HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS AND DOLLS

HAPPY NEW YEAR GUYS AND DOLLS:

STOPPING BY TO WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR. MAY YOUR YEAR BE FILLED WITH BLESSINGS FROM ABOVE, LOVE, HEALTH AND ALL THE JOY POSSIBLE. NOW FOR HAPPY NEW YEAR WISHES TO MY READERS IN VARIOUS LANGUAGES.

POLISH – SZCZESLIWEGO NOWEGO ROKU
RUSSIAN – S NOVYM GODOM
SPANISH – FELIZ ANO NUEVO
BULGARIAN – CHESTITA NOVA GODINA
CZECH – STASTNY NOVY ROK
HUNGARIAN – BOLDOG UJ EVET
HEBREW – SHANA TOVA
ITALIAN – FELICE ANNO NUOVO
NORWEGIAN – GODT NYTT AR
WELSH – BLWYDDYN NEWYDD DDA
SWEDISH – GOTT NYTT AR
ROMANIAN – LA MULTI ANI
PAPIAMENTO (FROM ARUBA, CURACAO) – BON ANA NOBO
UKRAINIAN – Z NOVIM ROKOM
CHINESE – GUNG-HAY-FAT-CHOY
ALBANIAN – GEZUAR VITIN E RI
PORTUGUESE – FELIZ ANO NOVO!
GERMAN – EIN GLUCKLICHES NEUES JAHR!
JAPANESE – SHINNEN OMEDETO

FOR THOSE I MISSED HAVE A HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM JOEYZ’S SPEAKEASY.

TAKING A REST

SPEAKIES:

TAKING A REST FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS, WILL LEAVE YOU A POST FOR THE NEW YEAR. BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.

THANK YOU BONNIE

I FORGOT TO POST THIS TESTIMONIAL FROM BONNIE ABOUT MY BOOK. THANK YOU BONNIE AND IF YOU LAUGHED THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS TO ME.

IT'S CHOCOLATE DAY - ENJOY THE DAY

Good Morning Speakies:

I hope you Jersey Speakies are keeping warm and digging out from that blizzard on Sunday. May the sun shine and melt it all way real soon. The temperatures here in Sunny Florida is a nice 27 degrees this morning but a warming trend will be here by New Year’s Eve.

Today is “NATIONAL CHOCOLATE DAY.” I like chocolate just as much as everyone does, so I think I’m going to list my favorite chocolate goodies and see if we are on the same thinking line. Remember chocolate can also be white chocolate and other goodies covered with chocolate. Here I go:

TastyKate Chocolate Cup Cakes and KandyKakes or as they sing it “TASTYKAKE KAKES AND PIES.”
Hot Chocolate with marshmallows.
Chocolate covered Cherries for the Christmas holidays they have to be Cella’s they are the best.
White chocolate bunny ears for Easter.
Just had this one, chocolate covered coffee beans really good.
M&M’s and Reese’s Pieces candy.
Chocolate Peanut Butter cups.
Chocolate milk, “NESTLES MAKES THE VERY BEST CHOCOLATE.”
Nestle Crunch Bars.
Chocolate Ice Cream.
Funny Bones
Here’s one I’m not fond of but this one is in honor of my Southern readers, a true down South treat “A MOONPIE WITH A MOUNTAIN DEW SODA.”

Well there are some of my favorite chocolate treats, send me yours and don’t be afraid to comment and while you are at it become a follower of JoeyZ’s Speakeasy, it’s easy to join. Have a great day and root for those Eagles Tonight.

ENJOY THE REST OF THE HOLIDAY SEASON

Good Monday Morning Guys and Dolls:

Hoping you all had a great Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Roe and I had a very nice quite Christmas Eve with my son Joe and his wife Elizabeth, a nice dinner, a rowdy game of Uno for present exchange and just all around fun. Christmas Day was spent with my son Jeff, his wife Sam and our two little grandchildren. The fun in seeing them opening their gifts truly made for a wonderful Christmas Day.

I'll be taking it easy this week in writing, gathering thoughts for the new year to come but I think I will make one post later in the week. Please take care, enjoy the rest of the holiday season and be careful out there.

MERRY CHRISTMAS GUYS AND DOLLS:

TO ALL MY READERS, I WISH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS. ENJOY THE FESTIVITIES, THE LOVE OF YOUR FAMILY AND MAY THE BLESSINGS FROM ABOVE SHINE DOWN UPON EACH OF YOU THIS HOLIDAY SEASON.

I WANTED TO WISH A MERRY CHRISTMAS IN VARIOUS LANGUAGES SO HERE I GO:

WESOLYCH SWIAT BOZEGO NARODZENIA – POLISH

BUONE FESTE NATALIZIE – ITALIAN

KELLEMES KARACSONYI UNNEPEKET – HUNGARIAN

FROHLICHE WEIHNACHTEN – GERMAN

KALA CHRISTOUYENNA! – GREEK

FELIZ NAVIDAD – SPANISH

VESELE VIANOCE – SLOVAK

SROZHDESTVOM KRISTOVYM – UKRAINIAN

NOLLAIG SHONA DHUIT – IRISH

LINKSMU KALEDU – LITHUANIAN

POZDREVLYAYU S PRAZDNIKOM ROZHDESTVA IS NOVIM GODOM – RUSSIAN

NADOLIG LLAWEN – WELSH

JOYEUX NOEL – FRENCH

MERRY CHRISTMAS ONCE AGAIN, BE JOLLY AND I HOPE SANTA IS GOOD TO YOU ALL.

JUST STOPPING BY

HELLO SPEAKIES:

JUST DROPPING BY TO SAY WE ARE ENJOYING A GREAT BREAKFAST FEAST AT WORK - YOU NAME WE ARE EATING IT. GOING TO ENJOY THE REST OF THE DAY'S FUN. HAVE A GREAT DAY AND EVENING AND BE CAREFUL OUT THERE.

YOUNG CHRISTMAS MEMORIES AGAIN

Happy Hump Day Speakies:

Well Christmas is getting closer and I’m really enjoying the feelings of the season. Looking back again when I was young I remember being an altar boy at our parish church. Our parish was Polish with a lot of traditions kept from the old country we called Poland. I loved serving Mass, baptisms, hated funerals but one of the most interesting experiences was going with the priests to bless the neighborhood homes over the Feast of the Epiphany. All the altar boys took turns we got out of school at noon and either walked or rode with the priest to the various homes. Once inside the house the room was blessed with holy water and above the front door was written in chalk was the initials KMB (of the three wise men – Kasper (Gaspar), Melchior and Balthazar). The blessing was in the belief that it will spare the homes from misfortune. One of the neatest things for a kid of my age at the time were the tips, parishioners would give the priest some money and usually the altar boy too. At times we blessed those little mom and pop stores and I remember getting a vanilla milk shake once. Those were good days and memories.

I’m off the meet some of our personnel for a nice Christmas Luncheon and tomorrow we are having our Christmas brunch at work so tomorrow is a party day for me and you probably won’t hear from JoeyZ. Have a great day and be careful out there.

OUR CHRISTMAS DAY

Good Morning Guys and Dolls:

I hoped you all enjoyed reading about the way I spent Christmas Eve as a youngster, it was fun recalling all those memories. When Roe and I got married we shared Christmas Eve between my parents and hers. With all her brothers, their wives and kids her parent’s house for Christmas Eve was packed and it was a more festive atmosphere being that my family was smaller. Now being Italian their meal was also meatless. I remember having smelts, shrimp, broccoli patties, flounder and French fries. After dinner there were always desserts and then came playing poker.

On Christmas Day, Roe made a breakfast brunch for her parents. She made a delicious breakfast quiche with eggs, sausage, peppers and other great stuff. She still makes it today and it’s great for breakfast, lunch or dinner for me. We stayed home on Christmas Day, my parents, grandmother, my aunts, our good neighbors Mike and Lena would come over to spend the afternoon and enjoy the day and the food Roe made for the holidays. I remember ham, kielbasa, those rum balls, cookies and some food that just slips my mind now. It was a nice time for all of us to gather and have fun.

When our sons were born Christmas became very special, the waking up early, the excitement in their eyes to see all the gifts under the tree, the pictures of them opening their gifts and the look on their faces when they saw their presents from Santa. They played all day long with their new toys; once in a while a little fight broke out amongst the brothers but that was to be expected. We use to bring the toys over to our neighbor’s house to wrap and keep until they went to sleep on Christmas Eve, then rush over to pick them up and place them under the tree. Of course I could not forget to put out that half a glass of milk and cookies crumbs that Santa enjoyed while paying our house a visit. Now that they are both married I wish them and their families the same joy on Christmas Day.

