In honor of his birthday on January 8th, enjoy this page about The King ! Elvis Aaron Presley was born on January 8, 1935 to Vernon and Gladys Presley, in Tupelo, Mississippi.  Elvis was a twin. Jessie Garon Presley, his twin, was stillborn.  Elvis had no other siblings and was raised an only child.  He and his parents moved to Memphis in 1948 where Elvis graduated from Hume High School in 1953.  In 1954 he started his musical career with Sun Records in Memphis.  His style reflected the influences of the gospel music he grew up singing in church and the popular and country music of the times.  He was also influenced by the R&B sounds that he heard on Beale Street in Memphis as a teenager.  Combining all those various sounds, Elvis invented a new sound, that swept the nation and crossed racial barriers. Elvis starred in 33 films and numerous television shows and specials.  He performed record breaking concerts both on tour and in Las Vegas, Nevada.  Worldwide he has sold over one billion records.  His American record sales have earned him gold, platinum and multiplatinum awards for his 131 albums and singles.  Included in his numerous awards are 14 Grammy award nominations with 3 wins, the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and he was named "One of the Ten Outstanding Young Men of the Nation" by the Jaycees in 1970. Elvis served, honorably, in the United States Army from 1958 to 1960 with no special priviledges that his celebrity could give him.His talent, charisma, good looks and sense of humor endeared him to millions, as did his humility and charitable nature.  Elvis was famous for giving away Cadillacs, cash and jewelry, often on a whim.  But many do not know of his many other, less known, charitable contributions.  In 1961 Elvis held a benefit concert in Hawaii that raised over $65,000 towards the then stalled fund raising efforts for the Memorial at Pearl Harbor for the U.S.S. Arizona.  The Memorial opened later that year.  In 1973 the tickets for his "Aloha from Hawaii" concert held no price.  The audience members were asked to pay what they could afford.  The concert and merchandise sales were a benefit that raised $75,000 for the Kui Lee Cancer Fund in Hawaii.  Each year, for many years, Elvis gave $1,000 to fifty Memphis area charities and continuous donations to others both in Memphis and around the country. Most of Elvis's philanthropy was unknown to the general public.  Throughout his adult life he quietly paid for hospital bills, bought homes, paid off debts and supported families of friends, family members and total strangers. Elvis's legacy of generousity continues through the Elvis Presley Charitable Foundation, which is the philanthropic branch of Elvis Presley Enterprises, Incorporated. Elvis Aaron Presley died in his home, Graceland, in Memphis, Tennesse on August 16, 1977.  He was 42 years old. The Ghost Of Elvis I saw the ghost of Elvis He was standing by my bed This phantom had me all shook up "Son, got any burgers?" he said "I'm sorry no" I said amazed "Instead of eating why not sing?" "Ah miss my whoppers" he said in a daze "Heavens got no Burger King." I saw the ghost of Elvis Through my kitchen window he peered Watching me cook a juicy stake His lip curled as he leered "Hey boy!" he cried "Now dont be cruel Grill me one nice and rare I love me tender stake" he drooled I looked again....he wasnt there! I saw the ghost of Elvis In the supermarket its true! Whilst at the deli behind me I heard The strains of The Wonder Of You In his vegas suit he was by the cakes Serenading the treats on  show He picked one up and with one of his shakes Sank his teeth ' in the gateau ' I saw the ghost of Elvis In the post office he was waiting He bought a stamp with his face on So the king started gyrating He looked my way quite ominously "You look haunted son" he whined I said "Look Elv you're hounding me! And doggin me all the time!" I saw the ghost of Elvis At the railway station On his own rock n roll platform Looking sad in his isolation The Graceland Express rolled into view With its carriages of white And the king returned, in his blue suede shoes To his Flaming Star so bright. Unknown YOU BELONG TO MY HEART (Elvis Presley) You belong to my heart now and forever We were there beneath the stars while a million guitars Played our love song When they said I love you Every beat of my heart said it