Y-Town is my town. My Dad worked at A&P, but after A&P closed, we often shopped at Sparkle. My Grandmother, in her inimitable way, called it “Spark-a-lee.” She’s been gone for over 40 years, but we all still call it “Spark-a-lee.” They make the BEST doughnuts!! #InAroundAndBeyondTheBuckeye
Grocery shopping is one of those necessities of life. When I was young, I would accompany my dad every Friday night to shop at the A & P on Mahoning Avenue on the Westside. Eventually that store closed, but a Sparkle Markets store opened that was actually closer opened at the corner of Mahoning and N. Belle Vista, across from Calvary Cemetery.
By today’s standards, the store was small. In later years, especially when my dad was hospitalized on several occasions I shopped there for my mom. I could always find whatever she needed and the meat counter people were always friendly and helpful (and, of course, knew what chip-chopped ham was). Sometime after my folks sold their home, the store closed. Recently I wondered what was happening with Sparkle Markets with all the competition from Giant Eagle and the like and found they were alive and well around the…
When I was 17, I embarked on a trip of a lifetime: I spent the summer in Italy studying Italian with Miami University at its summer language institute in Urbino. Truly, that summer changed my life (more on that in another post). One of the most exciting parts of that trip was traveling throughout Italy and other European countries by rail. Armed with a Eurail pass, the world (or at least Europe) was my oyster: I could hop on a train anytime and go anywhere. The freedom was exhilarating. More than 40 years later, I can still hear the soothing, rhythmic sound of the train riding over the rails; I can almost feel the gentle sway to and fro as the train reaches cruising speed; I can sense the rush of anticipation imagining the clackety-clack of the arrivals and departures board (Alas, the clackety-clack is heard no longer since the old-time boards have largely been replaced with digital ones. The video below, though, captures the ambiance of those boards, and while the one pictured in the video is small, imagine board after board in the larger stations, all flipping at the same time. The cacophony was positively thrilling!).
Traveling by train is special, especially in Europe, and I’ve had the great good fortune to return to Europe many times, riding on all kinds of trains. Here, in the US, though, unless you live in an area where train travel is ordinary and ubiquitous, traveling by train is a mystery or a dream or a magical fantasy. The classic Christmas movie, ThePolar Express, portrays rail travel, albeit fantastically, to an entire generation who may never have set foot on a train, and for others, the film triggers waves of nostalgia, calling to remembrance a by-gone era of steam engines chugging along, billowing smoke, with conductors collecting paper tickets, and panoramic vistas rolling blithely by.
My Mom loves watching The Polar Express with her grandkids; it’s become a holiday tradition (as it has for so many families) – even though all of those grandkids are now adults. Still, they’re her grandkids and forever will be, no matter their ages. And, she’s always wanted to travel by train. On the trips we took together to Europe, though, we either motored by car or tour bus, so she didn’t have the opportunity to enjoy the rail experience there (other than the Tube on our visit to London or the NY subway on our Broadway extravaganza – Oh, those were great trips! Stay tuned! And, remember: Mind the Gap!). She and Dad dreamed of boarding Via Rail in Toronto and traveling cross Canada to Vancouver and Victoria, stopping along the way in Banff and Lake Louise. (Wowza! I’d love to do it, too.) Unfortunately, Mom and Dad never made that trip.
Several years ago, at the start of my summer break, I decided to surprise my Mom with a trip on a train. So, as I am wont to do, I did some research, and then, my son Benji and I headed to Youngstown; we picked Mom up, and, tickets in hand, we set out on a day-long adventure. No, we weren’t whisking her off to the airport to head to Europe, nor were we trekking north of the border to catch Via Rail. Instead, our excursion was a hop, skip, and a jump from Y-Town. The magnet below, recently removed from my old side-by-side refrigerator, is a reminder of that trip:
Located between Cleveland and Akron, you’ll find Cuyahoga Valley National Park, first named a national recreation area in 1974 and then designated a national park in 2000. Who knew? Not I, even as a life-long Buckeye. At least, I didn’t know until recently when I began researching possible nearby train trips. I’ve driven by, around, and above (yes, above on the I-80 bridge that spans a portion of the park) the park, but I’d never known that we had a national park here in Ohio.
Through my research, I learned that the scenic park offers a multitude of outdoor recreational activities: birding, hiking, camping, picnicking, golfing, kayaking, cross-country skiing. And, the park is home to and in partnership with the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad – the destination for our adventure.
In early June, on a weekday afternoon, we boarded the train at the Rockside Station in Independence, our seats confirmed in the Dome Car, for the National Park Scenic Tour. For a couple of hours, we were transported back in time, and life slowed wonderfully down: we settled in, relaxed, and watched the beautiful scenery of Northeast Ohio – so familiar, yet now viewed in an entirely unique way – roll by. Oh, we had a ball! It was a thoroughly pleasant way to wile away a summer day. Mom got to check an item off her bucket list, and, best of all, we made lasting memories together.
