Monday, April 28, 2014

Super Sunday Supper of Salmon and Zucchini

When I was a kid, you could always count on Mother serving a Super Sunday Supper. It was always the best meal of the whole week. The table was full of many dishes to choose from. Today, I take on that family tradition & make Super Sunday Suppers as well. But since I don't have so many mouths to feed; I don't make as many dishes. But... it's still a Super Sunday Supper to remember.
My Super Sunday Supper is: 
Baked Salmon and Butter fried Zucchini

Darn my photo turned out a little blurry but I already ate the meal so I couldn't take another one. Oh well - Tonight I went with huge salmon fillets with the skin on. Now I don't eat the skin like many people do but I do cook it, skin side down and then I peal off the skin before I eat it. grin~

I preheated the over to 375. Placed the fillets in olive oil and butter baking dish. Then salt, pepper, paprika and lemon was added to the top. I baked it for 20 minutes. I baked my bread in the over right along side it too.

My favorite thing to eat with baked salmon is a baked potato and buttered bread but since I was holding back on the carbohydrates on this meal I went with a veggie instead. I choose to go with zucchini. Now I'm one of those people who loves to eat zucchini. Tonight I lightly fried them in butter but I like them baked as well but I didn't have room in the over since I was baking salmon and my bread together.

Look how pretty the zucchini looks on the plate. Can you see the ridges on the sides? I have this really cool veggie cutter that makes all the veggies look really pretty. Here's a photo of mine: I got this one from Wal-Mart but Amazon sales 2 different styles. I will post the link of both of them.


Vegetable Crinkle Cutter and French Fry Slicer
New 7-Inch Wide Commercial Crinkle Cutter, Garnish Cutter, Potato Vegetable Cutter Cutting Tool, Stainless Steel




Holidays To Remember:
Is there a National Salmon Day? "An Oregon newspaper from March 1, 1916 declared March 10 to be "National Salmon Day," but that's the only reference to it I see!"

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Laugh when you can...✿ Apologize when you should...✿ And let go of what you can't change...✿ Love deeply &  forgive quickly...✿ Give your everything ...✿  Love what you have... and  "Live Everyday like a Holiday"

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

April 24, 2014 Holidays and Events for the Day

My Research found these Holidays to Celebrate for
April 24, 2014

World Day For Animals In Laboratories (also known as World Lab Animal Day - World Day for Laboratory Animals) is observed every year on 24 April. The surrounding week has come to be known as "World Week for Animals In Laboratories". The National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS) describe the day as an "international day of commemoration" for animals in laboratories.  --World Day For Animals In Laboratories was established in 1979 by the British National Anti-Vivisection Society (NAVS). The date 24 April was chosen as it marked the birthday of former NAVS president Hugh Dowding, 1st Baron Dowding. - Today the event is marked by demonstrations and protests by groups opposed to the use of animals in research.

Genocide Remembrance Day (Armenian:Episcopal Church (USA)) or Genocide Memorial day, is a national holiday in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and is observed by Armenians in dispersed communities around the world on April 24. It is held annually to commemorate the victims of the Armenian Genocide from 1915 to 1923. In Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, hundreds of thousands of people walk to the Tsitsernakaberd Genocide Memorial to lay flowers at the eternal flame.

  • Poem in Your Pocket Day. See www.poets.org
  • Take Our Daughters and Sons To Work Day. 21st annual. See www.DaughtersandSonstoWork.org
  • Concord Day (Niger) Commemorates the peace accords ending the Tuareg Rebellion in 1995
  • Democracy Day (Nepal)
  • Earliest day on which National Arbor Day can fall, while April 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Friday in April. (United States)
  • Earliest day on which Turkmen Racing Horse Festival can fall, while April 30 is the latest; celebrated on the last Sunday in April. (Turkmenistan)
  • Genocide Remembrance Day(Armenia, Episcopal Church (USA))
  • Kapyong Day (Australia)
  • Republic Day (The Gambia)
  • Armenia: Armenian Martyrs Day
  • National Pigs-N-A- Blanket Day
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Do you know of a holiday that's celebrated on "April 24" in your country? Add it in the comment section. Be sure to tell us if it's a set holiday or a movable holiday.
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Laugh when you can...✿ Apologize when you should...✿ And let go of what you can't change...✿ Love deeply &  forgive quickly...✿ Give your everything ...✿  Love what you have... and  "Live Everyday like a Holiday"

