Jul 19, 2013

Happy Friday

When I wake up, my premature optimism is always rewarded, especially when I have a Happy Friday!

Top Twelve Ice Cream Facts

Since July is National Ice Cream Month (created by Ronald Reagan in 1984) and (third Sunday in July (July 21) is National Ice Cream Day), thought I would dish up a few frozen goodie facts.

Ice cream has the following composition by weight:  greater than 10% milkfat by legal definition, 9 to 12% milk solids-not-fat, 12 to 16% sweeteners, 0.2 to 0.5% stabilizers and emulsifiers, 55% to 64% water which comes from the milk or other ingredients.

The history of ice cream dates back to the second century B.C.
The ice cream cone was invented in 1896 with a patent being issued in 1903 to Italo Marchiony.

The United States is the top ice cream consuming country in the world.

It takes 12 lbs. of milk to make a gallon of ice cream.

Vanilla is the number one selling flavor at 27.8%, followed by chocolate 14.3%, strawberry 3.3% (hot dog flavored ice-cream is made by Udder Delights in Arizona).

Chocolate syrup is the favorite topping to put on ice cream.

The major ingredient in ice cream is air.

Depending on conditions of storage, ice cream might last one year, or it might be two weeks or less.

PETA urged Ben & Jerry's to replace cow's milk in its ice cream with human breast milk.

In the late 19th century, America's soda shops bowed to pressure from local churches to not serve ice cream sodas on Sundays. They removed the soda from the recipe and invented the ice cream sundae.

Ice cream is made from milk fat and milk solids. Sorbet is non-dairy and usually high in sugar. Yogurt is usually tart with low or no fat milk substitute. Custard is rich and smooth with lots of egg in it.

An average dairy cow can produce enough milk in her lifetime to make a little over 9,000 gallons of ice cream.

July is also National Grilling Month.

Biggest and Smallest Eggs

The Ostrich lays the smallest egg for its size. Although the Ostrich egg is the largest single cell in nature, it is less than one and a half per cent of the weight of the mother. A wren’s egg, by comparison, is 13 per cent of its weight.

The largest egg in comparison with the size of the bird is that of the Little Spotted Kiwi. Its egg accounts for 26 per cent of its own weight. That would be the equivalent of a woman giving birth to a six-year-old child.

An ostrich egg weighs as much as twenty-four hen’s eggs. Can you imagine how much bacon it would take to go with an Ostrich egg omelet?

World Record for World Records

Keith (Ashrita Furman) Record-Winning Age: 51 Award Date: June 6, 2006 Fastest Time for a Male to Hoola Hoop 10km.

Furman also holds the record for “most records held at one time by an individual” 160 as of 2012.

He has set records on seven continents and in more than 30 different countries

Since 1979, Furman has set 450 official Guinness Records, including juggling on a pogo stick the furthest distance (4 miles 30 feet) and quickest time for a mile-long piggy back (12 minutes, 47 seconds). He converted an indoor rower with wheels and brakes and rowed 1,500 miles (2,400 km) in 16 days in Bali in 1991. When not breaking records, he manages a health food store in Queens, New York.

Runner up is Suresh Joachim Arulanantham, a Canadian film actor and multiple-Guinness World Record holder who has broken 60 world records set in several countries in attempts to benefit underprivileged children around the world.

Same and Opposite

Clip can mean "to bind together" or "to separate." You clip sheets of paper to together or separate part of a page by clipping something out.

Continue usually means to persist in doing something, but as a legal term it means stop a proceeding temporarily.

Fight with can be interpreted three ways. “He fought with his mother-in-law” could mean "They argued," "They served together in the war," or "He used her as a weapon."

Hold up can mean "to support" or "to hinder."

Out can mean "visible" or "invisible." For example, “It’s a good thing the full moon was out when the lights went out.”

Paper Bag Numbers

The number on the bag indicates its capacity. Smaller units, called bags or grocers, have numbers from 1/2 to 25, signifying the approximate weight in pounds of sugar or flour the bag can hold.

Larger varieties, known as sacks, are sized in fractions of a barrel, e.g., 1/6, the size most commonly found in supermarkets.

Wordology, Ultracrepidarian

A person who gives opinions and advice on matters outside of one's knowledge. See next post. . .

Lawyer Thoughts

Washington D.C. has about 277 lawyers for every 10,000 residents. This is nearly 14 times more lawyers per 10,000 than any other state in the United States.

New York has the second most lawyers per capita.

The lowest lawyer rate per capita is North Dakota with about 4 lawyers per 10,000 people. I think we should move the capital to North Dakota.

Seven Kitchen Tips

Microwave garlic cloves for 15 seconds and the skins slip off.
When working with dough, coat your with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Wrap celery in aluminum foil and put it in the refrigerator to keep for weeks.
Let raw potatoes stand in cold water for at least half an hour before frying to improve the crispness of french-fried potatoes.

Microwave lemons, limes, or oranges for 15 seconds in the microwave before squeezing them and you get twice as much juice.
After you drain pasta, while it’s still hot, grate some fresh Parmesan on top before tossing it with your sauce, so the sauce has more to stick to