Hope you are enjoying my little trips down Memory Lane, for me it’s the fond memories I have and my hopes for having many more to share. I Love You Roe, Joe and Jeff thanks for making it happen.

Have a great day Guys and Dolls.

HAPPY FRIDAY SPEAKIES

Good Friday Morning Speakies:

Just making my usual Friday Fly-By to wish you all a wonderful weekend. Now this is the last weekend before Christmas to get all those things done you wanted to, so get busy but do take some time to relax. I bet those kiddies are really getting excited about Santa coming. I believe NASA still has their Santa Tracker on the net and it starts working Christmas Eve day, it's a pretty neat thing and the kids do get excited.

The weather here is turning once again to the mild side, so if you have vacation plans to come to Florida the weather should be nice, of course I'm not a certified weather man so don't hold me to it.

Have a great weekend, be careful, see you all next week.

Good Morning Speakies:

During the Christmas Holidays there are all sorts of customs and festivities from various nationalities that are observed. I will present my Polish Christmas Eve to you next week, but today starts the Nine-Day celebration with origins in Spain and now chiefly celebrated in Mexico. My daughter-in-law was born in Mexico so I thought I would give you a little insight to a celebration called Las Posadas. Las Posadas begins today December 16th and ending on Christmas Eve, December 24th. The word Posada is Spanish for lodging and is a tradition that portrays the trials which Mary and Joseph endured before finding lodging at the stable in Bethlehem. Every family in the neighborhood will schedule a night for the Posada to be held at their home and act as the various innkeepers that Joseph and Mary encountered on their travels. Children and adults carry lit candles and a few others carry statues of Joseph leading a donkey on which Mary is riding. They stop at various houses and are denied lodging until they reach the designated home and allowed to enter. Prayers are said and a little party follows. Sounds like a nice tradition to see if possible.

Last Saturday night Roe and I had dinner at a new Iocal Italian restaurant and forgive me if I get the name wrong it was called Passa Luna and the food was great, service excellent and we will be going again. On the way home we spotted police cars with their lights flashing and decided to check it out. Turns out one of the local churches was holding a drive thru Nativity Scene so we decided to wait and check it out. The various scenes were reenacted with church members in full dress costumes depicting Mary receiving word of her conception, Joseph working as a carpenter, traveling on a donkey, the marketplace in Bethlehem and the stable with the wise men and shepherds including live animals. It was really a nice evening spent taking away some of the commercialism of Christmas.

Calling it a day Speakies, have a great one, I’m off to the doctors.

THESE ARE A FEW OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS

Happy Cold Hump Day Speakies:

Another cold night zapped Central Florida, lows were in the 20’s but today they say temps will reach the low 60’s. The weekend looks better with highs in the 70’s and lows in the 50’s. Better weather is ahead visitors unless you are leaving today, sorry for the cold. The tourists will be down starting next week when all the kiddies start their Christmas vacation. The theme parks, restaurants and roadways will be crowded till after New Year’s Eve, got to live with it.

Happy news for us Phillies fans, signing Cliff Lee again, man what a rotation they are going to have, now all they have to do is win the big games when necessary. Good Luck next season. There were no important holidays that hit me like a brick today so forgetaboutit.

I was reading Mack’s blog yesterday “Mack’s Truck of Wisdom” and Italian bakeries, restaurants; cheese steak sandwiches appeared making me hungry once again. I remember going to some very favorite restaurants for food that I loved, so I think I will name them and give you their specialties that Roe and I enjoyed. I’ll throw my sons in also if they went there.

Papa’s Tomato Pies – Great pie with anchovies and always delivered nice and hot.

DeLorenzo’s Tomato Pies (Hamilton Ave.) – Great all around pie, my son Joe loved the meatball; we loved plain, pepperoni or sausage. Great Birch Beer also.

Rossi’s Bar and Grill – What else A Rossi’s Cheeseburger and Fries. That’s fusion Amen.

Ernie’s Tavern in Robbinsville – Great place for lunch good burgers and topped off with a draft beer.

Nino’s Pizza – On Chambers Street. Good pizza, good Sicilian pizza and great cheese steak sandwiches and fries wrapped in paper, my boy’s favorite place.

LaGondola – One of the nicest families to know and great service. Mussels Marinara to die for, shrimp scampi on toast points, great veal parm sandwiches at the bar for lunch. Jerry the Gip was a great bartender and Angelo and Linda great host and hostess.

Crecco’s – Fine Italian dining never a bad meal. Roe’s Aunt Angie made the salads, real sweet lady rest in peace Aunt Angie.

WaWa Market – My sons enjoyed their hoagies, have to admit they were good.

How can one forget the diners, Pat’s, Mastoris and Town and Country just to name a few.

Casino Restaurant – Took my sons there for Saturday breakfast on occasion, but famous for their Italian Hot Dogs.

Hudson Beer Gardens – Ate there a few times, Roe loved their cheese steaks.

Back in high school near my grandmother’s on South Broad St. eating with my buddies, Lou, Tom and Richie at LaRoma or Sam’s Tomato Pies coal oven baked and pulling a soda out of a cooler filled with ice.

There are a few of our favorite places, but one that I hold dear is Top Road Tavern by my parent’s house. I still remember those fish and chips on a Friday night with slaw and fresh Italian bread. Great Tomato pies and just a nice place to throw back a few beers and eat. So I leave you with a photo of the Top Road, just as I remember it. Have a great day Guys and Dolls. You may not hear from me tomorrow, I’m heading for a checkup and depending how I feel I may write, I may not. Be careful out there.

MONKEYS AND TREES

Good Morning Speakies:

Greetings from a cold Central Florida this morning. I’m telling you its hot chocolate, tea, coffee or a chicken soup broth for this kind of frigid morning. I’ve already had my daily cup of coffee and turned on my portable heater and ready to start the work day. There is some really crazy weather happening across the nation, just be careful out there when traveling. Speaking of cold weather, Roe made me her famous Chicken soup last night for dinner. That soup hit the spot on a cold December evening. Love you Doll.

Today is “MONKEY DAY” in honor of those simians we all love to see frolic about. So today just hang out and have a banana. Here is an idea find an old Planet of the Apes movie and watch it. Forgot to mention I’m proud of those Eagles on Sunday Night Football they played to win and I hope they can go far this year.

Today is also “BUY A CHRISTMAS TREE DAY.” If you Guys and Dolls have not purchased your tree, go out today and get one Christmas is next week. I remember always having a real tree when I was little, then my mother got sick of cleaning up the needles and dad planted our last real tree in the back yard which grew pretty tall. Our next tree was one of those Silver Trees with the spinning colored wheel we had that for several years and finally came the fake green tree that remained for years to come blessed our home. In our house now we set up two trees, not large ones, but one is dedicated to the grandkids and decorated in children’s ornaments and pictures throughout the years. Roe does a great job decorating; all I do is pull them out. It’s funny when you start writing about things memories of past times come to you. I remember my grandfather my mom’s dad who could not wait for the Holidays to come. He decorated the tree, hung up ornaments on the archways and could not wait for Christmas Eve to come his favorite night of the year. I’ll tell you more later when I write about Polish Christmas Eve.

I think I’ll call it quits for now, remember hang out like a monkey, buy a tree and just be careful out there. Have a great day and evening.

HEY THIS IS FLORIDA

HELLO SPEAKIES:

WINTER WEATHER WARNING FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA. AS I STATED EARLIER TEMPS WERE SUPPOSE TO BE IN THE LOW 30'S TONIGHT, HOWEVER THE LATEST FORECAST IS FOR TEMPS IN THE LOW 20'S WITH WINDS AT 15 TO 20 MPH MAKING THE TEMPERATURE FEEL AS IF IT WERE IN THE TEENS. SOME LOCALES WILL REACH THE SINGLE DIGITS TONIGHT.

I FEEL SORRY FOR THOSE VISITING AND EXPECTING 70 LIKE TEMPERATURES. DON'T WORRY WARMER WEATHER WILL RETURN BY THE END OF THE WEEK.

