Clams Casino Recipe

I’m not big on clams, except for chowder. 😉 but thought that others might appreciate, and a huge thank you to Skeen! 😉

Clams Casino

“Clams casino is a clam ”on the halfshell” dish with breadcrumbs and bacon. It originated in Rhode Island in the United States. It is often served as an appetizer in New England and is served in variations nationally.

According to legend, the recipe for clams casino was originally developed in 1917 in the Little Casino in Narragansett, Rhode Island, by a maître d’hôtel for a woman of means wanting something special for her guests.  Good Housekeeping Great American Classics attributes the dish to Mrs. Paran Stevens and maître d’hôtel Julius Keller.  She named the dish after the hotel, and word and popularity of the dish has since spread across the United States, including New Orleans, where oysters are substituted for clams. Clams casino remains a very popular dish in Rhode Island, “appearing on almost every menu”.

Clams Casino Recipe
By John Mitzewich, American Food Expert
Clams casino is simply the best clam recipe ever. Whenever bacon and butter appear in the same recipe, you know you’re in for a treat! Not only is clams casino an easy recipe to prepare, it can be made ahead of time and popped into the broiler whenever you’re ready.

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Makes 18 Clams Casino

Ingredients:

18 medium-sized (about 2 1/2-inches) littleneck clams

2 tablespoon unsalted butter

3 strips center-cut bacon, each sliced into 6 equal pieces (18 total)

3 tablespoon finely diced red bell pepper

3 garlic cloves, finely minced

1/3 cup plain breadcrumbs

1 tablespoon finely grated Parmesan

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

pinch of salt

2 tablespoons chopped flat leaf parsley

lemon wedges

rock salt as needed

Preparation;

Heat butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and saute until cooked, but not quite crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate and reserve.

Add the red pepper to the bacon drippings in the skillet, and cook for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Turn off the heat and stir in the breadcrumbs, Parmesan, black pepper, and salt. Reserve the mixture until needed.

Add about 2 inches of water to a Dutch oven, or other heavy pot with a tight-fitting lid, and bring to a rapid boil over high heat. Add clams, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes, or just until the shells open. It’s critical to remove and drain the clams as soon as they open. Allow the clams to cool until they can be handled.

Twist and pull the clamshells apart, and remove the clam. Place the clam back into the deeper of the two shell halves. Spread the rock salt on a heatproof baking dish, and set the clams on top of the salt, pressing in slightly.

Divide the breadcrumb mixture evenly over the top of each clamshell, and top with one piece of bacon. Broil on high, about 8 inches from the heat, until the tops are browned and the edges of the bacon are crisp. Sprinkle on the fresh parsley, and serve hot with lemon wedges.

IOTD

Paris at sunset. Beautiful!

 

 

Calendar day; March 31, 2015

Tuesday, the 31st of March, 2015 is the 90th day in 2015 and in the 14th calendar week.

General Events:

Bunsen Burner Day
March 31, 2015 in the World

Bunsen Burner Day takes place on March 31, 2015. The holiday commemorates the birthday of the inventor of the Bunsen burner: chemist Robert Wilhelm Eberhard von Bunsen was born on March 31, 1811. A Bunsen burner is a common piece of laboratory equipment that produces a single open gas flame, which is used for heating, sterilization, and combustion. The gas can be natural gas (which is mainly methane) or a liquefied petroleum gas, such as propane, butane, or a mixture of both.

Bunsen Burner Day is celebrated in different ways. Some even compose songs with lyrics such as: “Just one spark is all that’s needed / To start this show of sweet combustion. / That’s its penultimate function. / Just one light to wake my blue angel of fire. Bunsen burner / It’s the flame that never dies. / My bunsen Burner / You light up the sky in my lab” (by Blegen/Hallock/Roper).

Where is the event?
Worldwide

Transfer Day 2015
March 31, 2015 in Virgin Islands

Transfer Day takes place on March 31, 2015. Transfer Day is a holiday celebrated in the U.S. Virgin Islands on March 31. It marks the transfer of the islands from Denmark to the United States that took place in 1917. The year of 2007 marked the 90th anniversary of the acquisition of the islands.

