Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Sophia Loren ~ Stacked Taco Salad ~ Saint Nicholas Day ~ Microwave Oven D

  

Good 48º dark foggy rain predicted morning.

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 55º.

 

 

Picture of the Day...watching and exciting movie 😅

 

 

Interesting about Sophia Loren..........

 

Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone OMRI (Italian: [soˈfiːa vilˈlaːni ʃʃikoˈloːne]; born 20 September 1934), known professionally as Sophia Loren  Italian:  is an Italian actress. She was named by the American Film Institute as one of the greatest stars of classical Hollywood cinema and is one of the last surviving major stars from the era. Loren is also the only remaining living person to appear on AFI's list of the 50 greatest stars of American film history, positioned 21st.

 

Encouraged to enroll in acting lessons after entering a beauty pageant, Loren began her film career at age sixteen in 1950. She appeared in several bit parts and minor roles in the early part of the decade, until her five-picture contract with Paramount in 1956 launched her international career. Her film appearances around this time include The Pride and the Passion, Houseboat, and It Started in Naples. During the 1950s, she starred in films as a sexually emancipated persona and was one of the best known sex symbols of the time.

 

Loren's performance as Cesira in the film Two Women (1961) directed by Vittorio De Sica won her the Academy Award for Best Actress, making her the first actor to win an Oscar for a non-English-language performance. She holds the record for having earned seven David di Donatello Awards for Best Actress: Two Women; Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963); Marriage Italian Style (1964, for which she was nominated for a second Oscar); Sunflower (1970); The Voyage (1974); A Special Day (1977) and The Life Ahead (2020). She has won five special Golden Globes (including the Cecil B. DeMille Award), a BAFTA Award, a Laurel Award, a Grammy Award, the Volpi Cup for Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival and the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival. In 1991, she received the Academy Honorary Award for lifetime achievements.

 

At the start of the 1980s, Loren chose to make rarer film appearances. Since then, she has appeared in films such as Prêt-à-porter (1994), Grumpier Old Men (1995), Nine (2009), and The Life Ahead (2020).

In June 1996, she was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic 

Early life

Family and childhood

Sofia Costanza Brigida Villani Scicolone was born on September 20, 1934, in the Clinica Regina Margherita in Rome, Italy, the daughter of Romilda Villani (1910–1991) and Riccardo Scicolone Murillo (1907–1976). Her mother was a piano teacher and aspiring actress, her father a failed engineer who worked temporarily for the national railway Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane. Loren claimed in her autobiography that he was of noble descent, by virtue of which she is entitled to call herself "Viscountess of Pozzuoli, Lady of Caserta, a title given by the House of Hohenstaufen, Marchioness of Licata Scicolone Murillo".

 

Loren's father refused to marry her mother, leaving her without financial support. Loren met with her father three times, at age five, age seventeen and in 1976 at his deathbed, stating that she forgave him but had never forgotten his abandonment of her mother.^[7][8] Loren's parents had another child together, her sister Maria, in 1938. Scicolone did not want to formally recognize Maria as his daughter. When Loren became successful, she paid her father in order to have her sister Maria take the Scicolone last name. Loren has two younger paternal half-brothers, Giuliano and Giuseppe. Romilda, Sofia, and Maria lived with Loren's grandmother in Pozzuoli, near Naples.

 

During the Second World War, the harbor and munitions plant in Pozzuoli was a frequent bombing target of the Allies. During one raid, as Loren ran to the shelter, she was struck by shrapnel and wounded in the chin. After that, the family moved to Naples, where they were taken in by distant relatives. After the war, Loren and her family returned to Pozzuoli. Loren's grandmother Luisa opened a pub in their living room, selling homemade cherry liquor. Romilda played the piano, Maria sang, and Loren waited on tables and washed dishes. The place was popular with the American GIs stationed nearby.

 

Pageantry

At age 15, Loren as Sofia Lazzaro entered the Miss Italia 1950 beauty pageant and was assigned as Candidate No. 2, being one of the four contestants representing the Lazio region. She was selected as one of the last three finalists and won the title of Miss Elegance 1950, while Liliana Cardinale won the title of Miss Cinema and Anna Maria Bugliari won the grand title of Miss Italia. She returned in 2001 as president of the jury for the 61st edition of the pageant. In 2010, Loren crowned the 71st Miss Italia pageant winner.

 

Marriage and family

Loren first met Ponti in 1950, when she was 15 and he was 37. Though Ponti had been long separated from his first wife, Giuliana, he was not legally divorced when Loren married him by proxy (two male lawyers stood in for them) in Mexico on 17 September 1957. The couple had their marriage annulled in 1962 to escape bigamy charges, but continued to live together. In 1965, they became French citizens after their application was approved by then French Prime Minister Georges Pompidou. Ponti then obtained a divorce from Giuliana in France, allowing him to marry Loren on 9 April 1966.

 

Affair with Cary Grant

Loren and Cary Grant co-starred in Houseboat (1958). Grant's wife Betsy Drake wrote the original script, and Grant originally intended that she would star with him. After he began an affair with Loren while filming The Pride and the Passion (1957), Grant arranged for Loren to take Drake's place with a rewritten script for which Drake asked to not receive credit. The affair ended in bitterness before The Pride and the Passion's filming ended, causing problems on the Houseboat set. Grant hoped to resume the relationship, but Loren decided to marry Carlo Ponti instead.

 

^{If you want to read a lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sophia_Loren}

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

This Stacked Taco Salad is a great main course dish that looks great on any party or dinner table. It's a hearty salad that you can put together in a flash!

 

 

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (1-1/4-ounce) package dry taco seasoning mix
• 1 medium head iceberg lettuce, chopped
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 (6-ounce) can dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 (14-1/2-ounce) can corn, drained
• 2 large tomatoes, diced
• 2 (2-1/4-ounce) cans sliced black olives, drained
• 1 (14-1/2-ounce) bag tortilla chips, crushed
• 1 (16-ounce) bottle sweet-and-spicy French salad dressing

 

1. In a medium skillet, brown ground beef with taco seasoning mix over medium-high heat, stirring to break up meat; drain and cool.
    
2. In an extra-large salad bowl, layer half the lettuce then half the cheese, beans, corn, ground beef, tomatoes, and olives. Repeat layers then top with crushed tortilla chips. Just before serving, add dressing and toss to coat well.

 

 

Historically this date..........

1768 – The first edition of the Encyclopedia Britannica is published.

1790 – The U.S. Congress moves from New York City to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

1865 – The Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution is ratified, banning slavery.

 

1877 – The first edition of the Washington Post is published.

 

1877 – Thomas Edison, using his new phonograph, makes one of the earliest recordings of a human voice, reciting "Mary Had a Little Lamb".

 

1884 – The Washington Monument in Washington D.C. is completed.

 

1897 – London becomes the world's first city to host licensed taxicabs.

 

 

And births this date include....

1900 – Agnes Moorehead, American actress (d. 1974)

 

1920 – Dave Brubeck, American pianist and composer (d. 2012)

 

 

 

 

1924 – Wally Cox, American actor (d. 1973)

 

 

 

1928 – Bobby Van, American singer (d. 1980)

 

 

 

1948 – JoBeth Williams, American actress

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On December 6th, Saint Nicholas Day recognizes the third-century saint who became an inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus.

St. Nicholas is known for selling all his possessions and giving his money to the poor. Raised as a devout Christian, St. Nicholas dedicated his whole life to serving the sick and suffering.

Legendary stories about St. Nicholas later become part of the inspiration for the modern-day Santa Claus. For example, during the third century, a daughter’s chances of marriage increased when her father offered a large dowry to prospective husbands. One story tells of a poor father with three daughters. He had no dowry to offer.

Traditionally, shoes were left by fires at night so they could dry. On three separate occasions, Ol’ St. Nicholas provided a dowry for each girl. It is said, he made gold appear in their shoes, drying by the fire.

While St. Nicholas Day is not to be confused with Christmas, there are similarities. Traditions include leaving gifts in shoes (or stockings) or the exchange of small gifts. Another tradition suggests leaving treats for good boys and girls. However, the naughty ones receive a twig or chunk of coal.

Interesting facts associated with St. Nicholas:

• He is the patron saint of a great many causes. Some of the causes include sailors, travelers, clergy, school children, and thieves, to name a few.
• He was born in the village of Patar, which was located on the southeastern coast of modern-day Turkey.
• Buried in a tomb in Myra, water believed to have healing powers formed in his grave. It is called the Manna of Saint Nicholas.
• December 6th is also known as The Feast of St. Nicholas and is widely celebrated in Europe.

ST. NICHOLAS DAY HISTORY

St. Nicholas Day is celebrated worldwide on the anniversary of his death, December 6th. 

Today is also............

On December 6th, National Microwave Oven Day honors one appliance that changed the way we use the kitchen. 

Quite by accident, self-taught American engineer Percy Spencer discovered a way to heat food safely with microwaves. While working with an active radar in 1945, he noticed a candy bar in his pocket was melting. The high-powered microwave beams created a heating effect ideal for cooking. Spencer deliberately attempted cooking popcorn with the microwaves. Next, he tried cooking an egg. The egg test was less successful than the popcorn. It exploded in his fellow engineer’s face! However, we can cook eggs in microwave ovens. Try poaching one. 

Spencer, employed by Raytheon, continued experimenting with different methods of heating food safely with microwaves.

• Raytheon filed a United States patent application for Spencer’s microwave cooking process on October 8, 1945.
• In 1947, Raytheon built the first commercially available microwave oven. It was called the “Radarange.”
• An estimated 90% of homes in the United States have a microwave in them.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

The microwave oven is more than an elaborate popcorn popper. Use this celebration to explore the many uses of the microwave oven. We’ve provided a few suggestions to get you started, but we also encourage you to share your favorites, too!

• make crispy bacon (and you won’t get burned either)
• melt chocolate for all that holiday dipping
• heat rice or bean-filled hot pads for achy muscles
• steam vegetables
• soften brown sugar
• dry herbs
• loosen labels from jars

While testing these ideas out, take some time to clean your microwave, too. Steam a wet cloth for a minute on high and let stand for another minute. The steam softens any build-up. Then, wipe your microwave down with a little hot soapy water to remove any greasy splatter.