’s hoping local police close these cases soon.
Today when the news came that Brian O’Neill was continuing with Uptown Worthington’s next phase, I was not one of the ones cheering. First I thought of my former township (Lower Merion) and the O’Neill projects in moth balls and sites looking shabby. Then I started to think about the development I have seen since I moved to Chester County, and I am concerned.
With regard to Malvern, I will say again, You know what I think Eli Kahn and Jack Loew’s project is going to be like when it is done? A super-sized Charleston Greene. And over the years, how has Toll’s Charleston Greene worked for you ,Malvern?
A friend said to me a little while ago “You can’t spend other people’s money and generate prosperity. ”
Further township discussion of a controversial Bala Cynwyd development plan has been postponed until next month.
Developer Ed Morris of Traditional Properties LP had hoped to take his new plan for an assisted-living facility at 27-33 Old Lancaster Road to Lower Merion commissioners this week….Morris got zoning-hearing board approval in late July of a special exception to build a “home for the aged” on the parcels, which today are occupied by two single-family homes. The stone colonial houses would be demolished.
The plan was a switch from development plans approved by the township in 2006 for a four-story, 21-unit condominium building. Morris has said that marketing efforts to sell units in the proposed building were not successful as the housing market stalled….A number of residents in surrounding neighborhoods in Bala Cynwyd and Merion objected to the change in direction, saying that the assisted-living facility is a more commercial use, out of character with the area.
Then there is the thought of how many malls and mall like places do we need? Exton is but minutes away with the Exton Square Mall, Main Street at Exton and the countless other smaller strip malls in and around it. King of Prussia is also fairly close with the giant King of Prussia Mall and all the other various and assorted strip malls and sub-developments in the vicinity. (And don’t forget that charming casino because you know nothing says U.S. history like a slots parlor next to where George Washington literally slept.)
In addition to these larger malls and newer strip malls are all the other strip malls and often funky shopping centers on Route 30, Paoli Pike, Route 3, pick a road.
Really Chester County, how much development do you want? How much development do we need as residents? Are we actually getting new stores or are businesses just hop-scotching between retail developments, moving every few years to whatever the next sweetest deal is? And do you want a steady stream of fill-in-the-name-big-box-retailers and chains? What of the independent local business where they know their customer base and might be your neighbors?
I saw the development of Chester County in a most unusual way on my 9/11 hot-air balloon ride. I saw the development from the air. From high up in the sky it looked like miles and miles of Legos – developments all cookie cutter.
Chester County on a county level needs to get a real grip on the future. The economy is not recovering, and still these developments proceed. Developers will say they bring jobs, but once you get beyond retail shift work and minimum wage, what is there? And you need more than that to fill up the condos, town homes perched on formerly rural highways, and the communities of McMansions. (Don’t forget about the fact they are trying to supersize Birchrunville in West Vincent. And then there is other potential residential development in the future, right?)
Once the open space is gone, it is not coming back. Once the charming cross-roads towns are gone and the farms are gone, they are also not coming back. That’s all. Just think about it.
My wish for Chester County is a revolution of common sense.
Yesterday was the 225th anniversary of the United States Constitution. Truly, the bible of our freedoms was signed on September 17, 1787. Yesterday a friend of mine had to defend her honor as a free woman of the United States of America.
Why is it Tredyffrin feels it is above the very principles upon which this country was founded? How ironic is that considering as a municipality they hold within their borders part of one of the most sacred sites of the American Revolution and of our history? You know, Valley Forge?
What truths do we really hold to be self-evident? In Tredyffrin, quite frankly, I shudder to think.
I am astounded at the Tredyffrin Board of Supervisors President Michelle Kichline. She danced around the subject of Vice President of the Board of Supervisors John P. DiBuonaventuro turning Tredyffrin’s taxpayer-funded website into TMZ.com. And I am still somewhat astounded that exiting Tredyffrin Township Manager Mimi Gleason went along with this whole enchilada, including a personal attack by an elected official on Pattye Benson who gives so much to her community. And as a blogger, I have been in Pattye’s position. I have been threatened, as have other bloggers I know. And time and again I ask for what? Having an opinion that runs contrary to the party line of some petty local government or selective government officials? Was People’s Republic of Tredyffrin Supervisor DiBuonaventuro channelling his inner Corbett? (Remember when Corbett went after bloggers before becoming governor? I wrote about that topic in *shock and horrors* Main Line Media News and it is reprinted below.)