Where is Transfer Day?
Nationwide Virgin Islands

Eiffel Tower Day
March 31, 2015 in France

On March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower is dedicated in Paris in a ceremony presided over by Gustave Eiffel, the tower’s designer, and attended by French Prime Minister Pierre Tirard, a handful of other dignitaries, and 200 construction workers.

In 1889, to honor of the centenary of the French Revolution, the French government planned an international exposition and announced a design competition for a monument to be built on the Champ-de-Mars in central Paris. Out of more than 100 designs submitted, the Centennial Committee chose Eiffel’s plan of an open-lattice wrought-iron tower that would reach almost 1,000 feet above Paris and be the world’s tallest man-made structure. Eiffel, a noted bridge builder, was a master of metal construction and designed the framework of the Statue of Liberty that had recently been erected in New York Harbor.

The Eiffel Tower remained the world’s tallest man-made structure until the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York in 1930. Incredibly, the Eiffel Tower was almost demolished when the International Exposition’s 20-year lease on the land expired in 1909, but its value as an antenna for radio transmission saved it. It remains largely unchanged today and is one of the world’s premier tourist attractions.

Where is the event?
Nationwide France

Cesar Chavez Day
March 31, 2015 in USA (California, Colorado, Texas)

Cesar Chavez Day is celebrated on March 31, 2015. César Chávez Day is an official state holiday in the U.S. states of California, Colorado and Texas. The day is commemorated to promote service to the community in honor of César Chávez’s life and work. Many, but not all, state government offices, community colleges, and libraries are closed. Many public schools in the state are also closed.

Where is Cesar Chavez Day?
Nationwide USA (California, Colorado, Texas)

National Clam on the Half Shell Day
March 31, 2015 in the USA

National Clam on the Half Shell Day is observed on March 31, 2015. The day is a chance to eat clams in a raw way and in their natural packaging. A clam’s shell consists of two usually equal halves. Clams can be eaten raw, steamed, boiled, baked or fried. They can also be made into clam chowder or they can be cooked using hot rocks and seaweed in a New England clam bake.

There are different names of clams that vary on their size, region and even personal decision of a merchant. When you buy clams in the shell, they must be alive. This is the same rule, as with oysters. Be sure that clams’ shells are tightly closed. If they are slightly open, a light tap should make them quickly shut. If the clams you chose are dead, they can not be eaten.

Where is the event?
Nationwide USA

Historical Events on 31st March:

1146 – Bernard of Clairvaux preaches his famous sermon in a field at Vézelay, urging the necessity of a Second Crusade. Louis VII is present, and joins the Crusade.

1657 – English Parliament makes the Humble Petition to Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell offering him the crown: he declines

1822 – The massacre of the population of the Greek island of Chios by soldiers of the Ottoman Empire following a rebellion attempt, depicted by the French artist Eugène Delacroix

1854 – Treaty of Kanagawa: Commodore Perry forces Japan to opens ports to US

1877 – The family with samurai antecedents who responded to the Saigo army in Oita Nakatsu rebels

1889 – 300m high Eiffel Tower officially opens in Paris to commemorate the French Revolution

1909 – In a diplomatic note to Austria, Serbia recognizes the the Bosnian annexation and promises to maintain friendly relations with Austria

1932 – Ford publicly unveils its V-8 engine

1933 – German Republic gives power to Hitler

1939 – “The Hound of Baskervilles”, starring Basil Rathbone as Sherlock Holmes and Nigel Bruce as Dr. Watson for the first time, is released

1959 – Dalai Lama fled China & was granted political asylum in India

1965 – US ordered the 1st combat troops to Vietnam

1979 – The last British soldier leaves the Maltese Islands. Malta declares its Freedom Day (Jum il-Helsien)

1983 – Earthquake in Colombia kills some 5,000 people

1990 – Riots began in London over the new poll tax laws

1994 – Human evolution: The journal Nature reports the finding in Ethiopia of the first complete Australopithecus afarensis skull

2007 – In Sydney, Australia, 2.2 million people take part in the first Earth Hour

 

Friends and social networks

How to start this. I have some friends on FB, yeah. That are having an issue between each other, and one side is posting their side of the issue. The other finally posted their side of the issue. Now then, there are still shades of gray and I don’t know all of the information. So while I want to be supportive to my friends, both of them, I stay the hell out of it.

