Posts Tagged ‘holidays’
June 16, 2014
Today is National Fudge Day
Fudge’s origins are unclear, but it remains a popular confection. It was something my friends and I often made when we were teenagers. However, at that time the only recipe we know was one that involved a lot of beating by hand to cool and incorporate air into the fudge so that it would stiffen up to the proper consistency. Thinking we were very clever, we poured a batch of the warm candy into my friend’s mother’s stand mixer thinking that the mixer would do the hard work for us. After a few minutes, smoke started to come out of the mixer’s motor. Hmm.
Here is an easy recipe made with Marshmallow Fluff. Once we discovered the fluff, we never went back to our old fudge recipe. Prepare yourself for some tooth-rattling sweetness.
I think this recipe may be improved by a good slug of bourbon.
And maybe just forget about the fudge.
1 small can (5 oz.) evaporated milk (about 2/3 cup) (Do not use sweetened condensed milk.)
1 jar (7 oz.) Marshmallow Creme
1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
Line9-inch square pan with foil, with ends of foil extending over sides and butter it lightly.
Bring sugar, butter and evaporated milk to full rolling boil in 3-qt. saucepan on medium heat, stirring constantly. Cook 5 min. Remove from heat.
Addchocolate and marshmallow creme; stir until melted. Add nuts and vanilla; mix well.
Pour into prepared pan; spread to cover bottom of pan. Cool completely. Use foil handles to lift fudge from pan before cutting into squares.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged baking, candy, confections, cooking, food, food art, fudge, holidays, Marshmallow Fluff, National Fudge Day, recipes | 4 Comments »
May 22, 2014
We celebrate those who go down to the sea in ships on National Maritime Day.
National Maritime Day is a United States holiday created to recognize the maritime industry. It is observed on May 22, the date that the American steamship Savannah set sail from Savannah, Georgia on the first ever transoceanic voyage under steam power. The holiday was created by the United States Congress on May 20, 1933. – Wikipedia
It is a time to observe its maritime heritage, to honor those who served as merchant mariners, and to recognize the benefits of the maritime industry.
The contributions made by the US merchant marine ships and men are important throughout our history, but became particularly crucial during World War II, bringing supplies to our allies and playing an important role in bringing troops home. Here is a short history of this day of observance.
Merchant Marine Liberty Ship
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged history, holidays, Merchant Marine, National Maritime Day, transportation, travel, USS Savannah | 2 Comments »
May 10, 2014
National Train Day is a holiday started by Amtrak in 2008 as a method to spread information to the general public about the advantages of rail travel and the history of trains in the United States. It is held each year on the Saturday closest to May 10, the anniversary of the pounding of the Golden Spike in Promontory, Utah which marked the completion of the first transcontinental railroad. Events are held at Amtrak stations as well as railroad museums across the country and often have passenger cars and model railroad layouts on display. The largest events usually take place in Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, PA, Chicago, IL, and Los Angeles, CA.
Ref. Wikipedia.
Unfortunately, nothing is going on in my neck of the woods on this day. Nevertheless, here are some photos from a recent trip to Baltimore and the wonderful B&O Railroad Museum.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Amtrak, B&O Railroad Museum, Baltimore, Golden Spike, history, holidays, National Train Day, transcontinental railway, travel | 2 Comments »
May 6, 2014
National Nurses Day is celebrated on May 6 in the USA
International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12.
The history of Nurses Day can be traced back to 1953 when Dorothy Sutherland of the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare sent a proposal to President Eisenhower to proclaim a “Nurse Day” in October of the following year. The proclamation was never made, but the following year National Nurses Week was observed from October 11 – 16, marking the 100th anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s mission to Crimea.
In 1974, President Nixon proclaimed a “National Nurse Week.” In 1981, a resolution was initiated by nurses in New Mexico to have May 6th declared “National Recognition Day for Nurses.” This proposal was promoted by the ANA Board of Directors and in 1982, with a joint resolution, the United States Congress designated May 6th to be “National Recognition Day for Nurses.” The proposal was signed by President Reagan, making May 6 the official “National Recognition Day for Nurses.” It was later expanded by the ANA Board of Directors in 1990 to a week-long celebration (May 6-12) known as “National Nurses Week.”
from Calendar Updates
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, holidays, National Nurses Day, Nursing, style, tattoo Tuesday, tattoos | Leave a Comment »
May 1, 2014
This statue of Tamanend is in Philadelphia
May 1 is St. Tamanend’s Day. Tamanend was leader of the Lenni Lenape nation (Delaware Indians) who lived from about 1625 to 1701. He is celebrated for being a proponent of friendship and civility in relations between the native and European settlers in the Delaware Valley around the time Philadelphia was being settled.