I was thinking today about my balloon ride on 9/11, and how I was moved to tears by not only what the day represents (and it has extra meaning to me as someone who by happenstance walked out of the shopping concourse in the World Trade Center in 1993 just as the garage blew up), but moved by the beautiful green field dotted with a couple hundred first responders from all over Chester County who came together on 9/11. Then I thought about what my friend Pattye had to bravely do last night. She stood up and disclosed to all (see YouTube) that because of Lettergate she received a very odd phone call last week – from the departing Township Manager and Chief of Police. What was the point of that? Intimidation? I can’t help but wonder if I will also become a target because I have blogged about this? (This is not my first rodeo, and when horrible things like this happen it seems again that ordinary citizens have hit upon subjects government doesn’t want aired in public, right?)
When you think of what our founding fathers fought and died for, and what all those people (including first responders) died for on 9/11, I am so truly and deeply saddened and angered that Tredyffrin Township seems to think this is all o.k. and don’t you feel the same?
It’s not. Today, we as bloggers in the South Eastern PA blogosphere applaud Pattye Benson for rising above and speaking her piece in a dignified and forthright manner. She behaved far better than any in government (either elected official or township employee) deserve. Tredyffrin owes her, Main Line Media News, and anyone who exercises their First Amendment Rights an apology.
And as a municipality which is Republican dominated,
they are not exactly forwarding the cause of their party or their party’s political belief system. (As a Republican I am ashamed and embarrassed for them) I am so over bullying by government. (IMHO it doesn’t just happen in Tredyffrin either) I mean think about it people! Pattye Benson was in fact cyber-bullied by government officials and township officials. Cyber-bullied, the thing they worry about in schools and here it is adults in power not exactly practicing what they preach, right?
….The regular Board of Supervisor’s meeting ended with supervisor and citizen new matters. Chairman Michelle Kichline read a statement from the Board of Supervisors concerning the use of the township website for John DiBuonaventuro’s letter to the citizens. Although a personal attack on a private citizen, Kichline stood by the decision to post his letter on township letterhead on the website. She did say that the board will look into developing a policy for the use of the website going forward. As the private citizen who was the target of DiBuonaventuro’s venomous attack, Kichline and the Board of Supervisors response was far from satisfactory.
Following Kichline’s statement on the Suzy Pratowski matter and the use of the township website for a supervisor’s personal letter, Andrea Felkins, a former School Board director and longtime resident , presented a lengthy statement in opposition. Felkins was absolute in her conviction against DiBuonaventuro’s use of the township website for his personal attack on me and of Community Matters…Below is the transcript of my statement from last night’s September 17 Board of Supervisors meeting:
Pattye Benson Personal Statement September 17, 2012
Members of the Board of Supervisors and citizens of Tredyffrin Township – I had not intended to speak tonight, preferring to listen to other’s voices. But something happened this past Friday, that has shaken me to my very core. At approximately 9:40 AM on Friday, September 14, I received a joint phone call from township manager Mimi Gleason and Police Superintendent Tony Giaimo that has forever changed who I am. In life’s journey, this is my watershed moment and a feeling that I will never forget.
Unable to shake how I was feeling, after 24 hours, I wrote the following email to Mimi Gleason and copied Michelle Kichline, chair of the Board of Supervisors.
Let me share that September 15 email with you.
Dear Ms. Gleason,
There are two reasons that I am writing this email (1) to state that as a citizen of Tredyffrin Township, I now feel threatened and harassed by our government and (2) to request that you never contact me again, unless it is with a written apology for your actions.
I have thought of little else since receiving your phone call yesterday, Friday, September 14. As a township resident, to be blindsided with a conference call from the township manager and the police superintendent was more than a little intimidating; I have to wonder how often you have taken a similar approach with other citizens in this community. The telephone conversation left me wondering exactly what was the purpose of the call and why did you involve Tony Giaimo except as a witness or possibly to record the phone conversation. Although there was no mention made of the call being recorded, Tony did state he was in his police vehicle, so am I to assume that the telephone conversation was recorded without my knowledge.
Between the historic house tour, the Paoli Blues Fest and personal health issues, I do not have the time or energy for your directives, missives or whatever else was the intention of your phone call or of your email dated September 7. On September 7, I emailed you the following simple question:
“Who is responsible for Mr. DiBuonaventuro’s letter on the township website? Was placing the letter on the website sanctioned by you, the township manager?”
