Houston County Living

Fall

36 Full of Flavor

Fall ushers in the holiday season around Houston County

When June hits Christina usually begins telling me, “Fall is my favorite time of year.”

That’s great and all, but I have to remind her we have 5 1/2 months of summer before we can enjoy our two days of fall we get before winter arrives.

Fall, of course, is cooler and she notes the changing of the leaves, but there’s something else she always points out. The sounds and smells.

She has a better sniffer than I do and says the air smells different when fall arrives. The air is crisper, yes, but it has a “woodsier” smell. As for the sounds, that has to do with the crows. The crows grow much more vocal as the temperature goes down.

Those squawking ravens gather into their murder. Yes, that sounds odd, but that is what a group of crows is called, a murder. I guess they plan out their day’s events and get their marching orders.

As for me, there are a few different things I enjoy about the autumn months. Football is one. I love watching football, whether it’s college, high school or the NFL. Football just goes with the season. The food gets a little tastier. I am not a big fan of the grilled foods. I prefer the thick stews and hearty dishes that stick to your ribs.

Fall also ushers in the holiday season. I don’t count Halloween; it has become a celebration of the demonic of which I will have no part. But, I do look forward to Thanksgiving and its lead up to the Christmas season.

There’s a couple other thing fall brings us – festivals and hunting season. Grapeland’s Peanut Festival kicks things off in October; Christmas in Crockett is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving and Christmas in Kennard in early December.

The Peanut Festival serves as a time of class reunions and family get-togethers. The kids get to play and ride carnival rides while adults browse through the arts and crafts exhibits. The food… Oh my, that has to be the best part. Everyone loves fair food, whether it’s a fresh and hot funnel cake or a foot-long corndog hand-dipped and fried right before your watering eyes.

The smells are glorious and so are the memories.

Christmas in Crockett kicks off the holiday season in Houston County and helps folks get a head start on their holiday shopping.

I almost forgot, there’s one other thing that sets autumn apart – deer season. There always are a lot of deer-lease widows this time of year, but more and more women are getting involved in the hunt. So, whether it’s by bow or rifle, there are a lot of hunters who make their way to Houston County to take home some of our wildlife.

With thousands of acres available to lease and the ample lands set aside for hunting in the Davy Crockett National Forest, there is no shortage of local hunting opportunities.

There are many wild game ranches across Houston County; along with many other places that lease land for hunting and still others that offer weekend and guided hunts. Just about anything a sportsman could want.

There also are many ancillary businesses related to hunting and fishing. We focus on some in this issue of Houston County Living. So, whether you like the outdoors, cooler weather, festivals, or something else, we have a little something for everybody in this edition.

L. Wayne Stewart is the pastor of Grapeland Baptist Church and former editor of Texas Farm & Home Magazine, along with his wife Christina. HCL

Breaking Clays

at Houston County 4H Youth Shooting Sports

Sportsmanship is the name of the game

For almost 30 years Houston County Youth Shooting Sports has fostered a love of shotgun shooting sports through its 4H program. Over the years the club nurtures the growth of many young men and women from the county; seeing them go from beginners to shooting at the collegiate level and beyond. Starting normally in October, new shooter training begins the

process. It focuses on the “first shot.” This allows the student to break a clay target in one of their first five shots, building confidence and a desire for more. From there, the training grows as the participants are taught the basics of leading a target, and learning the rules of the four disciplines typically shot at a 4H tournament: Trap, skeet, sporting clays and whiz bang (a uniquely Texas shotgun game.)

4H certified coaches work to get the kids to that point and get

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over the fear of firing a shotgun for perhaps the first time. The overarching theme of it all is safety. The coaches teach and stress safe practices at the shooting range. These fundamental practices and precautions stick with them the rest of their lives, and are a basic part of shooting, whether at the range

or on a hunt.

These safe practices work; in over 40 years of 4H shotgun sports, there has not been a fatal incident in the United States. The safety record and the success of the shooters does not happen by accident. It comes from the hard work of the shooters,

and the dedication of the coaches (who are volunteers, by the way.)

“The best part has always been working with the kids,” Brian Fiolek, one of the clubs coaches, noted. “Seeing them get their first shot and seeing them finally ‘get it’ makes it worthwhile.”

Broxton Davis shoots skeet, with, from left, Claire Stewart, Kyle Murff and Coach Wayne Stewart.

Brian’s wife Ann is the head coach of the club. They began their foray into shotgun sports when their daughter Kara wanted to try it out when she was in the fourth grade. Today, Kara is 23 and a teacher at Latexo ISD. She still coaches kids in the club, this after being a member of the Texas A&M shooting team while she was in college.

“We shot rifles and pistols before Kara got started,” Brian recalled. “That got the whole family involved with shotguns.”

This year their son L.B. (Brian Fiolek, Jr.), a senior at Crockett High School, is in his last year of the 4H shooting program. He also is a member of the state shooting team, which is made up of only four people from across Texas; just like his sister was before him.

