Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Minnesota State Bird ~ Cinnamon Apple Dumplings ~ National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day

 

 

Good 51º foggy morning. 

 

Yesterday how we started and then ......

 

Later clouds moved back in. We topped at 72º.

 

 

Picture of the Day ... perfect timing!

 

 

Interesting .....

Minnesota state bird... Common Loon

 

The common loon has a name that's as unusual as its appearance. They have red eyes and bodies built for swimming and diving. The call of the common loon is also ghostly and otherworldly.

 

The common loon or great northern diver (Gavia immer) is a large member of the loon, or diver, family of birds. Breeding adults have a plumage that includes a broad black head and neck with a greenish, purplish, or bluish sheen, blackish or blackish-grey upper parts, and pure white underparts except some black on the undertail coverts and vent. Non-breeding adults are brownish with a dark neck and head marked with dark grey-brown. Their upper parts are dark brownish-grey with an unclear pattern of squares on the shoulders, and the underparts, lower face, chin, and throat are whitish. The sexes look alike, though males are significantly heavier than females. During the breeding season, loons live on lakes and other waterways in Canada; the northern United States (including Alaska); and southern parts of Greenland and Iceland. Small numbers breed on Svalbard and sporadically elsewhere in Arctic Eurasia. Common loons winter on both coasts of the US as far south as Mexico, and on the Atlantic coast of Europe.

 

Common loons eat a variety of animal prey including fish, crustaceans, insect larvae, molluscs, and occasionally aquatic plant life. They swallow most of their prey underwater, where it is caught, but some larger items are first brought to the surface. Loons are monogamous; that is, a single female and male often together defend a territory and may breed together for a decade or more. Both members of a pair build a large nest out of dead marsh grasses and other plants formed into a mound along the vegetated shores of lakes. A single brood is raised each year from a clutch of one or two olive-brown oval eggs with dark brown spots which are incubated for about 28 days by both parents. Fed by both parents, the chicks fledge in 70 to 77 days. The chicks are capable of diving underwater when just a few days old, and they fly to their wintering areas before ice forms in the fall.

 

The common loon is the provincial bird of Ontario, and it appears on Canadian currency, including the one-dollar "loonie" coin and a previous series of $20 bills. In 1961, it was designated the state bird of Minnesota, and appears on the Minnesota State Quarter.

 

 

 

The adult common loon can range from 26 to 36 inches in length with a 4 ft 2 in to 4 ft 10 inches wingspan, slightly smaller than the similar yellow-billed loon. On average, it is about 32 inches long and has a wingspan of 54 inches. Its weight can vary anywhere from 4.9 to 16.8 lb. Sizes vary regionally, especially by body mass, with the smallest bodied loons on average from lower-central Canada and the Great Lakes, while westerly birds are similar or mildly larger, and loons breeding further east can appear to be significantly larger.

 

If you are interested in reading a lot more about loons, go here:

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

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Looking for the best way to satisfy your sweet tooth? We've got ya covered with these Cinnamon Apple Dumplings. These sure are smile inducers!

 

• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 (8-ounce) package refrigerated crescent rolls
• 2 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

 

 

1. Melt butter in a 7- x 11-inch baking dish; set aside.
    
2. Cook granulated sugar and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan over medium heat until sugar melts; set aside.
    
3. Preheat the oven to 375º. Unroll crescent dough onto a board.
    
4. Combine apples, brown sugar, and remaining 3 ingredients. Sprinkle over dough. Starting with short end, roll dough up, jellyroll fashion, pressing seam to seal; cut into 10 (3/4-inch-thick) slices, and place in baking dish. Pour sugar mixture carefully over dumplings. Bake 35 to 38 minutes or until golden.

 

 

Historically this date.........

1936 – In California, the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge opens to traffic.

1979 – Iran hostage crisis: in response to the hostage situation in Tehran, US President Jimmy Carter orders a halt to all petroleum imports into the United States from Iran.

 

 

And births this date include....

1929 – Grace Kelly, American actress and Princely consort of Monaco (d. 1982)

 

1934 – Charles Manson, American cult leader and convicted murderer (d.2017)

1958 – Megan Mullally, American actress and singer

 

 

1961 – Nadia Comăneci, Romanian gymnast

 

 

1970 – Tonya Harding, American figure skater

 

 

 

 

 

 

1982 – Anne Hathaway, American actress

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day says to hold the fishes! Anchovy lovers move over on November 12th. All the other pizza lovers get their due and pile on their toppings. This annual pizza holiday gets the spotlight with olives, pepperoni, sausage, peppers, and onions. How about mushrooms, bacon, or pineapple? Approved! Just no fishy business on this national day, or no pizza for you!

Classified as an oily fish, Anchovies are a family of small, common salt-water forage fish. There are 144 species found in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans.  Anchovies are small, green fish. They have blue reflections caused by the silver longitudinal stripe, which begins at the base of the caudal fin.

Traditionally, anchovies are processed in a salt brine and then packed in oil or salt, resulting in a strong, characteristic flavor.  Optionally they may be pickled in vinegar, giving the anchovies a milder taste.

Pizza:

• In ancient Greece, the Greeks covered their bread with oils, herbs, and cheese. Some believe this practice is the beginning of the pizza.
• In Byzantine Greek, the word was spelled “πίτα,” pita, meaning pie. 
• The Romans developed a sheet of dough topped with cheese and honey. They then flavored it with bay leaves. 
• The modern pizza began in Italy as the Neapolitan flatbread.
• The original pizza used only mozzarella cheese. The mozzarella was produce in Naples and usually the highest quality buffalo mozzarella variant. 
• In 1997, the United States produced an estimated 2 billion pounds of pizza cheese annually.
• The first United States pizza establishment opened in 1905 was in New York’s Little Italy. 
• Americans love pizza. So much so, it’s one of our favorite meals.