Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Mission: The Little White Clapboard Church in Whittaker, Michigan

When I can’t sleep, I pour myself a cup of milk and power up my computer and head for the Internet. I never know what direction I will go, but sometimes I get lucky and find something serendipitous. Well, to me, at least. Such was what happened the other night.

When I was a little boy our family went to Sunday service at St. Joseph Mission church in Whittaker, Michigan. We moved away in 1963 when I was 13 and the little, white, clapboard church was abandoned shortly thereafter, when the congregation decided to build a bigger, brick church with room to grow.

I drove by the old church a couple of times over the years, but when I went by a few years ago, nothing was left except the sidewalk and the foundation. I thought that age or fire had consumed the church and felt a sense of loss for a simpler time. I remember being an altar boy for a wedding. I remember a priest angrily chastising the altar boys for not knowing what the Pater Noster was. We knew the words in Latin, but had not put two and two together and realized that it was The Lord’s Prayer. I remember the little choir jammed in the tiny choir loft, and Marian Manners playing the organ and singing the lead. I remember the statues draped in purple and the Tabernacle empty on Passion Sunday. I remember the bishop coming for my confirmation and my dread that I wouldn’t know the answer to his questions about my faith, even though the answers had been drilled in my head.

Dad would drive the family to church on Sunday in one of his snazzy Desotos. I especially liked the 1959 coffee and cream version with huge fins.  We would listen to country gospel singing straight from the hollers of Kentucky on the way to church, and on the way back we would tune in The Polka Hour broadcasting from WFDF in Flint, Michigan. When my dad was on call at work and couldn’t make it to church, we went with my elderly neighbors  in their old lumbering Oldsmobile sedan that they drove to church, rain or shine, snow or sleet, every Sunday. There was many a Sunday when my mother had to stay home with the babies, but I made it to church in that roomy, rumbling Olds.

Field of Dreams Wedding Chapel in Milan was originally St. Joseph
Mission Church in Whittaker, Michigan. It was moved in 2007.

The loss of that simple white church bothered me for some reason and the other night I searched for information about the church. What I found brought me tears and joy. The little, white, clapboard church had indeed, faced obliteration by fire—as a training exercise for the fire department. The property had been sold and a housing development planned for the property. In the nick of time, someone had the idea to move the church elsewhere and rehabilitate it as a country wedding chapel. Built in the 1920s the old, clapboard building has new life as “The Field of Dreams Wedding Chapel”. I even located another website for the company, db.creations that restored the stained-glass windows. Many of the windows had been damaged in the moved, but the center panels which had been painted all survived intact.

Another website led me to an archive of newspaper articles collected by the Ann Arbor Public Library, where I found one that detailed the move of the church to its new home: 

Old News - St. Joseph's Catholic Church In Augusta Twp Waiting For The Train To Pass While Moving To Milan, May 2007. The journey was tedious and they had to cross a set of railroad tracks. The move was taking so long that they actually had to back the trailer up because of an oncoming train!

Moving the St. Joseph Mission Catholic Church in Whittaker, Michigan

One of these days, I might just make a trip back to that chapel, and spend a few minutes reflecting on a life well-spent, but regardless, I will sleep well, knowing that the little white church is still serving a spiritual purpose in the life of others.

Happy Easter from my Family to Yours!

These are my latest additions to my Pysanky (Easter Egg) collection. These are all in the Ukrainian style.

On Good Friday, when I was young, we went to church from 12 to 3. I remember the lamentation, Stabat Mater, being sung in Latin. Here is one particularly beautiful and simple version for those who remember this beautiful song:

Image of Christ on the Cross used with permission from the Morgue file.

Happy Easter in Polish.

Yummy Baked Chicken Thighs

I have chickens on my mind. Chicken was a staple on our table when I was growing up, though rarely fried chicken. I don't even think my mother even owned an iron skillet. Today, I have a skillet, but, like my mother, rarely make pan-fried chicken.

I remember mom cleaning dead chickens that had been raised on the farm. There were times that I was forced to help her remove pin feathers, either plucking them by hand or burning them off with alcohol, which gagged me unbearably. Mom would save the formed eggs that were still in the chicken, but had not yet grown hard shells. 

When I think back to the "golden years" of the 50s and 60s, I am sure that my mother didn't miss leaving the killing of chickens and plucking their feathers behind. I surely don’t.

I also remember my grandmother retrieving errant chicks that had fled the chicken coop in the spring. My grandmother wore long cotton shirts and skirts, a “babushka” (a triangular piece of cloth) on her head, and usually a long apron. She would gather the ends of the apron together, and scoop up errant chicks and return them to the coop.

