About Dawson County news. (Dawsonville, Georgia) 2015-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 5, 2022)
2B I DAWSON COUNTY NEWS I dawsonnews.com Wednesday, October 5,2022 German favorites to celebrate Oktoberfest The turmoil of Can you believe it is already October? Besides all things apples, pumpkins and Halloween, October is also the month of Oktoberfest. That is a great excuse to whip up a deli cious German meal. Here are some of my favorite German recipes. Beer Brats • 8 brats • 2 beers, preferably German beer • 1 large sweet onion, sliced • !/2 stick butter, plus more for hoagie rolls • 4 hoagie buns • Garnishes: • Saurkraut • Ketchup • Whole grain mustard • Sauteed bell peppers Place brats in a Dutch oven with the sliced onions and cover with beer. Bring to a boil and then simmer until brats are cooked through. Remove brats and then grill until browned. Return the brats to the beer and keep warm until ready to serve. Butter hoa gie rolls and toast lightly in oven. Add grilled brats to the buns, along with some of the onions, and desired gar nishes. German Potato Salad • 3 pounds red potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces • 1 onion, quartered • Vi pound bacon, chopped • 1 red onion, chopped • % cup apple cider vinegar • 1 tablespoon Dijon • 14 cup olive oil • Vi teaspoon celery seeds • 1 teaspoon salt • Vi teaspoon pepper • 6 green onions, sliced • 1/3 cup parsley, minced Put potatoes and quartered onion in a Dutch oven. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to simmer and cook until potatoes are tender. Drain and discard onion. In a skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove with slot ted spoon to paper towel lined plate. Add red onion to bacon fat and cook until very soft, about 5 minutes. Add apple cider vinegar, Dijon, olive oil, celery seeds, salt and pepper, cooking 2-3 minutes. Pour mixture over hot potatoes, and stir in green onions and parsley. Add more salt if needed. Spaetzle • 1 cup flour • 1 teaspoon salt • Vi teaspoon pepper • Vi teaspoon nutmeg • 2 eggs • 'A cup whole milk • 3 tablespoons butter • 2 tablespoons chives, minced In a bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. In another bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Add egg mixture to dry ingredients, stir ring to combine. Let batter rest 15 minutes. Boil a big pot of salted water. Reduce to a simmer. Hold a large colander over the simmering water. Working in batches, add batter to colander and using a spoon, press the batter into the simmering water. Stir gently and cook until the spaetzle float, about 3-4 minutes. Drain the spaetzle and give them a quick rinse. Melt butter in a skillet and add the spaetzle, warming gently. Top with chives and more salt and pepper. German Potato Pancakes • 2 y 2 pounds Russet potatoes, peeled and grated • 1 small onion, grated • 2 eggs, lightly beaten • !4 cup flour • 1 teaspoon salt • Avocado oil • Applesauce (for serving) Place grated potatoes in cheese cloth or a dish towel and wring them out to remove as much water as possi ble. In a bowl, combine dried pota toes, grated onion, beaten eggs, salt and flour. Add more flour if mixture seems too wet. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a skillet and add 1/3 cup potato mixture per pancake. Flatten batter and cook 3-5 minutes per side until golden. Serve with applesauce. Sauteed Apples • 2 apples, peeled, cored and sliced • 3 tablespoons butter • Pinch of salt • 1 teaspoon cinnamon Melt butter in a skillet. Add apples and cook until tender, about 5-8 min utes. Add salt and cinnamon. Apple Turnovers • 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed but still cold • 2 cups apples, cored, peeled, and diced • Juice from 1 lemon • 1/3 cup golden raisins • 14 cup sliced almonds • 1 teaspoon cinnamon • 2 tablespoons sugar • Pinch of nutmeg • 1 tablespoon flour • Egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water) • Sugar to dust the top of turn overs • Vanilla ice cream (for serving) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss the diced apples with lemon juice. Add almonds, raisins, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add flour, tossing to combine. Roll out puff pastry and cut into 6 squares. Divide apple mixture onto pastry squares and then fold over, pricking with fork to seal. Brush turnovers with egg wash and then sprinkle with sugar. Cut a few vents in each turn over. Place on baking sheet lined with parchment paper or silicone mat. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Cool on baking sheet for a minute or two and then transfer to wire rack. Serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. ADLEN ROBINSON Columnist Dawson showed resilience in final home matches Rio White Dawson County News The Lady Tigers celebrate after winning a point against rivals White County. By Rio White riowhite@dawsonnews.com Early in the second of two final regular season home matches for the Dawson County volley ball team, the Lady Tigers were locked in a tight battle with Region 7-AAA foes White County. The hosts knew they needed to push through the opening set against the Lady Warriors for multiple reasons — they had dropped five consec utive matches, fell short in an extended first set against Wesleyan earlier that night and needed a spark of momentum to help carry them into the region tournament. Facing the pressure of a first set where neither team led by more than four points, the Lady Tigers found a way to muscle past and eventu ally defeat a White County team that was looking to move past Dawson for second place in the region. “This is the most momentum-filled sport Eve ever been a part of,” head coach Tanya Porter said. “It’s a matter of rid ing through when you’re down...and not letting those lows swallow you. I thought they did a real ly good job even when the momentum shifted several times. We were able to come back out on the other side.” Coming into the home finales, the Lady Tigers had run into some obsta cles in what had been a mostly smooth season. Facing a string of 6A sides following the first batch of region matches, Dawson lost six of seven before falling victim to region leaders Wesleyan 25-27, 19-25. The Lady Wolves came out strong but allowed Dawson to remain within striking distance. The hosts had a few chances to take the lead but only got as far as extending the first set. Wesleyan would get out to a larger lead in the second set before hold ing off a late charge by Dawson. With White County beckoning, Porter and her squad knew exactly what was at stake. The Lady Tigers and Lady Warriors had faced twice already, splitting the two meetings. Both were also fight ing to stay within reach of Wesleyan at the top of the region. But through improved execution and a decrease in unforced errors, Dawson won the first set 25-23. The second set — despite a wider margin — proved to be just as frantic. After getting out to an 18-8 lead, the Lady Tigers looked set for a much-needed victory. White County had other ideas and proceed ed to cut their deficit in half at a 20-15 score later in the set. Three straight points by Dawson looked like the dagger until the Lady Warriors responded in kind. Eventually, the Lady Tigers closed out the set 25-20 to head into the final two region matches with that precious momentum. As of the end of those matches, Dawson sits second in the region with an 8-2 record in 7-AAA and a 21-13 overall record. Wesleyan is first with a 9-1 mark. The Lady Tigers are ahead of White County by virtue of leading the season series. Dawson has four total matches remaining in the regular season, facing Pickens and host Wesleyan on Tuesday, Oct. 4, before playing two non-region matches against Union County and Providence Christian Academy the next day. FROM 1B Football Cade Adams, Kevin Haymond and Kade Moledor all helped place pressure on the opposing offensive line while Christian Webb caught the first of those interceptions. By the end of Thursday’s game, the combination of Dawson’s stout defense and refreshed offense resulted in a 31-0 victory and a 2-0 start to region play. The Tigers out- scored those first two region opponents 87-7. “We were very solid on defense. Coach Woodall had them ready to play,” Maxwell said. “We’re maturing and understanding the concepts. We struggled early on not doing the little things ... but we’re heading in the right direction.” The second half would see the offense find a rhythm through the one-two punch of Glass and Moledor, who combined for 178 rushing yards. While Moledor did not score, his aggression on both sides of the ball made a significant impact for his team. Glass fin ished with 191 all-purpose yards. Early in the third quarter, Bennett contributed on the defensive end with an intercep tion that set up the offense in good field position, with Glass eventually punching it in to make the score 14-0. After a 32-yard field goal by LeBlanc, the Tigers scored just before the end of the third quar ter on a 38-yard scamper by Kenny Nelson, who was set up by an interception by Tucker Caine. Nelson would wrap up the Tigers’ scoring on the defensive end with a pick-six, taking the team’s fourth interception of the night 75 yards all the way to the end zone. Maxwell was pleased with the team’s most complete defensive performance thus far. “I thought the secondary was breaking well on the ball and kept everything from getting behind [them], which is big for us,” Maxwell said. “It’s some thing to build on to keep improving.” After the win at White County, the Tigers now have a 4-2 over all record and will return home to renew a local rivalry against Pickens on Friday, Oct. 7. Tinks eating habits Everything about the family in which I grew up, was modest. Mama made her clothes and mine and, sometimes, my summer shorts or play dresses were made from leftover scraps. She was thrifty. She’d spend meticulous time, laying out a pattern on material, turning the pieces in every pos sible direction until she had decided how to position the pattern pieces to save yardage so she could