3/11/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
My mind is wandering down a meandering journalistic path today as I consider the predicted demise of my favorite print mode — the daily newspaper — and the loss of some of my favorite journalists.
The journey started a few years ago when the Internet prophets of doom began gleefully announcing the death of the entire newspaper industry. My apprehension heightened when I noticed that vacated positions in our local and regional newspapers were not being filled.
I got really worried last month when Time magazine’s lead article was “How to Save your Newspaper.” Its advice to publications was to stop primarily relying on advertising revenues. Instead, they suggested that they get their readers on a pay per article basis. This method would be similar to downloading ebooks to your iPhone or another preferred device.
“Well,” I thought, “isn’t that great? Then I could curl up on my desk chair with a computer screen subscription and read the news — NOT!” Much as I love my computer, the tactile satisfaction of turning the pages of a newspaper or magazine, has reading those products on a computer-style monitor beat all to heck.
And then we lost Paul Harvey, a radio journalist pioneer. At 90 years of age, his death was not unexpected but it did create a huge vacuum on the radio airwaves. Harvey’s standards were high. He was not mean spirited. He was not condescending and he did not spew disrespectful comments.
He was a giant amongst broadcasters. His style was straightforward. The news was labeled ‘news.’ His perspective was labeled ‘commentary.’ You did not have to cringe while you waited to hear what he had to say on any given subject. He may not have been perfect but he did his homework, spoke plainly and he sure loved his wife.
Harvey’s opinion was respected by a diverse audience of all ages across this land. His manners were in stark contrast to the current breed of journalists. These ‘wanna-be’s’ tend to pound their desks and shout down anyone with whom they disagree. They bombard the airways with spewed political hatred and personal attacks. They seldom see good and praise it. They just find dark holes and climb all over them.
Last Sunday night I switched on the television to watch “60 Minutes” and it washed over me that I really miss another quality journalist — Ed Bradley. I first became aware of Ed when students overran the American Embassy in Iran. I remember thinking, “Who is that guy?”
Like many others, I appreciated Ed’s ‘coolness’ factor. Unlike other big shot journalists his self-assured manner wasn’t arrogance. He was just a naturally cool and jazzy kind of guy. As a successful black man who was often held up as a role model to inner city youth, he was at home in his own skin.
He came from a working class background and was raised by a single mother. Growing up he became fascinated with radio. He once said, “I knew that God put me on this earth to be on the radio. I did anything to get on the air.” He didn’t know that airtime was going to include 26 years on “60 Minutes.”
As a very young man he had a fire in his belly and a passion for telling stories. With no television experience, he patterned himself after the people on the CBS news. Along the way, he taught school for three years and then moved to Paris where he was offered a job as a stringer for CBS.
I appreciated the effortless intensity Ed put into his stories without incorporating a self-righteous attitude or harsh accusations. He was a reporter with heart and a sense of humor when he was covering individuals like Lena Horne or Willie Nelson. And he was a reporter’s reporter with his hard hitting, award winning stories that covered the gamut of Africans dying of Aids, an investigation into psychiatric hospitals and a town battling toxic waste.
The world famous humorous Erma Bombeck was my journalism inspiration. As a child, Erma knew that she wanted to be a writer and she wrote professionally until her untimely death in 1996. She was successful beyond her wildest dreams.
Erma’s motto was “When humor goes, there goes civilization.”
30 million readers of 900 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada read her wise and witty newspaper columns. When my kids went away to college and I wanted to get some message of sanity to them, I would often send them her columns instead of my criticisms.
Erma’s newspaper columns encouraged me on days that I couldn’t quite cope. I always felt that she was not only real but she was living in my skin! On really difficult days, I wore a light blue tee shirt with her tongue-in-cheek statement: “Insanity is hereditary. You catch it from your kids.”
As a young woman who sometimes wondered what my life was all about, I took heart from her famous statement: “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left and could say, ‘I used everything you gave me.’”
Now, getting back to that path I’ve been meandering down, I can’t believe that the print media will die. A good newspaper is a one size fits all package for everyone in the family — business, news, sports, comics — it’s everything you want, delivered to your door.
Surely this vital industry can reinvent itself for a changing audience.
Paul, Ed and Erma’s timeless values can still be found in many venues. Truth, honesty and good humor are never out of style and newspapers are a great way to spread them around. Subscribe today!
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Lent lunch and dinner ideas
3/4/09 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser
At my age, everything is about history — even food! So today, with the Lenten season upon us, let’s have a little discussion about the relationship of Lent to food. We’ll then move on to some recipes.
In the Christian religion, Lent is the 40 days before Easter. This annual season of fasting and penitence begins on Ash Wednesday but it is preceded by a day of confession and feasting on rich foods.
Many traditional churches celebrate this Shrove Tuesday event with a pancake supper. Early in church history the faithful were forbidden to consume meat, butter, eggs or milk during Lent. Because their larders were often full of these staples, they would add flour and whip up batches of pancakes the day before Ash Wednesday.
In some churches “Fat Tuesday” is still a tradition. I think it sort of softens the blow of sacrifice during the days of Lent when school children may chose to give up candy or adults give up their beloved morning cup of coffee for 40 days. Of course, nearly everyone gives up meat on Fridays.
For centuries, Roman Catholics were encouraged to abstain from eating meat every Friday of the year as well as the 40 days of Lent. That all changed in 1966 by decree from the pope. Today, Catholics over 14 years of age are encouraged to abstain from meat only on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.
But for many, the tradition of eating fish on Friday remains. If you lived near a seaport, Fridays weren’t so bad — you could be feasting on crab, shrimp, scallops or abalone every week! For those who were landlocked, the regular offering of a tuna and noodle casserole or creamed tuna on toast during childhood often left a lifetime bad taste in their mouth for those dishes.
Whatever your religious beliefs, there are many wonderful recipes for inexpensive, tasty and even meatless dishes to brighten up meals at any time of the year. I have been making the following salmon patties for at least 30 years. It’s an old Crisco recipe and is delicious with traditional mashed potatoes and buttered petit peas flavored with just a hint of thyme. The faux krab quiche is from my daughter and the Pasta Fajioli soup recipe is as old as the hills. Enjoy!
1 can (15-16 ounces) pink salmon
1 egg
1/3 cup minced onion
½ cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Shortening or Canola oil for frying
Drain salmon; set aside 2 tablespoons of the juice.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl remove and discard excess skin and bones from salmon; break apart meat with your hands. Add egg and onion, mixing until sticky. Stir in flour.
Add baking powder to salmon juice; stir into salmon mixture. Form into small patties and fry in hot oil until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Serve with lemon, tartar sauce or Caesar salad dressing.
½ pound imitation krab, chopped
1 cup jack cheese, shredded
1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups evaporated milk
¾ cup green onions and tops
2 tablespoons margarine
1 tablespoon flour
1 9-inch pie pastry lined pan
Mix together cheeses in medium bowl.
Put krab in pastry lined pie tin. Cover with 1-1/4 cups cheese mixture. Saute onions in margarine and add flour, stirring well. Beat eggs lightly and blend with evaporated milk; add onion mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over cheese and krab mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 400° F. 15 min. Reduce heat to 350° F. and bake 20-35 min. until custard is set and slightly puffy. Cool at least 15 min. before cutting.
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped small
1 carrot, chopped small
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups reserved water from cooking pasta
2 16 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained
½ pound small farfalle pasta
½ cup fresh, flat leaf Italian parsley, roughly chopped
¼ cup basil leaves, torn roughly (optional)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Pour pasta in and stir. Boil for 5 minutes and drain reserving 2 cups of the pasta water. Pasta will be very firm but will continue to cook when combined with other ingredients. Rinse and set aside.