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Munch for Lunch Tuna Broccoli Pasta Salad


  1. Pasta salad is a dish prepared with one or more types of pasta, usually chilled, and most often tossed in a vinegar, oil or mayonnaise-based dressing. It is typically served as an appetizer or a main course.
Pasta

There are some days when a hot meal is way to much, especially when you've been gardening in the hot morning sun. That's when you go for a nice cooling lunch of fresh giant size grapes and a chilled pasta salad.

My Munch for Lunch today: Tuna Broccoli Pasta Salad

It rained like crazy this week and I've never been so glad to see the sun in all my life. ha ha- Don't get me wrong. I enjoy a few rain days where I can read and wrap up in a warm blanket but I can only stand to be stuck in the house for a couple of days. Last night the weather man said the sun was returning today so I knew exactly what I was going to be doing. Yep, that rain makes the weeds around the house grow like crazy so.... pulling weeds was my job for the day.

Since I knew I would be doing yard work, I cooked and mixed up my tuna broccoli noodle salad last night so it could chill over-night. I think the flavors always taste better if you let it mingle for several hours. I also knew I wanted something I could just spoon out of a bowl and be done with it. giggle~ So pasta salad was the easy choice.

I'm not fussy about my pasta salads.  I use what ever I've got in the frig that would make a filling meal. Today I had broccoli and tuna so that was the theme of my salad for today. 

Ingredients I used today:
  • 1 cup of noodles
  • 1 cup of broccoli
  • 1/4 cup of diced onion
  • Add noodles, broccoli & onions to pot. Boil according to noodle bag instructions. Drain
  • Add in 1 can of drained tuna - salt and pepper to taste.
I'm a 1/4 cup kinda-girl when it comes to my noodle salads
  • 1/4 cup of cream cheese (softened)
  • 1/4 cup of sour cream
  • 1/4 cup of grated cheese (what ever you have)
  • 1/4 cup of mayonnaise
Add all to the bowl and mix. If you want to eat it while it's hot then now's the time to go for it. If you want to have it for a cold salad then put it in the frig to chill over night. wink~ by: Pam Svoboda
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When to eat this?
  • When you need a easy food to pack for a picnic
  • When you need a easy meal for your lunch box
  • When you need a cold meal after a hot day in the sun.
  • When you need to celebrate National Picnic Day!
  • When you need to have a meal just for 1
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Holidays To Remember:
National Noodle Month - celebrated in March
National Picnic Month - celebrated in July
National Picnic Day - April 23


Monday, April 21, 2014

April 21, 2014 Holidays and Events for the Day

My Research found these Holidays to celebrate for
April 21, 2014

Kartini Day (Inonesia) Sukarno's Old Order state declared 21 April as Kartini Day to remind women that they should participate in "the hegemonic state discourse of perkembangan (development)". After 1965, however, Suharto's New Order state reconfigured the image of Kartini from that of radical women's emancipator to one that portrayed her as dutiful wife and obedient daughter, "as only a woman dressed in a kebaya who can cook." On that occasion, popularly known as Hari Ibu (Mother) Kartini or Mother Kartini Day, "young girls were to wear tight, fitter jackets, batik shirts, elaborate hairstyles, and ornate jewelry to school, supposedly replicating Kartini's attire but in reality wearing an invented and more constricting ensemble than she ever did."

Aggie Muster (Texas A&M University) Aggie Muster is a time-honored tradition at Texas A&M University which celebrates the camaraderie of the school while remembering the lives of Aggies who have died, specifically those in the past year. Muster officially began on April 21, 1922 as a day for remembrance of fellow Aggies. Muster ceremonies today take place in approximately 320 locations globally. 

