Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Starbucks Coffee ~ Buffalo-Style Deviled Eggs ~ National Audubon Day

 

 

Good 33º clear ice on the roof morning. 

 

Yesterday was a nice day and we topped at 67º.

 

 

Picture of the Day...80 year old tortoise with her babies...

 

 

 

Interesting about Starbucks....

 

 

Starbucks Corporation is an American multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves headquartered in Seattle, Washington. It is the world's largest coffeehouse chain.

As of November 2021, the company had 33,833 stores in 80 countries, 15,444 of which were located in the United States. Out of Starbucks' U.S.-based stores, over 8,900 are company-operated, while the remainder are licensed.

 

In 2021-2022, votes to join Starbucks unions were successful at multiple Starbucks locations, including in cities such as Seattle, Buffalo, Rochester, Ithaca, Kansas City and Manhattan. 

 

The rise of the second wave of coffee culture is generally attributed to Starbucks, which introduced a wider variety of coffee experiences. Starbucks serves hot and cold drinks, whole-bean coffee, micro-ground instant coffee, espresso, caffe latte, full and loose-leaf teas, juices, Frappuccino beverages, pastries, and snacks. Some offerings are seasonal, or specific to the locality of the store. Depending on the country, most locations provide free Wi-Fi internet access.

 

Starbucks was founded in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl, and Gordon Bowker at Seattle's Pike Place Market. During the early 1980s, they sold the company to Howard Schultz who – after a business trip to Milan, Italy – decided to convert the coffee bean store into a coffeeshop serving espresso-based drinks. As chief executive officer from 1986 to 2000, Schultz's first tenure led to an aggressive expansion of the franchise, first in Seattle, then across the West Coast of the United States. Schultz was succeeded by Orin Smith who ran the company for five years and positioned Starbucks as a large player in fair trade coffee, increasing sales to $5 billion. Jim Donald served as chief executive officer from 2005 to 2008, orchestrating a large-scale earnings expansion. Schultz returned as CEO during the financial crisis of 2007–08 and spent the succeeding decade growing the company's market share, expanding its offerings, and reorienting the brand around corporate social responsibility. Kevin Johnson, the current CEO, succeeded Schultz in 2017. In March 2022, Starbucks announced that Schultz would return as CEO in April 2022.

 

On March 20, 2020, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Starbucks closed all the café-only stores in the United States for two weeks. During that time, only drive-thru and delivery-only services were to function. According to the company representatives, all workers were to be paid for the next 30 days whether they went to work or stayed home. COVID-19 lockdowns caused Starbucks to suffer a general 10% sales decrease, and a 50% decrease in China where quarantine measures were especially strict.

 

In January 2008, Starbucks began a "skinny" line of drinks, offering lower-calorie and sugar-free versions of the company's offered drinks that use skim milk, and can be sweetened by a choice of natural sweeteners (such as raw sugar, agave syrup, or honey), artificial sweeteners (such as Sweet'N Low, Splenda, Equal), or one of the company's sugar-free syrup flavors.

 

In 2010, Starbucks began selling alcoholic beverages at some stores in the United States. In August 2014, Starbucks opened its first store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn which by then was among 30 locations serving beer and wine.

 

In 2016, three locations within Toronto, Ontario also announced they were going to serve alcohol, including up-scale appetizers like bacon-wrapped dates and truffle mac and cheese.

 

Starbucks ensures that the selected locations that serve alcohol are able to accommodate the community, as well as have the space for extra seating and storage.

 

The company's headquarters is in Seattle, Washington, United States, where 3,501 people worked as of January 2015. The main building in the Starbucks complex was previously a Sears distribution center.

 

As of September 2020, Starbucks had 32,660 locations spanning 79 countries and territories on six continents.

 Frankfurt Germany....

 Turkey......

 Countries with Starbucks.....

