Multi, Multi, Multi-Talented

On the first day of summer my post included a poem by Shel Silverstein. Victor S E Moubarak of Time For Reflections and The Christian Lounge left a comment on that post that in addition to prose and poetry, Shel Silverstein was also was a song writer, including the song "A Boy Named Sue", made famous by Johnny Cash.

I had no idea, but Victor's comment sent me down a rabbit hole of research on Shel Silverstein.

• I learned that some of his other well-known songs were Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show's "The Cover of "Rolling Stone" and "Sylvia's Mother, and "The Unicorn" by the Irish Rovers. His songs have been performed by Johnny Cash, Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show, the Irish Rovers, Bobby Bare, Emmylou Harris, Brenda Lee, Loretta Lynn, Marianne Faithfull, Waylon Jennings, and Kris Kristofferson. 

• He was one of the leading cartoonists for Playboy magazine, and his work also appeared in many other magazines and newspapers.

• His comedy songs were often played on the Doctor Dimento show.

• And if being an author/poet/songwriter wasn't enough, he composed music for several films.

• He also wrote more than 100 one-act plays.  

If Shel Silverstein hadn't died in 1999 I wonder what else could have been added to his list of accomplishments? 

Five years ago today: Fun With The Families

No Change Needed!

I have thick hair with a mind of its own. Putting the cowlicks in their place requires the use of a brush and blow dryer. This morning I was whipping my mane into place when the blow dryer sparked and then died.

I immediately unplugged the device and thought about my next step.

The dead blow dryer predated my move to the condo, so it was at least six and a half years old, a good lifespan for a small electronic. It was the ideal device - enough watts to dry my thick hair, easy to move into different positions, and quality attachments that made the job easier. Over the years I had developed the perfect hair drying routine with it, and I wasn't excited about figuring out something different.

As one does in this internet age I started my search online. Ten minutes later I was doing a happy dance when I realized I could order the exact same model on a big box store's website and pick it up later in the day.

Five years ago today: Bathroom Humor

Pineapple skin tea

Free SVG

I was processing a pineapple today. When I was done there was a bowl of pineapple chunks and another bowl of waste- the outer peel, core, and crown and I started wondering if any of the waste had another use.

A little internet research told me that I should just toss the crown, but the peel and core could be turned into a drink. I used the recipe for Pineapple Skin Tea at PlantYou.

I washed the peel well I chopped it and the core up, tossed everything in a pot, then added water, fresh ginger, a little powdered turmeric, and a bit of maple syrup. The recipe called for a cinnamon stick (which I didn't have), so I substituted powdered cinnamon.

After the mixture came to a boil I lowered the heat until it was simmering and ignored it for an hour, then used a colander to drain the liquid.  The tea had a light, refreshing pineapple taste, but I didn't enjoy the cinnamon dregs in the bottom of the cup . If I ever made this again I would definitely use a cinnamon stick or strain the liquid with a fine mesh sieve.

Five years ago today: A Prayer for Dealing with Difficult People

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 10 (The End)

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Today is the last day of our project. It's been fascinating to discover facts about the country and how the states all tie together. My set for the day, and the facts I learned, were:

• Illinois As of 2017, the state pet is shelter dogs and shelter cats.
• North Carolina The carnivorous Venus flytrap grows naturally in the wild nowhere else on Earth except within a 60-mile radius of Wilmington.
• Oregon Oregon is the only state in the U.S. with a state flag that features a different design on each side. The front shows the state seal, while the back features a golden beaver.
• Oklahoma The Oklahoma State Capitol is the only state capitol to have had active oil wells on its grounds, with production lasting until 1986.
• Massachusetts Two sports were invented in Massachusetts-Basketball in 1891 and volleyball  in 1895.

This time I decided that my inspiration ingredient would be sweet potatoes, the state vegetable of North Carolina, and easily available at the grocery store. Thinking about cooking options for the vegetable, I decided I didn't want fries, and I didn't want a Thanksgiving-inspired dish. Instead, I made a pan of enchiladas with sweet potato and black bean filling. They were very good, and as a bonus the recipe made enough for leftovers.

Five years ago today: A Happy Coincidence

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 9

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Tony had an interesting collection of states today, and came up with some interesting facts.

• New York The first pizzeria in the United States opened in New York City in 1895. Since the 1960s, the price of a slice of pizza has been roughly the same price as a subway ride, generating the idea of “Pizza Principle” among economists.
• New Hampshire The state has 4 nicknames: Granite State, for the extensive granite formations and quarries; Mother of Rivers, for the New England rivers that originate in the state's mountains; White Mountain State, for the White Mountain Range; Switzerland of America for the mountain scenery.
• Tennessee The massive 1811–1812 New Madrid earthquakes were so powerful they temporarily made the Mississippi River run in reverse, creating Tiptonville's Reelfoot Lake.
• West Virginia Is the only state completely within the Appalachian Mountain range. West Virginia is the third most forested state. The Monongahela National Forest covers nearly a million acres of land, and spans across 10 counties.
• Idaho At 7,900 feet deep, Hells Canyon surpasses the Grand Canyon as the deepest river-carved gorge in North America. Shoshone Falls in Twin Falls stands 212 feet tall, making it 36 feet higher than Niagara Falls.

