Southern Menu

Tonight we had a southern menu, ham steaks cooked in oil with squash and butter. Plus smothered green beans in butter with cornbread (of course), salad and apple pie. The menu was simple and everyone loved it. The simple things sometimes are the best. This week I am going to try and make cajun. I want to make a king cake. YUM! Fat Tuesday in New Orleans, glitter and beads, food and more. I cant wait!

Abe lincoln: Favorite Foods

According to the questing feast President Lincoln did have two favorite foods. Chicken Fricasse with biscuits, Oyster Stew and of course the occasional piece of Apple Pie. Mr Lincoln seldom if ever drank, with water being his preference.

One day, after we had become fairly good friends, I told him of my early prejudice. "Mr. Lincoln," I said, "I had heard every mean thing about you except one. I never heard that you were too fond of the pleasures of life." Mr. Lincoln sat for a moment stroking his cheek thoughtfully, and then he drawled out in his peculiar Western voice:

"That reminds me of something a boy said to me when I was about ten years old. Once in a while my mother used to get some sorghum and some ginger and mix us up a batch of gingerbread. It wasn't often, and it was our biggest treat. One day I smelled it and came into the house to get my share while it was hot. I found she had baked me three gingerbread men, and I took them out under a hickory-tree to eat them.

"There was a family near us that was a little poorer than we were, and their boy came along as I sat down. 'Abe,' he said, edging close, 'gimme a man.' I gave him one. He crammed it into his mouth at two bites and looked at me while I bit the legs from my first one. 'Abe' he said, 'gimme that other'n.'

"I wanted it, but I gave it to him, and as it followed the first one I said: 'You seem to like gingerbread.'

"'Abe,' he said earnestly, 'I don't s'pose there's anybody on this earth likes gingerbread as well as I do,' and drawing a sigh that brought up crumbs, 'I don't s'pose there's anybody gets less of it.'"

Abraham Lincoln ate in moderation, as his frame foretold. 

Original Recipe:

Cut up two chickens, very neatly, put them in a saucepan with several slices of pork, with pepper and salt; let them boil until quite tender, then lay them out in a dish; take a table-spoonful of flour and a piece of butter as big as an egg, roll them together until they are well mingled; put it in the saucepan with the gravy, add a cup of cream, put the chicken back, and let it simmer together until it is done to a rich, light brown; lay some toasted crackers in a deep dish, and pour it on.

Source:

Collins, Anna Maria; The Great Western Cook Book, Table Receipts, Adapted to Western Housewifery. New York: A.S. Barnes & Company, 1857. 

Pizza Pie-From local place....Friday No cooking

We are having Pizza Pie...Which may have been invented by the phonecians...or the greeks? The origins are quite obscure. Early pizza was a bread, heated under hot stones and topped with whatever was available. It's purpose was to replace a plate. This makes sense. Pizza as a plate. It was part of the working man's diet, a cheaper way to feed a family. It still is.
In the  6th century: Ancient armies carried a crude pizza like bread around with them, good munchin's on a long journey.
In the 18th century, pizza made it's way to Italy, where the large round bread was served on the streets by vendors.  In 1889 Queen Magherita required a local chef to bake her a special pizza, befitiing a queen and not a peasent. The chef baked her a pizza of the finest topped with cheese, tomatos and fresh basil. This represented the colors of the Italian flag Red, Green ,and White.

