Who Started This Valentine’s Day Nonsense Anyway?

I remember as a child that yearly trip to the store with my mother to pick out the Valentine’s greeting cards that I would later take to school for all my classmates. Once they were purchased I would peruse them at length determining which was the right one for Becky, for Sandra, and the all important one for Warren. A shoebox was taken to school before the big day; and decorated with my name, hearts and the like. A hole was cut in the top so all the wonderful Valentine’s could be dropped inside. On Valentine’s Day we would all bring in our Valentine’s greeting cards and distribute them into their appropriate boxes. It was such fun looking through all the ones I was given. Seeing how many duplicates I received, seeing if I was lucky enough to get one with a sucker attached, and seeing if there was one from Warren.

You probably have similar childhood memories; and if you are a romantic at heart you probably enjoy Valentine’s Day with all its hearts, cupids, doves, candy, flowers, and such. Do you ever wonder who is responsible for creating what has become one of the biggest commercial holidays of the year.

Wikipedia says “Saint Valentine’s Day, commonly shortened to Valentine’s Day, is an annual commemoration held on February 14th celebrating love and affection between intimate companions.” Further, it credits Pope Gelasius I with establishing Saint Valentine’s Day in 500 AD.

The first “valentine” card is said to have been given by a priest named Valentine who was imprisoned. Supposedly, he fell in love with the jailers blind daughter who visited him during his confinement. He is reported to have performed a miracle by healing her. Before his execution it is said that he wrote her a letter that was signed “From your Valentine”; an expression we still see on greeting cards today. Whether you believe the legend or not, you cannot deny that it makes for a very romantic story.

Another theory links Valentine's Day to the beginning of spring which was considered to be February in ancient Rome. Lupercalia, a festival observed from February 13th through 15th was a time for cleansing. The festival included a fertility ritual and the pairing of bachelors with the young women of the city. These pairings often ended in marriage. This Roman system was considered un-Christian; and later outlawed.

Some say Geoffrey Chaucer first wrote about the association of romantic love and Valentine's Day when he wrote this poem for the first anniversary of the engagement of King Richard II of England to Anne of Bohemia. “For this was on seynt Volantynys day Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese his make.” (For this was Saint Valentine's Day, when every bird cometh there to choose his mate.) It is assumed that Chaucer was referring to February 14th; however, this seems an unlikely time of year for birds to be mating in England.

Valentine’s Day began to be popular in Great Britain by the 17th century; and commonly celebrated in the 18th century by giving gifts or handwritten notes to friends and lovers. Improvements in printing technology at the end of the 18th century made it easy for printed cards to replace written letters. Handmade valentine’s cards began to be exchanged in the United States in the early 1700s; and Esther Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in the 1840s. History.com reports that according to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year making Valentine’s Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.

Today, I confess I still love getting Valentine’s greetings. I still don’t get one from Warren; but I do get a lovely one from the love of my life (my husband) every Valentine’s Day. It’s usually filled with words that touch my heart. Isn’t that what Valentine’s Day should be? Showing love in whatever way you can. Whether you send a greeting card, buy a gift, take a loved one out for a nice meal, or have their name tattooed on your arm really doesn’t matter. Even if you think Valentine’s Day is nonsense, what matters is that you let the people you love know that you love them. Seems like we should celebrate Valentine’s Day every day of the year.  Well, shouldn’t we?

Hints for Making that New Year’s Resolution Last All Year

One third of January 2011 is already gone. Is your new year’s resolution long forgotten? If so, maybe you could use a little help. Here are some hints and tips for helping you stick to your resolution; and get the results you desire.

Give your resolution an overhaul. Maybe the problem is that your resolution is too broad or too vague. Saying “I will lose weight” isn’t specific enough. Saying “I will give up junk food” or “I will exercise three times a week” gives you a defined goal that is easier to achieve.

Record and review. Write your resolution down; and keep it in a place you will see every day. Constantly reminding yourself of your goal makes it easier to pass on that donut or get on the treadmill.

Limit the number of resolutions you tackle. It’s better to do one thing well than to do a lot of things poorly. Ultimately, if you have too many resolutions and none of them are turning out like you expected; you will lose interest and give up.

Be realistic about your goals. Don't set yourself up for failure. Lose 50 pounds in a week? Nope! Lose 10 pounds in a month? Better!

