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.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AND OTHER STUFF

Happy Tuesday Speakies:

I happy to report the weather here in Central Florida has taken a turn to fall. The temps and humidity are down and the highs are in the 80’s feels good; now if we could only get rid of this allergy crap. They call this the dry season because the rain showers are far and few between don’t get me wrong it rains but not as much as the summer months. So there is your weather report for today.

I have to say a special “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” to one of the 3 Stooges MR. LARRY FINE. I still love watching the Stooges my favorites are still the original Stooges: Moe, Larry and Curley. When Roe sees me watching them on the tube and laughing, she says “what is so funny about them?” I simply answer its just slapstick comedy at its finest. I find women don’t seem to enjoy the Stooge humor, I guess it is a guy thing. Curley was my favorite and I still get a chuckle when I see him in that one about the Egyptian mummy King Rootin Tootin Hootin. I hope you guys are up there and throwing pies in everyone’s faces. Enjoy the day Larry and thanks for the many laughs you brought to everyone.

On yesterday’s blog I wrote about crumb cake, much to my surprise a friend and co-worker of mine John brought me in a piece of his wife’s homemade crumb cake. It was out of this world, light, just the right amount of sweet and all around good. Eva also makes the best homemade apple pie Roe and I ever tasted. I’m bribing John for a pie in the near future. Thanks again for the treat for breakfast this morning.

Last night Roe and I were watching Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Channel. When you want a little snack in the evening and don’t know what your want, on comes a show that’s making our mouths water with pizza, burgers, lobster and everything you don’t have in your house at the time. It’s a crime but a great show.

Signing off for now Speakies, have a great day and if anything pops down here I’ll return with the news.

IF IT'S MONDAY IT MUST BE CRUMB CAKE

Good Day Speakies:

Good, bad who cares Monday is here again, another five days of work unless you are on vacation or retired. Well the Eagles played up to their potential yesterday with a loss to Donovan and the Skins. The baseball playoffs are set and I’ll be rooting for those Phils. I hope you all had a nice weekend and did some fun stuff.

This morning while having my coffee, I had one of those Drakes crumb cakes, those 2 little cakes that come in a pack. I had a taste for crumb cakes so I purchased a box. As I was eating them, a flash from the past hit me, Paramount Bakery on Beatty St. in Trenton. My grandmother use to send me there Saturday mornings for fresh rye bread and crumb cake. Now they had crumb cake, it was light and airy loaded with crumbs and the taste was out of this world. One piece of that cake was the size of a large slice of Sicilian pizza. You guys from Jersey know what I mean. There’s another favorite of mine I could go for now a slice of Nino’s Sicilian Pizza. We use to get ours from Nino’s on Chambers Street. The place was a converted metal diner they also had great cheese steaks and fries. There are a few things I most about the old home town and Jersey one is the food and the other is heading down to the shore and strolling the boardwalk and finally going fluke fishing.

Well Guys and Dolls have a great day, enjoy and be careful.

STAND UP POLAKS AND BE PROUD

Happy Friday Speakies:

Our favorite work day is here and the weekend is just clock ticks away. Lots of football and baseball on the tube this weekend. The Boids will be facing those Washington Redskins with Donovan McNabb as the QB. It should be a very good game to watch. GO EAGLES. Down here the Florida Gators are facing Alabama and every Gator fan has been yapping their mouths and screaming victory on Saturday.

October is here with us now and this month we celebrate a very special occasion dear to my heart. It’s POLISH AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH.
Let’s remember fellow Polak’s Tadeusz Kosciuszko and Kazimierz Pulaski who led the way to victory in the Revolutionary War and helped form this great nation of ours. We introduced kielbasa and sauerkraut, bigos, pierogi and golabki to this peasant nation. If it weren’t for Polkas and Beer there really would not be great party times happening anywhere. So I say to all my Polak Brothers and Sisters “STAND UP AND BE PROUD TO BE POLISH.” STOLAT TO ALL. Glad you didn’t stop me I was on a roll. So get out this month and try some Polish traditional dishes and enjoy this celebration with the rest of us Polaks.

Another fine holiday we celebrate is “FARM ANIMAL DAY.” Let’s remember all those chickens, ducks, hogs, cows, sheep and pigs that keep farms going. God Bless all them little critters.

I will bid farewell Speakies, enjoy the weekend, have a great time and be careful out there.