Ingredients:
Pinch pepper
Pinch salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
8 ounces green beans, trimmed and cut into 1- or 2-inch lengths
1/2 pint cherry tomatoes, halved (about 12 tomatoes)
2 cans (3.5 ounces each) tuna packed in water, drained
12 ounces stubby shaped pasta, such as rotelle, elbows, small egg bows, or penne
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
This recipe calls for green beans and cherry tomatoes, but you can add any vegetables your family likes to eat. Some other suggestions: cut-up broccoli, snow peas, asparagus, sweet red pepper.
Equipment:
Large saucepan
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Large bowl
Whisk
Colander or strainer
Can opener
Large spoon
Method:
1. In a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions until tender, about 8 to 12 minutes, depending on the type and shape of pasta you use. Add the green beans for the last 4 minutes of cooking time.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice. Whisk in the mayonnaise and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Drain the pasta and green beans and add to the bowl with the lemon dressing. Toss until just coated. Add the tomatoes and the tuna. Toss gently, just to combine. Serve at room temperature.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Saturday, July 12, 2008
The Worms
The worms go in, the worms go out
The worms play pinochle on your snout
The pus comes out like whipping cream
And me without a spoon!
The worms play pinochle on your snout
The pus comes out like whipping cream
And me without a spoon!
Two Quotes About School Lunch
"Junk food can't be an option. If it is, kids will steer clear of healthy foods."
-Dr. Sandra hassine, A.I. Dupont Hospitol for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
"There are very few green fats or carbs. The more colourful a lunch is, the healthier it is likey to be."
-Dr. Jeffrey LaMont of The Marshfield Clinic, Weston, Wisconsin
-Dr. Sandra hassine, A.I. Dupont Hospitol for Children, Wilmington, Delaware
"There are very few green fats or carbs. The more colourful a lunch is, the healthier it is likey to be."
-Dr. Jeffrey LaMont of The Marshfield Clinic, Weston, Wisconsin
The History of Pizza
Pizza has ancient origins, in fact it dates back to 3000 years ago.
Some historians say that this food was already present in Etruscan cooking although obviously in a very different form and with very different ingredients from today. Pizza started out however as a dish which only required very simple ingredients that were easy to locate: flour, oil, salt and yeast.
There are many references to this food which in the course of the centuries increasingly resembled its current form. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, wavering between aristocratic taste and popular consumption, at royal banquets and at the poor man's meal the word 'pizza' was already present and in the following centuries many local variations of this term can be found to indicate culinary variations on the theme, from sweet to savoury and with different methods of cooking.
Real pizza (as we know it today) was invented around 1600 by the undeniable culinary genius of the south, from the need to make the traditional oily bread more appetising and flavoursome. Initially it was made from bread dough cooked in a wood oven and flavoured with oil, garlic, lard and coarse salt or in the 'richer' version, with caciocavallo cheese and basil.
Mention is made of the more recent pizza, with a soft, tasty dough, between 1500 and 1600: the so-called pizza 'alla mastunicola', in other words pizza with basil.
It was prepared by putting lard, cheese, basil leaves and pepper on a circle of dough.
Later the 'cecinielli' version was developed, that is with the small fish which the fisherman had over. The arrival of the modern pizza came with the introduction of the tomato!!! Imported from Peru, after the discovery of America, the tomato was first used in cooking as a sauce cooked with salt and basil and only later did someone get the idea of putting it on the pizza. Thus inventing, without knowing it, THE pizza'.
That was how the era of the modern pizza began! First in Naples and later in America too.
In fact in the nineteenth century the pizza arrived in the United States thanks to the Italians who emigrated to New York.
In the same period (June 1889) in Naples the historic marriage with mozzarella took place. A Neapolitan pizza chef, Raffaele Esposito, known as Pietro o' pizzaiolo and his wife, prepared the famous pizza with tomato and mozzarella in honour of Queen Margherita, the wife of Umberto I, the King of Italy.
