Fab time for good cause; Dutch treats in Bluffton; behind the ‘Richard Jewell’ scenes
Diana Riggle is a wonderful friend.
Diana hosts many fun soirees and recently hosted one at The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa ... a benefit for The Empty Stockings Fund.
The music for the event was provided by The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra, and what fun that was. Guests enjoyed cocktails and a marvelous supper served to 400 or so lucky attendees. There was an auction of a wonderful array of goods and services, with the proceeds going to the stockings fund.
It isn’t often that one goes to a large gathering where the food and entertainment is stellar. Three cheers to the Westin Hotel, Diana and The Fabulous Equinox Orchestra. They never disappoint.
Dutch treats
My sister Catherine is married to Jan Ghys, who is a native of Holland. They live in Bluffton and this Christmas were happy to have their family here for the holiday. Three daughters .... Anna and her husband who is also Dutch flew from Holland for Christmas, joining Sarah and her family down from New York, and Maria and her family who live in Bluffton.
All of this brought to mind a little something ... a recipe that is delicious and quite simple to make. The recipe is called a “Dutch Baby.”
This treat requires an iron skillet, two or three eggs, flour, milk and seasonings, either sweet or savory. Everything should be at room temperature. You can serve this for breakfast, brunch, lunch or supper.
What is this, you ask ... a very large puffed-up pancake. It comes out of the oven puffed up in the center and gradually sinks down. The center is light and airy and the edges are toasty and chewy. It is lots of fun to make and very simple to put together. Google “Dutch Baby” and you’ll see how “gouda” it can be!
‘Richard Jewell’
The new movie “Richard Jewell,” directed by Clint Eastwood, is causing quite a stir.
On July 27, 1996, during the Summer Olympic Games, a homemade bomb exploded at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta . The bomb killed two people and injured 100. The movie is about an ordinary person: Richard Jewell — a campus police officer at a local college who is a bit overweight and lives with his mother.
It is all a bit difficult to explain, but I mention this movie because it also features my long-ago next-door-neighbor Kathy Scruggs, a real person who is depicted in a not very nice way.
Kathy was a reporter for The Atlanta Journal Constitution at the time, and it was her reporting about the bombing that set everything in motion for the furor that ensued.
The AJC has threatened legal action against Warner Bros. for the way its journalists — Kathy Scruggs, in particular — have been portrayed in the film.
Kathy was adorable and I will always remember her that way. She died in 2001 at a very young age, so she, thank goodness, does not know all of this. Artistic license can sometimes go too far.