Now then, I still like the both of them. However I’m not taking sides. They each have their opinion that is valid for them. And I understand both sides, benefit of being a therapist. However, not my monkeys and definitely not my circus! yep! I love that quote! says me a lot of headaches and stress!

Moral of the story: keep the issues between the two people. If you have a problem with one person, take it off social media and deal with it like an adult. Talk rationally, both of you are entitled to your opinions, right or wrong, they are valid. If you can’t come up with a solution, here’s one: Stop talking to each other.

And this is my opinion! I still care about you both, but I’m staying out of the middle of this! I’ve got enough stuff in my own life to deal with. And no, I don’t post everything, because honestly, not everybody needs to know my stuff! Okie dokies then. xoxo

And now I want to find this on a charm to add to my bracelet! 

 

IOTD

Calendar day; March 30, 2015

Monday, the 30th of March, 2015 is the 89th day in 2015 and in the 14th calendar week.

General Events:

Land Day 2015
March 30, 2015 in Palestine

Land Day is celebrated on March 30, 2015. Land Day is an annual day of commemoration for Palestinians of the events of that date in 1976. In response to the Israeli government’s announcement of a plan to expropriate thousands of dunams of land for “security and settlement purposes”, a general strike and marches were organized in Arab towns from the Galilee to the Negev. In the ensuing confrontations with the Israeli army and police, six Arab citizens were killed, about one hundred were wounded, and hundreds of others arrested.

In the intervening years, those events have become consecrated in the Palestinian memory as Land Day.

Where is the event?
Nationwide Palestine

Seward’s Day 2015
March 30, 2015 in Alaska

Seward’s Day takes place on March 30, 2015. Seward’s Day is a legal holiday in the U.S. state of Alaska. It falls on the last Monday in March and commemorates the signing of the Alaska Purchase treaty on March 30, 1867. It is named for then-Secretary of State William H. Seward, who negotiated the purchase from Russia. It should not be confused with Alaska Day, which marks the formal transfer of control over Alaska from Russia to the United States.

Where is Seward’s Day?
Nationwide Alaska

Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day
March 30, 2015 in the USA

In 2011, nearly 38 years after the final withdrawal of U.S. combat and combat-support troops from Vietnam, the Senate unanimously passed a resolution designating March 30, “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day.”

On March 30, 1973, all U.S. troops withdrew from Vietnam under the terms of the Treaty of Paris. This March 30th, the Senate has encouraged Americans across the country to recognize Vietnam veterans for their sacrifice and demonstrate a warm welcome to these soldiers who returned from war to a politically divided country.

More than 58,000 members of the United States Armed Forces lost their lives and more than 300,000 were wounded in Vietnam.

https://www.vfw.org/News-and-Events/Articles/2015-Articles/Welcome-Home-Vietnam-Veterans/

Where is the event?
Nationwide USA

Take a Walk in the Park Day
March 30, 2015 in the World

Take a Walk in the Park Day is celebrated on March 30, 2015. You should visit a local park on that day instead of walking around the block or going to mall. A park is an area of open space provided for recreational use. It can be in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and is set aside for human enjoyment or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. An urban park is a park in cities and other incorporated places. Common features of urban parks include playgrounds, gardens, hiking, running and fitness trails or paths, bridle paths, sports field and courts, public restrooms, boat ramps and/or picnic facilities, depending on the budget and natural features available.

