Friday Night at Ted's

fried green tomatoes

2009-09-01T08:52:00.000-07:00

Here is my version of this summertime favorite

makes a great side dish or serve as an appetizer

pick and wash 4-5 green tomatoes
slice them up, I find about a quarter inch slices cook well

For the Batter:

1 and 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 egg
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 table spoon Worcester sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 can of your favorite beer

mix all of these together and let rest for about an hour

I found a great easy dip to serve with my fried green tomatoes

I use a store bought horseradish dip mixed with finely chopped
red pepper, about 2 table spoons and 1/2 teaspoon course ground black pepper. Mix well and then refrigerate for a few hours.

A note about frying green tomatoes

Have you ever had the problem of all the crust falling off your
tomatoes while still in the pan? I found the solution, dredge your tomato slices with rice flour before you dip them in the batter. The rice flour acts as a bonding agent between the raw
tomato and the batter.

In a large frying pan get about 1 inch of oil heated up to medium high.
First dredge your slices in the rice flour then dip in your batter then into
the hot oil, about 3 minutes per side. Check for done with a fork.
Let cool down on a paper towel and serve warm with the dip.

Favorite Finds

2009-08-26T13:13:00.000-07:00

I thought I would show you a few of my favorite things I found this week.

These are just a few of
over 200 items coming
in this week

Victorian Epergne

has no makers mark. The details and workmanship are
wonderful.

Height apx 15 inches
width apx 11inches

Price $465.00

A wonderful Euro cafe tin

Great paint and in good condition.
height apx 12 inches width apx 9 inches

Price $18.00

Victorian Teapot by Gorham

laurel banded with fabulous handle and mounts

Price $48.00

twist handled master butter knives

these are one of my favorite things
they are great for spreads and cheeses
and make a great hostess gift alone or with bread and cheese

on the right "Princess" 1879

on the left "Laurel" 1878

Price $12.00 each

These items will be for available for sale Sunday, August 30 2009
Ted at the Old Lucketts Store.

I have no way to do Internet sales at this time, don't know if there is enough interest, what the costs are etc. etc. Please come by my space at Lucketts and check out all the great finds.

Mary Ann's Tomato Pie

2009-08-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Mary Ann made this pie for me
one summer when I was very sick. It was the one thing that tasted great!

It was summer all wrapped up in a neat package,
and it tasted like summer.

Mary Ann grew up in Savannah Georgia and this
is one of her mothers recipes.

Bake a 9" pie crust in a deep pie dish,
homemade or store bought they turn out about the same.
Let it cool.

For the filling:

3-5 peeled and sliced "homegrown" tomatoes
enough to fill the pie plate about 3/4 full
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped green onion

For the topping:

1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 cup grated Mozzarella cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
salt & course ground pepper to taste

preheat oven to 350 degrees

Layer tomatoes on bottom of baked pie shell, then add your
chopped basil and green onion.

In a small bowl, mix the cheeses and the mayo together,
then spoon out on top of top of tomatoes and herbs.
Spread out the topping to the edges of the crust try not to leave
any part of the filling showing.

Bake for apx. 30 minutes or until lightly brown .

Serve warm or at room temperatur .

vintage summer fun

2009-08-13T15:12:00.001-07:00

I'm always look for great ideas for funny quotes
for these vintage pictures. If you have any ideas
please leave me a comment. Someday I hope to
start a card section. Thanks Ted

vintage summer fun

2009-08-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

vintage summer fun

2009-08-13T15:09:00.001-07:00

vintage summer fun

2009-08-13T15:08:00.001-07:00

vintage summer fun

2009-08-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

I'm always looking for great captions for any
of these photos. If you have any ideas please
leave me a comment. Someday I hope to start
a card section! Thanks Ted

vintage summer fun

2009-08-13T15:04:00.001-07:00

vintage summer fun

2009-08-13T15:03:00.001-07:00

Vintage summer fun

2009-08-13T15:02:00.001-07:00

Vintage summer fun

2009-08-13T15:01:00.001-07:00

Vintage Photos Summer fun...

