Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Macaroni History ~ Meatball Mac & Cheese ~ National Milk Day

  

Good 37º morning. 

 

 

Yesterday we topped at 55º.

 

 

Picture of the Day..... timing! 

 

 

Interesting about macaroni .....

 

Macaroni (/ˌmækəˈroʊni/, Italian: maccheroni) is dry pasta shaped like narrow tubes. Made with durum wheat, macaroni is commonly cut in short lengths; curved macaroni may be referred to as elbow macaroni. Some home machines can make macaroni shapes but, like most pasta, macaroni is usually made commercially by large-scale extrusion. The curved shape is created by different speeds of extrusion on opposite sides of the pasta tube as it comes out of the machine.

 

The word "macaroni" is often used synonymously with elbow-shaped macaroni, as it is the variety most often used in macaroni and cheese recipes. In Italy and other countries, the noun maccheroni can refer to straight, tubular, square-ended pasta corta ("short-length pasta") or to long pasta dishes, as in maccheroni alla chitarra and frittata di maccheroni, which are prepared with long pasta like spaghetti. In the United States, federal regulations define three different shapes of dried pasta, such as spaghetti, as a "macaroni product".

 

In Italian, maccheroni refers to elongated pasta, not necessarily in tubular form. This general meaning is still retained outside Rome and in different languages which borrowed the word. In Brazilian Portuguese, Estonian, Greek, Iranian, Russian, Ukrainian, and other Slavic languages, as well as Arabic, Turkish, Kazakh, Azerbaijani, Uzbek, Kyrgyz, and other Turkic languages and some Italian-American dialects the word was adapted as a generic term for all varieties of pasta.

 

Maccheroni comes from Italian maccheroni [makkeˈroːni], plural form of maccherone. The many varieties sometimes differ from each other because of the texture of each pasta: rigatoni and tortiglioni, for example, have ridges down their lengths, while chifferi, lumache, lumaconi, pipe, pipette, etc. refer to elbow-shaped pasta similar to macaroni in North American culture.

 

However, the product as well as the name derive from the ancient Greek "Macaria". The academic consensus supports that the word is derived from the Greek μακαρία (makaria), a kind of barley broth which was served to commemorate the dead. In turn, that comes from μάκαρες (makares) meaning "blessed dead", and ultimately from μακάριος (makarios), collateral of μάκαρ (makar) which means "blessed, happy".

 

However, the Italian linguist G. Alessio argues that the word can have two origins. The first is the Medieval Greek μακαρώνεια (makarōneia) "dirge" (stated in sec. XIII by James of Bulgaria), which would mean "funeral meal" and then "food to serve" during this office (see modern Eastern Thrace's μαχαρωνιά - macharōnia in the sense of "rice-based dish served at the funeral"), in which case, the term would be composed of the double root of μακάριος "blessed" and αἰωνίος (aiōnios), "eternally". The second is the Greek μακαρία "barley broth", which would have added the suffix -one.

 

In his book Delizia! The Epic History of Italians and their Food (2007), John Dickie instead says that the word macaroni, and its earlier variants like maccheroni, "comes from maccare, meaning to pound or crush."

 

The word first appears in English as makerouns in the 1390 Forme of Cury, which records the earliest recipe for macaroni and cheese. The word later came to be applied to overdressed dandies and was associated with foppish Italian fashions of dress and periwigs, as in the eighteenth-century British song "Yankee Doodle".

 

As is the case with dishes made with other types of pasta, macaroni and cheese is a popular dish and is often made with elbow macaroni. The same dish, known simply as macaroni cheese, is also found in Great Britain, where it originated. A sweet macaroni, known as macaroni pudding, containing milk and sugar (and rather similar to a rice pudding) was also popular with the British during the Victorian era. A popular canned variety is still manufactured by Ambrosia and sold in UK supermarkets.

