NATIONAL DOUGHNUT DAY!!!!!

Well, the 'Busy Bee' is busy (again), so I guess this one is up to me. 

National Doughnut Day, celebrated in the United States on the first Friday in June, is a fundraising event for the needy.                                                                     Created by THE SALVATION ARMY

in 1938, to also honor 200 of their volunteer members who went to France during World War I (then called The Great War). It was not possible to serve fresh baked goods from the huts established near the front lines, so two volunteers, Ensign Margaret Sheldon and  Adjutant Helen Purviance had the idea to make and serve doughnuts.

(They fried the doughnuts in upside down soldiers helmets! )  Instantly popular with the soldiers, Ensign Sheldon wrote in her diary - " Today I made twenty-two pies, three hundred doughnuts, and seven hundred cups of coffee." 

 The European soldiers had nicknamed the American soldiers "doughboys" because they were soft and inexperienced. Servicemen dubbed the women "Doughnut Dollies" and "Doughnut Lassies".

Probably because they were soft and sweet!

Even today, The Salvation Army still serves coffee and doughnuts at the sights of disasters, to emergency workers and civilian survivors. The Salvation Army is active in virtually every corner of the world.

During The Great Depression  that began with the Stock Market Crash of 1929, Hot soup, doughnuts, and hot coffee were served free to the unemployed. 









I love doughnuts, although I have been called a "doughnut snob" (by one who shall not be named) ,because my favorite doughnuts are the ones that are closer to pastries than traditional doughnuts. So here is a list of my favorite doughnuts (and /or pastries). 

CHOCOLATE ECLAIR
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A long oval pastry of choux pastry, also used in cream puffs, ( but a long raised doughnut can be used and actually that is how I prefer it) filled with custard and glazed with chocolate.

BOSTON CREAM
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The official state doughnut of Massachusetts. A round, raised doughnut filled with custard and glazed with chocolate.

BEIGNET
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One of the ten best foods to try in New Orleans. Square puffs of fried heaven covered in powdered sugar and served with cafe au lait or hot chocolate. Made famous by the Cafe du Monde in the French Market in New Orleans  (other places serve them now and you can buy the mix online or eat them at Disney resorts.) I see they are calling them Tiana's Beignets now, which is fitting. I thought The Princess and the Frog (wouldn't The Frog Princess make more sense?) was adorable. I will still pass on those Mickey Mouse-shaped ones,thank you, but the ones at Ralph Brennan's Jazz Cafe are very good. 

APPLE FRITTER
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The batter is filled with chunks of sweet apple, fried until crunchy on the outside and soft in the middle and then glazed. Yum.

ICED COCONUT
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A white cake doughnut with vanilla icing and covered with  shredded coconut.


BEAR CLAW
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The number of digits seems to vary by shop, and I have only had one with actual claws (almonds) so I think they might have called this a Bear Paw instead. Cinnamon inside and glazed and dusted with crumbs or ground nuts. 

CHURROS
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A Latin American /South American of fried choux pastry can be found in many different shapes (I picked this heart-shaped one because I thought it was so sweet), sometimes rolled in cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar or served with a chocolate dipping sauce. I had my first Churro at the Renaissance Faire in California when I was visiting as a child. I do not remember what they looked like, only their intoxicating hot cinnamon-y aroma as it beckoned to us from across the fairgrounds. They were hot and rolled in powdered sugar and I thought I had died and gone to Heaven. 

I also had my first Italian ice there. Orange, served in it's own skin, carved like a little bowl and drizzled with raw honey. Little did I know that I would grow up to work for a man who (while helping me unpack my kitchen boxes when they arrived and saw my ice cream maker) would ask me if I knew how to make Italian ices. No, I admitted. But I soon learned. For him.💘

The more traditional doughnuts are - 

THE PLAIN CAKE DOUGHNUT
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THE GLAZED DOUGHNUT
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JELLY OR JAM-FILLED
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POWDERED
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Sometimes filled with jam, custard, or lemon.

THE OLD-FASHIONED
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Made with a sour cream-infused dough.

THE CHOCOLATE
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 I adore chocolate !, but chocolate doughnuts always seem to be missing something in the umm....chocolate department.

THE CINNAMON ROLL
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Cinnamon infused dough rolled, fried, and glazed. 



Now where was this one on STAR WARS DAY?

Apparently, AUSTRALIA is very fond of doughnuts AND Nutella Spread and have combined them into the Nutella Doughnut,

and the Nutella Doughnut Milkshake.

