If you love pets, you have surely lost them, too. But our Furrrever Friends do leave those footprints on our hearts… footprints that never fade, nor wash away.
Among my treasured losses, are Miss Money (aka The Divine Miss M) who graced my life for 22 years…
…the gentle-giant Miles (yup, author of the comical “Miles-Mannered Man”)…
…and 7 pounds of fun, fur, and fury, also known as Bandit, the maltipoo who wrote the hysterically relatable “Dangerous Book For Dogs: Train Your Humans” book and audiobook.
No invitation to remember your beloved pets is needed. We all do that naturally. We will never forget all the joy, love, and learning they brought into our lives.
Mom taught me a passion for great fried clams. They are never doughy, and they are never clam strips. The frozen ones, such as the ol’ Howard Johnsons fried clams do not come close to the real deal. Great big monster ones with massive bellies were harvested way too late. Great fried clams are small and delicate, lightly dusted, and flash-fried to salty seafood perfection.
When I developed my SpeakEasy123 public speaking training program, I was honored to be able to assist various people from CEOs and politicians to schoolteachers… various positions where one might mistakenly believe this “fear” would have been conquered or at least aptly handled. Teaching the required public or business speaking courses at the college level became a natural extension.
We also spent time learning to like ourselves and learn to laugh at ourselves. Setting ourselves free from the fear of public speaking is learning to accept that if we care about our subject and our audience, it’s natural to find butterflies flying helter-skelter in our tummies. We just need to learn to picture those butterflies flying in formation. Care about the audience but conquer the fear of butterflies. Done!
Today you can find anything from macaroni & cheese and Cheetos Flamin’ Hot ice cream to avocado-cayenne or ghost pepper-peppermint. Whether you go for cinnamon-basil or peanut butter-banana or bacon chutney ice cream, today is your day. Of course, you can still opt for chocolate and vanilla. Go crazy… combine 2. Since this is also National Gingersnap Day, crumble some gingersnap cookies into whatever flavor you choose. What is YOUR favorite creative ice cream flavor… or the one you would most avoid?
Wait! Hmmmm… Every day is “Social Media Day” for many of us. I try to post something positive on social media every day. I appreciate all the messages about how some postings have been helpful to someone. In truth, it also helps me, because it gives me the opportunity every day to think positively and come up with something to post. I look for fun specialty days or official State days or quotes ranging from silly to superbly thought-provoking or some one of my Super Simple recipes to share. I believe that focusing on fun, thoughtfulness, kindness, or ways to encourage or thank someone else is one great way to help us feel good, too. I cope better, and I feel more grounded. Sharing positive helps me focus positively, even when it may feel that my world has turned inside-out and upside-down. So, Happy Social Media Day!
I’ve devoured nuggets and straws, bountiful blooming onions, and all sorts of onion rings from coast to coast and abroad. If you are a fan, you likely agree that biting into a perfect onion ring is scrumptiously satisfying. On the other hand, nibbling on a bready, soggy, greasy option finds me leaving the rest on the plate.
I found myself wondering how the onion ring began. While a few U.S. joints have tried to lay claim, the earliest recipes for a “battered and fried onion” dish hail from Britain back in the early 1800s. That said, it is likely that a Crisco recipe that was distributed in the 1930s boosted their rise to national prominence. Now we celebrate National Onion Ring Day every June 22nd.
Do not confuse true, hand-cut onion rings, be they breaded, battered, or au natural with the items called onion rings at fast-food establishments. To my taste, none make the grade. Regardless, “The Fasties” annual awards for fast foods have an onion ring category that clocked the good (highly questionable), the bad, and the ugly in onion rings at take-out chains.
The awards documented the standard mushy-centered, unseasoned “onion rings” found at Burger King and the crunch of big rings at Dairy Queen up to the allegedly thick-cut sort at Culver’s to the first prize-winner. That distinction went to Sonic Drive-In’s hand-made, thick-cut onion rings. Do as you will. Personally, I avoid fast-food onion rings.
Before I share the names of a few restaurants where I have enjoyed good onion rings, I will tell you that I will then share my recipe for Super Simple Tobacco Onions… delicate batter-free gems that are perfect atop your steak, grilled chicken, lamb chops, in salads and sandwiches (ooooh-la-la with chicken salad, for example… or in a grilled cheese), stop macaroni & cheese or other baked dishes, on soups (especially a great basil-tomato), on baked or mashed potatoes, or with anything else that suits your fancy! Nibbling them as a snack is over-the-top, too. In fact, when making these, I double or triple the amount of onion…. Yup. That is because I know I will eat at least half while snacking, so they’ll never make it to the meal.
While Bern’s Steak House in Tampa, FL still has me craving their crazy, amazing onion ring loaf (no longer a menu item), they still make great skinny onion rings. But for similar satisfaction, order the ever so lightly battered (and addictive) onion straws at Street Meet in Hilton Head, South Carolina.
Now let me get back to serving you up a tobacco onions recipe. Despite the name, tobacco onions are tobacco- and nicotine-free. Their name comes from the fact that they tend to look like dried tobacco leaves. They’re simply cut ultra-thin and barely dusted (if at all) with seasoned flour. There’s no egg, no batter, and no breading. AND they can be completely gluten-free, too.
