Country Cousin

Turn back the clocks...

We get our lost hour back this weekend. We turn back the clocks on Saturday night, and get to sleep an extra hour on Sunday morning. Remember, Spring forward, Fall behind. Been sleepy all summer because of that lost hour of sack time.

Good excuse, right?

WINTER CHILL

Winter is definitely here. Nights have been well below freezing, and days aren't much better. We can't expect improvement any time soon, but we could always hope for an extended Indian Summer that lasts....well maybe until Christmas.

Keep dreaming!

Meanwhile, the hunters in our family have been out with bows and arrows stalking the the stately white tails that have been creating hazards on roadways all over TIMESLand. Friend told of encountering a pair of young bucks on Leftfoot Road a few days ago. They were so busy exchanging blows in what appeared to be a fight for dominance that he had to stop his vehicle and yell at them before they would move.

SERIOUS HUNTING

The hunters are also seriously preparing for the high holy days of gun deer season that will start in just three weeks, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. With the prices of meat this year, and looming shortages of everything, the hunt will be a bit more serious than usual this year. Keeping meat on the family table very possibly could be just as difficult as it was back in the days of the early settlers, when there were no supermarkets, and no home delivered meals, either.

Thank goodness those gun control people haven't managed to take our weapons away. We may all need to learn how to get out in the forests and forage for ourselves and our families!

ON A HAPPIER NOTE

On a happier note, Covid restrictions are not as crippling as they were last year, and at least one TIMESLand event cancelled last year is coming up. The big craft show at Grace Lutheran Church in Pembine will be held from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6. This would be the 21st year for the event, but it was cancelled last year due to Covid. Vendors this year appear to be making up for lost time. Nada Surface says there is a full house, with 16 vendors signed up, the most since the Craft Show began in 2000, and the maximum number they can handle. Among items to be sold are needle work, quilts, commercial products, and some beautiful hand made bird houses.

HALLOWEEN HAUNTING

Went to a really wonderful Halloween dance on Saturday, Oct. 30, right after Trick or Treating ended. It was sponsored by Paris Nights Karaoke, and had even the littlest haunts

CLEANING

With the gardens finished some of us are faced with the sad fact there is no excuse to go outside and play and nothing to play with anyway. There's no getting away from it. It's time to get the house spiffed up for Deer Season and the coming holidays. And let's face it. Most homes are in need of a good cleaning about this time of year if their keepers have really enjoyed summer.

SPECIAL REQUEST

Until the cleaning gets done, you may touch the dust in my house, but please don't write in it. If you do write in it, at least don't date it.

KEEP OUT THE COLD

If the hatches aren't battened, do it now. That cold seeping through doorways and windowsills is costing you real money. Even hanging heavy drapes and closing them at night helps save fuel bill dollars.

REPAIRS

Duct tape is good for fixing so many things around the house, including sealing cracks in places where it won't show. It's almost as good as super glue and bobby pins. Duct tape is like The Force. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

MILDEW REMOVAL

The makers of Tide laundry soap regularly publish tips on difficult laundry problems. If you've had winter duds stored in the basement sometimes mildew happens. To get it out, try this tip from the Stain Detective:

Here's the Stain Detective solution for removing mildew from colored cotton:

(They advise before treating any garment always refer to instructions on the care label and make sure you protect colored items by pre-testing the effects of stain removal techniques on a hidden area of the garment. On the other hand, if it's mildewed and you can't get it out, it probably isn't much good anyway, so go ahead and try.)

Here goes: Using a plastic bucket, create a soak solution by adding 1/2 use of their laundry detergent for each gallon of water. Let the garment soak for up to 30 minutes weighted with a white towel to keep it totally submerged. Discard the soak solution when you're finished. Then wash in warm water with regular amount of detergent. Let it air dry on line or hanger and repeat if necessary. If you dry it in the dryer the stain will be set.

ON THE SOAP BOX

SPEAKING OUR MINDS

Usually don't agree with Hollywood celebrities and sports stars who speak out on current events and political issues. Their expertise is in performance, not human relations. However, Madonna said she is disturbed about the Cancel Culture movement and wants to get others disturbed too. Her comments deserve to be repeated.

She is quoted as saying there is something she wants to disturb..."I want to disturb the fact that we're not encouraged to discuss it. I believe that our job [as artists] is to disturb the status quo. The censoring that's going on in the world right now, that's pretty frightening. No one's allowed to speak their mind right now. No one's allowed to say what they really think about things for fear of being canceled, cancel culture. In cancel culture, disturbing the peace is probably an act of treason."

Madonna said it's more important to speak up than to remain silent ?? even if people disagree with you.

"The thing is the quieter you get, the more fearful you get, the more dangerous anything is," she said. "We're giving it power by shutting the ... up completely."

Totally agree. Whether I agree with you or not, I feel it's your right - and mine - to speak our minds, and agree to disagree if necessary.

In today's world of "political correctness" we're not allowed to express our opinions in the words we need to use, and cannot even have a meaningful conversation without being accused of being racist, homophobic, prejudiced or simply a horrible person in some other way.

Parents objecting to things their children are being taught are being investigated as "political terrorists"!

Thank goodness the outcome of yesterday's election in Virginia proved how unpopular that attempt to disrupt parental rights is to families .... even families in areas that have traditionally voted in favor of liberal viewpoints.

Come on, folks.

Let's cut the hate and get people back to good, old fashioned arguments where we can yell at one another, express our opinions in very explicit terms, and then maybe crack a joke, shake hands, make up and walk away friends.

