Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Taco Bell History ~ Butternut Squash and Apple Soup ~ National Girl Scout Day

  

Good 27º frozen clear morning. 

 

Yesterday we started frozen and had clear blue sky. Later we topped all the way up to 78º!

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

 

Interesting about Taco Bell....

 

Taco Bell is an American-based chain of fast food restaurants originating in Irvine, California in 1962, by founder Glen Bell.

 

 

Taco Bell is a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc. The restaurants serve a variety of Mexican-inspired foods, including tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, novelty and speciality items, and a variety of "value menu" items. As of 2018, Taco Bell serves over two billion customers each year, at 7,072 restaurants, more than 93 percent of which are owned and operated by independent franchisees and licensees.

 

PepsiCo purchased Taco Bell in 1978, and later spun off its restaurants division as Tricon Global Restaurants, which later changed its name to Yum! Brands.

 

Taco Bell was founded by Glen Bell, an entrepreneur who first opened a hot dog stand called Bell's Drive-In in San Bernardino, California in 1948. Bell watched long lines of customers at a Mexican restaurant called the Mitla Cafe, located across the street, which became famous among residents for its hard-shelled tacos. Bell attempted to reverse-engineer the recipe, and eventually the owners allowed him to see how the tacos were made. He took what he had learned and opened a new stand in 1951. The name underwent several changes, from Taco-Tia through El Taco, before settling on Taco Bell.

 

Glen Bell opened the first Taco Bell in 1962 at 7112 Firestone Boulevard in Downey, California. Currently there is a Taco Bell location across the street at 7127 Firestone Blvd, in Downey. The original location was a 400 square foot building about the size of a two car garage, and was built with Mission-style arches that covered a small walk-up window that served the original menu items: Tostadas, Burritos, Frijoles, Chiliburgers, and Tacos, all for 19 cents ($2 in 2020 dollars). The first restaurant closed in 1986,^[10] while the building was saved from demolition November 19, 2015 and was moved 45 miles to the Taco Bell Corporate Office at 1 Glen Bell Way in Irvine and is currently stored intact on the corporate parking lot premises and known as "Taco Bell Numero Uno".

 

In 1964, the first franchisee opened, in Torrance, California at the intersection of West Carson Street and South Western Avenue which still exists but has been repurposed at 1647 West Carson Street. In 1967, the 100th restaurant opened at 400 South Brookhurst in Anaheim which was replaced by a new restaurant at 324 South Brookhurst. The first location east of the Mississippi River opened on East Main Street in Springfield, Ohio in 1968. Original Taco Bells only featured walk-up windows without indoor seating or drive-thru service and former original Taco Bell locations still survive while having been repurposed, frequently as other Mexican restaurants. In 1970, Taco Bell went public with 325 restaurants.

 

To read a lot more about Taco Bell, go here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taco_Bell

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

When the weather gets chilly there's nothing like a comforting bowl of soup to warm you up! And, lucky for you, we've got a homemade soup that's perfect for the season. Our creamy Butternut Squash & Apple Soup is an easy twist on the classic butternut soup recipe you've made all your life. The chopped apple and bit of cinnamon add the perfect touch of spice and sweetness.

 

• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
• 4 cups fresh cubed butternut squash
• 3/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 apples, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup half-and-half

 

1. In a soup pot over medium heat, melt butter; sauté squash, onion, and apple 8 to 10 minutes or until squash is tender.
2. In a small bowl, mix together cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Add the spice mixture to the pot and stir to combine. Now add the broth, turn the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low; simmer 30 minutes.
3. Carefully pour mixture into a blender and puree until smooth. Place mixture back in the pot and stir in half and half. Heat an additional 5 minutes or until heated through.

 

****We like to top these with either store-bought or homemade croutons. And if you have an immersion blender, this would be a great time to dig it out and use it, rather than having to pour this into your blender.

 

 

 

Historically this date....

1912 – The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the United States.

1918 – Moscow becomes the capital of Russia again after Saint Petersburg held this status for 215 years.

1928 – In California, the St. Francis Dam fails; the resulting floods kill over 600 people.

2009 – Financier Bernard Madoff plead guilty in New York to scamming $18 billion, the largest in Wall Street history.

 

And births this date include....

1923 – Wally Schirra, American astronaut (d. 2007)

 

1931 – Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, American actor (d. 1980)

  

 

1933 – Barbara Feldon, American actress and model

 

 

1946 – Liza Minnelli, American singer and actress

 

 

1950 – Jon Provost, American actor

LOVED the Lassie show!!!!

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

As part of Girl Scout Week, National Girl Scout Day on March 12th honors the history and legacy of Girl Scouting in America each year.

Girl Scouting in the United States of America began on this day, March 12, 1912, when Juliette Gordon Low organized the first Girl Scout troop meeting.  At this first troop meeting in Savannah, Georgia, there were 18 girls present.  For these girls, Juliette Gordon Low organized enrichment programs, service projects, and outdoor activities and adventures.  Since the time of the first meeting, Girl Scouts has grown to over 3.7 million members.

