Happy Homemakers
Monday,
February 16th, 10:00 a.m. at Elaine Perret’s house 736 Apple St.
Norco
New Sarpy Homemakers
Wednesday,
February 18th, 9:45 a.m. at the County Agents Office (You will be
part of our advisory meeting)
Hahnville Homemakers
Friday,
February 20th, visiting shut-ins, meet at 9:00 at Betty Keller’s
house 226 Pecan St. Hahnville to make fruit baskets
Association Meeting
Wednesday,
April 1st, 10:00 – noon
County Agents Office
1313 Paul Maillard Rd. Luling
I am changing the meeting from March 25th to April 1st, I will be in Jefferson
Parish on the 25th, and want to attend this meeting, I hope this
does not mess up anyone’s plans, THANKS
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Things to
Remember !!!!!
2009 Parish Dues due to club
president $5.00
2009 Club Dues to club president
(?)
2009 State LVFC dues due to
association treasurer
$10.00
PLEASE consider joining the State VFC
Write
checks out to:
St.
Charles Parish Association-VFC
mail
to:
Carol
Babin 14 Parlange Dr. Destrehan, LA. 70047
Don’t forget to bring a can good to each meeting for
the food banks
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This is important to all of us women. Please read
and pass it on.
New Kind of Breast Cancer
Please forward to all of the women in your lives.
Mothers, daughters, sisters, aunts, friends, etc.
**In November, a rare kind of breast cancer was
found. A lady developed a rash on her breast, similar to that of young mothers
who are nursing.
Because her mammogram had been clear, the doctor treated her with antibiotics
for infections. After two rounds it continued to get worse, her doctor sent her
for another mammogram, and this time it showed a mass.
A biopsy found a fast growing malignancy. Chemo was started in order to shrink
the growth; then mastectomy; then a full round of Chemo; then radiation. After
about 9 months of intense treatment, she was given a clean bill of health. One
year of living each day to its fullest. Then the cancer returned to the liver
area. She took 4 treatments and decided that she wanted quality of life, not
the after effects of Chemo. She had 5 great months and she planned each detail
of the final days. After just a few days of needing morphine she slipped away
saying she had done what God had sent her into the world to do and now it was
her time to go.
PLEASE be alert to anything that is not normal.
Paget's Disease: This is a rare form of breast
cancer, and is on the outside of the breast, on the nipple and areola. It
appeared as a rash, which later became a lesion with a crusty outer edge. I
would not have ever suspected it to be breast cancer but it was. My nipple
never seemed any different to me, but the rash bothered me, so I went to the
doctor for that. Sometimes, it itched and was sore, but other than that it
didn't bother me. It was just ugly and a nuisance, and could not be cleared up
with all the creams prescribed by my doctor and dermatologist for the
dermatitis on my eyes just prior to this outbreak.
They seemed a little concerned. Mine started out as
a single red pimple on the areola. One of the biggest problems with Paget's
disease of the nipple is that the symptoms appear to be harmless. It is
frequently thought to be a skin inflammation or infection, leading to
unfortunate delays in detection and care.
What are the symptoms? The symptoms include:
1. A persistent redness, oozing, and crusting of
your nipple causing it to itch and burn. (As I stated, mine did not itch or
burn much, and had no oozing I was aware of, but it did have a crust along the
outer edge on one side.)
2. A sore on your nipple that will not heal. (Mine
was on the areola area with a whitish thick looking area in center of nipple).
3. Usually only one nipple is affected. How is it
diagnosed? Your doctor will do a physical exam and should suggest having a
mammogram of both breasts, done immediately. Even though the redness, oozing
and crusting closely resemble dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), your
doctor should suspect cancer if the sore is only on one breast. Your doctor
should order a biopsy of your sore to confirm what is going on.
This message should be taken seriously and passed on
to as many of your relatives and friends as possible; it could save someone's
life. My breast cancer has spread and metastasized to my bones after receiving
mega doses of chemotherapy, 28 treatments of radiation and taking Tamaxofin. If
this had been diagnosed as breast cancer in the beginning, perhaps it would not
have spread...
TO ALL READERS: This is sad as women are not aware
of Paget's disease. If, by passing this around on the e-mail, we can make
others aware of it, and its potential danger, we are helping women everywhere.
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St. Joseph’s Day History
Italy - La Festa di
San Giuseppe
In Sicily, where St. Joseph is regarded by many as their Patron
Saint, and many Italian-American communities, thanks are given to St. Joseph ("San Giuseppe" in Italian)
for preventing a famine in Sicily during the Middle Ages. According to legend,
there was a severe drought at the time, and the people prayed for their patron
saint to bring them rain. They promised that if he answered their prayers, they
would prepare a large feast to honor him. The rain did come, and the people of
Sicily prepared a large banquet for their patron saint. The fava bean was the crop which saved the population from starvation, and is a
traditional part of St. Joseph's Day altars and traditions. Giving food to the
needy is a St. Joseph's Day custom. In some communities it is traditional to
wear red clothing and eat a Sicilian pastry known as a Zeppole on St. Joseph's Day. Upon a typical St. Joseph's Day altar, people place
flowers, limes, candles, wine, fava beans, specially prepared cakes, breads,
and cookies (as well as other meatless dishes), andzeppole. Foods are traditionally
served containing bread crumbs to represent saw dust since St. Joseph was a
carpenter. Because the feast occurs during Lent, traditionally no meat was
allowed on the celebration table. The altar usually has three tiers, to
represent the trinity.
