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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Rain ~ Funny Bird ~ Vernal Equinox ~ About Black Rice ~ Fried Ravioli


Good 38º raining morning. 1/2" of rain since last night. Looks like it will be around for a few more days...




If you haven't seen this deer and lab, you need to for a real awwwwww moment...

Even if you have seen it, watch it again. Very relaxing.
Thank you Debbie Flores for this!


Several inquiries re the black rice... Wikipeida says:Black rice, also known as purple rice or forbidden rice, is a kind of sticky rice which is one of several black colored heirloom plants producing rice variants such as Indonesian black rice and Thai Jasmine Black Rice. Black rice is high in nutritional value and contains 18 amino acids, iron, zinc, copper, carotene, anthocyanin and several important vitamins. The grain has a similar amount of fiber to brown rice and like brown rice, has a mild, nutty taste. In China, black rice is claimed to be good for kidney, stomach and liver; these claims have not been independently verified or established. It is a deep black color and turns deep purple when cooked. Its dark purple color is primarily due to its anthocyanin content, but the anthocyanin content in black rice is significantly lower than blue, pink or purple corn. It is suitable for making porridge and it can also be used for making dessert, traditional Chinese black rice cake, bread and so on.
In China, noodles made from black rice have recently begun to be produced. At least one United States bread company has also begun producing "Chinese Black Rice" bread. It shares the deep tyrian color of cooked black rice

And this from my friend Trish Bowler....


Today is the Vernal Equinox.....An equinox occurs twice a year, when the tilt of the Earth's axis is inclined neither away from nor towards the Sun, the center of the Sun being in the same plane as the Earth's equator. The term equinox can also be used in a broader sense, meaning the date when such a passage happens. The name "equinox" is derived from the Latin aequus (equal) and nox (night), because around the equinox, the night and day have approximately equal length.

At an equinox, the Sun is at one of two opposite points on the celestial sphere where the celestial equator (i.e. declination 0) and ecliptic intersect. These points of intersection are called equinoctial points: classically, the vernal point and the autumnal point. By extension, the term equinox may denote an equinoctial point.
An equinox happens each year at two specific moments in time (rather than two whole days), when there is a location (the subsolar point) on the Earth's equator, where the center of the Sun can be observed to be vertically overhead, occurring around March 20 and September 22 each year.


On this date my friend Sandy (Todoran.. Wilson S'63) married Jerome Beck in 1982. Happy Anniversary kids!


Some times you just need a laugh...
Click here to see this silly thing:



Historically this date...

1974 – Ian Ball attempts, but fails, to kidnap Her Royal Highness Princess Anne and her husband Captain Mark Phillips in The Mall, outside Buckingham Palace, London.

1985Libby Riddles becomes the first woman to win the 1,135-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race.

1990Ferdinand Marcos's widow, Imelda Marcos, goes on trial for bribery, embezzlement, and racketeering.

Marcos was the first wife of a foreign head of state to stand trial in an American court. In 1990, she was acquitted of racketeering and fraud charges, alongside co-defendant Adnan Khashoggi, a Saudi Arabian former billionaire and arms dealer. The "theatrical" trial involved many celebrities: Marcos and Khashoggi were represented by trial lawyer Gerry Spence; Marcos' $5-million-dollar bail was posted by tobacco heiress, Doris Duke,who befriended her while they both lived in Hawaii; and actor George Hamilton was a star witness for the defense. On September 14, 2010, the Sandiganbayan's Fifth Division has ordered Imelda Marcos to return 12 million pesos ($280,000) in government funds secretly taken out by her late husband from the National Food Authority 27 years ago.

1999Legoland California, the only Legoland outside of Europe, opens in Carlsbad, California.

2000Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a former Black Panther once known as H. Rap Brown, is captured after murdering Georgia sheriff's deputy Ricky Kinchen and critically wounding Deputy Aldranon English.

20032003 invasion of Iraq: In the early hours of the morning, the United States and three other countries begin military operations in Iraq.


