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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “Family” Category

Mom’s Recipe Box: “Nana Nunu” Date Nut Bread from Debbie

Posted on August 8, 2014

                  “Nana Nunu” Date Nut Bread from Debbie It is only fitting, that my recipe for “Mom’s Recipe Box”, be a recipe in honor of my “Nana Nunu”. Words alone cannot convey, the love and gratitude, I have for my grandmother. My grandmother loved and raised me as if I was her own. The love of family was her mission, her credo and the fabric of her being. I have many fond memories of family gatherings, that included signature favorites and a venue for new and exciting dishes. A very special memory, is one where Nana and I would have a cup of tea together. We would sit in the red and white kitchen of 128,…

Mom’s Recipe Box: Candy from Candy

Posted on August 1, 2014

                    (Candy from Candy) Marshmallow Fudge I watched my mother make this recipe when I was quite young. Then little by little she let me help, until the first time I made it myself and I was so proud and happy. My mother noted on the recipe card that it was originally tested by one of her best friends – Evelyn Wallen. Then Mom tested it herself. The Marshmallow Fudge is sweet – just like the memories of cooking in the kitchen with Mom. – Candy Bennett       INGREDIENTS 3 cups sugar; three fourths cup milk; 2 teaspoons cornstarch; 1 teaspoon vanilla; pinch of salt; 1 tablespoon butter; one half cup cocoa; one half…

Mom’s Recipe Box: Macaroni And Cheese For Two From Jane

Posted on July 25, 2014

                                        MACARONI & CHEESE for TWO           INGREDIENTS 3 tablespoons melted margarine; 2 tablespoons cornstarch (flour can be used if you don’t have cornstarch); 1 and one half cups of milk; 8 ounces Velveeta cheese chopped into small cubes; salt and pepper; 1 cup elbow macaroni.           PREPARATION Butter one and a half quart casserole or aluminum pan. Cook elbow macaroni according to directions on box – set aside. Heat oven to 325 degrees. In small sauce pan melt margarine, mix in cornstarch, then add milk – over medium heat stir occasionally until milk is warm; add…

Mom’s Recipe Box: “Good Any Time” Rich Muffins from Dixie-Sue

Posted on July 18, 2014

                  (Good Any Time) Rich Muffins   Rich muffins are delicious fresh from the oven and piping hot for breakfast. Really they are good any time! Made from staple ingredients generally on hand in the household, they were always a go to treat to bake quickly and serve to unexpected guests. These were a favorite of our family doctor, who was also a friend of the family. – Dixie-Sue Bennett-Larned          INGREDIENTS 2 cups flour; 2 teaspoons baking powder; pinch (one quarter teaspoon) of salt;  one third cup sugar; two eggs; one half cup vegetable oil; 1 cup milk.   PREPARATION Sift flour, baking powder and salt together. In a separate bowl, beat…

Mom’s Recipe Box: “Thank You Mom” Stuffed Peppers from Jillian

Posted on July 11, 2014

            (“Thank You Mom”) Stuffed Peppers Personally, I hate to cook – I’d rather not eat than to cook. I love to go out to eat. But my mom, Jane, is a great cook! There are four things I will never eat unless they are made from my mom’s recipes: 1- Southern Fried Chicken (she’s from Texas, so look out!); 2- Beef Stew; 3- Apple Pie; and 4- Stuffed Peppers. She taught me how to cook these fabulous meals but cooking in general never interested me. More importantly, she taught me how to be a loving wife, a nurturing mother and to always treat people with kindness. We live 3,000 miles apart now but when I cook one of her…

Mom’s Recipe Box: “My Marine” Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya from Donna

Posted on July 4, 2014

      (My Marine) Chicken & Sausage Jambalaya  This chicken and sausage Jambalaya recipe is spicy, but we love it. I’ll often use leftover meat in the recipe. If I use beef, I get low sodium beef broth. If I use chicken, I’ll get the low sodium chicken broth. My son is in the Marines and when he gets to come home he always requests this recipe. I don’t get to see him all that often, but when I do, I like to spoil my Marine!   – Donna Bennett Martin    INGREDIENTS: 1 (16 ounce) package Cajun-Style smoked sausage, cut into one fourth inch slices; 2 celery ribs, chopped; 1 medium onion, chopped; 1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped; 4 cups chopped…

Homeland Day 100th Anniversary Celebrated in Manchester, Connecticut

Posted on June 16, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com The 100th anniversary of Homeland Day was celebrated on June 14 in Manchester, Connecticut. Since renamed Heritage Day, the annual celebration was originated by Ruth Sears Cheney to recognize the heritage of the many ethnic groups living in Manchester and working in the Cheney silk mills. The first celebration included a day of festivities and floats representing the varied cultures of Manchester’s population in the early 20th Century. This year’s Heritage Day capped the 23rd Pride in Manchester Week with a ceremony at Cheney Hall, that is now home to the Little Theater of Manchester which is currently staging a production of “Almost Maine”. The ceremony was followed by a march from the hall along Hartford Road…

“Big Johnny Always Said” – A Father’s Day Memory

Posted on June 8, 2014

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com  Years after my father’s death he is still quoted on virtually a daily basis by his children and grandchildren – affectionately known to his grand kids as “Big Johnny.” “Big Johnny always said, ‘Buy American.’”  “Big Johnny always said, ‘Never cross a picket line.’”   “Big Johnny always said, ‘Tip well, treat service sector workers with respect.’”  “Dad always said, ‘Put your emergency brake on before putting your vehicle in park to take pressure off the transmission.’” “Dad always said, ‘Turn your tires curbside out when parking.’” “Big Johnny/Dad always said, ‘Put your head up, your shoulders back and remember who you are.’” The list goes on, however, the latter is at the foundation of who he was, how we…

A Life Well-Lived – Happy Birthday Mom!

Posted on January 12, 2014

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb Happy Birthday Mom! Some of us were reminiscing yesterday about the big birthday celebration we had for my mother at Shea’s American in January 2010. Just months later in December of that year she passed away. The party turned out to be not only a source of tremendous joy for her but also a lasting gift for the family – a treasured memory to keep – the final time we all gathered together with her the way we had so often over the years.   Wearing a yellow rose corsage, her favorite flower, adorned with seven yellow roses representing her seven children, she was on top of the world that day. There was a large turnout and the buffet was…

Thanksgiving – a Special American Holiday

Posted on November 29, 2013

By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb “There is one day that is ours.Thanksgiving Day is the one day that is purely American.” – O Henry – American author. After the road races, football games and Macy’s Parade, most Americans sit down to a lovely Thanksgiving Day dinner. In its purest form, this is a day to come together with friends and family to give thanks for the bounty of the Lord, a plentiful harvest and what is truly most important in life – the health and well-being of loved ones. History tells us the first Thanksgiving was held in 1621 by the Pilgrims and Wampanoag Indians at Plymouth, Massachusetts. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday to be observed each November. Centuries later,…