Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Mike Ditka ~ Macaroni & Cheese Soup ~ Alyssa Santisteven ~ National Cupcake Day

  

Good 30º foggy morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we had dark clouds all day and we topped at 52º.

 

 

Picture of the Day 😀

 

 

Interesting about Mike Ditka.........

 

Michael Keller Ditka (born Michael Dyczko; October 18, 1939) is an American former football player, coach, and television commentator. During his playing career, he was UPI NFL Rookie of Year in 1961, a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a six-time All-Pro tight end with the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, and Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League (NFL); he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1988. Ditka was the first tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 yards receiving.

 

He was an NFL champion with the 1963 Bears and is a three-time Super Bowl champion, playing on the Cowboys' Super Bowl VI team, winning as an assistant coach for the Cowboys in Super Bowl XII, and coaching the Bears to victory in Super Bowl XX. He was named to the NFL's 75th- and 100th-Anniversary All-Time Teams.

 

As a head coach for the Bears from 1982 to 1992, he was twice both the AP and UPI NFL Coach of Year (1985 and 1988). He also was the head coach of the New Orleans Saints from 1997 to 1999.

 

Ditka and Tom Flores are the only people to win an NFL title as a player, an assistant coach, and a head coach. Ditka, Flores, Gary Kubiak, and Doug Pederson are also the only people in modern NFL history to win a championship as head coach of a team for which they played previously. Ditka is the only person to participate in both of the last two Chicago Bears' league championships, as a player in 1963 and as head coach in 1985.

 

In 2020, Ditka became the owner of the X League, a women's tackle football league that was originally the Lingerie Football League.

 

He is known by the nickname "Iron Mike", which he has said comes from his being born and raised in a steel town in Pennsylvania.

 

Early years

Ditka was born as Michael Dyczko in the Pittsburgh-area town of Carnegie, Pennsylvania on October 18, 1939. The oldest child of Charlotte (Keller) and Mike Ditka Sr.^[4] he grew up in nearby Aliquippa with siblings Ashton, David, and Mary Ann. His father, a welder, was one of three brothers of a Polish and Ukrainian family in the coal-mining and steel-manufacturing area in Western Pennsylvania. His ancestry on his mother's side is Irish and German. The Ukrainian surname "Dyczko" was difficult to pronounce in his hometown, so the family name was changed to "Ditka". Ditka attended St. Titus School.

 

Under head coach Press Maravich, Ditka was a three-sport star at Aliquippa High School. The team doctor, John L. Miller, took Mike and other players to Pitt games and encouraged them to play for Pitt. Ditka is quoted as saying, "Doc Miller patched me up many times". Ditka hoped to escape his hometown's manufacturing jobs by attending college with a football scholarship. Planning to become a dentist, he was recruited by Notre Dame, Penn State, and the University of Pittsburgh.

 

Ditka was selected by the Chicago Bears fifth overall in the 1961 NFL Draft, while the Houston Oilers drafted him eighth overall in the first round of the 1961 AFL Draft. He signed with the Bears and his presence was immediately felt. In his first season, Ditka had 58 receptions, introducing a new dimension to a tight end position that had previously been dedicated to blocking. He also scored 12 receiving touchdowns, which was the most by a Bears rookie. His success earned him Rookie of the Year honors. He continued to play for the Bears for the next five years, earning a Pro Bowl trip each.

 

Coaching career

Retiring after the 1972 season, Ditka was immediately hired as an assistant coach by Landry. Ditka spent nine seasons as an assistant coach with the Cowboys. During his tenure, the Cowboys made the playoffs eight times, won six division titles, three NFC championships, and a Super Bowl victory in 1977.

 

While working with the Cowboys, Ditka sent a letter to George Halas, his former head coach, who was still owner of the Bears. In the letter, Ditka expressed regret for the acrimonious manner in which his time with the Bears had come to an end and said that he would like to come back to Chicago and be the head coach of the Bears "when he was ready". Meanwhile, the Cowboys continued to win games, although they did not win another Super Bowl while Ditka was there. His last game with the Cowboys was the 1981 NFC Championship Game, where the team fell to the San Francisco 49ers.

