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Independence Day

By
Guest Columnist
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Richard Shank
Columnist

Friday of this week, America will pause to celebrate the 249th anniversary of the nation’s declaration of independence from England. Fireworks and speeches were introduced into colonial America, early in American history, to observe the celebration, and remain to this day.
Independence Hall in Philadelphia is where it all happened. On a trip to the city of brotherly love, as Philadelphia is affectionately known, I had an occasion to walk the sprawling structure and join dozens of other tourists peering inside a room appropriately named “Assembly Hall.” Here, 56 colonial Americans ratified a document, which signaled our end as a colonial property of England. George Washington, perhaps, the nation’s most famous colonial leader, was not in attendance as he was in the field commanding America’s army in battle against the British.
The Revolutionary War lasted eight years until ratification of a treaty signed in Paris in 1783, which gave America its independence.
Eleven years after the signing of the Declaration of Independence, many of the same founding fathers returned to this very room to draft a constitution that has endured the test of time 238 years later. This time around, Washington was in attendance and was unanimously elected to serve as Chairman of the Constitutional Convention. Without question, this building and its Assembly Hall could lay claim as being the nation’s most historic site.
Ground was broken for Independence Hall is 1732, a project that took 21 years to complete. In 1753, the greats and near greats were on hand to dedicate the new home for Pennsylvania’s colonial government.
Relations between the colonies and the royal government in London soured soon thereafter as a result of new taxation imposed on the American colonies to cover the cost of King George’s European excursions. When the British launched an invasion of the colonies at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts in April 1775, a colonial congress met at Independence Hall, and as its first order of business was to select George Washington Commander of American forces.
One year later, 56 brave colonists made their way to Philadelphia, including two future Presidents named John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, to consider independence from the royal government.
As the story goes, the Continental Congress tapped Jefferson, then a young Virginia plantation owner barely 33 years old, to draft a document to proclaiming the colony’s independence. It is reputed that Jefferson labored 17 days in a Philadelphia rooming house now known as “Declaration House” where he drafted what would become a 1337-word document, with advice from two of his contemporaries, Adams and Benjamin Franklin. Most historians say Franklin, who was elderly at the time of the proceedings would have, more than likely, been one of the nation’s first presidents had he been younger. Still he left behind a long list of expressions and sayings which remain relevant to this day.
On June 28, 1776, Jefferson’s final product was unveiled at Independence Hall and it should come as no surprise that most of his 55 contemporaries suggested some edit, perhaps to one day lay claim that they were a part of what was about to become the nation’s most historic document. During the next week, about one- fourth of Jefferson’s original words were edited from the first draft, but on July 2, the Continental Congress approved the declaration, and two days later voted a second time to ratify.
Jefferson’s prophetic phrase, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” is rated by most historians as the most consequential and potent words in American history. From what I read, Jefferson’s original document with sidebar edits survived.
As one should expect, an event of this magnitude has produced its share of great stories and trivia, some of which are worth repeating.
Adams, to his dying day, said the annual Independence Day celebrations should take place on July 2 since that was the date when the first vote to approve was taken.
Adams and Jefferson died hours apart on July 4, 1826, the 50th anniversary of the ratification of the Declaration of Independence. And, James Madison, the nation’s fourth President would die July 4 in 1831. Only one President, Calvin Coolidge, has a birthday of July 4.
In its formative years, preservation of historical attractions was not a priority in the new nation and during the 1800s Philadelphia used Assembly Hall to store feed for the city’s horses. In 1948, the National Park Service totally restored Independence Hall to its original appearance.
Then, there was the story of John Hancock who lectured his fellow signers how they must stick together. Ben Franklin, never a man short on words, rose and responded, “Yes, we must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately.”
With the current political climate that has engulfed America, it is hard to imagine that those in charge in the nation’s capital would, in these times, be able to enact anything of this magnitude. The Senate would filibuster the idea to death and the House of Representatives would refuse to vote out of fear that it might pass.
Meeting for the first time in 1788, the electoral college unanimously elected Washington to serve as America’s first president. Four years later, he was unanimously re-elected to serve a second term. Adams, vice president for eight years, succeeded Washington to serve as the nation’s second president.
New York served a short time as the nation’s first capital before it moved to Philadelphia, and then, in 1800, to a new city of the Potomac River to be called Washington, D.C. . In 1790, Washington, visited the construction site located barely 20 miles from Mount Vernon, his Virginia plantation, and set the corner stone for a presidential residence to known as the White House. Washington is the only president who did not live in the White House during their time if office.
This July 4, let us celebrate our proud history and pledge to preserve a democratic form of government, which has served us for nearly two-and one-half centuries.