There are approximately 61,269 pizzerias in the United States. (Source: American Business Lists, Omaha, Nebraska)
Men wearing muscle shirts when answering the door order pepperoni three times more than any other kind of pizza. (San Jose Mercury News, Food Section, 1/11/95 )
Italian food ranks as the most popular ethnic food in America. (National Restaurant Association)

There are over 9,000 pizzeria's in New York alone. (The Tony Modica Pizza Dance Foundation)
94% of the population of the U.S. eats pizza. (Source: Parade Magazine)
Approximately 3 BILLION pizzas are sold in the U.S. each year.
Americans eat approximately 100 acres of pizza EACH DAY, or about 350 slices per second.
October is National Pizza Month. It was first so designated in 1987.
Pizzerias represent 17% of all restaurants. (Source: Food Industry News)
93% of Americans eat AT LEAST one pizza per month. (Source: Bolla Wines)
Each man, woman and child in America eats and average of 46 slices, (23 pounds), of pizza per year. (Source: Packaged Facts, New York)
Saturday night is the biggest night of the week for eating pizza.
Three of the top 10 weeks of pizza consumption occur in January. More pizza is consumed during Super Bowl week than any other week of the year. (Source: Kraft Foods, Northfield, Ill.)
Information is courtesy of http://www.virgiliospizzeria.com/funfacts.htm
Pepperoni is America's favorite topping, (36% of all pizza orders). We eat approximately 251,770,000 pounds of Pepperoni per year. Other popular pizza toppings are, mushrooms, extra cheese, sausage, green pepper and onions.
Gourmet toppings are gaining ground in some areas of the country such as chicken, oysters, crayfish, dandelions, sprouts, eggplant, Cajun shrimp, artichoke hearts and tuna. More recent trends include game meats such as venison, duck and Canadian bacon.
Pizza makers have tried virtually every type of topping on pizza including peanut butter & jelly, bacon & eggs, and mashed potatoes.
Mozzarella cheese represents 30% of total cheese output. Production of Italian cheeses such as mozzarella, provolone, ricotta, parmesan and romano by U.S. cheese makers more than doubled between 1980 and 1992, (from 688.6 MILLION pounds per year to nearly 2 BILLION pounds per year. (Source: Cheese Market News)
Manufacturers' sales of pizza cheese should top $32 BILLION by 2004. U.S. per capita consumption of mozzarella cheese was 7.93 pounds in 1994 and is predicted to reach 12.51 pounds by 2004. (Source: Business Trend Analysts, BTA)
62% of Americans prefer meat toppings on their pizza, while 38% prefer vegetarian toppings. (Source: Bolla Wines)
Barbeque pizza emerged as one of the more popular pizza variations in a 1994 study by the National Restaurant Association. Nearly 33% of menus offered some form of this dish. Other popular variations were Mexican pizza, five-cheese combos, cheeseless pies and traditional Italian pizzas such as Margherita, Florentine and New Potato Pizzas. (Source: NRA)
Anchovies are Americans' least favorite topping.
Some of the more popular international toppings are pickled ginger, minced mutton and tofu in India; squid and Mayo Jaga (mayonnaise, potato and bacon) in Japan; and green peas in Brazil. In Russia, they serve pizza covered with mockba; a combination of sardines, tuna, mackerel, salmon and onions. In France, a popular combo is called the Flambee with bacon, onion, and fresh cream. (Source: Domino's)
Around the world, toppings vary greatly, reflecting regional tastes and preferences. In Japan, for instance, eel and squid are favorites. In Pakistan, curry is a big seller. In Russia, red herring is the topping of choice. Australians enjoy shrimp and pineapple as well as barbeque toppings on their pies. Costa Ricans favor coconut. (Source: Numero Uno Pizzeria)
Vegetables for pizza toppings in Iceland are grown in greenhouses because of the lava terrain there. (Source: Domino's)
In the Netherlands, the "Double Dutch" is a favorite pizza recipe: double cheese, double onions, and double beef. (Source: Domino's)
In Saudi Arabia, all meat toppings must be 100% beef. Pork products are not consumed in the country. (Source: Domino's)

