Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Piano History ~ Grandma's Best Casserole ~ Alex Corsaro ~ National Tortellini Day

 

    

Good 30º clear morning.

 

Yesterday we started out clear and sunny. We topped at 80º.

 

 

Picture of the Day...architecture failure

 

 

Interesting piano history.....

 

 

The piano is an acoustic, keyboard, stringed percussion instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboard, which is a row of keys (small levers) that the performer presses down or strikes with the fingers and thumbs of both hands to cause the hammers to strike the strings. It was invented in Italy by Bartolomeo Cristofori around the year 1700.

 

The word "piano" is a shortened form of pianoforte, the Italian term for the early 1700s versions of the instrument, which in turn derives from clavicembalo col piano e forte (key cimbalom with quieter and louder) and fortepiano. The Italian musical terms piano and forte indicate "soft" and "loud" respectively, in this context referring to the variations in volume (i.e., loudness) produced in response to a pianist's touch or pressure on the keys: the greater the velocity of a key press, the greater the force of the hammer hitting the strings, and the louder the sound of the note produced and the stronger the attack. The name was created as a contrast to harpsichord, a musical instrument that does not allow variation in volume; compared to the harpsichord, the first fortepianos in the 1700s had a quieter sound and smaller dynamic range.

 

Most modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, 52 white keys for the notes of the C major scale (C, D, E, F, G, A and B) and 36 shorter black keys, which are raised above the white keys, and set further back on the keyboard. This means that the piano can play 88 different pitches (or "notes"), spanning a range of a bit over seven octaves. The black keys are for the "accidentals" (F♯/G♭, G♯/A♭, A♯/B♭, C♯/D♭, and D♯/E♭), which are needed to play in all twelve keys. More rarely, some pianos have additional keys (which require additional strings), an example of which is the Bösendorfer Concert Grand 290 Imperial, which has 97 keys. Most notes have three strings, except for the bass, which graduates from one to two. The strings are sounded when keys are pressed or struck, and silenced by dampers when the hands are lifted from the keyboard. Although an acoustic piano has strings, it is usually classified as a percussion instrument rather than as a stringed instrument, because the strings are struck rather than plucked (as with a harpsichord or spinet); in the Hornbostel–Sachs system of instrument classification, pianos are considered chordophones. There are two main types of piano: the grand piano and the upright piano. The grand piano has a better sound and gives the player a more precise control of the keys, and is therefore the preferred choice for every situation in which the available floor-space and the budget will allow, as well as often being considered a requirement in venues where skilled pianists will frequently give public performances. The upright piano, which necessarily involves some compromise in both tone and key action compared to a grand piano of equivalent quality, is nevertheless much more widely used, because it occupies less space (allowing it to fit comfortably in a room where a grand piano would be too large) and is significantly less expensive.

 

. Although the piano is very heavy and thus not portable and is expensive (in comparison with other widely used accompaniment instruments, such as the acoustic guitar), its musical versatility (i.e., its wide pitch range, ability to play chords, louder or softer notes and two or more independent musical lines at the same time), the large number of musicians – both amateurs and professionals – trained in playing it, and its wide availability in performance venues, schools and rehearsal spaces have made it one of the Western world's most familiar musical instruments.

 

If you want to read a whole lot more about the piano, go here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano

 

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

One of our Test Kitchen team members always raves about how much she loved going to her grandmother's house for Sunday dinner. One of her favorite side dishes was always a creamy veggie and pasta casserole. So, inspired by this memory-making dish, we came up with this recipe for Grandma’s Best Casserole.

 

• 1 pound (16-ounce) light spaghetti
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1 (8-ounce) package fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 (10-3/4-ounce) cans condensed cheese soup
• 8 ounces bacon, cooked and crumbled

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º.  Coat a 9- x 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook spaghetti according to package directions; drain, return to pot, and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter; sauté onion, bell pepper, and mushrooms 6 to 7 minutes, or until tender. Add  vegetable mixture and remaining ingredients to spaghetti; mix well.
4. Place mixture in prepared casserole dish, cover, and cook 25 to 30 minutes, or until heated through.

 

 

Special birthday today.... my Italian son Alex Corsaro. Alex and Brian were BFFs and he lived with us during high school years. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SON! Love you!

 

 

Alex and Brian are one day apart in birthdays.... here they were washing windows .....

 

 

And Alex was also a Marine..

 

 

 

 

 

 

Historically this date.....

1970 – Black Sabbath, arguably the very first heavy metal album, is released.

1971 – Vietnam War: Backed by American air and artillery support, South Vietnamese troops invade Laos.

 

 

 

1991 – Gulf War: Two laser-guided "smart bombs" destroy the Amiriyah shelter in Baghdad. Allied forces said the bunker was being used as a military communications outpost, but over 400 Iraqi civilians inside were killed.

2011 – For the first time in more than 100 years the Umatilla, an American Indian tribe, were able to hunt and harvest a bison just outside Yellowstone National Park, restoring a centuries-old tradition guaranteed by a treaty signed in 1855.

2017 – Kim Jong-nam, brother of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un, is assassinated at Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

 

 

And births this date include....

1919 – Tennessee Ernie Ford, American musician (d. 1991)

 

1923 – Chuck Yeager, American fighter and test pilot (d.2020)

 

1933 – Kim Novak, American actress

She left Hollywood and wanted to continue with her artistic talent. She lives just northeast of here in Sams Valley.

 

1934 – George Segal, American actor (d.2021)

 

1942 – Carol Lynley, American actress (d.2019)

 

1942 – Peter Tork, American musician and actor (The Monkees)

(d.2019)

1944 – Stockard Channing, American actress

 

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Sunday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

Pasta lovers will enjoy a traditional stuffed pasta during National Tortellini Day on February 13th!

Tortellini is a signature dish from the Italian region of Bologna, where they claim to have created this stuffed pasta packed with flavor. Ravioli, tortellini, and tortellacci are all part of the same family of stuffed pasta. The most common fillings for tortellini are ham, white meat, and Parmesan cheese.

Members of an organization called The Learned Order of the Tortellini in the city of Bologna wear special hats to their meetings that are red and gold and shaped like tortellini. They also wear a ribbon, around their neck that has a gold tortellini hanging on it.  The Learned Order of the Tortellini has a large membership dedicated to the preservation of the traditional tortellini.

There are many ways to prepare a tortellini dish.  You may want to top it with a cheese sauce, cream sauce, pesto or tomato sauce, or follow one of the thousands of cooking blogs available for a great tortellini recipe.