Shooting truly is a family commitment as it requires practice and travel as many of the shooting contests held around the state are multi-day affairs. Admittedly, it’s a monetary investment, but the sport builds responsibility and character many other sports don’t.

At the shoots, normally held every weekend during the spring months, people from across the state strike up friendships as their children participate in the contests. The faces become familiar, and a camaraderie develops between the families and the kids.

There’s a feeling of safety, as these young men and women are around people they can trust and have their best interests at heart, whether they are from Brownsville or Dalhart. It’s more than a shared experience, it’s a bond of going through the grind of competition, with friendship waiting on the other side. Sometimes it’s a parent consoling a son or daughter when they just didn’t shoot well that day, reminding them there are more days ahead.

This time often allows that parental relationship to flourish.

Ronnie Musgrove, one of the coaches of the Houston County club, works with his son Trey (who is an intermediate shooter) and many of the other kids in the club, sharpening their shooting skills and offering a bit of advice when needed to help a shooter get over the hump.

His foray into this sport began a few years ago when he was invited to shoot some sporting clays. He took Trey, who wanted to try it, so Dad stuck a .410 in his hand and he hit four targets right away.

“He was hooked after that,” Mr. Musgrove said. “He just wanted to shoot more, and we got him some lessons and he’s really grown into it.”

Claire Stewart

From Left, Sarah Furrh, Claire Stewart, Aubrey Waits, Sam Stewart and Sydney Furrh pass out awards during the Houston County Youth 4H shoot held in May.

From left, Trey Musgrove and Ronnie Musgrove

ABOVE: From left, Caleb Long and Jett Currie practice at the Houston County shooting range.

RIGHT: Kyle Murff shoots skeet while, from left, Clara Dagle, Bella McCarty, Sam Stewart and coach Ann Fiolek watch. ABOVE RIGHT: Kalon Lewis shoots sporting clays during the Houston County tournament. OPPOSITE PAGE: L. B. Fiolek shoots skeet, while Coach Russell Currie, Jett Currie, Caleb Long and Coach Jim Long watch.

After three years Trey has won several shoots held around the state and always puts up a strong showing. Back in the spring, the young man shot his first “straight,” in skeet which is 25 shots without a miss. The club gathered and shot his cap to serve as a memento of the achievement.

Some of the parents and their children at the club are second generation shooters. Jay Paul Davis, who now is a coach and is involved with his son Broxton’s shooting, was one of the club’s early shooters back in the 1990s. Jim Long, and his son Caleb have followed the same path. Mr. Long and Mr. Davis were on the same team all those years ago. That camaraderie remains as they bring their sons up into the sport.

Jay, and his wife Aubrey, are constants at practice days at the range, which normally would be a Tuesday, or Thursday evening. Russell Currie of Grapeland, one of the program’s coaches, puts in his time as well, working with his son Jett, and any others who need a hand. He’s the club picker; always getting a laugh from the kids, easing the tension when need be, like a kind uncle.

Family, that word probably is one of the best ways to describe the group. They come from all over the county, some are from Crockett, some the Lovelady-Weldon area, Latexo is represented, along with Grapeland and Kennard. They come together at the weekly practices, they work on different areas of their shooting game and generally have a good time – as kids do.

Often, as the kids progress on the team they offer advice to the less-experienced shooters. Pointing out where they are missing, letting them know steps and practices meant to improve their shooting. While the

shoots are a competition, sportsmanship tends to be the name of the game as the young men and women root for each other, even those from other clubs. The desire, as in all 4H endeavors, is to see each other do their very best.

At the end of the day, when all the broken clays are counted, that’s the only competition — doing their best.

For those interested in participating in Houston County’s 4H shotgun program, new shooter training typically is held in October. Participants must be in at least the fourth grade and 9 years old. New shooter training is a requirement for participation. Contact the Houston County Agrilife Extension Office for more details on the club and how to sign up for new shooter training. HCL

RStillwater Refuge offers peaceful getaways and Whitetail hunts

eer Run abin at Stillwater Re uge

service to the Kingdom of God comes in a variety of ways.

Some serve on foreign mission fields, spreading the gospel to unchurched people. Others become pastors, preachers and evangelists sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and the way to life. Some, though, find their calling in serving others.

Amy and Jesse Easley, owners of Stillwater Refuge, located north of Crockett on FM 2022, work to serve.

The couple met at Baylor and were married, setting their sights on the mission field. They did some mission work in Haiti in the early 2000s, between the two earthquakes.

“We were going to move to Haiti,” Amy recalled. “No door every really opened for us there, so we came back to the states and started doing this.”

What “this” is, it’s a place where people can come and turn off the outside world and turn their hearts and their attention toward God. The couple’s desire with their place is for missionaries and their families to come and stay for free. A place where they can recharge and take a vacation many of them could never afford. Serving and supporting missionaries in this way, is the “heart of what we do,” according to Amy.

