Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Bar Codes ~ Buffalo Chicken Tenders ~ Laura Virant ~ National Martini Day

Good 50º scattered clouds morning. 

Yesterday the clear sky was so unusual for us here, but it's going to be that way a lot more now....

Clouds came in for awhile and then they blew away. We topped at 92º.

Picture of the Day .... ha ha ha

Interesting abut Bar Codes....

However, you may now refer to the bar code, remember if the first 3 digits are: 690-695 then it is Made in China.

BAR CODES:

00 ~ 13 USA & CANADA
30 ~ 37 FRANCE
40 ~ 44 GERMANY
49 ~ JAPAN
50 ~ UK
57 ~ Denmark
64 ~ Finland
76 ~ Switzerland and Lienchtenstein
471 ~ Taiwan
480 ~ Philippines
628 ~ Saudi-Arabien
629 ~ United Arab Emirates
690 ~ 695 China
740 ~ 745 Central America

For example, if a Mexican company imported fruit from Guatemala, then packed and shipped that fruit to Belgium, the country code portion of the final product’s bar code would likely indicate an origin of Mexico rather than Guatemala. In that case the bar coding would be of little help to consumers who (for whatever reason) were desirous of avoiding food products grown in Guatemala.

It may be the case that in some parts of the world there is a fair degree of correlation between assignment of bar codes and product origins (i.e., in some countries the preponderance of bar code assignments may apply to domestic products), but for surefire product origin identification consumers must rely upon other methods. In determining the country of origin of a product sold in the U.S., consumers often still have to rely on the standard method of looking for “Made in [country name]” labels on the packaging.

From Mr. Food

One of Mr. Food's favorite cities was Buffalo, New York. So in salute of all of this city that was close to his heart, give these crowd-pleasing Buffalo Chicken Tenders a try next time you have the gang over.

 

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup hot cayenne pepper sauce
• 1 cup plain bread crumbs
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 1-inch strips
• Cooking spray

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
    
2. Place flour, hot sauce, and bread crumbs each in its own shallow dish. Dip chicken strips in flour, then hot sauce, then bread crumbs, coating evenly with each.
    
3. Place coated strips on baking sheet. Coat chicken with cooking spray and bake 8 minutes.
    
4. Turn chicken over and coat with cooking spray then cook an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and breading is golden brown. Serve immediately.
   
   

***

Make sure to use hot cayenne pepper sauce, not simply "hot pepper sauce". . .unless you like your chicken really hot. And don't forget the traditional Buffalo go-alongs - celery sticks and blue cheese dressing.

Special birthday today... our former Temple City neighbor and Kristen's friend, Laura Vincent Virant is celebrating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA!!

Historically this date......

1910 – The first Father's Day is celebrated in Spokane, Washington.

1978 – Garfield, holder of the Guinness World Record for the world's most widely syndicated comic strip, makes its debut.

And births this date include...

1903 – Lou Gehrig, American baseball player (d. 1941)

Cute. Dimples~!

1921 – Louis Jourdan, French actor (d. 2015)

... this yummy man had been married to his one and only wife since 1946! until his death.

1969 – Lara Spencer, American TV personality

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On June 19th, shake up some gin and vermouth with ice and add a lemon twist. It’s National Martini Day! 

This adult beverage has grown to become one of the best-known mixed drinks. A traditional or perfect Martini is made with equal parts gin and vermouth. For anyone who has never had a Martini, we have a list of terms to help get you started. 

Martini Lingo

• Dirty – This Martini includes olive brine or juice from the olive jar.
• Dry – The vermouth is decreased significantly in the Martini, and gin becomes the primary spirit. Extra dry tips the ratio even further.
• Gibson – Instead of an olive, bartenders garnish the Martini with a pickled onion.
• Shaken vs. Stirred – Most bartenders will tell you that the better Martini is stirred. Shaken Martinis tend to be inferior due to a couple of reasons – ice chips water down the drink, and shaking the Martini adds air to the cocktail. A stirred Martini results in a smoother, fuller experience.
• Straight Up – This Martini may be either shaken or stirred, but it is strained and served without ice – the opposite of a Martini on the rocks. 
• Smoky or Burnt – Scotch whisky replaces the vermouth in this Martini. A twist of lemon garnishes the glass.
• Wet – Where the dry Martini has less vermouth, this one has more.
• With a Twist – The bartender adds a thin strip of citrus peel to the Martini as a garnish or in the drink. 

Shaken, stirred, on the rocks, that’s what you need to know to order traditional Martinis. 

James Bond, the fictional spy, sometimes asked for his vodka Martinis to be “shaken, not stirred.” 

When the James Bond movies debuted in the late 1960s, the popularity of the Martini increased. In the later decades, clear spirits like vodka overtook aged spirits like bourbon in market share. However, in recent decades, a balancing act seems to be taking place. 

Dirty martini – Martini with a splash of olive brine or olive juice and is typically garnished with an olive.

Over the years, the traditional Martini inspired a variety of other cocktails such as the Cosmopolitan, chocolatini, or appletini. 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Order your favorite Martini or Martini-inspired cocktail. Martinis are an excellent cocktail to serve at a small gathering with hors d’oeuvres. Whether you serve a meat and cheese tray or go all out with shrimp, stuffed mushrooms and patè, make it a night to remember. (Remember always to drink responsibly and to designate a sober driver.)

** I like my martini dirty! I like Dirty Sue Martini Mix for that... either vodka or gin. YUMMMM-O !