Monday, July 20, 2026

What Is Loss? Evelyn Fain's Bookshop Collection, or Simply a Woman Wailing

 What Is Loss? Evelyn Fain's Bookshop Collection, or Simply a Woman Wailing

Hello, Darlings

It’s true we have moved a lot since coming here to Florida. All of these moves have occurred by unwanted individuals we were unfortunate to cross pass with, and these moves (unwanted in themselves) created not only a sense of instability but loss, such as the loss in family bonds and property. Due to these unwanted outside factors upsetting and hurting us inside our home as well as our relationships with each other. Perhaps someday with time and open understanding with our family members, there will come to pass the acceptance that we are targets and victims of vicious individuals, and that our family bond can be mended. I sincerely want that time to become a reality.

As for the property lost there have been much and some of it could have been prevented.  The loss of our home could have been prevented if we have stuck together and shut out unwanted individuals bent on harming us. The loss of jobs due to malicious individual interfering in our work places, and let’s not forget the interference of our medical care and disruptions in our financial situation. All could have been prevented by us fighting those malicious individuals together.

Am I fully aware of what these malicious individuals did to us over the decades since our coming to Florida? I am aware. I remember everything. I remember, you.

While mending our family relationships will take time because some misunderstanding and hurtful memories run to deep, the same cannot be said of some properties. Our home for one was a major loss and a foolish loss that could have easily been prevented.  Many other properties were loss due to the fact that we were just giving the stuff away because we had no use for or place for them. We could have sold many of the properties but there we knew they would go the other with needed and who could not afford them otherwise. At least, that was our reasoning at the time. Others probably thought we were being stupid, but in truth we were hoping that those items went to those in need, or at least sold to at a reasonable price for those in need.

As stated above given time painful relationships can mend, and properties can be replaced. However, as I sit here thinking back on losses, as I have done a lot in the last week or so, I realize that I am not only mourning loss relationships, but I am mourning the loss of some personal property that I have collected and carried with me from decade to decades and many of them rare and older than myself and that of my children.

A loss that motivated me, taught me, comfort me, healed me, as well as entertained me, a loss which is my books.  A huge loss that many times was a great comfort and companion to me than any so called friend. 

Yes, I read. I read everything that sparked my interest. I loved the stories from different lands, about other worlds and of inventions. Those were my books. Books of nonfiction, fiction, education, history, and of the real life stories of people past and present; those books were and still are my go to, instead of neighborhoods gossip, plotting against neighbors out maliciousness or boredom, and running around with strange individuals (that malicious folks were attempting to use to interfere in my life).

No, I tell you,  give me one of my good books, my songs, my  movies, as well as my home, my family, and I am alright with the world. Back then, as now, I never wanted these outside malicious individuals in our lives. Moreover, we as the small family that we once were, never, ever did anything wrong to incur them. They are just maliciously bad individuals that prey on others and glory in finding others like themselves.

But now my books are gone, years and years of books that over time represented pieces of what made me, what molded me into the rational thinking woman that I am today. More so than the people who wanted to pull me this way or that way or of those that wanted to recreate me for their purpose. I do not claim that my books made me perfect, only that they opened my mind to the world, the bigger world, than if I had only read a romantic novel while mixing a batch of cookies. Of those individuals that found them boxed, broken and moldy from being stored in a drafty, leaky garage, most likely they believe that the book collection had belonged to my husband. While he does read a lot and has done so for many years, that collection of books were all mine – all me.

Why do I write all this? I do so because all those books got left behind in an unnecessary move; many of them were rain damaged. Like a blow to the chest, their loss hurt.

All this being stated here is a couple of lists of the lost pieces of me. Some of the books are no longer in print, some were over a century old, but  luckily some are on digital, however all of them are irreplaceable.

If you want to see this list that represented the loss of my book collection, click the links below.

1.      Evelyn Fain's Bookshop Collection

2.      Evelyn Fain's Bookshop Collection Description Page. Unable to fit all on the pdf, but you understand that I understood what I read and was an avid reader.

Some will say I am whining the loss, perhaps I am, but the above is a written summation of how I lost my book collection, but I prefer to think of it as mourning the loss of treasured friends.

07/20/2026

Until next time,

     Take care, Darlings

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Article@2026

Monday, June 15, 2026

Chicago Public School Cafeteria Butter Cookies

Hello, Darlings

This article is in remembrance of the old fashion butter cookies made and sold in my old Calumet high school cafeteria in Chicago for nearly one hundred years.


This being stated, if you were born any time before the 1970s in Chicago, you at some point or another, rushed to the cafeteria at your school to buy these cookies before they were sold out. And if you thought, like I did once, and only once, that you could buy them before your assigned lunch period, you were out of luck; because those lunch matrons knew every kid that came in their domain and guarded everything in it, as if they were the guarding the gold in Fort Knox.

And they would never forget your attempted butter cookies heist.

Without further ado here is that well beloved Chicago public school butter cookies recipe.

💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖

Chicago Public School Cafeteria Butter Cookies

Ingredients

·         1 cup softened butter

·         2⁄3 cup granulated sugar

·         2 cups all-purpose flour

·         2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

·         2 teaspoons vanilla extract

·         1 pinch salt

·         4 teaspoons sugar (optional)

Directions

1.      Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.      Cream butter and sugar until fluffy

3.      Mix in vanilla extract.

4.      Mix in flour gradually.

5.      Using a small cookie scoop, roll dough into balls and slightly flatten on ungreased cookie sheets.

6.      Flatten cookies with the bottom of a glass dipped in sugar if desired.

7.      Bake until golden brown (approximately 12-15 minutes.

Makes about 2 dozen

The original is at Chicago Public School Cafeteria Butter Cookies - Food.com

A Widescreen Online Review Plus Article@2026

Until next time,

           Chow, Darlings

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Raisin Bran Bread

Hello, Darlings

Today, I wanted to try something new. As my followers know, I created and posted the recipe Kellogg's Honey Hazelnut Raisin Bran Muffins. Well, I wanted to make the muffins, but I discovered that I am out of hazelnut meal, so while browsing through one of my bread maker recipe books; I found a recipe for making Raisin Bran Bread. Who new! 


Anyway, I decided to give the recipe a try. From the pictures below you can see that the bread turned out quite well. However, I believe some additional fruit and perhaps some nuts would perp up the taste and its nutritional value. I will try it next time.

Because, the book where the recipe is found is still in publication, I am posting a couple of links to it below.

 

The book's cover appears changed over the years, but I think it is the same one. The cover from above is from my copy (recipe page 125), and the one on the below is from the current store copy.

Until next time, 

     Chow, Darlings  

  A Widescreen Online Review Plus Article@2026 

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

White Bread, Dryer to the Rescue

Hello, Darlings

If you are among my long time followers, then you know that when it comes to baking bread I recommend adding to teaspoon of wheat gluten to the recipe. 

Well today, I nearly had a baking disaster because I forgot to add the gluten to the Hamilton Beach two-pounder white bread recipe. The dough was about to start its third kneading cycle when it dawned on me that there was no gluten in the dough. 

In a near panic, I removed the dough from the bread maker, and kneaded in the gluten by hand. I then rolled the dough in a little more flour because it felt sticky. After shaping the dough for its return to the bread maker, I set it to the dough setting, so that that the gluten could be kneaded into the dough properly. 

After the bread maker was midway through its final 45 minute rising cycle, I noticed that the bread had only risen less than half way, so I removed the pan from the bread maker and placed it in my hot clothes dryer for 21 minutes, to which, afterwards the dough rose to nearly the top of the bread pan. Once the dough had risen, I placed the bread pan back into the bread maker, and set it to the bake cycle. I let the bread bake for an hour. Once the cycle was done, I set the bread maker on the bake cycle again to bake the bread an additional ten minutes to ensure its doneness.

As a result of all this, not only did I save the bread, it is the tastiest loaf of white bread that I made using my Hamilton Beach bread maker so far, and I credit my quick thinking and my GE clothes dryer for my successful white bread rescue.



Until, next time,

   Chow, Darlings 

 A Widescreen Online Review Plus Article@2026 

Monday, March 30, 2026

Ro-Tel Cheesy Chicken and Linguine Casserole

 Hello, Darlings

Did you have a nice weekend? Ours was pleasantly quiet. This evening I have a new recipe for you. I call it “Ro-Tel Cheesy Chicken and Linguine Casserole”. It is based on a recipe I found on the web. However, I took it a few steps further, and in spite of the soup mixture looking like something left behind from New Year Eve, once baked and serve this casserole is very delicious. It is also quite easy to make.

 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍

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Ro-Tel Cheesy Chicken and Linguine Casserole 

Ingredients

  •  4 -6 boneless chicken breasts, or a combination of breasts and  thighs cooked & chopped
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • 1 1/3 cup or one 10.5 ounce can chicken broth
  • 1 ten ounce can original Ro-Tel tomatoes with green chiles
  • ¼ of sweet onion, sliced very thin
  • 1/8 cup garlic infused olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 10 thin sliced strips red bell pepper
  • 10 thin sliced strips green bell pepper
  • 1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 12 ounces spaghetti or cooked & drained
  • Sprinkle of salt and pepper for taste

Directions 

  1. Preheated oven to 350 degree 
  2.  Grease the bottom and sides of a 13x9 casserole dish with garlic infused oil, set aside
  3. Wash and microwave chicken for 12 to 15 minutes. Drain and chopped into chucks, set aside
  4. In a bowl mix together the soup, broth and Ro-tel tomatoes. Set aside
  5. In the 13x9 greased casserole dish layer with linguine then chicken, top with minced garlic, red and, green bell peppers, followed by the onions
  6. Spread  soup mixture evenly on top
  7. Sprinkle with salt and pepper for taste. And add the cheddar cheese.
  8. Bake in oven until heated thoroughly and cheese melts in about 30-45 minutes.
  9. Serve immediately, or cover directly from the oven with four layers of foil for 1 ½ hours.
  10. This with keep the cheese soft. The casserole will still be hot and ready to eat. 

 So, if you are looking for new and easy one dish meal, then try this one.

And enjoy!

Download the PDF.

So, until next time,       

         Chow, Darlings.

 A Widescreen Online Review Plus Recipe@2026