Weather ~ Shrimp Mac 'n' Cheese ~ Tournament of Roses Parade ~ Frank Mize ~ Rose Parade Memories ~ New Years Day ~ National Hangover Day ~ Bloody Mary Day

  

Good 35º super foggy here morning. 

 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! WOW, 2023.

 

Yesterday afternoon we had some fluffy clouds and blue sky and we topped at 51º.....

 

From Mr. Food

 

 

Our Shrimp Mac 'n' Cheese is a seaside version of that classic comfort dish. The shrimp gives it an added flavor of summer, but this creamy, dreamy mac and cheese recipe is perfect all year round. One bite, and we know this is going to be your new favorite. It's an all new mac and cheese dinner sensation that you'll want again and again. 

When it comes to comfort food, you can't beat a good seafood mac and cheese recipe. This is one delivers! Using both cheddar and mozzarella, tasty shrimp, and a buttery cracker topping, you will be in heaven as soon as you start eating. To learn how to make this shrimp mac, simply watch the video and follow along with the easy directions below.

 

• 1 pound pasta shells
• 6 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon seafood seasoning
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup coarsely crushed butter crackers
• 1 pound cooked and peeled medium-sized shrimp

 

1. Preheat oven to 375º. Coat a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain
3. In a large soup pot, melt 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in flour, seafood seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Gradually add milk, bring to a boil, and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Stir in 3 cups cheese until melted. When sauce is smooth, remove from heat, add cooked pasta, shrimp and mozzarella cheese and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
    
4. When sauce is smooth, remove from heat, add cooked pasta, shrimp and mozzarella cheese and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
5. 1. In a small bowl, combine crushed butter crackers with remaining 2 tablespoons of melted butter; sprinkle on top of the casserole. Bake 20-30 minutes, or until heated through and the top is golden. Serve.

 

 

 

The Tournament of Roses Parade, typically shortened to Rose Parade, is a parade held annually on the morning (8:00 am Pacific Time) of New Year's Day in Pasadena, California.

It is produced by the non-profit Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association and includes flower-covered floats, marching bands, and equestrian units. The parade, whose route is mostly along Colorado Boulevard, is followed by the Rose Bowl collegiate football game in the afternoon. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the parade and the Rose Bowl game are moved to the next day, Monday.

 

First produced on January 1, 1890, the Rose Parade is watched in person by hundreds of thousands of spectators on the parade route, and is broadcast on multiple television networks in the United States. It is seen by millions more on television worldwide in more than 100 international territories and countries.

 

The Rose Bowl is a college football game that was added in 1902 to help fund the cost of staging the parade.

 

Members of Pasadena's Valley Hunt Club first staged the parade in 1890. Since then the parade has been held in Pasadena every New Year's Day, except when January 1 falls on a Sunday. In that case, it is held on the subsequent Monday, January 2. This exception was instituted in 1893, as organizers did not wish to disturb horses hitched outside Sunday church services. (This event was held even during both World War years.)

 

 

The stately Italian Renaissance-style mansion (391 Orange Grove Avenue, Pasadena) of William Wrigley Jr. (the maker of Wrigley's chewing gum) was offered to the city of Pasadena after Mrs. Wrigley's death in 1958, under the condition that their home would be the Rose Parade's permanent headquarters.

Tournament House is the name given the former home where the organization is headquartered.

 

 

Special birthday today, my neighbor Frank Mize is celebrating. HAPPY BIRTHDAY FRANK!! Thanks for being a special neighbor and friend.

 

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

1890 – The Tournament of Roses Parade in Pasadena, California, is first held.

 

1908 – For the first time, a ball is dropped in New York City's Times Square to signify the start of the New Year at midnight.

 

1954 – NBC makes the first coast-to-coast NTSC color broadcast when it telecast the Tournament of Roses Parade

 

1962 – United States Navy Seals established.

 

1971 – Cigarette advertisements are banned on American television.

 

 

And births on this first day of the year include....