2009-08-13T14:41:00.000-07:00

As always, I'm looking for great captions for any of these photos. Someday I'd like to
start a card section. Please leave any ideas under the comment section. Thanks Ted

more "art" photos

2009-08-13T14:37:00.001-07:00

Italian old paint

2009-08-13T13:51:00.000-07:00

Villa Monastero

2009-08-10T13:34:00.001-07:00

Angels in the architecture

2009-08-01T11:18:00.000-07:00

urns

2009-07-20T17:47:00.001-07:00

Signs

2009-07-20T13:58:00.000-07:00

Numbers from Italy

2009-07-20T13:31:00.000-07:00

Michelangelo once said " God is in the details"

2009-07-18T11:14:00.000-07:00

some "art" photos from my trip

2009-07-18T10:25:00.001-07:00

Looking out at Lake Como from Villa del Balbianello

tread for sale at the market in Lenno

thunder storm at sunset looking down on Bellagio

table cloth blowing in the wind cafe in Varenna

Villa Monastero Varenna Lake Como

2009-07-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

some architectural shots form Italy

2009-07-18T10:01:00.000-07:00

Column details from Milan

Ciao, I am home at last

2009-07-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

Bellagio at night

After dinner I'd take a walk down to the lake
to see the men fishing and watch the sunset.

I'm getting very exicted !

2009-06-22T09:03:00.000-07:00

A view of Bellagio from the lake

My trip to Italia is very near! I leave on Friday for Milan. From Milan I catch a bus to Como, then take the ferry to Bellagio. I have rented a small apartment for two weeks and plan to make day trips from there around the lake.

my Bellagio Apartment

I am signed up for a few cooking classes and have a long list of must sees! I have been studying
my Italian very hard, and think I can at least order food and wine! I plan on taking lots of pictures of food, places, people, and cool stuff to post on my blog when I return.

Ciao!

Father's Day baked beans

2009-06-22T08:08:00.000-07:00

This Father's Day we also had a graduation and
a birthday to celebrate!

With lots of people, and not a lot of time to cook.
We decided to do hamburgers, hot dogs, and
brats on the grill. In addition to the grilled meat,
I also got some chips, and made some easy, make ahead baked beans. Everyone loved them and wanted the recipe. It's very simple and can be made the day before and just reheated.

Baked Beans at Ted's

this recipe will feed 8-12 people ( the leftovers are great!)

1 large can Bush's baked beans (original)
1 pound hamburger
1/2 pound bacon chopped
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1 14oz canned chili beans (mild)
1 small sweet onion
1 clove crushed garlic
1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup spicy brown mustard
1 heaping table spoon brown sugar
2 table spoons salsa verde
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon course ground pepper

In a large frying pan brown the bacon, be sure not to overcook. Drain off excess fat and then add
crushed garlic, hamburger, and onions. Continue to cook over med-high heat until the hamberger
is cooked and the onions are soft. Note you do not want to brown the meat.

Add diced tomatoes, ketchup, mustard, salsa, sugar, and salt & pepper. Keep stirring until it
all comes to a boil. Turn off.

In a large oven baking dish add your canned baked beans and chili beans, then cover with
the meat and tomato mixture. Stir it all together well and put in 350 degree oven to bake.

I like to cook them covered for about and hour then take the cover off and cook another
half hour.

dirt for dessert

2009-04-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

I was looking for a fun springtime dessert and remembered that years ago my Mom made Dirt. Don't know where this recipe came from but this is my version.

For the Dirt:
Crush up 2 packages of chocolate wafer cookies into crumbs and set aside.

For the pudding:

8 oz cream cheese at room temperature
1 stick butter at room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
1 12 oz tub of Cool Whip, thawed
3 1/2 cups milk
2 small packages instant vanilla pudding

Mix cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar together till well combined. In a separate bowl mix milk and pudding together, then add to the cream cheese mixture and combine.

Using a new plastic flower pot, or ice bucket, as shown here, layer cookie crumbs and pudding in pot about 1 inch thick for each layer. I added a few gummy worms as a little surprise.
Be sure to use crumbs as your last layer on the top. refrigerate for 4 to 5 hours.

