Allergic Reactions

Tomorrow, LBA will see a new allergist.  We learned when he was just about 18 months old that he was allergic to peanuts.  I may have let him have a piece of my english muffin that had some peanut butter on it.  The tiniest morsel made it into his mouth and suddenly he was wheezing and flushed.  Off to the emergency room we went.  So he was indeed allergic to peanuts. When we went to the allergist is was also determined that he was also allergic to pistachios.  His allergies are slight - he can be around the nuts, he just can't eat them.  He knows this and knows to ask about things before he eats them.

To my knowledge, I have only one allergy - it's to penicillin.  As an infant, I was given penicillin and broke out in a roseola rash.  The family doctor decided it was easier to just declare I was allergic to penicillin and I haven't had it since then.

I read somewhere a while back about the "explosion" of childhood allergies and how it might have come from the exponential rise of anti-bacterial soaps and lotions.  It is believed that we are washing off some of the "good" bacterias that help us to fight off reactions to items that are introduced into our bodies.

Mrs. BA and I are hopeful that LBA grows out of his allergies (it appears that SoBA is not allergic to anything).  Let's see what the allergist says tomorrow.

A Columbus Day Recipe

So, of course, I decide to declare October Blogtober - and while I usually have a stack of recipes in my reader to post for recipe Mondays - I am a little short on recipes.  Today is Columbus Day and to honor the explorer, I found this recipe (in Esquire Magazine!?) for Mirao (aka Cristoforo Colombo's Chicken Soup). Mrs. BA is feeling a little under the weather - maybe I should make up a batch.

In other news, LBA and SoBA spent the holiday weekend (well yesterday and today) with my MIL so we could paint their bedroom. If I do say so myself, it came out pretty good.

Mirao (aka Cristoforo Colombo's Chicken Soup)
Serves 6 to 8

• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup thinly sliced onions
• 1/2 cup diagonally sliced carrot
• 1/4 cup sliced garlic cloves
• One 3 to 4 pound chicken, cut into 6 to 8 pieces
• Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup brandy
• 6 whole cloves
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/2 cinnamon stick
• 1 whole nutmeg 
• 2 sprigs rosemary 
• 1 celery stalk, halved
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley leaves
• 16 slices day-old bread, toasted and rubbed with raw garlic
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, for finishing

1. Coat the bottom of a stockpot with 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions, carrots, and garlic, and sauté over medium heat until the vegetables start to soften but do not brown. Stir occasionally.
2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the pot. Turn the chicken pieces over as they start to brown. When the chicken and the vegetables are lightly browned, add the brandy and reduce by half. 
3. Using a 6-inch square piece of cheesecloth and kitchen twine, tie together the cloves, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and rosemary to form a small sachet. 
4. Add water to cover the chicken and season with salt and pepper. Add the sachet and celery, bring to a simmer, and cook for 45 minutes to 1 hour. 
5. Remove the chicken from the soup, then remove and discard the sachet and celery. Place the soup in the refrigerator to cool until the fat on the surface has hardened. Remove the soup from the refrigerator and skim the fat off the surface, then reheat. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. 
6. Once the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin, bones, and gristle. Shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces and return it to the soup. Taste for seasoning. Stir in the parley leaves. 
7. To serve, place a slice of garlic toast in each of 8 ovenproof soup bowls and ladle chicken and some of the soup over it. Top with a second slice of toast. Drizzle the toasts with the remaining olive oil and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and pepper. Place the bowls under the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese has melted and starts to brown. 

On Baseball

The weather today is cool, there's some rain around.  Hey, it's October.  And that means playoff baseball.

As most of my readers know, I grew up in New York and have been a lifelong New York Yankees fan.  When I moved to Washington, I soon fell hard for the new team that arrived here, the Washington Nationals.  I have been to opening day for each of the seasons the Nationals have had - and have rooted for them endlessly.  My friends often asked me what would happen if the Yankees and the Nationals met in the World Series - who would I root for?  My usual response was that I didn't have to think about that for awhile.

Until this year.

The Washington Nationals, the team with the best record in all of baseball, is playing its first playoff baseball game in its brief history.  The team they used to be, the Montreal Expos, were in the World Series in 1981, but that's long in the past.  There is playoff baseball in Washington DC for the first time since 1933.  The Washington Senators made it to the postseason three times, winning the World Series only once.

I can dream how this will all turn out.  I would love to see the Nationals go all the way - but I'm not sure it will happen.  The statistic that is getting a lot of airtime is that since the MLB went to the wild card format - the team with the best record in baseball has one the World Series only three times (I will point out that one of those was the New York Yankees).

Watch along with me and see what happens.  Here's my predictions on the divisional series:

NLDS #1 - Washington Nationals vs. the St. Louis Cardinals - Nationals in 4

NLDS #2 - Cincinnati Reds vs. the San Francisco Giants - Giants in 4

ALDS #1 - Oakland Athletics vs. the Detroit Tigers - well, as of this writing, the Tigers are heading to Oakland up 2 games to none - so unfortunately Moneyball is on the short end of the stick here - Tigers in 4.

ALDS #2 - New York Yankees vs. the Baltimore Orioles - the Orioles have played some amazing baseball this season, and I can see them getting past the Yankees here - but it's a tossup.  No bet.

Saturday's List - Smells that Defined Your Childhood

Go ahead.  Stop.  Read the list and don't tell me that you don't smell each one of them.

1. Crayons
2. Hot asphalt
3. New textbooks
4. Fresh band-aid
5. Nintendo cartridges warm from the machine
6. Cigar smoke
7. Gasoline
8. Tire swing
9. Inside the freezers at the grocery store
10. Rubber cement
11. My Little Pony (alright, I might give out a pass on this one to some of you)
12. Linoleum
13. Mothball
14. Sharpies / permanent markers
15. Chlorine
16. Dryer sheets
17. Campfire
18. Fresh cut grass
19. Brand new shoes
20. Play-doh

It's Friday Night

Which at the Brave Astronaut launchpad means pizza / movie night for LBA and SoBA.  However, growing up on Long Island, it often meant a night out at the movies, perhaps a stop at the diner, or maybe the game room in Bayville.  Game rooms were a popular destination during my youth - they could be found in all the malls and a nearby Nathan's had an entire game room attached to the restaurant.

I learned recently the game room in Bayville, which used to be a game room, a small miniature golf course, and some batting cages - is now a destination, a "theme park."  I guess it is true what they say, you can't go home again.  Gary - did you know about this?

I was having a discussion at the work lunch table the other day about high school hijinks.  There were several Friday nights spent where I and my two friends would be out in our friend's car doing various sorts of teenage frivolity.  There was the one occasion that we were "cruising" on Hempstead Turnpike and we were stopped at a light.  There was a car in a parking lot that had its high beams on, pointed directly at the cars on the Turnpike.  I looked over and said out the open window - though definitely not at a volume so as to be heard - "turn off your f*&king brights, a@$hole."  Then the drivers side door opened.  And the driver, a large man, yelled, "what did you just say to me?"  I implored my friend to jump the light.  Luckily it changed before he made it to the car.

There were other evenings, where we would take turns riding in the trunk of the car, then when the car would stop at a light, pop out of the trunk to scare the beejeezus out of the people behind us.  Or we might dangle one of our arms out the trunk to see if people would notice.

I know, it's amazing we didn't have more luck with the ladies.  Happy Weekend everyone!

