Weather/Fog ~ Thanksgiving Dinner ~ Picture of the Day ~ Snowmen/Snowwomen ~ Crispy Parmesan Roasted Potatoes ~ Shopping Reminder Day

  

Good 30º clear frozen morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we had dense fog.......... here and in Medford....

 

 

 By 11am we finally got sunshine............

  Then we got totally clear and were at 57º....

  Thanksgiving dinner was at my son's mother-in-laws, Jean's house.

Picture of the Day

 

 

Interesting about snowmen/snowwomen ....

A snowman is an anthropomorphic snow sculpture of a man often built in regions with sufficient snowfall and is a common winter tradition. In many places, typical snowmen consist of three large snowballs of different sizes with some additional accoutrements for facial and other features. Due to the sculptability of snow, there is also a wide variety of other styles. Common accessories include branches for arms and a rudimentary smiley face, with a carrot used for a nose. Clothing, such as a hat or scarf, may be included. The low cost and common availability of materials mean snowmen are usually abandoned once completed.

 

Snow becomes most suitable for packing when it approaches its melting point and becomes moist and compact. Making a snowman of powdered snow is difficult since it will not stick to itself, and if the temperature of packing snow drops, it will form an unusable denser form of powdered snow called the crust. Thus, a good time to build a snowman may be the next warm afternoon directly following a snowfall with a sufficient amount of snow. Using more compact snow allows for the construction of a large snowball by simply rolling it until it grows to the desired size. If the snowball reaches the bottom of the grass it may pick up traces of grass, gravel, or dirt.

 

In North America, snowmen are generally built with three spheres representing the head, torso, and lower body. In the United Kingdom, two spheres are used, one sphere representing the body and one representing the head. The usual practice is to then decorate and optionally dress the snowman. Sticks can be used for arms, and a face is traditionally made with stones or coal for eyes and a carrot for a nose. Some like to dress their snowmen in clothing such as a scarf or hat, while others prefer not to risk leaving supplies outdoors where they could easily be stolen or become stuck under melting ice.

 

There are variations to these standard forms; for instance, the popular song "Frosty the Snowman" describes a snowman being decorated with a corncob pipe, button nose, coal eyes and an old silk hat (usually depicted as a top hat). These other types range from snow columns to elaborate snow sculptures similar to ice sculptures.

 

Documentation of the first snowman is unclear. However, Bob Eckstein, author of The History of the Snowman, documented snowmen from the Middle Ages by researching artistic depictions in European museums, art galleries, and libraries. The earliest documentation he found was a marginal illustration from a 1380 book of hours, found in the Koninklijke Bibliotheek in The Hague. The earliest known photograph of a snowman was taken circa 1853 by Welsh photographer Mary Dillwyn, the original of which is in the collections of the National Library of Wales.

 

While the origin of snowmen remains unclear, they have been used throughout history to make statements. In 1511, the city of Brussels held a snowman festival in hopes of appeasing its hungry and poor citizens. However, instead of building snowmen, the people built pornographic sculptures throughout the city.

 

The concept of snowmen had made its way to North America by the Schenectady Massacre of 1690. It is said that on the night of the massacre, two guards who were in charge of guarding the north gate of the settlement of Schenectady built two snowmen to guard the gates while they went to the pub.

 

 

Snowmen became more mainstream when Frosty the Snowman came out in 1969, which originated from a song of the same name from 1950.

^{^}

^{The world’s largest snowwoman or snowman, a 122 feet 1 inch (37.21 m) tall snowwoman from 2008, named Olympia in honor of Olympia Snowe}

 

 

Crispy Parmesan Roasted Potatoes.......

