Sylvie Kaye's Blog
October 6, 2016
Let's talk about Fall
Warning: Slippery When Wet!
Is the season called Fall because of the falling leaves?
If so it’s aptly named. Fall is a season when leaves die, even as they’re awash with brilliant colors. Reds, golds, oranges, leaves blaze with brilliance before their demise while others simply turn brown and crisp before they fall.
Regardless, when leaves fall we grab for our rakes. If not, the wind bunches them into clumps outside our doors and they ride in on a gust. Or wet, dead leaves stick to our shoes and boots and follow us indoors, making a clean up necessary.
Fall air smells clean, fresh, and crisp. Rotting leaves do not. Wet ones harbor musty, mildewed odors and can create slippery walkways that lead to other falls.
Bottom line, enjoy the colors of the turning leaves before they fall or you do!
Is the season called Fall because of the falling leaves?
If so it’s aptly named. Fall is a season when leaves die, even as they’re awash with brilliant colors. Reds, golds, oranges, leaves blaze with brilliance before their demise while others simply turn brown and crisp before they fall.
Regardless, when leaves fall we grab for our rakes. If not, the wind bunches them into clumps outside our doors and they ride in on a gust. Or wet, dead leaves stick to our shoes and boots and follow us indoors, making a clean up necessary.
Fall air smells clean, fresh, and crisp. Rotting leaves do not. Wet ones harbor musty, mildewed odors and can create slippery walkways that lead to other falls.
Bottom line, enjoy the colors of the turning leaves before they fall or you do!
March 12, 2016
Let's Talk about Spring
Spring
You light up my life with longer hours of daylight, and more time to procrastinate—take that jog or hike or not!
Slower options to explore:
A walk or stroll to admire blossoming Cherry trees and budding Crocuses. No need for boots, gloves, or a parka.
The spectacle from a window of a sun shower with its colorful rainbow.
A seat on the deck or a park bench with a quick read like Never Dare a Cowboy, a warm brew of coffee or tea, and a crunchy snack. An added bonus, a frisky squirrel or a chattering chipmunk could stop by to savor the crumbs.
A visit to a Friday night farmers’ market with its tasty fruits and vegetables, followed by a Saturday morning yard sale with its tempting bargains.
Sights, sounds, smells:
The grass is green.
The birds are singing.
The bees are buzzing, busy making honey or love with their queen in the secrecy of their hive.
The windows are open to the scent of Spring’s fresh air, and a sneeze or two or three if allergies act up.
Regardless what you choose to do or not do, winter with its gray days and cold winds are behind us. Spring is in the air and strawberries and shortcake are not far behind.
You light up my life with longer hours of daylight, and more time to procrastinate—take that jog or hike or not!
Slower options to explore:
A walk or stroll to admire blossoming Cherry trees and budding Crocuses. No need for boots, gloves, or a parka.
The spectacle from a window of a sun shower with its colorful rainbow.
A seat on the deck or a park bench with a quick read like Never Dare a Cowboy, a warm brew of coffee or tea, and a crunchy snack. An added bonus, a frisky squirrel or a chattering chipmunk could stop by to savor the crumbs.
A visit to a Friday night farmers’ market with its tasty fruits and vegetables, followed by a Saturday morning yard sale with its tempting bargains.
Sights, sounds, smells:
The grass is green.
The birds are singing.
The bees are buzzing, busy making honey or love with their queen in the secrecy of their hive.
The windows are open to the scent of Spring’s fresh air, and a sneeze or two or three if allergies act up.
Regardless what you choose to do or not do, winter with its gray days and cold winds are behind us. Spring is in the air and strawberries and shortcake are not far behind.
November 23, 2015
Let's talk about Fruitcake!
Fruitcake: Love it or leave it?
Fruitcake is mainly eaten during the Christmas season in Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, and the USA. In Bulgaria, India, and Australia, the fruitcake is found throughout the year. In Romania, fruit cake is made for every major holiday. In Ireland, a type of fruitcake is eaten at Halloween and contains small objects such as coins.
Plum cake was an early form of fruitcake in England. Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding cake was a multi-tiered fruitcake.
Traditional fruitcakes doused with brandy and powdered sugar, (no high fructose corn syrup) both of which prevent mold, give rise to the myth that fruit cakes last forever and give comedians such as Carson and Leno food for fodder.
