These looked good and were under $5 for XXX. Nuff said, that I would rarely buy these because I wouldn’t have any idea on how to cook them. But, there is the web. I was really looking for a way to fix pork & jalapenos, because China II (out of business for several years now), and I loved the flavor they had.
I ended up just putting the pork in the bottom of a small glass dish, and cut up a bunch of jalapenos and some onion. Added olive oil, and some seasoning, Marjoram, Salt & Pepper and a little Agave Nectar.
I Broiled these, first on HI and then for a short time on LO. The jalapenos had protected the meat and many of them had turned black, but they had not lost their flavor. In fact, this turned out really, really well.
I ate a couple of these with some Rays Sugar Free BBQ Sauce, and that was good.
Next day I finished the remaining ribs off with a Mircowaved Baked Potato and some onion. I was afraid that the potato wasn’t going to go well with the ribs, but I was sooooo wrong. The potato & sweetness of the onion soaked up the juice from the ribs & jalapenos. This is a keeper. I even had to look in the trash can to see what the cut of meat was actually called. This was really good, and took a short time in the oven.
I learned this simple recipe for making a good onion soup chip dip years ago. It has probably been about a year since I made some dip using a Toasted Onion Soup Mix for the dip. You normally just add the dry ingredients from the package to sour cream, and then mix thoroughly.
A few days ago, I came across a “simple sour cream dip” recipe. The two ingredients were sour cream, and soy sauce. Hmmm… is that all?
I had a little sour cream left, and I had a partial bottle of soy sauce also in the refrigerator. I had no chips, but I didn’t let that stop me.
I mixed the two ingredients together, thoroughly, and tasted. Oh, my! It was almost the same flavor as if I had added the onion soup ingredients to sour cream. It then came to me that the onion soup mix probably mimicked the soy sauce flavor. I added some salt, although I could have added more ‘salty’ soy sauce. I also tried some garlic powder, and I had some dried onion flakes.
Another time, I ground a single clove of “pressure cooked” garlic and added it to this dip. *Pressure cooked, is a process by which various ingredients are cooked at a low temperature under high pressure. Usually some sweetner (sugar) is added and you end up with a “light in weight” version of the pre-cooked item. I love okra cooked in this way. They look like okra, but they weight almost nothing (all the moisture has been cooked out) and they disintegrate in your mouth (almost like little shards of glass, that don’t cut, but melt into okra flavor… not slimy at all).
So, I would say that with some sour cream, soy sauce, and some onion flakes you could quickly whip up a delicious chip dip at a much lower price than buying the onion soup mix.
Chip Dip with Soy Sauce and Sour Cream.
Note the single clove of garlic on top of the chopped onion flakes. This is not raw garlic, but ‘pressure cooked’. It grinds easily to a flavorful powder.
Further exploration: So, if soy sauce is the flavor that comes from the onion soup mix, then wouldn’t the flavor packet that comes with the Oriental Flavor of Ramen Noodles provide the same flavoring? And, I think crumbling up the dry Ramen noodles and adding them to the Chip Dip Mix would add another positive texture. At least, I will be surprised if the flavor packet doesn’t provide the same flavorings as soy sauce, or the onion soup mix.
Okay, so it’s not the Oriental Flavor, but you don’t know how difficult it is to find a picture of the foil flavor packet online.
ADDENDUM [04/17/21]: I bought a few packets of Ramen Noodle Soup – Soy Sauce (changed the name from Oriental Flavor) Flavor. Sure enough, when you add the ingredients of the flavor packet to sour cream, you get that same “soy sauce” flavor that made the original Onion Soup Dip delicious. I’m not sure how much dip you could make using 1 packet from the Ramen Noodles, but I noted that the mixture was extremely salty.
**It just came to me. Maybe some of the other noodle flavor packets would work with the sour cream also. Shrimp, Beef, Pork, Chicken, Chili, etc. There might be at least one other flavor that “hits the spot.”
Many years ago, when I first came to Fayetteville to work at Fayetteville State University, there was a Chinese restaurant located near the corner of Ramsey & Tokay Streets. I’m not sure there ever was anything directly on that corner, since I have lived in Fayetteville. Looks like it might have been a gas station, at one time.
The Chinese restaurant was called “Good Luck”. I don’t think it had much seating, but what I remember was a delicious, large egg roll. It had a crispy, flavorful outside. I think someone said that they were cooked (fried?) twice which gave them this extra texture and flavor. The business had a large sign, which I don’t recall if I ever saw it rotating. but it was a large Chinese Take Out Box on a pole. I don’t recall if there was anything written on the box, like “Good Luck” but I think that was on the sign.
“Good Luck” went out of business there, and I am guessing the owner died (by now, I am pretty sure of it.) Eventually, the building was demolished and a combo-store was built there: Dunkin Doughnuts and Baskin Robbins Ice Cream. I don’t think I have ever been there since that change. But, those egg rolls were delicious!
