Poultry Day March 19, 2016

DIANE'S CORNER ... Celebrate Poultry Day

Oh yes, it’s a fowl, fowl day – Poultry Day, that is! Celebrate this whole range of domestic feathered friends that are raised for their meat and eggs by thinking about just how boring Thanksgiving, Christmas and other holidays would be without the addition of a turkey, chicken, duck, goose or pheasant to the table. How naked would your fancy salad be without a quail’s egg quivering at the top? How incomplete would that Chicken Pot Pie be without…well…the chicken?

It is for all these reasons and more that we pause and say thank you to poultry for enhancing our diets and giving us opportunities to fight over the wishbone, draw lots over who gets the last drumstick, and encourage sibling rivalry by letting them fight out whose turn it is to crack the egg into the cake batter. Whether it’s a honk honk, gobble gobble, or a cluck cluck, it all sounds the same to us – delicious!

Word of the Day

declination
Definition:	(noun) A polite refusal of an invitation.
Synonyms:	regrets
Usage:	His declination of the dinner invitation was a great disappointment to the would-be host.

Idiom of the Day

a week is a long time in politics  — Due to the fast-changing pace of the political landscape, the fortunes of a politician or political group can change drastically just in the course of a single week. The phrase is attributed to British Prime Minister Harold Wilson, c. 1964

History

René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, Murdered by His Own Men (1687)

La Salle was a celebrated French explorer of North America. He began exploring the Great Lakes in 1679, setting up forts in the region and organizing a federation of native American tribes to fight the Iroquois. Given power to colonize the region between Lake Michigan and the Gulf of Mexico, he set sail in 1684 for the mouth of the Mississippi River, which he was ultimately unable to locate. Beset by losses of men and ships, La Salle was killed by mutineers.

Wyatt Earp (1848)

Earp was an American frontiersman. In the 1870s, he worked as a police officer in Wichita and Dodge City, Kansas, where he befriended gunmen Doc Holliday and Bat Masterson. He later worked as a guard for Wells, Fargo & Company. By 1881, he had moved to Tombstone, Arizona, living as a gambler and a saloon guard. His brother Virgil became town marshal, and his other brothers bought real estate and businesses. A feud with the Clanton gang ended in a shootout at the O.K. Corral.

The Russell Auction

The C. M. Russell Auction features an art auction, a celebration of western artistCharles M. Russell, and a western-style good time in Great Falls, Montana, where Russell had his home and studio. The affair began in 1969 to raise money for the C. M. Russell Museum. Events include seminars, dance demonstrations by the Blackfeet Indians, an exhibit of paintings and sculpture of western artists and an auction of their works, and a Quick Draw, in which artists have 30 minutes to draw any subject they want. Their quick draws are then auctioned.

Why is NASA Playing with Fire in Space?
	In a few days, NASA will send a box into space and remotely light materials inside of it on fire to learn more about how zero gravity and limited oxygen affect flame size and spread of fire. READ MORE: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2016/0317/Why-is-NASA-playing-with-fire-in-space-video

1831 - The first bank robbery in America was reported. The City Bank of New York City lost $245,000 in the robbery. 



1895 - The Los Angeles Railway was established to provide streetcar service. 



1900 - Archaeologist Arthur John Evans began the excavation of Knossos Palace in Greece. 



1915 - Pluto was photographed for the first time. However, it was not known at the time. 



1918 - The U.S. Congress approved Daylight-Saving Time. 



1931 - The state of Nevada legalized gambling. 



1953 - The Academy Awards aired on television for the first time.



1964 - Sean Connery began shooting his role in "Goldfinger."



1977 - The last episode of "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" aired. 



1990 - The first world ice hockey tournament for women was held in Ottawa.



1994 - The largest omelet in history was made with 160,000 eggs in Yokohama, Japan.



2002 - Actor Ben Kingsley was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II at Buckingham Palace.

DAILY SQU-EEK




If You Were Born Today, March 19

You are a little hard to understand, but that is part of your quirky charm. You have an original sense of humor, and you are given to extremes of feeling. You can certainly be temperamental, and often very determined to get your way, but you are also a caring, compassionate, and perceptive person who is forgiving and aware.Famous people born today: Bruce Willis, Glenn Close, Phillip Roth, Rachel Blanchard, Fred Stoller.

Picture of the day

Wells Cathedral, an Anglican cathedral in Wells, Somerset, as viewed from the reflecting pool in the grounds of the Bishop's Palace. The cathedral, dedicated to St Andrew the Apostle, is the seat of the Bishop of Bath and Wells. The present cathedral, built from 1175 to 1490, replaced an earlier church built on the site in 705. Its architecture is in the Gothic style, mostly the Early English Gothic of the late 12th and early 13th centuries.

