Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ U.S. State Birds ~ Herbed Au Gratin Potatoes ~ Linda Nantz ~ Sami Gymnastics ~ National Cookie Day

  

Good 49º morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 59º. We had rain on and off.

 

 

Picture of the Day....I'll help you shovel the snow! 😁

 

 

 

Interesting about state birds

 

Below is a list of U.S. state birds as designated by each state's, district's or territory's government.

The selection of state birds began with Kentucky adopting the northern cardinal in 1926. It continued when the legislatures for Alabama, Florida, Maine, Missouri, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming selected their state birds after a campaign was started by the General Federation of Women's Clubs to name official state birds in the 1920s. The last state to choose its bird was Arizona in 1973.

 

Pennsylvania never chose an official state bird, but did choose the ruffed grouse as the state game bird. Alaska, California, and South Dakota permit hunting of their state birds. Alabama, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Tennessee have designated an additional "state game bird" for the purpose of hunting. The northern cardinal is the state bird of seven states, followed by the western meadowlark as the state bird of six states.

 

The District of Columbia designated a district bird in 1938. Of the five inhabited territories of the United States, American Samoa and Puerto Rico are the only ones without territorial birds.

State birds

State, district, or territory	Bird	Scientific name	Picture	Year
Alabama	Yellowhammer (northern flicker)	Colaptes auratus		1927
Alaska	Willow ptarmigan	Lagopus lagopus		1955
American Samoa	None (See List of birds of American Samoa)	—	—	—
Arizona	Cactus wren	Campylorhynchus brunneicapillus		1973
Arkansas	Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos		1929
California	California quail	Callipepla californica		1931
Colorado	Lark bunting	Calamospiza melanocorys		1931
Connecticut	American robin	Turdus migratorius		1943
Delaware	Delaware Blue Hen	Gallus gallus		1939
District of Columbia	Wood thrush	Hylocichla mustelina		1938
Florida	Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos		1927
Georgia	Brown thrasher	Toxostoma rufum		1928
Guam	Guam rail (ko'ko')	Gallirallus owstoni		2000
Hawaii	Hawaiian goose (nēnē)	Branta sandvicensis		1957
Idaho	Mountain bluebird	Sialia currucoides		1931
Illinois	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1929
Indiana	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1933
Iowa	Eastern goldfinch (American goldfinch)	Spinus tristis		1933
Kansas	Western meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta		1933
Kentucky	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1926
Louisiana	Brown pelican	Pelecanus occidentalis		1966
Maine	Chickadee	Not specified in state law		1927
Maryland	Baltimore oriole	Icterus galbula		1947
Massachusetts	Black-capped chickadee	Poecile atricapilla		1941
Michigan	American robin	Turdus migratorius		1931
Minnesota	Common loon	Gavia immer		1961
Mississippi	Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos		1944
Missouri	Eastern bluebird	Sialia sialis		1927
Montana	Western meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta		1941
Nebraska	Western meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta		1929
Nevada	Mountain bluebird	Sialia currucoides		1967
New Hampshire	Purple finch	Carpodacus purpureus		1957
New Jersey	Eastern goldfinch (American goldfinch)	Spinus tristis		1935
New Mexico	Greater roadrunner	Geococcyx californianus		1949
New York	Eastern bluebird	Sialia sialis		1970
North Carolina	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1943
North Dakota	Western meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta		1970
Northern Mariana Islands	Mariana fruit-dove	Ptilinopus roseicapilla		?
Ohio	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1933
Oklahoma	Scissor-tailed flycatcher	Tyrannus forficatus		1951
Oregon	Western meadowlark (state songbird)	Sturnella neglecta		1927 2017
Pennsylvania	Ruffed grouse	—	—	—
Puerto Rico	None	—	—	—
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Red	Gallus gallus		1954
South Carolina	Carolina wren	Thryothorus ludovicianus		1948
South Dakota	Ring-necked pheasant	Phasianus colchicus		1943
Tennessee	Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos		1933
Texas	Northern mockingbird	Mimus polyglottos		1927
Utah	California gull	Larus californicus		1955
Vermont	Hermit thrush	Catharus guttatus		1941
Virgin Islands	Bananaquit	Coereba flaveola		1970
Virginia	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1950
Washington	Willow goldfinch (American goldfinch)	Spinus tristis		1951
West Virginia	Northern cardinal	Cardinalis cardinalis		1949
Wisconsin	American robin	Turdus migratorius		1949
Wyoming	Western meadowlark	Sturnella neglecta		1927

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Want to make an impressive potato side dish for the holidays? Make these Herbed Au Gratin Potatoes! This recipe features sliced potatoes layered with lots cheese, spices, onion, and cream. We even use fresh thyme to give this an extra-special holiday taste. Your guests will fall in love with these au gratin potatoes from the very first bite.

