Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Valentine's Day History ~ Hearty Ricotta Puffs ~ Brian Pendleton ~ Aaron & Marie Maxwell ~ Valentine's Day ~ Ash Wednesday

  

Good 39º raining morning. 

 

Yesterday we topped at 64º.

 

 

Picture of the Day... how did it get up there?😮

 

 

Interesting about Valentine's Day .....

 

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. It originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine and through later folk traditions, it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world.

 

There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Saint Valentines connected to February 14, including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century. According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer. Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: tradition maintains that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman emperor; an 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution.

 

The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14. The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring. In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion for couples to express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines"). Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. In the 19th century, handmade cards gave way to mass-produced greetings. In Italy, Saint Valentine's keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart", as well as to children to ward off epilepsy (called Saint Valentine's Malady).

 

Saint Valentine's Day is not a public holiday in any country, although it is an official feast day in the Anglican Communion and the Lutheran Church. Many parts of the Eastern Orthodox Church also celebrate Saint Valentine's Day on July 6 in honor of Roman presbyter Saint Valentine, and on July 30 in honor of Hieromartyr Valentine, the Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni).

 

Folk traditions

While the European folk traditions connected with Saint Valentine and St. Valentine's Day have become marginalized by modern customs connecting the day with romantic love, there are still some connections with the advent of spring.

 

While the custom of sending cards, flowers, chocolates and other gifts originated in the UK, Valentine's Day still remains connected with various regional customs in England. In Norfolk, a character called 'Jack' Valentine knocks on the rear door of houses leaving sweets and presents for children. Although he was leaving treats, many children were scared of this mystical person.

 

In Slovenia, Saint Valentine or Zdravko was one of the saints of spring, the saint of good health and the patron of beekeepers and pilgrims. A proverb says that "Saint Valentine brings the keys of roots". Plants and flowers start to grow on this day. It has been celebrated as the day when the first work in the vineyards and in the fields commences. It is also said that birds propose to each other or marry on that day. Another proverb says "Valentin – prvi spomladin" ("Valentine – the first spring saint"), as in some places (especially White Carniola), Saint Valentine marks the beginning of spring. Valentine's Day has only recently been celebrated as the day of love. The day of love was traditionally March 12, the Saint Gregory's day, or February 22, Saint Vincent's Day. The patron of love was Saint Anthony, whose day has been celebrated on June 13.

 

^{If you want to read a whole lot more, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valentine%27s_Day}

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

SERVES

18

COOK TIME

24 Min

Wow your Valentine with this romantic twist on classic puff pastries. Our "Hearty" Ricotta puffs will be the perfect side dish accent with your candlelit dinner for two. These heart-shaped puffs are just the right amount of warm and flaky. Your sweetheart will fall head-over-heels, not only for you, but for the food too!

 

• 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/3 cup package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 2 (17.3-ounce) package frozen puff pastry, thawed
• 1 cup spaghetti sauce, warmed

 

1. Preheat oven to 400º.

2. In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, spinach, Parmesan cheese, and garlic powder; mix well and set aside.

3. Unfold two puff pastry sheets on a flat surface. Using a 2-inch heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut out 18 hearts. If you don’t have one you can pick one up in any kitchen store or you can make these round. To do so, use the edge of a drinking glass to cut out the dough.

4. Place about 1 heaping teaspoon of spinach cheese mixture on 9 pastry hearts, spreading almost to edges. Place remaining 9 pastry hearts over spinach cheese mixture and using a fork, pinch the dough together. Place on a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining puff pastry sheets and spinach cheese mixture.

5. Bake 20 to 24 minutes or until puffed and golden. Serve piping hot with a spoonful of spaghetti sauce.

 

 

 

Today is special not only is it Valentine's Day but it's my son Brian's birthday. Happy Birthday my love..... xo

 

 

 

 

Also today is the 13th wedding anniversary of my step son Aaron Maxwell and his bride Marie. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KIDS!

 

Today was  also my mother-in-law, Winona Maxwell's birthday. 1923-2012

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

1859 – Oregon is admitted as the 33rd U.S. state.

1912 – Arizona is admitted as the 48th U.S. state.

1929 – Saint Valentine's Day massacre: Seven people, six of them gangster rivals of Al Capone's gang, are murdered in Chicago, Illinois.

1962 – First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy takes television viewers on a tour of the White House.

 

And births this date include...

1894 – Jack Benny, American actor and comedian (d. 1974)

 

1905 – Thelma Ritter, American actress (d. 1969)

 

1929 – Vic Morrow, American actor (d. 1982)

 

1934 – Florence Henderson, American actress (d.2016)

 

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good Valentines Day. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Valentine’s Day began as St. Valentine’s Day, a liturgical celebration of one or more early Christian saints named Valentinus.  February 14th first became associated with romantic love during the High Middle Ages as the tradition of courtly love was then flourishing. During 18th century England, this day evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery and sending Valentine cards.  

Ancient History

Mixed opinions prevail regarding who or what was celebrated in mid-February. Some point to martyred saints by the name of Valentine or Valentinus. The most popular story tells of the saint who defied a decree by Emperor Claudius II who outlawed marriage for young men because he believed single men made better soldiers. St. Valentine, preferring young lovers to be wed than have them sneaking around (or believing in the power of love), would marry them in secret. However, it may have been another Valentine who performed the marriages. Either way, at least two of them were beheaded for their actions.

Another possible origin for Valentine’s Day takes us back to a pagan festival called Lupercalia. As a way to discourage participation in the fertility festival, the Christian church placed St. Valentine’s Day in the middle of February.

Modern Celebrations

Since the Renaissance, we’ve been exchanging Valentine’s cards. These handmade missives of romance grew into a more commercial venture by the Victorian era. Today, school children exchange Valentine greetings, too. They prepare for the day by making unique boxes to receive their many hearts, cupids, and pun-filled rhymes.

Chocolates and candy have also become a part of the celebration. While couples tend to be the focus of the day, singles celebrate being single, too. Friends take each other out or reject the overall notion of Valentine’s Day. Dinner and a movie, candlelight, and flowers also fit the bill for couples. It’s one of the busiest days of the year for florists.

HOW TO OBSERVE

You can surprise your special someone with flowers, chocolate or a card.

Get something special for your Valentine.

Today is also.............

Ash Wednesday signals the beginning of Lenten season for Christians. It takes place 46 days before Easter and the day after Shrove Tuesday.

Ash Wednesday services focus on the death and repentance the ashes represent. In many churches, the ashes are made from the palm branches that are burned from the previous Palm Sunday service.

Following a service or mass, the pastor or priest will invite their congregation to receive the ashes on their forehead. A cross pattern or other similar mark is made.

This solemn day begins a time of meditation, reflection, self-examination, study, and contemplation when Christians consider their own mortality and sinfulness in preparation for Easter.

HOW TO OBSERVE ASH WEDNESDAY

Attend an Ash Wednesday service. Learn more about the history of Ash Wednesday. Share your Ash Wednesday events and services.

ASH WEDNESDAY HISTORY

The use of ashes during spiritual occasions has ancient non-Christian roots. However, Ash Wednesday and the beliefs that accompany it, date back to the 6th century.