Column from July 16, 2009

Keep kids reading this summer at the library

Last week, I had the opportunity to watch Othello children interact with an adult on their own level.
I attended the author reading at Othello Community Library and what a treat it was! Children’s poet Kenn Nesbitt entertained those kids until they were practically rolling on the floor with laughter. They truly enjoyed having Kenn reach out to them through his poetry, jokes and stories.
I am an avid reader and book reviewer, so I can appreciate good literature when I see it.
Kenn has some wonderful books available, filled with colorful illustrations and prose that will make any child sit still and listen.
The event was part of the Summer Reading Program at Othello Community Library. I hope many parents have signed their children up.
Kids have an opportunity to read through the summer and earn points toward prizes. Plus, there are a variety of events scheduled to add some extra fun to the reading.
Reading is one of the most important things we learn. Children who learn to read well in grade school are more likely to graduate high school and that is so very important. As parents, we all want our children to succeed.
I can’t think of any career where reading isn’t a necessity. As a journalist, reading is a high priority.
You can’t write well if you don’t read!
I hope when I stop by the library next week to check on how the Summer Reading Program is going that I will see even more children involved. It’s never too late to get signed up.
Here’s a great recipe contributed by Elly Kirkpatrick. She said these enchiladas are rich, filling and easy to prepare.
“I usually just include a salad accompaniment and some tortilla chips and salsa for an appetizer,” Elly said. “Dessert should be something light and fruity. Raspberry sorbet is a good choice.”
Enjoy!

Elly’s Easy Seafood Enchiladas

Ingredients:
1 can mushroom soup
16 ounces sour cream
Crushed red pepper, menudo, cilantro molida, cumin, salt (season to taste)
8 ounces fontina cheese, shredded
1-pound container imitation crab salad (find in meat department or deli)
2 or 3 green onions, chopped
1 pound small shrimp or large shrimp, quartered
8 to 10 large flour tortillas

Optional additions:
¾ pound scallops, sautéd
1 to 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro

Note: Fontina cheese is rather salty, so additional salt should be added cautiously.

Directions:
Sauce: Heat mushroom soup and sour cream together in sauce pan – just enough to blend, not too hot. Add in seasonings to taste. Set aside.

Filling: Combine imitation crab salad and shrimp in medium-sized bowl. If adding scallops, cut in half or quarters, then sauté in a bit of butter for a few minutes before adding to crab and shrimp. Fresh chopped cilantro may be added to this mixture, if desired.

Assembly:
Place a scoop of seafood mixture in middle of each tortilla. Pour a tablespoon of seasoned sour cream sauce over the seafood. On top of that, sprinkle shredded fontina and chopped green onion. Fold up tortilla and place in 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Continue filling each tortilla. When done, spread remaining seasoned sour cream sauce over filled tortillas. Top with remaining shredded fontina cheese and green onion.

Bake 40 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

Thanks, Elly.
You, too, can contribute a recipe for Table Scraps. E-mail it to labordi@hotmail.com. Please include a short note about the recipe or where you got it.

Column from July 9, 2009

Sharing a fun time and a great recipe

Another SunFaire 4th of July celebration here in Othello has come and gone. The next big event is the annual car show and Spud Run on July 18 and 19.

There is now some concern about classic cars with the new “Clunker” law. As people trade in their old cars – pre-1985 – for a $3,000 trade-in credit, those cars will be sent to the scrap heap to be crushed.

This issue has some car enthusiasts worried.

Many cars and trucks once coveted by car lovers will be no more. And those who have classic cars will begin to find parts scarce.

That’s why the government has been asked to include a car collector on the board for the new law. Good idea, I’d say.

I remember many of the great hot-rods that began to become popular when I was a teen. Many were the early 1950 and 1960 Chevy Impalas. Those are also fancied today, along with Fords, Chryslers and the muscle cars of the later 1960s.

Add to the mix the newer Hondas, Acuras, etc., the younger people are sprucing up these days and you can see why the car show here is such a popular event. There is even a category for tricked-out bicycles!

Kiwanis Park is a great place to show off these cars. It’s much better – and safer – than on the streets where drivers, both young and older, take the chance of being stopped for speeding or squealing their tires by local law enforcement.

Even though these drivers feel wronged for having what they might consider “harmless fun,” they are breaking the law and subject to a ticket.

I’ve ridden with the area agencies on more than one occasion. I was able to sit in the front seat of patrol cars from the Othello Police Department, Adams County Sheriff and the Washington State Patrol. It’s amazing the excuses people come up with when they are doing inappropriate behavior while on public streets.

One of the first officers I rode with when I first started writing for The Othello Outlook many years ago was Dave Boothman. He was a deputy with the sheriffs office and has since retired.

We had great fun that night as we tried to track down a DUI offender.

Dave’s mother Linda Boothman recently sent me two recipes for Table Scraps and I’m going to use one of them this week.

Hopefully, this will be an encouragement for others to share their recipes.

Linda said she first tried this delicious and unique cake while they were searching for a ranch to buy in southern British Columbia, Canada.

“The owners of this remote ranch opened their home to us and fed us a hearty lunch of fresh mountain trout and this yummy cake,” Linda said.

Macaroon cake

½ cup butter

½ cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

½ cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup white flour

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer, then add egg yolks, milk and vanilla. Sift flour, salt, soda and baking powder together and add to first mixture. Beat well and spread in an eight-inch greased pan.

Topping:

2 egg whites

½ cup granulated sugar

1 cup sweetened grated coconut

Beat all three ingredients together until stiff. Spread carefully over batter and bake 35 to 40 minutes or until cake tests done and topping is golden brown in color.

Thanks, Linda, for this great recipe.

Remember, anyone who has a recipe to contribute can email it to labordi@hotmail.com

Column from July 2, 2009

Celebrate the 4th with a cookout

This weekend is the celebration of our country’s independence – the 4th of July – and you know what that means …

Barbecues!

Isn’t it wonderful to get together with family and friends to have a great cookout with all the fixings before heading to the park to watch the fireworks?

This year, we are going to visit my daughter. Her little girl’s birthday is July 5, so we will have two days in a row to celebrate.

She is planning a Hawaiian luau party with skewers of pork and pineapple cooked on the grill and lots of salads. I’m sure there will be a cake, too, decorated for a 6 year old.

There are lots of different barbecue sauces available in the grocery store. They come in a wide variety of flavors.

But why buy a sauce when making your own is quick and easy? This recipe is super fast because you put everything in a large canning jar and shake it up. No mess and no dishes to wash.

Spicy homemade barbecue sauce

1 cup olive oil

1 cup chili sauce

3 cloves garlic, squeezed

1 onion, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Gulden’s mustard

4 to 5 tablespoons honey

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

½ teaspoon crushed dried oregano

1 teaspoon basil leaves

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

2/3 cup chopped parsley

In a large canning jar, mix together all ingredients, except parsley, shaking jar after each addition. Add the chopped parsley and shake well.

E-mail your favorite recipe to labordi@hotmail.com.

Please include a paragraph or two about the recipe.