Today is...

[IceWizard]

Thursday 22 Dec 2016

Date Nut Bread Day



It’s worth laying on a spread to celebrate Date Nut Bread Day – but the question is whether to choose butter or cream cheese!

Nobody seems to know for sure who decided that this delicious fruity bread should get its own day, despite evidence that the holiday has been celebrated for years.

Published recipes for the bread “date” back to the 1920s, but fruited breads were also known in earlier centuries and many different parts of the world. A date nut bread eating championship was held in New York in 2006, with the winner eating 29 sandwiches in just 8 minutes.

However, a less nutty way to celebrate the date is by baking some bread and serving it up to friends or relations for breakfast or afternoon tea.

Although the bread tastes slightly sweet, it goes well with a cheese filling for a different taste sensation.

Why not try it for yourself?

Date Nut Bread

1 ½ cups pitted dates, coarsely chopped
¾ cup boiling/ very hot water
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
¾ tsp. freshly ground nutmeg (or cinnamon)
¼ cup unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup light brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts),
plus 5-8 pecan halves reserved

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Grease (or spray with a non-stick vegetable spray) a 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan.

Place dates in a medium-sized bowl, or large liquid measuring cup, boiling water.

Let stand at least 20 minutes.

Drain before use. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg;

set aside.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream butter and sugars. Add egg, then vanilla. Gradually incorporate the flour mixture and blend until just combined.

Stir in drained dates and nuts. Transfer the batter into the prepared pan. Top with reserved nuts in a preferred pattern.

Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until an inserted toothpick in the center comes out almost clean.

Place on a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes, then remove the bread from the pan and cool completely.

Makes one 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf.



And



Forefathers' Day



Few things are more important to Americans than heritage. Remembering where you come from, and how hard you’ve worked to get where you are are all integral parts of the concept of the American dream.

For those reasons, no holiday could be more American in nature than Forefathers’ Day, a holiday that celebrates the first ever pilgrims courageously sailing across the vast ocean they knew very little about at the time, in search of a better life and freedom from religious prosecution.

When they set foot on the shores of North America, they themselves were the beginning of a new country that would one day become a world superpower.

Now that’s definitely an event worth celebrating.

The History of Forefathers’ Day

Forefathers’ Day is a commemoration of the pilgrims who sailed the Atlantic Ocean aboard the Mayflower, in 1620. As they had left England in search of better days, the Pilgrim Fathers settled on US territory, which they subsequently christened New England. And as they had set sail from Plymouth, England, they decided to give their landing spot the whimsical name of Plymouth Rock.

Therefore, Forefathers’ Day is a holiday celebrated mainly in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on December 22.

The holiday was introduced to Plymouth, Massachusetts, in 1769, so it has quite a long history and tradition.

However, the joyous occasion was first celebrated in 1769, because 149 years after the forefathers actually arrived in North America, some descendants decided to gather for a feast in honour of their ancestors, who would have been their great-great-grandfathers.

---

---

---

December 22 Birthdays


Rick Nielsen - 68



Meghan Trainor - 23



Ted Cruz - 46



Diane Sawyer - 71



Lady Bird Johnson - (1912-2007)



Robin Gibb - (1949-2012)



Maurice Gibb - (1949-2003)



Hector Elizondo - 80








December 22nd

2002: Joe Strummer, singer and guitarist for The Clash died of an undiagnosed congenital heart defect after walking his dog in Broomfield, U.K. He was 50 years old.

1991: The movie Rush opened in theatres across the U.S. It starred Jason Patric, Jennifer Jason Leigh and Gregg Allman in his big screen debut as a drug dealer. The soundtrack was written by Eric Clapton, which contained “Tears in Heaven”.

1987: Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx overdosed on heroin and was pronounced dead on arrival. Sixx was revived with two shots of adrenaline in his chest which inspired Motley Crue’s hit song “Kickstart My Heart”.

1982: Bob Dylan visited Frank Zappa at his house and played Zappa a dozen songs, afterwards Dylan asked Zappa to produce his next album. Mark Knopfler ended up producing Dylan’s next album Infidels.

1979: The first of three concerts for the people of Kampuchea were held at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. Artists appearing at the concerts included Paul McCartney, Queen, The Who, The Clash, The Pretenders and Elvis Costello and the Attractions.

1978: The Who announced that Kenney Jones of The Faces would replace the late Keith Moon on drums.

1978: Todd Rundgren sued the British Musicians Union after they called a stop to a concert over the radio he was due to perform.

1976: Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band received their first Gold record for their live album Live Bullet which later went on to sell five million copies in the U.S.

1973: Todd Rundgren peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart with “Hello It’s Me” which was Rundgren’s first and only top ten single in the U.S.



Birthdays:

Barry Jenkins - Drummer for The Animals born in 1944

Rick Nielsen - Guitarist for Cheap Trick born in 1948