Brandy Slush by Janet K. Hallas - from "Home Plates: Players' Favorite Dishes" (1984)

RECIPE

7 cups water

2 cups sugar

4 tea bags

12 oz orange juice concentrate (frozen)

12 oz lemon juice concentrate (frozen)

2 cups brandy

Mix water and sugar in large pan.  Bring to boil.  Remove from heat.  

Brew tea bags in water/sugar mixture for 5 minutes.  Stir in frozen concentrates and brandy.  Freeze.  

Serve with 7 Up or Mountain Dew.  

Note:One ice cream scoop of slush per 8-10 oz of 7 Up, or can also be used according to taste.  Makes over 30 drinks.

Sweet and citrusy, a drink the colour of Fort Knox Gold.  Definitely needs a straw to get going, but the slush melts quickly enough.  Nice kick from the brandy after a few sips.

Great idea to keep an ice cream bucket or large tupperware container of this slush in the freezer.

Bookshelf - "Home Plates: Players' Favorite Dishes" (1984) by the Oakland Athletics

295 pp. paperback

268 recipes from the wives of players, coaches and management

Even though I have dozens of baseball cookbooks in my collection, I manage to find something unique inside each one.

Sure, after a while you start seeing the same recipes again and again, but there's always at least one that's so unique that you know it was a family favourite.  Or there will be a personal anecdote from a player reminiscing about a dish he loves to eat.  Or a new twist on something familiar that lets you experience food in a new way.

Home Plates: Players' Favorite Dishes, is a cookbook that was compiled and produced by the wives of the 1984 Oakland Athletics.  Proceeds from sales of the book went to the National Kidney Foundation of Northern California.

As baseball cookbooks go, this one is kind of underwhelming.  It's got a lot of recipes, but most of them are uninspiring; the kinds of dishes prepared by people who are not too adventurous in the kitchen.  If you love broccoli casserole, you can try five different recipes here.

However, one section stands out.  There's an entire chapter of recipes for alcoholic punches and cocktails -- definitely not something you find in most other baseball cookbooks.

A lot of these drinks have a fern bar vibe.  Captivated by the idea of boozing it up the way grown ups did back in the 80s, I'll be cranking some Huey Lewis tapes and chilling out with the following icy drinks: 

Brandy Slush

Sangria

Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri 

Chi-Chis

Yellow Rice and Chicken by Kathy Sanguillén - from "A Treasure Chest of Pirate Recipes" (1971)

 

RECIPE

1 fryer [I used a package of chicken thighs]

2 buttons garlic

1/2 pint olive oil

1 onion

1 green pepper

1 two-oz. can small peas

6 ounces tomatoes

1 bay leaf

1 lb. of rice

2 pimentos

2 tablespoons salt

1 1/2 quarts water

Cut chicken in quarters and fry with onions and garlic.  When finished add tomatoes and water.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Add bay leaf, salt, rice and green pepper.  Stir thoroughly.  Place in oven at 350 F for 20 minutes.  Garnish with peas and pimentos.

Manny Sanguillén had one of his best seasons as a member of the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Panamanian-born catcher hit .319 during the season with 7 home runs and 81 RBIs.  He was an NL All Star for the first of three times, and helped the Pirates win the NL East by 7 games over St. Louis. In the 1971 World Series, he batted .379.  

Recognized as one of the best catchers of the 70s, Sanguillén spent most of his career in Pittsburgh and was there in 1979 when they won their second World Series of the decade.  His lifetime batting average of .296 is the fourth-highest by a catcher post-1945.

In recent years, Sanguillén has remained active as the operator of Manny's BBQ, located behind centerfield at PNC Park.  He greets fans in line to buy food, signs autographs and poses for photos. 

  

photos from Cut4/MLB.com

If the Sanguillén recipe in the 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates cookbook is any indication, patrons of Manny's BBQ will be well fed.

This recipe for yellow rice and chicken is massive and could feed an entire starting lineup.  The step-by-step procedure does not require any special cooking skills, since all you have to do is keep adding the ingredients to the same pot or large pan, then leaving it to cook until the rice is done.  The result is like a chicken paella.  The only substitution I made was to use a package of chicken thighs instead of an entire chicken cut in to pieces.

This is a dish that will impress a crowd.  Viva Sangy!