Columns

Start Where You Stand A new year always stirs up good intentions. We dream of change — getting organized, simplifying our homes, tending a garden, maybe even slowing down enough to truly enjoy the life we already have. But sometimes, those dreams feel so big that we never quite start.

The truth is, you don’t have to do everything at once. You just have to start where you stand.

Maybe your kitchen is cluttered, your schedule packed, or your garden is still a dream scribbled on a notepad. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with it all. Instead, it helps to start with one small thing. Clear one drawer. Say no to one unnecessary commitment. Buy one packet of seeds.

It’s easy to look around and think we’re behind, but real change never happens overnight. It begins with a small shift in thinking — a choice to move forward even if it’s one step at a time.

Epiphany Feast

Or Three Kings Day is normally around two weeks after Christmas Day. In England and Europe it is also called Twelfth Night and commemorates the day when most scholars agree that the Magi or Three Kings (of Orient “Or”) visited the Christ Child. I first became aware of this mainly Catholic Holiday when I lived in the New Orleans area. I’d been curious of my eccentric neighbor’s Christmas lights still being up and was informed by old Mr. Jimmy that lived behind me that he was probably leaving them up until Epiphany weekend. Hmmm, sounded very “convenient”, but being the new guy I decided to withhold judgment.

Sure enough Epiphany weekendcameandwentand my weird neighbor’s lights were still up. Now, I didn’t want to be a smart aleck (but I kinda am) and when I saw Mr. Jimmy picking up in his yard I worked my way over to ask about the lights. He shrugged and smiled and offered that maybe he was gonna wait until … Easter. What?!

Christmas Loot!

Remember when you were a kid at Christmas and how excited you were about Santa coming or wondering what kinda presents you had waiting under the tree? Well, that’s sorta how I felt last weekend but I first want to report in on the Baked Chicken Tenders and Catfish recipes we talked about last week.

Brenda Hall and Trever Montgomery both told me they were gonna try these because they sounded so good and healthy because they weren’t fried. I found on the Baked Tenders that they needed to be cooked in a hotter oven (on broil @ 500) and a little longer (10 to 12 minutes). And after trying the catfish I thought that dusting them with just plain cornmeal adding only salt and pepper didn’t get them spicy enough. The one fillet that I had sprinkled with some Crystal Hot Sauce before dusting tasted the best.

December 25 is the most important date in the history of Mankind. It is the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Most of us know the story well, yet it never gets old to a Christian. How Joseph and Mary on the way for the census stopped in Bethlehem and realized the birth of the child was near but there was no room at the inn. The only place they could stay for the night was in the barn with the animals. When the child was born the only cradle or bed was in the manger with straw for the child to be placed.

Without doubt this is the most important date in human history but there are two other very important historical dates that this writer would like for us to remember during these Christmas Holidays. The year 1968 was one of the more discouraging years in modern U.S. history. The Vietnam War dragged on; the nation grieved over the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Robert Kennedy; there were riots in the streets.

There’s something about a steaming cup held between your hands on a cold December day that soothes both body and soul. The world outside may be filled with busyness — shopping lists, crowded calendars, and last-minute errands — but one sip of a warm, spiced tea reminds us to slow down. It’s a pause, a breath, and a moment of peace during the holiday rush.

Spiced tea has long been a comfort in winter kitchens. Families once gathered around the stove while a pot of tea simmered gently, filling the air with the fragrance of cinnamon and cloves. The simple act of stirring together everyday ingredients into something fragrant and special is a gift in itself. It reminds us that comfort doesn’t need to be complicated.

Public schools have been an integral part of DeSoto Parish life for over one hundred and fifty years. Grand Cane in October 1894 was made a public high school. On April 3, 1895 Mansfield became a high school. The State Board of Education approved Keatchie and Stonewall as high schools in 1898.

The main focus of this article is to honor some of the early school board members and principals William Goss was elected President of the DeSoto School in 1902 to succeed W.C. Scott who died in office. S.R. Cummins was elected Superintendent in October 1908 and served until 1912. G.O. Houston was elected over G. Odom on the third ballot to become superintendent and he served until May 1926. Mr. Houston resigned in order to accept the positon of Assistant Superintendent of Caddo Parish.

Few people have lived through the Great Depression but everyone has read and heard about it. This writer not only lived throughout the Depression but experienced some of its hardships. If you will bear with me some researched details will be presented to set the stage.

On Friday October 24, 1929 the U.S. stock market crashed which started the 12 year economic disaster known as the Great Depression. On that “Black Thursday” everyone knew the sudden massive sell off of stocks was bad but no one knew just how calamitous the results would be. Given the last two months prior to Oct. 24, 1929 it was thought things were going along as fine as they always had.

Backed Chicken Tenders A few years ago before I learned the “Thick Black Iron Pot” trick of frying Catfish up right I used to coat the fillets with Tabasco Sauce and dust them in the prepared cornmeal mixture and bake them in the oven. They were very close to the fried fish I loved and we ate them at least once a week so when I saw Alison Roman’s recipe for Baked Tenders I knew I had to try them.

Christmas used to be a season marked more by heart than by hustle. Gifts were made by hand, decorations were pulled from nature, and meals were crafted from recipes passed down through the family. Today, with crowded malls and endless online shopping carts, it can be easy to forget that a meaningful Christmas doesn’t need to come wrapped in shiny paper or topped with a bow. Sometimes, the old ways — the simple skills — are the ones that bring the most joy.

A Brussels Sprout Affront

We all know people who just hate mushrooms (they taste musty) or onions (too strong) or pickles (they’re vinegary) and a LOT of people really can’t stand Brussels Sprouts. Those little unassuming baby cabbage looking vegetables that our Mothers always told us we had to “at least try”. Someone posted on Facebook a pretty good looking picture of some covered in cheese sauce and asked, “Does anyone actually EAT these?”

My answer is YES! I do and have a real good sounding recipe for them. Wait, wait I know you’re getting ready skip to another portion of the paper but hear me out. The Title of the recipe is actually the four ingredients that go into it “Olive Oil toasted Brussels Sprouts with Alfredo Gruyere’ Sauce” so I don’t have to bother you with the actual recipe. I thought that they sounded good paired up with a Shrimp Scampi or Broiled Snapper main so I thawed out a handful of Sprouts in preparation for the Friday night dinner.