The friendly publication where friendly people advertise!
Please call Rhett Palmer at 772.473.7777 or email us at advertising@verosvoice.com
Space deadline is the 1st of each month. Camera Ready deadline is the 10th.
facebook.com/VerosVoiceMag
It’s not just about buying a jet— it’s about buying it right.
feature The Colorful Legacy of Waldo Sexton
WA NEW WORLD TO CONQUER
aldo Sexton, Vero’s favorite builder, promoter, farmer and storyteller, had a significant influence in the creation of the Vero we know today. Every town needs a local legend, and he’s ours. Eccentric, colorful, quirky, genius.
He didn’t use architectural plans; he drew pictures in the sand of his vision and told his workers what he wanted. He used unusual artifacts as building materials, turning salvaged ship timbers, railroad ties, antique church doors and architectural pieces from torn-down Palm Beach mansions into Vero’s most unforgettable and beloved landmarks.
— Barbara
Excerpts from Forever Vero: 1880-2020
BOOK BY RODY JOHNSON
The first two decades of the 20th century were crucial to Vero’s development. Adelaide and Herman Zeuch bought 55,000 acres of wilderness in 1912 that would later become the Indian River Farms Company of Vero. … It was Herman Zeuch, the colonizer, as he liked to be called, who had the vision. He had a keen eye for acquiring and developing large areas of barren land and the marketing talent to bring in the people looking for a new future.
Early Arrivals
Another early Vero arrival was 28-year-old Waldo Sexton from Indiana. He was never a Farms board member but gained fame for his many agri-
cultural and creative commercial developments over the years. In 1913, he came to sell plows, liked the area, and bought some property — a down payment on 160 acres out on 12th Street, plus 100 feet of oceanfront and a business lot.
Waldo wanted to buy more, but Dr. Hutchison, as sales manager of the Farms, asked him, “Young man, how much money do you have?”
Waldo replied, “I have $500.”
“Well, you have bought all the land you should buy at this time.”
Sexton became a sales agent for the Farms while continuing to plant citrus groves.
In 1918, Sexton married Elsebeth Martens, a Vero visitor from Illinois who decided to stay. A graduate of the University of Chicago, she played piano for the silent films in the local movie house. They moved into Waldo’s small house on his 12th Street property three miles west of town.
Waldo Sexton and a portion of his eclectic collection of treasures, circa 1950s, IRC Historical Society Collection, Archive Center, IRC Main Library
[Herman] Zeuch said about Waldo: “The best day’s work I ever did was the day I sold Waldo Sexton three forties (three 40-acre tracts).”
My father bought property across the road from the Sextons in 1938, and I grew up there. …
Expanding the Foundation
Resort living, which had waned during the years of the bust, rallied with the opening of the Royal Park Inn with a new owner.
Meanwhile, Waldo Sexton, undaunted by the economic state of the country [in the 1930s], converted his family’s eclectic beach house into a small hotel, aptly named the Driftwood. Following Waldo’s preferred eccentric style, the inn was made from what looked like a collection of timbers that had washed up on the beach. On the grounds were two cannons salvaged from Spanish galleons that had sunk off the beach, and it was rumored that Waldo had tied bells to the mattress springs of his establishment to add a little fun.
One writer described it as “the damnedest place you ever saw.”
Waldo Sexton originally built the Driftwood as a summer place in 1930, but later turned it into one of the most iconic small hotels in Florida.
By 1935, after selling $2 million in real estate in the ‘20s, Waldo Sexton had planted 800 acres of groves. The local citrus industry, with the sixth highest production in the state, helped stabilize the county during the Depression.
Of Course, Alligators
One of Riomar’s founders, Arthur McKee, joined Waldo Sexton in developing a tourist attraction in Vero, the McKee Jungle Gardens. They purchased 80 acres in 1922 to grow citrus, but the property was so beautiful they decided to make a garden instead. … The McKee Jungle Gardens opened in 1932 and soon became one of Florida’s most visited attractions, along with Bok Tower and Cypress Gardens. The New York Times hailed it “as one of the botanical wonders of the world.” By the 1940s, it was attracting 100,000 visitors a year.
My mother took me to McKee frequently as a child, and I was fascinated by the monkeys and the alligators. The gators were not only at McKee but a bit closer to home. At a Christmas Day party at our new Kanawha Acres house, a rather large alligator came to call, lying across the entrance road. Mrs. Kitchell, an elderly woman from Riomar, was absolutely incensed that my father could allow this to happen. Meanwhile, Waldo Sexton, as a guest, witnessed the entire exchange. An idea sprang to mind, and he immediately got hold of a truck and rounded up a crew. My father captured the event using his 16-millimeter movie camera. In particular, he recorded Mr. Sexton in a pith helmet trying to lasso the thrashing gator while dodging his wildly whipping tail. The gator was finally tied up, thrown into the truck, and taken off to the McKee Jungle Gardens where he resided for many years.
Another developer who had an impact on Vero was Addison Mizner. His architectural influence can be seen in the scattered homes and apartment structures built in Vero in the 1920s.
In the 1930s, when Mizner’s Palm Beach El Mirasol mansion was torn down, Vero’s Waldo Sexton, a Mizner fan, was there to collect some of the treasured items to bring back to incorporate into the Ocean Grill and the Driftwood as part of their decor.
Friends and Neighbors
The Waldo Sexton family lived across Rosedale on a 120-acre farm, property that Mr. Sexton bought 25 years earlier from Indian River Farms. As his family grew, so did the two-story house that he added to bit by bit. It was shrouded by tropical trees and shrubs.
He had quite the operation with a dairy farm of 150 cows supplying milk to Vero and Fort Pierce and a 30-acre citrus grove across from his house and on the west side of Kanawha Acres (across the road from where we lived).
Waldo was an interesting neighbor. He had a flock of white domesticated turkeys that occasionally wandered across the road onto our property. Our two bird dogs naturally loved these visits, so my dad often apologized to Mr. Sexton, who was always gracious about the loss of a few of his birds.
On one occasion, Mr. Sexton came over to have Dad shoot a hole in his Stetson hat.
“Well, Waldo, take it off your head,” said Dad.
Waldo placed the hat on a tree stump, and Dad fired a shot through the hat from his 22-pistol. It seemed Waldo was going to tell someone a story and needed a prop.
He is remembered for saying, “I’d rather be a liar than a bore.”
Mr. Sexton’s dairy … with its milk cows pastured across from Kanawha Acres, was renamed the Tripson Dairy when he sold it to his son-in-law, John Tripson. John had married Waldo’s daughter, Barbara Sexton. The couple met while John was stationed at the Fort Pierce Naval Amphibious Training Base, preparing for the D-Day invasion.
“Fresh, Cold Tripson Milk” was delivered daily to Vero families until 1979, when the dairy closed due to growing competition from corporate dairies.
TOP: Elsebeth and Waldo Sexton sit at the reviewing stand on Waldo Sexton Day in 1958. SEXTON COLLECTION, ARCHIVE CENTER, IRC MAIN LIBRARY
BOTTOM: Waldo under one of his many bells at the Driftwood Inn
Waldo’s Mountain
In the ‘50s, Waldo Sexton was still making his mark on Vero Beach. Mr. Sexton found himself with a massive pile of dirt dredged from Bethel Creek along A1A near Jaycee Park. Beginning in 1956, he turned the dirt pile into a 50-foot-high mound that he declared was the highest ground between Jacksonville and Key West. He placed a cross at the top that towered over a pair of king and queen chairs and put in tiled stairs that led to his mountain top. The tiles came from a Mizner-style Palm Beach mansion torn down in the ‘30s. His grandson Sean Sexton wrote:
“The view from the top was very pleasing, the ocean to the east, Bethel Creek to the west, and beautiful blue sky everywhere.”
I don’t believe that I ever climbed to the top to enjoy Sean’s view, and I didn’t realize that it was there beside A1A as long as it was. The mountain became a tourist
attraction, but visitors picked up pieces of cracked tile and other treasures that festooned the ridge, and the vandalism began to ruin the mountain’s beauty.
The mountain lasted 17 years until it was torn down and its dirt used to shore up the Ocean Grill and the Driftwood in advance of a threatening hurricane.
With the mountain adding to the Waldo legacy, the Vero community turned out in 1958 to honor Waldo by naming the Sexton Plaza next to the Ocean Grill.
In addition to the Grill and the Driftwood, his other unique structures include the Patio, the Turf Club (later the Szechuan Palace), and, of course, the McKee Jungle Gardens. Across the street from the Turf Club was a barn where he stored many of the treasures he had collected from the teardowns of the Palm Beach mansions during the Depression.
A New Vero
I left Vero in my youth and returned as a 30-year-old family man. Growing up, I addressed adults as Mr. or Mrs., Yes Sir, Yes Ma’am. As an adult, I had to get used to using first names, except for people who were my parents’ age. Though everyone referred to Mr. Sexton as Waldo, he was always “Mr. Sexton” to me.
Prospering
Meanwhile, the Sextons sold the Driftwood for $2.1 million, and it became a timeshare
operation. Turning a place of such historical significance into this kind of business caused some local concern. However, the Driftwood timeshare’s management promoted the Sexton name by opening a restaurant called Waldo’s. For individual units [at the time], summer timeshare rates were $69.95 for two nights and included a bottle of wine. …
Preserve and Protect
With the 2004 bond issue, a county committee selected at the top of the preservation list [the] Treasure Hammock Ranch—founded by Waldo Sexton in 1943. A beef and seedstock cattle operation in business for nearly 65 years, the ranch was unique in that it met all three of the selection criteria: the land was environmentally sensitive; it was used for agriculture; and the ranch qualified as a cultural heritage site. …
Treasure Hammock Ranch was the first agricultural conservation easement in the state. … Sean Sexton worked to place Treasure Hammock Ranch Farmstead and its functional assets, the barn and cowpens still in place today, on the National Historic Register. The cowpens were the first ever to be listed on the Historical Register.
Something Special City
Herman Zeuch, coming from Iowa, had the vision to drain a swamp and establish a town that survived the 1920s boom and bust, and was sparked by the quirky foresight of Waldo Sexton.
LEFT: Waldo with members of the synchronized swimming team known as the Dolphinettes on Waldo’s Mountain in the 1950’s. SEXTON FAMILY PHOTO
ABOVE: Caricature of Waldo Sexton done by artist Al Quantana, given to Waldo by Don Harrell, New York Times Movie Critic. Courtesy Chris Sexton
There and Back Again: An Unexpected Journey to Middle-Earth
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
For a good stretch of my life, that line was practically my personal motto. During my globe-trotting years, it was the kind of quote I’d toss out casually while wandering through airports, train stations, and unfamiliar streets on the other side of the world. Ironically, the line comes from J.R.R. Tolkien, and yet at the time I was saying it, I never imagined that one day my wandering would quite literally lead me into Tolkien’s world.
But that’s exactly what happened.
For anyone unfamiliar with the magic behind the movies, Hobbiton is the lovingly preserved film set used for both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies. In Tolkien’s stories, the Shire is the peaceful homeland of hobbits, rolling green countryside dotted with cozy homes tucked into grassy hillsides. It’s the sort of place where second breakfast is a perfectly respectable lifestyle choice.
The real world version sits just outside the tiny town of Matamata on New Zealand’s North Island. About a two-hour drive from Auckland, the journey winds through farmland, sleepy towns, and scenery that looks suspiciously like it might already belong in a fantasy novel.
And in a way, it does.
The location was originally discovered in 1999 when Peter Jackson’s team went searching for a landscape worthy of MiddleEarth. What they found was a working sheep farm with gentle hills and lush pastures that looked almost too perfect to be real.
The New Zealand Army even helped build the roads necessary to transport equipment to the site during the original Lord of the Rings production. The set was later rebuilt and expanded in 2010 for The Hobbit films, and today the village contains 44 hobbit holes, gardens, and farm buildings spread across about 12 acres of countryside. Yes, 44. Apparently, hobbits really like neighbors.
What makes Hobbiton remarkable isn’t just its cinematic legacy; it’s the staggering attention to detail.
The gardens around each hobbit hole are real and meticulously maintained by a team of fulltime gardeners. Each little house is surrounded by anywhere from 30 to 200 plants, creating the illusion that hobbits have been quietly tending their vegetables for generations.
And then there’s the famous tree above Bag End, Bilbo’s home. It looks majestic and ancient.
It also happens to be completely fake.
The tree is made of fiberglass, with thousands of individually wired silk leaves that were hand-attached to create the perfect Middle-Earth aesthetic. Film crews even hired someone whose job was to walk back and forth between clotheslines repeatedly to create natural-looking worn paths in the grass.
That’s dedication ... or possibly hobbitlevel obsession.
ABOVE: In front of a meticulously maintained Hobbit House, (no interior) BACKGROUND: Bag End, Bilbo Baggins House, Hobbiton Movie Set, Matamata, New Zealand
My own visit happened as part of a crew outing during my time working overseas. A busload of us made the trip out to the countryside, joining a guided walking tour, all of us eager to see if the magic of the films held up in real life.
Spoiler alert: it absolutely does.
The moment you step through the gate and onto the winding paths, the outside world fades away. Suddenly you’re surrounded by tiny round doors painted bright red, yellow, blue, and green. Little chimneys peek out from grassy hills. Vegetable gardens overflow with pumpkins and cabbages. Laundry flutters on clotheslines as if a hobbit family has just stepped out for elevenses.
And everywhere you look are the rolling emerald hills of New Zealand stretching toward the horizon.
I remember standing there thinking: If a wizard appeared right now, I honestly wouldn’t question it.
Of course, one stop on the tour holds special significance for fans: the famous hillside where Bilbo Baggins bursts out
of his door in The Hobbit, shouting his iconic line: “I’m going on an adventure!”
Our tour guide paused there and turned to the group.
“Anyone want to recreate the moment?”
There was a brief silence. Twenty-five people looked around awkwardly.
And then there was me.
Because when an opportunity presents itself to shout a Tolkien quote in the exact spot it happened on film … you take it.
So there I was, running out of a hobbit door while my friends filmed the moment, proudly declaring my own impending adventure … I may have been the only one nerdy enough to do it.
I regret nothing.
stages elsewhere. Still, stepping through the round doorway and standing inside the little structure was enough to spark the imagination. You could almost picture Bilbo settling into a cozy armchair with a pipe and a book while Gandalf mutters, “I suppose you think that was terribly clever.”
Every good journey needs a proper tavern at the end of the road. And Hobbiton delivers.
At the conclusion of the tour, guests are welcomed into the Green Dragon Inn, the cozy pub featured in the films. Unlike most of the hobbit houses, this one is fully furnished, complete with wooden beams, crackling fireplaces, and rustic tables that look like they’ve hosted generations of Middle-Earth gossip.
Visitors are treated to locally-brewed ales and cider made exclusively for the site. After wandering through fields and hobbit holes, raising a mug inside the Green Dragon feels like the perfect final chapter of the story.
For a brief moment, surrounded by laughter, warm wood, and the clink of glasses, it feels as though the Shire is a very real place.
Eventually, of course, every adventure ends. The tour wraps up, the bus returns, and the real world slowly creeps back in.
But for a few magical hours in the hills of New Zealand, I got to wander through the quiet lanes of Hobbiton … walking the same paths where Bilbo, Frodo, Gandalf, and Samwise once stood.
We were also invited to peek inside one of the hobbit homes. Sadly, though understandably, the interiors aren’t fully furnished with tiny hobbit furniture. Those scenes were filmed on sound
And as I left the village behind, one particular Tolkien line came to mind: “Home is behind, the world ahead.”
Luckily for me, this little journey allowed for both. Because just like those famous hobbits before me, I made the trip “there and back again.”
The Green Dragon Inn, where we ended our journey
Pretending to be Hobbits
WED, APRIL 1
11AM - 1PM
The Promenade 10730 US1 Sebastian, FL 32958
WED, APRIL 15 11AM - 1PM
Hampton Inn Palm Bay 4520 Durham Drive Melbourne, FL 32904
WED, APRIL 22 11AM - 1PM
Barefoot Bay 1225 Barefoot Blvd, Building D
Barefoot Bay, FL 32976
I Can Only Imagine 2
RATED PG
This film did something very rare: It received the top audience score of A+. Even more unusual is that the first film also received an A+, extremely rare for a film franchise.
I Can Only Image 2 released in theaters in February, eight years after the first one. The first film centered around Bart Millard (played by J. Michael Finley) of the Christian band MercyMe, his father wounds, and how the song “I Can Only Imagine” came to be.
Bart has not had another hit since his quintuple platinum song and wonders whether his own success is too hard an act to follow. And even though Bart had reconciled with his dad (Arthur, played by Dennis Quaid) before he died, Bart still struggles, including with himself as a father.
Bart is now a father of five struggling with his teenage son Sam (Sammy Dell), but not the usual teenage struggles. A flashback shows Bart getting a frantic phone call from his wife, Shannon (Sophie Skelton), when young Sam is rushed to the hospital because he wouldn’t wake up. In a poignant scene, Bart and Shannon sit by Sam’s bed waiting for him to wake. Their world is upended when they receive the diagnosis of Type 1 Diabetes, which means constant monitoring, insulin injections, and worries through each night.
Now they continue to face their medical realities while teaching teenage Sam to keep up with monitoring and medication himself. Their relationship has become more about the disease than real connection, or noticing he’s a normal kid with talents of his own.
