Today is the Festival of Sleep . . . so grab your warmest quilt and your softest pillows and celebrate! (This photo was taken of someone, somewhere in Edinburgh.)
It is tattoo Tuesday . . .
Posts Tagged ‘holidays’
What am I celebrating today?
January 3, 2017Who do we celebrate today?
December 13, 2016
“St Lucia was a young Christian girl who was martyred, killed for her faith, in 304. The most common story told about St Lucia is that she would secretly bring food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who lived in hiding in the catacombs under the city. She would wear candles on her head so she had both her hands free to carry things. Lucy means ‘light’ so this is a very appropriate name.
December 13th was also the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, in the old ‘Julian’ Calendar and a pagan festival of lights in Sweden was turned into St. Lucia’s Day.” – Christmas in Sweden
Whose day am I noting on tattoo Tuesday?
October 4, 2016
Today is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi. Born in 1226, St. Francis is the patron saint of Italy, of animals, and the natural environment. He is also the founder of the Franciscan order of friars. Although he followed an ascetic life style, it is rumored that he had a fondness for honey cake. Here is a recipe (which is also appropriate for Rosh Hashana):
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup honey
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup warm coffee or strong tea
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
1/4 cup rye or whisky (or orange juice)
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds (optional)
Preparation
This cake best baked in a 9-inch angel food cake pan, but you can also make it in a 10-inch tube or bundt cake pan, a 9 by 13-inch sheetpan, or three 8 by 4 1/2-inch loaf pans.
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease the pan(s). For tube and angel food pans, line the bottom with lightly greased parchment paper. For gift honey cakes, I use “cake collars” (available from Sweet Celebrations) designed to fit a specific loaf pan. These give the cakes an appealing, professional look.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. Make a well in the center and add the oil, honey, sugars, eggs, vanilla, coffee, orange juice, and rye or whisky.
Using a strong wire whisk or an electric mixer on slow speed, combine the ingredients well to make a thick batter, making sure that no ingredients are stuck to the bottom of the bowl.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan(s) and sprinkle the top of the cake(s) evenly with the almonds. Place the cake pan(s) on 2 baking sheets stacked together and bake until the cake springs back when you touch it gently in the center. For angel and tube cake pans, bake for 60 to 70 minutes; loaf cakes, 45 to 55 minutes. For sheet-style cakes, the baking time is 40 to 45 minutes. This is a liquidy batter and, depending on your oven, it may need extra time. Cake should spring back when gently pressed.
Let the cake stand for 15 minutes before removing it from the pan. Then invert it onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Whose birthday am I celebrating today?
September 20, 2016
Today is Quetzalcoatl’s birthday – the Aztec feathered serpent god of wind and learning and possibly human sacrifice.
What am I talking like today?
September 19, 2016
Arrrrr – enjoy Stan Rogers and company singing Barrett’s Privateers.
What am I celebrating today?
August 4, 2016
Today is St. Sithney’s Day – he’s the one on the left with the doggies. As the Breton legend goes, Sithney was asked by the Creator to be the patron saint of young girls seeking husbands. Sithney is reported to have demurred, saying he would get no rest taking on a job like that and that he would rather be the patron saint of mad dogs. And he is.
What am I hoping?
July 5, 2016
I hope you had a good 4th of July holiday.
I thought this story about our current flag design was interesting:
In 1958, a history teacher assigned Robert G. Heft and his classmates at Lancaster High School to each redesign the national banner to recognize Alaska and Hawaii, both nearing statehood.
Heft, who was 16 at the time, crafted a new flag from an old 48-star flag and $2.87 worth of blue cloth and white iron-on material.
His creation earned him a B-minus. Heft’s teacher later changed that grade to an A after Heft’s flag was sent to Washington, D.C., and selected by President Dwight D. Eisenhower.
Heft was one of thousands to submit a flag design with alternating rows of five and six stars. But apparently he was the only person who actually stitched together a flag and shipped it to D.C.
His design became the official national flag in 1960.
You see a lot of strawberry-blueberry desserts for the 4th of July, but I thought these were fun.
And it is Tattoo Tuesday . . .
What is tattoo Tuesday about?
May 17, 2016
Today is National Walnut Day. The best way that I know to celebrate this occasion is to go to Moody’s Diner on Route 1 in Waldoboro, Maine and have a slice of walnut cream pie.
Remember – Pie Fixes Everything
If you cannot make it to Maine, here’s the recipe:
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 3 eggs
- 1 1/4 cups dark corn syrup
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup walnuts (4 ounces), coarsely chopped
- 1 unbaked 9-inch piecrust
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Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Stir together sugar, flour and salt in medium-size bowl. Stir in milk until smooth. Add eggs, corn syrup, butter and vanilla until thoroughly blended.
- Scatter nuts over bottom of piecrust. Pour in egg mixture.
- Bake in preheated 350 degree F oven for 1 hour or until top is puffed and browned. Cool pie on wire rack to room temperature. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Top with whipped cream. Makes 8 servings.
And why not get a tattoo:
Gunsmoke and Knitting 