Good 30º some fog some thin clouds morning. Sunrise is red.....
Yesterday started off with some fog and no ice. In the night we had some rain sprinkles.
The fog disappeared and we had sunshine!
By noon we hit 54º. Beautiful day! We topped at 64º. Heat wave!!! LOL
And you-know-who was happy!
By early afternoon the clouds moved back in and the temps started dropping....
Picture of the Day......
Ginormous statue of Genghis Khan in Mongolia......
Interesting about the Capitol Christmas tree...
Friday evening, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) participated in the annual Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on the West Front Lawn. He was joined in lighting the 80-foot Noble Fir from the Willamette National Forest by 9-year-old Oregonian Brigette Harrington, who earned the role by winning a poem contest. The tree will be lit from nightfall until 11 p.m. each evening through January 1, 2019.
Here's Brigette's full award-winning essay........ a 4th grader!
'Twas the month before Christmas, and all through my mind,
Swirled thoughts of my Oregon, all intertwined;
The four seasons how extraordinary, each one of a kind,
Left memories galore for my mind to rewind.
The winter how beautiful, the snow began to fall,
I quickly grabbed my mittens to make a chilly snowball.
The snowman we created, sat proudly in my yard,
He stayed there 'till he melted, a snowy frosty guard.
The raindrops how they pattered, the wind gusts how they blew,
In Oregon this is common, it makes us special through and through;
So don't be disappointed, for rain can bring such joy,
The puddles are for jumpin', they're better than a toy!
In thinking of the springtime, birds began to chime,
The tulips and the daffodils, made for a colorful time.
It was time to plant my garden, the seeds went in the ground,
I watched each day as plants popped up, and roots became earthbound.
Do you like bacon? (This one for you Karen Sugar Bear!!!)
Maple Candied Bacon
- 1 pound thick cut bacon
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- Place the bacon on a wire rack on a foil lined baking pan, brush the top of the bacon with maple syrup and sprinkle on some brown sugar.
- Bake in a preheated 400º oven for 15 minutes, flip the bacon, brush with maple syrup and sprinkle on the brown sugar and bake for another 15 minutes or until it reaches the desired level of crispiness.
Option: Sprinkle on some black pepper or cayenne for a bit of heat.
Historically this date......
1979 – The eradication of the smallpox virus is certified, making smallpox the first and to date only human disease driven to extinction.
2008 – The Governor of Illinois, Rod Blagojevich, is arrested by federal officials for a number of crimes including attempting to sell the United States Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama's election to the Presidency.
.... at least he's still in jail, for a while longer!
And births this date include....
(Just fyi, too many pictures to post. If you want to see a photo of them and/or read about them, click on their name, it's the link)
1897 – Hermione Gingold, English actress (d. 1987)
1898 – Emmett Kelly, American circus clown (d. 1979)
1909 – Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., American actor (d. 2000)
1911 – Broderick Crawford, American actor (d. 1986)
1911 – Lee J. Cobb, American actor (d. 1976)
1916 – Kirk Douglas, American actor
still alive at 102. Interesting read about his heritage and his life.
1925 – Dina Merrill, American actress (d.2017)
1942 – Dick Butkus, American football player
.... Ha ha ha... "Dick Butt Kiss" !!!
1962 – Felicity Huffman, American actress
Yesterday Tucker was in a swim meet up in North Bend, Oregon. Brian, Jen, Sami, and Jean all went. Brian sent this picture.... He does the freestyle... This was Tucker's first meet.
All I know. Nuff said. Happy Sunday. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo
National Pastry Day is celebrated each year on December 9. The pastry is a name given to a large variety of baked goods which are made with ingredients such as flour, sugar, milk, butter, shortening, baking powder, and eggs.
Pastry dough is rolled out thinly and then used as a base for different baked products. A few of the more common bakery items include pies, tarts, quiches, and pasties.
- Pastries can be traced as far back as the ancient Mediterranean where they had almost paper-thin, multilayered baklava and Phyllo dough.
- Pastry making began in Northern Europe after the Crusaders brought it back from the Mediterranean.
- French and Italian Renaissance chefs eventually perfected the puff and choux pastries while 17th and 18th-century chefs brought new recipes to the table. Included in the innovative recipes were Napoleons, cream puffs and eclairs.
Culinary historians often consider French pastry chef Antonin Careme (1784 – 1833) to have been the original great master of pastry making in modern times.
There are many different types of pastry, most of which would fall into one of the following categories:
- Shortcrust pastry – simplest and most common.
- Sweetcrust pastry – similar to the shortcrust but sweeter.
- Flaky pastry – simple pastry that expands when cooked.
- Puff pastry – has many layers that cause it to puff when baked.
- Choux pastry – very light pastry that is often filled with cream or other fillings.
- Phyllo pastry – paper-thin pastry dough that is used in many layers.
HOW TO OBSERVE
Enjoy one of the following pastry recipes:
