The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
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YOUTH FIRST TODAY MY SO CALLED MILLENNIAL LIFE MEALS IN Monica's MINUTES PORK CHOPS WITH APPLES AND STUFFING Share your favorite recipe! www.facebook.com/mealsinminutes Monica's Meals in Minutes PO Box 68, Petersburg 47567 mealsinminutes@pressdispatch.net FACEBOOK MAIL EMAIL By Monica Sinclair Pork chops and applesauce! If you've ever watched Brady Bunch, you know that line, although I'm not sure I can say it exactly like Peter. This week's recipe is pretty close to pork chops and applesauce, and then also adds in flavorful stuffing. It's only four ingredients, so din- ner will be ready quickly, with hardly any mess. Enjoy! INGREDIENTS • 6 boneless pork loin chops (6 ounces each) • 1 tablespoon canola oil • 1 package (6 ounces) crushed stuffing mix • 1 can (21 ounces) apple pie filling with cinnamon DIRECTIONS 1. In a large skillet, brown pork chops in oil over medi- um-high heat. 2. Meanwhile, prepare stuffing according to package directions. 3. Spread pie filling into a greased 13x9 -in. baking dish. Place the pork chops on top; spoon stuffing over chops. 4. Cover and bake at 350° for 35 minutes. Uncover; bake until a thermometer reads 145°, about 10 min- utes longer. Source: tasteof home.com To enter the Birthday Club, email your name, ad- dress, phone number and birthdate to birthdayclub@ sgstartimes.com. Only the person's name, town and birth- day will appear in the paper. As an added bonus, one lucky person each month will receive a free prize a free three-month South Gibson Star- Times subscription plus a $25 gift certificate from Unique- ly Michaels, in Princeton. OCTOBER WINNER And the winner is... Laylah Reign Kirk from Owensville. Laylah won a $25 gift basket from Little House of Yarn, and a three-month subscription to the South Gibson Star- Times. Congratulations! THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS Maverick Reising ............... Fort Branch ...........11/5 THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR Michael's Uniquely Gifts • Flowers • More 121 W. Broadway, Princeton 812-386-0065 DOWN ON THE FARM B-4 Tuesday, November 2, 2021 South Gibson Star-Times Candy corn is the worst candy of all By Stephanie Hayes Columnist I'm not afraid to tackle the issues. Yes, it can get a little heat- ed, even divisive at times. But someone has to speak out on the things that re- ally matter. With all due respect to those who dis- agree: Candy corn is gross. That is just a fact. It is essentially molded corn syrup and food dyes. It is waxy. It is sweet enough to peel off cos- metic dentistry. Folks are worked up this year due to a revelation that candy corn contains bug secretions via an ingredient called con- fectioner's glaze. Good to know for veg- ans. Still, I'm going to give one point to can- dy corn here, because I am personally not that bothered by insect byproduct. Many people around the world consume bugs. And as USA Today points out, "lac coating" is found in a bunch of foods. Al- so, have you ever worked in a restaurant? Back to why it's bad. Candy corn was created in the 1880s, first billed as "chicken feed." Honestly, it makes sense. It really tastes like a turn-of-the-centu- ry treat. No offense to any readers who happen to be 150 -year-old Victorian ghosts and might be into cream filberts or can- dy cigarettes or wax lips, or, you know, powdered burlap squares. If you're still not convinced and enjoy eating a candy that is literally shaped like tears, here are more reasons candy corn is best left for chickens. Warning: These may be shocking. LITTLE-KNOWN CANDY CORN FACTS: • Candy corn was waiting in an alley outside a Gotham City theater to kill Batman's parents, and now Batman must seek revenge on candy corn. • All the electrical wiring in my 1950 house is coated in pure candy corn, which is a big fire hazard and costs a lot to replace. • My dog won't even eat candy corn, and he eats his own doo-doo. • Candy corn is the one who sent all those FarmVille requests. • Candy corn has a stick family de- cal on the back of candy corn's car window, and all the members are shaped like candy corn. • Rumors abound that candy corn was the actual Bad Art Friend. • Candy corn adds an "S" to names of stores that don't have one, such as, "I'm going to stop at Winn-Dix- ies," and "these shoes are from Foot Lockers." • Candy corn never offers to help clean up at a party and has no natu- ral sense of when it's time to leave. • When candy corn goes out to eat, candy corn always sends back the food, and it's like, OK, you're CANDY CORN. Candy corn may seem like an inno- cent newcomer in a small town, but can- dy corn has secrets that will unfold in the coming months. Approach candy corn with the utmost caution. You have been warned. Stephanie Hayes is a columnist at the Tampa Bay Times in Florida. Follow her at @ stephhayeswrites on Facebook, @ stephhayes on Twitter or @ stephrhayes on Instagram. Change your food and mood By Lisa Cossey Youth First, Inc. I'm sure it's safe to say we've all heard the phrase, "You are what you eat" at some point in time. Recent research in- to food and its effects on the body and mind may have us saying a new phrase: "Change your food, change your mood." Our brains are made of neural path- ways, transmitters, and chemicals that make up and regulate our thoughts and moods. The foods we eat impact the bal- ance of these chemicals. Something as simple as our lunch choice could have the power to impact our feelings and emo- tions, for better or worse. For example, serotonin, the feel good neurotransmitter, makes us feel happy. When serotonin levels drop, one may feel sad or depressed. Serotonin is di- rectly linked with an amino acid found in food, tryptophan. Diets consisting of foods with low or no tryptophan levels lead to depleting serotonin in the brain. This in turn then can cause irritability, aggression, lowered mood, and impaired memory. Diets including foods with high levels of tryptophan can provide the opposite effect and raise serotonin levels