Trivia
– Parks at first were only for the rich and elite until 1842, when Princes Park in Liverpool, England, the first park made specifically for the public, opened its gates for the first time.

– Manhattan’s Central Park is larger than Monaco, a sovereign state ruled by a prince on the southeastern tip of France, and Vatican City, the smallest country in the world.

– Now this isn’t a walk, but it happened in a park. The story goes that a politician was caught in St James’s Park, London having a little hanky-panky in the wintry night. When the Prime Minister of the time, Winston Churchill, got wind of this he was reported to have said: “In the park? In this weather? By God, makes you proud to be British!”

Where is the event?
Worldwide

Historical Events on 30th March:

1282 – The people of Sicily rebel against the Angevin king Charles I, in what becomes known as the Sicilian Vespers

1603 – Battle at Mellifont: English army under Lord Mountjoy beats Irish

1796 – Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, discovers the construction of the heptadecagon

1814 – Murat issues the Rimini Declaration which would later inspire Italian Unification

1842 – Ether used as an anaesthetic for 1st time by Dr Crawford Long (Ga)

1856 – Russia signs Peace of Paris, ending the Crimean War

1858 – Pencil with attached eraser patented (Hyman L Lipman of Phila)

1867 – US buys Alaska from Russia for $7,200,000 (2 cents an acre – Seward’s Folly)

1870 – 15th Amendment to the US constitution is adopted, guarantees right to vote regardless of race

1911 – Lötschberg tunnel in Switzerland (13,735 m) completed

1919 – Gandhi announces resistance against Rowlatt Act

1935 – Newfoundland changes time to 3½ hrs W of Greenwich, repeats 44 sec

1950 – Phototransistor invention announced, Murray Hill, NJ

1953 – Albert Einstein announces revised unified field theory

1972 – North Vietnamese troops enter South Vietnam

1976 – Israel kills 6 Palestinians protesting land confiscation

1981 – Pres Reagan shot & wounded by John W Hinckley III

1991 – Last issue of Dutch Newspaper “Vr˜e Folk” (Free People)

2006 – Marcos Pontes is the first Brazilian astronaut in space

 

IOTD; Special Edition

 

I’ll be lights out, what about you?

I’d love to see some designs from others- I’m working on mine next! 😉

Earth Hour 2015
March 28, 2015 in the World

Earth Hour 2015 is celebrated on March 28, 2015 between 20:15 and 21:15. Millions of people across the world switch lights off for an hour to raise awareness for the planet. Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Earth Hour engages a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues. It was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then Earth Hour has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide, and the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.

The event is held worldwide and held towards the end of March annually, encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet.

http://www.earthhour.org/

Calendar day; March 28, 2015

Saturday, the 28th of March, 2015 is the 87th day in 2015 and in the 13th calendar week.

General Events:

Earth Hour 2015
March 28, 2015 in the World

Earth Hour 2015 is celebrated on March 28, 2015 between 20:15 and 21:15. Millions of people across the world switch lights off for an hour to raise awareness for the planet. Earth Hour is a worldwide movement for the planet organized by the World Wide Fund for Nature.

Earth Hour engages a massive mainstream community on a broad range of environmental issues. It was famously started as a lights-off event in Sydney, Australia in 2007. Since then Earth Hour has grown to engage more than 7000 cities and towns worldwide, and the one-hour event continues to remain the key driver of the now larger movement.

The event is held worldwide and held towards the end of March annually, encouraging individuals, communities, households and businesses to turn off their non-essential lights for one hour as a symbol for their commitment to the planet.

http://www.earthhour.org/

Where is Earth Hour?
Worldwide

Serfs Emancipation Day
March 28, 2015 in China

Serfs Emancipation Day is celebrated on March 28, 2015. Serf Liberation day is an annual holiday in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China, which celebrates the emancipation of serfs in Tibet. The holiday was adopted by the Tibetan legislature on January 19, 2009, and was promulgated that same year. In modern Tibetan history, March 28, 1959, was the day that the Tibetan government was declared illegal by the People’s Republic of China, which according to official Chinese history, liberated Tibetans from feudalism and theocracy. The head of that former government, the 14th Dalai Lama, calls the holiday a diversion from current problems in Tibet. (With material from: Wikipedia)

