Elements

A Tribute to My Father, A Veteran of the U.S. Navy

Sheila — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 07:26:33 +0000

On December 7, 1960 (Pearl Harbor Day), Dad (Leroy Rowe) and his younger brother, Ronald Rowe, enlisted in the U.S. Navy on the Buddy Plan so they could stay together while they were in the service. They were flown to the US Naval Training Center at Great Lakes, Ill, just outside of Chicago, where they went through boot camp together.

Boot camp was quite challenging, even for my father who was quite physically fit from playing basketball, from walking miles to school, and from roaming the mountains of McCreary County, Kentucky. When say “roaming,” I don’t mean four-wheeling or riding around in a car. He walked all over those mountains on his own two feet. There was a also a time when he had a bicycle and delivered newspapers, and riding up and down those hills was another way that he stayed in shape. That certainly helped him during boot camp which was quite rigorous.

Most of you have probably seen movies or television shows which give you a good idea of how difficult it is for new recruits. Dad said that’s pretty accurate, but he told me that back when he was in boot camp, things were a little different. For example, everyone had to wash and dry their own clothes and bedding, but keep in mind there were no washers and dryers. At home, they washed their clothes on a washboard which required a lot of physical labor. While in boot camp, they had long troughs with slightly slanted sides where they washed clothes by hand with a large scrub brush.

Boot camp also tested the endurance of the new recruits. For example, Dad told me about how they were required to stand guard outdoors in bitter cold weather for hours at a time. He said that at least when you’re outside in sub-zero temperatures and high winds and can move around, you can generate some body heat from the physical activity; however, when you’re required to stand still, that’s just not possible. You simply had to endure it…and both Dad and my Uncle Ronald did just that.

After completing boot camp, they departed Great Lakes on March 1, 1961, and went home to McCreary County Kentucky for a visit. In the photo below, Dad is on the left and Ronald is on the right.

Here’s another picture of Dad and Ronald right out of boot camp with the family. Back row from left to right: Ronald, Papa (Raymond), Nana (Goldie), and Dad (Leroy). Front row from left to right: Sylvia, Boyd, Hazel, Eleanor, and Diann.

Dad and Ronald then reported to the US Navel Base at Norfolk, Virginia, on March 16, 1961. Although Norfolk was their home base, they were transferred to a Naval radio station in Drivers, Virginia, where they stayed for about one year. Naturally, these sailors spent a good bit of time in the water. In the photo below, Ronald is on the left and Dad is on the right.

Here’s a photo of Dad at the Naval base in Drivers.

Ronald (shown in photo below)

was transferred to USS Watchman AGR-16 a couple of months before Dad.

The Watchman was a Radar Picket Ship that was home ported on Treasure Island in San Francisco, California, sailing along the western coast of the USA as far north as the Bering Straights, scanning the skies for enemy planes.

On March 15, 1962, Dad left Drivers and reported to Treasure Island,

but the Watchman was out to sea. He waited a couple of weeks for the ship to return home, joining Ronald aboard the Watchman.

Dad had taken a test in Norfolk, and when he arrived at Treasure Island, he received news that he made the rank of 3rd class Storekeeper.

Naval life wasn’t all about work, service, and studying though. They had some free time to hang out and socialize. Here’s a picture of Dad and Ronald on the banks of the Russian River in Guerneville, California.

Dad met my mother, Carol Ann, in June of 1962. Dad and Ronald were on a blind date with Mom and a lady by the name of Nancy. Dad and Mom weren’t actually paired up on that blind date, but they were attracted to each other and by the end of the night, they ended up being paired up. They fell in love, and got married on April 18, 1963. Their wedding photo was taken at the Treasure Island Naval Base. We’re not sure who took their picture so I don’t know who to give credit for taking such a beautiful portrait of them.

Dad spent as much time as he could with my mother while he was in San Francisco. He was stationed on The Watchman until February 8, 1963. Here he is standing on the pier in front of his ship.

And here he is on the aft steering deck.

Here’s a picture of him on the Watchman, taking just a second to pose for the camera.