This morning before church I drove along with Tony to Bagel Union, where he got traditional New York bagels to serve as part of dinner. His first choice was an Everything bagel. When he said he also wanted one that was non-savory I suggested Honey Buckwheat. Tony added an individual serving of cream cheese to the order. I was intrigued at what he would come up with

At dinner time Tony served up large bowls of vegetable soup with lentils (northern Idaho produces a large portion of all lentils grown in the USA) and a half of an Everything bagel for each of us. In my opinion, nothing beats a good New York bagel with its crispy crust and a chewy interior. This one was perfectly toasted, and the onion, garlic, poppy seeds, sesame seeds and kosher salt was the perfect seasoning for a savory dish.

For dessert, Tony toasted the second bagel and served it with cream cheese mixed with huckleberry preserves, because huckleberries are Idaho's state fruit.

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 8 (Happy 4th of July!)

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary.

Today is the Fourth of July, the day the United State's Declaration of Independence was officially adopted by the Continental Congress in 1776. It is also Day 8 of our project, and my turn to come up with facts about five states and a food item from one of them.

• Vermont Montpelier is the only U.S. state capital without a single McDonald's restaurant, and the state is one of only four (along with Hawaii, Maine, and Alaska) to ban billboards to protect its scenery.

• Louisiana The state flag features a white pelican, but the official state bird (chosen in 1970) is the brown pelican

• Alaska Because of their massive municipal boundaries, the four largest cities by area in the United States are all in Alaska: Sitka, Juneau, Wrangell, and Anchorage. (Sitka is roughly four times larger than Rhode Island.)

• Georgia The first major gold rush in American history didn’t happen in California—it happened in Dahlonega, Georgia, in 1828. The gold dome of the State Capitol building in Atlanta is actually covered in locally mined gold.

• Iowa The only state bordered by two major rivers—the Mississippi to the east and the Missouri to the west.

 ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Tony and I didn't have big plans for the day, mainly due to the excessive heat that's been around for the past week. Neither one of us wanted to be outside for hours.

I knew I didn't want to cook today, and would have taken the day off from the project except for the fact I knew that if I chose something from Louisiana there were a number of Cajun and Creole restaurants in the area that would be happy to fill our stomachs. We decided to go out for lunch. I researched which were open on the holiday and gave Tony a list of three to choose from. After some discussion we decided on Sister Cities Cajun.

We got there just a few minutes after the restaurant opened, and the chef was in the dining room. When we told him it was our first time there he told us a little about the restaurant and what the most popular items were. We ended up ordering both of them.

My Smothered Catfish had a freshly-fried filet on a bed of white rice and was smothered in shrimp and crawfish etoufee. (I was able to sub out the shrimp for extra crawfish). A piece of cornbread was perched on the side of the plate.

Tony's Dirty Chicken started with a smoked chicken breast on a bed of dirty rice, all smothered in seafood gumbo. It also came with a piece of cornbread

Five years ago today: A Song About America For The Fourth Of July

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 7

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Another day, another set of states (and food items) for Tony. He always does a great job of coming up with interesting facts:

• Montana The Triple Divide Peak is located in Glacier National Park. It is the only spot in North America where water drains into three different bodies of water: the Pacific Ocean, the Atlantic Ocean (via the Gulf of Mexico), and the Hudson Bay.
• Rhode Island Is the smallest U.S. state by area (only 37 by 48 miles), but it packs in over 400 miles of coastline. Its official name used to be the longest in the country (The State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations) before voters shortened it in 2020.
• Alabama The origin of the word Alabama is come from the words “Alba and Amo”. Alba refers to vegetables, herbs, and plants; Amo refers to gatherer or picker. The combination of these words “vegetation pickers” describes the Alabama Indians who were the early settlers in the region.
• Hawaii Mauna Kea on the Big Island is technically the tallest mountain on the planet. Measuring from its base on the ocean floor, it reaches over 33,500 feet, which is nearly a mile taller than Mt. Everest.
• Arizona People lived in the area that’s now Arizona at least 20,000 years ago, before written history. But in the 1200s, this civilization disappeared, probably due to a drought. Much later, Native American tribes such as the Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, and Apache lived on the land. Today, 22 tribes still reside on reservations in the state.

Tony also did a great job coming up with a meal. I always appreciate having breakfast for dinner, and his Montana potato hash really hit the spot. He fried potatoes, onions and bell peppers in a cast-iron skillet, added corn kernels, and lima beans, and topped each serving with a fried egg.