Small Fry

Photograph by Eiko Jones, National Geographic 

“Coho salmon fry peer out of their tank at an elementary school,” writes Eiko Jones, who submitted this photo from British Columbia, Canada. “In conjunction with the Department of Fisheries, the school raises a tankful of salmon each year”—coho salmon can grow to be up to two feet long—“and then releases them into a local stream to teach kids about watershed issues and salmon biology.”

knit, EASTER

must log in

Bunny Hat

http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L40160.html

knit

Chunky Jacket

http://web.archive.org/web/20100925083805/http://caron.com/projects/ss_heather/SSH4_chunky_jacket.html

knit

thanks, sheri

http://www.redheart.com/free-patterns/covet-this-lacy-cowl

knit

Llama Una – The Easy Ombre Slouch Hat

				Llama Una – The Easy Ombre Slouch Hat * Disclaimer: Yarn color swatches are rendered differently on different monitors. The best way to be sure you are finding the color desired is to visit your l...
				View on knittingfever.com	Preview by Yahoo

knit

Antalia Sweater | Knitca™

				Antalia Sweater | Knitca™ This sweater gives a feeling of freedom and style. Hip length of the sweater and wide sleeves cover your body but openings in side seams and low V-neck gi...
				View on www.knitca.com	Preview by Yahoo

crochet, EASTER

http://www.garnstudio.com/pattern.php?id=7486&cid=17

crochet

Pinwheels Afghan

				Pinwheels Afghan Add this project to your Ravelry favorites HERE. To print or convert to PDF click the green "Print Friendly" button below the pattern. Pinwheels Afghan de...
				View on crochetkim.com	Preview by Yahoo

crochet

Undeniable Glitter: Magenta Infinity Scarf- Free Crochet Pattern

				Undeniable Glitter: Magenta Infinity Scarf- Free Crochet... It has been pretty warm for scarves lately, but that doesn't stop me from crocheting. This magenta infinity scarf is warm, but the stitch makes it slightly lacy.
				View on undeniableglitter.bl...	Preview by Yahoo

crochet

Amigurumi To Go: Fox

				Amigurumi To Go: Fox Woodland animals, Here's a set of free woodland animal patterns all available here on Amigurumi To Go. I designed them all in 2013.
				View on www.amigurumitogo...	Preview by Yahoo

crochet

Hokkori Tawashi pattern by Pierrot (Gosyo Co., Ltd)

				Hokkori Tawashi pattern by Pierrot (Gosyo Co., Ltd) Pattern is Japanese but fully charted using standard knitting and/or crochet symbols. For help using Japanese charted patterns, please visit the Japanese kn...
				View on www.ravelry.com	Preview by Yahoo

RECIPE, EASTER
Bunny Butt Pretzels - Peanut Butter Easter Treats

				Bunny Butt Pretzels - Peanut Butter Easter Treats Adorably cute Bunny Butt Pretzels are bite sized pretzels with peanut butter candy melt bodies and feet and fluffy marshmallow tails. Perfect for Easter!
				View on hungryhappenings.com	Preview by Yahoo

CROCKPOT RECIPE

http://slowcookergourmet.net/slow-cooker-veggie-lasagna/

CRAFTS, EASTER
EASTER EGG PLANTER

http://www.curbly.com/users/alicia/posts/17824-diy-easter-egg-planters?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Wall+Hangings%2C+Easter+Eggs%2C+Makeovers+and+More+from+Curbly%21

CHILDREN'S CORNER ... EASTER tic tac toe game

http://www.primarygames.com/holidays/easter/games/eastertictactoe/

PUZZLE
63
Chicken of the Sea
http://www.jigsawplanet.com/?rc=play&pid=0f65d7685865





QUOTE

CLEVER

Dust off your fan blades with a pillowcase.

That way, you’re not just wiping the dust off into the air.

