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Greek Potatoes

I know, I know Greeks don’t do potatoes. So when I saw a recipe on the AllRecipes website “Oven-Roasted Greek Potatoes” by an author listed only as Maddie (Antonopoulas? Papadapas??) I had to try it. With a long list of spices I’m thinking olive salad or a muffaletta- esque type of dish but I should have known better because there were no olives listed.

What was the Louisiana State Fair in Shreveport, La. in 1940 for three senior boys out of school for the day with five dollars each to spend? DeSoto Parish schools were off for Fair Day and the three boys called themselves the “Do-It Trio”. The buses left Logansport High School at 8:00 am and John who was a football player, J.L. who was a basketball player, and this writer called “Senior” who was a boxer spent their first 25 cents for the bus ride still leaving $4.75 left for the Fair.

The month was October with the world famous “Royal American Show” waiting. It took 80 train cars to move the Show and after seeing all the rides, sideshows and food stands it was easy to see why it took so many cars. In addition to the large group of Carnival workers that traveled with the show there were many local people employed for the 10 days selling tickets, working in food booths, & etc.

His Daughter, Tootsie

Think quickly and tell me your favorite candy! Whether it’s Milky Way or Baby Ruth or M&M’s I’ll bet any of you have had or may like a Tootsie Roll or its spinoff, a Tootsie Roll Pop. Along with Atomic Firebombs they are my favorite. As a matter of fact. I have several in my desk drawer right now — Chocolate or Cherry, please!

Most history buffs occasionally venture off into areas they know little about but that is one way to gain additional knowledge. Early medicine and early doctors of DeSoto Parish are today’s topics. Of course there are plenty of doctors that would know more about early medicine than this writer but have you seen any of them take the time to write about it?

Medicine as we know it today is almost solely a 1900’s and 2000’s development. Until the early 1900’s there were only a few drugs and most of them came from plants. Aspirin, quinine, morphine and it derivative of paregoric, either and chloroform all were plant based. In early times and even to some measure today illnesses were personal. When a person was sick they were referred to as “indisposed, confined, under the weather or puny”. Early obituaries usually referred to the deceased as “God took them to their rewards or they were called home to Jesus”.

Life Lessons from the Garden Gate

There’s a lot you can learn just by standing at a garden gate. Not working. Not digging. Just stopping for a moment, hands on the latch, surveying what’s grown and what hasn’t. Gardens are very honest that way. They don’t flatter. They don’t make excuses. They simply show you the results.

Some years, the gate opens to abundance. Things are lush, a little unruly, maybe even ahead of schedule. Other years… well, let’s just say the weeds appear to be thriving on encouragement alone. But that pause at the gate — that’s where the lessons live.

A garden gate reminds us that everything has a season, and no amount of fretting will convince a tomato to ripen faster (trust me — I’ve tried). You can water, weed, and fuss all you want, but growth still happens on its own timeline. Life seems to work the same way.

A number of historical buffs have wondered how the early settling of the parish was done and how the settlers were organized. Generally speaking the northern part of the Parish was settled by slightly more affluent families and earlier than the southern portion. For this article let’s trace the southern portion south of present day U.S. Hwy 84 from Mansfield to Stanley, La. This road, one of the five major east/west roads of Louisiana known as the “Lone Star Road” or “Three Slash Road” because it was marked by 3 slashes on the trees lining the trail to mark this road.

You just cannot keep Billy Cannon out of the news. LSU’s all-time football hero was pardoned by President Trump last week. And this brought back memories of the guy who put LSU football on the national map.

There are certain things you don’t forget. Where you were on 9/11, or when President John Kennedy was shot. Down here in the Bayou State, add to those special dates Halloween night 67 years ago when Billy Cannon made football history with his 87 yard run to beat Ole Miss and keep the Tigers undefeated. His story is the rise and fall, than the rise again by LSU’s all time sports hero. And guess what? I played a minor role in what became Billy’s personal nightmare and fall from grace.

Arlington Cemetery has been in the news for the past few months without many of us knowing the tremendous history involved. As Paul Harvey said, “Here’s the rest of the story.”

George Washington’s adopted son — his wife Martha’s only son — bought the land know as Arlington in 1778 to be closer to his mother at their beloved Mount Vernon home. General Washington advised him on the purchase in correspondence from his winter camp at Valley Forge. However, three years later her son contracted fever at Yorktown and died leaving a six-monthold son. George and Martha raised the six month of boy whose name was George Washington Parke-Custis and nicknamed “Wash”. Wash became of age and inherited the Arlington land his real father had purchased but his lifelong mission became to honor his adopted father.

2026 — The Comfort of Shared Work

There’s a special kind of comfort that comes from doing work alongside someone else. Not delegating. Not “watching while giving instructions.” Actually doing it together — elbows out, flour on the counter, and no one pretending this is glamorous. Shared work has a funny way of making things feel lighter, even when the task itself isn’t.

Take baking, for example. One person measures, another spills. Someone forgets how many cups they’ve already added. There’s always a moment of confusion about what to do next. Yet somehow, by the time the timer goes off, the mess feels manageable and the kitchen feels fuller — people-wise, not just dish-wise.

Mirlitons are part of Louisiana’s heritage — and they’re easy to grow at home

Like a lot of people who grew up in Louisiana, LSU AgCenter horticulturist Jason Stagg has fond memories of eating casseroles and other dishes his mother prepared using mirlitons — a unique squash that has been grown in the state for generations.

Mirlitons (Sicyos edulis or Sechium edule) — also known as vegetable pears and alligator pears — are a pear-shaped squash with a mild flavor. They’re usually green but sometimes are white. Known as chayote in their native Mexico and Central America, some sources indicate they arrived in Louisiana by way of Haiti in the 19th century.

It’s easy to grow your own mirlitons. Traditionally, mirlitons are planted outdoors in the spring. But if you have some space indoors or in another warm, protected area, you can plant them in containers while it’s still winter and get an early start on your vine, Stagg said.