A Simple but Happy Fourth Of July

We had to have an early lunch today 
because hubby had to be at work at 1:00 oclock. We picked something that would cook up really fast but still keep in the tradition of foods served on the 4th of July. What do you think it was? LOL... it was hot dogs!

We fired up the grill
so we could get those beautiful grill marks on the weenies and I cooked up a pot of my hot corn salsa that only takes 10 minutes to cook. You can find my recipe for corn salsa cooked in a pot here.

It was a cool morning so I lay down a huge blanket on the ground
right under the shade of the pecan tree. We ate simple hot dogs with corn salsa and Greek yogurt for dessert. A few diced up mango's spooned over the yogurt made our meal cool and refreshing.

It was indeed a simple but Happy 4th of July.
Maybe next year he'll get the day off. Happy Independence Day everyone! I hope your day is spent making wonderful memories with your loved ones.... no matter how big or how small your holiday will be. :)
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Today we also celebrate:

• Republic Day (Philippines)
• Caesar Salad Birthday
• Liberation Day (Rwanda)
•  National Barbecued Spareribs Day

July 1: Happy Gingersnap Day

My day started 
by watering the flowers at 7:00am this morning. Next came the coffee. I settled myself down at the table with my laptop on one side and the newspaper on the other. I did a bit of complaining to my hubby about how I couldn't find a picture of gingersnaps that I liked so I could make it part of my cookie post. 


He explained to me 
how they were called "ginger nut cookies" back home in Australia. Before I knew it- The smell of cookies were hovering over my head. I guess my conversation about gingersnap cookies made him want some because in no time there was a pile of cookies sitting on the table. The hubby made 3 batches. I don't think I have to tell you how thrilling it was to sit and work at the table while eating warm and crispy cookies with a fresh pot of coffee. Not to mention.... I got my photo of gingersnaps. I love it when my hubby has the day off.  :)

► See National Gingersnap Day at my holiday directory.
► Stephen said he used the recipe from allrecipes.com/grandmas-gingersnap-cookies
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This Food Holiday shares July 1 with....... 

Second Half of the New Year Day, International Joke Day, Doctors Day (India, National Financial Freedom Day, Zip Code Day, Canada Day formerly Dominion Day, Independence Day (Burundi), Independence Day (Rwanda), Independence Day (Somalia), Republic Day (Ghana), July Morning tradition in Bulgaria, and Creative Ice Cream Flavors Day.

National Build A Scarecrow Day. This is a movable holiday. It's celebrated the 1st Sunday of July.... which means today, July 1 for 2012!

► See my page at http://www.gone-ta-pott.com/national-build-a-scarecrow-day.html 

National Water A Flower Day

May 30th is always National Water A Flower Day so in honor of that I thought I would post this!


Look at the photo really close.
What do you see?
One of my chores for the day was to plant my Mandevilla vine that I brought with me from the house in Florida. I've had it in a pot for weeks just waiting for time to get it planted. Well as always my pets like to help me with all my chores and today my cat Panther decided it was his turn to give me a helping paw.

I dug the hole for the plant and he was right in the middle of digging with me. I moved him out of my way so I could put the plant in the hole and started packing the plant in. Panther walked around all on top of the plant helping me pack it in too. I told him thank you then lifted him off the plant and grabbed my trusty cel-phone so I could snap a few shots to send to my family on facebook. Then I watered my plant in.

To my surprise when I posted the photo on facebook I saw it. Yep.... I didn't even notice what he was doing at the time but as I looked over the posted photos I saw his stream.  Yes I did say "stream." Panther thought it was a good idea to peee in my soil. I guess he was doing his part at watering the flowers.

Well I hope this brightens your day on National Water A Flower Day. Now I hope you go and water a flower too. Happy Water A Flower Day everyone!

Oh... and just so you know.... today is also "My Bucket's Got A Hole In It Day."

Today I Paint

I just wanted to share with you what my project has been for the last 3 days.
My brother Eddie is a woodworker and every year he builds the props for the bible school theme at church. This year he's building an airplane for the kids to sit in and get their picture taken. No it's not a real airplane. It's just a prop but he sure did a good job on it just the same. 