 

 

 

Lettuce Eat Local: Let’s Go For Gelato

By
tammiehoeme
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0

Amanda Miller
Columnist
Lettuce Eat Local

Wasn’t that spring incredible? The days got longer without the temperature skyrocketing; the mornings were calm and beautiful, the evenings were warm but pleasant — even the afternoons were still quite tolerable into June. It was a little mind-boggling to have such a distinct season between winter cold and summer heat, with cherry-on-the-top frequent days of low wind speeds. 

For weeks I woke up early with the sun, often taking advantage of my opportunity to steal outside for a neighborhood bike ride or walk; quiet dawn moments outside are literally and figuratively deep breaths of fresh air for me. Of course I could go out in the wind, but it’s enough of a thing to maneuver around the kids’ wakeups that I only bike when it looks enjoyable to me. I don’t take those gifts for granted, and as each square passed on the calendar, I held the next morning loosely, expecting it to have been my last one before the seasonal blasts of wind and heat finally arrived. 

And what do you know, the first day of Summer brought them with a vengeance. The weather had apparently been waiting with bated breath, and there has been no doubt since that summer is here. The humidity makes the 90s temps feel even hotter, and while I don’t love wind, it’s not all bad that it’s here now since we might be completely stifled without the sustained gusts. 

Brian comes in for breakfast already wet with sweat just from chores, not an ideal start to his up-to-20 hour days, especially for a guy who doesn’t like to be hot. I prefer hot weather, but in this humidity even I start to wilt in relatively short timing; an hour or two of garden work or chasing the kids around, and I’m ready to come in to cool off for a bit. My children, on the other hand, rarely ever feel like it’s time to come inside — and not just because the door handle gets too searingly hot for them to touch it. Their faces get redder and redder, but still they keep running, climbing, biking. 

These kids’ timing is often impeccable: Benson just yelled in through the window, “It’s not hot at all, I’m telling the truth!” My weather app says it feels like 95°. 

At least their obsession with frozen foods cools them off a bit. The best frozen food is ice cream, of course, and how appropriate that June is National Dairy Month. Similarly appropriate to July being National Ice Cream Month, I suppose; so we must celebrate! with a…gelato recipe? 

Though the two desserts are technically distinct, they are very similar and both high in deliciousness topped with summery perfection. Gelato has a lower butterfat (the FDA regulates that ice cream contains at least 10% fat), gets churned slower, and is stored at a warmer temp, resulting in a denser texture and stronger flavor than creamier, fluffier ice cream. Either one, however, is the right answer. 

The right answer any time of day, even. Last week I mentioned how I recently catered with a Mediterranean islands theme, and in my research I discovered that a common Sicilian breakfast is gelato with brioche. It sounds a little scandalous at first, but hey, if we can have cinnamon rolls for breakfast, then they can totally have gelato. 

While I don’t see us making a habit of having gelato first thing in the morning (in fact I must not even mention it or I’ll never get my kids to eat oatmeal again), just the thought of it waiting in the freezer might cool us off enough to not only survive but enjoy another sweltering day. As long as the AC keeps working. 

 

Really Pistachio Gelato

I don’t know if this meets all of the qualifications for gelato, but for my G article, we’ll assume it does; pistachios feature prominently in dishes from Sicily, so there’s another point for it. Honestly it doesn’t matter what to call it, because it is cold and terribly delicious and that’s all we need. I thought I might try to incorporate sentimental-style pistachio pudding mix, but the authentic nuttiness of the pistachios shines through so well that we didn’t need anything added. You can try this the Sicilian way for breakfast with some brioche/other enriched bread — it sounds weird but it’s so good — or just by itself any time of day. 

Prep tips: this batch makes about 1 ½ quarts of mix, so adjust to your ice cream maker as needed. 