Make your own memories aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. Choose from a plethora of options including: Family Friendly Rides (themed rides for the littles with visits from princesses or superheroes), Dinner on the Train (4-course, chef-created meals on the train), Murder Mystery Train (role-playing whodunnit), Grape Escape (scheduled wine tasting excursions, and a special event upcoming for Valentine’s Day in conjunction with Gervasi Vineyard), Ales on Rails (craft beer sampling), Fall Flyer (for leaf peepers and all), and of course, Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s own version of The Polar Express – the North Pole Adventure (c’mon, take a look at that conductor in the above photo: doesn’t he look like Tom Hanks’ character in The Polar Express??).
There’s something for everyone aboard the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad. So, grab your sweetheart or the kids or your folks or your girlfriends or the guys, and make a day or night or weekend of it, riding the rails through Ohio’s very own National Park.
We recently bought a new refrigerator – a behemoth, really – a big, bright, shiny stainless steel French door fridge with freezer on the bottom – to replace our old, white side-by-side model. This was a big, freaking deal. Indeed, it was so momentous that I posted a Facebook announcement to commemorate the occasion:
You see, we bought our old fridge over 25 years ago before our first child, Chloe, was born. That fridge was a pain in the patootie from the beginning. I don’t know what we were thinking when we bought it back then other than that the side-by-side was the newfangled option to replace the drab olive green (or was it dingy goldenrod?) single door fridge with freezer up top – a freezer that frequently demanded defrosting – that was about a bazillion years old. It was not a wise purchase. It’s always been impossible to find stuff in the side-by-side: often we’d push leftovers or half empty condiment bottles or packages of fresh, organic herbs to the rear – deep into the dark, dank nether regions – and there they would remain to rot, buried in a veritable veggie and gravy graveyard. Occasionally, we’d clean the thing out (well, my husband would; it’s a chore I despise) only to find the fetid food had been resurrected into vibrant, fuzzy penicillin cultures.
Ewwww. Gross. I know. The freezer, too, became a land of no return: aluminum foil wrapped meats, hastily packed in before they turned rancid, never to see the light of day again (or the microwave to thaw), were freezer burned beyond utility by encrusted ice crystals. Such a waste. The in-door ice and water dispenser stopped working years ago. And, every so often, water leaked and pooled onto the kitchen floor beneath the left side of the freezer door. So, while the darn thing still worked, chugging along dutifully like the Energizer Bunny, it was time to replace it.
In preparation for the delivery of the new fridge, we had to clean out the old – both the inside and the outside. Ugh. We salvaged what we could from the inside, storing the stuff in coolers and in the basement fridge until delivery of the new appliance. Not thinking much about it, we removed the many magnets that we’d stuck to the front and side, piling them one atop the other in a plastic container. When the new fridge arrived, I was so bedazzled by its brilliant shininess that I decided not to put the magnets back on it.
Still, the plastic bin, heaped with the many magnets casually thrown together, remained on a corner of the kitchen island. We walked by it. We worked around it. We moved it from one corner to the other. Not really noticing it. You know?
Until today.
I have a snow day from school today, and my husband kindly made pancakes (pancakes with caramelized bananas and fresh blackberries, yum) for breakfast; he cleared off the island to work. As I set the plates on the dinette, I looked around. Something was off. What was it? Hmmm. Ahh: Where were the magnets? He had moved them from the island to a shelf beneath the window. Spying the bin, it suddenly struck me (well, I’m sure I’d always known this, but today, it suddenly struck me): each magnet had its own memories; all, countless stories from across the years. And, there they were, under the window, out of the way, overflowing their plastic bin: memories clinging magnetically to memories, maybe in fear of being tossed out, or, worse yet, forgotten.
May it never be.
So begins a series on Magnet Memories, showcasing the collection that adorned the old fridge and telling the stories behind them.
Magnet Memories: Knoebels
These three magnets, for example, represent multiple visits to Knoebels, an award-winning, family run amusement park in Elysburg, PA.
Pictured on the far right magnet: Chloe and I riding the Phoenix, a classic wooden roller coaster
Knoebels is a special place: it’s one of the last amusement parks that doesn’t charge admission. You only pay if you are going to ride the rides, purchasing a wrist band to ride all day or old fashioned tickets to ride individual rides. If you’re not a rider, you can wander through the park, accompanying those who do ride, and enjoy all of the other amenities the park offers without having to pay exorbitant admission fees. Knoebels has been recognized as one of the best parks for its food offerings – unique amusement park food like creamed chipped beef on toast (not my favorite), roast beef, meatloaf, pot pie, gator bites, kielbasa, haluski, potato cakes, and pierogi, to name a few. Nestled among the hills and trees, this park’s setting is gorgeous, and on hot summer days, the shade is as cool and refreshing as the homemade ice cream and old fashioned milk shakes.
