Weather/Fog ~ Picture of the Day ~ Mistletoe History ~ Scandinavian Cabbage Soup ~ National Margarita Day

 

 

Good 33º super foggy morning. 

 

Yesterday started off like this and had dark clouds all day and topped at 49º. 

 

 

Picture of the Day ... perfect timing, truck stealing the sun

 

 

 

 

Interesting about mistletoe ...

 

The origins of kissing under the mistletoe, a plant that often bears white berries, are often traced to a tale in Norse mythology about the god Baldur. In the story, Baldur’s mother Frigg casts a powerful magic to make sure that no plant grown on earth could be used as a weapon against her son. The one plant the spell does not reach is the mistletoe, as it does not grow out of the earth, but out of a tree’s branches. The scheming Loki, upon learning this, makes a spear out of mistletoe — the spear that would eventually kill Baldur.

But the connection between that story and the tradition is unclear, and may not even exist at all.

In many tellings, Frigg declares the mistletoe to be a symbol of love after her son’s death and promises to kiss anyone who passed underneath it. If that’s an accurate version of the story, it would be clear how it directly connects to the romantic act of today. Historian Mark Forsyth says this is not actually the way the story ends, however. Forsyth is the author of A Christmas Cornucopia: The Hidden Stories Behind Our Yuletide Traditions, and examined four Norse accounts of the god’s murder and the events that followed. “Baldur’s death involves mistletoe, but it’s got nothing to do with kissing or Christmas,” he tells TIME.

 

If you want to read more, go here:

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

 

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

This cheesy version of cabbage soup is inspired by an Old World recipe. Scandinavian Cabbage Soup is chock-full of veggies and creamy richness, making it a hearty and flavorful main dish, and it only takes 30 minutes from start to finish!

 

• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 cups chopped cabbage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup sliced celery
• 1 cup thin carrot slices
• 1 (14-1/2-ounce) can cream-style corn
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 2 cups milk
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
• ***To lighten up this soup a bit, start with olive oil instead of butter and use a reduced-fat cheddar cheese.

1. In a soup pot over medium-high heat, melt butter; saute cabbage, onion, celery, and carrots 8 to 10 minutes or until tender.
    
2. Add corn, peas, milk, chicken broth, thyme, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; simmer about 15 minutes. Add cheese, stirring until melted; serve immediately.
   
   

 

 

Historically this date.....

1959 – Lee Petty wins the first Daytona 500.

 

1980 – Miracle on Ice: In Lake Placid, New York, the United States hockey team defeats the Soviet Union hockey

team 4-3.

 

1997 – In Roslin, Scotland, scientists announce that an adult sheep named Dolly has been successfully cloned.

 

 

 

And births this date include...

1732 – George Washington, First President of the United States (d. 1799)

 

1857 – Lieutenant-General Robert Baden-Powell, 1st Baron Baden-Powell, British soldier, author, and founder of the Scout movement (d. 1941)

 

 

1889 – Olave Baden-Powell, English founder of the Girl Guide (d. 1977)

 

 

1907 – Robert Young, American actor (d. 1998)

 

 

1932 – Edward M. "Ted" Kennedy, American politician (d. 2009)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1934 – Sparky Anderson, American baseball manager (d. 2010)

 

 

 

1944 – Robert Kardashian, American lawyer (d. 2003)

 

 

1962 – Steve Irwin, Australian herpetologist (d. 2006)

 

 

1975 – Drew Barrymore, American actress

 

Only 46 and married and divorced 3 times!

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

National Margarita Day on February 22nd rims a glass with salt and serves up a beverage that tastes like the summer sun.

Known to be the most common tequila-based cocktail served in the United States, the margarita is a cocktail that consists of tequila, triple sec and lime or lemon juice. A key ingredient is the freshly squeezed lime juice.  In the United States, the most common lime is the thick-skinned Persian lime. When margaritas are made with lemons, they have a much softer taste.

When it comes to sorting out the legends associated with the origin of the margarita, there are many. Two things are certain; the cocktail included tequila, and the bartender edged the rim of the glass with salt. In Mexico, when drinking straight tequila (especially if the quality was bad), the best course of action was to down it in one swallow, suck on a wedge of lime and lick a dash of salt off the back of your hand.

It makes sense that the salt followed the lime and the tequila to the margarita glass. Today, lime is not the only flavor of margarita, and the specialists behind the bar have gotten creative mixing dried herbs, infused sugars and exotic salts to enhance both the presentation of the glass and the flavor of the cocktail.

Margaritas can be served on the rocks (shaken with ice), frozen (blended with ice), or straight up (without ice).

Legends

There are many different stories and myths, beginning as early as 1938, as to how and when the margarita was created.

In the December 1953 issue of Esquire magazine, the margarita cocktail was the “Drink of the Month.”  The recipe as printed was:

• 1 ounce tequila
• Dash of Triple Sec
• Juice of 1/2 lime or lemon

Pour over crushed ice, stir.  Rub the rim of a stem glass with rind of lemon or lime, spin in salt—pour, and sip.  (Wikipedia)

The margarita was further popularized with the 1977 release of Jimmy Buffett’s song “Margaritaville.”