POST FROM THE HAUNTED SPEAK EASY

HAPPY HALLOWEEN GUYS AND DOLLS:

Here’s hoping you all survived those weekend Halloween parties if you had or was invited to one. Today is the day for the little ones to get dressed and get their treats. I still remember getting dressed up on Halloween for grammar school; we always had a party in the afternoon. Candy treats sure have changed since I was a kid. I remember getting those waxed candy corns and pumpkins wrapped up in a napkin with ribbon. I hated candy corn and all those other waxed treats. If you were lucky you would wind up with a few of the big bars or maybe even some change. Quarters were always nice to have.

After Roe and I got married we threw an annual Halloween Party at our house. It was always themed and I remember one year it being “Circus” and I went as the Fat Lady, Roe still has photos of me playing Twister in the kitchen with my big derriere saying hello to the camera. Those were fun times and great memories.

As far as tonight goes, keep an eye on those little ones, watch where they go and the treats they receive. To all you drivers out there, take it down a notch today and tonight, I hate to see anyone get hurt. Most of all have a great day and a wonderful Halloween evening filled with fun. If you like caramel apples today is the day to have one; it is Caramel Apple Day.

WEEKEND WISHES EARLY

Good Thursday Morning Speakies:

I will be relaxing tomorrow, so I’m wishing you all a great Thursday, Friday and weekend today. Not much happening in the ways of history and holidays today, but we do have one we can celebrate:

GROUCHY CO-WORKER DAY – Don’t ask me why we would like to celebrate this holiday but what the hell raise a beer and give a cheer.

Next week is Halloween and those little goblins will be coming around so stock up on that candy this weekend and to all have a great one.

PAY ATTENTION AND LEARN

Happy Hump Day Guys and Dolls:

With no serious holidays today, it’s time for a history lesson to sharpen that grey matter. Of course I will be throwing in my personal views on those who were born, died and stuff that happened on this date.

SEES THE LIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME:

1879 – Leon Trotsky – Russian revolutionist. You be Comrade.
1910 – John Cardinal Krol – Former Archbishop of Philadelphia. He tried to bless those sports fans but had no success.
1914 – Jackie Coogan – Uncle Fester.
1917 – Felix the Cat – That dirty cartoon Cat.
1946 – Pat Sajak – That Wheel of Fortune guy.
1947 – Jaclyn Smith – One of the Original Charlie’s Angels.
1947 – Hilary Clinton – Ex-President Clinton’s main squeeze.
1954 – Lauren Tewes – Julie of the Love Boat TV show.
1962 – Cary Elwes – Actor from Glory and the Princess Bride. Reminds me of Douglas Fairbanks Jr.

BYE BYE CRUEL WORLD:

1909 – Prince Ito of Japan – Assassinated by a Korean after eating the last spring roll.
1984 – Sue Randall – She was Miss Landers on Leave it to Beaver. I never had a teacher look that good.
1991 – Lori Rae Matthews – She was crushed to death by an artist’s 485 lb. umbrella – I guess one can say she got covered.

STUFF FOR TODAY:

1825 – The Erie Canal opens.
1881 – Shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, AZ, Wyatt and the boys win, Dr. Holliday buys the bar a round.
1941 – US Savings Bonds go on sale.
1942 – US Carrier Hornet sunk in Battle of Santa Cruz Islands.
1949 – Prez. Truman raises the minimum wage from 40 cents to 75 cents an hour. Good move Prez.
1951 – Rocky Marciano beats Joe Louis at MSG.
1958 – PanAm flies the 1st transatlantic jet trip NY to Paris; I bet that was a first class flight even in tourist section.
1972 – Guided tours of Alcatraz by the Park Service begin.
1988 – Donald Trump bills Mike Tyson $2 Million for 4 month advisory service, Mike starts thinking he likes ears as a snack.

And I leave you with this thought: YOU’RE NEVER TOO OLD TO LEARN SOMETHING STUPID.

PRAISE THE GREASE TODAY

Good Tuesday Morning Speakies:

Get ready to slide today and I don’t mean on sleds, water slides or any of those fun things. I’m talking food sliding for today is “GREASY FOODS DAY.” All those foods that are not good for you in excess or like me on a daily basis. Joey Z is talking the cream of the crop greasy foods here, comfort food that’s it, good old comfort food. I’m making a list with my comments and I want you to send me your favorite greasy delights. Here we go:

French Fries – hot and crispy with ketchup. The ones on the boardwalk at Seaside were some of the best; eat a few and you had to wipe your fingers.