And finally, here he is relaxing on #3 hatch.

Dad was transferred from the Watchman to San Diego, where he attended school at Coronado Island in San Diego. Little did he know that some day he would have a son, Leroy Michael, who would go through the very same school! Here’s a picture of Leroy, who followed in Dad’s footsteps. I would like to give credit to the person who photographed him, but I don’t know who the photographer was.

After attending school in San Diego, California, Dad left on April 26, 1963, arriving on Midway Island on May 2, 1963. Here’s a picture of the crew At AUW Compound on Midway Island. Dad is the first person on the left who’s squatting down.

Dad was at Midway Island for 14 months, and was there when I was born (much earlier than anyone expected). Here’s a picture of Mom holding me as a newborn.

Dad spent his off-duty time on Midway Island scuba diving, swimming, and making reel-to-reel videos. Over the years, I’ve enjoyed watching these videos because it me a glimpse into my father’s world. Dad also enjoyed playing with the gooney birds, as well as with Sooner, the very cute dog who was the mascot of Midway Island.

They named him Sooner because he’d sooner do his business indoors than out.

Dad left Midway Island on July 7, 1964, flying first to Hawaii and then taking an 18 hour flight to Japan where he reported aboard the Graffias AF-29 (a supply ship) at Yokosuka Japan.

While he was there, he was the Storekeeper in charge of cargo hold #1. On the last day of July, the Graffias sailed for Subic Bay in the Philippines.

When North Vietnamese motor torpedo boats attacked US destroyers Maddox DD-731 and Turner Joy DD-951 in the Gulf of Tonkin on August 4, the Graffias was sent there to help, and Dad and the rest of the crew not only resupplied the two US destroyers which were attacked, but they supplied many other ships of the 7th Fleet. The ship actually ended up setting a record. According to the Naval Historical Center, the Graffias replenished “supplies at an average rate of 168.9 short tons per hour.” Dad said they got very little sleep during this time, generally working about 18 hours a day.

The Graffias then started making its way back home, and during that trip, she set port in Hong Kong, Yokoska and Pearl Harbor. The ship was also in Sasebo Japan, and pretty much all over the South China Sea.

Dad returned home from Viet Nam, stopping in Hong Kong and Hawaii before finally returning back to San Francisco on November 27, 1964. He was then transferred back to Treasure Island, where he was discharged from active duty on December 2, 1964; however, he then became a part of the Navel Reserves, subject to recall. He was totally and honorably discharged from the Navy in 1966.

I’m proud of you, Dad,

and I want you to know how much it means to me that you sacrificed so much so you could serve your country.

And thank you also to my uncle Ronald,

my uncle Bobby,

my brother Leroy,

and my grandfather, Michael John (pictured with my Uncle Bobby)

for all the sacrifices you made as well.

Thank you, Dad, for everything you did to protect the United States and our freedoms! It means so much!! Thank you also for telling me about your Navy days! I love hearing the stories! Love you!! sheila

P.S. Thanks also to both you and Mom for the help with the timeline, dates, and stuff like that. Thanks also for scanning the pictures. Speaking of pictures, I have no idea who took these old pictures that are in my parents’ family album. I would like to give credit to the photographers who took them, but I simply have no idea. If anyone knows who took any of the photos, please let me know so I can give proper credit. Thank you.

Fedja and Diana’s Wedding

Sheila — Sun, 21 Aug 2011 04:17:46 +0000

On February 26, 2011, Fedja and Diana pledged their love to each other, uniting together as husband and wife.

We wish them a lifetime of happiness together.

Check out the slide show on You Tube so you can see some of the photos taken that day by me, Kemal, Amir, and Vanja.

Click here to view the embedded video.

A Peach Margarita break

Sheila — Thu, 04 Aug 2011 05:10:42 +0000

I’ve been blogging for about two years now, but the time has gone by so fast that it seems like almost yesterday.

It’s been a whole lot of fun!

It’s been wonderful to find your blogs, to learn more about you, and to be inspired every day by what you’re cooking, baking, and drinking too.

