Elvis - A Lighted Candle

[Golden Sky]

Dear Wanda,

I haven't been at ELC for a while, I was living at our country house with no internet, and then I had a baby (!!!) and everything has been hectic. With a little more time, I'm venturing back here. I must say, the circle of friends at ELC is wonderful and more open-minded than any other "club" I've ever joined.

Looking through the site again, and glancing through your book as I was preparing to jump back into the swing of things here, a few questions came to my mind. For instance, it suddenly struck me as odd that you talk about Elvis cooking.

None of the other books I've read have given the slightest indication that Elvis cooked. So I was wondering what you think about this...was he just pulling your leg, do you think? Or was it just an oversight with other authors, something not worth mentioning? Or maybe he was actually handing recipes over to his cooks?

Anything you can tell me to clarify this would be great.

Thank you!

Love,
Trish

[MaryInTheMorning]

Trish my sweet friend, it is again so very good to have your sunshine and beautiful heart back with us again here at ELC!!! Also, CONGRATULATIONS on the birth of your beautiful little baby!!! I am so happy for you that you have been blessed with this sweet little bundle of joy!!! Ya know, that's a great question you asked and I'll be waiting to see what our dear Wanda has to say about it. If I may add yet another question to pick your brain Wanda, on the issue of "domesticity" so to speak that Trish just brought up, I have always wondered, as wonderful of a loving and doting daddy as we all know he was, I was just wondering how "hand's on" he was so to speak with typical baby stuff like diaper changing, making and giving bottles and things like that?? Because he was so over the moon about his precious little baby girl I can actually picture him doing all this stuff.

[Wanda June Hill]

Hi!

Elvis cooking---he told me that when his mom was working, if he got home before her, he would "start cooking supper" and I don't know if he actually warmed up something or made some thing, but he said he knew how to cook- it wasn't his thing really, but if he had to he could do it. He also had a receipe for "Southern Ambrosia" that was I think something his grandmother had done- he liked to have a BIG batch and claimed to use one of the very clean bathtubs to make enough for a party etc:...or Christmas. Now, he did send ambrosia to us, and it was very good- but he would never give out the "secret" ingredient...I made him laugh really loud once when he was being very evasive about that mixture, by saying, so what is it- the bath tub ring or something." I was being silly of course, but he sure laughed about it. I don't think anyone actually mixed up anything in a "bath tub" but it might have been a really large pot or something. Who knows, his sense of humor and downright silliness was "out there" at times. Grandma Suzy said he called in a big hurry once and asked about her "orange potatoes" but there was a young lady with him and she probably was doing the "fixing" of such things. I can't see him doing that, though he might have enjoyed bar-b-queing...I really can't recall anything though they did have big barbeques- etc: and he liked that kind of thing. He got his barbque from a place there in Memphis much of the time- we went there when we were first back there and Graceland wasn't open yet, just the garden tour was and a few of his cars and motorcycle--- but we ate at the place he liked- it was "okay" but we liked our's a lot more spicey-

.

wjh

[Sarena]

Also, CONGRATULATIONS on the birth of your beautiful little baby!!! I am so happy for you that you have been blessed with this sweet little bundle of joy!!!

From my side also, dear Trish!!! I think I remember it is a boy!? And you were wondering what name you would give him....so I dare to be curious...would you tell us his name????

All the best to you , the baby and your whole family!!!

[Golden Sky]

Thank you, ladies!

My baby is named Christian, and if he let me rest more, I'd have the time and patience to post a picture here now! But as it is, I'll have to post it later. In the meanwhile I'll tell him about your big welcome and he'll thank you, too.

Wanda, thanks very much for the extra information. I can see how Elvis would probably do whatever it took to take a load off his mother's hands when he was growing up- that makes sense. And he was so capable, of course he could throw something in a pan and heat it. Now I just remain a little confused about what ambrosia IS. The kind we have over here in the Northeast has gelatin in it and marshmallows. I can't fathom how that could be sent?