National Tree Planting Day (Kenya) National Tree Planting Day is on April 21. Often people plant palm trees and coconut trees along the Indian Ocean that borders the East coast of Kenya.

San Jacinto Day (Texas) San Jacinto Day is the celebration of the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. It was the final battle of the Texas Revolution where Texas won its independence from Mexico.
It is an official holiday in the State of Texas. An annual festival, which includes areenactment, is held on the site of the battle. The Sabine Volunteers, a reenactment group from East Texas, participate in the San Jacinto Reenactment annually.

  • Birthday of Rome (Rome)
  • Grounation Day (Rastafari movement)
  • Heroic Defense of Veracruz (Mexico)
  • Inauguration of Brasília (Distrito Federal, Brazil)
  • Parilia, in honor of the Pales. (Roman Empire)
  • The first day of the festival of Ridván. (Bahá'í Faith)
  • Tiradentes (Brazil)
  • Vietnam's Book Day (Vietnam)
  • Aggie Muster (Texas A&M University)
  • Birthday of Rome (Rome)
  • National Chocolate Covered Cashews Truffle Day 
  • Peeps Day (The Monday after Easter)

Christian Feast Day:
    • Abdecalas
    • Anastasius Sinaita
    • Anselm of Canterbury
    • Beuno
    • Conrad of Parzham
    • Holy Infant of Good Health
    • Shemon Bar Sabbae
    • Wolbodo
    • April 21 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Do you know of a holiday that's celebrated on "April 21" in your country? Add it in the comment section. Be sure to tell us if it's a set holiday or a movable holiday.
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Laugh when you can...✿ Apologize when you should...✿ And let go of what you can't change...✿ Love deeply &  forgive quickly...✿ Give your everything ...✿  Love what you have... and  "Live Everyday like a Holiday"

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Munch For Lunch Pinto Beans and Cornbread


My Munch for lunch today is:
If your a southern girl like me then a simple bowl of pinto beans and cornbread is just perfect for a rainy day. Add a glass of cold  milk,  a shot or two of hot sauce, a wedge of salted down onion and you have a true meal to satisfy any southern girls belly.
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It rained all night long last night and the rain is set in to rain all day long today. Once I knew the raindrops were going to pore off the roof of the house in buckets and make ting-tang sounds on the old fashion metal rain covers above my windows, I knew I had to pull out the big simmer pot and bag of dry beans. 

Today I made my pinto beans like this:

You know the way to do it. Pick the bad beans out then wash your beans. Follow the directions on the bag for boiling. Today I added 1 can of beef stock, 1 large diced onion and 1 can of corned beef hash. (yes it's true- I love a can of corned beef hash in my pinto beans.) Try it I think you will like it. If you don't you can substitute with ham hock or sausage. Then add salt and pepper to taste. But all I did was cook on medium heat for 1 hour then simmer for 2 hours or until done. I enjoy thick gravy so I let it simmer a bit longer to start the beans to break down and make a medium thick sauce. If I'm in the mood for a thin sauce.... so  I can crumble cornbread up into it....  and stir it all together, then I make a thinner sauce.

Today I made my cornbread like this:

Well this is going to be hard to tell you how much of what I use because you see I make my cornbread by sight. That's how my Mother taught me to do it. I'm going to guess it's about a cup of cornmeal and I'm going to guess it's around 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour. 1 egg is nice if I want it soft. But if I want it crumbly I don't use a egg and I use water for my liquid instead of buttermilk. But for today I used buttermilk. I just pored it in so it was a bit thinner than what pancake batter looks like. Add salt, pepper and a bit of dry onions. Stir, pore in a pre-heated cast iron skillet and bake at 400 for 30 minutes, depending on your oven.