It really did work that way at one time, and it can happen again, if we let it. Let's offer a few prayers for tolerance of opinions on both sides of the political aisle.

That said, sure am glad that so far the far left has not managed to get its ridiculous spending package approved, at least not so far!

ON LINE BUYING

Some of us still aren't too good at buying on-line, but we try.

We haven't shared a blonde joke here for some time. Politically incorrect. But here goes anyway. A local hands-on computer repair and sales shop employee claims this happened.

Cute young blonde came in and bought a new computer system. First time she had ever owned one. Boyfriend was to set it up for her.

The next day she called, in tears.

Seems she'd been trying to shop the Internet but the "ATM thingy" on the front of her hard drive kept rejecting her credit card no matter how she inserted it.

Yep. There she was, trying to use a credit card in her floppy disc drive. There was some damage, but nothing the computer whiz couldn't fix. Explaining that she had to manually type in her credit card numbers was the hard part, the fellow said.

QUICK TIP

Have some favorite recipes that you don't quite know by heart? Gather those recipes on index cards, punch a hole in the corner of each and thread them with yarn for your own personalized little cookbook. Hang the card collection on the kitchen bulletin board or on a hook inside the door of the cabinet where you keep measuring utensils.

To keep a recipe card handy while cooking, put it in the tines of a fork and stand the fork upside down in a heavy glass on the counter near your work area.

SEW EASY

With chill weather outdoors and Christmas fast approaching, many of us are dusting off our rusty crafting and sewing skills. To help prevent thread from tangling, run the threaded needle through a sheet of dryer fabric softener (like Bounce). Eliminates the static cling that makes the thread want to stick to itself.

COOKIN' TIME

Hard to believe, but before very long hunters will be heading to deer camps. Here are a couple of good recipes that travel well. The pork pie is good hot, with gravy or cold, to be eaten out of hand.

ENGLISH PORK PIE

2 1/2 pounds boned, lean pork shoulder

1 small onion

1 teaspoon salt

Few Grains Pepper

1/2 teaspoon powdered sage

Water

Meat Pie Pastry (recipe below)

2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

1 egg yolk, beaten

1 tablespoon milk

Cut the meat in 1/2-inch cubes; put it in a pan with the onion, salt, pepper, and sage. Add just enough water to cover; bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, 1 hour or until the meat is tender. While meat cooks prepare the pastry.

Strain the broth from the meat; measure 1/4 cup and set aside. Chill remaining broth in the refrigerator. Let meat cool slightly.

Set the oven for moderately low, 325?.

Roll out half the pastry to a thickness of about 1/4-inch and line a deep 8-inch pie pan. Fill the pastry shell with the meat and the 1/4 cup broth. Top with the egg slices.

Roll out the remaining pastry in a circle about 8 1/2 inches in diameter and cut 3 or 4 slits in the center. Moisten the edges of the pastry in the pan; place the circle of pastry on top. Seal the edges by pressing with the tines of a fork. Mix together the egg yolk and milk and brush the mixture on the pastry with a pastry brush.

Bake 1 1/2 hours or until the pastry is brown.

Skim the fat off the chilled broth. Put the broth in a saucepan and boil rapidly until it is reduced to 1 1/4 cups.

Pour the broth into the baked pie through the slits in the pastry, using a funnel or basting syringe. Chill thoroughly before serving.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings

FISH FILLETS FLORENTINE

1 pound frozen fish fillets ?? cod, perch, or haddock

Salt and Pepper

5 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

2 tablespoons flour

1 cup milk

1 1/2 tablespoons minced onion

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained

1 cup soft bread crumbs

Set the oven for hot, 425?

Grease a small casserole or baking dish; put the frozen fillets in the casserole and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Put 2 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan; blend in the flour, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a dash of pepper. Slowly stir in the milk; place over medium heat; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened.

Add the onion and spinach to the hot sauce and stir until blended. Pour over the fish.

Combine the bread crumbs and remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Sprinkle over the spinach mixture.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve at once.

Yield: 4 servings

PUMPKIN CRANBERRY CAKE

Makes 2 loaves, and this one does freeze well. Make it now for Thanksgiving and Christmas feasting.

3/4 cup butter or margarine

1 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

2 teaspoons cinnamon

3 Eggs

1 can pumpkin (16 oz.)

3 1/2 cups flour

1 cup nuts; chopped

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons orange rind; grated

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup cranberries; chopped

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition. Combine dry ingredients, and add alternately with pumpkin. Stir in nuts, rind and cranberries. Pour batter into 2 greased and floured 9x5-inch pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 60 to 65 minutes. May be frosted, if desired. Makes 2 loaves.

SINFUL PUMPKIN CAKE

Makes eight sinfully rich servings. This is best made the night before. It should sit at least 12 hours before serving, preferably with ice cream or whipped cream.

1 large can pumpkin, or equivalent pumpkin puree

1 can evaporated milk

1 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon ginger

1 box yellow cake mix, dry

1 cup pecans, chopped

1 1/4 cups butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and cloves in a large bowl and blend thoroughly. Pour the blended mixture into a greased 9x13 pan. Top with the dry cake mix, then the pecans. Finally drizzle with the melted butter and bake for 50-60 minutes until done. Let the cake stand overnight. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream. A sprinkling of nutmeg atop the cream is good.

The Country Cousin



Thought for the Week: Lord, as we struggle through this difficult era for our nation, help all of us remember that all our Blessings and freedoms began with You, and without You our nation cannot endure as a land offering "liberty and justice for all." We can never deserve them, but help us to preserve, protect and appreciate the blessings You have given us. Amen.



(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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