The South Gibson Star-Times serves the towns of Haubstadt, Owensville and Fort Branch.
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Share your favorite recipe! Monica's Meals in Minutes PO Box 68, Petersburg 47567 mealsinminutes@pressdispatch.net MAIL EMAIL YOUTH FIRST TODAY MY SO CALLED MILLENNIAL LIFE MEALS IN Monica's MINUTES SPICED CRANBERRY TOASTER TARTS By Monica Sinclair Happy December! The countdown begins for Christ- mas. It doesn't even seem possible that it's that time of year to begin gift giving. If you have friends, a teacher, neighbors or even mail carrier that you want to show your appreciation to, food can be a welcome gift. All this month, I will be finding recipes that will make you very popular as a gift giver. If you have a Pop-Tart lover among your recipients, they will love this week's recipe. It on- ly takes about 45 minutes to make, so you could make a couple of batches quickly. Enjoy! INGREDIENTS • 1/3 cup orange marmalade • 1/4 cup chopped dried cranberries • 1 tablespoon chopped candied ginger • 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon • 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt • 1 package prerolled piecrusts (containing 2 crusts) • Brown sanding sugar, for sprinkling DIRECTIONS 1. Heat oven to 350° F. In a bowl, combine the marma- lade, cranberries, ginger, cinnamon, and salt. 2. Roll each piecrust with a rolling pin until it's 1/8 inch thick. Trim the edges to create 2 large rectangles (dis- card the scraps), then cut each rectangle into thirds crosswise. 3. Line a large rimmed baking sheet or cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using the back of a spoon, spread each piece of dough with a scant tablespoon of the fill- ing, leaving a ¾-inch border on every side. Brush the edges with water, fold the dough in half, and crimp the edges with a fork. 4. 4. Transfer the tarts to the prepared baking sheet. Brush the tops and edges with water and sprinkle each evenly with a generous teaspoon of the sanding sugar. 5. Bake the tarts until browned, 18 to 20 minutes. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days (or freeze, tightly wrapped, for up to 1 week.) Source: realsimple.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. THIS WEEK'S BIRTHDAYS Bobbi Jo Seib .................... Fort Branch ...........12/4 Michael Lowry ................... Fort Branch .......... 12/6 THIS MONTH'S SPONSOR Michael's Uniquely Gifts • Flowers • More 121 W. Broadway, Princeton 812-386-0065 B-8 Tuesday, November 30, 2021 South Gibson Star-Times Family traditions are still important this year By Jana Pritchett Youth First, Inc. We're entering the peak season for fam- ily traditions. Some that I recall from my childhood include enjoying the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade while cook- ing the turkey and trimmings, sharing reasons to be thankful around the din- ner table, playing board games with fam- ily after a large holiday meal, and watch- ing "It's a Wonderful Life" after attend- ing Christmas Eve services. Many of our fondest memories are cen- tered on family traditions, activities or patterns of behavior that help us bond with our families. Often these traditions are a link to past and future generations. As a young child, I remember my grandparents taking my family to din- ner at Helen's Restaurant every Sun- day. They often shared stories from my father's childhood. This was precious time spent with them, creating special memories I can call up now that they've passed on. Even though today's family looks a lot different than families of a generation or two ago, traditions are still an important part of family life and the foundation of strong family ties. This year's traditions may look a little different due to the con- tinued risk of travel and gathering in large groups, but it's still important to fit in simple traditions that help children and teens establish a sense of belonging. Family writer Denise Witmer, contrib- utor to numerous national outlets includ- ing Parenting.com, offers five reasons to observe family traditions: 1. Family traditions create good feel- ings and special moments. They create positive emotions and memo- ries that will last a lifetime. It's always a sweet moment when an older child remembers a wonderful time shared when they were younger. 2. Family traditions give every mem- ber of the family a stronger sense of belonging. Time spent together strengthens the bonds between fam- ily members. 