 

In areas with large Chinese populations open to Western cultural influence such as Hong Kong, Macao, Malaysia and Singapore, the local Chinese have adopted macaroni as an ingredient for Chinese-style Western cuisine. In Hong Kong's cha chaan teng ("tea restaurants") and Southeast Asia's kopi tiam ("coffee shops"), macaroni is cooked in water and then rinsed to remove starch, and served in clear broth with ham or frankfurter sausages, peas, black mushrooms, and optionally eggs, reminiscent of noodle soup dishes. This is often a course for breakfast or light lunch fare. Macaroni has also been incorporated into Malay Malaysian cuisine, where it is stir-fried akin to mee goreng using Asian seasoning similar to said noodle dish (i.e. shallots, oyster sauce and chili paste). In the Philippines, it is a key ingredient in sopas, a semi-clear chicken broth often with chicken meat, pork, carrots, and other vegetables. A common variant uses milk, specifically evaporada.

 

From Mr. Food

 

Add a little beefiness to your macaroni and cheese with our recipe for Meatball Mac & Cheese. This easy, cheesy, homemade macaroni and cheese recipe gets easily "beefed up" thanks to a convenient ingredient we found in the freezer aisle!

 

 

• 1/2 pound elbow macaroni
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup (about 1/2 pound) diced Cheddar cheese or cubed processed cheese spread (like Velveeta)
• 1/4 teaspoon dry mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups frozen cocktail meatballs, thawed and cut in half

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. In a large pot of boiling water, cook macaroni until just tender, drain and place in a large bowl.
    
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, heat milk and cheese together over medium heat until cheese melts; stir in mustard and salt.
    
3. Add meatballs and cheese mixture to macaroni, mix well. Place in a 2-quart casserole dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until heated through. Serve.

 

 

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

1693 – Mount Etna erupts in Sicily, Italy. A powerful
earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta.

 

1861 – Alabama secedes from the United States.

 

1863 – American Civil War: Battle of Arkansas Post: General John McClernand and Admiral David Dixon Porter capture the Arkansas River for the Union.

 

1863 – American Civil War: CSS Alabama encounters and sinks the USS Hatteras off Galveston Lighthouse in Texas.

 

1908 – Grand Canyon National Monument is created.

 

 

1922 – First use of insulin to

 treat diabetes in a human patient.

 

 

1935 – Amelia Earhart becomes the first

 

person to fly solo from Hawaii to California.

 

1942 – World War II: The Japanese capture Kuala Lumpur.

 

1943 – World War II: The United States and

 United Kingdom give up territorial rights in China

 

 

 

1964 – Surgeon General of the United States Dr. Luther Terry, M.D., publishes the landmark report Smoking and Health: Report of the Advisory Committee to the Surgeon General of the United States saying that smoking may be hazardous to health, sparking national and worldwide anti-smoking efforts.

 

 

And births this date include....

 

 1923 – Carroll Shelby, American

  race car driver, engineer, and businessman,

 founded Carroll Shelby International (d. 2012)

 

 

1930 – Rod Taylor, Australian-American actor

 and screenwriter (d. 2015)

 

  

 

 

1946 – Naomi Judd, American singer (The Judds) (d.2022)

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

National Milk Day on January 11th commemorates the day many think the first milk deliveries in glass bottles began in the United States. Alexander Campbell of the New York Dairy Company professed to the New York State Senate that his company was the first to make these deliveries in 1878. 

The United States and Australia export more milk and milk products than any other country. Those products include cheese, yogurt, ice cream, butter, cream, powdered milk, and much more. Throughout the world, more than 6 billion people consume milk and the products we make from it. One of the reasons is because milk provides nutrients such as calcium, potassium, vitamin B12, and vitamin A. 

Production History

During the Middle Ages, people called milk the virtuous white liquor because alcoholic beverages were more reliable than water. In 1863, French chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur made it possible for milk and other food and drinks to be stored for more extended periods. He developed a method of killing harmful bacteria that is now called pasteurization. 

In 1884, an American doctor, Hervey Thatcher of New York City, developed the first modern glass milk bottle. He called it the “Thatcher’s Common Sense Milk Jar.” He used a waxed paper disk to seal the milk in the glass bottle. Later, in 1932, plastic-coated paper milk cartons were introduced commercially as a consequence of their invention by Victor W. Farris. 

Modern industrial processes use milk to produce casein, whey protein, lactose, condensed milk, powdered milk, and many other food-additive and industrial products. 

