Category: Did You Know? by Joyce Word

The month of July seems to be flying by, doesn’t it? By the time some of you read this it will be within days of being half over. My week has been nice and quiet, no meetings and doing whatever crafts or sewing that I wanted to. It has been very enjoyable, with a little visiting, an evening with a friend playing a board game until all hours and a shopping trip to Victoria. Now, the fun begins with Pokeno on Monday, a funeral and then a meeting on Tuesday and who knows what else the rest of the week!
This week, I decided to tell you a little bit about garlic. It seems to be in the forefront in articles that your read telling you that it helps control heart problems and cholesterol, etc. They have even come out with pills so you don’t have “garlic breath” if you follow a regimen to help with any illnesses. When I went into the search mode on my computer, I quickly found that there were nearly 30-million sites concerning garlic. Parts of this article are from United States Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, parts are from About.com:Home Cooking and some is from Cookbook:Garlic – Wikibooks, collection of open-content textbooks.
Garlic is a member of the lily family, as are onions, leeks and chives. The scientific name for garlic is allium sativum. Unlike onions, leeks and chives, garlic is generally used as a spice or a seasoning rather than as a vegetable due to its extremely strong flavor.
The word garlic comes from Old English garleac, which means, “spear leek”.
Garlic was referred to in the Old World, Egyptian and Indian cultures 5,000 years ago, and there is historical evidence of it being used by the Babylonians 4,500 years ago, and by the Chinese over 2,000 years ago. Until the first quarter of the twentieth century, garlic was not very popular in the United States and was found mostly in ethnic dishes in working-class neighborhoods. But, by 1940, America finally recognized the value of garlic, not only as a seasoning, but also as a major ingredient in recipes
Egyptians worshipped garlic and placed clay models of garlic bulbs in the tomb of Tutankhamen. It was so highly prized, that it was used as currency.
An old folklore belief was that garlic repelled vampires and protected against the Evil Eye, as well as numerous other beliefs.
It grows wild only in Central Asia today. Garlic grew wild over a much larger region, and wild garlic may have occurred in an area from China to India to Egypt to the Ukraine. This is considered its “center of origin”, as this is the geographic region where the crop originated and the only place where it grew wild.
Many cooks make the mistake of thinking that the large bulb of garlic you buy is a clove of garlic. This is not true by any means. The whole garlic is called a “head” or a “knob”. Each segment is called a “clove” of garlic. In other words, if a recipe calls for three cloves of garlic, you would use three of the separate segments. Garlic will keep a long time if the heads are stored in a cool dark place. If you keep them in the fridge, they will sprout and taste bitter.
Cookbook:Garlic states that garlic heads can be frozen, without ill-effect, or they can simply be stored in a dark cupboard away from moisture. If you buy the garlic braids, they should be hung up to prevent bruising of the cloves. It also states that if you want to store garlic gloves individually and ready for use, the garlic must be either dried or processed. A good way to freeze prepared garlic is to crush or mince it in a food processor and mix it with a little water, then freeze it in an ice cube tray, so that the cubes can be used as needed. It also can be frozen in olive oil, or frozen whole. You should never under any circumstances should you leave garlic in olive oil at room temperature or leave garlic in oil to sit on the counter. Since garlic is grown in the ground, it can be contaminated with botulism spores, which are almost impossible to remove. The spores are generally harmless in their normal state, but because they are anaerobic bacteria, they will grow if the conditions are right – that is, submersed in oil and stored at room temperature. These spores cannot grow in the cold, so freeze or refrigerate it, or store the garlic in vodka, wine or vinegar rather than oil.
In this day and age, we no longer really have to use fresh garlic and have our hands and cutting boards smelling of garlic. We can simply use a bottle of garlic from the grocery store. It keeps indefinitely in the refrigerator and the garlic odor does not penetrate the glass, so your fridge does not smell of garlic.
You may not believe this, but in one of the sites, there was even a recipe for garlic ice cream! No thank you not for this lady! Most of us just use garlic when we make spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread to go with the dish and in the seasoning of our chili and beans.
Spicy Garlic Chicken Skewers
Ingredients:
Water, for soaking skewers
1 dozen 10-inch bamboo skewers
3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons ketchup
4 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons English or Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons hot pepper sauce
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste
3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
Instructions: Soak 12 bamboo skewers in water for at least 20 minutes
Meanwhile, in a non-reactive bowl (i.e. glass), mix together the garlic, honey, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, hot pepper sauce, salt and pepper. Toss in the chicken strips and stir until well combined. Cover and marinate 20 to 30 minutes or overnight. Prepare outdoor grill or preheat broiler to high. Thread marinated chicken onto skewers. Cook over the hot cools of an outdoor grill 5 to 6 minutes. Or, arrange on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil 6 to 7 minutes, turning occasionally until well browned and cooked through. Yield: 4 servings.
