Rotary Club Just a bunch of old guys? By kyle snyder & Nick Cadwallender Rotary is just a bunch of old guys who get together each week and talk business, right? Hell no! ~ at least not at our club. We are 113 men and women from their mid-20’s to mid-80’s of diverse backgrounds. Our club is one part of an international service organization with 1.2 million members. We started back on “23 February 1905, so professionals with diverse backgrounds could exchange ideas, form meaningful, lifelong friendships, and give back to their communities.” We get together each week to have fun and get stuff done. Stuff like helping to build the Hurkamp Park Wall, donating a boat to Friends of the Rappahannock to patrol the river, funding and maintaining the rose garden at the Fredericksburg Area Museum and supporting the restored gardens at Chatham. “Rotary has been a valued partner, assisting with the restoration of the Pan Statue and providing financial assistance for educational programs in the gardens,” says Nancy Fahy of The Friends of Chatham. The club has supported numerous education programs: we’ve given dictionaries to every 3rd grader in Spotsylvania, read with Lafayette Upper Elementary kids and provided college scholarships to worthy students. One of the most rewarding for the club was Paul supporting Burudian refugee Niyungeko through Germanna’s nursing program. After years in refugee camps and denied an education in his homeland, he has achieved a Master’s in Nursing. “Completing my nursing degree was an accomplishment of my childhood dream to help people improve their health,” said Niyugeko. Club members have been Salvation Army bell ringers, provided Thanksgiving meals to families in need and staffed the Community Dinners at Fredericksburg Baptist Church. We’ve provided college scholarships, YMCA grants, and money for the MS Walk and so much more for our local community. And then there are all the projects we have supported worldwide. In Burkino Faso we built an orphanage; in Honduras we funded eye clinics; in Kenya we stocked a school library; in Fiji, New Zealand, and Nepal we provided funds for disaster relief. And
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then there’s the work of Rotary International that we support with our aforementioned 1.2 million Rotarians worldwide. We’ve tackled polio eradication and in the process negotiated cease fires in areas of conflict like Sudan and Afghanistan in order to conduct immunizations. How important is this feat? In 1988 there were 350,000 cases of polio. There have been three reported cases this year. There’s more work to do. The World Health Organization says, “Failure to eradicate polio from these last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200,000 new cases every year, within 10 years, all over the world.” And now we are taking on the challenge of providing clean drinking water to desperate communities around the globe. All this is accomplished with funds the club raises through community events like its Annual Christmas Parade Pancake Day, the Trip of Your Dreams Auction, and now our newest fun event, The Fredericksburg Beach Music Blast. We are the Rappahannock Fredericksburg Rotary Club known as the “morning club.” Check us out at RappRotary.org. We meet for breakfast every Wednesday from 7:00 -8:30. Talk to a Rotarian and have them bring you along to see how 113 men and women have fun and get stuff done. Here’s where you, the Front Porch reader, come into the picture. We need you to come out on April 29, 2017 from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. to dance to the rhythm of the best beach music bands on the East Coast. We’re kicking it off with local favorite Steve Jarrell, followed by: The Catalinas, Ammon Tharp and the All Stars, and The Tams! There’ll be shag lessons, a car show, and a moon bounce for the kids. Last year we had about 500 attendees. This year we are predicting about 1000! So put on those dancing shoes, shake off the winter blues and come on down to the Fredericksburg Fairgrounds. Buy your tickets today, make a donation (use the ticket link) and see all the other community members who are supporting us at Fredericksburgmusicblast.com. Nick Cadwallender and James Kyle Snyder are two of the 1.2 million Rotarians in the world. Edited by k. jeanne fraser
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Season’s Bounty where are you spring? By vanessa moncure Usually by this time of the year, I'm deep into one or another of my annual “spring cleaning” projects. Pretty simple jobs I've managed to avoid until I think, “oh, finishing XYZ would be a great Spring Cleaning Idea”. Organizing old photos on rainy days, preparing garden rakes, tools, tomato cages, - finding that sunny day to repaint faded shutters or wash outdoor furniture - packing up heavy coats to the dry cleaner’s and usually a rug or two dropped off at the carpet cleaner’s - which then exposes more than a few dust bunnies and corner spider webs...and uh, oh….how did that trim get so beat up? Hmmm….Just a touch up with Antique White semigloss….but wait? It doesn't match? So now I need to paint ALL of the trim and doors?? Not all Antique Whites