The only response that my question required was a simple, yes or no, with the possible addition that the chair of the Board of Supervisors and the township solicitor had OK’d the letter for the township website. However, no, you decided on a different response, one that was not required, not needed and not necessary. Frankly, as a citizen and taxpayer in this township, your response was one that I believe you should never have sent. When I received your email, I made no response.
Your call yesterday revisited the opinion you stated in your September 7 email to me; again complaining that Community Matters contained misinformation and incorrect facts, specifically the assisted living project. However, never once in the conversation did you cite specifics as to what was incorrect. As a response to your complaints about the Suzy Pratowski matter, I stated that the Main Line Media News, TE Patch, Daily Local and the Philadelphia Inquirer had all written articles on the subject. I further stated that there was at least a week after the news articles appeared for the police department, the township or the Board of Supervisors to make a statement before I wrote anything on Community Matters. Residents were asking questions and no one seemed to be providing answers.
As a result of the situation, I did my own mini-investigation, speaking with District Attorney Tom Hogan, District Judge Tom Tartaglio, BOS Chair Michelle Kichline and Police Supt. Giaimo. After a thorough analysis, I presented my own summary statement on Community Matters. I clarified that John DiBuonaventuro was not the unidentified driver with Ms. Pratowski in the May 28 incident, as a photo in the newspapers may have implied. In my summary, I stated that DiBuonaventuro was interviewed by the police and that the police were satisfied that he was not in any way involved with the two police officers not appearing for the August 21 court date. I wrapped the summary up and tied a ribbon on it, stating that the two police officers missing the hearing was a human error, a mistake. I also thanked those involved (Hogan, Tartaglio, Kichline and Giaimo) for their help and used the words that I was ‘closing the chapter’. Little did I know, what was to happen … DiBuonaventuro’s letter, your involvement with the letter on the website, your September 7 email and most recently, your telephone call of September 14.
Feeling threatened by your phone call, I remarked at one point during the conversation that I should have an attorney on the call. I stated to you and Giaimo that as a resident of this township, I have rights, and as a citizen of the United States, I have rights, including 1st Amendment rights. I believe that our government does not have the right to harass and intimidate those citizens it serves to protect. I am not an attorney but I cannot imagine that your actions of yesterday (or your email) would be viewed favorably by the courts. Further, I cannot imagine that you would have considered making a similar phone call to Main Line Media News, TE Patch or the Philadelphia Inquirer nor would you have dare taken this approach with an attorney who might understand the legal implications of your actions far better than me.
Supt. Giaimo asked what I would like to see happen going forward – my response was a denouncement from the Board of Supervisors for the letter going on the website and an apology from the township manager. It should be noted that I quickly also stated that I did not expect either of those two things to happen.
It saddens me greatly that you were compelled to bring Tony into this matter. He and I have enjoyed a good working relationship over the last several years, including the blues festival and the house tour. Was your motive to damage my relationship with him, or was it to record the conversation? It is entirely unclear why you involved the police superintendent, except to further intimidate me.
In case you are not aware, your phone call was so upsetting, that I immediately called Michelle Kichline, chair of the Board of Supervisors to report the conversation. You suggested that I was ‘mistaken’ when I suggested that Ms. Kichline had not seen Mr. DiBuonaventuro’s letter before it was posted on the website. For the record, Ms. Kichline again confirmed that she had not seen the actual letter before it went on the website; I guess you are the one who is mistaken.
In closing, your intimidating actions have contributed to my feeling harassed and threatened by some in our local government. I ask that you not contact me again, unless it is with a written apology. For the record, I believe that John Petersen is also owed an apology from you, for the words, “so-called legal expert has no expertise …” contained in your Sept 7 email to me.
Sincerely, Pattye Benson
This is the end of my email to Ms. Gleason but I have a few closing remarks.
The great irony is that today is this country’s Constitution Day. Two hundred and twenty five years ago, on September 17, 1787, forty-two of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention held their final meeting. Only one item of business occupied the agenda that day, to sign the Constitution of the United States of America. Our founding fathers fought and died for our freedom, and I am left wondering if what is going on in this township is what they would have intended.
In closing, I am but one person, but I believe that I represent a far greater community.
Can we question our government?
Do we dare to have an opinion?
I believe that ALL our voices matter.
Thank you.
There is nothing subjective about the First Amendment and any of our other inalienable rights.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness
Will Pennsylvanians soon be looking forward to a new slogan for the Commonwealth? How will “Welcome to the People’s Republic of Pennsylvania” roll off the tongue? I don’t think it will dance as nicely as “You’ve Got a Friend in Pennsylvania” somehow. Nor should it.