Garlic Broiled Shrimp
2 pounds large shrimp, shelled and deveined, with tails left on
½ cup butter
3 cloves garlic, minced finely
Salt and pepper to taste if desired
Place cleaned, seasoned shrimp on a foil-lined baking sheet. Melt butter with minced garlic over a low heat and cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Brush shrimp with butter mixture, place under broiler and broil for 3 minutes. Brush shrimp again and turn over. Brush this side and continue cooking for another 3 to 4 minutes or until shrimp are pink. Serve with red sauce, if desired.
When my grandchildren were small, my daughter gave me the recipe for this bubble stuff. It would not be long before there would be ten or more children in my yard chasing bubbles. Everyone loved it, and now my great-grandchildren love it also!
Super Duper Bubbles
6 cups tap water
2 cups dishwashing liquid (I usually use Dawn®, because that is what I have on hand, but Joy® works really well also)
¾ cup white corn syrup (this makes the bubbles last longer, but can be omitted if you don’t have any)
Mix all ingredients in a clean 1-gallon water, milk or juice jug. Stir to mix thoroughly.
Pour some of the mixture in a shallow pan on a flat surface outdoors. One of the 8-inch or 9-inch clay or plastic pans (that are used under a flowerpot) works great. An aluminum pie tin works well, but tips over easily! Dip wand into mixture and wave gently through the air. If too many bubbles form on top, blow excess off. This happens if you stir it too much while using it. This mixture can be poured back into the container to use again another day. The best bubble wands for this are the new larger ones that are now on the market at most of the dollar stores. Have fun.

My trip to Devine, last week, was great. I enjoyed playing bunco with my friends and we truly missed the ones that were out sick. There were several of them and I really hope y’all are beginning to feel better. I got to see my newest great-granddaughter on Wednesday and of course she is a doll. Her mama is such a sweetie; I was allowed to hold her all I wanted to!
The corn fields are ready to be harvested for livestock feed and all the fields and pastureland I saw were really dry. It didn’t look as if there was much grazing land to be used. We finally had some rain around the 23rd or 24th of June. Burn bans are back in effect for almost all of our counties down here, and in fact, before the rain, Victoria County was saying absolutely no fireworks and they wouldn’t even be sold in the county. Since they had more rain than we did, that restriction was lifted, but many of the places that usually have fireworks show cancelled them. The two inches we had helped, but we need rain as badly as it’s needed in your area.
One day at lunch time, quite a while back (you know, back in the good old days when we could go eat at the Senior Citizen center?), I asked one of the men if he thought we were ever going to get rain. His answer was different to say the least, as he replied, “Yes, just as soon as this dry spell is over!” We both had a good laugh and went to our tables to wait for our food. I have to agree with him, we have had clouds several days this week and part of last week and only immeasurable drops of rain.
Where cobblers got their name is unknown to me, but I firmly believe it was some rushed housewife who decided to ‘cobble’ some flour, sugar and milk together and add some fruit from her pantry, who made the first one. Cobblers can be found in cookbooks dating from the early parts of the 20th century and possible even before. They are simple to make and always delicious as you can use any fruit you have on hand to make them. I have made them with apple pie filling, cherry pie filling, canned peaches or almost anything. (In fact, at one point in time, my daughter promised her lunch mate teachers a peach cobbler for dessert at lunch, got ready to make it and had no peaches at home. She used a couple of cans of fruit cocktail and had a hit on her hands!).
The following cobbler is a little different than the ones we usually make, in that it uses buttermilk (or soured milk) in place of the milk that’s usually called for. For some reason, it’s called “Magic Lemon Cobbler”. Since I’ve always felt a cobbler was sort of magical, in the way you put the dough mixture in the pan and then the fruit, and the dough rises to the top, the name doesn’t make much sense! We took a pan of it to my grandson and his wife last Wednesday and they seemed to enjoy it immensely. I’ve served it to my Pokeno ladies, by placing it in 8-ounce glasses and it was a hit with them also. The lemony flavor is really awesome.
Magical Lemon Cobbler
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk (or soured milk*)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 can lemon pie filling (21-ounce)
Preheat oven to 350ºF.
Place the stick of butter into a 9”X9” square baking dish and place it in the oven to melt while you mix up the batter. (Keep an eye on this, you don’t want it to get brown, just melt!).