My job was to paint the black stripes: 
We wanted it to look like a bee so stripes it had to beeee. It's been so hot outside till we actually hooked up fans to blow on us while we worked. I stepped in ants once. That's what I get for painting outside barefooted. I spilt paint on my pants once and dipped my sandwich in the bucket of paint once. That's why you should never have a sandwich in one hand and a paint bucket in the other. giggle~ what can I say..........


Now most of my readers know 
I moved back into the house I was raised in. When that happened I also became my brothers neighbor. LOL! When you end up your brothers neighbor, you end up helping him on all his fun projects too. Especially when his shop is right beside you. wink~ Hey how-ah-bout that..... you can see my house in the background.


Well that's what my project was for today. 
It took him weeks to build the plane but it only took 3 days to paint it. My great nieces painted the bright yellow, my brother lined up the painters tape and I painted the black stripes. It's been a long time since I've worked on a project with my brother since I lived in another state but helping him paint reminded me how fun it was when we had a craft store many years ago.


Ceiling fan blades:
You can't see it in the photos but he used ceiling fan blades to make the propeller. giggle~ This cracked me up! He fixed it so it would spin too. How much fun it's going to be for the kids to go to bible school and see this fun prop. Great job brother!

National Coq au Vin Day

There are many reasons to celebrate and did you know our calendar observes a National Coq au Vin Day? Roosters cooked in wine are the main course on May 29th but you can enjoy this great recipe on any day of the year. Replace rooster for hen if you like.


Today I wanted to talk about Coq au Vin in honor of National Coq au Vin Day. They say this is a French recipe that ends up like a stew. I don't know if it's considered a stew or not, I just know I love the recipe. 

It's made with chicken, carrots, mushrooms and onions. You know the staple foods in stews. Now that I think about it... there's no potatoes in this recipe which is also a staple for stews. This recipe is made with the whole pieces of chicken instead of chunks of chicken like a normal stew is made. Hummmm so is it a stew or not? What do you think?

Anyway I love to make this recipe in the winter when it's cold. Mainly because I slowlyyyy stew it for a long time and it just gets the house to hot in the summer time. I know the recipe says to cook it for 90 minutes but like most of us cooks we adjust the recipe to suit. Now one of the reasons I love this recipe is because you have to fry the chicken first. I know what your thinking. That means the dish is going to take a bit of time to make but it's worth the wait I promise. I have the recipe on my website if you would like to go check out the ingredients. Recipe Here

The spice Asafoetida is used in this recipe but I never add it. I had to go to my herb dictionary and wiki to find out some spice facts about it and ended up just using leeks. 
It says "(also known as devil's dung, stinking gum, asant, food of the gods, giant fennel, Jowani badian, hing and ting) is the dried latex (gum oleoresin) exuded from the living underground rhizome or tap root of several species of Ferula, which is a perennial herb (1 to 1.5 m high). The species is native to the mountains of Afghanistan, and is mainly cultivated in nearbyIndia. Asafoetida has a pungent, unpleasant smell when raw, but in cooked dishes, it delivers a smooth flavor, reminiscent of leeks.

Good Morning Monday, May 28

Side patio at 7:00am / Lucy dog loves the morning too.

Good Morning Monday and Happy Memorial Day! 

It's just going to be me, Lucy dog & my cats today because hubby has to work. But even though we're not going to be able to grill out in honor of Memorial Day, it's still going to be a wonderful day. Look out gallon of turtle tracks ice cream here I come!
I snapped a photo of the patio at 7:00am this morning. As you can see this is where I spend a lot of my time working on my laptop. The sun was already beautiful even at 7:00am.