too Do you remember Darling you'll hear that song And you'll always belong to my heart Elvis You taught us all how sad the fifties were by being ordinary -- like the polite greaser down the block -- but on TV. You made it big and bought a mansion for your folks in Memphis. You never forgot all you owed to them. I remember reading movie magazines at the candy store -- about how you were speeding down the highway in your new Cadillac Eldorado Convertible whose rear end was on fire; but you didn't know. Someone sped by and showed you the danger: You said when you found out you shure were scared. That's what the fifties were like. Unknown The Magic of Elvis Lyric....ERNEST FORD Oh, ooo, ah -- My foot's started tapping and I bounce on my knees You faded from us like the leaf on the trees I feel a tingle from you from my foot to my pelvis There wont be another with the magic of Elvis Rock, rock, rock with the magic of Elvis He gave me a tingle from my foot to my pelvis Oh, ooo, ah - You made the news in your blue suede shoes You made me shudder whilst rockin the blues I feel a tingle from you from my foot to my pelvis here wont be another with the magic of Elvis Rock, rock, rock with the magic of Elvis He gave me a tingle from my foot to my pelvis Oh, ooo, ah -- You started somethin and made music feel free From the limits of space and back to Tennessee I feel a tingle from you from my foot to my pelvis There wont be another with the magic of Elvis Rock, rock, rock with the magic of Elvis He gave me a tingle from my foot to my pelvis Oh, ooo, ah - Your memories imprisoned in the Jailhouse Rock of my heart My Wooden Heart is still beatin cos you made it start I feel a tingle from you from my foot to my pelvis No -- There wont be another -- with the magic of Elvis Quotes By  The King, Himself "Some people tap their feet, some people snap their fingers, and some people sway back and forth. I just sorta do ‘em all together, I guess.” "I ain't no saint, but I've tried never to do anything that would hurt my family or offend God...I figure all any kid needs is hope and the feeling he or she belongs. If I could do or say anything that would give some kid that feeling, I would believe I had contributed something to the world." “Don’t criticize what you don’t understand, son. You never walked in that man’s shoes.” “When I was a child, ladies and gentlemen, I was a dreamer. I read comic books, and I was the hero of the comic book. I saw movies, and I was the hero in the movie. So every dream I ever dreamed has come true a hundred times...I learned very early in life that: ‘Without a song, the day would never end; without a song, a man ain’t got a friend; without a song, the road would never bend - without a song.' So I keep singing a song. Goodnight. Thank you.” “We do two shows a night for five weeks. A lotta times we’ll go upstairs and sing until daylight - gospel songs. We grew up with it...It more or less puts your mind at ease. It does mine.” “I’ve never gotten over what they call stagefright. I go through it every show. I’m pretty concerned, I’m pretty much thinking about the show. I never get completely comfortable with it, and I don’t let the people around me get comfortable with it, in that I remind them that it’s a new crowd out there, it’s a new audience, and they haven’t seen us before. So it’s got to be like the first time we go on.” “The first time that I appeared on stage, it scared me to death. I really didn’t know what all the yelling was about. I didn’t realize that my body was moving. It’s a natural thing to me. So to the manager backstage I said ‘What’d I do? What’d I do?’ And he said “Whatever it is, go back and do it again’.” “Man, I was tame compared to what they do now. Are you kidding? I didn’t do anything but just jiggle.” “...the image is one thing and the human being is another...it’s very hard to live up to an image.” “A live concert to me is exciting because of all the electricity that is generated in the crowd and on stage. It’s my favorite part of the business - live concerts.” “ ‘Til we meet you again, may God bless you. Adios.” "Ambition is a dream with a V8 engine." "I don't know anything about music. In my line you don't have to." "I have no use for bodyguards, but I have a very special use for two highly trained certified public accountants." "I knew by heart all the dialogue of James Dean's films; I could watch "Rebel Without a Cause" a hundred times over." "I've had the boyhood thing of being Elvis. Now I want to be with my best friend, and my best friend's my wife. Who could ask for anything more? " "People ask me where I got my singing style. I didn't copy my style from anybody . . . . Country music was always an influence on my kind of music. " So without further ado, a feast fit for the King. Elvis commanded that the kitchen at Graceland should be stocked with fresh ground beef and all the fixings to make the giant cheeseburgers he loved. Guillermo Pernot, executive chef at Trust, offered a different take - but in the same kingly proportions. Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich 3 tablespoons peanut butter 2 slices light bread 1 banana, mashed 2 tablespoons margarine, melted Mix soft peanut butter and mashed banana together. Toast bread lightly. Spread peanut butter and mashed banana on toast. Place into melted margarine; brown on both sides. Elvis Style Fried Pickles 8 dill pickles -- sliced 1/2 cup  flour 1/4 cup  beer 1 1/4 tablespoons  paprika 1 1/4 tablespoons  cayenne 1 1/2 tablespoons  black pepper 1/2 teaspoon  salt 2 teaspoons  garlic salt 3 dashes  tabasco sauce Combine flour, beer, paprika, cayenne pepper, black pepper,  salt, garlic salt and Tabasco.    Dip the pickle slices into the batter and quickly fry in grease until the pickles  float to top, about 4 minutes. Elvis Muffins 2 cups banana (packed full) -- mashed 1/2 cup honey or maple syrup 3/4 cup peanut butter (pref. low-oil; organic) 1/3 cup soy milk (unflavored) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup whole wheat bread flour 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1 teaspoon salt Preheat oven to 350°. Grease a 12-cup muffin pan (may make more; these were typically large). Mix wet ingredients well. Sift dry ingredients together. Mix dry into wet, just until moist. Spoon into prepared muffin cups. Bake for approximately 20 minutes. May need to reduce temperature by approximately 25 degrees. after 8-10 minutes. Elvis's Favorite Corn Bread 2 cups cornmeal 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon baking powder 1-1/2 tablespoons granulated sugar 2-1/2 cups buttermilk 3 large eggs, beaten 1/4 cup Oil Cornmeal No-Stick Cooking Spray In a large bowl combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and sugar; mix well. Stir in the buttermilk, eggs, and Oil; mix well. Spray a 10-inch non-stick skillet with Cooking Spray and sprinkle lightly with a little cornmeal. Pour into the skillet and cook over medium heat until golden brown and cooked until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean. Enjoy! Ham Bone Dumplings 1 large ham bone or leftover ham 2 quarts water salt and pepper Dumplings 2 1/2 cups flour 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 cup Crisco shortening 1 cup cold water Simmer ham bone in water for 15 to 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Combine dumpling ingredients to make dough. Add more flour if needed to make dough easy to handle. Place dough on floured board and roll very thin. Cut dough into small pieces and drop into pot with ham. Cook about 20 - 25 minutes more. Simple Southern Fried Chicken 1 frying chicken, cut up 3 teaspoons Seasoned Salt 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 cup all purpose flour 1 cup vegetable oil Season chicken with all seasonings. Roll chicken in flour until covered. Shake off excess flour. Sprinkle additional seasoning. Fry chicken in frying pan until golden brown. Oysters Rockefeller 36 fresh oysters on the half shell 6 tablespoons butter 6 tablespoons finely minced raw spinach 3 tablespoons minced onion 3 tablespoons minced parsley 5 tablespoons bread crumbs Tabasco sauce to taste 1/2 teaspoon Herbsaint, or substitute Pernod 1/2 teaspoon salt Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add all the ingredients except the oysters. Cook, constantly stirring for 15 minutes. Press the mixture through a sieve or a food mill. Cool. Line six pie tins with rock salt. Set 6 oysters in the rock salt on each pie tin. Divide the topping into 36 equal portions. Place one portion on each oyster. Broil until topping is brown. Serves 6. Baked Apple And Sweet Potato Pudding 4 large sweet potatoes 3 medium apples 1 cup water 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon apple pie