Pat the Pie Lady and other Edible News

     Try naming three things you think you are good at. Better yet, try naming three things that you think you are VERY good at. It's tough. Obviously, I wouldn't call myself a good or very good grammarist as I've just ended not one but two sentences in a preposition. I have a joke about that, but it can wait a bit.

     Believe it or not, I've given this silly subject a lot of thought. I wouldn't say I've lost sleep over it, but I have indeed thought about it more than you might expect. The three things that I'm very good at are all found in the same category and that category is food.... Surprise!

     I'm very good at recognizing a great Club Sandwich, a spectacular piece of Pecan Pie and a mouth-watering portion of good old fashioned Meat Loaf. Here are some of my thoughts on those.

     When it comes the Club Sandwich, I can honestly say that I know of what I speak or in this case write. I've been eating them for years. There's one secret to a great Club that I've found most people refuse to recognize or simply don't know what they don't know. I mean let's face it. It's a sandwich.. not brain surgery. By the way, I hope a brain surgeon when asked what he or she is really good at does say Brain Surgery.

     The one secret to a great Club Sandwich is one ingredient. It's usually not included and the many times I've asked for it, waiters have said, "We'll put it on the side." But trust me, add this one tiny touch and you too can experience a very good Club. Stand by for details.

     The next thing I'm very good is recognizing a spectacular piece of Pecan Pie, which brings up the pronunciation debate. It is 1) Pee-CON, 2) Pee-CAN or as they say in very deep south Louisiana 3) Puh-kahn? For today's writing, I'm going with either #1 or #3 as a piece of #3 more than likely comes out of a box from aisle 13 next to the ice cream and frozen waffles.

      I recently had a Pecan Pie that I ate more out of the pie tin than from a pie plate. And just like it should, the pie comes with a story.

Pat the Pie Lady/Snyder, TX

      The lady in the picture is Pat Brown, a.k.a., Pat the Pie Lady. If she looks familiar then you're from Snyder. She usually runs register #3 or #4 at the local United Grocery Store. Teresa and I see her just about everyday. Pat and I even exchange recipes. Just today in fact, she told me about baking 7-Up Biscuits.
     Anyway it was a couple weeks ago when Pat was talking about baking a Chocolate Meringue Pie for someone in Ruidoso. She talked about getting all her ingredients ready, loading up her ice chest and baking once she got to the west Texas Riviera.
     "If you ever got a spare pecan pie laying around, I'm your man, " I told her.
     "Okay. I'll make you one."
     "I'll definitely take it, " I told her but all the while thinking she'll forget or I'll forget or just plain old life will get in the way.

     It wasn't two weeks later that I rolled my cart into check-out aisle #3 and Pat disappeared like a dart into the employee lounge. She returned in a flash with a pie so filled with pecans its lid would barely stay in place. I begged her to let me pay for it because not only was it a fantastic gift, but also because pecans are expensive. She said no saying only, "If you like it, you can tell others if you want."

Pecan Pie by Pat the Pie Lady

     So this is me telling you (others) that I liked it. I loved it. I'm not sure it's the best Pecan Pie I've ever had because I'm 56 and seriously... remembering pies is/was never something I prioritized. But, I can say if I had to choose right now to have only one pie for the rest of my life, I wouldn't hesitate to choose Pat's Pecan Pie.
     The picture to the rights should say: "I never bothered with a pie plate. I'd grab a spoon or fork and just dig in."
     People talk so often about the 'simple pleasures' in life. Eating a piece of rich, gooey, flavorful sweetness followed by a gulp or two of ice cold milk is definitely a 'simple pleasure.'
     So if you think about it one day when you're in United go see Pat and ask her about her pies. She'll be at either register #3 or #4. If she's not, just look for the lady wearing PAT on her name tag. That's her.

     Now to my last very good ability and that is knowing a good meatloaf. It really surprises me how many people aren't meatloaf eaters. I'm pretty sure that's un-American.
       When I was a lil' boy in Snyder, I remember going to Sally's every Sunday after church. It was down on Deep Creek. That's how a I remember it. Lots of folks tell me I'm wrong, but it's my story. So, it's my memory.
       Anyway, they just brought out food at Sally's. Lots of food. Then, dad paid at the counter. One time, there was a jar collecting donations for two bull riders hurt in the county rodeo.
     Now, a new place in town is offering that same Sunday after church lunch... ish. It's Uncle A's on the square. Known mostly for his bar-b-que during the week, Uncle A's grandma takes over the dining room on Sundays. There's no menu. Just a giant salad bar and two choices for lunch. This past Sunday grandma, Chloanne Lindsey, offered her meatloaf. I'm not sure if it was the meatloaf or just the quasi-return to my youth that got me to thinking. Either way, Sundays with Ms. Chloanne are a walk down memory lane.

