THE PRESS AND PAULA DEEN - SOAPBOX July 1, 2013

By Charlie Daniels

American Patriot and famous Country Western Singer

I think that if anything exemplifies the overt prejudice and determination of the American media to report only the news that suits their social and political interests and concept of what does and does not fit their agenda, it’s the totally overblown coverage of something Paula Deen said 20 years ago, and some party she planned that she wanted to resemble a plantation scene featuring black male waiters in period dress.

If Hollywood plans a movie featuring black waiters in a plantation scene or portray women as prostitutes or cast minorities in caricature roles does the media get upset and start calling the movie moguls racists?

Is there any grown person who could truthfully declare under oath that they have never uttered something that someone might find personally offensive?

“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”

Do the twenty-year-old words of a lady with a television cooking show trump the lie an Attorney General told Congress, or officials at the IRS usurping the rights of the American public and pleading the fifth amendment when confronted about it or the hiding of the facts surrounding the murder of four Americans at a Consulate in Libya or the incredibly shabby image of a president taking a one hundred million dollar vacation in this economy while closing down tours of the White House or the NSA invasion on the privacy of millions of unsuspecting citizens?

I think not, and yet these and other stories of the utmost importance were either ignored or given a back seat to the Paula Deen story which, when taken in context with the high level scandals, Putin's snubbing of an American president, the potentially explosive situations in so much of the world the story was certainly not newsworthy enough to be featured five nights in a row on network news.

Wouldn't a weeklong investigation into the life of Lois Lerner, the things she's done and the reason she's pleading the fifth be more meaningful to the American people?

What about what's going on in Israel? The media has been strangely quiet on that front lately, is there nothing worth reporting in that volatile part of the world?

How about the coming catastrophic tidal wave the effect of Obamacare is going to have on America, is there nothing worth questioning in the over 30,000 pages of regulations?

How about the fact that due to federal over regulation it's nearly impossible to live in the U.S. without breaking some law?

How about the Christian pastor who is being held in one of the worst hell hole prisons in the world in Iran for nothing more than sharing his faith?

How about a whole way of life that's being destroyed in West Virginia by the president's war on coal?

I think you get the picture.

No wonder the mainstream media has fallen so far in the trust of the American people.

Why is the Paula Deen story worth so much airtime if not to take attention off the truly important issue, the life changing things that really affect the lives of Americans?

The news is not about news anymore. It's about protecting some people, destroying others and shoving a socialist agenda down the collective throats of America.

What do you think?

Pray for our troops and the peace of Jerusalem.

God Bless America,

Charlie Daniels

National Grits Day

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By Diane Forrest

As a true Southerner, I take pride in my grits.  That reminds me of a scene in the movie My Cousin Vinny.  Where a New York lawyer goes to Alabama to represent his cousin who is being charged with murder.  The following is a sample of that scene:

Gambini: Well how much time was they in the store?

Tipton: Five minutes.

Gambini: Five minutes? Are you sure? Did you look at your watch?

Tipton: No.

Gambini: Oh, oh, oh, I'm sorry, you testified earlier that the boys went into the store and you had just begun to make breakfast. You were just ready to eat. You heard a gunshot. That's right, I'm sorry. So obviously it takes you five minutes to make breakfast.

Tipton: That's right.

Gambini: Right, so you knew that. Uh, do you remember what you had?

Tipton: Eggs and grits.

Gambini: Eggs and grits. I like grits too. How do you cook your grits? You like 'em regular, creamy, or al dente?

Tipton: Just regular, I guess.

Gambini: Regular. Instant grits?

Tipton: No self-respecting southerner uses instant grits. I take pride in my grits.

Gambini: So, Mr. Tipton, how could it take you five minutes to cook your grits, when it takes the entire grit-eating world 20 minutes?

Tipton: I don't know. I'm a fast cook, I guess.

Gambini: I'm sorry; I was all the way over here. I couldn't hear you. Did you say you're a fast cook? That's it?! Are we to believe that boiling waters soaks into grit faster in your kitchen than on any place on the face of the earth?!

Tipton: I don't know.

Gambini: Well perhaps the laws of physics cease to exist on your stove! Were these magic grits? I mean, did you buy them from the same guy who sold Jack his beanstalk beans?!

D.A. Trotter: Objection, Your Honor!

Judge Haller: Objection sustained.

Gambini: Are you sure about that five minutes?

Tipton: I don't know.

Judge Haller: Mr. Tipton you can ignore the question.

Gambini: Are you sure about that five minutes?

Tipton: I don't know.

Judge Haller: Mr. Gambini, I think you've made your point.

Gambini: Are you sure about that five minutes?!!

Tipton: I may have been mistaken.

Gambini: I got no more use for this guy.

Rosenstein: [to his counsel] You're fired.

[Pointing to Gambini] I want him!

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Grits are a Native American dish made from ground corn and hominy.  They are cooked in boiling water, for 15 to 20 minutes until thick.  They are mainly eaten for breakfast, but are sometimes served as a side dish with other meals.  They can be served with just butter, or you can add cheese, gravy, sugar and sausage.  I prefer to add sugar with mine, makes it taste like Cream of Wheat.  But I also love Cheese Grits.  It is more of a casserole.  When my father has lunch at his weekly Rotary meeting, they occasionally have a dish called Grits and Grillades {pronounced GREE-ahds}.  This dish is found on the menu at debutante balls and definitely a staple at Mardi Gras, is a dish of smothered beef, slow simmered in a roux and tomato base, though the name literally translated actually means grilled. Made with just about any kind of beef, and sometimes even with pork or veal, and is served over cheese grits.  Here is Paula Deen's recipee from the foodnetwork.com.

