Posted by: Kim_Hamilton on 06/13/2008 12:49 AM
Updated by: Kim_Hamilton on 06/13/2008 12:51 AM
Expires: 01/01/2013 12:00 AM
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Father's Day "Meatballs, Gravy and Eggs"~By Jenny Baxter of Jenny's Kitchen
Greetings from Brownsville....As I stroll down the dirt road on my way to the meadow looking through the tall cedars and pines that sprawl over the 20 acres, I recollect how happy my Father was the day he purchased this land. He loved the outdoors. Bonding with Nature, gazing into the star lit heavens, working the soil with his bare hands, talking to the wild animals, squirrels in particular and he even named one Charlie, tending his orchard and relaxing after a hard days work with an icy cold beer on the deck were some of the small yet powerful parts of his personality.....
He built a cozy two story cedar home using the grayish rock from a dried up river bed to line his fireplace and surrounded that with a sturdy deck and gazebo. Being an electrician by trade he was able to do his own electrical work and plumbing. And the final touch was hanging the bear rug his nephew, Terry, had hunted, tanned and sent him on the living room wall.
His brilliant green grape vines wrapped themselves around the lines he had strung between two posts, his potato garden, which he planted into old tires, would flourish each year. He kept all his berry bushes trimmed, his fruit trees pruned, his pond devoid of the cattails that would try to grow and overtake it, his tools sharp so he could cut and split wood for the winter and his colorful flowerbed manicured with tall grasses and bulbs, which my Mother would help him plant.
He loved to fish streams and rivers, hunt for deer, search for wild mushrooms, frog with his friends and grandsons, and if anyone could live off the land he could!
He enjoyed singing songs to his granddaughters as he bounced them on his knee, wrote poetry to his wife, and instilled in his children the hard work ethic, the benefits of a good education and love.
Now there were three remedies my dad had for everything; sulpher, creoline and duck tape! If you had a pimple on your face he would mix up a concoction of strawberry jam and sulpher and into your mouth it went. If you cut yourself he would make a creoline water- bath and bathe the afflicted area. And don’t even ask about the duck tape! This delightful man who was dollar thrifty and investment wise would mend anything with duct tape. Broken glasses, torn pants, shoes, or jackets not to mention any household item.
I am not sure if he was this way because of his Scottish heritage, but I do know his jolliness when he would sing and dance was definitely from his Irish upbringing.
Although he could build and fix he could not cook. In fact he hated to cook! Every morning for thirty years he would fry himself two eggs and make some toast to accompany his coffee as he watched the five o’clock news. Mornings were his favorite time of the day. “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise!” This is a quote he would spout when asked why he arose before the sun was even up.
His most favorite time was when he was surrounded by his family. The more the merrier. And when it came time for our family reunions in Washington with his siblings and their families he was in seventh heaven.
I cooked many a meal for my Father and his meat and potato appetite was soon changed between the Lebanese meals my Mother prepared for him and the culinary dishes I created.
His favorite breakfast was meatballs, gravy and eggs. Oh how he loved to indulge in this food! The last time I cooked this breakfast for him was twelve years ago just before he departed this life. Oh how I miss him. Perhaps when you make it for your father for Father’s Day it will become his favorite too.
Meatballs Gravy and Eggs
1 lb. ground round
1 dz. Eggs
1- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
2 Tablespoons flour (or more)
2 Tablespoons butter (or more)
Salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
Form your meat into meatballs getting about 10-12 from the pound. Heat a frying pan over medium heat and add the meatballs. Season the meatballs with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Remove from the skillet and add more butter before if you do not have enough meat drippings.
Add the flour stirring constantly and scraping the bits of meat that are at the bottom of the pan. Gradually add the milk and cook until the gravy turns a rich brown color and begins to thicken. Check for seasonings and add more if need be. Thin the gravy when it thickens with a little more milk. Cracks the eggs on the side of the pan and add the meatballs to the gravy. Cover the pan and poach the eggs and meatballs in the gravy. The gravy will thicken as you cook it. Serves 4. You can serve this over biscuits or just serve with toast on the side.
Happy Father’s Day to all you male readers and to you also Dad.
Well, it’s thyme to go.
Jenny Baxter
Jenny’s Kitchen
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