In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add onion and carrot and sauté on medium heat until vegetables are soft but not brown, (about 5 minutes). Add garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and sauté 1 minute more. Add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and cannellini beans. Stir in parsley, reserved pasta water and pasta and bring to a simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle generously with cheese. Top with basil leaves and serve with bread and a simple green salad with vinaigrette dressing.
Betty Kaiser
At my age, everything is about history — even food! So today, with the Lenten season upon us, let’s have a little discussion about the relationship of Lent to food. We’ll then move on to some recipes.
In the Christian religion, Lent is the 40 days before Easter. This annual season of fasting and penitence begins on Ash Wednesday but it is preceded by a day of confession and feasting on rich foods.
Many traditional churches celebrate this Shrove Tuesday event with a pancake supper. Early in church history the faithful were forbidden to consume meat, butter, eggs or milk during Lent. Because their larders were often full of these staples, they would add flour and whip up batches of pancakes the day before Ash Wednesday.
In some churches “Fat Tuesday” is still a tradition. I think it sort of softens the blow of sacrifice during the days of Lent when school children may chose to give up candy or adults give up their beloved morning cup of coffee for 40 days. Of course, nearly everyone gives up meat on Fridays.
For centuries, Roman Catholics were encouraged to abstain from eating meat every Friday of the year as well as the 40 days of Lent. That all changed in 1966 by decree from the pope. Today, Catholics over 14 years of age are encouraged to abstain from meat only on Ash Wednesday, Good Friday and all the Fridays of Lent.
But for many, the tradition of eating fish on Friday remains. If you lived near a seaport, Fridays weren’t so bad — you could be feasting on crab, shrimp, scallops or abalone every week! For those who were landlocked, the regular offering of a tuna and noodle casserole or creamed tuna on toast during childhood often left a lifetime bad taste in their mouth for those dishes.
Whatever your religious beliefs, there are many wonderful recipes for inexpensive, tasty and even meatless dishes to brighten up meals at any time of the year. I have been making the following salmon patties for at least 30 years. It’s an old Crisco recipe and is delicious with traditional mashed potatoes and buttered petit peas flavored with just a hint of thyme. The faux krab quiche is from my daughter and the Pasta Fajioli soup recipe is as old as the hills. Enjoy!
Quick ‘n Easy Salmon Patties
Serves 4-6
1 can (15-16 ounces) pink salmon
1 egg
1/3 cup minced onion
½ cup flour
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Shortening or Canola oil for frying
Drain salmon; set aside 2 tablespoons of the juice.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl remove and discard excess skin and bones from salmon; break apart meat with your hands. Add egg and onion, mixing until sticky. Stir in flour.
Add baking powder to salmon juice; stir into salmon mixture. Form into small patties and fry in hot oil until golden brown (about 5 minutes). Serve with lemon, tartar sauce or Caesar salad dressing.
Kathy’s Krab Quiche
Serves 6
½ pound imitation krab, chopped
1 cup jack cheese, shredded
1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
3 eggs
1-1/2 cups evaporated milk
¾ cup green onions and tops
2 tablespoons margarine
1 tablespoon flour
1 9-inch pie pastry lined pan
Mix together cheeses in medium bowl.
Put krab in pastry lined pie tin. Cover with 1-1/4 cups cheese mixture. Saute onions in margarine and add flour, stirring well. Beat eggs lightly and blend with evaporated milk; add onion mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour over cheese and krab mixture. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake at 400° F. 15 min. Reduce heat to 350° F. and bake 20-35 min. until custard is set and slightly puffy. Cool at least 15 min. before cutting.
Pasta Fagioli
Serves 6-8
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped small
1 carrot, chopped small
3 garlic cloves, minced
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 cups reserved water from cooking pasta
2 16 oz. cans cannellini beans, drained
½ pound small farfalle pasta
½ cup fresh, flat leaf Italian parsley, roughly chopped
¼ cup basil leaves, torn roughly (optional)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Pour pasta in and stir. Boil for 5 minutes and drain reserving 2 cups of the pasta water. Pasta will be very firm but will continue to cook when combined with other ingredients. Rinse and set aside.
In a heavy soup pot, heat the olive oil. Add onion and carrot and sauté on medium heat until vegetables are soft but not brown, (about 5 minutes). Add garlic, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper and sauté 1 minute more. Add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and cannellini beans. Stir in parsley, reserved pasta water and pasta and bring to a simmer for 3-5 minutes.
Ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle generously with cheese. Top with basil leaves and serve with bread and a simple green salad with vinaigrette dressing.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal!
Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes
that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.
Suleman family too big? There have been others!
2/25/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
Whew! It’s hot! And I’m not talking about the weather. The story of an eccentric mother and her tiny babies has unleashed a firestorm of heated comments and opinions from the bedroom to the boardroom.
Jan. 26, Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies in Bellflower, Calif. This 33-year old single woman was already the mother of six children — all conceived by in vitro fertilization. After delivering the amazingly healthy octuplets — in one short 5-minute birthing — she upped her offspring count to a total of 14 babies in seven years.
This saga has captivated the world and is the stuff from which soap operas and movies are made. But overall, the public response has not been kind. Her 69-year-old mother (who has been caring for the first six offspring) is overwhelmed with the situation. Grandma has been quoted as saying that her daughter is “obsessed with kids.”
Suleman and her original six children live in a small house reportedly through the generosity of her parents. At various points in her multiple motherhood journey she became unemployed, received disability payments for a work injury, filed for bankruptcy (or was that her parents?) and her family receives state and federal financial aid.
Miracle births through in vitro fertilization do not come cheap. Yet somehow, despite Suleman’s lack of income, she was able to scrape together in excess of $100,000 to finance conceiving these babies. It is this amount of money and manner of conception that has raised questions about her mental state and the medical ethics of implanting the six embryos that produced eight babies.
Frankly, my first question was not why did Suleman decide to have all of these babies — but — how did her body do that? As the mother of three single birth 9-pound babies, I cannot picture my abdomen stretching large enough to sustain over 20 pounds of babies plus the placenta, etc. It sounds like a form of torture to me.
Anyway, the resulting worldwide firestorm of publicity has generated more hateful remarks than O.J. Simpson’s trial. Under the guise of concern, Suleman has been derisively called ‘octomom;’ a ‘monster;’ ‘obsessive compulsive’ and other profanity laced statements that are not fit to print.
Her ability to parent and provide for the children has been questioned — and rightly so. Hers is a huge responsibility and much of the outrage is concern for the well being of the older children as well as the babies. Another concern is the use of government funds to care for a family of 15.
If it takes a village to raise a child, it’s going to take the state of Calif. and many generous volunteers to raise this brood! So far, the public response to this has not been supportive. But I look at it this way: the care and feeding of kids has got to be a better investment than padding the coffers of CEOs with millions of dollars to spend on mansions and yachts!
An old proverb says “There is nothing new under the sun.” How true it is! Except for the in vitro part, large families and even multiple births are well documented. And contrary to popular thinking, there is never any guarantee as to the quality of life and love that any child will receive because of the size of their family.
If we travel way back in time to the 1700s in England, Susanna Wesley, the wife of the Rev. Samuel Wesley, gave birth to 19 children, ten of whom lived to grow up. They were not multiples but still a sizeable family. Susanna’s devotion to her children, their education and spiritual welfare is legendary.
John and Charles Wesley were her most notable offspring. They were born during what one source calls “a time of almost universal darkness and degradation.” But they are credited with “changing the face of all England
They became leaders in social justice issues including visiting men and women in prison, doing away with the slave trade, building hospitals and schools. They challenged the established church and in turn were persecuted by the clergy.
Moving forward a couple of centuries we have the horrific story of the Dionne quintuplets. Born in 1934, the five identical Dionne sisters were born in Ontario, Canada to a poor family with five other children (a sixth son died at birth).