In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, (flour, baking powder, salt and sugar). Pour in the buttermilk, vanilla and lemon extracts and stir or whisk until just combined.
Pour the batter evenly over the melted butter in the pan, do not stir; spoon the lemon filling over the batter, bake for 45 to 55 minutes until the edges of the cobbler are golden brown. Cool before serving. *To sour milk, place 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in a measuring cup and fill the cup to the 1-cup line. Stir to combine and allow to sit until it thickens.
The following cobbler recipes are some of my family’s favorites, with the first recipe for peach cobbler being from my mother and grandmother. It’s a truly old family one, and as you notice, it uses fresh peaches.
Peach Cobbler
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
¼ cup margarine
2 to 3 cups sliced fresh peaches
½ to 1 cup additional sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Melt the margarine in a 9×9-inch baking pan. Peel and slice peaches into a pot, adding ½ to 1 cup granulated sugar depending on the sweetness of your peaches. Heat until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat, stir in the extract and set aside while you mix the dough.
Mix together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the milk to make a soft dough and pour the dough mixture into the prepared pan. Top the dough with the peach mixture, (if it has made a lot of liquid, don’t use all of it); sprinkle with some cinnamon and sugar if desired, bake for about 30 to 40 minutes or until done.
Cherry or Apple Cobbler*
1 cup flour
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
¼ to ½ cup margarine
1 can apple pie filling or cherry pie filling
1 teaspoon cinnamon or 1 teaspoon almond flavoring
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Melt margarine in 9×9-inch pan. Set aside. Combine flour, sugar and baking powder, add milk and vanilla. Mix to make soft dough and pour into pan with melted margarine. Stir cinnamon into apple pie filling or stir almond flavoring into cherry pie filling. Spoon fruit onto the top of the dough, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if desired. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm or cold with whipped topping or ice cream. *I feel you could use peach pie filling for this in place of either of the others.

Wow! June has only one more day to go and this year will be half over. It has been a typically hot and dry month with very little rainfall. The drought seems to be reaching epic conditions. We haven’t had any measurable rain fall in several weeks, and in watching TV weather forecasts, it doesn’t seem as if we will have it any time soon.
My week has been quiet (for me!). Monday was my Pokeno day, and I really enjoyed being with the ladies, we had a great time; Tuesday was gift shop day, this was my last time to work a full day, as next week, I’ll be back working my regular afternoon shift. Wednesday and Thursday were my days this week to do laundry, errands and some housekeeping; and help that evening, at our weekly bingo, and Friday, it was back to a combination of working in the gift shop and in the lobby selling tickets, we’re almost at the deadline, with the drawing being on July 1! The beautiful wheelchairs we’re giving the hospital came in today. It seems as if there is always a shortage of them. If someone comes into the medical building, the chairs are by the front door, same thing if someone comes in needing one for ER, they’re in the medical building.
Father’s Day weekend was beautiful and very quiet for me, however, my sister invited me over for dinner that evening, and we had a good time together, as well as her usual delicious food and dessert. She and her children were actually celebrating it on Monday due to work schedules and such.
This coming Monday is 4th of July with all of it’s attendant celebrations, picnics and parades. Fireworks will probably fill the skies at least over the lake at the park in Cuero, as they usually have a nice display, I haven’t heard for sure if it will happen this year or not. At this time we are under the usual no burn ruling that seems to have been in place nearly year-round during the time I’ve live here!
The following article is from a magazine section that was a part of The Devine News during the 30’s and 40’s. It still sounds as if it is as true today as it was then, doesn’t it? And, yes, we’re under a burn ban now, in DeWitt, Lavaca and Victoria counties. The Victoria paper stated Thursday that fireworks wouldn’t even be sold in Victoria county this year due to the dangers of fire!
June – 1937 A Saner and Tamer Fourth – Newspapers have long been advocating a saner and tamer celebration of the Fourth of July. Formerly, they had much to say about deaths from fireworks; these were frequently horrible deaths of children after prolonged suffering from lockjaw, the germs of which had gained entrance into the bodies of the victims by means of slight wounds caused by toy pistols or other forms of explosives. There has been a slight diminution of deaths from this cause, but the Fourth seems to be bringing an added increase of deaths from drowning, automobile and other accidents.
We hope our patriotic day will not continue a harvest of casualties; that we will learn to celebrate it sensibly and cautiously; that boys will not be too venturesome in water; that drivers of automobiles will realize the Fourth as the most dangerous day in the year when more people are on roads, many of them without sense or discretion.
For the entire nation, there were nearly 400 killed in accidents the Fourth of July, 1936. Is it too much to hope that such number may be cut in half this year?
