Columns

Si, Senor Maccarones con Queso e Taco – suena muy bien! Pam Bello has this great sounding dish on “My Recipes” this week and I was flirting around with trying it but the cheese sauce part sounded a little daunting to me. Yes, I am sauce challenged. I’ve tried and tried to do scratch sauces and gravies but it just doesn’t happen for me, I mean even when I do my big Thanksgiving spread I always buy 2 cans of turkey gravy.

“Because the sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil.” Ecclesiastes 8:11 NKJV Why is breaking the law so rampant today? Why is there no respect for officers of the law? When I read the above verse and read it again I am convinced that here is the reason we are experiencing lawlessness in our country. Our country’s authority figures have an arrogant attitude toward God and toward the law. Our government is playing favoritism with people that love breaking the law. Politicians give excuses for the actions of the wicked. Perpetrators go free and the victims are left to suffer and live in agony and fear. Government officials and politicians don’t care about civility, about rules of order and the care of fellow citizens.

“Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vine; though the olive crop fails, and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior,” (Habakkuk 3:17-19) The sound like some of the days, which we are living…tough times, hot days. My fig trees are looking bad and may be dead already. My blueberry bushes have turned brown and look dead. I have not been able to get out and water things since my heart surgery. I am feeling better this morning. I go some to the Fitness Center to walk and have a cup of coffee and there see friends. We have had no rain in a long time but God is in control. I will trust Him and honor Him. I go to church on Sunday and preach to the folks there to bring hope and faith in God in these times or any time.

Well, it’s getting close to election time again and it’s very important to get out and vote. If you are not registered do it now. It’s too late to dig a well when everyone has passed from thirst. Let no one tell you, “Don’t worry about going to vote; it’s not that important”, because they are going to do whatever they want to do. We must never believe that lie because it’s one of the biggest lies every told. One thing is true; if you don’t vote then don’t worry about how government is run. The devil has many tools but a lie is the handle that fits them all. He is on the job day and might and no one can top him making troubles. Never let the negative opinions of others place a value on what is important to us.

Homemade Breadcrumbs

We often find a recipe that calls for breadcrumbs. Whether it’s adding them to a meatloaf or hamburger patties or using them as a coating for chicken or porkchops, it always helps to keep some handy. But what if you don’t have them? That should never be a problem. You can make your own!

I love to bake bread, but we can’t always eat it fast enough. Rather than waste it, I cut and crumble up what’s left to make my own breadcrumbs. Once they are cool, I place them in a jar with a lid and put them in the freezer until I need them. And I have discovered that homemade breadcrumbs taste better than store bought!

Ingredients: 1 loaf Day-old Bread (if you do not bake your own bread, consider a loaf purchased at a bakery. A French Baguette or an Italian loaf works well.)

“What shall I render unto the Lord for all of His benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation and call upon the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 1116:12,13) I fell so blessed. I was able to return to the Fitness Center this morning and there meet with family and friends, get a cup of coffee, and walk around the track. In the past week I had spent five days in the hospital (two in Mansfield and three at Willis Knighton Pierremont for heart attack and surgery.) I had to miss church last Sunday and didn’t get to preach but this next Sunday I am planning to be back. I have the sweetest group of people.

Over the past several years I have written articles about many men and women that have had profound influence on the City of Mansfield and on DeSoto Parish. They should all be remembered but none would, in the opinion of this writer, be more deserving than Dr. George A. Ritchey.

Dr. Ritchey was born in Enterprise, Ms. and later attended Pearl River Com. College in Poplarville, Ms. where he lettered in football, baseball, basketball and track. He was converted while a student there in 1926. He later attended Mississippi College in Clinton, Ms. where he played football and pastored two churches in Duncan and Friar’s Point, Ms. He continued his education in the ministry at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. And graduated from there with a Masters of Theology degree in 1933. He earned a Doctors of Philosophy degree in 1935 while a student at Louisville, Ky. and was a pastor of a church in Paragon, Indiana.

Why must people include those confusing words when giving directions? You know what I’m talking about. My mind can’t process which way is East, much less what I’m supposed to do if I ever figure out where East is. And please don’t tell me go two miles east on Highway 3015, then at the stoplight, turn north. No, that does more harm than good. If the sun is out, I can probably figure out which way is East. Or West, if the sun is setting. But then I’m looking at the sky, not the road, and that’s never a good idea.

Pasta del Puttanesca Seconda Parte’

Can You Hear the Music?

As a child, I was fascinated with the accordion and thought it would be fun to learn how to play. Eventually, I got the gist of it, but even with lessons, it just never seemed to click.

That memory floated into my mind recently when I was trying to learn how to weave on a Lucet – which is a two-pronged loom with a handle and is used to make cording. After repeated attempts, I knew I had the technique down. I even did fairly well with the tension. But for some reason, I kept feeling as if I was missing something, and got frustrated.

That’s when the image of me trying to play the accordion popped in my mind. And it clicked. I knew the notes. I knew how the song should sound. But what I didn’t hear was the music.