I do not quite understand this one.

They are also apparently fond of Sushi and doughnuts and this is the result.

(If TheChamCham sees this he will start packing for Australia).

I found the following picture while doing my research for this post. I think it is absolute proof that Australians REALLY love their pastries!

 I am still speechless and TheChamCham wanted to call the bakery to see if the little fellow was alright (after he stopped laughing). We hope that the possum was fine and that he had the money to pay for his feast or was at least willing to work off what he owed.

A "friend" brought me three Badusha/Balushahi from a trip to INDIA (who knew?) and they were very tasty ( especially for being over fourteen hours old!)

Crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, dipped in a sugar syrup and garnished with chopped pistachios. The ingredients include ghee (clarified butter) and yoghurt. Someday, I would like to try a freshly made one. (Hint.Hint.)

On The Simpsons episode entitled "Treehouse of Horror XI " (The "Night of the Dolphin" segment) Homer ( who is of course famous for his doughnut obsession)

goes through the Krusty Burger drive-through and orders among other things, a Doughnut Burger with Cheese. 
We laugh, thinking who else but Homer Simpson would think that something so ridiculous could exist except in his gastronomical imagination? 

IT DOES!!! 😱

From The Straw in San Francisco, California, I give you..........The Ringmaster!

And not to be outdone, The Food Network's Paula Deen presents her Donut, Bacon, and Fried Egg Burger. (A sandwich only Homer Simpson could love).

Heaven Help Us!


So to end my salute to National Doughnut Day, I made a batch of doughnuts last night to celebrate.

With all modesty, I think they were the best doughnuts I have ever made (although, to tell the truth I have not made a lot of doughnuts) and was looking forward to breakfast.

But....this is what I found when I got up this morning.

Between TheChamCham, the kids, (and I suspect the dogs had a morsel or two), they did not stand a chance.

They say that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but in my little world, the sincerest form of flattery is always an empty plate. 

                                                           Happy Doughnut Day to all,
                         

                                                                                                                   Tess 🌷

P.S. I am making more as soon as I post this. But I doubt they will last the day.🐾

NATIONAL TAP DANCE DAY !

Today is National Tap Dance Day. As a child, up until my early teens, I was a tap dancer. Yes, I admit it. I also did the Hula and Tahitian dancing (actually, I still do for exercise and the occasional performance for a very special audience of one who shall remain nameless), but that is another story.

I thought it would be fitting to honor a list of my favorite tap dancers with a little history and a few photos and videos.

BILL "BOJANGLES" ROBINSON  May 25 🎂1878- November 25, 1949



Beginning his long career in minstrel shows,Bill Robinson appeared in vaudeville, on Broadway, and in Hollywood films (four with Shirley Temple) as well as radio and television.

Here is a clip from The Littlest Rebel (1934)

FRED ASTAIRE May 10, 1899-June 22, 1987

Fred Astaire began his long career partnering his older sister Adele in vaudeville, on Broadway, and the London stage until 1932 when Adele married and became Lady Cavendish and the team went their separate ways. Eventually, Hollywood beckoned, Fred made 31 films, ten with Ginger Rogers, and the rest is history.

Here is a clip from Top Hat (1935).

GINGER ROGERS July 16, 1911- April 25, 1995

Also began her career in vaudeville, moved to Broadway and then onto Hollywood where she excelled in drama, comedy, and musical films (ten with Fred Astaire) winning a Best Actress Academy Award for Kitty Foyle (1941) ,as well as television and radio appearances. 










Here is a clip from The Barkleys of Broadway (1949) the last pairing of Ginger and Fred where she clearly proves that she could tap with the best of them.

SHIRLEY TEMPLE April 23, 1928-February 10, 2014

Shirley Temple began her career at the age of three in the Baby Burlesks and Frolics of Youth shorts and small but stand out roles in Red-Haired Alibi (1932) and Stand Up and Cheer (1933) with James Dunn, She became an international star after Little Miss Marker (1934) and Baby Take a Bow (1934)  also opposite James Dunn ,

who she would work with once more in Bright Eyes (1934). From 1935-1938 she was the #1 Box Office Star and President Franklin D.Roosevelt declared that her films had helped America through the Great Depression.

Here is another clip from "The Littlest Rebel" (1935) with Bill Robinson.

And last, but by no means least.......................

