Massachusetts - #6, February 6, 1788

If April Showers bring May Flowers,
What do Mayflowers bring?


Pilgrims
(get it?)

Many years ago, I used to work retail (for Filene's Department Store). Occasionally, I would travel to the "home office" in Boston. It was a fair trip from Poughkeepsie (where I was working) to Boston, but I could do it in a few hours, compliments of the Mass Pike. In addition, most summers growing up, my family would travel to Maine for vacation and for some reason (although the state is more narrow width-wise than length-wise) it would take FOREVER to get through Massachusetts. I have some really vivid memories of stopping at rest areas in Massachusetts to eat sandwiches that my mother had prepared that morning. It was nice to eat with the cars whizzing by with the smell of exhaust permeating your sandwiches.

I have been to Boston several times, the last time was a professional meeting in 2004. It's a great city and I could see myself living there. It's a great walking city (because you really don't want to drive there). But then again, I don't know if I could root for the teams that play there. It's a New York thing, sorry. I will point out that Massachusetts is home to the first lighthouse in the United States, the Boston Light. (and we all know how much Brave Astronaut likes lighthouses).

I've also been to Fall River, home to the Bordens, although I was more interested in seeing the ships. I've also been to the library of the 35th President (I interviewed for a job there many years ago). Kennedy is one of four Presidents to hail from Massachusetts (there's also a fifth who is linked to Massachusetts (although represented another state as President). Of course, the Adams father and son are the first two - can you name the other two? (The fourth one was born in Massachusetts, aligned to another New England state, and elected from another state)?

Massachusetts is, of course the location where the American Revolution got its start, with the Boston Tea Party, the ride of Paul Revere, the battles of Lexington and Concord, Bunker Hill and is now the permanent home of Old Ironsides.

The Bay State also has made a significant contribution to education in the United States. The state was the first state to require teachers be appointed and grammar schools to be established following the passage of the Massachusetts Education Law of 1647. Horace Mann also made Massachusetts his home and pushed many 19th Century education reforms from his home, founded Westfield State University, and laid much of the groundwork for contemporary universal public education. Other firsts in the state include:

• The country's oldest public elementary school, The Mather School, founded in 1639
• The oldest high school, The Boston Latin School, founded in 1635
• The oldest boarding school, The Governor's Academy, founded in 1763
• The oldest college, Harvard University, founded in 1636
• The oldest women's college, Mount Holyoke College, founded in 1837

Massachusetts is one of the most "blue" states in the Union, home to the Democratic family dynasty, the Kennedys. The current governor of Massachusetts is a Democrat, Deval Patrick. The Senators for the state are currently split, with John Kerry on the Democratic side and Scott Brown, a Republican, although that may be rectified later this year. All ten Representatives are Democrats.

• 1st District - John Olver (D)
• 2nd District - Richard Neal (D)
• 3rd District - Jim McGovern (D)
• 4th District - Barney Frank (D) (he's retiring at the end of this Congress, but the seat is sure to stay blue)
• 5th District - Nikki Tsongas (D) (she is the wife of former Congressman, Senator and Presidential candidate Paul Tsongas)
• 6th District - John Tierney (D)
• 7th District - Ed Markey (D)
• 8th District - Michael Capuano (D)
• 9th District - Stephen Lynch (D)
• 10th District - Bill Keating (D)
  

Facts

• State Capital - Boston (NOT Springfield)
• Date of Admission - February 6, 1788
• Area - 10,555 sq mi (44th)
• State Motto - "Ense petit placidam sub libertate quietem" ("by the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty")
• State Nickname - the Bay State
• State bird - chickadee and the wild turkey (or is that the official drink?)
  
• State flower - the Mayflower (duh)
• State dog - you really don't need me to tell you this one, do you?
  