(Don’t we wish that we would only have as few as 400 killed in this day and time on the Fourth, alas, those days are gone forever)!
From The Devine News in a 1967 paper, this is what Dr. Glenn Smith had to say about patriotism. Flag Waving – Do not feel ‘corny’, or ‘square’, or ‘out of date’, if you felt a little stirring of patriotism in your heart last Tuesday, July 4th. That feeling is never out of date, although it would seem so in this day. It is still a good thing for Americans to be proud of being Americans. It is still noble to have a “lump in the throat” when you see “Old Glory” flying on a staff or passing in a parade.
No one is born patriotic. It is acquired through teaching and experience, like religion. Like religion, it has to have habitual practice lest it fade and wither. Patriotism is instilled in the next generation by the teaching and example of the previous generation.
What are you doing to pass on pride of homeland to your children? What kind of citizens will they be? What will be their reaction to the flag, the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance?
That was in 1967, today in 2022; those words are still very apt. Since then we have had 9-11 and perhaps an awareness of freedom and pride that we didn’t have back then.
Independence Day, more commonly known as Fourth of July, is probably the most important secular holiday celebrated in the United States. It commemorates the anniversary of the adoption by the Continental Congress of the Declaration of Independence, which announced the breaking of ties between the 13 American Colonies and England.
We now celebrate with fireworks, picnics and get-togethers in general and try to have a good but safe time. Don’t forget to fly your flag on this day.
If you are planning a trip over the holiday, always remember to be careful of the driver of the car, in the car behind the car in front of you! In other words, pay attention to what you are doing at all times. Keep your mind on your driving, keep your hands on the wheel, don’t talk or text on the cell phone, and keep your eyes watching your surroundings, be aware of what is taking place around you. (If you absolutely have to use the phone, pull over to the side of the road until you finish talking or texting).
If you are planning on staying at home, keep as cool as it is possible to do. Drink plenty of water, and take care not to get too overheated. You do not want to have a heat stroke or other heat related problems that could be controlled by staying indoors during the heat of the day and by replacing body fluids with liquids, other than alcoholic beverages. Do not forget to protect yourself with sunscreen. Sunburn is one of the most uncomfortable things there is. The best cure is prevention, but milk of magnesia, kept in the fridge and gently patted on the skin, is a great antidote. Also, cooled, brewed tea patted on, or even just cloths repeatedly wrung out in cold water will help ease the burning. There are some excellent commercial remedies on the market, but these three are all old timers!
Savory Seasoned Burgers
2 pounds lean ground meat
1 teaspoon garlic salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
8 hamburger buns.
Heat grill. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except buns; mix well. Shape mixture into 8 patties. To barbecue, place patties on gas grill over medium-high heat, or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches from medium-high coals. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until meat is no longer pink, turning once. (It’s time to turn the meat when you see little dribbles down the sides of the patties.) Serve on buns with lettuce, sliced tomato, onion and pickles, if desired. (These can also be either baked in the oven or cooked on top of the stove, I done both!).
Some members of my family like to add sliced jalapeños, bacon, cheese and maybe even sliced avocados to their hamburgers. Not exactly healthy, but truly delicious!
Baked Beans
2 cans pork & beans 15-oz size or 1 can 32-oz size
½ cup chopped onion
½ cup diced green bell pepper
¾ cup brown sugar
¾ cup prepared barbecue sauce
Several strips, thin-sliced bacon
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Dice bacon and fry until crisp. Drain well on paper towels and set aside. In 1½ to 2 quart round casserole dish, combine beans with remaining ingredients. Mix together. Sprinkle bacon pieces on top. Bake uncovered for 40 to 45 minutes.

This past week was a semi-busy one, since it didn’t actually begin until Tuesday afternoon when I got in from my fun trip to visit with my granddaughter and her family. Luckily, there weren’t any meetings that will be this coming week! Wednesday, I did my unpacking and laundry and Thursday, my sister and I went shopping in Victoria, we had been trying to do that for months and we had an awesome time together. She found several things she was looking for in the clothing line, and I found a cute blouse and a couple of other things, but no white sandals were to be found anywhere and that was the main thing I wanted, I guess I’ll just have to figure out how to wear the ones I have!
Friday afternoon a friend and I sold raffle tickets at the hospital and did fairly well, and Saturday was a little more of the same thing. However, since it was Tom-Tom in Yoakum, we got to see at least part of the parade, since we were near the line-up area. There were lots of beautiful floats! After we finished selling tickets, I went out to the park for a while to see if anything interesting was going on. It was pretty much as usual with the same types of booths selling jewelry of one type or another, tee shirts etc., which you see at any type of commemorative gathering.
