tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78473761037473766742024-03-12T18:53:23.141-07:00THE HISTORY CHEF!who knew that history could be so delicious?Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comBlogger406125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-54847299471060767992024-02-28T16:45:00.000-08:002024-02-28T16:49:53.029-08:00Air Force One Tuna Melt on Croissant <a href="http://www.americandigest.org/mt-archives/airforeone.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 375px;" src="http://www.americandigest.org/mt-archives/airforeone.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> Regardless of where in the world the president travels, if he flies in an Air Force jet, the plane is called <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/air-force-one">Air Force One</a>. According to the White House, Air Force One is the call sign of any Air Force aircraft carrying the president. In practice, however, the name "Air Force One" is used "to refer to one of two highly customized Boeing 747-200B series aircraft which carry the tail codes 28000 and 29000." <br /><br />
Emblazoned with the words United States of America and an image of the American flag and Seal of the President of the United States, Air Force One is a powerful presence wherever in the world it flies. This is how the interior of this amazing, high-tech jet is described on the White House website: <br /><br /><em> Capable of refueling midair, Air Force One has unlimited range and can carry the President wherever he needs to travel. The onboard electronics are hardened to protect against an electromagnetic pulse, and Air Force One is equipped with advanced secure communications equipment, allowing the aircraft to function as a mobile command center in the event of an attack on the United States.<br /><br />Inside, the President and his travel companions enjoy 4,000 square feet of floor space on three levels, including an extensive suite for the President that features a large office, lavatory, and conference room. Air Force One includes a medical suite that can function as an operating room, and a doctor is permanently on board. The plane’s two food preparation galleys can feed 100 people at a time.</em><br /><br />
Although it's difficult to find copies of specific Air Force One menus, <a href="http://www.theoldfoodie.com/2008/02/air-force-one.html">The Old Foodie</a> tells us that the following luncheon items were served aboard Air Force One on February 6, 1994:<br /><br />Assorted Relishes<br />Vegetable Soup<br />Tuna Melt on Croissant<br />Chips<br />Choice of Beverage<br />Cookies<br /><br />Now, this is a surprisingly sparse and ordinary menu to present to a sitting president, don't you think? BUT...that was back in 1994, when Bill Clinton was in office, which leads me to believe that perhaps this particular menu was inspired by his advisors' well-meaning desire to steer the president away from the greasy cheeseburgers and french fries that he once famously seemed to enjoy so much like and nudge him toward more healthy choices to help trim his then-less-than-slender waistline. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZN27bLfaak/VsfRJW4GwHI/AAAAAAAACfc/bhMSeuE5gas/s460/airforceone1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-PZN27bLfaak/VsfRJW4GwHI/AAAAAAAACfc/bhMSeuE5gas/s460/airforceone1.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
Although that recipe for Tuna Melt on Croissant isn't easily obtainable today, Barack Obama did provide his favorite recipe for Tuna Salad during an <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/02/08/obamas-tuna-salad-the-rec_n_453509.html">interview</a> with 60 Minutes correspondent Steve Kroft early in the 2008 presidential campaign. If you're in the mood for tuna salad today, here is former President Obama's take on Toasted Tuna Salad Sandwiches: <br /><br />Tuna<br />Grey Poupon mustard<br />Mayonnaise<br />Chopped gherkins<br />Toasted Bread<br /><br />Whatever items might appear on its many in-flight menus, be they simple Tuna Melts on Croissants or crystal-filled dishes of Russian caviar, Air Force One truly is an "undeniable presence" wherever in the <a href="http://cache.gawker.com/assets/images/jalopnik/2009/05/air_force_one_jalopnik.jpg">world</a> it flies!<br /><br />FAST FACT: According to the White House <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/air-force-one">website</a>: Air Force One is maintained and operated by the Presidential Airlift Group, part of the White House Military Office. The Airlift Group was founded in 1944 as the Presidential Pilot Office at the direction of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. <br/ br> <br /br> For the next 20 years, various propeller driven aircraft served the President. In 1962, President John F. Kennedy became the first President to fly in his own jet aircraft, a modified <a href="http://www.atterburybakalarairmuseum.org/kenAirForceOne.jpg">Boeing 707</a>. Over the years, several other jet aircraft have been used, with the first of the current aircraft being delivered in 1990 during the administration of President George H. W. Bush.
<br/><br />
Here's a brief excerpt from my <a href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/SEEUCB/">Publishers Marketplace</a> agent profileSuzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-18643392559206471872024-02-02T10:20:00.000-08:002024-02-02T10:20:26.399-08:00George Washington Sweet Cherry Cobbler <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Adolf_Ulrik_Wertm%C3%BCller_-_George_Washington.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/00/Adolf_Ulrik_Wertm%C3%BCller_-_George_Washington.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 585px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 480px;" /></a>An
early nineteenth century American book peddler, itinerant preacher and
author, <a href="http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/articles/weems.html">"Parson" Mason Locke
Weems</a> is best known today as the
source of some of the most beloved if apocryphal stories about George
Washington. The famous story of George and the Cherry Tree is included in Weems'
masterpiece, <em>The Life and Memorable
Actions of Washington</em>, which was originally published in 1800 (the year
after Washington's death) and was an immediate best-seller.<br />
<br />
Reprinted
in ever more inventive editions over the next 25 years, it contains,
according to <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/21/books/inventing-george-washington.html?pagewanted=all">Edward
Lengel</a>, "some of the most beloved lies of American history, including the
cherry tree myth" and other exaggerated or invented anecdotes that
extolled Washington’s virtues and provided an entertaining and morally
instructive tale for the young republic. <br /><br />
In
telling his cherry tree story, Weems attributed it to "an aged lady,” who was
reportedly a distant relative of George, and who, as a young girl, supposedly
spent much time with him. This is how the fable famously unfolded:<br />
<br />
<em>"When
George was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a
hatchet of which, like most little boys, he was immoderately fond, and was
constantly going about chopping everything that came in his way. One day, in the
garden, where he often amused himself hacking his mother's pea-sticks, he
unluckily tried the edge of his hatchet on the body of a beautiful young English
cherry-tree, which he barked so terribly, that I don't believe the tree ever got
the better of it. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qTBEeDsaUyc/WouKzy25GyI/AAAAAAAAENg/InId2WY3ItYe9oBy_ovLxtUt8CqWjThiQCLcBGAs/s455/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-19%2Bat%2B1.53.26%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qTBEeDsaUyc/WouKzy25GyI/AAAAAAAAENg/InId2WY3ItYe9oBy_ovLxtUt8CqWjThiQCLcBGAs/s455/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-02-19%2Bat%2B1.53.26%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1104" data-original-height="826" /></a></div> <br />
The next morning, [George’s father], finding out what had befallen his tree, which, by
the by, was a great favorite, came into the house, and with much warmth asked
for the mischievous author, declaring at the same time, that he would not have
taken five guineas for his tree. <br /><br /> Nobody could tell him anything about
it. Presently George and his hatchet made their appearance. "George," said his
father, "do you know who killed that beautiful little cherry-tree yonder in the
garden?" This was a tough question; and George staggered under it for a moment;
but quickly recovered himself: and looking at his father, with the sweet face of
youth brightened with the inexpressible charm of all-conquering truth, he
bravely cried out, "I can't tell a lie, Pa; you know I can't tell a lie. I did
cut it with my hatchet."<br /><br />“Run to my arms, you dearest boy,” cried his
father in transports, “run to my arms; glad am I, George, that you killed my
tree; for you have paid me for it a thousand fold. Such an act of heroism in my
son, is more worth than a thousand trees, though blossomed with silver, and
their fruits of purest gold.”</em><br />
<br />
Although
plausible enough, most historians generally agree that this quaint story is almost
certainly not true. What is true, however, is that George was particularly fond
of cherries, and Martha Washington's <em>Booke of Cookery</em> contains several family “receipts” for
preserving this sweet and tangy highly versatile fruit.<br />
<br />
Of
course, then, as today, sweet and sour cherries can be used in all kinds of
pies, tarts, jellies, jams, breads, muffins, and soups, as well as in a
fabulously wide array of cobblers, like this recipe for <a href="http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/41736969/ns/today-food/">cherry cobbler</a>, which
George surely would have loved had he had time to try it during his
extraordinarily illustrious life:<br />
<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9EIvSF25SQc/WGR3tFlhX8I/AAAAAAAADno/yJEN9EdNbi0cP_i-o9YqUxYQXp9hdEP7ACLcB/s460/Cherry-Berry-Biscuit-Cobbler.jpg.rend.sni18col.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-9EIvSF25SQc/WGR3tFlhX8I/AAAAAAAADno/yJEN9EdNbi0cP_i-o9YqUxYQXp9hdEP7ACLcB/s460/Cherry-Berry-Biscuit-Cobbler.jpg.rend.sni18col.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
Crust:
1
1/4 cups flour<br />
2
tablespoons sugar<br />
2
tablespoons yellow cornmeal<br />
1/2
teaspoon salt<br />
6
tablespoons butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled<br />
1
large egg yolk<br />
3
tablespoons cold milk, cream or water<br />
<br />
Filling:
2
cups cherry preserves<br />
1/3
cup sliced almonds<br />
Confectioners'
sugar, for dusting<br />
<br />
In
the workbowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, cornmeal and salt.
Pulse to combine. Add the butter, toss carefully with your hands to coat the
butter cubes in flour. Pulse in the food processor several times until the
mixture resembles coarse oatmeal. Add the egg and 2 tablespoons of milk, cream
or water, and pulse until the dough begins to come together in a ball. Add the
additional tablespoon of liquid if needed until the dough comes together.<br />
<br />
Transfer
the dough to a lightly floured work surface and knead it briefly to shape it
into a disk about 5 inches across. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 1
hour or overnight. Using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a
shape a ½ inch wider than the tart pan you are using. Loosely fold the dough in
half and transfer it to the tart pan.<br />
<br />
Line
the pan with the dough, being. Trim any excess
dough from the rim of the pan, leaving a blunt neat edge. Gather the trimmings
into a ball (it should be about the size of a pingpong ball). Wrap the tart and
the ball of dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour.<br />
<br />
Heat
to 375 degrees. Remove tart pan from refrigerator and spread the
marmalade evenly over the crust. Grate the chilled ball of pastry onto the
filling, and sprinkle the almonds over the top. Bake until the pastry is golden, the filling is bubbly and the almonds are
toasted, 40 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. When the tart is
completely cool, dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve at room temperature.Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-44075250509053107102023-12-31T10:06:00.000-08:002023-12-31T12:39:34.637-08:00New Year's Eve Hoppin' John<a href="http://www.legendsofamerica.com/photos-americanhistory/Battle%20of%20Bull%20Run--July%2021st%201861-500.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://www.legendsofamerica.com/photos-americanhistory/Battle%20of%20Bull%20Run--July%2021st%201861-500.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 328px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 480px;" /></a> At the end of the Civil War, the South lay in ruins. Southern plantations and entire cities had been destroyed during the war. Without food, many southerners starved to death, and most of those who survived lost just about everything they owned.
As a result, the government had to figure out how to rebuild the South. <br /><br />
As president, Andrew Johnson took charge of the first phase of <a href="http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reconstruction/">Reconstruction</a>. But his attempt to quickly readmit the former Confederate states into the union and his vetoes of important civil rights bills outraged Radical Republicans in Congress. <br />
<br />
The House of Representatives <a href="http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/johnson/essays/biography/1">impeached</a> Johnson in 1868, but he was acquitted by a single vote in the Senate, and historians say that his victory “marked the beginning of an ambitious series of receptions, dinners and children’s parties that would turn the last nine months of his term into an ongoing celebration.” <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kDY8nsY05Sk/WkQkvJiaWNI/AAAAAAAAEM8/oeFZmlsBufsx-yuZEOnMKrg6-mSc601AACLcBGAs/s455/impreach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kDY8nsY05Sk/WkQkvJiaWNI/AAAAAAAAEM8/oeFZmlsBufsx-yuZEOnMKrg6-mSc601AACLcBGAs/s455/impreach.jpg" data-original-width="960" data-original-height="720" /></a></div>
<br />
After leaving office, Johnson returned to his native state of Tennessee where he consumed such traditional southern foods as Hush Puppies, Benne Wafers, Hoppin’ John and Pine Bark Stew. Still popular in the south, Hoppin' John is often served at <a href="http://www.seriouseats.com/2014/12/southern-hoppin-john-new-years-tradition.html">New Year's </a> festivities and is thought to bring good luck and prosperity in the coming year. <br /><br /> If you'd like to whip up some Hoppin' John for your New Year's festivities this week, you can't go wrong with this quick and delicious recipe from <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/hoppin-john-recipe/reviews/index.html">Emeril Lagasse</a>. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SSgFxDvq1sI/WGLk-PbpdtI/AAAAAAAADlA/lqFN8fzoBX0TxNgyIlPJ5ay8kvGpzUnNQCLcB/s455/emerils-hoppin-john.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SSgFxDvq1sI/WGLk-PbpdtI/AAAAAAAADlA/lqFN8fzoBX0TxNgyIlPJ5ay8kvGpzUnNQCLcB/s455/emerils-hoppin-john.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
1 tablespoon olive oil <br />
1 large ham hock <br />
1 cup onion, chopped <br />
1/2 cup celery, chopped <br />
1/2 cup green pepper, chopped <br />
1 tablespoon chopped garlic <br />
1 pound black-eyed peas, soaked overnight and rinsed <br />
1 quart chicken stock <br />
1 Bay leaf <br />
1 teaspoon dry thyme leaves <br />
Salt, black pepper, and cayenne <br />
3 tablespoons finely chopped green onion <br />
3 cups steamed white rice <br />
<br />
Heat oil in a large pot, add ham hock and sear on all sides for 4 minutes. Add the onion, celery, green pepper, and garlic, and cook for 4 minutes. Add the peas, stock, bay leaves, thyme, and seasonings.
Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the peas are creamy and tender. If the liquid evaporates, add more water or stock. Adjust seasonings, and garnish with green onions. And Happy New Year!!!!Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-36356749884064663052023-12-20T05:06:00.000-08:002023-12-20T05:06:26.386-08:00William Henry Harrison, the Election of 1840, and a Brief Constitutional Crisis <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/William_Henry_Harrison_by_Rembrandt_Peale.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/William_Henry_Harrison_by_Rembrandt_Peale.jpg" height="550" style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center;" width="472" /></a><a href="http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/harrison/essays/biography/1">William Henry Harrison</a> took the Oath of Office on a cold and stormy day. Standing in the freezing weather without a coat or hat, the 68-year-old military hero delivered the longest inaugural address in American history. At more than 8,000 words, it took nearly two hours to read (even after <a href="http://www.referencecenter.com/ref/reference/WebsterD/Daniel_Webster?invocationType=ar1clk&flv=1">Daniel Webster</a> had edited it for length!).<br />
<br />
A few days later, Harrison caught a bad cold which quickly turned into pneumonia. Doctors tried to cure the president with opium, castor oil, Virginia snakeweed, and other remedies, but the treatments only made Harrison worse, and he <a href="http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/harrison/essays/biography/6">died</a> on April 4, 1841. The first American president to die in office, Harrison served only 31 days.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Only lasting a month, Harrison's presidency is too short to provide insight into his culinary habits, but one thing is certain: his death caused a constitutional crisis involving presidential succession. The question was whether Vice-President John Tyler would be “acting” as President or actually become President upon Harrison's death.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eVbytReho5U/XEaTcEHL5rI/AAAAAAAAETo/bEjsz_HTKtEBnTQPiG8_sIUdAm2clZq_ACLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-01-21%2Bat%2B7.51.05%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="740" data-original-width="1106" height="266" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-eVbytReho5U/XEaTcEHL5rI/AAAAAAAAETo/bEjsz_HTKtEBnTQPiG8_sIUdAm2clZq_ACLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-01-21%2Bat%2B7.51.05%2BPM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Article2">Article II</a> of the Constitution could be read either way. The relevant text states: <em>In Case of the Removal of the President from Office, or of his Death, Resignation, or Inability to discharge the Powers and Duties of the said Office, the Same shall devolve on the VicePresident... </em><br />
<br />
Did "the Same" mean the Office of the Presidency itself or merely the powers and duties of the office?<br />
<br />
After consulting with Chief Justice Roger Taney (who responded with extreme caution, saying he wished to avoid raising "the suspicion of desiring to intrude into the affairs which belong to another branch of government"), Harrison’s advisors decided that if Tyler simply took the Oath of Office, he would become president. Despite his own strong reservations, Tyler obliged and was sworn in as the 10th president of the United States on April 6, 1841.<br />
<br />
When Congress convened in May, it passed a resolution that confirmed Tyler as president. Once established, this precedent of presidential succession remained in effect until the <a href="http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html#Am25">Twenty-Fifth Amendment</a> of the Constitution was ratified in 1967.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-juiSjORSYcM/WTYGVkv7I0I/AAAAAAAAD_k/mcXseEVslC4GLNGhx7ffLMZWQX798b_iwCLcB/s445/c5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-juiSjORSYcM/WTYGVkv7I0I/AAAAAAAAD_k/mcXseEVslC4GLNGhx7ffLMZWQX798b_iwCLcB/s445/c5.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
FOOD FACT: Used by Harrison's doctors, castor oil comes from the seed of the castor bean plant. It, along with many other plants, herbs, oils, and weeds have been used to treat human disease for thousands of years.<br />
<br />
FAST FACT: Harrison’s death resulted in three presidents serving in one year (Martin Van Buren, Harrison, and Tyler). This has happened on only one other occassion in American history. In 1881, Rutherford B. Hayes was succeeded by James Garfield, who died from an assassin's bullet later that year, and Chester Arthur became president.Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-66543135414270746812023-12-15T14:13:00.000-08:002023-12-15T14:14:51.728-08:00The Road to the American Revolution: from the Sugar Act to the Boston Tea Party and Beyond<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2jYnlu21D5w/XtAwd_rl8UI/AAAAAAAAEfY/lw8FhEJIbhI2sLn_e7nZdmlRCUhXMKE4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s605/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-28%2Bat%2B2.42.26%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-2jYnlu21D5w/XtAwd_rl8UI/AAAAAAAAEfY/lw8FhEJIbhI2sLn_e7nZdmlRCUhXMKE4ACLcBGAsYHQ/s605/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-05-28%2Bat%2B2.42.26%2BPM.png" data-original-width="1060" data-original-height="1420" /></a></div>
So did you know that sugar, coffee, tea and other basic foods played a role in some of the key events that led to the American Revolutionary War? Because volumes could be written about each of these events, I decided to compile a timeline to make this fascinating part of food history a bit easier to digest: <br /> <br />1760 - King George III ascends to the British throne. <br /><br />1763 - The Treaty of Paris is signed ending the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/thewarthatmadeamerica/">French and Indian War</a>. Part of the Seven Years War between France and England, the French and Indian War was fought in North America between 1754 and 1763. Although victorious, the war plunged Britain deeply into debt, which King George III and the British Parliament decided to pay off by imposing taxes on the colonies. <br /><br />1764 - On April 5, the Parliament passed the <a href="http://www.manhattanrarebooks-history.com/sugar_act.htm">Sugar Act</a> which lowered the rate of tax placed on molasses but increased taxes placed on sugar, coffee, and certain kinds of wines. At the time, most colonists agreed that Parliament had the right to regulate trade, as it had done with the <a href="http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/387927/Molasses-Act">Molasses Act of 1733</a>. But the Sugar Act was specifically aimed at raising revenue which was to be used to pay for the maintenance of British troops stationed in the colonies. Although most colonists were accustomed to being taxed by their own assemblies, they strongly objected to being taxed by Parliament, where they were not represented. It was during angry protests over the Sugar Act that the famous cry, "No taxation without representation" was often heard.<br /><br />1765 - In May, the Quartering Act was passed which required colonists to house British troops and supply them with <a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/quartering_act_165.asp">food</a>. <br /><br />1765 - On March 22, Parliament passed the <a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/stamp_act_1765.asp">Stamp Act</a> which placed a tax on newspapers, pamphlets, contracts, playing cards, and other products that were printed on paper. Unlike the Sugar Act which was an external tax (e.g., it taxed only goods imported into the colonies), the Stamp Act was an internal tax levied directly upon the property and goods of the colonists. The Stamp Act forced the colonists to further consider the <a href="http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/popup_stampact.html">issue</a> of Parliamentary taxation without representation. Outraged and united in opposition, patriot leaders convened in October at the Stamp Act Congress in New York and called for a boycott on British imports. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g68iLUk3FHs/XwY_3dKq3PI/AAAAAAAAEg0/aD5ZRA6Iy2g5i95d3nxU2QcBlI-TxijbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s435/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-08%2Bat%2B2.50.15%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-g68iLUk3FHs/XwY_3dKq3PI/AAAAAAAAEg0/aD5ZRA6Iy2g5i95d3nxU2QcBlI-TxijbwCLcBGAsYHQ/s435/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-08%2Bat%2B2.50.15%2BPM.png" data-original-width="1096" data-original-height="802" /></a></div> <br />
1766 - Bowing to the pressure, Parliament repealed the Stamp Act, but, on the same day, passed the <a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/declaratory_act_1766.asp">Declaratory Act</a> which asserted Parliament's authority to make laws binding on the colonists “in all cases whatsoever.” <br /><br />1767 - A series of laws known as the <a href="http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/townsend_act_1767.asp">Townshend Acts</a> are passed which impose taxes on glass, paint, tea, and other imports into the colonies. One of the most influential responses to the Acts was a series of essays by John Dickinson entitled, "<a href="http://oll.libertyfund.org/index.php?option=com_staticxt&staticfile=show.php%3Ftitle=690&Itemid=99999999">Letters from a Farmer in Pennsylvania</a>." Articulating ideas already widely accepted in the colonies, Dickinson argued that there was no difference between "external" and "internal" taxes, and that any taxes imposed on the colonies by Parliament for the sake of raising a revenue were unconstitutional. <br /><br />1768 - British warships arrive in Boston Harbor to enforce custom laws. So now there's a bunch of young British soldiers in red coats dragging loaded cannons and guns and thousands of outraged American patriots. WHAT COULD POSSIBLY GO WRONG? <br /><br />1770 - Nothing too terrible. Until the cold, snowy evening of March 5. That’s when a rowdy crowd of colonists started harassing British soldiers on duty in front of the Custom House in Boston. Tensions intensified as the crowd grew and colonists began throwing snowballs at the soldiers, daring them to open fire.
