Silent Movies--Things to do in Oakdale (or in this case, Valley Home!)

My Grandparents and my Uncle Edwin (left) and my Dad in the mid-40's.

This weekend we went to do one of my new favorite things. The silent movie showing at St. John's Lutheran Church in Valley Home. It's a fundraiser for the church they do every year...and there's PIE! (Homemade pie!)...and ICE CREAM! (Homemade ice cream!) The event is emceed by Matias Bombal who used to host a swing radio show on KUOP (among many other endeavors) and has been very involved in keeping the history of turn of the century entertainment alive in Northern CA.
I don't know how many people who will read this have ever seen a silent movie accompanied by a pipe organist, but it is something I used to do a lot as a little girl, so I guess I shouldn't have said it's a "new" favorite thing. You see, one of my grandfather's very favorite things was pipe organs. He belonged to a preservationist group that traveled all over rescuing pipe organs--removing them carefully, lovingly from their original place and replacing them in a new home, and then going and listening to organists expertly turn their sounds into trains and cars and telephones, accompanying the movies that he watched in his youth. I would go to see the movies with him and my grandma, and my grandpa was *transformed* by these events. He was truly giddy! He would lean into my ear, beaming from ear to ear and point and say "his feet! Watch his feet! Look what he's doing with his feet!" I just liked hanging out with my grandpa and grandma, and when he was beaming from ear to ear, so was I.
A little history from my grandpa's stories to share with you. He saw his very first silent film here in Oakdale. It was shown outside on Third Street in an alley--the alley that backs up to Alexandra's. No pipe organ yet, but still made an impression on him, one that he re-told stories about for the rest of his life.
The video clip at the end of this post is the organist who accompanied the Buster Keaton film we saw on Sunday. Watching him (and watching his feet work) made my heart ache remembering the times I spent listening to pipe organs with Grandpa.

In this shot the organist, Dave Moreno, was impersonating a steam locomotive with the pipe organ. Sounded real to me, too, Eli!

Ain't no party like a Lutheran Church party, cause the Lutheran Church don't stop!

All you can eat HOMEMADE ICE CREAM--3 different kinds!! (The chefs insisted we must try all three!)

Homemade pie $3 a slice...it was a hard decision...but Caroline and I settled on a raspberry treat.

My dad in his boater. He said he had a hard time deciding between his boater and his bowler.

I think he made the right choice. I have a rule about taking pictures of people eating, which he

is reminding be about in this picture...

If you're curious, here's 4 minutes of Dave Moreno playing the train. This video does the in-person experience no justice!

Ferrarese's Cheese Dip Knock-off Attempt--Oakdale, CA

So, awhile back on facebook, I made reference to the cheese dip from a popular restaurant here in my hometown, Ferraresse's,  and how I think in conjuction with a healthy amount of Ben and Jerry's Chubby Hubby ice cream, it helped me to gain 80 pounds in my first pregnancy. Every Thursday night, I would go over to my sister-in-law's house to watch "Friends," and she would come home with a tub of this cheese, a bag of Fritos Scoops and a rootbeer for me. (Sometimes I'd get a pint of pepperocini mix too. I blamed the heartburn on the baby.) Anyway, it turns out, that although Ferraresse's has been making said dip for it's entire existence (30+, maybe even *40* years), not many people know about this tub of gold. I have encouraged all to grab a tub the next time they go.
My sis-in-law worked there a long time, and I was always trying to pump her for Ferraresse's recipes, but she was good, and didn't tell me any of the big stuff. She said she "thought" there was cream cheese in it....but I'd push more, "yeah, but how to get that consistency?? Do they melt the cheeses?" "Maybe?" was all she said. Finally I just thought I'd grab all the things I thought it might be and mess around with it and see what I could come up with. Trying to recreate the flavor is just a challenge to myself. Also, my kids love processed cheese crap, and I won't buy it for them, so I wanted to come up with a whole (real) food cheese spread. I will STILL buy the real thing when I go to Ferraresse's. For those who cannot go, try this.


Cheese Dip/Spread Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sharp or extra sharp cheddar cheese
1/3 cup cream cheese
dash of beer
several dashes (I used about 15) Tabasco Sauce
1/4 teaspoon powdered garlic or granulated garlic
salt to taste
1 ounce velveeta (for consistency and to mellow the sharpness--taste test without it first, then add a bit)

A FOOD PROCESSOR! That's what ended up being the magic for this for me. I don't know how they do it at the restaurant, but that's what I used and it was what made it all come together, finally!
Shred cheese first, if you put in blocks of cheddar cheese, you will have to blend it too long and it will get a weird, too creamy kind of a thing going on, and will resemble the processed cheese you get in a can. Gross. Put shredded cheese and cream cheese in processor, and pulse until incorporated. Add just a dash of beer. Stronger flavors will work better, because you want the flavor, but not to dilute the cheese. When I say dash I mean, start with a TBL. Add the rest of the ingredients to taste. I like a bite from my Tabasco, so I put a lot in. Blend until smooth, transfer to a container and then chill at least four hours to meld flavors. Overnight is best.
If you aren't pregnant you can eat it with Fritos and real beer, otherwise have a rootbeer.