Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current, July 13, 2022, Image 11

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Dawson County news., July 13, 2022, Image 11

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Newspaper Page TextWednesday, July 13,2022 dawsonnews.com I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I 3B The joy of reading A dear friend told me that his eyesight is being destroyed by disease. It is vanishing so quickly that, daily, a bit of it disappears, forever. He now can only see shadows. The only print he can read is sizable, magnified many times. Still, he has to study to figure out the letters. One night, after a conversation with him, I sadly pon dered on how my life would be if I could never read another book. If that happened, so much of who I am, because of my greatest enjoyment, would crum ble away. I’d lose the excitement of finding a new book about a subject I want to learn more about. My happiness would be tremendously marred. It is hue that I am often entertained by books but, more than that, I am sustained by them. Mama always claimed that my “book lovin’” began when the doctor put her on complete bed rest because of a late-in- life pregnancy with me. In her new, unfamiliar world of ease, she sought diversion. She found it in a new set of encyclope dias that Daddy had bought for my college- age sister. Mama began reading at “A” and made it to “K” before I was bom. Mama’d say, “That’s why you came into this world always havin ’a book in your hands.” I don’t remember when I didn’t read or a time when my mind did not swirl daily around all the books I wanted to write. We book consumers enjoy different subjects on different levels which is an appeal of reading: Choose your level of comfort and your subject. At eight, I read only books on horses. Dolly Parton was like me. She had a curiosity that could only be answered by books. The Dolly Parton Imagination Library has given away over 100 million books through a program that she started for her Tennessee home county of Sevier but which has spread throughout America. As is typical for Miss Dolly, she waves off any praise for such a phil anthropic effort. She rises most mornings by 3 a.m. to begin her day with reading. Somewhere along the line, many years ago, I started stepping away from fic tion to read almost exclu sively nonfic tion and auto biographies. I learn and develop wis dom through people’s experiences: their tri umphs, failures, and the lessons they learned. We cannot all like - or even appreciate - all authors and writing styles. It would be akin to a universal love of the color orange. The book industry, which has suf fered in recent years due to competition from an electronic world, is still plugging away. The Bible continues to be the best seller of all time while Harlequin romances claim the biggest slice of the overall market by sell ing one billion copies annually. See? I told you there are different tastes. Recently, I was taken a bit back when I saw a post from someone who was reading Toni Morrison’s Beloved. It’s probably safe to say that book, as well as Ms. Morrison’s writing, is either loved or not. I have written books like that, too; books that are adored by some but discarded by others. I never could gain a foothold into her high style of words nor was I drawn to Ms. Morrison’s personality. To enjoy a writer’s work, I must start with an affection for the writer since their words are aiming for my heart. The post said,“ If you don’t like Toni Morrison, you are wrong.” Wrong? Because I’m drawn toward different styles and subjects? That’s the first time any one ever said I was wrong because I didn’t read a particular author. No, I’m not wrong. No more than the reader who devours five Harlequin romances in a week or the reader who chooses Faulkner or Russian clas sics or pop culture mys teries. We just have different preferences. But thank God, we have the eyesight to see the words. That makes all prose beautiful. Ronda Rich is the best-sell ing author of There's A Better Day A-Comin'. Visit www.rondarich.com for her free weekly newsletter. RONDA RICH Columnist FROM 1B Softball with 31 runs batted in and 29 runs scored. She also had an 11-9 pitch ing record. Kurtz, a second-team All-Region selection, will have the chance to move up the batting order, coming off a sea son where she led the team with 13 walks and finished second to Bailey with 24 runs scored. A couple of key younger players include sophomores Micah Burruss and Ace Cochran. Burruss played in 31 games as