Rain ~ Wild Turkeys ~ Deer ~ Picture of the Day ~ Pretzels History ~ Stuffed Peppers Casserole ~ National Lobster Day

 

 

Good 43º morning. 

 

 

Yesterday morning some more rain came down for a very short time...

 

 

Bruiser came back inside and he was all wet!!

We then got some blue sky coming through the clouds... on and off sunshine and clouds and pretty blue sky!  We topped at 80º.

And the turkeys were out ....

 

 And two of them were fighting.....

 

 

Some rain in Grants Pass too......

 

 

And the deer were out and about.... sad to see such an awful skin condition.....

 

 

 

 

Picture of the Day ... perfectly timed

 

 

 

 

 

Interesting about pretzels .....

Most sources agree that the pretzel was invented by an Italian monk in the year 610 A.D. According to The History of Science and Technology, the monk baked strips of dough that he folded into a shape resembling a child crossing its arms in prayer. He would give these treats, which he called “pretiolas” or “little rewards,” to children who had memorized their prayers. The children got to eat them as snacks when they did good and a fad was born. Early pretzels were of the “soft” variety; hard pretzels are a relatively modern invention.

 

In the late 18th century, southern German and Swiss German immigrants introduced the pretzel to North America. The immigrants became known as the Pennsylvania Dutch, and in time, many handmade pretzel bakeries populated the central Pennsylvania countryside, and the pretzel's popularity spread.

 

In the 20th century, soft pretzels became popular in other regions of the United States. Cities such as Philadelphia, Chicago, and New York became renowned for their soft pretzels. The key to success was the introduction of the new mass production methods of the industrialized age, which increased the availability and quantity, and the opening up of multiple points of distribution at schools, convenience and grocery stores, and entertainment venues such as movie theaters, arenas, concert halls, and sport stadiums. Prior to that, street vendors used to sell pretzels on street corners in wooden glass-enclosed cases.

Hard pretzels originated in the United States, where, in 1850, the Sturgis bakery in Lititz, Pennsylvania, became the first commercial hard pretzel bakery. Snack food hard pretzels are made in the form of loops, braids, letters, little pretzels, or sticks around 3 millimetres (¹⁄₈ in) thick and 12 centimetres (5 in) long; they have become a popular snack in many countries around the world. A thicker variety of sticks can be 1.5 centimetres (¹⁄₂ in) thick; in the U. S. these are called Bavarian pretzels or pretzel rods. Unlike the soft pretzels, these were durable when kept in an airtight environment and marketable in a variety of convenience stores. Large-scale production began in the first half of the 1900s, more so during 1930 to 1950. A prime example was in 1949, when highly innovative American Machine and Foundry Co., of New York City, developed the "pretzel bender": a new automatic crispy-styled baked pretzel-twisting machine that rolled and tied them at the rate of 50 a minute—more than twice as fast as skilled hand twisters could make them—and conveyed them through the baking and salting process.

 

2003 Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell declares 26 April as National Pretzel Day to acknowledge the importance of the pretzel to the state's history and economy.

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

If you're looking for an even easier way to enjoy stuffed peppers, look no further than this Stuffed Peppers Casserole. It's got everything you love about stuffed peppers, but in the form of a hearty casserole! That means no hassle whatsoever - just lots of yummy eating!

 

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat oil until hot; saute green pepper and onion 4 to 5 minutes, or just until veggies start to soften. Add ground beef and cook 6 to 8 minutes more, or until no pink remains in the beef. Drain liquid from skillet.
3. Add tomato sauce, rice, 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese, the Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, and pepper; mix well. Spoon into baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.
4. Bake 25 minutes, remove foil, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake 5 additional minutes, or until cheese is melted.

 

 

 

 

Historically this date...

1890 – The U.S. Congress establishes Sequoia National Park.

 

2003 – A magnitude-8.0 earthquake strikes just offshore Hokkaidō, Japan.

 

2008 – China launches the spacecraft Shenzhou 7.

 

 

And births this date include...