It's seemed so damp in the house so while my beans and cornbread were cooking I built a fire in the fireplace and sit myself down in a old southern rocker with my laptop in hand and typed you this very "Much for Lunch" your reading now. Once I finished I could smell the beans and I knew they were ready to eat. I bowled myself up the very bowl of beans you see in the photo and I carried my creation for one to the fireplace where I ate it on the hearth while watching the flames of the fire.

Today I am truly thankful for a rainy day.
by: Pamela Svoboda
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Holidays to remember:
You may also be interested in:
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Laugh when you can..✿. Apologize when you should..✿. And let go of what you can't change..✿. Love deeply & forgive quickly..✿ . Take chances & give your everything ..✿. Love what you have...and "Live Everyday like a Holiday"

April 19, 2014 Holidays and Events for the day

Happy Holidays and Happy Easter Eve everyone!
My research found these holidays to celebrate for.... 
April 19, 2014


Primrose Day (United Kingdom) is the anniversary of the death of British statesman and prime minister Benjamin Disraeli, 1st Earl of Beaconsfield, on 19 April 1881. The primrose was his favourite flower and Queen Victoria would often send him bunches of them from Windsor and Osborne House. She sent a wreath of primroses to his funeral.

Bicycle Day The events of the first LSD trip, now known as “Bicycle Day”, after the bicycle ride home, proved to Hofmann that he had indeed made a significant discovery: a psychoactive substance with extraordinary potency, capable of causing significant shifts of consciousness in incredibly low doses. Hofmann foresaw the drug as a powerful psychiatric tool; because of its intense and introspective nature, he couldn’t imagine anyone using it recreationally. Bicycle Day is increasingly observed in psychedelic communities as a day to celebrate the discovery of LSD.

Dutch-American Friendship Day (United States) April 19 is Dutch-American Friendship Day, which remembers the day in 1782 when John Adams, later to become the second president of the United States, was received by the States General in The Hague and recognized as Minister Plenipotentiary of the United States of America. It was also the day that the house he had purchased at Fluwelen Burgwal 18 in The Hague was to become the first American Embassy in the world.

Patriots' Day (officially Patriots' Day in Massachusetts and Wisconsin and Patriot's Day in Maine) is a civic holiday commemorating the anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord on April 19, 1775. These were the first battles of the American Revolutionary War. It is observed on the third Monday in April in Massachusetts and Maine (once part of Massachusetts), and is a public school observance day in Wisconsin. Florida law also encourages people to celebrate it, though it is not treated as a public holiday. Observances and re-enactments of these first battles of the American Revolution occur annually at Lexington Green in Lexington, Massachusetts, (around 6:00 am) and The Old North Bridge in Concord, Massachusetts, (around 9:00 am). In the morning, mounted re-enactors with state police escorts retrace the rides of Paul Revere and William Dawes, calling out warnings the whole way.

  • Beginning of the Independence Movement (Venezuela)
  • Earliest day on which First Day of Summer or Sumardagurinn fyrsti can fall, while April 25 is the latest; celebrated on the first Thursday after April 18. (Iceland)
  • King Mswati III's birthday (Swaziland)
  • Landing of the 33 (Uruguay)
  • National Health Day (Kiribati)
  • National Garlic Day
  • National Amaretto Day
  • Easter Even (movable, date changes)
  • Record Store Day. 7th annual. See www.recordstoreday.com
  • John Parker Day
  • National Auctioneers Day
  • National Hanging Out Day
  • Patriots’ Day in Florida.
  • Sierra Leone: National Holiday

Do you know of a holiday that's celebrated on "April 19" in your country? Add it in the comment section. Be sure to tell us if it's a set holiday or a movable holiday.

Laugh when you can...✿ Apologize when you should...✿ And let go of what you can't change...✿ Love deeply &  forgive quickly...✿ Give your everything ...✿  Love what you have... and  "Live Everyday like a Holiday"

Friday, April 18, 2014

April 18, 2014 - Holidays and Events for the day

  • Good Friday - (Movable Holiday- the date changes) Good Friday is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of Passover. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Black Friday, or Easter Friday, though the latter properly refers to the Friday in Easter weekBased on the details of the Canonical gospels, the Crucifixion of Jesus was most likely to have been on a Friday (the day before the Sabbath) (John 19:42).


    • Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Zimbabwe from United Kingdom in 1980. - A fight for independence took place in the 1970s. An independent constitution was written for Zimbabwe in London in 1979.Independence followed on April 18, 1980. The white minority finally consented to multiracial elections in 1980, which Robert Mugabe won in a landslide. Independence Day is celebrated in every city and district of the nation with political rallies, parades, traditional dances, singing, and fireworks.


    • International Day For Monuments and Sites (International) - The International Day for Monuments and Sites was proposed by the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) on 18 April 1982 and approved by the General Assembly of UNESCO in 1983. The aim is to promote awareness about the diversity of cultural heritage of humanity, their vulnerability and the efforts required for their protection and conservation.


    • Invention Day (Japan)
    • International Amateur Radio Day
    • National Adult Autism Awareness Day
    • Pet Owners Independence Day
    • National Animal Crackers Day (birthday of Animal Crackers)


    • England: British and World Marbles Championship, Greyhound Public House, Tinsley Green, West Sussex.
    • England: Devizes to Westminster International Canoe Race (Apr 18-21). 66th year. See www.dwrace.org.uk
    • The “Midnight Ride” of Paul Revere took place in 1775.
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    Do you know of a holiday that's celebrated on "April 18" in your country? Add it in the comment section. Be sure to tell us if it's a set holiday or a movable holiday.
    Live Everyday like a Holiday!  Pam

    The smell of fresh baked cake woke me up


    But it wasn't what I thought

    I stayed up late last night drinking coffee and doing research for my website. I finally went to bed about 2:00am. Around 4:00am the smell of fresh baked cake woke me up and it smelled soooo good. I thought..... why is my hubby baking in the middle of the night. So I crawled out of bed to go to the kitchen and have a bite of whatever he had made. To my surprise as I walked around the bed in the dark, I ran into my hubbies foot hanging off the bed. "So he's not baking afterall." He was fast asleep.

    While making my way to the kitchen to investigate..... I flip on the light. The smell in the kitchen was beautifully mouthwatering. I smelled chocolate and I smelled caramel. Yummm! As I rub the sleepies from my eyes, I look on the table and "there's nothing there". I walk over to the stove, opened the door and peeped inside, searching for what fresh baked good I could take a bite of- there's nothing there either. I even feel the top of the stove to see if it's hot. "No it's cold." ??? Confused I start to look around.

    And then I saw it!

    I forgot and left the coffee pot on. Beside the coffee pot was a pedestal cake stand with what was left of a huge stack of cookies I made 3 days before. It seems my cats had a bit of a wrassle and knocked over the cookies. They landed on top of the heating element of the coffee pot. I was so tired I left out my caramel flavored coffee creamer and they knocked that over as well and it pored onto the cookies. To my disappointment - there was no cake baking - instead I had a simmering mess that smelt like heaven. I sadly cut off the coffee pot and cleaned up the mess. I then went back to bed to dream of cake.

    On the positive side
    I KNOW I'm adding that caramel coffee creamer to my next batch of chocolate cookies! 
    by: Pamela Svoboda
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    Photo at the top:
    Did you guys like my picture at the top? I took this picture around dark30 from my patio. It was so beautiful I just had to capture the moment while I could. I have more I'll post later that show the colors changing. Pam

    Laugh when you can..✿. Apologize when you should..✿. And let go of what you can't change..✿. Love deeply & forgive quickly..✿ . Take chances & give your everything ..✿. Love what you have... and always remember.. that life goes on..  "Live Everyday like a Holiday' 

    Wednesday, April 16, 2014

    How to color Easter Eggs with Natural Dyes

    I found this really cool chart on "How to color Easter Eggs with Natural Dyes" and thought I would pass it on. Found it just in time for Easter.


     How to Colour Easter Eggs with Natural Dyes
    Explore more visuals like this one on the web's largest information design community - Visually.

