Watermelon Tea!
It is National Watermelon Day! I love to make a Kicking Watermelon Tea with a kick of Rum.. Try out this simple and easy recipe.. Here is the recipe.. Try to find watermelons with seeds as they seem to me more flavorful! Enjoy!
The "Corn" of It All... /
It's is all about the DOG!
My Original Disney Formula's of Big Thunder Ranch Cornbread, Little Red Wagon Corn Dogs and my Newest Cookbook: Fair Foods
Until last month. I did not realize how I created another food for history. Most of you know I created the cheesecakes for the multi-Emmy award winning show The Golden Girls. I thought that was my claim to fame... No... The Little Red Wagon Corndog from "The Hub" at Disneyland. In 1988, Disney attendance was down (Shocking I know). State Fair was introduced. Parades, midways and such to highlight a State Fair. Mickey and Minnie were outfitted with farming outfits, A new area Big Thunder Ranch had opened a few years prior. At the time it was the best meal a for your buck.. Mesquite barbecue ribs/chicken, baked beans, corn on the cob, berry pie and a square of sweet cornbread. A fresh fruit stand with seedless watermelon slices (the first day the melons were seeded and guests were spitting the seeds from the Skyway ride) and apples from Michael Eisner's Family orchard in Vermont. The Little Red Wagon was another project that year. We thought it would be temporary. It was parked between the Plaza Inn Restaurant (The Original Red Wagon Inn) and Carefree Corner. We had a meeting as to what to serve in such a very tiny space that was smaller then the current day Food Truck. Corn Dogs came up.. I got busy working on testing a recipe for the dipped dogs. I took the recipe of the Big Thunder Ranch cornbread and started working on a batter that dogs could be dipped into. Today... You can enjoy a corndog on Main Street or create the recipe at home.
You can purchase on Amazon here: Fair Foods
California "Firsts" ... Der Wienerschnitzel /
Der Wienerschnitzel
Opening Date: July 3rd, 1961
Location of first:
900 W. Pacific Coast Highway (at Gulf Avenue)
Wilmington, CA 90744
Currently: Still the first location
How many locations: Over 350 in 10 states and Guam
John Galardi founded the first location:
Current Owner/Parent Company: The Galardi Group Inc.
First location in Wilmington, CA Opened 1961
You could say that food and entrepreneurship started at a young age for John Galardi. In 1961, John started out working for Taco Bell’s (see page 00) founder Glen Bell at his Taco Tia Restaurant in Pasadena. Within a year, John purchased a small plot of land in the industrial port area of Wilmington in Los Angeles county. That was next store to one of Glen’s Taco Bell locations. He knew he had to sell something different, he saw an on slot of hamburger and shake stands, so I thought of the next best American food. Hot Dogs.
Shortly after opening, the car clubs of the area started using the hot dog stand as their meeting spot for their weekend get together. John realized was tired of the young group in upwards of 100 kids drinking in his parking lot only accounted for about 5% of his business and who knows how many people didn’t come because of the heavy crowds. He rethought his building design and then remodeled it with a drive through where your car drove directly through the building thus the kids didn’t get out of their cars and left with their hot Dogs. The driver’s side of the building housing the kitchen and production areas and the passenger’s side, the storage of raw products and paper products.
The menu was simple. Hot dogs, fries and drinks. Hot dogs were dressed with Galardi’s homemade smooth chili. Orders were taking through a two-way intercom similar to In ‘N Out Hamburger (see page 00) so that the kitchen could start the order before the car arrived to pay. John was environmentally conscientious before his time. Orders were written on the back of the bags that eventually the hot dogs and fries would be placed into. Unlike the McDonalds brothers over in San Bernardino, where they had pre-prepared wrapped food, Galardi felt that it did not take too much time to place the cooked dog into the pre-warmed bun and dressed in sauerkraut, chili, or other condiments. A few “special” dogs made the menu in the early days such as the Super Dog, and Polish Sandwich (Dog) which consisted of a polish sausage split lengthwise and grilled with a pickle wedge between the two halves, placed on a piece of rye bread that has been dressed in spicy mustard and a slice of Swiss cheese, topped with another piece of rye bread.
Construction on the iconic buildings..