Then, one British soldier was hit in the face with a stick. Shots rang out. When the smoke cleared, three American colonists were dead, including <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/aia/part2/2p24.html">Crispus Attucks</a>, a former slave who worked on a whaling ship, and two others later died from their injuries.
Outraged, Sam Adams calls the British soldiers “bloody murderers” and labels the event “The Boston Massacre.” <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KBj45j_2k3E/XwY67Vc66-I/AAAAAAAAEgM/noFwpsTyLfE0YzY8QrxYYw1IBcJldMSuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s445/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-08%2Bat%2B2.28.32%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KBj45j_2k3E/XwY67Vc66-I/AAAAAAAAEgM/noFwpsTyLfE0YzY8QrxYYw1IBcJldMSuQCLcBGAsYHQ/s445/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-08%2Bat%2B2.28.32%2BPM.png" data-original-width="500 data-original-height="190" /></a></div> <br />
1773 - After that, British soldiers are ordered to leave Boston. Tensions settle down for a while. But, in 1773, Parliament makes another REALLY. BAD. MOVE. In an effort to save the struggling British East India Company, Parliament passed the<a href="http://ahp.gatech.edu/tea_act_bp_1773.html"> Tea Act</a>. This act did not place any new taxes on tea. Instead, it eliminated tariffs placed on tea entering England and allowed the company to sell tea directly to colonists rather than merchants. These changes lowered the price of British tea to below that of smuggled tea, which the British hoped would help end the boycott. But that's NOT what happened! <br /><br />1773 - Instead, at around midnight on December 16, a group of colonists led by Samuel Adams disguised themselves as Mohawk Indians and <a href="http://www.pbs.org/ktca/liberty/chronicle_boston1774.html">boarded </a>three British ships that were docked in Boston Harbor. Armed with axes and tomahawks, the men chopped open 342 crates and dumped 46 tons of British tea -- that's the weight of 400 baby elephants! -- into the <a href="http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/teaparty.htm">harbor</a>. As news of the "<a href="http://troglopundit.files.wordpress.com/2009/12/boston_tea_party_currier_colored.jpg">Boston Tea Party</a>" spread, patriots in other colonies staged similar acts of resistance. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dKYua7YropQ/XwY73A5h3XI/AAAAAAAAEgU/FtSGlV67fKI2oPnLrLXyG9890n6mju1GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s425/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-08%2Bat%2B2.29.18%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dKYua7YropQ/XwY73A5h3XI/AAAAAAAAEgU/FtSGlV67fKI2oPnLrLXyG9890n6mju1GgCLcBGAsYHQ/s425/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-08%2Bat%2B2.29.18%2BPM.png" data-original-width="1424" data-original-height="966" /></a></div> <br />
1774 - When news of the Boston Tea Party reached London, King George became enraged and threw a fit. Calling it “violent and outrageous,” he viewed it as a complete rejection of British rule, and he vowed to punish Massachusetts swiftly and severely. At the king's request, Parliament passed the Coercive Acts (also called the Intolerable Acts) which closed Boston Harbor to commerce until the colonists had paid for the lost tea, drastically reduced the powers of self-government in the colonies, and provided for the quartering of British troops in the colonists' houses and barns.
<br /><br /> At that point, patriot leaders had had enough and agreed to convene in Philadelphia to come up with a plan of action. And, in September, Samuel Adams and his younger cousin John Adams set out from Boston to the first Continental Congress. <br /><br />
Meanwhile, down in Virginia, George Washington was preparing for the Continental Congress, as well. One of the few patriot leaders with military experience (he was a general in the French and Indian War), Washington was widely-respected and committed to the American cause. “If need be,” he promised, “I will raise one thousand men, subsist them at my own expense, and march myself at their head for the relief of Boston.”
It was under these explosive circumstances that the FIRST CONTINENTAL CONGRESS convened in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AAXwQu-gMY/XwY-m_u8XtI/AAAAAAAAEgo/rRMNmuijpKEgkgwnbyRUcYQ_GUHfw7tOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s435/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-08%2Bat%2B2.43.50%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6AAXwQu-gMY/XwY-m_u8XtI/AAAAAAAAEgo/rRMNmuijpKEgkgwnbyRUcYQ_GUHfw7tOgCLcBGAsYHQ/s435/Screen%2BShot%2B2020-07-08%2Bat%2B2.43.50%2BPM.png" data-original-width="1296" data-original-height="866" /></a></div> <br />
There were fifty-six delegates from twelve colonies, including Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
After heated debate, the delegates declared the Intolerable Acts to be an illegal violation of the rights of American colonists. They also decided it was time to start boycotting all British imports again. Most important, it was agreed that the colonies should start raising and arming militias (groups of citizen soldiers) should war break out with Britain.
<br /><br />
1775 - Now the stage was set for a major showdown, and things started happening fast.
King George announced to Parliament that the colonies were in “a state of rebellion” and that “blows must decide” who would control America.
By early April, 1775, General Gage was in command of an army of 3,000 soldiers in and around Boston, with thousands more on the way.
On April 19, 1775, shots were fired at Lexington and Concord. When the smoke cleared, more than 200 American and British forces had been killed. <br /><br />
In June, 1775, the Second Continental Congress unanimously voted to appoint George Washington as General and Commander-in-Chief of the newly formed Continental Army. <br /><br /> 1776 -
Throughout early 1776, some Americans hoped to avoid war with Britain. But, on July 4, 1776, Congress formally approved the Declaration of Independence, and soon, British forces arrived in New York Harbor, bent on crushing the American rebellion!Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-1289115864695468022023-11-23T06:10:00.000-08:002023-11-23T06:10:00.303-08:00A Brief History of the Thanksgiving Turkey Pardon <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OquUUOPDyxw/WgvOnqpIOfI/AAAAAAAAEIg/XTKjb88bImIAA9woIxOgCZ3EwAkif1FaQCLcBGAs/s460/turkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OquUUOPDyxw/WgvOnqpIOfI/AAAAAAAAEIg/XTKjb88bImIAA9woIxOgCZ3EwAkif1FaQCLcBGAs/s460/turkey.jpg" data-original-width="1100" data-original-height="733" /></a></div> <br /br>
There are competing claims as to when the annual White House tradition of "pardoning" a Thanksgiving turkey began. Some say it dates back to the 1860s, when Abraham Lincoln's young son Tad begged his dad to spare the life of a wild turkey named "Jack" that had been sent to the Lincolns to be part of their Christmas dinner. <br /><br />Others claim that the tradition began during <a href="http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/content/articles/2009/11/25/main_line_times/life/doc4b0c1c2944bb38876585951.jpg">Harry Truman's </a>administration. Although it's true that the National Turkey Federation has been providing holiday turkeys to the White House since 1947, when Truman was in office, there's no evidence to prove that this story is true. This is what the <a href="http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/turkey.htm">Truman Library</a> offered on the issue:<br /><br /><em>The Truman Library has received many requests over the years for information confirming the story that President Truman "pardoned" a Thanksgiving turkey in 1947, thus initiating a Presidential tradition that continues to this day. <br /><br />The Library's staff has found no documents, speeches, newspaper clippings, photographs, or other contemporary records in our holdings which refer to Truman pardoning a turkey that he received as a gift in 1947, or at any other time during his Presidency. Truman sometimes indicated to reporters that the turkeys he received were destined for the family dinner table. In any event, the Library has been unable to determine when the tradition of pardoning the turkey actually began.</em> <br /><br />While President John F. Kennedy spared a massive 55-pound turkey's life on November 19, 1963, just three days before his assassination, he didn't use the word "pardon." Instead, the bird had a sign hanging around its neck that read, "<strong>GOOD EATING, MR. PRESIDENT</strong>!" which prompted Kennedy to quip, "Let's just let him keep growing." <br /><br />The first president to actually use the word "pardon" in reference to a holiday turkey was reportedly <a href="http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/091124/GAL-09Nov24-3175/media/PHO-09Nov24-189717.jpg">Ronald Reagan</a>, who deflected questions in 1987 about pardoning Oliver North in the Iran-Contra affair by joking that he would also pardon a turkey named "Charlie," who was already heading to a local petting zoo.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsH9hG6CIds/WYpuh0tJ06I/AAAAAAAAED0/ezH4Yaa4154DiFWSEHpQ7Id0O7i2LXiLQCLcBGAs/s450/aRonald_Reagan%252C_turkey_pardon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsH9hG6CIds/WYpuh0tJ06I/AAAAAAAAED0/ezH4Yaa4154DiFWSEHpQ7Id0O7i2LXiLQCLcBGAs/s450/aRonald_Reagan%252C_turkey_pardon.jpg" data-original-width="455" data-original-height="1065" /></a></div> <br />
Which brings us to President <a href="http://www.michellehenry.fr/hwbush-turkey.jpg">George H.W. Bush</a>, who was apparently the first president to intentionally "pardon" a turkey. At the National Turkey Presentation Ceremony in 1989, Bush light-heartedly remarked: "Let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone's dinner table, not this guy - he's granted a Presidential pardon as of right now - and allow him to live out his days on a children's farm not far from here."<br /><br />Although it's difficult to confirm exactly <em>when</em> this White House tradition began, we do know <em>where</em> some of the more recently pardoned turkeys have been sent after receiving their presidential reprieves. From 1989 until 2004, the fortunate fowls were sent to live out their natural lives at Frying Pan Farm in Virginia. <br /><br />The venue changed in 2005, however, when Disneyland was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. That year, a lucky turkey named "Marshmallow," and his alternate, "Yam," were taken by police escort to the airport and then flown first class to California. According to the <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131451280">Associated Press</a>:<br /><br /><em>Marshmallow became the Grand Marshal of Disneyland's Thanksgiving parade, and the sign above his float read "The Happiest Turkey on Earth." The turkeys then retired to a coop at the park's Big Thunder Ranch, where three of the pardoned birds...still live. Florida's Disney World got the birds from 2007, when they arrived on a United Airlines flight that was renamed "Turkey One."</em><br /><br />In 2010, the venue changed yet again. Instead of being sent to <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dustysage/FridayVisions/2008/12-29-08/InReview/11_08_DL_042211.jpg">Disneyland</a>, the 21-week-old turkey that President Obama pardoned was sent to live out the rest of his life at George Washington's <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/">Mount Vernon</a> Estate in Virginia. Upon its arrival at Mount Vernon, it was reportedly "be driven to his pen in a horse-drawn carriage and be greeted with a trumpet fanfare."<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WlA2v79v04Y/WYpvq47yC0I/AAAAAAAAEEA/Cyt62OwJdWckKdZdx8puIVYMPkFWnlfsgCLcBGAs/s445/turkeyobama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WlA2v79v04Y/WYpvq47yC0I/AAAAAAAAEEA/Cyt62OwJdWckKdZdx8puIVYMPkFWnlfsgCLcBGAs/s445/turkeyobama.jpg" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div> <br />
A spokeswoman for Mount Vernon said that it was appropriate that the turkey go to Washington's home since he was the first president to issue a <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/GW/gw004.html">Thanksgiving Proclamation</a>, and he raised wild turkeys at Mount Vernon. <br /><br />Although she didn't say how the Washington's preferred to serve their Thanksgiving birds, the Mount Vernon Inn offers a daily lunch menu that includes a "<a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/3/">Colonial Turkey Pye</a>" which is described as "a turkey stew served with mixed vegetables and topped with a homemade buttermilk biscuit." <br /><br />While it might be difficult to obtain a copy of that particular recipe, you can try this quick and simple recipe for <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/turkey-pot-pie-recipe/index.html">Turkey Pot Pie</a> if you need something to do with your leftover turkey this Thanksgiving or <a href="https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/classic-turkey-pot-pie/222c3cef-31cc-4936-abfd-cc72611c16c4">this one </a>from Pillsubry.com: <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Shy1fDkbcPs/WYpxQB6kA7I/AAAAAAAAEEQ/zdVxiloeBt8CiTE98nYF2RS5NldGSTP3QCLcBGAs/s450/potpie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Shy1fDkbcPs/WYpxQB6kA7I/AAAAAAAAEEQ/zdVxiloeBt8CiTE98nYF2RS5NldGSTP3QCLcBGAs/s450/potpie.jpg" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="450" /></a></div><br />
1 sheet frozen puff pastry <br />1 egg, beaten <br />1/2 cup milk <br />2 (11-ounce) cans condensed Cheddar cheese soup <br />2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of celery soup <br />1 large turkey skinned, cooked, boned and cubed <br />2 medium onions, diced <br />2 cup cooked butternut squash, diced <br />2 cup cranberries <br />Salt and pepper <br /><br />Preheat to 350 degrees F. To make the crust, dust surface with flour. Cut 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. <br /br>On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover each pot pie. Mix egg and milk together and brush onto each lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes. <br /><br /> Dough will rise and turn light golden brown. Set aside. In a large saucepan heat the soups. Stir in turkey, onion, squash, cranberries, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. In an oven-proof dish, fill with mixture and top with the pre-cooked lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes until bubbly and puff pastry is deep golden brown. Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-43877509448932703072023-10-12T04:08:00.004-07:002023-10-12T04:21:57.429-07:00A Brief History of Halloween and Trick-or-Treating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DUJg5cSZYDI/W8pNmtZRThI/AAAAAAAAERQ/eMmK5GY_rgcZ6T3DmZSTKyAQN9h1kmLUwCLcBGAs/s450/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.32.32%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DUJg5cSZYDI/W8pNmtZRThI/AAAAAAAAERQ/eMmK5GY_rgcZ6T3DmZSTKyAQN9h1kmLUwCLcBGAs/s450/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.32.32%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1091" /></a></div> <br />
Trick-or-treating has been a popular American tradition for more than a century, but its origins remain unclear. Ancient Celtic festivals, early Roman Catholic holidays, medieval practices, and even British politics all lay claim as possible antecedents of the present-day practice of trick-or-treating. <br /><br />
<b>Ancient Origins of Trick-or-Treating</b><br /><br />
Some say the origins of the practice of trick-or-treating might lie in the ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain that was celebrated on the night of October 31. The next day, November 1, marked the new year. On the Celtic calendar, this day signaled the end of summer and the beginning of the cold, dark winter, an uncertain and frightening time that was often associated with death. <br /><br />
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, believed that on Samhain the barrier between the living and dead was blurred more so than on any other night and that ghosts of the dead returned to earth as they transitioned to the otherworld. On the night of Samhain, people gathered to light bonfires, offer sacrifices, and pay homage to the dead. <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5CKh9kwVQNg/W8pRUjRDh4I/AAAAAAAAERc/99aY75HAY2ULadlA2cUSmyIfq6S36Up-QCLcBGAs/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.48.19%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5CKh9kwVQNg/W8pRUjRDh4I/AAAAAAAAERc/99aY75HAY2ULadlA2cUSmyIfq6S36Up-QCLcBGAs/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.48.19%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1238" data-original-height="820" /></a></div> <br />
In some Celtic celebrations of Samhain, villagers disguised themselves in costumes made of animal skins to drive away spirits while banquet tables were prepared and offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. In later centuries, people began dressing as ghosts, demons and other malevolent creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This custom, known as mumming, dates back to the Middle Ages and is thought to be another possible antecedent of trick-or-treating. <br /><br />
<b>Early Christian and Medieval Antecedents</b> <br /><br />
In the first few centuries of the first millennium, Christianity spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted older pagan rites. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as All Saints Day, or All Hallows Day, a time to honor all martyrs and saints. The night before (October 31) was known as All Hallows Eve, which eventually became Hallowe’en and finally Halloween. <br /><br />
In 1000 A.D., the church designated Nov. 2 as All Souls Day, a day when the living prayed for the souls of the dead. All Souls Day was celebrated in ways similar to Celtic commemorations of Samhain. People lit bonfires, dressed in customs as saints and devils, and masqueraded in parades. <br /><br />
Poor families would also visit the homes of wealthier families who would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in exchange for their promise to pray for the souls of the family's dead relatives. This practice, known as “souling,” was later taken up by children who would go from home-to-home and be given “treats” such as food, money, and ale. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wg7QlmO9X3o/XbreELlh_HI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/xtIaiLAYJvcBqdwM1qAwzwcVJXYhWKw-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-31%2Bat%2B6.11.47%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wg7QlmO9X3o/XbreELlh_HI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/xtIaiLAYJvcBqdwM1qAwzwcVJXYhWKw-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-31%2Bat%2B6.11.47%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1388" data-original-height="782" /></a></div> <br />
A similar Scottish and Irish practice known as guising – children disguising themselves in costumes and roaming door-to-door for treats – is another possible antecedent of trick-or-treating. The big difference is that in souling children promised to say a prayer for the dead in return for their “treat” whereas guisers would sing a song, recite a poem, or perform some sort of “trick” for their treat, which traditionally consisted of fruit, coins, or nuts. <br /><br />
<b>Guy Fawkes Night Celebrations</b><br /><br />
Still another antecedent might be the British custom of children wearing masks and carrying effigies while begging for pennies on Guy Fawkes Night (also known as Bonfire Night), an annual commemoration of the foiling of the so-called Gunpowder Plot of 1605. On November 5, 1606, Fawkes was executed for his role in the Catholic-led conspiracy to blow up England's parliament building in an attempt to remove the Protestant King James I from power. <br /><br />