natural- ly. Turkey is one food that is high in tryp- tophan, so don't just relegate turkey to Thanksgiving dinner! Nuts and seeds, such as almonds, cashews, peanuts, wal- nuts, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds are also foods to eat to get a mood boost from tryptophan. Another dietary tweak that could low- er risk for depression, especially in wom- en, is to drink coffee regularly. Coffee boosts dopamine and norepinephrine, which are also feel good neurotransmit- ters in the brain. A National Institute of Health study tracked women over a ten- year period (1996 -2006) and found wom- en who drank coffee regularly through- out the week had lower reported depres- sive episodes than non-coffee drinking women. How about a sweet treat to go with your coffee? Dark chocolate has been found to increase serotonin levels naturally as well, leading to improved mood. Banan- as can also be included on a list of foods that will decrease negative mood-relat- ed symptoms thanks to their high vita- min B6 levels. Other amino acids, such as L -theanine and Omega-3, a fatty acid, minerals such as magnesium and zinc, and antioxidants can reduce anxiety symptoms. Salmon is a great source of Omega-3 and can al- so alter dopamine and serotonin levels, packing a double advantage to reduce anxiety and improve mood. Dark leafy greens, such as spinach and Swiss chard, contain magnesium which can lower anxiety. Blueberries are anoth- er food with potential to alter one's mood. Flavonoids, an antioxidant found in blue- berries, assist in regulating mood, in ad- dition to the other health benefits eating fresh fruit provides. The foods listed above are not an ex- haustive list. If you are considering a ma- jor change to your lifestyle, please consult a physician and/or nutritionist. Chang- ing your diet, such as eating a banana for a snack, or swapping out the lettuce in a salad with dark greens, can impact over- all health and mood for the better. Lisa Cossey, LCSW, is a Youth First Social Worker at Good Shepherd Catho- lic School in Vanderburgh County. Youth First, Inc. is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening youth and families. Youth First provides 78 Master's level social workers to 105 schools in 12 Indiana coun- ties. Over 60,000 youth and families per year are served by Youth First's school so- cial work and after school programs that prevent substance abuse, promote healthy behaviors, and maximize student suc- cess. To learn more about Youth First, vis- it youthfirstinc.org or call 812-421-8336. Winterizing the landscape By Hans Schmitz Purdue Extension Educator hschmitz@purdue.edu As the temperatures grow colder and the first fall frost is on the horizon, preparations are needed in the landscape for successful overwinter- ing and a good start to next spring. Some activities need to be ceased, while others need to be started. Here are some quick tips to make your plants a lit- tle more resilient to winter weather. For the lawn, the season is now too short for fertilizers to work well, with any applications potential- ly hurting the grasses more than help- ing. The major exception is nitrogen, as a small amount applied in November is recommended in Purdue publication "Fertilizing Established Cool-Season Lawns." Warm season lawns should not receive nitrogen this late, as they will go dormant very soon. Mowing the lawn in November may be warranted based on preferences, although a good established lawn benefits from being left a little tall- er over the winter. This practice prevents young weeds from being able to outcom- pete the grass in the spring, although the first mowing in the spring may be a little more difficult. For container plants, now is the time to bring those indoors and place them according to their sunlight needs. Full sun plants need to be placed close to a south-facing window. More shade tolerant plants can be placed further away or in a window facing a different di- rection, although north-facing windows should be avoided. In- door lighting rarely provides enough photosynthetically ac- tive radiation for plants to use, although special bulbs or grow lights can be used to offset the lack of sunlight in the winter. Containerized plants most often suffer from overwatering rather than underwa- tering. When beginning a watering regi- men indoors, burying a finger to the first knuckle in the soil will help one observe whether the soil needs to be watered. If the finger returns from the soil dry, water may be needed. Note that cacti and other desert-type plants do not follow this rule and should be watered less frequently. For trees, shrubs, and other landscape plants, avoid pruning until those plants are fully dormant. February is a great month for pruning. For spring flowering plants, avoid February and prune after they flower in the spring. Although Pur- due recommends tree planting in the ear- ly fall or spring when possible, this time of year is a common time for tree plant- ings to be placed in the ground. The Pur- due publication "Tree Installation: Pro- cess and Practices" gives a good primer on proper tree planting. For young trees with thin bark, sunscald can be avoided by ensuring the south and west sides of the trunk are covered or shaded. If using a tree wrap, be sure to remove the wrap in the spring. For landscapes with mulch, ensuring enough mulch is down to pre- vent any winter heaving of young plants is a best management practice. Two to four inches of mulch, applying late in the month when temperatures are more con- sistently below freezing, will prevent any heaving over the winter. In addition to plants, the equipment we use to manage plants need to be made ready for the winter. Lawnmowers will need to be cleaned and fuel stabilizer add- ed. Pruning shears and other handheld metal equipment may survive the win- ter better if cleaned, dried, and a little light oil applied to prevent rust. Equip- ment with plastic components should be stored out of the sun to prevent solariz- ing and busting later. For more information, contact Hans at hschmitz@purdue.edu or 812-838 -1331.