Old books and the plight of American veterans

Yesterday I picked up an old book from a box of old books that had been rescued from an old farm out building, a corn crib to be exact, that was due for demolition.  My wife, ever industrious and thrifty, was given the opportunity to salvage the wood from this century-old structure for re-use.  Since many of these older farm buildings here in the Olde Dominion were constructed from virgin timber and rough milled nearby to where they were constructed, such opportunities are hard to pass up.  The old corn crib timber was used to construct a hen house that may well last another half century or more.  But I digress.  Inside the old corn crib was a treasure trove of neat old books, secured within a large cabinet.  The last owner of these books had been a history teacher in Stafford County and shared an interest in American history with me.  Had Stephanie not rescued the old books they would have been burned with the remnants of the other old farm buildings to make room for the new construction that was going in.  Unfortunately, "rescue", for most of these books, was defined as a box in my old garage.  So they went from one old farm outbuilding to another.  Some of the more interesting books that caught our eye came quickly into the house to sit on the shelves with other books, both old and new, but most languished outside unnoticed unless or until a reason to root through a box presented itself.  I love old books.  Call it a sickness.  Walking into a library or a used bookstore reflects a element of heaven for me.  I'm sure the streets of heaven are paved with gold and lead to libraries full of ancient manuscripts and cartoon books of Calvin and Hobbes.  I enjoy the musty smell of old books.  Like I said, it's a sickness.  The one I picked up is a perfect example.  It was published in 1947 (third printing), its dust jacket is best described as tattered and worn.  The pages are all intact and the very edges are yellowed from the many years of storage in corn cribs and garages.  It is complete, clear, readable, musty, and very enjoyable.  A brand new printing of the same book would not bring me nearly as much joy.

The book I picked up is book by Bill Mauldin, the WW2 cartoonist for Stars & Stripes, the US Military newspaper.  Mauldin's characters Willie and Joe are depicted throughout the stages of their induction, training, overseas combat tours and, eventually, through the reintegration and discharge process at the end of WW2.  Mauldin's dry, irreverent sense of humor speaks to today's military generation just as it did in WW2.  The first page I flipped open to has a cartoon drawing depicting a newly discharged GI standing by the side of the road with his thumb out.  Two cars are shown.  One zips past the GI without pausing.  That car is labeled, "John Q Public", and the other is an old jalopy driven by an older man who stops, opens the door and says, "Hop in, kid. I'll take ya any place ya wanna go," and is labeled " Professional Veterans Organizers". 

As a veteran of Iraq I stopped and stared at this depiction of theWW2 veteran's plight in America.  Even the Greatest Generation, the WW2 vets who fought the evil empires of Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan, felt as we do.  I have often regarded the complete lack of participation by "John Q Public" in the wars we are fighting and have been fighting since 9/11.  No doubt, we are fighting the evil empire of Global terrorism and Islamic extremism.  And yet, the recent elections brought clearly to light the fact that the average American is not remotely involved or invested in the wars we are fighting, in spite of the lives lost and damaged by these conflicts fought on their behalf.  Those who are invested either are in the military or have a loved one in the military.  Most of us have experienced multiple deployments to war zones.  Yet the average American is not more concerned about the war than they are about the daily events in their lives.  The left will always have an excuse to blame the wars for the national debt while ignoring the failed tax and spend policies that put the debt out of control long before 9/11.  Those on the right, while looking to reduce the national debt, are pondering the costs associated with veterans' programs and see them as a fiscal burden along with Social Security and Medicare.

During WW2 American households suffered and sacrificed to support the war effort.  The country's industrial base was turned from consumer goods to war material.  IBM manufactured small arms, GM and Ford manufactured tanks and military trucks.  The textile mills of America focused on producing uniforms and tents.  Gasoline was rationed and cars could only be driven on "A" days or "B" days.  Meat, milk and cigarettes were in short supply.  Victory Gardens were the standard for American families looking to supplement the food on their tables.  The draft took every able bodied male into military service.  American housewives went to work in the factories and government offices.  In short, life was hard and not just for GIs and the ones they left behind.  Everyone felt it and the average American was motivated to see the war come to a successful end, not just take the fiscal monkey off their backs and get back to consuming Chinese imports.  There were drives to collect scrap metal and rubber to be recycled into war material.  Being fit and not serving in the military was a disgrace.  Being unfit and not serving was still a disgrace.  Many men would lie about their age and their fitness level so they could serve.  Today, 1% of Americans serve in the wartime military.  Employers fire their Reserve and National Guard employees who get deployed.  There is a cottage legal industry that teaches employers how to do away with the positions of mobilized reservists so the government cannot sue the employer.  There are no rations of gasoline or "A" and "B" days, but the price of Middle Eastern gasoline is a major point of discussion and frustration while the wounded warriors among us go largely unnoticed.  Some Americans sacrifice by spending a couple of dollars on a bumper sticker to support the troops.  The American government has done a piss poor job, as have the various veteran's organizations, of telling the American people HOW to support the troops. 

I guess my point is that few Americans seem to be involved in the war effort or care about the troops, in spite of the rhetoric.  For all of those who do care, I thank you.  Your prayers and support are felt.