Just before Memorial Day, local groups of American Legion and VFW placed flags at each end of town, north, south, east and west, it is so beautiful to come into town from any side and see those flags flying.
Tuesday of next week, June 14th, is Flag Day and here is a little information for you about the flag.
Have you ever wondered in what order the states came into the Union? Who actually designed the first flag? Why does it have 13 stripes? How many stars were on the first flag? Which were the original 13 states? When was Texas admitted as a state?
Legend has it that Betsy Ross, a widowed seamstress was the one who made the first flag from a sketch given her by George Washington. She is said to have changed the number of points on the stars from six to five and then made the first flag in 1776. However, history has proven that it is just that, a legend.
A second legend claims that John Hulbert designed it a full year before Betsy Ross is supposedly did. This flag had 13 stripes and 13 stars in honor of the 13 original colonies.
These colonies were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina and Rhode Island. They all became states between December 7, 1787 and May 29, 1790.
The First Flag Law was passed by congress on June 14, 1777, giving this country an official national flag, consisting of 13 stripes alternating red and white, and a union of 13 white stars on a blue field.
Congress on May 1, 1795, adding two stripes and two stars in recognition of Virginia and Kentucky, passed the Second Flag Law. This 15-striped, 15-star flag is the second version of the national flag.
The Star Spangled Banner was written as a poem in the Baltimore Patriot newspaper. Frances Scot Key composed the verses while viewing the battle of Fort McHenry during the war of 1812. It became our national anthem on March 3, 1931. (This flag is in the Smithsonian Museum. It is not being restored it is being preserved. The size of this flag, 30 X 42 ft, is astounding, considering the time and place that it flew.)
The Third Flag Act was passed on April 4, 1818 and created the third official version of the flag. Navy Captain Samuel Reid proposed that the flag contain 13 stripes to represent the 13 original colonies. At that time it was decided that a star, represent ting a state, would automatically be added to the flag on the Fourth of July after ea territory was admitted. The flag in 1818 consisted of 13 stripes and 20 stars.
On July 4, 1846, the 10th official design of the Stars and Stripes was created with the addition of Texas into the United States.
June 14, 1861 was the first recorded observance of Flag Day, which was the anniversary of the First Flag Law and took place in Hartford. Connecticut. Bernard Cigrand is generally given the credit for helping to promote Flag Day.
On July 4, 1877, the centennial of the First Flag Act, the 38th star was added honoring the admission of Colorado into the Union. This created the 20th official design of the Stars and Stripes.
The entry of New Mexico and Arizona into the Union on July 4, 1912 created the 25th official design of the flag with the addition of its 47th and 48th stars honoring these two states.
From 1912 until 1959, the flag had 48 stars and 13 stripes. In that year, Alaska became the 49th state and the 16th official design of the flag was created. The following year, on July 4, 1960, Hawaii was admitted to the Union and a 50-star flag became the 27th official design. At 12:01 a.m., a 50-star flag was raised over Ft. McHenry by presidential order in honor of the victory described in the national anthem.
Red White and Blue Layered Salad
1 package, 3-ounce cherry gelatin
1 package, 6-ounce lemon gelatin
1 package, 3-ounce raspberry gelatin
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained well
1 can, 14½ ounces blueberries, drained
1 cup sour cream (1/2 pint)
2 cups milk
3 cups boiling water
Bottom layer: Dissolve cherry gelatin in 1 cup boiling water; cool at room temperature; add pineapple, pour into bottom of dish. Size of dish or mold isn’t mentioned, but I would use a 9×13 glass dish.
Middle layer: Dissolve lemon gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, cool at room temperature. Beat sour cream and milk together. Combine cooled lemon mixture and sour cream mixture. When bottom layer is firm, but slightly sticky to the touch, gently pour or spoon on the middle layer.
Top layer: Dissolve raspberry gelatin in 1 cup boiling water, cool at room temperature, add drained blue berries, pour and spoon over middle layer, when it is firm, but slightly sticky to the touch. Refrigerate until serving.
This is an older recipe that I found in a box with some stuff of my Mother’s, and it doesn’t have amount of servings nor any nutritional information. I would assume that a 9×13 would probably make 12 large servings, or 15 smaller servings.

My Memorial Day weekend was truly a memorable one! In fact it wasn’t only a weekend; it began with my trip to Devine last week. The trip itself was uneventful, as traffic wasn’t bad, it didn’t rain on me and I made really great time. When I arrived at my daughter’s home, I assembled the snack I was planning to serve and had a nice visit with my son-in-law. My daughter made a wonderful dessert for me to serve to my Bunco ladies. It was a red/white and blue jelled dessert that served up beautifully and everyone seemed to really enjoy, as there were lots of compliments!
