Here is a quick and easy apricot recipe that is fun to make and even better to eat!
Chocolate Dipped Apricots
Ingredients:
Directions:
Combine chocolate and brandy in top of double boiler and heat until melted and smooth.
Dip half of each apricot into chocolate mixture and place on wax paper lined pan.
Refrigerate one to two hours until chocolate is firm. Keep in a cool place.
Then enjoy!
Celebrate the apricot, on National Apricot Day.
Did you know that apricots are an excellent source of beta-carotene (Vitamin A) Vitamin C, iron, potassium, and fiber among other nutrients. Beta-carotene, a member of the anti-oxidant family, is believed to play a critical role in fighting disease.
The beta-carotene in apricots is converted to Vitamin A in the body. This nutrient helps protect the
eyes and keep the skin, hair, gums and various glands healthy. It also helps build bones and teeth. Plus, research shows that Vitamin A helps to fight infection by maintaining strong immunity. For this reason, researchers are looking to apricots as a valuable source of beta-carotene’s healing power.
The unique mix of compounds found in apricots also makes this fruit a good choice for helping to fight heart disease. Along with beta-carotene, apricots contain the other powerful anti-oxidants, Vitamin C and lycopene. Combined, these compounds help protect against cancer, heart disease and stroke. Just three fresh apricots provide an impressive 30 percent of the recommended daily amount for beta-carotene.
Remember, healthy living includes eating five servings of fruit and vegetables each day. The compounds found in food work together to provide the best benefit for your body. Not able to get fresh produce? Well don't worry. Canned apricots are nutritionally comparable to their fresh and frozen counterparts. Sweet canned apricots are a convenient way to add important vitamins and extra flavor to a healthy diet. They’re readily available year-round, store easily and add a boost of flavor, color and nutrients to meals or snacks.
Studies confirm that canned foods can play an important role in achieving the requirement of eating five fruit and vegetable servings a day. Results of the University of Illinois study confirm that canned fruits and vegetables (including apricots) are nutritionally comparable to their fresh and frozen counterparts. In a follow-up study, the University of Massachusetts found that recipes using canned ingredients are comparable in nutritional value and taste appeal to those made with fresh or frozen items.
In the next article, I'll give you and easy and delicious apricot recipe you can make.
There is virtually no power on earth, as powerful as the written word, which is why today we celebrate World Literacy Day. It's more important than ever, in a world of misunderstandings and mistrust, that children around the world are equipped with good reading skills so that by reading, they can learn about the issues that have become an integral part of their world.
Additionally, the ability to read can open so many doors to the world. Reading allows anyone to travel just about anywhere they want to go, past and present, and allows the mind to open up to the possibilities in life that could only be dreamed of. There is so much to learn that every day can become a journey beyond the confines of home, whether it's to another country or even beyond our own galaxy.
If you know someone who can not read, why not help them to reach out to a community organization that can offer them an alternative. To survive in our high-tech world where so much information is disseminated through print, it is a scary proposition when you can not read. If you are not sure how to
offer assistance to an adult without reading skills, contact the appropriate agencies yourself and ask for their advice. You'll be helping to open doors for anyone you may know in need of adult learning services.
To learn more or for more information about literacy visit the website for the National Institute of Literacy
On this date, we can celebrate the birth of the Harlem Globetrotters, one of the most amazing basketball teams ever formed. This group of athletes display amazing feats of athleticism mixed with a comedy routine that for anyone who has ever witnessed their games, will tell you is second to none.
The Globetrotters are well-known throughout the basketball world. Despite their ability to entertain, they were initially a very serious competitive team. They would only begin to entertain the audience with their antics, only after they had taken the lead in a basketball game.
The organization started in the Negro American Legion League as the "Giles Post." Then in 1926 they
turned professional as the "Savoy Big Five". That year, promoter Abe Saperstein bought the team and named it the Harlem Globetrotters, after the most famous of all African American neighborhoods in America.
If you want to learn more about the organization and the players, this is the link to the team website.
On January 5th, we celebrate National Bird Day.
Did you know that one of the fastest growing group of discarded pets in this country is the exotic bird?
And while we hear a great deal about displaced dogs and cats and the protection and anti-cruelty laws that have been enacted for their protection, birds are often ignored or short-changed when in comes to protection under anti-cruelty and pet shop laws.
In the 1990's, exotic birds became the fastest-growing pet of choice. Since 2000, there are well over 100 bird rescues or sanctuaries across the country, caring for hundreds of unwanted and abused birds in need of rescue and lifelong new homes. It is also believed that potentially untold thousands more exotic birds languish, ignored and most likely in a state of deprivation, in their cages.
Why has this happened to these magnificent birds?
Because in many cases the bird owner or, their family members, are rarely educated or understand the total commitment necessary for the care and special needs of the exotic bird. The bird may exhibit behaviors like biting, aggression or self-mutilation. The birds are prone to making loud noises and the area around the cage of one of these birds will always be a mess. It doesn't take long before the novelty of owning an exotic bird becomes a nuisance and the birds is then often left alone in a cage without adequate socialization, medical care, food, water or clean living conditions. Countless other birds will be physically abused, given away to another person who has no idea how to care for it, released outside to fend for itself, simply abandoned in an empty house or apartment, or they simply perish.
National Bird Day, is an opportunity to learn how to work to protect these magnificent creatures through public education. It is also the time to raise awareness about the enormous global influence and the devastating effects on wild parrot populations because of the impact of exotic bird trade. The parrot species, more than almost any other major group of birds, is now globally threatened and could well become extinct if actions to reverse the current trends are not taken.
If you are interested in learning more about the plight of exotic birds, you could begin with the resources listed below.
Resources:
The Avian Welfare Coalition is a working alliance of veterinarians, conservationists, avian welfare and animal protection organizations dedicated to the ethical treatment of exotic birds. For more information about the AWC please visit their website.
