Country CousinIssue Date: June 17, 2020 Love You, Dad!
The weather has been absolutely wonderful so far this week. There may be some needed thunderstorms Thursday night and Friday, and Father's Day on Sunday, June 21, could be cloudy, with 40 percent chance of rain predicted. We're promised daytime temperatures in the mid 80s, with balmy night time temperatures around 60. Sounds great to me!
Father's Day is also the official first full day of summer this year, following the June 20 Summer Solstice. Kind of ironic. The first day of summer sort of marks the beginning of the end. After June 20, days begin getting shorter again instead of longer, until Sept. 20 when there will be exactly 12 hours between sunrise and sunset, and then we're again sentenced to more minutes of darkness than light each day.
FATHER'S DAY
Fathers are so very special, and on Sunday, we're reminded to celebrate that specialness. As General Douglas MacArthur once said: "By profession, I am a soldier and take pride in that fact. But I am prouder " infinitely prouder " to be a father. A soldier destroys in order to build; the father only builds, never destroys. The one has the potentiality of death; the other embodies creation and life. And while the hordes of death are mighty, the battalions of life are mightier still. It is my hope that my son, when I am gone, will remember me not from the battlefield but in the home repeating with him our simple daily prayer, "Our Father who art in Heaven.'"
My own father was a hard worker, who worked two and sometimes three jobs to support our family so Mom could stay home with the kids. In his spare time we'd go to Crivitz or Middle Inlet so he could help with the farm chores that he loved. He planted our garden, but Mom told him where to dig. He dug out the basement under our home, by hand, by the bucketful, with the help of a neighbor, and then built the basement with cement blocks. It was straight and strong, and still stands today.
Years later, again by hand, Dad dug out a storm cellar/bomb shelter that became a root cellar off the basement, under our garage floor, because her teachers had made my sister afraid of bombs in the Cold War days.
Dad didn't say much about loving us and our Mom, but we surely knew he did! Thank you, Dad.
CELEBRATING THE SOLSTICE
The solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years and associated with pagans, who call the day Litha.
The pagan understanding of Litha is a fight between light and dark, and between the ruler from the winter to summer solstice " the Oak King " and the ruler from summer to winter " the Holly King. Traditionally, pagans reflect on the battle between light and dark within themselves at this time.
For pagans, the ancient Stonehenge monument in Wiltshire, England has always been of great importance when celebrating solstice, as it is only on this day that the rising sun reaches the middle of the stones when shining on the central altar. How did those ancient people know where and how to build it?
Stonehenge was constructed between 3,000 BC and 1,600 BC in three separate phases, with stones from as far away as the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire and the Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire. How did they do that?
This specific alignment of stones with the sun attracts tens of thousands of visitors to Stonehenge each year to see the sun rise on the first morning of summer, even if the history of the site, why and for who it was built remains a mystery.
ON THE SOAP BOX - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. PRESIDENT
This wish is hopefully better late than never. And told that President Donald Trump turned 74 on Sunday, June 14. In today's adversarial atmosphere, even wishing a Happy Birthday to our nation's lawfully elected leader is considered controversial. Isn't that sad!
President Trump was recently ridiculed by some newscasters because he seemed to walk slowly coming down a steep ramp after the West Point graduation ceremonies. With all that man has been put through in the four years since he was elected, starting even before he took office, it's a wonder he can walk at all. With the events of recent weeks, he must feel he has the weight of the entire world on his shoulders, which indeed he has. A lesser man wouldn't be able to walk at all.
Got to talking the other with a lady in the waiting area while our vehicles were being serviced. She said she didn't like President Trump, and would vote for Joe Biden. I said not liking Donald Trump as a personality is one thing, but challenged her to name one thing he has done wrong as President. She could not. I then asked her to name one thing Biden has done right. She could not.
There it is.
STILL ON THE SOAP BOX - NOT A NICE GUY
One of my favorite nieces recently wrote expressed her position on President Trump on Facebook:
"Make no mistake...I'm not posting this for debate. I don't seek or need commentary. It's ok if you don't agree, because we are all entitled to our opinions.
"Just consider this...when you think the President is a jerk; he is.
"He's a New Yorker. He's crude and can be rude. He gets his feelings hurt and he's a hot head. He hits back; harder. The media hates it when he tweets. Why? Because he gets information out, on things they don't want to report.
"Let me tell you what else:
"He is a guy that demands performance. If you don't work as hard as he does; you're fired!
"He is a guy that asks lots of questions.
"The questions he asks aren't cloaked in fancy "political" phrases; they are "why the hell..." questions.
"For decades the health industry has thrown away billions of face masks after one use. Trump asks, "Why the hell are we throwing them away? Why not sterilize them and use them numerous times?" They called him stupid. What are they doing now? Sterilizing face masks.
