Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Interesting about Celery ~ Not-Fried Chicken Cheese Balls ~ National Repeal Day

  

Good 50º morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we were very cloudy and topped at 56º.

 

 

Picture of the Day.... does your dog lay in your bed and read the paper? 😁

 

 

Interesting about celery..........

 

Celery (Apium graveolens) is a marshland plant in the family Apiaceae that has been cultivated as a vegetable since antiquity. Celery has a long fibrous stalk tapering into leaves. Depending on location and cultivar, either its stalks, leaves or hypocotyl are eaten and used in cooking. Celery seed powder is used as a spice.

 

Description

Celery leaves are pinnate to bipinnate with rhombic leaflets 1–2+1⁄2 inches long and 1–1+1⁄2 inches broad. The flowers are creamy-white, 3⁄32–1⁄8 inches in diameter, and are produced in dense compound umbels. The seeds are broad ovoid to globose, 1⁄16–5⁄64 inches long and wide. Modern cultivars have been selected for either solid petioles, leaf stalks, or a large hypocotyl. A celery stalk readily separates into "strings" which are bundles of angular collenchyma cells exterior to the vascular bundles.

 

Wild celery, Apium graveolens var. graveolens, grows to 3 ft 3 inches tall. Celery is a biennial plant that occurs around the globe. It produces flowers and seeds only during its second year. The first cultivation is thought to have happened in the Mediterranean region, where the natural habitats were salty and wet, or marshy soils near the coast where celery grew in agropyro-rumicion-plant communities.

 

North of the Alps, wild celery is found only in the foothill zone on soils with some salt content. It prefers moist or wet, nutrient rich, muddy soils. It cannot be found in Austria and is increasingly rare in Germany.

 

Etymology

First attested and printed in English as "sellery" by John Evelyn in 1664, the modern English word "celery" derives from the French céleri, in turn from Italian seleri, the plural of selero, which comes from Late Latin selinon, the latinisation of the Ancient Greek: σέλινον, romanized: selinon, "celery".^[12][13] The earliest attested form of the word is the Mycenaean Greek se-ri-no, written in Linear B syllabic script.

 

Cultivation

The plants are raised from seed, sown either in a hot bed or in the open garden according to the season of the year, and, after one or two thinnings and transplantings, they are, on attaining a height of 6–8 inches, planted out in deep trenches for convenience of blanching, which is effected by earthing up to exclude light from the stems. Development of self-blanching varieties of celery, which do not need to be earthed up, dominate both the commercial and amateur market.

 

Celery was first grown as a winter and early spring vegetable. It was considered a cleansing tonic to counter the deficiencies of a winter diet based on salted meats without fresh vegetables. By the 19th century, the season for celery in England had been extended, to last from the beginning of September to late in April.

 

North America

In North America, commercial production of celery is dominated by the cultivar called 'Pascal' celery. Gardeners can grow a range of cultivars, many of which differ from the wild species, mainly in having stouter leaf stems. They are ranged under two classes, white and red. The stalks grow in tight, straight, parallel bunches, and are typically marketed fresh that way. They are sold without roots and only a small amount of green leaf remaining.

 

The stalks can be eaten raw, or as an ingredient in salads, or as a flavoring in soups, stews, and pot roasts.

 

Harvesting and storage

Harvesting occurs when the average size of celery in a field is marketable; due to extremely uniform crop growth, fields are harvested only once. The petioles and leaves are removed and harvested; celery is packed by size and quality (determined by color, shape, straightness and thickness of petiole, stalk and midrib length and absence of disease, cracks, splits, insect damage and rot). During commercial harvesting, celery is packaged into cartons which contain between 36 and 48 stalks and weigh up to 60 lb. Under optimal conditions, celery can be stored for up to seven weeks from 32–36 °F. Inner stalks may continue growing if kept at temperatures above 32 °F. Shelf life can be extended by packaging celery in anti-fogging, micro-perforated shrink wrap. Freshly cut petioles of celery are prone to decay, which can be prevented or reduced through the use of sharp blades during processing, gentle handling, and proper sanitation.

 

Celery stalk may be preserved through pickling by first removing the leaves, then boiling the stalks in water before finally adding vinegar, salt, and vegetable oil.

