Monday, December 31, 2012

Global Family Day – 2013


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By Terry Orr

So what the heck is Global/International Family Day celebration all about? To my surprise it is about the Global Family – all of us – on the planet Earth.  It is about love and respect for each other – regardless of our religion, race, gender, nationalities, economic classes, and beliefs.  Imagine that!  Working to get along with others.

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Global Family Day, (One Day of Peace and Sharing) is celebrated every January 1 in the United States and around the world as a global day of peace and sharing. It is a day where individuals and families share food with friends (especially the needy), make personal pledges of nonviolence, and spread a message of peace and sharing by ringing bells or beating a drum in hopes of making society and the world a safer place to live. Global Family Day grew out of the United Nations Millennium celebration, "One Day In Peace." [Source: Wikipedia]

So let’s all start 2013 off on the right foot and practice tolerance of others, showing the same respect you expect from others, and finding a way to get along. Thank you.

References and Links:

New Year’s Eve


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By Diane Forrest


Don't look so sad,
It's not so bad you know.
It's just another night,
That's all it is, it's not the first,
It's not the worst you know,
We've come through all the rest,
We'll get through this.
We've made mistakes,
But we've made good friends too.
Remember all the nights we spent with them?
And all our plans,
Who says they can't come true?
Tonight's another chance to start again.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
Another night like all the rest.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
Let's make it the best.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
It's just another Auld Lang Syne,
But when we're through this New Year
You'll see, will be
Just fine.
We're not alone, we've got the world you know.
And it won't let us down, just wait and see.
And we'll grow old, but think how wise we'll grow.
There's more you know, it's only New Year's Eve.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
Another night like all the rest.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
Let's make it the best.
It's just another New Year's Eve,
It's just another Auld Lang Syne,
But when we're through this New Year, you'll see, will be
Just fine.

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My idea of a perfect New Year’s Eve night is to kiss the one I love at midnight.  This dream has only become a reality once.  It was a perfect night.  My husband and I went to a local hotel; they had a party with decorations, a buffet and a champagne toast at midnight.  At the stroke of midnight, while dancing under the mirrored ball, I got my New Year's Kiss.  It was the perfect way to start the New Year.  Sadly, the other years found my husband sleeping long before the clock struck 12.

Another lifetime tradition has been to welcome the New Year with Dick Clark, and the ball in Times Square.  Mr. Clark passed away this year, and I wonder if 2013 will be able to start without him.

This year will be harder than most.  I will be spending the passing of the old year alone, with my faithful dog Snoopy.  The above song was written by my absolute favorite musician, Barry Manilow.  I have loved him since I was in high school, and I have all his albums.  This song is wonderful because it tells you that even though this may not have been the best year, we have a fresh start now and we can make the New Year whatever we want it to be.
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I hope you have the best New Year ever, and a perfect night kissing your loved one at the stroke of midnight under a mirrored ball.  To my special friends, Joe, Terry, Dave, Bob and Pattie, and all of you, Happy New Years!!!

Sunday, December 30, 2012

Make Up Your Mind Day


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By Terry Orr

Make Up Your Mind Day is a very decisive day. All during the year, you've put on hold, many issues and decisions. Eventually, they need to be resolved and decided upon. Well, today is the day. It's not a day to procrastinate. It's not a day to put off making a decision. If you are going to make up your mind this year, you'd better do it real soon. And, when you think about it, isn't it a great idea to clean the slate in advance of the New Year!? [Source: Holiday Insights]

It's about making up your mind and sticking to it. It's time to stop being indecisive and make up your mind. No more putting off your decision, today's the day to finalize your thoughts and take a stand! Just remember- making up your mind makes life easier. [Source: Gone Ta Pott]

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I recently went through a long drawn out process of buying a new car –actually I was looking to replace both of ours – ended up only replacing one.  Dealerships and manufactures are not helping themselves in building loyalty and establishing any trust between the auto folks and customers.  It took several days to finalize a decision that would normally take a couple of hours (ugh). Google search returned over 550 million hits on this topic – very interesting…
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Personally, I’m of the mind set to gather my facts and make the best decision at that time. ‘Life is just too darn short to fret about things’ – was what Granny told us as kids.

References and Links:

December 30, 2012 – Bacon Day


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By Chef Terry

Waking up to the smell of bacon cooking in the morning is very special to me – as I remember growing up with Mom fixing bacon with other good food for breakfast.  My four-legged friends may perhaps enjoy bacon more than humans.  I always love watching them while the bacon is cooking.
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From the good folks at Wikipedia.com –
Bacon is a cured meat prepared from a pig. It is first cured using large quantities of salt, either in a brine or in a dry packing; the result is fresh bacon (also known as green bacon). Fresh bacon may then be further dried for weeks or months in cold air, boiled, or smoked. Fresh and dried bacon is typically cooked before eating. Boiled bacon is ready to eat, as is some smoked bacon, but may be cooked further before eating.