Animals

The females of all mammal species can, by definition, produce milk. However, cow milk dominates commercial production. In 2011. FAO estimates cows produced 85% of all milk worldwide. Apart from cattle, many kinds of livestock contribute milk used by humans for dairy products. These animals include buffalo, goat, sheep, camel, donkey, horse, reindeer, and yak. Like cattle, their milk produces cream, butter, yogurt, kefir, ice cream, and cheese, too. 

HOW TO OBSERVE 

The ultimate way to celebrate is with a large glass of milk. However, a serving of anything made with milk would count, too! Does a milkshake sound good to you? We’ve gathered up some other ways to celebrate, too!

• Make your own cheese
• Add chocolate, strawberry, and malted flavorings to your milk. Then blindfold the kids and have a milk tasting!
• Invite a friend for homemade hot chocolate
• While drinking your milk, learn more about the nutrients in milk

 

NATIONAL MILK DAY HISTORY

In 1915, The International Association of Milk Inspectors submitted a request to Congress in October of 1915 for a resolution naming an observance of National Milk Day. Their request did not suggest a date for the observance. We have no record that the incoming Congress ever presented a resolution for National Milk Day, nor did incoming President Woodrow Wilson ever declare the day.

National Day Calendar continues the search for the creator of the day.

Weather ~ Picture of the Day ~ Blackboard History ~ Whiskey Cake ~ Judi Patz ~ Save the Eagles Day

  

Good 32º morning. 

 

 

Yesterday the rain on and off........It rained hard and then it got windy and sunny. Lots of changes. We topped at 61º.

 

 

Picture of the Day...funny street names

 

 

Interesting

 

 

A blackboard (also known as a chalkboard) is a reusable writing surface on which text or drawings are made with sticks of calcium sulphate or calcium carbonate, known, when used for this purpose, as chalk. Blackboards were originally made of smooth, thin sheets of black or dark grey slate stone.

 

A blackboard can simply be a board painted with a dark matte paint (usually black, occasionally dark green). Matte black plastic sign material (known as closed-cell PVC foamboard) is also used to create custom chalkboard art. Blackboards on an A-frame are used by restaurants and bars to advertise daily specials.

 

A more modern variation consists of a coiled sheet of plastic drawn across two parallel rollers, which can be scrolled to create additional writing space while saving what has been written. The highest grade blackboards are made of a rougher version porcelain enameled steel (black, green, blue or sometimes other colors). Porcelain is very hard wearing, and blackboards made of porcelain usually last 10–20 years in intensive use.

 

Lecture theaters may contain a number of blackboards in a grid arrangement. The lecturer then moves boards into reach for writing and then moves them out of reach, allowing a large amount of material to be shown simultaneously.

 

The chalk marks can be easily wiped off with a damp cloth, a sponge or a special blackboard eraser usually consisting of a block of wood covered by a felt pad. However, chalk marks made on some types of wet blackboard can be difficult to remove. Blackboard manufacturers often advise that a new or newly resurfaced blackboard be completely covered using the side of a stick of chalk and then that chalk brushed off as normal to prepare it for use.

 

^{Sticks of processed "chalk" are produced especially for use with blackboards in white and also in various colours. White chalk sticks are made mainly from calcium carbonate derived from mineral chalk rock or limestone, while coloured or pastel chalks are made from calcium sulphate in its dihydrate form, CaSO₄·2H₂O, derived from gypsum. Chalk sticks containing calcium carbonate typically contain 40–60% of CaCO₃ (calcite).}

 

The writing slate was in use in Indian schools as mentioned in Alberuni's Indica (Tarikh Al-Hind), written in the early 11th century:

They use black tablets for the children in the schools, and write upon them along the long side, not the broadside, writing with a white material from the left to the right.

The first classroom uses of large blackboards are difficult to date, but they were used for music education and composition in Europe as far back as the 16th century. The term "blackboard" is attested in English from the mid-18th century; the Oxford English Dictionary provides a citation from 1739, to write "with Chalk on a black-Board". The first attested use of chalk on blackboard in the United States dates to September 21, 1801, in a lecture course in mathematics given by George Baron. James Pillans has been credited with the invention of coloured chalk (1814); he had a recipe with ground chalk, dyes and porridge.