1735 – Paul Revere, American patriot (d. 1818)

 

1752 – Betsy Ross, American seamstress (d. 1836)

 

 

 

 

 

1895 – J. Edgar Hoover, American FBI director (d. 1972)

 

 

 

 

1930 – Ty Hardin, American film actor (d.2017)

 

 

 

 Wow, 8 wives!! The last one he married in 2007!

 

1935 – B. Kliban, American cartoonist (d. 1990)

 

 

 

 

   "Love to eat them mousies. Mousies what I love to eat.

    Bite they little heads off and nibble on they tiny feet."

 

1938 – Frank Langella, American actor

 

 

My Rose Parade memories....

After having marched in the Rose Parade with the LA Sheriff's Boys Band back in 1961 playing the glockenspiel,

 

and marching the 5½ miles from Orange Grove to Colorado Blvd to Sierra Madre Blvd behind the Sheriff's Mounted and walking through all that horse poo,  I then "worked" the parade as a Reserve Deputy for a number of years.

 We had to be at the command post by 3am for instructions and then we took our positions. Generally I was at the intersection of Orange Grove and Colorado (where the TV cameras were) and one year I escorted Sheriff Sherman Block to his seat in the grandstand on Orange Grove. Another year a bunch of demonstrators sat down in front of the Rose Queen's float and we had to "escort" them off the route behind the stands for questioning. My nephew was watching the parade on TV from Lake Tahoe and called my sister screaming, "Aunt Sue is on the TV!!!". Another year I worked on Sierra Madre keeping an intersection clear for emergency vehicles. A man who seemed to be 12' tall put his chair down in the wrong place. I, in my nicest way, told him he can't sit there. He stood up, my face was opposite his belt buckle (TALL MAN!) and he was acting irritated. I kept talking to him and he seemed to relax and back up. I thought I was really doing good! Then, I glanced over my shoulder and there was a Sgt and 4 deputies!! LOL. Yep, backup is the BEST! Anyway, good memories of the parade!

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a Happy New Year's Day. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Nearly the entire world recognizes New Year’s Day on January 1st. It’s also one of the most celebrated holidays of the year.

Celebrations will begin in the Pacific Ocean with Samoa celebrating the New Year before the rest of the world. The latest stroke of midnight will occur in the middle of the Pacific Ocean near Baker Island, which is halfway between Hawaii and Australia.

HOW TO OBSERVE

Traditions around the world:

• Kiss at midnight the one person you hope to keep kissing the rest of the year.
• Making noise, either in the form of fireworks, ringing bells, horns, blasting, or pistol shots are traditional around the world.
• In Holland, they toast to the new year with spiced wine, wassail in England, or champagne in the United States.
• Resolutions are not a modern tradition. The Babylonians made commitments to return borrowed objects and to pay old debts.

 

NEW YEAR’S DAY HISTORY

The new year has been celebrated for millennia. The earliest record of new year’s celebrations occurred during Babylonian times. However, January 1st wasn’t always the designated day. For example, the first new moon after the vernal equinox ushered in the new year at one time. These festivities occurred in Martius (March), the first month in the early Roman calendar, which only had ten months.

King Pompilius later added the months Januarius (named for Janus, the pagan god of gates, doors and beginnings) and Februarius bringing the calendar to 12 months. It was Julius Caesar who created the Julian calendar, which most closely resembles the Gregorian calendar a majority of the world follows today.

Romans celebrated January 1 in honor of Janus, offering sacrifices, giving gifts, and decorating with laurel branches. With his two faces, the god Janus was able to look toward the past and forward to the future. Celebrating the first day of the year in the appropriately named month of January, Romans made sacrifices to Janus, giving gifts and general revelry.

 

It's also............

On January 1st, National Hangover Day nurses the aching heads of all of us who over celebrated New Year’s Eve each year.