And births this date include....
1906 – Ozzie Nelson, American bandleader and actor (d. 1975)


1922 – Carl Reiner, American film director

 

1928Fred Rogers, American TV host (d. 2003)


1931Hal Linden, American actor

 

1935Ted Bessell, American actor (d. 1996)


1937 – Jerry Reed, American singer and actor (d. 2008)


1958 – Holly Hunter, American actress

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Tuesday. Ciao.
Thank you for your comments, so appreciated!
xo Sue Mom Bobo
March 20th
National Ravioli Day


Fried Ravioli is AWESOME!

Olive oil , for frying
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups Italian-style breadcrumbs
1 pkg ready made ravioli from the refrigerated section (or frozen, but not dried)
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 to 2 cups marinara sauce , heated, for dipping
Heat 2 inches of olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 325°.
While the oil is heating, put the buttermilk and the breadcrumbs in separate shallow bowls. Working in batches, dip the ravioli in the buttermilk to coat completely, allowing the excess buttermilk to drip back into the bowl. Dredge the ravioli in the bread crumbs. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet, while you coat the remaining ravioli.
When the oil is hot, fry the ravioli in batches, turning occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried ravioli to paper towels to drain.
Sprinkle the fried ravioli with Parmesan cheese and serve with a bowl of warmed marinara sauce for dipping.

Monday, March 19, 2012

Snowing ~ Pesto the Kitten ~ Black Rice w/ Veggies & Corned Beef


Good 29º everything's frozen morning. Was sunny then raining then snowing then sunny then raining then snowing most of yesterday!




and then about 11:30am it was little flakes of snow coming down!

I went to GP to Staples and when I got out of the car the corn snow dumped! OMG. When I got into the store all the employees were looking out the window!

After Staples I went to Brian and Jen's. After Sami's birthday fairy party last Saturday I was helping clean up the backyard and this kitten came walking along the fence on the neighbor's side. I walked over to it and touched and tried to pet it. Then it came down the fence and came to me and I did pet it a little. So, Brian calls me and says that since "you touched it Mother, it's meowing at our bedroom window. Come get it." Yes, like Harley would permit a kitten in the house! Anyway, Jen is allergic, so it can't stay there. BUT, she did give it some leftover chicken with a touch of pesto on it.... cat ate it up! Now they call her 'Pesto'. Brian (Mr. Tough Guy) put a box on the front porch with a towel in it and Pesto is happy happy happy. Also I noticed a bowl of cat kibbles! I went out and picked her up and she started purring.
 
 
 
What a sweet kitty. The good news is that Sandra, who works for Brian at the State Farm Office, came over later yesterday and took Pesto home to her family! I am SO happy she has a home and I can quit worrying.




Here are too funny videos. The first one is a dog agility test ... that goes wrong. The second is a DUI test.... Scot/Irish humor.




Historically this date...
1918 – The U.S. Congress establishes time zones and approves daylight saving time.

1931Gambling is legalized in Nevada.

1945 – World War II: Adolf Hitler issues his "Nero Decree" ordering all industries, military installations, shops, transportation facilities and communications facilities in Germany to be destroyed.

1987 – Televangelist Jim Bakker resigns as head of the PTL Club due to a brewing sex scandal; he hands over control to Jerry Falwell.
... jailed for fraud and now out, still owes $6 million in back taxes, remarried, and is still taking people's money via being a televangelist! Wake up, people! 

 
And births this date include...
1848Wyatt Earp, American marshall (d. 1929)

 

1936Ursula Andress, Swiss actress

 

1944 – Sirhan Sirhan, Palestinian-born assassin


1947Glenn Close, American actress


 

1955Bruce Willis, American actor



Check this site... "before they were famous" is a riot!


Dinner incorporated leftovers with something new...

I got this black rice at Costco. Cooked it. Reconstituted some dried mushrooms. Cut up broccoli. Used the leftover cooked carrots from the corned beef dinner... and cut up the smoked corned beef.



Sauteéd the veggies and beef, added the cooked rice, added some Boursin cheese and some cheddar cheese and about a cup of tzatziki (Greek yogurt with cucumber .. you can make or I buy it at Costco*) and stirred it all together. GOOOOOD!!!

*1 cup Greek yogurt
Juice of half a lemon
Half of a cucumber, seeded and minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp oregano

 

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Tuesday. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo
March 19th
National Chocolate Caramel Day


 
 
and....

