Thread: Wayne Baldwin's Amazing Story: Baldy's Eual Eldred Baldwin

  1. #221
    Team Member Master Oil Racing Team's Avatar
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    At some point during Jack's trips down here to hunt, Baldy took him to Klatt Hardware & Lumber Co. in Orange Grove. Jack fell in love with the place. It was a lot like the old hardware stores he grew up with. They have everything from farm and ranch supplies, to electrical and plumbing parts, nuts, bolts, screws, paint, drywall, cement and mortar, kerosene lamps, lawn and garden tools, windmill parts, hand and power tools, cowboy hats, and much more than you could ever guess. And it didn't matter if you needed barb wire, posts and nails for two miles of barbed wire or one six inch sixteen foot creasote post for your pier, they would deliver. Also if you needed them to, they would deliver a new hot water heater, hook it up, and haul off your old one. Many has housewife has been saved from a disaster in the middle of the day while her husband was off working the the old one sprung a leak.

    You need to go into the back to see some stuff you would not think about. Years ago one of my neighbors just happened to ask if they could somehow order a leather belt for his grandmothers old foot powered Singer sowing machine. One of the guys at the counter asked him "How many do you want?" Charles followed him to the back and they had three in the bin. You could look up in the rafters and see an unused wooden airplane propeller. In the back between the bins of pvc connections on the right and galvanized on the left are three or four 1950's and 60's vintage bicycles covered in dust. Several years ago I was looking for some part and one of the workers led me over to a corner where I spotted an old American flag on a 6 or 7 foot wooden pole. It had 48 stars. They supplied the area schools with American flags. There was always one in each classroom. This one was in stock when Alaska joined the union in 1959. I asked if they wanted to sell it, but whoever it was helping me said that it wasn't for sale.

    I don't know how old the store is, but Gordon Klatt is in his 80's now, and it was his Dad Perry who started it. It has old wooden floors, and they only just recently changed out the wooden drawers behind the counter that had been there since I first went into Klatt's in 1959. I was kind of sad to see it go. It is more expensive than Home Depot or Walmart, but they have some stuff that the others don't, they are close and all the workers are friends. I buy everything there except what they don't have on hand if I need it right then. I run into friends and neighbors there all the time, and we stop and visit. I don't know all the people that come to shop there, but Gordon, Gordon Junior, Joe, John, Carl and Otto (who works there part time) exchange greetings by name of nearly every customer. And there are a lot of women who buy things that don't know what they need or how they work, and the staff knows it all and can tell you without having to go find someone. But the friendly atmosphere and the old timey feeling was what got to Jack. During the years he came down, he often bought things there that he needed back home in Baytown. He got to know all of the guys behind the counter. Some names besides the owners, and sons have changed over the years, but not the way they go about their business. Jack made many trips there while we were working on boats and motors, but for some reason he always called it Katts. If we needed something he would say "Let's go to Kattses" (sounded like Katzes) Just don't know.



  2. #222
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    I added a picture of Edsel Lee to post 223.

    For the second time in my life it snowed in south Texas. A lot of us got big cardboard boxes and flattened them, then sledded down the outer embankment at Lake Alice. It was about a thirty yard ride.

    Bob Burnham, and brothers Donnie and Whitley Reese rode with me that winter to Texas A & I University on Saturday morning to take our SAT tests for college purposes. Snoopy was battling the Red Baron over the airways, and The Monkees were taking "The Last Train to Clarskville.

    At the William Adams High School homecoming I emptied our half drum of methanol. It would absorb too much water before racing season started again. When they went to light the soaring woodpile, they kept throwing the match in the wrong place, and cold as it was, there were not fumes to reach out for a boom like you get with gasoline. I got ridiculed, but after they got the huge pile of wood started with diesel and the fire spread around to the methanol, ooh's and ahh's erupted as a twenty foot brilliant blue flame swayed around the woodpile like a gypsy girl dancing.

