newsandviewsjb

NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts from the “NEWS” Category

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…

Categories: Cooking, Family, Food, NEWS, Recipes

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Lighthouses & Fort Trumbull Replica Builder Devoted to his Craft

Posted on July 23, 2014

Story & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com Once a week Bob Landry stops by Fort Trumbull State Park in New London, Connecticut to check on the replicas he built of the fort, and lighthouses off the nearby shoreline. Landry took up the craft after retiring from his position as a carpenters’ general foreman with Electric Boat. Now, he devotes his time to building the replicas and hopes his efforts contribute to the preservation of the area’s rich maritime history. “The Fort Trumbull replica took me 700 hours to build. See the spiral stairs inside the tower,” Landry said during a recent interview there, pointing to that intricate piece of workmanship. His replicas are on loan to the state. “For as long as they take care…

Categories: American Maritime History, Lighthouses, New England, New England Maritime History, NEWS, Paranormal, Replica building

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Destination: Fred’s Shanty New London, Connecticut

Posted on July 21, 2014

Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com    Tucked along Pequot Avenue on the waterfront in New London, Connecticut is Fred’s Shanty. Clam chowder was the first menu item I tried here. It was late summer, September, and my family decided we would drive down that weekend and take a look at the water one last time before the end of the season. There was a slight chill in the air and we were all wearing sweatshirts or light jackets. Dusk was falling when we came upon this marvelous roadside clam and hotdog shack on our way back from Ocean Beach. I have been returning at least once a summer ever since.   Fred’s Shanty overlooks a marina which makes for a pleasing vista…

Categories: Connecticut Shoreline Vacations, Food, NEWS, Restaurants, waterfront eateries

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National Ice Cream Month Conjures Up Recollections of a Kathy Johns I.C. Girl

Posted on July 20, 2014

Write-Up & Photo by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   As someone who spent her college years scooping ice cream at a popular ice cream and sandwich shop, I particularly enjoyed a recent article highlighting July as national ice cream month in Yankee Magazine’s New England Minute. The writer spoke of her days working in an ice cream store and recognizing customers for what they ordered. When I wasn’t waiting tables, I was assigned to “i.c.” at Kathy Johns in Storrs, Connecticut, located at the Four Corners about one mile from the University of Connecticut campus. That meant on a given night I made all the sundaes ordered. On Sunday nights, when students returned to campus often with their families in tow, lines overflowed out the…

Categories: Ice Cream, ice cream parlors, National Ice Cream Day, NEWS

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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…

Categories: Baking, Family, Food, NEWS, Recipes

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NFL Player Chris Baker Promotes Literacy Foundation at the Legendary Bart’s Drive-In

Posted on July 15, 2014

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   When he was a youngster NFL player Chris Baker and his friends rode their bicycles to “that  hot dog place” just down the street from where he lived in Windsor, Connecticut. “That hot dog place” being the iconic Bart’s Drive-In Restaurant. On July 11, Baker was at Bart’s to promote the Chris Baker Foundation, a literacy foundation. He became the most recent among notable professional athletes and Hollywood celebrities whose presence at this Nutmeg state institution have added to its mystique since it opened more than sixty years ago. Much to the delight of customers and the staff of Bart’s, that shares a connected space with The Beanery and Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ,  Baker tried his hand…

Categories: Hometown Heroes, National Football League, NEWS, NFL, Sports, Washington Redskins

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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…

Categories: Cooking, Family, Food, NEWS, Recipes

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Hero Trees To Be Planted for CTHM – Help Still Needed for Project

Posted on July 8, 2014

Write-up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   “Hero trees” are scheduled to be planted this month for the Connecticut Trees of Honor Memorial making July, 2014 an extraordinary month for a project that took shape with a few women sitting around a table talking. Currently under construction in Middletown, CT, the memorial will honor the state’s fallen military from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as, all veterans. “What is truly amazing is that this project is underway with incredible volunteers and all our equipment is being donated to us,” Sue Martucci, CTHM President, wrote in a recent newsletter. Nonetheless, help is still needed to make this dream a reality and honor Connecticut’s fallen. Martucci is looking for a company that…

Categories: 9/11, Afghanistan War Memorials, Connecticut Park Memorials, Iraq War Memorials, NEWS

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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…

Categories: Cooking, Family, Food, NEWS, Patriotism, Recipes, US Marines

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Gallant Effort from Team USA in 2014 FIFA World Cup Soccer

Posted on July 2, 2014

Commentary by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com The last time I had sat captivated by a soccer match, I was wrapped in a heavy corduroy jacket sipping hot chocolate in 20 degree weather on campus in Storrs, Connecticut. It was late autumn, circa 1987-1991. At the time, I was a reporter for the Manchester Herald and I remember seeing one of the paper’s photographers, Patrick, on the sidelines shooting the game along with a host of other photogs. UCONN soccer was still riding its heyday of fan support after former men’s Head Coach Joe Morrone turned the sport into a Sunday afternoon religion throughout the state. The matches drew overflow crowds and – for a brief moment – UCONN soccer nearly usurped the popularity of collegiate…

Categories: NEWS, soccer, Sports, World Cup Soccer

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