Stuffed Bell Peppers

This year we have bell peppers growing in the garden, along with Ancho Chilies, Red Chilies, and Jalapenos.  We have red, yellow, and green bell peppers.  I recently fixed a batch of stuffed green bell peppers and was asked for the recipe.  So I guess this blog is turning into a recipe and food blog.  So much for religion and politics for the moment.  I'm too disgusted with politics and religion takes too long to express adequately, so maybe food is the best subject for this medium at the moment.

The basic ingredients for this recipe are:

• 6 large, ripe bell peppers (7 total, see below) with symmetrical  bottoms so they will stand up in a pan - color of your choosing 
• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1.5 cups of rice
• 3 cups of water
• unsalted butter or margarine as you prefer
• enough extra virgin olive oil to lightly coat your skillet bottom
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 bell pepper, diced
• 1 eight oz can of tomato sauce
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1 can of mild Rotel tomatoes with chili
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 large slices of mozzarella cheese to top the peppers  

To get your peppers to the desired ripeness (is that a word in English?) pick or buy them a few days prior to using them and let them sit before stuffing them.  When their skin is just starting to pucker they are ready.  Cut the tops off of your peppers and remove the seeds and white innards.  Retain the pepper tops and trim the excess from the bottoms.  Set them aside.  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Boil 3 cups of water in a sauce pan, add butter or margarine and salt to taste.  Add your rice and simmer while you Saute your onion an garlic in the olive oil.  Add a little black pepper.  Once the onion is translucent, add the diced bell pepper and saute a few minutes, until wilted.  Add your ground beef and brown with the vegetables.  Drain any excess fat from the beef.  Add the Rotels, tomato sauce and the tomato paste.  Mix the ingredients together and simmer until the rice is done.  Once the rice is done, add rice to the mix until the mixture is pleasantly mixed to your desired consistency.  I know, that is a cop out.  Here is the key: don't over-do the rice.  You want a mixture of about 50% rice or slightly less.  You will probably have some rice left over.  Don't panic.  There is nothing "Hard and Fast" about this recipe.  Modify it for your taste and your family's.  Use the extra rice in your boudin sausage or feed it to the chickens.

Place your peppers in a baking pan and fill them with the meat and rice mixture.  Pack them full, don't be e'skeered.  Reserve the pepper tops aside.  Place your stuffed peppers into the oven and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.  At 45 minutes, remove the pan, place a slice of mozzarella on each so that it will melt over the top and down the sides.  Place the pepper tops on top of the cheese and put the peppers back in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and starting to brown.  Remove the peppers and serve on a plate with a glass of sangria by candlelight while listening to Nora Jones' "Shoot the Moon."  

Squirrel & Dumplings

A Grey Squirrel Awaiting His Culinary Debut

A combination of a rediscovered love for hunting squirrels, my friend's desire to rid his property of fruit tree raiders and my dad's visit caused me to take a handful of squirrels I had in the freezer and whip up a game recipe that my dad has not enjoyed since he was a teenager in Florida.  Squirrel is a plentiful and pleasant game meat.  When I was a teenager in Florida we would spend days in the woods hunting and eating what we killed.  Most often, it was the ubiquitous tree rodent.  Cleaned and roasted on a spit over a camp fire sounds very romantic and appetizing to those who haven't done it.  Eaten in this fashion squirrel is as tough as an old tire and almost as tasty.  There are better ways to prepare it in the field, but this recipe is about the kitchen, or at least a hunting camp with some amenities.

The basic ingredients of this recipe are:

• 4 good sized squirrels, cleaned and quartered.  
• 1/2 gallon of buttermilk
• salt and pepper to taste
• biscuit mix for 9 biscuits (I use Bisquick but you can substitute biscuits from scratch or your favorite mix) 
• 2 cubes of beef bullion 
• 1 drained can of peas and 1 of corn, if you like

Soak your squirrel in buttermilk overnight, covered, in the refrigerator.  Retain the unused buttermilk for your biscuit mix.  In a large Dutch oven add the squirrel, the beef bullion and cover with water.  Boil the squirrel a long time, at least an hour, probably more, until the meat is tender and ready to fall off the bone.  Remove the squirrel and strip the meat from the bones.  I have found that you end up with small bone in your meal even when you are very careful, so pick carefully and eat carefully.  Be especially careful if you hunt with a shotgun to ensure you get all the shot out.  I use a .22 rifle, so I seldom have that problem.  Strain the broth through a fine, mesh strainer and return to the Dutch oven.  Bring the broth back to a boil while you prepare your biscuit mix substituting buttermilk for milk.  Form the dough into golf ball sized balls.  Once your dough is ready and your broth is boiling, carefully drop your dumplings into the broth, reduce heat to medium, cover, and boil for 15 minutes.  Watch carefully because the dough will cause the broth to form a thick froth of yummy goodness, which can overflow.  I usually vent the lid by placing it slightly to one side to reduce over-frothing and mess.  Stirring occasionally also helps.  This part of the process adds the thick sauce that gives the meal its heartiness.  After 15 minutes add the meat back to the pot, add the peas and corn, and simmer for 20-25 minutes.  Serve with cornbread, black-eyed peas and rice and a large glass of sweet tea in a quart Mason jar.