Category: Commentary

Sweet potatoes or yams?

Last week, I gave you a couple of pumpkin recipes to begin thinking about desserts for Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie was not one of them, as there is a wonderful recipe for that on the can of pumpkin you buy to make your pie. My thought is, “if that recipe has been around for years and been being made, there’s no point in changing it”, so this week, I’ll give you another recipe or two for desserts, including a different pie, as well as a side dish for Thanksgiving, that I’ve used for years.
There have been several different publications that I have seen recently that have recipes for sweet potatoes, and it gave me the idea for this article!
In your area, as well as in mine, we use the terms ‘yam’ and ‘sweet potato’ interchangeably. Did you know that this is incorrect?
After checking out two different encyclopedias, I found that both of them said the same thing. In the United States, certain varieties of sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) are incorrectly called yams! (A true yam is a starchy root that grows in the Caribbean. It is rough and scaly and not even related to the sweet potato!).
The yam belongs to the genus Dioscorea of the family Dioscoreaceas (called the yam family). There are over 600 known species of true yams. Four of these species are native to the United States.
The sweet potato is among the most important of the tropical root crops. They are baked, boiled, or fried, some are used for soup and some are dried and ground into meal. They are high in Beta-Carotene and vitamins E and C. (Just 2/3 cup of sweet potatoes gives you 100% of the USRDA for Vitamin E). They are also a good source of fiber when eaten with the skin on. They also offer other essential nutrients such as: potassium, iron and Vitamin B6.
The sweet potato is a perennial belonging to the morning-glory family and is chiefly cultivated for its edible roots. The flowers resemble those of the morning-glory and the tuberous roots are usually several inches long. The flesh of the sweet potato may be white, yellow or orange. (I was always told that the darker orange colored potatoes were yams and the lighter ones were sweet potatoes, ho hum, so much for that legend). In the United States, the leading producers of sweet potatoes are Louisiana, North Carolina, Texas and Virginia. Years ago, when Sam and I lived in Victoria, there was usually a farmer or two selling fresh sweet potatoes alongside the road between Victoria and Yoakum, yes, we usually stopped and got a few to bring to grandma, as she didn’t always have them.
The sweet potato was introduced into Spain from the West Indies in 1526 and gradually made its way to other parts of Europe. it is generally believed to have first been grown in the United States around 1648. Actually, history tells us that the Native Americans were already growing them when Columbus arrived in 1492. The ship’s log indicated that he took some “Sweet Potatoes” back to Europe with him.
Sweet potatoes require a long, warm growing season. In back issues of our paper, while doing research in old papers, most generally in the 1936-37 era, I have found many references to someone coming by the office and bringing ‘this Editor’ (KK’s grandfather), a sack of locally grown sweet potatoes. Since they grow well in sandy loam, there is really no reason for them not to grow in the Devine area; however, I have not heard of them being raised commercially in recent times.
