Avocado 🥑 National Day🎊July 31

National Avocado Day

July 31

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Ripe for the picking, add this delicious super-fruit to your menu on National Avocado Day on July 31st!

Don’t mix up National Avocado Day (July 31) with National Guacamole Day in September. While most restaurants celebrate Avocado Day the same way - with offers for free guacamole - some are offering discounts on other dishes featuring the big green fruit.
While guacamole is grand, don’t settle for just the chips and dip on this food holiday. Since avocado is so versatile, clear the table for the entire meal. That includes everything from the appetizer and main dish all the way to dessert. On National Avocado Day, this tree grown fruit has them all covered!
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Avocados are more than a staple food in the American diet; they are proven to be a key ingredient in recipes for both inside the body and on the body! According to the Hass Avocado Board, as of 2015, avocado consumption in the United States doubled since 2005 and quadrupled since 2000. In fact, a whopping 4.25 billion avocados were sold in the U.S. in 2015. That’s four point two five billion of this amazingly beautiful food.

Super Food 🥑
There are many reasons to celebrate National Avocado Day. For one, avocados target insulin resistance with heart-healthy fats. They also fight Alzheimer’s with its Omega 3 fatty acids. Another avocado superpower is preventing and repairing damage due to its source of Vitamins C, E and K.
One of the secret weapons in an avocado is the high oleic acid content. This moisturizing fatty acid helps keep skin soft and hydrated but also supports the regeneration of damaged skin cells reducing redness and irritation. Eat more of this superfruit or cook with avocado oil if you have this type of skin issue.

Beauty
Ancient Aztecs used the avocado to beautify their skin topically with masks. Then in the early 20th century, the cosmetic industry discovered the benefits of its oil in creams, lotions, facial cleansers and other products that required a smooth application. Interestingly, the practice continues today.
As mentioned before, avocados have found their way into every meal of the day. Of course, avocados celebrate with dessert effortlessly. Additionally, the creamy texture replaces calorie-laden oils with healthful fats. That means we can indulge without the guilt. What better way to celebrate National Avocado Day than to indulge a little?

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NATIONALAVOCADODAY
Enjoy an avocado and try a new recipe. Share your favorite avocado recipe and use #NationalAvocadoDay to post on social media.

Avocado Cupcakes from Will Cook for Smiles

Avocado Brownies from Jody Duits on Buzzfeed

The Registrar at National Day Calendar proclaimed National Avocado Day to be celebrated annually beginning in 2017.

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/july-31-2021-national-mutt-day-national-avocado-day-national-raspberry-cake-day/

                                      

Cheesecake Day 🍰 July 30th

National Cheesecake Day

 

National Cheesecake Day on July 30th offers a slice of one of America’s favorite desserts. Order up a cheesecake with your favorite topping. Get it delivered or make it at home.

This smooth dessert hits the spot when the end of the meal rolls around. While most cakes have a crumb, cheesecake’s texture is nothing like cake. Indeed, its creamy, thick pudding-like character comes from the soft cheese used as the main ingredient. Depending on the recipe, either cream cheese or cottage cheese is used. When the cheese is mixed with sugar, eggs, and other ingredients, the batter is added to a crust.

When making cheesecake, one of the most common crusts used is a graham cracker crust. Other options include a cookie crust, pastry or sponge cake. However, some cheesecakes are crustless. Recipes vary and cheesecakes may be prepared baked or unbaked.

When faced with choosing a cheesecake flavor, don’t panic. While the options may seem overwhelming, bakers solved this problem. They offer a variety of flavors in one cake. So, take one home and try each one. Since cheesecakes do come in a wide variety, consider your tastes. If you prefer summer fruits and berries, cheesecakes have you covered. Tropical options hit the spot, too. For coffee lovers, bakers provide a rich selection. And don’t forget delicious chocolate and nutty flavors. Each cheesecake may be served with fresh fruit, a sauce, whipped cream or plain.

History of the Cheesecake
When it comes to searching for cheesecake’s history, we look to ancient Greece. A form of the dessert comes up as a recipe served to athletes. It has been found that the earliest attested mention of a cheesecake is by Greek physician Aegimus, who wrote a book on the art of making cheesecakes.

While recipes for cheesecake served athletes in ancient Greece, cream cheese has been a part of American’s dessert making since about the 1820s. However, after the advent of pasteurization, mass production became possible. One dairy farmer from Chester, New York, decided to be the first. William A. Lawrence purchased a Neufchatel factory to begin his production and in 1873 the first mass-produced cream cheese became a reality.