Entree

You may notice that the above photo includes a jar of huckleberry preserves, Montana's state fruit. I knew nothing about huckleberries, but Google told me that the berries primarily grow in the mountainous regions of the northwestern part of the country. They cannot be commercially cultivated and must be hand picked in the wild.

I had some preserves on toast, then went back for more. Thank goodness there's still a large portion of the jar left, because I see more huckleberry preserves in my future!

Yummy!

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 6

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

• Minnesota There are over 11,000 lakes in the state, giving it more shoreline than California, Florida, and Hawaii combined
• North Dakota The International Peace Garden Chapel sits right on the United States/Canadian border, and you can walk between the two countries inside the building
• Kansas The Monument Rocks (also known as the Chalk Pyramids) are a series of 70-foot-tall chalk formations located in the northwestern part of the state.
• Utah Is the only state in the country where every single county contains a portion of a national forest.
• Texas The state is larger than any country in Europe

Margaret (Peggy or Peg too) left a comment on my last post saying when I wrote about Texas she'd be down for joining us for some brisket. I would have been down for that, too, but at dinner time the 'real feel' temperature was 105 degrees and I decided it was too hot to leave the house. Instead, I settled for tortilla chips and salsa (which was officially designated as the Texas State Snack in 2003).

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary--Day 5

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary

Today Tony's states were:

• Colorado The state's mountainous region, part of the vast Rocky Mountains, is six times the size of Switzerland, featuring 9,600 miles of fishing streams, 2,850 lakes, and over 1,000 peaks.
• Delaware Due to its highly corporate-friendly laws, there are actually more registered corporate entities in Delaware than there are human residents. Nearly 68% of the Fortune 500 call the state their legal home.
• Connecticut The state is credited with a number of American firsts: the Fundamental Orders (1639) was a precursor to the Declaration of Independence, the oldest continuously published newspaper in the United States (1764), the world's first telephone directory (1878), the first speed limit-12 miles per hour (1901), the first permanent license plates (1937), the first colored television (1948), and the first nuclear submarine (1954).
• Nebraska The only state in the U.S. whose legislature is unicameral (just one chamber) and nonpartisan (no party affiliations).
• South Dakota The state has approximately four cows for every person.

In honor of Connecticut, Tony chose to make New England style baked beans. He served the dish with corn on the cob and sauteed zucchini. Originally corn bread was part of the menu, but we only have one oven and the hot baking temperature for corn bread didn't jive with the 'low and slow' bean baking temperature, so Tony substituted slices of wheat baguette.

We always have several different kinds of beans in the freezer, which made putting together the main dish easy. New England beans get their flavor and color from molasses, but Tony also added brown sugar and mustard. In lieu of the traditional salt pork Tony used smoked sausage, which he pan fried before adding to the pot. Since he only made two servings of everything there were no leftovers. Five years ago: Just A Teenage Scavenger Trying To Eat In Peace

Commemorating The Nation's Anniversary-Day 4

Hubby Tony and I are learning a little bit about each of the States, and enjoying food from them as a way to celebrate the USA's 250th anniversary 

The project was back to me today. This is what I learned about my set of states:

• Nevada The state is known as "The Silver State" because of a silver rush in 1859, but today it is the largest gold-producing state (with approximately 64% of total U.S. output).
• New Mexico The state capital, Santa Fe, is 7,000 feet (approximately about 1.33 miles or 2.13 kilometers) above sea level, the highest in the nation.
• Maine Geographically, the state is bigger than the other five New England states combined, and 90 percent of it is covered in forests
• New Jersey The first organized baseball game took place in Hoboken on June 19, 1846 between the New York Base Ball Club and the Knickerbockers.
• Virginia The state flag is the only U.S. state flag to depict nudity. The state seal features Virtus, the Roman goddess of virtue, standing triumphantly over a defeated tyrant.

After coming up with my facts it was time to think about a food item. Although I adore anything covered in New Mexican red or green chile (or both, called Christmas style), after seeing what was in my freezer and pantry I decided to do a riff on Brunswick stew, a tomato-based dish simmered with meat, vegetables, and potatoes most likely created in Brunswick County, Virginia around 1828.

The original dish relied on whatever meat the cook could procure, usually small game like squirrel or rabbit. Today chicken is the most common protein, but I didn't have any chicken in the house. However, there was some sloppy joes in the freezer, left over from Tony's poker event a couple of weeks ago. I decided to 'procure' that and use it as the base for my dish.

Although I chose an unconventional meat, the rest of the dish used more conventional ingredients... chopped onion, tomatoes, corn, lima beans, and potatoes. Because the meat was already cooked and seasoned all I had to do was saute an onion and chop a potato, then add it to the pot with some broth, tomato puree, tomato paste, frozen corn, and limas. When the potatoes were cooked I added the thawed sloppy joe meat and some sweet and tangy barbecue sauce, then simmered to meld the flavors.

I served the stew with cole slaw and bread. A Brunswick Stew purist would probably balk at sampling mine, but Tony and I thought it was pretty darn good.