TIE ON A COCOA WOO WOO

Good Monday Morning Speakies:

Well I don’t mind Monday mornings in December, because Christmas is coming and I feel happy about living and enjoying the holidays. I can only hope each of you feels the same way, we need that feeling with all the hate in this country and back stabbing going on. Let’s all wise up and have true peace on earth. The weather remains still on the chilly side with another cold snap approaching on Tuesday should bring the night time temps in the low 30’s. So if you are planning a visit, bring that coat.

Today we celebrate a birthday; it’s the birthday of “THE CLIP ON TIE.” I remember those ties from grammar school, I had both the clip on and the one I call the rubber band style with the clip on the back. We as kids use to go around and pull on the ties for the fun of it to see if we could rip them off. The only other time that I wore a clip on tie was in the Air Force as part of the dress uniform, the clip on tie was part of the issued uniforms at the time. So I say today go find one of those oldies but goodies and put it on for fun no matter how stupid it looks. If you see a pretty Doll that walks by give your tie a couple of tugs (if you have the rubber band kind) like a WOO WOO BABE YOU ARE HOT. You may even wind up with a date or she’ll just think you are a true retard.

We also have a holiday to celebrate today its “NATIONAL COCOA DAY.” You can celebrate cocoa day anyway you like, eat chocolate, bake with cocoa, I’ll take making a nice cup of Hot Chocolate with marshmallows as my means of celebrating. I remember as a kid always having a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter evening with some cookies or cake. So tonight enjoy cocoa day the way you want but have fun doing it.

So much for a Monday, have a great day Speakies, enjoy and be careful as usual.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY

JUST STOPPING BY TO SAY A "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" TO ONE OF MY FAVORITE SINGERS, "OLD BLUE EYES" FRANK SINATRA. HE WOULD HAVE BEEN 95 YEARS OLD TODAY. HOPE HE IS SINGING MY FAVORITE SONG UP THERE, "YOU WILL BE MY MUSIC."

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND GUYS AND DOLLS

HAPPY FRIDAY GUYS AND DOLLS:

Just stopping by to make my usual Friday wish of a great weekend to all my Guys and Dolls. I’m sure for most of us it will be a busy one. Christmas shopping, decorating the house, baking, running the little ones around to various activities, but whatever you will be doing be careful and just take your time. Spare some of the weekend for a little relaxation from all that hustle that come this time of the year.

There are some good football and basketball games on this weekend, the good old Army vs. Navy game this Saturday. The Skins at the Giants on Sunday afternoon and the Iggles versus those Cowboys at night. I think next week will be probably one of the busiest weeks for everyone with Christmas just around the corner but remember to take your time and do what you can.

I‘ll say goodbye for now, enjoy today and have a great weekend.

DANISH ARE CALLING

Good Morning Guys and Dolls:

Welcome to a bright and sunny Thursday from Central Florida. Whatever you are doing, stop if you can, pour yourself a glass of orange juice or a cup of coffee and dream of sunshine and warm temperatures. I’m going to do the same because it’s cloudy and only in the upper 30’s right now. I want my warm weather back; we get cold snaps like this several times a year from November to March so we just have to bear with it for a short time. Today we celebrate “NATIONAL PASTRY DAY.” My favorite pastries are Danish, Cheese, Apple heck I love them all with a cup of coffee when I can get them. I usually find them on the breakfast menu when Roe and I cruise. That’s what I miss here in Florida the good old neighborhood bakeries. My advice to you is get out there and pick up a dozen Danish for the office or your friends and celebrate the holiday.

For you parents of the little ones, I checked my sources today and planned a surprise history lesson but I found most of the history for today was boring so my lesson is hereby cancelled. The little ones right now are too involved in the Christmas holidays. They are getting ready for Santa, writing those letters to the North Pole, helping Momma Speakies baking cookies and all the rest of that Christmas madness. They are little allow them to enjoy every bit of it just like we did when we were kids.

Holiday drinks so many to make and choose from, I like a nice Amaretto on the Rocks or straight or some Sambuca straight up. Warms the cockles on Christmas Eve and Night. A Manhattan on the Rocks isn’t too bad either. Let me know what your favorites are, readers don’t be shy, write your comments or better yet be a follower of this blog it’s easy.

Well have a great day Guys and Dolls and remember tomorrow is Friday, that work day of the week we love the best.

IT'S THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR

Happy Hump Day Speakies:

Well half the work week is here at last, that hump day in which everything starts to go downwards towards the weekend. It is still remaining quite chilly down here lows last night were in the 30’s but highs today should be around 68 or so. The weekend is looking at highs in the 70’s for those who are planning a visit.

I love the Christmas Holidays, I enjoy the decorations, the lighted trees, the lights outside even though at times I yelled like a sailor at putting them up, the music and just the general feeling that the season brings. Roe and I love watching those Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel and if you have a chance catch a few some are corny but must of them are heartwarming stories for the holidays. If you don’t mind here are a few that we are recommending.

The Ultimate Gift – A Must See. 4 Star Review from JoeyZ.
The Christmas Card - A Must See. A 4 Star movie all the way.
A Boyfriend for Christmas – I just love this one.
Call Me Mrs. Miracle – Very Heartwarming.
It’s The Most Wonderful Time of the Year – The Fonz is great.
If you get a chance watch them and I hope you enjoy them also.

I plan to do a little writing about true Polish Christmas traditions, but I think I’ll wait till next week. The holiday season is so busy with all the rushing around, I think this year we should all take it a little easy, do what we can and just be kind to one another and remember that great saying, “PEACE ON EARTH, GOOD WILL TO MAN.” Have a wonderful day Speakies.

TO ALL THE BRAVE SOULS

Good Chilly Morning from Florida Speakies:

The northern cold has dipped into Central Florida overnight and the wakeup temps this morning tied the record here at a brisk 34 degrees. A warm up trend is scheduled by the end of the week. The only problem with cold weather in Florida that with it comes winds of 25 to 30 miles per hour whipping around which really brings in the chill factor. One can say there was frost on the pumpkins this morning.

Last night Roe surprised me with a nice pot of homemade chicken soup. Just as we were to sit down to dinner the power went off in the entire neighborhood. Everyone went outside to see what happen and we were informed power would be on at 7 p.m. So Roe and I enjoyed a nice chicken soup dinner via candlelight. Old Tom Edison finally kicked on the power around 9:40 p.m. and I’m glad he did, temperatures were dropping fast. You have to wonder what people did in the old days with no TV, radio, computer etc. I bet a lot of reading, writing and loving under the covers.

Today marks the 69th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands by the Naval forces of Japan. I guess we should all stop and say a prayer for all those men and women who lost their lives that day. I read there are about 3,000 survivors left out of the 18,000 original members of the Pearl Harbor Survivor Association. Even though not many of the members make the yearly trip to Hawaii they stand together and will not disband the organization. My hat is off to you brave gentlemen.

On a lighter note, we also celebrate “Cotton Candy Day.” JoeyZ was never a big fan of cotton candy; it’s sticky, messy and will put holes in your teeth like a Woodpecker does trees. It was always a big seller at carnivals and I remember it being sold on many of the Jersey boardwalks down at the shore. So for all my Guys and Dolls who love it, head out to the nearest place you can find cotton candy today and treat yourself.

Well I’ll try to keep warm today; you Guys and Dolls do the same and have a great day. Be careful out there.

GRUNTS, RUM BALLS AND STEW

Good Monday Morning Speakies:

Here’s hoping you had a nice weekend, I know I did. Took a little trip to the Gulf Coast to see my son, his wife and the kiddies. Old JoeyZ did some fishing with my son and I’m happy to say we had plenty of bites on those shrimps but JoeyZ was the only one to land a fish, a Key West Grunt. The grunt made its sound and was glad to be placed back in the bay to swim once more. We were hoping to catch some nice flounder but none took the bait. All in all a day fishing is like no other relaxation to me and the time I spent with my son made it even better.

It is already December 6 and if you haven’t started putting up those Christmas decorations get busy before you know it January 6th will be here. I don’t want you to be saying “Hey JoeyZ where did the time go?” It went, you missed it and that’s the end of that story.

Now let’s get down to Christmas food. Roe advised me after an absence of about 4 years she is once again going to make her famous Roe “Rum Balls.” When I say rum balls I mean rum balls after a few days in the container the taste is terrific and you may have to take a breathalyzer test if you drive. As every Christmas Eve she will be also making her famous version of Baccala (Italian Fish Stew). This is my treat that comes but once a year. She makes it with Flounder or Cod, Shrimp, Scallops and other mystery ingredients that are to die for. Get some crusty Italian bread and dip up what’s ever left in the bowl completes a perfect meal. Sorry for all this food stuff but being Polish I remember all the goodies that were made over the holidays by my grandmother and mom a taste I’ll never have again. I have to thank Roe for her making each Christmas a happy one by sharing her love for me and our sons and their families, also for cooking those good dishes. Love you honey.