As a test of Sam’s responsibility, Bart decides to let him go on tour with the band. On the tour bus, Sam is befriended by singer-songwriter Tim Timmons (Milo Ventimiglia), who is opening the shows for MercyMe. Tim is an encouragement to Sam not only musically, but also with his positive attitude and determined gratefulness.
One day Sam has to do the sound check for Tim and surprises everyone with his talent—particularly his dad who is listening in the empty, dark stadium.
Then one day while working on the set, Sam collapses because he didn’t keep up with his insulin. He’s rushed to the hospital, and Bart tells Sam he cannot finish the tour.
Another emotional scene is when Bart, overcome with his own circumstances, tells Tim, “You have no idea what I’m going through.” Tim gently responds that he has terminal cancer. In addition, he just learned his wife Hilary (Arielle Kebbel) is pregnant, which means he may never live to see his child grow up. Tim ends up giving Bart a song he’s been writing, inspired by the hymn “It is Well,” but he’s having trouble finishing it. He tells Bart he is supposed to finish it, and that he doesn’t care who gets the credit, he just wants it to bless people. Bart stuffs it away.
I Can Only Imagine 2 is certainly not an everything’s rosy Christian film. It’s authentic, showing Bart wrestling with his faith, questioning his circumstances, and struggling as a parent. Tim’s positive attitude becomes an encouraging influence on Bart, as well as his wise mentor and band manager Scott (Trace Atkins) who helps him rediscover his purpose and stop allowing fear to run his life.
The film has some fun parts, even as it tackles heavy, real-life issues. But by the end, you’ll feel hope. And even if you don’t do faith films, it’s a good story with good life lessons. We all go through the same challenges, so I believe you’ll be drawn into the story and relate. The acting is great, and the real Bart helped produce it to make sure the story stayed true to what really happened.
And you don’t have to have seen the first I Can Only Imagine to understand this one (although you’ll want to!); the flashbacks show what you need to know. But if you did see it, you might catch a few subtle reminders of the first one, as well as lines to the newer song this film highlights, “Even If.”
Will Bart and Sam’s relationship improve, and will Bart change his mind and let Sam finish the tour? Will Bart finish the song Tim gave him? Will Tim live at least to see his baby be born?
If you haven’t seen I Can Only Imagine 2 yet, don’t miss it streaming. You will be blessed! (But don’t forget your tissues like I did!)
A+ AND 5 STARS!
Penny Cooke is an award-winning author of Pursuing Prayer: Being Effective in a Busy World, The Wake-up Prayer children’s book, and her latest, Pursuing Prayer for America. She co-hosts the Seeds of Hope podcast with Del Bates on Wednesdays on Vero’s Voice Facebook page. Learn more at pennycookeauthor.com
Gingham for Spring
There’s something about gingham that instantly feels like spring. This classic pattern is popping up everywhere this season—from breezy dresses to matching sets and easy tops. Fresh, cheerful, and effortlessly timeless, gingham is perfect for spring outings and celebrations. Style tip: Pair it with simple sandals and woven accessories for an easy, polished look.
a. Blue Gingham Prim Maxi Dress
$198 • Hyacinth House • tnuck.com
b. The Belle Bow
$38 • Hill House Home • hillhousehome.com
c. Eloise Gingham Buckle Mule
$189 • For Love and Lemons • forloveandlemons.com
d. Tulip Top-Handle Crossbody Tote
$108 • Melie Bianco • anthropologie.com
e. Mollie Linen Shirt Dress
$270 • Boden • boden.com
EASTER DINNER Traditions
EASTER HAM
Easter was a big family holiday when I was growing up, with lots of aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Though our family has changed over the decades, we bring our favorite holiday recipes and traditions with us over the years. We still participate in a Greek tradition: the Easter egg- cracking game where each person cracks their egg on top of another person’s egg in an attempt to crack the other’s egg while leaving their own egg intact. I remember some competitive moments at the table. The last person with an uncracked egg wins and is said to have good luck in the upcoming year.
My mother discovered Reynolds oven bags sometime in the ‘80s and used them for ham. The Dr. Pepper came at some point later. It was easy prep, even easier clean up, the bags keep the ham from drying out … and an added bonus - cooking in an oven bag is quicker. Opinions vary on the ideal internal temperature, from 120 to 140 degrees. Keep in mind spiral-cut ham is fully cooked and safe to eat; you’re just reheating it.