Hunan Garden, in Fayetteville, was a very good, “go to” place for most of the years that I worked at Fayetteville State. I might even go once a week. After many years there, a Bojangles was built across the street from it (Raeford Road). They had good egg rolls, and they had good lunch specials, and this worked even after an ownership change… but, then there was another ownership change, and the flavor of the food decreased greatly, and the ownership wasn’t as attentive to meeting customer requests. e.g. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in 2012 so I stopped eating sugar (unless someone put it in the food, at the restaurant, where I was eating). And, I tried to stay away from a lot of potatoes, rice, or bread.
For many years Hunan Garden had no problem with substituting the large amount of rice in their “specials” with steamed veggies… They did this so many times that I lost count. And then one day, I made this request again, and the waiter/waitress told me that could not do this substitution. It caught me off guard, I thought is this waiter new, I have made this substitution many times before, haven’t I. Yes, I had. I even asked at the register and was told, they could not make that substitution. And I realized that there was new ownership that had made this change.
I also realized after about two visits that I didn’t like the flavor of the egg rolls. I asked myself about this also. Didn’t I like the egg rolls at Hunan Garden before? And, the answer finally came to me, “Yes.” But these eggrolls are not the same as the old ones. And not good either.
So, I stopped going to Hunan Garden. They moved the front door from the side of the building to the front, facing Bojangles, and I don’t think I have returned to Hunan Garden since. It would be nice if these owners would die or go elsewhere and new owners arrive and return Hunan Garden to it’s former glory.
Wendy’s Restaurant for many years had a single hamburger that was different from any other fast food chain. I think they steamed the burger, and the bun, and I’m not sure if the bun had sesame seeds or not, but the burger was soft and delicious. I ate many of these burgers through out the years. Then I didn’t go to Wendy’s for a while, and when I returned, I ordered the Single Combo. I stared to eat this meal, and the burger bun was the first thing I noticed that wasn’t the same. I asked myself, “Didn’t you used to like the Wendy’s Singles?” And the answer was, “Yes, I did, but it was made differently.” I came back to work, and googled regarding the changes and sure enough, Wendy’s had made a burger/bun change about 3 years previously. I don’t think it had been that long but the change was finally at the Wendy’s which was nearest to where I worked.
I have been back, but the Single is no longer my favorite. I will order a baked potato, a salad, and chili, and maybe a small chocolate Frosty for desert, but the day of eating that comfortable hamburger is gone.
There was a “China II” restaurant (maybe two of ’em) in Fayetteville that I liked eating lunch at. They had a buffet, and the buffet had a spicy pork/jalapeno dish. I loved the flavor of the jalapenos with the chunks of port, but later that night I didn’t love the pain. Still, the flavor kept me coming back. I even had entertained the notion of being able to reduce the heat from a Jalapeno so that you keep the flavor. I have since found Tamed Jalapenos in a jar, which I change out the salty brine for a sweet vinegar, but I never found a recipe for making the Jalapeno Pork dish. Eventually, a large Chinese buffet came to town and put the smaller China II out of business. But Hibachi Grill never put Jalapeno Pork on their menu. And, after several years I started eating lunch at the Hibachi Grill and enjoying it… until the Pandemic which has closed this restaurant.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Und die Erde war wüst und leer, und es war finster auf der Tiefe; und der Geist Gottes schwebte auf dem Wasser.
2 And the earth was desolate and empty, and it was dark on the deep; and the Spirit of God floated on the water.
3 Und Gott sprach: Es werde Licht! und es ward Licht.
3 And God said, Let there be light. and there was light.
4 Und Gott sah, daß das Licht gut war. Da schied Gott das Licht von der Finsternis
4 And God saw that the light was good. Then God separated light from darkness
5 und nannte das Licht Tag und die Finsternis Nacht. Da ward aus Abend und Morgen der erste Tag.
5 and called the light day and the darkness night. Then evening and morning became the first day.
6 Und Gott sprach: Es werde eine Feste zwischen den Wassern, und die sei ein Unterschied zwischen den Wassern.
6 And God said, Let there be a festival between the waters, and that there be a difference between the waters.
7 Da machte Gott die Feste und schied das Wasser unter der Feste von dem Wasser über der Feste. Und es geschah also.
7 God made the stronghold, and separated the water under the stronghold from the water above the stronghold. And so it happened.
8 Und Gott nannte die Feste Himmel. Da ward aus Abend und Morgen der andere Tag.
8 And God called the fortress heaven. Then evening and morning became the other day.
9 Und Gott sprach: Es sammle sich das Wasser unter dem Himmel an besondere Örter, daß man das Trockene sehe. Und es geschah also.
