Beacon Sept 2023

By
Jack
Zoller
beaconsports
@live.com
September 2023 THE BEACON Page 11A
By
Melanie
Alexander
The selection of recipes to
By
include in this Maxine month’s issue
was “wandering Klump around in the
back of my brain” last Saturday
morning Community as I returned
Correspondent
from the nearby farm stand
with corn, tomatoes, green
maxineklump.thebeacon@yahoo.com
beans, and blackberries. As
a result, corn (one of my two
favorite summer treasures)
moved to the forefront. The
first, a casserole, is a tried and
true addition when a request
goes out to bring a vegetable
to a potluck or family gathering.
The recipe comes from
Kathy Michaels, a friend from
church, and was included in
a cookbook published several
years ago.
Baked Corn Casserole
1 (16-oz) can whole kernel
corn, drained
1 (16-oz) can of creamed corn
1 cup sour cream
1 box corn muffin mix
(I used Jiffy)
1 cup butter melted
2 eggs beaten
1 tablespoon sugar
Preheat oven to 350°.
Mix all ingredients, except
sugar, together and pour into
a 9x13-inch buttered pan.
Sprinkle sugar over the top
of the casserole. Bake for
55 minutes or until lightly
browned.
This next recipe is also for
a side dish using corn. I was
intrigued when I came across
it on the Food Network several
months ago but had not
tried it before last Saturday.
The recipe calls for canned
corn but since I had fresh corn
available, I used that.
My mother sometimes
served corn (pan)cakes for
breakfast and this recipe
added a few additions which
make it great for breakfast,
brunch, or lunch. The corn
cakes were a winner in my
book. I can’t wait to make
them again when I have
guests.
(Note: I keep buttermilk
powder on hand since I don’t
routinely keep buttermilk in
the refrigerator. It’s a great
substitute when reconstituted
with water. You could also
use regular milk and add a
teaspoon of vinegar or some
lemon juice to “sour” the
milk.
Buttermilk Cheddar
Corn Cakes
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter,
plus extra for cooking corn
cakes
1 large egg
1 cup buttermilk
½ cup sharp Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup canned corn, rinsed
and drained (optional)
1 tablespoon dried chives
Whisk together the flour,
cornmeal, sugar, baking powder,
and salt in a mixing bowl.
Melt the butter in a large
nonstick skillet over medium
heat. Set aside to cool slightly
while you prepare the wet
ingredients.
Whisk together the egg
and buttermilk in a larger
mixing bowl. While whisking,
pour in the melted butter
and stir until combined. Stir
in the dry ingredients just
until combined. Fold in the
cheese, corn if using, and
chives.
Place the skillet over medium
heat and add enough
butter to coat the bottom.
Ladle about ½ cup batter into
the pan, spreading gently to
form a thick circle.
Cook until bubbles appear
on the surface, 1 to 2 minutes.
(Yes, that is the correct
time this takes!). Flip over
and cook until golden brown,
about 1 to 2 minutes more.
Remove the pancake and keep
warm while preparing the remainder
of the cakes. Makes
six cakes.
Melt a pat of butter in the
skillet between each batch
(this helps the cakes rise).
Serve immediately with more
butter and maple syrup.
I must tell you that I
wasn’t sure about the maple
syrup, but it makes the difference
between good and
GREAT! Note: I decided
to see if the batter would
hold up until the next day-I
placed it in the refrigerator
overnight and there was NO
deterioration. I just added a
little additional milk. (About
1 tablespoon)
5 2 1
3 5 6
4 1 5 9
7 8 6 3
7 6 3 2
3 2 6 9
8 9 3 4
9 4 8 5
2 6 4 1
Sudoku
Sudoku is a logical puzzle game that may seem
difficult at first glance, but actually it is not as
hard as it looks! Fill a number in to every cell in
the grid, using the numbers 1 to 9. You can only
use each number once in each row, each column,
and in each of the 3×3 boxes. The solution can
be found on our website www.goBEACONnews.
com/print_edition. Click on the link for Sudoku
and view the solution for this month and last.
Good luck and have fun!
Successfully Saving for Retirement
By Alan Thorup, CRMP
Having enough money
to retire when you are still
young enough to enjoy many
years with your family and
be able to do what you have
saved for, is one of the greatest
challenges and concerns
of most people. Planning
to be able to do that should
be near the top of the list
of financial objectives for
people of all ages, especially
young adults as they enter the
workforce!
Back in the mid-’80s, I
started my first full-time job
out of college as a management
trainee at a savings
and loan with a salary under
$11,000/year. Shortly after I
started, my father discussed
with me on multiple occasions
that I needed to look to
the future and open up an Individual
Retirement Account
(IRA). As I explained to him
then, I did not make enough
money to do that, pay all my
bills, and enjoy myself as a
single young man. As he was
thirty-nine years older than
me and was nearing retirement
himself, he brushed my
reasoning aside and told me
that the next 40 years will go
by faster than I could imagine,
and one day I will look
around and be 65 myself, and
if I don’t start early, I may
never be able to contribute
enough for a comfortable
retirement.
To make him happy, I
contributed to an IRA, and
as my career progressed, I
enrolled in my employer’s
401K plans, making contributions
from my earnings
and taking advantage of
company matching funds.
Finally, when I started my
own company in 2008, I
took advantage of the Self-
Employed Pension Plan
(SEPP) and contributed to
that every year. Along the
way, I realized... Dad was
right!
To provide yourself with
the greatest opportunity for
success, regardless of your
age, determining what you
can afford to ‘pay yourself’
regularly to go into your retirement
accounts is critical,
as is the discipline to continue
paying yourself/contributing
as much as possible
to your plan until you retire.
Also, as your circumstances
change, the amount you can
contribute may change as
well, so you need to revisit
this regularly, at least annually.
Most of us have contracted
for obligations that must
be paid regularly such as a
mortgage, rent, credit cards,
auto loans, insurance, etc.,
and we also need to spend
money on necessities such as
groceries and utilities). Additionally,
we all need money
for things that we enjoy for
fun and entertainment, and
for the unexpected (auto repairs,
etc.). After those items
are accounted for, what is
left over is what you can pay
yourself.
Some suggestions to consider
in being able to continuously
fund your retirement
include purchasing a home
that meets your needs with a
mortgage payment YOU are
comfortable with relative to
your lifestyle, not what the
lender says you qualify for.
While real estate has been a
valuable long-term investment
for most Americans,
you do not want to be ‘house
poor’ with a large mortgage
payment, and unable to
contribute to your retirement.
Also, before purchasing
an auto, consider that
it is an asset that, as a rule,
will depreciate in value. As
such, purchasing a used one
that has already gone down
in value, but is in good shape
and fits your needs, may be a
wise choice.
Finally, most retirement
accounts are viewed as longterm
investments. As such,
look to invest in assets that
have held their value over
time and provided good
returns over the long run.
Whether your investments
are in company retirement accounts,
ones that you have set
up yourself, or both, I suggest
seeking professional help in
managing the investments.
And finally, if your company
offers it, take advantage of
matching contributions to
your 401K or 403B account.
After all, in a sense, it’s free
money!
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