Monthly Archives: February 2018

Happy St. Valentine’s Day!

Hearts, flowers and chocolates are all part of the holiday we celebrate as Valentine’s Day.  Find out more about the Legend of St. Valentine and the origins of the Day of Love by clicking here: History.com

 

Here’s 10 Trivia questions (answers given below) about Valentine’s Day: 

 

  1. Who is the winged child shooting the lovers arrow?
  2. Is Valentines Day the #1 card giving holiday?
  3. What does the word ‘valentine” stand for in Latin?
  4. On Valentines Day 1876 who received a patent for what important invention?
  5. What percent of women send roses to themselves on Valentines Day?
  6. Who will receive the most Valentines cards this year:  Mom, wife, girlfriend, or neither?
  7. In Old Ireland a heart was carved into what as a Valentines gift?
  8. The Farmers Almanac says “If a woman sees a robin on Valentines Day she will marry a ..???”
  9. Which state produces the majority of America’s roses?
  10. Name the actress who was nominated for an astounding SIX Academy Awards and was born on Valentines Day?

 

 

 

Trivia Answers: 

  1. Cupid
  2. No, Christmas is.
  3. Valor
  4. Alexander Graham Bell for the telephone
  5. 15%
  6. Neither.  Teachers get the most!
  7. A wooden spoon.
  8. Sailor
  9. California
  10. Thelma Ritter was born Feb. 14, 1902.  She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for All About Eve (1950), The Mating Season (1951), With a Song in my Heart (1952), Pickup on South Street (1953), Pillow Talk (1959), and Birdman of Alcatraz (1962).  She never won! 

 

 

Besides Frederick Douglas, Carl Bernstein and Jimmy Hoffa,  click HERE for a list of other famous people born on February 14th.

 

Did you know?

The heart shape wasn’t always a romantic symbol. 

Gil Elvgren Vintage Pin up - Happy Valentine's Day

Artist Gil Elvgren‘s pinup girl wishes you a happy holiday!

Prior to the 14th century, the shape we call a heart symbolized the anatomical heart, widely believed to be humans’ center of memory, according to Time. It wasn’t until Italian and French artists began championing the idea of romantic love that the St. Valentine heart became synonymous with love.

“Wearing your heart on your sleeve” is more than just a phrase.

In the Middle Ages, young men and women drew names to see who their Valentine would be. They would wear the name pinned to their sleeve for one week so that everyone would know their supposed true feelings.

 

Find out more trivia about Valentine’s Day from Woman’s Day.com

 

 

 

Hilda, Won’t You be My Valentine?

Hilda wants you as her Valentine

Meet Hilda, the creation of illustrator Duane Bryers and pin-up art’s best kept secret. Voluptuous in all the right places, a little clumsy but not at all shy about her figure, Hilda was one of the only atypical plus-sized pin-up queens to grace the pages of American calendars from the 1950s up until the early 1980s, and achieved moderate notoriety in the 1960s.

Martha Stewart’s Easy Basic Pancakes

Yield: 12 to 15 pancakes

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour, (spooned and leveled)
  • 2 tablespoons sugar
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, or vegetable oil
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • Assorted toppings, such as butter, maple syrup, confectioners’ sugar, honey, jams, preserves, sweetened whipped cream, or chocolate syrup

 

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees; have a baking sheet or heatproof platter ready to keep cooked pancakes warm in the oven. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, butter (or oil), and egg. Add dry ingredients to milk mixture; whisk until just moistened (do not overmix; a few small lumps are fine).
  3. Heat a large skillet (nonstick or cast-iron) or griddle over medium. Fold a sheet of paper towel in half, and moisten with oil; carefully rub skillet with oiled paper towel.
  4. For each pancake, spoon 2 to 3 tablespoons of batter onto skillet, using the back of the spoon to spread batter into a round (you should be able to fit 2 to 3 in a large skillet).
  5. Cook until surface of pancakes have some bubbles and a few have burst, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip carefully with a thin spatula, and cook until browned on the underside, 1 to 2 minutes more. Transfer to a baking sheet or platter; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in oven. Continue with more oil and remaining batter. (You’ll have 12 to 15 pancakes.)
  6. Serve warm, with desired toppings.

 

Pancake Variations:

  • BUTTERMILK: In step 1, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to dry mixture. In step 2, replace the milk with low-fat buttermilk.
  • YOGURT: In step 1, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to dry mixture. In step 2, replace the milk with 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt and 1/3 cup milk.
  • WHOLE-GRAIN WITH YOGURT: In step 1, replace the all-purpose flour with 1/2 cup whole-wheat flour, 1/4 cup each cornmeal and wheat germ, and 1/2 teaspoon baking soda. In step 2, replace the milk with 2/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt and 1/3 cup milk.

Chicken Wontons

by: RasaMalaysia

Yield: 12 Chicken Wontons

Chicken Wontons

Photo by Cegoh/www.giant.sg

Ingredients: 

  • ¼ lb shrimp, chopped
  • ½ lb ground chicken
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 stalk scallion cut in rings
  • A dash of fish sauce
  • ½ tsp cornstarch
  • ½ tsp sesame oil
  • Dash of ground pepper
  • 12 wonton wrappers

 

For Dipping Sauce:

  • 3 TBS Thai sweet chili sauce
  • 1 TBS cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 2 tsp lime juice
  • Pinch of sesame seeds

 

Directions: 

  1. Mix together scallion, cornstarch, shrimp and chicken and add salt, sesame oil, pepper, and fish sauce.
  2. Wrap wontons with the wrappers. Place each wonton wrapper in the palm of your hand and add about half a tablespoon of the filling in the middle. Dip your index finger in water and trace around the outer edges of the wrapper. Then, fold and pinch edges of the wrapper and seal tightly.
  3. Deep fry in oil until golden.

Feb. 9 – National Pizza Day

Pepperoni Pizza Hut pizza

Photo by Pizza Hut©

National Pizza Day is on February 9th of every year.  How are you going to celebrate?

 

If you like Pizza Hut©‘s crust, try making it at home with the aid of a bread machine.  Check out the Genius Kitchen recipe below:

 

Yield: Serves 6

Ingredients:

 

Directions:

  1. Add ingredients (except for cornmeal) to machine bread pan in order as per manufacturer’s instructions.
  2. Set to “Dough” cycle.
  3. Lightly grease one 9 x 13-inch pan and sprinkle with cornmeal.
  4. When the dough cycle is complete, roll out dough and place in pan.
  5. Let rest in pans for 10-15 minutes.
  6. Add toppings of your choice.
  7. Bake at 350°F until done (approximately 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of toppings).

 

Alternative Options:

If you want to have square pieces, bake your pizza in 9 x 16 rectangular pans instead of the round pizza pan.

Also, the original recipe called for 1/2tsp. msg (monosodium glutamate)/ (Accent®)