Make a small bouquet of fresh or artificial flowers and wrap the stems with plastic wrap.When ready to serve, place flowers in your dirt, add a few gummy worms on top and serve with a new garden trowel. It looked very spring like and the kids loved it!

Looking for a great capton......

2009-04-09T14:26:00.000-07:00

In need of great caption. Party Party Party !!!

2009-04-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

In need of a great caption. Got any?

2009-04-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

my upcomming trip to Italy

2009-04-04T16:24:00.000-07:00

Dreaming of Italy....

For some time now, I have been talking and talking about going to Italy,
taking a cooking class, ya da, ya da, ya da.... Trying to raise some extra cash for a trip samo samo...

I DID IT !

My flight leaves on June 27, 2009 !
and arrives in Milan on June 28.

That's it so far, now all I need to do is....

Find out where I want to go....where to stay...learn Italian....meet some people,
and I'm set.

If anyone out there has any ideas, contacts, advise etc. Please let me know.

I was thinking of spending a week or so in Milan and then heading up to Lake Como. No plans have been set, other than the dates. No reservations made, I'm open to all ideas and suggestions.
Looking forward to hearing from you. Thanks Ted

2009-04-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

Lisa, one of my best buddy's, is part of the group of dealers at the old Lucketts store. (Lucy Jane Antiques)
a great mom, who happens to have a fabulous husband, Noyan , great kids, and keeps it all going at the Old Lucketts store. She has a great eye for design and finding that special something for everyone. Check out her blog Lucy Jane Antiques !

2009-04-03T17:24:00.000-07:00

Sooz, Suz , Susazne, dearest friend,

Owner of the Lucketts store.

One of the most creative, interesting people I have ever met. I have known her for over 15 years and yet she always surprises me with new ideas, and new ways of looking at life. To her, it's not just a business or a store, but a place to recharge, to get away from today's troubles, forget about the problems, the kids, the economy, what to cook for dinner. A place to feel at home, to feel at ease, to be welcomed.

2009-04-03T13:57:00.000-07:00

2009-04-03T13:54:00.000-07:00

2009-04-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

Nanner Nanner, Nanner.....

2009-04-03T13:35:00.000-07:00

Congratulations on your new hood ornament

2009-04-03T13:31:00.000-07:00

Inner City Camo

2009-04-03T12:12:00.000-07:00

I Believe I can fly!

2009-04-03T12:04:00.000-07:00

Way to go Girl !

2009-04-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

...and there was enough fabric left over
to make new kitchen curtains..............

2009-04-03T11:53:00.000-07:00

2009-04-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

2009-04-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

I love basil and use a lot of it! But with a garden gone wild, I had to much. After making pesto and still having left overs I came across a recipe for a basil drink and just took from there. Hope you enjoy it.

About this Blog

2009-04-03T10:37:00.000-07:00

Welcome! After finding myself alone and having to start over, I found the best place in the world, or rather the best people, the women of the Old Lucketts Store, who took me under their wings.
Much more than an antique shop or vintage store Lucketts is a place I can be myself.
I am not a gourmand, or a chef, rather someone
who just loves to cook! Always trying out new things and new ways to cook them, and these girls love food. We started getting together every Friday night after work at my little house near Lucketts.

I usually made a main course and everyone would bring an appetizer, side dish, drinks, or dessert.We would eat, talk, laugh, plan, dream, celebrate a birthday or just being together. We had been doing this a little over a year and it became Friday Night at Ted's. We always came up with new ideas and recipes to try. From gourmet to down home we loved it all! I have a very small home, about 700 square foot total, some nights we would have as many as 13-14 people, what with husbands, kids, and anyone else who wanted to show up. I love my friends and I love to entertain. With so many great Friday Nights behind us someone was always looking for my
recipe for something or other and I would dig through my notes, magazines, scrapes of paper, or just try to remember how I put that dish together. It was obviously time for a cookbook. Not just any cookbook, but one that had the fun, style, and simple joy of my great friends of Friday Night.