Pepperoni pizza – pick up that slice baby, fold it in half and just watch the greasy oil slide down to the tip and hit the plate. Take that first bite and wipe your mouth you are in pizza heaven.

Pork Roll – fried up a little burn around the edges on a nice roll with cheese and spicy mustard.

Scrapple – God’s King of Grease, everything goes in it but who cares its great with eggs, potatoes and toast.

Bacon – nice and crisp, pick it up and feel the snap in your mouth. Can you say BLT?

White Castle Burgers – I call them nature’s own laxative.

Cheeseburger – right off the grill put it on a bun and see the grease stain, bite into it and the juices just drip down your chin.

Italian Sausage Sandwich – of course with peppers and onions, a true treat.

Polish Kielbasa – the Filet Mignon to us Polaks, add some horseradish and take us to the promised land.

Well those are some of my favorites, send me yours, don’t be shy you can make a comment on this blog about any subject I write about. Have a Greasy Day.

ENJOY SOUR - DON'T BE ONE

Good Monday Morning Guys and Dolls:

Are we all fresh and ready to start the work week off with a bang? To quote a great comedy act on TV “HOMEY DON’T PLAY THAT.” Let’s face it Monday mornings are not a favorite of us working stiffs until the day we retire and don’t hear that old alarm clock ringing away. What a great day for one of the holidays we celebrate today; it is “SOUR DAY.” The kind of Sour Day we celebrate can be about sour candy, sour drinks, sour fruit or sour people. We have enough of sour people in this country and I would rather not talk about the joy they spread among us. I’d rather talk about sour gummy candies, Whiskey Sours, lemons and limes. So if you are a Guy or Doll who enjoys the good sour things in life enjoy the day. If you are one of the sour people hope you don’t dry up and rot away.

Today is also “NATIONAL BOLOGNA DAY.’’ To me bologna is a thin slice of a hot dog they taste the same to me. In fact I enjoyed a bologna sandwich last week with mustard on a nice torpedo roll. When I was a kid think every one of us ate a bologna sandwich a week for a school lunch. I remember the Oscar Mayer Wiener Truck parked across the street from Stacy’s Meat Market in South Trenton giving away samples of their products and a miniature truck whistle. Those were good old days. People have their favorite bolognas and ways of eating it fried with eggs, on a sandwich or even rolled up plain. So bologna fans have some today and enjoy.

I wish you all a great day and see you soon.

HISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Happy Friday Speakies:

AHHH the start of the weekend is but hours away and as usual making my quick stop to wish you all a great one. There are a few holidays to raise your mugs to this weekend.

REPTILE AWARENESS DAY – I can tell you a true story that happened to Joey Z back in May of this year. Coming from my car in the parking lot at work to the main entrance, I opened the door not looking as usual when something caught the corner of my eye. It did not look like the regular snakes I usually see, this one was a 4 foot Diamondback Rattler and I’m lucky I did not feel it’s fangs go in me. That is a picture of the big guy you see.

MOLE DAY – This is a holiday celebrated among chemists on October 23, between 6:02 a.m. and 6:02 p.m., making the date 6:02 10/23 in the American style of writing dates. It’s also the scientific formula which defines the number of particles in one mole of substance. So chemists raise your glasses high to Mole Day.

Have a great weekend all. By the way to all my Speakies who have Mother-In-Laws, you got it we honor her today. Listen to the little song in her honor.

HOUSEHOLD HINTS FROM JOEY Z

HEY SPEAKIES:

JOEY Z TALKING VINEGAR THIS AFTERNOON. OPEN DRAINS AND FRESHEN UP THAT GARBAGE DISPOSAL AND THIS IS HOW.

CLEAR A CLOGGED DRAIN WITH OUT THOSE CHEMICALS. DUMP ABOUT 3/4 CUP OF BAKING SODA DOWN THE DRAIN AND CHASE IT WITH 1/2 CUP OF WHITE VINEGAR. PLUG UP THE DRAIN AND LEAVE IT FOR 30 MINUTES. THEN RINSE IT DOWN WITH A POT OR KETTLE OF BOILING WATER. DO THE SAME WITH THE GARBAGE DISPOSAL, YOU CAN ALSO MAKE VINEGAR ICE CUBES AND HAVE THAT OLD DISPOSAL CLEANED AND THE BLADES SHARPENED AT THE SAME TIME.