2 cups pistachios (without shells); lightly roasted/toasted

3 ¾ cups whole milk

3 tablespoons cornstarch

3 ounces cream cheese

scant 1 teaspoon salt

1 ½ cups cream

1 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon honey

½ teaspoon almond extract

Process about 1 cup of pistachios, ¾ cup of milk, the cornstarch, cream cheese, and salt in a blender until smooth or mostly smooth. Set aside. Heat the remaining 3 cups of milk, the cream, sugar, and honey in a heavy saucepan; bring to a boil and simmer for a couple minutes. Whisk in the pistachio mixture, and bring to a low boil again. Cook and stir until slightly thickened, a minute or so. Remove from the heat, let cool for a while, and then transfer to a container to chill fully in the fridge overnight. 

Whisk in the almond extract and the remaining pistachios. Churn in your ice cream maker.

Just a Little Light: July 4th Memories

By
Dawn Phelps
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0

Dawn Phelps
Columnist

The last week of June 2011, my youngest daughter Misty, her husband Bryan Elliott, and their four children left the US and flew to the United Kingdom to live in Wales. Misty and Bryan still live in Wales, but their grownup kids now live in the US.
I remember worrying until I heard the Elliotts had made it across the Atlantic and had safely landed in London. They arrived in the UK a few days before the 4th of July. In previous years, they had celebrated in the States with hamburgers, hot dogs, s’mores, and fireworks, but their first fourth of July in the UK would be very different.
They found themselves in a country of people with British accents, a queen for a ruler, and different traditions and customs. And in 2011 it was a bit of a challenge to find some of the July 4th foods in the stores, even though a Costco was opened a year or so later, making a few more American foods available.
I talked to Misty prior to writing this and asked her to tell me about her first July 4 memories in the UK. She first told me about shopping for hot dogs and ingredients for s’mores. She said they could not find hot dogs like those in the US, and the only “hot dogs” they could find were in jars—similar but different.
Misty said they could not find graham crackers as in the US, so they bought substitutes called “digestive biscuits” (cookies) that were covered with chocolate which served as substitutes for graham crackers and chocolate bars as in the US. She said they only found pink marshmallows, so they somehow heated the digestive biscuits with pink marshmallows in the middle to make s’mores.
I asked if they had any fireworks, and she said there were no fireworks to be found at that time of year, so they celebrated July 4 by quietly marching around their fenced-in backyard waving small American flags and quietly singing the “Star Spangled Banner.” Afterall, they were celebrating liberation from the country where they would now be living!
She said they had a cigarette lighter for lighting a fire for the s’mores and thought they may have twirled the lighter around to represent fireworks. Anyway, it was an interesting conversation, but it sounded like a pathetic way to celebrate July 4th.
With July 4 so near this week, perhaps you have thought about some of your past July fourths. Maybe you too have a very unusual memory like the Elliotts. I still remember my childhood memories of our fourths in Tennessee when our daddy sometimes bought a few sparklers, but I don’t recall any wild memories.
Many years later, after I married my first husband Ralph, there was a bit more “action” on the fourths when we had picnics by the pond at Thornberry Acres east of town. We usually invited friends and family, and Ralph cooked hamburgers and hot dogs over an old-fashioned bathtub with grill made from a refrigerator rack. After dark, Ralph shot off fireworks off over the pond while we all relaxed in lawn chairs.
Then, many years ago, after Ralph died and I married Tom Phelps, I learned what it is like to really celebrate July 4! If any of you knew Tom’s son Tee Jay, you know why! I have never known anyone who loved July 4 as much as Tee Jay!
I asked Tom how Tee Joy’s love of the 4th began, and Tom said that his daughter Jenelle had a fireworks stand where she sold fireworks before the 4th. He said that Tee Jay was a “happy go lucky” kind of kid who loved to shoot off fireworks in the street for all the little kids.
The fourth of July was Tee Jay’s favorite holiday—he would say it was “even better than Christmas” for him. When he came home from Texas each July 4, he stopped at fireworks stands and bought enough fireworks for a big fireworks show.
If you knew Tee Jay, you probably also know he was one of the kindest people you could ever meet. But he was a “firebug” extraordinaire who loved to put on fireworks shows. He would hold Roman candles in his hands as they went off—a far cry from my childhood “sparkler” experiences.
One evening stands out in my mind. It was after midnight when Tee Jay gathered up all the faulty fireworks, including Roman candles, that had not properly lit. He put them all in our burn barrel in the back yard and struck a match. That was the biggest fireworks show we ever had!
As the fireworks in the barrel ignited, they came flying out of the barrel, loudly exploding, flying in all directions. There was popping and lots of screaming as people scrambled for cover. Our poor neighbors! It’s a miracle they did not call the law on us!
In contrast, after Tee Jay died five years ago, our fourths of July are totally different now. The neighborhood is quieter, and we don’t shoot off fireworks. We could never make new memories as good as when we had Tee Jay with us anyway.
Sometimes we sit in our sunroom and watch other folks’ fireworks light up the eastern sky. And we remember Tee Jay, the biggest fireworks lover ever and one of the kindest people I have ever known.
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Celebrating Verena and Daniel Ray’s Wedding Day