It’s been fun photographing and sharing with you everything that comes out of our kitchen.

But life seems kind of hectic right now, and I need to take a little break from blogging so I can finish a couple of projects that I’ve been working on.

So I’m planning to take a temporary break from blogging so I can do that.

In the meantime, Kemal and I plan on trying many of your recipes, and enjoying lots of good food!

Anyway, I’ll be around and commenting some, but I’ll be less active…at least for awhile.

In the meantime, here’s a peach margarita for you

and you,

and you!

Don’t worry…I’ve got more! There plenty enough for the rest of you too! Cheers! sheila

8-Layer Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Sheila — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 19:37:31 +0000

We’ve been eating so much tabbouleh this summer for breakfast, and while we both really enjoy it, we wanted something a little different this week. So I quickly threw together this 8-layer salad for us this morning, and not only was it incredibly refreshing and delicious, but it was also very fast and easy to make. Here’s what it looked like before we devoured it.

It sure did hit the spot!

Kemal said he felt the like prosciutto could have been left out. I agree. I think meatless would have been the way to go, but I felt throwing some in at the time I was making it. Bacon would have been ideal, but I didn’t have any.

What kind of salads have you been enjoying lately?

8-Layer Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing

Recipe Adapted from: Sneakers and Snacks who adapted the recipe from Tasty Kitchen (recipe submitted by Cathy B. at brightbakes)

Ingredients:

4 cups romaine lettuce hearts, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 Vidalia onion, diced
8 baby carrots, chopped
4 oz. goat mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 slice Prosciutto, chopped
6 radishes, thinly sliced
2 hard boiled eggs, sliced
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tbsp. homemade dry Ranch seasoning mix

Instructions:

Place two eggs in a small pot.
Add enough water to cover the eggs.
Turn the heat on high, and when the water comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium high and cook for 10 minutes.
Run cold water over the hot eggs and then peel and slice them; refrigerate until needed.
Find a large platter/plate for the salad.
Wash and chop the romaine lettuce hearts; shake out any excess water, and then scatter the lettuce on the large serving plate.
Wash the radishes, and then cut off the ends.
Slice the radishes thinly, and then place the radish slices in a circle around the lettuce. If you have more radish slices like I did, make one or two more radish circles on top of the lettuce.
Wash and dice the tomato, and then scatter the diced tomatoes on top of the salad.
Peel and dice the onion, and then scatter the diced onion on top of the salad.
Chop the baby carrots and then scatter them on top of the salad.
Chop the Prosciutto into small pieces, and then scatter the pieces on top of the salad.
Shred the cheese and scatter it on top of the salad.
Place the chilled hard boiled egg slices on top of the salad.
Mix together the seasonings needed for the ranch dressing. Click here for the seasonings you’ll need.
After you’ve mixed together the seasonings, stir 1 tbsp. of the seasoning mix into 1 cup of Greek yogurt.
Place the yogurt mixture on top of the salad.
Enjoy!

Lamb and Beef Gyros

Sheila — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 02:31:12 +0000

We love gyros…lamb, chicken, beef, or veggie…doesn’t matter. I’ll take one of each please!

Kemal made us some incredibly tasty lamb and beef gyros a few weeks ago.

They totally hit the spot!

Here’s the recipe he used:

Alton Brown at www.foodnetwork.com

He followed that recipe exactly except he also added some extra spices… some fenugreek, sumac, and cumin…about a teaspoon of each.

We served them on homemade lejinje (Bosnian pita bread) that I had made earlier in the day and topped them with tzatziki sauce, yellow tomatoes, fresh mint, and some dried mint as well. We were in total heaven!

We also enjoyed some lamb and beef gyros at It’s All Greek to Me, which is a little family owned Greek restaurant here in town. We ordered a chicken gyro as well, and it was awesome!

Not only did we enjoy the food, but we also enjoy some nice conversation with Chef Maria.

Here’s a couple of pictures of us a few weeks ago on our anniversary at the Greek restaurant.