9 And God said, Let the water under heaven be gathered in special places, that the dry may be seen. And so it happened.
10 Und Gott nannte das Trockene Erde, und die Sammlung der Wasser nannte er Meer. Und Gott sah, daß es gut war.
10 And God called the dry earth, and the gathering of the waters he called the sea. And God saw, that it was good.
11 Und Gott sprach: Es lasse die Erde aufgehen Gras und Kraut, das sich besame, und fruchtbare Bäume, da ein jeglicher nach seiner Art Frucht trage und habe seinen eigenen Samen bei sich selbst auf Erden. Und es geschah also.
11 And God said, Let the earth spring up grass and herbs that are planted, and fruitful trees, each one bearing fruit according to his own kind and having his own seed on the earth. And so it happened.
12 Und die Erde ließ aufgehen Gras und Kraut, das sich besamte, ein jegliches nach seiner Art, und Bäume, die da Frucht trugen und ihren eigenen Samen bei sich selbst hatten, ein jeglicher nach seiner Art. Und Gott sah, daß es gut war.
12 And the earth rose up grass and herbs that were seeded, each according to its kind, and trees that bore fruit and had their own seed among themselves, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good .
13 Da ward aus Abend und Morgen der dritte Tag.
13 Then evening and morning became the third day.
14 Und Gott sprach: Es werden Lichter an der Feste des Himmels, die da scheiden Tag und Nacht und geben Zeichen, Zeiten, Tage und Jahre
14 And God said, There will be lights in the stronghold of heaven, dividing day and night, and giving signs, times, days and years
15 und seien Lichter an der Feste des Himmels, daß sie scheinen auf Erden. Und es geschah also.
15 and be lights in the stronghold of heaven, to shine on the earth. And so it happened.
16 Und Gott machte zwei große Lichter: ein großes Licht, das den Tag regiere, und ein kleines Licht, das die Nacht regiere, dazu auch Sterne.
16 And God made two great lights: a great light to rule the day and a small light to rule the night, and also stars.
17 Und Gott setzte sie an die Feste des Himmels, daß sie schienen auf die Erde
17 And God set them in the stronghold of heaven to shine on the earth
18 und den Tag und die Nacht regierten und schieden Licht und Finsternis. Und Gott sah, daß es gut war.
18 and reigned the day and the night, separating light and darkness. And god saw, that it was good.
19 Da ward aus Abend und Morgen der vierte Tag.
19 Then evening and morning became the fourth day.
20 Und Gott sprach: Es errege sich das Wasser mit webenden und lebendigen Tieren, und Gevögel fliege auf Erden unter der Feste des Himmels.
20 And God said, Let the water stir with beasts that move and live, and birds fly on the earth under the stronghold of heaven.
21 Und Gott schuf große Walfische und allerlei Getier, daß da lebt und webt, davon das Wasser sich erregte, ein jegliches nach seiner Art, und allerlei gefiedertes Gevögel, ein jegliches nach seiner Art. Und Gott sah, daß es gut war.
21 And God created great whales, and all kinds of animals, to live and to weave, and the water was stirred, each according to its kind, and all kinds of feathered birds, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 Und Gott segnete sie und sprach: Seid fruchtbar und mehrt euch und erfüllt das Wasser im Meer; und das Gefieder mehre sich auf Erden.
22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea; and let the plumage multiply on earth.
23 Da ward aus Abend und Morgen der fünfte Tag.
23 Then evening and morning became the fifth day.
24 Und Gott sprach: Die Erde bringe hervor lebendige Tiere, ein jegliches nach seiner Art: Vieh, Gewürm und Tiere auf Erden, ein jegliches nach seiner Art. Und es geschah also.
24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth living beasts, each according to its kind: cattle, worms, and beasts of the earth, each according to its kind. And it was so.
25 Und Gott machte die Tiere auf Erden, ein jegliches nach seiner Art, und das Vieh nach seiner Art, und allerlei Gewürm auf Erden nach seiner Art. Und Gott sah, daß es gut war.
25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to its kind, and the cattle according to its kind, and every creeping thing of the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Und Gott sprach: Laßt uns Menschen machen, ein Bild, das uns gleich sei, die da herrschen über die Fische im Meer und über die Vögel unter dem Himmel und über das Vieh und über die ganze Erde und über alles Gewürm, das auf Erden kriecht.
26 And God said, Let us make an image like us, who rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds under the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures of the earth creeps.
27 Und Gott schuf den Menschen ihm zum Bilde, zum Bilde Gottes schuf er ihn; und schuf sie einen Mann und ein Weib.
27 And God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him; and made them a man and a woman.
28 Und Gott segnete sie und sprach zu ihnen: Seid fruchtbar und mehrt euch und füllt die Erde und macht sie euch untertan und herrscht über die Fische im Meer und über die Vögel unter dem Himmel und über alles Getier, das auf Erden kriecht.
28 And God blessed them, and said to them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over every beast that crawls on the earth.
