Columns

“Chee-Bugah” Casserole

To paraphrase Saturday Night Live’s late John Belushi in his ‘Greek Diner’ skit: Customer orders two cheeseburgers and a coke and Belushi’s greasy aproned diner owner turns and shouts, “Chee-Bugah, Chee-Bugar — No Coke just Pepsi!” Those of you who remember that old skit know what a hilarious classic it was. John had a similar skit called ‘Samurai Tailor’ that was pretty funny, too.

What brought all this to mind was the ‘Cheeseburger Casserole’ by Nicole Mc-Laughlin on the “My Recipes” site that I wanted to share with you. I’ll be cooking it this weekend after the game and it looks to be another one of those great mouthwatering casseroles that the whole family will love (Charlotte Miller take note!).

It is the belief of this writer that you “History Buffs” who read this article weekly like a variety of historical subjects. Local historical subjects are primarily discussed here but there are other things that lure me in to deeper research — Such as today’s topic Air Force One.

Read ing history, possibly about your foreparents, you will encounter words that are no longer commonly used. The following words will clarify some of those “Bygone Words” that were often used many years ago but are not in common use today:

1 — Bootblack — polished shoes and often made minor repairs to shoes.

2 — Circuit Rider — a minister that traveled a monthly circuit preaching. This writer’s grandfather was a Methodist Minister that had four churches that he served. Two of these churches were relatively close and on the months that had five Sundays they would meet together and have singing and dinner on the grounds.

3 — Cooper — a person who made and repaired barrels out of white oak strips

4 — Cobbler — repaired old shoe heels and soles.

5 — Drummer — a traveling salesman mainly calling on small towns and cities. He usually specialized in certain things like clothes or harnesses for horses.

I felt a deep sense of relief and gratitude on Wednesday that the election was over; and equally relieved that President Trump’s victory was decisive enough that the country won’t be put through endless election challenges and legal disputes. My great gratitude is due to the fact that I believe our country will be placed on a much sturdier, safer, and prosperous path going forward.

While many prominent pollsters were wrong about which candidate would win the election many polls prior to the election were accurate regarding the issues Americans were most concerned about: the invasion of illegals on our southern border as well as the economic/ inflationary suffering created by a decline in real wages coupled with the high cost of daily goods like eggs, bacon, milk, gas and the impossibility of purchasing a home due to high interest rates.

The most recent issue of the V.F.W. Magazine had an excellent detailed account of W.W. I the last W.W.I veteran was Frank Buckles who died in 2011. It is the thought of this writer, a W.W. II veteran of the European War Theater that, while some W.W. II veterans are still alive, would enjoy reading an article concerning W.W. II in Europe. Not knowing as much about the Pacific part of the war that will be left to someone else to discuss.

In spite of the attacks on American shipping by German submarines, it was not Germany that plunged us into W.W. II, but Japan. Our relations with Japan had become strained since they invaded China in 1937 with full intent of conquering all of the Pacific. In 1941 Japan became a partner with Italy and Germany as a member of the Axis Nations.

As you read this, it’s a matter of hours before voting in the presidential election is over. That’s not to say that a final verdict will be determined. As we saw four years ago, if the election is close as every analysis indicates that it will be, it may be weeks before the actual victor knows the final results. Remember the 2020 election where Vice President Al Gore thought he had won, but the Supreme Court determined otherwise? So let me pass along some pre-election commentary from a guy who oversaw the election process in Louisiana for eight years back in the 1980s.

When was the last time you received something in the mail that a) wasn’t a bill; b) wasn’t something you ordered; c) wasn’t junk mail; or d) a birthday or Christmas card?

Now, stop and remember the last time you received a letter from a friend or family member. Were you surprised to get it? Did it make you smile? If you’re like me, you first grabbed a cup of hot tea or a cold glass of lemonade, settled into your favorite spot, and took a moment to enjoy a written visit with the friend or family member that sent it.

According to history, Queen Atossa of Persia wrote the first letter. Hers was sent by messenger and didn’t require a stamp. Prior to that, letters were sent by merchant ships, on horseback or by friends who were traveling.

Pl a n t Cool-Season Herbs to Accent Upcoming Holidays

It’s hard to believe the holiday season is almost here. Many of us will soon be planning elaborate meals and celebrations with friends and family. What better way to take your holiday cooking up a notch and impress your guests than with homegrown herbs?

Several herbs do well in Louisiana this time of year. If you visit your local garden center right now, you’re likely to find a plentiful selection of cool-season annual herbs such as dill, fennel, cilantro and parsley — along with perennial herbs like rosemary, sage, mint, oregano, chives and bay laurel (which is a small tree).

You might be wondering: What exactly is an herb or an annual or a perennial, anyways?

It is the belief of this writer that you “History Buffs” who read this article weekly like a variety of historical subjects. Local historical subjects are primarily discussed here but there are other things that lure me in to deeper research — Such as today’s topic Air Force One.

Crabby Fish Cakes?

What — another “Sponge Bob Squarepants” ripoff? Noooo, it’s an interesting substitute that I stumbled upon last weekend. But first let me catch you up on some humorous reader responses from the last several columns: In my column on Cheez Whiz I reminisced about that ole church social favorite the Broccoli Cheese casserole and my Mom’s recipe called for Oleo. Favorite reader Steven Porter who lives all the way up in the Smoky Mountains says that he couldn’t find any out there and thought that Oleo spelled backwards was Trans-fatty Acid (Ha!). I did look on the supermarket shelves around here and didn’t find any either. The internet says that “Oleo Margarine” has been around for 50 years and is made from whipped vegetable oil and water. It was originally all white and promoted as a healthy substitute for butter and didn’t really take off in sales until they started adding yellow to make it look more like butter.