Bacon is prepared from several different cuts of meat. It is usually made from side and back cuts of pork, except in the United States, where it is almost always prepared from pork belly (typically referred to as "streaky", "fatty", or "American style" outside of the US and Canada). The side cut has more meat and less fat than the belly. Bacon may be prepared from either of two distinct back cuts: fatback, which is almost pure fat, and pork loin, which is very lean. Bacon-cured pork loin is known as back bacon.

Bacon may be eaten smoked, boiled, fried, baked, or grilled, or used as a minor ingredient to flavor dishes. Bacon is also used for barding and larding roasts, especially game, e.g. venison, pheasant. The word is derived from the Old High German bacho, meaning "buttock", "ham" or "side of bacon", and cognate with the Old French bacon.
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50 Ways to use bacon:
1. Make a good old BLT sandwich, of course.
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2. Bacon cheeseburgers will make anyone’s mouth water. Meat topped with more meat? Perfection!
3. Bacon-wrapped tater tots would go perfectly with that bacon cheeseburger!
4. Roast a bacon-wrapped turkey for Sunday dinner.
5. Make delicious bacon pastry slices.
6. Add a punch of flavor to your creamed spinach recipe.
7. Make your own hot bacon dressing to use on lettuce, cabbage, or even potato salad!
8. Entertaining? Whet your guests’ appetites with the bacon-cheese fundido appetizer.
9. Indulge in a bar of dark chocolate infused with the flavor of applewood smoked bacon as a special treat.
10. Maple bacon cupcakes will make your mouth water.
11. And if you liked those, try a bacon chocolate chip cookie with maple cinnamon glaze.
12. It’s not real, southern cornbread unless there’s bacon grease in it.
13. Visit The Plaid Mushroom’s e-shop to smother your lips with bacon lip balm made with real bacon oil, refined from bacon. (The link is to a listing that was reserved for a certain buyer, but contact theplaidmushroom to ask for your own listing.)
14. Join the bacon of the month club to have artisan bacon delivered to your door 12 times a year.
15. The beautiful city of Charleston, South Carolina gives us bacon-flavored cotton candy.
16. Enjoy a bacon martini with any meal.
17. Use bacon to dress up your leftovers for a second visit to the dinner table.
18. Whip up a tasty bacon asparagus quiche with Swiss cheese for dinner.
19. Cook bacon into the shape of cups and fill with lettuce and tomato for a breadless BLT.
20. Stay warm by wrapping a giant fleece bacon scarf around yourself.
21. Even if you’re a vegetarian and/or keep a kosher diet, you can still enjoy the taste of bacon salt, because, as the manufacturers say: “Everything should taste like bacon.”
22. If pork-covered pork appeals to you, you may also enjoy the bacon-wrapped deep-fried hot dog.
23. Trim your holiday tree with joyful ceramic bacon ornaments.
24. Add a new twist to stuffed peppers by wrapping them in bacon.
25. Get the morning off to a good start with beer cheese muffins with bacon cream cheese frosting.
26. Impress your guests with deceptively simple bacon-wrapped “crabette” appetizers.
27. A bacon-y take on an Asian favorite: bacon and bok choy potstickers.
28. Weave and bake bacon into edible placemats.
29. Then, use the woven bacon to augment your grilled cheese experience.
30. The Bacon Explosion is to die for!
31. Bacon and date appetizers will be the hit of your party.
32. Bacon egg salad croissants put a new spin on an old favourite.
33. Then, have a bowl of bacon ice cream for dessert.
34. Then use an actual bacon bandage to cover your own boo-boos.
35. Or wake up to cooking bacon with the bacon alarm clock, which is appropriately shaped like a pig’s face.
36. Add it to your bathroom in the form of bacon-printed toilet tissue.
37. Then, use it to wash up afterward.
38. Bacon popcorn is a deliciously salty, crunchy snack!
39. Try your hand at making your own bacon.
40. Enjoy barbecue-baked beans with bacon alongside your BLT.
41. Cook up a bacon buffet every imaginable party appetizer you ever dreamed about!
42. Corn and bacon chowder sounds like the perfect soup to warm you up on the last chilly evenings before summer!
43. Strawberry bacon spinach salad will make you the star of any potluck.
44. Salty bacon will complement the sweet honey dressing in this imitation crab salad.
45. Try poached pears stuffed with blue cheese and baked with bacon.
46. Or try the same combo of flavors in a pear, blue cheese, bacon pizza.
47. Take a look at this bacon-filled quiche. It’ll really make your mouth water.
48. See who comes out on top with an action-figure wrestling match between Mr. Bacon and Monsieur Tofu.
49. Smooth caramel topped with crunchy bacon: Does that sound delicious or disgusting? Try it and let us know.
50. Try many other bacon dishes suggested by foodnerd, including bacon fluffernutter sandwiches, bacon cups with macaroni and cheese, bacon-pepper-cheese scones, and more!

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What are some of your favorite ways to enjoy bacon?

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References and Links:

Happy Birthday Dad!

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