 

^{If you want to read a whole lot more about Starbucks, go here:}

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

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

This ain't your momma's deviled egg recipe! We decided to give this recipe a Buffalo-style twist! That's right, we took all the classic flavors and added in some hot wing sauce. Top it off with some bleu cheese crumbles, and you better believe our Buffalo-Style Deviled Eggs will have everyone saying, "OOH IT'S SO GOOD!!"™

 

• 6 eggs
• 3 tablespoons blue cheese dressing
• 1 tablespoon buffalo wing sauce
• 1 tablespoon blue cheese crumbles

 

1. Place eggs in a single layer in a medium saucepan and cover them with about an inch of cold water; bring to a boil. Once they come to a boil, remove saucepan from heat, cover it, and let it sit about 18 minutes for large eggs. Run them under cold water to cool them; continue to cool them further with some ice. Gently tap each egg until the shell is finely cracked, then peel under running water.
2. Cut eggs in half horizontally and remove yolks. In a small bowl, combine egg yolks, blue cheese dressing, and wing sauce; mix well.
3. With a spoon, plastic storage or pastry bag, fill egg white halves with yolk mixture and place on a platter. Evenly sprinkle each with blue cheese. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

 

 

 

 

Historically this date......

1944 – Georgios Papandreou becomes head of the Greek government-in-exile based in Egypt.

1962 – NASA's Ranger 4 spacecraft crashes into the Moon.

1981 – Dr. Michael R. Harrison of the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center performs the world's first human open fetal surgery.

1986 – A nuclear reactor accident occurs at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in the Soviet Union (now Ukraine), creating the world's worst nuclear disaster.

2018 – American comedian Bill Cosby is found guilty of sexual assault.

 

And births this date include...

1900 – Charles Richter, American geophysicist (d. 1985)

 

1933 – Carol Burnett, American comedian

 

 

Carol lived with her mother in Hollywood on Cherokee Avenue in a brownstone between Hollywood Boulevard and Yucca. My grandmother and aunt lived a block over on Whitley Avenue. Didn't know Carol (she wasn't famous yet) but probably had walked past her apartment building a bunch of times.

 

1938 – Duane Eddy, American musician

 

1942 – Bobby Rydell, American singer (d.2022)

 

1970 – Melania Trump, Slovene-American model; 47th First Lady of the United States

 

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

On April 26th each year, National Audubon Day honors the birth of John James Audubon (April 26, 1785 – January 27, 1851).

Audubon was a French-American ornithologist, naturalist, and painter noted for his extensive studies of American birds and his detailed illustrations of the birds in their natural habitats. Audubon’s greatest work was The Birds of America which is considered one of the finest ornithological works ever completed. His work in this book contains more than 700 North American bird species with 435 hand-colored, life-size prints of 497 bird species.

Spring is an excellent time to observe the birds John Audubon described and painted. As they migrate across the country, set out feeders to welcome them along their journey. Watch them from your window or while strolling on a path.

According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, at last count approximately 45 million people watch birds. They bird watch while they travel or all year long from their homes. Many trek around the country to see a bird for the first time in its natural habitat. So can you. Learn about their habitats and migration patterns. Or simply watch them for their color and song. 

HOW TO OBSERVE

Grab the binoculars, the bird book, and see how many birds you can identify. Join local bird watching groups for tips and ideas. 

 

NATIONAL AUDUBON DAY HISTORY

The National Audubon Society sponsors National Audubon Day. 

 

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Popcorn ~ Stuffed Pizza Casserole ~ National Hug A Plumber Day

  

Good 41º cloudy morning. 

 

Yesterday, another nice day, and we topped at 78º. 

 

 

Picture of the Day ... a tiger and lion in love with each other!

 

 

Interesting about popcorn.....

 

 

Popcorn (popcorns or pop-corn) is a variety of corn kernel, which expands and puffs up when heated.