The premature infants were not expected to survive after being delivered by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe and two midwives. Ultimately the babies were taken from their parents and put under the guardianship of the Ontario government in a facility directed by the not-so-good Dr. Dafoe. Theirs was a stolen childhood.
These adorable young girls were exploited for financial gain and put on view in “Quintland” (a hospital annex and observation gallery) where they raised $51 million in revenue — a fortune in the 1930s. Later, at home with their parents and siblings they were abused physically and treated as servants in a mansion that their money paid for. Raised in isolation and emotionally scarred, their adult lives were unhappy and tragic.
So if I were Mama Suleman I would be getting some advice from parents experienced on the subject of raising multiple birth children. I’d certainly be chatting up Nkem Chuckwu, the mother of thriving 10-year old octuplets (one of whom died shortly after birth) in Houston, Texas and asking questions like “How do you do this and stay sane?!”
Television’s Dr. Phil calls Suleman’s actions “a study in irresponsibility” and I agree. But the deed is done. The kids are here. It’s time to stop trash-talking the mom. It’s time to start doing the right thing — finding ways to be sure that all 14 children are nurtured, loved, educated and mentored.
So hang on, folks and chill down. It’s going to be a wild ride. But who knows? Maybe there’s a Florence Nightingale or even a John and Charles Wesley in the group. It will all work out.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
2/25/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
Whew! It’s hot! And I’m not talking about the weather. The story of an eccentric mother and her tiny babies has unleashed a firestorm of heated comments and opinions from the bedroom to the boardroom.
Jan. 26, Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies in Bellflower, Calif. This 33-year old single woman was already the mother of six children — all conceived by in vitro fertilization. After delivering the amazingly healthy octuplets — in one short 5-minute birthing — she upped her offspring count to a total of 14 babies in seven years.
This saga has captivated the world and is the stuff from which soap operas and movies are made. But overall, the public response has not been kind. Her 69-year-old mother (who has been caring for the first six offspring) is overwhelmed with the situation. Grandma has been quoted as saying that her daughter is “obsessed with kids.”
Suleman and her original six children live in a small house reportedly through the generosity of her parents. At various points in her multiple motherhood journey she became unemployed, received disability payments for a work injury, filed for bankruptcy (or was that her parents?) and her family receives state and federal financial aid.
Miracle births through in vitro fertilization do not come cheap. Yet somehow, despite Suleman’s lack of income, she was able to scrape together in excess of $100,000 to finance conceiving these babies. It is this amount of money and manner of conception that has raised questions about her mental state and the medical ethics of implanting the six embryos that produced eight babies.
Frankly, my first question was not why did Suleman decide to have all of these babies — but — how did her body do that? As the mother of three single birth 9-pound babies, I cannot picture my abdomen stretching large enough to sustain over 20 pounds of babies plus the placenta, etc. It sounds like a form of torture to me.
Anyway, the resulting worldwide firestorm of publicity has generated more hateful remarks than O.J. Simpson’s trial. Under the guise of concern, Suleman has been derisively called ‘octomom;’ a ‘monster;’ ‘obsessive compulsive’ and other profanity laced statements that are not fit to print.
Her ability to parent and provide for the children has been questioned — and rightly so. Hers is a huge responsibility and much of the outrage is concern for the well being of the older children as well as the babies. Another concern is the use of government funds to care for a family of 15.
If it takes a village to raise a child, it’s going to take the state of Calif. and many generous volunteers to raise this brood! So far, the public response to this has not been supportive. But I look at it this way: the care and feeding of kids has got to be a better investment than padding the coffers of CEOs with millions of dollars to spend on mansions and yachts!
An old proverb says “There is nothing new under the sun.” How true it is! Except for the in vitro part, large families and even multiple births are well documented. And contrary to popular thinking, there is never any guarantee as to the quality of life and love that any child will receive because of the size of their family.
If we travel way back in time to the 1700s in England, Susanna Wesley, the wife of the Rev. Samuel Wesley, gave birth to 19 children, ten of whom lived to grow up. They were not multiples but still a sizeable family. Susanna’s devotion to her children, their education and spiritual welfare is legendary.
John and Charles Wesley were her most notable offspring. They were born during what one source calls “a time of almost universal darkness and degradation.” But they are credited with “changing the face of all England
They became leaders in social justice issues including visiting men and women in prison, doing away with the slave trade, building hospitals and schools. They challenged the established church and in turn were persecuted by the clergy.
Moving forward a couple of centuries we have the horrific story of the Dionne quintuplets. Born in 1934, the five identical Dionne sisters were born in Ontario, Canada to a poor family with five other children (a sixth son died at birth).
The premature infants were not expected to survive after being delivered by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe and two midwives. Ultimately the babies were taken from their parents and put under the guardianship of the Ontario government in a facility directed by the not-so-good Dr. Dafoe. Theirs was a stolen childhood.
These adorable young girls were exploited for financial gain and put on view in “Quintland” (a hospital annex and observation gallery) where they raised $51 million in revenue — a fortune in the 1930s. Later, at home with their parents and siblings they were abused physically and treated as servants in a mansion that their money paid for. Raised in isolation and emotionally scarred, their adult lives were unhappy and tragic.
So if I were Mama Suleman I would be getting some advice from parents experienced on the subject of raising multiple birth children. I’d certainly be chatting up Nkem Chuckwu, the mother of thriving 10-year old octuplets (one of whom died shortly after birth) in Houston, Texas and asking questions like “How do you do this and stay sane?!”
Television’s Dr. Phil calls Suleman’s actions “a study in irresponsibility” and I agree. But the deed is done. The kids are here. It’s time to stop trash-talking the mom. It’s time to start doing the right thing — finding ways to be sure that all 14 children are nurtured, loved, educated and mentored.
So hang on, folks and chill down. It’s going to be a wild ride. But who knows? Maybe there’s a Florence Nightingale or even a John and Charles Wesley in the group. It will all work out.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
2/25/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
Whew! It’s hot! And I’m not talking about the weather. The story of an eccentric mother and her tiny babies has unleashed a firestorm of heated comments and opinions from the bedroom to the boardroom.
Jan. 26, Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies in Bellflower, Calif. This 33-year old single woman was already the mother of six children — all conceived by in vitro fertilization. After delivering the amazingly healthy octuplets — in one short 5-minute birthing — she upped her offspring count to a total of 14 babies in seven years.
This saga has captivated the world and is the stuff from which soap operas and movies are made. But overall, the public response has not been kind. Her 69-year-old mother (who has been caring for the first six offspring) is overwhelmed with the situation. Grandma has been quoted as saying that her daughter is “obsessed with kids.”
Suleman and her original six children live in a small house reportedly through the generosity of her parents. At various points in her multiple motherhood journey she became unemployed, received disability payments for a work injury, filed for bankruptcy (or was that her parents?) and her family receives state and federal financial aid.
Miracle births through in vitro fertilization do not come cheap. Yet somehow, despite Suleman’s lack of income, she was able to scrape together in excess of $100,000 to finance conceiving these babies. It is this amount of money and manner of conception that has raised questions about her mental state and the medical ethics of implanting the six embryos that produced eight babies.
Frankly, my first question was not why did Suleman decide to have all of these babies — but — how did her body do that? As the mother of three single birth 9-pound babies, I cannot picture my abdomen stretching large enough to sustain over 20 pounds of babies plus the placenta, etc. It sounds like a form of torture to me.
Anyway, the resulting worldwide firestorm of publicity has generated more hateful remarks than O.J. Simpson’s trial. Under the guise of concern, Suleman has been derisively called ‘octomom;’ a ‘monster;’ ‘obsessive compulsive’ and other profanity laced statements that are not fit to print.
Her ability to parent and provide for the children has been questioned — and rightly so. Hers is a huge responsibility and much of the outrage is concern for the well being of the older children as well as the babies. Another concern is the use of government funds to care for a family of 15.
