~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
January 25, 2013

★~ Today’s Quote: There is no such uncertainty as a sure thing. ~ Robert Burns

★~ Opposite Day: 

Rooted in playground tradition Opposite Day is a fictional holiday, in which everything you do or say means exactly the opposite. Often used at the end of a sentence to negate what you just said. “You look nice…. on Opposite Day!” However, obviously this is wrong, because if everything is opposite, than opposite day cannot exist. And no, it can’t go the other way, obviously, since there is no opposite day.

Wishing you a sad un-Opposite Day.

★~ Burns Night Super:

The annual celebratory tribute to the life, works and spirit of the great Scottish poet, Robert Burns (1759-1796). Celebrated on, or about, the Bard’s birthday, January 25th, Burns Suppers range from stentoriously formal gatherings of esthetes and scholars to uproariously informal rave-ups of drunkards and louts. Most Burns Suppers fall in the middle of this range, and adhere, more or less, to some sort of time honoured form which includes the eating of a traditional Scottish meal, the drinking of Scotch whisky, and the recitation of works by, about, and in the spirit of the Bard. Click on over to Merrilymarylee’s blog for more details on how to host a Burns Night Super.

★~ Irish Coffee Day:

Irish coffee is a cocktail made with black coffee, sugar, Irish whiskey, and whipped cream.

Joe Sheridan, a bartender at Foynes Airbase in Ireland, invented the drink in 1942. A group of passengers stopped at the bar after a miserably cold eighteen-hour journey across the Atlantic Ocean. Joe brewed hot coffee, added a splash of whiskey, and offered the concoction to the travelers. According to legend, one of the passengers asked him, “Is this Brazilian coffee?” and Joe laughed and said, “No, that’s Irish coffee.”

Ten years later, Jack Koeppler, the owner of the Buena Vista bar in San Francisco, and travel writer Stanton Delaplane teamed up to bring Joe’s famous Irish coffee to the States. They experimented for months before they got the taste just right and put it on the menu. The popularity of the drink soon spread nationwide and it’s been a favorite ever since.

‘Did you know’ (scroll down) shares some ways to celebrate Irish Coffee day.

★~ Today in History:

♥~ 1533 – King Henry the 8th secretly married his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Henry’s desire to end his first marriage and take a new wife led to a major split with the Catholic Church.

♥~ 1858 – After Mendelssohn’s “Wedding March” was played at the wedding  ceremony of Princess Victoria, daughter of England’s Queen Victoria, many future couples chose to use the song at their weddings making it the “official wedding march.”

♥~ 1905 – The world’s largest cut diamond, The Cullinan (3,106 carats, 621.2 grams or 1 and 1/4 pounds) was discovered in the Premier Mine, near Pretoria, South Africa.

♥~ 1915 – Alexander Graham Bell in New York spoke to his assistant (Thomas Watson) in San Francisco, inaugurating the first transcontinental telephone service. Click for fascination phone facts.

♥~ 1964 – The Beatles reached the #1 spot on the music charts, as their hit single, I Want to Hold Your Hand, grabbed the top position in Cash Boxmagazine, as well as on the list of hits on scores of radio stations. It was the first #1 hit for the Beatles.

♥~ 1984 – Apple’s Macintosh computer went on sale. Price tag: $2,500.

★~ Trending Right Now:

♥~ Coachella 2013: Blur, Phoenix, Red Hot Chili Peppers to headline

♥~ New Orleans Pelicans — new nickname lacks the sting of Hornets

♥~ Star Wars: JJ Abrams boldly goes to direct a galaxy far, far away

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1759 –  Robert Burns beloved Scottish poet (“Oh wad some power the giftie gie us / To see oursels as others see us!” ). Robert Burns rose from humble beginnings, wrote his first poem at the age of fifteen, and published his first book of verses, “Poems, Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect,” at the age of twenty-seven. He became instantly popular among the upper classes and was also celebrated as the poet of the common man. Perhaps one of his most famous contributions to modern-day culture is the song, “Auld Lang Syne.”

♥~ 1882 – Virginia Woolf author: Mrs. Dalloway, Orlando, Golven;

♥~ 1938 – Blues, soul, and gospel singer Etta James.

★~ Did You Know: Irish coffee!

♥~ The classic Irish coffee is made by stirring together fresh brewed coffee, brown sugar, and a jigger of Irish whiskey, and topping it all off with thick, heavy cream. Try lightly whipping the cream and pouring it over the back of a spoon for that perfect layering effect.

♥~ The Nutty Irishman: This coffee recipe uses Bailey’s Irish Cream and stirs in a shot of nutty Frangelico Hazelnut Liqueur. Add chocolate syrup and whipped cream and call it a day. For an extra punch, try using hazelnut or almond-flavored coffee.

♥~ Irish Mint Cream Coffee:  Mix one cup of espresso with 1/2 shot of Bailey’s Mint Cream or Creme de Menthe, and 1/2 shot of Irish whiskey. Stir in one teaspoon chocolate syrup and top with whipped cream garnished with chocolate chips and a sprig of fresh mint.

♥~ Irish Tea: Mix a cup of freshly brewed chai tea with two teaspoons of brown sugar and one jigger of Bailey’s Irish Cream. Garnish with freshly grated cinnamon or a cinnamon stick.

♥~ Irish hot cocoa: Mix a cup of your favorite hot chocolate with one or two shots of Bailey’s Irish Cream. Top with freshly whipped cream and chocolate shavings.

♥~ Irish Coffee Cupcakes: These chocolate cupcakes are flavored with espresso powder and brown sugar and topped with a whiskey-spiked frosting. For an extra kick, try filling them with an Irish whiskey ganache before topping with frosting.

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I’m going to wish all our Aussie El Morno friends a Happy Australian Day (1/26/2013) today because by tomorrows, El Morno, Australia Day will be almost over. I like to stay on top of these things. However, more details on this special holiday will be featured on tomorrows El Morno–so by all means stay tune!

It snowed! Not a lot of snow but it snowed and it looks like more snow it on the way…YAY Chicago.

Odd Loves Company! 

TGIF

♥