Weather ~ Lunch with Dale Yellin and Bill & Jeannie Patterson ~ Picture of the Day ~ Arizona's Cactus Wren ~ Fresh Chunky Salsa ~ National Peanut Butter Cookie Day

 

Good 55º dark cloudy drizzling rain morning. 

 

Yesterday I met up with Dale Yellin (LASD ret) and Bill (LASD ret) and Jeannie Patterson for lunch at Taprock. We looked forward to sitting on the deck overlooking the Rogue River, but it was a cold cloudy rainy day.

 

 Interesting, even though it was raining like crazy, people went out on the river boats!!!

Picture of the Day ... funny business name! 

 

 

Interesting about the Cactus Wren.....

 

The cactus wren (Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus) is a species of wren endemic to the deserts of the southwestern United States and northern and central Mexico. It is the state bird of Arizona, and the largest wren in the United States. Its plumage is brown, with black and white spots as markings. It has a distinctive white eyebrow that sweeps to the nape of the neck. The chest is white, whereas the underparts are cinnamon-buff colored. Both sexes appear similar. The tail, as well as flight feathers, are barred in black and white. Their song is a loud raspy chirrup; akin in the description of some ornithologists to the sound of a car engine that will not start. It is well-adapted to its native desert environment, and the birds can meet their water needs from their diet which consists chiefly of insects, but also of some plant matter. The cactus wren is a poor flier and generally forages for food on the ground. Ornithologists generally recognize seven subspecies, with the exact taxonomy under dispute.

Its common name derives from their frequenting desert cactus plants such as the saguaro and cholla, building nests, roosting, and seeking protection from predators among them. Its bulky and globular nests are constructed of plant material and lined with feathers. They do not migrate; instead, they establish and defend the territories around their nests where they live all year-round. It lives in pairs, or as family groups from late spring through winter. Pairing among cactus wrens is monogamous; in each breeding season, the males chiefly build nests, the females incubate eggs, and both parents feed the young.

 

Cactus wrens have learned to coexist with humans effectively, using human materials and structures for nesting, and even learning to take insects from vehicle radiator grilles. The population still numbers in the millions, leading the International Union for Conservation of Nature to consider the cactus wren a species of least concern.

 

If you want to read more, go here....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cactus_wren

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Jarred salsa is good in a pinch, but if you have just a bit of time, there's nothing like a homemade Fresh Chunky Salsa. Everyone knows fresh salsa is great with chips, but it also makes a great topping for hamburgers, hot dogs, or just about anything else. Make it for your next get-together and watch them make it disappear!

• 3 tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 jalapeno pepper, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lime juice
• Dash hot pepper sauce

 

1. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients; mix well.
    
2. Serve or cover and chill until ready to serve.

 

***Serve with tortilla chips or use as a topping for chicken or fish for that fresh and tangy punch!

 

 

 

Historically this date....

1942 – Holocaust: Anne Frank receives a diary for her thirteenth birthday.

1994 – Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman are murdered outside her home in Los Angeles, California. O.J. Simpson is later acquitted of the killings, but is held liable in wrongful death civil suit.

 

And births this date include....

1924 – George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States (d.2018)

 

 

1928 – Vic Damone, American singer (d.2018)

Lots of wives!

 

 

1929 – Anne Frank, German-born Dutch Jewish diarist and Holocaust victim (d. 1945)

 

1930 – Jim Nabors, American actor (d.2017)

Personal life interesting. Closeted for YEARS!!!

 

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Saturday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

Baking up some goodness on June 12th each year, National Peanut Butter Cookie Day celebrates the only cookie holiday in June. The day allows cookie lovers and peanut butter lovers to step away from the pies and cakes to indulge in a little peanut butter and cookie therapy.

Alabama’s American agricultural extension educator, George Washington Carver, promoted the peanut extensively. Well-known for his promotions, Carver compiled 105 peanut recipes from various cookbooks, agricultural bulletins, and other sources. In 1916, he created a Research Bulletin called How to Grow the Peanut and 105 Ways of Preparing it for Human Consumption. The bulletin included three recipes calling for crushed or chopped peanuts as one of its ingredients. However, peanut butter cookies were not one of them.

It was in the early 1920s began to be listed as an ingredient in cookies.

That may be because the peanut butter we know and love today didn’t become commercially available until the 1920s. In 1922, Joseph Rosefieldkept the peanut oil from separating from the solids through this process. He patented the process of homogenization and sold it to a company that began making a peanut butter called Peter Pan.

No one knows why we press crisscrossed fork marks into our peanut butter cookies before baking. However, homemade peanut butter cookies would just not be the same without the bit of decoration.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

The best way to celebrate this cookie holiday is with some homemade peanut butter cookies, a glass of milk, and a friend. We even have a recipe for you to try. You can also visit your favorite baker and give them a shout out. Let them know how much you appreciate their mad cookie baking skills!

Chunky Peanut Butter Cookie