Country Cousin

Remembering...

Hi Folks!

Summer will not officially arrive for another month, but in reality it seems to be here. Memorial Day is coming on, and sadly few communities are staging the parades and memorial ceremonies and speeches that used to make the day so special. If it were not for veterans’ organizations like the American Legion, VFW and DAV, the day might be entirely given to picnics and cookouts, with no thought at all for the fallen heroes we are supposed to be honoring.

Let’s all take time from our holiday fun to place a flower or flag on a veterans grave, and hopefully kneel to whisper a prayer there. Better yet, find out when the American Legion observances will take place at your nearest cemetery and join them.

As a civilized nation, and as decent human beings, we must not forget the brave men and women who gave their lives so we could live ours under the Flag of the Free!

REMEMBERING

Originally Memorial Day was called Decoration Day, and it was observed on May 30. Many years later, to create an additional long weekend, the holiday was changed to the last Monday in May, and the name was changed to Memorial Day.

According to some historians, observance of this most solemn holiday began unofficially on April 26, 1865, when Mrs. Sue Landon Vaughn, a descendant of John Adams, second President of the United States, led some women to the cemetery in Vicksburg to decorate soldiers’ graves. In May of that same year some women in Winchester, Va. formed the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Association and on June 6 they went to the Confederate Cemetery in Winchester to decorate graves with flowers.

Other reports trace the holiday to Miss Emma Hunter, who in 1864 carried flowers to the tomb of her father, Col. James Hunter in Boalsburg, Pa. While there she met a Mrs. Meyer, whose son had also been killed in the war. The two women agreed to meet again the next year to decorate the graves, which they did, thus making the first prearranged Memorial Day observance in 1865. Gradually other townspeople took up the idea.

According to the History of the Grand Army of the Republic (a Union veterans organization), Memorial day observances started after Adjutant-General N. P. Chapman received a letter from a Union soldier whose family roots were in Germany saying it was the custom there each spring to decorate the graves of fallen soldiers and suggested that the Grand Army adopt the idea.

Chapman relayed the suggestion to national commander, General J. A. Logan, who was so impressed that he issued an order naming May 30, 1868 “...for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of the comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion and whose bodies lie in almost every city, village or hamlet churchyard in the land. It is the purpose of the commander-in-chief to inaugurate this observance with the hope that it will be kept from year to year while a survivor of the war remains to honor the memory of the departed...let no ravages of time testify to coming generations that we have forgotten, as a people, the cost of a free and undivided Republic.”

Wonderful words. Memorable sentiments.

Let us all continue to let no ravages of time show that we have forgotten the continuing cost in human lives of keeping our Republic free.

IMMORTAL

Many wars have come and gone since those first Decoration Days. General James A. Garfield, who later became President, at that first Memorial Day observance at Arlington, spoke words that retain significance all these lives and wars later:

“I am oppressed with a sense of the impropriety of uttering words on this occasion. If silence is ever golden, it must be here beside the graves of fifteen thousand men whose lives were more significant than speech and whose death was a poem the music of which can never be sung.

“With words we make promises, plight faith, praise virtue. Promises may not be kept; plighted faith may be broken, and vaunted virtue may be only the cunning mask of vice.

“We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens.

“For love of country they accepted death, and thus resolved all doubts and made immortal their patriotism and virtue...

“I love to believe that no heroic sacrifice is ever lost; that the characters of men are molded and inspired by what their fathers have done, that treasured up in American souls are all the unconscious influences of the great deeds...from Agincourt to Bunker Hill...Here are the sheaves reaped in the harvest of death...here let them rest, asleep on the nation’s heart, entombed in the nation’s love.”

LOVE NEVER DIES

While Memorial Day was created to honor the memory of fallen military heroes, our nation has no holiday specifically set aside to remember other fallen heroes - those who were the quiet heroes of our individual lives. Those who struggled through life as best they could, and now wait in Heaven for the loved ones they left behind.

Because there is a need, many of us use Memorial Day as a time to honor them as well as the nation’s heroes, and that is also as it should be.

May our visits to their graves be marked with joy that they once lived, gladness that we knew them, and confidence that we will meet again. And may we take time to recall the reasons we loved them. Remembrance is what earthly eternity is made of.

STEPPING OUT

This week, and for the next few weeks, many of our young people will be graduating from high school or college, preparing to step out into the world that holds all their tomorrows, and all the hopes and dreams their parents have for them as well.

