The Yankee Wood Chapter graced us with their company this past weekend due to bad weather we did not have the honor of seeing their wonderful vintage cars however, the wonderful group have promised to show their vehicles on Fathers Day on their way to the Portsmouth car show - (providing the weather is good to us)! You can view these wonderful cars at 2 p.m. on Fathers Day.
Article written by Micheline below - This article will appear in the Foster Home Journal, which goes to every household in Scituate, Foster, and Glocester (11,500 homes)
Mangia with Micheline
During my 36 year relationship with my husband, I have been introduced and infused with the antique car world. Growing up I had no clue that there were cars named Packard, Hudson, Pierce Arrows, Kaisers, LaSalle as well as Cadillac, Lincoln, Oldsmobile, and Chevy. When I met Sal, he was driving a 1947 Packard Clipper; what a way to impress a girl! During the years that followed, we have owned many different vehicles, several different models of Packard, Cadillac, Buick, and even a Hudson! Currently we own a 1941 Cadillac 60 Special that has wood trim. We also belong to the Yankee Wood Chapter of the National Woodie Club. In fact, Sal is the President and I am the Secretary of the chapter. It is a wonderful club, as it is more a couple’s social club rather than a “car club”. This year is the 20th anniversary of the founding of the Chapter so to celebrate I planned a tour in April. We had decided to tour the Newport area, and I was looking for either B&B’s or Inns that were reasonable in price and most importantly had parking lots to accommodate the antique cars. The restaurants also had to have parking lots, not an easy feat in Newport. On top of lodging and meals, you also needed activities and scheduled free time. So in January, the word went out to the Club requesting their interest and more importantly their commitment to participate. Armed with that knowledge, Sal and I set out to find the lodging. We found the perfect location, a beautiful six bedroom B&B, the Villa 120, and a 23 room Inn, The Carriage House Inn, which were directly across the street from each other in Middletown. Four couples stayed at the Villa 120 and three couples stayed at the Carriage House Inn, with our meeting place being the Villa. Now apparently it has historically rained on all of our tours, and this year was no different, with the dreary forecast, much to our disappointment a decision was made to go “modern”, sans the antique cars. Most arrived on Thursday, having travelled from Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, so it was an early dinner at The Atlantic Beach Club. On Friday, in the rain, we traveled to Little Compton to view a private car collection, then a stop at the Sakonnet Winery (before a roaring fire so we could dry out) for a tasting, and on to lunch at The Boat House in Tiverton. Saturday morning we held our annual meeting and gift swap in the Villa 120’s dining room, where we were served coffee and assorted breakfast pastry on an antique table with china dishes. The Villa 120 is elegant, decorated with style and class, and is a warm and welcoming establishment, minutes from Newport. Later that day, in was on to tour Rough Point, Doris Duke’s summer mansion. It was an hour and a half tour, that was informative and the artwork and furnishings were exquisite, well worth the time. We met that evening for the Newport Playhouse & Cabaret, where we feasted on a diverse and tasty buffet, saw an excellent comedy, and topped the night off with a hilarious cabaret. I have to say whether it rains or the sun shines; the YWC gang always has a good time. You might be asking what recipe could possibly tie in with this story. Well one of the restaurant items on the menu was for fried risotto balls, Arancini di Riso, which I made for the first time with friends while on vacation.
Arancini di Riso
(Fried and Stuffed Rice Balls)
1 cup bread crumbs, seasoned, set aside in a medium bowl
Filling:
2 cups cooked and cooled risotto
1/2 cup bread crumbs, seasoned with parsley, basil, pepper
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves
2 eggs, at room temperature, beaten
4 ounces Gorgonzola, at room temperature, cut into 16 (1/2-inch) cubes
Filling: In a medium bowl, combine the risotto, bread crumbs, Parmesan, basil, and beaten eggs. With damp hands, using about 2 tablespoons of the risotto mixture, form the mixture into 1 3/4-inch diameter balls. Make a hole in the center of each ball and insert one of the cubes of Gorgonzola cheese. Cover the hole completely to enclose the cheese. Roll the balls into the bread crumbs to coat. In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough oil to fill the pan about 1/3 of the way. Heat over medium heat until a thermometer inserted reaches 350*(hint, without a thermometer, a cube of bread will brown in about 2 minutes). Fry the risotto balls in batches, turning occasionally, until golden, about 5 to 5 minutes. Drain on paper towels and serve warm. I had used left over spinach risotto, but you can use any kind and add prosciutto, ham, and any kind of cheese you like for variety. It a great way to use that left over risotto.
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