Since Iowa is one of the nation’s top producers of corn, beef, swine, ice cream and no telling what else, I figured a food column was in order.
It’s hard to beat a good old Iowa breaded pork tenderloin. They’re a staple at the Iowa State Fair and many eateries across the state pride themselves in dishing out pork tenderloins that are as big a spare tire in a 1948 Desoto. They are big and Iowans love them. I saw a breaded tenderloin on Facebook that was as big as a pizza box. There are even yearly contests seeking out the biggest and best pork tenderloin. I enjoy them, but I would rather have a cheeseburger and order of onion rings from Culver’s. One of our favorite lunch spots at the Iowa State Fair is Beattie’s Watermelon Stand. Debbie usually eats a tenderloin and I have a ham or roast beef sandwich. And of course, some tasty hot French fries and cold ice tea. Another Iowa delicacy is the Maid-Rite or loose meat sandwich as it is often called. An article I found on the internet called it “A messy culinary rite of passage,” an Iowa tradition with just the right combination of spices and meat. First created in 1936 by Fred Angell of Muscantine, the sandwich was declared to be “made right” by a happy customer, and the name, Maid-Rite, was history. Top it off with mustard, ketchup, onion and pickles and it is a favorite of many Iowans. Growing up in Oklahoma, we often fixed sloppy Joes. My mom would brown a pound of ground beef in the skillet and pour in a can of Manwich or make her own mix. She’d then pour the mixture over a toasted open-faced bun and we’d eat it with a fork. I was living in Missouri and attending the University of Missouri-Columbia when I experienced my first loose meat sandwich. I was rolling down Broadway when I saw a sign for Mugs Up Drive In. It looked inviting, so I pulled in for lunch. I scanned the menu and found the Zip Burger. That looked good, so I ordered two. I opened up the packaging and about half the sandwich fell on the floor of my pickup truck. “Where’s the beef,” I’m thinking. In short, Maid-Rites are not too bad. One always has to have a spoon or fork handy. I guess that is the lure of the sandwich. Sweet corn is another Iowa favorite. Come July, the sweet corn vendors pop up on street corners in small towns all across the state selling their tasty treats. Slather some butter and add salt and pepper to taste and it is hard to beat Iowa Sweet Corn. Another tasty Iowa delight is the Hot Roast Beef Sandwich, which includes well-spiced roast beef stacked onto white bread with a pile of mashed potatoes and gravy poured all over it. It’s another popular Iowa State Fair food served at the Cattleman’s. Ham balls is another Iowa favorite and a food that has grown on me. I don’t recall eating ham balls growing up in Oklahoma. My mom may have fixed them, I just don’t recall it. We ate a lot of fried chicken, okra, barbecue Spam, fried fish and fried potatoes. My dad enjoyed wilted salads and fresh onions pulled from the backyard garden. Chili with cinnamon rolls is another favorite Iowa food. Not long after moving to Iowa, I was at a football game between English Valleys and Bussey. It was the last game of the season and the good folks of Bussey would all bring their chili and everyone poured it a large pot at the concession stand. It looked inviting, but I passed. Talk about a gas explosion. Real chili to me is a meat dish, not a soup, as it is often called. It’s good poured over a cheeseburger or over spaghetti with onions and cheese for a three-way. Toss in some beans and make it a four-way. Something that I didn’t see listed anywhere was corn dogs and polish sausages, two of my favorites. It’s also hard to beat a good steak cooked medium or tasty pork chops, baked, grilled, fried or however you like them. And it’s hard to beat Anderson Erickson anything from milk to cottage cheese and various varieties of chip dips. And Nutty Bars, another Iowa State Fair staple, or a dish of Iowa-made Blue Bunny vanilla ice cream is always a good way to end any meal or just enjoy while relaxing and watching a game or one’s favorite show on television. Next time you are out and about, stop and try something different. And while you are there, say hello to a stranger or find someone visit with. You’ll be glad you did. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always.
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I was driving in Montezuma the other day and saw a fellow wearing short-legged pants crossing the street by the Presbyterian Family Center.