Well Guys and Dolls have a pleasant day and evening and I’ll see you tomorrow.

HAPPY FRIDAY SPEAKIES

Happy Friday Speakies:

The weekend is near and the sky in sunny Florida this morning is bright and the temperature a cool crisp 46 degrees with highs today reaching 70. Great Eagle victory last night over those Texans who I thought would win the game. Let’s see what those Giants do against the Skins on Sunday.

This weekend we celebrate “Cookie Day.” One of my favorite cookies is the soft chocolate chip, so nicely soft and chewy. When I was a wee JoeyZ I use to love dunking Oreo’s in milk or hot tea, milk was my favorite dunking pool though. I really miss Mom’s homemade Polish cookies for the Christmas Holidays. I spoke of them in an earlier post; they did not last long during the holidays. You lucky Speakies that have true Polish or Italian bakeries in your neighborhoods can check out all those various holiday cookies they bake. I remember you had to place orders for various baked goods or you were out of luck come Christmas Eve.

Well I’m keeping it short as I usually do on Fridays. Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, but most of all be careful out there.

THEY ARE COMING

Good Day Speakies:

It is good to be back and writing once again. The weather has turned in Central Florida with windy conditions and highs in the 60’s with sunshine of course. Quite brisk in the morning and evening air but I like it. Traffic down here is getting crazy with all the Christmas shopping already and with the tourists it’s no fun out there on the roadways. Thanks to Roe most of our shopping is drawing to a close. If you must go out, go out early and be careful out there.

Today is “Science Fiction Day”, I guess you can relate it to books, movies or whatever other science fiction there is. Mine are the old movies for example here are some of my favorites:

THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL – 1951
INVADERS FROM MARS
THE ORIGINAL “THE INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS”
WAR OF THE WORLDS
FORBIDDEN PLANET
MAN FROM PLANET X
IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE
THEM
AND THIS ISLAND EARTH, JUST TO NAME A FEW. So break out your ray guns and send me some of your favorite movies or books.

If you are an old radio show buff listen to Orson Welles, October 30, 1938, Mercury Theatre on the Air’s broadcast of “War of the Worlds”. It is great, just sit back and imagine yourself back in time, shut off the bright lights and enjoy.

With those thoughts, have a great day and be careful out there.

THANKS JOEY AND ELIZABETH

HEY GUYS, JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU BOTH FOR A GREAT DINNER, GAMES AND LOVELY CONVERSATION LAST NIGHT.

LOVE DAD

I'M BACK IN THE SADDLE AGAIN

Good Morning Speakies:

Well I’m back in the saddle again. Had a little Running Virus for the past two days. You know running from one room to make it to that private office. Hoping you all had a great Thanksgiving, we had a great day and a wonderful weekend. JoeyZ spent Saturday putting up the outside decorations and on Sunday Roe decorated the house and put up the trees. She does a great decorating job on those Christmas trees. We have a small one dedicated to our grandchildren which is really neat. So around the Z house it’s starting to look a lot like Christmas.

Back to work and trying to catch up, so have a great day and a wonderful evening and I’ll be back tomorrow.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

Happy Hump Day Guys and Dolls:

Well it’s the last day of work for JoeyZ and I’m looking forward to that Thanksgiving Holiday and a four day weekend. I hope you all are getting in the spirit of season and remember Christmas is only 31 days away from today. Where did the year 2010 go? I think as one gets older time goes faster, hey slow it down for me I say.

Now I won’t be writing this weekend as I’m taking my break and just enjoying the days and evenings off with a little decoration work planned. I found out when I’m off or over the weekend I have developed a new habit “THE AFTERNOON NAP”, and does that feel good so I plan a few of those also.

Have you seen that new Target commercial with the blonde lady in that red outfit? At first I hated it, but the more I watch it and catch the ads on the net with her in it she plays a good part. Catch it if you can and judge for yourself. Well I’m finished for today, “HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL YOU GUYS AND DOLLS AND YOUR FAMILIES TOO.” ENJOY THE WEEKEND.

GOOD MORNING GANG

Good Morning Speakies:

Well it is Tuesday and the office here is getting ready for the Thanksgiving Luncheon. I just had a taste of a homemade nut/cheeseball and crackers, some sharp cheese and I heard the shrimp and cocktail sauce will be out around 10 a.m. I spotted some great stuff to eat, all the trimmings are here and the turkeys will be arriving around 11:00 a.m. with lunch scheduled for 11:30. It's a party day today however I still have my work to do but I am taking a short break to wish you all a great day and a wonderful evening. See you tomorrow for a Thanksgiving wish and get you in the mood for Mr. Tom Turkey. Have a great one Guys and Dolls.

HAPPY MONDAY WITH A CANDY KISS FOR MY KIDDIES

Good Day Speakies:

Well another Monday is upon us and I have to say the weather here in Central Florida is beautiful. We have a nice breeze and the temps will be around 80 this afternoon with lows in the 60’s tonight. Last night I watched a little of the Eagles game, nice victory boys however I saw some chilly folks in Philly. People on the field were wearing heavy coats and scarves. Winter is coming for the folk up North and I wish you warmer temps and less snow to shovel.

Tomorrow we are having our Office Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon, turkeys were purchased and everyone contributes side dishes and we have a very nice lunch and an enjoyable time with good people. Can’t each too much turkey cause Thursday is the true day for turkey pig-out as I call it and JoeyZ is ready to feast.

People have certain things they do over the Thanksgiving Holidays, for us it’s having a nice Thanksgiving with family. At night just relaxing and maybe catching one of those Christmas movies on the Hallmark Channel. On Black Friday I stay home no traveling for me. I clean the windows and get my Christmas decorations ready to put up, lights around the windows and candles inside. Roe decorates the trees and the interior and we get the Christmas spirit going at JoeyZ’s house with a little Christmas music in the background.

Well I’m calling it quits for now, have a great day and a wonderful evening. Always be careful. One more thing I want to throw a big candy kiss out there to my two grandkids. Love you little ones.

HAPPY FRIDAY SPEAKIES

Happy Friday Guys and Dolls:

As my usual custom just stopping by to wish you a Happy Friday and a Great Weekend. This weekend we can raise our glasses to celebrate “WORLD TOILET DAY.” That wonderful invention by Mr. Thomas Crapper that allows us to sit on a throne, call it our office and conduct business in private.

Next week will be a short week due to the Thanksgiving Holidays, so do all your cooking needs shopping this weekend and than relax. Have a great one Speakies.

THE GANDER BOILS ONCE AGAIN

Good Day Speakies:

Well Thursday is here and not much happening in the Sunshine State, still waiting for rain and the forest fire threats are growing. What to write about today, maybe some more stuff that gets my gander boiling, hey that’s it more stuff that I hate. Let’s get going:

People dressing up their dogs for Christmas and submitting those stupid pictures to the internet or newspapers. A dog is a dog and should not be dressed up like an elf or Santa. Stop that nonsense.

Stores and the Internet are having Black Friday Sales before Thanksgiving, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, don’t break tradition you money grabbing vultures.

Here is a story from Central Florida, two women leave their two children at Wal-Mart after they were spotted shop lifting there. Dumb Butts. Those children were taken away from the losers and placed with the grandparents. I think the crazies of the universe have settled in Florida.

Prince William gets engaged to be married to his fiancée Kate, gives her his mother’s ring. That’s nice and I’m happy for the couple, but it does not deserve an hour news special. The day they get married the show will last 24 hours and you can watch the love bird’s event all day and night. Kate is an attractive young woman and Prince Billy is better looking than his stuffed shirt daddy.

I saw a stupid commercial last night about some kind of meal, I can’t remember what it was but the family was sitting around the table and saying how good the food was. After they said it was good, they flew off their chairs into the walls, glass doors and the fireplace. Advertisers come up with this nonsense and make money, what are the rest of us doing wrong.

People that you give breaks to in traffic and never acknowledge you with a thanks or a wave. I plan to stop giving breaks shortly, I never get a thank you back but when I get one I give out the old big wave. Come on people know when to say Thank You after someone allows you into traffic.

