Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Birthday Cake History ~ Easy Egg Breakfast Quesadillas ~ National Tempura Day

  

Good 45º very dark morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 52º.

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

 

Interesting about birthday cake........

 

A birthday cake is a cake eaten as part of a birthday celebration. Birthday cakes are often layer cakes with frosting served with small lit candles on top representing the celebrant's age. Variations include cupcakes, cake pops, pastries, and tarts. The cake is often decorated with birthday wishes ("Happy birthday") and the celebrant's name.

 

Birthday cakes have been a part of birthday celebrations in Western European countries since the middle of the 19th century. However, the link between cakes and birthday celebrations may date back to ancient Roman times; in classical Roman culture, cakes were occasionally served at special birthdays and at weddings. These were flat circles made from flour and nuts, leavened with yeast, and sweetened with honey.

 

In the 15th century, bakeries in Germany began to market one-layer cakes for customers' birthdays in addition to cakes for weddings. During the 17th century, the birthday cake took on its contemporary form. These elaborate cakes had many aspects of the contemporary birthday cake, like multiple layers, icing, and decorations. However, these cakes were only available to the very wealthy. Birthday cakes became accessible to the lower class as a result of the industrial revolution and the spread of more materials and goods.

 

The cake, pastry, or dessert is served to a person on their birthday. In contemporary Western cultures, the cake is topped with one or more lit candles, which the celebrated individual attempts to blow out.

 

There is no standard for birthday cakes, though the "Happy Birthday" song is often sung while the cake is served in English-speaking countries, or an equivalent birthday song in the appropriate language of the country. The phrase "happy birthday" did not appear on birthday cakes until the song "Happy Birthday to You" was popularized in the early 1900s. Variations of birthday songs and rituals exist in different parts of the world. In Uruguay, party guests touch the person's shoulder or head following the singing of "Happy Birthday to You". In Ecuador, the person whose birthday it is will take a large bite of the birthday cake before it is served. In Peru, guests sing "Happy Birthday to You" first in English with the name of the individual whose birthday it is, then in Spanish, later they sing any other song in Spanish regarding cake or date, finally blowing candles and serving the cake.

 

The birthday cake is often decorated with small candles, secured with special holders or simply pressed down into the cake. The cake can also be served with other sweets such as ice cream. In the UK, North America and Australia, the number of candles is usually equal to the age of the individual whose birthday it is, sometimes with one extra for luck. Traditionally, the person whose birthday it is makes a wish, which is thought to come true if all the candles are extinguished in a single breath.

 

To represent a sharing of joy and a sense of togetherness, the cake is shared amongst all the guests attending the party.

One theory explaining the tradition of placing candles on birthday cakes is attributed to the early Greeks, who used candles to honor the goddess Artemis' birth on the sixth day of every lunar month. The link between her oversight of fertility and the birthday tradition of candles on cakes, however, has not been established.

 

A reference to the tradition of blowing out the candles was documented in Switzerland in 1881. Researchers for the Folk-Lore Journal recorded various "superstitions" among the Swiss middle class. One statement depicted a birthday cake as having lighted candles which correspond to each year of life. These candles were required to be blown out, individually, by the person who is being celebrated.

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Our Easy Egg Breakfast Quesadillas guarantee that your gang will not skip breakfast. These south-of-the-border style hot melted sandwiches are super for breakfast. Of course, there is no rule that you can't enjoy them for any other meal of the day. They're delicious and fast to fix anytime!

 

 

• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded Mexican cheese blend
• 2 (7-inch) whole wheat or flour tortillas
• 4 slices Canadian-style bacon (2-1/2 ounces)
• 4 eggs, beaten
• Salsa

 

1. Sprinkle 1/4 cup cheese on one side of each tortilla. Top each with 2 bacon slices.
    
2. Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat until hot. Pour in eggs. As eggs begin to set, gently pull the eggs across the pan with an inverted turner, forming large soft curds. Continue cooking, by pulling, lifting and folding eggs, until thickened and no visible liquid egg remains. Do not stir constantly.

 

3. Spoon eggs on top of bacon, dividing evenly. Fold tortillas over filling to cover, pressing gently.

4. Clean skillet. Coat with cooking spray; heat over medium-low heat until hot. Toast quesadillas just until cheese is melted, about 1 to 2 minutes per side. Cut into wedges; serve with salsa.

 

***If you prefer, feel free to substitute 2 thin ham slices for the Canadian-style bacon.

 

 

 

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

1952 – President Harry S. Truman announces that the United States has developed the hydrogen bomb.

1980 – President Jimmy Carter authorizes legislation giving $1.5 billion in loans to bail out the Chrysler Corporation.

1999 – The Senate trial in the impeachment of U.S. President Bill Clinton begins.

And births this date include....

1800 – Millard Fillmore, 13th President of the United States (d. 1874)

1911 – Butterfly McQueen, American actress (d. 1995)

"I ain't birthin' no babies!"

 

 

1922 – Vincent Gardenia, Italian-born actor (d. 1992)

 

1929 – Terry Moore, American actress (only 5 husbands!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1941 – Frederick D. Gregory, NASA astronaut

1956 – David Caruso, American actor

 

1964 – Nicolas Cage, American actor

The son of comparative literature professor August Coppola (a brother of director Francis Ford Coppola) and dancer/choreographer Joy Vogelsang, Cage changed his name early in his career to make his own reputation, succeeding brilliantly with a host of classic, quirky roles by the late 1980s. Initially studying theatre at Beverly Hills High (though he dropped out at 17)... and.... he's had 5 wives!

 

1966 – Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy, American publicist (d. 1999)

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On January 7th, National Tempura Day encourages us to celebrate with a dish made with a tempura batter. This Japanese fare is made up of either seafood or vegetables dipped in batter and deep-fried.

Portuguese Jesuit missionaries introduced the recipe for tempura to Japan during the sixteenth century (around 1549).  It is believed that Portuguese Jesuit Tokugawa Isyasu, founder and first shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, loved tempura. Since the Genroku era (September 1688 – March 1704), tempura was traditionally a very popular food eaten at street vendors called ‘yatai.’

Today, chefs all over the world include tempura dishes on their menus. They use a wide variety of different batters and ingredients, including the nontraditional broccoli, zucchini, and asparagus as well as dry fruits. Some meats, usually chicken and cheeses, particularly mozzarella, are known to be served tempura-style in some American restaurants.

For sushi lovers, a more recent variation of tempura sushi provides a new way of enjoying the delicacy. Entire pieces of sushi are dipped in batter and tempura-fried.