 

• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, stem removed
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4 large) peeled and thinly sliced (see Note)
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup heavy cream

 

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Coat a 1-1/2 quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan cheese, thyme, garlic powder, salt and pepper, mix well; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine potatoes and butter; toss until evenly coated. Arrange 1/4 of the potato slices in a single layer in baking dish. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons onion and 1/4 cup cheese mixture over potatoes. Arrange another single layer of potatoes followed by 2 tablespoons onion and 1/4 cup cheese mixture. Drizzle 1/2 of heavy cream over cheese mixture. Repeat layers 2 more times ending with heavy cream.
4. Cover and bake 45 minutes. Uncover, and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes more or until potatoes are tender and golden brown. Serve immediately.

 

***To get perfect, thinly-sliced potatoes every time, we recommend you use a food processor or mandoline.

 

Special birthday today, my BFF Linda Nantz is celebrating. Happy Birthday pal! xo

 

 

 

Linda's husband Andy and my Jerry were in the Marines together.

Linda has gone with me a number of times to the LASD reunion in Laughlin. She and Andy both belong to car clubs and have several neat old cars! Linda is busy as she volunteers at the Senior Center in Woodland, CA and also drives the vets to their doctor appointments.

 

 

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

1881 – The first edition of the Los Angeles Times is published.

1918 – U.S. President Woodrow Wilson sails for the World War I peace talks in Versailles, becoming the first US president to travel to Europe while in office.

1954 – The first Burger King is opened in Miami, Florida, United States

1991 – Pan Am goes bankrupt and ceases operations.

1991 – Journalist Terry A. Anderson is released after 7 years in captivity as a hostage in Beirut. He is the last and longest-held American hostage in Lebanon.

 

 

 

And births this date include....

 

1912 – Gregory "Pappy" Boyington, American pilot (d. 1988)

 

1918 – Albert Francis Capone, American crime boss son (d. 1947)

 

1934 – Wink Martindale, American game show host

 

 

 

1937 – Max Baer, Jr., American actor

 

 

 

1944 – Dennis Wilson, American musician (d. 1983)

 

 

 Granddaughter Sami was in a gymnastics contest. She came in 3rd. Here she is..........

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Cookie Day on December 4th serves up a sweet treat. Bakers across the country warm up the ovens for holiday baking, and we enjoy giving tins of cookies to friends and family all season long.

 

We can thank the Dutch for more than windmills and tulips. The English word “cookie” is derived from the Dutch word koekie, meaning “little cake.”

 

Hard cookie-like wafers have existed for as long as baking has been documented. Not surprisingly, they traveled well, too. However, they were usually not sweet enough to be considered cookies by modern-day standards.

The origin of the cookie appears to begin in Persia in the 7th century, soon after the use of sugar became common in the region. They then spread to Europe through the Muslim conquest of Spain. Cookies were common at all levels of society throughout Europe by the 14th century, from the royal cuisine to the street vendors. 

Cookies arrived in America in the 17th century. Macaroons and gingerbread cookies were among the popular early American cookies.

In most English-speaking countries outside of North America, the most common word for cookie is “biscuit.”  In some regions, both terms, cookies, and biscuits are used.

Cookies are classified into different categories, with the most common ones being:

Bar cookies – Drop cookies – Filled cookies
Molded cookies – No bake cookies
Pressed cookies – Refrigerator cookies
Rolled cookies – Sandwich cookies

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Pick up some cookies at your local bakery. Remember to share some of your cookies with your family and friends! A great way to get started is by making a list of your favorite cookies to bake and enjoy. Then organize your baking tools and start your assembly line.

First Place Coconut Macaroons
Gingerbread Cookies

 

NATIONAL COOKIE DAY HISTORY

In 1976, Sesame Street included National Cookie Day on its calendar for the first time on November 26th. The Cookie Monster also proclaimed his own National Cookie Day in the 1980 book The Sesame Street Dictionary.  

Then in 1987, Matt Nader of the Blue Chip Cookie Company out of San Francisco created Cookie Day, celebrating it on December 4th.