I read a local article yesterday the content is not important, after reading it I scrolled down to read the different reader’s comments. Here was one response “You always say you would do it different in New York, New Jersey or Philadelphia, than why don’t you move back.” I say “Get out of the Stone Age Asshole and educate yourself.”

Well I better not offend anyone any more, so I bid you all a good day and evening and remember tomorrow is Friday.

TALKING BREAD, CHRUSCIKI AND COOKIES TODAY

Happy Hump Day Speakies:

I hope to find you all in a cheerful “Hump Day” mood that means the weekend is only a few days away. I forgot to mention those Eagles of mine yesterday, what a victory over those Skins. I only caught the scores as I was watching a food channel show on turkeys instead, dumb me.

Speaking of food today we honor bread, it is “HOMEMADE BREAD DAY.” The smell of bread baking in the oven, the excitement of it coming out of the oven and the joy of cutting a piece and tasting the moist warm texture melting in your mouth. That is good eating beyond a doubt. Being of Polish decent my granny and mother made a lot of homemade bread, granny made bobka’s and old mom made raisin and plain bread and I can still taste them both with butter and a cup of coffee in the morning. Roe has one of those bread making machines and has cranked out some delicious bread herself but with only the two of us home it does not pay to make that much bread, but she does surprise me once in awhile with a tasty loaf.

Polish people do a lot of bread baking over the Easter and Christmas holidays along with making a variety of cookies. Granny made Chrusciki but not the thin type; hers were fat, soft and covered in powder sugar. Mom made cookies over Christmas filled with apricots, prunes and nuts those cookies were flaky and soft crusted. She would bring them over in a green plastic bowl and cover and those boys of mine would dig right in, so did Roe and I. Talk about food and it just brings back memories of fun times and happy thoughts.

So with those memories of mine bake some bread tonight and have a cup of coffee or tea to go along with it. Most of all have a great day and evening.

GREAT CHRISTMAS IDEA

HELLO GUYS AND DOLLS:

JOEYZ HERE GIVING MYSELF A LITTLE PUBLICITY FOR THE HOLIDAY SEASON. STUMPED ON THAT TOUGH GIFT TO PURCHASE FOR THE PERSON WHO HAS EVERYTHING, HEY WHY NOT A COPY OF "I HATE EVERYBODY AND OTHER THINGS", WRITTEN BY JOEYZ HIMSELF. IT CAN BE PURCHASED AT RED LEAD PRESS. ALL THE INFORMATION AND INTERNET ADDRESS IS POSTED ON MY BLOG SITE. GIVE THEM SOME HUMOR AND LAUGHS OVER THE HOLIDAY. THANKS FROM JOEYZ.

AH THE SMELL OF HOT PEANUTS

Good Day Speakies and to Skip:

Well Skip today we go back in time and than come back to the present and talking nuts. I’ll leave the crazies alone for now and pick on them some other day. So now let JoeyZ take you back to the late 1950’s and early 60’s to downtown Trenton, NJ.

I remember going with Mom in the late 1950’s downtown to do our Christmas shopping, Trenton was a busy town. All the stores were open late and the streets filled with the usual hustle and bustle of Christmas shoppers. The cold wind blowing, the smell of hot dogs cooking inside the 5 & 10 cent stores but the most wonderful smell came from the Planter’s Peanut Store located on Broad Street near State Street. The aroma of the peanuts filled the air and the steam coming from the side walk grates made the craving even greater for a bag of hot peanuts. Mom never disappointed me we always shared a bag of hot cashews and of course being a Mom, I always wound up with the most to eat. I can picture it in my mind as if it occurred last week but that was over 50 years ago. Even in the 60’s taking the bus to granny’s house and waiting for it on Broad Street; I had to stop in the Mr. Peanut Store as I called it and purchase a bag of hot cashews. So there are my memories of nuts and now let’s list the nuts we love to eat.

I don’t eat very many nuts these days but my favorites are: whole cashews, pistachios already shelled don’t need the breaking open stuff, regular peanuts and being down South I acquired a taste for hot boiled peanuts. It must be because I come from the Southern part of Jersey Y’all. I love those Christmas nuts that we had as kids in a bowl, the walnuts, Brazil nuts, filberts, almonds and pecans. I’m not crazy for honey roasted nuts of any kind. So there you go Skip my thoughts and memories of nuts. I want to hear from my Speakies send your comments in; it’s easy and doesn’t hurt any. Have a great day.

TURKEY BE COMING

I’m Back Guys and Dolls:

I know its Monday but I’m glad to be back writing to you all. Hope you all had a great weekend and are ready to start the new work week. Yeah Right! JoeyZ, well okay try your best gang.

I can’t believe it’s going to be Thanksgiving next week and Christmas soon behind. Let’s talk a little turkey today. I’m a white meat fan, mash potatoes with lumps, a few sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, the stuffing has to be soft made with sausage and those other good things not that dry corn bread stuff, string bean casserole is nice and lots of gravy to boot. Now that’s my Thanksgiving meal and a nice glass of wine. Save the pies for later with coffee. The day should also include enjoying the family you are sharing the day with, watching the Macy Parade from NYC, a little football and watching the original “Miracle on 34th Street.”

Now in the evening and I’ve mentioned this before get some dinner rolls and I don’t mean those soft oven baked things, I’m talking torpedo rolls. Slice one open, put down some of that turkey, some stuffing, pour a little gravy on top and a slice of cranberry sauce and you have the perfect Thanksgiving Night snack to enjoy and the end to a perfect holiday. The next day get ready to set up those Christmas decorations or if you are crazy enough go shopping. All kidding aside let us all be grateful for the things we have in life, the family that we love and share those moments with and the blessings from above. That truly is the meaning of Thanksgiving.

I’m not forgetting Skip’s nut idea I’ll be working on it. So Speakies have a great day and evening and please be careful out there.

GOLF BALL TRIVIA

I KNOW YOU ARE ALL READY FOR THE DIMPLE ANSWER. DRUM ROLL PLEASE, THERE ARE 336 DIMPLES ON A GOLF BALL. SO IF YOU COUNTED THEM AND GOT 336 YOU WIN, THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE EXTERIOR OF A GOLF BALL.

IF YOU ARE BORED HERE IS A CHALLENGE

Happy Friday Guys and Dolls:

Back to work but still taking it easy for a few more days. Thanks for all the well wishes they are really appreciated. I just wanted to stop by and wish you all a great weekend.

If you are really bored this weekend here is a challenge for you, how many dimples are there on a golf ball? I will give you the answer on Monday. So enjoy the weekend and just be careful out there.

I'LL BE BACK

Good Morning Speakies:

Sorry for not writing for a few days but old JoeyZ had to have a heart cath done yesterday to check on the old ticker. Happy to report all is fine but the heart is getting older so I'm under Federal orders to take it easy for the next week. I'm going to let my mind rest and come back strong next week. So to all my Speakies, have a great week, love each other and be careful out there.

BEARS AND NACHOS OH MY

Happy Friday Speakies:

The weekend is coming closer and I wish you all the fun in the world Saturday and Sunday but remember Monday will be only 2 days away. There are two holidays I like this weekend one is “Hug a Bear Day” and the other is “I Love Nachos Day.” For me the only bear I want to hug is my bear Roe and if my grandkids were visiting I’d hug them like a big bear would. As far as nachos go Roe’s friend makes a homemade salsa that kicks butt more of a medium heat and I eat that with Ruffles when no nachos are in the Z’s kitchen cabinets. We just had dinner out on Monday night at this Mexican restaurant we like and they serve nacho chips and salsa and with the Dos Equis 2 for 1 that I enjoyed it could be a meal in itself. So hug those bears you love and eat nachos the way you like and down them with the brew you like and celebrate those holidays with JoeyZ.

One of my readers Skip suggested I may want to come up with a Nut Review, now Skip you have me thinking people or the food kind, I may do both. My son Jeff was telling me about Polish deli’s where he lives. Some have small tables that you can also eat inside so the next time we visit him I think I’ll take a trip down the Polish highway to enjoy a sampling.

I read yesterday that the City of San Francisco wants to ban toys in McDonald’s Happy Meals, eat healthy and all that stuff. Here we go again, remember when you were little tykes San Francisco political people and looked forward to that Cracker Jack Surprise. Let kids be kids soon this everything will come under the watchful eye of “BIG BROTHER.” You want healthy kids bring back physical education in schools, after school kick those tykes outside and play instead of protecting the universe on the computer or watching the boob tube.

