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NEWS&VIEWS by Jacqueline Bennett

Posts tagged “Jacqueline Bennett”

Mom’s Recipe Box: It’s All in the Presentation! Merry Christmas Brownies

Posted on December 25, 2015

                  MERRY CHRISTMAS BROWNIES   When I decided to bake Christmas brownies I never imagined I would come across such a multitude of ideas, from brownies stacked as gifts and tied with bows to green frosting laden Christmas Tree brownies to pretzel ear reindeer brownies to white frosting bearded Santa Claus brownies. Well the list goes on and on and each idea looks like it would be fun to try.   I settled upon a simpler approach of my own – basic dark chocolate brownies presented on a holiday platter and accented by  Pepperidge Farm Gingerman cookies romping in whipped cream snow mounds.   Best wishes for a Merry Christmas! – Jackie          …

Categories: Baking, Christmas Brownies, NEWS

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‘Let There Be Light!’ – Winter Solstice & Other Seasonal Customs

Posted on December 22, 2015

Article & Photos By Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Genesis 1:3 “And God said ‘Let there be light’ and there was light.”   Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere is said to fall each year between December 20-23 and in 2015 it is today, December 22. Marking the first day of the astronomical winter, it is considered to hold more than astronomical meaning, carrying as well cultural and religious significance. Although it is the longest night and shortest day of the calendar year, in the “battle between dark and light” it is light that is the central theme of Winter Solstice, according to SchoolsoftheSeasons.com. Celebrations focus on the turn of the clock towards longer hours of daylight, and a “rebirth” of light. As such, one custom noted…

Categories: Celebrate Winter Solstice, For Thomas Edison Science Meets Christmas Sentiment, Meaning of Christmas Candle Centerpiece, NEWS, Tradition of Christmas Lights, Who Sent the First Christmas Card?

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Yankee Magazine Food Awards Winner Helps Draw Winter Farmers’ Market Crowd Ellington, CT – Part of National Trend

Posted on December 20, 2015

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   A thoroughly charming Englishman, David L. Davis, greeted visitors December 19 to a “Holiday Extravaganza!” Winter Farmers’ Market in Ellington, Connecticut. Wearing a colorfully designed bow tie and red apron, Davis, owner of Hillhome Country Products, stood beneath a large, beautifully adorned wreath hung on a wooden frame, spooning out samples of preserves he makes and which are known to be so good that he was named a Yankee Magazine Food Awards 2015 Winner.                            “Yes, I make them myself,” said Davis.   Displayed and for sale along with bigger jars were appealing gift bags of miniature selections.   “With perfect bows tied by my…

Categories: Burgeoning National Trends, Connecticut Farms, Consumers Demand Locally Grown Food, New England Winter Farmers' Markets, NEWS, Yankee Magazine Food Awards Winner

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Dreaming of a White Christmas?

Posted on December 19, 2015

Write-Up by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Unseasonably warm temperatures have New Englanders worrying aloud that a “White Christmas” may elude the northeastern region of the United States this year. Ever since crooner Bing Crosby sang the Irving Berlin tune, “White Christmas” in the film “Holiday Inn”, it has been an anthem of the Christmas season.   After “Holiday Inn” was released in 1942, American service members deployed abroad to fight in World War II are said to have requested to hear “White Christmas” over and over again. Concurrently, the sentimental song brought melancholy as distance kept them from loved ones back in the states, yet joyful memories of home. According to a documentary produced by public television, when visiting the troops, Crosby said it…

Categories: A White Christmas, American Standards, Holiday Traditions, NEWS, Winter in New England

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It’s a Wrap on December 20th for 2015 Holiday Hours at Gillette Castle

