Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Olympia Washington ~ Broccoli Cheddar Casserole ~ Deer ~ National Nachos Day

 

 

Good 41º it rained some last night as the ground is wet morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we got to 80º and then the clouds came in and we dropped to 75º immediately. 

 

 

 

Picture of the Day .... LOL

 

 

 

 

Interesting about Olympia Washington...

 

 

Olympia is the capital city of the state of Washington, in the United States of America. It became a city on January 28, 1859. As of the 2010 census, it has 46,478 people living in it. The people of Olympia are called Olympians. Olympia is the county seat of Thurston County.

Olympia is located at 47°2'33" North, 122°53'35" West.

 

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total size of 18.5 mi². 16.7 mi² of it is land and 1.8 mi² of it is water. The total area is 9.77% water.

 

Olympia is on the water (Puget Sound) and close to dark green forests and high mountains (the Olympic Mountains and Mount Rainier). On most days of the year the sky is full of clouds and it rains, but sunny weather is more common in July, August, and September.

 

Many people in Olympia work for the government of the State of Washington. Every year, state representatives and state senators come to Olympia to make laws and to pass a budget for the state government.

Olympia is the home of the Olympia Farmers Market and The Evergreen State College.

 

Every April, the people of Olympia celebrate the "Procession of the Species,". It is a parade. Many Olympians, of all ages, dress up to look like animals, birds, fish, plants, and even insects, and walk in the parade. Some also play drums or dance the samba.

 

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Sometimes the simplest things are the best, and this is one of them. Whether you serve this with burgers for a quick weeknight dinner or it’s part of your Thanksgiving Day line up, get ready for lots of ooh’s and aah’s. And since it starts with a few freezer and refrigerator shortcuts, all the better. This Broccoli Cheddar Casserole is going to be your favorite weeknight option for years to come!

 

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups half-and-half
• 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese, divided
• 1 (12-ounce) package frozen broccoli florets, thawed
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 2 cups cooked rice
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed butter crackers

 

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• In a deep skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onion and cook 3 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Add broth and half-and-half and heat until mixture begins to thicken, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat, add 1-1/2 cups of cheese, and stir until melted. Stir in broccoli, mushrooms, rice, garlic powder, salt, and pepper; mix well. Spoon mixture into baking dish and cover with aluminum foil. Bake 25 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix crushed crackers and remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Uncover casserole, sprinkle cheese mixture on top, and continue to bake 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden and bubbly.

 

Mr. Food Test Kitchen Tips: This is a great way to use up leftover rice or you can buy packages of precooked rice, how easy is that?

 

This is a great way to use up leftover rice or you can buy packages of precooked rice, how easy is that?
 

 

 

 

 

 

Historically this date....

1860 – Abraham Lincoln, the former Illinois congressman defeated three other candidates for the U.S. presidency.

1935 – Parker Brothers acquires the forerunner patents for MONOPOLY from Elizabeth Magie.

..................as you can see I have a MONOPOLY board collection. My original was our family's with wooden 'hotels' and 'houses' and metal playing objects...

1944 – Plutonium is first produced at the Hanford Atomic Facility and subsequently used in the Fat Man atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan.

 

And births this date include....

1854 – John Philip Sousa, American composer (d. 1932)

1946 – Sally Field, American actress

 

 

 

 

Way out from the house, taking advantage of the shade were these deer.....

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

On November 6th, National Nachos Day recognizes the snack favored at sporting events across the country. In their purest form, nachos are tortilla chips covered in nacho cheese or other melted cheese and served with salsa.

 

Where Nachos Began

First created sometime around 1943, the popular and loved nachos are of Mexican origin. 

History tells us that Ignacio “Nacho” Anaya created the original nachos in 1943. According to his son, his father was the maître d’ at the El Moderno Restaurant in Piedras Negras. One evening after the kitchen staff had left, a group of U.S. Army wives stationed at Fort Duncan in Eagle Pass came into the restaurant. After a long day of shopping, they were hungry and asked for a snack.

Anaya prepared some tostadas cut into triangles. After topping them with shredded cheese and sliced jalapenos, he heated the dish in the oven. They were such a hit with the Army wives that they named the snack “Nacho’s Special” before he could make another batch.

Word of the new creation quickly traveled. People from all over tried them, loved them, and over time, the name changed. Eventually, Nacho’s special became special nachos.

The original recipe is printed in the 1954 St. Anne’s Cookbook.

The popularity of the new dish spread swiftly throughout Texas and the Southwest and has since gained millions of fans across America.

 

Nachos Today

We call nachos with an abundance of toppings loaded nachos, super nachos, or nachos supreme. Serve them as a snack, an appetizer, or even prepared with extra ingredients as a full meal.

Since the time of the original nachos, the toppings have expanded. Today we add beef, chicken, and seafood along with a variety of seasonings. This snack even satisfies the pickiest eater. Whether you’re a vegan to full-on carnivores, there’s a nachos recipe for you.

In restaurants across the country, nachos find their way onto the menus of other cuisines, too. Some restaurants substitute the chip with a potato base. Another option is to replace the toppings with ingredients from the culture. For example, to make Italian nachos top the chips with mozzarella cheese and Alfredo sauce. Asian nachos may include wasabi or curry. Each version of nachos brings its own unique flavor to the table.