My pathetic geography skills aren't helping, and I forget how far you lived from him. Was it possible he just had one of his boys drive over with it, fresh? Or am I just way off with my idea of what ambrosia is?

Thanks so much again.
Love,
Trish

[MaryInTheMorning]

You're very welcome my dear friend, and thank you so much for letting us know your precious baby's name!! Christian--what a beautiful and strong name! No need to rush dear angel on posting a picture for us--we'll just look forward to whenever you do get the chance to do it. It is perfectly understandable how tired or worn out you must be right now. Please try and rest when you can, and give him gentle little hugs from all of us. Sweet Wanda thank you so much for your explanation about Elvis and cooking. I concur with Trish about how it's very easy to understand how he would want to help his mom out any way he felt he could in that regard. Always such a wonderful, loving and helpful son. I would like to ask though whenever you get the chance, again no rush, if you could answer my question about Elvis and his "daddy duties" if it's ok? If you'd rather not I can certainly understand, or if I asked something too personal or inappropriate I am truly very sorry. It's just something that I've mused about to myself and wondered about knowing how very much he loved and adored his precious baby girl.

[Wanda June Hill]

New babies can be very tiring- I think I was more worn out when mine kid was little than when she got up and doing more! Best of luck and I too, like that name for a boy! don't forget to do for mommy too, it's easy to forget with a new little one. wjh

[Golden Sky]

Thanks so much AGAIN for your kinds words about Christian. He loves you for the "gentle hugs," Mari.

Wanda, I know you're having computer trouble so I won't pester you about ambrosia! I was actually hoping to re-create the recipe (minus the bathtub rings) so I could try it! I DO eat peanut butter & banana sandwiches (don't we ALL? ) and have gotten the Elvis Family Cookbook out from the library. I thought I must be terribly strange, but then I realized I'm obviously not the only one, or my library wouldn't carry this book!

In fact, come to think of it, I think there's an almost universal interest in Elvis's food habits. Did you ever see Oprah at Graceland eating the Elvis buffet? Here's the link:

http://presleyspride.com/oprah06.wmv

I was hoping to see the ambrosia there, but maybe I just don't recognize it or it was a secret of his. The recipes I look up for ambrosia online all seem more perishable (involving sour cream) and less send-able than what I had in mind. So I was half-hoping to hear he sent it to you in some characteristically elaborate way, you know, Elvis style, arriving in a big refrigerated truck, or a plane, to keep the Jell-O from melting. But it was probably just another kind of ambrosia I guess, a dry kind.

My imagination can run wild when it comes to dreaming of how Elvis did things in those undocumented, unwritten-about hours.

Love,
Trish

[MaryInTheMorning]

Thanks so much AGAIN for your kinds words about Christian. He loves you for the "gentle hugs," Mari.

You are so very welcome my dear friend, and I love him right back!!

[Wanda June Hill]

I'm on! Finally - but for how long? It's Friday- busy night for computers around this area apparently!

When we got things from Elvis, many times they were delivered by young guys that I thought were from a delivery service as they all came from up in the LA area. I never asked Elvis about any of them- a few times a young woman came- and then florists delivered what ever he might send and he used Demural Tosh Florists that used to be in the area- they've gone now, I guess too old to keep going as the lady was not young then.
The year we got a lovely crystal pedestal dish of Ambrosia from him a tall, slender guy with blond hair brought that- he was driving a white station wagon with a company name on it, that I thought was one of Elvis' but I didn't see the tag so I can't say for sure where it was registered- most of his cars were tagged in Memphis, back then anyway.