Where is Serfs Emancipation Day?
Nationwide China

World Endometriosis Day
March 28, 2015 in the World

Drs Camran, Farr, Ceana and Azadeh Nezhat, sponsors of the Worldwide EndoMarch &World Endometriosis Day events around the world to raise awareness about endometriosis, an incurable and potentially crippling disease that affects about 1 in 8 women and girls; that’s roughly 200 million people. We ‘endomarch’ so that we can get the word out that endometriosis is not just ‘bad cramps’, but is actually a serious disease with severe medical consequences if left untreated. Please help us end the silence about endometriosis, so millions of women and girls can receive a proper diagnosis, quality medical care, and, hopefully one day, a much-needed cure.

http://endometriosis.org/

Where is the event?
Worldwide

National Weed Appreciation Day
March 28, 2015 in the USA

Did you know that some weeds are actually beneficial to us and our ecosystem?  National Weed Appreciation Day is celebrated on March 28th of each year and it is a good day to learn more about weeds and their benefits.

Weeds have been used by humans for food and as a herb for much of recorded history.  There are the weeds that are edible and nutritious while other weeds have medicinal value.

Do you remember as a small child the fun you had with dandelions?  They actually serve many useful purposes.  Dandelions are a food source for insects and certain birds.  Humans eat young dandelion leaves and enjoy dandelion tea and dandelion wine.  The Native Americans used dandelions to treat certain ailments.  Nutritionally, dandelions contain a source of vitamin A and  C, calcium, iron, and fiber.

There are also other edible and medicinal weeds, some of which include: Yellow Dock/Burdock, Lamb’s Quarter, Purslane, Amaranth and Dollarweed.

Before using any weed as a food source, make sure it is correctly identified and that it is free of herbicides and pesticides.  Research the safe edible part of each weed and find useful cooking and preparation tips.

Where is the event?
Nationwide USA

Historical Events on 28th March:

193 – Roman Emperor Pertinax is assassinated by Praetorian Guards, who then sell the throne in an auction to Didius Julianus

845 – Paris is sacked by Viking raiders, probably under Ragnar Lodbrok, who collects a huge ransom in exchange for leaving

1556 – Origin of Fasli Era (India)

1794 – Louvre opens to the public (although officially opened since August)

1802 – Heinrich Wilhelm Matthäus Olbers discovers 2 Pallas, the second asteroid known to man

1854 – Britain & France declare war on Russia (Crimean War)

1881 – “Greatest Show On Earth” was formed by PT Barnum & James A Bailey

1910 – 1st seaplane, takes off from water at Martinques France (Henri Fabre)

1920 – Anton Denkin’s White Russian troops defeated by Bolsheviks/Soviets at Novorossijsk on the Black Sea (The British aid Denkin in his escape

1922 – 1st microfilm device introduced

1939 – Spanish Civil War ends, Madrid falls to Francisco Franco

1944 – Astrid Lindgren sprains ankle & begins writing Pippi Longstocking

1959 – 11 days after Tibet uprising, China dissolves Tibet’s government & installs Panchen Lama

1970 – 1,086 die when 7.4 quake destroys 254 villages (Gediz Turkey)

1979 – Major nuclear accident at 3 Mile Island, Middletown, Pa (no deaths)

IOTD

This is just such a beautiful image!
The feelings it evokes… undescribable. 😀

Calendar day; March 27, 2015

Friday, the 27th of March, 2015 is the 86th day in 2015 and in the 13th calendar week.

General Events:

World Theatre Day
March 27, 2015 in the World

World Theatre Day was initiated in 1961 by the International Theatre Institute (ITI). It is celebrated annually on the 27th March by ITI Centres and the international theatre community. Various national and international theatre events are organized to mark this occasion. One of the most important of these is the circulation of the World Theatre Day International Message through which at the invitation of ITI, a figure of world stature shares his or her reflections on the theme of Theatre and a Culture of Peace.

