Music is defined as vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion. Classical music has proven to make plants grow faster. Loud music in bars makes customers drink more alcohol in less time. Cows even produce more milk when listening to relaxing music.
My favorite genre of music is country. My husband, on the other hand, does not care for country music and enjoys heavy metal. We do agree on good old rock and roll from the ’70s. Every morning as we get ready for school, we instruct Alexa to play a variety of music from different artists. Some days he chooses, some days I choose, and occasionally we pick together. When riding in a vehicle, the rules change. Whoever is driving gets to select the music we listen to. I hardly ever drive when we are together – so there’s that!
I recently ran across an article from Past Factory titled “The 25 Greatest Songs in Music History”. See if you agree.
- “Time After Time” – Cyndi Lauper
- “Welcome to the Jungle” – Guns N’ Roses
- “Dancing in the Street” – Martha and the Vandellas
- “Whole Lotta Love” – Led Zeppelin
- “Sound of Silence” – Simon and Garfunkel
- “Hotel California” – The Eagles
- “River Deep-Mountain High” – Ike and Tina Turner
- “What a Wonderful World” – Louis Armstrong
- “Back to Black “ – Amy Winehouse
- “Smells Like Teen Spirit” – Nirvana
- “When Doves Cry” – Prince
- “The Twist” – Chubby Checkers
- “Juicy” – The Notorious B.I.G.
- “I Walk the Line” – Johnny Cash
- “Johnny B. Goode” – Chuck Berry
- ”(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” – The Rolling Stones
- “Let It Be” – The Beatles
- “Be My Baby” – The Ronettes
- “Dancing Queen” – ABBA
- “No Woman, No Cry” – Bob Marley
- “Hey Ya!” – Outkast
- “Stairway to Heaven” – Led Zeppelin
- “My Generation” – The Who
- “Fast Car” – Tracy Chapman
- “Hound Dog” – Elvis Presley
- “Born to Run” – Bruce Springsteen
- “Imagine” – John Lennon
- “Bohemian Rhapsody” – Queen
- “Sweet Home Alabama” – Lynyrd Skynyrd
- “Hey Jude” – The Beatles
- “Good Vibrations” – The Beach Boys
- “Respect” – Aretha Franklin
- “Crazy Train” – Ozzy Osbourne
- “Like a Rolling Stone” – Bob Dylan
- “London Calling” – The Clash
- “Yesterday” – The Beatles
- “What’s Going On” – Marvin Gaye
- “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” – Shania Twain
- “Light My Fire” – The Doors
- “Jailhouse Rock” – Elvis Presley
- “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” – Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell
While we agree on music from the 1970s, my husband and I also agree on some food favorites from then. I hope you will take a trip down memory lane and give these a try. Thanks for reading.
WATERGATE SALAD
(This salad became popular in the early 1970s when the Watergate scandal during President Nixon’s presidency was all anyone was talking about, and was thusly named.)
2 (3.4-ounce) package instant pistachio pudding mix
2 (8-ounce) cans crushed pineapple, undrained
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (8-ounce) container Cool Whip
In a large bowl, mix the pudding mix, pineapple and juice, marshmallows, and nuts; fold in Cool Whip. Chill.
MAMA’S CHEESEBALL
(This is the first cheeseball I ever tasted. It was and still is my very favorite!)
2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon chopped pimiento
1 tablespoon chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped bell pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
¼ tsp. garlic powder
Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of salt
Chopped pecans
Combine cream cheese and cheddar cheese, mixing well until blended. Add all other ingredients, except pecans. Chill the mixture and shape into a ball; roll in chopped pecans. Serve with your favorite crackers. *My Mama always served it with Sociable crackers.
CHICKEN DORITO CASSEROLE
(Back in the day, Taco-flavored Doritos were used. They aren’t available anymore, so I use Nacho-flavored.)
1 teaspoon Creole seasoning
2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1 can cream of mushroom Soup
1 can diced Ro-Tel tomatoes
1 (14-ounce) can whole kernel corn
1 (15-ounce) bag Nacho-cheese flavored Doritos
1 (8-ounce) package shredded Mexican blend cheese
Bring a saucepan of water and Creole seasoning to a boil; cook chicken breasts in boiling water until no longer pink. Drain and shred the chicken. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray. Mix soup, tomatoes and corn in a bowl. Spread half the Doritos in the bottom of the baking dish; top with half the chicken, half the soup mixture, and half the cheese. Repeat layers with the remaining ingredients. Bake for about 30 minutes or until casserole is bubbly and cheese is melted.
- Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