“While they are here we pray with and for our guests,” Amy said. “We want them to experience God while they are here. We enjoy seeing how He moves in people’s lives.”

“This is a place where people can come and turn off the outside world and turn their hearts and attention toward God”

Story by L. Wayne Stewart

Photography by Christina Stewart

Anyone can stay at the refuge. It’s perfect for couples retreats, Bible study groups; or even serve as a venue for family reunions.

Renting out the cabins to families and others for a weekend stay, or even to hunters for a special hunt, allows the Easley family to give the missionaries a free vacation.

It began 20 years ago with the refuge. A missionary family camped on the shores of the refuge’s lake. A few years later a cabin sits there.

“The family had been on a long-term mission trip to Nicaragua,” Amy said. “We decided that was a great spot to build a cabin.”

Today, they call the cabin “Deer Run.” The spacious dwelling place sits on the lake with a dock offering guests a peaceful view of the lake’s serene waters. It offers guests a great place to relax and enjoy God’s creative wonders.

Lucy’s Lodge at Stillwater Refuge

Deer Run Cabin at Stillwater Refuge

Not far from the cabin is a dedicated swimming hole and a little beach along the lake.

On the other side of the lake, the couple made a new addition to their lodging accommodations called Lucy’s Lodge.

The large building is perfect for larger groups. Recently they had a retreat just for teachers.

Last year NUCOR offered a special deal for teachers to stay at Stillwater Refuge for a discounted price.

“I understand what teachers have to go through,” Amy noted, herself being a former teacher. “This time to get away can really help them breathe and spend some time with God.”

Stillwater Refuge offers opportunities for youth camps and retreats; they also have space for tent camping. The cabins can be reserved using VRBO; and they are available year round.

Hunts are offered at the facility, which features 400 acres behind high fence. The hunts offer great opportunities for fathers and sons to come here and have some time together. It’s also a great place for a child’s first hunt.

For more information on Stillwater Refuge and their lodging and hunting opportunities, visit their website at stillwaterrefuge.com HCL

Meet the Long-Range Doctor

The Stealth Vision® scope is a premium scope for long-range shooting and hunting.

It features an anti-cant system and green light technology, guaranteeing precise shots every time.

This is the ideal long-range scope for shooters and hunters looking for accuracy and consistency at longer distances.

The Stealth Vision® scope was developed by Dr. John McCall Jr., of Crockett.

Dr. McCall brings in his extensive geometrical and physiological optics knowledge, helping create elite long-range shooting and hunting scopes.

He is a past president of the Texas and American Optometric Associations and co-founder and Vice President of Vendor Relations at Vision Source. Dr. McCall treats patients at his eye clinic in Crockett, and performs laser surgical procedures at his surgery center in Louisiana.

Having participated in more than 30 worldwide safaris, Dr. McCall is an experienced big game hunter, which inspired him to study long range shooting. He discovered that other scopes do not address all the issues of making a precision long range shot.

He embarked on a new adventure: incorporating his patent-pending anti-cant green light technology into the revolutionary scope of Stealth Vision®. Empowered by his medical expertise, Dr. McCall approached constructing a scope by factoring in his knowledge about the functions of the eye and the laws of optics.

According to Listing’s Law, the eye performs with peak accuracy only when it is upright and gazing straight ahead. When you shoot a rifle, you must tilt your

Steal Vision offers a wide range of scopes, rifles and binoculars

Photos and Information provided by Stealth Vision

Stealth Vision was designed by Dr. John McCall Jr. of Crockett. Stealth Vision offers superior optics plus patent pending anti-cant technology. The system ensures that the reticle remains perfectly vertical and horizontal for precise shots every time. Photos courtesy of Stealth Vision

head against the stock to see through the scope. Your eye will cyclo-rotate to attempt to remain vertical, but it is not possible for it to match the degree of head tilt. However, due to proprioception, the brain will incorrectly tell you that what you’re seeing is vertical.

Dr. McCall’s system ensures that the reticle remains perfectly vertical and horizontal for precise shots every time.

The scope also features ED (extra-low dispersion) glass, which is fully multi-coated for optimal clarity and light transmission. When you buy a Stealth Vision® scope or binoculars, you’re buying peace of mind, for life.

Stealth Vision builds high-quality, reliable products that will not break under normal circumstances. The company also implemented the strictest quality control measures in the industry.

All Stealth Vision® products carry an unconditional lifetime warranty.

The company says, “As long as you don’t lose it, we replace it or fix it, no matter how it was damaged.”

For more information visit Stealth Vision at 700 East Goliad Avenue, Crockett, TX 75835 or call 1-833-787-6473. Visit the Stealth Vision website at www.stealthvision.com, plus more information can be obtained on facebook and instagram. HCL

PRESERVING MEMORIES

Sportsman’s Memory Shop Photo

Nathan Rodriguez works on a turkey mount.