Shout - Out: Today before I start talking about the holidays I would like to give a shout-out to Trisha Faye over at her blog (http://trishafaye.wordpress.com/) Yesterday she listed 7 blogs that she enjoyed reading and she was nice enough to list us as one of the 7. Thank you for your kindness.
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Here's what's happening on the Holiday front. Have a wonderful day everyone
Today is:

• Armed Forces Day (Croatia)
• Downfall of the Derg Day, a National Day. (Ethiopia)
• Flag Day (Philippines)
• Republic Day (Nepal)
• Republic Day, celebrates the declaration of independence of the Democratic Republic of Armenia and the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic in 1918. (Azerbaijan and Armenia)
• National Brisket Day
• Memorial Day May 28 for 2012
  Memorial Day is a day set aside to commemorate the brave hearts who laid down their lives for the nation. It's time to get together and remember the fallen heroes, their valor and pay tribute to the living legends. Reach out to your family, friends and loved ones with Memorial Day ecards filled with pride, warmth and togetherness..
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A look ahead: 

Father's Day  (June-17)

Dad loves you and guides you each and every day. Today it's your turn to show how much you love him. Express your love with warm Father's Day ecardsand make him feel really special.

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Best Friends Day  (June-8)

Reach out to your coolest pal with fun and cute Best Friends Day ecards. Say how much he/ she means to you and thank him/ her for always being there. Surprise your friend with your warmest wish and make this Best Friends Day a truly special one for him/ her.

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May Flowers  (May)

The May Flowers are lily of the valley and hawthorn. Celebrate these beautiful blooms of summer. Sendwarm floral ecards from our site to your friends/ family/ loved ones to make their days bloom with joy.

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Graduation  (May - June)

It's Graduation! It's time to congratulate your friend/ son/ daughter/ bro/ sis/ loved one who has graduated. Tell him/her how proud you are of them.  Send Greetings!

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Shavuot  (May 26 - 28)

It's Shavuot! So celebrate the holiday of the first fruits and giving of the ten commandments. Get into the festive spirit and enjoy. Send warm and heartfelt ecards from our site to wish your friends/ family/ loved ones a wonderful festival. Send Greetings!

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National Doughnut Day  (June-1)

Hey, National Doughnut Day is here! So savor the sweet and yummy taste of donuts. Send cute and yummy ecards from our site to wish your loved ones 'fun-taste-tic' days ahead.  Free Greeting!

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International Children's Day  (June-1)

Hey, it's International Children's Day! Time to have loads of fun with all the kids you know. Enjoy the day and wish them "Happy Children's Day" with cute International Children's Day ecards!Send Free Greetings!

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Rose Month  (June)

It's Rose Month! Spread the joy and love that awaits in the petals of each...Send a free Greeting!

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Love Conquers All Day  (June-3)

It's Love Conquers All Day! It's the day for romance. So dedicate the day to the one you love. Send your sweetheart romantic ecards to make him/ her feel really special...Send Free Greetings!

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Full Moon Day  (June-4)

Hey, it's Full Moon Day! Time to be romantic with your sweetheart with the moon glowing at its brightest in the sky. Don't forget to send a romantic ecard to your love.  Send a free greeting! June 4 celebrates the full moon but here are the dates for the actual full moon.

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Hug Your Cat Day  (June-4)

Hey, it's Hug Your Cat Day! So pick up your cute little kitty and give him/her a big hug. Make your pet cat feel really special. Send cute and warm ecards to wish your near and dear ones a whole lot of fun with their cats... Send a Greeting

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Ice Cream Day  (June-8)

Hey, it's Ice Cream Day... The perfect time to enjoy large scoops of the yummy ice creams. Send cute ecards to your friends/ family/ sweetheart/ loved ones to wish them a chill out time. Free Greeting

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ProfessYour Love Day  (June 9)

It's Profess Your Love Day! So tell your sweetheart what you feel and make it a magical day for him/ her.Send cute and romantic ecards to make your loved one feel really special.

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It's Red Rose Festival!   (June 10)

So celebrate the pretty blooms and say what you feel with lovely roses.Send beautiful and warm ecards to your friends/ family/ loved ones/ sweetheart and wish a festival blooming with joy.