There are probably as many recipes for cooking sweet potatoes, as there are cooks to cook them. They lend themselves to many recipes. Some folks have never eaten them any way except candied with marshmallows on top at Thanksgiving and Christmas. My very favorite way to eat them is to bake them, split them open, put butter, salt and pepper on them and eat away!
To bake: prick the skin with a fork and bake at 400ºF for 40 to 50 minutes, or until tender. (Be sure to prick thoroughly to keep the potato from exploding while baking, you will have a big mess if you don’t).
A couple of weeks ago, my grandson and his family came for the weekend. My granddaughter-in-law brought me a sweet potato pie. This was a real treat, as even though I had heard of them for years, I had not (to my knowledge) eaten one, nor had I made one. After sharing it with my sister and her husband, she sort of felt that she liked it better than pumpkin pie, so of course, I had to find a recipe and try it. The pie turned out great, and having too much filling for the pie, I just baked that small amount of filling in a pie pan, and it was delicious.
Sweet Potato Pie
1 ¾ cups, baked sweet potato (about 3 medium size), cooled and peeled
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups whole milk
3 large eggs
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 unbaked 9-inch, deep dish pie crust
Preheat oven to 425ºF. Mash cooled and peeled sweet potatoes (I just used a fork, but you can use your potato masher (bean masher), if you prefer
Mix other ingredients in order listed, add potatoes, stir to blend well, and pour into a 9-inch, deep-dish unbaked pie crust. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, covering with foil if the edges begin to brown too quickly. Watch during the last 10 minutes of baking to check firmness of pie. (I sprayed a 12-inch square of foil with non-stick spray and covered mine the last 20 minutes or so of baking.) I also turned the oven to 400º at the same time. My oven is an old propane stove, and it holds the heat way more than some of the newer stoves do.
Sweet Potatoes with Apples
2 to 3 pounds fresh sweet potatoes
4 or 5 large cooking apples
1/4 to 1/2 cup brown sugar, or to taste
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
Peel the sweet potatoes and slice into 3/4-inch-thick rounds. Peel the apples and cut into 1/2-inch crosswise slices and remove cores. (If you have an apple corer, the cores can be removed before slicing). Place a layer of sweet potato slices in large pot or baking dish, sprinkle with 1 to 2 tablespoons brown sugar and a small amount of the melted butter or margarine, top with a layer of apples. Repeat layers, finishing with a layer of apples. Add 1/4 cup or less water to the pan and place over medium heat. Bring water to a boil, cover and cook without stirring until apples and potatoes are tender. This dish may also be baked in a 350ºF oven until tender. (I have also used canned sweet potatoes, layering them with the apples and cooking until the apples were tender). Serve hot. (This dish is a must at my family’s’ Thanksgiving dinner).
Quick Homemade Apple Crisp
5 cups peeled, sliced baking apples (Granny Smith, Rome Beauty or any tart apple)
3 tablespoons sugar
TOPPING:
¾ quick cooking oatmeal (not instant)
½ cup brown sugar (packed)
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
6 tablespoons butter
¼ cup chopped pecans (optional)
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Mix apples and sugar and place in a 2-quart baking dish. For topping: in a medium bowl, combine the oatmeal, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; add pecans if used and mix to combine; sprinkle over apples in baking dish and bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until apples are tender and topping is golden.

