Leap Day ~ Picture of the Day ~ Statue of David ~ One-Pot Jambalaya Pasta ~ Leap Year Leap Day

Good 34º dark cloudy rain predicted morning. 

Happy Leap Day! 

Picture of the Day 

Interesting...

Caesars Palace was the first true themed resort along the Las Vegas Strip. The Roman-themed hotel has a replica of the Statue of David among other statues throughout the hotel. This statue is truly special, because it’s an exact replica of Michelangelo’s masterpiece, sculpted from the same Italian marble Michelangelo used (Carrara marble). The replica stands 18 feet tall, and weighs more than nine tons. 

The original David was unveiled on September 8, 1504 and currently resides in the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy.

From the Slow Roasted Italian

One-Pot Jambalaya Pasta

1/2 pound chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 to 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 cup diced yellow onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

6 ounces Andouille sausage

2 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta

1 cup chicken broth

1 small red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced into thin strips

1 small green bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced into thin strips

1 large tomato, chopped

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

2 ounces cream cheese

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Sliced chives, for garnish

1. Season chicken with one tablespoon Cajun seasoning; set aside.
2. In a 12” pan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and stir until soft, about 3 minutes. Add chicken to the pan and cook until brown on both sides. Stir in garlic and sausage and cook one additional minute. Add uncooked pasta, chicken broth, sliced peppers, tomatoes, and remaining Cajun seasoning. Stir then bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir, add shrimp to the pan, recover and simmer an additional 7 minutes. Uncover and cook until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 additional minutes. 
4. Remove from the heat, stir in the cream cheese and cheddar cheese. Stir until cheese is melted.
5. Garnish with chives and serve immediately.

Historically this date.....

1504 – Christopher Columbus uses his knowledge of a lunar eclipse that night to convince Native Americans to provide him with supplies.

1916 – Child labor: In South Carolina, the minimum working age for factory, mill, and mine workers is raised from twelve to fourteen years old.

1940 – For her role as Mammy in Gone with the Wind, Hattie McDaniel becomes the first African American to win an Academy Award.

1960 – Family Circus makes its debut.

Ohh......one of my most favorite cartoons!!!

1972 – Hank Aaron becomes the first player in the history of Major League Baseball to sign a $200,000 contract.

And births this date include....

1916 – Dinah Shore, American singer and actress (d. 1994)

1944 – Dennis Farina, American actor (d.2013) 

Interestingly enough, he was a Chicago cop for 18 years before becoming an actor!

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Leap Saturday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo 

Leap Day is every fours years....almost. It's every four years except years ending with "00" that are not divisible by 400. The year in which Leap Day occurs, is called a Leap Year.

Why the fancy calculation? The earth rotates around the sun once every 365 and about 1/4 days. So, by adding an extra day every four years, we get mighty close to keeping the calendar consistent with the earth's annual trip around the sun. And to be very precise, the earth orbits the sun every 365.242190 days. So, on years ending in "00", (except those not divisible by 400) we skip Leap Year and Leap Day. With all that fancy calculating out of the way, let's just celebrate the day.

Did you know? There are occasional "Leap Seconds". We will spare you the detail on those, except to say it helps to correct minor variations. On December 31, 2015, the folks who maintain the official time for the planet, will add an extra second to the day!

If your birthday is on Leap  Day, congratulations, you finally get to celebrate your birthday on your birth date. Just how many of us are celebrating our Birthday on Leap Day? Only about one in 1461 people. If you were born on this day, consider yourself very, very special.  If my birthday had been on Leap Day I'd be all of 19 now!!!!

Picture of the Day ~ Romeo & Juliet ~ Bacon Guacamole Crescent Cups Appetizer ~ National Skip The Straw Day

Good 30º clear frozen morning. 


Again, after the fog lifted, we had another beautiful day....

Picture of the Day .... police just never know who they will find...

Interesting about Romeo and Juliet

Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare early in his career about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately reconcile their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular plays during his lifetime and along with Hamlet, is one of his most frequently performed plays. Today, the title characters are regarded as archetypal young lovers.

Romeo and Juliet fall in love at a party. But they come from families which hate each other. They are sure they will not be allowed to marry. Nevertheless, helped by Friar Laurence, they marry in secret instead. Unfortunately, before their wedding night Romeo kills Juliet's cousin in a duel, and in the morning he is forced to leave her. If he ever returns to the city, he will be put to death.

Juliet's parents told her she must marry Paris. Her parents do not know she is already married. She refuses in the beginning, but later agrees because she plans to fake her death and escape to be with Romeo forever; again with the help of Friar Laurence.

Frair Laurence designs the plan. He gives Juliet a sleeping potion. She appears to be dead and was put in a tomb. However, Romeo does not know about the plan, visits her grave, thinks she is dead, and kills himself. When Juliet finally wakes up, she discovers that Romeo is dead and then kills herself, drinking the poison he bought from an apothecary.