The original Guy Fawkes Day was celebrated immediately after his execution. Communal bonfires were lit to burn effigies and the symbolic "bones" of the Catholic pope. By the early nineteenth century, effigies of the pope had been replaced by those of Guy Fawkes and children would roam the streets carrying an effigy or "Guy" and ask for "a penny for the Guy." <br /><br />
<b>A New American Tradition </b> <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6hh6ZlUxTU/W8pTh1R5LKI/AAAAAAAAERw/0eFnKWicTuEkdyxw8LqzEDdkcaUo7bkhQCLcBGAs/s465/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.53.48%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6hh6ZlUxTU/W8pTh1R5LKI/AAAAAAAAERw/0eFnKWicTuEkdyxw8LqzEDdkcaUo7bkhQCLcBGAs/s465/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.53.48%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1038" data-original-height="1318" /></a></div> <br />
Although some early American colonists celebrated Guy Fawkes Day, the rigid Protestant belief systems of New England Puritans meant that they had no place for such pagan and Catholic celebrations as Samhain and All Souls Day, or even Halloween itself. In the southern colonies, however, where larger, more ethnically diverse European communities had settled, there are some accounts of Halloween festivities meshing with Native American autumn harvest celebrations. <br /><br />
In the mid-1800s, large numbers of new immigrants, especially the nearly two million Irish immigrants fleeing Ireland’s potato famine, helped to popularize Halloween. Borrowing from English and Irish traditions, children would dress in costumes and go door-to-door asking for food or money. <br /><br />
As Halloween grew in popularity, it was celebrated with bonfires, ghost stories, costume parties and pranks. By the 1920s, juvenile pranks had gotten out of hand and often resulted in the destruction of private property, sometimes amounting to more than $100,000 in damages each year in some major metropolitan cities. <br /><br />
The deepening Depression exacerbated the problem, with Halloween pranks often devolving into vandalism, assaults, and sporadic acts of violence. One theory holds that it was the excessive “pranks” on Halloween that led to the widespread adoption of an organized, community-based trick-or-treating tradition in the 1930s. This trend was abruptly curtailed, however, with the outbreak of World War II. Children were forced to refrain from trick-or-treating because of sugar rationing and pranksters were told that their actions would “hurt the war effort” and be considered “sabotage.” <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZ7yI4nqk4k/XbrfkmcXSmI/AAAAAAAAEbc/CcbonFCamSke5Tp08RYcHRjtlTcRMIxWACLcBGAsYHQ/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-31%2Bat%2B6.18.11%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZ7yI4nqk4k/XbrfkmcXSmI/AAAAAAAAEbc/CcbonFCamSke5Tp08RYcHRjtlTcRMIxWACLcBGAsYHQ/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-31%2Bat%2B6.18.11%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="829" /></a></div> <br />
With post-war prosperity and the baby boom, trick-or-treating was revived and quickly became a standard practice for millions of children in the cities and newly-built suburbs. No longer constrained by sugar rationing, major American candy companies capitalized on this lucrative trend, launching national ad campaigns specifically aimed at Halloween.
If trick-or-treating had once been an intermittent practice, it was now a popular American tradition. Today, Americans spend more than $12 billion annually</a> on Halloween, making it the nation's second largest commercial holiday. <br /><br />
Adapted from <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-trick-or-treating">my article published on THE HISTORTY CHANNEL'S website history.com</a>Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-2741945884784857152023-06-20T23:39:00.005-07:002023-06-21T00:00:28.539-07:00The Last First Class Dinner on the Titanic <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kvz0aIH8KX0/Tl_CCaZRlGI/AAAAAAAAATo/FdpsQv2VyEc/s1600/01_titanic.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 392px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Kvz0aIH8KX0/Tl_CCaZRlGI/AAAAAAAAATo/FdpsQv2VyEc/s400/01_titanic.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5647445804446749794" /></a> On April 10, 1912, the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/loc/lcib/9805/titanic.html">RMS Titanic </a>set sail from Southampton England on her maiden voyage to New York City. Known as the largest, most luxurious ocean liner ever built, its passengers were a mix of the world's wealthiest basking in opulent, first-class accommodations and poor hungry immigrants packed into steerage. <br /><br />Four days into her <a href="http://cruiselinehistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/titanic-sinks-new-york-times-thumb.jpg">journey</a>, at 11:40 p.m. on April 14th, the Titanic struck an iceberg in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. One crew member later compared the sound of the collision to "the tearing of calico, nothing more." But the force of the impact tore apart <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/15/science/15titanic.html">faulty rivets</a> along the hull, filling the ship's interior with some 39,000 tons of seawater before its sinking. <br /br><br /br>
As the bow plunged deeper into the water, passengers frantically scrambled to the stern. Seventeen-year-old Jack Thayer <a href="http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/titanic.htm">witnessed </a>the sinking from an overturned lifeboat. "We could see groups of the almost fifteen hundred people still aboard," he recalled, "clinging in clusters or bunches, like swarming bees; only to fall in masses, pairs or singly, as the great after part of the ship, two hundred and fifty feet of it, rose into the sky, till it reached a sixty-five or seventy degree angle." <br /br><br /br> Two hours and forty minutes after striking the iceberg, the last of the Titanic slid beneath the dark surface of the ocean. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mnwVgWXXH64/WOlBiuf7gyI/AAAAAAAAD8Y/H2n3LjgE-aUgk5qy8OLzVFEtMdF29KTYACLcB/s465/tita.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mnwVgWXXH64/WOlBiuf7gyI/AAAAAAAAD8Y/H2n3LjgE-aUgk5qy8OLzVFEtMdF29KTYACLcB/s465/tita.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
Of course, the sinking of the Titanic is the most famous maritime disaster in modern history and has been chronicled in countless books, novels, plays, TV shows, and movies. What isn't so well-known, however, is that the Titanic carried some of the most advanced culinary facilities afloat, with elegant dining saloons, outdoor cafes, and luxurious first-class dining rooms that rivaled the ritziest restaurants in Paris, London, and New York. <br /><br />Although a huge staff worked round the clock to serve more than 6,000 meals each day, only two menus were recovered from the Titanic for the final night of its doomed voyage. One of them - the first-class menu - tells us that the meal began as it did every night, with hors d’ouevers and oysters, followed by Consommé Olga, Cream of Barley Soup and Poached Salmon garnished with cucumbers and Mousseline Sauce. <br /><br />After this came Filet Mignons Lili, Saute of Chicken Lyonnaise, Lamb with Mint Sauce, Roast Duckling, and Sirloin of Beef with Chateau Potatoes, Creamed Carrots, Boiled Rice and Parmentier Potatoes. Then came Punch Romaine with Roast Squab and Cress followed by Cold Asparagus Vinaigrette, Pate de Foie Gras and Celery. If passengers had any room left for dessert, they could choose from such items as Waldorf Pudding, Peaches in Chartreuse Jelly, Chocolate and Vanilla Eclairs, and French Ice Cream. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yKjYIdcO7Cc/WOlDbaPA9SI/AAAAAAAAD8k/6svBRaEPq2siEM1SBfe74ADbEkBRz4jTgCLcB/s465/titanic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-yKjYIdcO7Cc/WOlDbaPA9SI/AAAAAAAAD8k/6svBRaEPq2siEM1SBfe74ADbEkBRz4jTgCLcB/s465/titanic.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
Although it might be a bit macabre, some Titanic enthusiasts enjoy recreating the last meals on the ship, and Rick Archbold's <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Last-Dinner-Titanic-Menus-Recipes/dp/078686303X">The Last Dinner on the Titanic </a>presents 50 recipes based on the dishes that appeared on its menus. One of the most delicious items from a first-class dinner menu is Chicken Lyonnaise. If you'd like to get a taste of what some <a href="http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/dining/restaurants/fox-re-creates-last-dinner-on-the-titanic/article_a7e1a4ab-f2cc-5072-b281-4c6724fdac0b.html">first-class passengers ate</a> on that fateful night, here's the recipe to try: <br /><br />1/3 cup all-purpose flour<br />2 tbsp chopped fresh thyme (or 1 tbsp dried)<br />1/2 tsp each salt and pepper<br />6 boneless chicken breasts<br />1 egg, beaten<br />3 tbsp vegetable oil<br />2 onions, thinly sliced<br />1 clove garlic, minced<br />1/3 cup white wine<br />1 cup chicken stock<br />2 tsp tomato paste<br />Pinch granulated sugar<br /><br />In sturdy plastic bag, shake together flour, 1 tbsp of the thyme (or 1 1/2 tsp if using dried), salt, and pepper. One at a time, dip chicken breasts into egg, and then shake in flour mixture. In large deep skillet, heat 2 tbsp of the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Place chicken in pan, skin side down. Cook, turning once, for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from skillet and place in 225-degree F oven.<br /><br />Reduce heat to medium; add remaining oil. Stir in onions, garlic and remaining thyme; cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until onions are translucent. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook onions, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add wine to pan; cook, stirring to scrape up any brown bits, for about 1 minute of until reduced by half. Stir in stock, tomato paste, and sugar. Boil for 2 minutes or until beginning to thicken. Return chicken to pan, turning to coat, and cook for 5 minutes or until juices from chicken run clear. <br /><br />FAST FACT: In the wake of the disaster, King George sent a <a href="http://www.logoi.com/notes/titanic/how_world_received_news.html">cablegram</a> to President William Howard Taft, which read: "The Queen and I are anxious to assure you and the American nation of the great sorrow which we experienced at the terrible loss of life that has occurred among the American citizens, as well as among my own subjects, by the foundering of the Titanic. Our two countries are so intimately allied by ties of friendship and brotherhood that any mis fortunes which affect the one must necessarily affect the other, and on the present terrible occasion they are both equally sufferers." <br /br><br /br> In response, Taft sadly wrote, "In the presence of the appalling disaster to the Titanic the people of the two countries are brought into community of grief through their common bereavement. The American people share in the sorrow of their kinsmen beyond the sea. On behalf of my countrymen I thank you for your sympathetic message. "WILLIAM H. TAFT."Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-58623029304786107622023-06-16T17:21:00.003-07:002023-06-20T23:40:22.259-07:00JFK, LBJ, and a Brief History of Father's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MuFUz_tzjHU/V2NeMGYlGKI/AAAAAAAADOM/hcKEb6DeYAEaqJHiuo04ErcrgAVbD1a7gCLcB/s460/lyndonjohnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MuFUz_tzjHU/V2NeMGYlGKI/AAAAAAAADOM/hcKEb6DeYAEaqJHiuo04ErcrgAVbD1a7gCLcB/s460/lyndonjohnson.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Some historians say that the origins of <a href="http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb10-ff11.html">Father’s Day </a> can be traced to a young woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd, who reportedly came up with the idea while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in Spokane, Washington in 1909. Raised by her widowed father, a Civil War veteran who had lost his wife after the birth of their sixth child, Sonora felt that her father should be honored in the same way that mothers were on Mother’s Day. <br /><br />Toward that end, a special Father’s Day observance was held on June 19, 1910. Although that celebration was a local affair, the idea of a national Father’s Day picked up steam when it was endorsed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924, but it would take another thirty years before Father’s Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress. Then, in 1966, the first presidential <a href="http://www.theholidayspot.com/fathersday/proclamation.htm">proclamation</a> honoring fathers was issued by Lyndon Johnson, who designated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. <br /><br />Although it’s hard to say what Johnson ate on that particular day, it’s likely that the Texan native requested a family barbecue. Barbecuing, of course, has been used as a tool in American politics since the early nineteenth century, but no politician ever used “the conviviality and informality of cooking and <a href="http://www.amazingribs.com/BBQ_articles/LBJ_and_BBQ.html">eating outdoors</a>” more than Johnson.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nsm0eaYmh3o/V2Nh-Z40bOI/AAAAAAAADOY/-IpSvfGlNHYP1HhL2520jDT_TlqezIALwCLcB/s1600/LBJ-Jetton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nsm0eaYmh3o/V2Nh-Z40bOI/AAAAAAAADOY/-IpSvfGlNHYP1HhL2520jDT_TlqezIALwCLcB/s465/LBJ-Jetton.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
But the most important barbecue ever planned for the LBJ Ranch never took place. This is what happened: <br /><em><br />It was scheduled for November 23, 1963, when President Kennedy, Johnson, and their entourages were planning to dine beneath the oaks on the Pedernales. But a few hours before they were to board the choppers from Dallas to Johnson City, on November 22, Kennedy was assassinated two cars in front of Johnson as they drove in a motorcade.<br /><br />A month later, the Johnson family retreated to the ranch on Christmas Eve. West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard was scheduled to visit the President to discuss the Soviet threat, the Berlin Wall, and other important matters. Rather than return to Washington for a formal State Dinner, Lyndon invited Erhard on down to what historians claim was the first official Presidential barbecue in history. Yes, Johnson's first state dinner was a barbecue for 300 catered by Walter Jetton on December 29, 1963.<br /><br />When his staff realized it would be chilly that day, the sit-down part was moved indoors to Stonewall High School gymnasium, about two miles away. Workers did an admirable job of creating an outdoorsy feel with bales of hay, red lanterns, red-checkered table cloths, saddles, lassos, and mariachis. According to Lady Bird's diary, "there were beans (pinto beans, always), delicious barbecued spareribs, cole slaw, followed by fried apricot pies with lots of hot coffee. And plenty of beer." </em><br /><br />Although those recipes may have been lost to posterity, some Johnson family favorites included <a href="http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/faqs/recipes/chili.asp">Pedernales River Chili</a>, Chipped Beef with Cream, Beef Stroganoff, Tapioca Pudding, and Lady Bird enjoyed handing out her recipe for Barbecue Sauce. If you’d like to add a little zip to your Father's Day celebrations this weekend, here's a <a href="http://leitesculinaria.com/91062/recipes-texas-style-barbecue-sauce.html">great recipe</a> to try and here's Lady Bird's original recipe: <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-59HwkEDWeLQ/WUMqF71dIwI/AAAAAAAAEAw/DzgbVzmU_14FBNiFPjjJtbo3kzp1AzT4QCLcBGAs/s455/abbq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-59HwkEDWeLQ/WUMqF71dIwI/AAAAAAAAEAw/DzgbVzmU_14FBNiFPjjJtbo3kzp1AzT4QCLcBGAs/s455/abbq.jpg" data-original-width="590" data-original-height="400" /></a></div> <br />
¼ cup butter<br />¼ cup vinegar<br />¼ cup ketchup<br />¼ cup fresh lemon juice<br />¼ cup Worcestershire sauce <br />Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste<br /><br />Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Add Tabasco sauce to taste. Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-67493960562237474002023-05-31T16:18:00.004-07:002023-05-31T18:46:06.137-07:00Golfers-in-Chief, from Eisenhower, JFK, and LBJ to the Bushes, Ronald Reagan, and Barack Obama <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TKFZ860OhcY/XP78hAnzBuI/AAAAAAAAEVc/E_Ho5aT222QoY2qnsLzAwbw22MjKycuHwCLcBGAs/s1600/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-06-10%2Bat%2B5.32.49%2BPM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-TKFZ860OhcY/XP78hAnzBuI/AAAAAAAAEVc/E_Ho5aT222QoY2qnsLzAwbw22MjKycuHwCLcBGAs/s400/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-06-10%2Bat%2B5.32.49%2BPM.png" width="450" height="303" data-original-width="1218" data-original-height="770" /></a></div> <br />
While Donald Trump's rounds of golf with Tiger Woods have made national headlines, Tiger's round with Barack Obama in 2013 also caused quite a stir. Although scores remain top secret, what's not so secret is that many American presidents have been avid golfers. <br /><br /> According to Don van Natta’s <i><a href="https://www.amazon.com/First-Off-Tee-Don-Natta/dp/1586482653">First Off the Tee</a></i>, 15 of the last 18 presidents have been serious golfers and how they played the game reveals a lot about their character. Dwight Eisenhower played more than 800 times during his eight years in office and had a putting green installed on the South Lawn of the White House. <br /><br /> A member of Augusta National Golf Club, Ike broke 80 on a dozen occasions and the Eisenhower Pine, once located on the 17th hole, was named after him. Ike hit the tree so many times that, at a club meeting in 1956, he proposed that the tree be cut down. Not wanting to offend the president, the club’s chairman adjourned the meeting rather than reject the request.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.thegolfballfactory.com/the-golf-course/hole18/president-kennedy-golfing.jpg">John F. Kennedy</a> was a serious golfer but didn't want to be seen playing because he wanted to contrast his image with Ike’s reputation of “golfing his way through the presidency.” JFK and his aides reportedly made a lot of hay out of Ike's constant playing, and dubbed him "Duffer in Chief.” <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MtxAipWky_o/WFyciZ0PxDI/AAAAAAAADkU/uLyZmbr8Ny8LJ5c0YrUO4Odo5wRsloXwACLcB/s460/kennedygolf.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MtxAipWky_o/WFyciZ0PxDI/AAAAAAAADkU/uLyZmbr8Ny8LJ5c0YrUO4Odo5wRsloXwACLcB/s460/kennedygolf.gif" /></a></div> <br />
As for LBJ, Van Natta says that he “really tore it up” on the course and would take 300, sometimes 400 swings, in a round. "He just wanted the feel of one perfect shot," van Natta notes, "and if it took 400 swings to do it, he was going to do it. He was the president and nobody was going to get in his way." <br /><br /> Ronald Reagan only played the game about a dozen times while in office, but he loved putting around the Oval Office and aboard <a href="http://0.tqn.com/d/history1900s/1/0/g/1/reagan21.jpg">Air Force One</a>. <br /><br >
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PlhjJYdqtLA/WFyZxFrV4NI/AAAAAAAADj4/CVnd3YN2CoE1YRnHTY1JYgr8sETOXwjTwCLcB/s460/Reagan_putting_a_golf_ball_around_Air_Force_One_-_NARA_-_198571.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-PlhjJYdqtLA/WFyZxFrV4NI/AAAAAAAADj4/CVnd3YN2CoE1YRnHTY1JYgr8sETOXwjTwCLcB/s460/Reagan_putting_a_golf_ball_around_Air_Force_One_-_NARA_-_198571.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