IT'S CORN POPPING NIGHT

Happy Thursday Guys and Dolls:

I want all of you to know I searched all my sources for any history lessons that could be learned today and believe me nothing really struck me to write about. One Happy Birthday for today goes out to Mickey Mantle the Yankee great. Happy Birthday to all my Guys and Dolls celebrating theirs today.

This month we do celebrate “POPCORN MONTH”, you know that stuff you share with your date at the movies or at home on the couch. My popcorn has to be loaded with butter and salt however lately the salt is a goner. Forget the caramel popcorn never cared for it. Roe bought Kettle corn which is pretty good and features a little different taste. I remember being a kid I use to go down to Willets which was our local 5 &10 cent store but they carried everything in the world you would need to survive. They had one of those popcorn machines that had little white bags and you would deposit a dime put the bag over the spout and out came the hot popcorn. Here was another great treat for us kids back then “Jiffy Pop.” I call it popcorn in a frying pan; you would rub the pan over the stove top burner until the magical aluminum top started to blow up like a balloon. I stood there like a deer in the headlights waiting for the foil to pop open and fill the kitchen full of hot popcorn. The foil got bigger and the popping stopped only to discover there were a lot of burned kernels instead of hot popcorn. The microwave popcorn of today truly tops that of the old frying pan.

Gather the family together tonight and make it an old popcorn popping night, add a good movie and you have a nice family or romantic evening. Have a great evening Speakies whatever you do.

GIVE IT A THOUGHT TODAY

Happy Hump Day Speakies:

There is a holiday today, which most of us have never celebrated. We may have pondered the idea and I’m sure most of us have given it a lot of thought. Today is “LOOK BACK ON YOUR LIFE DAY.” That’s a heavy order to perform, looking back on the things you did or did not do or what if I had another chance to do it over again. As far as I go I have a bunch of things I wish I had done. To say I’m sorry when I did not, say I love you to Roe and my Boys give them a hug and kiss before I left to go out. Spend more time with my boys growing up instead of my own self-interests, I guess I could go on but you all get the drift. It’s a day to ponder and maybe change your ways, give it a try it may be the best new holiday you’ll ever celebrate.

October is also “TOMATO MONTH.” Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. I love tomatoes and surely do miss those Jersey Beefsteaks and the old Trenton Farmers Market on Spruce St. Heading down the Jersey Shore one would always run into those roadside stands filled with real Jersey tomatoes and other great vegetables and fruits fresh from the Garden State. I tried one year to grow some tomatoes down here the cherry variety came out good but the insects got the big boys. Mostly all of the tomatoes in the stores are imported and just don’t have the taste of a Jersey grown.

Have a wonderful day Guys and Dolls and as a reminder do a little thinking and maybe changing the ways a little. See you soon.

HISTORY AND CAKE; YOU CAN HAVE BOTH

HAPPY TUESDAY GUYS AND DOLLS:

Let’s wake up those brain cells today with a little who was born, kicked the bucket and happening stuff on this date.

CAME OUT SCREAMING:

1889 – Fannie Hurst – Novelist, get her mixed up with the candy lady Fannie May. 1915 – Victor Sen Yung – Good old cook from Bonanza Hop Sing and of Charlie Chan fame.
1922 – Little Orphan Annie made her debut in the funnies.
1926 – Chuck Berry – Rock and Roll man.
1928 – Keith Jackson – Sportscaster, “We got a barn burner going here.”
1933 – Peter Boyle – Actor, movie Joe (a 1970 film very good one), most famous for Everybody Loves Raymond.
1939 – Harvey Lee Oswald – JFK assassin, Joey Z still thinks it was all a cover-up.

KICKED THE BUCKET – NOBODY FAMOUS TO ME.