Posted on December 17, 2015

  Write-Up & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett Holiday hours for Gillette Castle State Park are slated to ‘wrap-up’ on Sunday, December 20. Perched above the majestic Connecticut River in East Haddam, Connecticut, it is a treat to see this fascinating showplace decorated at Christmastime. Built from fieldstone with a steel frame it took five years for the castle to be completed, between 1914-1919. The project was overseen by owner William Hooker Gillette, a renowned actor of his time whose most famous role was that of Sherlock Holmes. The State of Connecticut, which administers the property, purchased it from the executors of Gillette’s will in 1943, according to the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. Now part of a state park and open to…

Categories: American Theater, Fascinating Architecture, iconic New England buildings, New England Destinations, NEWS, Visit New England

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Meet Me at the ‘Kissing Balls Bridge’ in Farmington, Connecticut

Posted on December 14, 2015

                                        Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   And if our love is true … Little tugs at the heartstrings more than plans for a clandestine love to be brought to light and sealed by a kiss in a future romantic rendezvous. Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr gave unforgettable authenticity to such a story in the 1957 classic film “An Affair to Remember”, with a promise to reunite atop the Empire State Building six months after they fell for each other on a cruise despite being engaged to other people. Timeless in its intent to stir the emotions, an Empire State Building meeting was reprised…

Categories: Clandestine Love & Romance, English traditions, Holiday displays, Holiday Traditions, Kissing Balls in New England, New England Bridges, NEWS, Symbols of Glad Blessings, Symbols of Welcome

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Destination: Widow Bingham’s Tavern at Red Lion Inn Stockbridge, MA

Posted on December 11, 2015

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Across the threshold from the elegant dining room in Stockbridge, Massachusetts’ Red Lion Inn and above a rathskeller bar there, is the casual, rustic Widow Bingham’s Tavern. Though the main dining room is lovely, there is something most appealing about the ole’ Americana atmosphere of the tavern.     Red checkered tablecloths coordinate with dark, wooden chairs. Historic memorabilia pattern the walls. Overhead lamps create dim lighting accented by a stained glass window decor, “wood planked” floors and a busy bar. Holiday decorations on this visit added to the enjoyable experience. The tavern is small so if it is preferred, reservations are a good idea.     With an emphasis on traditional New England fare, the…

Categories: 2015 Opentable Diner's Choice Winner, Food, Historic New England Taverns, New England Inns, NEWS, Restaurants, Traditional New England Fare

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26th Norman Rockwell Holiday Recreation on Main Street Stockbridge, MA

Posted on December 9, 2015

Article & Photos by Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Travel the highway up into the Berkshire Mountains exiting onto secondary routes, and nestled in along the road going west from Lee is the village of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Home to renowned American illustrator Norman Rockwell for the last 25 years of his life, Stockbridge is where he created one of his most famous works. That famous rendering depicts Main Street in Stockbridge on Christmas Eve and was published by McCall’s magazine in a 1967 special section called “Home for Christmas”.   On Sunday, December 6, the clock was turned back in Stockbridge to the 1960’s era when Rockwell painted the Christmas Eve scene. Vintage cars “strategically” lined-up in the center of town recreating the Rockwell sreetscape…

Categories: American history, American icons, American illustrators, Christmas, New England Inns, Norman Rockwell Holiday Recreation

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Connecticut Governor Orders Flags at Half-Staff for Pearl Harbor Remembrance “No Matter How Long It May Take Us” FDR

Posted on December 7, 2015

By: Jacqueline Bennett newsandviewsjb.com   Seventy-four years have passed since on this day in 1941 at 10:55 a.m., the United States was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. The attack led President Franklin D. Roosevelt to ask Congress to declare war on Japan and brought the U.S. into World War II. Everyday life in the U.S. was changed putting Americans on constant alert. Individual families were affected. Not only the families of the more than 2,000 who died there but, as well, families of the young men and women who signed on for the fight. That includes my own family, as I have written about previously in a newsandviewsjb piece titled “Quiet Heroes From Connecticut’s Quiet Corner” . There are…

Categories: American history, Courage, NEWS

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