Weather ~ Mike Artoff ~ Picture of the Day ~ Voice Box ~ Hash Brown Breakfast Pie ~ Sister Marion ~ Del Albright ~ National Mac and Cheese Day

Good 47º clear sunny morning. 

Our weather yesterday, like most days lately..... clear and sunny and we topped at 94º. 

Yesterday my plumber Mike Artoff came over and cleaned out the kitchen water pipes. This house is old and the plumbing is old and it needs work occasionally. He also put a new filter in my pump house. Mike is great and I highly recommend him.

Here is his website:

http://www.artoffplumbing.com/

Here is a picture of Mike with his helper last year......

Picture of the Day

Interesting.....

Humans are able to produce a wide variety of sounds in part because they have descended voice boxes that makes room for longer vocal tracts. Evolutionarily, this appears to have occurred before, and thus may have facilitated the evolution of language. But why would our larynxes descend in the first place?

One theory is that longer vocal tracts enabled us to make lower noises in order to sound larger and more threatening. Red Deer, for example, use a descended vocal tract for this purpose. The theory is supported by the fact that in males the voice box descends further during puberty (when boys males start fighting for access to girls).

One anatomical problem that arose as a result of lowered voice boxes is that the passageways for food and air became connected. This connection gave rise to an epiglottis which either covers the trachea or the esophagus.

As a result, we are the only primates who cannot eat and breathe at the same time. No doubt you are now wondering how come babies don't either starve or suffocate when nursing. The answer there is that the voice box doesn't descend until about nine months of age, thereby allowing hungry babies to suck and breathe simultaneously. All of which explains why babies have such high squeaky voices.

From Mr. Food...

Looking for a new way to serve up breakfast for your gang? Bake up this Hash Brown Breakfast Pie. Loaded with all their favorites, including eggs, bacon, cheese and hash brown potatoes, this breakfast pie recipe will leave them in awe!

 

• 1 (16-ounce) package frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 8 eggs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup crumbled cooked bacon
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1/2 cup finely chopped red or green bell pepper
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 9-inch deep dish pie plate with cooking spray.
2. Squeeze potatoes with paper towels to remove any water. Place in a large bowl with butter, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; mix well. Spoon mixture into pie plate and press on bottom and up sides to form a crust.
3. In a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, remaining salt, and remaining pepper. Stir in remaining ingredients and pour into pie crust.
4. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until eggs are set in center.

Today was my sister Marion's birthday. She was born in 1934 and passed away in 2004. She is so very missed! Love you Mana!!!

 

Today is the birthday of a special friend, Del Albright. Del and Jerry were in the California National Guard together. HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEL!!

 

Historically this date.......

1881 – Billy the Kid is shot and killed by Pat Garrett outside Fort Sumner.

1969 – The United States $500, $1,000, $5,000 and $10,000 bills are officially withdrawn from circulation.

2000 – A powerful solar flare, later named the Bastille Day event, causes a geomagnetic storm on Earth.

2002 – French President Jacques Chirac escapes an assassination attempt unscathed during Bastille Day celebrations.

2003 – In an effort to discredit U.S. Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson, who had written an article critical of the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Washington Post columnist Robert Novak reveals that Wilson's wife Valerie Plame is a CIA "operative".

And births this date include....

1910 – William Hanna, American animator (d. 2001)

1911 – Terry-Thomas, British actor (d. 1990)

1913 – Gerald Ford, 38th President of the United States (d. 2006)

1923 – Dale Robertson, American actor (d.2013)

 

1930 – Polly Bergen, American actress (d.2014)

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

One of the classic comfort foods earns a place of honor on July 14th. It is National Mac and Cheese Day!

Made with macaroni noodles, cream or milk, and the golden goodness of cheese, mac and cheese shines as a side dish while also standing on its own as a main dish. This meal reminds many of us of home while also teaching us the basics of the kitchen. What other recipes allow us to create so flamboyantly and often with so little knowledge about cooking?

From the classic mac and cheese with cheddar or American cheeses to the spicy cowboy mac with bacon and jalapenos, there’s a combination for everyone. Mix up the cheeses or load up on seasonings. It’s easy to get a toasty crust by setting the broiler for a couple of minutes at the end of the cooking time.

Mac and cheese offers a multitude of ways to enjoy it, too. As a soup, it warms us up after a long day. Stuff it inside a meatloaf or a burger for a meal made for a hungry, busy family. Roll up bite-sized bits in bread crumbs and deep fry for mouthwatering appetizers. Put your favorite mac and cheese between two slices of crusty bread. Then put into a panini press for some grilled yumminess. Whether we like it mild or spicy, mac and cheese has us covered.

Besides being simple to make, mac and cheese enables us to experiment with other flavors we enjoy. We break into our kitchen skills with mac and cheese, and it makes us look good. Sometimes the can opener doesn’t do that. On July 14th, celebrate mac and cheese not only because we love to eat it, but because it taught us we can cook, too.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Enjoy some mac and cheese! Experiment with different cheeses or try it with toppings. Don’t hesitate to break out of your normal routine. This is no time to be ho-hum. It’s a celebration of a food that’s not only convenient but is versatile and delicious, too.