29 Und Gott sprach: Seht da, ich habe euch gegeben allerlei Kraut, das sich besamt, auf der ganzen Erde und allerlei fruchtbare Bäume, die sich besamen, zu eurer Speise,
29 And God said, Behold, I have given you all kinds of herbs for your food in all the earth, and all kinds of fruitful trees for your food.
30 und allem Getier auf Erden und allen Vögeln unter dem Himmel und allem Gewürm, das da lebt auf Erden, daß sie allerlei grünes Kraut essen. Und es geschah also.
30 and all the beasts of the earth and all the birds under heaven and all the creatures that live on the earth to eat all kinds of green herbs. And so it happened.
31 Und Gott sah alles an, was er gemacht hatte; und siehe da, es war sehr gut. Da ward aus Abend und Morgen der sechste Tag.
31 And God saw everything that he had made; and lo and behold, it was very good. Then evening and morning became the sixth day.
I sauteed some Polska Kielbasa and onions in olive oil and margarine on the stove top. I cooked some medium pasta shells. While doing both of these things, I defrosted some frozen medium sized shrimp (shells & tails removed) in the microwave.
After the Kielbasa and onions began to get some color, I added some thin.ly sliced zucchini. After the zucchini began to soften, I added some diced tomatoes, and shortly thereafter, I added the defrosted shrimp. They were already pink, so no need for much cooking time. I also added the cooked pasta shells and stirred it all up.
Ground pepper and salt… some thyme, marjoram, garlic powder and a little chipotle powder. Don’t recall if I added some celery seeds or not.
This turned out really well. The flavors weren’t overpowering and not much heat.
ADDENDUM: 02/15/21 – Depending upon how much “heat” you want, you can add more crushed red pepper, chipotle powder, cayenne or other hot pepper items. I have made this repeatedly and just love how the flavors come together. I realized, since I have been watching some of Jamie Oliver’s ‘5 Ingredient Meals’ that this classifies as one. Kielbasa, shrimp, zucchini, onion and tomato… darn, and pasta shells. Key for me is to not use too much tomato since little bites of tomato are like tiny islands of flavor that aren’t in each bite. Well, tiny bites of Kielbasa, shrimp and zucchini are also other islands. And, the pasta shells soak up the zuchinni & shrimp flavors in the sauce that is created. I have tried this without the zucchini or using chicken instead of Kielbasa, and it is alright, but as is, is best.
Hmmmm…. Good!
There is an onion in the pan above.
Nip off the ends of the zucchini. You could quarter the zucchini and then cut into smaller bite-sized pieces before cooking. This package of Kielbasa would make about four meals. *I lack ‘portion control’ but the pan above could easily serve two people. You could cut the Kielbasa into “bite-sized” portions also… the shrimp, kielbasa and zucchini all being about the same size when finished.
These tomatoes are the perfect size, and flavor for this dish. I’m not sure if Roma Tomatoes would provide as good of an experience. I don’t think Romas have that distinct of a flavor. Halve or quarter these Campari Tomatoes. You want the skins of these tomatoes to begin to peel away from the flesh, but you don’t want to cook then so long that the tomato disintegrates. *You’re looking for the tomato to become one of those “flavor bombs” in this dish. You are eating shrimp… kielbasa… zucchini… tomato… and the pasta has soaked up the mildly flavored sauce. I think it is the zucchini that flavors the sauce.
I almost forget the pasta, but the texture and that the pasta soaks up the sauce flavors is important. *I have cut way back on the amount of pasta I use in this dish. I don’t need the extra carbs and you just need enough shells to soak up some of the juice. I use only a few grape tomatoes because I don’t want an overpowering tomato flavor in the dish. And they provide just a pink hue to the sauce, and almost disappear in the finished product.
The frozen shrimp come in a package from Publix. I found that I could divide the shrimp into about 5 or 6 smaller packages, putting them in smaller plastic bags, and then store those in the original package. So, I think the shrimp were from $11 – $14. Get the peeled, deveined with tail-off frozen shrimp. You definitely don’t want to have to peel these, and tail-on is just one more thing to peel. I was surprised that the smaller packages of shrimp still had about 15 medium shrimp (which could be cut in half for a more “bite-sized” meal). **Oh, I put the smaller frozen shrimp package in a bowl and defrost it in the microwave for about 15 minutes, while the other items are cooking in the pan.
Actually, onion, kielbasa and zucchini cook in the pan in olive oil, with salt, pepper, thyme, marjoram, red pepper flakes (but for more heat and flavor… cayenne, chipotle powder). Have the pasta ready to go in at the last to soak up the sauce.
When the first ingredients have softened, then add the tomatoes and let them start to wither, but shortly after the tomatoes are in, put in the defrosted (mostly cooked) shrimp, and a short time later the pasta. Stir it all up and get ready.
