August 29, 2012: More Herbs, Less Salt Day; Lemon Day; Chop Suey Day; Mary Poppins’ Anniversary

/ Katybeth

★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
August 29, 2012

Open For Love

★~ Today’s Quote:  The rest of your life is being shaped by the goals you chase, the choices you make, and the actions you take.  The rest of your life is a long time, and it starts right now. (11 Things You Forget You’re Doing Wrong-Mar and Angel Hack Life)

★~ Lemon Juice Day:

Juicy Lemon

The natural way to think of using lemons is to squeeze them over everything from chicken to ice-tea. However lemons are as helpful to the homemaker as they are to the cook!  Use them as an air freshener, a degreaser, and for cleaning wooden cutting boards. Toss a quartered lemon down your garbage disposal after you have run some ice through it to help freshen it up.

★~ More Herbs-Less Salt Day:

herbs

The harvest of garden herbs is at a peak, and there is nothing better than fresh garden herbs in your favorite recipes. More Herbs, Less Salt Day encourages you to take the simple step to use herbs in home-cooked dishes in place of salt. It doesn’t take much room or effort to grow a variety of fresh herbs, and a little rosemary, thyme, mint, or other herb can do just as much to enrich a dish as a heavy dose of salt.

★~ Chop Suey

chop seuy

The origins of this Chinese-American dish are disputed. Some say that Chinese immigrants created the dish, while others insist that the dish is traditionally Chinese. But really, do we care? The name comes from Cantonese and means “odds and ends.” This stew is simply made from many different ingredients mixed together, such as egg, meat, and vegetables (don’t forget the herbs and lemon). Then, it is served over rice or with noodles.

Tonight you could make chop suey, or you could make reservations or call in an order to your favorite Chinese restaurant. Chop, chop!

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1886 – Li Hung-Chang’s chef devised a tasty dish in New York City. It satisfied both American and Oriental tastes. The delicacy was called chop suey. Who was Li Hung-Chang, you ask? He was China’s Ambassador to the United States.

♥~ 1964 – Roy Orbison’s Oh, Pretty Woman was released. It hit number one (for 3 weeks) on September 26th and became the biggest of his career. Oh, Pretty Woman was Orbison’s second #1 hit. The other was Running Scared (6/05/61).

♥~ 1964 – Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins was released.” Starring Dick Van Dyke and Julie Andrews. The movie by all accounts was supercallifragilisticexpialidocious! Here are some interesting mistakes and anachronisms from the movie:

* When Mary is trying out for Mr. Bank’s nanny job, her gloves are white. When they move in to show the tears in her newspaper clipping, her gloves are black.

* When Mary and Bert are in the chalk pavement picture, just after Bert hits himself over the head and kneels on the ground, you can see where the back scenery meets the floor.

* When Mary is doing her magic to clean up the kids’ room, the little girl snaps her fingers and her hats float to the racks in the closet. Just a few seconds later in a new scene, they are on top of a shelf in the closet.

★~ Born Today:

♥~ 1809 – Oliver Wendell Holmes physician, author: The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table, Elsie Venner; poet: Old Ironsides; died Oct 7, 1894

♥~ 1915 – Ingrid Bergman Academy Award-winning actress: Gaslight [1944], Anastasia [1966], Murder on the Orient Express [1974]; Casablanca; Emmy Award-winner: The Turn of the Screw [1959-60],A Woman Called Golda [1981-82]; died Aug 29, 1982

♥~ 1935 – William Friedkin Academy Award-winning director: The French Connection [1971]; The Exorcist, To Live & Die in LA, The Boys in the Band

♥~ 1938 – Elliott Gould (Goldstein) actor: Bob & Carol, Ted & Alice, M*A*S*H, The Long Good-Bye, The Night They Raided Minsky’s

♥~ 1958 – Michael Jackson ‘King of Pop’: singer, entertainer; died Jun 25, 2009; see King of Pop Day [above]

★~ Did You Know: Lemon’s are wonderful things.

Lemon

♥~ Want to get the most from your lemon? Microwaving them on high for 15-20 seconds softens them for squeezing.

♥~ Apparently, lemons can tell you a lot about your personality. The amount of saliva you produce after putting a drop of lemon juice on your tongue might tell if you are an introvert (a lot of saliva) or extrovert (not so much).

♥~ Add fresh squeezed lemon juice to your water to drink throughout the day and drink in a warm cup of water before bed.  This small simple act can have a huge impact on your health…

♥~ Before bed is an ideal time to drink lemon juice because during the night your body goes through a natural cleansing phase and the lemon will help that process and aid with elimination in the morning.  Try squeezing the juice  from 1/2 of a lemon into warm water .  In the morning you can also repeat this drink for additional cleansing and alkalizing to start your day.  I

♥~ If you are trying to cut back on your portions at mealtime try drinking the lemon water about 20 minutes before the meal and it will curb your appetite along with aiding in the digestion of fats from that meal.

♥~ Fresh lemon juice is also beneficial for cleansing the liver, gout, purifying the blood, digestive aid, and boosts the immune system.