More Info: www.myenglishpages.com

Bacon Guacamole Crescent Cups Appetizer

1 8oz can Pillsbury crescent dough sheet or refrigerated crescent rolls

1 8oz container guacamole

4 crispy cooked bacon strips

Heat oven to 375º. Spray 24 mini muffin cups with cooking spray.

Unroll dough, press into 12x9 rectangle. If using crescent roll dough, press firmly on perforations to seal. With cutter, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows to make 24 squares.

Gently press squares into muffin cups. Dough will not completely cover inside of cup, don't press too much. 

Bake 6-8 minutes or until edges are golden grown. Cool in pans 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely.

Spoon 1 t. guacamole into each cup.

Cut each bacon strip into 6 pieces. Place a bacon piece on each guacamole filled cup.

For spicier guacamole, add 1/2 t. of your favorite hot sauce.  For garden fresh flavor, stir 1/3 cup chopped seeded tomato into guacamole.

Historically this date.......

1935 – DuPont scientist Wallace Carothers invents nylon

1954 – The first color television sets using the NTSC standard are offered for sale to the general public.

1991 – The first Gulf War ends.

1993 – Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms agents raid the Branch Davidian church in Waco, Texas with a warrant to arrest the group's leader David Koresh. Four BATF agents and five Davidians die in the initial raid, starting a 51-day standoff.

1997 – An earthquake of magnitude 6.1 in Armenia and Azerbaijan kills around 1,100 people

1997 – An earthquake in northern Iran is responsible for about 3,000 deaths.

1997 – The North Hollywood shootout takes place, resulting in the injury of 19 people and the deaths of both perpetrators.

2001 – The Nisqually Earthquake measuring 6.8 on the Richter Scale hits the Nisqually Valley and the Seattle, Tacoma, and Olympia area of the U.S. state of Washington.

And births this date include....

1906 – Bugsy Siegel, American gangster (d. 1947)

1931 – Gavin MacLeod, American actor

1940 – Mario Andretti, Italian-American race car driver

His winery in Napa makes awesome wine!!!

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On the fourth Friday in February, The Coral Keepers ask you to consider a different way on National Skip the Straw Day! For thousands of years, humans have enjoyed slurping a refreshing beverage through a cylindrical tube. If Marvin Stone (the inventor of the first paper straw in 1888) were alive today, he might be shocked to know of the five large areas of the ocean, called gyres, where plastic garbage collects. The sea’s currents create vortexes trapping plastics, and in the collection are plastic drinking straws.

Straws and other plastics cause harm to marine life in many ways.  Birds, fish and other sea life consume plastics accidentally or when they mistake it for food. Plastics don’t biodegrade.  They break down into smaller and finer, microscopic pieces. When plastics break down, they produce bisphenol A (BPA) which interferes with reproductive systems in marine life. It also produces styrene monomer which is a suspected carcinogen.

According to the National Park Service, Americans use 500 million drinking straws daily! So, on National Skip the Straw Day that’s potentially 500 million fewer straws that don’t end up in landfills or the ocean.

We can give you all sorts of other statistics to convince you to Skip the Straw on National Skip the Straw Day (and on other days), but we would rather show you how.

HOW TO OBSERVE

For most of us, the easiest way is to pick up the glass and tip it back like our parents taught us to do when we four or five. It may take some practice and maybe both hands.  There are other fun, eco-friendly, healthy options.

• Bamboo straws are a renewable, reusable and biodegradable.
• Paper straws, while still disposable, are biodegradable and from a renewable source.
• Glass straws are coming in durable, colorful designs fit for a variety of beverages.
• Stainless steel straws are an option for those of us who like our cold drinks really cold!

Other Ways to Observe:

• Volunteer to help clean up your local beaches, parks or neighborhoods.  Take note of how many straws are included in all the litter.
• Plan ahead. Do you frequent fast-food restaurants or get beverages to go?  You will often receive the straw before you have the chance to say no.  Be prepared when you order to request your drink without a straw.

NATIONAL SKIP THE STRAW DAY HISTORY

The Coral Keepers, students at Whitehall Middle School in Whitehall, MI, along with their advisor, Susan Tate, founded National Skip the Straw Day in 2017 to encourage Americans to give up the straw habit and help spread awareness about the damage caused by disposable plastics.  The Registrar at National Day Calendar® declared the day to be observed annually on the fourth Friday in February.

Throw Back Thursday ~ LE/Fire Lunch ~ Picture of the Day ~ McCaughey Septuplets ~ Lasagna Rollups ~ National Kahlúa Day

Good 30º foggy frozen morning. 


Yesterday by late afternoon we warmed to 72º.

Happy Throw Back Thursday... 2005 when I had long hair!

Yesterday was the LE/Fire luncheon at the golf club. I met up with Mike and Jennifer and Dale. We had 3 others join our table. Nice conversations and a good lunch. Had a funny ... one of the LAPD guys, Ron, has an email that I had to ask him about. His email address has his horse's name and then 4 numbers. The numbers he said were his badge number and the funny part is that the numbers are my birth date!!! 