If it takes a village to raise a child, it’s going to take the state of Calif. and many generous volunteers to raise this brood! So far, the public response to this has not been supportive. But I look at it this way: the care and feeding of kids has got to be a better investment than padding the coffers of CEOs with millions of dollars to spend on mansions and yachts!
An old proverb says “There is nothing new under the sun.” How true it is! Except for the in vitro part, large families and even multiple births are well documented. And contrary to popular thinking, there is never any guarantee as to the quality of life and love that any child will receive because of the size of their family.
If we travel way back in time to the 1700s in England, Susanna Wesley, the wife of the Rev. Samuel Wesley, gave birth to 19 children, ten of whom lived to grow up. They were not multiples but still a sizeable family. Susanna’s devotion to her children, their education and spiritual welfare is legendary.
John and Charles Wesley were her most notable offspring. They were born during what one source calls “a time of almost universal darkness and degradation.” But they are credited with “changing the face of all England
They became leaders in social justice issues including visiting men and women in prison, doing away with the slave trade, building hospitals and schools. They challenged the established church and in turn were persecuted by the clergy.
Moving forward a couple of centuries we have the horrific story of the Dionne quintuplets. Born in 1934, the five identical Dionne sisters were born in Ontario, Canada to a poor family with five other children (a sixth son died at birth).
The premature infants were not expected to survive after being delivered by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe and two midwives. Ultimately the babies were taken from their parents and put under the guardianship of the Ontario government in a facility directed by the not-so-good Dr. Dafoe. Theirs was a stolen childhood.
These adorable young girls were exploited for financial gain and put on view in “Quintland” (a hospital annex and observation gallery) where they raised $51 million in revenue — a fortune in the 1930s. Later, at home with their parents and siblings they were abused physically and treated as servants in a mansion that their money paid for. Raised in isolation and emotionally scarred, their adult lives were unhappy and tragic.
So if I were Mama Suleman I would be getting some advice from parents experienced on the subject of raising multiple birth children. I’d certainly be chatting up Nkem Chuckwu, the mother of thriving 10-year old octuplets (one of whom died shortly after birth) in Houston, Texas and asking questions like “How do you do this and stay sane?!”
Television’s Dr. Phil calls Suleman’s actions “a study in irresponsibility” and I agree. But the deed is done. The kids are here. It’s time to stop trash-talking the mom. It’s time to start doing the right thing — finding ways to be sure that all 14 children are nurtured, loved, educated and mentored.
So hang on, folks and chill down. It’s going to be a wild ride. But who knows? Maybe there’s a Florence Nightingale or even a John and Charles Wesley in the group. It will all work out.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
Betty Kaiser
Whew! It’s hot! And I’m not talking about the weather. The story of an eccentric mother and her tiny babies has unleashed a firestorm of heated comments and opinions from the bedroom to the boardroom.
Jan. 26, Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies in Bellflower, Calif. This 33-year old single woman was already the mother of six children — all conceived by in vitro fertilization. After delivering the amazingly healthy octuplets — in one short 5-minute birthing — she upped her offspring count to a total of 14 babies in seven years.
This saga has captivated the world and is the stuff from which soap operas and movies are made. But overall, the public response has not been kind. Her 69-year-old mother (who has been caring for the first six offspring) is overwhelmed with the situation. Grandma has been quoted as saying that her daughter is “obsessed with kids.”
Suleman and her original six children live in a small house reportedly through the generosity of her parents. At various points in her multiple motherhood journey she became unemployed, received disability payments for a work injury, filed for bankruptcy (or was that her parents?) and her family receives state and federal financial aid.
Miracle births through in vitro fertilization do not come cheap. Yet somehow, despite Suleman’s lack of income, she was able to scrape together in excess of $100,000 to finance conceiving these babies. It is this amount of money and manner of conception that has raised questions about her mental state and the medical ethics of implanting the six embryos that produced eight babies.
Frankly, my first question was not why did Suleman decide to have all of these babies — but — how did her body do that? As the mother of three single birth 9-pound babies, I cannot picture my abdomen stretching large enough to sustain over 20 pounds of babies plus the placenta, etc. It sounds like a form of torture to me.
Anyway, the resulting worldwide firestorm of publicity has generated more hateful remarks than O.J. Simpson’s trial. Under the guise of concern, Suleman has been derisively called ‘octomom;’ a ‘monster;’ ‘obsessive compulsive’ and other profanity laced statements that are not fit to print.
Her ability to parent and provide for the children has been questioned — and rightly so. Hers is a huge responsibility and much of the outrage is concern for the well being of the older children as well as the babies. Another concern is the use of government funds to care for a family of 15.
If it takes a village to raise a child, it’s going to take the state of Calif. and many generous volunteers to raise this brood! So far, the public response to this has not been supportive. But I look at it this way: the care and feeding of kids has got to be a better investment than padding the coffers of CEOs with millions of dollars to spend on mansions and yachts!
An old proverb says “There is nothing new under the sun.” How true it is! Except for the in vitro part, large families and even multiple births are well documented. And contrary to popular thinking, there is never any guarantee as to the quality of life and love that any child will receive because of the size of their family.
If we travel way back in time to the 1700s in England, Susanna Wesley, the wife of the Rev. Samuel Wesley, gave birth to 19 children, ten of whom lived to grow up. They were not multiples but still a sizeable family. Susanna’s devotion to her children, their education and spiritual welfare is legendary.
John and Charles Wesley were her most notable offspring. They were born during what one source calls “a time of almost universal darkness and degradation.” But they are credited with “changing the face of all England
They became leaders in social justice issues including visiting men and women in prison, doing away with the slave trade, building hospitals and schools. They challenged the established church and in turn were persecuted by the clergy.
Moving forward a couple of centuries we have the horrific story of the Dionne quintuplets. Born in 1934, the five identical Dionne sisters were born in Ontario, Canada to a poor family with five other children (a sixth son died at birth).
The premature infants were not expected to survive after being delivered by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe and two midwives. Ultimately the babies were taken from their parents and put under the guardianship of the Ontario government in a facility directed by the not-so-good Dr. Dafoe. Theirs was a stolen childhood.
These adorable young girls were exploited for financial gain and put on view in “Quintland” (a hospital annex and observation gallery) where they raised $51 million in revenue — a fortune in the 1930s. Later, at home with their parents and siblings they were abused physically and treated as servants in a mansion that their money paid for. Raised in isolation and emotionally scarred, their adult lives were unhappy and tragic.
So if I were Mama Suleman I would be getting some advice from parents experienced on the subject of raising multiple birth children. I’d certainly be chatting up Nkem Chuckwu, the mother of thriving 10-year old octuplets (one of whom died shortly after birth) in Houston, Texas and asking questions like “How do you do this and stay sane?!”
Television’s Dr. Phil calls Suleman’s actions “a study in irresponsibility” and I agree. But the deed is done. The kids are here. It’s time to stop trash-talking the mom. It’s time to start doing the right thing — finding ways to be sure that all 14 children are nurtured, loved, educated and mentored.
So hang on, folks and chill down. It’s going to be a wild ride. But who knows? Maybe there’s a Florence Nightingale or even a John and Charles Wesley in the group. It will all work out.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
2/25/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
Whew! It’s hot! And I’m not talking about the weather. The story of an eccentric mother and her tiny babies has unleashed a firestorm of heated comments and opinions from the bedroom to the boardroom.
Jan. 26, Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies in Bellflower, Calif. This 33-year old single woman was already the mother of six children — all conceived by in vitro fertilization. After delivering the amazingly healthy octuplets — in one short 5-minute birthing — she upped her offspring count to a total of 14 babies in seven years.
This saga has captivated the world and is the stuff from which soap operas and movies are made. But overall, the public response has not been kind. Her 69-year-old mother (who has been caring for the first six offspring) is overwhelmed with the situation. Grandma has been quoted as saying that her daughter is “obsessed with kids.”