You know when you are making a grilled cheese sandwich and some cheese oozes out of the sandwich, cooks in the pan and gets all nice and crispy and all sorts of good? You know, the best part of the grilled cheese sandwich! Well that’s what these roasted potatoes are all about! Parmesan cheese is sprinkled into a baking pan and topped with the potatoes before roasting and the cheese cooks on the bottom of the baking dish just like on the bottom of the grilled cheese sandwiches pan and it gets golden brown and after letting it cool/set for a few minutes after pulling it out, it gets crispy! These roast potatoes are melt in your mouth soft and tender on the inside and crispy n the outside and just pack with melted cheese flavor! Yum! Step aside French fries, there a new king of potatoes in town!

 

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 cup Parmesan, grated
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 1/2 pounds small (1 to 1.5 inch diameter) potatoes, cut in half
• salt and pepper to taste

 

 

1. Brush the oil on the bottom of a baking dish and sprinkle on the parmesan.
2. Toss the potatoes in the oil, salt and pepper and press into the parmesan with the cut side down.
3. Roast in a preheated 400º oven until the Parmesan is nice and golden brown and the potatoes are tender, about 20-25 minutes, before removing from the oven to let cool for 5 minutes and breaking them apart.

Option: Season the potatoes with your favorite spices or blend instead of just salt and pepper, like Cajun seasoning or taco seasoning or Italian seasoning.

 

Also, you can serve them with your favorite dipping sauce.

 

 

 

Historically this date......

1667 – A deadly earthquake rocks Shemakha in the Caucasus, killing 80,000 people.

1703 – The Great Storm of 1703, the greatest windstorm ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain, reaches its peak intensity which it maintains through November 27. Winds gust up to 120 mph, and 9,000 people die.

1759 – An earthquake hits the Mediterranean destroying Beirut and Damascus and killing 30,000-40,000. !!!

...............today should be known as the Day of Death!

1839 – A cyclone slams India with high winds and a 40 foot storm surge, destroying the port city of Coringa (which has never been completely rebuilt). The storm wave sweeps inland, taking with it 20,000 ships and thousands of people. An estimated 300,000 deaths result from the disaster.  These numbers are hard to fathom!

1926 – The deadliest November tornado outbreak in U.S. history strikes on Thanksgiving day. 27 twisters of great strength are reported in the Midwest, including the strongest November tornado, an estimated F4, that devastates Heber Springs, Arkansas. There are 51 deaths in Arkansas alone, 76 deaths and over 400 injuries in all.

1963 – President John F. Kennedy is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

1987 – Typhoon Nina pummels the Philippines with category 5 winds of 165 mph and a surge that destroys entire villages. At least 1,036 deaths are attributed to the storm.

 

And births this date include....

1846 – Carrie Nation, American temperance advocate (d. 1911)

 

 

1914 – Joe DiMaggio, American baseball player (d. 1999)

1926 – Jeffrey Hunter, American actor (d. 1969)

Tragic death!

1933 – Kathryn Grant, American actress

.... married to 'der Bingle' (Bing Crosby)

 

1940 – Reinhard Furrer, American physicist and astronaut (d. 1995)

1947 – John Larroquette, American actor

1960 – John F. Kennedy, Jr., American publisher; son of John F. Kennedy and Jacqueline Kennedy (d. 1999)

 

1981 – Barbara Bush, daughter of George W. Bush and Laura Bush

1981 – Jenna Bush, daughter of George W. Bush and Laura Bush

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Shopping Reminder Day kicks off an unofficial countdown of sorts. Whether you’re finishing up or just getting started, holiday shopping is a task that either stresses people or excites them.

For those who look forward to holiday shopping, the idea of finding the perfect gift for someone they love tickles them with energy. However, others like the thrill of the hunt for deals. Still, others just love the energy of giving during the holidays.

On the flip side, those who dread holiday shopping dread the crowds and traffic. Budget constraints and the commercialism drive them indoors.

Somewhere there must be a balance for all of us. We select the gifts with meaning and fulfill the expectations while keeping those who need the most in mind during this holiday season.

If you have holiday shopping to complete, this day is here to remind you there are only so many days left. 

• There are 30 days until Christmas.
• There are 31 days until the start of Kwanzaa.
• There are 30 days until the start of Hanukkah.