Thursday's Fish and Chips

Thursday's blog is a little late. Fish and chips, I didn't go to the bay myself and catch some fresh fish. I don't think so. But we did have some great prefrozen halibut. Also so chips.
So the history of fish and chips.
Australians prefer reef-cod or flake, a type of shark meat, in their portions.
Some variants use beer, with English ale popular
The word batter comes from the French word batter which means to beat, a reference to beating or whisking in batter preparation.
Haddock can reach sizes of up to 1.1m in length.
Massachusetts also boasts the largest portion of fish and chips ever served – by Boston pub the Black Rose in 2004, at a total weight of 77.75lb, 34.21lb for the battered cod fillet and 43.54lb of chips
The world record, set in 1895 by a trawler off Massachusetts, US, is 211lb, or 95.7kg.
The record for the largest cod ever caught in Britain is 58lb and 8oz, or 26.8kg set near Whitby in 1992.
Cod typically prey on squid, lobster, crabs, worms, mollusks, sand eels, mussels and worms.
British trawlers are now not allowed to fish for cod within 200 nautical miles of the Icelandic coastal line
The third and most intense conflict occurred between November 1975 and June 1976, when Iceland expanded it to 200 nautical miles.
The popularity of fish and chips was instrumental in provoking the three so-called Cod Wars between Britain and Iceland.
Average sales in Scotland peaked at between 50 and 200 bars sold per week in some restaurants, with a national average of 23.
The fish and chip market is almost completely dominated by independent shops
Studies show that ketchup may help to prevent breast cancer and osteoporosis
The term "French fries" was introduced when British or American soldiers arrived in Belgium during the First World War
Winston Churchill referred to fish and chips as "good companions".
The Chinese serve fish and chips with sugar.
It produces its own antifreeze, allowing it to survive in icy waters
Unless eaten, a cod may live to be 30 years old.
In 1838 Charles Dickens wrote about fried fish warehouses in Oliver Twist. The warehouses were forerunners to the fish and chip shop.


So...

Happy Fish and Chips.

The History of Black Eyed Peas

Boiled Peanuts

The Stew is in the pot

Black eyed peas, boiled with bay leaves, simmered with beef, and seasoned with red pepper flakes, salt, celery seed, fennel seed and black pepper. It smells so good. It also reminds me of the upcoming Mardi Gras season. I love food because each dish delicately reflects on the area that it came from, mixed with each cooks personal attributes. The kitchen is bubbling. I wanted to find something to cook, and I did. Also the slow cooker is filled with onions, potatoes and corned beef. A fitting feast,to begin the season of Irish Culture. Of course, I am making my favorite boiled peanuts, just like they sell in every southern establishment. My personal favorite is seasoned with Tabasco, dill brine and pepper. It has to boil for over four hours for it to reach the right tenderness, of course.
So here is the history and anthropology part...because everything has a history and a future.
Black eyed peas-George Washington Carver was not only the father of the peanut but also a proponent of the black eyed pea. Not the band!!! Did you know he was born at the end of slavery? Yes, and while still enslaved outlaws stole Carver and his mother away , however, Union officials were able to retrieve them and bring them back to Carver's father, Moses. About the peas, they are actually related to cowpeas, and it was the slave trade that brought them to America. See all the history!!! All I had to do was add rice to the dish and it would have become the traditional Hoppin John! During the New Year, it is said that if a person eats Hoppin John, it will bring them good luck all the year through. I did not eat Hoppin John this year...During the Civil War, peas and such were considered fodder for livestock. Thus, it was a slave food.
Corned Beef- Not a traditional dish of Ireland, where they prefer Lamb to the end brisket of beef, it made it's way to Immigrants, because of its cheapness. Many a tenement home wafted the smell of corned beef which has become a staple of Irish -America.
Boiled Peanuts- Southern Style- Most places sell these, and I got addicted to them the first trip my parents took to Virginia. It was a legume flavor, very earth and spicy. I loved it, plus I like the texture, pasty. Most people that I talked to when I lived in Kansas liked them. I used to by Cajun boiled peanuts from Sugarfoot and Peaches down the street from my home. I loved them even more when I was pregnant. The Smithsonian released an article on some displaced southern brothers, who have made a living out of selling boiled peanuts, poke salet, scuppernogs and more. What is Poke Salet? What is a Scuppernog?
Well you will have to stay tuned my hungry feeders.....