Suleman and her original six children live in a small house reportedly through the generosity of her parents. At various points in her multiple motherhood journey she became unemployed, received disability payments for a work injury, filed for bankruptcy (or was that her parents?) and her family receives state and federal financial aid.
Miracle births through in vitro fertilization do not come cheap. Yet somehow, despite Suleman’s lack of income, she was able to scrape together in excess of $100,000 to finance conceiving these babies. It is this amount of money and manner of conception that has raised questions about her mental state and the medical ethics of implanting the six embryos that produced eight babies.
Frankly, my first question was not why did Suleman decide to have all of these babies — but — how did her body do that? As the mother of three single birth 9-pound babies, I cannot picture my abdomen stretching large enough to sustain over 20 pounds of babies plus the placenta, etc. It sounds like a form of torture to me.
Anyway, the resulting worldwide firestorm of publicity has generated more hateful remarks than O.J. Simpson’s trial. Under the guise of concern, Suleman has been derisively called ‘octomom;’ a ‘monster;’ ‘obsessive compulsive’ and other profanity laced statements that are not fit to print.
Her ability to parent and provide for the children has been questioned — and rightly so. Hers is a huge responsibility and much of the outrage is concern for the well being of the older children as well as the babies. Another concern is the use of government funds to care for a family of 15.
If it takes a village to raise a child, it’s going to take the state of Calif. and many generous volunteers to raise this brood! So far, the public response to this has not been supportive. But I look at it this way: the care and feeding of kids has got to be a better investment than padding the coffers of CEOs with millions of dollars to spend on mansions and yachts!
An old proverb says “There is nothing new under the sun.” How true it is! Except for the in vitro part, large families and even multiple births are well documented. And contrary to popular thinking, there is never any guarantee as to the quality of life and love that any child will receive because of the size of their family.
If we travel way back in time to the 1700s in England, Susanna Wesley, the wife of the Rev. Samuel Wesley, gave birth to 19 children, ten of whom lived to grow up. They were not multiples but still a sizeable family. Susanna’s devotion to her children, their education and spiritual welfare is legendary.
John and Charles Wesley were her most notable offspring. They were born during what one source calls “a time of almost universal darkness and degradation.” But they are credited with “changing the face of all England
They became leaders in social justice issues including visiting men and women in prison, doing away with the slave trade, building hospitals and schools. They challenged the established church and in turn were persecuted by the clergy.
Moving forward a couple of centuries we have the horrific story of the Dionne quintuplets. Born in 1934, the five identical Dionne sisters were born in Ontario, Canada to a poor family with five other children (a sixth son died at birth).
The premature infants were not expected to survive after being delivered by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe and two midwives. Ultimately the babies were taken from their parents and put under the guardianship of the Ontario government in a facility directed by the not-so-good Dr. Dafoe. Theirs was a stolen childhood.
These adorable young girls were exploited for financial gain and put on view in “Quintland” (a hospital annex and observation gallery) where they raised $51 million in revenue — a fortune in the 1930s. Later, at home with their parents and siblings they were abused physically and treated as servants in a mansion that their money paid for. Raised in isolation and emotionally scarred, their adult lives were unhappy and tragic.
So if I were Mama Suleman I would be getting some advice from parents experienced on the subject of raising multiple birth children. I’d certainly be chatting up Nkem Chuckwu, the mother of thriving 10-year old octuplets (one of whom died shortly after birth) in Houston, Texas and asking questions like “How do you do this and stay sane?!”
Television’s Dr. Phil calls Suleman’s actions “a study in irresponsibility” and I agree. But the deed is done. The kids are here. It’s time to stop trash-talking the mom. It’s time to start doing the right thing — finding ways to be sure that all 14 children are nurtured, loved, educated and mentored.
So hang on, folks and chill down. It’s going to be a wild ride. But who knows? Maybe there’s a Florence Nightingale or even a John and Charles Wesley in the group. It will all work out.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
2/25/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
Whew! It’s hot! And I’m not talking about the weather. The story of an eccentric mother and her tiny babies has unleashed a firestorm of heated comments and opinions from the bedroom to the boardroom.
Jan. 26, Nadya Suleman gave birth to eight babies in Bellflower, Calif. This 33-year old single woman was already the mother of six children — all conceived by in vitro fertilization. After delivering the amazingly healthy octuplets — in one short 5-minute birthing — she upped her offspring count to a total of 14 babies in seven years.
This saga has captivated the world and is the stuff from which soap operas and movies are made. But overall, the public response has not been kind. Her 69-year-old mother (who has been caring for the first six offspring) is overwhelmed with the situation. Grandma has been quoted as saying that her daughter is “obsessed with kids.”
Suleman and her original six children live in a small house reportedly through the generosity of her parents. At various points in her multiple motherhood journey she became unemployed, received disability payments for a work injury, filed for bankruptcy (or was that her parents?) and her family receives state and federal financial aid.
Miracle births through in vitro fertilization do not come cheap. Yet somehow, despite Suleman’s lack of income, she was able to scrape together in excess of $100,000 to finance conceiving these babies. It is this amount of money and manner of conception that has raised questions about her mental state and the medical ethics of implanting the six embryos that produced eight babies.
Frankly, my first question was not why did Suleman decide to have all of these babies — but — how did her body do that? As the mother of three single birth 9-pound babies, I cannot picture my abdomen stretching large enough to sustain over 20 pounds of babies plus the placenta, etc. It sounds like a form of torture to me.
Anyway, the resulting worldwide firestorm of publicity has generated more hateful remarks than O.J. Simpson’s trial. Under the guise of concern, Suleman has been derisively called ‘octomom;’ a ‘monster;’ ‘obsessive compulsive’ and other profanity laced statements that are not fit to print.
Her ability to parent and provide for the children has been questioned — and rightly so. Hers is a huge responsibility and much of the outrage is concern for the well being of the older children as well as the babies. Another concern is the use of government funds to care for a family of 15.
If it takes a village to raise a child, it’s going to take the state of Calif. and many generous volunteers to raise this brood! So far, the public response to this has not been supportive. But I look at it this way: the care and feeding of kids has got to be a better investment than padding the coffers of CEOs with millions of dollars to spend on mansions and yachts!
An old proverb says “There is nothing new under the sun.” How true it is! Except for the in vitro part, large families and even multiple births are well documented. And contrary to popular thinking, there is never any guarantee as to the quality of life and love that any child will receive because of the size of their family.
If we travel way back in time to the 1700s in England, Susanna Wesley, the wife of the Rev. Samuel Wesley, gave birth to 19 children, ten of whom lived to grow up. They were not multiples but still a sizeable family. Susanna’s devotion to her children, their education and spiritual welfare is legendary.
John and Charles Wesley were her most notable offspring. They were born during what one source calls “a time of almost universal darkness and degradation.” But they are credited with “changing the face of all England
They became leaders in social justice issues including visiting men and women in prison, doing away with the slave trade, building hospitals and schools. They challenged the established church and in turn were persecuted by the clergy.
Moving forward a couple of centuries we have the horrific story of the Dionne quintuplets. Born in 1934, the five identical Dionne sisters were born in Ontario, Canada to a poor family with five other children (a sixth son died at birth).
The premature infants were not expected to survive after being delivered by Dr. Allan Roy Dafoe and two midwives. Ultimately the babies were taken from their parents and put under the guardianship of the Ontario government in a facility directed by the not-so-good Dr. Dafoe. Theirs was a stolen childhood.
These adorable young girls were exploited for financial gain and put on view in “Quintland” (a hospital annex and observation gallery) where they raised $51 million in revenue — a fortune in the 1930s. Later, at home with their parents and siblings they were abused physically and treated as servants in a mansion that their money paid for. Raised in isolation and emotionally scarred, their adult lives were unhappy and tragic.