Nate Shaw and Bobby Shaw work on an elk mount.

Grapeland taxidermists keep the hunt alive

Hunting, for many, consumes.

Hunting season may last only a few months, but many more months get spent planning for deer season; planning a South Texas dove hunt; planning a trip to the mountains to bag an elk; or planning a safari to Africa to take down an exotic animal.

Some hunters name their children after their favorite brand of firearm, seeking to pass on the tradition and their passion and love to the next generation. Hunting, then, becomes so much more than an action or a weekend in the woods – it’s an obsession.

So much hard work and good times converge on a hunting trip to create lasting memories.

“Every animal, every hunt has a story,” explained Nathan Rodriguez, a taxidermist at The Sportsman’s Memory Shop in Grapeland, to a church youth group. “There is a memory tied up with that animal. That’s what we are able to do – preserve that memory.

“The hunt may just last for a few days, but we help preserve the memory forever,” he added.

The Sportsman’s Memory Shop has been helping to preserve those memories

for 44 years. It began with Trap Coppedge and Bobby Shaw. The two are still around, but they’ve added a Nathan Rodriguez and Bobby Shaw’s son, Nathan Shaw. By the way, Nathan Rodriguez married into the family.

The group developed a reputation as some of the best taxidermists in the country. They also are innovators, coming up with taxidermy techniques widely used today, but unheard of 40 years ago, such as the seamless mount.

“What we do is an art,” Nathan Shaw said. “People see our work and are impressed; it is three-dimensional art based on wildlife.”

They do so much more than a basic shoulder or head mount. The group can create entire settings for animals to make it look like it’s in its natural habitat, such as a bear capturing a salmon out of an Alaskan stream.

“There’s people that spend tons of money going to Africa on a hunt,” Bobby Shaw explained. “If they are going to spend that much money, they don’t want to trust it to some guy working out of a garage. We want that animal to look like that animal in their mind when they killed it.

Story by L. Wayne Stewart, Photography by Christina Stewart

Sportsman’s Memory Shop Photo

From left, Trap Coppedge, Nate Shaw, Nathan Rodriguez, Bobby Shaw

Bobby Shaw sews an elk mount.

Dustin Gray skins a duck.

“We don’t want them saying, ‘well, that kind of looks like it,’” Nathan Rodriguez added. “We want them to say, ‘Wow! That looks just like it.’”

That’s the goal, and it’s what has set The Sportsman’s Memory Shop apart from the rest.

That ability to capture the look and spirit of the animal keeps customers coming back year after year. People have brought them horses, longhorns and other personal animals. They did a bucking horse and a bull for a rodeo professional and built them strong enough for people to sit on the animals.

The process is not what most think. The animal is not stuffed. Usually, the only thing on a mount from the animal that’s real is the skin and the antlers or horns, depending on the species.

“It all starts with a good specimen,” Bobby Shaw noted. “Then, if we don’t do any of the process right it won’t turn out.”

The skin is stretched over a mannequin close to the original size of the animal. It is sewn and glued and shaped and molded until it takes on a life-like quality. Several hours of labor goes into each animal, but the process takes quite a bit of time. Usually, a completed mount takes 10 to 12 months from bringing to the shop until it is picked up by the customer.

Hunters who want the shop to do a mount for them are asked to take pictures and measurements of the animals when they are in the field. That allows them to know how to alter the mannequin when they get it in.

Sometimes, when hunters are on an African safari, it may take a few weeks to get the skin to the shop, due to all the customs regulations. Sometimes those photographs and measurements mean the difference between a good mount, and one that looks like it just jumped out of the Serengeti Plains.

“We have to learn to be problem solvers,” Nathan Rodriguez said. “We run into a lot of different stuff that takes a lot of different solutions. We have to be welders and carpenters some time.”

Some customers ask them to create an entire scene with many different animals, such as a crocodile coming out of water to capture a wildebeest. Maybe it’s a desert scene they try to recreate, or a fishing stream.

“We are a full-service shop,” Bobby Shaw said. “That means for some we will travel to Alpine, or someplace else and put everything together the way the customer wants it.”

The hardest animals to work on may be the large reptiles. Several years ago, they worked on three crocodiles from Ethiopia. All three measured from nearly 17 feet to over 19 feet long. The 19-footer took up most of the shop as it hanged

from the ceiling and the men stretched the hide over it.

All three of the crocodiles were killed using a special permit as the animals had terrorized and killed some people in a village along a lake.

Outside the shop they have a special stand they use for alligators.

“It takes a tractor to get them up there,” Bobby Shaw said. “Something 12 feet long and weighing 800 pounds is hard to deal with.”

They work on those trophy bass fishermen always dream about; they’ve also done a hammerhead shark; if it’s something someone can catch or kill, they’ve done it. While they have done a lot of exotic animals from all over the world, they still serve the local East Texas hunter.