 

A popcorn kernel's strong hull contains the seed's hard, starchy endosperm with 14–20% moisture, which turns to steam as the kernel is heated. Pressure from the steam continues to build until the hull ruptures, allowing the kernel to forcefully expand from 20 to 50 times its original size—and finally, cool.

 

Some strains of corn (taxonomized as Zea mays) are cultivated specifically as popping corns. The Zea mays variety everta, a special kind of flint corn, is the most common of these.

The six major types of corn are dent corn, flint corn, pod corn, popcorn, flour corn, and sweet corn.

 

Corn was first domesticated about 10,000 years ago in what is now Mexico. Archaeologists discovered that people have known about popcorn for thousands of years. In Mexico, for example, remnants of popcorn have been found that date to around 3600 BC.

 

Popping of the kernels was achieved by hand on the stove-top through the 19th century. Kernels were sold on the East Coast of the United States under names such as Pearls or Nonpareil. The term popped corn first appeared in John Russell Bartlett's 1848 Dictionary of Americanisms. Popcorn is an ingredient in Cracker Jack, and in the early years of the product, it was popped by hand.

 

Popcorn's accessibility increased rapidly in the 1890s with Charles Cretors' invention of the popcorn maker. Cretors, a Chicago candy store owner, created a number of steam powered machines for roasting nuts, and applied the technology to the corn kernels. By the turn of the century, Cretors had created and deployed street carts equipped with steam powered popcorn makers.

 

During the Great Depression, popcorn was fairly inexpensive at 5–10 cents a bag and became popular. Thus, while other businesses failed, the popcorn business thrived and became a source of income for many struggling farmers, including the Redenbacher family, namesake of the famous popcorn brand. During World War II, sugar rations diminished candy production, and Americans compensated by eating three times as much popcorn as they had before. The snack was popular at theaters, much to the initial displeasure of many of the theater owners, who thought it distracted from the films. Their minds eventually changed, however, and in 1938 a Midwestern theater owner named Glen W. Dickson installed popcorn machines in the lobbies of his theaters. The venture was a financial success, and the trend soon spread.

 

In 1970, Orville Redenbacher's namesake brand of popcorn was launched. In 1981, General Mills received the first patent for a microwave popcorn bag, with popcorn consumption seeing a sharp increase by tens of thousands of pounds in the years following.

At least six localities (all in the Midwestern United States) claim to be the "Popcorn Capital of the World;": Ridgway, Illinois; Valparaiso, Indiana; Van Buren, Indiana; Schaller, Iowa; Marion, Ohio; and North Loup, Nebraska. According to the USDA, corn used for popcorn production is specifically planted for this purpose; most is grown in Nebraska and Indiana, with increasing area in Texas. As the result of an elementary school project, popcorn became the official state snack food of Illinois.

 

Air-popped popcorn is naturally high in dietary fiber and antioxidants, low in calories and fat, and free of sugar and sodium. This can make it an attractive snack to people with dietary restrictions on the intake of calories, fat or sodium. For the sake of flavor, however, large amounts of fat, sugar, and sodium are often added to prepared popcorn, which can quickly convert it to a very poor choice for those on restricted diets.

 

One particularly notorious example of this first came to public attention in the mid-1990s, when the Center for Science in the Public Interest produced a report about "Movie Popcorn", which became the subject of a widespread publicity campaign. The movie theaters surveyed used coconut oil to pop the corn, and then topped it with butter or margarine. "A medium-size buttered popcorn", the report said, "contains more fat than a breakfast of bacon and eggs, a Big Mac and fries, and a steak dinner combined." The practice continues today. For example, according to DietFacts.com, a small popcorn from Regal Cinema Group (the largest theater chain in the United States) still contains 29 g of saturated fat. the equivalent of a full day-and-a-half's reference daily intake

 

 

An early popcorn machine in a street cart, invented in the 1880s by Charles Cretors in Chicago.

