TRIVIA, LAUGHTER, CREAMY GRATIN-GRUYERE POTATO RECIPE
Hello Daymakers!
Super fun read today beginning with:
LESLIE ELMAN’S POP QUIZ AND FASCINATING FACTS
So intriguing learning from her facts and trivia. More fun than watching an episode of Jeopardy.
QUICK QUESTION
Can I fold a fitted sheet by myself? Not so far. But I still give it a shot every time I pull one out of the dryer. And when it doesn’t fold properly (i.e. – I fail) — I just kinda-sorta fold it or roll it up and place it in the linen closet and call it good. Do any of you have a tried and true method? I’d LOVE to know it!
18 APHORISMS
Are So.Very.Relatable. and a chuckle.
INSTANT KARMA
Love this idea of writing down or mentally assessing my 5’s each evening around bedtime. Pretty sure it will encourage me to find the 5s every day.
CREAMY POTATO-GRUYERE GRATIN
Is an absolute blue ribbon winner recipe. Without a doubt my favorite potato gratin recipe EVER. It was Peter’s, too. I pretty much only prepare it on special occasions (like holidays or birthdays) which makes it all the more special. I guarantee you will not be disappointed with this recipe – it’s FAN-TAS-TIC!
TRACY BECKERMAN’S COLUMN
Never disappoints. Back in the day, I’ve been known to talk in my sleep. Not sure if I do now — my cats won’t tell. They’re loyal like that! HA!
WE SURE DO THANK YA FOR SLIDING BY TODAY
And sharing + caring. We feel the love and we love ya back. Gratitude.
Enjoy.
‘
POP QUIZ
- QUEEN ELIZABETH II, STEPHEN KING AND CALIFORNIA GOV. JERRY BROWN HAVE BEEN NOTABLE OWNERS OF WHICH BREED OF DOG?
a) Afghan hound
b) Corgi
c) Irish Setter
d) St. Bernard - IN MUSIC, THE TERM ADAGIO INSTRUCTS MUSICIANS TO PLAY HOW?
a) Fast
b) Loud
c) Slowly
d) Softly - A RESTAURANT ON THE EIFFEL TOWER’S SECOND FLOOR IS NAME FOR WHAT FORWARD-THINKING FRENCH NOVELIST?
a) Colette
b) Victor Hugo
c) Marcel Proust
d) Jules Verne
QUICK QUESTION
CAN YOU FOLD A FITTED SHEET
BY YOURSELF?
POP QUIZ ANSWERS
- Queen Elizabeth II, Stephen King and California Gov. Jerry Brown are known for owning corgi dogs.
- In music, the term adagio instructs musicians to play slowly.
- A restaurant on the Eiffel Tower’s second floor is named for the forward-thinking French novelist Jules Verne.
~ COPYRIGHT 2024 LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
18 APHORISMS
- Borrow money from pessimists — they don’t expect it back.
- Deja Moo: The feeling that you’ve heard this bull before.
- The 2 most common elements in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity.
- Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.
- Nothing in the known universe travels faster than a bad check.
- Vital papers will demonstrate their vitality by moving from where you left them to where you can’t find them.
- The trouble with doing something right the first time is that nobody appreciates how difficult it was.
- It may be that your sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others.
- You can’t fall off the floor.
- Eagles may soar, but weasels aren’t sucked into jet engines.
- If at first you don’t succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried.
- A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.
- Experience is something you don’t get until just after you need it.
- Success always occurs in private, and failure in full view.
- Two wrongs are only the beginning.
- You never really learn to swear until you learn to drive.
- Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.
- Some people when they hit rock bottom will climb out. The others will begin to dig.
~ another goodie from my old collection of emails
ABILITY’S WHAT YOU’RE CAPABLE OF DOING.
MOTIVATION DETERMINES WHAT YOU DO.
ATTITUDE DETERMINES HOW WELL YOU DO IT.
INSTANT KARMA
at the end of the day
note 5 things you did for others
and
5 things you did for yourself
RIDDLE ME THIS
WHAT HAS WORDS, BUT NEVER SPEAKS?
CREAMY POTATO-GRUYERE GRATIN
This wonderfully rich and delicious potato gratin recipe is adapted from the Chez Max restaurant in Zurich. It’s an outstanding side with beef, pork, chicken, venison or on its own with a fresh green side salad drizzled with a fine vinaigrette dressing.
HERE’S HOW WE MAKE IT
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 TBSP butter
- 1 garlic clove, peeled and split in half
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground pepper
- 1/8 tsp cayenne
- 4 medium Idaho potatoes (2 pounds)
- 2 1/2 cups finely grated Gruyere cheese (1/2 pound)
NEXT
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Lightly butter a 10-cup gratin dish (think meatloaf dish)
- Combine the cream, nutmeg, salt, pepper, and cayenne in a bowl
- Peel the potatoes and slice them paper-thin on a mandoline (or as thin-thin-thin as you can with a sharp knife)
- As you work, place the potato slices in the bowl with the cream and seasonings. Add the finely grated Gruyere cheese and combine thoroughly
- Pour the potato-cheese mix into the prepared gratin dish, making sure the potato slices are flat and level
- Place the gratin dish inside a larger roasting pan and fill the pan to 3/4 full with hot water, creating a bain-marie
- Carefully place the bain-marie in the center of the oven and bake for 2 hours, or until completely set and golden on top
- Serve.
~ Hippie Cowboy recipe box
RIDDLE ANSWER
A BOOK
LOST IN SUBURBIA
THE DREAMING OF THE SHREW
BY TRACY BECKERMAN
“You were talking in your sleep last night,” I saId to my husband when he stumbled into the kitchen that morning. I handed him a cup of espresso to jolt him out of his coma.
“No, I wasn’t,” he said.
“How would you know?” I said. “You were asleep. I was not asleep … because you were talking in your sleep.”
“I don’t talk in my sleep,” he said as he sat down at the table. The dog came over for a scratch behind the ears or maybe just to take my husband’s side.
“Well, you did last night,” I said. “And you were very adamant about it.”
Now my husband was interested. I’m sure he thought he had perhaps divulged some husband secret from deep within his subconscious, like the fact that he purposely hangs the toilet paper the wrong way just to make me crazy.
“What did I say?” he asked.
“Begone,” I replied.
“I said, ‘begone’?” he repeated.
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “I would never say ‘begone.’ I’d say, ‘Get lost,’ but I wouldn’t say, ‘ begone’. Maybe I said, ‘poupon.'”
“Were you dreaming about mustard?” I said.
“Unlikely,” he admitted. We were both silent as we wondered what had inspired him to yell out “begone” in his sleep. Maybe he had dreamed he was a king’s attendant in a Shakespeare play, or a French knight in a Monty Python movie. Perhaps he was a hobbit standing his ground in the Shire, or a constable clearing the cobblestone streets of Old England from lollygaggers. Or maybe he dreamed it was 200 years ago, I was berating him for hanging the toilet paper the wrong way, and he yelled at me to “begone.”
This wasn’t the first time he had talked in his sleep. There was the time he did a musical countdown and conducted an orchestra while he slept, smacking me in the face as he directed the string section. Another time he yelled out, “Who’s there!” and I jumped out of bed and hid in the closet, thinking there was an intruder in the house. And one time he told me to bring the camels inside, even though we lived in the suburbs and we weren’t zoned for domesticated desert pets.
Sleeping with my husband was not restful, but it was certainly entertaining.
“Did I say anything else?” he asked, hoping for some insight into the source of his nocturnal mumblings.
I thought for a moment. He had said some other things but mostly under his breath, so I couldn’t make them out.
“I don’t know,” I finally said. “Maybe I dreamed it.”
“Probably,” he said. “‘Cause I would never say ‘begone.'”
“OK. Anyway, honey, I have to run,” I said, putting on my jacket. ” I have an appointment. Would you mind taking the dog out?” I thrust the leash at him.