My two oldest great-granddaughters are with my daughter as their school was already out, and they and I ‘hung out’ together all day on Thursday! We went to the local doughnut shop for a sweet breakfast, then to the beauty shop for my appointment, and then, of course, we had to go to Wal-Mart and shop around. When we got back out to the house, we did several things together, including making the sausage kolaches that I had promised to bring to my youngest granddaughter whose home I would be going to, for her son’s first birthday party! That evening, I went to my son’s home and we got ready to leave early on Friday morning for the 9½-hour trip to the Texas panhandle where she and her family live. It was a tiring but awesome trip, with lots of scenery for me to enjoy. The rolling hills and plains were really pretty as they’ve had enough rain, so that everything was green, rather than burnt brown as some places are, and there are still enough wild flowers blooming, especially the one called “Mexican Hat” and the beautiful Indian Paintbrush. The colors in that plant always fascinate me, with its deep orange, gold and almost brown petals and center.
We had a nice visit, the baby was still up and I got to play with him. He is such a sweet little boy and came to me immediately, even though I hadn’t seen him since Thanksgiving. Since his other grandparents, great-grandmother and uncle were all coming in also, I was taken to the guesthouse of some friends. It’s a great place that I had all to myself, very quiet, with a wonderful bed, that by that time I needed!
Saturday morning, my granddaughter picked me up, her husband’s parents had gotten in later the evening before, and after breakfast we divided up into two cars and made the trip to Oklahoma City, where my granddaughter and my son met the plane that was bringing my daughter-in-law, her mother and son in from their trip to graduation exercises in Georgia. We all met up for a quick lunch and then headed to the Oklahoma City Zoo. We had a great time, the baby wasn’t fussy and he seemed to enjoy the animals. It was a long and wonderful day that I enjoyed immensely.
Sunday was time for church and then the birthday party. That little guy certainly enjoyed his cake! Actually, it was the second celebration of his birthday, as he had previously had one with some of his friends and his ‘Church family’ that was closer to his actual birthday.
Now, it is Sunday evening and while the rest of the family went to services, I stayed at home to get this done!
Last week, I told you about Memorial Day and how it started and gave you the beautiful poem about the poppies. This week, here is the story about the poppies
The following is the story of the “Buddy Poppy” as it was printed in an article in “Ladies Auxiliary VFW Magazine in October 2015.
“It takes just three little parts and a few practiced twists and turns of the hand to create a perfect “Buddy”® Poppy. But this mighty little flower improves the lives of many veterans and their families”
In a modest building near Fort Dodge in dodge City, Kansas, a small but dedicated group of volunteers works hard, each with their own personal assembly line, building “Buddy”® Poppies at an impressive pace. Hundreds of loose bright red petals, bright green stems and paper labels quickly turn into tiny bouquets. There have been millions of poppies shipped from this building since 2003. Orders are filled from all over the United States, even as far away as Alaska.
The “Buddy”® Poppy makes a lot of difference for lots of veterans. The flowers are typically assembled by veterans in need or disabled veterans. On a Post and Auxiliary level, income is used to aid members. On state and national levels money from the poppies provides much-needed services for disabled veterans and their widows and orphans. Funds raised also go toward supporting the VFW National Home for Children and Veterans’ rehabilitation services.
There have been millions of poppies shipped from this building since 2003. Orders are filled from all over the United States, even as far away as Alaska.
Sausage Potato Breakfast Casserole
1 30 oz bag frozen shredded hash browns
1 lb breakfast sausage
1 4 oz can green chiles
1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened
1 8 oz container heavy cream
1 can cream of celery soup
Salt, pepper and a little cayenne pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease a 2 qt casserole dish. In a deep skillet, brown sausage and crumble with a potato masher. Add the can of green chiles and the cream cheese until all melted and then add the soup and heavy cream.  (If mixture is still thick, thin slightly with milk.) Heat all on medium heat, stirring continually until all is well blended and to keep from sticking to the bottom of the skillet. Once well blended, remove from heat and set aside. Break up frozen hash browns and layer on bottom of baking dish. Pour the sausage mixture over hash browns & bake until all bubbling and potatoes are heated through. Top with grated cheese while warm.

Last week, I told you about our 100th year celebration of our local hospital and said that I was excited to be going to the culmination of that week’s celebration, which would be a dressy party. It was a wonderful party with many of the Hospital Foundation donors, members of the Hospital Board, our doctors, the hospital staff, and last but by no means least about twenty or more of our auxiliary members.