• State University - UMass
  
• State Archives - Massachusetts Archives
  
• Population (2011 est.) - 6,587,536
• Signers of the Declaration of Independence - John "Sit Down, John" Adams, Samuel Adams, Elbridge Gerry, John Hancock, Robert Treat Paine
  

Links

• mass.gov - the Official Website of the State of Massachusetts
• The Massachusetts Tourism site - massvacation.com
• The Encyclopedia Britannic entry for Massachusetts
• Wikpedia
• 50states.com entry for Massachusetts
• InfoPlease entry for Massachusetts
  
• Massachusetts State Guide from the Library of Congress
• The Massachusetts Historical Society
  

Prominent Massachusites / Bay Staters (more here and here)

• The Adamses (Abigail, John, John Quincy, Samuel, et. al.)
• Susan B. Anthony
• Leonard Bernstein
• New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg
  
• The Band, Boston (again, duh)
• John Singleton Copley
• Emily Dickinson
• Michael Dukakis
  
• Dr. Seuss (aka Theodore Geisel)
  
• Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr. and Jr. (Jr. was the former Supreme Court Justice)
  
• The Kennedys
• John Krasinski (that's why he does these commercials with Alec Baldwin)
• Henry Cabot Lodge Sr. and Jr.
  
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  
• Christa McAuliffe (although she's remembered as being from New Hampshire)
• Samuel F. B. Morse (but his home is in Poughkeepsie, NY)
• Elizabeth Poole (the first woman to found a town in the Americas)
  
• Paul Revere
• Mitt Romney
  
• Eli Whitney

Valentine's Day

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day (in case you forgot). It is an occasion for me to tell Mrs. BA how much I love her and don't know how I would live without her. (incidentally, for years my father used to get a pass for not always remembering Valentine's Day because [he said] it was not celebrated in France. However, it should be pointed out that he came to America when he was 7, so that lame excuse pretty much didn't work so good)

Now I am not sure what Mrs. BA and I will do tomorrow night. I jokingly referred to White Castle's promotion a few weeks ago, but I don't think that's quite what we have in mind. We did score a nice gift certificate from her sister for watching her kids a few weeks ago, so we could do that.

But as it is a Tuesday night, it might just be brinner as usual. I did however take the Epicurious challenge to design a Valentine's Day meal just for me and Mrs. BA. This is what I got:

• Roast Lamb with Lamb Sausage Crust and Fresh Grape Pan Sauce (recipe below)
• Mediterranean Salad with Prosciutto and Pomegranate
• Spanish Tempranillo
• Flourless Lemon-Almond Cake
  

Roast Lamb with Lamb Sausage Crust and Fresh Grape Pan Sauce
Bon Appétit | December 2007
Selma Brown Morrow

A savory crust and simple sauce lift this roast into the special-occasion realm.
Yield: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
Sauce:

• 2 cups halved seedless red grapes
• 2 cups tawny Port
• 2 cups low-salt chicken broth
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
  

Sausage Crust and Lamb:

• 1/2 cup halved seedless red grapes
• 1/4 cup halved pitted Kalamata olives
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 small garlic clove
• 8 ounces ground lamb
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 2- to 2 1/2-pound well-trimmed racks of lamb (each with 8 bones)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard, divided
• 2 1/2 cups fresh breadcrumbs made from crustless French bread
  

Preparation
For sauce:
Boil all ingredients in large saucepan until reduced to 2 1/3 cups, about 20 minutes. Cool. Puree in blender. DO AHEAD: Can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

For lamb:
Pulse grapes, olives, chopped rosemary, vinegar, and garlic clove in mini processor until olives are chopped. Transfer to bowl. Mix in ground lamb,1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Sprinkle racks of lamb with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 rack, meat side down, and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Set on rimmed baking sheet, meat side up. Repeat with 1 tablespoon oil and remaining rack; reserve skillet. Cool lamb completely.

Add 1/2 cup broth to skillet. Boil until reduced to glaze, scraping up browned bits. Add to sauce. Cover and chill.

Spread each rack with 1 tablespoon mustard. Press half of lamb sausage over top of each rack (layer will be thin). DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine breadcrumbs, 2 tablespoons oil, and 2 tablespoons mustard in medium skillet. Toss over medium heat until beginning to color, about 5 minutes. Press crumbs over sausage on each rack. Cut through crumb crust (not lamb) between bones to score. Roast until thermometer inserted into center registers 135°F, about 30 minutes for medium-rare.