Symptoms of a Hangover

• Feeling tired: Alcohol is a toxin. Our bodies metabolize toxins (alcohol) at a certain pace. When the speed of consumption exceeds the pace the liver can process it, we become intoxicated. The risk of hangover becomes substantially higher, too. As the liver breaks down alcohol, it produces the toxic chemical acetaldehyde.  One of the substances the body produces to counter these toxins is glutathione. The body can only make so much at a time, and a night of drinking quickly depletes it. Since glutathione is a stimulant, when it’s exhausted, we feel tired.
• Upset stomach:  Alcohol promotes secretion of hydrochloric acid in the stomach.  Excessive amounts of hydrochloric acid leads to a queasy stomach, diarrhea, or vomiting.
• Headache or muscle aches: Alcohol is a diuretic.  Dehydration leads to aches and pains, as well as the upset stomach listed above.

Also, today is...

 

For all those who celebrated more than they should have, National Bloody Mary Day serves up one of the world’s most popular hangover cures on January 1st.

It would seem the Bloody Mary is the product of several hard day’s nights, lackluster cocktails, and seemingly tasteless liquor.

When the Russian Revolution pressed fleeing men into Paris and to Harry’s Bar at The Ritz Hotel, bartender Ferdinand “Pete” Petiot mixed up a cocktail that eventually made its way to post-prohibition America.

According to Food and Drink in American History: “Full Course” Encyclopediaby Andrew F. Smith, the Bloody Mary made its debut in Paris at The Ritz Hotel in 1921. Originally named the Bucket of Blood, it also went by the name Red Snapper. Petiot later left Paris and introduced the vodka, tomato juice, lemon juice, Worcestershire, cayenne, and salty cocktail to the New York King Cole Bar scene when prohibition ended.

Some attribute the name to notorious Queen Mary Tudor, who executed hundreds of Protestants in the name of Catholicism during her short five-year reign from 1553 to 1558. Others claim Petiot’s girlfriend of the same name receives the credit.

Today’s Bloody Mary’s include a variety of ingredients from pickles, olives, and celery to bacon, horseradish, tobacco, and peppers.

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Shopping Carts History ~ Chicken a la King ~ New Year's Eve ~ National Champagne Day

  

Good 45º cloudy possible rain day. 

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 46º.

 

 

Picture of the Day

 

 

Interesting about shopping carts.......

 

A shopping cart (American English), trolley (British English, Australian English), or buggy (Southern American English, Appalachian English), also known by a variety of other names, is a wheeled cart supplied by a shop or store, especially supermarkets, for use by customers inside the premises for transport of merchandise as they move around the premises, while shopping, prior to heading to the checkout counter, cashiers or tills. Increasing the amount of goods a shopper can collect increases the quantities they are likely to purchase in a single trip, boosting store profitability.

 

In many cases customers can then also use the cart to transport their purchased goods to their vehicles, but some carts are designed to prevent them from leaving either the store or the designated parking area by magnetically locking the wheels. In many places in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, customers are encouraged to leave the carts in designated areas within the parking lot, and store employees will return the carts to the entrances. In some areas carts are connected by locking mechanisms that require the insertion of a coin or token to release an individual cart. Returning the cart to its designated area releases the coin to the customer.

 

Studies have shown that it is advisable for shoppers to sanitize the handles and basket areas prior to handling them or filling them with groceries due to high levels of bacteria that typically live on shopping carts. This is due to the carts having a high level of exposure to the skin flora of previous users.

 

One of the first shopping carts was introduced on June 4, 1937, the invention of Sylvan Goldman, owner of the Humpty Dumpty supermarket chain in Oklahoma. One night, in 1936, Goldman sat in his office wondering how customers might move more groceries. He found a wooden folding chair and put a basket on the seat and wheels on the legs. Goldman and one of his employees, a mechanic named Fred Young, began tinkering. Their first shopping cart was a metal frame that held two wire baskets. Since they were inspired by the folding chair, Goldman called his carts "folding basket carriers". Another mechanic, Arthur Kosted, developed a method to mass-produce the carts by inventing an assembly line capable of forming and welding the wire. The cart was awarded patent number 2,196,914 on April 9, 1940 (Filing date: March 14, 1938), titled, "Folding Basket Carriage for Self-Service Stores". They advertised the invention as part of a new “No Basket Carrying Plan." Goldman had already pioneered self-serve stores and carts were part of the self-serve retail concept.