North Dakota - #39, November 2, 1889

I could have combined this week and next week's post into one as we have arrived at the Dakotas.  The Dakota Territory was sparsely settled until the late 19th century, when railroads began to cross the territory.  An omnibus bill for statehood for North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, and Washington titled the Enabling Act of 1889 was passed on February 22, 1889 during the first administration of Grover Cleveland. After Cleveland left office, it was left to his successor, Benjamin Harrison, to sign proclamations formally admitting North and South Dakota to the Union on November 2, 1889. The rivalry between the two new states presented a dilemma of which was to be admitted first. Harrison directed Secretary of State James G. Blaine to shuffle the papers and obscure from him which he was signing first and the actual order went unrecorded, thus no one knows which of the Dakotas was admitted first. However, since North Dakota alphabetically appears before South Dakota, its proclamation was published first in the Statutes At Large. Since that day, it has become common to list the Dakotas alphabetically and thus North Dakota is usually listed as the 39th state.  So this week North, next week South (and then Montana and Washington - the other 1889 Enabled states).

In 1803, the U.S. acquired most of North Dakota from France in the Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark explored the region in 1804–1806. In 1818, the U.S. obtained the northeast part of North Dakota by treaty with Great Britain. North Dakota is the most rural of all the states, with farms covering more than 90% of the land.

North Dakota is the only US state that legally demands its pharmacies to have 51% shares owned by pharmacists. This is the reason typical locations, such as Wal-Mart, Target, Walgreens, and other national chains are unable to fill prescriptions in their stores.  North Dakota is considered the least visited state, owing, in part, to its not having a major tourist attraction.  Along with having the most churches per capita of any state, North Dakota has the highest percentage of church-going population of any state.

The current Governor of North Dakota is Republican Jack Dalrymple.  The Senators for North Dakota are retiring Democrat Kent Conrad and former Governor John Hoeven (R). North Dakota has only one At-Large House Member, Republican Rick Berg.

Facts

• State Capital - Bismarck
• Largest city - Fargo
• Date of Admission - November 2, 1889
• Area - 70,700sq mi (19th) 
• Population (2011 est.) - 683,392(48th) 
• State Motto - "Liberty and union, now and forever: one and inseparable" 
• State Nickname - The Sioux State; The Flickertail State; The Peace Garden State; The Rough Rider State
• State animal - Nokota horse
• State bird - Western meadowlark
• State fish - Northern pike
• State flower - wild prairie rose
• State tree - American elm
• State University - North Dakota State University and the University of North Dakota
• North Dakota State Archives part of the State Historical Society of North Dakota

Links

• nd.gov - the Official Website of the State of North Dakota
• The North Dakota Tourism site - ndtourism.com
• Wikipedia 
• 50states.com entry for North Dakota
• InfoPlease entry for North Dakota
• USDA Fact Sheet for North Dakota

Prominent North Dakotans - (here's a few lists to peruse, one and two)

• Country singer Lynn Anderson
• Dick Armey, former Republican Representative from Texas
• Fourth Archivist of the United States Robert H. Bahmer (!)
• Educator and Humanitarian Elizabeth Bodine
• Former Secretary of State Warren Christopher
• Federal Judge (who ordered the integration of Little Rock High School) Ronald Davies
• Actress Angie Dickinson
• Aviator Carl Ben Eielson
• Businessman Bertin C. Gamble
• Texas Instruments engineer and co-founder Patrick Haggerty
• Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson
• Basketball coach Phil Jackson
• Doctor (primarily in the field of cancer research) Leon O. Jacobson
• US Army General (later Chief of Staff and Bataan Death March survivor) Harold K. Johnson
• Former Joint Chiefs Chair David C. Jones
• Louis L'Amour
• Singer Peggy Lee
• Roger Maris
• Admiral (and another Joint Chief) William A. Owens
• NHLer Cliff "Fido" Purpur
• Artist James Rosenquist
• Founder of the Gold Seal Co. (maker of Mr. Bubble bubble bath) Harold Schafer
• Eric Sevareid, TV commentator
• Ann Sothern, actress
• Ebony Magazine editor Era Bell Thompson
• Singer Bobby Vee
• Lawrence Welk

What is the wingspan of the SR-71 Blackbird?

When I was in college, my roommate and I would often go back and forth with trivia questions (I know, it's amazing, it was really sexy).  We each had an "uncle" question when we had reached our limit.

Mine was "Name the seven Challenger Astronauts."*  His was "What is the wingspan of the SR-71 Blackbird?"

However, now, via the estimable kottke, I can learn these pertinent pieces of information if the challenge is ever issued anew.  Jeff Calone, are you out there?  Bring it on.



* In case you were wondering, yes I could usually come up with all the names. Depends on how much we had been drinking. It was still college after all.  Here they are:

1. Shuttle Commander Francis "Dick" Scobee
2. Shuttle Pilot Michael J. Smith
3. Mission Specialist Judith Resnick
4. Mission Specialist Ronald McNair
5. Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka
6. Payload Specialist Gregory Jarvis
7. Teacher Christa McAuliffe

It's Blogtober!

I am going to attempt to post something everyday this month.  I have a lot of things in my Google Reader that I can draw upon and I have a fairly full schedule of things that I will be doing this month that will eat up a few more posts.  And there's always Recipe Mondays and State of the Union Thursdays to fill in the rest.

October is named after the Latin, "octo" for eight, but retained its name after January and February were added to the Roman calendar.  If you are looking for something else to celebrate in the month of October (other than October / Playoff baseball), the month is also known as:

• National Pizza Month
• National Popcorn Poppin’ Month
• National Pork Month (United States)
• National Sausage Month
• National Squirrel Awareness Month

I'm looking forward to the challenge and hope that you will all hang with me for the month of Blogtober!

Banana Bread Crepe Cake with Butterscotch

There are bananas that are past their prime in the Brave Astronaut fridge, so some Banana Bread may be in the making.  Naturally, this recipe caught my eye as well.  But it may be a little more involved than I'm prepared for - with my fall allergies in full swing.

From the Smitten Kitchen.  Of course.

If this site could have a single prologue, it would go like this: It all started out so innocently. Because doesn’t it always? I wanted something simple but got carried away. A search for a lasagna I could love became a Mount Everest of a Lasagna Bolognese; a hankering for a great game-day snack became a mash-up of Welsh rarebit and pull-apart rye bread; and a hunt for a quiche that could serve a crowd became a 4 1/2 year vendetta until I triumphed over those 137 square inches of buttery flaky shell. Okay, I’m being a little dramatic. I’m likely scaring away people who just wanted something simple to cook (I promise, the next recipe will be so simple, you might, like me, weep and wonder where it’s been every rushed weekday night of your life thus far.) 

In this case, I started daydreaming about the place where a simple crepe would intersect banana bread and from there, I couldn’t stop. Well, I had to stop for a week because my book’s first pass pages came back (guys? It looks so pretty, I can’t wait to show you) and when they dragged it from my apartment (I, um, wasn’t done yet), I found that my cooking mojo had left with it. If you’d like a delightful recipe for banana flatcakes (what I affectionately called the first flop), I’ve got one. Then, I was so low on groceries, I had only the exact number of eggs I needed for the recipe, and like something out of a bad comedy skit, I managed to smash the egg on the outside of the mixing bowl, all of my hopes of getting this recipe to you in a reasonable frame of time dribbling down the side and puddling on the counter. (If this ever happens to you, promise me you won’t leave the kitchen in disgust, if only because cleaning up that egg an hour later is only going to double your grump.) Then my son demanded the last speckled banana, the one I’d been saving to try the crepes again (the nerve!), and it was a few days before the next batch were ripe enough to use. 

I am, if little else, the queen of excuses right now.

When I finally triumphed over the banana crepe, I was so relieved that I got carried away. Know this: You can make banana crepes for breakfast as soon as possible. You can dust them with powdered sugar or dollop them with a little plain yogurt mixed with a spoonful of maple syrup and drop of vanilla extract and everyone will love them. You can go a step further, maybe even turning them into banana blintzes, filled with lightly sweetened farmers cheese, and browning them in a pan. Or, you show no remorse and do as I did, and whip a lightly sweetened filling of cream cheese, Greek yogurt and a little bit of sugar, spread it thinly between each crepe as you stack them high and again, you can stop right there. You can dust this with powdered sugar and serve it in wedges and totally win at breakfast. Or, you can simmer a tiny batch of salted butterscotch sauce with toasted walnuts and serve it with this previously innocent wedge of crepe cake, either puddled over the top or passed alongside the meal and it will be almost insanely decadent (more insane if I hadn’t made a great effort to keep the sweetness of the crepe stack within greatly in check), but I see no reason to let that stop you. 

Banana Crepe Cake with Yogurt and Walnut Butterscotch

A whole bunch of cooking notes and tips: First, crepes are magical. Once you accept that the first one always goes in the trash, that things are really much easier with a non-stick pan (I use this one; it’s my only nonstick these days and it is worth its weigh in gold) and if you struggle with crepe-flipping, try to embrace my weirdo two-spatula crepe-flipping technique, described below, you will hit your stride and wonder why you don’t make crepes more often. And you should, they keep fantastically well in the fridge, for a few days, even. They reheat well. They never stick to each other so you can just stack them up, no fancy separators required. 

A note about banana flavor: The crepes taste the most strongly of banana when served simply. As other ingredients are added, like this filling, the banana flavor is less loud (but the overall flavor tumbles dreamily together). If you’d like it to scream banana, you might add paper-thin slices of banana throughout the crepe layers — it will also stack the cake higher. 

This is perfect for a decadent brunch meal or party. I think of it as a replacement for french toast, coffee cake or buttery pastries. And although it sounds completely over-the-top, I made a great effort to keep it at least a little breakfasty: the crepes are barely sweetened, the filling remains tangy and only moderately sweet and the butterscotch is as small of a yield as needed to just cover the top. And it (pardon the pun) totally takes the cake. 

If you’d like to pass the walnut butterscotch alongside cake servings, rather than drizzling it over the top of the cake, I recommend you double the yield, and keep it warm so it stays pourable. If it still seems too thick, a little extra cream will thin it. 

Yield: 11 to 12 9-inch crepes, or a 1 1/2-inch cake

Banana crepes

• 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly, plus extra for greasing pan 
• 1 large (will weigh 6 ounces/170 grams be about 6 inches long when unpeeled) speckly ripe banana (should yield a scant 1/2 cup peeled, pureed) 
• 1 cup (235 ml) milk 
• 3/4 cup (95 grams) all-purpose flour 
• 4 large eggs 
• 2 tablespoons (25 grams) light brown sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 
• Pinch of ground cloves

Cream cheese yogurt filling 

• 8 ounces (225 grams) cream cheese, well-softened 
• 1 1/2 cups (345 grams) plain Greek-style yogurt 
• 1/3 cup (65 grams) granulated sugar 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Walnut butterscotch topping

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy whipping cream 
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) packed dark brown sugar 
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1/2 cup (about 50 grams) chopped walnuts, toasted 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1/4 teaspoon flaky sea salt, or to taste 

Make the crepe batter: Blend banana in a food processor until totally smooth. Add melted butter, blend again. Add remaining ingredients and blend until they are combined. Transfer batter, which will look pretty thin, to a bowl (even easier later if it has a spout), cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour, preferably overnight, and up to two days. When you remove the batter, it will seem surprisingly thick. Stir it to redistribute the ingredients before using it.

Cook the crepes: Heat a medium skillet or crepe pan over medium-high heat. Once heated, brush pan thinly with melted butter. Pour 1/4 cup batter into skillet, swirling it until it evenly coats the bottom and cook, undisturbed, until the bottom is golden and the top is set, about 2 to 3 minutes. Flip* the crepe and cook it for 30 seconds on the other side, before transferring it to a plate to cool. Repeat with remaining batter. You can stack your crepes and they should not stick together. Let crepes cool completely.

* Here’s my Weirdo Two-Spatula Crepe Flipping Method: I have two spatulas handy, one flexible fish-style spatula (these are my favorite, for everything, because they’re so thin) and one smaller, like an offset icing spatula. I slide the larger one just a little bit under the crepe and lift it enough that I can slide the smaller one under. I lift it enough that I can get the larger one far underneath the crepe, then use the larger one alone to flip it. It makes it very easy, I promise. 

Make filling: Whip cream cheese until fluffy, then beat in yogurt, 1/2 cup at a time. When fully combined, add sugar and vanilla then beat until rich and fluffy, just another minute.

Assemble crepe cake: Lay first crepe on a cake plate or serving platter. Spread with 1/4 cup of the yogurt-cream cheese filling. Repeat with all but the last remaining crepe, which should be stacked but have no filling on top, as it is the lid.

Make walnut butterscotch sauce: Combine the cream, brown sugar and butter in the bottom of a medium, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally in the beginning and more frequently as it reduces and thickens. You’ll know it’s done when it becomes thick and smells toasty. Stir in the vanilla and salt, then walnuts. Immediately pour over stack of filled crepes, nudging the butterscotch to the edges with your spoon — if it goes over the edge, so be it.

Serve immediately, or keep in fridge until ready to serve. Crepe cake keeps for up to 3 days, possibly longer, but good luck with that.

Colorado - #38, August 1, 1876

Colorado has the highest mean elevation of any state, with more than 1,000 Rocky Mountain peaks over 10,000 ft high and 54 towering above 14,000 ft. Pikes Peak, the most famous of these mountains, was discovered by U.S. Army lieutenant Zebulon M. Pike in 1806. Colorado's nickname of the Centennial State comes from its admission in 1876, the 100th anniversary of American independence.

The current Governor of Colorado is Democrat John Hickenlooper.  Both Senators from Colorado are Democrats, Michael Bennet and Mark Udall. The Colorado Congressional delegation has seven members (4 Republican and 3 Democrats).

• 1st District - Diana DeGette (D)
• 2nd District - Jared Polis (D)
• 3rd District - Scott Tipton (R)
• 4th District - Cory Gardner (R)
• 5th District - Doug Lamborn (R)
• 6th District - Mike Coffman (R)
• 7th District - Ed Perlmutter (D)

Facts

• State Capital and largest city - Denver
• Date of Admission - August 1, 1876
• Area - 104,094sq mi (8th) 
• Population (2011 est.) - 5,116,796 (22nd) 
• State Motto - "Nil sine Numine" "Nothing without Providence" 
• State Nickname - The Centennial State
• State animal Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep
• State bird - lark bunting
• State flower - Rocky Mountain columbine
• State tree - blue spruce
• State University - The University of Colorado
• Colorado State Archives 
• The Colorado Historical Society 

Links

• colorado.gov - the Official Website of the State of Colorado
• The Colorado Tourism site - colorado.com
• Wikipedia 
• 50states.com entry for Colorado
• InfoPlease entry for Colorado
• USDA Fact Sheet for Colorado

Prominent Coloradans - (here's a few lists to peruse, one and two)

• Actor Tim Allen
• Allen's Home Improvement co-star Zachery Ty Bryan
• Restaurateur Norman Brinker
• Although born in Missouri, Margaret "the Unsinkable Molly" Brown lived in Denver
• Astronaut M. Scott Carpenter
• Lon Chaney, Sr.
• Brewer Adolph Coors
• Boxer Jack Dempsey
• John Denver (although he will always be known in the Brave Astronaut's family as "John Colorado")
• Entertainer Ralph Edwards
• Douglas Fairbanks, Sr.
• Violinist Eugene Fodor
• Historian Lawrence H. Gipson
• Inventor of the Barbie doll, Ruth Handler
• Massachusetts Senator John Kerry
• Soldier of Fortune Homer Lea
• Actor Denver Pyle
• Medical Scientist Robert J. Seiwald
• Indy racecar drivers and brothers Jerry and Bobby Unser
• Supreme Court Justice Byron White

Chocolate Swirl Buns

It's possible I am smitten with the Smitten Kitchen.

Chocolate Swirl Buns
Yield: 12 muffin-sized buns

Dough

• 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk, preferably whole 
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) plus a pinch of granulated sugar 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons (5 grams) active dry yeast 
• 1 large egg, brought to room temperature 
• 2 cups (250 grams) all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface 
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt 
• 3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus additional for bowl and muffin tins

Filling

• 3 tablespoons (45 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature 
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar 
• 1/2 pound (225 grams) semisweet chocolate 
• Pinch of salt 
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) 
• Egg wash (optional) 
• 1 egg 
• 2 teaspoons (10 ml) heavy cream or milk 

Prepare dough: Warm milk and a pinch of sugar to between 110 to 116°F. If you don’t have a thermometer, you’re looking for it to be warm but not hot to the touch; best to err on the cool side. Sprinkle yeast over milk and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and remaining 1/4 cup sugar, then slowly whisk in yeast mixture.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine flour and salt. Run mixer on low and add egg mixture, mixing until combined. Add butter and mix until incorporated. Switch mixer to dough hook and let it knead the dough for 10 minutes on low speed. At 10 minutes, it should be sticky and stringy and probably worrisome, but will firm up a bit after it rises. Butter a large bowl and place dough in it. Cover loosely with a lint-free towel or plastic wrap and let rise for 1 hour, or until doubled.

Meanwhile, prepare filling: If your chocolate is in large bars, roughly chop it. Then, you can let a food processor do the rest of the work, pulsing the chopped chocolate with the salt, sugar, and cinnamon (if using) until the chocolate is very finely chopped with some parts almost powdery. Add butter and pulse machine until it’s distributed throughout the chocolate. (If you don’t have a food processor, just chop the chocolate until it’s very finely chopped, then stir in the sugar, salt, cinnamon and butter until it makes a pasty/chunky/delicious mess.) Set mixture aside.
Generously butter a standard 12-muffin tin; set aside.

Form buns: Once dough is doubled, turn it out onto a well-floured surface and gently deflate it with floured hands. Let it rest for another 5 minutes. Once rested, roll dough into a large, large rectangle. The short sides should be a scant 11 to 12 inches. The other side can be as loooong as you can roll it. The longer you can make it — I got mine to 20 inches before I ran out of counter space — the more dramatic and swirled your buns will be.
Sprinkle the filling evenly over the dough’s surface. It’ll be clumpy and uneven and probably look like there’s too much chocolate for the volume of dough; just do your best. Tightly roll the dough back over the filling from one short end to the other, forming a 12 to 13-inch log. (Yes, it always magically grows because the dough is soft.) With a sharp serrated knife, gently saw 1-inch segments off the log and place each in a prepared muffin cup. Loosely cover buns with plastic wrap or a lint-free towel and let them rise for another 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°F (180°C).

Bake: If you’d like, you can egg wash your buns before baking them (whisking together an egg and the cream until smooth, brush over each bun top). I found the buns I brushed with the wash shinier but otherwise virtually indistinguishable from the un-brushed buns in color. Bake buns for 15 to 20 minutes, until puffed and brown. If you have an instant read thermometer, you can take the buns out when it reads 185 to 190 degrees in the middle of each bun.
Set buns on cooling rack. Theoretically, you should cool them completely before unmolding them (with the aid of a knife or thin spatula to make sure nothing has stuck). This, of course, won’t happen, so have at them; just don’t burn your tongue. Serve with iced coffee and a bowl of berries. For nutritional balance.

Do ahead: These buns can be formed, placed in the muffin cups and refrigerated (loosely covered with plastic, which you might want to oil to keep it from sticking) the night before, to bake in the morning. You can bake them directly from the fridge. They can be baked and frozen until needed, up to 1 month.

Nebraska - #37, March 1, 1867

We've arrived at yet another state that was part of the Louisiana Purchase and which portions of eastern Nebraska were explored by Lewis and Clark.  The Oregon Trail cut across Nebraska.  Western Nebraska was acquired following following the Mexican War in 1848.  Omaha, Nebraska was the starting point for the Union Pacific on its transcontinental railroad journey.

Arbor Day was founded in Nebraska City by territorial governor J. Sterling Morton and the National Arbor Day Foundation is still headquartered in Nebraska City, with some offices in Lincoln. Kool-Aid was created in 1927 by Edwin Perkins in the city of Hastings, which celebrates the event the second weekend of every August with Kool-Aid Days. Cliffs Notes were developed by Clifton Hillegass of Rising City.  The city of Omaha is home to Berkshire Hathaway, whose CEO Warren Buffett is one of the richest people in the world.

There is a swing in the Hebron, Nebraska city park that claims to be the world's largest porch swing, long enough to fit 18 adults or 26 children (although one in Canada may be larger - and this one isn't on a porch). Nebraska Huskers football holds sway over much of the state, during home football games, Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, with a capacity of 85,500, becomes larger than Nebraska's third-largest city.

Nebraska is the only state in the Union to have a unicameral (one-house) legislature. Members are elected to it without party designation. Although this house is officially known simply as the "Legislature", and more commonly called the "Unicameral", its members call themselves "senators." Nebraska's Legislature is also the only state legislature in the United States that is nonpartisan. The senators are elected with no party affiliation next to their names on the ballot, and the speaker and committee chairs are chosen at large, so that members of any party can be chosen for these positions. The Nebraska Legislature can also override a governor's veto with a three-fifths majority, in contrast to the two-thirds majority required in some other states.

Nebraska is one of two states (with Maine) that allow for a split in the state's allocation of electoral votes in presidential elections. Under a 1991 law, two of Nebraska's five votes are awarded to the winner of the statewide popular vote, while the other three go to the highest vote-getter in each of the state's three congressional districts.

Although he made his mark in the state of Michigan, the 38th President of the United States, Gerald Ford, was born in Nebraska (as Leslie King) and the state is also the home of perennial presidential candidate and favorite son, William Jennings Bryan.

The current Governor of Nebraska is Republican Dave Heineman.  The Senators for Nebraska are Republican Mike Johanns and Democrat Ben Nelson.  Senator Nelson is retiring at the end of this Congress and the race to succeed him is fierce, with former Governor and Senator Bob Kerrey trailing Republican challenger Deb Fischer. There are three members of the Nebraska Congressional delegation, all Republicans.

• 1st District - Jeff Fortenberry (R)
• 2nd District - Lee Terry (R)
• 3rd District - Adrian Smith (R)

Facts

• State Capital - Lincoln
• Largest city - Omaha
• Date of Admission - March 1, 1867
• Area - 77,354 sq mi (16th) 
• Population (2011 est.) - 1,842,641 (38th) 
• State Motto - "Equality before the law" 
• State Nickname - The Cornhusker State
• State bird - Western meadowlark
• State dance - square dance
• State fish - channel catfish
• State flower - goldenrod
• State fossil - mammoth
• State soft drink - Kool Aid
• State tree - cottonwood
• State University - The University of Nebraska (Lincoln) is the state's oldest and largest university (and flagship of the state system).
• The Nebraska State Archives are part of the Nebraska Historical Society

Links

• nebraska.gov - the Official Website of the State of Nebraska
• The Nebraska Tourism site - visitnebraska.com
• Wikipedia 
• 50states.com entry for Nebraska
• InfoPlease entry for Nebraska
• Nebraskastudies.org
• USDA Fact Sheet for Nebraska

Prominent Nebraskans  - (here's a few lists to peruse, one and two)

• Social reformer Grace Abbott
• Author Bess Streeter Aldrich
• Baseball Hall of Famer Grover Cleveland Alexander
• Fred Astaire
• Boxer Max Baer
• Geneticist George Beadle
• The Borglum boys, Gutzon (creator of Mount Rushmore) and Solon, sculptors
• Marlon Brando
• Born in Iowa, Johnny Carson moved to Nebraska at age eight
• Neither born nor died there, but most of Willa Cather's life was spent in Nebraska
• Talk Show pioneer Dick Cavett 
• Montgomery Clift
• James Coburn
• Crazy Horse
• Actress Sandy Dennis
• Mystery writer Mignon Eberhart
• Inventor of the Strobe Light, Harold Edgerton
• Singer and early actress Ruth Etting
• Henry Fonda
• Computer Scientist Jay W. Forrester
• Baseball Hall of Famer Bob Gibson
• Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard
• Actor David Janssen
• Native American Educator Francis La Flesche and his sister, artist Susette La Flesche
• Malcolm X, really
• Actress Dorothy McGuire
• Legal Scholar Roscoe Pound
• Red Cloud
• Paul Revere, no, not that one, the leader of Paul Revere and the Raiders
• JFK speechwriter Ted Sorensen
• Serial killer Charles Starkweather
• Hillary Swank
• Producer Darryl F. Zanuck

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

I was just talking with a friend not too long ago and we both decided that we liked oatmeal cookies and chocolate chip cookies - but the ideal was an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie.

Then the recipe appears. From Simply Recipes.

Awesome Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
Brown the butter first, as the butter is cooling, prep the other ingredients. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks, 8 oz, 225 g) unsalted butter 
• 1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 teaspoon baking soda 
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon 
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed 
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar 
• 2 eggs (large), lightly beaten 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 Tbsp water 
• 1 1/2 cups bitter-sweet chocolate chips 
• 1 cup chopped pecans (optional) 
• 1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut (optional) 
• 3 cups Old Fashioned rolled oats (Quick oats are okay, but not steel cut, not instant) 

Method

1. Brown the butter. Place sticks of butter in a thick-bottomed medium sized stainless-steel saucepan. (It's important to use a saucepan that has a light, reflective interior like stainless steel, otherwise you won't be able to see the butter browning.) Heat on medium. Melt the butter, whisking so that the butter melts evenly. Continue to cook the butter. As it cooks, the butter will foam up, and then the foam will subside. Whisk frequently to check underneath the bubbly surface. At some point, browned bits will form at the bottom of the pan and the butter will begin to smell nutty. Watch carefully, it's easy for the butter to go from browned to burnt. When the browned bits begin to form, remove the pan from the heat. Pour the melted butter, with the browned bits, into a glass or metal bowl. Allow to cool a bit while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Vigorously whisk together the flour, salt, baking soda, nutmeg, and cinnamon together in a large bowl.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the browned butter (along with the browned bits) in a mixer bowl. Add the brown and white sugar. Beat on medium high speed for about 3 minutes, until smooth. Add the eggs and vanilla. Beat for three more minutes on medium speed until smooth and light. 
4. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the butter sugar egg mixture. Stir in 2 Tbsp water (note that if you are using jumbo eggs, and not large eggs as the recipe calls for, you will probably not need this much extra liquid.) 
5. Stir in the chocolate chips, and the pecans and shredded coconut (if using). Stir in the oatmeal. Up to this point you can make the dough up to a day and a half ahead and store in the refrigerator. 
6. Butter two large cookie sheets, or line them with Silpat mats or parchment paper. Spoon out heaping tablespoon-fuls of cookie dough and lay them on the cookie sheet. Make sure you have about 2" of space between each cookie, as they will flatten a little and spread on the cookie sheet. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 minutes, or until they are just brown around the edges, but still soft in the center. They will firm up as they cool. (If you want them crispier, you can bake them from 12-14 minutes. 10 minutes will help yield a more chewy cookie.)
7. Take the cookies out of the oven and let them cool for two or three minutes on the hot baking sheet. Then, using a metal spatula, carefully transfer the still-hot cookies to a wire rack to cool. They will continue to be soft until completely cooled. Once completely cooled, store in an airtight container.

 Yield: Makes about 30 cookies.

Nevada - #36, October 31, 1864

The battle born state, Nevada, came into the Union on Halloween 1864.  The territory was explored by trappers and traders, including Jedediah Smith and Peter Skene Ogden in the 1820s.  Twenty years later the area was explored by John C. Frémont and Kit Carson.  As a result of the Mexican War, the United States took control of the territory.  Eight days prior to the presidential election of 1864, statehood was granted to help ensure Abraham Lincoln's reelection. As it turned out, however, Lincoln and the Republicans won the election handily, and did not need Nevada's help.

Nevada owes much of its "fame" to the discovery of the Comstock Lode, the richest known U.S. silver deposit, in 1859.  The state's mines have produced large quantities of gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, mercury, barite, and tungsten.  To add to the riches, oil was discovered in 1954. Gold now far exceeds all other minerals in value of production.

The other reason Nevada is well-known is for two industries, divorce and gambling. For many years, Reno and Las Vegas were the “divorce capitals of the nation.”  Nevada is still the gambling capital of the U.S. and a leading entertainment center. In 2009, 12.5% of Nevada’s general revenue came from gambling, which brought in $830 million.  For additional pleasure, prostitution is legal (in brothels) in the state, although confined to the more sparsely populated areas of the state.  It is specifically illegal by state law in the state's larger jurisdictions, which include Clark County (which contains Las Vegas), Washoe County (which contains Reno), and the independent city of Carson City.  Otherwise, it is legal in those counties which specifically vote to permit it. Prostitution is legal in parts of Nevada in licensed brothels, but only counties with populations under 400,000 residents have the option to legalize it. Although prostitution employs roughly 300 women as independent contractors, and not a major part of the Nevada economy, it is a very visible endeavor.

Nevada has by far the most hotel rooms per capita in the United States. The state is ranked just below California, Texas, Florida, and New York in total number of rooms, but those states have much larger populations. Nevada has one hotel room for every 14 residents, far above the national average of one hotel room per 67 residents. 

Nevada is notable for being one of only two states to significantly expand its borders after admission to the Union. (The other is Missouri, which acquired additional territory in 1837 due to the Platte Purchase.) Nevada has the nation's 5th largest school district in the Clark County School District.

The current Governor of Nevada is Brian Sandoval (R).  The Senators for Nevada are split - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D) and Dean Heller (R). The Nevada Congressional delegation has three members, one Democrat and two Republicans.