Dad got chicks from the feed store in Willis in the spring. We kept them in the basement with a light on that would give the chicks enough warmth to survive. He fed the chicks chopped hard-boiled eggs. I found it a bit strange—chicks eating their potential brothers and sisters. I kept my concerns to myself.
-----
I made this chicken recipe recently using a number of sources for ideas and ended up making baked chicken thighs that were absolutely delish! The crust was crispy and the chicken was juicy and the flavors melded together well.

I think were my best chicken thighs ever and I would love to hear from you if you decide to make them!

Serve with green beans and store-bought potato salad for a delicious and easy weekday dinner.

Roasted Chicken Thighs

INGREDIENTS

6 whole Bone-In, Skin-On Chicken Thighs

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cups Panko

1 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

2 teaspoons McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Chicken seasoning

1 teaspoon celery salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Butter-flavored baking spray

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line cookie sheet with tinfoil. Spray foil with butter-flavored baking spray.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, mustard, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Place chicken thighs in bowl and mix together until chicken is completely coated with mixture.

In another large mixing bowl, stir together, Panko, Parmesan cheese, and spices.

Remove chicken thighs, one piece at a time, draining well, then dipping piece into bread crumb mixture. Pat crumbs to chicken to adhere.

Place thighs on cookie sheet, skin-side down.

When all thighs have been coated with bread crumbs, spray each generously with baking spray.

Bake thighs for 50 to sixty minutes, turning once after 30 minutes.

Serve with green beans and potato salad for a delicious weekday dinner. Leftover chicken is great either cold or gently warmed in the microwave.

Christmas on Florida Street and other Stories: Our Interview with NPR StoryCorp

Florida Street in Detroit, Michigan. The neighborhood was almost exclusively Polish in the 1950s.

In January, 2017, my husband, John Rush and I recorded my stories of growing up in a Polish American family near Detroit, Michigan during the 1950s and 1960s. We were recorded by folks from StoryCorps at the StoryCorps van, which was visiting Fort Myers.

Click on the StoryCorps van above to access my stories of growing up in Detroit.

Many of the stories that were recorded have companion pieces in the written stories that appear on this blog. I thought it would be a nice idea for folks and family to be able to hear the stories in my own voice. Please feel free to send us comments.

John, me, and my sister, Barbara at a surprise Shrimp Dinner at her house in Michigan.

National Pie Day 2017 - Adam's Coffee Toffee Chocolate Pie

January 23 is National Pie Day so I decided to make a wonderful pie I have made before. The original recipe was called Blum's Coffee Toffee Pie and was taken from a restaurant that no longer exists in San Francisco, California. The Wives with Knives site has the original recipe along with more information about the restaurant and the pie

Unfortunately the recipe calls for raw eggs so that sent me on a hunt throughout markets in Fort Myers looking for pasteurized eggs--I didn't want anyone to get sick from raw eggs. Pasteurized eggs no longer exist in Fort Myers! I might have to check health food stores in the area, but I gave up after two hours of searching.

My recipe is similar, but not the same, but it sure makes a good pie and it is fairly easy to make! Enjoy!

Adam's Coffee Toffee Chocolate Pie - Finished product!

Rolling in the brown sugar and chopped nuts.

Pie shell ready for oven. Use a pie weight to keep crust uniform.

Nothing like a good cup of coffee to go with the Coffee Toffee Chocolate Pie!

Adam’s Coffee-Toffee Chocolate Pie

Crust:

1 refrigerated pie crust

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons finely chopped walnuts

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Filling

1 package cook and serve chocolate pudding

2 cups milk

2 teaspoons powdered instant coffee

2 tablespoons butter

Topping

1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled

6 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1 1/2 tablespoons powdered instant coffee

1 tablespoon grated semi-sweet chocolate  or chocolate curls

Preheat the oven to 425° F.

Crust:

Unroll pie crust. Sprinkle with brown sugar and walnuts. Use rolling pin to lightly press brown sugar and walntus into dough.  Line a 9-inch pie pan with the rolled-out dough, prick all over with a fork, then press a piece of heavy-duty foil snugly into the pie shell. Bake for 6 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for about 10 minutes more, until dry and crisp. Sprinkle chocolate chips over crust. Return to oven for 1 minute. Then use back of tablespoon to spread chocolate over bottom of crust.

Filling:

Combine powdered chocolate pudding mix and instant coffee granules. Add milk and cook as directed. After pudding is cooked quickly stir in 1 tablespoon butter until combined. Pour into pie shell. Allow the pie to chill for at least four to six hours before adding the topping. 

Topping:

Combine the cream, confectioners’ sugar, and instant coffee in a large mixing bowl of an electric mixer. Beat until the mixture is stiff. Spread the topping in swirls over the chilled pie and sprinkle with the grated chocolate or chocolate curls.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving.