PICNIC STUFFED CHICKEN BREAST RECIPE, DOG HUMOR, RIDDLE ME THIS, TRIVIA
Wednesday greetings, wondrous readers!
Presenting Daymaker’s Wednesday Reader this August 14, 2024.
BEGINNING WITH:
HOW ABOUT THE BEAUTIFUL MERMAID ART/ILLUSTRATIONS
I could look at them time after time and never tire of the intricate details + colors + lines and designs.
LESLIE ELMAN’S POP QUIZ AND FASCINATING FACTS
Leslie never disappoints!
Think it’s hard to pronounce Chargoggagoggmanchauggoggchaubunagungamaugg. Try typing it just once with no errors. I can’t tell ya how many times I had to look – check spelling – retype – check spelling – retype. I consider myself a pretty good typist — but this word absolutely kicked my rear end. Ha
QUICK QUESTION
Do I sing in the shower?
No, I do not.
I get in, wash my hair, body and get out. It’s all cleaning business. haha
I do, however, sing in the car when a favorite song comes on the radio, turn up the volume and belt it out like I’m a rock star.
Makes me happy! You?
PICNIC STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS RECIPE
Is totally a winner-winner-chicken-picnic-dinner.
Recipe reads like there might be a handful of steps – but once ya get started – it matters not because end result is too good to be true. Gotta trust me.
TRACY BECKERMAN’S COLUMN
Is sooooo relatable to any of us who are dog custodians — or who have been at one time.
Funny. Funny. Funny.
AS ALWAYS
We sure do thank ya kindly for sliding by today and being part of the Daymaker Readable Art Community.
Reading + Sharing + Engaging.
Ready?
Set.
Enjoy!
POP QUIZ
- IN THE 17th CENTURY, LOGWOOD FROM BELIZE WAS PRIMARILY FOR WHAT PURPOSE?
a) To dye fabric
b) To build ship masts
c) To make tea
d) To make hair oil and cosmetics - WHAT WAS BABE RUTH’S REAL FIRST NAME?
a) Albert
b) Edward
c) George
d) William - WHAT IS TRUE OF STEAK TARTARE?
a) It’s a vegetarian dish
b) It’s made from dried, salt-cured beef
c) It’s a type of soup
d) It’s made from ground, uncooked meat
QUICK QUESTION
DO YOU SING IN THE SHOWER?
POP QUIZ ANSWERS
- In the 17th century, logwood was used to make red and purple fabric dye.
- Babe Ruth’s real name was George Herman Ruth Jr.
- Steak tartare is made from ground, uncooked meat.
COPYRIGHT 2024, LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS. COM
A SINCERE SMILE
A PRICELESS GIFT
This is a do-over but so worthy of a do-over.
- A smile costs nothing, but gives a lot. It enriches those who receive it without making poorer those who give it.
- A smile takes only a moment, but the memory can last forever. No one is so rich, or so mighty, that they can get along without a smile.
- And no one is so poor that they cannot be richer by a smile.
- A smile creates happiness in the home, fosters goodwill in every business and is the counter sign of friendship.
- A smile brings rest to the weary, cheer to the discouraged, and sunshine to the sad, as well as being nature’s cure for trouble.
- Yet, a smile cannot be bought, borrowed, or stolen. For it’s of little value until it’s given away.
- Some people are too tired or indignant to give a smile, so give them one of yours.
- They won’t ever forget it.
from my fabulous collection of saved emails
this one from 2011
A HUG IS LIKE A BOOMERANG.
YOU GET IT BACK RIGHT AWAY.
~ Bill Keane ~
INSTANT KARMA
LISTEN TO YOUR SILENT VOICE
RIDDLE ME THIS
WHAT HAS MANY RINGS BUT NO FINGERS?