• 1st District - Shelley Berkley (D)
• 2nd District - Mark Amodei (R)
• 3rd District - Joe Heck (R)

Facts

• State Capital - Carson City
• Largest city - Las Vegas
• Date of Admission - October 31, 1864
• Area - 110,622 sq mi (7th) 
• Population (2011 est.) - 2,723,322 (35th) 
• State Motto - "All For Our Country" 
• State Nickname - The Sagebrush State; The Silver State; The Battle Born State
• State animal - desert bighorn sheep
• State bird - mountain bluebird
• State flower - sagebrush
• State metal - silver
• State rock - sandstone
• State tree - single leaf pinyon
• State University - The University of Nevada, Reno and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas
• Nevada State Library and Archives 
• The Nevada Historical Society 

Links

• nv.gov - the Official Website of the State of Nevada
• The Nevada Tourism site - Welcome to Nevada
• Wikipedia 
• 50states.com entry for Nevada
• InfoPlease entry for Nevada
• USDA Fact Sheet for Nevada

Prominent Nevadans - (here's a few lists to peruse, one and two)

• Former Director of the US Mint Eva Adams
• Andre Agassi
• Also a former Director of the US Mint, Raymond T. Baker
• NASCAR drivers Kyle and Kurt Busch
• Artist Robert Cole Caples
• Founder of UPS James Casey
• Walter Van Tilburg Clark, author
• Prospector Henry Comstock, for whom the Comstock Lode was named
• LA Law actress Michele Greene
• Native American author Sarah Winnemucca Hopkins
• Professional Tennis Player Jack Kramer
• Former Senator Paul Laxalt
• Senator Laxalt's younger brother, Robert
• John W. Mackay, benefactor
• Former Senator Pat McCarran, for whom the airport is also named
• Opera Singer Emma Nevada
• First Lady Thelma “Pat” Nixon
• Nevada Pioneer and politician James W. Nye
• Political cartoonist and Pultizer Prize winner Lute Pease
• Actress Edna Purviance
• Native American Jack Wilson
• Casino tycoon Steve Wynn (although born in CT - he is the other Mr. Vegas)

To Remember 11 Years Later

The weather today is very much like it was that dark day 11 years ago.  Bright blue sky, comfortable temperatures.  I had dropped my car off for service and a friend picked me up to take me to work.  Walking into my office and turning on the radio in my office was the last "normal" thing I did that day.

I moved from the New York area less than a year after 9/11.  But on this day - I will always be a New Yorker.  Here are my previous posts on 9/11.

• September 11, 2006
• September 11, 2007
• September 11, 2008
• September 11, 2009
• September 11, 2010
• September 11, 2011

I also recommend that you go read MetroDad's blog - who usually posts a letter to his friend Andy, who was in the Towers. Today I am choosing to remember one of the victims who was from the same town where I grew up.  Remember Andy, Maria, and all of those we lost that day.

Maria Rose Abad

Age: 49
Residence: Syosset, NY,
Occupation: Senior Vice President, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods Location: World Trade Center, Tower 2, 86th floor

Marie Abad loved her job as a senior vice president at Keefe Bruyette Woods, where she was one of the highest-ranking women in the firm. But it was equally important to her to find an escape from work, said her husband, Rudy, and she found that through the hundreds of books she went through each year.

Ms. Abad, 49, read on the train commuting from Long Island to the World Trade Center, and she read on vacation. Each October, she and her husband would spend three weeks in Hawaii — a tradition that started on their honeymoon and continued over the next two decades — and every year she would make sure she had plenty to read. Hawaii meant down time: days on end when the biggest decision was where to have dinner, and the passage of time was marked by the leisurely flutter of turned pages — novels, biographies, celebrity tell-alls.

"She'd go through eight books in three weeks, and these were not little books," Mr. Abad said. "I know because I did the packing."

Ms. Abad, who was born and raised in Queens, did not plan on a career in business. She studied sociology at Queens College and dreamed of being a teacher. She and her husband had plotted out the lives they would lead when the workaday world could be left behind: six months of the year traveling was their plan. And of course, a world of books to explore.

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on April 7, 2002. From Legacy.com
______________________________________________

Rudy Abad's world collapsed when the Twin Towers fell, burying his wife, Marie Rose, and the couple's plans to retire early and travel the world.

"I could feel the slabs of concrete hitting her, crushing her body," Abad said at his Woodbury home.

It took a while for Abad to face the reality of his devastating loss. Feeling like he "was getting paid for her death," he held out until the 11th hour to claim his share of the $7-billion victim's compensation fund after the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon.

But Abad found a way to channel his grief by helping others in hardship and keeping the spirit of his wife alive by partnering with a nonprofit to build housing for homeless families in his native country, the Philippines. So, in one of the Philippines' most poverty-stricken areas, today rises The Maria Rose Abad Village, named for his late wife.

Abad's is just one of the most visible charitable efforts undertaken by many bereaved relatives of 9/11 victims. Other families have launched similar charitable ventures ranging from full-fledged foundations to scholarships and donations to the victims of natural disasters such as the Southeast Asia tsunami.

"The grief they have experienced has made them more empathetic to the grief of others," said Bill Doyle, a 9/11 family advocate and co-president of the 9/11 Charitable Health Insurance Group, which provides group health insurance to more than 1,500 individuals and family members affected by the attacks. "So many families are now calling me to find out how they can do something for the hurricane victims." Doyle, a retired Lehman Brothers stockbroker from Staten Island, lost his son, Joseph, a government bond supervisor for Cantor Fitzgerald at the World Trade Center.

Marie Rose Abad was 49 when her life was cut short in the south tower. She was born in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn and raised in Richmond Hill, Queens.

"She was a very bright, very pleasant, giving person whom was always willing to lend an ear," Abad said of his wife, who was memorialized Oct. 13, 2001, at Holy Name of Jesus Parish in Woodbury. "We were really best friends."

The Maria Rose Abad Village in Tondo, in metropolitan Manila, comprises three clusters of 46 brightly colored row houses and a two-unit school house for preschoolers. Except for the school, all the houses have been completed and are already occupied.

One of the residents is Marites Espinosa, 39, a mother of seven, the youngest of whom is only 3.

She lives with husband Romulo, who works hauling vegetables delivered at a nearby market. After their humble shelter burned down in 2001, her family was awarded, one year later, one of the new homes that Abad financed.

"I am happy that we now have a home," she said.

Especially with the onset of the rainy season last month, Marites is thankful that there are no roof leaks to contend with anymore. The only hitch now is the lack of electricity because residents have yet to apply for meters with the utility company.

Rey Campanera, a two-term councilman in Baseco since 1998, is grateful as well for the work being done by nonprofit groups like Gawad Kalinga and Habitat for Humanity. "Finally, legitimate residents are being provided their right to decent housing," he said.

His wife would have been extremely happy about that, said Abad, 59, adding that theirs was a "Cinderella marriage." They met in 1970 during a Merrill Lynch training program, he said, and married, in 1974.

She landed a job in Manhattan in 1978 with investment bankers Keefe, Bruyette & Woods. She rose to senior vice president at the firm, which moved into the south tower in 1985.

When a truck loaded with explosives tore a hole in the underground garage of the north tower in 1993, Abad said his wife walked down 90 floors and was covered in soot. "At first, we were fearful about her going back," he said, "but, like with everything, time makes you forget."

Still, Abad said, he won't forget the images of Sept. 11.

He was on his daily treadmill run when the phone rang that morning. "Don't worry," Abad said his wife assured him from her office on the 89th floor. "I'm OK. I said, 'What are you talking about?' She said, 'Turn on the TV.'"

Video of the burning tower played on television, prompting Abad to call his wife. As they talked, he watched horrified as the second jetliner slammed into her tower. "Your building just got hit," he told her. She cut the call short. Then around 9:25 a.m. she called again to say the heat was getting unbearable and people were trying to leave.