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

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

When the weather gets chilly, we're thinking one thing: comfort. Luckily for you, we've got something that combines the comfort of seasonal soup with, always divine, mac 'n' cheese. That's right, our Macaroni & Cheese Soup is sure to be the seasons biggest hit. When you're feeling cold and hungry, there's nothing better than doubling down on fall time comfort.

 

• 2 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 (7.25-ounce) package macaroni & cheese mix
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups milk
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese

 

1. In a soup pot over medium-high heat, bring water to a boil. Stir in mixed vegetables, macaroni from package (reserving cheese packet), salt, and pepper. Return to a boil and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add remaining ingredients, including reserved cheese packet. Reduce heat to low and simmer 8 to 10 minutes, or until slightly thickened and creamy, stirring occasionally.

 

***If the soup sits for a while, the pasta will absorb the liquid. If that happens, an additional cup of milk and you should be good to go.

 

 

Special birthday today... 

Phil & Suzanne Santisteven (both LASD ret) are celebrating their daughter, Alyssa's birthday today. HAPPY 25th  BIRTHDAY ALYSSA!

 

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

1791 – The United States Bill of Rights becomes law when ratified by the Virginia General Assembly.

 

 

1939 – Gone with the Wind receives its premiere at Loew's Grand Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.

 

 

 

1973 – John Paul Getty III, grandson of American billionaire J. Paul Getty, is found alive near Naples, Italy, after being kidnapped by an Italian gang on July 10, 1973.

 

 

 

After the trauma of his ear being cut off, he suffered emotionally and was in a self induced drug coma and later suffered paralysis. He died in 2011.

 

 

 

1973 – The American Psychiatric Association votes 13–0 to remove homosexuality from its official list of psychiatric disorders, the DSM-II.

 

 

 

1978 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter announces that the United States will recognize the People's Republic of China and cut off all relations with Taiwan

 

2001 – The Leaning Tower of Pisa reopens after 11 years and $27,000,000 to fortify it, without fixing its famous lean.

 

 

 

And births this date include

 

1892 – J. Paul Getty, American oil tycoon (d. 1976)

... amazing his grandson was found on his birthday!

 

 

 

1918 – Jeff Chandler, American actor (d. 1961)

 

 

 

1949 – Don Johnson, American actor

Man oh man, his "marriages" are something else!

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Each year, December 15th also recognizes National Cupcake Day.  The cupcake was originally known as the 1-2-3-4 cake because the recipe called for 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour, 4 eggs and also 1 cup of milk and 1 spoonful of baking soda.

Even the word cupcake sounds like a miniature celebration. They’ve been known by other phrases that make us put our hands together in glee, too! For example:

• Fairy Cakes
• Patty Cakes
• Cup Cakes (different from Cupcakes (one-word)

Someone must have wanted to surprise a loved one with a sweet, single-serving treat when they invented the cupcake. One of the first recipes for a cupcake can be traced back to 1796. A recipe notation for a cake to be baked in small cups was written in American Cookery (by Amelia Simmons). Don’t you wonder if she made them for her children or grandchildren?

The earliest known documentation of the term cupcake shows up in 1828 in Seventy-five Receipts for Pastry, Cakes, and Sweetmeats. The cookbook was by Eliza Leslie. Maybe she just liked individual servings.

Cupcakes were originally baked in heavy pottery cups. Today, some bakers still use individual ramekins, small coffee mugs, larger teacups, or other small ovenproof pottery-type dishes for baking their cupcakes. They do make a beautiful presentation for these miniature cakes.

Today, cupcakes are an art form. Bakers create elaborate decorations and displays utilizing a variety of ingredients. Whether they’re the centerpiece of a wedding, birthday, or anniversary cupcakes satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth. Colorful and fun, these single-serving delights offer a pleasing option when planning any celebration.

The single-serve cake makes it convenient for serving and sharing. Today there are a variety of recipes and just as many flavors to choose from.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Bake a batch of cupcakes and share them with a friend or two.  We even offer a couple of unique recipes for you to try.

Margarita Cupcakes

Red Velvet Cupcakes