Flag Etiquette

This weekend here in the United States is memorial day weekend. A weekend we pay respect for all those that served us as well as to all those who have gone before us. Most Americans understand that the U.S. flag is an important item and stands for freedom and independence. My grand-daughter says the pledge daily in her class and the teacher has taught her the importance. I believe the first place I learned to properly take care of the flag was in elementary and bible school where we always said the pledge. I learned to fold the flag one year at 4H camp as the proper steps were provided to us.

December 22, 1942 was the date the first public laws to properly treat the flag were approved by Congress. There were codes and rules that were given to properly display the U.S. flag. These rules include:

The U.S. flag should be displayed from sunrise to sunset on buildings and it should fly flagstaff. There are patriotic sites such as memorials, historical sites or cemeteries where the flag will be allowed to fly through the night.

The flag should be hoisted in a brisk manner and lowered slowly. If the weather outside is bad the flag should not be displayed. Encouragement to hang the flag is given on dates such as New Year's Day, Inauguration Day, Lincoln's Birthday, Washington's Birthday, Army Day, Easter, Mothers Day, Memorial Day where it should be hanged half staff until noon. Flag day, Independence day, Labor day, constitution day, Columbus day, navy day, veteran's day, thanksgiving day, Christmas day, and other days tatrare rich in state or U.S. recognition days.

 

 

The flag should be displayed on or near the main buildings of public institutions, on or near all school buildings on school days, and in or near all polling places on election day.

 

 

 

When carried with other flags the U.S. flag should be on the marching right side or from a staff when hanging from a display.

 

 

The flag should never be displayed draped over the hood, top, sides or back of a vehicle , train or boat. If the flag is displayed on a car it must be fixed firmly to the chassis of the car or clamped tot he radiator cap. No flag should be displayed above the U.S. flag or hung to the right

 

 

 

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Great for Garden Time : Beet and Carrot Slaw

Use veggies straight from the garden or farmers market to make this delicious salad.


Beet and Carrot Slaw
Adapted from How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman
Serves 4-6 as a side salad
8 oz beets (about 2-3 medium), peeled and quartered
8 oz carrots (about 2-3 medium), peeled and chopped into a few pieces
2 medium shallots, peeled
1-inch chunk of fresh ginger root, chopped
1 tablespoon canola or peanut oil
Juice of 1 lime
¼ cup cilantro, chopped (substitute flat leaf parsley if you’re adverse to cilantro)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place the beet chunks, carrot chunks, shallots and ginger into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped (but not pureed). If you don’t have a food processor you can do this with a hand grater, using the side with the widest holes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in oil, lime juice, and cilantro. Generously season with salt and pepper. Can be made ahead and stored for a few days in the fridge; freshen with a squeeze of lime juice if desired

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Refrigerated pie crust
1 pound ground beef
3 Tbsp homemade taco seasoning (below) or 1 pouch commercial seasoning.
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup salsa
1 cup lettuce, shredded
1 medium tomato, diced
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
Sour cream (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Pat into pie pan ( preferably glass), sprinkle with a pinch of taco seasoning. Bake 7-10 minutes or until it just begins to brown.
3. In a medium skillet, cook beef and onions until beef is browned and cooked through. Drain.
4. Add salsa and all remaining taco seasoning. Cook 3-4 minutes.
5. Pour into crust and top with cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.
6. Let cool for 5 minutes. Top with sour cream, lettuce and tomato.

Make your own salsa

Salsa abounds in the month of may and as fresh garden veggies arive on our kitchen tables this recipe I am sure will tickle your taste buds. Oh so yummy 

Fresh Mild Salsa

recipe source here

6 medium fresh tomatoes on the vine
1 poblano pepper, seeded and finely diced
½ large red onion, finely diced
½ a bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1-2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
Juice from ½ a lime, ½ a lemon, and ½ an orange
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly grated pepper

Finely dice the tomatoes, removing the seeded pulp as you go, and place them in a wire mesh sieve set over a bowl to drain for five minutes. Discard juice, then stir the tomatoes and all other ingredients together in a large bowl. Store in the refrigerator.

Makes 2 pints.

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Cucumber Watermellon Salad

Cucumber-Watermelon Salad   enjoy this delicious recipe alone or along side a delicious meal. Refreshing and perfect for the diet this salad will travel well during the warm months.

"This cool, refreshing summer salad is oh so delicious! Sweet and tangy at the same time."