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Gilroy The Garlic Capital ~ Easy Ham and Cheese Quiche ~ Greg Lundell ~ Mike and Nan Cipolla ~ National Men Make Dinner Day

 

 

Good 40º clear morning. 

 

Yesterday started 40º, stayed clear and sunny and we topped at 82º.

The predictions are for rain tonight and tomorrow. 

 

 

 

Picture of the Day .... this was a few years ago....

 

Gosh how we loved going to Bob's Big Boy drive-in in Pasadena!! 

 

 

 

 

Interesting about Gilroy The Garlic Capital ....

 

 

An annual three-day event, the Gilroy Garlic Festival is one of the best-known food festivals in the United States, drawing visitors from across the nation. The small city of Gilroy is located about 30 miles southeast of San Jose California. Gilroy is home to about 60,000 people, and the surrounding area is a major producer of garlic in the U.S.

The festival is Gilroy’s top fundraiser; it is staffed by volunteers and raises money for nonprofit groups, including clubs and schools. The festival is held annually on the last full weekend in July. (Due to Covid-19 there was no event this year.)

During the festival, the town goes crazy over garlic. Tourists can eat at the Garlic City Café, stay at the Garlic Farm motel, purchase garlic tchotchkes at the Garlic World and Garlic Shoppe gift emporiums, and even ride inside huge, spinning garlic bulbs at the Garlic Twirl amusement park. In short, people eat it up; In 2017, the Gilroy Garlic Festival was recognized by the Guinness Book as the best-attended garlic festival in the world.

Christopher Ranch, headquartered in Gilroy, is the top producer of garlic in both California and the US, producing 50% of the nation’s garlic.

Gilroy may be the self-proclaimed “garlic capital”, but as of May 2017, China was the top producer of garlic in the world, with a total of over 20 million tons. By comparison, India came in second with a “mere” 1.25 million tons. South Korea was third, producing .35 million tons that year.

 

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

I posted this about 3 years ago...

 

Ham and cheese is one of those classic combinations that always goes well together. Naturally, we sandwiched these two together into a pie shell to make this amazing breakfast recipe for Ham and Cheese Quiche.

 

• 1 refrigerated pie crust (from a 14.1-ounce package)
• 2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
• 2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
• 1 1/2 cups diced cooked ham
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups half-and-half

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Place pie crust in a 9-inch deep dish pie plate and flute edges.
    
2. In a medium bowl, combine Swiss and Cheddar cheeses; mix well. Place half the cheese mixture in the pie shell, then top it with the ham and remaining cheese.
    
3. In a small bowl, whisk eggs and half-and-half; pour evenly over top.
    
4. Bake 50 to 55 minutes, or until center is set. Cool 10 minutes before serving.
    

 

***Swiss and Cheddar cheeses are traditional for quiche, but you could certainly use a combination of whatever kinds you've got left over. You could start a tradition of having a different flavor combination every time you make it!

 

 

 

Special birthday today, my high school pal Greg Lundell is celebrating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY GREG! xo

 

 

 

And a special anniversary today, Mike and Nan Cipolla are celebrating 42 years. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KIDS!

 

 

 

Historically this date...

1872 – Women's suffrage in the United States: In defiance of the law, suffragist Susan B. Anthony votes for the first time, and is later fined $100.

1895 – George B. Selden is granted the first U.S. patent for an automobile.         

1967 – The Hither Green rail crash in the United Kingdom kills 49 people. Survivors include Robin Gibb of the Bee Gees.

2006 – Saddam Hussein, former president of Iraq, and his co-defendants Barzan Ibrahim al-Tikriti and Awad Hamed al-Bandar are sentenced to death in the al-Dujail trial for the role in the massacre of the 148 Shi'as in 1982.

2009 – US Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan kills 13 and wounds 30 at Fort Hood, Texas in the largest mass shooting at a US military installation

 

And births this date include....

1905 – Joel McCrea, American actor (d. 1990)

I have discovered lately that a lot of 'old timey' Hollywood folks were born in So. Pasadena (like McCrea) or Pasadena.

1911 – Roy Rogers, American actor (d. 1998)

1913 – Vivien Leigh, English actress (d. 1967)

Sadly a lot of health problems and emotional problems. Died too young.

1940 – Elke Sommer, German actress

 

1941 – Art Garfunkel, American musician

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1943 – Sam Shepard, American playwright and actor (d.2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1963 – Tatum O'Neal, American actress

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

National Men Make Dinner Day on the first Thursday in November places the man of the house in charge of the kitchen and the evening’s meal.

Some men like to cook and do so on a regular basis. To those men, kudos to you! You can submit your favorite recipe on the National Men Make Dinner website. 

This day was created for the men who do not know their way around the kitchen and are not familiar with cooking appliances, as well as for the women in their lives who need a break.

Men need to be aware that there is a list of rules that must be followed, some of which include:

• The main meal must include a minimum of 4 ingredients and require at least one cooking utensil other than a fork.
• The man goes shopping for all the necessary ingredients.
• Clean up as you go.
• Aprons are optional.

For a list of complete rules, see the above-mentioned website.

 

NATIONAL MEN MAKE DINNER DAY HISTORY

Sandy Sharkey created National Men Make Dinner Day in 2001.