spice 1/2 cup butter -- melted 1/2 teaspoon vanilla graham cracker crumbs Wash; peel sweet potatoes and apples. Cut into slices. Cover bottom of pan with graham cracker crumbs. Layer potatoes and apples in dish. Mix brown sugar with water and pour over each layer. Season each layer with cinnamon, apple pie spice, butter, and flavoring. Spread a few graham cracker crumbs over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let pudding stand for 4 or 5 minutes, then serve. Elvis Presley Pound Cake 3 cups Sugar 1/2 pound Butter -- softened 7 each Eggs -- room temperature 3 cups Cake flour -- sifted twice 1 cup Whipping cream 2 teaspoons Vanilla extract Butter and flour a 10-inch tube pan. Thoroughly cream together sugar and butter. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Mix in half the flour, then the whipping cream , then the other half of the flour. Add vanilla. Pour batter into prepared pan. Set in COLD oven and turn heat to 350°. Bake 60 to 70 minutes, until a sharp knife inserted in cake comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Remove from pan and cool thoroughly. Fool's Gold Loaf (an Elvis favorite) 2 tbsp butter 1 loaf Italian white bread 1 pound lean bacon 1 normal size jar Skippy smooth peanut butter 1 normal size jar Smucker's grape jelly ons Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the butter generously over all sides of the loaf. Place the bread on a baking sheet in the oven. In the meanwhile, fry the bacon until it is crisp and drain it thoroughly on paper towels. Remove the loaf from the oven when it is evenly browned, approx. 15 minutes. Slice the loaf lengthwise and hollow out the interior, leaving as much bread along the walls as desired. While the bacon is still warm, fill the insides of the loaf with peanut butter and jelly to taste. Arrange the bacon slices inside the cavity, or, if desired, layer the bacon slivers between the peanut butter and jelly. Close the loaf. Elvis Presley's Sweet Potato Pie 2 small sweet potatoes -- 3/4 pound 1 medium russet potatoes -- baking type 1/2 cup butter 1 cup brown sugar -- packed 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg; fresh -- grated 3 large eggs -- beaten 1 1/4 cups evaporated milk 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 9" pie crust -- unbaked Place all of the well-scrubbed potatoes in a 3-quart saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until potatoes are very soft, about 20-30 minutes. Drain and when cool enough to handle, peel. In medium bowl, combine potatoes, butter, brown sugar and nutmeg. Using a potato masher, cream the potatoes until very smooth. In small bowl, beat eggs, 1 cup evaporated milk and vanilla together. Beat this mixture into the potatoes. Mix thoroughly. Pour into pie crust and drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup of milk on top. Bake 15 minutes in a preheated 450° oven then turn heat to 325° and continue baking for 30 minutes or more until the filling is set. Hamburger Abroad 1/4 pound ground chuck Salt and pepper to taste 1/4-inch slice vine-ripened tomato 4 kosher pickle slices 2 small leaves bibb lettuce 1 soft brioche roll Choice of gorgonzola, mozzarella or manchego cheese Shape the beef into a 3-inch disc. Season heavily with salt and pepper. Place on a hot grill, five minutes per side for medium. Melt cheese on top. Stack pickles, tomato and lettuce on bun with burger. Makes one hamburger, to be served with: Truffled French Fries 1 Idaho potato 5 cups peanut oil 1 tablespoon grated parmigiano reggiano 1 tablespoon black truffle oil Salt and pepper Cut potatoes into 1/4-inch-thick strips and fry in 375-degree oil. When fries reach the desired color, put them in a bowl and top with salt, pepper, truffle oil and cheese. Pepsi Cola Float 8 ounces soda 2 tablespoons vanilla extract 3 spoonfuls vanilla ice cream 4 ounces whipped cream 1 cherry, with stem Mix all ingredients into the 11-ounce glass, starting with soda, then adding vanilla extract, ice cream, whipped cream and cherry on top. Delilah's Buttermilk Biscuits 1 pound unbleached all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons salt 2 tablespoons single-acting baking powder 4 ounces chilled lard, cut into pieces 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Combine flour, salt and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. Mix well. Add the chilled lard