Within three years, Der Wienerschnitzel opened 3 locations. John felt that more locations the less the raw goods would cost as he could buy in bulk. His buildings took on an iconic “A” frame look, that of a mountain chalet. The roof, painted “Catsup Red”. Some with a few outdoor seats, and the drive through the building feature. He also added a walk up window. You could see the building before you passed it on the road. In 1965, only 4 years after opening the first Wilmington location, John had 20 locations and had started franchising his concept. Hot dogs with a condiment was only 18 cents. With chili 22 cents. He also rolled out his first motto: “Hamburger lovers are going to the dogs”. It reminds me of the current campaign with a southern chicken company using cows on their billboards “Eat more Chicken”. 1973 brought the end to the “A” frame locations thus creating a dining room and outdoor area with a drive around the entire building. The former drive through did create problems for employees needed stock for the kitchen, having to wait until a car was out of the drive through to get to the other side of the building.
A big change for the company happened in 1975 when hamburgers were added to the menus. Hot dogs are still the main menu item today thou. Der Wiener Dog, a caped masked mascot was introduced in print ads and commercials. Give-a-ways were little plastic dogs and some smaller items.
1977, brought on another change. Dropping “Der” in the company name and shortening the logo. Bringing a change with a big yellow “W” and the name Wienerschnitzel in red below. (Catsup and Mustard colors). TDO (The Delicious One) another mascot was introduced to replace Der Wiener Dog in 1998. This was an upright hot dog with legs, arms and his clothing was the bun.
You cannot go to a baseball game without eating the Americans pastime, the hot dog. In 1999, Wienerschnitzel became the official dog of Anaheim Stadium home of the Angels baseball team. Dodger Stadium, five years later a deal was struck to be the official hot dog of Petco Park home of the San Diego Padres in their new stadium in downtown San Diego. John Galardi now supplied the hot dogs for the two closest baseball stadiums to his corporate offices.
To be relevant in the new motor mobile food trucks, in 2001, Weinerschnitzel outfitted a new 40-foot catering wagon that could roll up to any park, party or event at a moment’s notice. They named it “The Wiener Wagon”, it still rolls out around the Los Angeles area today.
In 2003, The Galardi Group acquired the Tastee-Free brand. A soft serve ice cream and shake company. With just a little space and minimal costs, Franchisers started outfitting their locations with the dessert treats. Both brands became an instant success together, since Weinerschnitzel didn’t have milkshakes or desserts prior. 2004, marketing started revving up with localized city dogs such as the New York, The Chicago, the Midwestern and others.
April 14th, 2013 was a sad day for the company. Their founder John Galardi passed away. He survived by his second wife and four grown children that all work in the company business to this day. They oversee over 350 locations (Corporate and Franchised) in 10 states and Guam with sales of over 120 million hot dogs annually.
September of 2014, The Original Wilmington location was awarded the 1046th Los Angeles Historical Landmark. His entire family was on hand to accept the bronze plaque from the city. During the event, his children stated that the company has just begun and will be massively expanding eastward.
Galardi Group Inc.
7700 Irvine Center Drive #550
Irvine, CA 92618
949-892-2699
Currently the First Location
Check out the new site! Win my new book! /
I just put together a new site.. it is the same URL www.georgegeary.com..
The site is all up and running.. But like all of this new stuff we may have some clicks that are not working.. I have the complete store online with all 11 of my books and a few copies of the Cheesecake Bible in Italian!
The Cheesecake Bible in Italian!
I am heading to Atlanta for AmericanMart Gift show and also classes at The Cooks Warehouse.. Email me if you would like more information on my classes in Atlanta.. ggeary@aol.com.
Contest: What did I make on morning shows more the 24 times. You must be specific.. First person will get the new FairFoods Book.. Not out until next week!
Fair Foods
$24.95
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Tart Lemon Tarts /
Summer is time for Lemon Tarts!
Try these refreshing tarts for a picnic or just because. You can make the shells up to 3 days before and also the curd..
Also, My Fair Foods book is out in a few weeks.. Have a great 4th of July!
I am in the process of re-doing my website with more recipes and fun! Have a great 4th of July!
Mike and Maty Show 1995.. 4th of July On Location on Santa Monica Pier!