The pizza chef was invited to go to the Palace in Capodimonte to prepare some pizzas at the Queen's request, and so he made three pizzas: one with basil, one with seafood and a pizza with tomato, mozzarella and basil to represent the Italian flag.
The Queen was most appreciative of this last and the pizza chef gallantly and out of recognition decided to dedicate it to her so that from that day this type of pizza has the name of the sovereign: 'Margherita'. From that moment the diffusion of the Pizza spread throughout the world, becoming an emblem of the Italian Culinary Tradition, and without exaggerating, the heritage of the entire human race.
Some historians say that this food was already present in Etruscan cooking although obviously in a very different form and with very different ingredients from today. Pizza started out however as a dish which only required very simple ingredients that were easy to locate: flour, oil, salt and yeast.
There are many references to this food which in the course of the centuries increasingly resembled its current form. In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, wavering between aristocratic taste and popular consumption, at royal banquets and at the poor man's meal the word 'pizza' was already present and in the following centuries many local variations of this term can be found to indicate culinary variations on the theme, from sweet to savoury and with different methods of cooking.
Real pizza (as we know it today) was invented around 1600 by the undeniable culinary genius of the south, from the need to make the traditional oily bread more appetising and flavoursome. Initially it was made from bread dough cooked in a wood oven and flavoured with oil, garlic, lard and coarse salt or in the 'richer' version, with caciocavallo cheese and basil.
Mention is made of the more recent pizza, with a soft, tasty dough, between 1500 and 1600: the so-called pizza 'alla mastunicola', in other words pizza with basil.
It was prepared by putting lard, cheese, basil leaves and pepper on a circle of dough.
Later the 'cecinielli' version was developed, that is with the small fish which the fisherman had over. The arrival of the modern pizza came with the introduction of the tomato!!! Imported from Peru, after the discovery of America, the tomato was first used in cooking as a sauce cooked with salt and basil and only later did someone get the idea of putting it on the pizza. Thus inventing, without knowing it, THE pizza'.
That was how the era of the modern pizza began! First in Naples and later in America too.
In fact in the nineteenth century the pizza arrived in the United States thanks to the Italians who emigrated to New York.
In the same period (June 1889) in Naples the historic marriage with mozzarella took place. A Neapolitan pizza chef, Raffaele Esposito, known as Pietro o' pizzaiolo and his wife, prepared the famous pizza with tomato and mozzarella in honour of Queen Margherita, the wife of Umberto I, the King of Italy.
The pizza chef was invited to go to the Palace in Capodimonte to prepare some pizzas at the Queen's request, and so he made three pizzas: one with basil, one with seafood and a pizza with tomato, mozzarella and basil to represent the Italian flag.
The Queen was most appreciative of this last and the pizza chef gallantly and out of recognition decided to dedicate it to her so that from that day this type of pizza has the name of the sovereign: 'Margherita'. From that moment the diffusion of the Pizza spread throughout the world, becoming an emblem of the Italian Culinary Tradition, and without exaggerating, the heritage of the entire human race.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Just 'Go For It'
A guy calls a company and orders their 5-day, 10 lb. weight loss program.
The next day, there's a knock on the door and there stands before him a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck.
She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company. The sign reads, 'If you can catch me, you can have me.'
Without a second thought, he takes off after her. A few miles later puffing and puffing, he finally catches her and has his way with her. The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens. On the fifth day, he weighs himself and is delighted to find he has lost 10 lbs. as promised.
He calls the company and orders their 5-day/20 pound program. The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most stunning, beautiful, sexy woman he has ever seen in his life. She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, 'If you catch me you can have me'.
Well, he's out the door after her like a shot. This girl is in excellent
shape and it takes him a while to catch her but when he does its worth every muscle cramp and wheeze, so for the next four days the same routine happens.
Much to his delight on the fifth day when he weighs himself, he discovers that he has lost another 20 lbs. as promised. He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order the 7-day/50 pound program.
'Are you sure?' asks the representative on the phone. 'This is our most rigorous program.' 'Absolutely,' he replies, 'I haven't felt this good in years.'
