RIP Coach McLain

Coach McLain taught and coached at my high school back in the 1980's and still worked in a private Christian school until his very last day when he was suddenly taken from his family and life.

A Plano school said a high school football coach died Monday evening after practice.

Prestonwood Christian Academy announced the death of Wade McLain on its website. The Texas heat claimed the life of a football coach on the first day of practice. Prestonwood Christian Academy assistant football coach Wade McLain died Monday after passing out during an early evening drill. On Tuesday, the Collin County Medical Examiner ruled that the 55-year-old died from heat exposure associated with heart disease.

Hundreds of people gathered at the school on Park Boulevard for a private prayer vigil at about 8:30 p.m. Monday. 

Sources say McLain collapsed at 6 p.m., just after the team finished its second football practice of the day. 

Monday was the first day Texas high school football teams were allowed to hold official practice.

"We are deeply saddened to let you know that this afternoon, assistant varsity football coach Wade McLain died unexpectedly following the team's regular practice," the school said in a statement on its website. "Please be in prayer for Coach McLain's wife, Becky, and their five children. We are deeply saddened by the loss of Coach McLain yet are thankful in knowing he is in the presence of Jesus."

McLain's colleagues said McLain also taught history and coached baseball at Prestonwood.

Friends described him as a strong Christian who influenced thousands of young lives over the years as a football coach.

Visitation for Coach McLain will begin on Wednesday August 3, 2011 from 6:00-8:00 pm. at Restland Funeral Home Memorial Chapel. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, August 4, 2011 at 2:00 p.m. at Prestonwood Baptist Church with Pastor Jack Graham officiating. Interment will follow at Restland Memorial Park.

Know Your History - 'Under God'

For years there have been issues with organizations, people, schools etc that have taken out or omitted the 'Under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance.

If I can't say it enough - people do your damn homework! Stop being so offended by something you really don't know anything about!

The Pledge of Allegiance was created by Francis Bellamy in 1982 as a ploy to sell flags to schools across the nation. "Under God" wasn't added to the Pledge until 1954 because President Eisenhower had a fear of secular Communism.  The original salute to the flag was known as the "Bellamy Salute", and was nearly identical to what most of us would recognize at the Nazi salute.

Children performing the Bellamy salute to the flag of the United States, Hawaii, March 1941.

It would remain that way until December 22, 1942 when Roosevelt instituted the 'hand-over-the-heart' salute.

"In God We Trust" wasn't added to our currency until July 30, 1956.  Again, by Eisenhower. And even then it wasn't adopted on all paper currency until 1966.

The original de facto motto of the US is much more poignant and in line with the spirit in which this country was founded. "E pluribus unum".  Out of many, one.  This is what was printed on currency from 1795 until the adoption of the current US motto.

In any case, protesting and boycotting a product or company or person or organization because they recognize that not all Americans subscribe to one particular faith, and instead use a previous rendition that had not yet been tarnished by religious zealots and cowards is both ridiculous and ignorant.

Although the Constitution does not include the phrase "Separation of Church & State," neither does it say "Freedom of religion." However, the Constitution implies both in the 1st Amendment. As to our freedoms, the 1st Amendment provides exclusionary wording:

Congress shall make NO law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Many Religious Right activists have attempted to rewrite history by asserting that the United States government derived from Christian foundations, that our Founding Fathers originally aimed for a Christian nation. This idea simply does not hold to the historical evidence.

Of course many Americans did practice Christianity, but so also did many believe in deistic philosophy. Indeed, most of our influential Founding Fathers, although they respected the rights of other religionists, held to deism and Freemasonry tenets rather than to Christianity.

Our Founding Fathers were not Christians. None of the Founding Fathers were atheists. Most of the Founders were Deists, which is to say they thought the universe had a creator, but that he does not concern himself with the daily lives of humans, and does not directly communicate with humans, either by revelation or by sacred books. They spoke often of God, (Nature's God or the God of Nature), but this was not the God of the bible. They did not deny that there was a person called Jesus, and praised him for his benevolent teachings, but they flatly denied his divinity. Some people speculate that if Charles Darwin had lived a century earlier, the Founding Fathers would have had a basis for accepting naturalistic origins of life, and they would have been atheists.

But people who don't believe in your Jesus should just go back home...right?

The BEST Fried Chicken!

That's what my best friend of 38 years said.  Apparently it was chicken day - I was bar-b-queing and she was frying.  I love Dena.  We've known each other since we were two years old.  She lived across the street from me and now it seems we live worlds apart.  Growing up sucks.  But wipe the tears, back to chicken.

When she calls, 50% of the time it's about food - what I'm cooking, what she's cooking, and swapping ideas and recipes.  Today was fried chicken. She asked me if I've heard of using corn starch in fried chicken recipes.  Yup, I have but I've never done it.  I think I must, now.

So this post is based on texts we were sending back and forth after our phone call.  Ha!  As I said, I had chicken in the pit - 3 batches.  All on my own.  The mister is back to working Sundays, so I was on my own.  Some might have gotten a wee little crispier than desired.

Now, Dena did an egg and milk wash with a dash of Louisiana Hot Sauce. then dredged it in a mixture of 1 part corn starch to 4 parts flour with salt and pepper to season and fried it.  She's dying yall. I am SO making this!  And soon!

Here's the mouth watering pic she texted me :

Tell me that doesn't look good!

Homemade Nutella

*Again, pardon the crappy photos....my Rebel is still 'sick'.


It goes without saying (even though I'm saying it) that I LOVE chocolate.  Who doesn't? Don't tell me, I don't want to know!

One thing I'm not crazy about is Nutella.  I think it's the hazelnut.  I'm not too keen on nuts.  But my kids LOVE it.  They'd eat it right out of the container if I let them.

I stumbled upon a recipe for homemade Nutella.  I can't tell you how nerded out I get when I find a recipe for a store bought/mass produced anything.  It's not pretty.

The recipe is ridiculously easy.


Homemade Nutella Recipe
yield: about 1.5 cups

2.5 oz (about 2/3 cups) roasted unsalted hazelnuts

3/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

3 oz (about 1/2 cup) unsweetened chocolate, finely chopped

3 tbsp honey, agave nectar, or other liquid sweetener **I used agave**

a food processor

I love honey, but I also love to sweeten things with pure agave. While agave (pronounced ah-GAH-vay) is best recognized as the plant from which tequila is made, it has also been used for thousands of years as an ingredient in food. The nectar made from the plant is known in Mexico as aguamiel, or "honey water."

The Aztecs prized the agave as a gift from the gods and used the liquid from its core to flavor foods and drinks. Now, due to increasing awareness of agave nectar's many beneficial properties, it is becoming the preferred sweetener of health conscious consumers, doctors, and natural foods cooks alike.

But, like the recipe says, honey is fine too.  Now, before I begin let me tell you my booboo.  The only hazelnuts my grocer had was chopped.  I recommend you buy the whole stripped ones.  The ones I got still had the dark skin on them and in the end it made for a grainy outcome.

This is my cookbook, yall. 

Here's the ingredients. (Check UP there ^^ for measurements)

Toasting Hazelnuts.

Getting ready to chop the unsweetened chocolate.

Cooling hazelnuts.

Toss them in the chopper

It gets like this at first. 

Then the oils start to come out. 

Then it's creamy.  But notice not AS creamy if I got the 

correct nuts.  Doh. 

Chocolate, agave and milk

Starting to melt

Mmmmmm

Combine it all!

My Froggie hot pad got dirty...

Give it a whir

*Not too much, it will get doughy*

Tada!