Women Radicals

Women are radical, but in the latter half of the nineteenth century the very idea that college like Smith and Wellsley were instructing women to think critically of the bible, incited Thomas M. C. Birmingham of Milford, Nebraska. He was a conservative,evangelical minister who at one point even wrote a pamphlet that if followed promised the government a more cohesive structure through biblical teachings.  He found that women who questioned the literal teachings of the bible were going to become immoral citizens, and thus the higher education units were not doing their jobs.

Birmingham, wanted scripture in schools and colleges. It sounds alot like issues that are still going on today. He wanted to bring theology to the masses.

The Ship wreck of the HMS Investigator

Ice Dams and Snow Falls

The snow has stopped, but there are still large amounts of ice glutting the gutters. I have seen so many icicles this winter, they hang very low. Ice and snow, are always a fun thing about winter in the beginning. My husband recently went to the children's museum and hacked at the foot thick dam that was causing water to back up into the bathrooms. At that time, there were not any roof rakes to be found at any store in a thirty mile radius. Really, so instead we hacked , or rather he did (big he-man) with an axe. It lasted maybe thirty minutes and he was able to remove some of it. But the rest stayed. Everywhere I look people are cleaning off roofs. It seems like a community rose overnight, and yet there are still so many people in the area that are distant from one another and any sense of true community. Enough ranting!
I have some really cool ideas this week.
Today: Sunday February 13th
Kids Craft:
Heart Mobile
You need string, red, purple, white and pink construction paper, glue, scissors, crayons, and a hanger
First, decide what the heart is going to look like, cut the heart out and either poke a hole through it or punch one through (not too hard lol). Then  attach to string, that has been cut into different layers and tied to the hanger. Once you have done this as many times as you want you'll have your Valentines Day heart-mobile.
Ideal craft for ages 2-6.

The Zoo is the place for You

  The zoo/kid fun fair was held at the Eastern States Exposition today. My husband, myself and little ones went in toe excited to see the "heavies" as my little boy calls elephants. I noticed that you could get free tickets to the show from local gas stations. We did that, and those free tickets were great, but we should have been told that you had to pay for parking, plus tickets were 10.00 for adults, and then once arriving that the rides were 1.25 per ticket, that you needed more tickets to get on a ride than just one. The 100lb rat, was a capabara. The sheep were plentiful and my children loved every minute of it. I'm so happy they did. It was a nice weekend event.
  The animals were arranged in a neat little pen. Each one had a name and each pen had some pellet machines that were a quarter for a little handful. We fed  sheep, goats, Zebu's and talked with Macaw's. The noise of the merry-go-round overtook the Better Living Center, and the children ran back and forth to that animal and this one. My son loved the elephant ride. I was worried that one might go rouge. I literally imagined this as I stepped onto the saddle. My son placed in front of me smiling as wide as a watermelon. I on the other hand heard the sound of my heart as I readied myself for a possible rogue escape. I saw the elephant moving slowly, felt his legs shifting mightily and really suddenly wished him  some freedom. Its a crazy conundrum. To be free or not to be? That elephant was quite tired, as the drooping skin over his eyes could tell any on looker. The sound of the merry-go-round continued to tromp through any other conversations. The camel was alone, and according to my husband who worked for a travelling petting zoo at one time, he was not happy. I wouldn't be either if I had little ones bouncing on my back all day long. But, hey everyone needs a job. Right?
  My son learned: that a elephant can be ridden. That sheep have long shaggy fur, that animal pens can be seen with your nose from about ten feet or more. Kangaroo's sleep on their backs with their legs splayed. A capabara is a rodent but is definitely not a rat. That daddy and mommy like animals, and a monkey pen is actually a pen filled with lemur's not monkeys.
I have included some information on lemur's....The best thing we spent the day as a family, looking, shopping and learning together.