 

Styles of Cheesecakes:

•     New York-style cheesecake   🗽
•     Pennsylvania Dutch-style cheesecake
•     Philadelphia-style
•     Farmer cheese cheesecake
•     Country-style cheesecake
•     Lactose-free cheesecake
•     Cheesecake Kludys
•     Chicago Style cheesecake
•     Savory cheesecake

• Different Types of Cheesecake
• 1. Basque Burnt cheesecake
• 2. No-Bake Cheesecake
• 3. Japanese Cheesecake
• 4. Baklava Cheesecake
• 5. Cheesecake Cake
• 6. Cheesecake Cookies
• 7. New York Cheesecake
• 8. Chicago Cheesecake
• 9. Philadelphia Cheesecake
• 10. German Cheesecake (Käsekuchen)
• 11. Savory Cheesecake
• 12. Ricotta Cheesecake
• 13. Vegan Cheesecake
• 14. Swedish Cheesecake (Ostkaka)
• 15. Chocolate Cheesecake
• 16. Russian cheesecake (Vatrushka)
• Cheesecakes FAQs
• Related Cheesecake Recipes
• 16 Different Types of Cheesecake

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL CHEESECAKE DAY

Whether you make one at home or pick one up at a bakery, savor the creamy taste of cheesecake! Post on social media using #NationalCheesecakeDay and share your favorite variety.

NATIONAL CHEESECAKE DAY HISTORY

We were unable to find the creator and the origin of National Cheesecake Day.

https://nationaldaycalendar.com/national-cheesecake-day-july-30/

Key Lime Pie Cheesecake
https://www.google.com/search Key+Lime+Pie+Cheesecake

                     

Arena di Verona 🏛️ Italian Opera Festival🎼2024

Arena di Verona

Italian  Opera  Festival 

Muti, Kaufmann, Flórez, Tézier, Buratto, and others

The Verona Arena (Italian: Arena di Verona) is a Roman amphitheatre in Piazza Bra in Verona, Italy, built in 30 AD. 

It is still in use and serves as a venue for large-scale opera performances. It is one of the best preserved ancient structures of its kind. In ancient times, the arena's capacity was nearly 30,000 people. The stage for concerts and opera performances decreases the available capacity to a maximum of 22,000

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https://youtu.be/I0VXIbiVhRY?si=Gm-3BLQG_MXOMfO-

Timecodes for the video are included in description. 

Copyright Disclaimer: This video contains copyrighted material used under fair use for non-commercial, educational purposes. If copyright owners object, kindly request video removal. No infringement intended. 

Timecodes:  

00:00 Intro  

05:56 National anthem of Italy 

07:30 Ode to Joy 

09:01 William Tell Overture / Rossini 

21:34 Norma Sinfonia / Bellini  

28:50 Patria oppressa! / Macbeth / Verdi  

43:01 Nabucco Overture / Verdi  

50:53 Va’, pensiero / Nabucco / Verdi  

58:10 Manon Lescaut Intermezzo / Puccini  

1:04:50 Mefistofele Prelude / Boito  

1:12:02 Ave, Signor degli angeli e dei santi! / Mefistofele / Boito 

1:25:34 The Great Italian Opera: Heritage of Humanity 

1:29:04 E lucevan le stelle / Tosca / Puccini (Jonas Kaufmann)  

1:33:46 Casta Diva / Norma / Bellini (Jessica Pratt)  

1:40:34 Dies irae / Messa da Requiem / Verdi (Ballet) 

1:44:12 Tu che di gel sei cinta / Turandot / Puccini (Rosa Feola)  

1:48:26 Largo al factotum / Il barbiere di Siviglia / Rossini (Nicola Alaimo)  

1:55:02 Coro a bocca chiusa / Madama Butterfly (ballet by Roberto Bolle & Nicoletta Manni)  

2:00:20 Che gelida manina / La bohème / Puccini (Juan Diego Flórez ) 

2:07:13 Tre sbirri…Va, Tosca!...Te Deum / Tosca / Puccini ( Luca Salsi)  

2:14:01 Oh! quante volte / I Capuleti e I Montecchi / Bellini (Mariangela Sicilia)  

2:23:08 Cortigiani, vil razza dannata / Rigoletto / Verdi (Luca Salsi)  

2:28:20 Triumphal March / Aida / Verdi  

2:31:23 Quando me'n vo' (Musetta's Waltz) / La bohème / Puccini (Juliana Grigoryan) 2:35:12 Recitar!...Vesti la giubba / I pagliacci / Leoncavallo (Brian Jagde)  

2:40:01 O mio babbino caro / Gianni Schicchi / Puccini (Mariangela Sicilia) 

2:44:17 Les tringles des sistres tintaient / Carmen / Bizet (Aigul Akhmetshina) 

2:50:50 Vecchia zimarra, senti / La bohème / Puccini (Gianluca Buratto)  

2:54:00 Intermezzo / Cavalleria rusticana / Mascagni (Roberto Bolle) 

2:59:25 Di quella pira / Il trovatore / Verdi (Galeano Salas) 

3:04:07 Una furtiva lagrima / L'elisir d'amore / Donizetti (Francesco Meli)  