are the same? So goes my Spring. Usually. But it's been an unusual spring, weatherwise, this year. My daffodils have experienced rain, hail, sleet and snow - and that was just in one day! My recipe files are usually transitioning nicely from winter hearty stews, soups, roasts and collections of root vegetables to broths and sprinklings of micro greens, just waiting for that first fresh rockfish fillet and sweet strawberry salad. But somehow not this year, when March Madness is possibly referring to the thermometer. And no outdoor furniture will see me braving 35-mph wind gusts with wind chills in the ‘20s washing it down for a spring outdoor supper - remember the coats are at the cleaner’s. Even the grill is looking a bit dispirited this month. So how about a few recipes to remind you that Spring really will be with us soon, my Old Farmer’s Almanac promises us that! CHEESE RAVIOLI IN FRESH HERB BROTH and a few other ideas Do you keep fresh wonton wrappers as a kitchen staple? If not, buy a package, usually found in the fresh produce aisle, and be amazed at all these little wrappers can do. Spice up ground chicken with fresh grated ginger and snipped chives, an egg and several splashes of mirin and oyster sauce - moisten wrapper edges, fill with a teaspoonful of chicken mixture and poach in chicken broth for homemade wonton soup. Use the same filling for potstickers - fry in a slick of canola oil in pan just until browned, then pour a cup or so of chicken broth over the potstickers, cover and poach 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Garnish both with snipped chives. Yum!! Now for the CHEESE RAVIOLI-Mix together 1 1/2 cup mixed Gruyere & Swiss cheeses, & one-third cup soft goat cheese, 1 tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons finely minced parsley, S&P and 1 egg until well mixed. 24 wonton wrappers. Place 1 teaspoon cheese filling in center of wrapper, moisten edges of wrapper with water. fold edges to form triangle,
pressing edges to seal. Repeat, keeping filled wrappers moist covered by lightly dampened towel. In large saucepan or Dutch oven, bring 6-8 cups chicken broth to the boil. Slice one-half pound asparagus into 1-inch diagonal cuts, add to stock. When stock returns to the boil, remove stillslightly crisp asparagus, divide between 6 shallow bowls. Then, working in batches, simmer ravioli about 2 minutes each, also dividing between bowls. Ladle stock in bowls, sprinkle with fresh grated Parmesan cheese & minced parsley. Fresh peas can be substituted for asparagus if desired. WILD CAUGHT SALMON WITH FRESH HERB SAUCE For 4 servings, you'll need four six-ounce salmon filets. Sprinkle them lightly with S&P and a light dusting of flour and set aside while making the leek sauce. These are the last garden leeks of the season - finely chop about 3 cups leeks, white and very pale green leek only. Make sure the leeks are completely cleaned, rinsing layer by layer - even one bite of sandy grit will ruin your sauce. Melt 4 tablespoons butter in large skillet and sauté leeks over medium low heat until softened, 10-15 minutes. Turn heat to high, add one cup white wine or vermouth and boil about three minutes or until liquid is mostly reduced. Stir in one cup heavy whipping cream and reduce until thickened to sauce consistency. Add S&P if needed, 2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley, one-half tablespoon fresh minced tarragon and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, cover to keep warm. Melt 4 tablespoons butter over medium high heat in large skillet. Sauté salmon skin-side down first about 3 minutes per side or until fish flakes easily. Spoon sauce in bottom of shallow bowl plate, place salmon atop and sprinkle with chopped parsley or chives. Serve with asparagus or fresh baby peas. ALMOND TUILES WITH FRESH BERRIES, CONE-F FILLED LEMON CURD Just 4 ingredients for the cookies, French for “tiles”, as the traditional tile roof shape is formed by draping over a rolling pin while the cookies are still warm. Roll these into a cone-shape, fill sparingly with imported lemon curd and lavishly surround with fresh spring berries. Preheat oven to 400F. Cover baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners and as cookies spread, don't crowd the baking sheet. Cream together 5 tablespoons softened butter with 1/4 cup sugar. Stir in 1/3c up flour with 1/3 finely minced or grated almonds. Form into a dough, drop by teaspoons onto baking sheet, flatten with a fork dipped in cold water. Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are browned, then roll into cone shape and cool on metal rack. Makes about twelve to sixteen cookies. Enjoy!
Olde Towne BUTCHER Corner of William & Charles Streets Downtown Fredericksburg 540.370.4105 www.oldetownebutcher.com Hours Monday - Saturday, 9am to 9pm; Sunday, 11am to 6pm Keith Lebor Proprietor
Serving Breakfast Sandwiches 10am ~ 11:30am Lunch 10am ~ 4pm Open Monday ~ Saturday 10am - 4pm 540.371.2233 www.thevirginiadeli.com 826 Caroline corner of Caroline & George Streets
Become a Friend Advocate ~ Donate ~ Volunteer
540~479~4116 1013 Princess Anne Street , FXBG
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