• The organization’s original name was the Girl Guides of America
• By 1920 there were close to 70,000 members
• By 1930 there were over 200,000 members
• In 2005 there were over 3.7 million members

Motto“Be Prepared”

Slogan“Do a Good Turn Daily”

“Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.”

HOW TO OBSERVE

Celebrate all that the Girl Scouts have done to empower girls and what the organization has done for communities across the country.

• Support your local troops.
• Learn more about the Girl Scout organization and its impact on girls and young women.
• Share your experience with girl scouting. 
• Volunteer to be a leader.

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ The Great Sphinx ~ Breakfast Pizza ~ Joan Petitclair ~ National Johnny Appleseed Day

 

 

Good 25º clear frozen morning. 

 

Yesterday we started frozen. The sky stayed blue and clear and we topped at 70º.

 

 

 

Picture of the Day...architectural goof

Interesting about the Sphinx ....

 

Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt. Measuring 240 feet long and 66 feet high, the Great Sphinx is one of the world’s largest monuments. It is also one of the most recognizable relics of the ancient Egyptians, though the origins and history of the colossal structure are still debated.

 In Las Vegas, the Egyptian-themed Luxor Hotel's foam and plaster replica of the Sphinx is even larger than the original. The Sphinx in Las Vegas stands 110 feet tall, more than 40 feet taller than the its antique counterpart in Egypt.

 

The Great Sphinx of Giza, commonly referred to as the Sphinx of Giza, Great Sphinx or just the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx, a mythical creature with the head of a human, and the body of a lion. Facing directly from west to east, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The face of the Sphinx appears to represent the pharaoh Khafre.

 

Cut from the bedrock, the original shape of the Sphinx has been restored with layers of limestone blocks. It measures 240 ft. long from paw to tail, 66 ft. high from the base to the top of the head and 62 ft. wide at its rear haunches. Its nose was broken off for unknown reasons between the 3rd and 10th centuries AD.

 

The Sphinx is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and one of the most recognizable statues in the world. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was created by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khafre 

(c. 2558–2532 BC).

 

^{To read a lot more about this, go here:}

^{https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Sphinx_of_Giza}

 

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

For years you've been telling the kids they can't have pizza for breakfast. We're allowed to change our minds, aren't we? We mean, can you imagine the looks on their faces when you tell them you made pizza for breakfast?!

 

• 6 eggs
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 (1-pound) store-bought prepared pizza shell, thawed if frozen
• 1 (4-ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained, or fresh sliced mushrooms (see Options)
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) Cheddar cheese (see Options)

 

1. Preheat oven to 450º.
    
2. In large bowl, beat eggs, salt, pepper, and milk.
    
3. In large skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Add egg mixture and scramble until firm, but not browned.
    
4. Place pizza shell on pizza pan or large cookie sheet and spread scrambled eggs over shell; cover evenly with mushrooms and cheese.
    
5. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, until cheese is melted and crust is crisp and golden.

 

****If your gang would prefer, use bell peppers or sliced plum tomatoes instead of the mushrooms and, for the Cheddar, you can substitute shredded mozzarella or almost any other cheese that melts well.

 

 

 

Special birthday today... my travel pal from years back, Joan Petitclair is celebrating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOAN!

 

 

 

Historically this date......

1945 – World War II: The Empire of Vietnam, a short-lived puppet state, is established with Bảo Đại as its ruler.

1946 – Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of Auschwitz concentration camp, is captured by British troops.

2011 – An earthquake measuring 9.0 in magnitude strikes 130 km (81 mi) east of Sendai, Japan, triggering a tsunami killing thousands of people. This event also triggered the second largest nuclear accident in history, and one of only two events to be classified as a Level 7 on the International Nuclear Event Scale.

 

And births this date include....
1934 – Sam Donaldson, American reporter

 

1936 – Antonin Scalia, American Supreme Court Justice (d.2016)

 

1956 – Joey Buttafuoco, American criminal

 

An interesting read about Buttafuoco, then click on his gf's name and read about Amy Fisher and what she became and then about his wife Amy shot, Mary Jo. Click on his name above and their links are on there.

 

 

 

 

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

ox Sue Mom Bobo

 

March 11th – On National Johnny Appleseed Day, we remember a man who made apple (and pear) trees bloom across the nation. The day celebrates a kindly legend who lived by sage teachings and labored to bring the shade of fruit trees across much of the United States.

 

John Chapman

He was born John Chapman on September 26, 1774, in Leominster, Massachusetts, to Nathaniel and Elizabeth Simons Chapman. Not much is known about his early life other than his mother died when he was two. His father packed up Johnny and his sister (an infant brother had died the previous year) and moved to Springfield, Massachusetts. His father served as a Minuteman and fought at Bunker Hill.

Then in 1797, Chapman shows up in northwestern Pennsylvania, propagating his apple seeds. He worked his way steadily into the frontier of West Virginia, Ohio, and Indiana. Eventually, Chapman became known as Johnny Appleseed and worked his way as far west as Illinois and Iowa and as far north as Michigan and Wisconsin.