When you walked into our local Community Center, the first thing you saw was an antique crib or isolette with a small doll dressed as a baby would have been, with a little jacket and diaper. As you checked in a found your table, the true decorations from the past 100 years were shown. There was an entire wall dedicated to photos of past doctors and nurses, newspaper articles about the hospital, that have been preserved, and the list goes on! Some of the older ladies in attendance were telling us about some of the Nuns who were nurses back in those days and how strict everything was, and how hard everyone worked.
There were also photos of Auxiliary members at various times, and a shadow box with pins and bars from the ladies, denoting the amount of hours donated to the Hospital by these members, It is a total of over 70,000 hours. I am not sure of the number of years that is included here. It is really a beautiful display and as I understand, it will be on display at our local museum until September.
The evening began with a cocktail reception, with drinks and any type of fruit, cheese, and cold cuts you can imagine for snacking, and lots of socializing, as everyone seemed to enjoy seeing old friends and former co-workers.
This was followed by welcome from our Hospital CEO, and an invocation by the Mr. Leck, Chair of the Hospital Board of Trustees.
Then came a marvelous dinner with a salad and a choice of entrée, that was steak medallions or salmon, followed by a choice of grilled vegetables, and was prepared and served by a restaurant from a nearby town, and the food and service was all awesome!
The meal was followed by a program of Personal and Oral History Interviews, including patients, our local Doctors, department heads, members of the Hospital board, a member of the Auxiliary. There are really too many to mention here, but it was a wonderful evening that culminated with the the unveling of a painting, called “A Century of Memories”. It will be on display at the hospital on our history wall at the hospital. The Hospital is shown in each of its re-buildings and growth through the past century.
Monday, May 30 is Memorial Day. What does it mean to you? Do you celebrate it, or is it just a neat day to have off work for a long weekend? Do you fly the flag? It is mainly a day of remembrance, of all the veterans of all the wars and is one of the holidays that are celebrated on the last Monday of the month that it is in. We will have a program at the Fire Station, with a part of the high school band playing for us, and also a really nice program. There are usually speakers, and wreaths are placed as memorials from many organizations.
Memorial Day was formerly called Decoration Day and was celebrated on May 30th. General John A. Logan, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic originated this day to honor the war dead.
It is a legal holiday in almost all the fifty states. In some places, the observance consists of civic parades and the placing of flowers on veteran’s graves. In San Antonio, there is usually a special service at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery. This very impressive ceremony, with taps and a 21-gun salute, always reduces even the strongest to tears as they realize that these men who are buried here gave there all for their country.
There are services in foreign cemeteries honoring the graves of American servicemen who are buried on foreign soil. There are water services for those who died at sea, and there are ceremonies at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia. It has been the custom to fly the flag at half-mast until noon in the United States.
The verse that follows is one of the best known and is written about the Buddy Poppy. Everyone is familiar with this little red flower that is offered for a donation either at Memorial Day or in time for Veteran’s Day in November. John McCrae (1872-1918) is the author of this famous poem. He is remembered for what is probably the single best-known and popular poem from WWI. He was a Canadian physician and fought on the Western Front in 1914, but was then transferred to the medical corps and assigned to a hospital in France. He died of pneumonia while on active duty in 1918. His volume of poetry, “In Flanders Fields and Other Poems, was published in 1919. It is said that John McCrae was standing in the cemetery and saw the beautiful red poppies growing over the area, that he was so impressed and moved that he wrote the poem.
In Flanders Fields
By John McCrae (1872-1918)
In Flanders fields the
Poppies blow
Between the cross, row on row
That mark our place;
And in the sky
The larks, still bravely
Singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the
Guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw
Sunset glow
Loved and were loved,
And now we lie
In Flanders fields. Take
Up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing
Hands we throw
The torch’ be yours to
Hold it high.
If ye break faith with us
Who die
We shall not sleep,
Though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

This week has been busy, which is nothing unusual, and it will continue into this coming week. Due to the fact that we have many of our auxiliary members who, due to Covid are not ready to be out in public, we are shorthanded in our gift shop. Working in the shop is almost always interesting; especially on the days the visiting doctors are on hand. You get to meet people, try to help them find something to purchase or they just look around. At any rate, there is something going on.
In addition to keeping the gift shop open all the needed shifts, we are also selling tickets for our annual spring drawing and celebrating 100 years of having a hospital in our small town.