But, Knoebels is even more special to me because my Mom used to visit when she was a child. Established in 1926, Knoebels, located in mid-eastern Pennsylvania, is not far from Shamokin, Mt. Carmel, and Locust Gap – where my Grandma McCarthy was born and raised. My Grandma moved to Youngstown when she married, but she, my Grandpa, and all the kids used to “go back to the Gap” to visit the family that remained there. During those visits “back home,” my Mom and her siblings ventured to Knoebels for days filled with good, clean fun.
Peter Stief – my great grandfather – standing in front of the school in Locust Gap, PA where he worked as a janitor
I love going back to the Gap with my Mom, even though there’s not much there anymore. All of her family who remained are gone now; we visit them in the cemetery when we go back to the Gap. My husband and I have made several trips to Knoebels with our kids over the years: once with my Mom and Dad when we stayed in a cabin at Yogi on the River in Northumberland (magnet pictured above and a funny story about my Dad sleeping on a partially opened futon – more on that in another post), once when we camped at Knoebels campground in our popup camper, and another time when we returned to Knoebels campground with the Roo – our Rockwood Roo hybrid camper.
Each time we had a blast in the park. Knoebels isn’t like Cedar Point or King’s Island or any of the Six Flags parks. At Knoebels, you rarely stand in line for more than ten minutes for any ride. The atmosphere is more like a hometown country fair. After almost a hundred years, it’s still going strong, and given the choice between Knoebels and one of the big parks with big ticket admission prices and big crowds, I’ll take Knoebels every time. In fact, I think it’s high time for a return visit. Maybe this summer.
Magnet Memories: Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine
Locust Gap, Elysburg, and the environs are Pennsylvania coal country. On one of our visits to Knoebels, we took a side trip to check out the Pioneer Tunnel Coal Mine in Ashland, PA, and we picked up this magnet to remember our visit there:
My Mom’s family worked in the mines, and I was fascinated (and, I won’t lie, scared) to venture into this mine. I never thought I was claustrophobic, but something about traveling deep inside the side of the mountain freaked me out. Still, it was a memorable excursion. I’d do it again and recommend it to anyone who might be visiting in the area. We weren’t prepared, though, for the cool temperatures inside the mine. While I had my jacket, the rest of the family had to don “loaners” at the entrance to the mine in order to stay warm inside. I don’t think my husband would ever wear a jacket like the one pictured below otherwise!
Looking at these four magnets – four magnets among the many in the pile in the plastic bin on the shelf below the window – made me pause on this snowy snow day – a day when I normally would be at school, a day off instead when I could have been catching up on school work or reading or watching TV or napping or doomscrolling through social media – and reminisce about the stories behind them. Magnet Memories.
A favorite Blackstone Griddle recipe with endless variations is fried rice. Yum. I was first inspired to try griddling chicken fried rice after viewing the Waltwins make it on YouTube. Recently, the twins revisited their popular chicken fried rice recipe with an updated video. They offer some tips and tricks they’ve learned with practice to make cooking fried rice even easier than it already is.
If you watch the video linked above, you’ll see that the Waltwins use a four-burner Blackstone, so they have plenty of griddle space to make their chicken fried rice. It’s more challenging to make fried rice on my 17″ Blackstone with the amount of food that ends up on the cook surface, but it’s not impossible.
The Waltwins also precook their rice the day before and store it in the fridge overnight to dry it out. When we’re camping, we don’t have the refrigerator space to do that, so I use prepackaged microwaveable jasmine rice. I do not cook the rice in the package however; rather, I open the package, empty the contents on the griddle, and cook it there.
Truly, though, once you have the basic recipe and cooking method figured out, griddling fried rice on the Blackstone is easy, not to mention delicious! And, you can put your own spin on it: use whatever protein and vegetables you like. I use chicken mostly, but I change up the veggies.
The Hungry Hussey offers his version of Blackstone Chicken Fried Rice in this video. And one more for good measure, here’s Griddle with Johnny.
Basic Recipe Ingredients
Protein of your choice
Vegetables of your choice – fresh or frozen
Jasmine rice
Eggs
Sesame oil to taste
Soy sauce to taste – sweet or savory
Salt and pepper to taste
Optional – cashews
My Blackstone Fried Rice Creations
Here are some variations of fried rice dishes that I griddled up while camping:
At the end of the camping season, I didn’t want to leave my Blackstone stored away in the camper, so I brought it home. Now, we can enjoy Blackstone Fried Rice anytime we want!