What has my wanton blogging soul all a-twitter (pardon the pun)? News which went viral across Pennsylvania as well as the country: Pennsylvania gubernatorial candidate Tom Corbett, upholder of truth, justice and the American way in Pennsylvania as attorney general, issued a grand-jury subpoena to Twitter to unmask a couple of anonymous bloggers who weren’t part of his fan club.
Huh?
Yes, that’s what I said, “Huh?” Apparently these two bloggers are known on Twitter by the handles of @bfbarbie and @CasaBlancaPA and they have been criticizing Mr. Corbett. OK, well, it’s 140 characters or less, right? He’s a tough-guy politician, right? So why the thin skin? Surely Mr. Corbett has faced tougher criticism from opposing candidate Dan Onorato? In today’s world, who hasn’t criticized a politician? Over dinner, in the editorial page, at the grocery store, in a public meeting, on a blog, on some other form of social media? It’s an American tradition as old as this great nation for goodness’ sake!
This is so confoundingly perplexing on so many levels that this issue has even prompted a comment from Paul Alan Levy, a litigator with the Public Citizen Litigation Group. Mr. Levy commented in part on Mr. Corbett’s decision to sue the federal government to try to block the new health-care bill as being too invasive in citizens’ lives. Like Mr. Levy, I have to wonder: what is so different about this?
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution was written to protect things like free speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press. It says literally:
“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
So how does this work with politicians again? Are we as human beings supposed to blindly follow where all lead? Are we only supposed to agree with politicians, never disagree? I’m sorry; did I fall asleep and wake up down the rabbit hole with Alice in Wonderland or something?
Is Tom Corbett the new Henry VIII of Pennsylvania? “Off with their heads” and all that? Instead of priest holes, will we all soon have blogger holes in our houses and an underground railroad to move bloggers from safe house to safe house to avoid the AG’s guards?
Are bloggers all now criminals and outlaws for expressing our opinions about elected officials and those seeking not only local but higher state and even federal-level office? If some of the most famous founding fathers were alive today would they be in jeopardy as well for scribbling broadsheets under pseudonyms? You know, like Benjamin Franklin or John Adams or Thomas Paine?
Seriously, what century are we living in? What’s next? Resurrection of the Scarlet Letter? Only this time it is a “B” for Blogger? Stocks? Pillories? Being paraded through the proverbial town square in chains?
This is a man who wants us to consider him for governor, right? So how many people across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania blog or use some form of social media to express themselves? And should elected officials use their office as a bully pulpit to squash all critics like bugs? What is it about politicians? You can write about them as long as it’s good news or they can control the content? That is what their publicists are for, I thought.
If the First Amendment rights of these bloggers were or are in peril, can it be considered that so could be the First Amendment rights of every American from coast to coast?
Given the now undeniable symbiotic relationship between the media and bloggers, one would hope the media would pay close attention to this story as it unfolds and at its conclusion. After all, the media get a lot of information from blogs and bloggers (“citizen journalists”), they can’t deny it, and so in theory if the First Amendment rights of bloggers are challenged thusly, the press is next.
Media reports indicate that by Friday, May 21, 2010, Mr. Corbett was just having a bad day and is pulling his subpoena. It is a good thing that Mr. Corbett has done the right thing, but it still gives all of us pause for thought, doesn’t it?
Pennsylvanians of all political persuasions indeed have a lot to think of come November 2010.
I guess in November 2012 and every election going forward until Tredyffrin residents have more fairly representative government people will have something to think about, huh? They can try to quell our voices, but like our votes, they are our own, are they not?
I spent the last thirty some odd years of my life in another community before moving to Chester County. That is a lot.
So here I am learning new roads, meeting new people, experiencing and watching new local political drama unfold. The irony is, for someone who previously lived and breathed local politics, I find myself viewing it now with a sense of detachment. For the most part, I could take it or leave it. The two municipalities that need an immediate governmental make over are Tredyffrin and West Vincent. They have issues and are flat-out rotten to anyone who tries to enact positive change, or merely question the status quo.
As I adjust to life out here, I have met a lot of new and truly nice people with a couple of exceptions. I have encountered a couple of PTA Stepford Wives, and yes, ultimately I found them unpleasant albeit also somewhat amusing in the way they are just sort of limited for a lack of a better description.
Moving means all new everything. I have embraced my change, but there are parts that are hard. I miss seeing some of my friends as regularly as I used to, and some of them seem to view my move to Chester County akin to a move to Iowa or something, so I don’t hear from them as often.
