Weather/Fog ~ Picture of the Day ~ The Name of Pittsburgh ~ Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken ~ National Cocktail Day

  

Good 48º cloudy morning. 

 

Yesterdays  fog ....

Thankfully the fog left early, before 11am...

The sky stayed blue and we topped at 77º.

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

 

Interesting about the name of Pittsburgh

The name of the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has a complicated history. Pittsburgh is one of the few U.S. cities or towns to be spelled with an h at the end of a burg suffix, although the spelling Pittsburg was acceptable for many years and was even held as standard by the federal government (but not the city government) from 1891 to 1911.

 

Pittsburgh was named in honor of William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham, often referred to as William Pitt the Elder to distinguish him from his son William Pitt the Younger.

The suffix burgh is the Scots language and Scottish English cognate of the English language borough, which has other cognates in words and place names in several Indo-European languages. Historically, this morpheme was used in place names to describe a location as being defensible, such as a hill, a fort, or a fortified settlement.

 

^{For a long time, there was little regard for uniformity in the spelling of Pittsburgh's name. Early municipal documents and city directories generally spelled the name with a final h, but the letter is notably omitted in the city charter enacted by the state legislature in 1816. The variance in spelling persisted through the 19th century. In 1890, some local newspapers were using the final h and some were not.}

 

^{In 1890, the United States Board on Geographic Names was created to establish uniform place name usage throughout the various departments and agencies of the U.S. government. To guide its standardization efforts, the Board adopted thirteen general principles, one of which was that the final -h should be dropped from place names ending in -burgh. The Board compiled a report of place name "decisions" in 1891 in which Pittsburgh's name for federal government purposes was rendered Pittsburg.}

^{Perhaps the most familiar reference to the Pittsburg spelling is on the renowned 1909 T-206 baseball card of Pittsburgh Pirates legend Honus Wagner. Its scarcity, even at the time, combined with Wagner's reputation as one of the greatest players in baseball history, made it the most valuable sports card of all time, with one pristine specimen yielding $6.6 million at auction. It has been characterized as the "Holy Grail" of baseball cards. The city name displayed across Wagner's jersey on the card was an artistic addition that did not actually appear on the Pirates' uniforms of the time. The portrait of Wagner makes it appear as if there could be an H on the end, cut off by the border of the picture, but this notion is countered by the appearance of "PITTSBURG" in the underlying caption and on other Pirate portraits from the T-206 card set.}

 

 

This recipe I posted eight years ago....

Slow Cooker Cilantro Lime Chicken

1 (16oz) jar salsa

1 (1.25oz) package dry taco seasoning mix

1 lime, juiced

3 T. chopped fresh cilantro (or dried)

3 pounds skinless boneless chicken breast halves (or I like to use the skinless boneless thighs)

 

Place salsa, taco seasoning, lime juice, and cilantro in a slow cooker, and stir. Add chicken and stir to coat with mixture. Cover and cook on high about 4 hours or on low and cook 6-8 hours. Shred chicken with two forks to serve.

 

Serve over rice or in taco shells or like this woman said:

This makes a whole lot of chicken so I tried it several ways. It was good in crispy taco shells and in corn and flour tortillas. The biggest winner, however, was chicken enchiladas They were simply the best with a little cheese, pour your favorite enchilada sauce over the top, more cheese and bake. You will be in enchilada heaven.

 

 

Historically this date....

1882 – Robert Koch announces the discovery of mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium responsible for tuberculosis.

 

1900 – Mayor of New York City Robert Anderson Van Wyck breaks ground for a new underground "Rapid Transit Railroad" that would link Manhattan and Brooklyn.

 

1934 – U.S. Congress passes the Tydings-McDuffie Act allowing the Philippines to become a self-governing commonwealth.

 

1944 – Ardeatine Massacre: German troops kill 335 Italian civilians in Rome.

 

1958 – Rock'N'Roll teen idol Elvis Presley is drafted in the U.S. Army.

 

1989 – Exxon Valdez oil spill: In Prince William Sound in Alaska, the Exxon Valdez spills 240,000 barrels (38,000 m³)

of petroleum after running aground.

 

1998 – Jonesboro massacre: Mitchell Johnson and Andrew Golden, aged 11 and 13 respectively, fire upon teachers and students at Westside Middle School in Jonesboro,Arkansas; five people are killed and ten are wounded.

Click on the "massacre" link and it is an interesting read. Sick puppies, both...Golden more so.

 

 

 

 

And births this date include....