Transfer lamb to platter; let rest 10 minutes. Pour juices from baking sheet into sauce. Simmer in small saucepan until reduced to about 1 1/3 cups, about 9 minutes (sauce will thicken slightly). Season with salt and pepper.

Cut lamb between bones into chops. Set two on each plate. Spoon sauce over.

WHAT TO DRINK:
Martín Códax 2005 "Ergo"Tempranillo (Spain, $14), with lively fruit,full body, and supple texture.

Connecticut - #5, January 9, 1788

The first colony of New England to join the United States was Connecticut, in 1788, the fifth state to ratify the US Constitution. Having grown up in New York, on Long Island, I have been to and through the Nutmeg State on many occasions. In high school, I was part of a Model United Nations Club and for two successive years our club traveled to a conference at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut.

Most summers growing up, my family would travel to Maine for an extended vacation and that would bring us through Connecticut, though not at this particular time. The future Mrs. BA and I took an extended trip through New England, stopping at Mark Twain's home in Hartford, Connecticut.

Some years later, I spent an overnight at a bachelor party at Mohegan Sun casino and a motel hard on the highway in New London, which is not the nicest place when the submarine fleet is out of town.

Connecticut holds a distinction of having a presidential birthplace. George Herbert Walker Bush (who of course made his reputation in Texas) was born in New Haven, Connecticut. His father, Prescott Bush, was a long-time Senator from Connecticut.

The current governor of Connecticut is a Democrat, Dan Malloy. The Senators for the state are one Democrat, Richard Blumenthal, and one . . . not, Joseph Lieberman. The five Representatives are all Democrats.

• 1st District - John Larson (D)
• 2nd District - Joe Courtney (D)
• 3rd District - Rosa DeLauro (D)
• 4th District - Jim Himes (D)
• 5th District - Chris Murphy (D)
  

Facts

• State Capital - Hartford
• Date of Admission - January 9, 1788
• Area - 5,543 sq mi (48th)
• State Motto - "Qui transtulit sustinet" ("He who transplanted still sustains")
• State Nickname - the Nutmeg State, the Constitution State
• State bird - robin
• State flower -mountain laurel
• State song - "Yankee Doodle"
• State Hero - Nathan Hale
  
• State University - UCONN (Go Huskies!)
• State Archives - part of the Connecticut State Library
• Population (2011 est.) - 3,580,709
• Signers of the Declaration of Independence - Samuel Huntington, Roger "I'm Just a Simple Cobbler from Connecticut" Sherman, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
  

Links

• ct.gov - the Official Website of the State of Connecticut
• The Connecticut Tourism site - visitconnecticut.com
  
• The Official Connecticut vacation website - ctvisit.com
  
• The Encyclopedia Britannic entry for Connecticut
• Wikpedia
• 50states.com entry for Connecticut
  

Prominent Connecticuters (really?) - here are two for this state - here and here - many New Yorkers tend to say they are from Connecticut. I disagree)

• Dean Acheson
• P.T. Barnum
• Henry Ward Beecher and Harriet Beecher Stowe
  
• John Brown (although I would certainly identify him with other states - he was born
  
• Bette Davis
• Michael J. Fox and Tracy Pollan
  
• Charles Goodyear
• Ella Grasso (the first woman elected to a governorship)
  
• Katharine Hepburn
• Annie Liebovitz
• Frederick Law Olmstead (although he certainly made his mark elsewhere)
• Benjamin Spock (no not that Spock)
• Noah Webster
  

Garlic Knots

This one's for my friend Gary, who turned me on to garlic knots years ago when we got some at Village Heroes. When we travel to NY and get ourselves some good NY pizza, we will often fill out our order with some doughy balls of love. Now, here's a recipe that you can make at home.

Garlic Knots
from Simply Recipes

It is perfectly OK to use store-bought pizza dough here. One 14-ounce package of pizza dough will approximate this recipe.

