One legend says that this cheesy dish was first developed by Welsh peasants seeking a substitute for expensive meat. There are records of the dish in Wales dating back to the 1500s under the name “caws pobi,” meaning toasted cheese in Welsh. Likely it was a staple throughout Britain, and it remains popular in British pubs.
Dad, who was a bit Welsh by heritage, enjoyed anything with melty cheese. My brother, sister, and I grew up eating Welsh Rarebit (aka Welsh Rabbit) every other week as a light Sunday supper at our grandmother’s house, following a huge lunch. It’s a simple hot cheese sauce on toast… or toast points, or Saltine crackers, or toasted English muffins, waffles (or chaffles), etc.
The first recorded reference to the dish as Welsh Rabbit hails from 1725. This name is believed to started as a joke, as there has never been rabbit or any other meat included in the recipe. Welsh Rarebit still holds a special place in Wales as a traditional dish. I now have learned that September 3 is officially National Welsh Rarebit Day.
Grandmother Marjorie (Rowe) Gulumian faithfully made Welsh Rarebit for us in the top of a double boiler set over boiling water. She served it with a bowl containing ½ small onion and ¼ c fresh parsley, finely minced together, as a garnish. Her recipe simply melted 2 T butter in the top of the double boiler. In a small bowl, whisk together 2 egg yolks, ¾ c milk, 1 T Dijon mustard, and 1 tsp Worcestershire sauce. This mixture is then added to the butter. Once very hot, gradually stir in ¾ lb shredded Cheddar cheese (¼ lb at a time), stirring till smooth after each addition. Then cook and stir 5 more minutes, before serving, piping hot, over crackers, toast, biscuits, or English muffins.
My personal twists (as I updated her recipe) include preparing in a medium saucepan over low heat. To the seasonings, I also include 1/8 – ¼ tsp ground white pepper, and I double the Worcestershire sauce to 2 tsp. I also stir the minced onion and parsley into the sauce along with the cheese, and a garnish with a sprinkle of paprika. Shift paprika to cayenne pepper to add some “heat.” (Or stir in a few drops of Frank’s Red Hot Sauce into the cheese.)
A more traditional twist is to make this entirely with beer or ale in place of milk… or to replace at least ½ c of milk with beer. There are no rules. I have also done this replacing milk with white wine, rather than beer, and get lovely results, which I have used as a fondue to serve with crusty chunks of French bread, some just barely cooked veggies, such as broccoli florets, and fresh slices of apple.
Would you like a few more variations? Try serving Welsh Rarebit over halved baked potatoes and sprinkling with finely sliced green onions (green portion). Another yummy variation is to stir in 1-2 c finely diced fresh or canned tomatoes along with the cheese; serve garnished with chopped flat-leaf parsley and crumbles of crispy bacon. Turn this into Welsh Rarebit Crab Dip by stirring in 2 cans drained crabmeat and 1/3 c finely chopped green onions; serve with tortilla chips or buttery crackers like Ritz.
Or go crazy by turning this into Welsh Rarebit Burgers, as in the photograph. Place your grilled burger patties (yeahhhhh…. 1, 2, or even 3) on a toasted bun bottom amidst your choice of tomatoes, pickles, caramelized onions, and 2 strips of crispy bacon, before pour your cheese sauce over it all… and then maybe even adding a sprinkle of packaged crispy onions, jalapeños, or red peppers, if desired. Hey! I didn’t say that this would be either low-calorie or neat & tidy to eat. LOL
(Photo by Amirali Mirashemian)
Quiet Thunder Publishing releases Book 2 in the Destiny Trilogy in just 2 months!! The paperback edition of Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family will sell for $15.99 and the digital edition for $5.99. But Amazon is offering a pre-sale on the digital edition for just $3.99. Anyone who orders one prior to November 2nd gets the discounted price as the book is released that day.
