B
Tuesday, March 23, 2021
The Observer & Baker City Herald
BETWEEN
THE ROWS
WENDY SCHMIDT
Prayer
plant an
indoor
favorite
In this time of Lent and approaching
Passover, it’s a time of introspection
and prayer. A plant present in our
house growing up had a certain rever-
ence about it, as each night without fail
it folded its leaves up as if in prayer.
Maranta leuconeura — the prayer
plant. This is a well-loved houseplant
of our grandmothers.
This plant is also called “rabbit
tracks” because of the symmetrical
pairs of dark brown spots on its green
leaves. It’s a houseplant with leafy
stems, usually 12 inches or less in
height.
Leaves of the prayer plant fold
upward at night; hence the name
“prayer plant.” Leaves are 7 to 8 inches
in length and half as wide. With the
variety “kerchoviana,” the leaf under-
sides are grayish and spotted with
red. The small fl owers are white with
purple spots.
Grow your maranta away from
direct sunlight. It must have warmth,
occasional trimming, lots of water and
regular feeding to be at its best. It’s
excellent for dish gardens, terrariums,
and shallow pots.
If you have garden comments or
questions, please write to greengar-
dencolumn@yahoo.com. Thanks for
reading!
HEALTHY, TASTY RECIPES
Battling
against the
expanding
waistline
Daniel Neman
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
My bathroom scale and I have come
to an understanding. I won’t stand on it
and hurt it anymore if it will stop telling
me my weight.
The last couple of months have been
brutal on my waistline: Valentine’s Day,
a birthday. Um, Groundhog Day. Uh,
leftovers from New Year’s Eve/Christ-
mas/Thanksgiving/Halloween. Last
Groundhog Day.
I needed a break. My scale needed a
break.
So I decided to devote a week to
healthful eating. I wanted to make
food that wasn’t just deleterious to my
health; I wanted to make food that was
actively good for me. Or at least food
that was not awash in calories.
The trick, though, was to create
dishes that had a heap of fl avor and
were not just bland and blah.
The fi rst part of the equation, the
part about the food being low in calories,
was relatively easy. I started out with
main ingredients that are relatively
low-cal to begin with — fi sh, chicken,
shrimp and a vegetarian dish featuring
lentils. I am uncommonly fond of lentils,
and they do not take long to cook.
I cooked these ingredients with as lit-
tle fat as I could get away with, and no
added sugar. I baked the fi sh, poached
the chicken and boiled the lentils and
the shrimp; each method helps keep the
weight off.
Though the presentations are
simple — no fancy sauces, except on the
chicken — they are deceptively full of
fl avor.
See Healthy/Page 2B
Abel Uribe/Chicago Tribune-TNS
Shrimp cocktail salad, prepared and styled by Shannon Kinsella.
T ASTE S PRING B REAK
W ITHOUT THE T RAVEL
Sweet potato fries make the perfect accom-
paniment to spicy fi sh sandwiches. For oven
Spring break is upon us, but a year into the fries, simply peel large sweet potatoes, slice
COVID-19 pandemic, we know that it will not them 1/2-inch thick and then cut the slices
— should not — look like it has in years past. into 1/4-inch wide sticks. Put on a baking sheet
But we need bright spots and sunshine now
with a nice coating of sunfl ower or saffl ower oil
more than ever. So this spring, we’ll travel by
and a sprinkle of salt. Bake at 375 degrees on
way of our imaginations — and taste buds.
convection, stirring often, until crispy, about 20
Let’s picture spring breaks of warm weather, minutes. A sprinkle of the seafood seasoning
beach and sand that are peppered with
that follows perks them up into a worthy side.
memories of delicious meals: The Florida Keys,
Shrimp cocktail, served with avocado and
Laguna Beach, Playa del Carmen, Lima. Let’s lime in tall glasses, conjure thoughts of beach
channel those seafood meals, ceviches on the
snacks in Cabo after a day in the sunshine.
beach, tropical fruit cocktails and roadside
Finally, let a tropical fruit smoothie trans-
treats.
port you to a tiki bar, consumed perhaps after
One of the best parts of vacation, beyond
a beachside yoga class. Later in the day, the
relaxing, sightseeing and swimming, is eat-
same smoothie deserves a hit of golden rum
ing outdoors, on a porch, sea breeze blowing
and a paper umbrella.