 

Another shopping cart innovator was Orla Watson, who invented the swinging rear door to allow for "nesting" in 1946. Orla Watson continued to make modifications to his original design. Advice from his trusted business partners Fred Taylor, a grocery store owner in Kansas City, and George O'Donnell, a grocery store refrigeration salesman, and the incorporation of Watson's swinging door yielded the familiar nesting cart that we see today using the "double-decker" approach. Goldman patented a similar version of the cart with only one basket rather than the double-decker feature, which he called the "Nest-Kart" in 1948, over one year after Watson filed for his patent. The Nest-Kart incorporated the same nesting mechanism present on the shopping carts designed by Watson, and an interference investigation was ordered by Telescope Carts, Inc. alleging infringement of the patent in 1948. After a protracted legal battle, Goldman ultimately recognized Watson's invention and paid one dollar in damages for counterfeit, in exchange for which Watson granted Goldman an exclusive operating license (apart from the three licenses that had already been granted).

 

In 2012, a driverless shopping cart was made by Chaotic Moon Labs. The device, called "Project Sk8" or "Smarter Cart" was basically a cart fitted with Windows Kinect (to detect obstacles), and an electric drivetrain, and used in conjunction with a Windows 8 tablet. For smaller stores, shopping baskets with wheels can be used either as a large basket or a small cart. These carts are designed for indoor use only.

 

In 2017, a mobile device shelf was added to shopping carts at Target stores to support the digital in-store shopping experience. The shelf was invented and designed by Nick Dyer, an employee of Target from 2011 - 2015.

 

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

Fancy-shmancy just got easy-"pea"sy with our recipe for Chicken a la King in a Hurry! This comforting dinner recipe is said to have been created for a King, who loved it so much he put it on his hotel menu the very next day. Now your whole gang can enjoy having it on their menu.

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
• 1 (10-3/4-ounce) can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 cups chunked cooked chicken (about 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts)
• 1 cup frozen green peas, thawed
• 1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained

 

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; saute mushrooms 4 to 5 minutes, or until tender. Add soup, milk, salt, pepper, and chicken; mix well and cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until hot.
    
2. Stir in peas and pimientos and continue cooking 5 to 7 minutes, or until warmed through.

 

****Serve over warm cooked egg noodles or buttermilk biscuits.

 

 

 

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

1862 – American Civil War: Abraham Lincoln signs an act that admits West Virginia to the Union, thus dividing Virginia in two.

1879 – Thomas Edison demonstrates incandescent lighting to the public for the first time, in Menlo Park, NJ.

1907 – The first New Year's Eve celebration is held in Times Square (then known as Longacre Square) in New York City, New York.

1909 – Manhattan Bridge opens.

1960 – The farthing coin ceases to be legal tender in the United Kingdom.

................OMG, I first thought this said "farting" coin!

1983 – The AT&T Bell System is broken up by the United States Government.

1999 – Boris Yeltsin, the first president of Russia, resigns as President of Russia, leaving Prime MinisterVladimir Putin as the acting President.

 

And births this date include...

1920 – Rex Allen, American actor, singer, and songwriter (d. 1999)

 

 

1943 – John Denver, American singer and songwriter (d. 1997)

 

1943 – Sir Ben Kingsley, English actor

 

 

1947 – Tim Matheson, American actor

1958 – Bebe Neuwirth, American actress

 

1959 – Val Kilmer, American actor

 

 

 

 

 

1965 – Nicholas Sparks, American author

1974 – Tony Kanaan, Brazilian racing driver

 

 

 

All I know. Nuff said. Have a good New Years Eve. Ciao.

xo Sue Mom Bobo

Every year on December 31st, people around the world celebrate New Year’s Eve, the last day of the year. It’s a day to say “goodbye” to the old and “hello” to the new.

