OMG Tomorrow is XLVI

I just read an article To some it might as well be Greek by AP reporter, Leanne Italie, on how young people these days use OMG, LOL, TTYL, but do they understand XLVI?  We in our LXXs understand it, because we were taught such things in school way back when.

I love basketball, but I'm not much of a football fan, but we will be watching XLVI tomorrow, and I don't care who wins.  I like the commercials.

 May the best team win!

The Co-Ed Movie Theater in Boiling Springs, NC

In the early 50s, Boiling Springs, NC had a movie theater, the Co-Ed, aptly named since Boiling Springs was the home of Gardner-Webb Junior College.  As a pre-teenager and early teen-ager I remember going to many movies there.  My father would take me and my friends who lived along the way.  We'd get dropped off at the movie, and Daddy would pick us up after the movie ended.  There were a lot of musicals in the early 50s and I recall one in particular that I saw there, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes.

I saw this movie at the Co-Ed Theater in the early 50s.

By the time I was a student at Gardner-Webb (1955 to 1957), I don't remember if the theater was open or not.  In any case, when I was dating we always went into Shelby to the movies or to a drive-in.  I can't ever remember going to the Co-Ed while I was a student at GW.

Gardner-Webb is now a university, and the building that housed the movie theater has been converted to the Italian Garden Restaurant.  When I was in Cleveland County last week, my friend Peggy Jean and I had dinner there.  Peggy Jean was one those who frequently went to the Co-Ed with me, and we had a good time reminiscing about movies we had seen there.

The Italian Garden Restaurant.

Entrance to Italian Garden Restaurant.

 The theater was sloped from back to front, and the seating areas of the restaurant are tiered because of this.  The sloping aisle is still there.

Interior of Italian Garden Restaurant.

Yes, I have many a happy memory of this old building whether viewing a movie there in the 50s or having dinner with friends there in the present.

Happy Ground Hog Day

Happy Ground Hog Day to Everyone! 
Let's hope that Mr. Ground Hog doesn't see his shadow today.  Right?   Oh well, we've had a mild winter here so far, so I wouldn't mind having a little snow before the winter is over. If he sees his shadow maybe we will have snow.

I found this and wanted to share it on my blog.  The link is:Cookie Madness

How to Toast Hazelnuts

by Anna on August 12, 2007 · 14 comments

This is how I do it. If you have a better method, let me know.
Spread a few cups of nut in a metal baking pan or a large sheet pan with ridges.
Bake them in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes or until they are very hot and fragrant. Carefully dump them into a dish towel which you’ve spread across the counter – a ridged dish towel or one with some sort of embroidery works well because it provides more friction. Bring the ends of the dish towel up around the still-hot hazelnuts and wrap them up like a present. Using your hands, rub them between the towel and the work surface so that the friction created by the rubbing loosens the skin. If the nuts are very hot, you may want to wear oven mitts while you press down on the towel.
This is very messy, by the way.
The skin will not instantly follow off all the nuts. Pick out the ones which have lost the most skin and put them in a separate group. Work on the remaining. As the nuts cool, you can pick up about 5 at a time and rub them in the palm of your hands to remove remaining skin.

I use to remove all of the skin. Now I just remove most of it and them. For today’s recipes, a little skin is okay.

Remove all of the nuts from the towel. Take the towel in the back yard (lift it up carefully) and shake all the skins off into the air.

Oven Roasted Cauliflower

Oven roasted cauliflower.

Oven roasted cauliflower makes a very tasty snack or side dish.  I no longer steam or boil cauliflower, but I've found that roasting is simple and brings out the flavor--almost a nutty taste.  A large head cauliflower makes a serving for two.

How to Roast:  Wash the cauliflower and remove leaves and core.  Separate into individual florets.  In a large bowl place 3 tablespoons of oil (I used sesame seed oil for these, but Canola or olive oil will work too).  Mix the florets until well-coated with oil.

Mix florets with oil until well-coated.

Spread the cauliflower in a single layer in a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.  Bake in a preheated 400 degree F oven for about 25 minutes turning every ten minutes. When done the cauliflower will be brown on the edges and tender (but not mushy).  Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper and salt to taste.  These can be served warm or at room temperature.  These make a very tasty and healthy snack.

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper when done.

A nice variation is to use 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 teaspoons of soy sauce (omit the salt) and 1/4 teaspoon of Texas Pete.  This gives a spicy touch to the cauliflower.