     Now to the joke and the Club's secret ingredient. First, the joke:
     There was a Cajun walking across the quad at Harvard one day. He asked an upper-class man, "Whar's the liberry yat?
      The Harvard man in a very clenched teeth kind of way calmly replied, "Sir, we nev-vuhr end a sentence in a preposition."
      At which the Cajun said, "Oh, okay. Whar's the liberry at, asshole."

     As for the Club's secret ingredient.... mustard. Try it. It's life changing.

Bill Robertson, If I wanted to be a brain surgeon--I bet I'd still be better at making a club sandwich but I wouldn't brag about that.
   
     

   

Youth Sports Can Save Snyder, even without oil....

      A recent article in The Snyder Daily News serves two purposes. On one hand, it shows that a local family’s dedication is paying dividends to young people. On the other hand, the families’ formula gives us a crystal clear blueprint for what Snyder could do to attract more business and ultimately lower all our property taxes.

     The article is about the annual Pop’s Memorial Junior Golf Tournament hosted by the Leatherwood, Chapman, & Terry families. The event, held in July since 2012, honors the life of Lonnie Terry. Youngsters and their parents come from hundreds of miles to Snyder. The numbers tell the story. The tournament’s grown by a minimum of 10 percent, but up to 20-percent every year. More than 100 young strikers participated last year. About 25 percent came from Snyder under coach Ricky Hunter's tutelage. But still, about 75-percent came from out of town! That’s both wonderful news and news we should use to bring ‘new money’ into our local economy.

      Barbara Leatherwood, Mr. Terry’s daughter, has a great quote in the article. “We never believed the tournament would grow like it has,” she told SDN.  Barbara may have never believed her tournament would grow like it has, but she’s always known that youth sports could be a gold mine for Snyder.

      First and absolutely foremost, the Pop’s Memorial is all about honoring Mr. Terry and that’s why Barbara and the family team started the tournament. But also know that the Leatherwood, Chapman & Terry gang have the ‘midas touch’ when it comes to bringing people to Snyder. Think Snyder Wheels Car Show… need I say more?

     Barbara probably wasn’t the first to talk about youth sports in Snyder and she probably won’t be the last. The difference is, she said long ago while we served on the Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors that youth sports is money. She said that we (the chamber) should focus on that to bring business to town. Unfortunately, we (the chamber) did not. But, Barbara did and she’s proving her point in spades.        

     So without further ado, shouldn’t we all take a page out of the Pop’s Memorial handbook if we want an almost guaranteed formula for weekend business in Snyder?

     Before I get to the ‘how to’ part, did you know increased sales tax revenue will eventually lower your property taxes? It’s true. The Texas Department of Tourism even created a video many years ago showing if smaller towns will do something to create a consistent influx of sales tax then their property taxes could/would begin to decrease.

    Now to the ‘how to’ part. The easy answer is a SPORTS COMPLEX, but as I write those words I can sense many, if not all the naysayers, reading this asking me; “Who’s going to pay for this? I’m not going to pay for this! If it was good enough for me, it’s good enough for my grandkids.”

    So, forget a sport complex for now. It’ll be something Snyder regrets, but forget it for now. Instead, let’s think of what we have that can be put to use EVERY WEEKEND for youth sports, subsequently creating an infusion of new money every weekend.

    We have a football field, we have multiple baseball/softball fields, we have gymnasiums, etc. The point is, kids play football, baseball/softball, basketball, etc. I’d encourage any group hoping to make a buck for their cause and asking for HOT FUNDS to go the youth sports route versus another dance or party.

     I suppose this formula is primarily intended for our chamber as its mission is simple; “Bring business to Snyder,” but it can apply to any group that needs a guaranteed to grow fundraiser.

      The blueprint is simple. Think competition. First of all, all parents know that youth sports mean traveling. Parents budget for this. To the Chamber I say, the only events putting ‘heads in beds’ are sporting events and primarily those involving school aged children. College events don’t usually include traveling parents. To the foundations or museums in Snyder I offer, why pay thousands in time and money for a party that less than a couple hundred attend, who are almost exclusively local, and will cost more every year versus growing an event that costs pennies on the dollar?

     The point is and the ‘ Pop’s Memorial proves it, competition events are practically 100% ‘new money.’ Just about anyone spending their money is from out of town. The only Snyderites in attendance are the volunteers who are generously giving their time. That’s the perfect event! That’s new money!

     I say to those who need weekend business, you need customers over the weekend. Youth sports happen over the weekend. I say to those who don’t have a child in the game, the bottom line is crystal clear. The more sales tax revenue generated in Snyder… the greater chance you have of decreasing your property taxes.

     Congrats to the Pop’s Memorial. Y’all have the ice cubes recipe.

Bill Robertson