Happy St. Patty’s Day

There are few times a year that if you drink and become intoxicated, it is perfectly okay and no one will look down on you. One of those days is 03/17. No one cares about the history of St. Patty’s Day. No one will even bother to learn the history of Saint Patrick and his whimsical journey with serpents. No. None of that is important. The only important issue on this day is booze. Lots of booze and random fighting. Damn, it has to be amazing to be Irish.

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Recipe: Peanut Butter & Jam Bars

I would like to share with you a recipe my mother found many, many years ago. If you’re a fan of anything made with peanut butter, then you will love these tasty treats. They are simple to make. Believe me. If I can make them, anyone can. Give it a shot. Your family and friends will be begging you for the recipe.

 

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup of shortening
  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter
  • 1 egg
  • 1 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour*
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 cup red raspberry jam**
  • Glaze (below)
Heat oven to 350°. Mix sugars, shortening, peanut butter, and egg. Stir in flour, baking powder and baking soda. Reserve one cup of dough. Press remaining dough into an ungreased rectangular pan, 13x9x12 inches; spread with jam. Crumble reserved dough and sprinkle over jam. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Cool; Drizzle with glaze. Cut into bars, about 2×1 1/2 inches. Will make 3 dozen cookies.
Glaze:
  • 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons hot water
Heat margarine in 1-quart sauce pan over low hear until melted. Mix in powdered sugar and vanilla. Beat in hot water, 1 teaspoon at a time, until smooth and of desired consistency. 
*If using self-rising flour, omit baking soda and baking powder.
**You’re welcome to use a different jam but I prefer the taste of raspberry. 
Note: Unbleached flour can be used in this recipe.
High Altitude Directions (3500 to 6500 feet): For all-purpose flour, no adjustments are necessary. For self-rising flour, bake about 20 minutes.
I hope you enjoy these bars. My mom makes them all the time. I don’t know where she found the recipe but I am glad she did. They hit the spot. Try them out and let me know what you think of them!
Finished product should look like this.

Happy Left-Hander’s Day

“Everyone is born right handed, only the gifted overcome it.”

 

I am a proud left-handed individual. In my family, I am the only left-handed person. I don’t run around holding it above their heads but it is nice to know that I stand out among the rest of the mutants in my family. I want to give a hearty shout out to all the lefties out there. Today is our day. Today we get to bask in the glory of being in such a small group of people.

According to many studies, only about 10% (or 15% based on where you look) of the world’s population is left handed.  All year long, the evil right-handed people ridicule the left handed population for being different. People seem to associate us the with devil and being evil. Way before I was born, kids were forced to write with their right hand. That’s the catholic school system for you. Still ruthless and insane as they were 50 years ago.

Today is our day to shine. Today is the day that we get to shine and stand out for being different. This joyous day was given to lefties back in 1976. Since that day, we’ve held events, gatherings, and you can find many items made specifically just for us. There are scissors, clocks, watches, pens and notebooks. You can find some of these fantastic items at the links below.

Anything Left-Handed (Based in the UK)

Lefty’s Left Hand

Some interesting facts about lefties:

  • Stuttering and dyslexia occur more often in lefties.
  • Left-Handers are three times more likely than right-handers to become alcoholics. (oops.)
  • Lefties have a nine year shorter life span than righties.
  • 20% of all MENSA members are reported to be left-handed.
  • They tend to be more athletically inclined.
  • Lefties are better at multitasking.

There are plenty of famous right handed people. But you don’t go around talking about them. They are special 364 days a year. It is the lefties who get one day to be the stars. A short list of some famous lefties

Oprah

Barack Obama

Bill Clinton

Mark Twain

Eminem

Mozart

Paul Simon

Jerry Seinfeld

George Burns

Tom Cruise

Charlie Chaplin

Barry Bonds

Babe Ruth

Me

Again, Happy National Left-Hander’s Day to all the southpaws out there. Hope you have a great and fullfilling day. I will leave you with a song! Enjoy.

The Lefty Lament (click to listen)