~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~
April 12, 2013

★~ Today’s Quote:  “When trying to find the words to tell her how much I loved her, I stumbled across the ingredients for grilled cheese sandwiches. That’s when I realized she was the melted cheese to my toast. And the guy she’s currently seeing, the guy she left me for, well, I guess he is the tomato soup.
”  ― Jarod Kintz, This Book Has No Title

 ★~ Walk on Your Wild Side Day:

Inside every person lurks an extrovert dying to step out of their comfort zone, to rattle the bushes, to enjoy all that life has to offer. But we often grab our blankies and take comfort in safe and familiar territory. However, safe and familiar often equates to dull and unpromising, and we find ourselves stuck in a rut.

Today we invite our wild side out to play. Take a deep breath (I know I hate to breathe too!), step outside your comfort zone and let your wild self roam a little. Starting is the hardest part. The hope is that once we play with our wild side and take a first step outside the predictable, we might be able to make our real dreams come true. It couldn’t hurt to try…If you need more inspiration watch “The Wild Thornberry’s Movie,” “Where the Wild Thing Are,” or perhaps the classic “The Wild One.”

I let my wild side play with the Odd Loves Company header a little bit….what do you think? Ok. Back to the tried and true tomorrow. It was just thought! Peace!

★~ Licorice Day:

Many of our El Morno friends love black licorice; however, I have to agree with El Morno friend Debbie whan she wrote, “I never acquired a taste for licorice. Licorice is an acquired taste, isn’t it? I mean, you never hear little kids begging for licorice over chocolate.”

The ancient Egyptians used licorice as a pharmaceutical, and it was found in King Tut’s tomb. Julius Caesar is on record as endorsing the benefits of eating licorice…a lot of good it did him.

If you are wondering red licorice is getting the short end of the Twizzler, the hard, cruel fact is that red licorice isn’t really licorice at all, except in name. It’s just a red candy, which can be made with many different flavorings, including strawberry, cherry, raspberry, and cinnamon. The good news is that red licorice does not have a good-for you taste.

Click here to read about all the ways Licorice is good for you. 

★~ Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day:

It’s a simple equation. Bread + butter + cheese = happiness. The grilled cheese sandwich is one of the most popular and easiest sandwiches of all time — kids love them, undergrads live off of them, and foodies obsess over gourmet versions of them. The love story of how toast and cheese became perfect lovers will be shared under “Did You Know.”

★~ Today in History:

[youtube]http://youtu.be/-mZLpDuuf40[/youtube]

♥~ 1799 – Phineas Pratt patented the comb cutting machine — a “machine for making combs.”

♥~ 1934 – Big Wind -The highest-velocity natural wind ever recorded occurred in the morning at the Mount Washington, NH, observatory. Three weather observers, Wendell Stephenson, Alexander McKenzie and Salvatore Pagliuca, observed and recorded the phenomenon in which gusts reached 231 mph—”the strongest natural wind ever recorded on the earth’s surface.”

♥~ 1961 – Russian Cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became this first man in space, orbiting the earth aboard Vostok 1. Many consider this to be the event that started the space race between the US and the Soviet Union.

♥~ 1954 – Bill Haley recorded ‘Rock Around The Clock’ at Pythian Temple studios in New York City. Considered by many to be the song that put rock and roll on the map around the world. The song was used over the opening titles for the film ‘Blackboard Jungle’, and went on to be a world-wide No.1 and the biggest selling pop single with sales over 25 million. Written by Max C. Freedman and James E. Myers, ‘Rock Around The Clock’ was first recorded by Italian-American band Sonny Dae and His Knights.

♥~ 1966 – Tom Jones went into hospital to have his tonsils removed, (there was speculation that he had a nose job).

♥~ 1981 – The first space shuttle, Columbia, carrying astronauts Robert L. Crippen and John W. Young, blasted off from Cape Canaveral, FL, on its first test flight. It was designated STS-1 (space transportation system).

♥~ 1984 – Challenger astronauts made the first satellite repair in orbit by returning a healthy Solar Max satellite to space. The orbiting sun watcher had been circling the Earth for three years with all circuits dead before repairs were made.

♥~ 1989 – Two DJ’s on Los Angeles station KLOS asked what ever happened to David Cassidy’ The singer called the station up and the presenters invited him onto the show. David played three songs live on air and was subsequently signed by a new record label.