Picture of the Day ... LOL. The S and the D blanked out!!!

Interesting about the world's first surviving septuplets....

The McCaughey septuplets (born November 19, 1997) (pronounced "McCoy"), are septuplets born to Kenny and Bobbi McCaughey in Des Moines, Iowa, United States.

Bobbi and Kenny McCaughey had one daughter, Mikayla Marie, born January 3, 1996. While under treatment with ovulation-stimulating Metrodin for infertility, Bobbi became pregnant with seven babies. The McCaugheys, residents of the town of Carlisle, declined selective reduction to reduce the number of infants, saying that they would "put it in God's hands". The obstetricians primarily responsible for the medical care of the babies were Karen Drake and Paula Mahone.

The septuplets, four boys and three girls, were born nine weeks prematurely in Des Moines on November 19, 1997. They were born by Caesarean section, all within six minutes. They are the world's first set of surviving septuplets. Two of the septuplets, Alexis and Nathan, have cerebral palsy. Both use walkers to get around and in November 2005 Nathan had spinal surgery in order to improve his walking abilities.

The septuplets graduated from high school in May 2016. Natalie, Kelsey, Nathan and Joel took up scholarships offered by private Hannibal-LaGrange University in Hannibal, Missouri, Kenny and Alexis chose to stay in the Des Moines area and attend Des Moines Area Community College, and Brandon enlisted in the United States Army.

More Info: en.wikipedia.org

From Mr. Food

If you consider yourself a lasagna lover, then these Lasagna Rollups are going to become a dinnertime favorite. This cheesy lasagna recipe is super simple to make; it's sure to leave your family feeling full and happy. So, go on and take a break from traditional layered lasagna, (or even from unique lasagna recipes) and give these these fun lasagna roll ups a try! 

Made with three types of cheese, these lasagna rolls ups with cheese are the easiest way to make lasagna for the whole family. While this recipe is technically vegetarian, you could serve it with some meatballs for extra protein!

 

• 1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce, divided
• 1 (2-pound) container ricotta cheese
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 12 to 14 lasagna noodles, prepared according to package directions

 

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Pour half the spaghetti sauce over the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, the Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, and salt until well blended.
3. Spoon cheese mixture over lasagna noodles, distributing evenly, and roll up tightly. Place rollups seam-side down in prepared baking dish; top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until heated through.

 

****For lighter lasagna roll ups, substitute reduced-fat ricotta cheese, part-skim mozzarella cheese, and reduced-fat spaghetti sauce. And feel free to use whole wheat lasagna noodles instead.

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

1951 – The Twenty-second Amendment to the United States Constitution, limiting Presidents to two terms, is ratified.

1964 – The government of Italy asks for help to keep the Leaning Tower of Pisa from toppling over.

1973 – The American Indian Movement occupies Wounded Knee, South Dakota.

2010 – An earthquake measuring 8.8 on the Richter scale strikes central parts of Chile leaving over 500 victims, and thousands injured. The quake triggered a tsunami which struck Hawaii shortly after.

And births this date include...

1930 – Joanne Woodward, American actress

1932 – Elizabeth Taylor, British-American actress (d.2011)

1934 – Van Williams, American actor (d.2016)

"Williams, the Green Hornet, said goodbye to Hollywood around 1970 and followed his interests into a job in the actual world of law enforcement, spending 25 years as a reserve officer with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, and also working at the San Diego Police Department and the Los Angeles Police Department."

1940 – Howard Hesseman, American actor

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Kahlúa Day on February 27th recognizes the rich, cream coffee liqueur that also serves up a great many delicious desserts! This alcoholic beverage adds to cocktails and adult flavored desserts equally well. To celebrate, you may want to use Kahlua, a coffee-flavored rum-based liquor, to flavor your ice cream or another dessert such as cheesecake or cake.  It also tastes great in coffee, hot chocolate, creamy cocktails, as a shot or on the rocks.

Pedro Domecq began producing Kahlúa in 1936. In 1994, the company merged with Allied Lyons forming Allied Domecq. In 2005, Allied Domecq was partially acquired by Pernod Ricard which merged with the Swedish Vin & Sprit (V & S Group) in March of 2008. 

Kahlúa is made from coffee and rum, so it does contain caffeine.  Kahlúa is found to be used in a few notable cocktails, including the following:

•  B-52
•  Baby Guinness
•  Black Russian
•  Mudslide
•  White Russian
•  Espresso Martini
•  Caribbean Mudslide

HOW TO OBSERVE

The day can be celebrated by baking with Kahlúa flavor. Kahlúa lends a delicious and rich flavor to desserts of all kinds. It elevates cakes, mousse and so much more. If you like chocolate, that’s an excellent place to start. Celebrate with a taste of Kahlúa cook-off or just try one of these recipes below. 

Kalhua Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Kahlua Brownies

Of course, you could serve up a beverage or two, as well. (Remember always drink responsibly and never drink and drive)