So if I were Mama Suleman I would be getting some advice from parents experienced on the subject of raising multiple birth children. I’d certainly be chatting up Nkem Chuckwu, the mother of thriving 10-year old octuplets (one of whom died shortly after birth) in Houston, Texas and asking questions like “How do you do this and stay sane?!”
Television’s Dr. Phil calls Suleman’s actions “a study in irresponsibility” and I agree. But the deed is done. The kids are here. It’s time to stop trash-talking the mom. It’s time to start doing the right thing — finding ways to be sure that all 14 children are nurtured, loved, educated and mentored.
So hang on, folks and chill down. It’s going to be a wild ride. But who knows? Maybe there’s a Florence Nightingale or even a John and Charles Wesley in the group. It will all work out.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
Planning one dish meals
2/18/09 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser
There’s nothing like a cold winter’s day to hunker down in a warm kitchen and bake all day long. Winter cooking feeds both body and soul. So many recipes and so little time!
I compare the search for recipes and the finished product to a treasure hunt. First you rummage through the recipe file to find just the right map. After you find the map you gather your tools (ingredients, pots and pans) together. Then it’s time to follow the directions and turn on the heat in the oven. The treasure is about to be revealed.
Of course, when working in the kitchen, there are always little side trails to explore and treasures to be revealed. Searching in the back of a cupboard can be an adventure in itself. Last week I found a favorite (formerly lost) roasting pan hiding under a soup kettle!
So what do you do if you like to eat but you don’t like to cook? Or maybe you like to cook but you’re a busy working mom or dad and there’s just no time at the end of your day. Still, your family has to eat and you’ve got to get dinner on the table with a minimum of time and effort. If you can’t stay home all day rummaging through the pantry and simmering sauces, you’ve got to have a plan.
We all know that hunger happens but dinner doesn’t. Every cook’s treasured goal should be a well-stocked pantry, closely followed by a basic menu plan posted on the refrigerator or bulletin board.
So set aside some time this weekend for meal planning. If you’re new to this, start small and just plan for the week ahead. You can get more ambitious later. Planning will not only save you time but money. No one knows your family’s tastes better than you do.
Write down several main dish ideas that your family enjoys. Pair them with a vegetable, green salad or coleslaw. Be sure and add bread or rolls for those growing teens. Post the menu and voila! You have the beginnings of easy, nutritious meals.
Grocery store ads can be the source of another treasure hunt. Don’t pay full price when you can shop for your list according to their specials. If chicken is on sale, stock up and substitute it for the more expensive pork chops. Next week pork may be on sale and you can do the same. And don’t forget that shrimp freezes well and makes a quick pasta dinner more appealing and delicious.
The following recipes are mostly one-dish meals from the clever people at Kraft. Check them out to jumpstart your cooking juices. It’s amazing the ways that you can use a simple jar of spaghetti sauce but adding a can of tomatoes will transform the taste. Potatoes and noodles are great with chicken and pork but boxed stuffing mixes are also tasty.
And speaking of one-dish meals, fellow journalist Andrea Hummel suggests that we share some of our favorite potluck dishes. Great idea! If you have a tried and true salad, dessert or ‘hot dish’ recipe, I’d love to hear from you. Send it to me at 32253 Wilson Creek Rd., C.G. 97424 or via email (see below).
Ravioli and Cheese Bake
2 (19-ounce) packages fresh cheese filled ravioli
1 jar (16 ounce) spaghetti sauce
1 can (14 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (10 ounces) reduced sodium beef broth
¼ cup Italian dressing
1 cup part-skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Preheat oven to 375° F.
Combine spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, beef broth and dressing in 13X9-inch baking dish. Add ravioli; mix lightly and cover with foil.
Bake 50 min. or until ravioli are tender. Remove foil; stir. Sprinkle with cheese. Let stand 5 min. or until cheese melts. Serves 6
Chicken and Potato Bake
4 bone-in chicken pieces
4 large potatoes, cut into wedges
¼ cup Italian dressing
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Place chicken and potatoes in 13X9-inch baking dish. Pour dressing over chicken and potatoes; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake one hour or until chicken is coked through (180° F.). Sprinkle with chopped fresh parsley, if desired. Serves 4
Note: To switch up the flavor, replace potato wedges with sweet potatoes or acorn squash.
Shrimp Pomodoro Pasta
½ cup balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups penne pasta, uncooked
1 pound cooked cleaned shrimp
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Heat large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat. Add dressing, onions and garlic; cook 2 min. Stir in tomatoes, cook 12 min., stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, cook pasta as directed on package.
Add shrimp to sauce; cook 2 min. or until heated through. Drain pasta; toss with shrimp and sauce mixture. Sprinkle with cheese.
Bruschetta Chicken Bake
1 package (16 ounce) Stove Top Stuffing Mix for Chicken
1 (14-1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
½ cup water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces
1 teaspoon dried basil leaves
1 cup reduced fat Mozzarella cheese, shredded
Heat oven to 400° F.
Mix stuffing mix with tomatoes, water and garlic until stuffing mix is just moistened. Layer chicken, basil, cheese and stuffing in 13X9-inch or 3-quart baking dish. Bake 30 min. or until chicken is cooked through.
Enjoy now or cover and refrigerate. To reheat, microwave each serving 2-3 min.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare. Contact her at 942-1317 or email bchatty@bettykaiser.com
Monday, February 23, 2009
Presidential trivia quiz
2/11/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
I have whined about this subject before so you just know that I’m going to bring it up again. It’s February — President’s Day month — and after all these years, I’m still bent out of shape that Congress in its infinite wisdom screwed up our two favorite presidents’ birthday celebrations.
Once upon a time our country celebrated holidays on the date that something actually happened. All of that changed in 1971 when the Uniform Holidays Act went into effect. At the whim of Congress (who never met a Monday that they didn’t like) anything of importance had to be celebrated on a long weekend. Veterans Day (formerly known as Armistice Day) is one of the few holidays that has not been changed to a Monday.
This year President’s Day conveniently falls on Feb. 16. According to President Nixon and congress’ decree, it commemorates all former presidents. For us old timers, it is sort of a generic one size fits all party. Formerly, only two outstanding and historic presidents were actually honored across the nation on their birthdays: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.
George Washington was the first and only President to have his birthday officially celebrated by the federal government. Every year school kids prepared for the Feb. 22 holiday by learning about our first president. We all related to the fabled tale of how he chopped down the cherry tree but wasn’t punished because he told the truth. And we could all picture the cold, courageous general as he plowed through the icy Delaware River during the Revolutionary War.
Abraham Lincoln’s Feb.12 birthday was never a federal holiday. It was and is, however, celebrated as a legal holiday in many states.
Lincoln’s life and subsequent election was the stuff that legends are made of. Stories of his boyhood are legion and appealing to children and adults. He lived in a log cabin; only attended school for a total of one year and his mother died when he was a nine-year old youngster. There was no Ivy League education for him.
In spite of all these hindrances or perhaps because of them, he became America’s most beloved president. He was that rare political figure with a tender heart who had strength of spirit and character. He didn’t back down from a fight when the cause was right but agonized over the toll of the battle. His Emancipation Proclamation and freeing of the slaves came at a great cost to him as well as the country.
This year is the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. Tomorrow we celebrate his 200th birthday and Washington D.C. is getting ready to throw him a really big party. The National Park Service will celebrate the 16th president’s birthday on Feb 12 at the Lincoln Memorial and events are being planned for the entire year.
I can tally 12 presidents who have served our country during my lifetime. It’s been a while since I was in school so naming them in sequence was a challenge. Try it and see how many you can name beginning with FDR. The list follows.
And once you have your brain all warmed up, check out the following presidential trivia questions. Then try the quiz on your friends. By that time you’ll know the answers and can grin as they fumble their way through it. Answers are at the bottom of the column.