ARTHUR DUNCAN September 25, 1933 -

Mr. Duncan entered show business at the ripe old age of thirteen. He later toured with The Jimmy Rodgers Show and hosted his own television variety show in Australia. After several years performing in Europe, he was discovered by Lawrence Welk's manager and offered a guest appearance on Mr. Welk's television show. Mr. Duncan proved so popular that he was offered a permanent place with Welk's "family" of regular entertainers and from 1964 until 1982 he could be seen every Sunday night tapping his heart out.

My family never missed The Lawrence Welk show and Mr Duncan was definitely my favorite,

Here is a clip of this wonderful artiste.

Where are my tap shoes today? I have no idea. I put in a call to my mother (who, like most mothers ,including her own, had hoped to have given birth to the next Shirley Temple, but alas, had not). She said she had no idea, but did I want her to send them to me if she found them ? No, I replied, wondering why she had not bronzed them like my other baby shoes, first riding boots, and first high heels. Apparently, she had been too disappointed.

 Oh well, I doubt they would still fit me anyway. 🌷

Mother's Day

TheChamCham and I have been away from home recently, so we were unable to spend Mother's Day with my mother, but we sent her two new Gardenia plants  (when she was a concert pianist, she always wore two in her hair when performing) to add to her collection and her favorite candy.

California Brittle from See's Candies.

My favorite film mothers include Mrs. Brown from NATIONAL VELVET (1945) played by the wonderful Anne Revere who won the Best Supporting Oscar for her performance and especially for this scene.

Mrs. Hansen from I REMEMBER MAMA (1948) played beautifully by Irene Dunne.

 "Marmee" from LITTLE WOMEN (1994) played by Susan Sarandon, encouraging her daughter Jo to go out into the world and live her dreams.

"Dearest" from LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY (1936) played by Dolores Costello Barrymore (Drew Barrymore's paternal Grandmother) willing to give up her son so that he can fulfill his destiny.

And Mrs. Jumbo from DUMBO (1941). I used to sing this song when I was a Nanny. It put my babies to sleep every time.

Do you have a favorite film mother ? 

NATIONAL LUPUS MONTH

              Tess and I have a very dear friend who suffers from Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, more commonly known as Lupus, an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system attacks healthy tissue, She was diagnosed six years ago after a major sunburn that left her face and hands so swollen that she could not open her eyes for several days and her own mother did not recognize her.  (According to Tess, who grew up with her, she spent every summer of her childhood covered in sunscreen and then ultimately zinc oxide because she burned anyway.) Thankfully, when she healed, her pretty face and hands returned to normal but she lost half of her beautiful waist length hair partially due to the stress and also because she could not comb or wash her hair and it became so tangled that it had to be cut. This incident left her so terrified of the sun that she has not left her home since and has become a virtual shut-in, only going outside after dark to tend her herb and flower garden. Our monthly visits take place in a cozy, storybook cottage that she shares with her mother, complete with blackout curtains on all but her mother's bedroom windows.The entirety of her home is lit charmingly by clear twinkle lights because of her photophobia (or sensitivity to light). The refreshments are fresh, organic, and mostly raw as she has come to believe that cooked food does not agree with her. It is somewhat like visiting Rapunzel locked away in her tower. She is a lovely, intelligent woman forced to hide from the outside world because of a cruel condition, but determined to make the best of it. 

Luckily for many future sufferers of Lupus, this scenario will be prevented by early diagnosis and preventative measures. If you know someone with Lupus there are many ways to be helpful to them.

Fatigue is a major symptom of Lupus. Offering to do a friend or relative's shopping or other errands for them would be much appreciated. If they have a pet, you could take it for a walk or play a game or two of hide the mouse. If they have children, be "uncle" or "auntie" for the day and take them out to a movie or sports event or for a picnic. Or if you like to cook, why not prepare a meal (or two) and put one in the freezer for another day. When we visit, we stay for a weekend and Tess cooks and bakes and I walk the Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (I added some pictures from the film 
 Restoration  (1995) for those who might not know what a these lovely little dogs look like. I love this film! -Tess)

                                                    LuLu Charles II's favorite.

Sam Neill as Charles II

Then I go 
fishing at the nearby river to stock their freezer with fresh, wild-caught salmon,(an excellent source of Omega-3.)

Not to be outdone,here is a picture of a salmon before.................

..........and After.

