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About The Chronicle : Creswell & Cottage Grove. (Creswell, Ore.) 2019-current | View Entire Issue (May 7, 2020)
THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2020 community MERRYDAY from 16 Nutritionally Speaking has reopened the tree debris drop-off area behind Dari- Mart. This option got quite a workout dur ing the Snowmageddon of last year. Already the limb mountain is getting pretty high and start- ing on Thursday, there will be curbside limb pickup. It will run through May. Remember not to put your debris in the intersections and please point the butt ends of branches in the fl ow of traffi c. If you are in the 60-plus age bracket you should have received a mailer from the city that has a passel of list- ings of interest to our senior population. Since you are being heavily encouraged to stay home and stay safe, this mailer was prepared espe- cially to point you toward resources to help you with food, senior shopping hours, transportation, and counsel- ing. One of the best features is a hotline number for Cottage Grove Mutual Aide. This group of volunteers is standing by to make sure you are getting what you need. So if you need something picked up, delivered, facili- tated, or just need an ear to hear you out, they would love to hear from you. Please give them a call at 541-649-2460, neighbors helping neighbors. Here are a couple more id e a s for a ssist a nc e. Although the Community Center is closed, the phone lines are open. Give Teresa Cowen a call and she will try and connect you to who can help you or answer your question. Another resource is an old favorite, “Around the Grove,” a compilation by Cindy Weeldreyer. If you are not already a subscriber send an email to AroundTheGroveNews@ gmail.com or cindy@knnd. com. You can also send submis- sions to either email address. There is a wealth of I heard a novel and joyous aspect of how special Cottage Grove is as a community. Not only have people come together to make sure everyone is cared for, as is to be expected in a close-knit town like this, but Councilor Mike Fleck, Director of Community Sharing, touchingly related that in this time of need he has received several stimulus checks, sent in as a donation by folks who felt they were doing okay on their own and wanted to see the money go to people who were having a harder time. Now that is what makes this a truly special place to live. Stay safe everyone, treat yourself and others well and help as you can. Dana Merryday can be reached at 541-942-7037 and dana_merryday@yahoo.com THE CHRONICLE — 17 COMMUNITY Happy Mother’s Day, Mom! I t’s been 10 years now pondered and would often that I can’t just give my say, when it felt right (for a mom a call, to say “hi,” pastry dough) or tasted great to get a recipe or share an (for a seasoning), so I always experience. I always miss did my best to approximate, usually with success. her the most in May. She always told me I was her During my many years as nutritional health coach best Mother’s Day gift at Natural Grocers I was (don’t tell my sister). charged with offering cook- She went into labor on Mother’s Day, and after ing demonstrations, and a couple of miscarriages at fi rst struggled to strictly her fi rstborn, me, arrived YAAKOV LEVINE follow the instructions on the scene. created for my use. I found My mom, Margaret, but known to myself channeling my mom’s kitchen most as Margie, was a great cook. energy, so she was with me as I shared She emigrated from Hungary with recipes with my classes. She would have her family as a 9-year-old and learned been proud! This easy chicken paprikash is made from her mother and grandmother and preserved their culinary traditions. with chicken, peppers, onions, garlic, Often when I called her to ask for a stock, sour cream, and, of course, recipe … it was hard for her to give paprika. It is important to use fresh, an exact amount of each ingredient to high-quality paprika for this recipe. add … I would hear her hmmm as she It’s traditional to use sweet Hungarian paprika. If you enjoy spicy food, you could try replacing 1 tsp of the paprika with hot Hungarian paprika. Paprika can go fl at or tasteless if it is too old. So check your paprika fi rst, before starting this dish and make sure it’s still fresh. Yaakov Levine is a functional nutri- tional therapy practitioner. He can be reached at nutrionallyspeaking@ gmail.com Hungarian Chicken Paprikash Tips Sear the chicken – Searing the chicken (which means cooking the food at high temperature until a caramelized crust forms) adds a lot of fl avor and produces a more complex sauce. •Saute the paprika with the vegetables for a couple of minutes – toasting the paprika in high heat helps the paprika develop a full fl avor, adding complexity and depth to the spice. •Use fresh good quality paprika – my mom only used Szeged brand; I use organic. Ingredients • 1.5lbs chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper • 2 Tbsp Hungarian paprika (extra for seasoning chicken) • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (more is fi ne) • 1 large onion, thinly sliced • 1 large red bell pepper, thinly sliced • 4 cloves garlic, minced • 1 cup chicken stock • ½ cup sour cream Instructions • In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat. Season chicken on both sides with salt, pepper and sweet Hungarian paprika, and add to the skillet. Cook without moving the chicken pieces for about 4 minutes per side and fl ip them over, and cook for another 3-4 minutes, or until cooked through. When chicken is done, transfer to a plate. • In the same skillet, add more olive oil and sliced onion and red bell pepper. Cook for a few minutes until the vegetables are soft, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Season with salt, pepper and sweet Hungarian paprika to taste, and saute the vegetables for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. • Add chicken stock, sour cream (optional) and stir well. • Add chicken to the skillet and stir everything. Reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer for about 10 minutes until fl avors blend and sauce thickens. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed. • While the chicken paprikash is cooking, cook rice or egg noodles. • Serve chicken paprikash over rice or egg noodles. The present refl ects the past Civic Improvement Club was meeting at members’ homes. Its membership continued to grow and it In 1920, the Creswell needed a larger space. So, in 1927 the club purchased Civic Improvement Club the building on South 2nd (CCIC) recorded that its February meeting was post- and D streets that had most poned “on account of the recently been a Baptist church, but was also used flu ban.” I reflect on that simple sentence and wonder by the Red Cross during how Creswell was affected World War I. They remod- during the devastating 1918- VERLEAN McCOY eled it into their clubhouse 1920 Spanish fl u epidemic. and referred to it as “The GUEST COLUMN In the same minutes, “Sunshine Club” or “The Civic.” We Committee reported several calls and know it as the Old Schoolhouse or the delicacies for the ill and shut-ins.” This Old Library. is a common monthly report, along with It was a two-story building when it was built in 1875 as Creswell’s fi rst “Condolences were sent to ...” One hundred years later, Creswell is school on the northeast corner of 5th again under a “fl u ban” and its citizens Street and Oregon Avenue. We know are calling and watching out for the ill that the roof was lowered after a fi re in and shut-ins. And sending condolences. the second story and that a new school I wonder how this period will be viewed was built in 1897 north of the fi rst. No by citizens 100 years from now. Time written record of the fi re has been found marches on and we are connected by nor a written record of when it was common experiences to those who came moved to its current location. before and those who will follow. While it was “The Civic,” in addi- During those years, the Creswell tion to being the base for many ambi- Edidtor’s note: May is Na t i o n a l H is t o r ic Preservation month. You could be missing out on benefits like: $0 Copays, $0 Deductibles $0 Premiums 877.545.0697 TTY 711 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Eastern, Monday to Friday Call now to speak with a licensed agent! easyMedicare is an affiliate of e-TeleQuote Insurance, Inc., a private licensed representative of Medicare insurance organizations with a Medicare contract. easyMedicare is not affiliated with or acting on behalf of any government agency or program. Prescription, dental, hearing and vision benefits are not guaranteed, are only available in select plans and are not available in every state or zip code. The product described in this advertisement is a Medicare Advantage Plan with Part D prescription drug coverage and may not be available in your area. Your eligibility is not guaranteed. This is not a complete listing of plans available in your service area. For a complete listing, please contact 1-800-Medicare (TTY users should call 1-877-486-2048), 24 hours a day/7 days a week or consult www.Medicare.gov. This information is not a complete description of benefits. Contact the plan for more information. Limitations, copayments and restrictions may apply. Benefits, premiums and/or member cost-share may change on January 1 of each year. You must continue to pay your Medicare Part B premium. tious community projects, it housed a community library under the supervi- sion of a librarian appointed by the Club. Over time, the library became the most important service of the Club, but their membership dwindled and they found it hard to maintain the building. In 1979, the library became a branch of a short-lived Lane County Library Association, which ended in 1988. Volunteers continued to operate the library until a tax-supported library district was created in 2004 and the library moved in 2006. The building has been vacant since then. In 2017, the Creswell Heritage Foundation was organized with its fi rst goal the preservation of the old school- house/old library. A restored “Civic” will once again be a public meeting place, honoring the legacy of the Ladies of the Club and serving as a refl ection of the past. Information about the restoration will be in a later article in the “May is Historic Preservation Month” series. Verlean McCoy is the president of the Creswell Historical Foundation. GIVEBUTTER.COM/CHRONICLE1909.COMSUPPORTFUND