"He's the guy that gets hospital ships readied in one week when it would have taken a bureaucrat weeks or months to get it done.
"He's the guy that gets temporary hospitals built in three days. They said no way he could do it.
"He's the guy that gets auto industries to restructure to build ventilators in a business that's highly regulated by agencies that move like sloths.
He's the guy that asks "why aren't we using drugs that might work on people that are dying; what the hell do we have to lose?"
"He's the guy that restricted travel from China when the Democrats and liberal media were screaming "xenophobia" and "racist." Now they're wanting to know why didn't he react sooner?
"He's the guy that campaigned on securing the border - protecting America - in the face of screaming Democrats and the liberal media.(Both Clinton and Obama talked about a crisis at the border and Obama did some things to address the crisis, but they proved insufficient.) Nancy Pelosi has a high wall surrounding her property to prevent outsiders from just entering freely. When Trump shut down borders in the midst of the coronavirus virus, they screamed louder. Then the rest of the world followed suit, including the European Union with travel between their member countries. His policy is always "America First.' For many years we have complained about sending billions abroad, while Americans suffer here. He's minimized that outflow of money.
"Has he made mistakes? Yes. "Everyone I know has and does.
"The "experts" wouldn't and haven't done any better. "Does he change is mind? Yes, who doesn't?
"Trump is working harder than I've ever seen a President work. Twenty-four hour days. He isn't hiding in his office; he's out front - Briefing - almost every day.
"When he offers hope, they say he's lying and when he's straight forward, they say he should be hopeful. It's a no win situation, with the MSM (mainstream media), but he will not be deterred.
"I'll take this kind of leadership six days a week and twice on Sunday over a "polished, nice guy" politician who reads prepared speeches from a teleprompter and answers pre- scripted questions," and she concludes: "He is my President."
COOKIN TIME
Fishing season is on. Asparagus, strawberries and rhubarb are also in season. Cook, eat, enjoy!
FISH SOUP
Grandmothers traditionally exhibit almost miraculous powers to make delicious meals out of practically nothing. This recipe came from a friend who said it was a favorite in her family, handed down from her grandmother. Passed along this recipe a few years ago, but it's time to do it again. It's that good. My friend said when her family caught a bunch of small fish she dug up Grandma's old recipe and discovered again how much everyone loves it. If bones are a problem she recommends using fillets, but says otherwise almost any nice little fishes will do. Since she lives in rural Pound and also has lots of kin she describes herself as another Country Cousin. Thanks, Cuz.
1/4 pound salt pork
1 medium onion, or more, peeled and diced 3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper 3 cups boiling water
1 1/2 pounds small pan fish or fish filets 5 cups milk
Butter
Parsley, fresh or dried, chopped
Clean and scale the fish and salt lightly. Refrigerate while you prepare the rest of the soup. Cut the salt pork into half inch squares and fry in Dutch oven or large heavy soup kettle. While it cooks peel, slice and dice the onion and potatoes. Once the pork is golden outside and a generous amount of the fat is cooked out remove the pork and set it aside. Put the diced onions in the pan. Simmer onions in the pork fat until tender, but not browned. Stir once in a while. Then arrange the sliced potatoes over the onions, sprinkle on the salt and pepper, and add the boiling water. Cover the pan, turn heat down, and simmer about 15 minutes. Gently lay the fish on top, and cook another 10 minutes, or until the fish are done. Depends on size. Pour milk into the kettle. Heat to simmering but DO NOT let it boil again. Before serving, lift the fish out gently and put on a serving plate. Into each soup bowl put some salt pork cubes, a sprinkle of parsley and a generous lump of butter. Then ladle in the soup. Serve each person a small plate on which they can put their fish so they can clean them and either eat the meat as is or add it to their soup. If each person bones their own fish they have nobody but themselves to blame if they miss one.
CHICKEN ASPARAGUS PACKETS
Makes four servings. These are fun and easy to do, and delicious besides. Cooked indoors or out, there's very little cleanup required. This recipe calls for asparagus but you could use green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, zucchini, green peppers, mushrooms and/or onions, or whatever you want instead. The original recipe called for a spring of rosemary in each packet rather than the parsley, but we prefer the parsley. Your call. 4 chicken breasts (about 5 ounces each)
1 bunch of fresh asparagus 1 fresh lemon, sliced
1 bunch of fresh parsley, minced,stems removed 1 fresh lemon,
sliced
Lemon pepper seasoning 4 or 6 tablespoons butter Salt, if
desired
8 sheets heavy-duty foil, each 12" by 12"
Buttery flavored cooking spray
Preheat an outdoor grill or campfire to medium heat (325 degrees - 375 degrees), or an ordinary indoor oven to 375 to 400 degrees. Lay out the foil in four stacks, each with 2 on top of each other. Spray the top sheet of foil with buttery flavored cooking spray, but not quite to the edges. For each serving, season both sides of chicken breast with lemon pepper seasoning. Place one breast onto each top sheet of foil. Add 5-6 asparagus spears next to each chicken breast. Then add a sprinkle of parsley and a slice of lemon. Sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Put a half a pat of butter on top of each pile of asparagus. (If you're using skinless, boneless chicken breast, put half a pat of butter on top of each breast also.) Lightly wrap each packet, double folding edges and then crimping them, envelope style across the front and then on each end.