PICNIC STUFFED CHICKEN BREASTS
Perfect for a summery setting. Arrange on a bed of spinach leaves and serve with a fresh Tomato, Cucumber, Onion Salad. And/or slice breasts crosswise and arrange slices on plates with fresh orange pieces and fresh pineapple chunks for a finger food light picnic dinner in the park or out on your deck/patio. Don’t forget the fresh bread. Buttered!
HERE’S HOW WE MAKE IT:
INGREDIENTS –
- 8 slices of bacon
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry.
- 1 egg lightly beaten
- 3/4 cup seasoned croutons, lightly crushed
- 1/2 tsp garlic salt
- 4 large, whole, boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 TBSP additional oil (vegetable or olive oil for the frying time of chicken breasts) Use your judgement here – might take a little bit more oil
STUFFING INGREDIENTS:
- 1/2 pound fresh spinach, washed and chopped fine
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped fine
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/2 pound ricotta cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 TBSP fresh Thyme or 1/4 tsp dried
- 1 1/2 tsp fresh tarragon or 1/2 tsp dried
NOW WE GET TO IT
IN A LARGE SKILLET:
- Fry bacon; remove, drain slices on a paper towel lined plate and crumble when a little cooled off and brittle-breakable
- Reserve 2 TBSP of bacon grease (drippings)
- Saute onion in bacon drippings until soft over medium heat – about 6-8 minutes
- Before removing from heat, stir in spinach, egg, croutons, crumbled bacon
- Saute for another 5 minutes or so
- Remove from skillet and place all in a large bowl with herbs + ricotta + mozzarella
- Stir well to combine and let it be until it’s time to stuff the breasts
- Now, cut a pocket in thick side of each chicken breast – with a knife – not cutting all the way through the breast – just a pocket sort of thing
- Stuff the pocket with spinach mixture and close with a wooden pick (fat toothpick or two)
- Sprinkle outside of breasts with salt and pepper
- Brown breasts in additional 3 or more TBSP oil until cooked through – about 12-15 minutes – on medium to medium high heat – flipping breasts about 8 minutes one side and then to other side for remaining cooking time
- Carefully remove breasts with tongs or spatula and drain on paper towels
- Cool slightly, covering with foil
- Serve hot or chilled
I personally love these Picnic Stuffed Chicken Breasts – when chilled – sliced crosswise – think finger food slices – with a tiny side of tomato, cucumber salad or fresh fruit chunks and buttered slices of fresh baguette or ciabatta bread.
ENJOY!
Adapted from Beyond Parsley cookbook
RIDDLE ANSWER
A PHONE
LOST IN SUBURBIA
DISHIN’ WITH THE DOG
BY TRACY BECKERMAN
No matter what I make for dinner, cleanup in our house is a pretty speedy affair because we have three dishwashers. First, there is the electronic one, which does a pretty good job, assuming you prewash the dishes before you run them through the dishwasher. No. 2 — my husband. He’s generally responsible for the handwash: the pots, pans and cooking utensils that don’t go in the dishwasher. Having spent a summer at sleepaway camp when he was 16 as, you guessed it, a dishwasher, my husband considers himself an expert in the field. At the end of a meal, he will throw himself into his work with such gusto that it almost seems like he’s participating in an Olympic event.
The third dishwasher in the house is the dog. Of all three, the dog ranks best for getting the dishes completely free of food, although I wouldn’t want to eat off the dishes he cleans. The problem, though, is not so much the dishes he licks when they’re dirty. It’s the dishes he licks when they’re clean. For some reason, in addition to a penchant for chicken, carrots and socks, the dog has developed a taste for dishware. I thought that since he knew the dishes were dirty going in, maybe he theorized they would also be dirty coming out. Who knows. I don’t speak dog, or I’d ask him.
Whatever his motivation, the upshot was that whenever I went to empty the dishwasher, I had to body block the dog to get the dishes before he did. Unfortunately, the dog was at dishwasher level, and I was not, so he had the upper hand, er, paw, in the race to the dishes.