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Our Stuffed Pizza Casserole is a great weeknight meal! Kids will love it and so will all the kids-at-heart at your table! It's a double-crusted hearty deep dish pizza chock full of a beef, Italian sausage and veggie filling that will have everyone begging for seconds!

 

• 1/2 pound Italian sausage, casing removed
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
• 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 2 (10-ounce) cans refrigerated pizza dough, divided
• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce, divided

 

1. Preheat oven to 425º. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook sausage and ground beef 8 to 10 minutes, or until browned, stirring occasionally. Stir in mushrooms and bell pepper and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until just tender. Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, unroll 1 pizza dough, press into bottom and halfway up sides of prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with 1 cup cheese, top with 3/4 cup pizza sauce, spoon meat mixture evenly over sauce, and sprinkle with 1 more cup cheese. Unroll and place second pizza dough on top. Press bottom and top crust edges together to seal. Make a few small slits in top crust.
4. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven, pour remaining pizza sauce over crust and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake an additional 8 to 10 minutes, or until crust is browned.

 

 

 

Historically this date.....

1901 – New York becomes the first U.S. state to require automobile license plates.

 

1939 – DC Comics publishes its second major superhero in Detective Comics #27; he is Batman, one of the most popular comic book superheroes of all time.

 

1945 – The Nazi occupation army surrenders and leaves Northern Italy after a general partisan insurrection by the Italian resistance movement; the puppet fascist regime

dissolves and Benito Mussolini tries to escape. This day is taken as symbolic of the Liberation of Italy.

 

1960 – The U.S. Navy submarine USS Triton completes the first submerged circumnavigation of the globe.

 

1965 – Teenage sniper Michael Andrew Clark kills three and wounds six others shooting from a hilltop along Highway 101 just south of Santa Maria, California.

2004 – The March for Women's Lives brings between 500,000 and 800,000 protesters, mostly pro-choice, to Washington D.C. to protest the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act of 2003, and other restrictions on abortion.

 

2011 – At least 300 people killed in deadliest tornado outbreak in the Southern United States since the 1974 Super Outbreak.

2015 – Nearly 9,100 are killed after a massive 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes Nepal.

 

 

And births this date include....

 1940 - Al Pacino, American actor
     Rode hard? Put away wet? Ewwww......

 

1964 – Hank Azaria, American actor, director, comedian

1969 – Renée Zellweger, American actress

 

 

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Hug A Plumber Day on April 25th recognizes those who come to our rescue when pipes leak or drains are clogged. 

Plumbers have kept the water flowing since ancient Rome. Whether it is a minor leak to a major clog, a plumber will have the right tool for the job. They also help us install the right pipes and plumbing types when building a house or new business. They’re the water specialists – designing plumbing systems that work when we need it. Thanks to plumbers, we have hot water on demand. Showers come with a variety of options and kitchens provide the ultimate convenience. 

Consider how plumbers improve our lives and health in the modern world. Their contributions could be inventions the human race would have a difficult time living without. Given a choice between using only a flush toilet or a smartphone for the rest of your life, which would you choose?

From the moment you wake in the morning to every glass, flush and wash, a plumber makes life easier even if you never have to call one.

 

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Wild Turkeys ~ Five Star Chicken ~ National Pet Parents Day

  

Good 34º clear sunny morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we started with a clear blue sky and then the clouds moved in....

It was a beautiful day with big fluffy white clouds and lots of sunshine. We topped at 75º!

 

Picture of the Day.... Elephant queen 60+ years old wild in Kenya...such long tusks they touched the ground!

 

 

Interesting

 

So, the Toms are out parading ... and between March and May it's mating season. These have got to be some of the dumbest animals I have ever seen.... they pace in front of a fence and have no clue they can fly over it. Then this time of year the Toms are trying to be attractive to the hens, but duh........ Hey Tom, that's a Jake! (A Jake is a young male...)