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Bike To Work Day

The League of American Bicyclists is promoting Bike-to-Work Week from May 14 to 18, 2012 and Bike-to-Work Day on Friday, May 18, 2012.

Bike-to-Work Day is an annual event held on various days in the Spring across the United States and Canada that promotes the bicycle as an option for commuting to work. Leading up to Bike-to-Work Day, national, regional, and local bicycle advocacy groups encourage people to try bicycle commuting as a healthy and safe alternative to driving by providing route information and tips for new bicycle commuters. On Bike-to-Work Day, these groups often organize bicycle-related events, and in some areas, pit stops along bicycle routes with snacks.

Bike-to-Work Day was originated by the League of American Bicyclists in 1956 and is a part of Bike-to-Work Week, which is in turn part of National Bike Month.

Sources

• League of American Bicyclists: Bike Month

See also

• Bicycle commuting / wikipedia
• Bike to Work Week Victoria
• Bike Week (Bicycle Week)

External links

• Bike to Work Week/Day Map and Events List
• b2w-indonesia.or.id Indonesian bike to work community
• Bike to Work Month Boulder Colorado
• Bike to Work Day (Rome)
• Bike to Work Day (Washington DC)

References

1. ^ "The Wire - Seacoast rides". "The League of American Bicyclists organized the first Bike to Work Day in 1956."
2.  / wikipedia

Good Morning Monday! March 5

What a beautiful morning! Here in Alabama it's sunny and cool outside, -high 50's. The rain pounded us for 2 days along with whaling winds, and tornadoes. The evidence of it is a flooded front yard, lawn furniture blown around, busted outside ceramic pots and lots of tree limbs on the ground. 7 tornadoes touched down but this morning we awoke to beautiful sunshine and a renewed feeling that I've been blessed and  "Life is good." 

My family pets were delighted to see the morning sun as well. They huddled around the sun rays and gave each other loving fur hugs in celebration of the beautiful morning. 


The first thing I did (other than enjoy a pot of coffee) was rescue the bird feeders; reload them with bird seed and hang them up. I put up a feeder in a new location on the front porch so the cats could enjoy watching them through the glass doors. You can see one side of the feeder in the photo. I know it will take a few days for the birds to find it but I will keep a close watch on how it does in this location and will happily pass on the news.
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Here's What's Happening on the Holiday Front for March 5, 2012:
March 5th is: Namesake Day, Fun Facts about names day, National Cheese Doodle Day, Dr. Doolittle Day, Mother-in-Law Day, Healing From the Inside Out Day, Say hi to Mom day, Multiple personality day, Crispus Attucks day, Casimir Pulaski day, 


Around The World:

Custom Chief's Day (Vanuatu)

Learn from Lei Feng Day (China)

National Tree Planting Day (Iran)

St Piran's Day (Cornwall)

Guam: Discovery Day (Magellan Day)

Australia: Labor Day (or Eight Hour Day)

The Week Ahead:

• We are still in Celebrate Your Name Week!
• The Oreo Cookie is celebrating 100 years March 6th and Louise on twitter/lavesta from monthsofediblecelebrations blogspot want's to do a round up of oreo cookie recipes. So in it's honor I'm passing on the link to my version of the oreo pie. I call it my orenilla fluff pie. I blogged it in 2008 for Oreo Cookie Day.
• National School Breakfast Week: March 5-9. See http://www.schoolnutrition.org
• Don't Forget: Daylight Savings Time begins on Sunday, March 11, 2012 at 2:00 am. The clock needs to be set forward by 1 hour at this time.
• Global Marathon For, By and About Women in Engineering and Technology (March 5-10) See www.globalmarathon.net

Davy Jones Musician Has Died

David Thomas "Davy" Jones (30 December 1945 – 29 February 2012) was an English singer-songwriter and actor best known as a member of The Monkees.

Death

The Martin County Sheriff's Office stated that Jones had complained of breathing difficulties on the morning of 29 February 2012, in Indiantown, Florida, and had been transported to Martin Memorial South Hospital in Stuart, where he was pronounced dead. Jones is survived by his widow, Jessica, and four daughters.