Veterans Day 2011, a tribute to Henry B. Briscoe (d. 2005)

By Ben T. Briscoe
(Edited by Kathleene Runnels)
For Veterans Day, I’d like to honor all those men and women who have served this nation in our armed forces. In my family, my grandfather on my dad’s side was a combat engineer in WWI; my dad served in the Air Force as a pilot in Korea and Vietnam; our oldest son was in the 75th Ranger Regiment and was deployed six times overseas in our Global War on Terror. I am very grateful and thankful for the willingness of those who serve and have served.
My father, Henry Briscoe, passed away 17 years ago this month. As a tribute to all Veterans, here is a bit of his story.
Dad served 23 years in the U.S. Air Force. He retired as a Colonel with his last duty assignment as a Base Commander at Mather AFB in California, retiring in 1976.
Most of our growing up years, we saw Dad in his flight suit more than in any other clothes. Those were drab, greenish/gray, one-piece jump suits with lots of zippered pockets, made of smooth material that was very tightly woven and almost shiny. His name tag was over his right breast pocket, a U.S. Air Force patch and wings over his left breast pocket, and his rank on his collar. There were unit patches on one shoulder and an American flag on the other. His footwear was typically black combat boots, and he wore a bidder on his head with his rank on the crest.
Dad flew a lot. I can’t recall his total hours of flying time, but the number 15,000 comes to mind. He flew transport planes and was good at it. Early in his career, he became a check pilot. His responsibility was to check out other pilots to insure they were following protocol and were good pilots. This included grounding some pilots that he felt were unsafe to fly; at times, that meant grounding some who held a higher rank than his. Dad flew a lot of missions where he’d be gone for weeks at a time. When he came home, it was always a big deal for my three sisters and me. “Daddy’s home” had real meaning.
Dad was a patriot; he loved what he did, who he worked with, and what it represented. Not only did he love his job, but he loved that it was serving his country. He had intended to make his living farming and wanted nothing more than to come back to Medina County and do just that when he left for college in 1948. But, before he graduated in 1952, the Korean War changed that.
After joining the Air Force, he thought he’d do his four years and then come back to Medina County, work the land, and raise his family. But, four years turned into eight, which grew to 12. Captain changed to Major, which changed to Colonel, and he was still doing what he loved.
Dad’s career spanned the vintage era from prop-driven cargo planes that carried an 8,000 pound load, powered by twin 1200 HP engines, to his last plane, which had four jet engines capable of 43,000 pounds of thrust each and could carry 380,000 pounds of cargo. He told me that there was nothing like taxiing out on a runway, getting the green light to pour the coal to four jet engines, and be able to harness and control that much power. No doubt he didn’t just hear that roar but felt that power and energy of those planes with every fiber of his being.
The power and freedom that flying gave Dad was symbolic of his country; he loved both. He flew all over the world. He was involved his whole career in hauling men and their gear and material around the world in support of war and peace, as well as of humanitarian relief.
Dad served a year in Vietnam in the early 1970s, but he flew in and out of the country all during the war. He never fired a shot in war, but he was shot at a number of times. He told stories of flying into air bases that were under attack and how big a target cargo plane was, landing in the middle of a firefight. He mentioned how time dragged by when they were waiting to be loaded when the bullets were flying. He stated how fast he could take off when they were cleared for departure by flight control.
I recall Dad telling me a number of times that during the war he had the privilege of flying our most precious cargo: flying out our war wounded, bringing them back to the states. Dad would often go back and visit with the injured during the long trip across the Pacific. He reported times when they would lose soldiers on the trip home. He had mentioned that experience to me numerous times, and I was too young to see it then, but I see now that it touched him deeply when a young soldier died before Dad was able to get him back home.
On November 13, 2005, Mom, Dad, and my family were going to eat supper with my little sister and her family in San Antonio. My wife, kids, and I picked up Mom and Dad in Devine and drove to San Antonio. Dad and I rode in the front and talked the whole way up. Dad was reminiscing and told me story after story of flying, of missions and formations, of plane wrecks and near wrecks.
He told me of one time he was landing on an air strip in a foreign country and as soon as the plane touched the runway, all the tires on the right side of the plane blew out on impact. Dad sat right there in the front seat, in my wife’s suburban, and recited the memorized protocol for what you do when all the tires on one side of a cargo plane blow at the same time. It was something like — trim this to so many degrees (he gave the specific number), cut air speed to X, flaps in this position, move a few switches to some critical point and step on something else really hard, all in a whole lot less time than it takes to state all of this. Then he recalled nursing a violently wobbling 350 ton aircraft, going 200 mph, to a stop, allowing him and all crew members to get off the plane safely. I remember looking at him and thinking, “My gosh, he’s sharp.” He told it like he had a just landed that beast yesterday.
That was his last day on earth, as the very next day, November 14, 2005, Dad flew home.
What’s it like to be the child of a military man? For me, I don’t think words go deep enough. Love. Honor. Integrity. Dignity. Duty. Patriotism. Strength. Wisdom. Knowledge. Faith. Compassion. Discipline. Ethics. These are the traits I saw in my father. My sisters and I were blessed by this and, in truth by both a loving mother and a strong father. If we could ask Dad today about his life and how he lived it, what it meant to him to serve, I’m sure he’d smile and say that it’s all wrapped up in being an American.
God bless all you men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces.