Two hundred and seventy years ago today… on September 1, 1752, the Liberty Bell arrived in Philadelphia. Ordered from the Whitechapel Foundry in London, it was originally the bell for the Pennsylvania State House, which is now called Independence Hall.
Ah, yes! When life hands you lemons, make lemonade! I love citrus fruit, including lemons, so lemonade is a fave beverage. And yet, it must be true lemon juice, and not the sugary substitutes. Same goes when making anything from chicken piccata to lemon meringue pie.
When one of us shares that a beloved 4-legged family member has crossed the Rainbow Bridge, each of us who has been loved by a special critter feels the pang of pain and loss. Whether your loss happened years ago or today… whether it has happened to you once or many times… they do leave paw prints on our hearts that time cannot diminish, never mind erase.
If something wonderful is starting or happening in your life, bravo!!!! Relish the time… the sharing… the marvelous memories you are making. On the other hand, if something not-so-wonderful is happening… or something wonderful has ended, please do not lose hope. Your heart may be broken into thousands of pieces. You may be living in a manner that makes you feel utterly off balance. Your world may even feel totally shattered.
Each year, this day pays tribute to the most well-known eruption of one of history’s deadliest volcanoes, Mount Vesuvius, still active today. From August 24-25, 79 AD, the mountain violently spewed 1.5 million tons per second of molten rock and hot ash, obliterating the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum and a couple of other surrounding villages in the Italian region of Campania just southeast of Naples. The event released 100,000 times the thermal energy of the atomic bombing tremors were common throughout the region, but the warnings of small earthquakes preceding the massive eruption had not been recognized.
Herculaneum, an ancient city of Greek origin, sat just 5 miles from the western base of Vesuvius, and the then luxurious seaside town was buried under 75 feet of molten lava. Centuries later the Naples suburb town of Ercolano (now with a population of 50,000) was unknowingly built on top of Herculaneum, the location of which had long been forgotten. That is until it was discovered by accident in the 18th century during the digging of a well. The first wall that was discovered turned out to be part of the stage of the Herculaneum theatre.
“In matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current.”
I am in the demographic group known as the Baby Boomers. We are those born between the end of World War II (1946) and 1964. Baby Boomers are known for “rejecting and redefining traditional values.” So true… I mean, the Flower Children live here. We took pride in being informed citizens and questioning government.
The classic film “Wizard of Oz” debuted in Hollywood, California on this date in 1939. It opened across the United States on August 25th. While she started as a fictional character in L. Frank Baum’s children’s novel, “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” in 1900, it was actress Margaret Hamilton who breathed life into her in the film. Actress Gale Sondergaard was originally cast as the Wicked Witch of the West, but withdrew when the sly role turned sinister, the green glamour gown was replaced by black, and her skin would be green.
“Listening does not require agreement. Understanding does not necessitate compliance.”
This date was chosen as it commemorates the date on which Thomas Edison invented the phonograph in 1877. It’s funny how what’s old is new again. Vinyl records are back. After nearly vanishing in the early 1990s, vinyl records outsold CDs in 2020.
There are countless jokes told about every single U.S. President, but even Presidents can be funny, too.
Attention bibliophiles everywhere! Today has been proclaimed to be your special day!
I just finished reading a cute little book called “Outnumbered: How an Average Super Mom Raised Five Professional Athletes.” It was written by Diane Gronkowski, Rob’s mother. She shares a number of adventures and misadventures that occurred in the course of raising 5 rambunctious little boys who all grew up to become professional athletes… one in baseball and four in football. All 5 started out playing hockey. While the next to youngest, Gronk #87, is the most famous, it was delightful to hear his mother sing everyone’s praises. Personally, the fact that all five of her children played either MLB or in the NFL strikes me as downright remarkable, easily qualifying her for Super Mom status.