♥~ A lemon carved to look like a pig was presented to President Hayes and later featured in an exhibit at the Herbert Hoover presidential library titled, “Weird and Wonderful: Gifts Fit For a President.” Museum director Richard N. Smith said at the time, “It looks a little like you’d expect a 110-year-old lemon to look.” While she may or may not have been the inspiration for the bizarre gift, Hayes’ wife, Lucy, was nicknamed “Lemonade Lucy” because she banned alcoholic beverages at state functions.

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(this part of El Morno is where I post a few random thoughts…)

I found this picture on Pinterest and amused myself by trying to come up with some captions for it….My personal best was… “I Wheeley Love you.”  HEHEHE.

Did you check out the new “swap and blog” feature on Odd.

I’ve added lemon juice and warm water to my diet, and naturally I’m acting like I invented the idea. Friends keep saying things like, “Katybeth, drinking lemon and hot water has been touted by health professionals for ages.” Yes, of course…but now I’M DRINKING IT. Ok, I’ve been drinking it since last night. Two glasses…BUT two glasses today is more than the two glasses I didn’t drink yesterday—and if I never have another glass, I am ahead of the game.

Now I must go forth into my day and kill a few rats, work a few problems, and conquer a few mountains. What are your plans for this Wonderful Wednesday?

♥~

P.S. Meet my camper/pups will be back tomorrow, tomorrow…you can bet your bottom dollar…

Clearly I am on a roll today.. 😀

20 thoughts on “August 29, 2012: More Herbs, Less Salt Day; Lemon Day; Chop Suey Day; Mary Poppins’ Anniversary”

  1. A little tardy today but it gave me a chance to practice being flexible. Mary Poppins. My daughter played that soundtrack 24/7 for at least 6 months straight. The music that would not die. It was awful.
    I start most days with water but did not know about adding lemon to it so I guess as far as I’m concerned you did invent it.
    The photographer that took that picture should hit the road.
    Make it a good one.

    • Did your daughter go throw a “it’s a small world” phase too? I have been informed that adding a pinch of Cayenne Pepper helps it work even better.

  2. Oh my goodness! I am laughing so hard. I don’t know what is funnier the picture or your caption. I love lemon juice on everything and must have it my water! Im off to slay dragons! Wish me well!

      • Easy chop suey

        You can use a mixed of Asian frozen veggie or I use a combination of sliced carrot, broccoli, mushroom and celery and boy choy – optional of course. Basically any veggie combo you like.
        2 Chicken breast
        Few cloves of garlic – mince
        Oyster sauce – about few table spoons – if you don’t have it, it’s okay not to use it, but this will add flavor.
        Soy sauce for saltiness – few table spoon.
        Chicken stock or chicken bullion
        Water – if you use bullion instead of chicken stock.
        Corn starch
        Green onion.

        Cut all the veggie and chicken & put aside.
        Marinade the chicken with the oyster sauce and soy sauce.
        Heat the wok or frying pan and add veggie oil.
        When hot add garlic let cook for just 2 second – don’t burn it, then add chicken.
        When chicken looks cook, add the hard veggie first such as carrot and broccoli – tips, to cut cooking time, you can steam these veggie in the microwave first for few minutes.
        Add the rest of the veggie, add the stock or bullion. You can control how saucy you want this to be. Just make sure you test it for flavor. Add more soy sauce and oyster sauce.
        Last step, to thicken the sauce, mixed a spoonful of corn starch with cold water and add it to the dish while cooking.
        Sprinkle with green onion to finish.

  4. I didn’t know the health benefits of adding lemon to water, either, so thank you! I’ll have to start doing that. Dumb picture, by the way — he looks old enough to be her dad, and that’s just plain creepy!
    Today I’m up to my ears in a design project — I’m finding learning CSS a bit like brain surgery, using a book during the procedure, ugh!

    • I was just told that adding a little Cayenne Pepper to the lemon juice makes it even healthier and if you need to burn a little fat it’s very effective. Full discloser I have not tried it yet but the friend is trusted and very knowledgable about all natural health remedies.
      Can’t imagine what the photographer was thinking…Maybe they had a flat tire on their first date? I have been working through an HMTL class and I know CSS is much harder so I can’t even imagine trying to tackle it. Good Luck!

  5. Is it true, am I the only person on the face of the earth who does not like pudding? My husband assures me it’s true. then he added that I am the worlds pickiest eater. Hmm let’s just see what he gets for dinner!
    MJ

  6. Chop Suey! I haven’t thought of that dish in years. It saved my life once when I was four years old. We were stuck in Illinois, on Christmas Eve, and I was starving (we all were starving, but I was clutching-belly-and-crying starving). The only place Daddy could find that was open was a Chinese restaurant. I made that plate of Chop Suey disappear like magic. It is still one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. Desperation will do that, eh?

    • Your very welcome. I think it is giving me a little more get up and go but I’m only on day three. 😀 Late breaking news…I was just told that adding a little Cayenne Pepper to the lemon juice makes it even healthier and if you need to burn a little fat it’s very effective. Full discloser I have not tried it yet but the friend who shared is trusted and very knowledgable about all natural health remedies.

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