Featured Recipe: Impressive Athenian Chicken Rolls
December 12, 2010
This weekend’s featured recipe from Janet Tharpe is a “Athenian Chicken Rolls”, flavorful little bundles of chicken, feta and spinach.
To print today’s “Just a Pinch” recipe column, you can click the image below to load a printable pdf with a recipe card.
Here is the sauce that omitted from the recipe card above:
ATHENIAN CHICKEN SAUCE
2 Tbsp butter
3 Tbsp mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbsp flour
1 c chicken broth
3/4 c white wine, dry
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 Tbsp capers, drained
To make sauce, drain most of oil from frypan, leaving brown bits on bottom of pan; add butter and melt over medium heat. Add mushrooms and saute about 2 minutes. Add flour, stirring to blend and thicken. Add chicken broth, wine, lemon juice and capers. Cook about 4 minutes or until thickened.
Cottage Hill Woman Jailed On Drug Charges
December 11, 2010
A Cottage Hill woman is facing multiple drug charges after deputies discovered meth and drug equipment at her Elna Road Home.
Terra Cae Palmer, 34, is charged with possession of methamphetamines, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a listed chemical (ephedrine) and manufacturing methamphetamines.
When deputies arrived as Palmer’s residence to serve an outstanding drug warrant, they discovered the meth and drug equipment, according to an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office report.
A Hazmat team was called to the residence to dispose of some of the chemicals that were discovered, according to the report.
Palmer is being held in the Escambia County Jail with bond set at $50,000.
Century Man Guilty Of Armed Robbery, Could Face Two Life Sentences
December 11, 2010
A Century man has been found guilty of two counts of armed robbery with a firearm by an Escambia County Jury for the March 4, 2010, holdup of Moyes State Line Food Mart.
Shawn Demarcus Simmons is facing a 10 year mandatory minimum and a maximum of life in state prison on each count, according to State Attorney Bill Eddins. Simmons, who was once named one of Escambia County’s most wanted criminals, will be sentenced December 29.
Simmons forced the store clerk at gunpoint to empty the cash register, and took several hundred of dollars in Florida Lottery funds and several lottery tickets. After robbing the clerk, Simmons allegedly robbed a customer at gunpoint.
K-9 units from the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office and Century Correctional Institution joined Escambia County deputies and Flomaton Police Department officers in a lengthy manhunt for the suspect. The manhunt was centered in an area bounded by Highway 29, Old Flomaton Road, Highway 4 and the Alabama state line.
Less than two hours after the Moyes robbery, a resident just south of the convenience store called 911 to report that a black male wearing a dark colored hoodie jacket was standing at her door, covered in mud. The resident also described the man as having lips that were light in color and appeared to be burned.
‘Don’t you know me? Don’t you remember me? The police are after me’,” the suspect told the woman, according to the sheriff’s office report.
The man reportedly asked the female if he could enter the house, but she refused and called for help. A black jacket was recovered by an Escambia County Sheriff’s Office crime scene technician from behind the woman’s residence. Deputies called off the search about three hours after the robbery, unable to locate Simmons.
The woman at the house later identified Simmons from a photo line up as the man that was at her door. Another witness that was outside the store prior to the robbery also picked Simmons out of a photo line up.
Gulf Coast Crime Stoppers later named Simmons as one of Escambia County’s most wanted fugitives after he was accused of robbing and pistol-whipping a Century man. Simmons was also the subject of additional manhunts in Century and Brewton, Alabama.
Pictured top: Deputies investigate the March 4, 2010, armed robbery of Moyes State Line Food Mart in Century. Pictured middle inset: Tracking dogs are used to search for Simmons following a Century armed robbery. Pictured bottom inset: A crime scene technician dusts the door of Moyes State Line Food Mart in Century after a March 4 armed robbery. NorthEscambia.com file photos, click to enlarge.
Photo Gallery: Byrneville Elementary Presents Jingle Bell Jukebox
December 11, 2010
The third, fourth and fifth grade students at Byrneville Elementary School presented their annual Christmas play with “Jingle Bell Jukebox” Friday night at Northview High School. The play was under the direction of Elaine Holk.
For a photo gallery, click here.
Pictured above and below: Byrneville Elementary presented “Jingle Bell Jukebox” Friday night. Submitted photos by Heather Leonard, click to enlarge.
Week After Win Over Northview, Trinity Christian Wins State Title
December 11, 2010
The Trinity Christian Conquerors — the school that beat the Northview Chiefs last week — won the Class 1A state title Friday night at the Citrus Bowl.