1. Which president took nude early morning swims in the Potomac River?
A. George Washington
B. John Quincy Adams
C. James Madison’
D. James Garfield
2. Which president’s lunch often consisted of cottage cheese smothered in ketchup?
A. Dwight Eisenhower
B. Calvin Coolidge
C. Richard Nixon
D. Bill Clinton
3. Which president is on the $100,000 bill?
A. Grover Cleveland
B. Woodrow Wilson
C. Lyndon Johnson
D. None. It never existed
4. Which president is the only president to have worn a Nazi uniform?
A. John F. Kennedy
B. George W. Bush
C. Jimmy Carter
D. Ronald Reagan
5. Which president was given the first raise in U.S. history?
A. John Quincy Adams
B. Theodore Roosevelt
C. Ulysses S. Grant
D. Abraham Lincoln
6. What was the name of the Lincoln Family dog?
A. Lee
B. Fido
C. Kent
D. Charlie
7. Who survived two assassination attempts by two different women in just over two weeks?
A. Gerald Ford
B. Thomas Jefferson
C. Ronald Reagan
D. William Howard Taft
8. Who considered joining the KuKlux Klan to advance his political career?
A. Harry Truman
B. James Buchanan
C. Herbert Hoover
D. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
9. Who was Lincoln’s first Vice President?
A. William R. King
B. Hannibal Hamlin
C. Andrew Johnson
D. Ulysses S. Grant
10. Which president painted a portrait of Abraham Lincoln?
A. John F. Kennedy
B. Benjamin Harrison
C. Dwight D. Eisenhower
D. Calvin Coolidge
Presidents #32-#44 in numerical order:
Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, William Clinton, George W. Bush
Answers to presidential quiz:
1. B (Adams)
2. C (Nixon)
3. B (Wilson)
4. D (Reagan in a movie)
5. C (Grant)
6. B (Lincoln)
7. A (Ford)
8. A (Truman)
9. B (Hamlin)
10. C (Eisenhower)
I failed this test miserably with a measly 50-percent score. So congratulations if you got more than 5 correct answers!
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
Betty Kaiser
I have whined about this subject before so you just know that I’m going to bring it up again. It’s February — President’s Day month — and after all these years, I’m still bent out of shape that Congress in its infinite wisdom screwed up our two favorite presidents’ birthday celebrations.
Once upon a time our country celebrated holidays on the date that something actually happened. All of that changed in 1971 when the Uniform Holidays Act went into effect. At the whim of Congress (who never met a Monday that they didn’t like) anything of importance had to be celebrated on a long weekend. Veterans Day (formerly known as Armistice Day) is one of the few holidays that has not been changed to a Monday.
This year President’s Day conveniently falls on Feb. 16. According to President Nixon and congress’ decree, it commemorates all former presidents. For us old timers, it is sort of a generic one size fits all party. Formerly, only two outstanding and historic presidents were actually honored across the nation on their birthdays: Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.
George Washington was the first and only President to have his birthday officially celebrated by the federal government. Every year school kids prepared for the Feb. 22 holiday by learning about our first president. We all related to the fabled tale of how he chopped down the cherry tree but wasn’t punished because he told the truth. And we could all picture the cold, courageous general as he plowed through the icy Delaware River during the Revolutionary War.
Abraham Lincoln’s Feb.12 birthday was never a federal holiday. It was and is, however, celebrated as a legal holiday in many states.
Lincoln’s life and subsequent election was the stuff that legends are made of. Stories of his boyhood are legion and appealing to children and adults. He lived in a log cabin; only attended school for a total of one year and his mother died when he was a nine-year old youngster. There was no Ivy League education for him.
In spite of all these hindrances or perhaps because of them, he became America’s most beloved president. He was that rare political figure with a tender heart who had strength of spirit and character. He didn’t back down from a fight when the cause was right but agonized over the toll of the battle. His Emancipation Proclamation and freeing of the slaves came at a great cost to him as well as the country.
This year is the bicentennial of Lincoln’s birth. Tomorrow we celebrate his 200th birthday and Washington D.C. is getting ready to throw him a really big party. The National Park Service will celebrate the 16th president’s birthday on Feb 12 at the Lincoln Memorial and events are being planned for the entire year.
I can tally 12 presidents who have served our country during my lifetime. It’s been a while since I was in school so naming them in sequence was a challenge. Try it and see how many you can name beginning with FDR. The list follows.
And once you have your brain all warmed up, check out the following presidential trivia questions. Then try the quiz on your friends. By that time you’ll know the answers and can grin as they fumble their way through it. Answers are at the bottom of the column.
1. Which president took nude early morning swims in the Potomac River?
A. George Washington
B. John Quincy Adams
C. James Madison’
D. James Garfield
2. Which president’s lunch often consisted of cottage cheese smothered in ketchup?
A. Dwight Eisenhower
B. Calvin Coolidge
C. Richard Nixon
D. Bill Clinton
3. Which president is on the $100,000 bill?
A. Grover Cleveland
B. Woodrow Wilson
C. Lyndon Johnson
D. None. It never existed
4. Which president is the only president to have worn a Nazi uniform?
A. John F. Kennedy
B. George W. Bush
C. Jimmy Carter
D. Ronald Reagan
5. Which president was given the first raise in U.S. history?
A. John Quincy Adams
B. Theodore Roosevelt
C. Ulysses S. Grant
D. Abraham Lincoln
6. What was the name of the Lincoln Family dog?
A. Lee
B. Fido
C. Kent
D. Charlie
7. Who survived two assassination attempts by two different women in just over two weeks?
A. Gerald Ford
B. Thomas Jefferson
C. Ronald Reagan
D. William Howard Taft
8. Who considered joining the KuKlux Klan to advance his political career?
A. Harry Truman
B. James Buchanan
C. Herbert Hoover
D. Franklin Delano Roosevelt
9. Who was Lincoln’s first Vice President?
A. William R. King
B. Hannibal Hamlin
C. Andrew Johnson
D. Ulysses S. Grant
10. Which president painted a portrait of Abraham Lincoln?
A. John F. Kennedy
B. Benjamin Harrison
C. Dwight D. Eisenhower
D. Calvin Coolidge
Presidents #32-#44 in numerical order:
Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, William Clinton, George W. Bush
Answers to presidential quiz:
1. B (Adams)
2. C (Nixon)
3. B (Wilson)
4. D (Reagan in a movie)
5. C (Grant)
6. B (Lincoln)
7. A (Ford)
8. A (Truman)
9. B (Hamlin)
10. C (Eisenhower)
I failed this test miserably with a measly 50-percent score. So congratulations if you got more than 5 correct answers!
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart. Contact her at 942-1317 or via e-mail — bchatty@bettykaiser.com
Yummy presidential & valentine treats
2/4/09 Cook’s Corner
Betty Kaiser
I loved the month of February when I was growing up. In elementary school we kids called it the holiday month. Special days were nicely spaced out to help dispel winter’s gloom. Near the beginning of the month we celebrated President Lincoln’s birthday. It was closely followed by Valentine’s Day while George Washington’s birthday closed out the short festive month.
Each holiday meant that our class would enjoy a special dessert made by the room mothers. Of course, that was back in the day when moms could serve homemade goodies and no one worried about us being sickened by salmonella, E. coli or other stuff.
We were young and carefree but we always knew whose mom could be depended on to bring special treats. My grandmother baked and decorated great cookies. Carol’s mom excelled at cupcakes with yummy frosting and the Harvey boys’ mother always made brownies.
Desserts were always the food of choice on these occasions! So “Lincoln Log” brownies were a popular treat on Lincoln’s birthday. Decorated heart shaped sugar cookies were the choice for Valentine’s Day and cherry-flavored cupcakes with boiled frosting were a coveted favorite for George Washington’s birthday.