And those comedians aren’t alone in picking on the traditional Christmas cake. Manitou Springs, Colorado, hosts the Great Fruitcake Toss to regift your cake on the first Saturday in January. The all-time Great Fruitcake Toss record is 1,420 feet, set in January 2007 by a group of eight Boeing engineers. For the kids, there’s a mini-catapult fruitcake event in Colorado Springs, Co. Unconventional experiments on donated fruitcakes are conducted annually by the Science Museum of Virginia.
On the flip side, my hubby and I are fruitcake fans, and we are not alone.
The people of Independence California have a fruitcake festival every year in December to honor and relish the wonderful cake. Fruitcake tasting parties are hosted by the California Sierra Madre Playhouse. A fruitcake festival in Monroeville, AL celebrates Truman Capote and his Christmas short story.
Fruitcake memories from Truman Capote’s 1956 short story begins with a woman looking out her kitchen window and exclaiming, "Oh my, it's fruitcake weather."
Capote’s not the only author to write about fruitcakes. These titles were taken randomly from a long list on Amazon. For more titles go to Amazon Books.
The Fruitcake Murders by Ace Collins, The Fruitcake by Caren Rich, Fruitcake and Foul Play by Laura Pauling, The Fruitcake Challenge by by Carrie Fancett Pagels, Fatal Fruitcake by Mary Kay Andrews, Antiques Fruitcake by Barbara Allan, Felony Fruitcake by Linda Kozar, and The
Fruitcake Murder by L. A. Goth.
Happy eating and reading!!
Fruitcake is mainly eaten during the Christmas season in Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Poland, Portugal, and the USA. In Bulgaria, India, and Australia, the fruitcake is found throughout the year. In Romania, fruit cake is made for every major holiday. In Ireland, a type of fruitcake is eaten at Halloween and contains small objects such as coins.
Plum cake was an early form of fruitcake in England. Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding cake was a multi-tiered fruitcake.
Traditional fruitcakes doused with brandy and powdered sugar, (no high fructose corn syrup) both of which prevent mold, give rise to the myth that fruit cakes last forever and give comedians such as Carson and Leno food for fodder.
And those comedians aren’t alone in picking on the traditional Christmas cake. Manitou Springs, Colorado, hosts the Great Fruitcake Toss to regift your cake on the first Saturday in January. The all-time Great Fruitcake Toss record is 1,420 feet, set in January 2007 by a group of eight Boeing engineers. For the kids, there’s a mini-catapult fruitcake event in Colorado Springs, Co. Unconventional experiments on donated fruitcakes are conducted annually by the Science Museum of Virginia.
On the flip side, my hubby and I are fruitcake fans, and we are not alone.
The people of Independence California have a fruitcake festival every year in December to honor and relish the wonderful cake. Fruitcake tasting parties are hosted by the California Sierra Madre Playhouse. A fruitcake festival in Monroeville, AL celebrates Truman Capote and his Christmas short story.
Fruitcake memories from Truman Capote’s 1956 short story begins with a woman looking out her kitchen window and exclaiming, "Oh my, it's fruitcake weather."
Capote’s not the only author to write about fruitcakes. These titles were taken randomly from a long list on Amazon. For more titles go to Amazon Books.
The Fruitcake Murders by Ace Collins, The Fruitcake by Caren Rich, Fruitcake and Foul Play by Laura Pauling, The Fruitcake Challenge by by Carrie Fancett Pagels, Fatal Fruitcake by Mary Kay Andrews, Antiques Fruitcake by Barbara Allan, Felony Fruitcake by Linda Kozar, and The
Fruitcake Murder by L. A. Goth.
Happy eating and reading!!
September 8, 2014
Let's talk about Chili...and cowboys and recipes
Let’s talk Chili…and cowboy and recipes.
How about a recipe for a hearty pot of western chili, a staple of the old west and the culinary quest of many modern day cook-offs? Western Chili dates back to the cattle drives of the old west, where chuckwagon food was comprised of lots of beef and beans, along with biscuits and coffee.
A bit of trivia: Who invented the chuckwagon—the cowboy's portable kitchen used on the cattle trails?
Charles Goodnight in 1866.
Goodnight, a former Texas Ranger, owned the first cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle and became involved with Oliver Loving in the herding of cattle north to the railroads. To feed the cowboys on the cattle drive, Goodnight outfitted an army wagon with a cupboard that had compartments for cook pans and utensils and a fold-down door to use as a work table.
Below is my recipe for Chili. Hope you enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 onion, diced
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz.) can great northern beans
1 (15 oz.) can pork and beans
1 cup corn (optional)
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 small (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
How about a recipe for a hearty pot of western chili, a staple of the old west and the culinary quest of many modern day cook-offs? Western Chili dates back to the cattle drives of the old west, where chuckwagon food was comprised of lots of beef and beans, along with biscuits and coffee.