Although I do not add many tomatoes (so far three or four medium-small tomatoes, quartered or halved}, note how red the sauce becomes (above). And, the tomatoes are not cooked down, but only to slightly wrinkled skins.
ADDENDUM: When I re-read the phrase “Shrimp Diablo” I recalled that I think I first became aware of this after ordering it several years ago at a restaurant, I think in “little” Washington (NC). I was there with Leo Taylor, who’s mother (Silver) still lived there. I did not realize that Shrimp Diablo would be “hot” so it was a surprise when I took my first bite. But, I then realized that shrimp and pepper could be pleasing together.
ADDENDUM – ADDENDUM [11/11/21]: I happened upon my online restaurant reviews (apparently 250 of them to date) this morning and happened to find the one for the first time I had “Shrimp Fra Diavolo” (I had only remembered it as “Shrimp Diablo”.) at Frank’s Pizza and Italian Restaurant in Washington, NC.
Alas, Leo Taylor and his mother, Silver, are both dead… for several years now. The “Down on Main Street” Restaurant discontinued the Spaghetti Lunch Special several years ago also… but the spaghetti sauce they served was great because they added several things that most restaurants leave out to “dumb down” the sauces for the masses. According to my review above, my original Shrimp Fra Diavolo was far from what I ended up “perfecting” at home, but for me I have a repeatable winner. I guess the original take-away was that you could add hot pepper to shrimp. The distant memory of my first bite was of hot pepper heat taking my breath.
NOTE [ 12/07/23 ]: As I re-read my review above, I seemed to recall that when the spiciness of the red sauce caught me off guard, I started coughing uncontrollably (as when just a fleck of hot pepper gets caught near your windpipe).
Still, my earlier versions included just Red Pepper Flakes and some Cayenne Pepper, but lately, I have enjoyed adding more & different peppers, some of which I had bought at the State Farmers’ Market in Raleigh.
Oh, and since I also enjoy Jalapenos & Poblano Peppers, and I roasted those in the oven yesterday (for some homemade salsa), I am planning to add those to this dish today.
NOTE [05/25/24]: I went to Little Washington on January 19th to attend a library book sale. After buying several Michael Connelly’ Bosch novels at the sale, I went to “Down on Main Street” for lunch. I ordered a Shrimp Po’Boy sandwich with fried okra. The sandwich was delicious, and so were the okra. So much so, that I came back (I think about a month later.) and ordered the same thing again. And, once again, the sandwich and fried okra were delicious. I think they gave me more shrimp and okra than the first time, but I later thought that I might have gotten extra because of the lateness of my lunch the second time.
But on the 19th, I was talking to my waitress and she told me that the restaurant had again started having the Spaghetti Special on Tuesdays. I’ve not been back on a Tuesday since I learned they were having this special again, so I don’t know if the spaghetti sauce is as good as it once was. Still, the hope is there. As I mentioned elsewhere, this sauce wasn’t “dumbed down” like most restaurant spaghetti sauces are, in order not to offend the tastebuds of it’s customers. I don’t recall what extra was included in their sauce, but there was great flavor. Perhaps they included onion, mushrooms and/or meat.
I’ve also mentioned elsewhere that on my visit to this library book sale, I bought about 10 Connelly novels, and I had marked “The Overlook” as one of those books. But, when I got home, I couldn’t find this volume, either inside my apartment nor in my car. I guess I must have written it down wrong, but more likely had a list of the books in a spreadsheet and then checked the wrong one in the list. So, after not finding it, I finally decided to go online and buy a copy. And here is where I found an autographed copy by Connelly. And what was really neat, was that the autograph included something really special. First the autograph was addressed “To Bill,” and then it said, “All the best from Harry Bosch. Good luck in Court.” and then it had Michael Connelly’s signature at the bottom. I thought about this briefly. I knew the “Bill” wasn’t originally me. But this was the fictional detective addressing me “personally,” and the thought occurred: Who better to speak through Bosch than his creator, Connelly. So, I paid a great deal more for this autographed copy of “The Overlook,” and I still think it was well worth the extra cost.
But, who can I give this special copy to? It will have to be someone named Bill. [end NOTE]
[NOTE 09/20/24}: I hadn’t had this in a while, but fixed it tonight for dinner. I have been using the tiny shells the last few times I’ve made this. The picture I show above has the regular sized pasta shells. Let me re-emphasize that I don’t like to add too much tomato to this dish. I dice up two Campari tomatoes, which are fairly small, and as they cook down they form a slightly reddish gravy. I also used ground Cayenne pepper and some chopped green jalapeno pepper (not a whole one). I still like to use the red pepper flakes.
I see from the top of this posting that I originally created this dish in November of 2020, so it is almost four years that I have been making and enjoying it. Nothing overpowers any of the other ingredients. The zucchini, shrimp and kielbasa all share equally in the presentation. The hot pepper does “take my breath” slightly, but it is addictive. The onion, tomato and pasta are the supporting characters.