I happened to know him and I was going to the family center, so I asked him about wearing short-legged pants in the middle of winter. “I wasn’t going too far,” he said with a laugh. It was a fairly nice evening for almost mid-January. The one thing I’ve learned about living in the Midwest – there are some tough cookies here when it comes to the winter weather. People get out and drive around in a winter snowstorm. Others wear short-legged pants in freezing cold and some go without a coat or even a pair of gloves or hat. They’re just running up to the grocery store for a loaf of bread, a bag of chips, a case of cold ones and some hamburger meat. They’re planning to push some snow off the patio and grill out later in the day. A few buddies are coming over in their four-wheel drives to eat and watch the game. I wear more clothes in the summer months than some Midwestern’s do in the winter. I’m not one for wearing a big heavy coat. It kind of weighs me down and I don’t like that. My typical winter wear is two shirts (one being a long sleeve), long johns when the weather gets too cold, a mid-heavy jacket (a cotton jacket with a liner), stocking hat and gloves. It’s warm, but not too heavy. I’ve heard it said in Oklahoma, “If you don’t like the weather, wait a minute and it will change.” I’ve witnessed my share of ice and snow storms in my native state, but here in Iowa, the weather can change faster than the score of a Iowa basketball game. When it starts snowing, I’m headed home. Even though the Iowa DOT does a good job keeping the roads clear, when the snow starts blowing, it’s time for J.O. to start rolling. My comfy chair is a lot better than a road ditch. Some years ago, I had traveled to see a friend near Princeton, Ill. I left his house on Sunday afternoon headed home and stopped and fueled up in Davenport. I bought a Pepsi and a Sunday paper and headed out the door. The fellow behind the counter told me to be careful. I never gave it any thought nor had I checked the weather forecast. I wasn’t too far west of Davenport when I ran headlong into a winter blizzard - snow, sleet, wind and icy cold! Cars and trucks were in the ditches on I-80 and I was in my S-10 pickup with no extra weight in the back. It was by the grace of God that I didn’t get hit or slide into the ditch. I stopped in West Branch at McDonalds to take restroom break and I was shaking like a tree in a windstorm. I could see the imprint of my steering wheel in my hands. Not a wonder I didn’t yank the steering wheel out of the dash. Some years ago, Debbie and I were headed to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving with my folks. It was Thanksgiving eve and a storm brewed up along I-35 in southern Iowa. So, I came up with the brilliant idea to take Highway 63 south. Debbie was not in favor of leaving that evening. Her Iowa wisdom told her to stay home and leave on Thursday. We left on Wednesday. It was not one of my brightest decisions in our marriage. South of Ottumwa, we drove into a snow blizzard and I couldn’t see a thing. We made to Macon, Mo. for the evening and ended up having Thanksgiving on Friday instead of Thursday. Another time, Debbie and I were in Oklahoma and where getting ready to head home. We noticed a winter storm had brewed up in Southwest Missouri. I didn’t think it was too bad, so we headed out of Tulsa toward Joplin. It got worse the closer we got to Missouri. Debbie knew what was coming and she tried to warn me and I wasn’t listening. I wanted to make it to Kansas City and Debbie wanted to stop in Joplin. We ended up staying in Nevada, Mo. after watching a truck zoom past us and fly off the road into a farm field. It spun around a half dozen times. That had to be a scary ride. If I’ve learned anything about winter in Iowa, the best advice is listening to my wife. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always. How are those New Year’s resolutions coming?