Some villages like Belmonte
Mezzagno use to burn wood and logs in squares on
the day before St.Joseph, as thanksgiving to the Saint. This is called "'A
Vampa di San Giuseppe"(the Saint Joseph's bonfire).
In New
Orleans, Louisiana, which was a major port
of entry for Sicilian immigrants during the late 19th century, the Feast of St.
Joseph is a city-wide event. Both public and private St. Joseph's altars are
traditionally built. The altars are usually open to any visitor who wishes to
pay homage. The food is generally distributed to charity after the altar is
dismantled.
There are also parades in honor of St. Joseph and
the Italian population of New Orleans which are similar to the many marching
clubs and truck parades of Mardi Gras and St. Patrick's
Day. Tradition in New Orleans also holds that by burying a small
statue of St. Joseph in your yard, your house will sell more promptly. In
addition to the above traditions, some groups of Mardi Gras
Indiansstage their last procession of the season on the Sunday prior
to St. Joseph's day otherwise known as "Super Sunday," after which
their costumes are dismantled.
St. Joseph, who is the patron saint of the family,
is celebrated at the Spring solstice and his day is a feast of bread. At one
time, the Feast of San Giuseppe, as he is called in Italy, was an Italian
national holiday. St. Joseph's feast day is still celebrated with families
gathering together to create enormous buffets for neighbors and friends. The
table is said to overflow with an abundance of food that the Father of the Holy
Family provides. The centerpiece of St. Joseph's Day festivities is an alter
laid with fine linens and decorated with flowers and decorative breads in the
shape of things of nature. In America, the festival is like a giant potluck
dinner, but the dishes served are similar to those eaten in Italy - from fried
croquettes of fish, sardines, shrimp, and calamari to stuffed artichokes,
spring vegetable frittatas and fava bean soup. But in America, as in Italy, a
highlight of the meal is the special sweets that are prepared. Although the
names and shapes of these hot delicate fritters differ from region to region,
they are as much associated with St. Joseph's Day as turkey is to Thanksgiving.
They are usually called zeppole or frittelle when unfilled. When the pastries
are filled with a sweetened ricotta or custard they may change their name to
cassateddi, sfinci, or bigne. In some areas the zeppole are made of rice while
in others they are based on flour. Here is one of three varieties:
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ZEPPOLE (Makes 18 - 20 zeppole)
2 cups water
1 cup unsalted butter
1-3/4 cups flour, sifted
10 eggs
Vegetable oil for deep frying
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Bring the water and butter to a boil in a large saucepan over medium heat.
Add the flour and mix vigorously with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes.
The mixture should be very dry and come away from the sides of the pan.
Remove the saucepan from the heat and set it aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Then begin to add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each.
Continue to beat until the dough is very smooth.
Heat the oil in a deep fryer or wide, deep saucepan to 350 to 375 degrees F.
Drop batter by heaping tablespoons into the oil, a few at a time, without
crowding.
The zeppole should cook for about 5 minutes getting very brown and crisp.
Drain them on paper towels and let them cool a few minutes.
Sift confectioner’s sugar over the top.
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St.
Joseph's Day Bread
Recipe contributed by Judy Perin
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups of warm water
- 2 packages of dry yeast
- 2 tablespoons of shortening
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 4 1/2 cups flour
- 1 egg, slightly beaten
Preparation
Combine in a bowl the warm water,
yeast, shortening, sugar, oil and salt. Let this sit for 5 minutes. In a mixing
bowl put 2 1/2 cups of flour and add the yeast mixture. Beat together until all
ingredients are completely blended. Stir in enough of the remaining flour to
form a dough. Turn dough onto a floured board. Knead in more of the flour to
form a stiff and smooth dough. Shape it into a ball. Place it in a greased
bowl, cover and let it rise in a warm draft free location until dough doubles
in size. Punch dough down and divide the dough into 6 equal pieces. Cover and
let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Roll each piece of dough into a 12 inch long
rope. Take 3 of the ropes and braid together to form a long braid, you will get
2 loafs of bread. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover and let rise in a warm
draft free location until double in size. Brush top with beaten egg and bake in
a preheated 400 degree oven for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from
cooking sheets and cool on wire racks.
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Deniese Zeringue Agent Advisor
Associate Extension Agent FCS/FRM/FNP
LSU AgCenter St. Charles Parish
985 785-4473