If you have a vegetable garden, you inevitably have faced the dilemma of what to do with the plethora of zucchini that hits right about now. I never before knew there was an official day to sneak zucchini onto your neighbor’s porch. Go figure. Just remember, they are apt to do the same thing. LOL. Many of us have been able to bless co-workers with an abundance of various freshly picked veggies. Plus, everyone has favorite recipes to share. From zoodles to stuffed zucchini boats, if you’re a fan, you’re a fan! I like this little gem that my notes showed I’d pulled from Mom’s recipe box on September 30, 2007. By then, of course, we’d already been enjoying these crispy beauties for a great many years.
I have been deeply blessed with one sister by birth, many sisters through the sisterhood of the ZTA sorority, and countless more through friendship. A sister sees the best and worst in us and loves us anyway. A sister is there for us when we need them… and even when we don’t know that we need them.
Dad loved root beer floats…. A&W or made at home. Scoop that rich, creamy vanilla ice cream into a tall glass. Pour in the bubbly root beer. Insert straw. Go crazy with happy flavors and fizziness!
“There can be no doubt that our Nation has had a long and unfortunate history of sex discrimination. Traditionally, such discrimination was rationalized by an attitude of “romantic paternalism” which, in practical effect, put women, not on a pedestal, but in a cage.”
Nic“Begin challenging your own assumptions. Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in.”
I deeply appreciate all the inquiries regarding the release of Book 2 in my historical fiction Destiny Trilogy. Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family is set for release on my Dad’s birthday… November 2… in both paperback and eBook formats, with the audiobook to follow. Yes, it is written! Books 1 and 2 tell the true story of the Armenian side of my family, my Mom’s side. (The Destiny Trilogy will conclude next year.)
“To reach a port we must sail, sometimes with the wind, and sometimes against it. But we must not drift or lie at anchor.”
Those of you who know me best, also know that I am far from being a fan of politics. Now and then, however, a few sage tidbits pique my interest. For example, as you likely know, Barbara Bush and Abigail Adams have the distinction of being the only two women to be married to a U.S. President and be the mother of another U.S. President. Barbara Bush was married to George H.W. Bush, the 41st U.S. President, and was the mother of George W. Bush, the 43rd U.S. President. Anyone who met Barbara Bush loved her and her ability to relate to anyone with the utmost honesty and wit. I was blessed to meet and interview her several times, including when she gave the commencement address at Wellesley College in Massachusetts on June 1, 1990. Always a powerful advocate for children and families, she offered up plenty of sage words for the graduates, including this tidbit.
I didn’t set out to be any sort of paperback writer, but some things simply happen! #22 is set for release on November 2nd. What!!??! (Yup… Book 2 in the historical fiction Destiny trilogy continues telling my family’s Armenian story. Following “Destiny of Dreams: Time Is Dear,” this one is entitled “Destiny of Determination: Faith and Family.”)
Naturally, Bandit then wrote his own riotous romp with “A Dangerous Book for Dogs: Train Your Human.” I particularly liked writing a few non-fiction, life lessons books. This group started with “The Bimbo Has Brains… and Other Freaky Facts,” which was followed by “The Bimbo Has MORE Brains… Surviving Political Correctness. Then came one of my most popular works… “Encouragement: How to Be and Find the Best.” And I followed that with “Good Living Skills: Lessons Learned from my Mother.” I also ripped “Healthy Thinking Habits: Seven Attitude Skills Simplified” from a compilation to which I had contributed along with Deepak Chopra and several other authors. There were a few others, including a book of my poems (& other ramblings) and a couple of real estate guides.
LOL. Of course, I have muddied the genre waters plenty by adding 9 cookbooks to my paperback list.
My first cookbook series launched as I compiled old family recipe cards. The 3-book series “Fifty Years of Fabulous Family Favorites” was born. This was quickly followed by several more:
Today is a day that’s all about forgetting our differences… race, religion, culture, language, politics, boundaries, and so much more. On National One Voice Day, may we speak with one voice and commit to the cause of world peace.