However, shaking things up with a relocation has been really good. I have reconnected with different people in my life old and new, and have learned to let some other people go. You are never too old to learn that when people are mean and negative, you just do not need that, so let it go.
I have embraced the things I always wanted to try (like a ride in a hot-air balloon!), and just enjoy “being”. A lot of that I do attribute to a new sense of self post breast cancer, but still, I think enough of it has to do with living in such a beautiful county.
And yes, I am still editing hot-air balloon ride photos. The aerial view photo you see up top is one of them. It is a gentle reminder to the people of Chester County that every resident no matter where they live should keep an eye on development. Part of what makes Chester County special is the very land and open space. If development is not made to heel, that will eventually be lost. And trust me, once a community or series of communities are over-developed the character of the places change, as do the people. Just look at the Main Line.
As I look outside at this glorious September afternoon, truly I have to believe I am blessed.
Last Thanksgiving because everyone was scattered, we ended up having Thanksgiving at The Farmhouse Bistro at People’s Light and Theater Company in Malvern, PA. They had only reopened at the end of September and were advertising a traditional Thanksgiving meal. It sounded perfect, as well as fairly close to home….too bad it was so disappointing. As a matter of fact, the whole experience was so bad that I wrote to the restaurant.
The restaurant, when they finally responded, were very gracious, and offered me a modest gift certificate if I would give them a second try.
So this past weekend, we did just that. When we arrived, this time we weren’t left standing at the hostess station, nor were friends of the hostess/manager who arrived after us, seated before us. We were seated promptly, but rather ironically they seated us at same service marooned table as last time. At first, I must be honest, I had the “do-do-do-do” Déjà vu/Twilight Zone sound in my head.
They are still disorganized, but the food was vastly improved over last time. Our meal was excellent.
However, I can tell you exactly what the restaurant’s problems are: they do not have enough staff on the dining floor, and the staff that is there needs support. They are all nice people. They know the menu. They are articulate and pleasant. But management of the Farmhouse need to buy a clue and support their wait staff. It is not that the restaurant is so huge and cavernous that staff can’t cover the floor. There are simply not enough people on the floor.
The Farmhouse Bistro has terrific food and a mixed menu (I don’t find wraps to be a dinner item for example) and the setting is beautiful. But they need more staff on the floor, and while I get they want to get the people attending the People’s Light theater performances moving through their meals to make their curtain on time, there are plenty of other diners who are just there for the restaurant. When you are out to dinner, you do not want to feel either rushed or abandoned. Because the dining rooms do not have enough staff working the floor, you feel abandoned, as well as sensing confusion on the part of the servers as to who is responsible for what table and when.
So all in all, would I return again after trying the restaurant a second time? The short answer is maybe. And I am appreciative they tried to make up for their initial dining disaster we experienced. I am not trying to sound ungrateful.
Here’s hoping that now that the menu and kitchen work well together that they step up and give their staff the support they deserve. Otherwise, what will happen is they will lose all these tremendously nice people because they will get burnt out.
If you decide to give The Farmhouse Bistro a try be patient with the staff. They have a lot of tables to cover.
The Farmhouse Bistro is located at 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355. The have a website, a Facebook page and are on Twitter.
Quite a few of the reviews by other diners on various websites have similar issues to what we have now experienced twice. See one example below. I will note Urban Spoon which we use to find new restaurants regularly only has 57% of the people enjoying the restaurant.
“Our first and last visit. So many service mistakes:waited almost 25 minutes for someone to take our drink order.The waiter never introduced himself, or apologized for the wait; his excuse was ‘nobody told me you had been seated,’ even though he was the waiter for the other two tables currently occupied. That’s how rarely he checked in with his tables.We were never offered or given bread. We left 1.5 hours to eat before the show, but service was so slow that, although we only had salad and entree, we had to skip dessert, barely making the performance. We only saw the waiter to place our order, and once during meal. Water boy and hostess did almost everything. We had to seek out the waiter to get our check.
When Places! Bistro at People’s Light & Theatre Company reopened as the Farmhouse Bistro last September, it had everything necessary for a seamless transition to an exciting new place: a beautiful setting, lush gardens with tables lining the terrace, and cuisine that was seasonal and inspired. Three chefs later, the kitchen seems to be struggling with its identity, seemingly unsure of how to juggle its roles as an event space, a casual-yet-classy restaurant and a post-theater martini bar….Chef Joe Maguire says attracting non-theater diners is a big focus right now…THE SKINNY: Playing mostly to the theater crowd, the Farmhouse Bistro can be eerily vacant during the week or after the pre-show rush. It is a beautiful setting for a wedding or private party, and light bites and drinks are a real pleasure when enjoyed on the garden terrace. Given that the space has such potential, here’s hoping the kitchen works out its glitches.