That it can be a scary world was recognized by Richard Halliburton, who said, “... I’m set adrift, with a diploma for a sail and lots of nerve for oars.”

Graduates often think they know everything, until they get out into the real world and learn what they don’t know. An unknown wag once suggested, “We have enough youth, how about a fountain of smart?”

Now, there’s something this old world could really use!

That said, here’s hoping all you young graduates will shoot for the moon, so that even if you miss, you’ll land among the stars.

Aim high, dream big dreams, and stay true to yourself. That way you still won’t be bad off if you don’t quite make it. As Mama often said, “Why should I wish for a loaf of bread when I can wish for the grocery store?”

Go ahead and wish for that grocery store. But don’t just wish for it, work for it! Believe it can be yours.

You are our hope for the future.

Don’t let us down.

Don’t let yourselves down.

Make this world a better place than you found it.

And, when your time is up and your day is done, may you be able to honestly boast, “I did what I needed to do, I got where I wanted to go and I never hurt nobody!”

Now that is the right baggage to carry into heaven!

COOKIN’ TIME

The good things of springtime are upon us. Asparagus is ready. Strawberries and blueberries are never far behind. All this, and grilling weather besides. Can you top that? Well, okay. Maybe you can. How about family reunion potlucks. Spring weddings. Graduation parties. Wedding showers. The list goes on. Enjoy!

HOT BACON ASPARAGUS SALAD

Serves six, but it’s easily doubled if you’re serving a bunch, or halved if you’re dining at two. This can be the whole meal if you just serve some nice crusty bread with it. Substitute your choice of artificial sweetener for the sugar and it’s an awesome low carb dish. Pepper cured smoked bacon is an excellent choice. If you use the pepper bacon do not add the pepper called for in the recipe. Baby spinach or leaf lettuce are an excellent choices for the salad greens, or use a combination. Tender young dandelion greens are really, really great added to the mix.

7 bacon strips, diced

1/4 cup diced sweet onion

1 pound fresh asparagus

1/3 cup cider or wine vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground mustard

1/4 teaspoon pepper

4 cups torn salad greens

1/2 cup sliced almonds

2 hard-cooked eggs, sliced

In a large bowl, combine the salad greens and diced onion. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Clean asparagus and trim off or peel any tough parts. Cut slightly on the diagonal into about 1 1/2 inch pieces. Put the bacon into a cold skillet, turn on heat and fry until crisp, slowly at first so the fat starts to flow, and then turn it higher so the bacon browns. Drain off all but about 2 to 3 tablespoons drippings, and with the heat still up, add the asparagus all at once and stir. Sprinkle on the pepper and stir again. saut� in drippings until crisp-tender. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard, pepper and bacon. Cook and stir for a minute or two. Pour the asparagus mixture over the greens and toss gently. Top with egg. Serve immediately.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS

Easy and impressive. Do invest in good bacon, preferably the peppered variety. And choose nice fat asparagus spears. Check the tenderness of stalks, starting at the big end, by seeing if your fingernail pops easily through the skin and into the stalk. It’s tender there. Get rid of anything below that, or peel it. This recipe only serves two, but it’s ridiculously easy to double, triple, etc. Problem is, unless everybody cooks their own, if you’re making a bunch you could have trouble turning them all quickly enough to prevent burning. These go with just about anything else, including eggs for breakfast! By the way, they’re more fun if you let them cool slightly and eat with your fingers. Have plenty of napkins!

10 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed

1/8 teaspoon pepper (more or less)

5 bacon strips, halved lengthwise

Buttery flavored cooking spray

Toothpicks

Place washed, trimmed asparagus spears on a sheet of waxed paper; coat with cooking spray. Sprinkle with pepper; turn to coat. Wrap a bacon piece around each spear; secure ends with toothpicks. Grill, uncovered, over medium-low heat for 8-12 minutes or until bacon is crisp, turning occasionally. Discard toothpicks.

CHICKEN ASPARAGUS PACKETS

These are designed to be cooked in the oven, but there’s no reason they can’t be done on the grill. Do up a big batch and bring along to a pot luck in a small Nesco or slow cooker (with a shallow pan with a cutting board and knife to slice for smaller servings) for a contribution that will wow everyone!

