Rains County Leader (Emory, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 10, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 14, 2001 Page: 4 of 16
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|3 Bains Countu Leader Tuesday, august 14,2001
Where credit is due TOPS 1244
by Bonnie Burch
Rains County Leader staff
Simple ways of life, helping
needy people, and down-home
cooking. Those are the things that
are most important to Clodell
Briggs, our featured guest this
week.
Three people told me what a
wonderful cook Clodell is, but I had
to practically beg her for the inter-
view. Actually, she did not mind
being interviewed; she minded hav-
ing her picture taken. When I
explained to her that almost every-
one I interview hates the picture-
taking part, she relented. In the pic-
ture shown here, she is holding a jar
of something special in her hands. 1
will write about that jar later, but
first things first.
Clodell was born in the Flats
area, which is now swallowed up by
Lake Tawakoni. Her daddy, Roy
(Shorty) Lyons, raised cotton, and
her mother Maggie raised a big gar-
den. She had one brother, Leroy,
and after the family picked cotton in
the fields all day, Leroy would
gather and chop firewood. Starting
at seven years old, Clodcli's task
was to fix supper while her folks
were busy slopping hogs, milking
cows, feeding chickens and gather-
ing eggs.
It follows that she told me about
making biscuits for the family. “We
had a drawer full of flour, and I
would get out a big bowl. I would
put the flour in the bowl, wallow
out a hole in it and add the other
ingredients. Then I would work the
mixture with my fingers,” she
explained.
When she talked about the
process she went through when
catching a chicken to fry, I laughed
out loud. She told me, “I’d run a
chicken with yellow legs up against
the garden fence. Then I’d put his
head under a stick and stand on both
ends of the stick and pull off his
head.” Clodell preferred to do the
deed in this manner instead of
wringing the chicken’s neck.
I told her I did not understand the
significance of the chicken having
yellow legs. She patiently ex-
plained, “I didn’t want one with
pale lugs. He would be no good!”
She said she knew the chicken with
yellow legs would be fatter and bet-
ter.
The story goes on. Clodell would
completely skin the chicken, which
got rid of all the feathers. She
would then cut it up and fry it. “I
always made gravy and homemade
biscuits and had stuff out of the gar-
den to go along with, it,” she
recalled. (Can you imagine a seven-
year-old performing that task
today? I can’t!)
During those years, the family
got a real treat every Saturday dur-
ing cotton-picking season. “My dad
would take bales of cotton to town.
He would go to Mr. B.B. Rabb’s
store and would bring home a round
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steak or homemade sausage, a bot-
tle of ketchup and a loaf of bread. It
was really special,” she shared.
Clodell said her home economics
teacher, Floy Rossetter, was special,
as well. “She was one of the best
but was one tough dude! She made
us do everything right. We learned
how to cook and sew under her, and
she made us use a thimble. We
would get demerits if we didn’t
have our thimble on our fingers.
Now I can’t pick up a needle with-
, out using a thimble. I told her later
that I appreciated her toughness,”
Clodell shared.
The homemaker had a tough time
with her health for a few years, and
husband Orville was right by her
side. She had Meniere's Disease,
which is an inner ear problem. She
said, “I lay on the couch for three
years and finally told my doctor in
Greenville to get me some help or I
was going to go home with him! He
sent me to a doctor in Dallas who
performed surgery on my car.”
It took three more years for her to
fully recover, and Clodell said, “I
promised God that if he would let
me get off the couch, I’d do His
work. You don’t make a promise to
God and not keep it.”
Do His work she has! She talked
about taking a big pot of lentil soup
to a party recently. There was a
large amount left over, and she took
it to a lady who was having some
hard times. Orville piped up and
added, “Sometimes when we have
leftovers, Clodell will give them to
a needy family.” The homemaker
has also worked with the Good
Samaritans through Point Meth-
odist Church, and the Briggs give
fruit off their trees to neighborhood
children.
“I like to help those in need.
Today I’m giving you three recipes
from my good friend Nancy
Bowman who is ill now. I told her
what I was doing, and she was
thrilled,” Clodell added.
Have you been wondering what
is in the jar Clodell is holding in the
picture? Well, it is nothing I would
have ever guessed. It is canned
peach peelings. The lady said,
“When I peel peaches, I can the
peelings to make pies. I can make
plate pies or fried pies with them.” I
looked at her guiltily and confessed
that I had peeled about five gallons
of peaches the night before and
thrown away the peelings.
Further, she said, “I boiled the
peelings, poured off the juice and
made peach jelly (not peach pre-
serves).” She gave me a jar of that
jelly as well as a jar of pickled
peaches. I felt like I had hit the jack-
pot in Vegas!
Orville piped up again and said
that Clodell had cut up squash,
potatoes and onions, coated them
with flour and fried them for their
lunch the day before. I admitted that
I had never heard of that dish either,
and he said he could eat it every
day. Now do you understand what I
mean about her down-home cook-
ing?
The Briggs have been married for
54 years and have one son, Mike,
and two grandsons, Darrell and
Damon. Clodell said it was love at
first sight for her when she first saw
Orville. She smiled as she said, “We
have had a wonderful life together-
The longer we’re together, the more
we like each other.”
Well, I certainly liked the Briggs,
and they made me fee! right at
home. Their life is simple, Clodell
is just about famous in these parts
for her down-home cooking, and
she has kept her promise to God
about helping other people. I left
with the feeling that God is in His
heaven, and all is right with the
world.