STUFF:
1776 – A NY bar was decorated with a bird tail, one customer orders a cocktail – I don’t know if that a real fact or not.
1873 – Columbia, Princeton, Rutgers and Yale set rules for college football – Go Tigers.
1922 – The BBC is born.
1924 – Notre Dame beats Army 13-7; the running backs are dubbed “The Four Horsemen.”
1954 – Hurricane Hazel hits the US. I remember old Hazel.
1968 – Circus Circus opens in Vegas.
1977 – Reggie Jackson smacks 3 consecutive homers and Yanks win their 21st series.

That’s enough stuff, now for food. Today is “NATIONAL CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE DAY.” A favorite of this writer, I like them with icing or not. Nothing like a fresh baked cupcake sitting on the stovetop and filling the kitchen air with pure delight. I do miss those Tasty Kake chocolate cupcakes and their cream-filled ones too. Have fun today Speakies and be careful out there.

ON TOP OF SPAGHETTI

Good Morning Speakies:

Hope you all had a great weekend and ready to start a brand new week. Should we do a history lesson today or talk food. Food it is and all I can say is “ITS GOOD TO BE THE KING.” We honor PASTA today and it is also National Pasta Month. What is pasta you ask? Pasta is a staple food of traditional Italian cuisine and now worldwide served. The word pasta first attested in English in 1874, comes from the Italian name pasta which in fact comes from the Latin word pasta meaning dough or pastry cake. There are two types of pasta dried and fresh. Dried pasta is made without eggs and has a two year storage life. Fresh pasta will keep for only a few days in the refrigerator. There’s a little on brain matter concerning pasta or as most Italian from Trenton call it macaroni.

Let’s see what kind of pasta or macaroni Joey Z favors. I’m a fan of regular spaghetti; you can say old number 9 with some Marinara sauce serve it and all will be fine. Some of my other favorites include Farfalle, Gnocchi, Fettuccine, Linguine, Angel Hair and Penne pasta. I like different types of sauces with the above but all in all Marinara sauce is my favorite. You need some good meat sauce to go along with certain pasta. Staples like meatballs and Italian sausage can complete the other types for a great tasting dish. To really top it off a nice glass of Italian red wine.

Like I said it’s Monday and I’d better let you get back to work. Have a great day, see you soon.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SKIP

HAVE TO SAY A VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ONE OF MY READERS "THE SKIPSTER." STOLAT !

WHO LOVES YOU BABY

Happy Friday Speakies:

Making my quick usual stop to wish you all a good Friday and a fun weekend. Today is “BALD IS BEAUTIFUL DAY” and that always reminds me of Telly, “Who Loves You Baby.” Give that beautiful guy another lollipop he was great in so many films and in the series Kojak. Yul Brynner is another great bald actor, I liked, played both good and bad guy.

Today is also “CHOCOLATE COVERED INSECT DAY.” All I can say is that once I tried chocolate covered ants. Tasted like rice crispies and that’s all I’m saying. So Speakies have a great weekend, enjoy and I’ll see you all soon.

JOEY Z PRESENTS "PARAPROSDOKIANS"

JOEY Z'S SPEAK EASY IS PROUD TO PRESENT "PARAPROSDOKIANS." I can hear it out there what in the hell is that? Allow me to explain, a paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter half of a sentence or phrase is surprising that it causes the reader to reframe or reinterpret the first part. It's popular among comedians and satirists. I will giving you these from time to time so here is the first Joey Z Paraprosdokian:

THE EVENING NEWS IS WHERE THEY BEGIN WITH "GOOD EVENING", AND THEN PROCEED TO TELL YOU WHY IT ISN'T.

EGGS AND BEER WILL MAKE YOU TOOT MORE

HAPPY THURSDAY GUYS AND DOLLS:

I hope you all had a pleasant evening and ready to start a brand new day. Get ready today for it is “TRAIN YOUR BRAIN DAY.” And now Joey Z is going to fill you in with some history to retain in your grey matter for future passing to those little tykes should they ask.

1775 – Continental Congress orders construction of a naval fleet.
1860 – First aerial photo taken in the US from a balloon in Boston. – Trying to find those lost lobster pots.
1944 – US 1st Army begins the Battle of Aachen in Germany.
1947 – Kukla, Fran and Ollie premiers on the tube – I remember them.
1960 – Pirates Bill Mazeroski’s bottom of the ninth homer beats them Yankees in game 7 of the World Series. Saw that one on TV.
1963 – “Beatlemania” starts after the Beatles appear at the Palladium.
1981 – Vice President Hosni Mubarak elected president of Egypt – I bet he was sorry he took that job.
1982 – The OIC restores 2 gold medals from the 1912 Olympics to Jim Thorpe. That’s it from brain stuff today.