Member of the Monkees / Wikipedia

From 1965 to 1971, Jones was a member of The Monkees, a pop-rock group formed expressly for a television show of the same name. With Screen Gems producing the series, Jones was shortlisted for auditions, as he was the only Monkee who was signed to a deal with the studio, but still had to meet producers Bob Rafelson's and Bert Schneider's standards. Jones sang lead vocals on many of the Monkees' recordings, including "I Wanna Be Free" and "Daydream Believer". Jones met Laramy Smith in 1967, introduced by Eirik Wangberg (then a producer and co-owner of Sound Records), and they co-produced The Children, an Austin, Texas group Jones discovered while on tour with the Monkees. A single was released on Laramie Records entitled "Picture Me", which reached Billboard at number 2 with a bullet.

After the television series went off the air, The Monkees disbanded. However, Jones continued to perform solo, while later joining with fellow Monkee Micky Dolenz and songwriters Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart as a short-lived group called Dolenz, Jones, Boyce & Hart. He also toured throughout the years with other members as various incarnations of the Monkees.

In February 2011, Jones mentioned rumours of another Monkees reunion. "There's even talk of putting the Monkees back together again in the next year or so for a U.S. and UK tour," he told Disney's Backstage Pass newsletter. "You're always hearing all those great songs on the radio, in commercials, movies, almost everywhere." The tour came to fruition entitled, "An Evening with The Monkees: The 45th Anniversary Tour."

Early Life
Davy Jones was born at 20 Leamington Street, Openshaw, Manchester, Lancashire, England, on 30 December 1945. At the age of 11, he began his acting career and appeared on the British television soap opera Coronation Street, which was produced at Granada Studios by Granada Television in Manchester. In 1961 Jones played Ena Sharples' grandson, Colin Lomax, the year Coronation Streetwas first broadcast. He also appeared in the BBC police series Z-Cars. However, after the death of his mother from emphysema when he was 14 years old, he left acting and trained as a jockey with Basil Foster.


Legacy
When commenting on Jones' death, Time magazine contributor James Poniewozik praised the classic sitcom, and Jones in particular, saying "even if the show never meant to be more than entertainment and a hit-single generator, we shouldn’t sell The Monkees short. It was far better television than it had to be; during an era of formulaic domestic sitcoms and wacky comedies, it was a stylistically ambitious show, with a distinctive visual style, absurdist sense of humor and unusual story structure. Whatever Jones and The Monkees were meant to be, they became creative artists in their own right, and Jones' chipper Brit-pop presence was a big reason they were able to produce work that was commercial, wholesome and yet impressively weird."


Horse racing
Jones was a keen horse owner and rider. Training as a jockey in his teens, Jones later said "I made one huge mistake. When The Monkees finished in 1969–70, I should have got away from Hollywood and got back into the racing game. Instead I waited another 10 years. Everyone makes mistakes in life and for me that was the biggest." He held an amateur rider's licence and rode in his first race at Newbury for trainer Toby Balding. On 1 February 1996 he won his first race, on Digpast, in the one-mile Ontario Amateur Riders' Handicap at Lingfield. Jones also horse ownership interests in both the USA and the United Kingdom and was the representative for a racecourse in Virginia.

Personal life

Jones was married three times, to:

• Linda Haines;
• Anita Pollinger; and
• Jessica Pacheco, a Telemundo television presenter (30 August 2009).

He also had four daughters from his first two marriages:

• Talia Elizabeth (2 October 1968) and Sarah Lee (3 July 1971) with Haines; and
• Jessica Lillian (4 September 1981) and Annabel Charlotte (26 June 1988) with Pollinger.

Rest In Peace

March 1st is Peanut Butter Lovers Month and I think I would like to make these cookies by Betty Crocker. 

Let's Talk About It :)
I really like peanut butter cookies but I can't ever remember making them with a cream center. Now I have made oatmeal cookies with a creme marshmallow center so I don't know how I've gone without making a creme center peanut butter cookie LOL! Especially since I love creme fillings so much. The filling for this recipe is just peanut butter, vanilla frosting and milk. Gosh that is so simple.