Apricot Salad
1 small can crushed pineapple
1/2 cup sugar
1 small box apricot-flavored Jello
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 s junior size apricot baby food or
2 small jars
1 8-oz. carton Cool Whip
1 cup chopped nuts
Bring pineapple, sugar and apricot Jello
to a boll. Slightly cool, then add cream
cheese and baby food. Add Cool Whip and
nuts. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours
before serving (Overnight refrigeration is
better.)
Sour Cream Raisin Pie
1 cup raisins (white)
1 cup water
2 egg yolks, beaten
1 cup sugar
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 Tbs. flour
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. salt
3 egg whites for meringue
Boil raisins and water for 5 minutes
and cool. Mix beaten egg yolks, sugar and
sour cream. Add remaining ingredients to
the raisin mixture. Cook this together
until thick. Pour in a baked pie shell. Add
meringue and brown.
Com Casserole
1 can cream-style com
1 can whole-kernel com, drained
2 sticks melted butter
1 cup sour cream
l egg
1 pkg combread mix
Mix all together and pour in greased
pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.
Brownies
I stick + 2 Tbs. melted margarine
6 Tbs. cocoa
I cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 cup flour
Nuts to taste
Mix melted margarine with other Ingre-
dients and bake at 325 degrees for 35
minutes. Use 9x9 pan.
Mama’s Pound Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
2 Tbs. flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup water
4 eggs
1 8-oz. carton sour cream
Mix all ingredients together Pour into
greased angel food cake pan. Bake for I
hour at 350 degrees.
Com & Cream Cheese
2 cans whole-kernel com
1 8-oz. pkg cream cheese
2 Tbs. margarine
Drain corn. Put all ingredients in pan.
Heat until cream cheese is melted.
Oops! I recently interviewed Jeri
Norris for Kitchen Scents, and in
her article I quoted Oprah Winfrey
as saying that she (Oprah) did not
believe in luck. I further stated that
what Oprah believes people call
“luck” is actually preparation meet-
ing opportunity.
Well, shame on me, and shame
on Oprah! Neither of us gave credit
to the man who first said the words,
“Luck is what happens when prepa-
ration meets opportunity.” That man
was Notre Dame Football Coach
Ara Parseghian, 1908-1986. One of
our readers, Jesse Morris, was kind
enough to bring the mistake to my
attention. Thanks, Jesse. We all
need a wake-up call once in a while.
NETO-Senior
Citizens menu
August 20 - 24
Monday: Chicken tenders with
gravy, potato Rockefeller, broccoli
with cheese sauce, roll, oatmeal
cookies.
Tuesday: Turkey tetrazzini, green
beans, carrots in orange sauce,
wheat bread, fruit cobbler.
Wednesday: Barbecued beef on
bun, baked beans, cabbage-pineap-
ple slaw, peach slices.
Thursday: Oven-fried chicken,
new potatoes, California blend veg-
etables, roll, cake square.
Friday: Chicken-fried steak with
gravy, mashed potatoes, buttered
spinach, bread, Jello.
Roy Martin dropped by the
Leader office last week to renew his
subscription.
chapter meeting
TOPS TX 1244 met in regular
session on August 7. The meeting
was called to order by leader
Mildred Broiles. The devotional
’ was given by Barbara Dunavin.
We all said the TOPS pledge and
sang the TOPS song. KOPS said the
KOPS pledge.
Linda Franklin called roll with
six weighing in. Margaret Mierzwik
was TOPS best loser. The money
can was held over.
Lori Wilson read the minutes.
Best loser of the month for July was
Barbara Dunavin. KOPS best loser
of the month for July was Johnnie
Dry. Charms were given to Barbara
Dunavin, Margaret Mierzwik, and
Mary Ripple for giving a progi im.
Mildred Broiles gave the pro-
gram. Margaret Mierzwik won the
contest.
We meet Tuesday nights from
7:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Emory
Baptist Church. Weigh-in is from
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Visit for more
information. The first visit is free.
TOPS is for women, men, pre-
teens, and teens. Come join us and
see what TOPS is all about.
Reported by Lori Wilson
Janice Martin visited the office
recently to renew her subscription
to the Rains County Leader.
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FEN-PHEN
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Pondimin (fenfluramine), Redux (dexfenfluramine) or the combination
called Fen Phen (mixture of Pondimin or Redux with Phentermine)
If you suffer from chest pain, heart attack, swollen ankles, pulmonary
hypertension, heart lesions, heart valve damage, valve regurgitation,
shortness of breath and/or fatigue you may be entitled to compensation
for your injuries depending on the facts of your case.
FOR A FREE CONFIDENTIAL APPOINTMENT CALL
CURTIS, ALEXANDER, McCAMPBELL & MORRIS, P.C.
Attorneys at Law
866-440-2266 Toll Free
PHILIP D. ALEXANDER
J. BRAD McCAMPBELL
Nn. 1 Planters Street_
GEORGE IVAN ALEXANDER
2708 Washington Stree'
_Greenville. TX 75402
Emory, TX 75440
NOT CERTIFIED BY THE TEXAS BOARD OF LEGAL SPECIALIZATION
ATTORNEY MAY REFER THESE CASES TO OTHER ATTORNEYS
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Hill, Earl Clyde, Jr. Rains County Leader (Emory, Tex.), Vol. 114, No. 10, Ed. 1 Tuesday, August 14, 2001, newspaper, August 14, 2001; Emory, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth767024/m1/4/?q=%22~1%22~1: accessed July 15, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Rains County Library.