"O" as in OH DEAR for Alphabe-Thursday

Yikes!  It's time again for Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  In keeping with my doll theme I'm reaching into my archives to find a picture.  I've been kind of busy this week and didn't have time to come up with something original so I'm going with "O" as in OH DEAR!

Some years back an online doll group did a thing called "Ginny as me."  We would find an old photograph of ourselves and then recreate the photo with our Vogue Ginny dolls.

OH DEAR...what was I thinking when this photo was taken?

This is actually from an old  slide and I was rejecting Skippy Olsen's advances.  This was taken sometime in the early 1950's.

Here's Ginny as me!

The boy doll is a Madame Alexander doll.  The Ginny representing me is what collectors call a Skinny Ginny.  This type of Ginny was manufactured during the late 70's and early 80's.  This was a period of time when the Vogue Doll Company was undergoing changes and was owned by a couple of different companies.   Eventually, the company was purchased by the Smith family in 1995 and today we have very good reproduction Ginnys that are very similar to the ones produced in the 1950's.  (I was always a skinny child so I decided to use a Skinny Ginny for this picture.)

Now head over to Ms. Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.

Thanks for visiting.

"N" as in Afternoon NAP for Alphabe-Thursday

We're back again for Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  This week we are studying the letter "N" as in Afternoon NAP.

A self portrait by Betty Martin

Now head over to Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.

Thank you for visiting.

"M" as in MEATBALLS for Alphabe-Thursday

It's that time of the week again.  Yes, it's time for Alphabe-Thursday sponsored by Ms. Jenny at Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent."  This week we are studying the letter "M" as in MEATBALLS and Spaghetti dinner.  The "kids" love it!  UH-OH!

Actually, my real kids have always enjoyed Italian Spaghetti and Meatballs.  It's a family favorite.  Normally, we have it for Christmas dinner.  This year we also had it a few weeks ago due to a special request.

I thought I'd share that recipe with you. We've been using this recipe for at least 45 years.  The original recipe came from the cookbook "Recipes on Parade - Meats" and includes 2000 world wide favorites of Military Officers' Wives.  (I took that right off the cover.)  The book was published in 1964 and I purchased my first copy while my husband was in the Navy.  That one fell apart and a few years ago I replaced it with a copy I found on Ebay.

My kids love Italian sausage, so we throw some in the pot with the meatballs.  We also use Italian sausage in the meatballs and I brown them on a cookie sheet in the oven.  I double the meatball portion of the recipe so we have lots of meatballs in the sauce.  These are just a few of the changes we've made.  Enjoy!

Famous Italian Spaghetti

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 c. onion, chopped

3 T. olive oil

1 1/2 pounds of ground beef  (I usually just use 1 pound)

1 6 oz. can tomato paste (I always use Hunts)

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce (I always use Hunts)

1 1 lb. can tomato puree (I always use Hunts and this size can is no longer available.  It now comes in a smaller size can so I buy enough to have at least one pound.  It ends up being a little over one pound and I use it all.)

2 t. sugar

2 c. water

1/4 c. parsley, chopped

1 small bay leaf

1/4 t. rosemary

1/4 t. basil

1/4 t. thyme (I leave out)

1/4 t. allspice

1/4 t. oregano

1/4 t. pepper

1 t. salt (I omit)

1 4 oz. can undrained mushrooms

In large sauce pan cook garlic and onion in oil until golden brown with 1 1/2 pounds of ground beef, add remaining ingredients, cover and simmer gently for two hours or longer.

Meatballs

(I double the below recipe so we have lots of meatballs in the sauce.)

1 lb. ground beef.

1/2 pound bulk pork sausage (I use Italian sausage removed from the casing - half sweet and half hot.)

2 T. onion, chopped

2 T. celery leaves, chopped

1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs (I usually use cubed bread.)

1/4 cup milk

1 egg

1/2 t. salt (I omit)

1/2 t. pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Combine all ingredients; shape into 1 inch balls (mine are larger).  Brown, drain fat. (I cook them in the oven on a cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.)  Add to sauce and simmer 30 minutes.  (I simmer a bit longer.)  Serve over spaghetti.

Italian Sausage

I cook sausage links in oven.  Usually a 1/2 pound of sweet and a 1/2 pound of hot.  Prick them all over with a fork.  Place in one inch of water in pan and cook 20-30 minutes on each side in 350 degree oven.  Watch and adjust time.  Slice at an angle and add to sauce when you put in the meatballs.

(This is from Recipes of Parade - Meats, 2000 worldwide favorites of Military Officers' Wives...with my changes.)

Now please head over to Jenny's blog for a list of this week's participants.

"L" as in LICK for Alphabe-Thursday

We're back again for Alphabe-Thursday.  This week we are studying the letter "L" as in LICK.

In keeping with my doll theme for this round of Alphabe-Thursday I chose "L" as in LICK.  The kids like to LICK ice cream on a hot summer day.

L-R: Vintage Reproduction AA Ginny, Vintage Reproduction Ginny, Vintage Reproduction Crib Crowd Ginny, Modern Jill, Madame Alexander boy, Vintage Strung Ginny

Now head over to Jenny Matlock..."off on my tangent" for a list of this week's participants.

Thanks Jenny!