But nowhere does golf run deeper than in the Bush family bloodline. <br /><br />George H.W. Bush's maternal grandfather, George Herbert Walker, served as president of the United States Golf Association in 1920. A single-digit handicapper, he donated the Walker Cup, the trophy awarded to the winning team in the biennial matches between leading amateur golfers from the U.S. and Great Britain/Ireland. And 41’s father, Senator Prescott S. Bush, was a scratch golfer who served as president of the USGA in 1935. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aQUVC3CJ0JM/WFydMtpfC-I/AAAAAAAADkc/kl6smO8NUc06M-Yf1olZN4Ljr59Da9Y8wCLcB/s460/bushgolfing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-aQUVC3CJ0JM/WFydMtpfC-I/AAAAAAAADkc/kl6smO8NUc06M-Yf1olZN4Ljr59Da9Y8wCLcB/s460/bushgolfing.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
As for Clinton, Van Natta says he "followed the rules for about a hole and a half. Then...started taking these do-over shots, gimme putts and, at the end of the 18 holes, it took him about 200 swings to score an 82." <br /><br />And as for Barack Obama, an <a href="http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1914997,00.html">article</a> in <em>Time</em> magazine notes that he took up golf “as a relaxing alternative to basketball...but now that his game is out of the closet, it is clear that he duffs in much the same way that he tries to govern.” Wellington Wilson, Obama’s longtime golf buddy, was quoted as saying, “You can really tell a person's personality by the way he plays golf. He just goes with the flow. Not too high. Not too low." <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ncr3bgoDDpo/WFybSHcYvMI/AAAAAAAADkE/EzwwnKyjBKEXep8ouynaLSm2k0GfFydFACLcB/s460/obama-golf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Ncr3bgoDDpo/WFybSHcYvMI/AAAAAAAADkE/EzwwnKyjBKEXep8ouynaLSm2k0GfFydFACLcB/s460/obama-golf.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
And while it's hard to know if Donald Trump chose to just "go with the flow" with Tiger Woods, we do know that Obama attended a <a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/24/politics/main20111252.shtml">Black Caucus Dinner</a> in Washington D.C. after his match with <a href="http://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/news/tiger-woods-poses-shirtless-as-mac-daddy-santa-w457602">#MacDaddySanta,</a> then flew to California for a fundraiser at the ritzy Fig and Olive restaurant in West Hollywood. <br /><br />According to obamafoodroma.com, celebrity guests included Jack Black, Jamie Foxx, Danny DeVito, and Quincy Jones. Judd Apatow and Aaron Sorkin were also on hand for the festivities, where guests reportedly shelled out a whopping $17,900 each for dinner. <br /><br /> So what kind of meal comes with such a price tag? Well, one guest revealed that appetizer options included: <br /><br />
<i>jamón ibérico and a fig Gorgonzola tartlet, while entree options included striped bass filet en papillote with zucchini, eggplant, fennel, tomato, thyme, scallion, and saffron served with Arbequina olive oil mashed potato & chives; free range organic chicken breast with grilled zucchini, eggplant, heirloom tomato, cipollini onion, roasted fig, Parmesan polenta, and marinated red bell pepper; and rosemary lamb chops, grilled then smoked a la minute with Herbs de Provence, goat cheese, and chive gnocchi. <br /><br /></i> Sounds delish, but since most of us don't have a spare $18k to drop on dinner, here's a fabulous and more affordable recipe for Grilled Rosemary Lamb Chops from <a href="http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Rosemary-Lamb-Chops-658">epicurious.com</a>:<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vn35B7c-NOw/WFyb6ueIk2I/AAAAAAAADkM/J5DUmd16HBQNTyFHxRLvccy6FisvHPbTgCLcB/s460/rosemarylamb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-vn35B7c-NOw/WFyb6ueIk2I/AAAAAAAADkM/J5DUmd16HBQNTyFHxRLvccy6FisvHPbTgCLcB/s460/rosemarylamb.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar<br />6 tablespoons olive oil<br />3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice<br />3 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary or 3 teaspoons dried<br />6 garlic cloves, minced<br />1 teaspoon ground black pepper<br />12 1-inch-thick loin lamb chops, fat trimmed<br /><br />Mix first 6 ingredients in small bowl. Place lamb chops in single layer in 13x9x2-inch glass dish. Pour marinade over. cover with foil and refrigerate 4 hours, turning lamb chops occasionally. <br /><br />Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). When coals turn white, drain chips, if using, and scatter over coals. When chips begin to smoke, season lamb with salt and pepper and place on grill. Cover; grill shops to desired doneness, basting often with marinade, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to platter and serve. Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-37173570858583569812023-04-04T16:04:00.002-07:002023-04-04T16:04:53.158-07:00A Brief History of the White House Easter Egg Roll from Dolley Madison and Abraham Lincoln to the Obamas <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XH70_Ty7oTw/VvLGO5_AbPI/AAAAAAAACzU/0dfRO-KtMQ4gEGDNZuqsiSoHd2YWZmFMw/s745/Lucy-Hayes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XH70_Ty7oTw/VvLGO5_AbPI/AAAAAAAACzU/0dfRO-KtMQ4gEGDNZuqsiSoHd2YWZmFMw/s725/Lucy-Hayes.jpg" /></a></div>
According to <a href="http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_shows/holidays_easter/index.html">whitehouse.gov</a>, some historians claim that Dolley Madison originally suggested the idea of a public egg roll on White House grounds while others tell stories of informal egg-rolling parties dating back to Abraham Lincoln's administration. What is clear, however, is that, beginning in the 1870s, Washingtonians from all social levels celebrated Easter Monday on the west grounds of the U.S. Capitol where children rolled brilliantly dyed hard-boiled eggs down the terraced lawn.<br />
<br />
This practice ended in 1876, however, when lawmakers complained that eggs shells were destroying the grass. To resolve this problem, a group of party-poopers in Congress passed the <a href="http://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-annual-Easter-egg-roll-at-the-Capitol/">Turf Protection Act</a> which banned egg rolls from Capital grounds, and President Ulysses S. Grant signed the bill into law later that year. Fortunately, the tradition was revived in 1878 when First Lady Lucy Hayes invited children of all ages to roll Easter eggs on the White House lawn, a tradition that has continued ever since. <br /><br />
According to this <a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1890844,00.html">article</a> in Time Magazine: <br />
<br />
<em>Some 53,000 people attended the egg roll in 1941...though in modern times the number is generally under 20,000. Calvin Coolidge's wife mingled through crowds while holding a pet raccoon named Rebecca, while Mrs. Warren G. Harding put on the uniform of her beloved Girl Scouts for the event. Showcasing modern technology, Eleanor Roosevelt welcomed crowds and addressed listeners across the country via radio in 1933, while the Clinton administration proudly announced that 1998's egg roll would be the first broadcast on the Internet.</em><br />
<br /> In 2009, the Obamas hosted the 138th annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, March 28, when more than 35,000 people joined them on the South Lawn for games, stories, and, of course, the traditional egg roll.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Acu3VjGwboo/VvHR3nN45oI/AAAAAAAACy8/FTw-FlLYfMU-dxkygqliqARX1S2pPPRIg/s1600/easterobama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Acu3VjGwboo/VvHR3nN45oI/AAAAAAAACy8/FTw-FlLYfMU-dxkygqliqARX1S2pPPRIg/s460/easterobama.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
And while the menu for that year's White House Easter Brunch wasn't released, the <em>Chicago Sun-Times</em> reported that menu items in 2008 included Honey Baked Ham with Maple Mustard Sauce, Eggs Benedict, spinach salad, waffles, sauteed asparagus, biscuits and cheese grits. If you'd like whip up some Eggs Benedict for your Easter brunch this year, here's a simple and simply delicious recipe to try from the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com">Food Network</a>: <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZkcV80YF1I/Vwg13Npt9tI/AAAAAAAADA4/BzsbB9I3mk8qtucAGaAwBjCaQ7iFh3chw/s460/eggsbenedict.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZkcV80YF1I/Vwg13Npt9tI/AAAAAAAADA4/BzsbB9I3mk8qtucAGaAwBjCaQ7iFh3chw/s460/eggsbenedict.jpg" /></a></div> <br />1 teaspoon vinegar <br />4 eggs <br />4 thin slices Canadian bacon <br />2 English muffins <br /><br />Hollandaise sauce: <br /br> <br /br> 3 egg yolks <br />1 tablespoon hot water <br />1 tablespoon lemon juice <br />1 stick unsalted butter, melted and hot <br />Salt and pepper <br />Paprika and chopped parsley <br /><br />In large skillet, bring 2 inches of water and vinegar to a boil. Crack one egg into a glass. Reduce water to a simmer and pour egg into water. Add remaining eggs and cook for 4 minutes. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and drain. In a non-stick skillet heat the bacon until warm. Toast the English muffins until golden. <br /><br />For sauce: Place yolks, water and lemon juice into blender. Blend for 1 minute. With blender running, pour butter through open hole of lid. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble: Top each muffin with bacon and a poached egg. Pour the warm sauce over and garnish with paprika and the chopped parsley.<br /><br />
FAST FACT: The Easter Egg Roll was held at the White House every year in the 20th century except during World War I, World War II, and the Truman Renovation of the White House, when it was moved to nearby locations or cancelled. Ronald Reagan was the first president to hide autographed eggs for children to find and Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon were the first to include the Easter Bunny in the festivities. Years earlier, First Lady Grace Coolidge made an appearance at the Easter Egg Roll in the 1920s with her <a href="http://lincolnslunch.blogspot.com/2010/07/dining-with-coolidges-pet-racoon.html">famous pet racooon</a> Rebecca!
<br /><br />
For more on my manuscript wish list and submission info <a href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/SEEUCB/">click here</a>!Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-19376895569324630862023-03-07T12:29:00.020-08:002023-05-31T17:46:53.872-07:00Five March Madness Tips from Machiavelli <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-axfF9uIYqMU/VuMrmwrkFuI/AAAAAAAACn0/OrjuYrYOUUY5h8lRu8sU9MHAzW6O426AA/s470/Machiavelli_AF.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-axfF9uIYqMU/VuMrmwrkFuI/AAAAAAAACn0/OrjuYrYOUUY5h8lRu8sU9MHAzW6O426AA/s470/Machiavelli_AF.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
It's that time of year, baby! <a href="http://machiavelliandmarchmadness.blogspot.com">March Madness</a> is in full swing. What will it take to succeed? Talent, depth, experience, confidence and strong leadership and strategy are key. On this point, coaches and players would be well-advised to take some tips from the great sixteenth-century political strategist, Niccolò Machiavelli. <br /><br />
Sounds strange, I know. But some of the strategies of warfare and statecraft that Machiavelli prescribes can be successfully applied on the court. Consider these tips: <br /><br />
<b>1. Divide and Conquer
<br /><br /></b>
In <i>The Prince</i> and his other political works, Machiavelli offers concrete advice on how to wage a successful war. In particular, he advises that a leader “ought to endeavor to divide the forces of the enemy, either by making him suspicious of his men…or by giving him cause to separate his forces and, because of this, become weaker.” <br /><br />
Similarly, in basketball as in war, a strong offense simply isn’t enough. Defensive efficiency is key, especially for potential Cinderella teams that lack the talent and depth of top programs. And since there's not many obviously dominant squads this year, there will be plenty of opportunities for havoc-wreaking teams to upset top-seeds by “dividing” their forces and forcing mistakes, as Machiavelli would advise, and turning those errors into buckets. <br /><br />
<b>2. Cultivate Machiavellian Virtú. <br /><br /></b>
In <i>The Prince</i>, Machiavelli refers to his central concept of virtú. Unlike the term “ virtue" that connotes moral goodness, virtú, for Machiavelli, is the essential quality, the touchstone, of political and military success. <br /><br />
In particular, the concept entails the idea of a tremendous inner fortitude to overcome even the most formidable opposition and embraces such traits as boldness, bravery, foresight, flexibility, ingenuity, action and decisiveness. And these same traits, as Machiavelli would advise, are also critical for success on the court. <br /><br />
<b>3. Before Deciding upon Any Course, Consider the Perils and Dangers it Presents </b><br /><br />
With the shot-clock ticking off, players often take perilous shots. That’s what makes the games so exciting, and maddening, when they do or don’t pay off. So what’s a young player under pressure to do? <br /><br />
“Before deciding upon any course,” Machiavelli cautions, “men should consider the dangers it presents, and if its perils exceed the advantages, they should avoid it, even though it had been in accordance with their previous determination.” <br /><br />
In other words, if the perils of a high-risk shot exceed its advantages, players should avoid it at all costs. It’s all about poise under pressure, as Machiavelli would advise, and clarity of thought. <br /><br />
<b>4. Study the Actions of Illustrious Men<br /><br /></b>
To succeed on the battlefield and on the court, Machiavelli advises that “men ought to study the actions of illustrious men to see how they have borne themselves in war, to examine the causes of their victories and defeat, so as to avoid the latter and imitate the former.” <br /><br />
In other words, both princes and players would be well-advised to study the actions of past champions. That might seem so obvious you might dismiss it. But, as Machiavelli would admonish, those teams that fail to do so are doomed. <br /><br />
<b>5. It is Safer to be Feared than Loved</b><br /><br /></b>
In his most widely maligned maxim, Machiavelli advises that “it is best to be both feared and loved, but because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is safer to be feared than loved.”<br /><br />
Nowhere does Machiavelli’s brutal pragmatic realism come out more clearly than here. But he’s talking about loyalty and obedience, and he backs this up by saying that “men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared, for love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”<br /><br />
Here again, Machiavelli’s advice can be applied on the court. Consider Bob (nicknamed "The General") Knight, who was not only one of the winningest coaches in collegiate basketball, but also inspired the loyalty and even “love" of his players. <br /><br />
Why? Because, despite his controversial bullying tactics, he cared deeply about his players and the game--and consistently leading his teams to victory by any means that paid off. And what, I ask, could be more Machiavellian than that?<br /><br />
<i><a href="http://lincolnslunch.blogspot.com">Suzy Evans</a> is a literary agent, attorney and author of <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Machiavelli-Moms-Effective-Governance-Children/dp/1451699581/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=">Machiavelli for Moms</a> (Simon & Schuster) </i> and <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Forgotten-Crimes-Holocaust-People-Disabilities/dp/1566635659">Forgotten Crimes: The Holocaust and People with Disabilities</a> </i>Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-14562906632317000262023-01-13T13:52:00.004-08:002023-01-13T14:09:10.869-08:00Lou Henry Hoover and the First Organized Girl Scout Cookie Drive in 1935!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9nSHdMs57io/VoxagR_1zmI/AAAAAAAACSQ/Fb4g9DYMNFw/s1600/Lou-Hoover.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9nSHdMs57io/VoxagR_1zmI/AAAAAAAACSQ/Fb4g9DYMNFw/s1600/Lou-Hoover.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> So did you know that Herbert Hoover’s wife "<a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies">Lou</a>" served as president of the Girl Scouts and helped coordinate one of the first <a href="http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/history/">Girl Scout</a> Cookie Drives in 1935? Sixty five years later, in April of 2000, the Herbert Hoover Presidential <a href="http://hoover.archives.gov/">Library </a>and Museum held an exhibit entitled, <em>American Women! A Celebration of Our History.</em> One exhibit depicted Lou Hoover’s lifelong commitment to the Girl Scouts. This is how the placard read: <br /> <br /><em>A woman nicknamed "Daisy" started the Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. with 18 girls. And a tomboy called "Lou" helped the organization grow into its current membership of over 3.5 million! Lou Henry grew up enjoying the outdoor life, and was the first women to receive a degree in geology from Stanford. She traveled the world with her husband Herbert Hoover, and assisted him with his mining ventures and famine relief activities. <br /><br />During World War I she met up with Juliette Low [Daisy], and was a Girl Scout for the next 25 years. As First Lady and national leader of the Girl Scouts, Hoover quietly aided people in need during the Depression, and was also the first to desegregate White House social functions. <br /><br />Lou remained a Scout the rest of her life and led the first Girl Scout cookie drive in 1935. Juliette Low and Lou Henry Hoover brought together girls from the North and South, wealthy and poor, black and white, athletic and handicapped – instilling confidence that all women can develop their potential to be whatever they wish to be. </em><br /><br />In the <a href="http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/history/timeline/">1920s</a> and <a href="http://www.girlscouts.org/who_we_are/history/timeline/">1930s</a>, Girl Scouts all across the country baked their own simple sugar cookies with their mothers. They then packaged their coookies in wax paper bags sealed with a sticker and sold them door-to-door for 25 to 35 cents a dozen.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-THslbhWFwfc/VpUscXvoKgI/AAAAAAAACTQ/-01eATrctXw/s460/hoover65.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-THslbhWFwfc/VpUscXvoKgI/AAAAAAAACTQ/-01eATrctXw/s460/hoover65.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
Today, of course, there is a wide array of commercially baked Girl Scouts cookies to choose from, including such traditional favorites as Samoas, Tagalongs, Trefoils, and Thin Mints! If you'd like to whip up a batch of cookies with your kids today, here's the original recipe for <a href="http://www.girlscouts.org/program/gs_cookies/cookie_history/early_years.asp">Early Girl Scout Cookies®</a> from The Girl Scouts of the United States of America. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbT2CwTFJ2Q/WJQKZjBjKUI/AAAAAAAADy4/dQPnXf3ZVXYGwjwTAgt9JNleT6Crarv4QCLcB/s460/girlcookies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mbT2CwTFJ2Q/WJQKZjBjKUI/AAAAAAAADy4/dQPnXf3ZVXYGwjwTAgt9JNleT6Crarv4QCLcB/s460/girlcookies.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
1 cup butter<br />1 cup sugar plus additional amount for topping (optional)<br />2 eggs<br />
2 tablespoons milk<br />1 teaspoon vanilla<br />2 cups flour<br />1 teaspoon salt<br />2 teaspoons baking powder<br /><br />Cream butter and the cup of sugar; add well-beaten eggs, then milk, vanilla, flour, salt, and baking powder. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Roll dough, cut into trefoil shapes, and sprinkle sugar on top, if desired. Bake in a quick oven (375°) for approximately 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges begin to brown. Makes six- to seven-dozen cookies.
