• HOME
  • Eat My Memoir Stories
  • About
  • Contact
  • Home
  • Eat My Memoir
    • The Stories
    • The Recipes
  • Rotten Romance
  • About
  • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

2. Peach Schnapps, Parliaments, and Devils on Horseback

by Ann Landi | August 9, 2020 | Eat My Memoir | 4 comments
Print 🖨

I spent my first ten years in a suburban paradise called Mountain Lakes, NJ, a 45-minute train ride from Penn Station in Manhattan. The daddies went to work every day; the mommies stayed home and picked up their spouses at the station around six or seven at night, with us kids piled in the back seats, placid and sleepy if fed by that hour, squabbling if not. Occasionally the wrong husband, tipsy from the bar car, lurched into the wrong vehicle, but everyone was always neighborly about the mix-ups, and the dress code was decidedly casual: you often spied a not-quite-caffeinated mom in the morning in hair rollers and housecoat, kissing her mate good-bye.

It was—and is—a beautiful town of mature trees and stately stucco houses, most built in the 1920s and ‘30s and at that time dirt cheap (somehow I recall our second, seven-bedroom, three-story house on half an acre cost my parents $25,000….maybe that was a lot in those days, but I don’t remember anyone discussing real estate as obsessively as people do now).

There were, as advertised, three pristine lakes, each with a sand beach. And there were churches, top-tier public schools, and the Mountain Lakes Club for parties, bowling, tennis, and dinners in a restaurant where the tables were set with heavy silver and white tablecloths. Last time I drove through town, about ten years ago on a nostalgia trip, the place had gone more aggressively upscale with lakeside houses selling in the $1.5 to $2 million range.

My best friend, Dede Coogan, lived across the street on Pollard Road. Our parents were close but didn’t always consult as much as they should have. One Christmas I got a Tiny Tears doll with “real” hair, while Dede unwrapped the bald model, its locks indicated only by incised plastic. There was hell to pay in the Coogan household, but we remained friends and hung out regularly, especially in the summer months. Fascinated by breasts, Dede and I, when we were about eight or nine, sawed tennis balls in half and tucked them beneath our T-shirts. We smeared on some lipstick and wore big sunglasses, hoping to arouse some serious male interest as we sashayed around the club. It didn’t happen. Her older sister, Lisa, was way ahead of us, though, since rumors ran wild that she had been immortalized in the train-station men’s room with the encomium “Joy is Lisa Coogan.” We could not for the life of us figure out what was so special since Lisa was rather chunky and still wore braces. We shrugged, lifted our sunglasses, and pretended to suck on cigarettes. Totally above it all.

The Coogs, as my parents called them, threw hugely popular Saturday night cocktail parties. Everyone dressed up, everyone smoked, and Dave Coogan, who had a crooner’s ripe tenor, entertained at the piano with Cole Porter and Gershwin favorites. My mother often remarked that Mary Coogan had a “hollow” leg and could therefore “drink us all under the table.” On another occasion she noted that Mrs. Coogan had “piano legs.” I found it all fairly confusing—what kind of legs did she have, anyway? They looked fine to me, and I knew for sure she didn’t stuff tennis balls in her bra. It was my mother who wore the “falsies,” one of which, when I was around the age of five, I turned into a pincushion for Mother’s Day. At the end of these blow-outs, Mr. Coogan always offered guests a beer for the road, to “sober up.” It was a very different time, but it was goddamn fun. Even for the kids, especially for the kids.

Enthralled by the adults, eager to acquire more sophisticated ways, Dede and I decided to stage our own cocktail party in her third-floor bedroom, where we could listen to rock from a transistor radio tuned to 77 WABC. From her parents’ liquor chest, we filched a bottle of peach schnapps (scotch and gin smelled too gross). In her mother’s purse, we found half a pack of Parliaments. We made canapés from Marshmallow Fluff and Ritz crackers. We got enormously sick and made a real mess in the bathroom. A lock appeared soon after on the Coogans’ liquor cabinet.

Maybe that was the point at which we were enlisted in the kitchen to make real canapés on Saturday afternoons. I can recall lots of gooey dips made from “mayo,” cheese logs rolled in nuts, “crudities,” Chex mix, and other 1950s fare, but what stands out were the exotic morsels known as Devils on Horseback, bacon-wrapped dates stuffed with cheese. We surely knew nothing of “chèvre” in that era, so I’m guessing we might have opted for cream cheese, perhaps mixed with chopped nuts or chives, and piped through a pastry bag. I hope we didn’t use Velveeta, which had its own special gooey cheesy allure, and as I recall may have been a popular choice for the fondue parties that were coming into vogue.

I will spare you the magic formula for Fluff on Ritz crackers, but dates, bacon, and goat cheese still make sublime hors d’oeuvres. And if you use good judgment, avoiding the Schnapps and cigarettes, you will not be sent to your room and  grounded for a week.

Devils on Horseback - EAT MY MEMOIR - stories about family & food

This is what mine would look like with fancy toothpicks, a balsamic drizzle, and good photography.