Ingredients
Dough:

• 3/4 cup warm water (105°F-115°F)
• 1 package (2 teaspoons) of active dry yeast (check the expiration date on the package)
• 1 3/4 cups bread flour (can use all-purpose but bread flour will give you a crisper crust)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
  

Garlic-Butter Coating:

• 5 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup parsley, minced
• 1 teaspoon salt
  

Method

1. Sprinkle the yeast on top of the warm water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Stir to combine and let sit for another 5-10 minutes, until it begins to froth a bit.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and sugar. Make a well in the center of the flour and pour in the olive oil, then the yeast-water mixture. Mix this together to form a soft dough and knead for 5-10 minutes. Shape the dough into a ball and lightly coat with olive oil. Put it in a large bowl, top the bowl with plastic wrap and set it at room temperature to rise.
3. When the dough has doubled in size, anywhere from 90 minutes to several hours, cut it in half. Set out a large baking sheet and line it with a silpat or parchment paper. Take one half of the dough and cut it in half. Working with one piece at a time, flatten into a rough rectangle about 5 inches long 1/2 inch thick.
4. Using a sharp knife, slice the dough into strips of about 1 inch wide by 5 inches long. Cut these strips in half. Take one piece and work it into a snake, then tie it in a knot. The dough will be sticky along the cut edges, so dust these with flour before you tie the knot. Set each knot down on the baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough. Remember that the dough will rise, so leave some space between each knot.
5. Once all the knots are tied, paint them with a little olive oil. Loosely cover them with plastic wrap and let them rise again until doubled in size, anywhere from 90 minutes to three hours or so. Toward the end of this rising period, preheat the oven to 400°.
6. Uncover the knots and bake in the oven 12-15 minutes, or until nicely browned on top.
7. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a small pot and cook the garlic gently in it just long enough to take off that raw garlic edge, about 1-2 minutes over medium-low heat. Add the salt and parsley and stir to combine. Turn off the heat.
8. When the knots are done, take out of the oven and let cool for 5 minutes. Paint with the garlic-butter-parsley mixture and serve. These are best warm, but are good at room temperature, too.
   

Yield: Makes about 20 knots.

What'll You Have?

Tonight this Brave Astronaut is serving as a volunteer bartender at LBA's school fundraiser, Casino Night. Tonight's theme is the 70s and I am preparing and serving a 1970s cocktail along with a variety of mixed drinks, beer, and wine. I must extend thanks to Restaurant Gal, who offered me several suggestions on what drink to serve. If you're not reading her blog, you should be.

I have done this for the past two years and am looking forward to this year's event! A good time should be had by all. Perhaps some of my patrons will understand some of the words from this list (see some of my favorites below) toward the end of the evening. If I'm feeling particularly frisky I might even try this trick.

Ben Franklin's Synonyms for Being Drunk

According to Mr. Franklin - "The Phrases in this Dictionary are not (like most of our Terms of Art) borrow’d from Foreign Languages, neither are they collected from the Writings of the Learned in our own, but gather’d wholly from the modern Tavern-Conversation of Tiplers. I do not doubt but that there are many more in use; and I was even tempted to add a new one my self under the Letter B, to wit, Brutify’d: But upon Consideration, I fear’d being guilty of Injustice to the Brute Creation, if I represented Drunkenness as a beastly Vice, since, ’tis well-known, that the Brutes are in general a very sober sort of People."

• Been at Barbadoes
• His Head is full of Bees (this is particularly fitting as LBA's school mascot are the Bees)
• He’s had a Thump over the Head with Sampson’s Jawbone (LBA goes to a Catholic School)
• Cherry Merry (according to Restaurant Gal - always garnish)
• He’s been too free with the Creature
• Fuddled
• His Flag is out
• Seen a Flock of Moons
• As good conditioned as a Puppy
• As Drunk as David’s Sow
• The Malt is above the Water

Georgia - #4, January 2, 1788

This week's entry is for the Peach State, the birthplace of good friend to the Brave Astronaut clan, OSG. Georgia is the first of the southern colonies to join the United States after the adoption of the Constitution. At the beginning of the United States Civil War, it seceded from the Union on January 21, 1861 and was one of the original seven states of the Confederacy. It was also the last state to be restored to the Union, on July 15, 1870. Georgia adopted its first Constitution in 1777 and has adopted new ones nine times since then. It is second only to Louisiana in number of Constitutions, which has had eleven.

