Claire Hickey

Chanukah and Christmas: Celebrating the defeat of darkness by the light

FORT WORTH, Texas: Christmas may define December in the minds of many. But it also hosts Chanukah, or the Festival of Lights. This year, Chanukah begins at sundown on December 2nd. It would seem and Chanukah and Christmas have nothing to do with each other. But that isn’t necessarily so. Raised as a Christian around ...

Thanksgiving, Cranberry Salad, Pumpkin Pie, Claire Hickey

Thanksgiving recipes: Hazel’s Cranberry Salad and Mom’s Pumpkin Pie

FORT WORTH:  Thanksgiving means old family traditions, particularly when it comes to food. Like most families, our own favorite Thanksgiving recipes have been handed down throughout the generations. Every family has their favorites, from green bean casserole to Waldorf Salad.  At our house, we always serve two traditional Thanksgiving recipes – Cranberry Salad and Pumpkin ...

More Dolley Madison: for whom the title of First Lady was coined

FORT WORTH: James and Dolley Madison were the golden couple of their era, but they were not without detractors. They had no children of their own, although Dolley had given birth during her first marriage. Enemies used this information to question James’ virility, indicating that he was impotent and was too feeble to lead the country. ...

Dolley Madison: for whom the title of First Lady was coined

FORT WORTH: When people think of Dolley Madison, one of two thoughts come to mind. Either that of a determined woman bent on saving national treasures from a British onslaught or a pastry company that made snacks for children’s school lunches. These are both true. However, this enchanting lady is so much more to American ...

Recipe: Tex-Mex beef enchiladas

FORT WORTH, Texas: What’s your favorite ethnic food? Nation’s Restaurant News counts Italian, Mexican, and Chinese food as the top three in the United States. It’s not surprising. You’d be hard-pressed to not find at least one variety of restaurant representing them in virtually any town in the U.S. Recipes for each fill cookbooks brought home ...

Mother’s Day: cocktails and mocktails to toast her day

FORT WORTH, Texas: Mother’s Day is just around the corner on Sunday, May 13th. We pay tribute the second Sunday of each May to our mothers, mother figures, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, stepmothers, and foster mothers. We’ve been doing so as a nation since 1914, when Woodrow Wilson signed the holiday into law. How do we celebrate ...

Corrie ten Boom found healing by forgiving Nazis

FORT WORTH, Texas: Corrie ten Boom turned 126 years old on April 15. It was also the 36th anniversary of her death. Jewish tradition considers this a great blessing. It means that the person completed the task given by God on the day she was born. And she sure did. Survivor of the barbarism of ...

Corrie ten Boom: home to Holland

FORT WORTH, Texas: Free at last. No more fleas to be thankful for; no more beatings from the brutal Aufseherin (female) guards. A mere number no longer, Corrie recalled, “When they called out ‘Prisoner 66730,’ ten Boom, Cornelia,’ I did a double-take. I hadn’t been called by my name in so long.” At the administration ...

Corrie ten Boom: Ravensbrück Concentration Camp and fleas of hope

FORT WORTH, Texas: With dashed hopes the inmates boarded overcrowded trains that took them away from Vught Prison and the Allies who were coming to rescue them. Their next stop was the notorious Ravensbrück Concentration Camp in Germany. Yet Corrie held onto hope, literally. Her sister Nollie managed to smuggle a small bible that hung from ...

Corrie ten Boom: The price of helping Jews during WWII

FORT WORTH, Texas. — The Gestapo arrested and dragged an old man out of his happy home February 1944. The officer in charge told him that if he behaved himself, he would be back home soon and able to die in his own bed. Hearing this, 84-year-old Casper ten Boom straightened up, looked the officer ...

Vinaigrette coleslaw; perfect for pot-luck and parties

FORT WORTH, Texas. — There are almost as many recipes to make coleslaw as there are people. As long as it contains the base vegetable, cabbage, pretty much anything else goes. Indeed, they range from savory to sweet. The base can be mayonnaise, sour cream, buttermilk, or vinegar. But where did it come from? How ...

What wine to serve for Easter dinner

FORT WORTH, Texas: Do you know what kind of wine to serve with Easter dinner? To be sure it depends on what you’re serving. Lamb? Ham? There are several websites that are a great help. Information gleaned here is from them. To begin with, expert sommelier, André Compeyre of The Regency Bar & Grill in ...

Internet dating; sometimes you really do find genuine love

FORT WORTH, Texas February 20, 2018. — Internet dating can either lead to a dream come true or a match made in Hell. The suit brought against Match.com by Mary Kay Beckham and other dating nightmares are a testament to that. Fortunately, this is not always the case. Patrick Hansen friended Carrie Dodd on Myspace ...