 


 

DEVILS ON HORSEBACK (see notes below)

 

20 large Medjool dates, pitted

10 slices bacon, halved crosswise

4 oz. log of chevre (see notes)

Toothpicks

  • Preheat oven to 375 F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or foil and, for easiest clean-up and uniformly crisp bacon, set wire racks on top.You can bake these without the racks, but they come out an oily mess and you will need to drain the devils on paper towels
  • Halve the dates lengthwise with a knife, being careful not to cut all the way through, or use your finger to make a small pouch.
  • Take a small chunk of chèvre (about ½ to 1 teaspoon) and push it into the date, but don’t overfill. Wrap each filled date in bacon and secure with a toothpick.
  • Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the bacon is fully crisped. Before plating, pat dates with a paper towel to remove excess grease.

 

NOTES

Variations on a theme: There are any number of adaptations of this recipe: wrapping bacon around chicken livers, for example, or stuffing the dates with blue cheese, cheddar, or cream cheese. You can also add a sliver of almond or half a couple of shelled pistachios. And there are Angels on Horseback: bacon wrapped around scallops or oysters, but these, at the moment, are a bigger investment in appetizers than I’m willing to make.

Freezing ahead: Plop the dates, sans toothpicks, into a covered plastic container, or wrap in foil, and freeze until a few hours before baking. They also keep nicely in the fridge for a few days.

Staggeringly rich: “These are really good but heavy,” remarked my ex (more about him later), who consumed two, and then packed away a couple more. Two or three of these should have you searching the buffet table for the raw vegetables, but I found that four or five with a small green salad made a lovely supper for one (at probably around 1000 calories). When I remember the foods from my childhood, I’m kind of appalled at how liberally we indulged in fatty meats, cream, butter, cheese, but things will get lighter as we move along.

Video: The late Joan Rivers, looking like a drag queen, hams it up with ex-con Martha Stewart in a four-minute clip that takes you through all the steps for making Devils on Horseback.

 

Top: Pierre Bonnard, IntĂŠrieur Blanc (1932), oil on canvas, 43 by 61 inches

 

 

 

1950s nostalgiaAnn Landicocktail partiesDevils on Horsebackfood and familyfood memoirMarshmallow FluffMountain LakesPeach Schnappssuburban cocktail parties
Share

Eat My Memoir

Ann Landi
Ann Landi

You might also like

15. A Tom Jones Dinner and Slow-Cooker Ribs
January 4, 2021
Don Juan in Rhinebeck Part Three
December 28, 2020
14. Chicken Pot Pie at the Gramercy Park Hotel
December 21, 2020

4 Comments


Avatar
Barbara Kemp Cowlin
August 12, 2020 at 2:34 am
Reply

Love this glimpse into your childhood, your sense of humor shines through as you create this picture of life in Mountain Lakes.

My Mom used to make something similar—only with smoked oysters (from a can) wrapped in bacon (there may have been stuffing but I’m not sure). Not nearly as elegant but probably just as caloric.

One of my early forays into youthful creative cookery was a collaboration with a friend—cold bologna spread with a thick layer of cream cheese, topped with sliced black olives, rolled up with a toothpick to secure the ensemble. Real gourmet. If we had bologna around I’d try it out right now…kidding!!!



    Ann Landi
    Ann Landi
    August 12, 2020 at 2:39 am
    Reply

    Yes, we did some creative things with bologna too. Especially impressive when rolled up and sliced into “pinwheels”!

Avatar
Gwen Gunter
August 14, 2020 at 6:46 pm
Reply

These stories are so engaging! I feel like I know these people – the flavor of the era is spot on and the people are described with such love and humor. More please!!!!



Avatar
Barbara Swanson Sherman
August 20, 2020 at 10:27 pm
Reply

This brings back memories of my own youth on Long Island. My mother had a recipe for hors d’houerves(sp?): mix onions, Velveeta and bacon in a blender, spread on an English muffin and broil.
We had to eat the leftovers the next day for lunch. I was reading a story about life on Mars and have always thought of that dish as Martian food.



Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  • To receive a notification each time I post:

    Subscribe
    Loading
  • Follow Me On

  • Ann Landi, Writer-at-Large

    Ann Landi, Owner & Editor-in-Chief of Vasari21.com
  • Cover for Vasari21.com
    Vasari21.com

    Vasari21.com

    Vasari21.com

    15 hours ago

    Vasari21.com
    Maureen McQuillan’s studio on Chambers Street in downtown Manhattan is on the Vasari21 homepage for the next two weeks, and a detail from her painting “Untitled (DS/LRB9XB)”is the new Facebook cover. As her Wikipedia entry notes, “McQuillan creates kaleidoscopic abstractions with overlapping layers of translucent color and rippling lines. She takes a systematic approach, applying the ink according to a rigid set of her own rules akin to the structure of a line of music or computer code. In these works, she investigates the subjectivity of color, and how technology mediates and defines our modern perception of it now that the natural phenomenon is so often translated through printer ink or pixels.” I’ve been admiring her work online for a long time, and am looking forward to a studio visit in the spring. The work here is ink and acrylic polymers on wood panel,15 by 15.75 inches ... See MoreSee Less