While we certainly love making our own gyros, we do plan to go back to the restaurant and enjoy some there from time to time as well too.

What kind of gyro is your favorite? Chicken, lamb, beef, a lamb/beef combo, or a veggie one?

Chocolate Banana Cardamom Jam and Swiss Orange Banana Almond Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Needed)

Sheila — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 18:55:37 +0000

I saw a couple of recipes for chocolate banana cardamom jam, and made it a few weeks ago.

It’s wonderful for spreading on bread or vanilla cookies.

It’s also great to eat it right from the spoon.

But guess what else you can do with it? You can make a batch of it and then combine it with some other ingredients to make a Swiss orange banana almond ice cream

that tastes incredibly rich and delicious! And guess what…you don’t need an ice cream maker. How cool is that!!

I still have some in my freezer. I’m savoring it…a few creamy bites at a time because I want it to last. And it’s so full of flavor that only a few bites satisfies me.

The chocolate and the orange flavors come through loud and clear, and this makes a wonderful summertime treat.

Give it a try sometime and see for yourself.

I’m having a blast making small-batch ice creams this summer. They’re really so much fun to make! What about you? What have you been having fun with in the kitchen lately?

Recipe Source for the Chocolate Banana Cardamom Jam: Chef in Disguise who adapted the recipe from Baking Obsession.

Inspiration for the Swiss Orange Banana Almond Ice Cream: Chef in Disguise who adapted the recipe from Baking Obsession.

Ingredients for the Swiss Orange Banana Almond Ice Cream (No Ice Cream Maker Needed):

All of the ingredients listed at Chef in Disguise’s recipe for chocolate banana cardamom jam plus:
1 cup frozen banana slices
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 tsp. orange extract
1 tsp. dried orange peel
Optional: 1 tsp. Cointreau

Note: Don’t add the Cointreau if you’re going to be serving this to children.

Note: The chocolate I used when making the chocolate banana cardamom jam was 1 bar of Chocolove Orange Peel in Dark Chocolate.

Instructions for Making the Swiss Orange Chip Banana Almond Ice Cream:

Set your frozen banana slices on the counter top and let them thaw out a little bit.
After they’ve thawed out some, put them in your blender along with the almond milk, chocolate chips, orange extract, orange peel, and the chilled chocolate banana cardamom jam.
Puree the mixture.
Then pour into a shallow plastic freezer container.
If you’re going to add in the Cointreau, this is the point where you want to do it. Just stir it into the mixture before freezing.
Secure the lid and freeze.
If you’re going to be home, you can stir the mixture every couple of hours but it’s not necessary. You can just freeze it overnight and in the morning your ice cream will be ready.
Just let it soften about 5 minutes and then scoop it out.

Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns

Sheila — Thu, 21 Jul 2011 16:46:56 +0000

Raise your hands if you love hot dogs. *raises mine up*

Yep…they’re good stuff, but let’s face it, they’ve been given a bad rap. I remember reading that they’re filled with all kinds of yucky stuff that isn’t good for us so I try not to eat them very often. But when we do eat them, we buy high quality dogs that are free of hormones, antibiotics, and preservatives. Maybe they’re still not the healthiest thing for us to eat, but hey…a hot dog every now and again is fine for us.

Anyway, if you enjoy hot dogs from time to time too, try making homemade hot dog buns to go with them the next time you have them.

They’re really easy to make, taste fabulous, and they don’t take very long either.

You can find the recipe at One Frugal Food/Alisa Cooks. The recipe is for hamburger buns, and I use this recipe when we have burgers, but if you want hot dog buns, just shape them like hot dog buns before baking them and there ya go!

By the way, I did try making my own vegan hot dogs

several months ago, and while I loved how they tasted, I didn’t care for the texture.

Anyway, just one final thing I wanted to mention about hot dogs. My favorite way to eat them is roasting them over a bonfire. I remember when I was a kid we used to do that cookouts my folks would have, and we’d also do that when we were camping.

Roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over a bonfire…*sigh*…I think that was like my favorite thing in the world when I was a kid. I sure did love burning my marshmallows on the outside and have them be all ooey gooey, and soft on the outside. Yum, yum, yum!!!

What about you? Did you roast marshmallows and hot dogs on a stick over a bonfire when you were a kid?

Peach Mango Black Bean Salsa and Pineapple Mango Salsa

Sheila — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 14:46:36 +0000

Summertime salsas is what it’s all about. They’re fresh, flavorful, fun, and fantastic! They’re festive too because make me think of South-of-border fiestas.

I made some peach mango black bean salsa

as a topping for tacos and taco salad. I made the pineapple mango salsa

as a topping for some blackened salmon.

These salsas are also perfect as a baked potato topping. Salsa and sour cream on baked potatoes is definitely the way to go!

They’re great on top of nachos, and they’re perfect for omelets.

I also enjoy eating salsas like this straight from the bowl. It makes a healthy snack or a wonderful light lunch.

You can also add heat to your salsas by dicing up some jalapeno or habanero peppers and throwing it into the mix.

I love my salsa hot and spicy, but sometimes hot peppers (as well as fresh cilantro) gives me really bad heartburn.

What about you? Do you prefer your salsa mild, medium, hot and spicy, or set-your-mouth-on-fire hot?

Peach Mango Black Bean Salsa

Adapted from: Savoring Every Bite

Ingredients:

2 larges peaches, finely diced
1 large mango, finely diced
1 yellow ear of corn (corn cut off the cob)
1/2 can black beans
1/2 large Vidalia onion, finely diced
16 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped parsley
zest of 1 lime
juice and pulp of 1 lime
dried cilantro to taste
salt to taste

Instructions:

Wash the peaches and cherry tomatoes, and then finely dice it all up.
Peel and finely dice the mango and onion.
Wash the ear of corn, and then cut all the corn off the cob.
Wash and finely chop the parsley.
Wash the lime, and then use a fine grater to zest the lime.
Mix together all the vegetables, the parsley, the lime zest, and 1/2 can of black beans.
Squeeze the lime juice over the mixture, then chop up the lime pulp and add it to the mixture.
Stir in dried cilantro and salt to taste.
Serve chilled.

Pineapple Mango Salsa

Recipe Source: Whole Foods Market (I saw some pineapple mango salsa in the produce section, looked at the ingredients, and then tried to replicate it at home

Ingredients:

1/2 of a fresh pineapple, finely diced
1 fresh mango, finely diced
2 green onions, finely diced
16 cherry tomatoes, finely diced
lime juice to taste
salt to taste
dried cilantro to taste

Instructions:

Cut and core the pineapple, and then finely dice about half of it.
Wash the tomatoes and onions, and then finely dice them.
Peel and finely dice the mango.
Toss all the ingredients together, and then stir in lime juice to taste.
Mix in salt and dried cilantro to taste.
Serve chilled.

Hot Chocolate Ice Cream (Made without Using an Ice Cream Maker)

Sheila — Sat, 16 Jul 2011 18:29:28 +0000

Making ice cream without an ice cream maker is very easy to do. I’ll tell you how in a minute so you can do it too. If you can make hot chocolate, you can make your own yummy chocolate ice cream like I did!

I made it the other day for my father who was interested in learning more about making ice cream without an ice cream maker. And I made this ice cream for my honey bunny who can drink my hot cocoa every day of the week. I figured if he loves my hot chocolate, he’ll love it frozen too. And I also made it because..well…I love chocolate ice cream.

Anyway, speaking of my Dad and my honey bunny, well…here’s some pictures I took of them a few months ago when they were being very silly!

I love these pictures! Their smiles are priceless!!!!

Anyway, you see why I was so inspired to make this ice cream for them.

It turned out great!!! So rich and chocolaty…not to mention ice cold and creamy!

I could go as far as to say it’s dreamy…and if anything could take your cares away…it’s this ice cold hot chocolate ice cream

which is perfect on a hot summer day!

So whatcha waitin’ for? Let’s go make some chocolate ice cream!!!

