Trending
Our country has a new president, duly elected legally by the voters of this nation. We, as citizens, need to stand by him and give him our allegiance and honor. This is America and this is the way things are done here.
The citizens have spoken and those who wanted someone else must accept the fact that there is one winner and one loser in any election.
Some recent events have shamed our country and caused other nations to lose confidence in our way of government. No one group of persons is better or worse than any other group and the color of one's skin or being male or female doesn't give any group the right to think they are better than anyone else or to try to destroy our country. True Americans stand together, united, even if they wish another candidate had won. Riots never did any good to anyone and only show the ignorance of those destroying what does not belong to them.
Let's hope and pray that we, as a nation, can get past this disobedience and become what we used to be, the example of being a noble nation.
As a citizen of the United States, this is what I believe. Laws have been made to help citizens live together in peaceful communities. I may not agree with all of them, but I will do my best to obey them. That is the duty of every citizen.
There are only ten basic laws that govern all mankind. These fundamental laws are the basis on which the laws of our country are based. Many thousands of patriots have given their lives to protect and keep America. It is the duty of every one of us to help keep her free. As a citizen, I pledge to honor and obey the laws of this country, honor our flag, support our leaders, and to support those who risk their lives to preserve our freedom. I am proud to be an American citizen.
It is important for the youth of our country to know the history of our country and the history of their ancestors. There has been a push to record the stories of fathers and grandfathers who were in World War II.
Time is of an essence since that generation is thinning rapidly. It is traumatic for those who have faced the horrors of war to talk about it, and only decades after their experiences have many of them told their stories. It has been helpful for those in later years to record what they have experienced and it is what young folks today need to know about those who protect all of us.
The ancestors of all of us (except the Native Americans) came from somewhere else, and many of those came to this country because of war. The stories of how they became citizens and learned the language and culture of their new country are important for each family. The traditions they brought with them is part of our culture now.
I met many folks in Europe when I lived there that told me what they, as children, went through during the war in their country. You do not want your children to have to face some of the horrors that they faced. I remember how scared I, as a child was, during World War II, and there was no fighting here in this country. We cannot let our county become so weak that anyone thinks they can "take us on" and create war on our shores.
We need to let our young family members learn what their ancestors had to endure to become citizens in a strange land so that they can prevent harm on our shores as they become the governing age. Educate them in the traditions of your family. Leave them with journals of your life and the recipes of their grandmothers. Teach them the morays of family life so that they will have a contented and happy life. There is so much hate and violence in our world today that we have to show them that there is a better way to live. We need to show, by example, that no one should tolerate lawlessness and violence, or the loss of our freedom and our country. They need to learn to be Americans, as there is so much against our way of life at the present time, and much of it is internal.
The recipes today are for comfort foods. We all need them, especially, when we feel depressed and worry about our country. Pray for our president. And, add to your prayer list all those who protect us, those who need a "helping hand."
May God Bless you and God Bless America.
***
BAKED CUSTARD
3 large (or 4 smaller) eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt
2 1/2 cups warm milk (120 to 130 degrees)
Ground nutmeg
Beat eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt in medium bowl. Gradually add milk. Pour into custard cups or a casserole baking dish and sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes for custard cups or 45 minutes for baking dish. Custard is done when a knife inserted between center and edge of dish comes out clean. Cool before serving and keep leftovers in refrigerator.
NOTE: I never bother to warm the milk although most recipes mention doing it. Many recipes recommend setting the cups or baking dish in a larger pan and adding hot water to the pan, up to the level of the custard, for the baking process. I tried it once and nearly scalded myself when I splashed the hot water on myself while taking the baked dish out of the oven. I am clumsy, so I don't bake custard with a surrounding hot water bath and they come out fine and without the chance of hot water cascading over me and the kitchen floor.
My "never measure" recipe is -- per each cup of milk; 2 eggs, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1/2 to 1capful of vanilla, pinch of salt and nutmeg sprinkled on top and baked in moderate oven.
***
GRANDMA NICHOLS' STOVE-TOP RICE PUDDING
1 quart milk
1 teacupful (about 3/4 measuring cup) uncooked rice
1 large egg
1/2 cup sugar
2 full capfuls (2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
Pinch salt
Ground nutmeg or cinnamon
Warm milk, in medium size saucepan, over low to medium heat and stir in rice as soon as milk starts to warm up. Bring to a simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring frequently, until the rice is very tender, about 30 to 35 minutes. In a bowl, beat the egg and add sugar, vanilla and salt. Gradually add the cooked rice to the egg mixture until well blended, and then return all to the saucepan. Cook and stir for a minute or two to cook the egg. Pour into custard cups or serving dish and sprinkle with nutmeg or cinnamon. Refrigerate until chilled.
***
TAPIOCA PUDDING
1 quart milk (4 cups)
1/2 cup sugar
3 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup Minute tapioca
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ground nutmeg
In a heavy saucepan, beat well the eggs, sugar, and salt together. Add the milk, vanilla and tapioca granules and let set for a few minutes to let the tapioca start to soften. Over medium high heat, bring the mixture almost to a boil, stirring constantly. When the mixture starts to show a slow boil and is thickening, remove from the heat. Pour into a serving bowl to cool and sprinkle with ground nutmeg. It can also be eaten warm.
***
RHUBARB CUSTARD PIE
3 cups cut up rhubarb
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons flour
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 unbaked crusts for 10-inch deep dish pie
Mix rhubarb, sugar, eggs, flour, lemon zest and lemon juice. Fit one crust into pie pan and sprinkle bottom with a little addition flour. Fill shell with rhubarb mixture. Cut second crust into strips and make a lattice top for the pie. Brush the lattice strips with a little cream or milk or beaten egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in preheated 450-degree oven for 10 minutes, and then reduce heat to 350-degrees and bake until knife inserted in pie comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Cool on wire rack. Serve with a dip of good Vanilla Ice Cream.
***
FRESH STRAWBERRY PIE w/CREAM CHEESE
1 graham cracker pie crust
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 package strawberry glaze
Whipped topping (or more whipping cream, whipped and sweetened)
Wash strawberries and cut into halves or smaller if the berries are large. Let the cream cheese come to room temperature. With electric mixer, beat cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until well mixed. Add whipping cream and beat until light and fluffy. Spread in piecrust. Top with strawberries, then the glaze. Frost pie with the whipped topping (or the additional whipping cream, whipped and sweetened, if calories are not a problem). Use a large decorating star tube to add this "meringue", if available. Keep chilled.
***
APPLE CAKE
11/4 cups sifted flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 egg yolk, beaten
2 tablespoon milk
3 cups sliced apples
Mix and sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. With an electric mixer, in mixer bowl, cream butter, then add dry ingredients and mix. Combine egg yolk and milk and add to butter mixture and mix. Press this mixture on bottom of a buttered 8- x 8-inch pan. Overlap apple slices on top of this dough.
Sprinkle with topping and bake in preheated 375-degree oven for about 50 minutes.
TOPPING:
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 teaspoon lemon zest
Mix sugar, flour, lemon zest and cinnamon. Cut in butter until it is like coarse cornmeal.
***
Patty Christopher is a longtime columnist for the Parkersburg News and Sentinel.