I have this amazing friend named Michelle (she is the blonde on the right in the photo contained within this post – the brunette on the left is my friend Sherry). She is one of my heroes. She lives every day with Multiple sclerosis. She doesn’t whine about it, she just lives and is truly amazing and inspirational a woman. For those of you who read my breast cancer blog, I have written about Michelle before here and here. Michelle writes about her journey with MS on her blog ms social.
She told us recently that she was pregnant and all of her friends are so happy for her as she will be an amazing mom.
However, right now she is in Pennsylvania Hospital with severe preeclampsia. She is in-patient for the next several weeks.
She sent me a note that she gave me permission to share on my blog. I will share a little bit with you:
It’s been a whirlwind few days. We went in for our regular midwife appointment tues morning, and my bp was 160+/90+. We were sent to penn hospital. Bp kept rising, and I lost count at where it ended up. I’m admitted w /severe preeclampsia. My immune system is rejecting the placenta. The baby is ok. ….We just don’t know….As we wouldn’t really know if this was a “normal” pregnancy either. So I am being optimistic….Prayers welcome of course! Love u girls!
So this is an unusual post for this blog, but because this blog is so widely read, I am asking for prayers to be sent out into the universe for my friend and her baby.
Can you guys do that for me? Again, Michelle is an amazing woman and a very loving friend. And we all feel a bit helpless here and this is what we can do for her: send out positive thoughts, prayers, and wishes. So I hope you will join us.
So today was a pretty cool day. Today my frittata recipe which is being featured in The Epicurious Cookbook being released this October landed me on the front page of Epicurious.com, and while it doesn’t make me Julie Powell or Amanda Hesser or Ina Garten or Martie Duncan or Julia Child, my oh my it is still very cool to me :<}
Sooooooo….in the kitchen sink of it all, I have another recipe to post. Easy as pie. Make ahead and freeze, or make and eat the same day. And in case you are wondering why so many recipes end up as the kitchen sink of it all, it is simple: a lot of my recipes evolved out of what was fresh and in my kitchen needing to be used.
Kitchen Sink Chili
2 ears of corn – take kernels off the cob
1 onion (nice large and preferably sweet or red) chopped
2 LARGE cloves of garlic, minced
2 ribs of celery, minced
2 diced or chopped red bell peppers or red sweet peppers (sometimes they are long and red, not bell)
2 teaspoons each rough chopped: fresh basil, oregano, cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Jayshree Chili Powder (start with 2 tablespoons)
1 packet of Sazón Goya
1 teaspoon mild or sweet paprika (Spanish)
1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon hot paprika (Spanish)
1/4 teaspoon Chipolte chili powder
1 package ground turkey (28 oz)
3/4 lb. of beef round boneless chipped beef for a stir fry – chopped up small
1 15.5 oz can Goya small red kidney beans
1 15.5 oz can Goya black beans
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes in puree (I like Red Pack or Tuttorosso)
1 15 oz can of Kuner’s of Colorado Southwestern Chili Tomatoes (or tomatoes of the same size can that have Mexican or Italian spices)
1 6 oz can tomato paste
Cook onion, garlic, celery in a Dutch Oven with canola oil ( a few tablespoons – like 5)- to this add chipolte powder, Sazón Goya, paprikas, salt.
Cook over medium to low heat until translucent.
Add red peppers and corn. Cook about 5 to 7 minutes then add beef. Cook about 8 minutes more. Add ground turkey and cook through – keep everything moving in the pan so it doesn’t stick – medium heat, incidentally.
When turkey cooks through add beans (which have been DRAINED of can liquids). Blend in.
Add tomatoes.
Add tomato paste.
Add chili powder and herbs. Allow to come up to almost a boil and then reduce to a low simmer. Check and stir periodically to keep from sticking to bottom of pan. Taste a couple of times as well to adjust for seasoning – in case you wish to add more chili powder or salt and pepper.
Serve with your favorite chili extras…..chips, sour cream, shredded jack/cheddar, and so on…..
Willistown Police have released a sketch of a burglar on the loose in Chester County. If you have seen this person, please call police.