 

If you want to read a lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celery

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Hosting a party? If so, then you've got to make our Not-Fried Chicken Cheese Balls! They feature the delicious trio of chicken, cheese, and bacon in an easy-to-eat form. Your guests will love taking a bite out of these (and you'll love how simple they are to make!).

 

 

• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 2 cups shredded cooked chicken
• 4 slices crispy-cooked bacon, crumbled
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 2 eggs, beaten

 

1. In a shallow dish, place bread crumbs; set aside. In a large bowl, combine chicken, bacon, flour, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, cheese, and parsley; mix well. Stir in eggs until thoroughly combined. Form mixture into 1-inch balls, then roll in bread crumbs.
2. Place chicken balls in a single layer in air fry basket (see Note). Set to 400 degrees F and cook 8 minutes or until golden. Repeat with remaining balls. Serve immediately.
   

 

 

*****If you don't happen to have an air fryer - no worries! You can make this in your oven too. Just preheat your oven to 375 degrees F, and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until golden.

 

 

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

1848 – California Gold Rush: In a message before the U.S. Congress, US President James K. Polk confirms that large amounts of gold had been discovered in California.

1932 – German-born Swiss physicist Albert Einstein is granted an American visa.

1933 – Prohibition in the United States ends: Utah becomes the 36th U.S. state to ratify the Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution, thus establishing the required 75% of states needed to enact the amendment (this overturned the 18th Amendment which had made the manufacture, sale, or transportation of alcohol illegal in the United States).

1979 – Sonia Johnson is formally excommunicated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for her outspoken criticism of the church concerning the proposed Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.

And births this date include....

1782 – Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States (d. 1862)

 

1839 – George Armstrong Custer, American general (d. 1876)

 

1879 – Clyde Cessna, American airplane manufacturer (d. 1954)

1901 – Walt Disney, American animated film producer (d. 1966)

1932 – Little Richard, American singer and pianist (d.2020)

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On December 5th, National Repeal Day commemorates the day Prohibition ended in the United States.

Prohibition grew out a practice of moderation rooted in the Protestant churches in America. By the 1830s, consumption of alcohol, especially hard spirits, was affecting the nation. Most participants were male. Those who supported who joined the Temperance movement saw alcohol as the root of all evil. The movement took hold at a time when women had few rights, and the country was debating slavery. Ethics and mores were changing. The Temperance movement shifted the view on alcohol use from moderation to eradication.

The following decades would see organizations such as the Prohibition Party, Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and Anti-Saloon League formed. By 1838, Tennessee would pass the first legislation prohibiting the sale of alcohol. Some new states would enter the union as dry states. In 1919, the 18th Amendment was ratified, banning the production, transportation, and sale of alcoholic beverages. However, the legislation did not prohibit the consumption of such drinks.

The Amendment went into effect in 1920, and numerous businesses closed. Beyond the loss of brewers and bars, governments lost tax revenues. Additionally, the cost of enforcing prohibition was expensive. Those determined to produce, transport, and sell alcohol created a black market that crisscrossed the nation. Their illicit methods became notorious and the stuff of legend. In 1929, the stock market crashed.During the years of Prohibition, use of the term “gangster” increased. The term “moonshine” reached its peak usage.

Prohibition’s “great experiment” was a significant failure. The term “bootlegger” would reach its peak usage as Prohibition neared the end of its lifespan. Congress proposed the 21st Amendment to the Constitution on February 20, 1933. The amendment repealed the 18th Amendment and was ratified on December 5 that year.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Learn more about the history of the 18th and 21st Amendments. Drink your favorite cocktail. Try a new cocktail.  While you do, be sure to invite friends to join you.

As always, drink responsibly. Never drink and drive.

NATIONAL REPEAL DAY HISTORY

The day Prohibition ended has been celebrated since 1933. Newspapers across the country reported repeal celebrations. Al Capone was even reported as praising the end of prohibition from his prison cell. Some areas postponed celebrations until the 6th, but distilleries geared up, ready for production.

In the last couple of generations, fascination with the Prohibition years, styles, and history has grown. Celebrating the 21st Amendment has increased.