Yesterday ~ Picture of the Day ~ Carrots ~ Asian Pepper Steak ~ National Cheese Souffle Day

Good 47º cloudy foggy morning. 

Yesterday the dark clouds moved in and it rained, then the wind came up and the clouds got white and fluffy and blue sky came through. Then the dark clouds came back and more rain. All day it did this. Brian even said they had hail over in Grants Pass. We topped at 74º. 

Picture of the Day .... Hmmmmmmmm, that would be me!

Interesting about carrots..........

For centuries, almost all carrots were yellow, white or purple. But in the 17th century, most of those crunchy vegetables turned orange. Why? It may have to do with Dutch politics.In the 17th century, Dutch growers cultivated orange carrots as a tribute to William of Orange – who led the the struggle for Dutch independence – and the color stuck. A thousand years of yellow, white and purple carrot history was wiped out in a generation. Although some scholars doubt if orange carrots even existed prior to the 16th century, they now form the basis of most commercial cultivators around the world. Presumably crosses between Eastern (purple), Western (white, red) and perhaps wild carrots led to the formation of the orange rooted carrot subspecies.Whatever the origins, the Long Orange Dutch carrot, first described in writing in 1721, is the forebear of the orange Horn carrot varieties so abundant nowadays. All our modern, western carrots ultimately descend from these varieties.

From Mr. Food

So many people think it's hard to make authentic-tasting Asian dishes at home. Well, not with this easy recipe! This Asian Pepper Steak is gonna become the regular steak dinner at your house!

 

• 1/2 cup ready-to-use beef broth
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 to 1-1/2 pounds beef top or bottom round steak, cut into 1/4-inch strips
• 1 medium-sized red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips (see Options)
• 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 3 scallions (green onions), sliced
• 1 garlic clove, minced

 

1. In a small bowl, combine broth, soy sauce, cornstarch, and ginger; mix well and set aside.
    
2. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat and sauté beef 2 to 3 minutes, or until browned.
    
3. Add bell pepper, mushrooms, scallions, and garlic, and cook 4 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables are tender.
    
4. Add broth mixture to skillet and cook 2 to 3 minutes, or until sauce thickens.

*** Red or green, even yellow, orange, or purple bell peppers will do the trick here. You might have a different color on hand every time you make this, and it's ok to use whatever you have.

 

Historically this date.....

1860 – Abraham Lincoln wins the Republican Party presidential nomination over William H. Seward, who later becomes the United States Secretary of State.

1926 – Evangelist Aimee Semple McPherson disappears while visiting a Venice, California beach.

1944 – Deportation of Crimean Tatars by the Soviet Union government.

1980 – 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens: Mount St. Helens erupts in Washington,United States, killing 57 people and causing $3 billion in damage

1995 – Shawn Nelson, 35, goes on a tank rampage in San Diego.

And births this date include...

1912 – Perry Como, American singer (d. 2001)

1928 – Pernell Roberts, American actor (d. 2010)

1934 – Dwayne Hickman, American actor and television executive

1946 – Reggie Jackson, American baseball player

1952 – George Strait, American country musician

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Monday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On National Cheese Souffle Day, observed May 18th, we can all enjoy a little of this French delight. The word souffle is the past participle of the French verb, souffler, which means “to blow up” or “puff up.”  Combine egg whites with custard, and it will puff up into a fine, golden souffle when baked.

Egg yolks and beaten egg whites, mixed with various other ingredients make up a souffle.  It can be served as a tasty main course dish, or it can be sweetened for a dessert.

Each souffle is made up of either a French creme base, a flavored creme sauce or puree, and beaten egg whites

The base provides the flavor, and the egg whites provide the lift.  The base is commonly made up of cheese, jam, fruits, berries, chocolate, and lemon. This day is dedicated to the cheese-based souffle.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Order a cheese souffle at your favorite restaurant, or you can try your culinary skills with this Cheese Souffle recipe. 

And here's Taste of Home cheese souffle recipe:

https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/three-cheese-souffles/

Weather ~ Weed-Eating Dave ~ Picture of the Day ~ Benjamin Franklin's London Home ~ Impossibly Easy Cheeseburger Pie ~ National Pack Rat Day

Good 50º high fog morning. 

Yesterday the clouds were in early and it stayed gloomy. It rained starting the afternoon, on and off. We stayed in the 50ºs. 

Dave got here and was weed-eating all the spots he couldn't get to with his brush-hog and along the creek bed. He will be back today if it's not raining. 

Picture of the Day ... LOL. Shared by my pal Karen "Sugar Bear".

Interesting....