Beginning in the early fall months, life takes on a new sense of urgency for the shop. They are a full-stop processing

facility and in early October bow season begins and so does their busy time of year. Counting MLD permits, the shop processes deer from October to the end of February. They make sausage and cut the meat into the desired cuts and gets them back to the customer in a timely manner.

“We process a lot of deer and hogs,”

Nathan Shaw said. “We also process a lot of exotic game from the high fence ranches around Freestone and Leon Counties.” What they create most are memories. Whether its leading a group of boys from a local church youth group through their walls loaded with hunters’ dreams; or preserving the memory of that perfect hunt;

the men of The Sportsman’s Memory Shop excel at capturing the moment.

The boys’ youth group of Grapeland Baptist Church would like to thank The Sportsman’s Memory Shop for spending a Saturday with the boys on a hot August day. HCL

Jon Hobson - studio15photo.com

A new cell phone tower sits just off the west side of the Houston County Courthouse square in Crockett. Houston County is gearing up for a busy fall season with festivals, football and hunting.

Houston County’s Biggest Tradition

Grapeland festival gearing up for 78th year

Since 1945, Grapeland has made a big deal out of the humble peanut.

This year the festival runs from Oct. 1921.

It was born as the “Goober Carnival,” and was held Sept. 27, 1945 with a peanut dinner in the Grapeland school recreation hall. It’s name changed to the Peanut Festival in 1951 and it continued to grow.

Today, thousands of people from across East Texas come to the annual festival for the carnival ride; one of the best small-town parades anywhere and of course the crowning of the Peanut Queen.

The carnival opens Thursday evening of Peanut Festival weekend with a special wrist band night, allowing guests to ride all night for a set fee.

Friday is the Grapeland Homecoming game where the homecoming queen and king are crowned. Saturday, it’s all about

the peanut.

Saturday kicks off at 10 a.m. with a parade through downtown featuring extravagant floats, old cars, horses and just about anything else a parade has to offer.

From there, head to Grapeland City Park for the carnival, great fair food and the arts and crafts fair.

The evening ends with the Peanut Queen Coronation.

Jon Hobson - studio15photo.com

Christmas in Crockett

Annual event set for Saturday, Nov. 18

Every November, on the Saturday before Thanksgiving, downtown Crockett celebrates Christmas a little early.

Christmas in Crockett is an annual arts and crafts festival featuring more than 300 vendors selling everything from delicious fair food to the latest creation sure to make a perfect Christmas gift for someone.

The event is produced by the Crockett Area Chamber of Commerce.

This year’s event is set for Saturday Nov. 18 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Some of the fun will center around the Crockett Classic Cruisers Car Show, presented by the Crockett Area Chamber of Commerce. The show is held in the First Baptist Church Crockett parking lot. It is set to run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

This year marks the 42nd year of this special day as the entire community comes out to celebrate this East Texas tradition. After the event, dine in one of the area’s fine restaurants and enjoy a comfortable fall day in Crockett.

To learn more about Christmas in Crockett, or to reserve a vendor space, contact the Crockett Area Chamber of Commerce at 936-544-2359 or visit the website at crockettareachamber. org.

Christmas in Kennard

Annual celebration set for Saturday, December 2

On the first Saturday in December, head east to Kennard to celebrate Christmas in Kennard.

This year marks the th installment of this annual event which features a parade and a Trade Days in downtown Kennard.

Santa Claus will be there and so will the Kennard Volunteer Fire Department. They have an annual fund raiser at the event and also accept donations. The Ken

nard Volunteer Fire Department provides needed services to the community and to the surrounding forest area. Their efforts this year are and were greatly appreciat ed.

Christmas in Kennard also features a toy drive to help area children through the holiday season.

There will be pri es and drawings throughout the day.

Coffee Trail

Fall Spotlight: Soulshine Brew & Bakery

Bring people together over a cup of coffee; that was the goal of three Grapeland women when they founded Soulshine Brew & Bakery.

The coffee shop is a product of Twila Ybarra, Chelsy Norton and Carson Harding.

“I am a pastry chef,” noted Twila Ybarra. “Me and my husband talked about opening a shop and a bakery. We do this as a ministry. We all have a heart for youth and when they come in for a coffee we can get to know them more. We can pray for them and it’s a great way for us to be involved with the life of our community.”

Along with the Soulshine Brew & Bakery, they also continue Sandyland Snowcones, which has been a staple to the area for several years. They offer dozens of flavors of snowcones, along with cream snowcones.

“We have a lot of kids come through and they will empty their piggy bank for a snowcone,” Twila said. “We started a suspended order wall. People will come by and get a snowcone and they will pay for an extra one for when a kid comes by and may not have the money for one can still get one.

“It’s a way for people in the community to give something back,” she added.