KISS Tips: Keep early batches warm in a 250°F oven while preparing the rest. Soaking briefly before cooking helps neutralize onion’s pungent sharpness, which is very important for red or other sharp-flavored types. (The liquid also helps the seasoned flour adhere better to the onion for a crispier exterior finish. For gluten-free, use gluten-free flour with a binding agent, such as xanthan gum. (Bob’s Red Mill and King Arthur both have excellent 1-for-1 gluten-free flour replacements.) Fried is best, but I have made rings on the grill, too. For an air fryer, preheat to 400°F. Prepare onions as directed above and place in oil-sprayed basket or trays in single layers, not overlapping. Lightly spray them with oil and air fry for 5-7 minutes, turning over halfway through; then repeat with remaining onions.
Drawing up to 30,000 attendees (of the human sort), The World’s Ugliest Dog Contest is held annually in Petaluma, California at the Sonoma-Marin Fair. The esteemed worst-in-show title has most frequently gone to the Chinese Crested, a breed that has won more than 20 times since the contest started in the 1970s. With its hairless body and bulging eyes, the breed is officially described by the American Kennel Club as the “ultra-affectionate companion dog.”
Sushi is a short-grain rice that is seasoned with brown vinegar or mirin, a sweet rice cooking wine. In Japan, an Itamae is a sushi chef, and it takes from 2 to 20 years to complete the training and apprenticeship. After several years of work, an apprentice could become a “wakita.” This refers to the cutting board, where a wakita prepares the fresh ingredients for the day… from fish to slicing vegetables and grating ginger.
Especially familiar is what’s known as the California Roll. This is uramaki, also known as an inside-out makizushi roll. It contains crab (real or imitation), avocado, and thinly sliced cucumber sticks. These ingredients are rolled in nori seaweed or soy paper, and then rice. Sometimes the rice is sprinkled with sesame seeds or flying fish row.
Roast them, caramelize them, or munch them raw, vegetables are colorful, flavorful, and full of health-boosting vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. At this time of year, grilling veggies is most popular. So, here’s a quick tip: If you marinate vegetables, do so AFTER they are roasted to absorb more flavor. Thread raw zucchini, bell peppers, and sweet onion chunks onto warm water-soaked bamboo skewers… with or without meat, fish, seafood, or poultry.
Yummmm… add fresh mushrooms to the mix. Roast fresh corn and get a good char.
Before grilling, think Super Simple. Drizzle some olive oil over the veggies. Toss and season with kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper. Some cook more quickly than others. You do not want mushy veggies; they are best with a little body or crunch to go with those delectable char markings. Here’s a quick grill guide. (Corn I usually turn a few times; for everything else, just turn once halfway through the cooking time.)
Serve them up… on their own or as a side dish with a favorite protein. Serve them as they are, or sprinkled with shredded Parmesan cheese. Or cut the grilled veggies bite-sized and add them to a baby spinach salad. Or load them into a pita pocket bread. Fill an omelet. Or chill your grilled slices and serve them up for lunch… cool and refreshing on their own or piled into make-your-own sandwiches. Consider drizzle options such as ranch, Parmesan peppercorn, or Italian dressing, garlic aioli, or sweet Thai chili. Today and every day… Grill on!
June 14, 1775 marks the birthday of the U.S. Army. Formed from amateur troops of volunteer soldiers defending the colonies against British tyranny, our oldest military force began before the U.S. formally existed. There were never more than 48,000 Continental soldiers at one time, but they got the job done.
In truth, I must admit that I have often enjoyed great peaceful solitude while weeding, especially when I do it the very first thing in the morning. And the gardens look soooo splendid when just weeded.
Mexican Street Corn
“Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!” Talk about a movie star! Donald Duck, with his mischievous and often irritably lovable personality, has appeared in more films than any other Disney character. His big screen debut came on June 9, 1934, in “The Wise Little Hen.”
Operation Overlord became known as the beginning of the end of World War II. Deepest gratitude to all who fought and all who died as the Allied forces staged one of the most pivotal attacks against Germany during WWII along that famous 50-mile stretch of beaches.
Like a clean, blank sheet of paper just waiting for words to be written upon it, each day delivers a fresh start. We all falter, fall, and fail. What’s important is to dare to get back up and try again.
In tribute to the sparkling way of living, I released one of my more fun cookbooks back in 2014. (Hard to believe it was that long ago!) In both paperback and digital formats, 
So, today, I gleefully share one of the sparkling beverage recipes. This puts a party-style spin on the classic Bellini cocktail.
I love going barefoot! I recall even running through snow with bare feet… although I was always grateful to get back inside. Barefoot on a sandy beach is awesome with fine sand sifting between my toes. And, whenever the temperatures are suitable, I live in a personal feeling of the “no shoes” zone. Sooooo… I never knew there was just one official day to go barefoot. If you are not typically a barefooter, today is your day to break free!
This day pays homage to an old German children’s song from the 1700’s. “There’s a Hole in My Bucket” lilts laughingly as “dear Henry” and “dear Liza” exchange challenges and solutions, always met with yet another challenge. “Then fix it, dear Henry, dear Henry…” is met with “With what, dear Liza, dear Liza…”
“Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime.”