    Hollandaise Sauce Can Top other Foods


    My last post was about Eggs Benedict in honor of 
    National Eggs Benedict Day 

    I rambled on about how it's my favorite thing to eat for breakfast because of the Hollandaise Sauce. Because of that I thought I would continue the topic and reiterate the fact that Hollandaise Sauce can top other foods other than Eggs Benedict. The picture above is a good example of that.

    About my Photo
    I love to grill out every chance I can get and this is a photo of the food I cooked on the grill and a prime example of how Hollandaise Sauce can be topped over other foods. As you can see in my photo, I have grilled chicken (see those lovely black grill marks) baked potatoes, asparagus and buttered garlic bread, all of which are perfect topped with Hollandaise.

    Now I also like to serve it over really thick steamed or baked fish steaks. 
    You know like you would serve fish florentine. I wilt a hand-full of fresh spinach in it just like florentine but instead of putting the cheese in the sauce (if I'm hungry for cheese) I just sprinkle it on top at the very last.

    Hollandaise sauce  is rich rich rich and I always make a large pot of it when I make it. When I grill "it's a pig out day" for us so I make sure I have plenty of garlic bread so we can sop up all the Hollandaise sauce that we want. It's almost like a fondue without the cheese. Now I'm not that great at making the sauce. I do like it smooth and creamy and I do have my days where it's not as slick as I would like it.  If the heat is not just right the ingredients will separate and the sauce breaks. If it's real bad I have to start over.

    What is Hollandaise Sauce?
    "Hollandaise sauce is an emulsion of butter and lemon juice using egg yolks as the emulsifying agent, usually seasoned with salt and a little black pepper or cayenne pepper. It is a French sauce, so named because it was believed to have mimicked a Dutch sauce. Hollandaise sauce is well known as a key ingredient in Eggs Benedict. The sauce is one of the five sauces in the French haute cuisine mother sauce repertoire."


    Here's the Ingredients I used
    • 2 egg yolks
    • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
    • 1 tbsp. water
    • ¼ tsp. salt
    • 1½ sticks butter, (170g or ¾ cup) cut into small pieces
    • 1 tsp. parsley
    www.gone-ta-pott.com/hollandaise_sauce_recipe

    Okie Doke yall- If your a lover of egg yolk and butter; I sure hope you try it and tell me how you liked it. If you have other ideas on how to serve it I would sure like to know. Have a great day everyone and remember Hollandaise sauce can top other foods.

    Eggs Benedict is the Breakfast for me!


    Ok what your looking at is a plate of Eggs Benedict-

    Eggs Benedict is an American breakfast dish that consists of two halves of an English muffin, topped with ham or baconpoached eggs, and Hollandaise sauce. I'm blogging about eggs Benedict today because every April 16th is National Eggs Benedict Day. This is one breakfast that hits my taste buds to a T. I love a poached egg because I like the yellow of my eggs runny and I could eat Hollandaise sauce by the spoonfuls. I can just taste that emulsion of egg yolk and melted butter with a touch of cayenne pepper right now. ha ha ha- I even like to squeeze a bit of lemon on top.

    My favorite restaurant for Eggs Benedict is..........

    (drum roll please.....) The Cheesecake Factory. What? You didn't know the Cheesecake Factory had Eggs Benedict? Well they do. In fact they have a lovely brunch menu on Sunday mornings and Eggs Benedict is always what I order. I know I shouldn't but I always order extra sauce. It's a good thing we only go for breakfast there once a month. We would go more often if we lived closer to the restaurant but .... woe is me it takes an hour and 15 minutes to get there.

    Do you make your own Hollandaise Sauce?

    I try and make it off and on but I'm not real good at it. I can never get it as smooth as I want it to be. I love it pored over baked vegetables along-side a grilled steak. Hummm I wonder what else it's good on?

    Mark your calendar, Holidays to remember-

    Links for you from my website Gone-ta-pott.com:
    I hope everyone goes out for breakfast today and enjoys a plate of Eggs Benedict.
    photo resource