3. Family traditions help your child or teen with his/her identity. When teens are trying to figure out who they are, it helps to know that they be- long. Teens need encouragement to be a part of something bigger when they're searching and defining their sense of self. 4. Family traditions help parents im- part life skills and family values to their children. Spending more time together helps parents and grandpar- ents model these family values and provides more opportunities to talk about serious issues. Having fun to- gether helps keep the conversation light and encourages kids to open up. 5. Family traditions offer your child or teen a sense of security. Teens, especially, face some difficult issues in today's world. Knowing they are se- cure and have a family to turn to is a powerful tool to use when confront- ing negative peer pressure, drug and alcohol use, college and career choices, etc. Even as your child grows older, fam- ily traditions are still important. Find a way to carry out the rituals that help de- fine your family. Often teens will insist on sticking with tradition even when you find it difficult to fit these moments into your routine. My grown children, ages 30 and 26, still insist on finding the hidden pickle in the tree to see who will open the first gift on Christmas Eve. As they leave the family nest and everything in their world seems to be changing, busy young adults stay connected through family traditions. If your existing traditions don't seem to have the same appeal, create new ones. Do what works for your family. Cooking dinner together, taking a hike at a local park, driving through the countryside to see Christmas lights, or even eating a special food one night a week will cre- ate memories that your children will pass on to their own families and remember for a lifetime. This column is written by Jana Pritchett, Communications Manager for Youth First, Inc., a nonprofit dedicated to strengthen- ing youth and families, provides 78 Mas- ter's level social workers to 105 schools in 12 Indiana counties. Over 60,000 youth and families per year are served by Youth First's school social work and after school programs that prevent substance abuse, promote healthy behaviors and maximize student success. To learn more about Youth First, visit youthfirstinc.org or call 812- 421-8336. Even if you don't read this, I'm thankful By Stephanie Hayes Columnist I am thankful for the news. This is probably obvious, and I don't need to re- hash all the rea- sons news mat- ters to democ- racy. I actually came here to say I'm also thankful for the absence of it. See, people like to complain about how the news is all bad, and there's truth to that. But think about why. A plane landing safely or a concert without chaos doesn't usually make head- lines. No one wants to read a story that says, "Everything was fine today; carry on! " People may say they do, but they don't; we have the data. They might not read this one, and that's OK. I'll point out something bad and annoying soon, gas prices and people who talk on speaker- phone in stores being lead contenders. But it's Thanksgiving time, and I'm just feeling thankful that the blithely or- dinary, garden-variety moments still out- weigh the upsetting ones. I marvel at how much goes right every time I get on the road and people gen- erally follow rules. Humans have an in- credible unspoken pact to, for the most part, look out for each other. It's stun- ning, really. I'm also thankful for: • Sixty-five-degree mornings and 73-degree afternoons. • Stinky puppy breath. • Stepping into the sun after being chilly in the shade. • A shorebird that lingers long enough to be photographed. • Peanut butter. • Any butter. • The smell of rain. • A paperback that fits perfectly in one hand. Coffee in the other. • The feeling of cold water trickling down your throat. • Lying flat at the end of a long day knowing you finally get to sleep. • The first tortilla chip in a hot basket. • Dragging a pen through an item on a to-do list. • Laughing so hard you forget to worry about how you look. • Knowing every word to a song. • A bathroom with no line. • "Yes." • A joke that interrupts an argument. • A flowing conversation, an inside sto- ry, an apology, an easy silence, a hand squeeze, a glance. • Leftovers. • A thought that no one in the world knows except you. • The night, strewn out on a couch, stay- ing up way too late talking, that you glimpse what kind of adult your kid will become. • Friday, or Sunday, or Monday, or what- ever day comes before your day off. • The ability to gather with people who matter most, even the ones who an- noy and challenge us, and not through a screen. That moment when every- one looks around and lets out a deep breath, and just then, things feel like they might be OK. 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.