In his wake, he left orchards and the teachings of Emanuel Swedenborg, a Swedish spiritual leader. Appleseed would buy his books with whatever payment he might receive for his endeavors. In turn, Johnny would give the books away as he traveled and planted.

Mostly, though, he planted his seeds and seedlings for free along with his wisdom, his broad-brimmed pasteboard hat keeping the sun from his eyes as he went. Often shoeless, he traveled mostly by foot and sometimes by horseback or canoe. His appearance was nearly as noteworthy as his accomplishments, but so was his kindness. Farmers and frontier folk always found a place at the table if Johnny Appleseed came visiting.

There are many stories told that the man would travel many miles to nurse an ailing orchard when word would reach him of its poor condition. Bringing the trees back to health would be his chief endeavor while dispersing wisdom, care, and kindness as he did.

Landmarks

Across the Midwest, landmarks pepper the countryside honoring the man that brought fruit to the frontier. Warren County, Pennsylvania, lays claim to Johnny Appleseed’s first tree nursery.

Mansfield, Ohio, honors the man with a monument in South Park.  The last known Chapman tree still lives! In rural Ashland County, Ohio, the tree struggles to survive, but half of it still manages to bloom in the spring.

In his hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts, there is an entire park named after the man who nurtured the land and made apple trees bloom across a young nation.

Two dates celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day, either March 11th or September 26th. The September date is Appleseed’s acknowledged birth date. However, many people across the country prefer the March date due to the planting season. While some vagueness surrounds Appleseed’s death and burial, he became ill in early March and passed soon after. In Fort Wayne, Indiana, in Johnny Appleseed Park, a grave marks the spot where the legendary sower of apple seeds rests.

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Alexander Graham Bell ~ Crustless Cheesecake ~ National Blueberry Popover Day

 

 

Good 25º frozen morning. 

 

Yesterday instead of starting out freezing like it has lately, we started at 40º. We had clouds and a couple drops of rain and topped at 60º.

 

 

Picture of the Day .... unusual animal friendship

 

 

Interesting about Alexander Graham Bell...

 

 

At one time, saying "ahoy" was the preferred way to answer the telephone. The very brief popularity of this telephone greeting stemmed from the fact that "ahoy" was Alexander Graham Bell’s preferred way to answer the phone. His rival, Thomas Edison, however, urged people to instead use the word "hello." For whatever reason, hello pushed past ahoy and never looked back. The same cannot be said of the phonebook's recommended way to end a phone conversation. The phonebook recommended: "That is all." As for Bell, he felt so strongly about "ahoy" that he used it for the rest of his life.

 

Click here for more information.. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Graham_Bell

 

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Some people just don't like to eat their crusts on pizza, bread or even cheesecake. Now there's a dessert just for them: Crustless Cheesecake!

 

• 2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
•  
• Topping:
• 2 cups (16 ounces) sour cream
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 325º. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray.
    
2. In a large bowl, combine cream cheese and 2/3 cup sugar; beat well. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla and 1/4 teaspoon lemon juice. Spoon mixture into pie plate.
    
3. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until golden. Remove from oven and let cool 10 to 15 minutes. (Do not turn oven off.)
    
4. Meanwhile, in another large bowl, combine topping ingredients. Spread over top of cheesecake and bake 10 minutes. (The top will remain almost liquid.) Let cool then refrigerate overnight or at least 4 hours before serving.

*****You can serve the cheesecake as is or cover it with canned pie filling or fresh berries before serving.

 

 

Historically this date.....

1876 – Alexander Graham Bell makes the first successful telephone call by saying "Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you."

1933 – An earthquake in Long Beach, California kills 115 people and causes an estimated $40 million dollars in damage.

1945 – The U.S. Army Air Force firebombs Tokyo, and the resulting firestorm kills more than 100,000 people, mostly civilians.

1977 – Rings of Uranus: Astronomers discover rings around Uranus. your anus? :o()

 

 

 

And births this date include...

1940 – Chuck Norris, American actor and martial artist

 

1940 – Dean Torrence, American singer (Jan and Dean)

 

1958 – Sharon Stone, American actress

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

What better way to start March 10th than with National Blueberry Popover Day? Popovers are airy rolls that puff up when baked, popping over the edge of the tin. They are light and crispy on the outside while the insides are warm and often hollow. They can be filled with custards, creams, and fruits for a sweet treat, especially blueberries.  

Popovers are similar to Yorkshire pudding and can also be served with savory combinations.

Most popover recipes are made using mostly eggs, milk, flour and salt.  When making popovers, using eggs and milk that are at room temperature produces the best result. The resulting batter is thin but has enough air it that when it bakes the steam expands the batter, causing it to puff up and pop over the tin.  The egg proteins help the pastry hold its shape and eventually the crust turns flaky and golden.

** 1850 – The oldest known reference to popovers in a letter of E.E. Stuart.

** 1876 – The first cookbook with a popover recipe was Practical Cooking by M.N. Henderson