a fresh man, posting a .299 bat ting average with 23 hits and 22 RBI. In 20 games, Cochran put up a .275 batting average and had 11 hits across 48 plate appear ances. The Lady Tigers begin their season with a tour nament hosted by North Hall on Saturday, Aug. 6, with the opponent set to be Jefferson. Cooking with fresh herbs I love Chinese food, I really do. But so many Chinese restaurants are disappointing—they use so much salt, MSG and lots of other unsa vory ingredients. We even went to a well- known authentic Chinese restaurant on Buford Highway in Atlanta and I was dis appointed. In fact, when we left the restaurant and began driving home, almost immediately I developed a terrible headache. Coincidence? I don’t think so. That being said, when I get a craving for Chinese food now, I just make some at home. I can con trol the salt and I can use quality ingredients without additives or preservatives. This lemon chicken is absolutely delicious. You simply must try it. Enjoy! Chinese Lemon Chicken ADLEN ROBINSON Columnist In a wok or skillet, heat 14 cup avocado oil over medium-high heat. Press the flour mixture onto the chicken pieces and add to the wok. Cook until chicken is cooked through, turning a few times, about 3-4 minutes. Drain on paper towels and proceed with recipe. In a clean wok or skillet, add 1 tablespoon oil and cook garlic and ginger for a minute. Add chicken stock mixture for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice and zest mixture. Add cornstarch slurry. Add cooked chicken and toss with green onions and sesame seeds. Serve with cooked rice. I adore egg drop soup, but most restaurant versions are bland and have way too much sodium. This soup is simple to make and deli cious. Just be sure to use quality chicken stock, and I like to use pas tured eggs. • 1 1/3 pound boneless, skin less chicken breasts, cut into bite sized pieces • Vi cup chicken broth • 2 tablespoons soy sauce • 3 tablespoons sugar • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice • Zest from 1 lemon • 1 cup flour • 2 cloves garlic, minced • 1 Vi teaspoons ginger, grated • 2 teaspoons cornstarch dis solved in 2 tablespoons cold water • 'A cup avocado oil, plus 1 tablespoon • 2 green onions, sliced • 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted Marinade: • 2 tablespoons soy sauce • 1 tablespoon dry sherry • 1 egg white In a bowl, combine chicken broth, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, and 3 tablespoons sugar. In another bowl, combine lemon juice and lemon zest. In another bowl, combine mari nade ingredients and then add chicken. Marinate for 30 minutes. Add flour to marinade, stirring to combine. Egg Drop Soup • 1 tablespoon avocado oil • 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs • 6 cups best quality chicken broth • 2 green onions, cut into 1-inch pieces • 1 1/2-inch knob of fresh gin ger, peeled and sliced • 2 tablespoons cornstarch dis solved with 2 tablespoons cold water • Pinch of turmeric • Vi teaspoon salt • Vi teaspoon pepper • 4 eggs, beaten • 1 teaspoon sesame oil • Garnish: 1 green onion, sliced In a saucepan, combine avocado oil, chicken thigs, chicken broth, green onions, and ginger slices. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Remove chicken to a cutting board. Discard solids. Chop cooked chicken and set aside. In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, salt, pepper, turmeric, and water. Slowly add cornstarch slurry to soup broth. While soup is simmer ing, slowly drizzle in the eggs, stir ring slowly in a circular motion. Add chicken. Remove from heat and add sesame oil and the green onion. Recently I saw a new brand of frozen egg rolls and decided to give them a try. While they might pass as “ok” nothing beats egg rolls you make yourself. I know they might seem tedious, but they are actually super simple to make. Just make sure when you roll them up you don’t add too much filling. You want them to be tightly rolled so they don’t have gaps when you fry them. Once you roll a few, you will get the hang of it. Don’t be afraid to unroll any “not perfect” rolls and begin again with a fresh egg roll wrapper. Egg Rolls • 2 teaspoons avocado oil • % pound ground pork or ground chicken • 1 teaspoon salt • Vi teaspoon pepper • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger • 1 teaspoon finely minced garlic • 3 cups coleslaw mix • 14 cup green onions, sliced • 1 tablespoon soy sauce • 1 teaspoon sesame oil • 12 egg roll wrappers • 1 egg, beaten • 1 cup peanut oil Heat the 2 teaspoons of avocado oil over