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Today is National Grits day.  You don't have to be Southern to enjoy them, even though every time I see the word grits, I think of "Girls raised in the south"!   Grits are delicious and will fill you up for a great way to start the day, or a great ending to.  Enjoy some Grits today!

Grits and Gillades by Paula Deen

Ingredients

1 (3-pound) chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces

Kosher salt

Black pepper

Garlic powder

Cooking spray

1/3 cup all-purpose flour, plus 1/4 cup

4 tablespoons bacon grease

4 tablespoons cooking oil

1 large bell pepper, chopped

2 medium onions, chopped

1 cup diced celery

3 large cloves garlic, minced

4 cups beef broth or water

3 bay leaves

1 teaspoon dried thyme

2 tablespoons hot sauce (recommended: Texas Pete)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dried basil

5 medium or 4 large fresh tomatoes, peeled and quartered

1 (10-ounce) can extra hot stewed tomatoes (recommended: Ro-Tel)

1/2 cup fresh chopped parsley leaves

Directions

Season beef with kosher salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Dust beef with about 1/3 cup flour and toss lightly. Spray a cast iron Dutch oven with cooking spray. Heat 4 tablespoons of bacon grease and 4 tablespoons of cooking oil (you may use all bacon grease, all solid shortening, or all cooking oil if desired). Brown meat in hot fat and remove to a large bowl using a slotted spoon. Leaving fat in Dutch oven, saute bell pepper, onions, celery, and garlic. Brown vegetables and remove to bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving fat in the pot.

Add or take away to total 3 tablespoons of fat to make your roux. To make roux, add about 1/4 cup of flour, stirring constantly and slowly until flour is a nice deep brown, being careful not to burn the flour. Slowly add 4 cups of beef broth or water and stir. Bring to a simmer and add back beef and vegetables. Add bay leaves, thyme, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, salt, dried basil and stir. Add fresh tomatoes and 1 can extra hot tomatoes. Simmer for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, remove bay leaves and stir in 1/2 cup chopped parsley. Serve over your favorite hot buttered grits.

National Deviled Eggs Day

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By Diane Forrest,

I usually try to stay out of bookstores, not because I don't like books, but because I want to buy them all!  One day I went into this great bookstore in town and saw on the shelf this great book that I had to buy for my mother.  I was so excited, I couldn't wait to give it to her, but as luck would have it, she already had it!  So she told me to keep it.  The title?  "Being Dead is No Excuse...The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral."

Having been born and raised in Mississippi, and never living anywhere else, the only customs I know of are the ones that are practiced here.  "Deviled eggs are associated so closely with death, that any time you see the egg platter out, you might as well ask "Who died?'  Most Southern families own a China Egg Platter with indentions for deviled eggs.  For some reason, it rarely leaves the shelf unless there has been a death. "

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I always look forward to Easter because I know there will be ham, potato salad and deviled eggs from the boiled eggs the Easter Bunny hid.   The recipe is very simple.  I don’t have one written, but I found one from Paula Deen that I will share with you.  I think it is mostly just a preference of taste, I like mine with a lot of mayonnaise and a little mustard, salt, pepper and pickle relish.  My mother doesn't use as much mayonnaise, so they are a little dryer.  You can also use dill pickle relish or sweet pickle relish, I like both, so it’s really just a matter of choice. The hardest part is cutting the egg in half and removing the yolk.  You want to be careful not to tear the formed "cup" in the egg white, because you will need it to be attached to refill with the yolk mixture.  If they break, it doesn’t matter, just chop the whole thing up and put it in the potato salad.

The second most important part about deviled eggs is the platter they are served on.  The eggs are slippery, so if you place them on a regular plate, they will all slide to the center, and are hard to pick up.  The egg plate has indentions around the edge for the egg to sit in.  They normally hold 12 devil egg halves, and can be very beautiful and expensive, to simple and plain.  I have a few egg plates that I just love, and I have been looking for one for my mother's Christmas present this year.

The best thing about deviled eggs is you can make as many or as few as you need.  You can just boil one egg or a dozen.  So today, on National Deviled Egg day, why not fix some for yourself or your family, you don't have to wait for Easter or a funeral.

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Paula Deen's Deviled Eggs

Ingredients

• 7 large eggs, hard boiled and peeled
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sweet pickle relish
• 1 teaspoon prepared mustard
• Salt and pepper, for taste
• Paprika, for garnishing
• Sweet gherkin pickles sliced, for garnishing
• Pimentos, for garnishing

Directions

• Halve 7 eggs lengthwise. Remove yolks and place in a small bowl.
• Mash yolks with a fork and stir in mayonnaise, pickle relish, and mustard.
• Add salt and pepper, to taste.
• Fill egg whites evenly with yolk mixture.
• Garnish with paprika, pickles and pimentos.
• Store covered in refrigerator.