“Fine,” he said. “Begone.”
~ 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
FASCINATING STUFF
- When you think of the sounds of the ’60s, think of Earle Hagen, the man who composed the theme music for “The Dick Van Dyke Show,” “That Girl,” “The Mod Squad” and “I Spy.” (He won and an Emmy for “I Spy.”) He also composed the jazz standard “Harlem Nocturne,” later used as the theme for TV’s “Mike Hammer.” But perhaps his most beloved composition is the theme for “The Andy Griffith Show.” That’s Earl Hagen whistling the song. His 11-year-old son provided the finger-snapping.
- There have been several instances of animals being nominated to run for political office, and more than once, a critter has been elected or appointed to a position of governance. Outranking them all, however, are the legendary dog kings of Scandinavia — legendary in that they probably didn’t exist. Nevertheless, folklore of Denmark, Norway and Sweden contains more than one tale of a noble hound being appointed or anointed to rule over a conquered population.
- Scholars have determined that March 25 marks the start of the journey to the afterlife described in Dante Alighieri’s 14th century literary masterwork, “The Divine Comedy.” That is why March 25 has been officially designated Dante Day in Italy, celebrating the poet who many consider to be the father of the Italian language.
- The first published mention of the Easter Bunny is generally considered to be a 1682 satirical text from the University of Heidelberg in German. Written by Johannes Richier under the guidance of Georg Franck von Franckenau — a noted scientist with a sense of humor — it concerned “De ovis Paschalibus” (Latin for Easter eggs). In the guise of providing medical advice, the paper cautions children against making themselves sick from eating too many of the brightly colored eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny.
- The Eiffel Tower was constructed for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, or the World’s Fair, in Paris, expected to stand for 20 years or so. The artistic community of the day considered it an eyesore. It was, however, the tallest building in the world and that counted for something. It became a laboratory for experiments in meteorology, astronomy and physics. In 1909, plans to dismantle the Eiffel Tower were canceled when people realized it was more valuable as a radio tower than as scrap metal.
~ COPYRIGHT 2024 LESLIE ELMAN
DISTRIBUTED BY CREATORS.COM
Love the aphorisms, especially #7, and was fascinated to learn the composer – and whistler – of the Andy Griffith Show theme. I’ve always enjoyed that happy tune! Great art, as usual!
Hi Carol –
I’m not a whistler by any stretch of the imagination – ha – but I do in my own way as I try to whistle a tune. I haven’t figured it out — yet. My mom can whistle and my dad could whistle really loud to call either our dog home or us as kids out playing a little past sunset.
However, hands down, this iconic whistling tune is so memorable. And I love watching the re-runs of the Andy Griffith Show.
Thanks, Daymaker, for reading + engaging!
APPRECIATIVE
I’m with Carol on the whistler on the Andy Griffith show. I haven’t heard it in years but just thinking about it sends me into happy land Oh yes, DAYMAKER’S recipe for CREAMY POTATO-GRUYERE GRATIN came at the perfect time. Plus it looks easy. Easter means ham at our family table. Yumo!
How cool is it, Marty, that the “little” whistling tune from the Andy Griffith Show ignites our memories – because it is so memorable!
Very talented artist composer who came up with something so “simple”!
Creamy-Potato-Gruyere recipe will not disappoint! As a clever ad artist coined “Try it, you’ll like it!” I don’t remember which ad it was for — but I sure do remember that phrase. Try it you’ll like it, Marty!
Thanks for reading + sharing + engaging.
GIFT
Do I know how to fold a fitted sheet? Theoretically, yes. I saw a demonstration some years ago (Martha Stewart? Rachel Ray? Today?) that resulted in a tidy square-cornered parcel. I’ve copied that procedure countless times with various results but never NEVER have I ever duplicated the flat parcel shown. But still I try. . .
Right on!
Perhaps I’ll do the good ol’ YouTube thing and find a demonstration for fitted-sheet-folding. I, myself, would totally find it an achievement award if I could learn and do.
Thanks for that tip!