<br /><br />
For more on my manuscript wish list <a href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/SEEUCB/">click here</a>!Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-84264151577252078022023-01-11T14:40:00.005-08:002023-05-31T17:48:01.880-07:00James Garfield, the Pythagorean Theorem, and the Founding Father of Modern Vegetarianism <a href="http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/james-garfield/james-garfield-family.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 348px;" src="http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/james-garfield/james-garfield-family.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> As a lawyer, professor, and duly ordained minister, <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamesgarfield">James Garfield</a> is the only president to have discovered a novel proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. The Theorem, of course, is named after <a href="http://www.referencecenter.com/ref/reference/Pythagor/Pythagoras?invocationType=ar1clk&flv=1">Pythagoras</a>, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician. <br /><br /> As you might recall from grade school, the theorem says that in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the two right angle sides will always be the same as the square of the hypotenuse (the longest side). <br /><br />Translated mathematically, the equation would read: A2 + B2 = C2. Let’s try it quickly here: If Side A is 4 inches long and Side B is 3 inches long, the equation would be: 4 x 4 = 16 and 3 x 3 = 9. Added together, 16 + 9 = 25. Now we simply find the square root of 25 and - voila! - we know that side C is 5 inches long!<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGCsQB2CuEA/WTYFM_eTNgI/AAAAAAAAD_c/ylEgnx081bwvCh6e_3zjUddFD78KJXuFwCLcB/s455/pyth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGCsQB2CuEA/WTYFM_eTNgI/AAAAAAAAD_c/ylEgnx081bwvCh6e_3zjUddFD78KJXuFwCLcB/s455/pyth.jpg" data-original-width="480" data-original-height="360" /></a></div> <br />
So what does the Pythagorean Theorem have to do with food? A lot, if you consider the fact that Pythagoras has been <a href="http://www.ivu.org/history/greece_rome/pythagoras.html">called</a> the Founding Father of Vegetarianism. Until the 19th century, when the term "vegetarian" came into use, people who didn't eat meat were often called “Pythagoreans.” <br /><br />
As a young man, Garfield was a farmer in Ohio and wouldn't have called himself a Pythagorean, but he might have enjoyed this healthy <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001567.html">recipe</a> for Ultimate Veggie Burgers from 101 Cookbooks if he tried it! <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1_4FKEpzoc/V4xxyACsCnI/AAAAAAAADSg/2uT6yMmlAwAakHhh3x5up74k3cIlUuC3QCLcB/s450/ultimate-veggie-burger-recipe-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1_4FKEpzoc/V4xxyACsCnI/AAAAAAAADSg/2uT6yMmlAwAakHhh3x5up74k3cIlUuC3QCLcB/s460/ultimate-veggie-burger-recipe-3.jpg" width="450" height="347" /></a></div>
<br />2 1/2 cups garbanzo beans or canned garbanzos, rinsed<br />4 large eggs<br />1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt<br />1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro<br />1 onion, chopped<br />Grated zest of one lemon<br />1 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs<br />1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil <br /><br />Combine garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, and zest. <br /><br /> Add breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover and cook for 7-10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. <br /><br />FAST FACT: Garfield was one of our most intellectual presidents. Before going into politics, he was a professor of ancient languages. He was also ambidextrous and would often show off his knowledge by writing Greek with one hand and Latin with the other. Now THAT'S impressive! Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-42367762267989632092022-11-21T14:20:00.006-08:002022-11-22T11:08:55.469-08:00A Brief History of the Annual Turkey Pardon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OquUUOPDyxw/WgvOnqpIOfI/AAAAAAAAEIg/XTKjb88bImIAA9woIxOgCZ3EwAkif1FaQCLcBGAs/s460/turkey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-OquUUOPDyxw/WgvOnqpIOfI/AAAAAAAAEIg/XTKjb88bImIAA9woIxOgCZ3EwAkif1FaQCLcBGAs/s460/turkey.jpg" data-original-width="1100" data-original-height="733" /></a></div> <br /br>
There are competing claims as to when the annual White House tradition of "pardoning" a Thanksgiving turkey began. Some say it dates back to the 1860s, when Abraham Lincoln's young son Tad begged his dad to spare the life of a wild turkey named "Jack" that had been sent to the Lincolns to be part of their Christmas dinner. <br /><br />Others claim that the tradition began during <a href="http://www.mainlinemedianews.com/content/articles/2009/11/25/main_line_times/life/doc4b0c1c2944bb38876585951.jpg">Harry Truman's </a>administration. Although it's true that the National Turkey Federation has been providing holiday turkeys to the White House since 1947, when Truman was in office, there's no evidence to prove that this story is true. This is what the <a href="http://www.trumanlibrary.org/trivia/turkey.htm">Truman Library</a> offered on the issue:<br /><br /><em>The Truman Library has received many requests over the years for information confirming the story that President Truman "pardoned" a Thanksgiving turkey in 1947, thus initiating a Presidential tradition that continues to this day. <br /><br />The Library's staff has found no documents, speeches, newspaper clippings, photographs, or other contemporary records in our holdings which refer to Truman pardoning a turkey that he received as a gift in 1947, or at any other time during his Presidency. Truman sometimes indicated to reporters that the turkeys he received were destined for the family dinner table. In any event, the Library has been unable to determine when the tradition of pardoning the turkey actually began.</em> <br /><br />While President John F. Kennedy spared a massive 55-pound turkey's life on November 19, 1963, just three days before his assassination, he didn't use the word "pardon." Instead, the bird had a sign hanging around its neck that read, "<strong>GOOD EATING, MR. PRESIDENT</strong>!" which prompted Kennedy to quip, "Let's just let him keep growing." <br /><br />The first president to actually use the word "pardon" in reference to a holiday turkey was reportedly <a href="http://media3.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/photo/gallery/091124/GAL-09Nov24-3175/media/PHO-09Nov24-189717.jpg">Ronald Reagan</a>, who deflected questions in 1987 about pardoning Oliver North in the Iran-Contra affair by joking that he would also pardon a turkey named "Charlie," who was already heading to a local petting zoo.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsH9hG6CIds/WYpuh0tJ06I/AAAAAAAAED0/ezH4Yaa4154DiFWSEHpQ7Id0O7i2LXiLQCLcBGAs/s450/aRonald_Reagan%252C_turkey_pardon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ZsH9hG6CIds/WYpuh0tJ06I/AAAAAAAAED0/ezH4Yaa4154DiFWSEHpQ7Id0O7i2LXiLQCLcBGAs/s450/aRonald_Reagan%252C_turkey_pardon.jpg" data-original-width="455" data-original-height="1065" /></a></div> <br />
Which brings us to President <a href="http://www.michellehenry.fr/hwbush-turkey.jpg">George H.W. Bush</a>, who was apparently the first president to intentionally "pardon" a turkey. At the National Turkey Presentation Ceremony in 1989, Bush light-heartedly remarked: "Let me assure you, and this fine tom turkey, that he will not end up on anyone's dinner table, not this guy - he's granted a Presidential pardon as of right now - and allow him to live out his days on a children's farm not far from here."<br /><br />Although it's difficult to confirm exactly <em>when</em> this White House tradition began, we do know <em>where</em> some of the more recently pardoned turkeys have been sent after receiving their presidential reprieves. From 1989 until 2004, the fortunate fowls were sent to live out their natural lives at Frying Pan Farm in Virginia. <br /><br />The venue changed in 2005, however, when Disneyland was celebrating its fiftieth anniversary. That year, a lucky turkey named "Marshmallow," and his alternate, "Yam," were taken by police escort to the airport and then flown first class to California. According to the <a href="http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=131451280">Associated Press</a>:<br /><br /><em>Marshmallow became the Grand Marshal of Disneyland's Thanksgiving parade, and the sign above his float read "The Happiest Turkey on Earth." The turkeys then retired to a coop at the park's Big Thunder Ranch, where three of the pardoned birds...still live. Florida's Disney World got the birds from 2007, when they arrived on a United Airlines flight that was renamed "Turkey One."</em><br /><br />In 2010, the venue changed yet again. Instead of being sent to <a href="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v647/dustysage/FridayVisions/2008/12-29-08/InReview/11_08_DL_042211.jpg">Disneyland</a>, the 21-week-old turkey that President Obama pardoned was sent to live out the rest of his life at George Washington's <a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/">Mount Vernon</a> Estate in Virginia. Upon its arrival at Mount Vernon, it was reportedly "be driven to his pen in a horse-drawn carriage and be greeted with a trumpet fanfare."<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WlA2v79v04Y/WYpvq47yC0I/AAAAAAAAEEA/Cyt62OwJdWckKdZdx8puIVYMPkFWnlfsgCLcBGAs/s445/turkeyobama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-WlA2v79v04Y/WYpvq47yC0I/AAAAAAAAEEA/Cyt62OwJdWckKdZdx8puIVYMPkFWnlfsgCLcBGAs/s445/turkeyobama.jpg" data-original-width="1280" data-original-height="720" /></a></div> <br />
A spokeswoman for Mount Vernon said that it was appropriate that the turkey go to Washington's home since he was the first president to issue a <a href="http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/GW/gw004.html">Thanksgiving Proclamation</a>, and he raised wild turkeys at Mount Vernon. <br /><br />Although she didn't say how the Washington's preferred to serve their Thanksgiving birds, the Mount Vernon Inn offers a daily lunch menu that includes a "<a href="http://www.mountvernon.org/visit/plan/index.cfm/pid/3/">Colonial Turkey Pye</a>" which is described as "a turkey stew served with mixed vegetables and topped with a homemade buttermilk biscuit." <br /><br />While it might be difficult to obtain a copy of that particular recipe, you can try this quick and simple recipe for <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/turkey-pot-pie-recipe/index.html">Turkey Pot Pie</a> if you need something to do with your leftover turkey this Thanksgiving or <a href="https://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/classic-turkey-pot-pie/222c3cef-31cc-4936-abfd-cc72611c16c4">this one </a>from Pillsubry.com: <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Shy1fDkbcPs/WYpxQB6kA7I/AAAAAAAAEEQ/zdVxiloeBt8CiTE98nYF2RS5NldGSTP3QCLcBGAs/s450/potpie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Shy1fDkbcPs/WYpxQB6kA7I/AAAAAAAAEEQ/zdVxiloeBt8CiTE98nYF2RS5NldGSTP3QCLcBGAs/s450/potpie.jpg" data-original-width="800" data-original-height="450" /></a></div><br />
1 sheet frozen puff pastry <br />1 egg, beaten <br />1/2 cup milk <br />2 (11-ounce) cans condensed Cheddar cheese soup <br />2 (10 3/4-ounce) cans cream of celery soup <br />1 large turkey skinned, cooked, boned and cubed <br />2 medium onions, diced <br />2 cup cooked butternut squash, diced <br />2 cup cranberries <br />Salt and pepper <br /><br />Preheat to 350 degrees F. To make the crust, dust surface with flour. Cut 1 sheet of frozen puff pastry into 1-inch strips, 8 inches long. <br /br>On a large cookie sheet, weave strips into a lattice large enough to cover each pot pie. Mix egg and milk together and brush onto each lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes. <br /><br /> Dough will rise and turn light golden brown. Set aside. In a large saucepan heat the soups. Stir in turkey, onion, squash, cranberries, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a boil. In an oven-proof dish, fill with mixture and top with the pre-cooked lattice square. Bake for 5 minutes until bubbly and puff pastry is deep golden brown. Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-17857284901795967052022-11-08T14:20:00.006-08:002022-11-08T17:52:34.670-08:00The Election of 1828 and Andrew Jackson's First Inaugural Orange Whiskey Punch!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DSD40IvYXnE/WFWW0PnBzdI/AAAAAAAADdI/AUr3_Pdq-kc8zY1dfxD9rb804VSWSRt0ACLcB/s450/jackson_inauguration_crop1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DSD40IvYXnE/WFWW0PnBzdI/AAAAAAAADdI/AUr3_Pdq-kc8zY1dfxD9rb804VSWSRt0ACLcB/s450/jackson_inauguration_crop1.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
When John Quincy Adams took the oath of office in 1825, it was under a dark cloud of controversy. The election of 1824 had been a bitterly contested four-man race between Andrew Jackson, Henry Clay, William Crawford, and Adams. <br /><br /> Since no candidate had won a majority of electoral votes, the election was thrown into the House of Representatives where Clay, as Speaker of the House, threw his support to Adams, even though Jackson won the most popular and electoral votes. Adams then quickly appointed Clay as Secretary of State. Outraged and feeling cheated out of the White House, Jackson called the deal a “Corrupt Bargain" to "cheat the will of the people."”<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PmI8aM4M8sA/WHHD0XUDM6I/AAAAAAAADtI/wrs8c6I6eXYmR1BA77WgU6pdNnTbgEjAwCLcB/s450/jackson_adams.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-PmI8aM4M8sA/WHHD0XUDM6I/AAAAAAAADtI/wrs8c6I6eXYmR1BA77WgU6pdNnTbgEjAwCLcB/s450/jackson_adams.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
With these accusations hanging over his head, Adams faced problems from the start and his four years in office weren't easy ones. Although his intelligence, family background, and experience could and should have made him a great president, he lacked the charisma needed to create a base of loyal supporters. <br /><br />
Not surprisingly, he lost the election of 1828 in a landslide, and
when Andrew Jackson was inaugurated in 1829, twenty thousand of his loyal supporters, who believed he had been cheated out of the White House <a href="http://www.thehermitage.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=34&Itemid=46&limit=1&limitstart=3">four years earlier</a>, descended "like locusts" upon Washington, eager to celebrate the long-delayed victory of their champion. <br /><br />According to culinary historian Poppy Cannon, Jackson's inauguration "sparked a celebration that did everything but set fire to the White House." Thousands of rowdy fans crammed into the building and "little thought was given to the delicate French furniture, elegant draperies, and fine china" as ice cream, ices and cakes "were gobbled up as fast they appeared on long serving tables." <br /> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dqjp17htr4c/WHPIQoZMI2I/AAAAAAAADuE/I0dTTk4y7A4Yw-h6SB6hkUOpBo4sa74gQCLcB/s450/jackson22.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dqjp17htr4c/WHPIQoZMI2I/AAAAAAAADuE/I0dTTk4y7A4Yw-h6SB6hkUOpBo4sa74gQCLcB/s450/jackson22.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
In a letter to her sister, <a href="http://www.wadsworth.com/history_d/templates/student_resources/0534607411/sources/old/ch10/10.2.jacksonsball.html">Margaret Bayard Smith</a>, a prominent Washington socialite, described the chaos of Jackson's inaugural festivities this way: <br /><br /><em>But what a scene did we witness! The Majesty of the People had disappeared, and a rabble, a mob, of boys, women, children, scrambling fighting, romping. What a pity, what a pity! No arrangements had been made, no police officers placed on duty, and the whole house had been inundated by the rabble mob...<br /><br />Cut glass and china to the amount of several thousand dollars had been broken in the struggle to get the refreshments, punch and other articles had been carried out in tubs and buckets, but had it been in hogsheads it would have been insufficient...<br /><br />Ladies fainted, men were seen with bloody noses, and such a scene of confusion took place as is impossible to describe…This concourse had not been anticipated...Ladies and gentlemen only had been expected at this Levee, not the people en masse. But it was the People's day, and the People's President, and the People would rule!</em><br /><br />Another observer described the day's events this way:<br /><br /><em> Orange-punch by barrels full was inside, but as the waiters opened the door to bring it out, a rush would be made, the glasses broken, the pails of liquor upset, and the most painful confusion prevailed. To such a degree was this carried, that tubs of punch were taken from the lower story into the garden to lead off the crowds from the rooms.</em><br /><br />Although no one knows how those waiters prepared the punch that day, you can get some great whiskey tips from <a href="http://eatdrinkfrolic.com/2014/02/blood-orange-bourbon-soda.html">eatdrinkfrolic.com </a>and <em>The Wall Street Journal</em> scoured some ninteeenth century cookbooks and provided this recipe for <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123215760361192597.html">Inaugural Orange Punch</a> that's easy to make by the bucketful if you've got a mob to entertain on election day!<br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4mqSr3Cu3i8/WG23OgLbXlI/AAAAAAAADs0/rv8hZfh4MdknRXHFqerdCbnLFb1bPfYCQCLcB/s450/orangewhiskey.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-4mqSr3Cu3i8/WG23OgLbXlI/AAAAAAAADs0/rv8hZfh4MdknRXHFqerdCbnLFb1bPfYCQCLcB/s450/orangewhiskey.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
3 parts fresh orange juice <br />1 part fresh lemon juice <br />1 part Mulled Orange Syrup* <br />1 part dark rum <br />1 part cognac <br />2 parts soda water<br /><br />Mulled Orange Syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water and heat to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Add the peel from an orange and mulling spices (a couple of cinnamon sticks, some whole cloves and allspice berries). After 15 minutes, remove from heat and let it sit for several hours. Strain.<br /><br />Combine Mulled Orange Syrup and all other ingredients in a punch bowl with a large block of ice. Serve in punch cups with a little crushed ice. Add a dash of Angostura bitters to each glass and enjoy!Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-64946640511880335242022-10-31T14:19:00.003-07:002022-10-31T14:29:17.397-07:00A Brief History of Trick-or-Treating<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DUJg5cSZYDI/W8pNmtZRThI/AAAAAAAAERQ/eMmK5GY_rgcZ6T3DmZSTKyAQN9h1kmLUwCLcBGAs/s450/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.32.32%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DUJg5cSZYDI/W8pNmtZRThI/AAAAAAAAERQ/eMmK5GY_rgcZ6T3DmZSTKyAQN9h1kmLUwCLcBGAs/s450/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.32.32%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="1091" /></a></div> <br />
Trick-or-treating has been a popular American Halloween tradition for nearly a century, but its origins remain unclear. Ancient Celtic festivals, early Roman Catholic holidays, medieval practices, and even British politics all lay claim as possible antecedents of the present-day practice of trick-or-treating. <br /><br />
