Happy belated Independence Day. While out taking my morning constitutional on the 4th I began happily enough to track the number of American flags being displayed by my neighbors. Some 3 and a half miles later I had noted 21 homes proudly flying Old Glory out in front. Initially I was pleased until I had a second thought. Sure in California it might do one's soul some good to find 21 neighbors flying the flag on the Fourth of July but here in red country it strikes me that we should be doing better. I reckon it was about 1 in every 5 or 6 homes that had a flag out. It should be only 1 in every 6 that DIDN'T have one.
When I was a kid it seemed like every home flew the flag. Of course now folks are too busy to be bothered. What would our Founding Fathers say to the self indulgent mass of humanity we have become? It is far more important to head to the lake toting our boat or a pair of ATVs or driving off in our motor home than it is to simply contemplate the enormous dividends we have reaped in the 229 years since that courageous gathering in Philadelphia.
Evidence of this assertion is amply provided by a recent Discovery poll conducted asking Americans who the greatest 100 Americans ever were. As it turns out a great American was indeed listed first, Ronald Reagan. However, as much as I loved Ronald Reagan I could never have listed him as superior in greatness to that American who was "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.." George Washington. Think about that for a few minutes. Besides being the Commander of the Continental Army that eventually wore down the British, besides being a delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress and being the first President, Washington was a compassionate and humble human being. Can any among you imagine where we as a nation would be now without the efforts of this most remarkable American. Each and every one of us and every American who has gone before and will come afterwards owes George Washington a debt of gratitude which cannot be calculated.
Of course the really silly aspect of the entire poll is the inclusion of people such as Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong and Muhammed Ali. Wonderful entertainers and athletes all. Now tell me what lasting impact any of them has made on America? This should speak volumes about the state of the media and our pop culture overload. Even worse is that James Madison one of the authors of the Constitution was not on the list. I cannot fathom such an egregious error on the part of a so-called educational channel like Discovery. They are either devoid of any meaningful knowledge of American History or they possess an agenda so slanted that they are shameless in its promotion. Neither alternative is particularly attractive.
On the other happy hand, I have been cooking up a storm. I know a lot of y'all probably wonder what Smilin' Paul dishes up on Independence Day. Well how about a rack of perfectly crafted spareribs accompanied by home made potato salad, grilled corn on the cob and a fresh watermelon for dessert? Of course now y'all are probably drooling for some real BBQ and I don't blame you but I've already told you folks how to smoke ribs, how to build your own electric smoker and how to make potato salad. So get all that off your mind and let's talk about grits. Yep, grits. You probably know some snotty folks wouldn't get within a mile of a grit much less a bowl full of them. These same hypocrites would be the first in line at a polenta eating contest.
Anyhow you're probably wondering where I'm going with this. Last week I got a hankering for some bangers and mash so I went home and made my own, Southern style bangers and mash. Of course I replaced the bangers with grilled Louisiana Hot Links and instead of mashed potatos I whipped up a batch of Roasted Chile and Cheddar Grits. Oh my goodness...it was delicious. Cheese grits are wonderful to begin with, adding a little zip with roasted chiles just really brings it home so here is a wonderful supper side...
3/4 cup grits
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
5 oz can of condensed milk
1 tbsp of roasted green chiles, diced
1/3 cup of butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups water
1/8 tsp of ground black pepper
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the grits in the water per the instructions on the package. Once they are cooked stir in the butter and condensed milk, mixing well. Now slowly stir in 1 1/2 cup of the cheddar and the chiles and pepper. Lastly, stir in the eggs. Do this slowly. If you add them all at once and the mixture is too hot you'll end up with scrambled egg chile cheese grits. Now grease a casserole dish and pour the mixture into it and top it with the remaining cheese. Bake it for 35-40 minutes or so until it's golden brown on top and slightly puffy. Let is stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This dish will go with anything you would traditionally serve corn alongside. Now good eatin' on ya!!
Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family
When I was a kid it seemed like every home flew the flag. Of course now folks are too busy to be bothered. What would our Founding Fathers say to the self indulgent mass of humanity we have become? It is far more important to head to the lake toting our boat or a pair of ATVs or driving off in our motor home than it is to simply contemplate the enormous dividends we have reaped in the 229 years since that courageous gathering in Philadelphia.
Evidence of this assertion is amply provided by a recent Discovery poll conducted asking Americans who the greatest 100 Americans ever were. As it turns out a great American was indeed listed first, Ronald Reagan. However, as much as I loved Ronald Reagan I could never have listed him as superior in greatness to that American who was "first in war, first in peace and first in the hearts of his countrymen.." George Washington. Think about that for a few minutes. Besides being the Commander of the Continental Army that eventually wore down the British, besides being a delegate from Virginia to the Continental Congress and being the first President, Washington was a compassionate and humble human being. Can any among you imagine where we as a nation would be now without the efforts of this most remarkable American. Each and every one of us and every American who has gone before and will come afterwards owes George Washington a debt of gratitude which cannot be calculated.
Of course the really silly aspect of the entire poll is the inclusion of people such as Oprah Winfrey, Lance Armstrong and Muhammed Ali. Wonderful entertainers and athletes all. Now tell me what lasting impact any of them has made on America? This should speak volumes about the state of the media and our pop culture overload. Even worse is that James Madison one of the authors of the Constitution was not on the list. I cannot fathom such an egregious error on the part of a so-called educational channel like Discovery. They are either devoid of any meaningful knowledge of American History or they possess an agenda so slanted that they are shameless in its promotion. Neither alternative is particularly attractive.
On the other happy hand, I have been cooking up a storm. I know a lot of y'all probably wonder what Smilin' Paul dishes up on Independence Day. Well how about a rack of perfectly crafted spareribs accompanied by home made potato salad, grilled corn on the cob and a fresh watermelon for dessert? Of course now y'all are probably drooling for some real BBQ and I don't blame you but I've already told you folks how to smoke ribs, how to build your own electric smoker and how to make potato salad. So get all that off your mind and let's talk about grits. Yep, grits. You probably know some snotty folks wouldn't get within a mile of a grit much less a bowl full of them. These same hypocrites would be the first in line at a polenta eating contest.
Anyhow you're probably wondering where I'm going with this. Last week I got a hankering for some bangers and mash so I went home and made my own, Southern style bangers and mash. Of course I replaced the bangers with grilled Louisiana Hot Links and instead of mashed potatos I whipped up a batch of Roasted Chile and Cheddar Grits. Oh my goodness...it was delicious. Cheese grits are wonderful to begin with, adding a little zip with roasted chiles just really brings it home so here is a wonderful supper side...
3/4 cup grits
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
5 oz can of condensed milk
1 tbsp of roasted green chiles, diced
1/3 cup of butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 cups water
1/8 tsp of ground black pepper
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
Cook the grits in the water per the instructions on the package. Once they are cooked stir in the butter and condensed milk, mixing well. Now slowly stir in 1 1/2 cup of the cheddar and the chiles and pepper. Lastly, stir in the eggs. Do this slowly. If you add them all at once and the mixture is too hot you'll end up with scrambled egg chile cheese grits. Now grease a casserole dish and pour the mixture into it and top it with the remaining cheese. Bake it for 35-40 minutes or so until it's golden brown on top and slightly puffy. Let is stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving. This dish will go with anything you would traditionally serve corn alongside. Now good eatin' on ya!!
Smilin' Paul Villa U.S. Senate 2010
cyber-Congressman, R-Reno
Proud Member of the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy and 2 SUV Family
posted by Smilin' Paul Villa | 4:17 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home