Opening Day on the Sidelines

By the time you kind readers are seeing this, Opening Day of the 2022- 2023 Whitetail Rifle Season will have come and gone. Over the last 60+ years I have only missed a handful of those magical times. This one due to a Big Toe blister which turned into a bone infection. Besides losing half an appendage, the disappointment of being sidelined for a few days at this time of the year is acute.
Let me quickly say there are folks far more inconvenienced and in worse shape than this Old Aggie. But still the “pain” of not being out in La Brasada will be felt. Due to a variety of factors, none of my family or “regular guests” will be out either. I doubt the Venados living out on our little piece of heaven will be watching, nor notice our absence. Although, there have been times during my long hunting career that I have thought those animals have a Bank or Oil Company calendar nailed somewhere on a mesquite tree with that day circled in red! Never have found one but do admit to having my suspicions.
In my efforts to find a bright light in this sudden and unexpected development 48 hours before November 5, I can find one consolation. Maybe the increased activity on surrounding ranches and the potential of a gunshot or two there will “alert” the Big Ones to head over our way for a sanctuary spot along the creek bottom that runs all the way through our place.
Whether that is a delirious pipedream found only in my old brain or a real possibility will likely never be known. But one thing I know FOR SURE. Once that Foot Doc gives me the green light, I won’t waste much time before heading south!

Hot Check

Here is your weekly update from the Lytle Police Dept. We include not only our activity but important city information as well! Officers managed 43 calls for service last week, which is a slow week for the “number of calls”. Your officers conducted 65 traffic stops; those stops resulted in 56 citations and 9 warnings.
We had a huge turnout on Halloween night, the weather was perfect, and the candy was plentiful. We had 8 officers and 7 vehicles out in the field, so about all the officers and all the patrol vehicles. We didn’t have any reported issues involving safety or crime, we will call that a win. I’m still finding empty candy wrappers in my patrol truck; I can only assume that unknown persons were putting the wrappers in there. There is no way I ate all those mini-Snickers and Smarties.
Looks like we only had one property crime reported last week. The locks of 5 mini-storage units on Somerset St. were cut off. One unit reported three folding tables missing. Our crook might have family coming over for Thanksgiving; you can never have too many folding tables.
We also took two financial crime reports, a “hot” check was issued to Napa Auto Parts and a complainant reported that an unknown person cashed a fraudulent check on his account at TXN Bank.
Arrests: Officers made 5 arrests last week: The biggest arrest of the week was on Tuesday. Cpl. Robison and I responded to a disturbance on S. Somerset St. We arrested a 37-year-old female for aggravated assault with a deadly weapon (a knife), and she was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. On Wednesday at 8:00 AM a 38-year-old female turned herself in at the P.D. She had an active theft warrant on a case we worked on at NAPA Auto Parts. She was transported to the Atascosa Co. Jail. Had she turned herself in a little later I would have dropped her off at the jail and then hit one of the good places to eat over in the Pleasanton/Jourdanton area. Officers also cited and released three others for possession of drug paraphernalia; those were from three separate incidents.
Emergency Alerts: It’s that time of year; we may be facing weather-related emergencies and issues. If you aren’t signed up to get alerts from the city, please do so. You go to this link and sign up; https://public.alertsense.com/signup/?regioniD=1618 I would suggest just checking off everything. We don’t sell your email or phone number, mostly because nobody has ever offered to buy them.
REMINDER: Starting on Monday, Nov. 7th the Northbound entrance ramp to IH-35 (in front of Lytle State Bank) will be closed for 2 weeks. Use Main St. North to get onto the IH-35 ramp (overpass just North of the City Limits) during that time. Lytle State Bank will be accessible but give yourself a little extra time to get to it.
NEW NEWS (Traffic Related): I hope you are ready for some more traffic stuff – The Northbound I-35 off-ramp into Lytle (FM 3175) will be closed for a week starting around the 29th of November. Use Exit 127 at Natalia. (Either take the frontage road into Lytle or drive into Natalia and take 132 to Lytle) If you miss the Natalia exit, then take the Luckey Road exit and turn around back to Lytle. This is the only Northbound Exit off IH-35 to Lytle, so this will be challenging. We are putting the school rivalry aside and suggesting you exit in Natalia, please wave at everybody as you pass through. If you miss the Natalia exit then use Luckey Rd, take the overpass and come back and visit us. Like all good things, it is worth the extra effort.