    The Alice Coyotes went undefeated all the way to the quarterfinals that year, when a bad call ended the hopes for a 4A State Championship title. Our winning touchdown of a low scoring game was called back. After reviewing the film when it came back showed that not only did our receiver not step out of bounds running down the sideline, but his foot did not even touch the inside edge of the white stripe. My friend Ken Kattner who was there at the lake when I caught the bass went to Texas Tech on a full football scholarship. He was All American in his junior year when he caught the game winning touchdown in a horizontal layup across the goal line to knock off the University of Texas from their number one rating in a huge upset. Texas Tech was way down the list and they were playing in Austin. The only reason he was never in the NFL was because he asked Tech people if he could beg off his final year of his scholarship in order to concentrate on studying, and he had brought so much recognition to the campus, they agreed. Our coach was hired by Texas A & M at College Station, but the sad part was what happened to our quarterback Duke. He was a junior when he took us to the quarterfinals. That summer he was invited to check out most of the top colleges across the country. I don't remember how Notre Dame was ranked in 1966-67, but seems like they were up at the top. That's who he picked. Two weeks before he started his senior year, they were scrimmaging on the field at Alice. Duke lowered his head for a short yard pickup, but the hole closed and he jammed his head. He went down and did not come up. They called for an ambulance. Duke was paralyzed. It was a while before he could even move his legs, and with much therapy and many months he could once again stand with help, but it would be a long time before he would be able to walk again, and only with crutches. I think years later, he might have been able to get around without so much support, but never really able to walk normally again. It was such a cruel turn of fate because Duke was not only a good looking guy, and very smart, but he didn't have a big head like some people would with such remarkable looks and talent. He was a very nice guy, and a good leader of his team.



  3. #223
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    In the meantime we decided I needed more boat for the B runabout. I was bouncing all over the place, and I had a hard time through the turns. Baldy talked to Freddie Goehl and they not only came up with a 12-2 DeSilva, but also a thick 13' to run a C on, and Freddie had just the right motor.....an FC Konig. I don't know for sure, but it may have been some of Freddie's old stuff that he gave Baldy a good discount on. The VC's were coming and this would be a good time for Freddie unload some old stuff, and I was still learning the way around a race course so a thick hulled DeSilva with a 2 cylinder Konig would give some additional experience. So now, we had to add on to the boat trailer for the additional hulls and motors. Baldy drew up his design on a sheet of paper with a pencil and instructions and gave it to the welder at Alice Specialty Company. He was very much used to working off of plans like this from Baldy.



  4. #224
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    Default Chicken' n' dumplin's

    Chicken' N' Dumplin's is what brought Baldy's neighbors around. It's really too bad that very few of Baldy's boat racing friends ever tasted his "Chicken' N' Dumplin's" because it took time and when racing was upon us, he was ready with sirloin steaks, Idaho potatoes, Avadoes, etc.

    Baldy, as I have mentioned previously, could not cook just a little bit. He always started out with a pan, or cookpot, but as he went along......he kept adding more stuff. He would always eventually end up in a big slow cooker. After some years...he started with the cooker, and sometimes brought in another one.

    Baldy always swore that the neighbors could smell his Chicken N Dumplin's. I don't know that for sure, but whenever he had the chicken done, and the dumplin's were simmerin' in the pot, most of the neighbors in Barbon showed up. Those that didn't ususally weren't around. Baldy enjoyed every minute of it.....and the neighbors weren't just taking advantage....Baldy looked forward for their presence and .they looked forward to the feast as if it were a holiday. Baldy didn't wait for a weekend to make chicken' N' dumplin's so it was almost like a mid week holiday. As a kid growing up, and an avid reader......that's what is written as the heady days.

    ADD: Next post in this thread will be as close to the standard Chicken' N' Dumplin's recipe as I can muster. He was always experimenting and changing on the fly. When I asked my wife Debbie to help me remember...she reminded me of how it was. The recipie will be the basic of Baldy's with a couple of changes.



  5. #225
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    BALDY'S FAMOUS CHICKEN N DUMPLIN'S

    This is the basic recipe of Baldy's Chicken N Dumplin's altered by Debbie for a little better healthy eating. Baldy changed a lot of his recipes as he went along, so you could never exactly nail it from one time to the next, but other than a few minor changes, this is how he did it. The main difference is that when Baldy started to cook it, he did it all the same day. In this case I cooked the chicken, then let it cool to debone, and set the broth in the fridge overnight. This allowed excess fat to float up and congeal so it could be easily removed. Other than that and trimming excess fat, it is the same.

    Take one chicken and trim excess fat from the areas where the intake and discharge valves were formerly located. It would not hurt to add a half dozen thighs and legs, as I came up a little short compared to the dumplings. Baldy always used a much larger cooker and had more chicken.

    Cut up 3 or four stalks of celery after washing and trimming the ribs. (wouldn't hurt to add the whole stalk if you want)

    Cut a large onion in quarters. I prefer the yellow ones, or the 10-15's.

    Add the chicken, thighs and legs, and celery and onions to about 3 quarts of water. Salt and pepper, bring to a boil, then simmer about 3 hours.

