ABC

Today, I explore a new topic in my blog: food. This is going to start out as a story and turn into a recipe, so get ready.

A few months ago, one Friday night in the miserable Raleigh winter, my precious boyfriend Ben took me out to a new (to me) place to eat. He had heard good things about the Rockford, this restaurant, but we were shocked to find at least twenty people packed into a tiny bar area waiting for tables. After about half an hour, we were seated at a table in the middle of the main room, and we started looking at the menu. Ben was a little less than thrilled to find that the entrees consisted of sandwiches, and only sandwiches. However, we ordered our sandwiches – turkey bacon avocado for Ben and ABC for me – with sides of mashed potatoes, and we waited. I should note that the service at the Rockford was neither quick nor friendly, but the food made up for it. I should also explain that the ABC stands for apples, bacon, and cheddar cheese, which comes on French toast. I got my ABC sandwich and really wasn’t sure how to approach it. It was a mess to hold and difficult to eat with fork and knife. The top of the sandwich was dusted with powdered sugar, and if you’ve seen me in the winter, you know – I was dressed in all black. These issues did not overshadow the fact that this sandwich was wonderful. In the middle of eating, I said to Ben, “I am going to have cravings for this sandwich.” That’s kind of strange to say the first time ever eating something, but I sure did have cravings for it. The mashed potatoes were delicious as well, and Ben also loved his sandwich.

After that first time, we went back to the Rockford for date nights in Raleigh. We even celebrated my birthday at the Rockford with my great friends Lindsay and Tom. Our last time eating there, we both decided we were finally going to try something different. It had been impossible to deviate from what we always ordered because it was SO GOOD. However, we asked our waiter for his opinion; he did offer input, which was more than I’d expect. Ben ordered some kind of chicken sandwich, and I got the focaccia sandwich. I don’t think Ben liked his very much; mine was good, but nothing compared to the ABC.

Last week, my mom delivered the bad news to me, that the Rockford closed after 15 years. I told Ben that we can’t go out anymore. Our favorite place to go together closed! Ben is especially disappointed that our last time eating there, we didn’t get our normal/favorite things. So, when Ben came to visit me yesterday, he suggested that we make our own ABCs!

Here is how I went about making our dinner, with pictures…

1. preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. lay out strips of bacon on broiler pan.

3. bake bacon in oven for about 20 minutes, more if you like it more done.

4. mix up 3 eggs and a splash of milk.

5. dip bread and cook on stovetop over medium heat. note: you could cook it in the bacon grease from the pan, but I used butter.

6. make Ben slice Granny Smith apple very thin (I try to avoid knives).

7. assemble the sandwiches: French toast slice, cheddar cheese, bacon, apple slices, French toast slice.

8. put sandwich back in French toast pan to melt cheese and keep warm; flip. note: not as necessary if you’re working with a griddle instead of my little pan.

9. dust with powdered sugar and serve.

You may also want syrup to drizzle on or dip in. The Rockford put some kind of honey sesame dressing on their ABC that I have no clue how to replicate. Ben modified his ABC by substituting turkey bacon and adding turkey. Our sandwiches turned out amazingly delightful. I’m so glad I could make this restaurant favorite at home!

below: the setup/process

Ben's modified ABC

my finished product: ABC at home!

the layers

The Help

A few months ago, I was reading Phi Mu’s magazine, the Aglaia, and I found out about a book called The Help by Kathryn Stockett, a Phi Mu alumna. I got the book for Christmas, and since then, I’ve seen it everywhere. The Help is about black women who work for white families in Mississippi in the 1960s. I don’t have anything substantive to say about the book other than READ IT. But at the end, the author included a very short version of her own story about her childhood and the black lady who took care of her, so I will give you my story…

For the first ten years of my life, I was blessed to know Pauline Jones. She wasn’t exactly our maid, wasn’t exactly our nanny. My mom always told me that Pauline was her grandmother, until one day when I asked, “Mom, isn’t Pauline black?” (She was very light-skinned.) My mom laughed and told me the truth: that she wasn’t her grandmother, but my mom loved her like a grandmother, and yes, Pauline was black. Pauline was not actually my great-grandmother, but she did work for my great-grandparents, as well as my grandparents and my parents. She cooked and cleaned for our families, and took care of my brother and me when my mom had to go off. Pauline drove a car called “Green Lucy,” disliked interracial coupling, dipped peach snuff, had a cat named Tina, and was terrified of a thunderstorm. When the weather got bad, she’d say, “It’s clouding up,” and she’d go on home. I blame her for my own terrible fear of thunderstorms. Pauline was extremely kind. In sum, Pauline was a special member of our family, and I am thankful that she was part of my childhood.

fall 2009

I didn’t think anyone ever read my blog, but I got a request for an update, so I’ll try to hit the highlights of my fall so far...

School

I met with my advisor the other day to begin registering for spring 2010. The process was way more difficult than I expected because I had holds that kept me from registering. For one, I hadn’t sent my immunization records to student health. (I was supposed to do that?) Thankfully, my mom hiked across the street to my pediatrician and got those records. My second hold was for lack of final transcript from UNC. I specifically remembered sending a transcript once my degree was posted, so we (myself and Ms. Cox) called the graduate school office and once they found record of my transcript, they took off that hold. Although the people I talked to on the phone weren’t always the best, most people I’ve met who work in administrative positions at ECU are so nice. Ms. Cox found numbers, called offices, and let me know that she would register me whenever I got my records and that I would definitely get the classes I need. Once my shot records got here, I left my form with her and she registered me and emailed me to let me know I was registered. Also, great news – when I was meeting with my advisor, she said she’s seen my records and wants me to be in the master’s program next year. That makes applying feel like it’s for a reason. I submitted my online application yesterday, but I need some more motivation to send transcripts, personal statement, recommendations, etc. I already have all of these things from last year, so I just have to send them.

Flying

I have logged 34 hours total to date. The minimum to get a private pilot’s license by Part 61 is 40 hours. Don’t let that deceive you, though; I still have way more than six hours’ worth of training to do! This past Monday, I practiced maneuvers yet again – steep turns, stalls, and slow flight. I need to work on those more before I do them solo. I FLEW MY FIRST SOLO OCTOBER 14, 2009. How could I forget?! Below is a picture of me with the Diamond 20 I soloed. The first few solos are just takeoffs and landings, which are what I did that day and one other time since then. Lord willing, I will someday solo away from the airport, but I should probably learn how to use a GPS to get back to the airport first. Though I feel far, far away from being ready for my practical exam, I am well on my way to taking the written exam. I’ve been going to a ground school class at Pitt Community College since early September, and I’m so happy that it is finally ending! Tonight we are reviewing everything, Thursday night we are taking a final exam, and then we’ll be done. If I’ve done well enough in the class, the instructor will sign me off to take the FAA’s written exam at a testing center. If I haven’t done well enough in the class, my dad is a certified flight instructor and he will sign me off. I have yet to study for a test in this class – could that be why?? Anyway, I’m going to hit my Gleim practice book hard and get ready to impress the FAA with my vast private pilot aeronautical knowledge.

Tentatively coming soon: getting back to my blog’s roots and posting on literature.