The next day there's a knock at the door; and when he opens it he finds a huge, muscular 7ft black man standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads, 'I'm Francis. If I catch you, your ass is mine.'
The next day, there's a knock on the door and there stands before him a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck.
She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company. The sign reads, 'If you can catch me, you can have me.'
Without a second thought, he takes off after her. A few miles later puffing and puffing, he finally catches her and has his way with her. The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens. On the fifth day, he weighs himself and is delighted to find he has lost 10 lbs. as promised.
He calls the company and orders their 5-day/20 pound program. The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most stunning, beautiful, sexy woman he has ever seen in his life. She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, 'If you catch me you can have me'.
Well, he's out the door after her like a shot. This girl is in excellent
shape and it takes him a while to catch her but when he does its worth every muscle cramp and wheeze, so for the next four days the same routine happens.
Much to his delight on the fifth day when he weighs himself, he discovers that he has lost another 20 lbs. as promised. He decides to go for broke and calls the company to order the 7-day/50 pound program.
'Are you sure?' asks the representative on the phone. 'This is our most rigorous program.' 'Absolutely,' he replies, 'I haven't felt this good in years.'
The next day there's a knock at the door; and when he opens it he finds a huge, muscular 7ft black man standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads, 'I'm Francis. If I catch you, your ass is mine.'
P. T. Barnum Never Did Say "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute"
P. T. Barnum is most often associated with the circus sideshow and the display of freaks. While this is true, he is also the founding force behind one of America's most famous circuses: Barnum & Bailey Circus. Barnum is also affiliated with the famous quote "There's a sucker born every minute." History, unfortunately, has misdirected this quotation. Barnum never did say it. Actually, it was said by his competitor. Here's the incredible story.
From 1866 until 1868 Mr. George Hull, of Binghamton, New York studied archeology and paleontology. Over this period of time Hull contemplated how to pull off a hoax. It seems that many an evangelist at the time had been preaching that there were giants in the earth. In June of 1868 Hull traveled back to Fort Dodge, Iowa where there was a gypsum quarry he had recalled seeing two years earlier. Even then, he had noticed that the dark blue streaks running through the soft lime rock resembled human veins. Realizing this its appearance was tailor-made for his hoax and it was easy to carve, Hull hired a group of quarry workers to cut off a slab measuring twelve feet long, four feet wide and two feet thick.
In November, Hull had his gypsum wrapped in canvas and hoisted onto a wagon. Since the nearest railroad was forty miles away, it proved to be a long, difficult job. He then had the slab of gypsum shipped by rail to Chicago where he had hired a stone cutter named Edward Burghardt to carve a giant. Burghardt and his two assistants, were sworn to secrecy and agreed to work on the piece in a secluded barn during their off hours and Sundays. The instructions were to carve the giant as if it had died in great pain, and the final result was an eerie figure, slightly twisted in apparent agony, with his right hand clutching his stomach. All of the details were there; toenails, fingernails, nostrils, sex organs and so forth. Even a needlepoint mallet was used to add authentic-looking skin pores. When the carving was done, sulfuric acid and ink were used to make the figure look aged.
The giant finished, Hull then had the figure shipped by rail to the farm of William Newell, his cousin, located near the town of Cardiff, New York. In the dead of night, Hull, Newell and his oldest son buried the giant between the barn and house. They were instructed to say nothing about it and that Hull would let them know in about a year of what the next stage was.
Luckily, about six months later, on another farm near the Newell's, some million year-old fossil bones were dug up. Newspapers around the country reported the finding. Hull was filled with glee in reading the accounts.
True to his word, one year after burying the giant, Hull sent word to his cousin on October 15, 1869, to start the next stage of the hoax. Newell hired two laborers to dig a new well near his home. Newell directed them to the exact spot he wanted the well dug and went back into the house to wait -- anxiously. Sure enough, well into the day, the two laborers rushed up to the house to announce their discovery: a giant turned to stone! The laborers and both Newells carefully excavated the area surrounding the giant.
News of this amazing discovery spread throughout the valley and soon wagon loads of neighbors streamed into Newell's farm to see the giant. By mid-afternoon, Newell erected a tent around the "grave" and started charging 25 cent admission. Two days later, the Syracuse Journal (New York) printed an article about the discovery. Being greedy, Newell raised the price to 50 cents, and a stage coach company made four round trips a day from Syracuse to the Newell farm. Thousands came every day. Among the visitors were clergymen, college professors and distinguished scientists. Before long, the expert's opinions split into two theories; one side claimed it was a true fossilized human giant and the other side pronounced it an authentic ancient statue. No one asserted that it was a fake!
About ten days after the discovery, and about the time the Cardiff Giant, as the papers had named it, started receiving national attention, Hull sold two-thirds interest in the giant for $30,000 to a five-man syndicate in Syracuse, the head of which was a banker named David Hannum. The syndicate moved the giant to an exhibition hall in Syracuse and raised the admission price to a dollar a head. Unknown to them, P. T. Barnum sent an agent to see the giant and make an assessment. The particular Sunday the representative saw the giant, the crowds were abnormally large -- about 3,000 people. The agent wired the news back to Barnum and Barnum instructed him to make an offer of $50,000 to buy it. Hannum turned his offer down.
The Cardiff Giant was the most talked about exhibit in the nation. Barnum wanted the giant to display himself while the attraction was still a hot topic of the day. Rather than upping his offer, Barnum hired a crew of workers to carve a giant of his own. Within a short time, Barnum unveiled HIS giant and proclaimed that Hannum had sold Barnum the original giant and that Hannum was now displaying a fake! Thousands of people flocked to see Barnum's giant. Many newspapers carried the version that Barnum had given them; that is, Hannum's giant was a fake and Barnum's was authentic. It is at this point that Hannum -- NOT BARNUM -- was quoted as saying "There's a sucker born every minute." Hannum, still under the impression that HIS giant was authentic, was referring to the thousands of "fools" that paid money to see Barnum's fake and not his authentic one.
Hannum brought a lawsuit against Barnum for calling his giant a fake. When it came to trial, Hull stepped forward and confessed that the Cardiff Giant was a hoax and the entire story. The judge ruled that Barnum could not be sued for calling Hannum's giant a fake since it was a fake after all. Thereafter, Hannum's name was lost to history while Barnum was left with the misplaced stigma of being the one to say "There's a sucker born every minute."
From 1866 until 1868 Mr. George Hull, of Binghamton, New York studied archeology and paleontology. Over this period of time Hull contemplated how to pull off a hoax. It seems that many an evangelist at the time had been preaching that there were giants in the earth. In June of 1868 Hull traveled back to Fort Dodge, Iowa where there was a gypsum quarry he had recalled seeing two years earlier. Even then, he had noticed that the dark blue streaks running through the soft lime rock resembled human veins. Realizing this its appearance was tailor-made for his hoax and it was easy to carve, Hull hired a group of quarry workers to cut off a slab measuring twelve feet long, four feet wide and two feet thick.
In November, Hull had his gypsum wrapped in canvas and hoisted onto a wagon. Since the nearest railroad was forty miles away, it proved to be a long, difficult job. He then had the slab of gypsum shipped by rail to Chicago where he had hired a stone cutter named Edward Burghardt to carve a giant. Burghardt and his two assistants, were sworn to secrecy and agreed to work on the piece in a secluded barn during their off hours and Sundays. The instructions were to carve the giant as if it had died in great pain, and the final result was an eerie figure, slightly twisted in apparent agony, with his right hand clutching his stomach. All of the details were there; toenails, fingernails, nostrils, sex organs and so forth. Even a needlepoint mallet was used to add authentic-looking skin pores. When the carving was done, sulfuric acid and ink were used to make the figure look aged.
