Annual Recognition Luncheon May 14, 2009

Guest speaker at the event held at Lon's at the Hermosa Inn will be Dr. Robert E. Kravetz, a retired gastroenterologist and a nationally recognized medical historian. He has edited and authored three books on Arizona medical history. He has been a guest curator and contributed to exhibits at museums throughout the state, including the Arizona Historical Society Museum, the Heard Museum, the State Capitol Museum, the Maricopa Medical Society, and the Phoenix Museum of History. He has written extensively on Arizona medical history, spoken statewide and appeared on television. The Maricopa Medical Society has twice honored Dr. Kravetz for his role in preserving and recording Arizona medical history.

Healers, Hucksters & Heroes Arizona Territorial Medicine:
Territorial medical history is traced from the pre-Civil War period to statehood in 1914, when "bleed, blister and purge" was the slogan of Arizona Territorial physicians. Medicine of that period was vastly different from what we know today. Military surgeons, charlatans and quacks, adventurous licensed physicians, and health seekers were all involved in the saga of Arizona medicine. Learn about arrow wounds, amputations for lead shot shattered bones, herbs and patent medicines, what the doctor on horseback carried in his saddlebags, and much more. Examine instruments used by Territorial physicians first-hand. Join Dr. Kravetz on a tour of the Arizona Territory, when the risks of the hospital often superseded the risk of the injury or the disease.

Tour to Mystery Castle February 18

Eighteen members and guests visited this odd yet imaginative dwelling in February. Ruth Ann Hogan, president elect, listens to the tour guide. Laurie Sue Retts, tour chair, stands beside some of the artwork. Mary Lou Gulley has a life size portrait on the wall.
The following are comments from Roadside America.com. Miss Gulley is now in her early eighties and still gives half of the tour. The other guide told us more interesting dope than Gulley did. For example, no one is allowed in her bedroom. One woman insisted and Gulley replied, "Even Clark Gable didn't get in there." Marilyn Monroe, however, according to the guide, was allowed up to the bedroom. Ron Reagan took a tour of the house when he was a movie star. President Eisenhower received a tour of the house when he was in the White House. President Clinton showed up at the gate with Secret Service in tow and Miss Gulley, who had the flu, turned them away. For $5 it's a big bang for the buck.

Sandra Day O'Connor Presented with Cookbook

Recently, Gail and Charles Lucky attended the 25th National Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Elko, Nevada. They had been to it in the past and knew that since it was the 25th anniversary, extra special events would be featured.


When they learned that Sandra Day O’Connor, retired Associate Justice of the Supreme Court, would be the keynote speaker, Charles suggested to Gail that she give Justice O'Connor one of our cookbooks, Tastes & Treasures. Right before Justice O'Connor gave her speech, Gail had the opportunity. Justice O'Connor graciously accepted it with the comment, “I love to cook. I will treasure the book.”

Mediterranean Pasta Salad & Chocolate Peanut Treats

Two League members brought recipes from Tastes & Treasures for the luncheon at our February meeting. Bonnie Newhoff prepared the Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Basil (page 175) and Margaret Baker made the Chocolate Peanut Treats (page 162.)

Mediterranean Pasta Salad with Basil

Basil Vinaigrette
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Salad
2 cups fusilli or penne
6 ounces haricots verts, trimmed
Salt to taste
2 large tomatoes chopped, or small grape tomatoes
Sliced kalamata olvies
2 cups fresh basil leaves, stacked and thinly sliced
1 (7-ounce) can oil-pack tuna, drained and flaked
2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced or chopped
Capers, drained and rinsed
For the viniaigrette, whisk the vinegar, basil, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a bowl until combined. Add the olive oil gradually, whisking constantly until the olive oil is incorporated.
For the salad, cook the pasta using the package directions and drain. Toss the hot pasta with a small amount of the vinaigrette in a bowl. Blanch the green beans in a small amount of boiling salted water in a saucepan until tender-crisp and drain. Immediately plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process and drain.