Make a plan. If your diet is loaded with junk food and your resolution is to give it up; does the thought of going cold turkey send you into a tizzy? Don’t think “I just can’t do it”; and get discouraged. Decide to give up just one item a day until your diet is junk food free.
Ask for help from friends and family. You’ll be surprised at how much easier reaching your goal will be. Maybe you have a friend or family member with the same goal; and the two of you can work together.

Surround yourself with good influences. If you’re trying to lose weight; don’t hang out with the friend that always eats at fast food restaurants. Tell all the naysayers to keep their negativity to themselves.

Set incremental goals; and reward yourself. If you’ve decided to stop smoking and you haven’t for a whole month; give yourself a reward. Get a massage; or see a movie.
No matter what goal you have set for yourself; it will take dedication and determination to reach it. Changing any behavior is not easy; but certainly possible. Read more hints and tips at Psychology Today. We say go for it; and have a great 2011!

Cleaning The Cuisipro Spray Pump

We noticed people were searching our website for information on cleaning the Cuisipro Stainless Steel Spray pump. Here is what we found out from Cuisipro. Hand wash only. Fill ½ full with hot tap water and add a drop of liquid detergent. Pump 10 times and spray for 10 seconds. To rinse, repeat with fresh hot water.

We felt washing the bottle out first with soapy water and rinsing; to rid any excess oils etc; before following the above instructions would be a good idea. Also we recommend rinsing instruction should be done at least twice, so as not to leave any unwanted flavors in your spray pump.

Spray pumps are becoming more and more popular in the household. Because of their convenience and use of air instead of propellants. Propellants can add an odd taste to your food. Another big reason they have become popular is you can use different types of oils without buying 5 cans of different spray “flavors”. You noticed we said “flavors”. With the spray pump you know you are getting pure olive oil or vinaigrettes. Enjoy your food with peace of mind when you use a spray pump. We hope this information helps! Find more details about the Cuisipro Spray Pump here .

You Can Help Save Jobs, Possibly Your Own for 44 Cents

Help the economy, save jobs, and probably create new jobs for 44 cents, by using a “real trickle down” approach. By buying 44 cent postage stamps to mail your bills each month! No we don’t work at the post office but we can explain how a stamp can save jobs.

Major corporations, insurance companies, banks and credit card companies and utilities encourage you to pay your bills online or with automatic bill paying directly from your bank account, with intimidation lines such as “save a stamp” or “save the environment”. What they are really saying is “save us money” by eliminating jobs. Big business doesn’t give a hoot about saving you money or the environment! They only care about “big profits”.

The problem here is two fold in nature. One: big business eliminates jobs; and Two; consumers save excessively. So why is saving money a problem? To British economist John Keynes, excessive saving, i.e. saving beyond planned investment, was a serious problem encouraging recession or even depression. You can read the Wiki article here but be forewarned, it is “heavy” reading.

So let’s see how many jobs the purchase of a stamp includes.

The first job you save is the postal worker you bought the stamp from. But wait, someone had to print the stamp; that’s 2 jobs. Someone had to make the paper the stamp is printed on; that’s 3 jobs. Someone had to make the glue to affix the stamp to the envelope; 4 jobs. Oh yeah, what about the envelope the company sent you? Someone had to run a machine to make the envelope; 5 jobs. Someone had to maintain the machine that made the envelope; 6 jobs. More glue for the envelopes; 8 jobs. You need oil for the machine that makes the envelope; 9 jobs. You will at sometime need parts for machines when they break down. Someone had to make or import those parts; 10 jobs. Those parts had to be delivered; 11 jobs. The delivery truck needed to be built; how many jobs did you save there? The letter carrier that delivered the bill to you, also the carrier that delivered the bill to them. They need trucks; the trucks need to be maintained. Office workers open bills and enter the data etc. etc. etc. By this point you should see just how far down the work chain a postage stamp goes. Did any of these jobs include you? The more jobs we lose the more chance you will be next in the unemployment line.

So, you can see how a postage stamp can help the economy and save many jobs through “trickle down”. You can also see how big business tries to intimidate you with save the planet tactics. They do not care about you or the planet. They only care about your money!