Then wrap a the second sheet of foil around the whole thing, again making sure it's sealed tightly. Grill packets or place them down in the embers for the campfire, rotating occasionally for even cooking. Cook until chicken is opaque and the asparagus is tender, for about 20 minutes total - about 10 minutes per side for skinless, boneless breasts, perhaps 30 minutes for bone-in, skin on breast halves. (Check one to be sure it's done before removing the rest.) Let the packets rest an additional 10 minutes before opening the foil and serving. Pass additional salt and pepper and halved lemon slices.
RHUBARB
If you see a rhubarb stalk with a gnarly looking bud on the end, that's a flower stalk. Most gardeners remove the entire stalk right down to the base so the plant can expend energy on making more leaves rather than on the flower. The flower is edible but its stalk holding it up and all rhubarb leaves have a high concentration of oxalic acid and should not be eaten.
To cook the flower, remove the stalk and any leaves encasing the bud. Steam the bud like broccoli or use it in a stir-fry. Rhubarb flowers are said to taste tart, like broccoli with a robust squeeze of lemon. Haven't tried them yet myself, but will some day.
Promise!
COOKING RHUBARB
Rhubarb is highly acidic"in fact, some people swear the best way to clean a stained pot is to cook rhubarb in it. To avoid a chemical reaction when making rhubarb sauce, use a stainless steel, glass, enameled, or nonstick pan. Aluminum or uncoated iron pans will turn the mixture gray. Or skip that, and use the rhubarb to bake Dad a Father's Day treat instead. Most Dads love rhubarb.
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CRUNCH
1 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 3 cups sliced fresh strawberries,
3 cups diced rhubarb
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup packed brown sugar 1 cup
butter
1 cup rolled oats
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix white sugar, 3 tablespoons flour, strawberries, and rhubarb. Place the mixture in a 9x13 inch baking dish. Mix 1 1/2 cups flour, brown sugar, butter, and oats until crumbly. You may want to use a pastry blender for this. Crumble on top of the rhubarb and strawberry mixture. Bake 45 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp and lightly browned.
STRAWBERRY RHUBARB CREAM PIE
1"‰½ cups white sugar
¼ cup all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground nutmeg 3 eggs, beaten
4 cups chopped rhubarb
3 cups halved fresh strawberries
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie 1 egg white
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together sugar, flour, and nutmeg. Stir in eggs. Fold in rhubarb, making sure to coat well, then add the strawberries and stir, again making sure to coat them well. Pour mixture into pie crust. Place second crust on top being sure to cut slits into it to vent steam. Brush egg white on top crust. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, until rhubarb is tender, and crust is golden.
RHUBARB CHEESE PIE
3 cups fresh rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 1 cup, plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided
1 tablespoon flour
1 10-inch prepared graham cracker crust
8 ounces Wisconsin cream cheese, softened 1 1/2 cups (12 ounces) sour cream, divided 2 eggs
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon vanilla, divided
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine rhubarb, 1/2 cup sugar and flour in nonstick skillet. Cook over medium heat until sugar melts. Pour into prepared pie crust.
Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, blending after each. Mix in 1 tablespoon vanilla. Pour over rhubarb layer. Bake for 30 minutes or until puffed and golden. Combine remaining sour cream, sugar and vanilla and spread over hot pie. Set on a wire rack to cool slightly. Cover and refrigerate before serving.
Country Cousin
Thought for the Week:All of us have biological fathers. Some of us are lucky enough to have Dads. Thank You, God for giving me mine. I am reminded of a story: "One night a father overheard his son pray "Dear God, Make me the kind of man my Daddy is.' Later that night, the Father prayed "Dear God, Make me the kind of man my son wants me to be.'" Daughters feel the same way. As a child, as a teenager, and as a young woman, one of my greatest fears was that I'd do something to make my Dad ashamed of me.
And Lord, he's been dead and gone these many years, but I still don't want him to look down and be ashamed. I love you Dad.
(This column is written by Shirley Prudhomme of Crivitz. Views expressed are her own and are in no way intended to be an official statement of the opinions of Peshtigo Times editors and publishers. She may be contacted by phone at 715-291-9002 or by e-mail to shirleyprudhommechickadee@yahoo.com.)
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