SnickerDoodles...🍪 /
Tomorrow I am heading to Chicago to help with a fundrasier for the Frank Lloyd Wright Home and Studio. I will be working with Chef Gale Gand in one of the FLW homes. It is a private dinner for 12 people. I also am going to be a docent for two of the homes for the Wright Walk in celebration of his 150th birthday
I just pulled out of the oven some old fashion Americana Cookies.. Snickerdoodles.
Here is the recipe. Enjoy!
I have a few spots for France 2018B. My added week. Here is the brochure:
SDLiving Fair Foods! /
Fair Foods! My next book will be out in a few months!
Tomorrow Thursday March 30th, 2017 I will finished up my food segments on CW6 San Diego Living. Watch LIVE tomorrow on the net or if you are in San Diego on the CW at 9am sharp. I will try to broadcast live with Facebook Live from the studio. It will be a busy last day on the air for the show. (Really Friday is the last day but its a half day without a food segment).
Here are the recipes:
It has been a wonderful great group of news anchors, reporters, floor managers, producers, weather gals and everyone else. You tend to work with people again in TV.. so until then!
SDLiving Tomorrow... Fair Foods /
Fair Foods! My next book will be out in a few months!
Tomorrow Thursday March 30th, 2017 I will finished up my food segments on CW6 San Diego Living. Watch LIVE tomorrow on the net or if you are in San Diego on the CW at 9am sharp. I will try to broadcast live withFacebook Live from the studio. It will be a busy last day on the air for the show. (Really Friday is the last day but its a half day without a food segment).
Here are the recipes:
It has been a wonderful great group of news anchors, reporters, floor managers, producers, weather gals and everyone else. You tend to work with people again in TV.. so until then!
i
European Butter Cookies.. /
Ah..Meyer Lemon Butter Cookies.
This past weekend was a "nature" weekend. It was sunny about 80F here in SoCal. We took a little "road trip" to the wild flowers.. The hills were packed with so many varieties of flowers! With all of the rain we have had the hills exposed their beauty for us!
After the flowers then off to California Historical Citrus State Park. It is a MUST visit stop. They have tours of the farms and all of the citrus. This time of year the aroma is intoxicating.. You also come home with a sample bag of the varieties! Afterwards I purchased 30 pounds of oranges.. A cross between Navel and Blood. Jams will be made this week!
Here is the recipe for the butter cookies..Recipe for Butter Cookies
A few years back I came across a rolling pin company that made embossed pins.. They are out of Poland.. But they ship to the states! Take a look at Rolling Woods Store.
Until next time..
SDLiving Tomorrow! St. Paddy's Day /
The Countdown begins... I have not posted too much about the end of the SDLiving Show on the CW6 in San Diego.. This is my last St. Paddy's Day Show. I started morning shows in 1993. The year I left Disney. It was also the year the launched The Food Network. I was a regular on ABCs Mike and Maty in the 90s.. That was a 3 year run.. I have been doing this show for about 7 years.. I will have to look at the first thing I made.. I created a segment called WTF Day.. (What The Food) Day.. every day has some sorts of food attached to it.. If we didn't have an idea as to a segment we would look into what food day it was... I was so happy to always do National Cheesecake Day.. So I could highlight my book and cheesecakes!
Here are the recipes for tomorrow.. Until next week! (The SDLiving Show signs off on the last day of the month). If any of you are a friend on Facebook.. I will be doing LIVE tomorrow while I set up my show around 8:15 am PDT.
Recipes:
Thank You For Being A Friend /
The 1980’s. I was working in Hollywood at a place on Melrose and Vine. About 3 blocks from Paramount Studios. Cable shows were new and many being taped on the lot. A few times a stage hand (Bill) kept coming into the bakery asking for food for the prop department. The sitcom show “It’s A Living” was going into production and the story took place in a restaurant. Bill came in asking me how to create ice cream that would not melt under the hot lights and tasted great. Plus, it had to be chocolate with texture in it. I came up with using raw cookie dough. And started producing about 3 different flavors for the show. Then I was hired to transform their glass cake case. All the cakes had to look real and stand up for a season. I made Styrofoam dummies and added chocolate sprinkles and maraschino cherries that I replaced for the next season.. The show lasted 2 years, then was picked up for syndication so they had to produce enough episodes to reach the magic number of 100. Then a spin-off of Dynasty. The Colby’s. It also too lasted two seasons. They ate more than the Dynasty show. Every show seemed to need food. I created all edible foods that had to last and taste great. My first Duck Al l‘Orange was such a hit that the producers flipped a coin as to got to take it home after. Another show.. Brothers it was a new comedy on this new cable thing. Lots of foods for that show.. Now brings me to ABC.