"Pray, please pray," she told him. "Call me as soon as you can," he said.

In the aftermath of his wife's death, Abad said he searched for a purpose - something "meaningful."

He sponsored a couple of young Filipino girls whose photos adorn his fridge, and even made donations to American Indian causes.

But when former schoolmate Mike Goco told him about the work a Philippines-based nonprofit was doing to provide housing for residents in metropolitan Manila, he had an epiphany.

Abad recalled how, heartbroken by the street urchins his wife saw, some as young as 4-years-old selling lottery tickets on one of several trips to his homeland, she spent two days handing out one-peso coins to every kid she crossed paths with.

Abad partnered with Gawad Kalinga, taking a portion of the victim compensation he received to finance the construction of the village that now bears his wife's name and picture on a plaque at the gateway.

"The lives of 50 families will improve dramatically because my wife died," Abad said shortly before leaving Long Island last week on a five-week trip to the Philippines where he plans to break ground on a second housing project. "This time, I want to get my hands dirty." - Collin Nash  From Newsday

Strawberries and Cream Biscuits

SoBA has an extreme attraction to the biscuits that come with the Popeye's fried chicken that we sometimes order (don't judge us - it's a good meal to have at the pool, which is now, sadly closed for the season).

He would probably go bonkers over these.  From the Smitten Kitchen.


Strawberries and Cream Biscuits
Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon (15 grams) aluminum-free baking powder 
• 1/4 cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt 
• 6 tablespoons (85 grams) cold, unsalted butter 
• 1 cup (about 130 grams) chopped very ripe strawberries (I quarter small or medium ones and further chop larger ones) 
• 1 cup heavy cream 

Preparation
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In the bottom of a large, wide-ish bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, sugar and salt together. Add butter, either by cutting it in with two knives or a pastry blender (alternatively, you can freeze the butter and grate it in on the large holes of a box grater; a tip I learned from you guys) cut it into the flour mixture with a pastry blender, breaking it up until the mixture resembles a crumbly meal with tiny pea-sized bits of butter about. Gently stir in the strawberries, so that they are coated in dry ingredient, then stir in heavy cream. (I like to use a rubber spatula to gently lift and turn the ingredients over each other.) When you’ve mixed it in as best as you can with the spatula, go ahead and knead it once or twice in the bowl, to create one mass. Do not worry about getting the dough evenly mixed. It’s far more important that the dough is not overworked.

Generously flour your counter. With as few movements as possible, transfer your dough to the counter, generously flour the top of it and with your hands or a rolling pin, gently roll or press the dough out to a 3/4-inch thickness. Cut into 2 1/2-inch circles with a floured biscuit cutter or top edge of a drinking glass, pressing straight down and not twisting (this makes for nice layered edges) as you cut. Carefully transfer scones to prepared baking sheet, leaving a couple inches between each.

You can re-roll the scraps of dough, but don’t freak out over how wet the dough becomes as the strawberries have had more time to release their juice. They’ll still bake up wonderfully.

Bake the scones for 12 to 15 minutes, until bronzed at the edges and the strawberry juices are trickling out of the biscuits in places. Cool in pan for a minute, then transfer to a cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Do ahead: Biscuits are generally best the day they are baked. However, if you wish to get a lead on them, you can make them, arrange them on your parchment-lined sheet and freeze them. If you’re prepping just one day in advance, cover the tray with plastic wrap and bake them the day you need them. If you’re preparing them more than one day in advance, once they are frozen, transfer them to a freezer bag or container. Bring them back to a parchment-lined sheet when you’re ready to bake them. No need to defrost the froze, unbaked scones, just add 2 to 3 minutes to your baking time.

West Virginia - #35, June 20, 1863

We have arrived at West Virginia, a state that became part of the United States having been a part of another state - West Virginia seceded from the rest of Virginia during the Civil War and was admitted as a Union State shortly before the battle of Gettysburg.  As a result, West Virginia is the only state in the Union to have acquired its sovereignty by proclamation of the President of the United States. 

Some fun facts about the Mountain State:

• The state is considered the southern most northern state and the northern most southern state.
• Mother's Day was first observed at Andrews Church in Grafton on May 10, 1908.
• Jackson's Mill is the site of the first 4-H Camp in the United States.
• The New River Gorge Bridge near Fayetteville is the second highest steel arch bridge in the United States and the longest steel arch bridge (1,700 feet) in the world. Every October on Bridge Day, the road is closed and individuals parachute and bungee cord jump 876 feet off the bridge.
• West Virginia has an mean altitude of 1,500 feet, giving it the highest average altitude east of the Mississippi.
• T. Bailey Brown, the first Union solider killed in the Civil War, died on May 22, 1861, at Fetterman, Taylor County.
• Minnie Buckingham Harper, a member of the House of Delegates by appointment in 1928, was the first African American woman to become a member of a legislative body in the United States. 
• Chester Merriman of Romney was the youngest soldier of World War I, having enlisted at the age of 14. 
• The first brick street in the world was laid in Charleston, West Virginia, on October 23, 1870, on Summers Street, between Kanawha and Virginia Streets.

The current Governor of West Virginia is Democrat Earl Ray Tomblin.  Both Senators for West Virginia are Democrats, the senior Senator is Jay Rockefeller (John D. Rockefeller IV) and the junior Senator is former Governor of the state, Joe Manchin III. There are only three members in the WV Congressional delegation, two Republicans and one Democrat.

• 1st District - David McKinley (R)
• 2nd District - Shelley Moore Capito (R)
• 3rd District - Nick Rahall (D)

Facts

• State Capital (and largest city) - Charleston
• Date of Admission - June 20, 1863
• Area - 24,230 sq mi (41st) 
• Population (2011 est.) - 1,855,364 (37th) 
• State Motto - "Montani semper liberi" "Mountaineers are always free"
• State Nickname - The Mountain State
• State animal - black bear
• State bird - cardinal
• State flower - rhododendron
• State tree - sugar maple
• State University - West Virginia University was established on February 7, 1867 under the name of "Agricultural College of West Virginia."
• West Virginia State Archives part of the Division of Culture and History

Links

• wv.gov - the Official Website of the State of West Virginia
• The WV Tourism site - West Virginia Tourism ("Wild and Wonderful")
• Wikipedia 
• 50states.com entry for West Virginia
• InfoPlease entry for West Virginia
• The West Virginia Encyclopedia
• USDA Fact Sheet for West Virginia

Prominent West Virginians - (here's a few lists to peruse, one and two)

• Civil War Spy Belle Boyd
• Baseball Hall of Fame member George Brett
• Pearl S. Buck
• The last survivor of World War I, Frank Buckles (d. 2011)
• Harry F. Byrd
• Robert C. Byrd
• Soprano Phyllis Curtin
• Black nationalist and abolitionist Martin Delany
• Frontiersman Billy Dixon
• Actress Joanne Dru
• Harvard Professor and "beer summit" attendee, Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
• Abraham Lincoln's mother, Nancy Hanks
• John Henry, he of the hammer
• Stonewall Jackson (although born in what was then just regular Virginia)
• Newspaper magnate John S. Knight
• Don Knotts 
• The third Mrs. Billy Joel, Katie Lee Joel 
• Hollywood Squares Host Peter Marshall (and Joanne Dru's brother)
• WV Settler Morgan Morgan (no, really)
• Dwight Whitney Morrow (served one year in the US Senate, from NJ, before his death)
• Olympic Gymnast Mary Lou Retton
• Labor Leader Walter Reuther
• Dark Shadows actor (and portrayer of Lincoln at Ford's Theatre) David Selby
• Nuclear Scientist Lewis L. Strauss
• US Secretary of State under Jimmy Carter Cyrus Vance
• Chuck Yeager

Grilled Lemon-Coriander Chicken

Today is Labor Day.  It is the unofficial end of summer and a required grilling day.  There is a rumor the C in DC family may be joining us for dinner this evening - but the Brave Astronauts are going to try and get some pool time in today as well.  After today, our pool will only be opened next weekend and then closed for the season.