If I am still alive next year at this time, I hope I will have been able to get some of the Trinidad Perfume & Biqhino peppers for this dish. [end NOTE]
ADDADDENDUM [07/07/25]: Well, I don’t think I’ve ever had this situation come up, and if it did, I just didn’t make this meal without all of the ingredients. I went looking for zucchini, or some kind of squash and I had none. Or, at least I could find none if I had them somewhere.
But, necessity is a mother, and all of a sudden I thought, “do I have a can of squash somewhere.” Couldn’t find one, and then the brilliance came to me. I have several cans of the Zucchini in Italian Tomato Sauce by Del Monte. And the way the tomato sauce is made in this, it is a lite tomato sauce. When I made this meal using fresh zucchini, I usually put just a few small tomatoes in toward the end because I only want a little tomato flavor, and they don’t overpower the rest of the ingredients and they form a light red sauce. So, instead of using fresh zucchini, and putting in some small grape tomatoes, I just added most of a can of the Del Monte Zucchini in Italian Tomato Sauce. It worked great, although not exactly flavored as usual, but also meeting most of the requirements. *And, there was just enough for once serving. I got some Biqhino peppers at the Farmers Market in Raleigh over the weekend and added several to this meal. [end]
In 1975 when I first came to UNC-W, there was a little bar located adjacent to the UNC-W campus, near the intersection of Randall Dr. and College St. At the rear of the bar was a small patio area, which literally indented the UNC-W hedge. I think the bar was located where the Dominos Pizza has been located for many years, but I’m not sure if it was even the same building or whether Dominos built a new building.
The bar was small. I think there were several pinball, and one or two Fusball machines. I don’t even recall if there was enough space for a billiard table.
College St. / Randall Pkwy. Intersection left side of photo. Back of Dominos Pizza right side of photo. Back of bar would have been where pizza is.College St. / Randall Pkwy. Intersection. Viewer facing UNC-W campus.College St. / Randall Pkwy. Intersection, UNC-W campus to right and University Arms Apts. behind the photographer.Randall Pkwy. / College St. intersection at bottom left of this image. UNC-W campus to the left. University Arms Apartment would have been where Lighthouse Wilmington is now located (above right of this image).
I drove down to Wilmington today. On the way down I stopped in Dublin, NC and bought some peanut brittle at Houstons. I transferred to UNC-W in 1975 after going to school at Campbell College for a “recovery” year. My grades weren’t that wonderful from having attended UNC-Chapel Hill for two years ( starting in 1972 ).
Not always, but several times through the years, whenever I pass through Dublin, NC, I think of a cute blond UNC-W student that was in Wilmington at the same time as I was, and who also lived in the apartment complex, University Arms Apartments ( a short distance from the UNC-W campus ). As I recall, she was “tallish” ( but not 6′ ), with short blond (platinum ) hair, very curvey and an attractive face. I never met her, or talked to her, or even knew her name… but I had a roommate and he did talk to her and told me that she was from Dublin, NC. So, that is why after all these years, I still think of the good looking college co-ed from Dublin.
So I continued on through Elizabethtown, and on to Wilmington and even Wrightsville Beach, and back to Wilmington. And then I put in the Google Map to find how to get to Newton Grove, NC ( so I could eat at Smithfield’s there ). The directions led me around and back to College Street, down Randall Parkway and I realized that I was passing by where I had lived when I attended UNC-W, but I quickly realized that nothing seemed familiar.
Once you get on College St., you stay on it, out of town and it becomes I40.
So tonight, I got out my Google Timeline to retrace my steps and I saw an aerial view of University Arms Apartments. Enough to realize that is where I had lived, but I didn’t exactly remember which apartment I had lived in.
University Arms Apartments – ReplacedI don’t recall which one I lived it.
But, here was the kicker… when I went to another Google Map to view the area I realized that my old apartment complex had been replaced with a new one. I found that the new complex was called the Lighthouse. Very modern apartments. I would guess that some of the old apartments might have suffered hurricane damage, because nearby apartments were showing blue tarps on many of their roof tops.
Lighthouse Apartments in upper right corner of pic. UNC-W is to the left of this pic. across College Street.
After looking at the old apartments, I think that I would have lived in one of the apartments on the same row as the swimming pool and probably two or three units from the pool. Part of determining this was that my roommate had put a couple of his marijuana plants ( in little pots ) out at the end of the unit, next to our trash cans, in relatively high grass, where few would see them.
The funny thing about my roommate’s marijuana plants was that the day that my mother and cousin, Yvonne, and Aunt Sis had come down to help me move out of my unit, my mother took out some trash, and came back in carrying two small pots with the marijuana plants. I quickly told her to return them because they were someone else’s.