Layer the pasta, tomatoes, olives, basil, green beans and tuna in a large salad bowl, drizzling each layer with some of the vinaigrette. Toss lightly and top with the hard-cooked eggs and capers.

Serves 4.

Super Bowl Game Day

It is hard to live in Phoenix now and NOT be a Cardinal fan today. Everyone is wearing Cardinal red. We are having a Super Bowl party and I went right to Tastes & Treasures cookbook for food ideas. Cowboy Caviar seemed like a great choice and it is very tasty. I borrowed Cumin from my neighbor and bought Coriander in the grocery store aisle under Mexican foods. It is tiny balls so I crushed it with a rolling pin. The two flavors are interesting. I would have never used them but am glad I did. The dressing also calls for fresh garlic. Okay...it is confession time. I have never used fresh garlic and did not know how to do it. Thank goodness my daughter in law is such a great cook. I had watched her mince garlic cloves but then I could not find the garlic press. Knowing it was buried in the draw of utensils that I rarely used, I began to look. Found a cherry pitter, lemon juicer, apple sectioner. Then I got lucky and found one half of the garlic press. After much digging (you can tell by now that I don't cook much) the other half appeared and I was good to go. Except one garlic clove seemed like a lot so I stopped there. Oh well. This is a new version of Cowboy Caviar. Then two avocados did not seem like enough so I added another. Love them in anything. And the aroma of fresh cut cilantro is yummy. This is a photo of our good friend, Earlene Alauria, holding Cardinal cupcakes and me with the Cowboy Caviar ...Go Cards.

AZ Cardinals Football Frenzy from Jeannine Moyle, League President

Today, January 30, in the midst of the frenzy around the historic event of the Arizona Cardinals going to the SUPERBOWL, a small but very interested group met at the AHS Museum to listen to Mack Gilchrist and three of his close friends in the football business. The four of them total together over 120 years serving their profession of Football Officials in the PAC 10 (Pacific Athletic Conference).

Dick Schnell and Chuck Czubin are from Seattle, WA; Fred Galagher is from Long Beach, CA and Mack lives here in the Valley. They did explain that they never officiated at a game in their home state or one involving their alma mater.

Among those who attended, there were some with loads of knowledge on football and some with a slight clue about the game but they all enjoyed the information and antics sparked by lively discussion. Everyone came away with something that they never knew before. i.e. “lateral” is a word not in the rule books. A pass is either a “forward pass” or a “backward pass”. Any pass that goes to lateral is a “forward pass”.

Of the seven positions for the Officials, each one concentrates only on the area they are officiating. Depending on their position they may never know how or where the ball was received. The Referee concentrates ONLY on the Quarterback and is considered his ‘protector’. There were many tidbits of information and a lot of personal experiences that made for a fun guest speaker keeping everyone in the “football frame of mind”.

Photo Fair at AHS Museum

The second annual Photo Fair was a big hit with many Phoenix natives eager to show their collections of Arizona history. We set up a table to sell the cookbook but the granola samples were better received than the book. I think everyone came to this event hungry and enjoyed the samples from page 196. It is a healthy snack with molasses, dates, raisins, dried apricots (my favorite), oats, coconut and assorted nuts with honey and brown sugar. Yumm. Great for an after school treat as well.

Pat Faur set up the cookbook table with Jeannine Moyle and Tobe Daum helping me through out the day. It turned out to be a good day with Richard Shaw purchasing many books for Rock Springs Cafe. Rock Springs has a long and colorful history as an Indian encampment, stage stop and watering hole for miners, drovers and sheephearders.

The first commercial use of the property was in 1920 when Ben Warner, built a canvas covered store during the time the adobe blocks for the new Hotel and General Store were made. This opened in 1924. The hotel housed some notable people as well as provided comfort to those traveling to the gold and silver mines in the Bradshaw Mountains. Jean Harlow was a guest at the hotel. The Goldwater Family, including Senator Barry Goldwater, were frequent visitors stopping to rest and savor some of Rock Springs' famous blackberry pie.