Ingredients:

6 cups cubed seeded watermelon 4 cups cubed English cucumber 1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon white sugar (optional) 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1.	Place the watermelon and cucumber cubes in a large bowl, and gently toss with the salt and sugar. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 15 minutes, then gently toss one last time before serving RECIPE SOURCE : ALL RECIPES

Griling Time: Bacon Wrapped Chicken

There are so many great recipes out there that include bacon in the ingredients. Every thing from seafood , vegetables, hotdogs, meat anything that can be wrapped in bacon and oh my the taste it will offer. Now me I consider myself a bacon fan. Love it always have and always will. I love this recipe for grilled bacon wrapped chicken drumsticks as well. I believe that chicken is very economical and there are so many ways to fix it. This recipe allows a great taste of meat to be even better with the flavor of grilling. The bacon offers a great taste with the saltiness and great flavor If you don't have time or like to grill these bacon wrapped chicken drumsticks are easily baked as well.

start with you will need
Chicken drumsticks, skin left on for maximum flavor
Extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Any other seasonings you'd like to throw on there: I used a simple mix of garlic and onion powders and just a hint of fresh or dried finger-rubbed thyme.
Thick sliced gourmet bacon: You can use any bacon you like but I prefer a nice thick-cut quality bacon with lots of flavor. Smoked types in particular.
Toothpicks

1. First of all, let your chicken come up to room temperature. While it is sitting, prepare a simple spice/herb seasoning for the chicken. Really, you can just use salt and pepper if you'd like. I typically use just a few dashes of onion and garlic powder and a hint of a savory herb like thyme, marjoram, or the like to add a bit more flavor. Mix these together in a bowl. Alternatively, you can use a small amount of any poultry seasoning mix you like but I think simplicity is the key here, the bacon and chicken are already a lot of flavor so you don't need to hide it with too complex flavors.
2. When your chicken is roughly room temp, drizzle them very lightly with extra virgin olive oil and rub into the drumsticks. You don't need a lot, the bacon will throw off fat as it cooks to further flavor and glaze the chicken. Rub a bit of the spice mix into the chicken over all the surfaces and then season generously with salt and pepper (the salt is important to bring out the flavors of all the other ingredients), gently pressing the seasoning into the surface of the chicken.
3. Finally, wrap each drumstick with a slice of bacon, wrapping around a couple times to cover much of the surface of the chicken meat. You can then secure the ends of the bacon with a tooth pick. If you have smaller drumsticks, you may prefer to use only half of a slice of bacon. Of note, in some bacon wrapped recipes, the bacon is partially cooked first. This is particularly important if you are wrapping a food which cooks quickly and would be done long before the bacon was done and crispy, such as bacon wrapped scallops or asparagus. In the case of bacon wrapped chicken, the chicken will cook for 15-25 minutes or more to be done throughout so the bacon will have ample time to crisp up without having to pre-cook at all.
4. Prepare a grill set up for indirect heat cooking. You want to adjust your grill to get a nice hot but moderate temp, ideally in the 400-450 degree range. If it is too cool, the chicken will take a long time to cook and the bacon may not crisp up nicely. If too hot, you'll start burning the edges of the bacon wrapped chicken before the inside of the chicken is done fully.
5. Once your grill is ready, throw those bad boys on there, on indirect heat, add your desired smoking wood and close the lid. For smoking woods, you can use anything really. Bacon and chicken are both great with a sweet smoke like apple wood but the bold flavor of the bacon can easily stand up to hickory or mesquite as well.
6. Grill the drumsticks approximately 15 to 25 minutes until they are cooked to an adequate temperature throughout. The exact time will vary depending on the temperature of your grill, the size of your drumsticks and other factors. As they cook, only open the lid to check on them periodically, keeping it closed as much as possible to retain heat and that yummy smoke. If they look like the surface is drying out a bit (not too likely since the bacon throws off a lot of fat) you can baste them gently with a small amount of olive oil once or twice.
7. That is pretty much it! I told you these bacon wrapped chicken drumsticks were easy! Simply take them off, cover then in foil and let them rest 5 minutes or so and then serve them up with your favorite sides; rice, beans, grilled veggies and more all make excellent accompaniment. And don't forget to warn your guests about the toothpick so that they don't stab themselves in the mouth!!!
Enjoy!

recipe resource here

Custard Cake

I simply love all the awesome recipes that can be found online. So many great individuals can cook up dishes from scratch and share the recipe for those like me who can cook by following a recipe and adding my own flare here and there. This recipe from Mabel's "Tart Magica" is a great and yummy delicious.