William Penn signing a treaty with the Algonquins
The Lenni Lenape belonged to the greater Algonquin people — tribes who spoke similar languages and who loosely identified with one another. Among the Algonquin, the Lenni Lenape were known as the grandfathers as they were traditionally regarded as the progenitors of all Algonquin tribes.
Tamanend’s people lived in eastern Pennsylvania when William Penn (1644-1718) first settled the colony. As a prominent member of the Society of Friends (i.e. the Quakers), which promoted pacifism and egalitarianism, Penn felt it was important to deal fairly with the indigenous people. Thus, Penn purportedly paid 1,200 pounds for the land on which his first settlement was founded. This is universally regarded as a fair price. Among the Lenape he was given the nickname Minquon which means “quill,” suggesting the pen with which treaties were signed.
Tamanend was one of the indigenous leaders present when, in 1682, Penn signed a treaty of eternal friendship under a great elm tree in the Lenape village of Shakamaxon. Tradition states that on this occasion Tamanend declared that the peace between the Quaker settlers and the Lenape people would endure as long as the streams and rivers flowed and as long as the stars burned in the sky. It is also said that Tamanend was present at a council in Philadelphia in 1694 when the Iroquois people wanted to attack the settlers. Tamanend insisted that despite the occasional obstacle standing in the way of their friendship his people should remain true to their word and keep the peace with the Christians.
I don’t know. I think this statue was Johnny Depp’s inspiration for his portrayal of Tonto in the 2013 Lone Ranger film.
Reblogged from Too Much Information.
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, Delaware, history, holidays, Johnny Depp, Lenni Lenape, Lone Ranger, Philadelphia, St. Tamanend, Tamanend, William Penn | 2 Comments »
April 8, 2014
Our lovely, local, independent bookstore sponsors an Edible Book Fair every April. Everyone is invited to submit a totally edible interpretation of a book. The entries are displayed, judged, and eaten. The set up and the voting takes a couple of hours. You can’t imagine how quickly the displays are devoured!
The book I chose was The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli which is the Recipient of the 2014 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for the most distinguished beginning reader book.
I humbly announce that our entry (above) consisting of a fondant-covered red velvet cake watermelon with watermelon slice-shaped sugar cookies won the award for Most Appetizing. The prizes in the contest are, not a surprise, books! It is a lot of fun to see what people – kids and adults – come up with.
Edible Book Festivals have become a global event, read more here.
Tuesday would not be complete without tattoos:
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged art, baking, books, bookstore, cooking, Dr Seuss, Edible Book Festival, food, food art, holidays, tattoo Tuesday, tattoos, watermelon | 2 Comments »
March 4, 2014
It is Shrove Tuesday, Pancake Tuesday, Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras!
I suspect that this is another one of those holidays that has been taken over by the church and yet predates Christianity. If you know its earlier origins, please let me know.
This is a pancake race in Great Britain.
Pancakes are associated with the day preceding Lent because they were a way to use up rich foods such as eggs, milk, and sugar, before the fasting season of the 40 days of Lent. The liturgical fasting emphasized eating plainer food and refraining from food that would give pleasure: in many cultures, this means no meat, dairy products, or eggs.
In Canada, Australia, the United Kingdom, Ireland and New Zealand the day is also known as “Pancake Day” as it is a common custom to eat pancakes as a meal.
In Newfoundland small tokens are frequently cooked in the pancakes. Children take delight in discovering the objects, which are intended to be divinatory. For example, the person who receives a coin will be wealthy; a nail that they will become or marry a carpenter.
Source: Wikipedia
And, of course, there are tattoos:
Celebrate the day with pancakes, jambalaya, a slice of King cake, and a hurricane!
Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged baking, cooking, food, history, holidays, Mardi Gras, Pancake Tuesday, pancakes, style, tattoo Tuesday, tattoos | 5 Comments »
Gunsmoke and Knitting 