Author Archives: Renate Valencia

My parents and the automat

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My Mom in 1965 with a crqazy hairdo while working at the flushing new york horn & hardardt

My Mom working at the Flushing, NY Horn & Hardart in about 1965

We all get older – it’s a fact, and it’s scary to see hip pictures of ourselves from days gone by.  Check out this shot of my mom from around 1965.  This was taken at the Horn & Hardart restaurant in Flushing, where she worked as a server – though she gets mad about that term, asking what might be wrong with “waitress,” which is what she says she was.  Horn & Hardart, or “H&H,” as the employees called it, started out as a chain of East Coast automats that later included sit-down restaurants, like the one in Flushing, once the automats started closing.  My mom worked at the automats in Manhattan first, starting in about 1954.  She was a busser, where she met fellow-busser Frank, whom she married in 1958.  She moved up the ranks and spent the next couple of years filling up the coin-operated food dispensers from the back, with things like beans and franks and cup custards.  Soon she started waitressing (she’d like that).  Cut to the early 1960’s, when she was transferred to Flushing.  I loved the Flushing store and spent time there after school, meeting all the local characters.  The employees all had fun and doted on me, giving me my favorite mashed potatoes and gravy.  I think my love of the restaurant business started there.

Berry’s recovery

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Berry the akita resting at home on his futon after surgery

Berry resting at home on his futon after surgery

We are all exhausted.  Berry proceeded to pace around the house at intervals with the e-collar, trying to jam himself through small spaces.  When we was not doing this, he would stand near the bed staring at us and crying, using tones I have not heard before.  He did this despite the pain pills, so we were worried.  Finally, I decided to give the e-collar a temporary heave-ho in order to see how much of this was about the collar rather than post-surgical pain.  The second it came off he raced to his bed and was snoring in no time.  We felt better.  Screw the e-collar.  I wrapped an Ace bandage around each front paw to cover those insane dew claws and that, as they say, was that.  I don’t care that his Akita single-mindedness got him out of the e-collar.  He was in pain and this was not a time for us to worry about who is in control (he is).  The poor dog just needed to sleep.  He was doped up and slept like a lump for hours.  In the morning I found the bandages on the floor, so I rigged something up for his paws with sock bands.  While he has been incredibly pissed off at me (he won’t look at me), I am trying to explain to him that it’s either those socks or the e-collar.  He groans at me when I put them on, and he is ignoring me and not sleeping by me in general.  I don’t blame him.  It’s not like I was able to let him know in advance what would happen.  I take this responsibility very seriously and I feel bad for him.  How would you like wake up and find that you are missing teeth?  It’ll take a bit before he trusts us again.

Berry’s surgery

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Berry, the actual akitachow of akitachow.com, is having surgery today.  He has two eyelid growths and two masses on his trunk to be removed.  In addition, they will be aspirating something on his stomach to make sure it’s not malignant.  They called after I dropped him off to tell me he also has a really bad tooth (they found this when they were able to give him a complete once-over, meaning when he was out cold).  They said if they left the tooth it would be a major problem in the making, so I told them to go ahead.  I said, “Please tell me this is not one of his big front teeth.  Please tell me we won’t have to add to his sebaceous adenitis-induced mangy look with missing front teeth.”  No, not a front tooth.  Add another $200 for the tooth and we are up to $1k for the works, to include ear cleaning, nail trimming and general delousing.  Cut to 5 p.m. when we pick the poor guy up.  We hear all good news, and are sent home with antibiotic, anti-inflammatory and pain pills.  Berry has been quietly affectionate, sitting by us wanting to be comforted.  He clearly has some pain so we have been on top of the pain pills so he was finally able to lay down for a couple of hours.  He has just had it.  The one problem is proving to be the e-collar, which is as big as a swimming pool for a large dog.  I don’t know how we’ll get through the night, since we have to keep the e-collar on so he doesn’t scratch his eyes.  Why can’t they come up with something better?

Meatballs

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Meatballs that were convection roasted first are now in italian sauce

Here’s my tip for meatballs – and, yes, it is my tip because I have been doing this for years even if others, like America’s Test Kitchen, only figured it out recently:  Don’t fry them before they go into the sauce.  Roast them in a hot (400-425 deg. F.) convection oven on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.  They will brown and firm up this way and you won’t have a big mess in your kitchen.  My meatball recipe is simple in that you combine, but do not overwork, good ground meat that is no leaner than 90%, a little bread that has been softened in water, an egg or two, a bit of grated parmesan, a little Best Foods/Hellmann’s mayonnaise, a smidgen each of Dijon mustard and Worcestershire, and salt and pepper.  Form big meatballs and brown in oven as described above.  Just keep an eye on them and take them out when they have browned to your liking.  Allow to cool a bit and carefully transfer to hot sauce and simmer for an hour.  Your sauce need be nothing more than a #10 can of crushed tomatoes (buy at Costco) with whatever you have on hand to liven it up, but certainly some Italian spice mix, fresh garlic, a little olive oil, a dash of red wine and a bit of sugar to cut the acidity.  Simmer all this together for 45 minutes before you add the meatballs.

Roasted peppers

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roasted tricolor peppers 5-18-08

I promised to provide a good recipe for roasted peppers, so here you go.  I use the pack of 2 red, 2 yellow and 2 orange from Costco, since they provide a pretty result with different flavors.  Jack up your oven to 400 F. convection, if you have it.  Place your peppers on a sheet pan and slide into oven.  Using long tongs, turn them over now and again (like every few minutes) so they darken and cook evenly.  When they are nice and brown — and they don’t need to be a solid brown, rather they should have lots of brown spots that are evenly distributed — take them out and pop into a couple of large Ziploc bags that are completely sealed.  You are harnessing moist heat here to cause the skins to pull away from the flesh.  Put the bags in bowls in case the heat causes them to open a bit, which happens often, so that you catch the natural juices, which you want to reserve for the final preparation.  After about an hour, take out the peppers, one by one, and slip the skins (which should be loose) off.  Pull the stems off and gently tear the pepper to open it and push out the seeds with your fingers.  Don’t rinse them, rather use your fingers to get all the “bad” things off.  If you rinse them, you’ll ruin the flavor and texture.  I never cut these peppers, just tear them into large strips and arrange them on a plate right then and there.  When all arranged on a serving plate go ahead and pour the pepper juices over the top.  Sprinkle some sea salt and black pepper over the top.  Finish with a drizzle of excellent olive oil.  What you don’t eat just save in a plastic container for sandwiches.