1/2 cup (113g) unsalted Butter

2 cups (480ml) Milk

4 Eggs, separated

4 drops White Vinegar

1 1/4 cups (150g) Confectioner's Sugar

1 Tablespoon (15ml) Water

1 cup (115g) Flour

1 teaspoon (5ml) Vanilla Extract

extra confectioner's sugar for dusting

 

Preheat the oven to 325°F. Lightly butter or grease a 8"x8" baking dish.

Melt the butter and set aside to slightly cool. Warm the milk to lukewarm and set aside.

Whip the egg whites and vinegar to stiff peaks. Set aside.

Beat the egg yolks and sugar until light. Mix in the melted butter and the tablespoon of water for about 2 minutes or until evenly incorporated.

Mix in the flour until evenly incorporated. Slowly beat in the milk and vanilla extract until everything is well mixed.

Fold in the egg whites, 1/3 at a time. Repeat until all of the egg whites are folded in.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45-60 minutes or until the top is golden. Allow cake to completely cool before cutting and then dust with confectioner's sugar *see Note 1.

Note 1: For faster cooling you can place the cake in the fridge. Even after fully cooled, it will still be slightly jiggly.

Asparagus snack

Many of my friends are on what I refer to as spring time diets. It is something that they will be doing to look slim and trim this spring. At work there is a group that have a formed a biggest loser club where the winner gets the pot but they all will be winners for getting better health and losing some weight. So here is a great spring time health recipe that I found online

 

 

 

PALEO MUSHROOM AND ASPARAGUS RECIPE

 

 

 

1 Bunch of Asparagus

½ lb Organic Mushrooms

2 Springs of Fresh Rosemary

2 Teaspoons coconut oil

2 Cloves of garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees
2. Place mushrooms and asparagus into a bowl
3. Drizzle coconut oil
4. Add garlic and rosemary
5. Roast for about 15-20 min (until tender)
6. Enjoy!

Recipe by Paleo Recipes for the Paleo Diet at http://paleoaholic.com/paleo/paleo-mushroom-asparagus/

Rose Garden tips

 

I love those old fashioned rose gardens that my grandmother would have. These gardeners have a passion for these gardens of blooming roses. They are simply beautiful and offer a scene that looks awesome. The fragrance in these gardens is nearly as great as the scene itself.

 

 

 

These gardens take trial and practice and experience counts. A few tips to help the roses include

 

Light is always a needed resource. A good 5 to 6 hours of good daylight sun is needed.

 

 

Roses are timid and temperature is always part of their growing. Here in southern Illinois my roses have already started to bloom as the temp has maintained a good 60 to 80 degrees. Summer sun will leave the green here but the flowers will fade. Protecting roses in the fall also makes a difference as cold weather will destroy roses so a good mulching is needed.

 

 

water is another resource needed in great demand. Humid soil but not standing wet soil is what the gardener wants to achieve. Fertilizer is after each flush of blooms is also a great need.

Roses only need pruned one time a year. This will help keep roses healthy. Should be done in late winter or early spring. Consider the shape and height of your rose plants before pruning.





 

Orange, Anchovy and Olive Salad

Eat a little healthier this month and try the meditranian diet plan. There are awesome dishes that are part of this diet you can read all about it here on Annies Home. This is a recipe that is not only delicious but healthy. Enjoy!!!

• 
  
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• 4 small oranges, preferably blood oranges
• 1 small red onion, sliced into very thin rounds
• 16 salt-cured (or oil-cured) black olives or Kalamata olives, pitted and halved
• 6 anchovy fillets
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoons finely minced fennel fronds for garnish
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• Peel oranges carefully with a paring knife, cutting away all the white pith as well as the membrane that covers them on the outside. Working on a plate to help capture all the juice, slice the oranges into rounds, as thin as you can manage. Arrange the orange slices on a serving platter; reserve the juice. Distribute onion over the oranges, then arrange olives over the top and finally the anchovy fillets. Pour the orange juice and lemon juice over the salad and drizzle with oil. Sprinkle with pepper. Let the salad stand at room temperature for about 30 minutes to let the flavors develop. Serve sprinkled with fennel fronds, if desired.

recipe source here