Dry Couple Weeks

Very dry couple weeks…Francisco Creek managed to run for a little while when we got that rain on October 28th, but not for long.
Pct 1 is paving some roads up by one of the Capital Aggregates quarries and has had base material donated for their project. That sure cuts down on the cost of paving.
Did a lot of vacating and re-platting for subdivisions in other Precincts and gave final approval for Redbird Ranch Phase 2 in Pct 2 off of CR 381.
Early Voting was in full swing during the last two weeks. Over 11,500 people voted early…nearly 32% of the registered voters in the County. Now, we need to make a good showing on Election Day.

The countdown begins

We are well into the month of November, and it seems that the countdown to the holiday season is here. I’ve been to Victoria lately and a couple of small, nearby towns and already the Christmas décor is either already on display or it’s being put on display. This is way too early for me, as my shopping involved the need of items to finish out Halloween! Luckily, I was able to find what I wanted/needed and there wasn’t a problem.
Now, for our next holiday…Friday, November 11, is Veteran’s Day. This is the day we honor the veterans of all the wars. It is a day not only honoring those who lost their lives, but also honoring the living veterans. When I went online to find out information about Veteran’s Day, there were over 52,000,000 sites to choose from and I just chose a couple of them.
Veteran’s Day had its beginnings at the end of World War I, which was known as the war to end all wars. It officially ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 when the German officials signed the Armistice, which was a temporary suspension of hostilities by the agreement of Germany and the Allies.
In actual fact, the war officially ended on June 28, 1919, with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles. It has been known as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day in other parts of the world.
According to Wikipedia the commemoration of Armistice Day was recognized in the United States by a proclamation from President Woodrow Wilson in 1919, with the words: “To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations…”
An Act approved May 13, 1938, made November 11th of each year a legal holiday. This was a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be celebrated and known as “Armistice Day”. It was primarily set aside to honor veterans of World War I, however, in 1954, after World War II, and after American forces had fought aggression in Korea, the 83rd Congress, amended the Act of 1938 by striking out the word “Armistice” and inserting in its place the word “Veterans”, in its place.
Veteran’s Day almost fell prey to a change of date, being moved to the fourth Monday of October by the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in 1968. This is the law that moved Washington’s Birthday, Memorial Day and Columbus Day. Due to protests by veteran’s groups, it was moved back to November 11th in 1978. It is a federal and state holiday in most states.
Don’t forget to fly your flag proudly on November 11th!
It’s time to start thinking about Thanksgiving! As you know, we only have two more weeks before it is upon us, and I know you don’t really want to hear this, but it’s barely six weeks until Christmas.
Since dessert is always an important part of any Thanksgiving celebration, we are going to start early with recipes for desserts! These recipes all use pumpkin and may give you a little different take on what to have instead of (or as well as) pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin Bars
4 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups sugar
2 cups pumpkin (1 can, 10-oz size)
Mix above together and set aside.
In separate bowl, combine the following:
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
½ teaspoon EACH cloves, nutmeg and ginger
Sift together and add to first mixture, mixing well. Pour into 9×12 pan and bake at 350ºF until done. These bars are delicious just as they are, but for a real treat, frost them with a cream cheese frosting when cool.
Praline Pumpkin Cake
1 package yellow cake mix (without added pudding)
½ cup oil
¾ cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup canned pumpkin
¼ cup water
3 eggs
Praline Mixture (recipe follows)
Frosting
Chopped pecans
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Combine cake mix, oil, sugar, spices, pumpkin and water. Beat well to blend. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Pour half of mixture into greased and floured Bundt pan. Top with following Praline Mixture, then fill pan with remaining batter. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until cake tests done with toothpick. Cool cake in pan for 15 minutes; remove to plate to finish cooling. When cool, frost and sprinkle with chopped pecans.
Praline Mixture
½ cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup brown sugar
½ cup softened butter or margarine
1/3 cup flour
Blend ingredients together until crumbly and use as directed.