medium-high heat. Add ground pork or ground chicken and cook until cooked through. Drain and return meat to skillet. Add salt, pepper, ginger and garlic and cook for a minute. Add coleslaw mix and cook 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soy sauce and sesa me oil. Let mixture cool so it is not hot to the touch. Lay the egg roll wrappers out in a triangular way and add 2-3 table spoons of the filling onto the bot tom third of the wrapper. Bring in the sides and then roll up tightly, using the beaten egg to help seal the edges tightly. Heat 2-3 inches of the peanut oil in a wok or skillet. Fry egg rolls 3 or 4 at a time, until golden brown. Keep warm in a low oven and finish frying. Serve with Duck sauce, sweet and sour sauce and/or Chinese hot mustard. FROM 1B Volleyball Tigers won 21 matches and forged a strong identity a year after win ning just eight times. Led by seniors Avery Herring and Emma Pelfrey, the team made their mark in Region 7-3A. “Avery and Emma were tremen dous leaders because they under stood that leadership is more about serving than directing. They will be missed greatly in that regard,” Porter said. “Our goals for this sea son are not much different than they have been in the past. We want to help our players become the best version of themselves both on and off the court.” One of the team’s biggest goals this season will be to advance fur ther in the region tournament and make it to the state tournament. Last year, the Lady Tigers made an unexpected first-round exit in the region tournament after earning the No. 3 seed in the region. Porter is challenging her team to change those results next time around by scheduling tough oppo nents and focusing on long-term improvements “We would like to see them embrace the challenges that will come from playing better competi tion and know that a great win-loss record isn’t always representative of the true ability of a team,” Porter said. “We would rather go deeper Photo by Jacob Smith Dawson County News Jessica Mann jumps high to smash the ball during a match last season. Mann was an All- Region selection last year and will play an important role this season. into the state tournament playoffs with a semi-decent record than have an outstanding record and miss out on a state playoff run.” With six seniors on the roster heading into next season, the team will be looking to learn from the tournament loss and become one of the strongest teams in the region. The team has the balance to do just that, with setter Abby Felkai, outside hitter Jessica Mann, and libero Emerald Sallee. Add to that fellow seniors Abby Clouser, Skyler Murphy and Kirklyn Porter and the squad will be full of experi ence. “The six seniors that will be returning this year are definitely among the most talented and expe rienced group of players as a whole that has come through our pro gram,” Porter said. “We will be looking for them to use those quali- ties to help their teammates become the best that they can be.” Felkai led the team last season with 185 kills, 283 assists, and 73 aces while Sallee led the team with 204 digs. Mann and Sallee were both named to the All-Region team. For all of those senior players, there are underclassmen who will help round out the roster, which Porter says will likely end up with 11 or 12 players. Additionally, there are many players coming up from the junior high level who are helping build the future of the team. “We do have a great deal of tal ent coming up in our underclass men group,” Porter said. “We will need to get these girls as much meaningful experience as possible so that they are prepared to step into roles next year where they will be able to immediately make an impact at the varsity level.” The Lady Tigers will begin the season on Tuesday, Aug. 16, at home against Lakeview Academy before hosting a match that Thursday against Union County. FROM 1B Car Show Elliott’s Pick. At the same time as the car show, the museum also hosted a July 4 Jeep Fest, allowing jeep owners to show off their vehicles. Winners were also awarded for the Jeep fest in several categories, including Most Patriotic, Most Capable, Best Club Attendance and Best Jeep in Show. For information about the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame and its upcoming events, go to http://georgi- aracinghof.com. Photos by Erica Jones and Will Jones Dawson County News On July 4, dozens of classic cars of all makes, years and models were displayed at the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame for the museum's July 4 Car Show.