What was your worst kitchen accident? My worst kitchen accident happened in my mid 20s – baking pecan pie for the annual family gathering. Everyone in my family was assigned to bring their specialty to Thanksgiving dinner at Mom and Dad’s house, and my specialty was pecan pie.
I look forward to making pecan pie, and I only do it once a year. Pecan pie is limited to Thanksgiving time, in the season when pecans are being harvested and we aren’t counting calories. I follow the exact recipe on the back of the Karo corn syrup bottle and I used to pride myself on my home-made crust – which my Grandma raved over how light and flaky it was (of course, she taught me, sooooo……)
This one particular night before Thanksgiving, after working a long shift all day, I picked up the ingredients from the store and made my way home. After dinner, I prepared the crust, mixed up the filling and I loaded my pie shell with said filling. It was getting late, and I was tired….. but all I had left to do was stay up another hour until the pie was finished baking.
Now, If you have made pecan pie yourself, you will know that the filling is pure sticky liquid (sugar, Karo syrup, eggs and vanilla) with pecans floating on the top. The liquid pie is placed on a cookie sheet, then both are placed in the preheated oven. The cookie sheet catches any drips from the pie that might happen during the cooking process, and it also helps to remove a hot pie safely once it’s done cooking. Pro tip (and ultimate irony): I cover my cookie sheet with aluminum foil to make cleanup a breeze.
As I was lowering my liquid pie into the oven, it suddenly slid forward on the aluminum-foil covered cookie sheet until it hit the edge – and before I could stop it – the entire contents of liquid pie poured out into my preheated oven. What a mess!! The syrupy, sugary filling immediately started to hiss and burn on the bottom of the hot oven, the grills were covered with sticky goo and pecans. The liquid syrup poured into the bottom vents of the oven (where does that go?) and smoke began billowing into the kitchen.
I don’t exactly remember what happened after. I think there was some crying….
I do remember, my darling husband Jim came to my rescue and did most of the cleanup and none of the crying.
Nothing was salvaged. The stores were closed for Thanksgiving Day (remember when they did that?) so no pecan pie for Thanksgiving that year. All in all, a distant memory and a lesson learned. Now it’s time to make another pecan pie for this year, WISH ME LUCK! And…….HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
What was YOUR worst cooking disaster? Share in the comment section below:
It is now almost the end of October! Fall is in progress; it’s finally cooling down and the leaves are beginning to turn. By the time I write next month’s blog for November, Halloween will have come and gone, Thanksgiving will have come and gone, and a hotly contested election will have come and gone.
That is a LOT of anticipation….and we won’t know how it will all turn out until my next blog.
I suppose I can predict what will happen on Halloween: some folks will spend a LOT of money on cheesy Halloween decorations – and kids will eat a lot of candy. Those things just happen naturally these days without a lot of thought.
I suppose I can also predict what will happen this Thanksgiving: people will eat.
But…. I cannot possibly predict or imagine what the election will bring! Just be sure you VOTE!
No matter what happens, be safe, be happy and we will check in with you at the end of November.
Kool-Aid Man Loves John Denver! Remember the Kool Aid Man?
He would burst through the wall and yell, “Oh Yeah” in a deep voice.
Here’s a clip to remind you of the Kool Aid Man
That was my first thought at one of our recent concerts, when I heard a deep voice in the back of the room (it was dark and I couldn’t see who it was). I could hear him bellowing out, “Oh Yeah!” in between songs. “Ha!” I joked to myself, “The Kool Aid man is at our concert!” He was certainly having a great time, and he sounded like he was having a few drinks of something other than Kool Aid.
I couldn’t see the back of the room. The stage lighting only allowed me to see the first 5 rows of tables and chairs at the front of the stage. The first 5 rows were premium seating for concert goers, the coveted front seats, up close and personal. I had noticed at the beginning of our show that 2 of those seats – front and center – were uncharacteristically empty, and they remained empty as the show progressed. We normally have folks sitting in all of the premium seats, and although I was supposed to be performing songs, I found myself looking down at those empty seats and I began hoping that it was just because they forgot the date of the concert and not some sort of medical emergency that kept them from attending. I sent up a quick prayer and got my mind back to work….many folks DID show up, and they deserved my full attention.
Well, guess who else noticed the empty seats? Oh Yeah…..you guessed it; sometime close to the end of our show, the Kool Aid man made his way from the back of the room to the very first row with no one stopping him. In fact, the girl who was serving drinks quickly placed an adult beverage in front of him as soon as he sat down, as if to welcome him and reward him for his boldness. His age, long blonde hair, jeans and tank top made him look like he got lost on his way to a Guns and Roses Concert.
