Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Taste Buds ~ Saucy Country-Style Ribs ~ Doe and Fawns ~ National Park Service Founders Day

Good 61º no sun yet morning. 

Yesterday clouds moved in... with possible thunderstorms predicted...

We topped at 98º and no rain. 

Picture of the Day ... Rachael Ray without and with makeup...

Interesting about taste buds........

Eating consciously centers us in the moment and enhances our daily lives with the sensual pleasures of taste sensations and textures.

The five basic tastes—sweet, bitter, sour, salty, and umami (the taste sensation that is produced by several amino acids and nucleotides such as glutamate and aspartate, and has a rich or meaty flavor characteristic of cheese, cooked meat, mushrooms, soy, and ripe tomatoes)—result from a chemical reaction between stimuli (food) in the mouth reacting with receptors (taste buds).

Sweetness, which most people find pleasurable, is produced by the presence of sugars. It can come straight from the tree, like crunchy fresh apples (of so many varieties, from sweet to tart), or may be baked with sugar to bubbling sweetness in an apple pie.

Bitterness, sometimes perceived as sharp or unpleasant, is found in drinks like coffee and tonic water (quinine) and foods like citrus peel and unsweetened cocoa, as well as certain greens, such as dandelion, chicory, and escarole.

Sourness is the taste that detects acidity, as in vinegar. Saltiness is produced primarily by the presence of sodium ions, found in foods from lox to potato chips.

Umami is a Japanese word referring to a savory, pungent, meaty taste. While it seems to defy definition, umami is often translated as “deliciousness” or “essence,” and is characteristic of cheese, soy sauce, and many Asian foods. Some call it “the other pleasant taste,” along with sweetness.

The tongue is covered with thousands of small bumps called papillae, which are visible to the naked eye. Within each papilla are hundreds of taste buds. The exception to this is the filiform papillae that do not contain taste buds. There are between 2000 and 5000 taste buds that are located on the back and front of the tongue. Others are located on the roof, sides and back of the mouth, and in the throat. Each taste bud contains 50 to 100 taste receptor cells.

From Mr. Food

If you like your ribs extra-meaty, then you're going to love these flavorful, Saucy Country-Style Ribs. Country-style ribs are more like a pork chop than a rib, making them meatier and less fatty. Now the question is, will you eat these with a fork or your fingers?

 

• 1 cup ketchup
• 3/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup steak sauce
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 3 1/2 to 4 pounds country-style pork ribs

 

1. In a medium bowl, whisk ketchup, water, steak sauce, Worcestershire sauce, onion, garlic, and brown sugar until combined.
2. Place pork ribs in a soup pot; pour sauce over ribs. Cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer 45 to 55 minutes, or until fork-tender.

 

Historically this date.....

1933 – The Diexi earthquake strikes Mao County, Sichuan, China and kills 9,000 people.

...9,000!!!!!

1944 – World War II: Paris is liberated by the Allies.

1989 – Voyager 2 spacecraft makes its closest approach to Neptune, the outermost planet in the Solar System.

And births this date include....

1913 – Don DeFore, American actor (d. 1993)

... "Thorny" in Ozzie & Harriet and "Mr. B" in Hazel.

1916 – Van Johnson, American actor (d. 2008)

.... one thing I remember about him is that he always, always, wore red socks!

1930 – Sir Thomas Sean Connery, Scottish actor

1933 – Tom Skerritt, American actor

1949 – Gene Simmons, Israeli-born musician (Kiss) Interesting read about his life...

1958 – Tim Burton, American film director

.... He directed one of Kristen's favorite films... The Nightmare Before Christmas....

 

1961 – Billy Ray Cyrus, American singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist (Shudda done a better job raising that nutcase half naked bootie wiggling tongue wagging daughter of his!)

1968 – Rachael Ray, American chef and television personality

(....if only she could keep her open palms in her pockets instead of waving them all over and in front of her face when she's talking and brushing back her hair! But, I guess it's impossible since she's Italian, but also she NEVER stops talking. Even interrupting special guest (all guests!) Tom Selleck! She cooks great, but wish she'd shut up and keep her hands DOWN! Also, she needs to quit saying (in lyrical style) "I know."

Sunday I had a doe and her two fawns visiting. Momma jumped the fence into my front yard and munched on the grass.... (hard to get a good photo through a window, and facing the setting sun)

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On this day in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed what is now called the Organic Act. It established the National Park Service. As part of the Department of Interior, the National Park Service protects 400 areas in each of the 50 states, U.S. territories and the District of Columbia totaling 84 million acres.

National Park Service Founders Day recognizes the superior conservation and preservation efforts of the National Parks System. Whether enjoying scenic trails, open spaces, watersheds or recreational areas, the National Parks Service provides a natural outdoor resource accessible to every American. Hiking and biking trails entice us to explore. They also offer an outdoor experience like no other. These parks challenge us with more beauty and history that most of us can imagine.

A Trip Through Time

Not only does the National Park Service provide access to millions of acres of the most picturesque places in the country, but it also takes us back in time. Through historic trails, we walk in the footsteps of Harriet Tubman. A historic trail in Maryland takes us along the path of the Underground Railroad where Tubman led men and women away from slavery and to freedom. In Ohio, we explore the infancy of aviation in the United States.

As we travel through the beauty of the historic Natchez Trace, we’ll discover the intense and tragic histories that lay along the way. From Native Americans to European settlement and the Civil War, the Natchez Trace survived it all.

West of the Mississippi, ancient ruins and resurrected forts tell the stories of those who have gone before us. In rustic settings or an out-of-the-way oasis in New Mexico, rediscover the history of untold ages. After the arid West, head North and study the Klondike Gold Rush in Washington or the history of Columbia River, too.

Majestic beasts and glorious sunsets throughout the National Park Service entice visitors all year long. Some of these parks are in your own backyard, too! They are a mere stone’s throw away. Once you get started, you won’t want to stop. Make a list and keep going.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Celebrate by visiting one of the 400 management areas across the country. There’s one not far from each of us. There are several ways to get started, too!