Columns

Rosemary has long been considered the Herb of Love. It is the perfect seasoning for a pork loin, as well as for other culinary uses. But it is for so much more than just cooking. Try a few of these and see if they work for you!

1) Drop a whole sprig of Rosemary in your stew. As it cooks, the leaves will separate from the stem. Just remove the stem before serving!

2) Crumble up some dried rosemary and mix it with about ? cup of borax and baking soda. This makes a wonderful scouring powder.

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Louisiana is a good state in which to live and raise a family. Our motto “Union, Justice and Confidence” is sometimes forgotten and appears elusive like our state bird the Brown Pelican. We forget sometimes that our state flower is the Magnolia just as we forget that the Bald Cypress is our state tree.

Louisiana was discovered only 27 years after Columbus discovered America. Robert de LaSalle, an early French explorer, named Louisiana for Louis XVI, King of France. Probably more flags have flown over La. than any other in the nation. Ten different flags have flown over the area. The original La. Territory comprises of or part of 17 different states.

What?! Noooo, it’s not a European title fight but a competition of two simple yet elegant French dishes. I’ve told about the famous (to me and my Daughter) New Orleans trip with my Mom in search of the perfect Trout Almandine dish from the great 4-star restaurants there. It took two columns to tell it all and I will gladly send you a copy if you’re interested but basically Sal Saia, the owner of Sal & Sam’s in Metairie, La., said that it was one of the simplest but easiest recipes to mess up. He insisted it should be the measuring stick of all really great restaurants. Soooo, we decided to try that at every one we visited. Of course 10-year-old Ashley was more interested in the different deserts but we all had a great and fun week.

Today’s article probably should be headlines “Did You Ever Wonder?” Probably most of us from a time to time have wondered about certain things and we just couldn’t seem to find the answer or reason. Natchitoches, the oldest town in the Louisiana Purchase by three years, boasts of Cane River. Was it once the Red River and did it actually flow through the middle of town or is that just a lake? The Red River did once flow through town until the Spring of 1837 when a flood caused the river to cut a new course at Grand Encore leaving Natchitoches with only an old “Chute” or remnant of the river’s channel. St. Denis founded the town three years before New Orleans was formed and continued to live there until he died July 11, 1744. His niece along with a large group came up to Bayou Pierre and made the first settlement in what is now DeSoto Parish, Louisiana.

A Scratch Cherry Pie

Most of you who read my columns know that, although I love to cook, I am “Pastry Challenged”. In fact I am “Gravy/Sauce Challenged”, too, but that doesn’t pertain to this column. That’s why you may be curious about the title. Most people think of a “scratch done” dish as one done completely by a recipe with your own ingredients in your own kitchen. AND because I couldn’t do a real scratch cherry pie if my life depended on it I bought a Sara Lee frozen cherry pie at Brookshires. Now I DID scratch the side flap of the box it came in to open it and I DID scratch the cellophane wrapping to remove it before baking so that’s my take on a Scratch Cherry Pie. It sure does taste good, too, especially with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream on top while it’s piping hot!

December 7, 1941 is the declared a “Day of Infamy” when Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. The American navy fleet was at anchor there on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. On this Sunday morning at 7:55 am while many of the servicemen were at breakfast and some still in bed Japanese dive bombers bearing the symbol of the rising sun burst through the clouds. Within seconds the sky was full of their war planes dropping bombs on our ships. The bombers were followed by fighters called Zeros with their machine guns strafing the brave U.S. sailors who rushed to their guns. Senator Jackson B. Davis was stationed there and tells of the fighter planes flying so low you could see the smiles of the Japanese pilots. The attack left 2400 dead, 1200 wounded, 18 ships sunk and 300 American planes destroyed.

Dear Class of 2020,

You know your story is unique, but it’s more so than you realize.

Many have said, and I’m sure most of you agree, that COVID-19 has cheated you out of one of the most exciting, most anticipated, most cherished times.

For the rest of your lives, deep in your heart and memories, you will have your own unique narrative of this unprecedented time in history that changed the dynamics of your senior year.

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As I was getting ready to take a break from a some anticipated yardwork a swift shadow passed over me. Quickly looking up I noticed nothing but by adjusting to the angle of the sun I saw a large black bird sailing just over the top of the green pine canopy. An eagle!? I have seen those cruising around Barney Goss’ Lake before so I eagerly tracked the flight of this bird to see if I could identify it. Noticing how effortlessly he sailed with the air currents I was reminded of that often plagiarized scripture from Isaiah 40:31 “But those who wait for the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles!” How powerful, how beautiful and my heart soared up to that bird. Perhaps not an eagle but strong and free and … hungry.