Desert Messenger

24 www.DesertMessenger.com January 21, 2015 RECYCLE THIS NEWSPAPER thank you! by Jane Finley writer * artist * teacher (stretching, exercise, relaxation, meditation) The Best Huevos Rancheros in the World.....No Kidding! Quartzsite, AZ That's right, folks. The best Huevos Rancheros in the world are at a restau- rant right here in beautiful, downtown Quartzsite, Arizona. But before continu- ing, I'd better describe Huevos Ranche- ros for those deprived people who've never tried this delectable dish, a fa- vorite breakfast of mine. Huevos is the word for eggs in Spanish, and Ranche- ros is the name of the tomato-y sauce. A typical Huevos Rancheros breakfast consists of refried beans, potatoes, and two eggs on top of a corn or fl our torti- lla. The whole thing is smothered in a wonderful Ranchero sauce. What makes the Huevos Rancheros so special at the Taco Mio Restaurant, near the corner of Main and Central is the Ranchero sauce. I asked Alejandro, the owner, how it's made. He didn't give me the exact recipe, but he did tell me the ingredients include: fresh to- matoes, onion, and green pepper plus spices. Now we can all throw those veg- etables in a pot, but it's the spices that make the difference, and what might those be? Something spicy for sure. I'd guess red chili pepper, but I can only wonder about the others, and Alejan- dro ain't talkin'! Anyway, it all adds up to heaven on a fork. This article wouldn't be complete unless I also mentioned Taco Mio's extraordinarily delicious Chili Rellen- os: mild peppers stuffed with cheese, Traveling with Gypsy Jane dipped in egg batter, and cooked on TOP of the stove. It's very hard to fi nd Chili Rellenos that aren't deep fried. There are only two places I can think of: Ellensburg, Washington and Cor- tez, Colorado -- a bit far to drive, you'll agree. So it was to my delight that I found them prepared on top of the stove right here in my home town of Quartzsite -- NOT deep fried! Let me digress for a moment here.... I am the only one I know who calls Alejandro by his "given name." Well, me and maybe his mother. Everyone else calls him Alex, and I have a thing about this. It all started about 15 years ago, before I retired, and was working a temporary job through my one-person business "Jane of All Trades.....sense of humor, some genius." (I WAS the business.) The receptionist at one job introduced herself: "I'm Aricelli, but you can all me Sally." "No way," I said. And even though I knew it would take me a while to master the pronunciation of her lovely, unusual name, I would never call her Sally. You see, I believe in diversity....not only diversity but ethnicity. It's what makes the United States so much more interesting than a homogeneous coun- try. So when I meet someone from an- other ethnic group who says his name is Joe or Bill, I say, "So what's your REAL name?" And it's NEVER Joe or Bill. It's always some exotic name which will be a challenge for me to learn....and remem- ber. Happens all the time in this part of the U.S. where we are fortunate enough to be enriched by Native American and Hispanic cultures -- people with: long, beautiful, multisyllable names which roll easily off the speaker's tongue.... and are a challenge to me. So I encourage people to use their giv- en names, explaining that it's a personal crusade. "Americans are so egocentric," I say. "They always want EASY, often what's best for them but not necessarily for the world. So when I go to Taco Mio for Huevos Rancheros, I always ask for "Alejan- dro." And I tease him by asking if HE is the man in the Lady Gaga song by the same name. He gives a little laugh, even though I'm sure he doesn't have any idea who Lady Gaga is and has prob- ably never heard her song "Alejandro." * * * * * * * * * * The beginning of wisdom is to call things by their right names. ~Chinese proverb La Verne McCord Join us for a Celebration of Life for La Verne McCord on Sunday, Febru- ary 1st, 2015 at Covenant Lutheran Church, 270 E. Cowell St., Quartzsite. Cake, Coffee and Conversation to fol- low in the Fellowship Hall Dale Erwin Argetsinger Dale Erwin Argetsinger, 92 went home to be with his Lord on Monday, December 29, 2014 at the Hospice of East Texas in Tyler, Texas surrounded by his family. He was born October 27, 1922 in Superior, Wisconsin. Dale will be lovingly remembered by his wife Sharon of 43 years and his chil- dren, Jeannie (Melvin) Mentzer, (Dale) Lee Argetsinger and fi ve grandchildren, 1 step grandchild, 15 great grandchil- dren and 14 great great grandchildren. He will also be fondly remembered and missed by his sisters-in-law, brothers- in-law, nieces and nephews. He was a resident of Portland, Oregon and spent many winters in Quartzsite Arizona. He attended and Randie Farish A Celebration of Life will be held for Randie Farish, owner of The Scenic Road RV Park who died suddenly this past October. The Celebration will be held at The Scenic Road RV Park on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at 7:00pm in the Clubhouse located at 495 Washington St., Quartzsite. For more information call Shari West, 808 895-6480. In Memoriam was actively involved in the Quartzsite Southern Baptist Church. He was al- ways willing to help and work in build- ing projects at his church and for his friends. At church Dale was always at the door welcoming people. He served in the Merchant Marines in WWII and was awarded the Purple Heart Medal. Dale enjoyed playing Pinochle, Fast Track, dancing, reading and travelling. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him. A celebration of life will be held at 2:00 p,m., Saturday January 31 at Quartzsite Southern Baptist Church 100 N. Kofa, Quartzsite, AZ.In lieu of fl owers donations can be made in Dale's name to The Hospice of East Texas, 4111 University Blvd. Tyler, Texas 75701 Community Thrift Store happenings Quartzsite Community Thrift Store happenings A welcome and thank you to our Quartzsite residents and winter visi- tors. This month we were able to donate $1,000 to the new organization, Friends of the Quartzsite Food Bank and $500 to Quartzsite Metal De- tecting Club. The funds will be used for their after school metal detecting and gold panning projects. The Community Thrift Store is open Monday through Saturday 9am- 1pm. Do you have left over items from a yard sale? We can always use donations, which can be dropped off at the store during business hours. We'll even come and pick up your donations; just give us a call. 100% of our proceeds go directly back into the community. Come shop with us, fi nd some great deals, and help support the com- munity organizations. The Community Thrift Store is located behind Silly Al's Pizza, off W. Main Street. For more information or to schedule a pickup, call 928-927-6039 or 928-916-7338.

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