★~Born Today:

♥~ 1930 – John Landy Australian runner: set mile record of 3:57.9 a month after Roger Bannister broke the 4-minute mile

♥~ 1932 – Tiny Tim (aka Darry Dover, Larry Love) (Herbert Khaury) ukulele playing, falsetto singer: Tiptoe Through the Tulips, Sonny Boy; film: You Are What You Eat, TV: Laugh In; died Nov 30, 1996

♥~ 1946 – Ed O’Neill actor: Modern Family, Married……with Children, Little Giants, Wayne’s World, Deliverance, Dragnet [2003]

♥~ 1947 – Tom Clancy author: Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games; baseball exec: co-owner: Baltimore Orioles

♥~ 1947 – David Letterman TV host & comedian: Late Night with David Letterman, Late Show with David Letterman; TV mogul: owner of Worldwide Pants Incorporated

♥~ 1949 – Scott Turow author: Presumed Innocent, The Burden of Proof

♥~ 1950 – David Cassidy actor: The Partridge Family, Spirit of ’76, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat; singer: Cherish, I Think I Love You; son of actors: Jack Cassidy, Evelyn Ward

♥~ 1956 – Andy Garcia actor: When a Man Loves a Woman, A Show of Force, The Godfather: Part 3, The Untouchables, Blue Skies Again

♥~ 1957 – Vince Gill Grammy Award-winning singer: When Love Finds You [1994], I Still Believe in You [1992], When I Call Your Name [1990]

★~ Did You Know: The history of the Grilled Cheese

Variations of cheese and bread have existed for centuries, but toasting the duo is a fairly modern phenomenon. An open-faced version of the grilled cheese gained popularity in 1920s America, right along with the rise of inexpensive processed bread and cheese. In the U.S., it was first called a “toasted cheese” or “melted cheese” sandwich. Grilled cheese became a staple as a simple way to get some protein, fat, and carbs all in one bite. International versions have existed for years, including “toast,” from Israel, “kasarli tost,” from Turkey, and “toasties,” from Britain. Other, meatier versions also exist, like the French “croque monsieur,” the Dutch “tosti kaas,” and Scottish “roasted cheese.”

The sandwich, then called a “cheese dream,” gained even more popularity during the Great Depression as rations grew slim. But grilled cheese has gone from functional staple to luxe dinner item thanks to a little help from Kraft singles, which debuted in 1949, and helped promote grilled cheese as a nostalgic, childhood treat. Today American consume Americans consume more than two billion grilled cheese sandwiches a year. That’s a whole lot of sandwiches. In this heart health day and age I feel obligated to share a few ways to make the grilled cheese a little healthier. Feel free to ignore these any or all of these tips.

♥~ Whole wheat bread is a healthier option than white.

♥~ Choose sharper cheese like an aged cheddar. The cheese’s natural kick will let you use less in the sandwich while getting the same amount of flavor. Do NOT use  fat-free cheese. No fat means the cheese will have a hard time melting.

♥~  Instead of frying a grilled cheese in a pan of melted butter, try a panini maker or lightly spray a sauté pan with olive oil. In my opinion, if you are going to make a grilled cheese using this method we should just shoot you and put you out of your misery. For God’s sake at the very least melt some real butter and brush it on the bread.

Here are a few grilled cheese recipes. I never stray from the original grilled cheese, but perhaps you would like to branch out a bit.

Jalapeno Popper Grilled Cheese Sandwich

Gruyere Surchoix and Toasted Almond Grilled Cheese

Blue Buffalo

Creamy Roasted Tomato and Garlic Soup with Pesto Grilled Cheese Boats

Jarlsberg Grilled Cheese with Arugula and Truffle Oil ( For my BIL and SIL and their Truffles)

Grilled Pimento (Red Bell Peppers and Cheddar) Sandwich

Gouda-ness Grilled Cheese

 Honey-Basil Grilled Cheese

El Morno friend Nancy likes to make her grilled cheese with with Velveeta and has this to say, “I know, purists will say Velveeta is all chemicals and artificial everything, but it is still good for sandwiches & rotello dip”

If you are ever on 94 going from Chicago to Milwaukee, stop at Mars Cheese Castle and order a Gooey Grilled Cheese Sandwich. It is the best grilled cheese sandwich (beside mom’s) you will ever eat. Pick up some cheese bread while you are there for the full experience.

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I think we covered all the grilled cheese basics, but if you feel anything has been left out just let me know.

If you read El Morno this time last year, you will remember we reviewed purses and their contents. It was FUN! This year we are reviewing shoes. Details will be forthcoming later today. I hope. If not today, tomorrow. But probably today. 😀

TGIF!

Odd Loves Company!