Memory Lane Oatmeal Peanut Butter Creme Sandwiches Recipe

INGREDIENTS:
Cookies

• 1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® oatmeal cookie mix
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 egg

Filling

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy vanilla frosting
• 4 teaspoons milk

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, brown sugar, butter, peanut butter, water and egg until soft dough forms.
2. Roll dough into 40 (1 1/4-inch) balls; place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Press each ball with fingers to slightly flatten.
3. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
4. In small bowl, stir peanut butter, frosting and milk until well blended.
5. For each sandwich cookie, spread about 1 tablespoon filling on bottom of 1 cookie. Top with another cookie, bottom side down. Press together lightly, twisting slightly.
Store tightly covered at room temperature.

February 23rd is National Banana Bread Day so in honor of that I thought I would say a few words to celebrate, pass on this Healthified Banana Nut Bread Recipe by Betty Crocker and give you a link to my favorite Banana Bread Recipes too.

Definition: Banana bread is a type of bread that is made with mashed fully ripe bananas. It is often a moist, sweet, cake-like quick bread; however, there are some banana bread recipes that are traditional-style yeast breads.

I must admit I don't make banana bread very often but when I do, I make my bread full of walnuts and plump golden raisins. My own personal taste is to drizzle it with sweetened cream cheese when I'm finished. My Mother never made it that way. Her banana bread was made the traditional way without raisins or cream cheese. We always had bananas in the house so banana bread was an after school snack many-ah-day for me. These days though.... I very seldom eat bananas so I never have any ripe ones around. I have to tell you.... after talking about banana bread it's making me want a fresh loaf. Happy Banana Bread Day everyone. ~Pam

"Healthified" Banana Nut Bread

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups Gold Medal® whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 2 egg whites
• 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (2 large)
• 1/4 cup fat-free (skim) milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted*

DIRECTIONS:
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 8x4-inch or 9x5-inch loaf pan with shortening, or spray with cooking spray. In medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
2. In large bowl, beat sugar, oil, egg whites, bananas, milk and vanilla with spoon until well blended. Stir in flour mixture until well blended. Stir in walnuts. Spoon into pan.
3. Bake 8-inch loaf 55 to 62 minutes, 9-inch loaf 45 to 52 minutes, or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pan to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 1 hour, before slicing.

Grilled Margarita Shrimp

Everybodys going to be drinking Margaritas on February 22 in honor of National Margarita Day but for those of you looking for a meal to add to those yummie drinks then here's a Margarita recipe for you.


Let's talk about it:
I'm a fan of Margaritas and cant pass up a drink when I go to my favorite Mexican restaurant. They have 2 for 1 specials all the time. giggle~ I do keep the mix at home for sunny days at the beach so when I ran across this recipe I knew I would have everything I needed to make it.  All I need now is a warmer day, a clean grill and I'm good to go. Lol. 


Really tho, I am looking forward to trying this recipe in spring. I know I can make it inside for me and the hubby but if it's as good as I think it will be then I'll add it to my"Wanna-serve" list when I host my first garden party in Spring. Since I love Margaritas I'll love grilled shrimp with a Margarita flavor. Thank you Pillsbury.


Grilled Margarita Shrimp for Two Recipe


INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/4 cup margarita mix (from 33.8-oz. bottle)
• 2 tablespoons tequila
• 12 shelled deveined uncooked large shrimp with tails left on

DIRECTIONS
1. Soak 4 bamboo skewers in water for 30 minutes. In 1-quart resealable food storage plastic bag, combine cilantro, garlic, margarita mix and tequila. Add shrimp; seal bag and shake to coat. Refrigerate 30 minutes to marinate.

2. Meanwhile, heat grill.

3. When ready to grill, thread shrimp on skewers; discard marinade. Place shrimp on gas grill over medium heat or on charcoal grill 4 to 6 inches over medium coals. Cook 5 to 7 minutes or until shrimp turn pink, turning several times.