Now Yvonne had children, and she was a little more street wise and knew that the plants were marijuana, but she said nothing to my mom or aunt. But as we walked out of the apartment for the last time, my mom and aunt walking side by side, behind Yvonne and me, Yvonne whispered to me, “Aren’t you going to take your marijuana plants.” Yes, I had a moment of complete surprise followed by a large laugh. I whispered back to Yvonne that they weren’t mine. But, my mom piped up and asked us both what we were laughing about. We didn’t fill her in then.
I think I told my mother about this some time later.
ADDENDUM (tangential): A word to the wise… beware of Greeks bearing gifts. I think it was one Halloween night, my second year at Carolina (UNC-Chapel Hill), when my then roommate (from TN I think) and I decided to go out bar-hopping. We never did this, together, but we went out to the little bar (hole in the wall) which was in back, and down the stairs from the Ratskeller Restaurant. This would have been diagonally across the street from where the Top of the Hill is now located. I don’t recall the bar’s name, but it was small, dark and it had a side room that had at least one video game… the only video game at the time, I think, called “Pong”. Pong was a simplistic, two or four player game (teams of two) and I was pretty good at defending the little dot of light from getting past me.
I am a cheap drunk, so whenever I ordered beer, and you could order a pitcher, I would order a pitcher and then drink it really fast. That way the alcoholic stupor would come on me quickly and I wouldn’t spend a bunch of money getting drunk. “Stick” Mann, an upper-classman neighbor from 3rd floor of Aycock Dorm had a girlfriend that could get really drunk off of about a quarter cup of beer. Amazing, but what a cheap date;-) Well, my roommate and I finished drinking at the little bar and walked outside. It was still early and we didn’t want to go home, but not much else to do.
As we walked up the alleyway to street level, we met someone, neither of us knew. I think his name was Steven. He suggested we go across the street to another bar. There he offered to buy the beer. I’m not sure when we met his “partner in crime” Larry G. Nunn, but after drinking at the bar Steven suggested we go back to our dorm room and he even offered to buy a case of beer. *I by this time, had surveyed the situation… not really the situation, or I wouldn’t have let them come back to our dorm room. But I wasn’t comfortable with Steven and Larry… they seemed “queerish” to me and that was before queerish was not a problem. So, these two offered to drive back to our dorm, but I bowed out and the two of them along with my roommate left. Oh, the stated reason for not riding back, was that we were all drunk and I didn’t want to ride with a drunk driver.
I wasn’t happy with the thought of returning to my dorm room while Larry and Steven were there, so I stopped off at Hector’s which had really tasty egg rolls. I would get a couple of their egg rolls and eat them with hot mustard and duck sauce. Delicious!
I then crossed the street and walked past “Silent Sam” the Civil War Memorial statue. This was back when he had no negative racial symbolism. At least to a “white boy” from coastal NC. The only joke about Silent Sam was that he was silent (the statue was of a Confederate Soldier carrying a rifle) because his gun only went off when a virgin passed by him… and needless to say, where could you find a virgin on campus.
I walked across campus and made it to Aycock Dorm, but I still thought it might be too early to return to my room, so I walked down to the TV Room which was located at the middle of the building, on the first floor. The TV room was a large room with a color TV in the corner (an analog, floor console, square screen) and there were several small sofas and chairs filling the room. *I was still pretty drunk, even after having eaten two egg rolls from Hectors.
There were a couple of people watching TV when I came in. The TV had a movie on, “Who Slew Aunty Roo,” which I wasn’t interested in, and so I laid down on a love seat and went off to drunken sleep. The next think I recall, and I am not sure how long I had slept, was waking up to a dark room and hearing the double doors to the room being quietly shut as the last person(s) left. The TV was off. I then realized that someone had taken thick white cord (which was being used outside, along the sidewalk, to keep people from walking on the grass) and had wrapped me, in Gulliverish fashion, tying me to the loveseat. Even “the still drunk version of me” thought this funny… but, I quickly realized that I needed to get up to “take a piss” and this added a sense of urgency to the situation. I was pretty well tied down, not too tightly, not to the point of cutting off my circulation, but wrapped about so many times and in the dark, not being able to find the knot at the end where I might begin to untie myself quickly. The white cord was thicker than tobacco twine and wasn’t able to be broken with bare hands. It then came to me to see if I could get to my keys in my pocket. I managed to get a hand in my pocket and fish my keys out. I then began to use one of the keys, as if it were a small saw, and in a relatively short time had extricated myself. I freed myself and got up and went to the bathroom.
So, it was now late, not sure of the time, but I went upstairs and went into my dorm room. My roommate was already in bed, but managed to open his eyes briefly and then lay back down to sleep. I went about going to bed.