 

The use of blackboard did change methods of education and testing, as found in the Conic Sections Rebellion of 1830 in Yale. Manufacturing of slate blackboards began by the 1840s. Green porcelain enamel surface, was first used in 1930, and as this type of boards became popular, the word "chalkboard" appeared. In the US green porcelain enameled boards started to appear at schools in 1950s.

 

 

From Mr. Food

 

They say that whiskey cake was a favorite of George Washington's. Once you try our easy version of Whiskey Cake, it'll surely become a favorite of yours, too!

 

 

• 1 (18.25-ounce) package yellow cake mix, batter prepared according to package directions
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup whiskey

 

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Coat a Bundt pan with cooking spray.
    
2. In a small bowl, combine raisins, pecans, and flour; mix until raisins and pecans are thoroughly coated then stir them into the cake batter.
    
3. Pour batter into Bundt pan and bake 32 to 35 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
    
4. In a small saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and whiskey, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat; let boil 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    
5. Using a fork, poke holes in top of cake and pour syrup over cake.
    
6. Let cool in pan about 15 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before cutting

 

 

Special birthday today, Judi Patz, wife of Dan Patz (LASD ret). HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDI!! xo

 

 

 

 

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

 

1870 – John D. Rockefeller incorporates Standard Oil.

2005 – A mudslide occurs in La Conchita, California, killing 10 people, injuring many more and closing U.S. Route 101, the main coastal corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles, for 10 days.

 

And births this date include...

 

1904 – Ray Bolger, American actor and dancer (d. 1987)

 

 

1939 – Sal Mineo, American actor (d. 1976)

First major actor to come out as homosexual. Stabbed to death at age 37.

 

 

 

 

1943 – Jim Croce, American singer (d. 1973)

Killed in a plane crash at age 30.

 

 

 

1944 – Frank Sinatra, Jr., American singer (d.2016)

 

1945 – Rod Stewart, Scottish singer

 

In May 2000, Stewart was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, for which he underwent surgery in the same month. It had been previously reported he suffered from a benign vocal cord nodule. Besides being a major health scare, the resulting surgery also threatened his voice, and he had to re-learn how to sing. Since then he has been active in raising funds for The City of Hope Foundation charity to find cures for all forms of cancer, especially those affecting children.

 

Stewart is known for his liaisons with women and has eight children, by five different mothers

 

 

 

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

xo Sue Mom Bobo

 

 

Each year on January 10th, Save the Eagles Day reminds us of the majestic raptors that soar above the Earth – whether they’re well populated or endangered. Due to the work of scientists and the public, the bald eagle was removed from this list in June 2007. Poaching, pesticides, and other dangers continue to threaten eagle populations.

While the day started as a way to save a specific pair of bald eagles and to raise awareness about the species, the observance has grown to encompass all species of eagles. Approximately species of eagles populate the world. Most of the species are found in Eurasia and Africa. North, Central, and South America and Australia only account for about 14 species. However, no eagles are found in Hawaii. The most common species in North America are the bald and golden eagles.

Eagles are powerful birds of prey. An eagle’s sharp sense of sight paired with powerful muscles, piercing talons, and beak, make them primed for the hunt. They are also monogamous, mating for life.

HOW TO OBSERVE 

Learn more about eagles. Watch documentaries or read about them. Visit an aviary or a bird sanctuary. We’ve provided a couple of books to review, too. Participate in preservation and conservation in your area.

• The Eagle Watchers: Observing and Conserving Raptors Around the World  by Todd E. Katzner
• Eagles by Melissa Gish

SAVE THE EAGLES DAY HISTORY

Save the Eagles Day originated in the Village of Ridgefield Park, New Jersey, in 2015 as an effort to save a pair of nesting bald eagles. Late in 2014, Skymark Development Corp of Paramus brought a study forth arguing that a landfill near where the eagles nested posed health risks. The nesting pair, fondly named Alice and Al, had nested along Overpeck Creek since at least 2011. When the developer proposed a solution that included removing the tree the eagles’ nested in, the community and the Bergen County Audubon Society organized Save the Eagles Day on January 10, 2015.

Eventually, an agreement was formed to preserve an area of the land as an eagle park. Alice and Al would continue to live out their days in Ridgefield Park and fly over the residents there.