Tips for Making Good Gravy or How to Avoid Making Wallpaper Paste

This week’s hints and tips article is a little bit different than most of our postings. Our company name, Hubcaps and Gravy, is sometimes misleading making people think we sell hubcaps; or we are a restaurant. If you have taken a look at our website you know that neither is correct. One person even asked if we are a country style restaurant that serves food on hubcaps. Weird, huh? Well, apparently an establishment exists that actually does offer up food on a hubcap; so I guess his question wasn’t too far fetched.

Given the confusion, we have had some requests for information on how to make gravy; so last week my husband asked me to write instructions for making gravy. Here’s some basic gravy making hints and tips to help make your holiday meal a hit.

Taste, Taste, Taste! This step is important when making anything. You have to add and taste constantly. Add seasonings or ingredients in small amounts, then taste. You can always add more; but you can’t take flavors out once they’ve been added.

Salt is the key to the best flavored gravy. Start with about 1/2 tsp. for 4 cups of liquid. Then sprinkle in a tiny bit at a time, stirring and tasting until it’s just right.

You only need a small amount of fat to make lots of gravy, about 1/4 to 1/3 cup.

The secret to dark, rich gravy is dark, rich pan drippings. Let the drippings evaporate into a dark brown glaze during roasting, but don't let them burn. Whenever the pan looks dry, moisten the drippings with more stock, wine, or water so they don't scorch. The darker and heavier your roasting pan, the darker and richer the drippings. Aluminum roasters make wimpy drippings.

Heat your stock or low sodium broth before adding it to your gravy. This may mean dirtying an extra pot, but it’s worth it. This is one of the best ways to insure that you won’t have lumpy gravy. Also, use a wire whisk to stir the gravy to avoid lumps.

General rule of thumb for gravy is 1 tablespoon of fat and 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour for each cup of liquid. The flour can be adjusted depending on whether you prefer a thicker or thinner gravy, more flour for thicker gravy. Per 1 cup of liquid, use 1 tablespoon flour for thin gravy, 1 1/2 tablespoons for medium-thick gravy and 2 tablespoons for thick gravy.

Turkey Gravy

Once you have removed your turkey from the roasting pan, pour the pan drippings into a fat separator. Leave any browned turkey bits in the pan. These add great flavor to your gravy. If you don’t have a separator just use a heat proof measuring cup. Let it sit for a minute or two until the fat rises to the top. Pour the turkey juices back into the pan. If you used a measuring cup skim off the fat with a spoon, then pour the remaining juices into your pan. Too much fat in the gravy makes it taste greasy. You need about 2 cups of juices for this recipe. You can add canned chicken broth to make 2 cups, if needed.

Place the roasting pan on your stovetop. It will most likely cover two burners. I place mine on the side of my stovetop with the largest burner. This way I can use just the large burner to cook my gravy.

Next, make a slurry. In a separate container with a lid, shake together 3 tablespoons of flour and 2 cups of cool broth. You can use cooled turkey broth or canned chicken broth. Either works just fine. If you don’t have either, you can use water. The important thing is that it is cool before you mix it with the flour. Adding the thickener to your gravy in this manner helps prevent lumps from forming.

Now, turn on the heat under your roasting pan; and bring the juices to a nice steady bubbling boil. Slowly add the slurry mixture to the pan while using a whisk to stir constantly as it is added. If your gravy starts to thicken too quickly, stop adding the slurry mixture. You may not need the entire slurry mixture. If your gravy is too thick you can add more broth; or if it’s too thin you can add additional slurry mixture.

Reduce the heat to a simmer; and continue to cook for about 10 minutes. Undercooked flour tastes raw. Add salt and pepper to taste. If your gravy has lumps or you want to remove any turkey bits, you can strain it through a sieve before serving. Add cooked chopped giblets, if desired. Pour into a warmed gravy boat or pitcher, and serve.

Note: This recipe can also be used to make roast beef gravy. If you are making roast beef gravy, you can substitute canned beef broth for the canned chicken broth.

Use these hints and tips; and practice to become a great gravy maker. Click here for my recipes for Sawmill Gravy and the southern treat, Chocolate Gravy along with more information on how I learned to make gravy instead of wallpaper paste. You will also find my recipe for Frog-eye Gravy (aka Red-eye Gravy) and a great folklore tale.