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Shrimp Wrap ~ Smoked Corned Beef ~ Oatmeal Cookies


Good 34º foggy morning. Sun was out yesterday. Nice.

I think I'm going to rename the feral cat that I feed.. the black and white one.. I started calling him BC (black cat) and since he comes and goes and the food disappears and I NEVER see him, his name will now be Casper!

 
I forgot to tell you that when I was at Costco I saw the wraps back in the meat department. I was happy! But then the meat guy said they were shrimp wraps.


BUT I LOVE the Asian Chicken Wraps!!! Nope, they switched them out for the shrimp... cilantro lime shrimp. They are just barely OK, Jeannie and Bill didn't even like them! Not near as good as the Asian Chicken! I'm going to write Costco a letter.


This from yesterday... Thanks JudyD for the laugh! Also JoeK, thanks!

And here is my Tommy Brady's St. Patrick's Day post that was on FB...


I love it!!!


The appearance of corned beef in Irish cuisine dates to the 12th century in the poem Aislinge Meic Con Glinne or The Vision of MacConglinne. Within the text, it is described as a delicacy a king uses to purge himself of the "demon of gluttony". Cattle, valued as a bartering tool, were only eaten when no longer able to provide milk or to work. The corned beef as described in this text was a rare and valued dish, given the value and position of cattle within the culture, as well as the expense of salt, and was unrelated to the corned beef eaten today.



I prepared my corned beef by washing it and soaking it in water to remove as much of the salt as possible. Then I put a thin coating of mustard on the meat and liberally sprinkled on Tuscan Seasoning... www.vgourmet.com (garlic, spice, toasted sesame seed, lemon peel, red & green bell pepper, sea salt, scallions, toasted sesame oil)
 
and some garlic powder. The aroma of this seasoning is unbelievable. Heaven! And into the smoker it went........
 
 

 
Historically this date...
1968Gold standard: The U.S. Congress repeals the requirement for a gold reserve to back US currency.

1990 – In the largest art theft in US history, 12 paintings, collectively worth around $300 million, are stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, Massachusetts.

How sad the case has not been solved nor the art recovered!

2002U.S. invasion of Afghanistan: Operation Anaconda ends (started on March 2) after killing 500 Taliban and al Qaeda fighters with 11 allied troop fatalities.


And births this date include....

 

1858Rudolf Diesel, German inventor (d. 1913)

.. Thanks to him we have those horribly noisy smelly trucks that most men love!

1886Edward Everett Horton, American actor (d. 1970)

.... Do you think he ever heard a Who?


1926Peter Graves, American actor (d. 2010)
 

My sister, Marion, knew Peter. He had a house at Tahoe and her real estate office rented it out for him. He told Marion lots of Hollywood stories, especially ones about Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, with whom Peter socialized. The stories were always whoppers!

1938 – Charley Pride, American musician
.... love his voice!
 


1970Queen Latifah, American singer and actress


I would rather live my life as if there is a God and die and find out there isn't, than to live my life as if there isn't and die and find out there is.
born
November 07, 1913 in Mondovi, Algeria
died
January 04, 1960

Camus was the second-youngest recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature (after Rudyard Kipling) when he became the first Africa-born writer to receive the award, in 1957. He is also the shortest-lived of any literature laureate to date, having died in an automobile accident just over two years after receiving the award.
 

I removed the beef from the smoker, and was surprised it had shrunk so much!
 

I mixed in the Boursin cheese and some bacon with the mashed potatoes and the sauteéd cabbage .. cooked some carrots, and it was dinner!


The corned beef tasted like pastrami. It was good, but I think I'll stick with the traditional cooking of the corned beef next time. The potatoes were AWESOME! The beef will now be put on deli rye bread for sandwiches. So ends another St. Patty's marathon.


Next we prepare for Easter, in three weeks.

 
Funny, nobody mentioned the kayaker in yesterday's blog.

 
ALWAYS welcome and so appreciated are comments left either here or emailed to me. Thanks! ox (hint hint hint)

All I know. Nuff said. Ciao.
xo Sue Mom Bobo
March 18th

 

Drooling..................................................