Also known as Old Year’s Day or Saint Sylvester’s Day, New Year’s Eve is one of the most exciting holidays of the year. In some countries, such as the Philippines and Latvia, New Year’s Eve is a public holiday. In Japan, it’s a government holiday. In other countries, many businesses let their employees off of work early so that they can partake in the many festivities.

There are many reasons this day is one of the biggest nights of the year. Not just because it’s a time of big parties and celebrations all around the world. New Year’s Eve can be a significant turning point in your life. It’s a time to reflect on the past year and all of the lessons you have learned. It can be a time you decide to start making better choices. If you have had a rough year, New Year’s Eve offers a feeling of relief. You can be thankful that the year is finally over

New Year’s is also a time to forgive past mistakes and form new habits. Many people make New Year’s resolutions. Although, only 8% of people actually accomplish them. Instead of making resolutions that you’re not going to keep anyway, it’s better to set three or four goals. Breaking down goals into actionable steps, and reviewing your progress daily helps to keep them. It’s also a good idea to find a friend or mentor that can hold you accountable.

HOW TO OBSERVE

As we count down the last hours and seconds of the old year, it is an excellent time to look back at the year and reminisce with friends and family.  

Many cities throughout the world go all-out to celebrate this exciting night. Fireworks, concerts, countdowns, and ball drops are usually among the many festivities. Some of the best cities to celebrate include New York City, Sydney, Bangkok, Dubai, Cape Town, London, and Las Vegas.

In Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries, it is a tradition to eat 12 grapes during the countdown to midnight, symbolizing hopes for the new year. Around the world, eating anything in the form of a circle or ring symbolizes coming full circle and is considered good luck.

As a Christian observance, it is traditional to hold an evening Mass the night before a Holy Day. New Year’s Day in the Roman Catholic Church honors the Virgin Mary. In some countries, St. Sylvester, Pope of the Catholic Church from 314 to 335, is celebrated on New Year’s Eve.

Other ways to participate:

• Host a party to ring in the New Year
• Set some achievable goals
• If you can’t be at a celebration, watch one live on television
• Have a game night with your family and see who lasts until midnight
• Go for a midnight run
• Attend a concert that goes past midnight
• Go ice-skating at a nearby park or indoor rink
• Kiss your spouse or significant other at midnight
• Enjoy a quiet evening at home journaling
• Think about what you can do to make next year the best one of your life

 

NEW YEAR’S EVE HISTORY

The first New Year’s celebrations were thought to be held in ancient Mesopotamia. Because of the calendar at the time, these celebrations took place in March. Ringing in the New Year consisted of an 11-day festival. When the calendar switched from the lunar year to the solar year, the New Year began in January. This occurred in 46. B.C., when an astronomer convinced Julius Caesar to follow the solar year. It seems that since way back then, the coming New Year has been cause for celebration. Through the years, many New Year’s traditions have formed. Some of which include fireworks, parties, and singing “Auld Lang Syne.”

 

Today is also...

 

Genuine champagne only comes from France’s Champagne region. French law protects where and how it is made. With some exceptions, only Champagne made according to set specifications and within the French region may label their wines using the term “Champagne.” Other foods and beverages fall under this type of protection in France and other parts of the world.

Champagne, France, is located northeast of Paris and provides ideal temperature and soil to produce the grapes required for Champagne. French law allows only eight varieties of grapes for the production of Champagne in the Champagne region. Primarily, the three grapes used to create Champagne are Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Pinot Meunier. 

Unlike other wines, Champagne ferments in the bottle allowing the vintner to trap the CO2 in the bottle. The bubbles give Champagne its effervescence.  

While Champagne can be spendy, if you are looking for a little pop on New Year’s Eve, other varieties of sparkling wine are available from Italy, California, and even the South of France. They offer a sparkle that won’t put a fizzle in your pocketbook. Then again, some New Years mean an opportunity for splurging and celebrating no matter the expense.