The giant finished, Hull then had the figure shipped by rail to the farm of William Newell, his cousin, located near the town of Cardiff, New York. In the dead of night, Hull, Newell and his oldest son buried the giant between the barn and house. They were instructed to say nothing about it and that Hull would let them know in about a year of what the next stage was.
Luckily, about six months later, on another farm near the Newell's, some million year-old fossil bones were dug up. Newspapers around the country reported the finding. Hull was filled with glee in reading the accounts.
True to his word, one year after burying the giant, Hull sent word to his cousin on October 15, 1869, to start the next stage of the hoax. Newell hired two laborers to dig a new well near his home. Newell directed them to the exact spot he wanted the well dug and went back into the house to wait -- anxiously. Sure enough, well into the day, the two laborers rushed up to the house to announce their discovery: a giant turned to stone! The laborers and both Newells carefully excavated the area surrounding the giant.
News of this amazing discovery spread throughout the valley and soon wagon loads of neighbors streamed into Newell's farm to see the giant. By mid-afternoon, Newell erected a tent around the "grave" and started charging 25 cent admission. Two days later, the Syracuse Journal (New York) printed an article about the discovery. Being greedy, Newell raised the price to 50 cents, and a stage coach company made four round trips a day from Syracuse to the Newell farm. Thousands came every day. Among the visitors were clergymen, college professors and distinguished scientists. Before long, the expert's opinions split into two theories; one side claimed it was a true fossilized human giant and the other side pronounced it an authentic ancient statue. No one asserted that it was a fake!
About ten days after the discovery, and about the time the Cardiff Giant, as the papers had named it, started receiving national attention, Hull sold two-thirds interest in the giant for $30,000 to a five-man syndicate in Syracuse, the head of which was a banker named David Hannum. The syndicate moved the giant to an exhibition hall in Syracuse and raised the admission price to a dollar a head. Unknown to them, P. T. Barnum sent an agent to see the giant and make an assessment. The particular Sunday the representative saw the giant, the crowds were abnormally large -- about 3,000 people. The agent wired the news back to Barnum and Barnum instructed him to make an offer of $50,000 to buy it. Hannum turned his offer down.
The Cardiff Giant was the most talked about exhibit in the nation. Barnum wanted the giant to display himself while the attraction was still a hot topic of the day. Rather than upping his offer, Barnum hired a crew of workers to carve a giant of his own. Within a short time, Barnum unveiled HIS giant and proclaimed that Hannum had sold Barnum the original giant and that Hannum was now displaying a fake! Thousands of people flocked to see Barnum's giant. Many newspapers carried the version that Barnum had given them; that is, Hannum's giant was a fake and Barnum's was authentic. It is at this point that Hannum -- NOT BARNUM -- was quoted as saying "There's a sucker born every minute." Hannum, still under the impression that HIS giant was authentic, was referring to the thousands of "fools" that paid money to see Barnum's fake and not his authentic one.
Hannum brought a lawsuit against Barnum for calling his giant a fake. When it came to trial, Hull stepped forward and confessed that the Cardiff Giant was a hoax and the entire story. The judge ruled that Barnum could not be sued for calling Hannum's giant a fake since it was a fake after all. Thereafter, Hannum's name was lost to history while Barnum was left with the misplaced stigma of being the one to say "There's a sucker born every minute."
Top 10 US States by Length of Coastline
Alaska (has the most ocean coastline of any other state)
Michigan (has the most lake coast area than any other state)
California (second only to Alaska in ocean boundary size)
Florida (combination of ocean, lakes, and marshlands put this one on the top five)
Hawaii (being completely composed of islands and 1,500 miles of atolls, reefs, and barrier islands put it on this list)
Maine, Texas, North Carolina, Oregon, and Minnesota finishes the top ten.
Michigan (has the most lake coast area than any other state)
California (second only to Alaska in ocean boundary size)
Florida (combination of ocean, lakes, and marshlands put this one on the top five)
Hawaii (being completely composed of islands and 1,500 miles of atolls, reefs, and barrier islands put it on this list)
Maine, Texas, North Carolina, Oregon, and Minnesota finishes the top ten.
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