By
Guest Columnist
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Lovina’s Amish Kitchen
Lovina Eitcher,
Old Order Amish
Cook, Wife &
Mother of Eight

Lovina is taking this week off from the column to rest up after her busy week hosting Verena and Daniel Ray’s wedding. I am her “English” friend Ruth, and I helped Lovina last week by running errands and was able to attend the wedding so I will share a little about that.
Monday and Tuesday were spent shopping for wedding food. Lovina’s grocery list was long but organized. Some of the items on the list were 36 loaves of bread (for the dressing), 8 fifty-pound sacks of potatoes, 400 pounds of chicken leg quarters, 15 gallons of milk and the list goes on. On Tuesday morning sisters Emma and Liz, who were chosen to be the head cooks, came over and wrote out the recipe cards for the dishes being made and checked the final quantities for groceries to be purchased.
Wednesday and Thursday mornings ladies came to start the food preparation. Pie crusts and fillings were prepared, strawberries were cleaned and sliced, vegetables were chopped and bread cubed for the stuffing, butter was browned for the noodles and hundreds of cupcakes were baked. Each afternoon Emma and Liz would prepare the work spaces for the next day tasks. When the men got off work, they set benches for the wedding and for the wedding meal, worked on the yard and barns and whatever other tasks needed to be finished. Two large tents were set up, one for the cooks and the other for the guests to sit under and keep the gifts. Wednesday brought a storm in the morning and another around 5 pm. The tents stayed in place and the work continued.
The morning of the wedding Verena and Daniel Ray were across the street by 7:30 am to be ready to greet all the guests who were attending the 9:00 wedding. They sat in a row and welcomed everyone as they came in. Before the wedding began, they left to meet with the ministers and when they came back, they sat in the middle of the shed with guests on three sides facing them. The men sit on one side and the women on the other. At 11:15 all the cooks and table waiters walk over so they can watch them being pronounced as married. Then they file out and get ready to serve the noon meal. After the wedding, guests all wait outside the shed (pole barn) to be ushered in. First the Bishops and Ministers that are attending are seated, then the male family members, then the rest of the men. Then the women are seated followed by the children that are old enough to sit by themselves, followed by English guests. Even the folks who drove guests to the wedding are given a seat at the table. There is a silent prayer and then everyone sings a song that has been chosen by the bride and groom. They also choose if they want it sung in German or English. Verena and Daniel chose Amazing Grace sung in English.
Verena chose different shades of the ocean for the cooks, servers, table waiters, moms, sibling and special helpers to wear. She had an ocean theme with cute little dolphins on her cupcakes, and décor all related to the ocean. She and Daniel did a great job preparing for their wedding and were relaxed and really enjoyed their day. They chose not to have the traditional 7:00 pm meal with the Youth, and instead invited them to the 5:30 meal. It was nice for all who helped to get all the clean up done and be finished while it was still light outside.
Between the noon meal and the evening meal some played volleyball while others visited with friends and family. Under the tent Verena and Daniel opened their gifts while the family watched. They received many nice gifts and were genuinely grateful for all that everyone did to make their day special.
As an English guest it was an honor to share this special day with Daniel and Verena. To see how the community gathers and works together to set up for the wedding, prepare and serve the meal and clean and pack up when it is finished is quite an experience. There was no grumbling or arguing, but I did hear laughter and good conversations. This is Lovina’s last daughter to get married so this is the last wedding she will host, and I think she is probably ok with that. Congratulations Verena and Daniel, may God bless you as you begin your life together. To see more pictures of the wedding go to Lovina’s Amish Kitchen on Facebook.

 

Fresh Strawberry Pie

½ cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
1 cup water
3 tablespoons strawberry flavored gelatin
Red food coloring (optional)
6 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
1 (9-inch) baked pie crust
Combine the sugar, cornstarch, corn syrup and water in a large saucepan and bring mixture to a boil. Stir constantly until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the gelatin and a few drops of food coloring, if desired. Let cool until lukewarm, then add the strawberries stirring until well coated. Pour in to baked pie shell. Refrigerate pie for 2 hours before serving. Can be topped with whipped topping.