through your hair. While you may not get that
Spring break fare to remember. Sand and
salty ocean air in your kitchen, you can still
sun optional, but certainly welcome.
recreate those beachy vibes at home with a
seafood shack classic: the spicy fi sh sandwich. SPICY FISH AND SLAW
To cook this at home, start by looking for fi sh
options in the local market’s freezer case. The SANDWICHES
Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch app Ready in 30 minutes
20 minutes (prepare time) + 10 minutes (cook
can help you select fi sh that has been caught
(or farmed and harvested) sustainably. Choose time)
from haddock or scrod, U.S. tilapia, Pacifi c cod 4 servings
or U.S farmed bass. After thawing in the refrig-
Add a slice of crispy bacon, or ripe tomato, to
erator, season the fi llets with a spicy rub and
then broil to golden and tender before tucking these spicy fi sh sandwiches, if desired. You can
cook fi sh on a medium hot grill if desired.
into a toasted bun with a pile of spicy slaw.
JeanMarie Brownson
The Daily Meal
Instead of burger buns you could also use 8
one-inch thick slices of brioche or challah
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon thyme
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon cayenne
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/3 cup mayonnaise, plus more for buns
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
2 ½ to 3 cups fi nely shredded cabbage
(half of a 14-ounce bag)
1 large carrot, trimmed, peeled,
fi nely shaved or shredded
2 green onions, trimmed, thinly sliced
4 haddock, tilapia or cod fi llets, each at least
1-inch thick (about 1 ½ pounds total)
4 brioche or whole grain burger buns, split
Favorite spicy barbecue sauce
Olive oil
Step 1: Make Seafood rub: in a small dish,
mix 1 tablespoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon
salt, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ¼ teaspoon
each: thyme, freshly ground black pepper and
cayenne, and 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice. The
seafood rub can be made ahead and stored in a
covered container up to several weeks.
See Spring/Page 3B
The Ralston Block’s rich history
By Ginny Mammen
The last building in the 1100 block on the
south side of Adams Avenue is 1124, known
as the Ralston Block on the National Historic
Register. It is currently the home of Blue
Mountain Outfi tters on the fi rst fl oor and
apartments on the second fl oor
This two-story brick building was erected
in 1892 by Oliver and Eliza Ralston. It was
originally designed with a two-bay storefront
facing Depot Street to house Ralston and Co.
Furniture on one side as one of the earliest,
if not the fi rst, furniture store in La Grande.
The establishment on the other side was
run by Jonas M. Berry, who advertised
clothing for the whole family as well as bolt
dress goods, including cashmeres, serges,
silks, wool and two other fabrics that were
popular in the mid 19th century up until
the early 20th century, when blended fabrics
and synthetics were introduced. These two
were henriettas — fi ne woolen fabrics —
and brilliantines — lustrous cloth with silk
or cotton warp and wool or mohair weft and
known for its dust-shedding properties. J. M.
Berry remained in this location until 1908
when he and his wife moved to Portland.
Originally the second fl oor was designed
Grande Rod and Gun Club.
In 1923 the building was remodeled to
provide multiple storefronts on each facade.
The Adams Avenue frontage was occupied
by the L & L Drug Co. which had been there
for several years prior and remained until
about 1935. Later, Lawrence’s Jewelry Store
occupied this location for more than 40 years.
Oliver Ralston was born in Ohio in August
of 1841. When he was 27 he married Eliza
Slack, age 21, in Indiana where Oliver
worked as a carpenter and where their fi rst
child, Alice, was born in 1870. Ten years
later they had moved west to Coos County,
Oregon, where their second daughter, Daisy,
was born. Oliver was still working as a
carpenter.
By 1890 the family had moved to La
Grande. There is not much information avail-
Larry Fry Collection able about this family. Oliver served on the
The Ralston Block was constructed in
original City Council and it appears that he
1892 by Oliver and Eliza Ralston.
was mayor of La Grande in 1898. By 1910
they had moved to San Diego. In 1925 Oliver
for offi ces. Some of the early occupants
was living in the National Home for Disabled
were Dr. George Biggers, H. J. Jory, a civil
Soldiers and in July 1926 he died and was
engineer, La Grande Chamber of Commerce, buried in the Los Angeles National Cemetery.
Williams Brother —Lawyers and Insur-
See History/Page 2B
ance, La Grande City Attorney and the La