<b>Ancient Origins of Trick-or-Treating</b><br /><br />
Some say that the origins of the practice of trick-or-treating might lie in the ancient, pre-Christian Celtic festival of Samhain, which was celebrated on the night of October 31. The following day, November 1, marked the new year. On the Celtic calendar, this day signaled the end of summer and the beginning of the cold, dark winter, an uncertain and frightening time that was often associated with death. <br /><br />
The Celts, who lived 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France, believed that on Samhain the barrier between the living and dead was blurred more so than on any other night and that the ghosts of the dead returned to earth as they transitioned to the otherworld. On the night of Samhain, people gathered to light bonfires, offer sacrifices, and pay homage to the dead. <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5CKh9kwVQNg/W8pRUjRDh4I/AAAAAAAAERc/99aY75HAY2ULadlA2cUSmyIfq6S36Up-QCLcBGAs/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.48.19%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5CKh9kwVQNg/W8pRUjRDh4I/AAAAAAAAERc/99aY75HAY2ULadlA2cUSmyIfq6S36Up-QCLcBGAs/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.48.19%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1238" data-original-height="820" /></a></div> <br />
In some Celtic celebrations of Samhain, villagers disguised themselves in costumes made of animal skins to drive away spirits while banquet tables were prepared and offerings of food and drink were left out to placate them. In later centuries, people began dressing as ghosts, demons and other malevolent creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This custom, known as mumming, dates back to the Middle Ages and is thought to be another possible antecedent of trick-or-treating. <br /><br />
<b>Early Christian and Medieval Antecedents</b> <br /><br />
In the first few centuries of the first millennium, Christianity spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted older pagan rites. In the eighth century, Pope Gregory III designated November 1 as All Saints Day, or All Hallows Day, a time to honor all martyrs and saints. The night before (October 31) was known as All Hallows Eve, which eventually became Hallowe’en and finally Halloween. <br /><br />
In 1000 A.D., the church designated Nov. 2 as All Souls Day, a day when the living prayed for the souls of the dead. All Souls Day was celebrated in ways similar to Celtic commemorations of Samhain. People lit bonfires, dressed in customs as saints and devils, and masqueraded in parades. <br /><br />
Poor families would also visit the homes of wealthier families who would give them pastries called "soul cakes" in exchange for their promise to pray for the souls of the family's dead relatives. This practice, known as “souling,” was later taken up by children who would go from home-to-home and be given “treats” such as food, money, and ale. <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wg7QlmO9X3o/XbreELlh_HI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/xtIaiLAYJvcBqdwM1qAwzwcVJXYhWKw-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-31%2Bat%2B6.11.47%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-wg7QlmO9X3o/XbreELlh_HI/AAAAAAAAEbQ/xtIaiLAYJvcBqdwM1qAwzwcVJXYhWKw-ACLcBGAsYHQ/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-31%2Bat%2B6.11.47%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1388" data-original-height="782" /></a></div> <br />
A similar Scottish and Irish practice known as guising – children disguising themselves in costumes and roaming door-to-door for treats – is another possible antecedent of trick-or-treating. The main difference is that in souling children promised to say a prayer for the dead in return for their “treat” whereas guisers would sing a song, recite a poem, or perform some sort of “trick” for their treat, which traditionally consisted of fruit, coins, or nuts. <br /><br />
<b>Guy Fawkes Night Celebrations</b><br /><br />
Still another antecedent might be the British custom of children wearing masks and carrying effigies while begging for pennies on Guy Fawkes Night (also known as Bonfire Night), an annual commemoration of the foiling of the so-called Gunpowder Plot of 1605. On November 5, 1606, Fawkes was executed for his role in the Catholic-led conspiracy to blow up England's parliament building in an attempt to remove the Protestant King James I from power. <br /><br />
The original Guy Fawkes Day was celebrated immediately after his execution. Communal bonfires were lit to burn effigies and the symbolic "bones" of the Catholic pope. By the early nineteenth century, effigies of the pope had been replaced by those of Guy Fawkes and children would roam the streets carrying an effigy or "Guy" and ask for "a penny for the Guy." <br /><br />
<b>A New American Tradition </b> <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6hh6ZlUxTU/W8pTh1R5LKI/AAAAAAAAERw/0eFnKWicTuEkdyxw8LqzEDdkcaUo7bkhQCLcBGAs/s465/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.53.48%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Y6hh6ZlUxTU/W8pTh1R5LKI/AAAAAAAAERw/0eFnKWicTuEkdyxw8LqzEDdkcaUo7bkhQCLcBGAs/s465/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-10-19%2Bat%2B11.53.48%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1038" data-original-height="1318" /></a></div> <br />
Although some early American colonists celebrated Guy Fawkes Day, the rigid Protestant belief systems of New England Puritans meant that they had no place for such pagan and Catholic celebrations as Samhain and All Souls Day, or even Halloween itself. In the southern colonies, however, where larger, more ethnically diverse European communities had settled, there are some accounts of Halloween festivities meshing with Native American autumn harvest celebrations. <br /><br />
In the mid-1800s, large numbers of new immigrants, especially the nearly two million Irish immigrants fleeing Ireland’s potato famine of 1846, helped to popularize Halloween. Borrowing from English and Irish traditions, children would dress in costumes and go door-to-door asking for food or money. <br /><br />
As Halloween grew in popularity, it was celebrated with bonfires, ghost stories, divination games, costume parties and pranks. By the 1920s, juvenile pranks had gotten out of hand and often resulted in the destruction of private property, sometimes amounting to more than $100,000 in damages each year in some major metropolitan cities. <br /><br />
The deepening Depression exacerbated the problem, with Halloween pranks often devolving into vandalism, assaults, and sporadic acts of violence. One theory holds that it was the excessive “pranks” on Halloween that led to the widespread adoption of an organized, community-based trick-or-treating tradition in the 1930s. This trend was abruptly curtailed, however, with the outbreak of World War II. Children were forced to refrain from trick-or-treating because of sugar rationing and pranksters were told that their actions would “hurt the war effort” and be considered “sabotage.” <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZ7yI4nqk4k/XbrfkmcXSmI/AAAAAAAAEbc/CcbonFCamSke5Tp08RYcHRjtlTcRMIxWACLcBGAsYHQ/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-31%2Bat%2B6.18.11%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mZ7yI4nqk4k/XbrfkmcXSmI/AAAAAAAAEbc/CcbonFCamSke5Tp08RYcHRjtlTcRMIxWACLcBGAsYHQ/s460/Screen%2BShot%2B2019-10-31%2Bat%2B6.18.11%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1600" data-original-height="829" /></a></div> <br />
With post-war prosperity and the baby boom, trick-or-treating was revived and quickly became a standard practice for millions of children in the cities and newly-built suburbs. No longer constrained by sugar rationing, major American candy companies capitalized on this lucrative trend, launching national ad campaigns specifically aimed at Halloween.
If trick-or-treating had once been an intermittent practice, it was now a popular American tradition. Today, Americans spend more than $12 billion annually</a> on Halloween, making it the nation's second largest commercial holiday. <br /><br />
Adapted from <a href="https://www.history.com/topics/halloween/history-of-trick-or-treating">my article published on THE HISTORTY CHANNEL'S website history.com</a>Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-12304502366846925762022-08-09T13:22:00.003-07:002022-08-09T13:24:17.231-07:00Watergate and Richard Nixon Family Style Meatloaf<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VD1BoWVehZs/WKw6M6usiBI/AAAAAAAAD4Q/TkQNyEP9K-MnL-PshccERDI8SdZprfXJACLcB/s540/nixon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VD1BoWVehZs/WKw6M6usiBI/AAAAAAAAD4Q/TkQNyEP9K-MnL-PshccERDI8SdZprfXJACLcB/s540/nixon.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Around 2:30 a.m. on June 17, 1972, five men, one of whom was a former employee of the CIA, were <a href="http://www.ford.utexas.edu/museum/exhibits/watergate_files/content.php?section=1&page=e">arrested</a> in what authorities would later describe as "an enormous plot to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee" at the <a href="http://www.socalofficerealestateblog.com/wp-content/newuploads/2009/03/watergate.jpg">Watergate</a> complex in Washington D.C.<br />
<br />
It was an election year, and, as the <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/watergate/">investigation</a> into the break-in unfolded, a pattern of unlawful activites within President <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/richardnixon">Richard Nixon's</a> administration was uncovered by the press. Together, these federal <a href="http://classes.lls.edu/archive/manheimk/371d1/nixonarticles.html">crimes</a> and misdeeds would become known as "the Watergate scandal" and lead to Nixon's resignation from the Office of the Presidency on August 9, 1974.<br />
<br />
On his final day in office, Nixon awoke at 7:00 a.m. after "a fitful night." After a <a href="http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/nixon.htm">light breakfast</a>, Nixon signed a one-sentence <a href="http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/american_originals/resign.jpg">Letter of Resignation</a> and said an emotional goodbye to his staff. Shortly after 9:00 a.m. he entered the East Room and made a brief Farewell Address to an overflow crowd of White House staff and Cabinet members. He then joined Gerald Ford for a short walk across the South Lawn to a helicopter that would whisk him away into history.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsSMqBU5HV4/VpvSQpL6RRI/AAAAAAAACYM/cLimSqIWINg/s465/nixon-heli.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-DsSMqBU5HV4/VpvSQpL6RRI/AAAAAAAACYM/cLimSqIWINg/s460/nixon-heli.jpg" /></a></div>
<br br="" />
The previous evening, Nixon delivered a televised <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEOGJJ7UKFM">Resignation Address</a> to the nation. After acknowledging that he had lost the support of Congress and saying, "I have never been a quitter," he said:<br />
<br />
<em>To leave office before my term is completed is abhorent to every instinct in my body. But as President I must put the interests of America first. America needs a full-time President and a full-time Congress, particularly at this time with problems we face at home and abroad.<br /><br />To continue to fight through the months ahead for my personal vindication would almost totally absorb the time and attention of both the President and the Congress in a period when our entire focus should be on the great issues of peace abroad and prosperity without inflation at home.<br /><br />Therefore, I shall resign the Presidency effective at noon tomorrow. Vice President Ford will be sworn in as President at that hour in this office. As I recall the high hopes for America with which we began this second term, I feel a great sadness that I will not be here in this office working on your behalf to achieve those hopes in the next 2 1/2 years.</em><br />
<br />
It doesn't take too much <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/politics/special/watergate/#chapters">investigative work</a> to uncover records of what Nixon ate for breakfast on his final day in office, as it has been reported that it consisted of a small plate of cottage cheese with sliced pineapple and a glass of milk.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1xLawb-nWow/VpvSzBkXabI/AAAAAAAACYU/OZtmrEj4tfo/s465/nixon-cottage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1xLawb-nWow/VpvSzBkXabI/AAAAAAAACYU/OZtmrEj4tfo/s465/nixon-cottage.jpg" /></a></div>
<br br="" />
White House Chef Henry Haller later revealed that, at breakfast, Nixon "liked fresh fruit, wheat germ with nondairy creamer and coffee." At dinner, Nixon enjoyed Sirloin Steak, cooked medium-rare and lightly seasoned; Chicken Cordon Blue; and more simple dishes like Spaghetti and Meatballs. He was also fond of his wife <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/first-ladies/patnixon">Patricia's</a> Family-Style Meatloaf. According to Haller:<br />
<br />
<em>Meat loaf appeared about once a month on the family dinner menus. As soon as the public became aware of this fact, the White House was inundated with inquires for the recipe that so pleased the presidential palate. To ease my burden, Mrs. Nixon's meat loaf recipe was printed on White House stationery to be sent in response to the thousands of requests for it.</em><br />
<br />
If you'd like to get a taste of <a href="http://www.nixoninwhittier.com/whittier-ca/">Pat Nixon's Meatloaf</a> at your next family dinner, here's a recipe to try<a href="http://www.mensfitness.com/weight-loss/diet-friendly-recipes/tonights-healthy-dinner-idea-recipe-lean-meatloaf"> here </a>and here's the original recipe from <em>The White House Cookbook </em>by <a href="http://www.amazon.com/White-House-Family-Cookbook-Haller/dp/0394556577">Henry Haller</a>:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ggbk7LLTZUU/WKo3atHzoBI/AAAAAAAAD3s/c5Gru1Wghm0xSxMq_FALlHnGY6ZuIHeNgCLcB/s465/italian-meatloaf-rotator.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Ggbk7LLTZUU/WKo3atHzoBI/AAAAAAAAD3s/c5Gru1Wghm0xSxMq_FALlHnGY6ZuIHeNgCLcB/s465/italian-meatloaf-rotator.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
2 tablespoons butter<br />
1 cup finely chopped onions<br />
2 garlic cloves, minced<br />
3 slices white bead<br />
1 cup milk<br />
2 pounds lean ground beef<br />
2 eggs, lightly beaten<br />
1 teaspoon salt<br />
ground black pepper, to taste<br />
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley<br />
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme<br />
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram<br />
2 tablespoons tomato puree<br />
2 tablespoons bread crumbs<br />
<br />
Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Melt butter in a saute pan, add garlic and saute until just golden. Let cool. Dice bread and soak it in milk. In a large mixing bowl, mix ground beef by hand with sauteed onions and garlic and bread pieces. Add eggs, salt, pepper, parsley, thyme and marjoram and mix by hand in a circular motion.<br />
<br />
Turn this mixture into the prepared baking pan and pat into a loaf shape, leaving at least one inch of space around the edges to allow fat to run off. Brush the top with the tomato puree and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Refrigerate for 1 hour to allow the flavors to penetrate and to firm up the loaf.<br />
<br />
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake meatloaf for 1 hour, or until meat is cooked through. Pour off accumulated fat while baking and after meat is cooked. Let stand on wire rack for five minutes before slicing.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kxD5KP5_Wqk/WKUeIAlkp2I/AAAAAAAAD2w/ZmAyBE0SaNs366op2BHB_qg5dune5_b0QCLcB/s465/parade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kxD5KP5_Wqk/WKUeIAlkp2I/AAAAAAAAD2w/ZmAyBE0SaNs366op2BHB_qg5dune5_b0QCLcB/s465/parade.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
FAST FACT: A year and a half before Nixon resigned, an entirely different calamity unfolded in Washington. This time, it didn't involve illegal break-ins and phone taps but...pigeons! It all began the day before Nixon's second inaugural parade when attempts were made to clear pigeons from Pennsylvania Avenue. Upon Nixon's <a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/inaug/events/snore.htm">request</a>, the inaugural committeee spent $13,000 to smear tree branches with a chemical repellent called “Roost No More” which was supposed to drive the bothersome birds away by making their feet itch. Sadly, many of the pigeons <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/4294646/Barack-Obama-inauguration-fact-file.html">ate</a> the stuff and keeled over, leaving the parade route littered with "dead and dying birds which had to be hurriedly swept away.” Doh!Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-69920152128373119962022-06-15T11:01:00.003-07:002022-06-15T11:01:49.361-07:00JFK, LBJ and a Brief History of Father's Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MuFUz_tzjHU/V2NeMGYlGKI/AAAAAAAADOM/hcKEb6DeYAEaqJHiuo04ErcrgAVbD1a7gCLcB/s460/lyndonjohnson.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-MuFUz_tzjHU/V2NeMGYlGKI/AAAAAAAADOM/hcKEb6DeYAEaqJHiuo04ErcrgAVbD1a7gCLcB/s460/lyndonjohnson.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Some historians say that the origins of <a href="http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/cb10-ff11.html">Father’s Day </a> can be traced to a young woman by the name of Sonora Smart Dodd, who reportedly came up with the idea while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in Spokane, Washington in 1909. Raised by her widowed father, a Civil War veteran who had lost his wife after the birth of their sixth child, Sonora felt that her father should be honored in the same way that mothers were on Mother’s Day. <br /><br />Toward that end, a special Father’s Day observance was held on June 19, 1910. Although that celebration was a local affair, the idea of a national Father’s Day picked up steam when it was endorsed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1924, but it would take another thirty years before Father’s Day was recognized by a Joint Resolution of Congress. Then, in 1966, the first presidential <a href="http://www.theholidayspot.com/fathersday/proclamation.htm">proclamation</a> honoring fathers was issued by Lyndon Johnson, who designated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. <br /><br />Although it’s hard to say what Johnson ate on that particular day, it’s likely that the Texan native requested a family barbecue. Barbecuing, of course, has been used as a tool in American politics since the early nineteenth century, but no politician ever used “the conviviality and informality of cooking and <a href="http://www.amazingribs.com/BBQ_articles/LBJ_and_BBQ.html">eating outdoors</a>” more than Johnson.<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nsm0eaYmh3o/V2Nh-Z40bOI/AAAAAAAADOY/-IpSvfGlNHYP1HhL2520jDT_TlqezIALwCLcB/s1600/LBJ-Jetton.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nsm0eaYmh3o/V2Nh-Z40bOI/AAAAAAAADOY/-IpSvfGlNHYP1HhL2520jDT_TlqezIALwCLcB/s465/LBJ-Jetton.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