Today is also “World Egg Day.” I like eggs scrambled, over medium, hard boiled or a nice omelet with ham, cheese, peppers and onions. So if you are a fan of eggs let’s eat them up today. In this second week of October it is also “American Beer Week.” I was never a big fan of beer, but I grew a taste for it over the years. I’m not a fan of dark heavy beers; I guess one can call me a pilsner man. I loved those little green 8oz bottles of Rolling Rock Beer but cannot find them down here. I’m fan of the old time beers, Schlitz, Ballantine and Piels Brothers Beer with those guys Bert and Harry Piel. I’m afraid they no longer exist but I hold a dear spot in my heart for them. So today Guys and Dolls drink a few brews, eat some hard boiled eggs with them, but keep the air clean inside and break wind outside. Have a good one.

WELCOME CALI AND AUCKLAND SPEAKIES

Good Morning Speakies:

I would like to extend a warm Joey Z welcome to two new Speakies. One is from Cali del Cauca in Columbia. Cali is known in Columbia as the capital of fiestas, street partying, dancing and salsa as Cali’s Salsa Clubs are among the most famous in the entire continent. My second Speakie hails from Auckland, New Zealand. Auckland is New Zealand’s largest city and as you fly into major airport which is most visitors’ first view of the country the scenery is spectacular.

Once again a warm Joey Z welcome.

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

Happy Hump Day All:

Welcome to another Hump Day and the original Columbus Day. I remember celebrating holidays on their exact dates, not this if it falls on a Saturday or a Sunday you get this day off. No complaints from me, I like the system while I’m still working. There are a few holidays to poke fun at today so let’s get started.

SCREAM DAY – Go ahead and be a Jamie Lee Curtis today, scream all you like. I can just picture people all over the world just screaming to let out frustrations or just for the hell of it. So let them rip today Speakies.

DISCOVERY DAY IN THE BAHAMAS – The Bahamas are right off the coast of Florida and you can choose most any island for a vacation get-a-way. They were discovered by Columbus in 1492. Commonwealth of the Bahamas is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays and 2,387 islets or rocks. The land area is approx. 5,382 square miles with an estimated population of 330,000. Roe and I took several cruises and made stops in Nassau, Freeport and Grand Cayman islands. I really liked Grand Cayman; they had a nice shopping area near the pier and plenty of nice shops all over town. The water is a crystal clear blue with nice white sandy beaches. It is also the home of some great off-shore accounts in banking and I suspect some money laundering goes on too.

As far as food holidays go, October is the National Month of Country Ham. So for all of you Guys and Dolls who dig country ham, have a slice for breakfast, lunch or dinner today. For Joey Z, I still prefer my good old Krakus Polish Ham. In fact I found it the other day at the Publix deli. Have to try some next visit, but watch the salt intake. That’s it for today, have a great day and be careful out there.

PULASKI, PIZZA AND PEEVES

Good Tuesday Morning Speakies:

I’m in the honoring mood today as well as you should be. For today we honor that great Polish hero of the Revolutionary War, General Kazimierz Pulaski. Yes for today in the USA is General Pulaski Memorial Day. The holiday is held every year on October 11 by Presidential Proclamation to remember his death from wounds suffered at the Siege of Savannah in October of 1779. So raise up that Polish flag, grab a kielbasa sandwich and a cold Zywiec beer and give a salute to General Kazimierz Pulaski.

Now for our second holiday, drum roll please for today we honor and eat “SAUSAGE PIZZA DAY.” I have a few toppings that I enjoy on a pizza anchovies, pepperoni and onions and of course our boys the sausage. As far as the sausage goes and I have to ask before I order one is it the sliced or the crumbled sausage? I prefer crumbled sausage on my pizza; I find it covers the whole area of the pie and not placed around like pepperoni slices. Roe and I did find a good pizza place here in Central Florida; the owner is from NY and makes a good pie. You know the kind I mean, pick up a slice, fold it in half and hear it crack and the oil starts to drip down. That’s eating for me. The name of the place is Popa D’s; try it if you plan to visit. My heart still remains true to the Trenton tomato pie places like DeLorenzo’s and Papa’s but until they open down here, old Papa D’s is on target for me.

