I hope you enjoy our monthly list of events, organizations or people to celebrate or follow. A few are funny, all are interesting and some are serious. Also, each month we will publish informative dessert or main meal recipes and reviews. Some times we will write about an ingredient we use, where it is made or grown, how it is harvested or even the ancient or modern history behind it. Whenever we learn of a modern-day chocolate convention, a big-time international business trade show or an interesting brand new dessert product in the grocery stores we will report it right here. So we hope you return each month for a look-see!
Special Days and Events
Google the names and terms for more information.
May 2024 Special Days and Events
May 1 Mother Goose Day
May 2 Robert’s Rules Day: Robert, Henry: Birth Anniversary-1837
May 3 Machiavelli, Niccolo: Birth Anniversary-1469
May 4 Audrey Hepburn: Birth Anniversary-1929
May 5 Japan: Children’s Day
May 6 Bannister Breaks Four-Minute Mile: Anniversary-1954
May 7 Lusitania Sinking: Anniversary-1915
May 8 V-E Day: Anniversary-1945
May 9 National Babysitters Day
May 10 Golden Spike Driving: Anniversary-1869
May 11 Battle of Hamburger Hill: Anniversary-1969
May 12 Limerick Day
May 13 Louis, Joe: Birth Anniversary-1914
May 14 Smallpox Vaccine Discovered: Anniversary-1796
May 15 Endangered Species Day
May 16 First Woman To Climb Mount Everest: Junko Tabei-1975
May 17 Brown vs Board of Education Decision: Anniversary-1954
May 18 Fonteyn, Margot: Birth Anniversary-1919
May 19 Boys’ Club Founded: Aniversary-1906
May 20 Lindberg Flight: Anniversary-1927
May 21 American Red Cross Founded: Anniversary-1881
May 22 Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan: Birth Anniversary-1859
May 23 Tappan, Lewis: Birth Anniversary-1788
May 24 Morse Open First Telegraph Line: Anniversary-1844
May 25 Constitutional Convention: Anniversary-1787
May 26 Silverheels, Jay: Birth Anniversary-1912
May 27 Cellophane Tape Patented: Aniversary-1930
May 28 Thorpe, James Francis (Jim): Birth Anniversary-1888
May 29 Hope, Bob: Birth Anniversary-1903
May 30 Peter 1: Birth Anniversary-1672
May 31 “Seinfeld” TV Premier: Anniversary-1990
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This week try out one of our family or friends' Favorite Recipes.
Send us your favorite family recipe so we can test it and post it on this page! Send
your recipe to info@pfudge.com along with a photo of who invented it!
7. Alta Jackson's Cheesecake
Ingredients:
To make the crust use the following three items:
1 "box" Duncan Hines yellow cake mix (minus one cup-dry)
2 Tablespoons oil
1 Egg
Press this mixture in the bottom and up the sides of a baking dish (preferably glass or pottery)
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Cream the following two items:
1 pound of cream cheese
1/2 cup of sugar
Add the one cup of the cake mix from above.
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Beat the following four items along with the cream cheese mix on medium speed for one minute:
3 eggs
3 tablespoons of lemon juice
3 teaspoons of vanilla extract.
1.5 cups of milk
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Bake at 350 degrees for between 45 and 55 minutes.
Steve's notes:
1. The original recipe called for Duncan Hines brand but you can use other brands instead.
2. I have two recipes and while one indicates 3 teaspoons of vanilla the other indicates 3 tablespoons. Hmmmm! So, I suggest using 1.5 tablespoons)
6. Sweet Potato-Black Bean Burgers
“These vegan sweet potato-black bean burgers spiced with curry powder are easy to make. Blending the mixture with your hands gives you a soft, uniform texture then the outside gets crispy by cooking in a cast-iron pan. To make this recipe gluten-free too, use gluten-free oats and serve the patty in a lettuce wrap, omitting the bun.” Steve’s notes: If you top it off with ketchup these burgers will taste spectacular!
Active: 15 mins
Total: 45 mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
2 cups grated sweet potato
½ cup old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup no-salt-added black beans, rinsed
½ cup chopped scallions
¼ cup vegan mayonnaise
1 tablespoon no-salt-added tomato paste
1 teaspoon curry powder
⅛ teaspoon salt
1/2 cup plain unsweetened almond milk yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 eaches whole-wheat hamburger buns, toasted
1 cup thinly sliced cucumber
Directions
Step 1 – Squeeze grated sweet potato with paper towels to remove excess moisture; place in a large bowl. Pulse oats in a food processor until finely ground; add to the bowl with the sweet potatoes. Add beans, scallions, mayonnaise, tomato paste, curry powder and salt to the bowl; mash the mixture together with your hands. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Place the patties on a plate; refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Step 2 – Stir yogurt, dill and lemon juice together in a small bowl; set aside.