1930 – Steve McQueen, American actor (d. 1980)

 

 

1944 – R. Lee Ermey, American actor (d. 4-15-18)

Born in Emporia, Kansas, Ermey enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1961. Ermey was a drill instructor at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California, and Parris Island, South Carolina from 1965 to 1967. In 1968, Ermey arrived in Vietnam where he served for 14 months with the Marine Wing Support Group 17. He then served two tours of duty in Okinawa, Japan, during which he rose to the rank of Staff Sergeant (E-6) and was medically discharged in 1972 for several injuries incurred during his tours

 

 

 

1954 – Donna Pescow, American actress

 

 

 

1976 – Peyton Manning, retired American football player

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Celebrate all your favorite cocktails on March 24th. National Cocktail Day ushers in all the best ways to savor a beverage at the end of a long workday. Whether you like a fruity drink, blended or on the rocks, this day is for you. Mocktail, virgin, or the real thing, celebrate the lemon, lime, bitters, liquors, and liqueurs that make your favorite beverages the best in your bartender book.

 

It’s probably no surprise that nearly every month on the calendar celebrates a cocktail. The only exception is April, and since it’s National Alcohol Awareness Month, it makes sense to take that month off.

A cocktail contains a spirit or a mix of spirits. While a beer is not considered a cocktail, there are beer cocktails where beer is added to a distilled ingredient. The same applies to wine.

The other months pay homage to histories, ingredients, and the makers of some legendary cocktails. January begins the year dedicating a day to the Bloody Mary, and there’s also a day for her Canadian counterpart, the Bloody Caesar, in May. January also devotes an entire week to Mocktails. In February, you can celebrate the Margarita and Kahlua. March brings us International Whisk(e)y Day, among others. Skipping back to May, you can imbibe in both Palomas and Mimosas for your celebrations.

June and July compete for the most cocktail-related days. From Martinis and Bourbon in June to Pina Coladas and Daiquiris in July, the two months cover the spectrum. There are even a few bottles of wine in between. Not only do they celebrate specific cocktails but they also celebrate the places we enjoy them. National Dive Bar Day in July invites us to celebrate the places that serve our favorite cocktails, even if it’s an ice-cold beer.

The rest of the year covers all our chilled and heated cocktails. By December, we readily reminisce National Repeal Day and the Bartenders who keep that era and the skills alive.

We have only skimmed the surface of the cocktails celebrated on the calendar, so National Cocktail Day allows you to celebrate whichever one you like!

HOW TO OBSERVE 

• Create your favorite cocktail to celebrate.
• Explore cocktail ingredients or read a bartender’s manual.
• Learn the finer elements of mixing cocktails and expand your home bar.
• Visit a speakeasy or take a tour of your favorite distillery.
• Host a cocktail tasting session. Create a classic menu with a professional bartender who provides history and describes the nuances behind the ingredients.
• Attend a cocktail tasting party. You will learn more about how and why ingredients are combined the way they are.
• Visit your local bookstore and pick up a cocktail or bar book. Follow the recipes and read about the histories these bartenders share. We recommend The Essential Bar Book by Jennifer Fielder, The Art and Science of The Perfect Cocktail by Janice Dreese, and Craft Cocktails at Home: Offbeat Techniques, Contemporary Crowd-Pleasers, and Classics Hacked with Science by Kevin Liu.
• Visit your local bar and pick your bartender’s brain. Some like to share their techniques. Ask them what their favorite cocktail is. And, be sure to tip them well for their advice and service.
• Try making a mocktail. Especially on those weeknights when work is busy, and you need to keep up. Many of them infuse nutrients many of us are lacking. Keep these recipes on hand for your friends who are designated drivers, sober for life, supporting a friend, or for any reason.
• As always, ANY TIME we are indulging in spirits and alcohol, DON’T drink and drive. Designate a sober driver. Call a taxi, Uber, Lyft, or friend.
• When you celebrate, share your favorites by using #NationalCocktailDay on social media.

NATIONAL COCKTAIL DAY HISTORY

Jace Shoemaker Galloway founded National Cocktail Day in 2013

Cocktail FAQ

Q. What is the most popular spirit used in cocktails?
A. Vodka is most commonly used as a base spirit for cocktails. It’s a versatile alcohol, and makers infuse it with many different flavors adding to its appeal. It also pairs well with simple or complex ingredients.

Q. What kinds of tools do I need to make great cocktails?
A. The ingredients are the most important tool in your bar collection. However, some of the most essential tools for making cocktails include a shaker, strainer, corkscrew, and muddler. Other tools that make your mixing easier include ice tongs, spoons, pourers, and straws.