So, the next morning I and my roommate went off to our separate classes. It may be that he left first, or I left first, but neither of us had a chance to talk before we left for class. I may have had an Accounting class, and that is why I needed my $100 Texas Instruments calculator to do homework. You’ve got to understand that this calculator was the best, if not only, electronic calculator that money could buy at the time. And it did the four functions, add, subtract, multiply and divide, and one other function, provide a percentage. *Thankfully, I never had to learn how to use a slide rule, although I had purchased one.
My TI was much like this, but I don’t recall whether it said TI 100 or DataMath II as shown here. Was the same color. You could spell a few words by typing in numbers & looking at the display upside down.
I returned from class, probably about 10 am that morning. My roommate wasn’t back yet, and I went over to start my homework in Accounting. Sitting at my desk, I open my book, and at some point I look and realize that my calculator isn’t there. The recharging cable is still plugged into the wall outlet, but no calculator. This is a minor irritation, at the time, because there was at least one “big dude” from down the hall that had borrowed my calculator on various occasions to do his homework. So, I am thinking that one of the guys on the hall had borrowed my calculator. And, I wait for my roommate to return, and one by one I ask the other hallmates if they had my calculator… and then it dawns on me. Either Steven or Larry G. Nunn had absconded with my calculator… and what a deal, a $100 calculator for a case of beer. What a coup.
We ended up tracking down the phone number of Larry G. Nunn and called him and tried to strongly convince him to return my calculator, but he denied it, and our strong armed phone tactics meant nothing to him.
The replacement calculator was a Bowmar like this.
I then came up with a plan to replace the TI calculator with something cheaper. By now, I think there was a cheaper competitor that cost about $49 and I managed to order this along with a “Christmas” present for my mother. I’m thinking that mom paid for both of these, without me explaining what had actually happened. I did eventually explain what had happened to her.
I use the story in this addendum as a “precautionary tale for those who go down the cul-de-sac trail” beware of things that appear too good to be true. A case of beer isn’t worth having your calculator stolen, and no telling how expensive this story has become now. Today’s apartments are so much nicer than my dorm room, and no telling what a nefarious individua-l might abscond with, leaving you to hold the proverbial bag, or as in my case “the recharging cable”.
ADDENDUM-ADDENDUM: I do not remember the manufacturer of the portable typewriter that I had at Carolina. In looking at the typewriter cases of this time, the closest one, I think, is a Smith Corona. I think the typewriter was a light brown color and the case was shaped like a brief case, not squared off like a suitcase.
The following was a result of me trying to figure out two areas I saw while viewing the following on YouTube: Drone Berlin, Germany City & Berliner Fernsehturm *For me, it was difficult to see where the Berliner Fernsehturm was shown on this video. In re-watching, I think I see where.
I knew nothing about the above, either the tall smokestack, or the large building located behind it when I first viewed the above video.
The video then pans to the right showing the following:
I knew the above had to be a Bahnhof but I didn’t recognize it on any of the Spree River that I was already familiar with. The bluish tint to the building and that it was next to the river would seem to make it easy to recognize on Google Maps, but no.
A Google search for “Berlin smokestacks” helped me find the above.
The below image was what finally gave me enough information to go to Google Maps and find where the smokestack was located:
I found the smokestack casting its long shadow in Google Maps. I then went to StreetView and found the following of interest:
The current Google StreetView shows the smokestack, but these images were taken before much construction had been completed (after c2006). I used StreetView from a side street to get the below (more construction):
Much more construction but somewhere before 2017 when construction was completed.
Finding the specific area of the smokestack, and knowing the drone video turned right, it was easy to find the nearby “Einkaufsbahnhof Berlin” on Google Maps, and then from StreetView:
ADDENDUM: Funny, it took me a long time to realize that this is actually the main train station in Berlin. It is a major shopping center, and trains to/from other cities go through here, U-Bahn and S-Bahn. The YouTube videos give an excellent tour and impression of this facility.
Good walk thru of the Berlin Hauptbahnhof.
A good explanation of the levels of this Hauptbahnhof.
A fairly detailed explanation of Berlin’s public transportation system.
I ended up just putting the pork in the bottom of a small glass dish, and cut up a bunch of jalapenos and some onion. Added olive oil, and some seasoning, Marjoram, Salt & Pepper and a little Agave Nectar.
I Broiled these, first on HI and then for a short time on LO. The jalapenos had protected the meat and many of them had turned black, but they had not lost their flavor. In fact, this turned out really, really well.
The Chinese restaurant was called “Good Luck”. I don’t think it had much seating, but what I remember was a delicious, large egg roll. It had a crispy, flavorful outside. I think someone said that they were cooked (fried?) twice which gave them this extra texture and flavor. The business had a large sign, which I don’t recall if I ever saw it rotating. but it was a large Chinese Take Out Box on a pole. I don’t recall if there was anything written on the box, like “Good Luck” but I think that was on the sign. 
Bill Gibson, II 