“Beat it, Bowie,” I barked at him one morning as I lowered the dishwasher door. He ignored me. He had been trained to “sit,” “stay,” and “fetch me ice cream,” but “beat it” was not part of his repertoire. He moved a little closer to the dishwasher, and I tried to put myself between the dog and the dishes. It occurred to me that most dog owners have to worry about their dogs chasing squirrels, not licking the dishes, and I marveled at how unique our dog was, which could also be a euphemism for weird.
“Bowie, move,” I said more aggressively. This time he listened … and moved to the other side of the dishwasher, where he had better access. Technically, he did what I’d said, so I couldn’t be mad. I quickly stepped over the dishwasher door to where he was and stood in front of him.
I picked up one of the dinner dishes to move it out of his reach.
“Listen, buddy,” I said, waving a dish at him. “These dishes are clean. There is no food on them. They are an empty promise of a snack that has long since been washed away by time and Cascade. This is not a dish. It’s a dream. Time to let go.”
The dog admitted defeat and finally moved away from the machine. I stepped around him to get into a better unloading position, failing to notice that I had created a small puddle on the floor from the not-so-dry dishes. Naturally, I slipped on the puddle, lost my balance, and hurled the clean dish onto the floor, where it broke into a million pieces.
I shrugged.
One less dish for the dog to lick.
~ Tracy Beckerman is the author of the Amazon Bestseller, “Barking at the Moon: A Story of Life, Love, and Kibble.
COPYRIGHT 2024 CREATORS.COM
Fascinating Stuff
- In Massachusetts, near the Connecticut border, is a body of water that people call Webster Lake, because Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamugg is too complicated to pronounce. The lake’s Native American name, which comes from the Nipmuc language, which loosely translates as “neutral fishing point at the boundary.” At 45 letters, Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubungungamaugg might be the longest place name in the United States. In the 1950’s, a proposal was made to cut a couple of the 15 g’s from the lakes name. Response from the locals was a resound N-O.
- The Hangul written alphabet, introduced in the 1440’s, was devised at the request of King Sejong the Great of Korea. Before that, there had been no standardized way to express the unique way to express the unique sound of spoken Korean in written form. Once the Hangul alphabet was established, the king proceeded to commission written editions and translations of literary and religious works so the people of Korea could read and write the language they spoke.
- On June 13, 1948, an ailing Babe Ruth walked onto the field at Yankee Stadium to see his uniform No. 3 officially retired. But that was not his last appearance at the ballpark. Following his death on Aug. 16, 1948, Ruth’s body was taken from the hospital to Yankee Stadium, where he lay in repose for two days, allowing tens of thousand of fans to walk past the open coffin and pay their last respects.
- Pomace is the name for the leftover skin, seeds, pulp and stems that remain after grapes have been pressed to make wine. Finding ways to dispose of the millions of tons of pomace produced by the global wine industry each year is an ongoing struggle. Some is re-pressed to make antioxidant cosmetic grapeseed oil. Sins and residue may be used to produce potassium bitartrate, known to bakers as cram of tartar.
~ COPYRIGHT 2024 LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Beckermans Pup story is so true and so funny!
The ending of Tracy’s dog story reminds me of something my dad would say when I or one of my four siblings would break something – “Well, one less _____ to worry about”. I never thought much about his statement until I said it at work one time and my boss commented on what a great philosophy that was. 😉
Do I sing in the shower? NO. Not in the shower or anywhere else. The music that sounds so good in my head comes out of my mouth as a pathetic squeak ;(
Fun facts as usual. Thanks for the midweek Daymaker!!!
As always Tracy Beckerman is excellent and today’s column reminded me of a great documentary that I just watched on Netflix. It’s called, “Inside the Mind of a Dog. Released just this year as in 2024. It’s tremendous information as you watch not only how smart dogs are but they are capable of things far beyond your imagination. It’s an hour and 20 minutes of pure joy.