January 2005
29
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Member Newsletter
Middle Georgia
Middle Georgia
The Official Newsletter of Middle Georgia Electric Membership Corporation
couple sent by Middle
Georgia EMC joined
other couples from
across Georgia and the
Carolinas to learn the
benefits of cooperatives
at the 2004 Young
Couples Co-op Confer-
ence held Nov. 12-14
at Myrtle Beach, S.C.
The event brought
21 Georgia couples,
including Kylie and
Brandon Jacobs of
Vienna, and 20 couples
from North and South
Carolina to the Ocean
Creek Resort in Myrtle
Beach. There, they took
part in a series of activi-
ties and presentations
designed to teach them ways in which cooperatives
and their members can better work together.
Over the course of the three-day conference,
attendees learned about the economic advantages of
the co-op business model, met with representatives
from a variety of cooperatives to determine issues rel-
evant to young couples, gained valuable leadership
skills, and most importantly, had an opportunity to
build lasting friendships with other attendees.
Highlights of the weekend included an evening at the
House of Blues and a keynote address from Dave
Rowe, former Oakland Raiders football player and
present co-op member services director.
Workshop attendees and presenters included rep-
resentatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture
(USDA) Rural Development, North Carolina State
University, Dairy Farmers of America, Staplcotn
Cooperative and Farm Credit banks as well as rural
A
Middle Georgia EMC sends local
couple to Young Couples Conference
Kylie and Brandon Jacobs (fourth and third from right,
second row) joined other couples at the Young Couples
Conference.
P.O. Box 190, Vienna, GA 31092
January 2005
telephone and
electric member-
ship coopera-
tives. The
Georgia, North
Carolina and
South Carolina
Cooperative Councils spon-
sored the conference.
Middle Georgia EMC, based in Vienna, is a
consumer-owned cooperative providing electricity
and related services to 4,400 members in three coun-
ties. Collectively, Georgia's 42 customer-owned EMCs
provide electricity and related services to 3.7 million
people, nearly half of Georgia's population, across 73
percent of the state's land area. Georgia's 42 electric
membership cooperatives now serve more customers
than any other state network of EMCs in the nation.
Middle Georgia EMC sends local
couple to Young Couples Conference
Kylie Jacobs (last one standing) dances at
the House of Blues.
30
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
MANAGER'S
MANAGER'S
Comments
Comments
By Hugh Richardson
nother new year is upon us and, like most busi-
nesses, we set goals and prepare budgets. Here
are some of our expectations and plans for 2005:
We will be celebrating the 65th anniversary of our
cooperative. Please make plans to attend our annual
meeting of members on July 21 at the Dooly Camp-
ground near Vienna. Official announcements will be
made in June.
We plan to offer online account access and bill
payment to our members in a few months. Each
member who wishes to privately access their electric
bill account can log on to our Web site and find out
information about their usage and due dates. E-mail
billing may be available if requested by the member.
Electric power costs to us will increase consider-
ably because of changes in our power supply con-
tracts plus increases in the
cost of fuel. This will be
reflected in your monthly
power cost adjustment.
Your percent increase will vary because of the partic-
ular rate you are being billed. Residential customers
should see an increase of at least 8 percent. This is
only a projection, and we are hoping the increases
will not be as much as anticipated. We will keep you
updated in future articles of this magazine or in the
information area of your monthly statement.
We will continue our youth programs and rebate
programs, and will pursue others that will be benefi-
cial to our members and our community. Check out
our Web site www.mgemc.com for updates and fur-
ther information about us.
A
What's happening in 2005
Roasted Stuffed
Pork Tenderloin
With Smothered
Black-eyed Peas
Recipe courtesy of Emeril
Lagasse
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Emeril's Essence recipe
(prepare first):
2-1/2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
1 tablespoon black pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon dried oregano leaf
1 tablespoon dried thyme
Combine all ingredients
thoroughly and store in airtight
container.
Yield: About 2/3 cup
Main dish recipe:
1 pound smoked sausage, halved length-
wise and cut into 1/4-inch slices,
about 4 cups
2 cups chopped yellow onion
4 bay leaves (optional)
5 sprigs of thyme (optional)
3 teaspoons finely chopped parsley
Salt, to taste
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste
8 cups chicken stock
1 pound black-eyed peas
2 tablespoons minced garlic
6 ounces bacon, chopped
1/2 cup celery
2 dozen shucked oysters, chopped and
liquid reserved
4 cloves garlic
2 cups leftover cornbread
1 to 1/2 cups water
Recipes
Recipes
Here's a tasty meal for those cold nights in the South!
Here's a tasty meal for those cold nights in the South!
January 2005
31
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
1/4 cup chopped green onions, green
part only
4 pounds pork tenderloin, trimmed, butter-
flied and pounded 1/2-inch thick
1 cup pure cane syrup
1 sweet potato, peeled, cut into curls and
fried until golden brown
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
In a large pot, over medium heat,
brown sausage for 5 minutes. Stir
1 cup of onions, bay leaves,
thyme and parsley. Season with
salt and black pepper. Saute for
5 minutes or until onions are
wilted. Stir in chicken stock, peas
and 1 tablespoon of garlic. Bring
liquid to a simmer and cook for
1-1/2 hours, or until peas are
tender. In a large sauté pan, over
medium heat, brown bacon until
crispy, about 6 to 8 minutes. Add
onions and celery. Season with
black pepper. Saute for 3 minutes.
Add oysters. Season with the
essence. Saute for 1 minute.
Remove from heat and pour into
a mixing bowl. Add cornbread
and reserved oyster liquid. Add
remaining tablespoon of garlic
and enough water to moisten
dressing. Stir in green onions.
Season with essence and cool
completely. Season tenderloin
with essence. Spread dressing
evenly over tenderloin. Roll ten-
derloin up tightly and tie with
butcher's twine to secure the fill-
ing. Place tenderloin on a waxed
paper-lined baking sheet. Brush
tenderloin with the cane syrup.
Place in oven and roast for about
35 to 40 minutes for medium
doneness. Baste every 10 minutes
with remaining cane syrup.
Remove from the oven and cool
for 5 minutes before slicing. To
serve, spoon the black-eyed peas
in the center of each plate. Slice
pork into individual slices and fan
around peas. Garnish with the
sweet potato curls.
Collard Greens
Recipe courtesy of Dee Dee
Darden who sent it to the
Food Network
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep.Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
1 ham hock
3 pounds collard greens, leaves torn
and stems chopped
1 cup ham drippings, combined with
1 gallon water
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
Combine the ham hocks and
collard greens in a large pot. Add
water/drippings, season with salt
and pepper, and bring to a sim-
mer over medium heat. Cook the
greens gently until they are very
tender, about 1-1/2 hours.
Skillet Cornbread
Recipe courtesy of Family
Circle and the Food Network
Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep.Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
1 cup fresh corn kernels (about one ear
of corn) or 1 (7-ounce) can corn kernels,
drained
1 (4-ounce) jar pimentos, drained
1/4 cup chopped scallions (about 2
medium size)
Pinch of paprika
Heat oven to 450 degrees.
Place medium-size cast-iron skillet
(8 inches in diameter) in oven to
heat. Whisk together the flour,
cornmeal, sugar, baking powder
and salt in a medium-size bowl.
Whisk together the milk, 2 table-
spoons of the melted butter and
egg in a small bowl. Stir milk
mixture into flour mixture until
evenly moistened. Fold in corn
kernels, pimento and scallions
until evenly distributed. Using an
oven mitt, carefully remove the
hot skillet from the oven. Brush
the bottom and sides of hot skillet
with the remaining tablespoon of
melted butter (butter will sizzle as
soon as it hits the skillet). Pour
the batter into the skillet, spread-
ing it to the edges of the pan.
Sprinkle top with the paprika.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until
the top of cornbread is golden
and begins to crack slightly.
Remove skillet and let cornbread
cool for 10 minutes. Invert skillet
onto cutting board; remove,
leaving cornbread on board.
Cut cornbread into wedges and
serve warm.
32
Middle Georgia EMC Newsletter
Board of Directors
Don Wood
President
Johnny Noble
Vice President
Kay West
Secretary
John David McCall
Treasurer
Jerry F. Rhodes
Director
Royce Conner
Director
Ronnie Fleeman
Director
Ronnie Youngblood
Director
David Dunaway
Director
Davis and Forehand
Attorneys
Staff
Hugh Richardson
General Manager
Lisa Laney
Executive Secretary,
Newsletter Editor
Randy Kent
Office Manager
Mike McGee
Manager of Operations
and Engineering
Vienna Area (229) 268-2671
Rochelle
(Day) (229) 365-2263
(Night) 1-800-342-0144
Hawkinsville
(Day) (478) 892-3436
(Night) 1-800-342-0144
Office Hours
Mon-Fri 8 a.m.-5 p.m.
(Branch offices closed from
12-1 p.m. daily)
Closed Saturday, Sunday and holidays.
There is a dispatcher on call 24 hours
a day for your convenience.
GEORGIA MAGAZINE
Years of Service recognition for Middle Georgia EMC's dedicated employees goes to
Keith Long
, our metering technician. As of Dec. 1, 2004, Keith has been with Middle
Georgia EMC for 16 years.
Thanks so much, Keith, for all that you do.
Years of Service Recognition
Years of Service Recognition
What's the difference between
a standard incandescent lamp
(SIL) and a compact fluorescent
lamp (CFL)? Is one "better than
the other?"
Compact fluorescent bulbs are,
as the name suggests, small fluo-
rescent bulbs. Some have a
screw-in base that fits in a stan-
Shedding light on ...
L I G H T
Which bulb is best?
dard socket; others a plug-in
base for specific fixtures.
They can be used indoors
and outdoors, in ceiling-mount-
ed fixture lights, task lights,
table lights, exit lights and
floodlights. Their colors can
resemble that of either standard
fluorescent or incandescent.
Both the SILs and the CFLs
provide quality lighting. SILs
cost less--to buy. But over
time, CFLs are cheaper, because
they last about 10 times longer.
A 75-watt SIL has an average
life of 1,000 hours; the CFL
equivalent, 10,000 hours. And
they use about a third of the
energy.
Left to burn 12 hours a day
for a full year, a 75-watt SIL
would have to be replaced four
or five times.
By comparison, the annual
energy cost using a CFL would
be about one-fourth that of an
SIL and require just one bulb.
It's been 125 years since American inventor Thomas Alva Edison
invented the long-lasting incandescent light bulb in 1879. He had
already perfected the vacuum tube, but needed a workable filament.
After experimenting with 6,000 different materials, he finally settled on
the carbonized cotton thread.
When Edison gave a public demonstration of his bulb at the end of the
year, it glowed for more than 40 hours, which proved that electricity could
be put to practical household use to help replace the flaming gas and oil
lamps that were a major source of fires in those days.
--Source: Electric Co-op Today
Light bulbs: 125 years old and still glowing