1/2 cup mayonnaise

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 lemon, juiced and zested

2 teaspoons dried tarragon

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

16 spears fresh asparagus, trimmed

4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

4 slices provolone cheese

1 cup dry bread crumbs or panko

Preheat oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C). Grease a baking dish. In a bowl, mix together the mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, lemon zest, tarragon, salt, and pepper until the mixture is well combined. Set aside. Cook asparagus in the microwave on High until bright green and barely tender, 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Set the asparagus spears aside. Place a chicken breast between two sheets of heavy plastic (resealable freezer bags work well) on a solid, level surface. Firmly pound the chicken breast with the smooth side of a meat mallet to a thickness of about 1/4 inch. Repeat with the rest of the chicken breasts. Place 1 slice of provolone on each chicken breast, and top the cheese with 4 asparagus spears per breast. Roll the chicken breasts around the asparagus and cheese, making a tidy package, and place, seam sides down, in the prepared baking dish. With a pastry brush, apply a coating of the mayonnaise mixture to each chicken breast, and sprinkle each with bread or panko crumbs, pressing the crumbs into the chicken to make a coating. Bake in the preheated oven until the crumbs are browned and the chicken juices run clear, about 25 minutes.

BLUBARB PARB

There’s a story behind this name, and it has to do with a young teenage waitress - my tongue-twisted little sister - trying to recite the pie list for a customer. She also offered Rueberry Pie that day. Totally intrigued, he ordered some anyway. Incidentally, this may or may not be a true parb (if anyone knows what that is), but it’s very, very good. Make your own pie crust and bake it in a 9” square pan and you can tell everyone it’s a parb.

3 cups sliced rhubarb

1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1 pinch salt

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 1/3 cups white sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 double crust ready-to-use pie crust

2 tablespoons butter, cut up

1 tablespoon white sugar

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees, and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Toss the rhubarb and blueberries in a bowl with the salt, nutmeg, lemon juice, 1 1/3 cup sugar, and flour until evenly mixed. Pour into the pie shell and dot with butter. Cover the filled crust with the top crust and flute the edges. Cut a few decorative steam vents in the top crust. Sprinkle the crust with 1 tablespoon of sugar; cover the fluted edges with aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning. Place the pie tin on the prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes; reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake another 35 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until the crust is golden and juice is bubbling through the slits, about 15 minutes more. Cool completely before serving (or serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream).

RHUBARB CUSTARD CAKE

This is a really great take-along treat. Not diet fare by a long shot, but it’s worth every calorie!

1 box yellow cake mix, regular size

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups rhubarb, chopped

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 pint whipping cream or fat-free half & half

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease or spray a 9”x13” baking dish. Make cake mix according to package directions, except add the teaspoon of vanilla to the batter. Pour batter into prepared pan. Cover batter with the four cups of chopped rhubarb. Mix sugar and cinnamon together and sprinkle over the top of the rhubarb. Pour the pint of whipping cream or half and half over that. Bake 50 to 60 minutes or until done. Chill well before cutting. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping if desired. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

ORANGE SMOOTHIES

Wow your brunch bunch with these refreshing frosty drinks. Makes two large drinks or four small ones.

1 cup vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt

3/4 cup milk

1/4 cup frozen orange juice concentrate

2 shots cointreau, triple sec or other orange flavored liqueur

(optional)

Chill your prettiest clear glasses in freezer. At serving time combine ice cream, milk, orange juice concentrate and liqueur in food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses, garnish as desired. Serve with fat straws of the proper length if you have them. Make this a diabetic’s delight by preparing with sugar free ice cream and low fat and leave out the liqueur.

Thought for the Week: At Memorial Day services, and at burial services for veterans throughout the year we hear the haunting notes of “Taps”, which also traditionally marks the end of day and flag lowering ceremonies at camps and other events. Most of us know the tune, but how many of us know the words? Words and music for “Taps” were composed by Major General Daniel Butterfield, Army of the Potomac, Civil War, in 1862, with help from his bugler, Oliver W. Norton.

“Fading light dims the sight,

And a star gems the sky, gleaming bright.

From afar, drawing nigh, falls the night.

“Day is done, gone the sun,

From the lake, from the hills, from the sky.

All is well, safely rest, God is nigh.

“Then good night, peaceful night,

Till the light of the dawn shineth bright,

God is near, do not fear - Friend, good night.”

On this Memorial Day, may those who are gone be remembered, and may those who remain be consoled.

COUNTRY COUSIN

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