In 1998, while renovators were restoring the former London home of Benjamin Franklin, they uncovered bones in the basement. Those bones were sent off to scientists for research.

While being analyzed, scientists discovered 6 of those bodies had been children. But bodies? In Benjamin Franklin's basement? Why? Franklin was one of America's Founding Fathers. He was also a scientist, political theorist, Freemason, author, inventor, printer, politician, diplomat, postmaster and statesman, but was there something dark that nobody knew about?

Puzzled, historians began researching why these human remains had been there. It was a mystery and if foul play had been involved, Franklin's legacy would be tarnished.

After much research, the remains were linked back to a medical student, friend and roommate of Franklin's, William Hewson. In the 1700s, dissection of cadavers was illegal. Young Mr. Hewson wanted to learn more about anatomy during his schooling, so he made arrangements with grave diggers and cadaver-brokers. Since the house was located near a wharf, it made it very simple to smuggle bodies off of ships during the night and sneak them into the nearby basement.

During the examination, it was determined that those remains exhibited precise cuts that would match those made by medical instruments.

So, the mystery had been solved and Ben Franklin's name had been saved from being tarnished forever.

From Mr. Food...

Save time and work by serving up all the tastes of a family favorite rolled into one easy pie. Our Impossible Cheeseburger Pie tastes yummy as can be, and bakes up all at once. How fun is that?!!

• 1 pound ground beef
• 1/2 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup ketchup
• 1 tablespoon sweet relish
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 3/4 cup biscuit baking mix
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs

 

1. Preheat oven to 400º. Coat a (9-inch) glass pie plate with cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet, cook beef and onion over medium heat 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until beef is brown; drain. Stir in ketchup, relish, and salt. Spread evenly into prepared pie plate, then sprinkle with cheese.
3. In a small bowl, stir remaining ingredients with wire whisk until blended. Pour over top.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.

By the way, Linda (Kretzinger) Price sent me a note saying she made the American Goulash I posted on the 15th and she and her husband loved it!  

Historically this date....

1974 – Police in Los Angeles, California, raid the Symbionese Liberation Army's headquarters, killing six members, including Camilla Hall.

1983 – The U.S. Department of Energy declassifies documents showing world's largest mercury pollution event in Oak Ridge, Tennessee (ultimately found to be 4.2 million pounds), in response to the Appalachian Observer's Freedom of Information Act request.

1995 – Shawn Nelson steals a tank from a military installation and goes on a rampage in San Diego resulting in a 25 minute police chase. Nelson is killed by an officer after the tank got stuck on a concrete barrier and tried to break free.

2004 – The first legal same-sex marriages in the U.S. are performed in the state of Massachusetts.

2006 – The aircraft carrier USS Oriskany is sunk in the Gulf of Mexico as an artificial reef.

2007 – Trains from North and South Korea cross the 38th Parallel in a test-run agreed by both governments. This is the first time that trains have crossed the Demilitarized Zone since 1953.

2013 – Two Metro-North commuter trains collide near Bridgeport, Connecticut injuring at least 72 people.

And births this date include...

1911 – Maureen O'Sullivan, Irish actress (d. 1998)

1936 – Dennis Hopper, American actor and director (d. 2010)

1956 – Sugar Ray Leonard, American boxer

1956 – Bob Saget, American actor

1962 – Craig Ferguson, Scottish actor and comedian

                                            (nice hair..... not)

All I know. Nuff said. Happy Sunday. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Each year on May 17th, National Pack Rat Day encourages us to take a look at ourselves and see if we have “Pack Rat” tendencies within us. A Pack Rat holds on to, collects or hoards often unneeded items.

According to Merriam Webster, the phrase pack rat dates back to 1885 and references a wood rat known for hoarding food and random objects. Today, the phrase is loosely used to describe people who do the same.

Many people even describe themselves as pack rats because they keep things they may need in the future, such as tools, boxes, and clothing. Have you ever cleaned out a closest and critically examined every item, tossing and donating things so that you had a clean space? Then days or weeks later discovered you needed one specific item you donated or tossed. It may be a document or container, but it never fails to happen. In the age of recycling, reusing, and re-purposing, pack rats consider every item before they toss and donate.

The observance is an opportunity for the pack rat in all of us to examine our collecting tendencies. Do we really need t-shirts from 1975? When was the last time you used that L wrench that came with the pre-fabricated entertainment center you no longer own? Of course, the moment you sort through those toys and donate them, your only child will announce you’re going to be grandparents. You didn’t hold on to those pack rat tendencies long enough.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Take a look around and maybe start cleaning out unwanted and unneeded items. If you need to, call a friend to come and help you get started. Share what you think makes you a pack rat. What do you save or collect?