make me something, too. Daddy bought a nice suit every fall and got years of wear out of his Florsheim black wingtip shoes which he kept polished and shining. I was taught to take care of the things I had. I still do. If I get a spot on the carpet or rip the hem in a dress, I repair it immediately. Until recently, I didn’t realize how modestly we ate. There was rarely junk food in our house. Potato chips or a candy bar was a rare treat as was a Coca-Cola. I grew up on milk and Kool-Aid, which was cheap because it was powder mixed with water. Every morning, Mama made a hearty breakfast as farm folks did back then. Eggs, homemade sausage, sawmill gravy and biscuits. My sister recalls that I began drinking coffee when I was 18 months old because I begged for it as I watched Mama and Daddy drink it. So, Mama would put a little coffee in my sippy cup, mix it with goodly amount of milk and sugar. I have drunk coffee almost every day of my life since. At age four, I dusted my hands of breakfast and took to drinking only coffee. From the first grade on, I’d wash my face, head to the kitchen where Mama had a cup of coffee waiting for me on the kitchen table. “Do you want anything to eat?” she’d ask, glancing over her shoulder as she stirred the flour into the skillet of sausage grease to begin the gravy. “No,” I replied, picking up the hot cup. “I’ll just have coffee.” Lunches were simple. I ate school meals or sandwich es. On Saturdays when Daddy worked the farm, he’d come in during late afternoon and Mama would make him a sandwich — one sandwich — made with a fried egg, fried boloney or fried Spam and a cup of coffee. Now, as I think back on it, I am amazed that a big, strong man like my daddy who worked as physically hard as he did, subsisted on such small meals. Suppers were equally simple. Pinto beans and corn- bread or homemade vegetable or potato soup or Mama’s canned ‘sour kraut’ with hot dogs scrambled in. Meats like roasts or fried chicken were saved for Sunday din ner. This I explain because, after many years of marriage, I am still astounded by the amount of food that John Tinker eats. And, unfairly, stays trim without exercise. I was taught to be a good Southern wife and to make delicious meals for my husband. Mine are not as simple as Mama’s. Usually, it is a hearty meat and two sides. Tink — this I appreciate much — will eat anything. He doesn’t complain about anything I cook. He just dives in. The problem is that I cannot fill his stomach up. I will spend an hour or two in the kitchen. He devours it. Then shortly, he’ll return to the kitchen. “I’m starving,” he says, opening the refrigerator door. Even if we’ve been out for a big dinner, he is eating again fairly quickly. It’s aggravating. But, lately, I’ve been studying on it and I have come to realize this: We ate like poor people because my parents had come from poor people who sometimes had only cornbread and milk to eat. Tink came from a prosperous family where they ate steaks regularly, not beanie weanies. I don’t envy the difference in our raisings, though. Quite differently. I am grateful for the modesty of mine. Ronda Rich is the best-selling author of What Southern Women Know (That Every Woman Should). Visit www.rond- arich.com to sign up for her free weekly newsletter. FROM 1B Felkai faced a stretch of 10 matches in five days earlier this season. “I was really proud of the way we came together, especially on Saturday,” Felkai said. “It [was] really exhausting... but obviously you want to win, so you’re pushing with everything you have.” While Felkai is racking up the kills this season, she has also contributed in other areas as well. On her own serve, she sometimes reverts back to her setter role while also helping out defensively when the other team is on serve. So far, she leads the team in kills and regularly aver ages double-digit totals in that category. For all of her own accomplishments, Felkai remains focused on the team’s efforts as a whole and has been impressed with how confident the whole group has become. “We understand that there is competition with every team we play and that we need to respect each opponent,” Felkai said. “But we’re coming together and truly believe there’s no team that can take us down if we’re play ing the way we need to play.” Head coach Tanya Porter has had a front-row seat to Felkai’s rise, mentioning earlier this year that Felkai’s switch over to a middle hitter position has been both impressive to watch and important for the team as a whole. “I was proud of her for making the most of it,” Porter said. “She’s used to being on the setting side of things and making every body else look good. But she can do both, which is really a great attribute for her.” As for Felkai’s leader ship, it was assistant coach Audrey Goode who summed up the senior’s imprint on the team. “We put a lot of pressure on her to make sure the [younger players] are doing what they need to do and go in the right direction,” Goode said. “She’s a great leader on the court and keeps us all focused.”