But the most important barbecue ever planned for the LBJ Ranch never took place. This is what happened: <br /><em><br />It was scheduled for November 23, 1963, when President Kennedy, Johnson, and their entourages were planning to dine beneath the oaks on the Pedernales. But a few hours before they were to board the choppers from Dallas to Johnson City, on November 22, Kennedy was assassinated two cars in front of Johnson as they drove in a motorcade.<br /><br />A month later, the Johnson family retreated to the ranch on Christmas Eve. West German Chancellor Ludwig Erhard was scheduled to visit the President to discuss the Soviet threat, the Berlin Wall, and other important matters. Rather than return to Washington for a formal State Dinner, Lyndon invited Erhard on down to what historians claim was the first official Presidential barbecue in history. Yes, Johnson's first state dinner was a barbecue for 300 catered by Walter Jetton on December 29, 1963.<br /><br />When his staff realized it would be chilly that day, the sit-down part was moved indoors to Stonewall High School gymnasium, about two miles away. Workers did an admirable job of creating an outdoorsy feel with bales of hay, red lanterns, red-checkered table cloths, saddles, lassos, and mariachis. According to Lady Bird's diary, "there were beans (pinto beans, always), delicious barbecued spareribs, cole slaw, followed by fried apricot pies with lots of hot coffee. And plenty of beer." </em><br /><br />Although those recipes may have been lost to posterity, some Johnson family favorites included <a href="http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/johnson/archives.hom/faqs/recipes/chili.asp">Pedernales River Chili</a>, Chipped Beef with Cream, Beef Stroganoff, Tapioca Pudding, and Lady Bird enjoyed handing out her recipe for Barbecue Sauce. If you’d like to add a little zip to your Father's Day celebrations this weekend, here's a <a href="http://leitesculinaria.com/91062/recipes-texas-style-barbecue-sauce.html">great recipe</a> to try and here's Lady Bird's original recipe: <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-59HwkEDWeLQ/WUMqF71dIwI/AAAAAAAAEAw/DzgbVzmU_14FBNiFPjjJtbo3kzp1AzT4QCLcBGAs/s455/abbq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-59HwkEDWeLQ/WUMqF71dIwI/AAAAAAAAEAw/DzgbVzmU_14FBNiFPjjJtbo3kzp1AzT4QCLcBGAs/s455/abbq.jpg" data-original-width="590" data-original-height="400" /></a></div> <br />
¼ cup butter<br />¼ cup vinegar<br />¼ cup ketchup<br />¼ cup fresh lemon juice<br />¼ cup Worcestershire sauce <br />Salt, pepper, red pepper flakes to taste<br /><br />Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add other ingredients and bring to a boil. Add Tabasco sauce to taste. Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-38008342444896324472022-04-08T14:20:00.009-07:002022-04-08T14:25:10.177-07:00A Brief History of the Easter Egg Roll at the White House from Dolley Madison to the Obamas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XH70_Ty7oTw/VvLGO5_AbPI/AAAAAAAACzU/0dfRO-KtMQ4gEGDNZuqsiSoHd2YWZmFMw/s745/Lucy-Hayes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XH70_Ty7oTw/VvLGO5_AbPI/AAAAAAAACzU/0dfRO-KtMQ4gEGDNZuqsiSoHd2YWZmFMw/s725/Lucy-Hayes.jpg" /></a></div>
According to <a href="http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_shows/holidays_easter/index.html">whitehouse.gov</a>, some historians claim that Dolley Madison originally suggested the idea of a public egg roll on White House grounds while others tell stories of informal egg-rolling parties dating back to Abraham Lincoln's administration. What is clear, however, is that, beginning in the 1870s, Washingtonians from all social levels celebrated Easter Monday on the west grounds of the U.S. Capitol where children rolled brilliantly dyed hard-boiled eggs down the terraced lawn.<br />
<br />
This practice ended in 1876, however, when lawmakers complained that eggs shells were destroying the grass. To resolve this problem, a group of party-poopers in Congress passed the <a href="http://history.house.gov/Historical-Highlights/1851-1900/The-annual-Easter-egg-roll-at-the-Capitol/">Turf Protection Act</a> which banned egg rolls from Capital grounds, and President Ulysses S. Grant signed the bill into law later that year. Fortunately, the tradition was revived in 1878 when First Lady Lucy Hayes invited children of all ages to roll Easter eggs on the White House lawn, a tradition that has continued ever since. <br /><br />
According to this <a href="http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1890844,00.html">article</a> in Time Magazine: <br />
<br />
<em>Some 53,000 people attended the egg roll in 1941...though in modern times the number is generally under 20,000. Calvin Coolidge's wife mingled through crowds while holding a pet raccoon named Rebecca, while Mrs. Warren G. Harding put on the uniform of her beloved Girl Scouts for the event. Showcasing modern technology, Eleanor Roosevelt welcomed crowds and addressed listeners across the country via radio in 1933, while the Clinton administration proudly announced that 1998's egg roll would be the first broadcast on the Internet.</em><br />
<br /> In 2009, the Obamas hosted the 138th annual White House Easter Egg Roll on Monday, March 28, when more than 35,000 people joined them on the South Lawn for games, stories, and, of course, the traditional egg roll.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Acu3VjGwboo/VvHR3nN45oI/AAAAAAAACy8/FTw-FlLYfMU-dxkygqliqARX1S2pPPRIg/s1600/easterobama.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Acu3VjGwboo/VvHR3nN45oI/AAAAAAAACy8/FTw-FlLYfMU-dxkygqliqARX1S2pPPRIg/s460/easterobama.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
And while the menu for that year's White House Easter Brunch wasn't released, the <em>Chicago Sun-Times</em> reported that menu items in 2008 included Honey Baked Ham with Maple Mustard Sauce, Eggs Benedict, spinach salad, waffles, sauteed asparagus, biscuits and cheese grits. If you'd like whip up some Eggs Benedict for your Easter brunch this year, here's a simple and simply delicious recipe to try from the <a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com">Food Network</a>: <br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZkcV80YF1I/Vwg13Npt9tI/AAAAAAAADA4/BzsbB9I3mk8qtucAGaAwBjCaQ7iFh3chw/s460/eggsbenedict.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-VZkcV80YF1I/Vwg13Npt9tI/AAAAAAAADA4/BzsbB9I3mk8qtucAGaAwBjCaQ7iFh3chw/s460/eggsbenedict.jpg" /></a></div> <br />1 teaspoon vinegar <br />4 eggs <br />4 thin slices Canadian bacon <br />2 English muffins <br /><br />Hollandaise sauce: <br /br> <br /br> 3 egg yolks <br />1 tablespoon hot water <br />1 tablespoon lemon juice <br />1 stick unsalted butter, melted and hot <br />Salt and pepper <br />Paprika and chopped parsley <br /><br />In large skillet, bring 2 inches of water and vinegar to a boil. Crack one egg into a glass. Reduce water to a simmer and pour egg into water. Add remaining eggs and cook for 4 minutes. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and drain. In a non-stick skillet heat the bacon until warm. Toast the English muffins until golden. <br /><br />For sauce: Place yolks, water and lemon juice into blender. Blend for 1 minute. With blender running, pour butter through open hole of lid. Season with salt and pepper. To assemble: Top each muffin with bacon and a poached egg. Pour the warm sauce over and garnish with paprika and the chopped parsley.<br /><br />
FAST FACT: The Easter Egg Roll was held at the White House every year in the 20th century except during World War I, World War II, and the Truman Renovation of the White House, when it was moved to nearby locations or cancelled. Ronald Reagan was the first president to hide autographed eggs for children to find and Richard Nixon and First Lady Pat Nixon were the first to include the Easter Bunny in the festivities. Years earlier, First Lady Grace Coolidge made an appearance at the Easter Egg Roll in the 1920s with her <a href="http://lincolnslunch.blogspot.com/2010/07/dining-with-coolidges-pet-racoon.html">famous pet racooon</a> Rebecca!
<br /><br />
For more on my manuscript wish list and submission info <a href="http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/SEEUCB/">click here</a>!Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-29610251371002544612021-12-20T15:07:00.003-08:002021-12-20T15:08:24.241-08:00A Charles Dickens' Christmas Dinner<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9b8vtzMsflU/XB6GiweY-TI/AAAAAAAAESU/Xy_UjTKuZNUv6sLtdw1YcBq_vFDFm7bEQCLcBGAs/s555/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-12-22%2Bat%2B10.44.58%2BAM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-9b8vtzMsflU/XB6GiweY-TI/AAAAAAAAESU/Xy_UjTKuZNUv6sLtdw1YcBq_vFDFm7bEQCLcBGAs/s555/Screen%2BShot%2B2018-12-22%2Bat%2B10.44.58%2BAM.png" data-original-width="1036" data-original-height="1254" /></a></div> One of the most famous guests to visit the White House during John Tyler’s presidency was the great English writer, Charles Dickens. Upon his arrival in the United States, Dickens was honored at a lavish ball in New York City, where he was greeted by such famous American writers as Washington Irving, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Harriet Beecher Stowe and Edgar Allan Poe. <br /><br />
Some days later, Dickens met Tyler in the White House and later penned <a href="http://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_classroom/classroom_documents-1842.html">this</a> about the president: <br /><br /><em>He looked somewhat worn and anxious, -- and well he might: being at war with everybody, -- but the expression of his face was mild and pleasant, and his manner was remarkably unaffected, gentlemanly, and agreeable. I thought that, in his whole carriage and demeanour, he became his station singularly well.</em><br /><br /> After returning to England, Dickens wrote his first travel book <em><a href="http://www.online-literature.com/dickens/americannotes/">American Notes</a></em>. But of all of his books, none are more well-known than <em><a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/46/46-h/46-h.htm">A Christmas Carol</a></em>, which was published in 1843, one year after Dickens visited the White House. Among all of its famous food scenes, none are more memorable than the one depicting the Cratchit family Christmas dinner. Maybe you remember it: <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HTrrhavNFdY/WjgZZD-njnI/AAAAAAAAEMI/d4IrktEHZPUQT6qdziZN88gzUznKVhrVwCLcBGAs/s450/dickens2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HTrrhavNFdY/WjgZZD-njnI/AAAAAAAAEMI/d4IrktEHZPUQT6qdziZN88gzUznKVhrVwCLcBGAs/s450/dickens2.jpg" data-original-width="530" data-original-height="390" /></a></div>
<br /> <em>Mrs. Cratchit made the gravy hissing hot; Master Peter mashed the potatoes with incredible vigour; Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce; Martha dusted the hot plates; Bob took Tiny Tim beside him in a tiny corner at the table; the two young Cratchits set chairs for everybody, not forgetting themselves, and mounting guard upon their posts, crammed spoons into their mouths, lest they should shriek for goose before their turn came to be helped. <br /><br />At last the dishes were set on, and grace was said. It was succeeded by a breathless pause, as Mrs. Cratchit, looking slowly all along the carving-knife, prepared to plunge it in the breast; but when she did, and when the long expected gush of stuffing issued forth, one murmur of delight arose all round the board, and even Tiny Tim...beat on the table with the handle of his knife, and feebly cried Hurrah! </em><br /><br />
No recipes are included in the book, of course, but The Food Channel recreated the Cratchit's Christmas dinner and "the more bountiful feast at the merry gathering" at the home of Mr. Scrooge’s nephew. If you'd like to bring some Dickens Christmas spirit to your family dinner this holiday season, <a href="http://www.foodchannel.com/articles/article/a-dickens-of-a-dinner/">here's</a> a recipe for Duchess Potatoes:<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K6dINEF1DX4/WjgXz6QJB3I/AAAAAAAAEL8/ykZ_vbnLrqYaQYEsvHICUmDt8X4lhY8FgCLcBGAs/s455/dickens.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K6dINEF1DX4/WjgXz6QJB3I/AAAAAAAAEL8/ykZ_vbnLrqYaQYEsvHICUmDt8X4lhY8FgCLcBGAs/s455/dickens.png" data-original-width="1114" data-original-height="740" /></a></div>
<br /> 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces<br />1 cup heavy cream<br />6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes and softened <br />1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk, light beaten <br />1 1/4 teaspoons salt <br />1/2 teaspoon pepper<br />Pinch of nutmeg<br />1/2 teaspoon baking powder <br /><br />Fill a large pot with cold water, add salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Add the potatoes and boil until tender. While the potatoes are still hot add cream, 3 tablespoons butter, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and baking powder. Mash the potatoes until smooth. Let cool to room temperature. Gently fold in the remaining butter until pieces are evenly distributed.<br /><br />Preheat oven to 350°F. Transfer potato mixture to piping bag fitted with 1/2-inch star tip (you can use a gallon size baggie with snipped off corner) and pipe eight 4-inch wide mounds of potatoes on baking sheet. Spray the tops of the potatoes lightly with butter flavored cooking spray and bake until golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.<br /><br /> FAST FACT: <em>Oliver Twist</em> is another classic Dickens novel that's filled with many memorable food scenes. Set in England, the main character is a nine-year old orphan in a London workhouse where the boys are given only three meals of gruel a day. When Oliver asks for more, he is dubbed a trouble maker and treated even more cruelly. <em>Oliver Twist </em>called attention to the problem of starving children in England and, to a lesser extent, the United States.Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-79938524536985922832021-11-18T15:27:00.008-08:002021-11-25T12:05:24.486-08:00Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Great Depression, and the Thanksgiving Day Date-Change Fiasco <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/3158107488_79ebc7d411.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 600px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/3158107488_79ebc7d411.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>
So did you know that in 1939 President Franklin D. Roosevelt <a href="http://www.archives.gov/legislative/features/thanksgiving/">decided</a> to move Thanksgiving Day forward by a week? Rather than allow the holiday to fall on its traditional date, the last Thursday of November, Roosevelt issued a proclamation declaring that the holiday would instead be celebrated a week earlier. <br /><br />Why did he make such a seemingly random decision in the midst of the Great Depression? Well, his reason was economic and intended to extend the Christmas shopping season. According to the <em><a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704888404574548082613991744.html">Wall Street Journal</a></em>:<br /><br /><em>There were five Thursdays in November that year, which meant that Thanksgiving would fall on the 30th. That left just 20 shopping days till Christmas. By moving the holiday up a week to Nov. 23, the president hoped to give the economy a lift by allowing shoppers more time to make their purchases and—so his theory went—spend more money... <br /><br />In an informal news conference in August announcing his decision, FDR offered a little tutorial on the history of the holiday. Thanksgiving was not a national holiday, he noted, meaning that it was not set by federal law. According to custom, it was up to the president to pick the date every year. <br /><br />It was not until 1863, when Abraham Lincoln ordered Thanksgiving to be celebrated on the last Thursday in November, that that date became generally accepted, Roosevelt explained. To make sure that reporters got his point, he added that there was nothing sacred about the date... </em><br /><br />Just as he had done with his controversial "<a href="http://judiciary.senate.gov/about/history/CourtPacking.cfm">Court Packing</a>" plan of 1937, Roosevelt badly misjudged public opinion. Outraged protests began in Plymouth, Massachussetts, the place of the "first Thanksgiving" in 1621, but quickly spread to other circles. <br /><br /><strong>PRESIDENT SHOCKS FOOTBALL COACHES: Many Games are Upset by Thanksgiving Plan</strong>, read a banner headline in the <em><a href="http://select.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F30F12F93954107A93C4A81783D85F4D8385F9&scp=21&sq=roosevelt+thanksgiving+1939&st=p">New York Times</a></em>. And even in the staunchly Democratic state of Arkansas, the football coach of Little Ouachita College threatened: 'We'll vote the Republican ticket if he interferes with our football.'" <br /br><br /br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_jwL7cHFKDI/VpvQsXk25wI/AAAAAAAACX4/P0RqeIh_WEA/s1600/fdr-date.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-_jwL7cHFKDI/VpvQsXk25wI/AAAAAAAACX4/P0RqeIh_WEA/s440/fdr-date.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />Of course, some collegiate coaches and athletic directors were more diplomatic. In a <a href="http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/thanktxt.html">letter</a> to the president's secretary, Philip Badger, Chairman of the University Board of Athletic Control at New York University wrote:<br /><br /><em>My dear Mr. Secretary: <br /><br />I am wondering if you are at liberty at this time to supply me with any information over and above what has appeared in the public press to date regarding the plan of the President to proclaim November 23 as Thanksgiving Day this year instead of Nov. 30. <br /><br />Over a period of years it has been customary for my institution to play its annual football game with Fordham University at the Yankee Stadium here at New York University on Thanksgiving Day...As you probably know, it has become necessary to frame football schedules three to five years in advance, and for both 1939 and 1940 we had arranged to play our annual football game with Fordham on Thanksgiving Day, with the belief that such day would fall upon the fourth Thursday in November. <br /><br />Please understand that all of us interested in the administration of intercollegiate athletics realize that there are considerations and problems before the country for solution which are far more important than the schedule problems of intercollegiate athletics. However, some of us are confronted with the problem of readjusting the date of any football contest affected by the President's proposal.</em> <br /><br />Outside of the collegiate football arena, public sentiments also ran heavily against Roosevelt's plan, as evidenced by a national Gallup poll which found "that 62% of Americans surveyed disapproved of the date change." And, as opposition grew, some state governors "took matters into their own hands and defied the Presidential Proclamation." <br /><br />According to the <a href="http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/thanksg.html">Franklin D. Roosevelt</a> Presidential Library and Museum:<br /><br /><em>Some governors declared November 30th as Thanksgiving. And so, depending upon where one lived, Thanksgiving was celebrated on the 23rd and the 30th. This was worse than changing the date in the first place because families that lived in states such as New York did not have the same day off as family members in states such as Connecticut! [And so] family and friends were unable to celebrate the holiday together.</em> <br /><br />By 1941, most retailers also disapproved of Roosevelt's plan, and even the federal government conceded that the date change had not resulted in any boost in sales. And so, on December 26, 1941, President Roosevelt signed <a href="http://www.archives.gov/global-pages/larger-image.html?i=/legislative/features/thanksgiving/images/joint-res-l.jpg&c=/legislative/features/thanksgiving/images/joint-res.caption.html">Joint Resolution 41 </a>making Thanksgiving a national holiday and mandating that it be observed on the fourth Thursday in November of each year. <br /><br />FAST FACT: According to the <a href="http://www.loc.gov/wiseguide/nov02/thanks-when.html">Library of Congress</a>, when "Abraham Lincoln was president in 1863, he proclaimed the last Thursday of November to be our national Thanksgiving Day. In 1865, Thanksgiving was celebrated the first Thursday of November, because of a proclamation by President Andrew Johnson, and, in 1869, President Ulysses S. Grant chose the third Thursday for Thanksgiving Day. In all other years, until 1939, Thanksgiving was celebrated as Lincoln had designated, the last Thursday in November."Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-45965690724058418742020-12-07T08:22:00.006-08:002023-04-01T12:04:00.044-07:00Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Pearl Harbor, and "There's Not Enough Milk for the Babies" <a href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/3158107488_79ebc7d411.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3220/3158107488_79ebc7d411.jpg" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 600px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 480px;" /></a>On February 19, 1942, two and a half months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, President <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/franklindroosevelt">Franklin Delano Roosevelt</a> signed <a href="http://docs.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/od9066t.html">Executive Order 9066</a> which led to the internment of more than 125,000 Japanese-American citizens who were forcibly removed from their homes and detained in internment camps on the West Coast until the end of World War II.<br />
