All in Columns

Tammy Kelly: Don’t Toss Your Fall Decorations – Cook Them!!!

I love Fall decorating, the colors, the use of fresh materials, all of it, but it’s really sad that one of the most nutritious fall vegetables is often only used for decoration and often overlooked for a healthy addition to your menu!! Besides being great for decorating, and the only vegetable that is carved and lit up, this low-calorie squash is rich in potassium and loaded with beta-carotene (a powerful antioxidant), and its natural sweetness brings flavor to baked goods without any added guilt.

Cooking with Tammy: The Teal Pumpkin Project

Celebrating Happy Halloween next week means a week full of sweet treats and candies. Certainly, one night a year it’s okay to splurge, but if you are hosting your own Halloween party here are some spooky treats that will make Halloween safe for those suffering from severe food allergies!

Reece Gardner: Everyday is a gift

Today I want to talk about TIME, which is a very interesting thing. We can't stop it, slow it down, turn it off, or even adjust it, and we certainly can't bring it back. Yesterday is gone, and tomorrow is uncertain. We may look ahead to a full year's block of time, but we really have no guarantee that we will experience any of it.

After attending funerals, my mother used to say, "Give me my flowers while I live." I came to understand that she meant to treat her with love and kindness and respect while she could hear and see her flowers. The loved ones lying in the caskets could not see all the beautiful floral arrangements stretched across the front of the church or chapel.

Reece Gardner: Count your blessings

Life is a gift, so before we say an unkind word we need to think about those who can't speak; Before we complain about the taste of our food, we need to think about those who have nothing to eat; Before we complain about our companion, we need to think of someone who is crying out to God FOR a companion; Today, before we complain about life, we need to think about someone who went too early to Heaven; Before we complain about the distance we have to drive, we need to think of someone who has to walk that distance;

Mike Parker: CSS Neuse II holds ‘Breakfast’ on Saturday, October 16, 2021

For the second time this year, the CSS Neuse Foundation is hosting “Breakfast on the Boat.” The event will begin around 7 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 16 at the CSS Neuse II, the replica gunboat. As usual, “Breakfast on the Boat” features scrambled eggs, bacon, link sausage, grits, biscuits, and a beverage. All foods except biscuits are prepared on the grounds next to the CSS Neuse II. Tables will afford social distancing.

Tammy Kelly: Fall casserole round up

Casseroles, in America, represent the efficient, inexpensive, one-dish meal, made to stretch ingredients and feed a lot of folks! They are almost always easy to fix and serve and are known as great comfort foods. When casseroles first became popular many were not the healthiest option but today there are some great recipes to choose from that are super great for your family’s healthy meal plan!!

Reece Gardner: Three situations we face today

Folks, we all want to be positive in our outlook on life, and indeed there is a lot to be positive about, locally, Statewide, and nationally. But some things have occurred on the national and international scene during the past 9 months that in many ways are puzzling and hard to understand.

John Hood: We All Win When We Argue

In the England of the early 20th century, there were no two writers more dissimilar than G.K. Chesterton and George Bernard Shaw. Chesterton was a conservative who wrote literary essays, a long-running newspaper column, and the popular Father Brown series of detective stories. Shaw was a socialist whose famous plays include Man and Superman, Saint Joan, and Pygmalion, from which the popular musical My Fair Lady was later adapted.

Mike Parker: Beware latest Medicare scam – and hang up

Telemarketing crooks have developed a new way to attempt to scam people on Medicare. I was unaware of this scam until I answered a call that my caller ID identified as “N Carolina Call.” The woman on the line said she was from Medicare and was calling to see if I had received my new secure Medicare card. According to the caller, the new card was green – and was microchip-enabled to prevent scams. Of course, she said she needed to verify some of my information.