There is a special display at the local museum honoring the hospital and our auxiliary, with a display of a shadow box containing the pins and bars showing how many hours the ladies have worked over a period of time. At last count, there were over 70K hours. There are mannequins dressed in uniforms of different types that have been worn over time. I did not get to attend the opening Thursday evening, due to a previous commitment, but from what I understand, it was awesome! I remember that when my Mother first joined in the 80s, they wore white uniforms of the same type that nurses wore, including white caps and looked extremely professional. Those days are long gone, and now our uniform is much more casual.
Friday morning, we had a dedication ceremony of the oak tree that the auxiliary purchased and had planted at the hospital in memory of this 100th anniversary occasion, with a reception following and members serving the cookies, punch and coffee! Everyone seemed to enjoy getting to visit and work with one another and it was great seeing the different departments working together.
Tonight, Saturday, there will be a very large, very dressy dinner as part of the celebration that I will be able to attend, it sounds awesome and I am excited to get to go.
This week, we’re going to learn a little bit about a vegetable called “Jicama” or ‘yam bean’. Several years ago, at bunco, our hostess served Jicama on the beautiful vegetable tray that she brought. I had heard of it before, but hadn’t really tasted it. In taste, it reminds me of the water chestnuts that are used in Oriental cooking, which means crunchy and a little starchy tasting. In fact, the first place that I ever read about it was in my Sunset Mexican Cook Book with a publishing date of 1970! They also compare it to the water chestnut as well as to a potato. In fact they state “It tastes so much like fresh water chestnuts that Chinese cooks often use it as a substitute”. I would see it in the grocery store and wonder “what in the world is that”, but I never tried it.
Jicama, which is pronounced “hee-cama”, grows on vines, with underground tubers, just as potatoes do, and is native to the warm climates of Central America, as well as the Caribbean, the Andes Mountain region and Southern Asia. It is a member of the bean family. As well as its formal name of Jicama, it is called “Mexican water chestnut”, and also “Mexican yam bean”, with a genus name of Pachyrhizus erosus. The skin is nothing like the edible skin of a yam, but is considered an organic toxin, as are the vines and leaves. In fact, the name “rotenone” is the same as a chemical used to bring fish to the surface so a stock tank or pond can be cleaned out.
Jicama are sold in most grocery stores in the produce section and they are round, and shaped similar to a turnip, with a texture similar to either an apple or a turnip. There are several varieties, but the most common in our stores is the one mentioned above.
To use, wash the tuber just as you would a potato, cut off each end to make a flat surface and then peel. In the articles I found, one sounds as if you need a sturdy paring knife to peel it and the other sounds as if you can use your regular potato peeler.
It is a very versatile vegetable, as it can be used in stir-fries, salads, slaw, soup and with other vegetables or fruits, as well as meats and seafood. A favorite Mexican recipe is to have it cut into slices and served with chili powder, salt and lime juice. In fact, that recipe is in the Sunset Cook Book and will be further down in the column.
It is low in calories and an aid to weight loss programs, is an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C, and a powerful antioxidant. It also has a healthy amount of potassium and vitamins like folates, riboflavin, and thiamin among others. Also it has the minerals of magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese, so these weird looking vegetables seem to be pretty healthy. (What I noticed on the vegetable tray, they did not darken as a potato or apple would, and stayed nice and crisp).
As far as I can tell, most people cut the jicama into sticks as you would a potato to make French fries, sprinkle it with salt and nibble away. However, our hostess served it with dip and it was great. (I wonder how it would taste if it was dipped into salsa?). For more information, “Google” the word Jicama, and enjoy the articles.
The article that I have been working from also has the following recipe for a salad using jicama, and just recently, when I received my Food Network Magazine, The Tex/Mex Issue, there was a salad recipe in the magazine!
Jicama Salad
1¼ pounds jicama
4 radishes
1 sliced scallion
2 tablespoons each, chopped cilantro and mint
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons agave syrup
½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of cayenne pepper
Peel Jicama and cut into thin matchsticks; cut the radishes into matchsticks, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, agave syrup, salt and cayenne in a large bowl, add the jicama, radishes, scallion, cilantro and mint. Toss together, season with additional salt if necessary.
Jicama Appetizer
1 tablespoon salt
¼ teaspoon chili powder
1 to 2 pounds jicama, peeled
1 lime, cut into wedges
Blend salt and chili powder and place in a small bowl. Slice the jicama into ¼ to ½-inch thick slices and arrange on a serving tray with the bowl of seasoned salt and lime wedges. To eat, rub lime over jicama, and then dip in the salt. Serves 6 to 8. (The photo with the recipe shows that the jicama has been cut into quarters or so and then sliced).