Ambrosia was made with REAL cream from some one who owned a Jersey cow- He teased it was her milk that made it so good- could be we used to have a gernsey-jersey cow who made a lot of cream and we had fantastic butter from churning it. Anyway, you needed a quart of real whipping cream and whipped it yourself, add a tiny bit of powder sugar to sweeten it, then he said, fruit cocttail but you rinse off the syrup it was packed in (he'd drink that syrup he said or put it in orange juice), small pieces of pineapple, marchino cherries cut in halves, and any other kind of fruit you liked, but not apples unless they were peeled and sliced thin, and a lemon to soak fresh fruit in before mixing it into the whipped cream.
To keep fresh fruit from "turning brown etc:, bananas also, he loved them.
The cream had to be whipped up until it stood in stiff peaks, then carefully you fold in the fruits and last, was the secret ingredient which I think was Apricot bandy but I have no idea how much he used. Then once it was all gently folded into the cream, the last thing was the tiny marshmellows and some chopped up pecans. Put it into a nice serving bowl and chill in the refg. for at least 2 hours before serving. It was very good, rich for sure and delicious but he wouldn't tell the special ingredient ever....though we still think it was the apricot brandy. Only a tad. I guess his grandma made this and would put whipped egg whites on top and brown it quickly under the flame- we never did that. Of course, he said it was the person making it, because you pray over it as you go along...and it was the power of prayer and faith that you sent out to your loved ones via the ambrosia. This was really good, we used some sliced strawberries which he didn't mention, and once some fresh cherries and black berries- I guess you could put anything you wanted into it. Boy, haven't had any in years and years- but I wouldn't be able to handle the whipped cream so won't go there!
Wow, I managed to do this whole thing and not get cut off line yet- I can't get to Candlelight and there are lots of messages left for me- oh well, sooner or later I might just stay up very late and try then.
I think banana pudding was Elvis favorite thing- he and Jimmie had that in common...I told him when I had to be gone for a couple days or so, I would always leave a banana pudding for Jimmie, to stand in for me. He just laughed him self silly over that. I did do that too- it worked. Bye, wjh

[MaryInTheMorning]

Wanda my dear friend I am so sorry to hear about the interner problems you're having. Believe me, I can sympathize as I've had my fair share of problems with all that too not too long ago. Thank you so much for the further explanation and details of Elvis' wonderful ambrosia!! It sounds yummy! Leave it to our precious guy to say that the person making it was what made it so good due to praying over it as you made it. How beautiful it is to hear that he felt that it was the power of prayer and faith that you sent out to your loved ones thru the ambrosia!! That kind of reminds me of what you've told us about how he would pray over all of the scarves he had before giving them to people at his shows. Such a beautiful special heart, and loving soul!!

[Golden Sky]

THANK YOU!

This sounds DELICIOUS!!! I'm going to hurry off to the liquor store after this and get myself apricot brandy. Whether I make ambrosia with it or not depends on my finding the right cow today The brandy alone sounds really yummy.

I hope your computer stays alive long enough that you can answer just a few more questions? First, did Elvis drink RAW milk? That would be significant for me because I have drank it for health reasons also. (I'd like to be able to think, "Hey! Great minds think alike!" ) It sounds like the cream he used for this ambrosia did not come from a store. So I'm wondering if he pasteurized/boiled it. I know that's a totally far-out question but it takes a really different kind of person to trust raw milk.

With those big batches, did you ever learn who else was receiving them? Was it something just for the phone friends? Again, none of my books have included a story of anyone else being honored with the same kind of gift. I've read quite a few books and this is the only story of its kind.

And I'm dying to know about the crystal pedestal! Please tell me you still have it! I was hoping I just missed it on the Treasures page but it's not there. Can you take a picture of it for us? Because...need I even explain...I'll buy one like it when I see it.

Many thanks, again!

Love,
Trish

p.s. Mari, Christian is on my lap and he's replying to you in baby code..no idea what it means, but it sounds very affectionate.

[MaryInTheMorning]

Trish my dear friend, please give your precious little Christian sweet tender baby kisses for me and in baby code right back send him all my love!!

[FairyTale]

Ny Grandma made Ambrosia said when I was little, and she made it just like Elvis said. Wanda I'm so Sorry your not getting to be on here like you want to, did Elvis like Banana Cream Pie? I Love Banana Pudin' to, ConGradulations Trish on your New Baby!

[Golden Sky]

Thank you Mari and Fairytale!