Food tastes better when it’s cooked outside. It just does. Right? Of course it does. I think we can all agree on that. More controversial, though, is the method of cooking outdoors. Will it be charcoal? Hard wood? Smoke? Propane? Electric? (Egads!)
I do most of the cooking when we’re camping. Well, actually, I do most of the cooking when we’re not camping, too. But, when we’re camping, I use propane. For years, I had a Coleman two-burner propane grill. It was great, albeit a bit bulky. It was on wheels, so it was portable, but it still took up space in the camper or the tow vehicle. The grill served its purpose, but I hated to clean it. I came up with an idea to keep it clean, and I created a prototype: I lined the bottom of the grill, under the grates, with foil to catch and collect the grease and droppings. That way, I could easily discard the foil after cooking and therefore take most of the hassle out of cleaning it. Eureka! I dreamed of patenting and producing said inserts and becoming independently wealthy. Ha! Hey, don’t steal my idea!
Instead, I decided to get rid of the grill and replace it with the latest trend in camping accessories: a Blackstone Griddle. Over the last couple years, I noticed more and more campers using Blackstone Griddles. So, I did my homework: I searched online for reviews and recipes and videos. Blackstone devotees are fiercely loyal to the brand! A plethora of YouTubers post videos on YouTube demonstrating recipes from start to finish. Some of my favorites include The Waltwins, Blackstone Betty, The Hungry Hussey, and Blackstone Griddles official channel. YouTube’s a veritable amateur Food Network! Some days, I’d find myself going down the rabbit hole, watching video after video. Trust me: it’s easy to do. I’ve tried many of the recipes from these videos, and they’ve been delicious. I’ve also tried to hone my Blackstone spatula skills by watching these “pros.” It really is educational. My next career might just be as a short order cook in a greasy spoon!!
I finally decided to upgrade from my old grill. I settled on a 17″ Blackstone Culinary version with a hood. I bought this model at Lowe’s, and I believe the Culinary version was a Lowe’s exclusive. Of course, I had to buy the proper accessories, too. Lowe’s had some in stock like a basic griddle kit including two spatulas and a scraper. I also picked up some Blackstone seasoning there. I headed over to the Blackstone website and to Walmart to purchase other accessories: a basting cover, squeeze bottles for oil and water, a silicone six-egg tray, a silicone spatula mat, various sized cast iron presses, a few more spatulas (can’t have too many, right?), disposable grease pans, a propane tank adapter hose and regulator so I could hook the griddle up to a 20# propane tank instead of using the little bottles of propane (which were almost impossible to find during the summer of 2021, the little bottles of propane, I mean), and a carrying bag/cover combo. Oh, and more spice seasonings. The Chicken Griddle seasoning is fabulous! I marinate tenders with olive oil and this seasoning, and when I put them on the griddle, campers all around us can smell the delectable aroma. On more than one occasion, passersby asked when they should be expected for dinner!
It’s official: I’ve joined the Blackstone Griddle Cult.
The 17″ griddle definitely takes up less space than my old propane grill. But, it’s heavy. I’m glad I didn’t go with the bigger size. Although, it would be nice to have more cook top space. Even so, the 17″ has proven itself more than adequate for our camp meals.
At the start of the 2021 camp season, I started posting pics of my Blackstone culinary creations on Facebook. It became a thing, and many friends said they looked forward to seeing what I’d make next. I gladly obliged! And now, with this blog, I’ll post the recipes as well as the pics and maybe an occasional cook video of my own. Who knows? I may become the next viral Blackstone YouTuber! Ha!
In all seriousness, I don’t think we’ve ever eaten as healthily while camping as we did this season. I attribute that to the many fruit and veggie centric meals I made on the Blackstone.
And, as an added bonus, cleanup on the Blackstone is quick and easy! Such a deal!!
Breakfast on the Blackstone: The BEST!
Breakfast on the Blackstone is the best. Bacon sizzles, and when pressed using one of the cast iron presses, it doesn’t curl; it cooks evenly and crisply. The crispier the better for me! Hash browns crisp up beautifully, too. One of my best buys was the six-egg silicone tray. I use it to cook eggs, obviously; it keeps the whites from spreading, and the eggs end up nicely rounded. The egg tray is great for pancakes, too! As with the eggs, it keeps the batter from spreading (especially if the griddle is not level), and the pancakes cook up light and fluffy. I also experimented with cinnamon rolls; french toast; omelets; and sausage biscuits and gravy. All were hits with the family and will be a part of my Blackstone breakfast rotating repertoire.
Stay tuned for more Blackstone camp cook pics, recipes, and videos!
Buckeye Bonhomie 