Frappes were the go-to coffee drink over the hot summer months as these iced treats are quite popular. The Snickers Frappe is perhaps the favorite treat (it is delicious, by the way.)

“It’s such a treat for us when someone gets one

of those and their face light up when they taste it,” Twila said.

They also have a wide selection of hot brewed coffees, which become much more popular when the weather turns cooler. Some of their favorite specialty coffees include Highlander Grog and Blueberry Crumb Cake.

“We have a large variety of hot coffees and hot chocolates,” Twila said.

“Coffee is the perfect platform to sit and fellowship and get close to people in the community,” she added.

The shop also offers baked good by special order. In the future, the hope to expand, which would allow them to have a full bake shop to go with their specialty coffee offerings.

Soulshine Brew & Bakery is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and on Fridays and Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m. They are closed Sundays and Wednesdays.

Soulshine Brew & Bakery is located at 120 E. Chestnut St. in Grapeland. To contact them, give them a call 936-249-6334.

Co ee rail S

Sni kers ra e

helsy Norton and wila barra

Full of Flavor

Fall food is bold and hearty with plenty of tasty options to make those cold autumn nights welcome and comfortable.

Recipes by L. Wayne Stewart, Photography by Christina Stewart

Eating things like stews and pot pies and heavy meals may not be summer favorites, but when the nights begin to lengthen and the temperatures begin to drop, something with deep flavors and a hearty texture makes its way to the family menu.

Fall is the perfect time to once again cooking comfort foods.

Stews, soups, roasts and root vegetables are part of what makes autumn dishes so delightful. They can be served for several meals and they make the wind on a crisp night not blow not so cold.

So, we are offering up some of our favorite fall recipes for this edition of Houston County Living.

We have a couple of main offerings, the first being a creamy chicken pot pie topped with a flaky puff pastry.

This dish has the benefit of being a complete meal, and can go from refrigerator to the table in about an hour.

Our braised pot roast takes a considerable bit longer, but the results are worth it. This begins by marinating a pot roast in a red wine vinegar mixture overnight.

Just to get you in the mood for October, we bring you an Oktoberfest feel with German Potato Salad for a side and sweet and sour red cabbage.

These full flavored sides, when paired with a dark bread like pumpernickel, make a wonderful meal full of flavor.

For dessert, how about a pumpkin marble pound cake. This cake is full of spices that make us love fall. It is topped with a pecan-caramel glaze.

We hope you give them all a try and enjoy them this autumn.

Creamy Chicken Potpie

Pumpkin Marble Cake

RECIPES

ot Roast

2-3 pound roast

1 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

Kosher salt

Black pepper

1 onion, sliced

To make the marinade, combine red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in a large resealable bag. Add roast to the bag and turn several times to fully coat. Place in refrigerator and allow to marinate over night.

When ready to cook, heat Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of olive oil and brown roast on each side, about 5 minutes on each side.

Turn off heat and add sliced onion and liquid contents from bag. Place lid on Dutch oven and bake in 350-degree oven 3 to 4 hours, or until roast is fork tender.

Remove from oven and serve. Goes great with sweet and sour red cabbage and German potato salad — a true Oktoberfest meal.

Sweet Sour Red Cabbage

1 head of red cabbage, thinly sliced

4 tablespoons of butter, or bacon fat

6 tablespoons of sugar

2/3 cup apple cider vinegar

Melt better or bacon fat in a large pot over medium heat. Add the cabbage and saute´until cabbage is slightly wilted. Add the sugar and stir cabbage to thoroughly coat, then add the apple cider vinegar. Reduce heat to medium low; cover and simmer over low heat until the cabbage is tender. Stir occasionally, cooking about 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

er an otato Salad

3 to 5 pounds potatoes

6 to 8 slices of bacon

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup sugar

1 teaspoon salt

Black pepper

Chopped chives

Peel and slice potatoes. Place in a pot and cover with water and bring to a boil. Boil about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Drain potatoes and return to pot. Cook bacon until crisp.

Remove bacon and add onion to bacon grease and cook onion until browned. Add the vinegar, water, sugar, salt and pepper to the pan. Bring the ingredients to a boil and add the potatoes and chives. Crumble and add half the bacon. Heat through and transfer to a serving dish. Top with remaining crumbled bacon and a few chives. Serve warm.

hic en otpie

2 to 3 pounds chicken breasts

2 to three teaspoons olive oil

2 medium onions

2 cups celery, chopped (5 to 6 stalks)

1 pie crust

1 puff pastry

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter

1 pound package frozen mixed vegetables

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 tablespoons corn starch

Salt

Black pepper

In a large skillet, brown chicken in olive oil until completely done throughout. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Once cool, cut chicken up into bite-sized pieces.