I have been to Georgia a few times, specifically to Savannah (with OSG) to enjoy the many sights and culinary joys that exist in the city. There is one place in Georgia that I would like to travel - it's the Cathedral of golf, "A Tradition Like no Other." I speak of course of the Masters, the first major of the golf season, which always takes place in the first weekend in April.

One of my sisters is a HUGE fan of Gone with the Wind, which of course has a dramatic scene in Atlanta - home of Margaret Mitchell. Some day I would like to visit Atlanta, but I'm not entirely sure why. Atlanta is also home to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, currently the busiest passenger airport in the world.

Georgia is also the home of the 39th President of the United States, Jimmy Carter, also a former governor of the state and a peanut farmer. The current governor of Georgia is, Nathan Deal, a Republican. Both of the Senators for the state are also Republicans, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson. The House delegation is currently split 8-5, in favor of the Republicans.

• 1st District - Jack Kingston (R)
• 2nd District - Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (D)
• 3rd District - Lynn Westmoreland (R)
• 4th District - Hank Johnson (D)
• 5th District - John Lewis (D)
• 6th District - Tom Price (R)
• 7th District - Rob Woodall (R)
• 8th District - Austin Scott (R)
• 9th District - Tom Graves (R)
• 10th District - Paul Broun (R)
• 11th District - Phil Gingrey (R)
• 12th District - John Barrow (D)
• 13th District - David Scott (D)
  

Facts

• State Capital - Atlanta (also the state's largest city)
• Date of Admission - January 2, 1788
• Area - 59,425 sq mi (24th)
• State Motto - "Wisdom, Justice, Moderation" (really?)
• State Nickname - the Peach State
• State Song - "Georgia on my Mind"
• State bird - Brown Thrasher
• State wildflower - Azalea
• State University - The University of Georgia
• State Archives - The Georgia Archives
• Population (2011 est.) - 9,815,210
• Signers of the Declaration of Independence - Button Gwinnett, Dr. Lyman (I do, Mr. Adams, I do.) Hall, George Walton
  

Links

• georgia.gov - the Official Website of the State of Georgia
• georgia.com - "for Georgia by Georgians"
• The Georgia Tourism site - exploregeorgia.org
  
• The Encyclopedia Britannic entry for Georgia
• Wikpedia
• 50states.com entry for Georgia
• Georgia State Guide (from the Library of Congress)
• The New Georgia Encyclopedia

Prominent Georgians (here are the hot button lists for this state - here and here. Discuss)

• Ralph Abernathy (although born in Alabama)
  
• The B-52s
• Kim Basinger
• Herman Cain
• Ray Charles
• Ty Cobb
• Laurence Fishburne
• Newt Gingrich
• Amy Grant
• Boxers Larry Holmes and Evander Holyfield
• Stacey Keach
• DeForest Kelley
  
• Martin Luther King, Jr.
• Juliette Gordon Low
• Margaret Mitchell
• Flannery O'Connor
• James Oglethorpe (the founder of Georgia)
• Burt Reynolds
• The Roberts siblings, Julia and Eric
• Supreme Court Justice (and court mute) Clarence Thomas
• Former Supreme Court Chief Justice Fred Vinson
• Alice Walker
• Trisha Yearwood
  

Remembering a Tragedy

This past Friday marked the 45th Anniversary of the launchpad fire that killed Apollo 1 astronauts, Roger Chaffee, Gus Grissom and Ed White. As previously mentioned before, why half of my online moniker is that my junior high school mascot was the Astronauts and the three academic halls in the building were named for these space pioneers.

Of course, this tragedy has been thoroughly documented and the issues that caused the fire were corrected and future space missions were successful. I have written about the fire before (here and here) but noted the article in the newspaper yesterday and wanted to mention it to all of you again.

Remember that space travel is something we need to keep doing. It's what's next.