EYE OPENER

thanks, shelley

I've compiled all of the questions I get pretty often into one email cheat sheet. Feel free to forward this along to a friend, or bookmark for reference. While cooking in the slow cooker is pretty easy, sometimes things don't go exactly quite as planned. Since I've used the crockpot eight million and fifty-six times I have a few tricks up my robe sleeve that might be of some help to you. Cleaning Baked on Gunk. If you make a casserole in the slow cooker, like a lasagna, sometimes the baked on gunk is hard to get off. Don't use a brillo pad, or harsh abrasive scrubber to scrape it off. Instead, fill the crock with hot water and drop in a fabric softener (dryer) sheet, and let it sit over night. In the morning, rinse out the crock and wash it normally (either by hand or in the dishwasher). Do You Use the Slow Cooker Liners? I don't. But that's because I use my pots so much. When I recipe-test I can have up to 7 plugged in at one time! So it wouldn't be cost-effective for me to do so. If I think what I'm making will be difficult to clean, I'll spray a bit of cooking oil on the crock before loading it up. Otherwise, I just clean promptly, or use the above fabric softener sheet trick. Hard Water Stains or Bean Residue. The white, filmy stuff left behind on a black stoneware is lime scale, and comes from hard water, soap scum, or bean goop. Once you wash your pot with hot, soapy water, it's fine to use, even with this white discoloration. If it really bothers you, you can use a mixture of water and vinegar to wash away the stains, or make a big pot of tomato-based something or other (chili, stew, marinara sauce) to get rid of the stains. I live in an area with hard water, and have these stains pretty often. I simply ignore them and keep cooking. HELP, there is Water Trapped in The Handle of the Glass Lid of My CrockPot! Ew. This happens if you don't have a tight seal on the handle of the glass lid and you run it through the dishwasher. The best thing to do is to unscrew the lid, wipe out the water, and then hand-wash the lid from now on. I'm sure you could hunt down a rubber gasket from a hardware store to make the seal tighter, but usually the glass lids don't get so dirty you can't just hand wash them. Do you peek while slow cooking? Yes. I am not the best at following rules, and I often taste, stir, and poke at my food while it's in the slow cooker near the end of cooking time (when I'm certain the food isn't raw anymore!!). I've heard from reliable sources that you can lose up to 20 minutes of valuable cooking time each time you peek, but I have not noticed that to be the case. Peeking and tasting makes me feel like I'm doing something, and it makes me happy. I like being happy. Do you Brown Your Meat, Onions, etc. Sometimes. If I'm cooking for a party or I'm trying to impress (like on a Holiday), I do take the time to brown my meat and caramelize my onions and garlic. Taking the time to brown the meat and aromatics provides a more pronounced flavor profile and a bit of color and texture. But unless you are doing a side-by-side taste comparison most people simply can't tell the difference. So on a busy Wednesday when I'm just trying to throw dinner in the pot? No. I do not bother to brown anything. The Handle Fell off the Glass Lid and it's Broken and I Need a New One. You can order new glass lid handles from the Crock-Pot main website.  You'll need to get the model number from the bottom of the heating element before seeing what type of knobs are available. Or, you can go to a hardware store and get a single screw drawer-pull and use that instead for a new handle. The Glass Lid is Broken. You can order replacement glass lids from the Crock-Pot or Hamilton Beach website (again, have your model number ready), or you can use a few layers of foil as a lid. Crimp the edges tightly, and cook your food the same way. Be super careful when removing the foil, the steam will be quite hot! Lead. I've heard that crockpots have lead! OH NO!!!! I first heard about this in the middle of the slow cooker challenge. It seems to be a bit of an internet rumor, thankfully. I contacted Jarden (parent company of Crock-Pot) and heard that they routinely check for lead levels and that their reports haven't found anything.  this is the exact wording I got back: Jarden Consumer Solutions (JCS) continues to proactively test its products for lead and other toxic metals, with the results continuing to come back favorably. Lead is not an additive in the Crock Pot® slow cooker ceramic glaze. JCS is diligent in its efforts to ensure that its products are compliant with applicable regulations regarding the presence of lead.   JCS tests for lead and other toxic metals on its products to ensure they are safe for consumers. In addition, we periodically use accredited third party lab testing to reveal that our slow cooker stoneware is far below the U.S. FDA and California Regulation Prop 65 requirements for extractable lead and cadmium in ceramic wares, thus supporting our results. What Do I Do With the Temperature Probe My Slow Cooker Came With? Throw it in a junk drawer. I don't use the temperature probe, and none of my recipes call for using one, because I try to keep them pretty simple. If you are cooking a whole chicken or a fancyish piece of meat and would like the meat to turn off when it reaches a desired internal temp, use the probe. The probe is  not to be used as an instant-read meat thermometer, but as a tool to turn the pot to a "warm" setting once the desired temp is reached. I Only Have a 6-quart. How Do I Make Recipes that Call for a 4-quart or 2-quart? Slow Cookers work the best when they are pretty full---about 2/3 to 3/4 of the way full. You can still use them if they aren't to this capacity, but your food will cook faster. If you are making a smaller recipe in a 6-quart, you can load the ingredients in and shorten the cooking time, or you can insert an oven-safe dish and then load the food into that. I recommend a Pyrex or Corning ware-type dish, although a metal loaf pan or baking dish would work fine also. It's okay if the food mounds over the top, or overflows. This is also what I use to make creme brulee or cheesecake. Have a wonderful day, and happy slow cooking!

one of my favorite sites on the internet is freecycle.org.

freecycle.org is a FREE website you sign up with in the community nearest you. its efforts are all to connect people looking to get rid of all types of things (appliances, furniture, toys, books, bric a brac, etc), with people who need certain items. this international organization keeps belongings out of landfills and puts it in the hands of those who truly need or want the items you no longer want to keep!

there are only two things to do when it comes to freecycle .. put out emails to the group that either OFFER or WANT things. then it's between you two to make arrangements for pick up. after that, i always send a thank you note so everyone knows the item is no longer being offered.