A gift basket is always welcome 
____________________________________

Books or videos in their favorite genre.
A CD of relaxing music.
Fresh fruit and /or vegetables from your garden (pesticide free).
Fresh flowers or a houseplant (also pesticide free)
Twinkle lights (apparently, you can never have enough)
Yogurt, Kefir, Kombucha Tea, 
Sunscreen, lip balm (Bert's Bees or Badger brand are especially good)
Wild-caught fresh fish (a wonderful source of Omega-3)

Celebrities with Lupus
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Tony Braxton
Kristen Johnston
Seal
Selena Gomez
Nick Cannon

This post was written by both of us, but typed up by My Tess (except for this part, Ow) because I went out to get the mail yesterday and jammed two of my fingers in the box  📫  😧 and it hurts to type.

Me: 😭  Tess: Oh, my poor baby !!! 💋💋💋    Me:  😉😊 (Let the pampering commence !  🍕🍣🍧🍰🍲🍷🍺☕🍝)   Tess: Why are you smiling ?  Me: 😳  (Uhhh....)

May The (Belated) Fourth Be With You.

Yesterday at lunchtime, TheChamCham came downstairs, and while we were eating he casually inquired what time the Star Wars party was starting, who I had invited, and what he was expected to wear.He says I stared at him as if he were speaking Swahili.

Me:What Star Wars party? Him: It's Star Wars Day today. I thought you knew. I got up and looked at the calendar above my desk and saw nothing but Mother's Day for the month of May. I asked him if he were teasing me. He looked like a disappointed five year old who did not receive the cowboy boots he had asked Santa for. Him:  Then we aren't doing anything?  Me: I had no idea.I wish you had told me. It is a little short notice. Him: (pouting beautifully) Oh. 😔o.k.   Then he went back upstairs and B.B. King wailed for the rest of the afternoon.

What to do ?

If you read my Easter post, you will know that I am up for a challenge and I do not like to disappoint my loved ones, especially my Mr.C. So, I went into holiday mode and threw together the most slapdash snacks and basic decorations I have ever "created" and by dinnertime we had ourselves a "party".

I did not invite anyone else (generations of Southern etiquette prevents me from ever inviting guests on less than twenty-four hours notice), I put The Empire Strikes Back

(our favorite) in the DVD player, laid the coffee table with the snacks (which were closer to what I would have served to my little ones back when I was a Nanny), plumped up the pillows on the sectional, and texted my Lord and Master that dinner was served in the media room. Dress: casual. 

 Blue Bantha milk with star shaped ice cubes.

"Hoth" Dogs,
Celery "light sabers", 









and hardboiled Lando's Eggs (Lando's Aide- photo) with black olive headsets,

(In between, we had the roast chicken and rice pilaf and green beans that I had already planned for dinner. I kept it warm in a chafing dish so that we wouldn't have to put the movie on pause. That always breaks the mood, I think.)

And for dessert, Dagobah Bars (brownies with coconut, chocolate chips, marshmallows and coffee) or Wampa Paws (the same ,with almond "claws", powdered sugar fur and strawberry jam "gore")
and Calrissian (rice) Crispies.

And guess what? He LOVED it !😊

He never fails to amaze me with his childlike appreciation of the simplest things.He says that when I arrived for my interview eight years ago, that he thought three things. First, that I was as pretty as a picture. Second, that I smelled like a bakery and to him that was nicer than any perfume. And third   (after serving him his requested macaroni and cheese) that I was the only woman who had ever made it for him from scratch (including his mother and his first wife). He said that he knew then that I was the one and he did not need to look any further.Who would have guessed that one of my grandmother's recipes, and not anything I had learned in cooking school,would not only win me the best job in the world, but the finest man in the world as well (although the latter took a lot longer and came as a complete and utter surprise.)


Let's see, Father's Day is only forty-four days away. I had best get a move on if I am going to do it up right!

                                 Is this not the most precious thing? I dare you not to smile.

                                                  When I was looking for the poster, I came across some cute photos of the cast that I thought you might enjoy. I certainly did.

 Harrison Ford, David Prowse, Peter Mayhew, Carrie Fisher,Mark Hamill, Kenny Baker.

Carrie Fisher and her stunt double, Sandra Gross.

And my favorite. I always wanted a Tauntaun but alas, I still have yet to find one. I did almost come close with a gray American Saddlebred mare who sort of moved the same way but instead of squealing she sounded more like Chewbacca and dove out at anyone who passed her box on another horse, including Mr. William Shatner, who looked suitably startled. "Naughty Girl." I chastised her. "THAT'S a girl?" Exclaimed Mr. Shatner. I apologized and he smiled and rode away,  and never passed that way again. Mr. Shatner is a very wise man. ☺️🌷