    When the chicken is ready to come off the bone, remove it from the pot to cool. Remove the celery and onion and throw away. If you want to defat the broth pour it into a smaller container andlet it cool down, refrigerate, then skim the fat off the top after it has congealed. It is easiest to do this stage the day before you plan to make the chicken and dumplings.

    After the chicken has cooled down enough to handle, remove it from the bone. Baldy did not do this, so it is not necessary, but if you do not plan to cook it from start to finish, most guests prefer it to be deboned. Don't take it off in little pieces. Do it in as big a chunks as it will come off. You will get little pieces to add back in as you are doing it, but don't purposefully try to make all the chicken the same size. You will probably not get all the bones, and don't worry about it. That's just part of eating chicken and dumplings. Don't forget to get the meat off the neck if your chicken come with that, and also throw in the gizzards and livers if they come with it. The chicken I bought did not. And don't forget the small pieces on the back and around the ribs. I don't try to separate the ribs though. One other difference in Debbie's alteration also is that the skin is removed also.

    To make the dumplings, take two cups of flour, add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and mix it in. Then take 1 beaten egg to the mix and add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. Start with 1/4th, then add as necessary. Work all this in with your fingers. It is kind of a sticky mess, but that's the way it's done.

    Make the dough into a ball and roll it out with a rolling pin to about 1/8 inch thick. Baldy then added pepper to the top. Cut the dough into strips. Baldy did it with a knife, but if you have a pizza cutter it's much easier. The dough will greatly expand as it is morphed into a dumpling. If you are doing this all in one step, stir in one can of cream of chicken soup---any brand except Heinz. (Not chicken noodle soup---but cream of chicken.). then add the noodles one at a time to the hot broth. Salt and pepper the broth to your taste and simmer one hour, or til the dumplings are done and tender.

    If you do the overnight method, put the broth back into a pot after removing the layer of fat, and bring up to heat. Add the chicken and cream of chicken soup (not Heinz). You can do the dumplings while the broth is heating up. As mentioned above, add the dumplings one at a time when they are ready. If they are too sticky, you may have to add more flour on the surface, and be sure to put flour on the rolling pin. Once again......simmer for about an hour after you add the dumplings.

    Baldy always made a cast iron skillet of thick cornbread to go with it. I like it thick, Debbie likes it thin (about 1 inch)
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    Team Member F-12's Avatar
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    Default Looks great............

    What time is dinner, Wayne?
    Charley Bradley


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    Team Member Gene East's Avatar
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    Very similar to Mom's recipe, except she didn't add cream of chicken soup. I'll have to try this later in the winter.

    BTW: Why not Heintz???

    Oh yeah, I remember now!!!

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    I know you would have figured that out Gene. Hey Charley......too late. It was four days ago, and it's all gone. It took me two days to find out where the pictures went to. I guess I should have done turkey and dressing, but while Baldy's turkey was great, it was not any different than many other turkeys, and the only boat racers that really ever had his turkey were Ray Hardy and Tim and Ruth Butts. His dressing was better than average though, so maybe I'll do that around Christmas. We had turkey and dressing and ham then.

    I'm wondering Charley....does anybody do gator and dressing?



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    Default Not gator dressing, but......

    Logged on to the boat racing site and saw a picture of a naked chick and a recipe!!
    My Mom, and now my wife, make some mean crawfish dressing. I was never a fan of regular cornbread dressing and my Mom was always looking for new ways to fix it. Somewhere she found the crawfish dressing recipe and good gosh it's good. It resembles regular dressing but instead of giblets you add crawfish and a myriad of spices and it is something else.
    What's with the Heinz?

  10. #230
    Team Member Gene East's Avatar
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    Crawfish dressing sounds good, but we still like the old fashioned stuff here in Quincy.

    I will start on our bird shortly and Norma's 2 adult sons and 1 adult grandson, (none of whom can fry a burger) will say later in the day, "The turkey is really good Mom".

    She'll tell them just like she has for the 8 years we've been together, "Gene cooked the turkey". She bakes the pies the day before and we cooperate on the side dishes.

    The 3 forementioned "wingless turkeys" bring nothing but their sorry hungry butts, and that's probably a good thing!

    What's Heinz all about?

    Kind of fits these 3 guys. I'll let Wayne explain further.

    Happy Thanksgiving to all, and NO, I am NOT going shopping at 3:00 AM tomorrow morning! Did that once. Never again.

    Black Friday is supposed to be the kickoff for the Christmas season, a time of the year that should be filled with love.

    Won't be much love in those stores tomorrow!

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