Columns

Followers of this article know that from time to time we write a short biography of someone that has made a great contribution to the Parish. Such a person was Dr. George A. Ritchey, Pastor of Mansfield First Baptist Church for 28 years. A native of Enterprise, Mississippi he graduated from high school and Pearl River Jr. College at Poplarville, Ms. He won the gold medal for being the best all-around athlete receiving letters in football, baseball, basketball and track. He was converted to the Lord in 1926 while a student there.

George Ritchey attended Mississippi College at Clinton, MS. on a football scholarship while preparing for the ministry. He preached at Duncan and Fiars Point while in the state of Mississippi. After graduation he attended the Southern Baptist Seminary in Louisville, KY. After his masters of Theology degree in 1933 he continued and received his doctors degree and started pastoring at Paragon, Indiana.

I try to limit my trips to the grocery store during this pandemic, especially after what happened to me recently at a Shreveport Kroger.

I had parked near the back of the parking lot, which was my mistake. As I was loading my groceries, a large four-door truck suddenly pulled up very close to me, effectively shielding me from the view of others.

A middle-aged woman was driving, and a man near her age or a bit older was in the passenger seat. Even though they were inside the truck, I felt like they were in my personal space.

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B.O.F. BBQ

I’m still trying to go through the pantry and freezer to try and cook some of these forgotten and mysterious items I keep finding. So, in the Bottom of the freezer I found a package of Pork Riblets and a small package of Chicken Tenders. Last weekend I had so much fun BBQ-ing the “Mixed Grill” Ribs and Chicken Thighs that I thought these might be worth another try on the ole pit.

These Riblets aren’t reprocessed pork formed to look like a rib section (think McRibs – ugh!) but are actually the ends on a large rack of ribs that are trimmed off to make the big rack more attractive. You don’t see these often but when the Butcher does put some out I scoop up a package. I advise you to do the same because they cook up the same way as a big ole rack but don’t take as long.

*With all this crazy COVID 19 Panic going on I am digging down into my freezer and finding all kinda good things. The newest discovery was turkey from Thanksgiving and i decided to venture into my Column Vault and re-do a column on my Mother’s Turkey Tetrazzini - still good after all this time.

When I was young my Mother used to finish off the remains of that big ole turkey remains by making a turkey carcass gumbo. It was so good, but I’ve kinda gotten away from that and tend to have some breast slices for the next work week lunch sandwiches and enough leftover carvings off of the carcass for a turkey casserole. Almost any casserole can be made with the turkey substituted for the meat called for in the recipe, but better in the ‘fowl based’ casseroles – turkey enchiladas or turkey loaf or turkey spaghetti with tomato gravy just aren’t to my taste. Turkey jambalaya? Don’t even go there! HOWEVER, turkey in an Alfredo Sauce is just right!

Just like many others during this quarantine, I’ve organized things, read a lot, baked too much, and enjoyed simple but priceless time with my kids. One great book I’ve read over these past two weeks and highly recommend is The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. Absolutely excellent true story. I’ve already baked two pans of brownies, a vanilla bundt cake drizzled with Eagle Brand, peanut butter cookies, and homemade energy bars that include peanut butter, honey, oats, flax seed, cinnamon and vanilla. Oh, and yes, I do provide apples, bananas, yogurt, milk, and sandwiches on wheat bread!

My kids, like so many other siblings, have bonded more than usual. I’ve enjoyed sitting on the back patio and watching them play soccer, shoot hoops, and even lie on lounge chairs in the sun, chatting and listening to music.

When French and Spanish explorers first arrived in this area they found a thriving culture established by the Caddo-Addai and the Caddo Nachitosh Indian Tribes. The two tribes were part of the larger Caddo Indian Group. They were a semi-nomadic people meaning they lived in an area for a few years and moved to better hunting and fishing when those were thinned out. During the several years of living in one place they built homes of poles and thatched grass wall and roofs similar the shape of a beehive.

The Caddo men were not particularly bad fighters except when attacked. The women were expert weavers of rugs and pottery makers. Both men and women tanned animal skins into clothes. However, the early French explorers said the women were better at tanning hides than the men.

As I write this, we are about a week into selfdistancing due to Covid-19. My three kids are being h o m e - schooled, I haven’t left the house except to make a

Kroger run, and life as we knew it before the coronavirus quarantine is no more.

Even though this sometimes seems like the Twilight Zone, I fully recognize that it’s true and that it’s redefining priorities and perspectives.

When this is over, I know I won’t be the same.

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Yes, … there – I said it. I apologize for thinking that I had invented a new Italian dish as in the B r o d o Classico or Pasta Broth that I wrote about a few columns back, Mi Dispiace’. Although as a disclaimer, I did mutter that the simple broth I thought I had invented couldn’t possibly be new and surely should have been discovered earlier. AND, yep - it had; In 1550 in Northern Italy and called Tortellini En Brodo. When I sent the original column out by email one of my earliest readers and oldest friend, Janis from South Louisiana, pointed out that when she lived in Italy there was a broth like the one I had “discovered”.