and blend quickly with a pastry blender or your fingertips until the mixture has the texture of cornmeal. Add the milk all at once, then stir vigorously for a few seconds with a stout wooden spoon. Work the dough into a ball and turn onto a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough vigorously for 3 seconds, then shape the dough into a round cake. Dust rolling pin and rolling surface lightly with flour. Roll the dough evenly from the center outward to a 1/4-inch thickness. Pierce the surface of the dough with a dinner fork, then cut out biscuits using a 2-inch biscuit cutter dipped in flour. For nice, straight-edged biscuits, do not wiggle the cutter. Press straight down and pull up sharply. It is best to start cutting biscuits from the outer edge of the circle. Cut very close to the edge to waste as little of the dough as possible. You can't re-roll the leftover dough. Place biscuits a quarter-inch apart on a heavy cookie sheet with a shiny surface (biscuits will brown better). Bake in a preheated, 450-degree oven for 12 to 13 minutes. Remove the biscuits from the oven and leave for a few minutes, then serve hot. Biscuits can be reheated by setting them in a 375-degree oven on a baking sheet, uncovered, for 4 to 5 minutes. When it comes time for dessert, why not try Blue Suede Choux? This pate a choux pastry comes from Angela Tustin, pastry chef at Circa. Pate a choux is a traditional French pastry used in such desserts and confections as cream puffs and eclairs. Blue Suede Choux For the pastry: 1 pint half-and-half 1/2 pound butter 9 ounces all-purpose flour 8 whole eggs 1/4 ounce salt Bring half-and-half and butter to a boil over medium heat in a saucepan. Add all-purpose flour all at once and continue cooking until thick. (Dough will form a skin on sides and bottom of pot.) Transfer dough from pot to mixing bowl. Beat with a paddle attachment until cooled to room temperature. Add eggs one at a time, scraping between each addition. Fill a pastry bag (fitted with a large, round tip) and pipe dough in quarter-size rounds onto parchment paper. Bake at 400 degrees until pastry rises and sets (approximately 10 minutes). Lower oven to 300 degrees and bake pastry until dry on inside (approximately 20 minutes). Cool in refrigerator until ready to use. For the blueberry white chocolate mousse: 1 pint fresh blueberries 2 ounces white chocolate, chopped 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 pint heavy cream (whipped to medium peak) Place all ingredients except whipped cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Strain liquid from berries and retain for use in presentation. Cool berries to room temperature. The mixture will thicken slightly. Fold whipped cream into cooled berry mixture. Place in pastry bag fitted with a small round tip (about half the size of the one used for the pastry). To assemble Blue Suede Choux: Poke a hole into the underside of each pate a choux. Fill with blueberry mousse. Dust pastries with powdered sugar or dip in caramel, and arrange as desired on plate. Spoon leftover blueberry sauce around the filled pate a choux. Elvis had a thing for good old Southern bacon - especially with tomato on a sandwich. Al Paris at Zanzibar Blue offers his take on the King's favorite. Elvis' Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato & Fried Onion Sandwich 3 slices toasted white bread, heavily buttered 6 slices thick-cut, applewood-smoked bacon 4 slices tomato, heavily salted and peppered 2 leaves iceberg lettuce 4 big, angry onion rings (dip in buttermilk and cayenne-spiced flour before frying) 1/2 cup extra-heavy mayonnaise Roast bacon until golden brown. Toast bread, then butter on one side. Place onion rings and bacon on slices of bread. Spread this bottom layer heavily with mayonnaise. Add lettuce and tomato as top layer. Spread more mayo. Top with bread slice, spear sandwich with toothpicks and slice in half. Serve with jalepeno chili fries and an ice cold beer. Love-me Tender Cocktail 1/2 part Gin 1/3 part Sherry 1/10 part Bitters 1/10 part Peach Schnapps drop Apricot Brandy Pour all the ingredients into a mixing glass. Serve in a chilled cocktail glass. Add orange twist. EMail  Mary Comments are appreciated Send Mail to Mary  Back To My Index Page More Mail From Mary is a proud member of: Harmony-Editors More Mail From Mary copyrighted© 6/1/01 Graphics By Granstaxi1