Egg Salad, ‘seriously’

By
Debbie Dance Uhrig
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0

Macaroni & Cheese, mashed potatoes & gravy with radishes, rice pudding, egg nog, chocolate chip cookies, and egg salad are just a ‘few’ of my favorite comfort foods! This week I was asked about a recipe for egg salad!!! Seriously; I didn’t know there was one! Every nationality has their version of egg salad, much like hand pies. It’s been around since forever, the first recorded recipes go back to the late 1800’s, appearing in one of the earliest cookbooks. The salads we are discussing today are all referred to as ‘bound’ salads.

We could spend quite a few hours talking about how to boil eggs for egg salad. There are ‘many’ methods. I usually put my eggs in cold water, bringing it to a hard boil. At that point I time it for 10 minutes, and immediately remove them from the heat. I pour off the hot water rattling the eggs to crack them, pour on ice water, and allow to cool.

Sometimes I put vinegar in the boiling water which is supposed to help the shells to release more easily. But if you really want the shells to come off easily use mature eggs, not the dozen you just picked up at the store.

In one of my columns I wrote about deviled eggs and how funny I think it is that grocery stores put eggs on sale the week of Easter. They should be placed on sale a couple weeks before the big event.

You can study about egg cooking methods and what people like to do to render the perfect hard boiled eggs. Even a little research into how various countries prepare their egg salads.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t always know when I’m going to make a bowl of egg salad. Therefore it’s rare that I get to use fresh dill or parsley in my egg salads. Since deli meats prices started increasing a couple of years ago , I started making lots of chicken salad, tuna salad and egg salad. Lots of protein and it doesn’t run 10-12 dollars a pound.

When making a tuna, chicken, beef or egg salad one very important tip is to use quality mayonnaise. The fat content is very important in making creamy meat, egg or pasta salads. It will be extremely creamy and you will be pleased with the bind. Years ago when low fat mayonnaise first came out I didn’t know what was wrong with my tuna salads, they seemed extra runny, with lousy ‘body’. Well; I certainly learned a few things since those days. I.E. with tuna salad I always use albacore tuna. Water or oil based? They actually say oil based makes a better salad. Mayonnaise, I failed to tell you the 2 tie winners for first place, mayonnaise, it was Duke’s and Hellman’s. My brand came in second place, which is the ‘Kraft mayo’ brand.

A little mustard is a nice addition to an egg salad. Everything from prepared mustard, to Dijon, or stone ground are options. There are times I also use dry mustard. When I made all my own pickles I would chop them by hand for salads, these days I usually reach for dill relish, well drained for the pickle portion. When my dad was alive he always wanted ‘sweet’ relish or pickles in his salads. There will be a few that say leave out the pickle entirely, all good, but don’t forget a little pickle juice or vinegar added to the dressing.

Celery, if I have it on hand it’s going to be in the salad! You will have some family members that won’t care for it in the salad. I seldom use it in tuna or beef salads. I make chicken salads with celery but my favorite chicken salad is with the yogurt based dressing, grapes, celery and nuts added.

Probably the fastest egg salad is made from leftover deviled eggs. This produces a very tight egg salad. Have you ever grilled an egg salad sandwich? I highly recommend toasting at least the inside of the bread, before adding the salad. In my research I even found that folks will use leftover scrambled eggs to make egg salad. Hmmm…I’ll pass on that one. Let’s journey into this easy heart warming salad. Simply yours, The Covered Dish.

Simple Egg Salad

Green Onion, 4-6 finely chopped, include the good part of the green tops

Celery, 3 stalks, sliced

12 eggs, hard boiled, peeled

(And easy cut is to use your egg slicer, cut one direction, then switch directions.)

1-2 teaspoons dry mustard or prepared mustard 2-3 teaspoons

1 teaspoon black pepper could use ground white instead-

Drained Dill relish, ½ cup, if you like the pickles, add a tad more, drain-

1-2 teaspoons dry dill weed

Mayonnaise, ½ – ¾ cups

Panko to bind should it be runny and not tight.

Years ago I started keeping panko plain and Italian on hand at all times. It can rescue a runny salad, by fixing the bind. No one will ever know, unless you spill the beans.

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