Weather/Snow ~ Picture of the Day ~ Interesting About Breathalyzer ~ Irish Cream Cake ~ National Tortilla Chip Day

  

Good 29º snow morning. Several inches of snow from last night.

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 39º.

 

 

Picture of the Day...wow.

 

 

Interesting about breathalyzer......

 

A breathalyzer or breathalyser (a portmanteau of breath and analyzer/analyser) is a device for estimating blood alcohol content (BAC), or to detect viruses or diseases from a breath sample.

 

The name is a genericized trademark of the Breathalyzer brand name of instruments developed by inventor Robert Frank Borkenstein in the 1950s.

 

A 1927 paper produced by Emil Bogen, who collected air in a football bladder and then tested this air for traces of alcohol, discovered that the alcohol content of 2 litres of expired air was a little greater than that of 1 cc of urine. However, research into the possibilities of using breath to test for alcohol in a person's body dates as far back as 1874, when Francis E. Anstie made the observation that small amounts of alcohol were excreted in breath.

 

Also, in 1927 a Chicago chemist, William Duncan McNally, invented a breathalyzer in which the breath moving through chemicals in water would change color. One use for his invention was for housewives to test whether their husbands had been drinking.

 

Also, in 1927 a Chicago chemist, William Duncan McNally, invented a breathalyzer in which the breath moving through chemicals in water would change color. One use for his invention was for housewives to test whether their husbands had been drinking.

 

In late 1927, in a case in Marlborough, England, Gorsky, a police surgeon, asked a suspect to inflate a football bladder with his breath. Since the 2 liters of the man's breath contained 1.5 mg of ethanol, Gorsky testified before the court that the defendant was "50% drunk".

 

In 1931 the first practical roadside breath-testing device was the drunkometer developed by Rolla Neil Harger of the Indiana University School of Medicine. The drunkometer collected a motorist's breath sample directly into a balloon inside the machine. The breath sample was then pumped through an acidified potassium permanganate solution. If there was alcohol in the breath sample, the solution changed color. The greater the color change, the more alcohol there was present in the breath. The drunkometer was manufactured and sold by Stephenson Corporation of Red Bank, New Jersey.

 

In 1954 Robert Frank Borkenstein (1912–2002) was a captain with the Indiana State Police and later a professor at Indiana University Bloomington. His Breathalyzer used chemical oxidation and photometry to determine alcohol concentrations. Subsequent breath analyzers have converted primarily to infrared spectroscopy, though this method is subject to invalid results depending on ambient air temperature, the temperature of the device, and the body temperature of the subject, depending on specificity of the readings and how they correlate with one's BAC measured via a voluntary blood draw. The invention of the Breathalyzer provided law enforcement with an orally-invasive test providing immediate results to determine an individual's breath alcohol concentration at the time of testing, based on, according to this article, consistently faulty samples.

 

To read a lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breathalyzer

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Although there's no doubt our Irish Cream Cake is perfect for St. Patrick's Day, here in our Test Kitchen, we think the luck of the Irish should be enjoyed all the time. What gives this cake a little something extra is the Irish Cream liqueur in the batter, and we know everyone is gonna love it! This easy Bundt pan cake made from a simple mix will have everyone green with envy every time you bake it.

 

• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1 (16.5-ounce) package yellow cake mix
• 1 (4-serving) package instant vanilla pudding mix
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup water, divided
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup Irish cream liqueur, divided
• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 1 cup sugar

 

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray. Sprinkle chopped pecans evenly over bottom of pan.
2. In a large bowl with an electric mixer on high, beat cake and pudding mixes, eggs, 1/4 cup water, the vegetable oil, and 3/4 cup liqueur for 2 minutes. Pour batter over nuts in pan.
3. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes in pan.
4. To make the glaze, in a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine butter, sugar, and remaining 1/4 cup water. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; remove from heat and stir in remaining 1/4 cup liqueur.
5. With a fork, prick holes in top of cake and pour half the glaze slowly over cake. After glaze soaks into cake, invert cake onto a serving platter and pour remaining glaze over cake. Let cool completely then cover lightly until ready to serve.

 

 

 

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

1863 – Arizona is organized as a United States territory.

My aunt was born in 1907 in Cananea Mexico when my grandfather was working down there as a mining engineer. Later she could have said she was born in Arizona, since it was a Territory and they didn't start keeping birth records until 1912. But, she was honest and became a 'naturalized citizen' in later years, but did grow up in Arizona in Bisbee. My grandparents were still Scottish citizens, not American. He was a mining engineer for the Lavender Pitt copper mine in Bisbee after Pancho Villa's men told them they had to leave Mexico since they weren't citizens of Mexico.

1942 – The Battle of Los Angeles, one of the largest documented UFO sightings in history; the event lasted into the early hours of February 26, 1942. Interesting.

1968 – Vietnam War: The Tet Offensive is halted; South Vietnam recaptures Hué.

1980 – The United States Olympic Hockey team completes their Miracle on Ice by defeating Finland 4-2 to win the gold medal.

1989 – United Airlines Flight 811, bound for New Zealand from Honolulu, Hawaii, rips open during flight, sucking 9 passengers out of the business-class section.

 

And births this date include...

1921 – Abe Vigoda, American actor (d.2016)

 

1938 – James Farentino, American actor (d. 2012)

 

1940 – Pete Duel, American actor (d. 1971)

 

1941 – Joanie Sommers, American singer and actress

 

1955 – Steve Jobs, American computer pioneer (d. 2011)

1970 – Kienast quintuplets, American quintuplets

.......no public appearances in years, except for the following photo taken off the Oprah show ...

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Tortilla Chip Day, a day set aside for the crunchy snack loved by millions across the nation, is observed annually on February 24th.

The tortilla chip is most commonly served with salsa, chile con queso, guacamole, cheese dips or other dips.  Tortilla chips are made from corn tortillas cut into wedges and then fried. The tortillas are made from corn, vegetable oil, salt, and water. Typically made with yellow corn, tortillas can also be made with white, blue or red corn.

Even though tortilla chips have always been considered to be a Mexican food, known as tostados, they were first mass-produced in Los Angeles in the late 1940s. It is said that the triangle-shaped tortilla chips were made popular by Rebecca Webb Carranza as a way to use the misshapen tortillas that were rejected from the automated tortilla manufacturing machine that she and her husband used at their Los Angeles deli and tortilla factory.

Carranza realized that once the discarded tortillas were cut into triangle shapes and fried, they became a popular snack.  She then sold them for a dime a bag at the El Zarape Tortilla Factory.  Carranza received the Golden Tortilla Award in 1994 for her contribution to the Mexican food industry.

The United States is one of the primary markets for tortilla chips.

Another favorite dish made with tortilla chips is nachos.  The dish was first created around 1943 by Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya. Nachos are tortilla chips served with melted or shredded cheese, and often additional toppings are added, such as meat, salsa, refried beans, tomatoes, diced onion, lettuce, olives, jalapenos, guacamole and sour cream.