    Photo

    View on Facebook
    · Share

    Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share on Linked In Share by Email



  • Ann Landi, writer. Owner & Editor-in-Chief of Vasari21.com

    Eat My Memoir" is an ongoing series about family and food by Ann Landi, a journalist with more than 25 years' experience reporting on the art world for ARTnews, The Wall Street Journal, Smithsonian, and other publications. Landi is the owner and editor-in-chief of Vasari21.com, a community of artists.
  • Recent Posts

    • 15. A Tom Jones Dinner and Slow-Cooker Ribs
    • 14. Chicken Pot Pie at the Gramercy Park Hotel
    • 13. Emmy Bence’s Thoroughly Disgusting Mashed Potato Candy
    • 12. The House on South 22nd Street
    • 11. Hoppy Heel Pork Chops in Allentown, PA
    • 10. Dad’s Dark-Beer Pancake Syrup
  • MENU

    • Home
    • Eat My Memoir
    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy
  • annlandi33

    For most of her 40-year career, Susan Chorpenning For most of her 40-year career, Susan Chorpenning has used light as both medium and material. In her latest series, “Layers and Planes,” she continues the exploration, but now brings a collage esthetic to the odds and ends in her studio, which called her to a new way of working. Nonetheless there’s a fascination with geometry, both calculated and accidental, that refers back to her earliest light installations. You can read more by scrolling halfway down the Vasari21 homepage. Shown here: Shelf Piece 2 (2018), Paint, gold leaf on board, wood, 60” x 9.5” x 47” #installationart #contemporarycollage #losangelesartist #lightart #vasari21
    A couple of weeks ago I published Kate Petley’s A couple of weeks ago I published Kate Petley’s “fantasy curation” of memorable portraits, which kicked off with Maria Lassnig’s frankly terrifying “You or Me” from 2005. My curiosity  piqued,  I went hunting for more information on the extraordinary Lassnig, an Austrian painter who hobnobbed with both the Surrealists in Paris and the feminists in New York. This is fierce, seductive, and hauntingly original painting, and you can read more about her by scrolling down on the Vasari21 site. Shown here: Don Juan d’Austria (2001) #surrealism #feministart #vasari21 #Austrianartist
    In case you are not signed up, “Rotten Romance” is now a Substack newsletter, for which I took the liberty of importing Vasari21 email addresses. The series continues with my odd liaison with a foot fetishist, back in the day. It’s mostly PG-rated and quite funny and earning rave reviews (though one reader called me a “disgusting chauvinist”—I’m not sure what that means). You can find an archive at annlandi.substack.com and click on any post to subscribe. Or dm me with an email address. New episodes weekly! #substack #romance #relationships #romancereadersofinstagram #lovelife
#romancewritersofinstagram #romancereads
    The studio on the Vasari21 homepage for the next t The studio on the Vasari21 homepage for the next two weeks is Helene Mukhtar’s space in Nice, France—where the artist spends winters and Matisse realized some of his greatest works (his influence is evident in her canvases, in which stylized human shapes occupy vibrant fields of color). She reports that she recently “started incorporating three-dimensional panels to her paintings in a game of hide-and-seek.” The new Vasari21 Facebook page is a detail of “Colorfield 4” (2020), acrylic on canvas, 20 by 20 inches. #colorfieldpainting #matisseinnice #nicefrance  #Mediterraneancolors #matisseinspired #Vasari21
    These are tough times for artists who have lost te These are tough times for artists who have lost teaching gigs, commissions, and live gallery shows. So some are branching out with affordable prints, “branded” items sold through intermediaries like Vida and Etsy, and finding other ways to scare up some spare cash. If you want to see how it’s done, or think about what you might offer on your website in addition to the objets d’art, scroll halfway down the Vasari21 homepage to find the post, "Retail Therapy from Artists." Shown here: One of Leslie Fry’s gorgeous aluminum prints, a steal at $200 to $400 each. #affordableart #multiples #artistsstores #retailtherapy #Vasari21 #contemporaryprints #printmakingart
    Last week, long-time Vasari21 member Kate Petley c Last week, long-time Vasari21 member Kate Petley contributed a “fantasy curation” on the theme of contemporary portraiture. As she notes, it’s a huge field, leading her to “consider selfies, satire, fashion, celebrities, pet portraits, advertising, abstraction referencing the figurative, historic re-enactments, street portraits, and even likenesses of flowers, wild animals, and insects.” What I enjoy about this series is the encounter with old friends and favorites, like William Wegman and Janine Antoni, along with the introduction to artists completely new to me, such Halim al Karim, whose “images of partially erased faces speak for the history of women, especially in the Middle East.” Check it out by scrolling halfway down the homepage. #portraits #contemporaryportraits #amysillman #marialassnig #karawalker #arleneshechet #josephbeuys #williamwegman #ninakatchadourian #danaschutz #rachelhecker #halimalkarim #gillianwearing #anamendieta
    Load More... Follow on Instagram

Š EATMYMEMOIR.COM - Copyright Ann Landi. Site by Cybernuns.com