1936 – Juliet Prowse, South African actress and dancer (d. 1996)

 

 

1944 – Michael Douglas, American actor and producer

 

 

 

 With his father Kirk Douglas who is 102!

 

 

1947 – Cheryl Tiegs, American model

.... a graduate of Alhambra High in 1965. Known by everyone in town! Went to Cal State LA. (me too!)

 

 

1951 – Mark Hamill, American actor

.... boy, you tend to remember him in Star Wars ..so young!

 

 

1952 – Christopher Reeve, American actor (d. 2004)

 

 

1961 – Heather Locklear, American actress and model

... graduated from Newberry Park High in Thousand Oaks and went to UCLA

 

 

1969 – Catherine Zeta-Jones, Welsh actress

.....she shares the same birthday as her husband, Michael Douglas!

 

 

1973 – Bridgette Wilson, American actress

....wow, born in Gold Beach Or!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

 

National Lobster Day on September 25th takes a taste of a seafood favorite. 

The simplest way to enjoy Lobster is boiled then dipped in melted butter.  A couple of favorite lobster recipes include Lobster Newberg and Lobster Thermidor.  It is also the main ingredient in soup, bisque, lobster rolls and salads.

Large lobsters are estimated to be 50 years old.

These marine crustaceans live at the bottom of the ocean. If they avoid the lobster pot, some can live up to 100 years old. Even though we consider them a delicacy today, that wasn’t always the case. In colonial times, the lobster received very little culinary credit. In fact, the pigs and goats ate more lobster than the well-to-do.

While lobsters arrive at our tables bright red, they don’t start out that way. In the ocean, they come in many colors. Some are yellow, green or even blue.

Now that lobsters rank higher on the menu, consider these nutrition facts.

• Lobsters contain no carbohydrates and 27.55 grams of protein per 1 cup serving.
• In that same 1 cup serving, there’s 129 calories and 1.25 grams of fat.
• Eating lobster offers an excellent source of selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and calcium.

We’ve found several delicious recipes to try. Let us know which one you like best!

Lobster Thermidor

Lobster Salad

Did you know there’s even a Lobster Newburg Day? Check out this recipe for Lobster Newburg.

Lobster Bisque

According to the Guinness World Records, the largest lobster ever caught was in Nova Scotia, Canada, weighing 44.4 lbs. 

NATIONAL LOBSTER DAY HISTORY

In 2014, Senators Angus King and Susan Collins of Maine drafted a joint resolution designating September 25th as National Lobster Day. The proclamation recognizes the men and women in an industry as well as the long and rich heritage, from sea to table.

National Lobster Day on September 25th takes a taste of a seafood favorite. 

The simplest way to enjoy Lobster is boiled then dipped in melted butter.  A couple of favorite lobster recipes include Lobster Newberg and Lobster Thermidor.  It is also the main ingredient in soup, bisque, lobster rolls and salads.

Large lobsters are estimated to be 50 years old.

These marine crustaceans live at the bottom of the ocean. If they avoid the lobster pot, some can live up to 100 years old. Even though we consider them a delicacy today, that wasn’t always the case. In colonial times, the lobster received very little culinary credit. In fact, the pigs and goats ate more lobster than the well-to-do.

While lobsters arrive at our tables bright red, they don’t start out that way. In the ocean, they come in many colors. Some are yellow, green or even blue.

Now that lobsters rank higher on the menu, consider these nutrition facts.

• Lobsters contain no carbohydrates and 27.55 grams of protein per 1 cup serving.
• In that same 1 cup serving, there’s 129 calories and 1.25 grams of fat.
• Eating lobster offers an excellent source of selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and calcium.

The easiest way to cook lobster was taught to me by my nephew Jimmy who had been a cook at a restaurant for a time in Tahoe..... pull the meat out of the shell by making a cut down the entire length of the shell on top.

 

 

Put the meat on top of the shell, brush with clarified butter and sprinkle with paprika.

Bake at 400º for 15-18 minutes. PERFECT!!!