Step 3 – Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the patties; cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.
Step 4 – Divide the yogurt sauce evenly among top and bottom bun halves. Top each bottom bun half with a burger and cucumber slices; replace top bun halves.
© Copyright 2020 eatingwell.com. All rights reserved. This recipe was found by our daughter, Kristen, at http://www.eatingwell.com/recipe/278513/sweet-potato-black-bean-burgers
5. Robin Jackson's Famous Broccoli Casserole
Ingredients:
16 oz of cooked broccoli florets
1 can of cream-of-celery soup
2/3 cup of milk
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1 “large” can of Durkees or Frenchs fried onions
Directions:
In a 9×12 baking dish layer the broccoli down first then a layer of 1/2 can of onions and top with a layer of the thoroughly mixed soup, cheese and milk.
Bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees (F).
Top with remaining onions and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
4. Gina Teachout’s Baked Beans
“Ingredients:
1 pound dry navy beans
1.5 quarts cold water
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 cup molasses
1 cup maple syrup.
1/4 pound salt pork, sliced very thin
1 large onion sliced very thin
Directions:
Rinse and sort beans. Add 1.5 quarts cold water and soak overnight.
In the morning, add 1 teaspoon salt, cover pot and simmer until tender (about 1/2 hour) and scoop off foam. Remove from heat, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda and scoop off foam again. (The farts are in the foam). Let stand a few minutes then drain.
Add 1 and 3/4 cup of boiling water to sugar, salt, mustard, molasses and syrup. In a 2 quart casserole, alternate layers of beans, onions, salt pork, and water mixture. Cover. (Cooks best in an iron dutch oven). Bake 325-degrees 4-6 hours. Add water if necessary.”
Steve’s notes: If you like the beans firm a half-hour in the pot is fine. if you like them softer boil them for no longer than 1.5 hours. Even if you don’t like beans you will love the smell. I really like baked beans and this is the best recipe I have ever tried. Gina and her husband Mahlon, used to operate the Fort Ticonderoga Ferry in Shoreham, VT. They have since moved to Florida but come back to visit now and then. They lived in a 250 year-old stone house right on Lake Champlain and had a small, but fun, country store at the landing. We miss them but look forward to the next time we get together over a pot of Gina’s baked beans. Thank you Gina and Mahlon – and say “Hi” to Captain!
3. DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookie
There are about 400 DoubleTree Hotels by Hilton located in 40 countries. No matter which one you stay in they all have the same cookie available for free at check-in: The famous Doubletree Chocolate Chip cookie. In fact, it is so famous it was said to have been the first food ever baked on a space flight. In late April 2020 the hotel chain decided to divulge the recipe. We give a five-star rating for the cookie and another five-stars to DoubleTree for unveiling the secret recipe. Thanks DoubleTree!
2. Sally’s Salted Caramel Chocolate Chip Cookie
We found a great recipe from our friends at Sally’s Baking Addiction. The dough needs to be refrigerated for a few hours so it is easy to handle and spreads less in the oven. We picked this recipe because it is close to our May Flavor-of-the-Month fudge, Chocolate Caramel Cookie. Sally has thousands of recipes, cookbooks and offers free dessert recipes every week. It’s a lot of fun and worth a visit.
1. Crock Pot Nerds Fudge Recipe By Sarah V. Hayes
Photo by Melissa on delish.com
Have your kids opened their lunchbox to see fudge, with Nerd’s on top? Providing them with such a kid-loving, appetizing dessert, my kids would wonder what they did right. Whether a dessert for good behavior, or a dessert to satisfy the sweet tooth, surely this recipe will be a gift. If you’re a parent whose learned bribery works well, you’ll want to store this recipe for safekeeping. Especially for those on a time-limit, you will be happy to know this can be cooked in a crock-pot. Taken from Melissa at delish.com, be sure to have your Rainbow Nerds handy:
500g. milky bar chocolate
1x 395g Tin sweetened condensed milk
1x Tbl spoon of butter
Box of Nerds
Cook everything but the Nerds with the lid off for 1.5 hrs. on low & stir on & off
Add Nerds and mix.
Put in Tray to cool in fridge.