My little cowboy

We got bored one day last week, and the fish weren’t biting, so I said “hey how about I give you a horse ride.” He loved it even more than I thought. He’s transformed from plain old country boy to a rodeo cowboy in one week. All it took was a couple of fun horse rides around the ranch last week and he’s hooked!
I’ve always thought it’s amazing how it feels to sit in the saddle and hold the reins in your hand as a kid. Always made me feel like I was sitting on top of the world, and I saw that in Tucky’s eyes and giant smile too.
Saturday morning when he woke up for the parade, he said “I know what I’m wearing! My cowboy jeans!” again with his gruff and tough cowboy voice. We added a cowboy belt to that, and I’m sure it won’t be long before his PF Flyers turn into boots now.
The Fall Festival this Saturday was a blast as always, except I stood on my feet waaaaay too long. We went from one ride to the next for hours and never ended up leaving until ten o clock or so. Tucker kept begging for “one more ride”. He had a blast following his cousins around for the last three hours, riding ride after ride. Cousins are so fun, and he looks up to them so much.
His favorite ride was the giant bungee jumping on trampolines though. By the end of the night, the carnival ride lady in that booth was his best friend. I was surprised he wasn’t scared to get hitched up to that ride, but before he took off for the first time he told me “I ain’t scared of nothin’!” with a real gruff cowboy voice.
I should have known that I guess, after all, he is a cowboy now!

Please pass the mustard!