I got a round of golf in on Saturday and yesterday we all took in the red-hot Washington Nationals as they try to seal up a post-season berth.  If you had told me at the beginning of the season that both the Nationals and the Orioles would be likely playoff teams, I would have called you crazy.

I have a good idea of what we may be grilling today for our Labor Day barbecue - it might be this - or something else altogether.  Have a great Labor Day!

Grilled Lemon-Coriander Chicken
from Gourmet | May 2006
Grilling a whole chicken cuts down on prep time and makes for a dramatic presentation. A purée made from fresh herbs, garlic, and chile spread under the skin of the bird keeps the meat moist. 
Yield: Makes 4 servings
Active Time: 25 min
Total Time: 1 1/2 hr

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro sprigs 
• 1/4 cup olive oil 
• 2 shallots, chopped (1/2 cup) 
• 1 large garlic clove, chopped 
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice 
• 1 fresh serrano chile, minced, including seeds 
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander 
• 1 teaspoon sugar 
• 3/4 teaspoon salt 
• 1 (3- to 3 1/2-lb) chicken, rinsed and patted dry 
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted and cooled 

Special equipment: kitchen string; a large chimney starter (if using charcoal); an instant-read thermometer

Preparation
Purée cilantro, oil, shallots, garlic, lemon zest and juice, chile, coriander, sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor until it forms a paste. Leave any fat in opening of chicken cavity and sprinkle cavity with pepper and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Starting at cavity end, gently slide an index finger between skin and flesh of breast and legs to loosen skin (be careful not to tear skin). Using a small spoon, slide cilantro purée under skin over breast and drumsticks, using your finger on outside of skin to push purée out of spoon and distribute evenly. Tie legs together with kitchen string and tuck wing tips under. Brush outside of chicken all over with butter.

Prepare grill for cooking over indirect heat with medium-hot charcoal (moderate heat for gas)

To cook chicken using a charcoal grill: Lightly oil grill rack, then put chicken on rack with no coals directly underneath and cook, covered with lid, until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, 40 to 50 minutes. (Add more briquettes during grilling if necessary to maintain heat.) Transfer chicken to a platter and let stand 15 minutes.

To cook chicken using a gas grill: Lightly oil grill rack, then put chicken above shut-off burner. Grill, covered with lid, turning chicken 180 degrees halfway through cooking if using a 2-burner grill, until thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thigh (do not touch bone) registers 170°F, 35 to 45 minutes.

Cooks' notes:

• Chicken can be prepared, but not grilled, 1 day ahead and chilled, covered with plastic wrap. Let stand at cool room temperature 30 minutes before grilling.
• If you can't grill outdoors, chicken can be roasted on an oiled rack set in a roasting pan in middle of a 375°F oven about 1 1/4 hours.

Kansas - #34, January 29, 1861

Spanish conquistadors and French explorers were the first Westerners to travel Kansas - Coronado in 1541 and Sieur de la Salle in 1682.  The land that became Kansas was ceded to Spain by France in 1763, briefly returned to France in 1800 and became part of the United States as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803.  In addition to Lewis and Clark, Zebulon Pike and Stephen H. Long also explored the region in the early 19th Century.  The first permanent settlements in Kansas were outposts, Fort Leavenworth (1827), Fort Scott (1842), and Fort Riley (1853), which were established to protect travelers along the Santa Fe and Oregon Trails.  In the years leading up to the Civil War, conflict between the pro- and anti-slavery forces earned the region the grim title of Bleeding Kansas.

Kansas is best known today as an agricultural force and the landscape features wheat fields, oil-well derricks, herds of cattle, and grain-storage elevators.  The state is also a leader in petroleum production and the nation's leading producer of helium. Wichita is one of the nation's leading aircraft-manufacturing centers, ranking first in production of private aircraft.

Kansas also boasts a presidential birthplace - Dwight Eisenhower was born in the state and his boyhood home and presidential library is located in Abilene.

The current Governor of  is Republican (and former Senator) Sam Brownback.  Both Senators for Kansas are Republicans, Jerry Moran (who is Jerry Moran?) and Pat Roberts as are the four members of the Congressional delegation.

• 1st District - Tim Huelskamp (R)
• 2nd District - Lynn Jenkins (R)
• 3rd District - Kevin Yoder (R)
• 4th District - Mike Pompeo (R)

Facts

• State Capital - Topeka
• Largest city - Wichita
• Date of Admission - January 29, 1861
• Area - 82,277 sq mi (15th) 
• Population (2011 est.) - 2,871,238 (33rd) 
• State Motto - "Ad astra per aspera" "To the stars through difficulties" 
• State Nickname - The Sunflower State, The Jayhawk State
• State animal - buffalo
• State bird - Western meadowlark
• State flower - sunflower (look, it's right there on the flag)
• State tree - cottonwood
• State song - Home on the Range (see also below)
• State University - The University of Kansas ("This is Lawrence.  This is Lawrence, Kansas.  Is there anybody there?  Anybody at all?" - name that apocalyptic, groundbreaking movie)
• Kansas State Archives (part of the KHS)
• The Kansas Historical Society 

Links

• kansas.gov - the Official Website of the State of Kansas
• The  Tourism site - Travel Kansas
• Wikipedia 
• 50states.com entry for Kansas
• InfoPlease entry for Kansas
• Cutler's History of Kansas (first published 1883)

Prominent Kansans - (here's a few lists to peruse, one and two)

• Early film actors Buster Keaton, Roscoe Fatty Arbuckle, and Zasu Pitts
• C. D. Batchelor, political cartoonist 
• Aviation pioneers Walter Beech and Clyde Cessna
• The Band Kansas ?
• Poet Gwendolyn Brooks
• Erin Brockovich 
• Automobile Executive Walter Chrysler
• Presidential Advisor and Secretary of Defense Clark Clifford
• Artist John Steuart Curry
• Vice President (and Senator) Charles Curtis
• Bob Dole
• Barack Obama's mother, Stanley Ann Dunham
• Amelia Earhart
• Milton Eisenhower (the President's younger brother)
• Melissa Etheridge
• Dorothy Gale 
• Former Senator, Presidential candidate Gary Hart
• The individual responsible for keeping federal government employees out of partisan political activities, Senator Carl Hatch
• Dennis Hopper
• New York Yankees manager Ralph Houk
• Playwright William Inge 
• The Big Train, Walter Johnson
• Emmett Kelly
• Clark Kent
• Presidential candidate Alf Landon 
• Edgar Lee Masters
• The first African American to win an Academy Award, Hattie McDaniel
• Inventor of basketball (though born in Canada) James Naismith
• Jazz musician Charlie Parker
• Filmmaker Gordon Parks
• Photojournalist Eugene W. Smith
• Confectioner Russel Stover (real guy!)
• Mary Ann Summers
• Television News pioneer and Timex pitchman John Cameron Swayze ("It takes a licking and keeps on ticking!")
• Associate Justice of the Supreme Court Charles E. Whittaker