<br />
The daily conditions of <a href="http://www.frugal-cafe.com/public_html/frugal-blog/frugal-cafe-blogzone/wp-content/uploads/2009/08/japanese-internment-camp-wwii.jpg">camp life</a> are especially vivid in descriptions of the mass feeding of thousands of Japanese men, women and children. On May 11, 1942, Joseph Conrad of the American Friends Service Committee submitted a <a href="http://www.lib.washington.edu/exhibits/harmony/exhibit/food.html">Progress Report</a> to the federal government which read:<br />
<br />
<em>There's not enough milk for the babies in camp because the Army's contract for milk is with farmers in Oregon and even though there is plenty of milk in the neighboring towns begging to be used, red tape makes it impossible.<br /><br />There hasn't been enough food to go around because there were [more] arrivals than were expected. Some have gone without meals several times. There has been no fresh vegetables; no fruit (and a large part of the population are children), no fresh meat, but plenty of canned food for those who were early in line to get it...</em><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GozQNq3PGlA/WIwcs5d9GjI/AAAAAAAADyA/8ar0hXarq-MxHCZYtKChD9zjLcy1pGBagCLcB/s4609/internment.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-GozQNq3PGlA/WIwcs5d9GjI/AAAAAAAADyA/8ar0hXarq-MxHCZYtKChD9zjLcy1pGBagCLcB/s460/internment.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
Meanwhile, as thousands of interned children were suffering from malnutrition, millions of homeless and unemployed Americans were starving during the <a href="http://www.nps.gov/archive/elro/glossary/great-depression.htm">Great Depression</a>. To address this national crisis, Soup Kitchens began opening in large cities and small towns throughout the United States.<br />
<br />
When soup kitchens first appeared, they were generally run by churches or private charities. But by the mid-1930s, when Roosevelt was in office, state and federal governments were also operating them. Why soup? Throughout history, <a href="http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodsoups.html">soup </a>has been one of the primary foods consumed by poor and homeless people. If you think about it, this makes sense because soup is economical (it can be prepared with whatever scraps of food are available and can be stretched to feed more people by adding water). It is also quick and simple to make (only a pot is needed) and easy to serve (it requires only a bowl and spoon, or, in a pinch, can be sipped).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Like many Americans during the Great Depression, President Roosevelt and his wife <a href="http://search.aol.com/aol/search?q=eleanor+roosevelt+white+house&s_it=spelling&v_t=keyword_rollover">Eleanor </a>consumed economical foods like fried cornmeal mush with dry crackers and stew. According to White House chef <a href="https://www.whitehousehistory.org/whha_history/history_profiles-nesbitt.html">Henrietta Nesbitt</a>, soup was another Roosevelt family favorite:<br />
<br />
<em>There was never such a family for soups as the Roosevelts. All the years they occupied the White House we kept the big steel soup kettles singing in the White House - clear soup for dinner and cream soup for lunch. Pretty nearly every usable variety of fish, fowl, beast, mineral, vegetable, and contiment was used in our White House soups...<br /><br />Give Mrs. Roosevelt a bowl of soup and a dish of fruit for lunch and she'd be off with recharged vitality on one of her trips...Cream of almond - L'Amande soup - was one of her special favorites. The President was partial to fish soups... Among the recipes his mother gave me was the one for clam chowder...Another of his favorites was the green turtle soup, and there was always a great fuss when it was made.</em><br />
<br />
Today, green turtle soup is prohibited in the United States because most species of sea turtles are considered threatened or <a href="http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/turtles/">endangered</a>. But you can try this simple and economical recipe for <a href="https://www.blogger.com/from%20Food%20Network%20courtesy%20of%20Ree%20Drummond:">Chicken Rice Soup </a>from the Food Network courtesy of Ree Drummond or this one for Creamy Chicken Soup:<br />
.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W6qWnBOP_O0/WIwftZhq6FI/AAAAAAAADyc/OobnJ090W60f_8mfKV_j_Y7Kd4-vvdQVACLcB/s460/soupr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-W6qWnBOP_O0/WIwftZhq6FI/AAAAAAAADyc/OobnJ090W60f_8mfKV_j_Y7Kd4-vvdQVACLcB/s460/soupr.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
3 tablespoons unsalted butter<br />
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour<br />
4 cups chicken stock<br />
2 cups heavy cream<br />
2 egg yolks, beaten<br />
coarse Salt, to taste<br />
fresh ground black pepper, to taste<br />
2 cups diced cooked boneless, skinless, chicken breast<br />
chopped fresh parsley<br />
<br />
Add butter to stockpot. Melt over low heat. Stir in flour, and stir for 2 minutes. Gradually stir in chicken stock. Heat over medium heat, almost but not boil. Add heavy cream and egg yolks to medium bowl. Whisk to combine. Ladle in ½ cup hot soup. Blend with whisk. Stir cream mixture into stockpot. Season with coarse salt and ground black pepper. Add chicken meat and Simmer until heated through but not boiling. Serve hot in individual soup bowls. Garnish with chopped parsley.<br />
<br />
FOOD FACT: In a 1942 <em>New Republic</em> <a href="http://www.lib.washington.edu/exhibits/harmony/exhibit/food.html">article</a>, Ted Nakashima described the daily conditions of camp life this way: The food and sanitation problems are the worst. We have had absolutely no fresh meat, vegetables or butter since we came here. Mealtime queues extend for blocks; standing in a rainswept line, feet in the mud, waiting for the scant portions of canned wieners and boiled potatoes, hash for breakfast or canned wieners and beans for dinner. Milk only for the kids. Coffee or tea and stale bread are the adults' staples.Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-9566207308327926732020-09-02T10:41:00.001-07:002020-09-02T10:41:10.926-07:00George Bush, Barack Obama, and the Politics of Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uul73r-nwj4/TtrRly_MwuI/AAAAAAAAAgs/qnXJ8mkh3fc/s1600/1barackpresidentbush.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 347px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-uul73r-nwj4/TtrRly_MwuI/AAAAAAAAAgs/qnXJ8mkh3fc/s400/1barackpresidentbush.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682084327153517282" /></a> George Bush's memoir <em>Decision Points</em> has been described by the <em><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/books/04book.html?_r=1">New York Times</a></em> as "an autobiography focused around 'the most consequential decisions' of his presidency and his personal life from his decision to give up drinking in 1986 to his decision to invade Iraq in 2003 to his decisions regarding the financial crisis of 2008." According to the <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Decision-Points-George-W-Bush/dp/0307590615">Product Description</a> of the book:<br /><br /><em>President Bush brings readers inside the Texas Governor’s Mansion on the night of the hotly contested 2000 election; aboard Air Force One on 9/11, in the hours after America’s most devastating attack since Pearl Harbor; at the head of the table in the Situation Room in the moments before launching the war in Iraq; and behind the Oval Office desk for his historic and controversial decisions on the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, Afghanistan, Iran, and other issues that have shaped the first decade of the 21st century... </em><br /><br /> With so many momentous issues to review, it's not surprising that Mr. Bush didn't bother to mention his favorite foods, but...in an interview with <a href="http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0009/19/ip.00.html">Oprah Winfrey</a> during the 2000 presidential campaign, he did say that his favorite sandwich is peanut butter and jelly on white bread.<br />.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KStR_wLfhNQ/WIQX9m0gP3I/AAAAAAAADws/1MevzhbUubcPQ3dBSAo3Ah43dndRW64VQCLcB/s460/bushoprah.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-KStR_wLfhNQ/WIQX9m0gP3I/AAAAAAAADws/1MevzhbUubcPQ3dBSAo3Ah43dndRW64VQCLcB/s460/bushoprah.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Eight years later, during the 2008 presidential campaign, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches once again made national headlines. Responding to charges that his economic policies were socialistic in nature, Barack Obama <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/10/29/obama-sharpens-tone-again_n_138915.html">ridiculed</a> his opponent John McCain for constantly resorting to trivialities and distractions:<br /><br /><em>Now, because he knows that his economic theories don't work, he's been spending these last few days calling me every name in the book. Lately he's called me a socialist for wanting to roll-back the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans so we can finally give tax relief to the middle class. I don't know what's next. By the end of the week he'll be accusing me of being a secret communist because I shared my toys in kindergarten. I shared my <a href="http://www.eatwell101.com/peanut-butter-facts">peanut butter and jelly sandwich</a>.</em><br />.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rW8fpWJ1er8/WIQagM499MI/AAAAAAAADxA/MLiSrj2ifRQ5n4LhUdwJZhRyo1k7xxSIwCLcB/s460/peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rW8fpWJ1er8/WIQagM499MI/AAAAAAAADxA/MLiSrj2ifRQ5n4LhUdwJZhRyo1k7xxSIwCLcB/s460/peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich.jpg" /></a></div> <br />
Although neither Bush nor Obama mentioned how they prefer their PB&Js to be made, we do know that John Harvey Kellogg, the cereal pioneer, was the first person to receive a patent for the process of making <a href="http://nationalpeanutboard.org/the-facts/history-of-peanuts-peanut-butter/">peanut butter</a> in 1895. According to <a href="http://www.press.uillinois.edu/books/catalog/74khc4fy9780252073281.html">Andrew Smith's</a> <em>Peanuts: The Illustrious History of the Goober Pea</em>, early peanut butters had several problems:<br /> <br /><em>The first was that peanut oil has a melting point below room temperature. Gravity separated the oil, which then oxidized and turned rancid. Likewise, salt added to the peanut butter separated and crystallized. Grocers received peanut butter in tubs or pails and were advised to use a wooden paddle to stir it frequently...<br /><br />During the early years of the twentieth century, William Norman, an English chemist, invented a method of saturating unsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, thus preventing them from turning rancid. In 1922, Joseph L. Rosefield...applied these principles to peanut butter [and] developed a process to prevent oil separation and spoilage in peanut butter...The result was a semisolid peanut butter [that]...was thick and creamy and did not stick to the roof of the mouth as much as previous products.</em><br /><br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qlF0uojgYkU/WIQZHjr6PcI/AAAAAAAADw0/VJWE853GOJUe8aljd3jN3k-3bCC-In7ewCLcB/s460/skippy_package_design.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-qlF0uojgYkU/WIQZHjr6PcI/AAAAAAAADw0/VJWE853GOJUe8aljd3jN3k-3bCC-In7ewCLcB/s460/skippy_package_design.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> Selecting the name "Skippy" for his product, Rosefield introduced creamy and chunky-style peanut butter in 1932. Three years later, the company inaugurated its first wide-mouth peanut-butter jar, which quickly became the industry standard. And in less than twenty five years, peanut butter had "evolved from a hand ground delicacy to a mass-produced commercial commodity sold in almost every grocery store in America."<br /> <br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v1KIGEQ2b9c/WIQc9z40l8I/AAAAAAAADxc/142_Blk_Sy0Sn_8P0wqDpCEKlMQH_AwTQCLcB/s460/pbcabbage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-v1KIGEQ2b9c/WIQc9z40l8I/AAAAAAAADxc/142_Blk_Sy0Sn_8P0wqDpCEKlMQH_AwTQCLcB/s460/pbcabbage.jpg" /></a></div> <br /> FOOD FACT: Florence Cowles' 1928 cookbook <em>Seven Hundred Sandwiches</em> includes dozens of creative recipes for peanut butter sandwiches, including: Peanut Butter and Egg Sandwich, Peanut Butter and <a href="http://www.frenchcookingboard.com/peanut-butter-and-cabbage-sandwich-156.html">Cabbage Sandwich,</a> Peanut Butter and Marshmallow Sandwich, Peanut Butter and Prune Sandwich, Peanut Butter and Cherry Sandwich, Peanut Butter and Cheese Sandwich, and Peanut Butter and Olive Sandwich made with Mayonnaise on Rye. Oh my!Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7847376103747376674.post-4574530684815920842020-05-28T14:38:00.001-07:002020-05-28T14:38:48.324-07:00James Garfield, the Pythagorean Theorem, and the Founding Father of Vegetarianism <a href="http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/james-garfield/james-garfield-family.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 480px; height: 348px;" src="http://www.history.com/images/media/slideshow/james-garfield/james-garfield-family.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a> As a lawyer, professor, and duly ordained minister, <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/jamesgarfield">James Garfield</a> is the only president to have discovered a novel proof of the Pythagorean Theorem. The Theorem, of course, is named after <a href="http://www.referencecenter.com/ref/reference/Pythagor/Pythagoras?invocationType=ar1clk&flv=1">Pythagoras</a>, an ancient Greek philosopher and mathematician. <br /><br /> As you might recall from grade school, the theorem says that in a right triangle, the sum of the squares of the two right angle sides will always be the same as the square of the hypotenuse (the longest side). <br /><br />Translated mathematically, the equation would read: A2 + B2 = C2. Let’s try it quickly here: If Side A is 4 inches long and Side B is 3 inches long, the equation would be: 4 x 4 = 16 and 3 x 3 = 9. Added together, 16 + 9 = 25. Now we simply find the square root of 25 and - voila! - we know that side C is 5 inches long!<br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGCsQB2CuEA/WTYFM_eTNgI/AAAAAAAAD_c/ylEgnx081bwvCh6e_3zjUddFD78KJXuFwCLcB/s455/pyth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xGCsQB2CuEA/WTYFM_eTNgI/AAAAAAAAD_c/ylEgnx081bwvCh6e_3zjUddFD78KJXuFwCLcB/s455/pyth.jpg" data-original-width="480" data-original-height="360" /></a></div> <br />
So what does the Pythagorean Theorem have to do with food? A lot, if you consider the fact that Pythagoras has been <a href="http://www.ivu.org/history/greece_rome/pythagoras.html">called</a> the Founding Father of Vegetarianism. Until the 19th century, when the term "vegetarian" came into use, people who didn't eat meat were often called “Pythagoreans.” <br /><br />
As a young man, Garfield was a farmer in Ohio and wouldn't have called himself a Pythagorean, but he might have enjoyed this healthy <a href="http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001567.html">recipe</a> for Ultimate Veggie Burgers from 101 Cookbooks if he tried it! <br /><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1_4FKEpzoc/V4xxyACsCnI/AAAAAAAADSg/2uT6yMmlAwAakHhh3x5up74k3cIlUuC3QCLcB/s450/ultimate-veggie-burger-recipe-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-M1_4FKEpzoc/V4xxyACsCnI/AAAAAAAADSg/2uT6yMmlAwAakHhh3x5up74k3cIlUuC3QCLcB/s460/ultimate-veggie-burger-recipe-3.jpg" width="450" height="347" /></a></div>
<br />2 1/2 cups garbanzo beans or canned garbanzos, rinsed<br />4 large eggs<br />1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt<br />1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro<br />1 onion, chopped<br />Grated zest of one lemon<br />1 cup toasted (whole-grain) bread crumbs<br />1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil <br /><br />Combine garbanzos, eggs, and salt in a food processor. Puree until the mixture is the consistency of a thick, slightly chunky hummus. Pour into a mixing bowl and stir in the cilantro, onion, and zest. <br /><br /> Add breadcrumbs, stir, and let sit for a couple of minutes. Heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium low, add 4 patties, cover and cook for 7-10 minutes. Flip the patties and cook the second side for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. <br /><br />FAST FACT: Garfield was one of our most intellectual presidents. Before going into politics, he was a professor of ancient languages. He was also ambidextrous and would often show off his knowledge by writing Greek with one hand and Latin with the other. Now THAT'S impressive! Suzy Evans, J.D., Ph.D.http://www.blogger.com/profile/15477694689204563792noreply@blogger.com