This past week was an awesome one, not only did I get to see the Grandchildren and great-grandchildren in the Devine, Castroville area, on the way to Devine I had a phone call from my grandson who is in the process of moving from Hawaii to Florida, which is his next station. He and his family came in on Friday evening and we had a wonderful time together. The kids wanted to go fishing, so we went to my sister’s stock tank and drowned a few worms. Two of the little ones caught very small catfish and were as happy as they could be. The main thing was, they got to go fishing! Yes, I did spend a lot of time untangling the little boy’s line, he could get it tangled easier than anyone would have thought possible. I asked him how he did that, and he just looked at me with a big smile, of course, he always gave me a hug when I fixed it for him, fixing it was worth the hug!
This coming week is going to be a busy one with a couple of meetings and being hostess for my Pokeno group. I am going to make old-fashioned gingerbread from my grandmother’s recipe. It is always a treat, especially to people who remember it from their younger days and just don’t have the time to make it anymore.
Have you ever given a thought to the numerous times we use mustard? Hamburgers and hot dogs immediately come to mind for most people. It is a condiment that many people do not care for because of the pungent, spicy taste, however, many recipes are made just a little bit better for the addition of a couple of teaspoons or tablespoons of this bright yellow condiment. Most recipes specify whether to use dry mustard or prepared mustard, others don’t, in that case, they usually mean to use the prepared. More and more recipes are beginning to ask for a specific type of prepared mustard, i.e., Dijon, spicy brown, etc.
This is the information I have in my files from a previous column, so it is what I used.
Mustard is a plant of the genus Brassica, a genus in which several other food plants are also found, including turnips, cabbage, cauliflower, kale, collards and broccoli.
The principal source of commercial mustard is B. nigra. It is an annual that is two to three feet high, has stiff stems, bright yellow flowers and smooth narrow pods. Dry mustard is a yellow powder and is made from the ground seeds. The seeds of white mustard and the Indian or Chinese mustard are also used. These are B hirta and B. juncea respectively. Neither is indigenous to the United States. Chinese mustard and Japanese (B. japonica) mustard plants are eaten as a salad plant, using the first large lower leaves.
For many years ground mustard seed has been used as a condiment. It can be used alone or combined with other ingredients, as in prepared mustard. In ancient times, it was used a medicine by Hippocrates. It is used as an emetic and in times past, as a mustard plaster on your chest for a bad cold and cough.
Would deviled eggs taste as good without a dollop of prepared mustard? In fact, some recipes for deviled eggs call for a small amount of dry mustard rather than the prepared mustard. Many recipes for potato salad or pasta salad also call for mustard to be added. A hot dog or hamburger, to many, without mustard is not really fit to eat.
Mustard seeds are used frequently in pickle or slaw recipes, as well as in some salad dressings. Homemade mayonnaise has dry mustard as an ingredient. If you check in your cookbooks, you will be really surprised at the number of recipes that call for one or the other.
Dry mustard can be really pungent and spicy if you use the least bit too much in a recipe. As with any spice or condiment, use it sparingly until you get the taste you want. (This is why recipes sometimes say add…”to your taste”). It is much easier to add more than it is to try to remove some when you have added too much.
Any of these recipes or any others calling mayonnaise really taste great with the following homemade mayonnaise. It is not difficult to make using your blender. My mother used to have a glass jar with a perforated plunger that you dashed up and down, (just as you would a butter churn to make butter), to make mayonnaise. It was a little more complicated and time consuming than this recipe is.
Mayonnaise
1 egg
1 teaspoon dry or ¾ teaspoon prepared mustard
½ teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon paprika
2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar
1 cup cooking oil, (divided use)
Break egg into blender container, add mustard, salt, paprika, lemon juice or vinegar and ¼ cup oil. Place cover on container, turn on blender to low speed, remove center cup from lid and in a very slow stream, pour in the remaining oil while it is still on low speed. Continue blending until thick. It makes one cup and is ready to use. Do not double the recipe. If you need more than one cup, make the recipe a second time.
Deviled Eggs
8 to 12 eggs
1 small rib celery, diced very finely
2 to 3 tablespoons sweet pickle relish (or the sweet/dill relish that is now available)
1 tablespoon prepared mustard (about)
Mayonnaise
Salt and pepper to taste
Hard cook eggs, remove from heat and drain well. Shake around in pan to crack them, cover with cool water and allow to set for a few minutes. Drain the eggs, peel, and cut in half lengthwise, placing the yolks in a bowl. Thoroughly mash the egg yolks, stir in celery and pickle relish, and then add the mustard and enough mayonnaise, mixing to desired consistency. Use a spoon and place mixture into egg halves. Sprinkle with paprika or chili powdered if desired. If you want this to look a little fancier, place yolk mixture into a cake decorating bag, using a large star tip and fill the halves using that.
Spam Salad
1 can Spam
½ cup finely chopped celery
½ cup pickle relish or chopped dill pickles
1 to 2 tablespoons diced pimentos
1 tablespoon prepared mustard
Mayonnaise or salad dressing
Use a coarse grater and shred the Spam, or coarsely chop in a food processor. (Be careful with a food processor, as it will make the Spam into a paste, if you process it too long)! Put Spam into a bowl and add the remaining ingredients, using enough mayonnaise or salad dressing to make the mixture into a spreading consistency. This makes great sandwiches or tastes equally good with crackers.
Grandma’s Old-Fashioned Gingerbread
½ cup shortening
2 eggs
½ cup granulated sugar
2½ cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon nutmeg or cloves
1 cup boiling water
1 cup molasses
Sift together: flour, baking powder, baking soda and spices; set aside. Cream together shortening, sugar and eggs until fluffy; and add sifted ingredients with the molasses. Add boiling water last and stir in gently, just until mixed. Pour into 9×13 pan and bake for 45 minutes or until done. If you like, sprinkle the top of the dough with a tablespoon or two of sugar before baking, or when cake is done, sprinkle with powdered sugar.