I was asked to create a simple yet elegant wedding cake 4-tier and a smaller carrot cake. The wedding cake. bottom layer edible. Had to look white on camera. So we did test colors of the icing being yellow as it deflects the lights and make it look white. This was for a new TV show they hoped would be picked up called Golden Girls. It was shot at Sunset Gower stages, a group of 3 older ladies with their live in male cook. Then.. about 12 months later, I was asked to create a cheesecake for the same show. It was getting picked up by the network. For the run of the show I would create 7 cheesecakes for the Friday night taping. They moved production to the stages very close to Paramount (Ren-Mar). I would box up 7 cheesecakes by 4pm.. all identical. Every season the cakes changed, Season one: plain, season two.. whipped cream trim, season three berry topping and so on..
This past week.. I have heard from so many people regarding my cheesecakes from the show.. All the way from Norway in fact. I have written three cheesecake cookbooks, with one in Italian. But I forgot to include the Golden Girls Cheesecake. A new café is opening in New York, highlighting Golden Girls. I contacted them regarding the original cheesecake recipe and they wanted nothing to do with it really. (I had not even talked compensation yet). Two weeks ago, I was the guest speaker at the current owner of the apartment that Mae West lived in for years. Only a few blocks from where Golden Girls was shot. I took a cheesecake.
Here is the recipe for you to take or share with a group of your friends at night! PS: My next book on cheesecakes will include this recipe and it will be out in 2018.
Cookie Dough that I used for Ice Cream
Book signings in Los Angeles and San Diego, Classes in Ohio /
Since my latest book came out I have been doing talks and signing all over the World. Last week was real special. I spoke at a "salon" of Hollywood insiders and lovers of "Old" Hollywood in the former home of actress, playwright Mae West. She lived in one of the few "New York" type apartments with doorman and all. We feasted on my Golden Girl Cheesecake and talked for hours about Hollywood and the restaurants of the day.
Upcoming Events:
Feb 23rd, 7:30pm ~ Booksigning and Talk ~ Free
Warwicks in LaJolla, CA
Link: Event
March 11th 10:30am ~ Booksigning and Talk ~ Free
Los Angeles Public Library
Link: Event
March 1st and 2nd: Classes in Ohio at Cooks Wares
Link: Event
Hope to see you in a class!
George
In Mae's Kitchen!
SDLiving Christmas Show! Thursday! /
This Thursday! SDLiving Live at 9am on the CW6.
Cheese Balls and Yule Logs! Bringing back the retro! Tune in to see how to make these 1960s Favorites!
Nutella Buche de Noel Cake (Christmas Log Cake)
I wish you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Pie for Leeza.. Green Room Talk /
From Daytime to KTLA:
The green room is where all of the action is... Not the on air area at all. Last week while on NBC Daytime in Tampa in walked Jane Lynch a few steps behind were a few more people.. They stood there for a moment and I said.. Oh are you Jane's Publicist? (Insert foot in mouth here).. Ah. no I am Kate Flannery.. (OK I never saw the show The Office but I guess she was big there). But then I thought.. she does not know me either..
Today while waiting around for my segment I was with Leeza Gibbons and a few others.. Leeza and I talked about how she was having 40 over for Thanksgiving and I dont think she knew I cooked.. So we talked about my Pumpkin Kahlua Pie.. She was wanting me to whip up a pie right then and there! Here is the recipe..
I am leaving tomorrow morning (Thanksgiving) back to Tampa. I am going to be joining the ms. Oosterdam on a 14 day cruise of the Caribbean. This will be my last cruise. 8 years of the ships has come to an end..
Recipe for my Pumpkin Kahlua Pie
Dont forget to get your copy of my newest book at Book Soup on December 8th, 7pm. On the Sunset Strip! .. I will be doing a signing and talk..