Ingredients
1 Tablespoon flour
1 large Reynolds Oven Bag (turkey size)
8-10 lb. spiral sliced ham
1/3 cup Dijon or yellow mustard
1 cup brown sugar
12 ounces Dr. Pepper
Instructions
1. Take the ham out of the refrigerator 1 hour before prepping to ensure more even heating.
2. Place your rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees.
3. Put the flour in the oven bag and shake to coat the inside – this keeps the bag from bursting in the oven – and place the open bag in a large roasting pan.
4. Place the ham cut-side down in the bag and coat the ham with mustard, using your hands. Also using your hands, coat the mustard with the brown sugar.
5. Pour the soda into the bottom of the bag around the ham (not over it). Secure the bag shut with the provided tie and cut 6 half-inch slits in the top of the bag to vent.
6. Reynolds Cooking Bag recommends 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hours for an 8-10 pound spiral sliced ham. Ham should rest 15 minutes before serving.
SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE
This was a regular side dish with every ham and the most requested each year. It was really dessert disguised as potatoes.
Ingredients
For the Filling:
3 cups cooked sweet potatoes* (about 1.5 pounds)
1/2 cup sugar
5 Tablespoons butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup half & half
1/2 teaspoon salt
Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
3 Tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 2-quart casserole.
2. Combine the filling ingredients in a large bowl and using a mixer whip until light and fluffy. Pour into your casserole dish.
3. In a small bowl, mix the topping ingredients with a fork to form a lumpy topping. Sprinkle on top of the sweet potato mixture.
4. Bake 20-25 minutes.
Note: I cook 2 or 3 large sweet potatoes in the oven for a deeper flavor. Pierce the potatoes and bake at 375 for an hour, until very tender, on foil-lined baking sheet or parchment. Remove any dark brown edges.
KOULOURAKIA
These traditional Greek Easter cookies are flavored with hints of orange and vanilla. They’re hand-rolled into a rope and twisted into whatever shapes you like, good for dunking in hot coffee or tea, or cold milk. They’re not too sweet so they’re good for breakfast. My grandmother topped hers with sesame seeds and gifted them during Easter.
Makes 36 cookies
Ingredients
For the cookies:
4 cups all-purpose flour (480g)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 cup granulated sugar (150g) zest of 1 large orange
1 stick plus 2 tablespoons salted butter, softened
2 egg yolks
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 cup whole milk (120ml), at room temperature
For the Topping:
1 large egg
1 teaspoon water sesame seeds, optional
Instructions
For the Cookie Dough:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour and baking powder.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar and orange zest. Rub the mixture together until well combined and very fragrant. Add the butter and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the egg yolks, egg, and vanilla. Beat until well combined. Add the milk and mix until combined. Stop and scrape down the bowl as needed. (It’s normal for it to look curdled!)
4. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the flour, mixing just until a sticky dough forms and all of the flour is combined. Cover and chill for 30 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
6. Turn out the cookie dough onto a lightly floured surface. Pinch off enough dough to form a 1-inch ball. Roll the ball into a 6-inch long rope, fold it in half, and twist the ends together. Place on a lined cookie sheet 1 inch apart. Repeat with remaining dough. If the dough gets too soft to roll, chill again until firm enough to handle.
For the Topping:
7. In a small bowl, beat the egg and water together until well combined. Brush the egg wash over each cookie. Sprinkle with sesame seeds, if desired.
8. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until the cookies are golden brown. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Koulourakia can be stored in an airtight container for several weeks.
CHOCOLATE EASTER CUPCAKES
WITH COCONUT CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
Chocolate and coconut, yum! Moist chocolaty cupcakes with a tangy coconut cream cheese frosting, topped with sweet coconut flakes and mini chocolate Easter egg candies. Don’t have time to bake a cake from scratch? Use your favorite chocolate box mix instead.
Makes 15 cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
1/2 cup (42g) unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup (80ml) vegetable oil
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup (120ml) buttermilk, at room temp.
1/2 cup (120ml) hot coffee or hot water
For the frosting:
8 ounces (226g) full-fat brick cream cheese, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 and 3/4 cups (330g) confectioners’ sugar salt, to taste
Garnish:
1 cup (100g) sweetened shredded/flaked coconut, for topping* candy-coated chocolate eggs (like Cadbury)
Instructions
1. Make the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350°. Line one 12-cup muffin pan with liners. Since this makes 15 cupcakes, line a second pan with 3 cupcake liners, or bake in batches.
2. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, egg, vanilla, and buttermilk together until combined. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, add the hot coffee/water, and whisk until the batter is completely combined. Batter will be thin.
3. Pour/spoon the batter into the liners, filling only 2/3 full to avoid spilling over the sides. You should have enough batter for 15 cupcakes.
4. Bake for 20–22 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Make the frosting: Using a stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and butter together on high speed until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar, coconut extract, and a pinch of salt. Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then switch to high speed and beat for 2 minutes. Taste. Add another pinch of salt if it’s too sweet, or another 1/4 cup confectioners’ sugar if you want it a little thicker.
7. Frost cooled cupcakes. Spread the frosting on the cupcakes. To finish, hold a frosted cupcake over a bowl or plate of the shredded coconut and sprinkle the coconut on top, gently pressing it so it sticks to the frosting. Top each cupcake with 2 or 3 candy-coated chocolate eggs.
8. Serve immediately or store covered at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 1 day before serving. Cover and store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Note: You can lightly toast the coconut by placing a thin layer on a baking sheet and heating in a 325°oven 5 to 10 minutes. Stir once. It burns quickly so keep an eye on it! Or you can mix in a drop of green food coloring to the coconut to make it look like grass.
A First Class Experience
W hether you are in search of a new family dentist or need a complete smile makeover, our practice is prepared to serve you with the utmost care and attention.
Every day, we help turn dream smiles into a reality. As one of the most sought-after Vero Beach cosmetic dentists, Dr. Planes and the team here at Planes Dental Arts have transformed the teeth of countless patients. From fillings and cleanings to implants and straightening, we offer preventive, restorative, and cosmetic solutions to fit the needs of the whole family.
Our team is highly trained and experienced in a wide range of dental services. Contact us today to schedule your consultation and find out how dental care at Planes Dental Arts can meet and exceed your expectations.
Sometimes the first thought that comes to mind is not a good one. Whether it’s based on a negative judgment or a faulty expectation, it lands in the head and brings us down. Should we feel bad when this happens?
Someone once said that a glass half full is a better perception than a glass half empty. But is it? Isn’t the wonder of this perceptive metaphor the truth that the glass is refillable? In God’s view, there is always enough to go around. Get ting caught in negativity becomes a choice, because we are all able to challenge that first thought, take it captive, and replace it with a better one.
So, when the first thought pops into our minds, let’s assess its value. It might be a fluke. Though sometimes upbeat, sometimes depressive – thoughts oc cur randomly. Rating ourselves – or berating ourselves – because of a random thought is a waste of energy. Instead, if we recognize that the first thought that comes to mind is arbitrary, sparked by brain chemistry and chance, then the power to deny it as a viable consideration is possible.
It is at this moment that we receive the gift of choice. Choice always beats chance, because suddenly we participate in the outcome.
FIRST WRONG THOUGHT
Engaging our option to modify the thought takes us out of emotional think ing and into reason. Emotions stimulate understanding, but they are often influenced by hidden fear and pride. By challenging the negative thought, we experience a return to reason. We can cognitively decide what action to take rather than falling prey to the mercy of that irrational first thought.
The ability to reason is a huge benefit to humanity. We often overlook it by reacting in emotion instead of taking the time to think an idea through. This simple practice of challenging our first thoughts so that we can make better decisions and take actions based on our personal truth instead of unchallenged feelings can be a life-changer.
How are you feeling today? If it isn’t what you wanted, think again. You’ve got another couple of tries to get it right. Go for it. Open that wonderful mind and reap the benefits.
– Beth
“WE ARE ALL ABLE TO CHALLENGE THAT FIRST THOUGHT, TAKE IT CAPTIVE, AND REPLACE IT WITH A BETTER ONE.”
Beth Walsh Stewart, MTh, is the Creator of BethWe, the nonprofit that was the impetus for this work. Dedicated to rescuing the stragglers lost in the shadows of the road of life, Beth is best-known for her Good Seed Podcasts, 12-Step seminars, weekly blogs, g.o.d. speaks books, and uplifting workshops. Beth lives by this motto: I have been called to help my brother find his authentic self and his God, and I best accomplish this end by sharing my pursuit of the same.
“He is not here; for he has been raised.” Matthew 28:6
Today is the day hope came into the world through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, celebrated by billions around the world. No one in the history of humanity has affected human life and the human story the way Jesus has.
One Solitary Life
BY DR. JAMES ALLEN FRANCIS
He was born in an obscure village,
The child of a peasant woman.