Pssssst…You can use this recipe to make any flavor ice cream you want. If you want vanilla ice cream, just skip the cocoa powder and add more vanilla. Want cookies and cream ice cream? Crumble in some cookies to either chocolate or vanilla ice cream. Want strawberry ice cream? Make vanilla ice cream and add some fresh or frozen strawberries. Want rocky road ice cream? Add some marshmallows and peanuts to this chocolate ice cream. Want cherry cordial ice cream? Add some chopped up maraschino cherries to vanilla or chocolate ice cream.

Can’t do dairy? Use coconut milk, coconut cream, almond milk, soy milk, etc.

Use your imagination. Have fun! Eat ice cream!!

Edit: By the way, check out the ice cream social going on at Kitchen Bouquet to learn about the history of ice cream and to see all kinds of wonderful recipes. You can add your ice cream links there too.

Hot Chocolate Ice Cream (Made without Using an Ice Cream Maker)

How to Make It:

First, make a batch of Hershey’s Favorite Hot Cocoa
When it cools down, pour it into a freezer container, secure the lid, and place in your freezer overnight. That’s it. If you’re awake while the ice cream is freezing, stir it every hour or so if you want, but it’s not necessary.
Take it out of the freezer to soften some before serving.

Just Us

Sheila — Fri, 15 Jul 2011 16:06:15 +0000

Kemal and I celebrated our 14th wedding anniversary this week so I thought it’s a good time to take a look back at pictures of us throughout years.

Some of the pictures we took of ourselves by using a tripod and remote. Most of the other pictures were taken by my father and our friend Vanja. There were other friends and family who took some of the other pictures. Many of the pictures are scanned images from our photo albums so the quality isn’t up to par.

I’ve disabled comments so just browse through the pictures if you like and check out this bit of a visual time capsule if you will…a look back at us from when we were dating until now.

Okay…here we go…

Here we are on our first vacation together before we were married. We went to Cave City, Kentucky…where Mammoth Cave is located. We also went to visit some of Kemal’s friends in nearby Glasgow, Kentucky. These pictures were taken in Glasgow by Kemal’s friend.

And here we are at the zoo in Louisville after we returned from our trip. The photo was taken by Angela, one of my co-workers at the Women’s Center.

Here’s a few wedding pictures my father took of us. We were married on Fernadina Beach in Florida.

We went to Cumberland Island (off the coast of Florida and Georgia) during our honeymoon. Here we are on the ferry going to the island.

Here we are in our first apartment.

And here we are at Seneca Park where we took our first digital picture of each other.

We had a wonderful evening at our friend, Amir’s wedding.

And when our friends Vanja and Vesna got married in Florida, we vacationed with them for three weeks in Gulf Shores. We had such a wonderful time and didn’t want to go home! Here’s some pictures of us during that time.

While we enjoy vacationing in the Gulf of Mexico and have been there several times, we also enjoy spending time with our family in Kentucky. Here we are on Dad’s boat one day while he took us out on the river to enjoy a ride.

And here we are at a family gathering.

And this is a picture Dad took of us one day while he and Mom were showing around Devil’s Jump in the Big South Fork area.

And here we are a few years ago at Cumberland Falls.

Here’s a few more pictures of us over the years:

The following are some pictures of us in May, 2010, when we took a road trip out West with my parents. Some of the places we visited included the Grand Canyon, Yosemite National Park, San Francisco, Muir Woods, and Yellowstone National Park. We saw a whole lot more and went through many different states, but those were just a few highlights. Here’s a few pictures of us from that trip:

And here’s a couple of pictures of us at our friend Fedja and Diana’s wedding (February 2011):

And finally, here we are on our 14th wedding anniversary which was Tuesday, July 12th, 2011. We went to a wonderful Greek restaurant called “It’s All Greek To Me” and stuffed ourselves silly. Here’s two pictures of us at the restaurant.

So that’s us…from 16 years ago to now. I’m grateful for so many years of love and happiness, and I’m looking forward to many more!