In this second week of October it is also “PET PEEVE WEEK.” If you have any pet peeves, send them to Joey Z as a comment and I will post them on my site. Leave out the political crap, I don’t care about your sex life and just keep it clean. See you soon.

COLUMBUS SAILED THE OCEAN BLUE

Good Monday Morning Speakies:

Hoping you all had a great weekend and for those Speakies off today because of Columbus Day you sure are lucky stiffs, so enjoy the day off. For a little grey matter knowledge Columbus Day first became an official state holiday in Colorado in 1906 and became a federal holiday in 1937.

On this second week of October we celebrate some holidays, but I would like to mention only a few. It’s “SPACE WEEK”, people always ask you what did you take up in school, my answer was SPACE, baroom boom. I have my views on Space, down here plenty of complaints about closing the various programs at the Kennedy Space Center. Here is my view we went to the Moon in the 60’s, haven’t gone anywhere else except to fix and deliver supplies to the space station, it is now the year 2011. If the space program was to expand to visit other planets we should have been there by now. With the failure of so many launch delays it sure cost us tax payers tons of money, besides that if there are beings out there, they don’t want us up there screwing their world up like we did ours. Amen to that.

NATIONAL SCHOOL LUNCH WEEK – I’m all for providing each child with a good hot meal for lunch, down here some schools even provide a nice hot breakfast to start the kiddies day. I remember my grammar school days; I usually went home for lunch being I lived only 2 blocks away. If I had lunch in school it was usually a packed lunch, but on Fridays the Polish women in the cafeteria whipped up the most delicious mac and cheese with touches of crushed tomatoes. My mom got the recipe from one the ladies she knew and made it for us at home. Roe has since mastered the dish as my boys were always big mac and cheese fans.

That’s enough of me yakking for now, have a great day and as always be careful out there.

WIN ONE FOR JOEY Z

ALL I CAN SAY FOR TONIGHT IS


GO PHILLIES !!!!!!!

WEEKEND WISHES ALL

Happy Friday Speakies:

Just stopping by for a fast best of weekend wishes to you all. Hope you all enjoy the baseball playoffs, college and pro football games this weekend and may your favorite teams win. There is one holiday you may want to celebrate and that is “DESSERT DAY.” If you are a big fan of desserts enjoy them this weekend. Be careful out there and have a good time.

I'LL TAKE MINE WITH THE BEANS

Happy Thursday Guys and Dolls:

I told you Speakies there were some great foods to celebrate in October and today we honor CHILI a favorite dish of mine. I hate to brag but Roe makes up a mean batch of chili and what can be better on a cold winter’s day than spicy chili. Now a little chili history for that grey matter of yours. Chili con carne better known simply as chili is a spicy stew. It comes from the Spanish which means translated “chili pepper with meat.” Traditional versions are made with chili peppers, garlic, onions, and other spices with chopped or ground beef. Beans and tomatoes are also used. Bean less chili is used on hotdogs, cheese fries and I guess anything else you want to top it with. Some people like bean less chili just the way it is.

I checked famous birthdays today and for me it was a big zilch. We have to stop and remember Henry Calvin today. I can see the look on your faces who is Henry Calvin? He played Sgt. Garcia that chubby, funny Mexican soldier on the TV series Zorro.

Rest in peace Sgt. Garcia. Z

Did you know that in 1683, 13 German families arrived in what is present day Philadelphia. Soft pretzels, great bread and rolls would be rolling down the assembly line shortly. Germans made great sausages also; I wonder when the Italians started coming over? What a match it would be sausage and sauce on a nice roll with slices of garden grown peppers and onions.

I have to pay honor to one more holiday today, “PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT DAY.” Thanks to them for helping you when the doctors are not available or too busy to see you. Keep up the good work and thanks for the prescriptions.

Have a great day Speakies and remember tomorrow is FRIDAY.

MORE FOR ME, THANK YOU.