City on the Grow

Officers handled 51 calls for service last week and conducted 110 traffic stops. Those stops resulted in 102 citations and 8 warnings.
We started the week with a lot of arrests and then it fizzled out towards the weekend. In all, we had 8 arrests. #1 – Ofc. Pena stopped a vehicle on Wisdom Rd. and determined the driver had 2 felony warrants out of Bexar Co. for Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle (Plain English: He steals cars). He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #2 – Sgt. Hanson conducted a traffic stop and the driver came to a stop at his residence on Lytle-Somerset St. He had two active warrants out of Atascosa Co. (one felony and one misdemeanor). His girlfriend came out of the house and started yelling at him “that’s Karma,” I guess she was happy he was going to jail. That’s about the time I pulled up. The boyfriend then tells Sgt. Hanson that she has a warrant as well (original charge of a DWI), he confirms it and then I see him walk over to her and tell her she is under arrest too (that’s #3) and it “must be that Karma she is talking about”. They were both booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #4 – Sgt. Hanson stopped a speeder in the school zone and determined he had an active felony warrant out of Bexar Co. for Family Violence. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. That was all on Monday! #5 – Ofc. Diaz stopped a vehicle for running a red light on Main St. The vehicle, a 2002 Buick, was reported stolen out of San Antonio P.D. The female driver was arrested for unauthorized use of a motor vehicle and the Buick was recovered. She was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail. #6 & #7 – Ofc. A. Lopez stopped a vehicle on Main St. for running a stop sign, the stop resulted in two adult males being cited for possession of drug paraphernalia. They were both released at the scene. #8 – Ofc. Diaz arrested a male, who was riding a bicycle, for public intoxication. He was booked into the Atascosa Co. Jail.
Officers took 2 reports of property crimes last week. #1 – The owner of a 2000 Chevy P/U reported her vehicle was broken into while she was at work at the H.E.B. C-Store. A .22 revolver, misc. hand tools and a bag with change was taken. There were no signs of forced entry. #2 – A complainant reported that their mini-storage unit N. Somerset St. was burglarized, and the contents were removed. The contents included pictures, clothing, and sewing material.
Now, I have important news: Starting on Monday, Nov. 7th the northbound entrance ramp to IH-35 (in front of Lytle State Bank) will be closed for 2 weeks. Use Main St. North to get onto the IH-35 ramp (overpass just north of the City Limits) during that time. Lytle State Bank will be accessible but give yourself a little extra time to get to it. We might have another important road update next week, stay tuned! We are a “City on the Grow” ……. this is just part of that.
For up-to-date info. you Facebookers should keep up with: Ruben Gonzalez Mayor City of Lytle TX. You can follow me on Twitter @lytlepdchief, but I am not as fun (I’m an all-work and no-play kind of guy).
Once all this TXDOT stuff is done we will be in decent shape for sure! How long will all this planned work take? I’m not sure but IH-35 from Lytle to Dallas has been under construction since I started driving there to visit my grandparents in the late 80s.
Thanksgiving and Christmas will be here before you know it. With that comes our annual Christmas Hayride! The big night is Saturday, December 10th. I would rate this the #2 city event, right behind the 4th of July Fireworks Show.

My Little Batman

Sister’s volleyball game lasted til nearly 7 on Halloween night, so we got off to a late start on our trick or treating. Brother was “Batman” for the day, and he was loving it. As soon as I slipped the Batman costume onto him, he began his karate and ninja moves. It took about five minutes of those super cool moves before he would pause to let me buckle the back of the costume up.
And then came the cape, as soon as it was installed, he climbed to the highest part of the couch, and stood like the super hero he is proudly. Then he leaped down and whooshed down the hallway and back so fast I couldn’t hardly video him. Then he did a few somersaults down the hallway. It was truly adorable.
We stopped by the Methodist Church’s Trunk or Treat which was lots of fun, and Tucker even got to sit inside a real submarine. There was only one condition; he had to take his favorite candy with him. He would not relinquish that candy from his hand for nothing.
We went to see a few friends for trick or treating, and he showed each of them his “muscles” accentuated by the poofy Batman costume. Aunt Bobbie and Nancy and Grandma West all got a kick out of that.
He’s been a real super hero lately. This weekend he put on a ninja moves trick show for us in the front yard. This consisted of him racing across the yard, stopping to do a somersault roll across the little tikes picnic table and trampoline and a few on the ground in between, and leaping off any surface he could find. It was great.
He fell asleep in his Batman costume, and what a sweet sight it was. There’s no doubt in his mind that he has the skills to be a super hero. I guess we all have our own super hero skills. If you are not feeling it, do a few somersault rolls and race down the hallway a few times and leap off the couch.