The Kool Aid Man was not content with stealing a front row seat and playing it…..um…..cool. You might think, having gotten away with his crime, he would sit quietly and try to go unnoticed. NOPE! He proceeded to stand with his arms in the air and bellow out deep and loud! When the other premium seat holders protested, he turned around and bellowed at them. It was distracting to us and intolerable to those around him. The lone security guard made two attempts to remove him, and the Kool Aid Man flatly refused to leave. We were close to the end of the concert, so I suppose security decided not to fight him. In his last act of defiance, the Kool Aid Man decided to break another rule and began videoing himself and the angry people around him with his phone.
After the show, the Kool Aid Man told Jim that he just loves John Denver (we already knew that, he shouted it several times during the show). Then he turned and busted through the wall and disappeared. (Not really, but it wouldn’t have surprised me).
Was this a prank? Did this guy lose a bet and his buddies forced him to humiliate himself at a John Denver Tribute Concert? Will his video be on YouTube someday? Tell me what you think in the comments. it was a different and rare experience for us ….hopefully the last one like that.
It was 7:30am a few weeks ago when I was jolted awake by an ear-piercing, hi pitched noise. I covered my ears and took a moment to remember where I was (a hotel in Pennsylvania) and what had awakened me (the fire alarm)
In the next moments I looked at the time (7:30) I looked at Jim (already up and getting dressed.) Next, I visualized our escape route. I quickly dressed (not easy to do with your fingers in your ears) then we checked our door before opening it (the door was not hot) and dutifully made our way outside (easy, we were on the 1st floor). I smelled smoke…..it smelled like burnt toast.
The procedure in any building is to evacuate when you hear the fire alarm. We know the drill; we have practiced the drill in many places across the country and twice at sea in Alaska. You must evacuate – they will go room-to-room and get everybody out until the fire department arrives. In this case, going outside was the best and only way to escape the painful shrieking of the alarm.
During evacuation, so many thoughts very quickly go through my mind: What do I need? Where do I go? What do I bring? What did I leave behind? On a ship in Alaska, I wonder how cold the water is. If I end up in the ocean, my life preserver will only save me until hypothermia takes over. The time it takes to evacuate is the time I have to think about my situation. Even as I am in the process of taking action, I have those very same moments to contemplate the end of my life and how I might die.
In every situation, when we finally get the “all clear” from the fire department I feel relief. I also feel irritated by the rude awakening, and I also feel more than a little bit silly for letting something like the smell of burnt toast cause me to consider my untimely demise. All in all, I am just plain grateful to live another day.
HERE IS A BREAKDOWN OF ALARMS AND CAUSES IN MY 20-PLUS YEARS OF TRAVELING:
Alaska Cruise ship FIRE ALARM! CAUSE: Incinerator fire (aren’t fires supposed to be in incinerators?)
Midwest hotel TORNADO SIREN! CAUSE: No tornado, but we made a lot of friends in the stairwell.
Symphony Christmas Concert FIRE ALARM! CAUSE: The entire audience and all performers were evacuated from the building and into the snow during our performance. There was no fire, a vendor was roasting chestnuts in the lobby. Which set off the smoke alarm.
Alaska Cruise ship FIRE ALARM! CAUSE: Dang incinerator again
Midwest hotel FIRE ALARM! CAUSE: No fire, someone smoking in their room.
I saved a news article I wanted to share with all of you, but, time passed…. I lost the article, and I found it again, then I realized that I had forgotten where it came from. So, with apologies and appreciation to the (unknown) news source, here is a true story What is My Coffee? written by Pam Kearney:
I suppose my coffee is entertaining. My goal as a performer is to make people feel good by performing heartfelt music. John Denver music makes it sooo easy for me to make good coffee!
Tell me in the comments – WHAT IS YOUR COFFEE?
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"It was an amazing evening. We have had many different performers at our conferences; The Beach Boys, Tony Bennett, Three Dog Night, America. Jim Curry ranks among these acts. I would book Jim and his band again in a heartbeat."
Daniel Young Corporate Function, Keystone, CO
"I have to tell you I don't know when we've enjoyed a show as much as we enjoyed yours. It just swept us away and we did not want it to end! You are all so gifted. And the music of John Denver speaks for itself. It touches the heart."