KTLA: Iconic Los Angeles TV Station. /
KTLA: Iconic LA Station..
Today I talked about 5 of the locations in my newest book.. Had a great time having everyone taste the foods from the bygone era.. Here is the clip.. For the recipes.. Get the book!
One of my first TV shows was on the old Burns and Allen Stages.. You could feel the history.. Today I drove onto the old Columbia Pictures Lot and worked on stage 6.. Again.. you can feel and smell the history! Im very fortunate!
L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants: Restaurant Highlight /
Dan Tana’s “Tana’s”
9071 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90069
310-275-9444
In 1964, only a few blocks outside of Beverly Hills in the unincorporated area of Los Angeles (now the City of West Hollywood), sat only a few things on the area of land. A menu filled with Italian favorites. It is till in operation today.
Dan Tana’s is one of 60 locations highlighted in my recent book. L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants
SDLiving Pre-Election Show.. Appetizers! /
It has been quite a very long election season! Tomorrow I will be doing my segment on SDLiving Live at 9am on Appetizers.. Plus a very quick drink. Please everyone VOTE. Prior to being old enough to vote I worked on state campaigns, when I was 13 years old. I loved the process. I knocked on doors.. In my 20s I got back on the trails and stood and registered people to vote. Many propositions were infringing on human rights... Everyone knows how much I travel. Since October 1st, I have been in 14 states, teaching, morning shows and book signing.. If I can vote you can too. I have not missed one election since my 18th birth!
Try these.
New Dates and More Classes for the New Book /
Here are more dates for classes and locations! LINK
The History of…. The Brownie.. (Maybe) /
The History of…. The Brownie.. (Maybe)
History intrigues me. I always have felt you cannot look to the future until you look at your past. My 5th grade teacher Mr. Fickart said “History Repeats Itself”…
This is a new idea I have regarding history of food. When I was researching my latest book L.A.’s Legendary Restaurants three of the recipes in the book were “firsts”. I thought it would be an interesting blog as to the “firsts” as we know them in food. Or the claims we have heard. With a recipe or two thrown in.
The Brownie.
Many have claimed they invented what today we know as “the Brownie” I enjoy the Potter and Bertha Horne Palmer story. It all starts at the Palmer (Today known as The Palmer Hotel ~ A Hilton Hotel). Today the Palmer sits 17 E. Monroe (at State) in Chicago. The current hotel is the third Palmer at this location. The first was built in 1871 (as a wedding gift to his wife) and 13 days later it burnt down in the Great Chicago Fire. Four years later, it reopened as “The World’s Only Fire Proof Hotel”. In the 1920’s the current hotel was built bigger on the same site to accommodate the business in downtown. Today the Palmer has 1,641 rooms that make it the second largest hotel in Chicago.
Bertha Palmer was the President of the Board of Ladies Managers of the World’s Columbian Commission in 1890. Duties of the President were important besides conducting and leading dozens of the lady managers of the board. Because of her influence and stature in the community and having the largest most opulent hotel didn’t hurt. Bertha called on her pastry chef at the hotel to design a dessert for the upcoming woman’s picnic for the board (It was held at Grant Park in the Ladies Pavilion). She knew the ladies could not have a piece of cake or pie in their picnic basket without it ruining their gloves. Cookies were too mundane. So he created a “bar cookie” of sorts. Today when you stay at the Palmer, you get a brownie during turn down service.
Technically, there is no written evidence on menus or such that the Palmer called them Brownies. The first recipe for “brownies” in a cookbook was Fanny Famer, in the 1896 edition of the Boston Cooking School Cookbook. But it didn’t have chocolate, so it was what we today all a “Blondie”. The first time in print with reference to Chocolate and Brownie was on April 1st, 1898 in the Kansas City Journal on sale for .15 cents a pound. The updated 1909 Boston Cooking School Cookbook had two recipes one for Brownies with and one without chocolate.
1909 Boston Cooking School Recipe
Here is a list of my October Classes and Signings
Get my book here on Amazon
Enjoy!
Chocolate Pecan Bars /
Chocolate Pecan Bars.. They are too hot to cut!
Here is the recipe.. Have a great weekend!