FAVA BEANS How to choose:
Picking the best favas is all in the
pod. It should be firm and crisp without
any soft spots or wilting. Sometimes
you’ll see black scarring on a fava pod -- that’s not a problem as long as the
pod still feels firm. Also, the pods
should be well filled-out so you can feel the individual beans. How to store: Honestly, favas are pretty close to
indestructible. You really have to work
to make them go bad. Just keep them
tightly wrapped in the refrigerator’s crisper drawer and they’ll last at least
a week. How to prepare: There’s no fast way to prepare favas. It’s not hard, but it is tedious. It’s a great chore to do when you have other
folks in the kitchen to help. First,
shuck the beans out of the pods and collect them in a work bowl. Cover them with boiling water and let them sit
until the water is cool enough to touch. To remove that thick white skin, nick the
bottom of the bean with your thumbnail and then give the bean a squeeze and the
insides will pop right out. Russ
Parsons. Link to six recipes at
When James Patterson's son, Jack, was 8 years old, he and the prolific author of
more than 100 books struck a deal: Jack
could forgo chores for the summer if every day he used that time — about 45
minutes — to read from a book. Jack, now
15 and a student at the Hotchkiss School in Connecticut, was what the
publishing world calls a "reluctant reader," an amorphous phrase that
describes kids or teens who aren't jumping at the chance to read a book. "By the end of that
summer, he had read about a dozen books and his reading skills had really
improved," Patterson said of Jack. "There was a kid who just wasn't that
interested in reading, and he became a very proficient reader." Patterson's desire to turn kids into
competent readers extends beyond the doors of his Palm Beach, Fla., home, and
in recognition of his overwhelming support for children's literacy and
contributions to literature for young people, he will be honored with the 2014
Chicago Tribune Young Adult Literary Award.
For a decade, he has been putting time, energy and money into causes that
promote children's literacy. He funds
scholarships at 17 universities for students dedicated to a teaching career;
awards more than $30,000 annually to college-bound high school seniors to pay
for books; travels the country speaking at conferences in support of teachers
and librarians; and hosts ReadKiddoRead.com, a website that strives to give
parents and educators the tools they need turn kids into lifelong readers. And, since 2005, he's published 19 young
adult novels (best for ages 10 and above) in four separate series, and nine
middle-grade books (for ages 8-12) in three series. Patterson will accept his award during the
30th edition of the annual Printers Row Lit Fest, which will play host to more
than 200 authors and presenters on June 7 and 8 in the historic Printers Row
neighborhood.
Usually when you hear about alum it is in reference to potassium
alum, which is the hydrated form of potassium aluminum sulfate. Sometimes alum is seen in its crystalline
form, although it is most often sold as a powder. Types of alum are: potassium alum, soda alum, ammonium alum,
chrome alum and selenate alum. Anne Marie Helmenstein Find descriptions of alum plus a list of its
uses at http://chemistry.about.com/od/moleculescompounds/f/What-Is-Alum.htm
William
Shakespeare turns 450 years old April 23, 2014. Think Shakespeare doesn't go with football? Think again. There's a major club named after him, but
which one is it? Take a quiz to test
your knowledge of the Bard's life and works at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/theatre/william-shakespeare/10774983/Shakespeare-quiz-do-you-know-your-Bottom-from-your-Elbow.html
A.Word.A.Day with Anu
Garg
In honor of the 450th birthday of the Bard of Avon, here
are words that have been coined after his characters.
Dogberry (DOG-ber-ee, -buh-ree) noun A
pompous, incompetent, self-important official.
After Dogberry, a
constable in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing, in which he goes
about his blundering ways while mouthing malapropisms. Earliest documented use: 1801.
Portia (POR-shuh, -shee-uh) noun A
female lawyer. After Portia, the
heroine of Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. Portia is a rich
heiress who disguises herself as a lawyer to save Antonio's life. Earliest documented use: 1869.
Prospero (PROS-puh-roh) noun Someone
who is capable of influencing others' behavior or perceptions without their
being aware of it. After Prospero, the
deposed Duke of Milan and a magician, in Shakespeare's The Tempest. Earliest documented use: 1785.
Feedback to A.Word.A.Day
From: John Callagher
Subject: Shakespeare
As a young English man,
those many years ago, a Warwickshire lad... I and a very few, equally
passionate followers of Shakespeare, never worked on The Bard's Birthday. The mayor of Stratford stepped off a parade
with measured tread, followed by motley assorted seniors. Each one, resplendent with a variety of medals
and ribbons worn with modest pride, paraded through the streets of the town.
The parade ended at St John's for a bowing of the heads, a few well spoken
words, punctuated with soft and loud Amens.
Many years later, sitting in the Globe Theatre, Stratford, Ontario,
Canada... I had arrived early into the beautiful theater. I sat and became aware, as the seats filled,
the vast number of the audience were from all corners of the world. The quietly hushed conversations near and far,
bubbled and blended into a common sound of total understanding of the words of
this Warwickshire man who lived, loved, and penned some 400 years before. Now 450 years have passed and I still fill
with wonder at the power of the creative word.
Happy Birthday William. I love you, man!
Kikunae Ikeda from the Tokyo Imperial
University isolated
glutamic acid as a new taste substance in 1908 from the seaweed Laminaria japonica, kombu,
by aqueous extraction and crystallization, and named its taste "umami".
He
noticed that dashi, the Japanese broth of katsuobushi and kombu,
had a peculiar taste that had not been scientifically described at that time
and differed from sweet, salty, sour and bitter. To verify that ionized glutamate was
responsible for the umami taste, Professor Ikeda studied the taste properties
of many glutamate salts such as calcium, potassium, ammonium, and magnesium
glutamate. All salts elicited umami in
addition to a certain metallic taste due to the other minerals. Among those salts, sodium glutamate was the
most soluble and palatable, and crystallized easily. Professor Ikeda named this product monosodium
glutamate and submitted a patent to produce MSG. Suzuki brothers started the first commercial
production of MSG in 1909 as Aji-no-moto, meaning
"essence of taste" in English.
Read more at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate
The Democratic National Committee has asked 15 cities to submit bids to host the
party’s 2016 presidential nominating convention, a committee official said
April 22, 2014. Democrats have asked for
formal proposals from Atlanta, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit,
Indianapolis, Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia,
Phoenix, Pittsburgh and Salt Lake City. The list of cities under consideration for the
Democratic convention might not be final: Other cities can ask to be sent a request for
proposal. But those seeking the
spotlight a convention shines on a host city in 2016 will only have until close
of business on June 6 to reply to the DNC.
Reid Wilson http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/govbeat/wp/2014/04/22/democrats-eye-15-cities-for-2016-convention/?tid=hpModule_ba0d4c2a-86a2-11e2-9d71-f0feafdd1394&hpid=z9
http://librariansmuse.blogspot.com Issue 1139
April 23, 2014 On this date in 1635,
the first public
school in the United States, Boston Latin School,
was founded in Boston, Massachusetts.
On this date in 1914, the first baseball game
at Wrigley Field,
then known as Weeghman Park in Chicago, was played.
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