I’ve never been quite sure about the origins of Lincoln Log brownies. It must have had something to do with Lincoln’s humble beginnings and life in a log cabin. Folklore tells us that he was an expert log splitter who loved to read. Sometimes he would be found reading next to a pile of logs that he should have been splitting. Maybe he was eating brownies at the same time!
And it really isn’t known whether George Washington chopped down that fabled cherry tree but it sure makes for good story telling and a reason to eat cherry pie. So we’ll start out today’s recipe roundup with a cherry dessert in honor of George. Enjoy!
Cherry Cream Pie
Taste of Home
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
Filling:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, whipped
1 can (21 ounces) cherry pie filling
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the flour, walnuts, butter and brown sugar. Transfer to a 13-in. x 9-in. baking pan. Bake at 375° for 15 minutes, stirring once. Set aside 1 cup of crumbs. While warm, press the remaining crumbs into a greased 9-in. pie plate, firmly pressing onto the bottom and up the sides. Chill for 30 minutes.
In a small mixing bowl, beat the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and almond extract until smooth. Spread over bottom of crust. Gently fold whipped cream into the pie filling; spread over cream cheese layer. Sprinkle with reserved crumbs. Chill for at least 4 hours before serving. Yield: 6-8 servings.
Note: To lighten up the sugar and fat content, substitute light cherry pie filling for regular and light Cool Whip for the whipped cream.
Basic Sugar Cookies
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter or shortening, softened
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Add dry ingredients and combine until thoroughly mixed. Cover and chill dough for one hour or more.
After dough is chilled, preheat oven to 400° F.
Roll out dough on floured surface 1/8-1/4-inch (thinner cookies will be crisper). Cut into shapes with floured heart shaped cookie cutter. Place cookies 1-inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkle with colored sugar if not planning on frosting. Bake until a delicate golden color, 6-8 minutes. Cool slightly before moving to racks. Decorate as desired. Makes about 3-1/2 dozen.
Cookie Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
4 teaspoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla (may substitute other flavors)
1 tablespoon corn syrup
Food coloring (gel or regular)
Add milk to powdered sugar in bowl and mix evenly. Add vanilla and stir. Finally, add the corn syrup and mix well. Mixture can be divided into separate bowls if using different colors. ‘Paint’ the cooled cookies using a pastry brush. Allow to dry completely before stacking (overnight is best).
NOTE: The mixture must be thin enough to spread easily but not so thin that it runs off. Start with the recipe amounts and if too thick, add more milk if necessary. Do not add extra corn syrup.
Brownie Lincoln Logs
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) margarine
1 cup water
½ cup buttermilk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Preheat oven to 400° F.
Combine dry ingredients in large mixing bowl and mix well. Heat margarine and water in saucepan until boiling. Pour over dry ingredients and mix. Beat in buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Pour thin batter in greased and floured 15X10-inch pan. Cool in pan and frost with the following.
Chocolate Butter Frosting
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
3-6 tablespoons milk
Combine all ingredients except milk in mixing bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often and gradually adding enough milk for desired spreading consistency.
To make logs
Cut chocolate-frosted brownies into bars about 3-inches long and ¾ inch wide. Draw prongs of fork through icing to resemble a log. Decorate with a tiny paper flag. Makes enough for a crowd. Two logs per serving.
Keep it simple and keep it seasonal! Betty Kaiser’s Cook’s Corner is dedicated to sharing a variety of recipes that are delicious, family oriented and easy to prepare.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Thank you Rosa Parks
1/28/09 Chatterbox
Betty Kaiser
“It’s a great day to be an American — is it not?”
Keith Jenkins, pastor of Church Jubilee, posed that rhetorical question to thunderous applause at the opening of the Rosa Parks Plaza dedication in Eugene on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
And indeed it was a great day to be an American. Hundreds of kids and dogs, moms and dads, office workers and senior citizens of all colors and creeds gathered in frosty weather under a bright blue sky to unveil a statue in honor of the legendary Rosa Parks.Some of the participants at the renaming of the Lane Transit District’s Eugene Plaza Station could appreciate Parks’ contribution to the Civil Rights movement more than others. At some time or in some way they had been victims of segregation or discrimination.
Those of us who grew up on the West Coast rode public transportation, ate in restaurants and attended school with people of all races weren’t quite on the same page.
For us, the Rosa Parks incident was a huge wakeup call. Until then, my generation was clueless that the freedoms we enjoyed were way different that the segregation life-style of the Deep South.
The events of 1955 educated us. First there was the brutally evil murder of 14-year old Emmett Till in Mississippi for allegedly flirting with a girl. He was black and she was white. An all white jury set the perpetrators free.
Then came Rosa Parks of Montgomery, Alabama. One day after work, she was weary and refused an order to go to the back of the bus. The law dictated that blacks pay their money, go back outside and come in the bus by the back door. On this particular day, she sat down up front, refused to budge and was arrested.
It was 100 days after Till’s murder. Park’s actions galvanized the black community into a boycott of public transportation that spread throughout the country and she became known as the mother of the Civil Rights Movement.
From that day forward, the entire nation’s attention was riveted on the Deep South. We could no longer ignore that it was a dangerous time for Americans who were people of color. For most of us, it was a gut-wrenching time to be an American. We watched in horror as fire hoses and police dogs were used to control our fellow citizens.
Martin Luther King, Jr. organized and led a nonviolent response to the brutal ways the black population was being treated. Victories were interspersed with violent setbacks.
Bus, school and lunch counter desegregation successes were followed by the murder of Medgar Evers. A bomb killing four girls followed King’s triumphant “I have a Dream” speech before 250,000 people. Thurgood Marshall became the first black Supreme Court Justice but the following year King was shot and killed.
At the age of 35, King was the youngest man to win the Nobel Peace Prize. Now, 41 years after his death, his life of non-violence is still the gold standard for conduct in the face of injustice and hatred.
As a young woman in Los Angeles, I used to walk a mile down the hill from my house to begin a series of transfers that would take me across town to Pepperdine College. First I caught a bus on Crenshaw Blvd. Then I transferred to a streetcar and finally to another bus that dropped me off at 78th and Vermont Ave.
Some of the neighborhoods that we drove through were a little rough— even dangerous. In those areas it paid to look straight ahead and keep your mouth shut if you wanted to stay out of trouble.
And so I marvel at the courage of Rosa Parks. She was a woman of color, talking back to “the man” as it were. She had a lot to lose by opening her mouth. But on that day in 1955, she didn’t care what the repercussions of her actions would be.
At the dedication, area middle and high school students read some of Park’s comments about her courageous decision to sit down in a forbidden front seat and stay there:
“He (the bus driver) pointed at and said, ‘that one won’t stand up.’ The policemen came near me and only one spoke to me. He asked me if the driver had asked me to stand up. I said ’yes.’
“He asked why I didn’t stand up. I told him I didn’t think I should have to stand up. So I asked him: ‘Why do you push us around?’ And he told me, ‘I don’t know but the law is the law and you are under arrest.’
And I told him to go on and have me arrested.
“Our mistreatment was just not right and I was tired of it. I knew someone had to take the first step and I made up my mind not to move. When I made that decision, I knew that I had the strength of my ancestors with me.”
Later, King said of her, “If it had to happen, I’m glad it happened to Mrs. Parks. She is a fine person. No one can doubt her intent.”
There was an audible murmur when the bronze statue was unveiled. As the news media closed in with their big cameras, little girls clamored to sit next to the serene Parks. One child looked deeply into her face. Adults lovingly caressed her cheek, murmured and moved on. Many had tears in their eyes.
One lady standing near me softly said, “ I’m thrilled to be part of this day.” I think that she spoke for all of us.
It is a great time to be an American! Now let’s get to work and keep it that way.
Betty Kaiser’s Chatterbox is about people, places, family, and other matters of the heart.
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