Melt butter in skillet and saute´onion and celery until translucent and tender. Add salt and pepper to taste and poultry seasoning. Add bag of frozen vegetables and continue to cook until heated through, stirring occasionally. When heated, add whipping and bring nearly to a boil, add corn starch and stir until slightly thickened. Add in the chicken pieces and stir until heated. Line round cooking dish with pie crust. Pour in chicken mixture and top with puff pastry. Bake in 400-degree oven about 20 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown. Serve immediately.

Scalloped otatoes

6 medium russet potatoes

1 medium yellow onion, cut into thin strips

1 cup fat-free half and half 1/2 cup reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese, shredded and divided

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel potatoes and slice into thin rounds.

Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray sauté onions and potatoes over medium-high heat until the onions turn clear.

Spray a pie pan or 8-inch round cake pan with cooking spray.

Place a thick layer (about half) of the potatoes and onions in the bottom of pan.

Add salt and pepper to halfand-half. Pour 1/2 cup of the

half-and-half over the potatoes. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese on top.

Add remaining potatoes and pour 1/2 cup half-and-half over the potatoes and top with remaining cheese.

Bake for 40 minutes or until potatoes are soft.

uesadillas with otato a and heese

4 tortillas

2 cups mashed Idaho® po-

Diabetes Food Hub/ Idaho Potato Commission

Chicken Potpie

tatoes, leftovers or freshly made 1 cup ham cubed

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated 1 teaspoon parsley finely chopped Salsa, for serving

Top two tortillas with 1 cup of mashed potatoes on each and spread out evenly. Top each tortilla with 1/2 cup of ham. Divide cheddar cheese over the top of the ham.

Cover with the remaining two tortillas. Preheat skillet over medium heat. Add quesadillas and cook 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook an additional 2-3 minutes, or until cheese melts and mashed potatoes are heated through. If using cold mashed potatoes, cook 5-7 minutes on low heat. Flip and continue to cook an additional 5 minutes, or until cheese melts and mashed potatoes are heated through. You may have to do them in two batches depending on the size of your skillet.

Place quesadillas on a cutting board and cut into quarters.

Garnish with a sprinkle of parsley. Serve warm with salsa.

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla

5 eggs

3 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 cup milk

1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and lightly flour bundt pan.

Beat sugar, butter, vanilla and eggs in a large bowl about 3 to 5 minutes, until mixture is fluffy.

In a separate bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice. Mix flour mixture with sugar mixture, about a third at a time, adding a bit of milk each time until thoroughly mixed.

Pour 2/3 of cake mixture into bundt pan. With the remaining mixture, add the pumpkin puree and mix thoroughly. Add by

Love Keil/Idaho Potato Commission

RECIPES

spoonfuls to bundt pan. Bake about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

ara el ecan la e

1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup chopped pecans

In a 2-quart sauce pan, stir together whipping cream, brown sugar, corn syrup and butter. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly, using a candy thermometer, cook to 220 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and pecans. Stir with wooden spoon until slightly thickened and cooled. Pour mixture over cake and serve. HCL

Pumpkin Marble Cake

Pit Perfection

Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue melds tradition with modern culinary delights

Story by L. Wayne Stewart, Photography by Christina Stewart

What happens when a master chef and a pitmaster put their heads together? You get craft barbecue.

That’s what’s going on at Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue. Wade Elkins, is the pitmaster, and his wife Kathy is the master chef.

For those who know good barbecue, they will recognize right away the Central Texas style to Wade’s work. This means his meats are given a dry rub, brisket is normally just a Kosher salt and coarse ground black pepper rub. The meat is then smoked in a 1,000-gallon smoker using real post oak.

Folks, this is real barbecue made famous by the legendary BBQ joints of Lockhart and that area, it’s not smoked over pellets. This is a long and slow process Wade uses to cook his meat, but the end result is barbecue perfection.

He takes the same care with his chicken, ribs and turkey, as they all get smoked to perfection.

The cooking process is part of the great taste, but the other is the quality of the meat. All the briskets are hand trimmed Heartbrand Beef, which is Texas-raised Japanese cattle beef. That means the beef is perfectly marbled and full of flavor. The same care goes into making their burgers, as they mix and make their own ground beef for the perfect burger.

As a master chef, Kathy’s job is to create different dishes with the barbecue meats as her starting point.

“Kathy has a passion for cooking,” Wade said of his beloved wife. “We met in high school and we’ve been together since. She went to culinary school and worked in the restaurant industry; and about 6 years ago we started getting serious about barbecue.”

Some of her most famous creations include brisket quesadillas

and one of Wade’s favorites, maple Brussel sprouts. Other favorites include her firecracker shrimp and stuffed quail. Kathy also creates some delicious desserts like her homemade tiramisu.

“Those Brussel sprouts, she fries them and tosses them in maple syrup, they are delicious,” Wade muses.

Friday night is steak night at Mimsy’s; other nights have different menu options.

“We will do four or five different things and I love it when

Food photos provided by Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue

ABOVE: Wade Elkins checks the progress of the meat on the smoker at Mimsy’s Craft Barbecue.