So much for today Speakies, have a great day and a wonderful weekend and remember be careful out there.

THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD OF MINE

MY BLOG FRIEND MACK POSTED A PICTURE OF OUR OLD NEIGHBORHOOD. I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH YOU MY SPEAKIES. OUR HOUSE WAS THE BRICK ON THE LEFT. IT'S FALL IN NEW JERSEY FOR SURE.

AND YOU THOUGHT ANOTHER FOOD POST

Hello Speakies:

Well it’s Thursday and the chance of rain in Central Florida is at 90% we really need it due to dry season time. I was thinking what should I write about today, soup, chili, my favorite flavors of ice cream? NO! I’m going to write about stuff that gets my gander people, places, things, TV commercials, you name it I’m going after it today. Now in no logical order here we go:

The new governor of Florida, here is a guy whose company was charged with Medicare fraud and found guilty. He took the 5th all through the hearings later spends $73 million of his family money (or is it really) to finance his campaign and becomes governor. He should be in jail instead of going to Tallahassee. To the people who voted for him you should be placed in a rubber room and start banging your heads to get some sense. Nimyos.

That big headed Burger King guy running around like somebody poured acid in his pants, I’d like to take a waffle ball bat and club that plastic head over the center field wall. OUT OF HERE; HOME RUN JOEYZ.

Terrell Owens – Keep your mouth shut, if you played like a pro you may have one day gotten to the Hall of Fame, sorry T.O. I mean the Hall of Shame. Same to Randy Moss.

This Casey Anthony Case in Orlando. She is the accused mother of the little girl murdered over 2 years ago. Her defense team is dragging this case out with all kinds of hearings for this and that. Thank goodness the new judge is really putting his foot down with all these motions. It’s on the news here every night and now they are trying for more defense money and for the citizens to pay for it. BULL, start the trial tomorrow and quit wasting time. Bring back the Old West kind of justice, Hang Em High.

Dancing with the Stars – I use to love watching that show; now it is so predictable, how does anyone know how many votes were cast. Bag it.

All those commercials for diet loss by these Hollywood stars and sports figures. Get 4 meals a day for only $20. They don’t tell you about that personal trainer they have kicking their butts to loose those pounds. Here’s the line that gets me, “IF I CAN DO IT, SO CAN YOU.” BULLSHIT YOU ARE RICH I’M NOT.

Charlie Sheen, Lindsey Lohan, Paris Hilton – I don’t care one thing about what you do and I’m sick of seeing you on the news every evening, get a real life.

To TMC SYFY and AMC – show some old Sci-Fi movies from the 50’s more often.

To many news channels on TV, they favor one political party or the other. Combine them internally and have political brawls on TV. I mean slug it out; it will be better than watching wrestling.

Cut those reruns of different sitcoms, the Golden Girls are dead I don’t want to see them anymore. Here’s another thing you have shows on prime time I don’t watch why do you show reruns of the same shows on different stations. Put something else on the tube.

Reality Shows – get them off the air, I don’t want to see a bunch of idiots argue in the jungle. Here’s an idea start the series and introduce the cast of nobodies, throw them in the jungle, don’t show any episodes and see who comes out in the end and there’s your winner. One day there will be a real “RUNNING MAN GAME SHOW.”

Well I’ve spoken my piece it’s your turn, send them in. Have a nice day and don’t upset me.

THREE CHEERS FOR MONTAGU

Happy Wednesday Guys and Dolls:

My posts for the next two weeks might be far and few between as I have some issues to take care of in the way of medical tests, but have no fear JoeyZ will be posting as much as he can.

Today we celebrate “National Sandwich Day.” The sandwich was created today because of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. Today in fact we celebrate his 292 birthday. Legend has it that Montagu a heavy gambler did not want to leave the table for his meal, he ordered salted meat between two slices of bread and thus the sandwich became history. Maybe the guys around him called out, “Hey I’ll take one of those sandwiches.”

I read the number one sandwich in the US is the hamburger, but JoeyZ is going to give you a list of his favorite sandwiches and some he would love to try:

A Rossi’s Cheeseburger which I know I’m not having in the near future, so I’ll settle for Roe’s Chuck Cheeseburger, really tender and juicy with a slice of tomato, onion and salsa.

Cheese Pork Roll with Spicy Brown mustard. The roll could be a round hard roll or a hamburger bun.

Cheese Steak with Peppers and Onions on a torpedo roll.

Italian Sausage with Peppers and Onion the same roll as the cheese steak.

French Dip with onions and hot au jus sauce for dipping.

On Thanksgiving Night Turkey on a dinner roll with stuffing, hot gravy and cranberry sauce.

I want a Chicago Hot Dog on a poppy seed bun with the true Chicago works and I would also like to try one of those Chicago beef sandwiches dipped in sauce.

Rueben Sandwich had only one but I did like it.

I have never tried a Pastrami or Corn Beef on Rye, maybe one day.

Hot turkey or roast beef open faced sandwiches, love those with some mash potatoes or fries.

How could I forget a good BLT with the bacon nice and crisp, fresh red tomatoes, lettuce on good white toast with mayo.

Liverwurst with brown mustard on Italian bread.

Well Speakies there are a few on my favorites feel free to speak up and we have to say one thing “THANK YOU THE 4TH EARL OF SANDWICH.” Have a great day Speakies.

CAN'T FORGET NUMBER 2 SON AND FAMILY

Speakies:

Stopping by again on a different kind of post. Our house this weekend was filled with fun. Everyone getting ready for the wedding, my son Jeff and daughter-in-law Sam and my two little grandchildren filled our home with love and laughter. We truly enjoyed having them stay with us and sharing that happy day with Joe and Elizabeth. I feel very blessed to have two wonderful sons and daughter-in-laws and those little ones who made Roe and I laugh all weekend long. I just wanted to say I love you all and to you Roe love and thanks for bringing them up and guiding them the right way.

I'm getting teary eyed so I better say goodbye. Have a great day Guys and Dolls, see you later.

TO MY SON AND MY NEW DAUGHTER-IN-LAW

Good Morning Speakies:

This post is a special post to my son Joe and his new bride Elizabeth who were married on Sunday. Mom and I wish you again all the happiness, health, friendship and love on this earth. The wedding ceremony was beautiful, the reception fun and I’m sure you both will never forget those moments of the day. Elizabeth you now can officially call me PAPA Z.

STOLAT.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Happy Friday Speakies:

Sorry for not writing yesterday, had to get some blood work done, meetings and picking up my tux for a final fitting, my day was shot. I want all of you to be careful out there and watch out for those little ones Trick or Treating Sunday night. It’s a strange world out there these days not like when most of us were little and filled with trust for others. Moms and Dads check those bags and go to the houses or places that you are familiar with. Where we live we have a citizen’s patrol riding around making sure the neighborhood is safe for the little gremlins, it is something one should think about starting in your neighborhood. By the way give the little tykes good stuff, I remember getting loose candy, candy corns which I still hate and hard caramels wrapped in that yellow or black paper. In fact let me hear the Halloween Candy you hate the most. Here are some of mine:

Candy Corn = 1 Sugar Jolt.
Popcorn Balls - If I want popcorn I want it in a bag or bowl with butter and salt.
Candy Apples – The Caramel ones were good.
Caramels of any kind.
Tootsie Roll – Real teeth breakers
Lollie Pops of any kind.
Mary Janes - Better call the dentist
Fruit Bursts - They'll make your teeth stick together.
Those little round candy dots on paper there is my list for now. Send yours in.

I wish you all a great weekend and a HAPPY HALLOWEEN. IF YOU ARE GOING TO PARTIES BE CAREFUL AND HAVE FUN. I leave you with a little “DEAD MANS PARTY.”

HAPPY HUMP DAY AND DON'T BE A CRANK

Happy Hump Day Guys and Dolls:

Just wanted to stop by and make a quick hello today. The next two weeks are going to be very busy for me so my writings maybe short or you may not hear from me for a few days, but that does not give you the excuse to not read the blog. You are encouraged to add comments, ask questions but none for any donations will be answered.

The weather is getting warmer again here and with my son’s wedding this week I need cooler weather to wear a tux but I think I can make it for the day and I heard the temperatures will be in the low 80’s. I’m hoping for a nice sunny day for the both of them to enjoy their outside ceremony and remember it for the rest of their lives. Roe and I are really excited, we talked about it for months and now its only days away and we have a new daughter-in-law to boot.