Andrew Buie had 31 carries for 242 yards as the Conquerors beat Delray Beach American Heritage 27-10. It was the third state championship in the past eight years for Trinity Christian (12-2), which ended their year with an 11-game winning streak.
The Northview Chiefs’ state championship dreams were crushed a week ago by the Conquerors of Trinity Christian in Jacksonville, 49-14, in the Class 1A State Semifinals. It was first ever Semifinal appearance for Northview (11-2). In 1979, the Eagles of Ernest Ward High School last brought the only modern time Class A football championship back to the area Ernest Ward would later merge with the Century Blackcats to create Northview.
Pictured top: Trinity gains yardage against Northview December 3 in Jacksonville. NorthEscambia.com photo by Will Dickey, the Florida Times Union, click to enlarge.
NHS Girls Weightlifting Team Competes In Ft. Walton
December 11, 2010
Friday, Northview’s Girls Weightlifting Team participated in the Emerald Coast Invitational at Choctawhatchee High School in Ft. Walton. There were 10 teams, with Northview placing eight overall.
The following girls placed in the top 10 in their weight class:
- Ariel Holland- 7th
- Laneicia Gomez-3rd
- Sarah Killiam -10th
- Audra Martin-9th
- Naomi Cooler-7th
Pictured top: The Northview’s Girls Weightlifting Team participated in the Emerald Coast Invitational at Choctawhatchee High School in Ft. Walton Friday afternoon. Pictured below: Laneicia Gomez (center) placed third in her weight category. Submitted photos for NorthEsambia.com, click to enlarge.
Rain Tonight, Colder Sunday
December 11, 2010
Here is your official North Escambia area forecast:
- Tonight: Showers, mainly between 9pm and 3am. Low around 39. South wind 10 to 15 mph becoming west. Winds could gust as high as 25 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%.
- Sunday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46. Windy, with a west wind between 15 and 25 mph, with gusts as high as 35 mph.
- Sunday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 21. Wind chill values between 10 and 15. Northwest wind between 10 and 15 mph, with gusts as high as 20 mph.
- Monday: Sunny, with a high near 42. Wind chill values between 10 and 20. Breezy, with a northwest wind between 10 and 20 mph, with gusts as high as 25 mph.
- Monday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 20. North wind around 5 mph.
- Tuesday: Sunny, with a high near 51. North wind around 5 mph becoming east.
- Tuesday Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 25. East wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Wednesday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 59. Southeast wind between 5 and 10 mph.
- Wednesday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 47. South wind around 5 mph becoming calm.
- Thursday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 72.
- Thursday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 50.
- Friday: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly sunny, with a high near 66.
- Friday Night: A 20 percent chance of showers. Partly cloudy, with a low around 40.
- Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 56.
Congressman Jeff Miller Discusses House Veterans Affair Chair Post
December 11, 2010
In his latest newsletter, U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller discusses his appointment as chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee.
The following was submitted by Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Chumuckla for NorthEscambia.com:
Just over a month ago, we all heard the American people speak out loud and clear about their desire for our nation to head in a new direction away from the course it had been on over the last several years. With the new majority in the House comes many significant changes and a new charge from the voters to eliminate wasteful spending and restore the federal government to its proper role. Included in those changes were the decisions on which members would lead the committees in the House.
This week, I was elected to serve as the Chairman of the House Veterans’ Affairs Committee for the 112th Congress. To have this unique opportunity is a great honor, and I look forward to ensuring the best care and services are delivered to our nation’s veterans. I have served on this important committee since first being elected to Congress and have worked hard for our veterans during that time. We have seen in Northwest Florida some tremendous examples of success from the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) co-sharing resources with the Department of Defense, and I look forward to leading that success across the country, including making further progress on a lifetime electronic record for our soldiers.
We have also seen in the past- both inside and outside VA- the failures of simply throwing money at a problem with the hopes that it would go away. Significant increases in VA funding to specifically address, and eventually eliminate, the claims backlog clearly did not do what was needed, and I intend to push a more efficient approach that addresses the claims system from top to bottom so that a veteran can more easily and accurately file a claim and at the same time receive a more timely response. Time is long overdue to eliminate the adversarial feeling that many of these veterans have toward VA and make it a more user-friendly system.