He grew up in still another village
Where he worked in a carpenter shop
Until he was thirty.
Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher.
He never wrote a book, he never held an office.
He never had a family or owned a house.
He didn’t go to college.
He never visited a big city.
He never traveled two hundred miles
From the place where he was born.
He did none of the things
One usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.
He was only thirty-three
When the tide of public opinion turned against him.
His friends ran away.
He was turned over to his enemies
And went through the mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While he was dying,
His executioners gambled for his clothing,
The only property he had on Earth.
When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave.
Twenty centuries have come and gone.
Today he is the central figure of the human race
And the leader of mankind’s progress.
All the armies that ever marched,
All the navies that ever sailed,
All the parliament that ever sat,
All the kings that ever reigned,
Put together have not affected
The life of man on Earth
As much as that
One Solitary Life.
OThe Only Way to Stand Before a Holy God
by Pastor Alex Pappas
ne of the most profound questions a person can ask is this: How can an unrighteous person stand before a righteous God? If God is perfectly holy and humanity is marked by sin, then the gap between the two seems impossible to bridge. Scripture teaches that our own efforts, morality, or religious activity cannot solve this problem. Human righteousness is simply not enough.
The Apostle Paul addresses this dilemma directly in Romans 3. He explains that God has revealed a way for people to be made right with Him apart from keeping the law. “We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ,” Paul writes, “and this is true for everyone who believes.”
The message is universal and inclusive: regardless of background, nationality, or personal history, the same truth applies to all. As Paul says plainly, “For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.”
Yet the passage quickly moves from humanity’s failure to God’s grace. Paul explains that God freely makes us right in His sight through Christ Jesus, who paid the penalty for sin. This act is often described by the theological term justification. In simple terms, justification is a legal declaration by God that a sinner is righteous in His sight.
Picture a courtroom scene. A person stands before the judge completely guilty, with overwhelming evidence against them. Then the judge declares, “Righteous.” Not because the person is innocent, but because someone else has stepped forward and paid the penalty on their behalf. That is the biblical picture of justification. Through faith in Christ, our status before God changes instantly from guilty to justified, from condemned to accepted.
The reason this is possible is what many theologians call the great exchange. Second Corinthians 5:21 explains that God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Him. On the cross, our sin was placed upon Jesus, and His righteousness is credited to us
This righteousness is received not by effort but by faith. Paul makes it clear that salvation is not earned through works or obedience to the law. Instead, it is a gift of grace received by trusting in Christ. Because of that, no one can boast about earning their place with God.
However, genuine faith does not leave a person unchanged. Scripture teaches that believers are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works. In other words, good works are not the root of salvation, they are the fruit of it. A transformed life begins to reflect the grace that saved it.
Jesus described His followers as the light of the world. Righteousness received by faith is meant to be visible in everyday life seen in integrity, compassion, humility, and mercy. Light does not argue with darkness; it simply shines.
Ultimately, obedience becomes an expression of love. As Jesus said, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” When someone truly understands the mercy of the cross and the righteousness given through Christ, obedience is no longer driven by fear or obligation. Instead, it becomes a joyful response of gratitude and worship.
Rev’s Verses
BY PASTOR RICH IENUSO
HE is Not Here!
Who is not here? Who is missing? Who were they looking for?
Matthew 28:6 states that “He is not here...”
Women came to the grave of Jesus expecting to anoint His body.
But when they got to the place where He was buried an angel said to them, “...He is risen, as He said...”
Jesus had risen from the dead after being dead for three days! And He is still alive!
1 Corinthians 15:1-6 states that “...I declared unto you the gospel... that Jesus died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and He was buried, and that He arose again the third day...and seen of about 500 brothers at once...”
Jesus is alive!
Put your trust in the living Christ. He loves you! He is not dead. He is not in the grave.
Jesus lives! Jesus is Lord!
Blessings, Pastor Rich
Pastor Alex Pappas is Senior Pastor at Oceans Unite Christian Center holding services at the interim location Vero Beach High School Performing Arts Center, 1707 16th St, Vero Beach. Live broadcasts and podcasts are available at oceansunite.com.
Church God’s Way makes it clear that the Church is NOT THE PHYSICAL BUILDING BUT THE PEOPLE. It exposes the lies and deceptions of the devil through the Biblical Truths of the Word of God.
Kathleen Hollop is a healing evangelist who has experienced the miracles of God today. She has made 23 trips to Africa, Venezuela, and Columbia and also several trips to Maine.
