Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ First Freeway ~ Diner-Style Salisbury Steak ~ Herman and Karen Baertschiger ~ National Hot Chocolate Day

  

Good 29º scattered clouds morning. 

 

Yesterday we topped at 62º.

 

 

Picture of the Day .... good friends!

 

 

Interesting about the first freeway...

 

The Arroyo Seco Parkway, also known as the Pasadena Freeway, is one of the oldest freeways built in the United States. It connects Los Angeles with Pasadena alongside the Arroyo Seco seasonal river. It is notable not only for being an early freeway, mostly opened in 1940, but for representing the transitional phase between early parkways and modern freeways. It conformed to modern standards when it was built, but is now regarded as a narrow, outdated roadway. A 1953 extension brought the south end to the Four Level Interchange in downtown Los Angeles and a connection with the rest of the freeway system.

 

The road remains largely as it was on opening day, though the plants in its median have given way to a steel guard rail, and most recently to concrete barriers, and it now carries the designation State Route 110, not historic U.S. Route 66. Between 1954 and 2010, it was officially designated the Pasadena Freeway. In 2010, as part of plans to revitalize its scenic value and improve safety, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) restored the original name to the roadway. All the bridges built during parkway construction remain, as do four older bridges that crossed the Arroyo Seco before the 1930s. The Arroyo Seco Parkway is designated a State Scenic Highway, National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark, and National Scenic Byway. It was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

 

If you want to read a lot more, go here:

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

 

 

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

This comforting dinner was popular in homes and diners across the country during the '50s and '60s. Our Diner-Style Salisbury Steak is beefy, hearty, and smothered in a flavor-packed mushroom gravy. To serve it the classic way, don't forget the green peas on the side!

 

• 1 1/2 pounds ground beef
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 (12-ounce) jar beef gravy
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• 1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced

 

1. Coat a large skillet with cooking spray.
    
2. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, scallions, bread crumbs, egg, mustard, salt, and pepper; mix well. Shape into four 1/2 inch-thick oval patties.
    
3. Heat skillet over medium heat; cook patties 5 to 7 minutes per side or until no pink remains.
    
4. Add gravy, water, horseradish, and mushrooms and cook 6 to 8 minutes, or until mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally.
    

***Each serving makes a hearty meal, so you can certainly make smaller portions - just form the mixture into six or eight smaller patties.

 

 

 

Special Anniversary today, my friends Herman & Karen (aka Sugar Bear) Baertschiger. Happy Anniversary kids!!! xo

 

This had also been my parents anniversary. They got married in 1926 in Tombstone Arizona....

Historically this date....

1876 – The United States orders all Native Americans to move into reservations. 

 

1930 – 3M begins marketing Scotch Tape.

1957 – Eight people on the ground in Pacoima, California are killed following the mid-air collision between a Douglas DC-7 airliner and a Northrop F-89 Scorpion fighter jet.

 

1971 – Apollo program: Apollo 14 – Astronauts Alan Shepard, Stuart Roosa, and Edgar Mitchell, aboard a Saturn V, lift off for a mission to the Fra Mauro Highlands on the Moon.

 

2001 – In the Netherlands, a Scottish court convicts Libyan Abdelbaset al-Megrahi and acquits another Libyan citizen for their part in the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland in 1988.

 

 

And births this date include.... 

 

1872 – Zane Grey, American novelist (d. 1939) 

 

 

 

 

His home in Avalon on Catalina Island, turned into a hotel, was a favorite place for Jerry and I to stay. Whatta view!

 

 

1902 – Tallulah Bankhead, American actress (d. 1968) 

 

 

 

1919 – Jackie Robinson, American baseball player (d. 1972) 

 

 

 

1934 – James Franciscus, American actor (d. 1991) 

 

 

 

1937 – Suzanne Pleshette, American actress (d. 2008) 

 

 

 

 

 

1947 – Nolan Ryan, American baseball player 

 

 

 

1959 – Anthony LaPaglia, Australian actor 

 

 

 

1981 – Justin Timberlake, American singer 

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Each year on January 31, National Hot Chocolate Day warms up people across the country by celebrating the timeless cold-weather beverage.

Hot chocolate is a warm beverage made with ground chocolate, heated milk or water, and sugar. In America, we often use the terms hot chocolate and hot cocoa interchangeably. However, the two beverages are different.

Cocoa vs Hot Chocolate 

We make hot cocoa with cocoa powder, heated milk or water, and sugar. We’re able to do this thanks to a process developed by father and son chemists. The thicker, more flavorful beverage, we make hot chocolate from ground chocolate containing cocoa butter. It’s also called drinking chocolate. Hot chocolate has also been around longer than hot cocoa. In the early 1800s, Casparus van Houten Sr. developed a process to separate the cocoa solids from the butter. His son, Coenraad Johannes made those fats more soluble in water. Together their processes made cocoa powder possible.

But before then, everyone drank hot chocolate. This thicker, creamier beverage often offered medicinal benefits for stomach ailments during the 19th century. In fact, long before the beverage’s popularity in Victorian times, it served in ceremonial culture.

2000 years ago, the Mayans likely created the first chocolate beverage. A cocoa beverage was also an essential part of Aztec culture by 1400 AD. Europe popularized the drink after it was introduced from Mexico in the New World.

Make it and Benefit

Hot chocolate can be enjoyed in a variety of combinations, topped with whipped cream or marshmallows. Sometimes a sprinkle of cinnamon or a dash of peppermint makes the chocolate extra special. In the United States, an instant form of hot chocolate is popular. It is made with hot water or milk and a packet containing mostly cocoa powder, sugar, and dry milk. People enjoy topping it with marshmallows or whipped cream.

There are health benefits to drinking hot chocolate. Cocoa contains significant amounts of antioxidants that may help prevent cancer. It has also been shown that the cocoa beans help with digestion. The flavonoids that are found in the cocoa also have a positive effect on arterial health.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. You can make it with dark or milk chocolate. While you’re at it, try experimenting, too. Add some cinnamon or other flavors to your chocolate. Of course, inviting a friend to join you is essential to the celebration, too. Try adding these toppings.

• Whipped cream
• Marshmallows
• Sprinkles
• Candied fruit