The committee must also ensure strict oversight at VA, especially in the areas of information security and patient safety. Just one stolen laptop with veterans’ personal information is one too many, and rigorous procedures must be put in place throughout the department to ensure such an incident does not occur in the future. So, too, must patients at VA facilities know that stringent procedures are being followed by workers in those facilities and that they are always receiving the highest quality of care.
I also hope to have a cooperative atmosphere guiding the committee’s actions where members on both sides of the aisle work together with VA, the veterans service organizations (VSOs), and individual veterans to see that VA can fulfill its mission to the best of its ability. We all have a common goal of ensuring the best care and benefits for those who bravely served this nation, and the time is over for letting disagreement on how to best achieve that goal impede our progress.
I am humbled by the privilege of not only representing over 110,000 veterans in Northwest Florida, but also serving our nation’s heroes across the country as the new Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs’ Committee. There is no doubt of the significant workload ahead of us, but I and my fellow committee members will fight to meet the needs of those veterans, just as they fought to protect our liberty.
Friday: Decorate For The Holidays With Potted Plants
December 11, 2010
With Christmas approaching, homes are being decorated with lights and trees and other festive adornments. While the chiller weather discourages the use of decorating with potted plants outside, the indoors can come alive with festive potted plants.
Poinsettia
Very few plants are as closely associated with a holiday as poinsettias are with Christmas. The poinsettia, native to South America, was given the botanical name Euphorbia pulcherrima, which literally means “very beautiful.”
The showy portions of the poinsettia, which most people think of as the flower, are actually colorful leaves called bracts.
In addition to the traditional red, bracts can be pink, white, orange, and even purple. Poinsettia plants come in many sizes and their bracts come in a wide range of shapes.
Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not poisonous, although some people are sensitive to the sap, which contains latex.
With proper care, your poinsettia may stay colorful for months after the holidays. Because they are tropical plants, keep them in a bright light and away from chilly drafts. To learn more about how to care for your poinsettia, read the UF/IFAS publications titled “Poinsettias at a Glance”. It’s available online at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep349 or by calling your local Extension Office.
Amaryllis
Potted amaryllises excel as small but stellar holiday gifts. These easy to grow winter bloomers produce surprisingly exotic flowers, yet are still unknown to many people. The bulb is large, the flowers are huge. They grow and bloom for weeks on end – indoors in the middle of winter.
If you purchase a bulb, plant it in a pot with well-drained potting soil. Place the pot in a sunny window and keep the soil evenly moist. When the flower stalks begin to emerge, rotate the pot every few days so the stalks will grow straight. If you provide your amaryllis with too little light, the flower stalk will grow excessively tall and may even fall over.
Each stalk will produce several flowers. As each bloom fades, snip it off. When all the blooms on a stalk have faded, cut off the entire stalk about an inch from its base. Don’t assume the show is over after the first flowers fade. Your bulb will probably produce a second stalk with more flowers. Sometimes a third one pops up.
For more information on how to grow and care for amaryllis, read the UF/IFAS publication titled “Amaryllis.” It’s available online at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/ep060.
Rosemary
To add the fragrance of the holiday season to your home, include a rosemary plant. Available in many stores in a Christmas tree shape, rosemary is an easy herb to grow.
When a rosemary Christmas tree is purchased it is usually a large plant in a small container. That means that there is probably a pretty good size root mass with not much soil to hold onto the water. The more soil a container holds, the longer the plant can go between watering. One of the tricks to growing rosemary is to allow it to dry out between watering.
One of the first things you can do to improve its ability to survive is to replant it using well-drained potting soil. Using a terra cotta pot will help keep this somewhat top-heavy plant from being easily tipped over. Since rosemary likes it on the dry side, terra cotta pots are an especially good choice. After a good initial watering, keep the soil moderately dry. Also provide plenty of light with a south or west exposure. Low light will produce leggy growth.
Enjoy the holiday season by adding Christmas plants to your décor.
Theresa Friday is the Residential Horticulture Extension Agent for Santa Rosa County.
Body Found In Backyard Was Homicide
December 10, 2010
The Escambia County Sheriff’s Office now says the death of Connie Annette Slaughter, 43, was a homicide.
A family member found Slaughter dead in the backyard of her home in the 400 block of East Ten Mile Road at around 7:25 am Friday morning. Investigators are working with the medical examiner’s office to determine the cause of death, and are awaiting autopsy results.
“Our investigators have launched a homicide investigation into the death of Connie Slaughter, and they do not believe robbery is a motive,” said Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Deputy Chris Welborn.
The Sheriff’s Office is not releasing any further information concerning the case at this time.