It was first in Helsinki, and then in Vienna at the 9th World Congress of the ITI in June 1961 that President Arvi Kivimaa proposed on behalf of the Finnish Centre of the International Theatre Institute that a World Theatre Day be instituted. The proposal, backed by the Scandinavian centres, was carried with acclamation.

Ever since, each year on the 27th March (date of the opening of the 1962 “Theatre of Nations” season in Paris), World Theatre Day has been celebrated in many and varied ways by ITI National Centres of which there are now almost 100 throughout the world.

http://www.iti-worldwide.org/worldtheatreday.php

Where is the event?
Worldwide

Quirky Country Music Song Titles Day
March 27, 2015 in the World

What country music song always puts a smile on your face? Perhaps it’s classics such as “I Still Miss You Baby, But My Aim’s Gettin’ Better” or “You’re the Reason Our Kids Are So Ugly” or Johnny Cash’s “Every Time I Itch I Wind Up Scratching You”. Today is the day to pay tribute to these unique songs!

Country music evolved from Appalachian folk music in the 1920s and became a nationwide sensation in the 1940s. The Grand Ole Opry radio station in Nashville, Tennessee began broadcasting weekly concerts that showcased all the different genres of country music—hillbilly, honky-tonk, bluegrass, western, rockabilly, gospel, and more.

In honor of today’s Reason to Celebrate, put on your cowboy hat, get out your banjo, and belt out your favorite quirky country music song!

Where is the event?
Worldwide

National Spanish Paella Day
March 27, 2015 in the USA

March 27th is the annual celebration of National Spanish Paella Day.  A rice dish from Spain, paella has become very popular and is known around the world.  It originated in its modern form in the mid-19th century in Valencia, on the east coast of Spain.

At lunch time, workers in the fields would make the rice dish in a flat pan over a fire. They mixed in whatever they could find – such as rabbits, snails and vegetables. Later, for special occasions,  chicken was added.   Paella has spread to every region of Spain, as well as worldwide, using almost any type of ingredient that goes well with rice.

There are many versions of recipes of paella.  A key ingredient is saffron and olive oil.  Saffron is an essential spice that also turns the rice a nice golden color.

Create a wonderful dish of paella to celebrate National Spanish Paella Day.

Where is the event?
Nationwide USA

Historical Events on 27th March:

196 BC – Ptolemy V ascends to the throne of Egypt

1513 – Spaniard Juan Ponce de Leon and his expedition 1st sight Florida

1625 – Charles I, King Of England, Scotland & Ireland, ascends English throne

1713 – Spain loses Menorca and Gibraltar to Britain under the Treaty of Utrecht

1790 – The modern shoestring (string and shoe holes) invented in England

1794 – The United States Government establishes a permanent navy and authorizes the building of six frigates.

1848 – John Parker Paynard originates medicated adhesive plaster

1866 – Andrew Rankin patents the urinal

1879 – Longest championship fight (136 rounds)

1914 – 1st successful blood transfusion (in Brussels)

1915 – Typhoid Mary [Mary Mallon] is arrested and returned to quarantine on North Brother Island, New York after spending five years evading health authorities and causing several further outbreaks of typhoid

1933 – Japan leaves League of Nations

1944 – 2,000 Jews are murdered in Kaunas Lithuania

1956 – French commandos land in Algeria

1958 – Nikita Khrushchev becomes Soviet Premier as well as First Secretary of the Communist Party

1964 – UN troops arrive in Cyprus

1980 – Mount St Helens becomes active after 123 years

1984 – Beginning of “tanker war”: over the next 9 months, 44 ships, including Iranian, Iraqi, Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti tankers, are attacked by Iraqi or Iranian warplanes or damaged by mines

2004 – HMS Scylla, a decommissioned Leander class frigate, is sunk as an artificial reef off Cornwall, the first of its kind in Europe