LEFT: Pictured are Wade and Kathy Elkins with their children, from left, Kimberlynn, Marley and Ellie.

Restaurants & Cafés

four or five people come in and order one of everything,” Wade said. “Then they all share.”

The burgers were mentioned, and Wednesday is burger day. After the meat is ground and mixed, the burger patties are smoked to medium. The burgers are then submerged in rendered beef tallow until ordered, then they are charred on both sides and served.

Many claim they may be some of the best burgers around.

The journey to the restaurant began several years ago.

“I learned a lot about the pit from Dad,”

Wade said. “I did some cookoffs and did OK. A friend had a charity golf tournament and they needed someone to do it, they bought the meat and I cooked it. From there, I did a fishing tournament.

“That set us on the path to doing this. We knew one day we would have a restaurant,” he added.

Wade worked to learn the industry, working for some popups in Houston and some barbecue restaurants.

Then, at the end of 2019, the process of establishing Mimsy’s began. His parents owned the building, and they had the idea the couple could open a restaurant in it.

Work began on the old warehouse building in March of 2020, and by November of that year they opened.

Recently a meat market was added to the front of the restaurant, allowing guests to get quality cuts of meat and some seafood along with different types of gourmet foods and meat rubs. His grandfather, Jack Mims, also owned a barbershop in town; so the family’s Houston County ties run deep.

Mimsy’s is located at 1979 S. Fifth St in Crockett. To see their menu and learn more about them, visit their website at www. mimsyscraftbbq.com. HCL

Kathy Elkins prepares hamburgers for cooking.

H st C nty Ch ch D ect y

rom the Pastor’s es y ayne Ste

art

e er hanging o is our one constant

— Charles Spurgeon

As autumn arrives most Texans welcome the change in season. Soon to be gone are the 100-degree days. They will give-way to cool nights and crisp days.

Most of the things in life – whether it’s the seasons, our bodies, our friends and family – change. Politicians campaign on and promise change and people fall for it.

God makes us a far different promise.

“For I the Lord do not change; therefore you, O children of Jacob, are not consumed.” – Malachi 3:6

Here, God speaks to the returned exiles after Israel, 400 years before the birth of Jesus. He explains to them His faithfulness to them has not changed. His faithfulness to them, is what keeps them from being consumed by the world.

We as believers need to grasp this; it is not possible for God to change His mind toward us. That’s why the people of Israel were not consumed, or destroyed, by God. Were they punished? Yes! Did they suffer in exile because of their rebellion against God? Yes!

Still, their punishment and their exile fulfilled a purpose. God made a covenant with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai when He brought them out of slavery in Egypt. God kept all the promises He made them, both for blessing and for curses. He proved faithful. Yet, just as He promised them, He spared them – preserving a remnant of the people.

Because God is unchanging in His faithfulness, His love toward us and the grace He offers us, it gives us something on which we can stand.

Not all that long ago, before the days of GPS, people could navigate using stars. Stars appear to move in the night sky, they don’t really, but as the earth rotates on its axis, the stars appear to move.

There is one star, though, that appears static. It’s name is Polaris, or folks often call it the North Star.

We can find the north star by looking at the two stars that make the end of the cup of the Big Dipper, they point directly at Polaris. Polaris sits directly over the north pole and gave navigators a firm

grasp on their heading.

They trusted the reliability of Polaris to guide them on their journey. Since God is an unchanging God, we can trust what He says. Jesus, God incarnate, God the Son, brought that immutability, or the unchanging benefits of the Godhead’s grace to us.

So, the writer of Hebrew tells us of Jesus, the same thing God spoke through Malachi.

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever,” – Hebrews 13:8

The great Charles Spurgeon reflected on this steadfastness of God and in Christ Jesus in a sermon, “He is not become an Almighty tyrant, whereas He was once an Almighty Father; but His strong love stands like a granite rock, unmoved by the hurricanes of our iniquity. And blessed be His dear name, He is unchanged in His love…

“When He first wrote the covenant, how full His heart was with affection to His people. He knew that His Son must die to ratify the articles of that agreement. He knew right well that He must rend His best beloved from His bowels, and send Him down to earth to bleed and die. He did not hesitate to sign that mighty covenant; nor did He shun its fulfillment…

“He loves us as much now as He did then; and when suns shall cease to shine, and moons to show their feeble light, He still shall love on for ever and forever… Ye may change your plans, but He shall never, never change His. Then has He told me that His plan is to save me? If so, I am safe!”

People are prone to whims. Play a game with a child and they will change the rules mid-game to suit their fancy, to gain an advantage.

God does not do that. Today, God’s word in Romans 10:9 tells us, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”

There is no other word to contradict that. God does not change the rules.

Jesus Christ is the way to eternal life. God has provided no other avenue. There is no need to search for another.

We know this and can be confident, because we have a God that does not change. HCL