Happy Hump Day Guys and Dolls:

Forgive me fellow Seafood Lover Speakies, I missed a food holiday that occurred on Sunday, it was “SCALLOP DAY.” One of my favorite seafood items, Bay or Sea Scallops I will eat them both. Roe makes some great scallop dinners, my favorite is one is made with butter and olive oil; the scallops are covered in her secret breading and lightly pan fried. I don’t even need a side dish to go along with my meal however a veggie is served for a more healthier and balanced meal. I could eat scallops anytime, so today is our day get out and feast of those little treasures from the bay and seas.

Today is also “SMILE DAY” and “DO SOMETHING NICE.” You can kill two birds with one stone with these holidays. Do something nice for someone you love or a person in need, see him or her smile and it will warm your heart and make you smile too. In today’s world we need more smiles than frowns.

There are a lot of holidays to celebrate this month both daily and food, so I’ll be bringing you more real soon. Have a great Hump Day and a Hump Evening, heh, heh, heh. Oh you bad boy Joey Z.

TO MY TEAM

GO PHILLIES TODAY

PEPPERS, TACOS AND BALLOONS TODAY

Happy Tuesdays Speakies:

Hope you all are having a good start this morning and Happy Birthday and Anniversary to my Guys and Dolls celebrating theirs today. All right lets jump right into food. In this first week of October we celebrate “NATIONAL PICKLED PEPPERS WEEK.” I love my peppers, those yellow, green and red bell peppers used to make steak and sausage sandwiches. Good munching peppers like the sweet Banana Peppers, Cherry Peppers (sweet or hot) and those Pepperoncini peppers. In salads I like to use the hot and sweet cut peppers in a jar, adds just the right flavor to your greens. So if you are a pepper freak like me start munching today. Forget the pickled eggs in a jar on the bar.

There are a couple of holidays to celebrate today:

BALLOONS AROUND THE WORLD DAY – I say go out to one of your local grocery stores or party supply places buy a helium filled balloon and let it go, can you imagine if everyone did that, that surely would be balloons around the world. Were you one of those evil kids that broke little kids balloons with a pin or the kid that had to break all the balloons after a party? Come on confess up, well Joey Z was a good buy and never did that. Me thinks.

NATIONAL TACO DAY – I keep bring up food that I love but this kid has to watch his sodium intake as I’ve had a buildup of fluid on my lungs, so some of my favorite food treats will have to disappear only now enjoyed as a passing memory. I’m not here to talk about me, its tacos whether you like them soft shell or hard shell today is the day to eat them. When I ate tacos, I liked mine filled with ground beef, lettuce and tomato and topped with medium sauce, sometimes hot sauce that depended on my mood. We have to say thanks to the guy or doll who invented that hard taco shell that’s wider and stands up so you can pack more ingredients in it.

Enough for today, have a great day and I’ll see you tomorrow.

GET YOUR PRETZELS HERE, HOT PRETZELS HERE

HAPPY OCTOBER SPEAKIES:

Welcome to October, well it’s not the first of the month but we are here and let’s see what’s kicking. Zodiac signs are Libra and Scorpio and the birthstone is an Opal. So far this month we missed Fire Pup Day, Farm Animals Day and the opening of Walt Disney World in Florida. No funny holidays that interest me today, but there is one of great importance and that is Child Health Day. Parents it is up to you to make sure your children receive the most updated care regarding their health, regular checkups, shots and that special touch of love. I’ll be keeping an eye on you so don’t fail me.

October is “NATIONAL PRETZEL MONTH”, one of my favorite snacks or should I say they were. Joey Z has to cut his salt intake so this kid is going to be limited. We are still going to talk about pretzels. My truly favorite is the soft pretzel with a side of mustard to dip. Roe likes the soft pretzels also but with a mild cheese sauce for her dipping pleasure. We had soft pretzels available at my grammar school. They were those good old Philly style pretzels never hot but as a kid you didn’t care it was the snack itself that mattered. When you were in Philly for a ball game, a soft pretzel was a must to have. There was another favorite of mine and I know it was one of Skips also those thin, salted Reisman pretzels sticks that came in a 3 X 5 box good for a quick snack on the run. Pretzel rods were a favorite as a kid, sold for 2 cents apiece and I spent a whole dime for five. Little corner stores had everything in those days. So no matter what pretzel is your favorite enjoy some today.

I forgot today is National Caramel Custard Day, I’m not crazy for Caramel of any kind but regular custard is fine. If you are a Caramel kind of Guy or Doll today is your day. Have a great day and see you soon.