The wild turkey is an upland ground bird native to North America, one of two extant species of turkey, and the heaviest member of the order Galliformes. It is the ancestor to the domestic turkey, which was originally derived from a southern Mexican subspecies of wild turkey. Although native to North America, the turkey probably got its name from the domesticated variety being imported to Britain in ships coming from the Levant via Spain. The British at the time therefore associated the wild turkey with the country Turkey and the name prevails.

 

They are not native to Oregon. They were first introduced in 1961. Since then more than 10,000 turkeys have been transplanted all over Oregon. There are two subspecies, the Merriam's wild turkey was the first in the state, and the Rio Grand turkey was introduced in 1975. The wild turkey population here in Ory-gun was depleted years ago so turkeys were brought in from Texas.

 

We have a lot of wild turkeys here.

 

If you want to read a lot more about this creature, go here:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_turkey

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

There's a reason why we call this dish Five Star Chicken -- because it tastes like something you would order from a fancy restaurant. The good news here is that you don't have to spend Michelin Star prices to eat like the rich and famous! This easy chicken dish is super affordable, and can be made in the comfort of your own kitchen. Get ready for restaurant quality food at your kitchen table!

 

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (1 to 1-1/2 pounds total)
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 1/2 pound mushrooms, quartered
• 1 large tomato, chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

 

1. In a shallow dish, combine flour, salt, and pepper; coat chicken evenly on both sides.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter; saute chicken 4 to 5 minutes per side, or until browned. Remove to a platter and set aside.
3. Add remaining ingredients except parsley to skillet and cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return chicken to skillet and reduce heat to medium-low.
4. Simmer 5 to 7 minutes, or until sauce thickens and chicken is warmed through. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

 

****If the chicken breasts are very thick, flatten them a bit by pounding with a kitchen mallet.

 

 

 

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

1967 – Cosmonaut Vladimir Komarov dies in Soyuz 1 when its parachute fails to open. He is the first human to die during a space mission.

1970 – The first Chinese satellite, Dong Fang Hong I, is launched. (Oh my, that sounds funny!!)

1980 – Eight U.S. servicemen die in Operation Eagle Claw as they attempt to end the Iran hostage crisis.

2005 – Snuppy, the world's first cloned dog, is born in South Korea.

 

And births this date include....

1934 – Shirley MacLaine, American actor and author

 

1936 – Jill Ireland, British actress (d. 1990)

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

On the last Sunday in April, National Pet Parents Day recognizes the pet parents who go the extra mile to care for their fur babies. 

There is a very special connection, a unique bond, between a pet and its owner. This unique relationship, which can often last for many years, is often a vital part of the ‘pet parents’ life. Their loved pets are considered to be a member of the family. 

Some pet parents are new to the experience. Others are repeat performers. No matter how many pets or how often they engage in the relationship, it’s a special one every time. 

The observance was created to honor all dedicated pet parents across the nation with a special day of their own. 

HOW TO OBSERVE

There are several ways to celebrate this day.

• Give yourself some extra cuddle time with your pets
• Pick up some pet swag like National Day Calendar’s pawsome socks! 
• • Take a photo with your pet.
  • Check out the best ways to save on pet care while still giving your pet the best health possible.

NATIONAL PET PARENTS DAY HISTORY

Founded by Veterinary Pet Insurance (VPI) in 2007, National Pet Parents Day was created from inspiration in seeing the majority of their policyholders consider their pets as part of their family.

Pet Parents FAQ

Q. Are there more dog parents than cat parents?
A. National Day Calendar polled 3160 respondents and 70% said they were a dog lover vs 25% who said, “Cats only, please.”

Q. What’s the worst job for a pet owner?

A. In the same poll, 38% said cleaning up the yard. That said, 30% said they don’t like cleaning the yard, cat box, aquarium, or birdcage. We’re not sure if they don’t like pets, or just cleaning.

Q. Do pet owners own different species?
A. Some do. The most popular pet combos according to the poll are dogs and cats at 35%.