A bit of trivia: Who invented the chuckwagon—the cowboy's portable kitchen used on the cattle trails?
Charles Goodnight in 1866.
Goodnight, a former Texas Ranger, owned the first cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle and became involved with Oliver Loving in the herding of cattle north to the railroads. To feed the cowboys on the cattle drive, Goodnight outfitted an army wagon with a cupboard that had compartments for cook pans and utensils and a fold-down door to use as a work table.
Below is my recipe for Chili. Hope you enjoy!
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons oil
1/2 onion, diced
½ teaspoon minced garlic
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15 oz.) can kidney beans
1 (15 oz.) can great northern beans
1 (15 oz.) can pork and beans
1 cup corn (optional)
1 (14.5 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 small (8 oz.) can of tomato sauce
June 23, 2014
Let's Talk About Cowboys...
Let’s talk cowboys...
How many types of cowboys are there? More than you think, I’ll bet.
There are the Hollywood cowboys, such as Urban Cowboy, Midnight Cowboy, and Rhinestone cowboy. A few more movies with Cowboy in the title include The Cowboys with John Wayne, who is perhaps the ultimate American cowboy, Cowboy Up, The Last Cowboy, and My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys.
In advertising we have the Budweiser Cowboy and the Marlboro Cowboy. On Wall Street we have corporate cowboys, and in Times Square, the Naked Cowboy who’s a street performer.
Sports have the pro football team, the Dallas Cowboys, and the college football team, the Wyoming Cowboys. Rodeo cowboys are athletes, too. Tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronco riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing take skill and training.
Then we have singing cowboys like Roy Rodgers and Gene Autry, and too many modern country western singers to mention. Songs that readily come to mind are: “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” – Toby Keith, “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys” – Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, “Cowboy Up” – Joni Harms, and “Save a Horse,(Ride a Cowboy)” – Big & Rich.
Let’s not forget the legendary cowboys who tamed or shot up the West. Lawmen such as Wyatt Earp and Pat Garrett went up against outlaws such as the Clantons at OK Corral and Billy the Kid. Sheriff’s posses chased down Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Today, many state troopers other than Texans wear cowboy hats. Law enforcement also has camo cowboys, who chase down cocaine cowboys that peddle many forms of illegal drugs and carrying Uzis.
The cowboy of my heart is the one who’s willing to put himself on the line to get the job done and his heart on the line for the woman he loves.
If you can add cowboys I haven’t mentioned to list, drop me a line!
http://bit.ly/sylviekaye
How many types of cowboys are there? More than you think, I’ll bet.
There are the Hollywood cowboys, such as Urban Cowboy, Midnight Cowboy, and Rhinestone cowboy. A few more movies with Cowboy in the title include The Cowboys with John Wayne, who is perhaps the ultimate American cowboy, Cowboy Up, The Last Cowboy, and My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys.
In advertising we have the Budweiser Cowboy and the Marlboro Cowboy. On Wall Street we have corporate cowboys, and in Times Square, the Naked Cowboy who’s a street performer.
Sports have the pro football team, the Dallas Cowboys, and the college football team, the Wyoming Cowboys. Rodeo cowboys are athletes, too. Tie-down roping, team roping, steer wrestling, saddle bronco riding, bareback bronc riding, bull riding and barrel racing take skill and training.
Then we have singing cowboys like Roy Rodgers and Gene Autry, and too many modern country western singers to mention. Songs that readily come to mind are: “Should’ve Been a Cowboy” – Toby Keith, “Mamas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow up to be Cowboys” – Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, “Cowboy Up” – Joni Harms, and “Save a Horse,(Ride a Cowboy)” – Big & Rich.
Let’s not forget the legendary cowboys who tamed or shot up the West. Lawmen such as Wyatt Earp and Pat Garrett went up against outlaws such as the Clantons at OK Corral and Billy the Kid. Sheriff’s posses chased down Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Today, many state troopers other than Texans wear cowboy hats. Law enforcement also has camo cowboys, who chase down cocaine cowboys that peddle many forms of illegal drugs and carrying Uzis.
The cowboy of my heart is the one who’s willing to put himself on the line to get the job done and his heart on the line for the woman he loves.
If you can add cowboys I haven’t mentioned to list, drop me a line!
http://bit.ly/sylviekaye