Today we celebrate a holiday called “CRANKY CO-WORKERS DAY.” All I have to say if you have those types working with you kick them in the butt and tell them to lighten up. That’s were I leave you today, don’t be cranky, enjoy the day and evening and have lots of fun.

HONOR THOU FRIES AND BEER THIS WEEK

Good Morning Guys and Dolls:

Hope your evening was a pleasant one and you shared it with the ones that you love. I will try to squeeze a few posts in this week but with all the stuff happening my mind is in a different zone. Then I must have at least four medical tests coming up and one can get tired of doctors and tests pretty fast as the years go by.

On a brighter note this week we celebrate two holidays of things I like National Potato Day and National Beer Day. I like my potatoes fried, mashed, baked, scalloped, hash browned and French fried. I remember down at the Jersey shore one stand on the boardwalk had thick crinkled fries in a cone cup loaded with salt, they were good and nobody thought about salt in take in those days. I just loaded them up with a little ketchup and chowed down. I told you my granny use to make salmon cakes and fries on Friday nights. She took a baked potato and cut it in fours, than cooked them in oil in a big pot, talk about big fries and good they were it. Oh yeah granny loaded them down with a lot of salt too.

Now it’s time to give beer its little spotlight. I like beer on a hot summer day and really prefer a draft beer to those in a can or bottle. I’m not an expert on beer itself but I loved those little bottles of Rolling Rock but they don’t carry them here. I did find Miller Light in small cans which is just the perfect size for me to gun down. When I use to go to the Phillies games nothing was better than seeing the hot dog man carrying that metal box giving you the dog with a slap of mustard and a cup of that watered down beer. I can still hear them call out “BEER HERE” AND HOT DOG, GET YOUR HOT DOGS HERE.”

So this week have some fries, a dog and down them with a beer. Have a great day Speakies and be careful.

GOOD MORNING GUYS AND DOLLS

Good Monday Morning Speakies:

Hoping you all had a nice weekend, it was just relaxing for me with nice enough weather to open all those windows and let that breeze blow in. It was a bad weekend for Phillies and Eagle fans, however I’m proud those Phillies got that far and better luck next year is all one can say.

The writings this week may be short, my son is getting married and we have things to do, so if you do not see a new post it is that JoeyZ is tied up. So with that I bid you all have a nice day and be careful out there.

WE ARE STILL ALIVE, NYUK, NYUK, NYUK

HAPPY FRIDAY GUYS AND DOLLS:

Stopping by for a quick chat to wish all of you a great Friday and a wonderful weekend. My Friday blog comments are on the short side as my mind is winding down from the work week.

Well I don’t have to leave my heart in San Francisco, the old Phils pulled it out last night, I had to stay up and watch, but instead of a blown save the two relief pitchers did a great job. So Phillies fans we are back to the City of Brotherly Love (Har Har) and hope we can sweep 2 victories and off to the World Series again. Good Luck Phillies.

There is one important Birthday Wish going out today and that is to Jerome “Curly” Howard, my favorite Stooge. Curly would have been 107 years old today. I hope Curly is up there throwing pies, fixing the plumbing and slapping the other Stooges around.

That is it for me today Speakies, once again have a great weekend.

I'M LEAVING MY HEART IN SAN FRANCISCO BUT ATE GOOD POLISH

Good Morning Speakies:

Well it does not look good for JoeyZ’s Phillies right now, down 3 games to 1 to those Giants. Looks like I could be playing that Tony Bennett song “I Left My in San Francisco” after tonight’s game. Well win or lose they are and will always be my team. I saw them win two World Series in 1980 and in 2008, and there were many Phillies fans who never saw them win a World Series.

Roe and I had a few doctor appointments yesterday and afterwards searched for a place for lunch. We decided to try that Polish restaurant in Longwood, Florida called Polonia’s. When we walked through the door you came upon a room with one table, some counter seats and what I would call a butcher’s showcase. One side was filled with desserts the other with assorted Polish meats for sale and a larger cooler filled with assorted Polish beers. We were greeted and quickly seated in the other dining room which felt like you were having dinner in someone’s house. A small crowd was present but quickly started to fill up. I saw kiszka as an appetizer and wondered if I should try it. Roe made the decision for me and I placed my order for that Polish dish I haven’t had in years. We looked over the menu and decided the rest of our lunch. I ordered the Polish trio consisting of one stuffed cabbage, two cheese pierogi and smoked kielbasa. Roe ordered the stuffed cabbage with one cheese pierogi and one cheese and spinach pierogi. The kiszka did not disappoint served with mustard and horseradish. The pierogi were light and tasty covered with onions, the stuffed cabbage was nice and firm with a light tomato sauce not like the red tomato sauce my grandmother and mother made. The kielbasa was smoked and I should have chosen the fresh instead. The meal was excellent and Roe brought most of hers home. After dinner we checked out the desserts in the other room and decided to bring home two pieces of apple strudel one of which I finished with my morning coffee. If you are visiting the area or live here in Central Florida JoeyZ highly recommends Polonia Polish Restaurant in Longwood.

Well Guys and Dolls have a great day and evening and be careful out there.

GOODBYE MR. CUNNINGHAM

SPEAKIES:

SOME SAD NEWS THIS AFTERNOON, ACTOR TOM BOSLEY WHO PLAYED MR. CUNNINGHAM ON HAPPY DAYS HAS PASSED AWAY. HE WAS A FINE ACTOR ON MANY SHOWS BUT MOST OF US REMEMBER HIM FROM "HAPPY DAYS."

REST IN PEACE MR. C.

SHORT NOTE

HELLO SPEAKIES:

GOING TO BE WORK BUSY TOMORROW, JUST WANTED TO DROP BY TONIGHT AND WISH YOU ALL A GREAT HUMP DAY. THIS WEEK HAS BEEN HECTIC AND FILLED WITH APPOINTMENTS SO MY WRITING IS SHORT AND I APOLOGIZE FOR THAT. GO PHILS TONIGHT. HOPE TO OFFER MORE ON THURSDAY IN THE WAY OF WRITING.

PLACKI, KISZKA AND WEDDINGS

Happy Tuesday Speakies:

Last night I was thinking of pancakes, not the usual breakfast pancakes but what my granny use to make placki kartoflane or potato pancakes. She made them on the thin side with just a little oil left on them to make them nice and moist. I use to roll them up like a piece of lunch meat and chomp away. She also made a corn placki filled with whole corn and just as tasty. Some people eat them with sour cream but I loved them both plain.

I just thought of another dish she made kiszka, actually she bought the kiszka at the local polish store. Kiszka is blood sausage made with meat and barley or rice inside. Granny use to fry it in oil on the stove and if I remember right she then put the pan in the oven to bake it until the skin cracked open. We use to cut a piece and dig in with a slice of fresh rye bread and beet horseradish. Talk about heaven there you have some good eating Polish food. I checked the internet and located a Polish restaurant in Longwood, Florida called Polonia, the menu looks good and one day Roe and I will have to give it a try.

Do you remember going to weddings as a kid? My mother’s side of the family had a lot of relatives and when someone got married everyone was invited. My parents would go the wedding at church in the morning and the reception with JoeyZ tagging along at night. The Polish church in my grandparent’s neighborhood usually held the wedding reception in the upper or lower hall of the school building. There was a bar set up all night long and it seems everyone drank high-balls and drank beer, the kid’s unlimited soda. All the food was cooked at the hall by the Polish ladies that cooked in school or from the Polish Catholic War Veterans Club Women’s Auxiliary. All the food was of Polish variety and very good. The music played was always by a Polka band and was non-stop all evening long with dancing and more drinking to top if off.

There you go more Polish memories from the past. Have a great day Guys and Dolls and sit back and recall your family traditions.

NEW WEEK AHEAD SPEAKIES

Monday Wishes Speakies:

Hoping you all had a great weekend and are getting ready for the new week ahead with smiles on your faces. I took the Phil’s loss on Saturday night in stride, it was a great game, but they made me happy last night with the Big W. Eagle’s game was good, they played together and it was a nice win over Atlanta. To my Blog Buddy Mack congrats to your Giants and Jets on their wins.

Yesterday I paid a visit to my son Joe and his Fiancée and was treated to a good pizza, I had to bring 2 slices back to Roe for her opinion and the rating was good. Today did not start off right, seemed everything was slowing me up and not working up to JoeyZ speed so I’m a little behind in time today. With that I will bid you have a great day and evening.

