Wednesday, 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.