According to a search of the internet, 38.5 percent of U.S. adults set New Year’s resolutions. Of those, 9 percent see them through to competition. Most give up within a week or by the end of January. According to the internet, the top three New Year’s resolution are: exercise more, eat healthier and lose weight. Other resolutions include saving more money, spending more time with family and friends, spending less time on social media, reducing job-related stress and reducing spending on living expenses. I’m sure it would safe to throw in buying a new or better car, paying off bills and getting out of debt, getting a new or better job, making new and more friends, decluttering and clearing your home, reading more, going back to school, taking time for yourself or taking that much-needed vacation. These are great things to living a good life. Setting goals is never an easy task. Exercising and eating right is probably the hardest challenge most of us face on a daily bases. There are so many options from pills to surgery to diet plans. It’s enough to make my head spin. I’ve lost 60 pounds since I was my heaviest in 2013. It’s not a lot of weight, but I feel much better and my clothes fit me better. I’m eating better (most of the time) and I’m walking and moving more. I stopped drinking soda pop, I stay away from alcohol and I try and eat more meals more often. Sometimes it’s the small things that net the biggest results. Unrealistic goals Instead of setting unrealistic goals each year, I offer you a different option. Spend your days and weeks doing good things for others instead of yourself. Following are some ideas: • Open the door for someone on a daily bases (in public and at work) • Let someone go in front of you at the checkout stand at Wal-Mart or the grocery store • If you have some extra changes, pay it forward • Leave an extra tip when you go out to eat • Make friends (even to strangers) – people have so much to offer that can enrich our lives • Invite some neighbors over for a summer barbecue cookout • Purchase and give gift cards to neighbors and friends • Participate in a Christmas giving or angle tree to make life better for others • Mow your neighbor’s yard or offer to clean out their garage or help in some way • Offer a ride to an neighbor or elderly person to the doctor or grocery store • Get involved in a community betterment group. If there is none in your area or neighborhood, start one • Work to make your city, town or community a better place now and into the future • See challenges as opportunities • Volunteer at the local food pantry or at a community event • Donate to the local food pantry • Host a food or coat drive • Give blood at a local blood drive • See the positive in everyday things I’m sure with some digging, there are many other ways to make life better for others and yourself. My parents were good people. They loved God, they loved their family and they believed in working hard and doing good for others. I appreciate all the good things they taught me from the good book and taking me to church and teaching me to give more than I took. There’s so much division in our world and political up evil and craziness. You may not be able to change the world, but you can change the world around you by doing good for others. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always. I have always wanted to act in a community play, but being in the newspaper business and working a day job has put the brakes on that undertaking for now.
I’m sure acting in a community play is fun but with it comes a lot of work from learning the lines, attending practices and then putting on the performances for several evenings. Anyway, I have it on my bucket list for down the road. Maybe after I fully retire, I will be trying out my acting talents in a local production. Retire! I’ve already retired once, but for only a year. I’m working more now than I was before retiring. I’m a people person and I love to make people laugh. I’m hoping to make my acting debut soon. Anyway, I recently attended the Brooklyn Community Theatre production of “A Carol Play,” a one-act, faith-based play written and directed by Josh Gerard, the Brooklyn Librarian and local minister. The performance was about a director on the eve of the big Christmas play who had entirely forgotten the reason for the season. As with the popular “Christmas Carol,” the director is visited by the ghosts of Christmas plays past, present and future. It was an upbeat and delightful production and brought many laughs from the audience at the Brooklyn Opera House. After writing and directing several faith-based plays, Gerard said he found himself becoming a demanding perfectionist and started forgetting the message behind them. “This play shows how ugly we can let ourselves become when we forget grace and chase after unattainable perfection,” he said in an interview. Gerard has written eight plays and a musical, saying what he loves about writing is how he is able to put his sense of humor into his work. The cast, which was a mixture of adults and local students, did a great job and put a different spin on a well-known Christmas production. I have covered numerous school and community plays throughout my journalistic career. They all have been enjoyable and the acting has been outstanding. Young people these days are so talented. I wasn’t too involved in acting or participated in much of anything when I was in school. I was good about going to school, but being involved was not my strong point. I did play the part of a snowman in sixth grade. My mom made me a dress-like snowman costume from a white bed sheet. It wasn’t fancy and it didn’t have any hoops to make me look robust and round like a real snowman. I showed up with what I had and did a fine job. I doesn’t take a whole lot of talent to stand in the same place and say nothing. I’ve had other small non-speaking roles in several church productions through the years. I carried presents and placed them around the tree in tenth grade in a Living Christmas Tree production at the First Baptist Church in my hometown of Tulsa. And while in college at the University of Missouri-Columbia, I played a part in an Easter production at my church in Columbia some years back. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed a wonderful and blessed Christmas with your family and friends. In spite of the rough patch of weather, this Christmas was one of the best in the Parker household. It was so good to be with family during this time of the year. As we all look to the New Year, I hope you take time to reflect on your many blessings and keep your focus, dreams and resolutions on the positive and being difference makers in your neighborhood, community, town, city and in all you do. Have a great week and always remember that “Good Things are Happening,” every day and always. |
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