HAPPY FRIDAY SPEAKIES

Happy Friday Guys and Dolls:

In a few short hours our weekend will be here but for now get down to that final grind of work for the week. Lots of football this weekend and the baseball league championships start on Saturday so you sports fans have plenty viewing to do.

This weekend we celebrate “GROUCH DAY.” So pick Saturday or Sunday to be a grouch for the day. I think I’ll pass on this holiday I have enough grouchy days as is. I’m going to make this brief today, have a great day and weekend and see you all next week.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF CHOCOLATE TREAT TODAY

Good Thursday Morning Speakies:

Hoping you all had a great evening and ready to begin a new bright sunny day. I was thinking we will need to have a history lesson pretty soon, those kids will be asking you questions and your face will look like a deer caught in headlights if Professor JoeyZ does not fill that grey matter with a little knowledge.

Today we celebrate “NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED INSECT DAY.” I checked out the web and there are a number of places to order chocolate covered bugs. I always imagined chocolate covered ants were like a Nestles Crunch Bar but never had the nerve to try the ant chocolates. I may have a new idea for these bug candy companies; Florida has a great abundance of fire ants and for those who do not know about fire ants here is the story. You are working in the back yard and you see a mound of dirt beware there the fire ant lives, just kick the mound and out come hundreds of nasty biting little creatures and if you are bit your skin will burn and itch, then come little blisters that last for days so beware of the fire ant. So if you are a fan of chocolate covered insects today is all yours and fill up that belly of yours.

My son Jeff and I watched several food shows that featured eating roasted insects and bugs and he is the kind of fearless food taster that would give anything a try. Better you than me Son, I stick to the things I know.

Well Guys and Dolls have a great day and remember tomorrow is Friday that work day we love the most.

ADAM AND EVE ON A RAFT

Happy Hump Day Guys and Dolls:

Well I’m back, had to see two doctors yesterday, one for my pacemaker and the eyeball specialist. I’m still ticking and I can see so I guess I’m good for awhile. Roe is in the hospital she is on the road to recovery hopefully and I’ll be glad to have her back home soon.

There is a holiday day today “NATIONAL EGG DAY.” I like a variety of eggs dishes for breakfast like scrambled, over medium, a good cheese omelet and even those hard boiled eggs with salt on top. I eat eggs for breakfast usually when Roe and I are on vacation, than lay a little bacon or sausage and toast with that and don’t forget the home fries and coffee. Here’s another tasty treat, get yourself a good crisp hoagie or steak sandwich roll fill it with scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, peppers and onions. That is a meal and a half for breakfast, lunch or dinner. An Italian favorite is peppers and eggs on a roll. Diners have the best eggs for breakfast or for that after a heavy night of party time. Old JoeyZ and his buddies hit the various diners many times for that breakfast of champions when I was a single man. I do miss diners there are not enough of them in Central Florida to enjoy.

Chefs and people talk about fusion cuisine or dishes, like Oriental meets Italian. The only fusion I know is Cheeseburger meets French Fries. Sorry fusioneers if I want Italian, German, Mexican, Chinese, Steaks or Seafood, I go to the source, like Angelo’s House of Spaghetti, Wang Chang’s House of Chop Suey or Joe’s Seafood, no fusion served here you know what your getting to eat right off the bat. So much for food I’m getting hungry.

Happy Birthday and Anniversary to my Guys and Dolls celebrating them today, in fact all week long. Have a great day and be careful out there.

GOOD MORNING GUYS AND DOLLS

Good Monday Morning Speakies:

Hoping you all had a great weekend. It was a great weekend for us Phillies and Boids fans. The Phils are back in the hunt for a third National League Championship and the Eagles pulled a victory out in San Francisco. Good Luck to the Phils hoping they win another National League Championship and a trip back to the World Series.

Going to make this a short visit today have a bunch of stuff to do and tomorrow I have some personal matters to take care of so my next post will probably be on Hump Day. Have a great day and evening and be careful out there.

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND GUYS AND DOLLS

Happy Friday Guys and Dolls:

Stopping by to wish you all a great Friday and a great Weekend. Being Polish I always check the net for things about Poland or Polish food and I saw this weekend sometimes is National Pierogi Day. Who loves pierogi I do baby. My granny once again made the best homemade pierogi ever. She made cheese, cheese and potato, sauerkraut and meat pierogi. My favorite was the meat. Her meat pierogi was filled with a combination of veal, beef and pork and shaped like a meatball placed inside that dough and boiled, than fried up in a pan of onions and butter, talk about your mouth watering. Now a days it’s time consuming making homemade pierogi, Roe and I buy Mrs. T’s and than Roe does them up in the onions and butter, they are very good.

We had a nice dinner last night, my son and his fiancée came over and we enjoyed a delicious chicken parm and fettuccini dinner. There were no leftovers on the parm as my son took the rest for his dinner at work.

The Phils are on TV again tonight, I wish them good luck and a sweep at home of the first two games. This is baseball at it’s finest with all the marbles on the table to get to the World Series. I saw Don Larsen pitch his perfect game in 1956 and lucky to see Halladay pitch his no hitter the other night.

Not much else is popping down here, so I will bid you all goodbye and EAT THOSE PIEROGI.

A NO HITTER, THE WEATHER AND MORE FOOD

Thursday is Here Speakies:

And a grand day it is for us Philadelphia Phillies fans, a first victory and a no-hitter thrown-in to boot. It was a great game to watch, I caught the game when the Phils scored their runs and when I turned the game back on only then did I realize Halladay was pitching a no hitter. I sat glued to my chair as he pitched the 9th inning and recorded that final groundout. Keep it up guys.

A beautiful morning here in Central Florida, sunny and temps in the upper 50’s. Now this is the weather I love. Highs will be in the lower 80’s by the afternoon and should remain that way throughout the weekend with no chance of rain. It’s a great time to visit Florida.

My son has informed me that he was located a place locally that claims it has real Chicago Hot Dogs, we will be heading over giving it a taste and a full report will be filed. Like I said I never had one and probably the best are served in Chicago, but I need to try a dog with all that stuff on it. Roe made a new batch of chicken soup and man is it good, thin noodles, carrots, chicken, hearty broth and just the right seasoning. I’m having my second bowl for lunch today and yet I managed to save her a bowl for her lunch. Speaking of food my mouth and brain just received a message “GOLABKI”, that’s right stuffed cabbage and my need to have some soon. My granny and mom made great stuffed cabbage and it was usually served with mash potatoes and beets as the vegetable. I won’t be having those anymore but I can still see them in my mind. My son Jeff made stuffed cabbage one day for Roe and I and his was very good; Roe made some also and they were tasty. I have to get both of them on the same wave length and have the perfect golabki made and eaten. As far as grannies go, my mom’s mother made hers with tomato sauce on top, my father’s mom made hers dry no sauce. Granny Z made a good stuffed cabbage also as I recall.

Well I’m getting hungry so I think I’ll stop writing for now. Have a great day, enjoy and be careful out there.

DUMB NEWS AND I WANT A CHICAGO DOG

Happy Hump Day Guys and Dolls:

Hoping you all had a pleasant evening and just as a reminder to you baseball fans out there the playoffs start this afternoon. The Phils are taking on the Reds at 5 p.m. on TBS so if you are a fan tune in. Good Luck Phillies.

Yesterday I was reading the news headlines and some of the stories they report should not be even considered news. I’m going to give you some headlines and my opinion of them:

Li’l Wayne Goes into Solitary Till Release in November – He was trying to conceal some sort of music device and got nabbed. Now the poor lad has no TV to watch, only 1 phone call a day, no yard time with the boys and he eats in his cell. Who cares the guy is a criminal and this story should not even be in the news.

Real Housewives Old and New – The old go out the new come in so does that make it headline breaking news, I think not.

Pink Diamond Goes to Auction Next Month – The rare Pink Diamond will go to auction with a value of $28 to $35 Million dollars. Now the average person on this planet is not going to even place a bid on this rock so why front page coverage?

Bristol Palin on Her Dance Moves – Another story of great importance deserving world attention. Well there’s a few that got my gander up. I have to clear the air once in awhile to vent my “I HATE ATTTITUDE” and if you like my gripes buy my book you’ll love it.

I have to try a Chicago Hot Dog, I saw a food show the other night and it looked so good, if I ever find a place down here that says “Original Chicago Dogs” I’m stopping for one. These food craves just come out of the blue and hit me. Well have a great day Speakies.