Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Mosquitoes ~ Fully Loaded Cheesy Breakfast Casserole ~ Jim Forbus ~ National Pfeffernusse Day

Good 37º cloudy morning. 

Yesterday dark and gloomy... and the rain started a little after 9am. 

Bruiser wanted to go outside, and I told him it was raining, but it didn't matter. After about 30 minutes he showed up at the door with a bird he caught, and proceeded to eat it. UGH!!!!!

Picture of the Day... yeah, right. 

Interesting....

Mosquitoes are small, midge-like flies that constitute the family Culicidae. Females of most species are ectoparasites, whose tube-like mouth parts (called a proboscis) pierce the hosts' skin to consume blood. The word "mosquito" is Spanish for "little fly".

Like all flies, mosquitoes go through four stages in their life cycles: egg, larva, pupa, and adult or imago. In most species, adult females lay their eggs in stagnant water; some lay eggs near the water's edge; others attach their eggs to aquatic plants.

The period of development from egg to adult varies among species and is strongly influenced by ambient temperature. Some species of mosquitoes can develop from egg to adult in as few as five days, but a more typical period of development in tropical conditions would be some 40 days or more for most species. The variation of the body size in adult mosquitoes depends on the density of the larval population and food supply within the breeding water.

Males typically live for about 5–7 days, while females can live for up to two weeks. The bite of the bloodsucking female can transmit a number of serious diseases including malaria and encephalitis.

From the Slow Roasted Italian...

FULLY LOADED CHEESY BREAKFAST CASSEROLE

Fully Loaded Cheesy Breakfast Casserole is all of our favorite things in an easy breakfast recipe that you can make ahead. Packed with eggs, potatoes, veggies, sausage AND bacon it is truly a full breakfast in one dish. The overnight cooking method makes this a winner in my house!

• 1 pound Jones Dairy Farm Cherrywood Smoked Bacon, cooked and chopped (or your favorite)
• 12 ounces Jones Dairy Farm Breakfast Sausage Rolls
• 1 (28 ounce) package frozen cubed hash browns with peppers and onions, thawed
• 2 cups (8-ounces) shredded medium cheddar cheese
• 12 large eggs
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the sausage until browned, crumbling it with a spatula as it cooks.
3. Add hash browns, sausage, bacon and cheese to the casserole dish. Toss to combine.
4. In a large bowl combine eggs, milk, garlic, salt and pepper. Whisk until completely combined. Pour the egg mixture over the hash brown mixture.
5. Bake for 35-40 minutes until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

DONNA'S NOTE

1. To Make Ahead: Refrigerate overnight. Allow casserole to sit on counter for about 30 minutes before baking.

Special birthday today......... one of our "sons" from the Sheriff's Dept... Jim Forbus, aka The Busses is celebrating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JIMMY!!! xo

 

                               ^ with his bride Dawn

Jim was on LASD, then moved and worked for and retired as a Lt. from the Washoe County Sheriff's Department. Now he is in real estate sales and a volunteer with Honor Flight Nevada.

Historically this date.......

1954 – First successful kidney transplant is performed by J. Hartwell Harrison, M.D. and Joseph E. Murray.

1968 – The 82 sailors from the USS Pueblo are released after eleven months of internment in North Korea.

1970 – The North Tower of the World Trade Center in Manhattan, New York City is topped out at 1,368 feet (417 m), making it the tallest building in the world.

1972 – The 16 survivors of the Andes flight disaster are rescued after 73 days, having survived by cannibalism.

1986 – Voyager, piloted by Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager, lands at Edwards Air Force Base in California becoming the first aircraft to fly non-stop around the world without aerial or ground refueling.

And births this date include....

1946 – Susan Lucci, American actress

1971 – Corey Haim, Canadian actor (d. 2010)

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Monday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

December 23rd is reserved for National Pfeffernusse Day, a German spice cookie.  Very popular around the holidays, pfeffernusse are fluffy cookies made with ground nuts and spices and covered in powdered sugar.

The exact origin of the cookie is unknown. However, the Dutch believe that pfeffernusse (or pepernoten) are linked to the feast of Sinterklaas, which is celebrated on December 5 in the Netherlands and December 6 in Germany and Belgium. This holiday is when children receive gifts from St. Nicholas, who is partially the inspiration for the Santa Claus tradition. 

Over time, many bakers have created their own pfeffernusse recipes. Traditional methods included various nuts such as almonds and walnuts. Some modern recipes exclude nuts altogether along with the black pepper, retaining only cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and cardamom as flavorings. Bakers also use molasses and honey to sweeten the cookie

HOW TO OBSERVE

Try one of the following pfeffernusse recipes:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/pfeffernusse/http://www.food.com/recipe/pfeffernusse-german-pepper-nut-cookies-79103