The Animal Protection Institute is a national non-profit animal advocacy organization with 85,000 members, working to protect animals from cruelty and exploitation through legislation, litigation, and public education. For more information about API’s exotic bird campaign, please visit their site.
Crayola Activities for Kids Fun and educational projects for kids for National Bird Day.
Grangma's Spaghetti Bolognese
Meat Sauce:
Serves 4-6
Directions:
1. Fry the bacon in butter for 2-3 minutes, add onion, carrot and celery, fry for 5 minutes until lightly browned.
2. Add meat and brown lightly.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, bring to boil, simmer for 30-40 minutes until sauce is reduced and thick.
4. Cook spaghetti in fast boiling water for 12-15 minutes.
5. Drain and serve on heated dish with meat sauce poured over.
6. Sprinkle cheese over to serve.
Do you like Spaghetti?
Well today is National Spaghetti Day and besides giving you a family recipe, I thought I'd give you a little history of one of my family's favorite foods. Made from any of several varieties of durum wheat that thrive in dry climates, spaghetti, ( pasta,) has become one of the world's most popular foods.
For many, many years we have been told that it was Marco Polo who introduced spaghetti to Venice, Italy. He supposedly brought it from one of his voyages to the far east in the late 13th century. The spaghetti Polo encountered in the far east, was more than likely made from either rice flour or hard wheat flour (long noodles made from both grains exist in eastern cookery.)
But the big question on the minds of many has always been, wasn't spaghetti really invented in Sicily?
First, it's important to remember that at the same time, but in different parts of the planet, more than one culture at the same time could have been experimenting with food. So to attribute any one common food, such as noodles, to certain peoples and places exclusively, is probably unfair. As already mentioned, the spaghetti Marco Polo found in the far east was made from either rice flour or hard wheat flour. And the historical references to the variety of durum wheat known in Sicily during the middle ages, had been introduced to the region by Arabs, and was like lemons and oranges.
During the Middle Ages, a court chronicler and geographer named Abu Abdullah Mohammed al Edrisi completed a detailed geographical survey of Sicily. (The original book still exists in manuscript form.) Titled "The Book of Roger", it is considered one of the most important scientific works of the Middle 
Ages. And here's the important part.
One of the observations in the book, mentions that the inhabitants if a Sicilian town called Trabia, made a form of pasta from hard wheat, and that this product, shaped into long strands, was manufactured in large quantity for export to other regions. This may represent what could have been the earliest production of spaghetti even though in Italian it was called "vermicelli."
Enjoy!
I'll add one of grandma's favorite recipes for Spaghetti Bolognese shortly.
There's no two ways about it. Sleep is a natural part of every person's life. So let's take a few minutes today as we celebrate the Festival of Sleep.
You probably already know that most of us, at some times in our lives, try to get by on as little sleep as possible, even though as adults we need approximately 8 hours of sleep every night. (Adolescents and children need at a minimum, 9 hours of sleep nightly.)
What we all need to remember however, is that sleep is something our bodies need to do; it is not an option. Sleep is important for our minds and bodies to function normally, and in fact, sleep appears to be necessary for our survival. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), a person's health and wellbeing is dependent upon the activity of sleeping. We have come to understand that sleep is just as important to our bodies as diet and exercise.
The more we try and "burn the candle at both ends," and deprive our bodies of adequate amounts of sleep, the faster we add to our "sleep debt." If we accumulate a large amount of "sleep debt," then our ability to function during the daytime will be greatly compromised. Even one hour less of sleep every night, for several nights, can have a powerful negative effect on your mood, thought processes, decision making, and relationships, during your routine daily activities.
The end result of the accumulation of "sleep debt," is sleepiness at inappropriate times, creating potentially dangerous situations. According to the Department of Transportation (DOT), one to four percent of all highway crashes are due to sleepiness, especially in rural areas and four percent of these crashes are fatal.
There are numerous causes and consequences of sleep deprivation both in children/adolescents, and adults. I urge you to take some time and check out some of the resources at the end of this article. Sleepiness in adults, children and adolescents is a problem that has some very serious consequences. Drowsy driving and workplace accidents are serious consequences for adults. In children, it effects school performance, increases the risk of accidents and injuries while participating in playground activities, and their relationships with other children.
Resources:
The MayoClinic.com Sleep Center
American Academy of Sleep Medicine
NIH National Center for Sleep Disorders Research
According to my calendar, today is National Science Fiction Day.
The poet Walt Whitman wrote:
When I heard the learn'd astronomer;
When the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me;
When I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them,
When I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture room,
How soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick;
Till rising and gliding out, I wander'd off by myself,
In the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time,
Look'd up in perfect silence at the stars.
~ Walt Whitman ~
Much the same as Walt Whitman, I have always looked up to the stars and dreamed. So it's no surprise that I've always enjoyed books, and later on, the television shows, that could take me to places I've never been, introduced me to people I've never met and showed me things I've only dreamed of.
The world of Science Fiction changes the rules I inherited from reality.
The Science Fiction genre, is almost like having your own personal sandbox. It allows us all to probe the outer limits of our imagination. It challenges our human spirit to reach beyond what we know, and to venture into new worlds with new and unconventional ideas. Whether in books or on the screen, things like alien contacts, extrasensory perception, robots and artificial intelligence, time travel and immortality, allow us to think beyond the world of the here-and-now and travel beyond all known barriers and boundaries.
Here are a couple of websites that are extremely useful if you want to delve into the world of Science Fiction, either for the first time or as a returning space-traveler.
Fantasy and Science Fiction Website - (A great resource)
The SF Site - The Home Page for Science Fiction and Fantasy
Enjoy the trip!
Recent Comments