3:09:56 Un bel dì, vedremo / Madama Butterfly / Puccini (Eleonora Buratto) 

3:16:53 Nemico della patria / Andrea Chénier / Giordano (Ludovic Tézier ) 

3:22:58 La donna è mobile / Rigoletto / Verdi (Juan Diego Flórez ) 

3:26:59 Nessun dorma! / Turandot / Puccini (Vittorio Grigolo) Conductor: Riccardo Muti, Francesco Ivan Ciampa Professori d'Orchestra Arena di Verona, 2024

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The building itself was built in AD 30 on a site which was then beyond the city walls. The ludi (shows and games) staged there were so famous that spectators came from many other places, often far away, to witness them. The amphitheatre could host more than 30,000 spectators in ancient times. The round facade of the building was originally composed of white and pink limestone from Valpolicella, but after a major earthquake in 1117, which almost completely destroyed the structure's outer ring, except for the so-called "ala" (wing), the stone was quarried for re-use in other buildings. Nevertheless, it impressed medieval visitors to the city, one of whom considered it to have been a labyrinth, without ingress or egress. Ciriaco d'Ancona was filled with admiration for the way it had been built and Giovanni Antonio Panteo's civic panegyric De laudibus veronae, 1483, remarked that it struck the viewer as a construction that was more than human.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verona_Arena

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L'Arena di Verona è un anfiteatro romano situato nel centro storico di Verona, icona della città veneta insieme alle figure di Romeo e Giulietta. Si tratta di uno dei grandi fabbricati che hanno caratterizzato l'architettura romana ed uno degli anfiteatri antichi giunto a noi con il miglior grado di conservazione, grazie ai sistematici restauri eseguiti fin dal Cinquecento; proprio per questo motivo, nonostante le numerose trasformazioni subite, esso consente al visitatore di poter facilmente comprendere la struttura di questo genere di edifici, rigorosamente soggetti alla funzione cui erano destinati ma dotati comunque di una essenziale bellezza. Durante i mesi estivi ospita il celebre festival lirico areniano, le cui stagioni si svolgono ininterrottamente dal 1913, mentre il resto dell'anno è meta di molti cantanti e musicisti internazionali. 

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arena_di_Verona

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Les arènes de Vérone sont un amphithéâtre romain situé à Vérone (province de Vénétie, dans le nord de l'Italie). Construites en 30 apr. J.-C., elles pouvaient accueillir environ 30 000 spectateurs. 

L'amphithéatre a une hauteur de 32 mètres. Souvent considéré comme le troisième amphithéâtre romain par ses dimensions, après l'amphithéâtre flavien (Colisée) de Rome et l'amphithéâtre de Capoue, il est sûrement l'un des mieux conservé. Constitué à l'origine de trois murs concentriques, seul le mur extérieur a été presque entièrement perdu. La cavea (partie d'un théâtre romain ou d'un amphithéâtre où se trouvent les gradins sur lesquels s'asseyent les spectateurs) a une longueur d'environ 138 mètres et une largeur d'environ 110 mètres ; voir ci-dessous la Liste des plus grands amphithéâtres romains. L'amphithéâtre a été construit en l'an 30 apr. J.-C.  En 1117, un tremblement de terre important détruisit presque totalement l'enceinte extérieure de l'amphithéâtre, et l'arène fut employée comme carrière pour d'autres édifices. Les premières restaurations commencèrent pendant la Renaissance.

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ar%C3%A8nes_de_V%C3%A9rone

Protecting the Arena: 

A giant cover for the Roman amphitheatre of Verona (Italy)

A giant tarpaulin to protect opera goers - and the ancient monument itself - from their main enemy: bad weather. The German companies Schlaich Bergermann & Partner (SBP) and Gerkan Marg & Partners (GMP) won the first prize in the international competition of ideas for a planned cover for the ancient Roman Arena in Verona.

https://blog.design2taste.com/protecting-the-arena-a-giant-cover-for-the-roman-amphitheatre-of-verona-italy-c6aa068db580

 

Bust of the emperor Gallienus, who had the amphitheatre of Verona included in the new city walls

Arena di Verona Busto dell'imperatore Gallieno, che fece includere l'anfiteatro di Verona nella nuova cinta muraria 

             

Expensive Wine🍷 is for Suckers 😎

Expensive Wine  🍷

Is for Suckers 😎

The Video Below Shows Why...

by Joss Fong on May 20, 2015

We blind-tasted three cabernet sauvignon wines, one of which (the most expensive) was described by Wine Spectator as "extremely well done ... with style and panache." Our response was somewhat different.

I bought three red wines at different prices

 to see if my coworkers could tell the difference.

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Would they be able to tell which wine was the most expensive?

Check out the video to see our results

In any given grocery store, you might find a couple dozen types of beer. But glance over to the wine section, and you'll see maybe a hundred different bottles with prices ranging from a couple bucks to a small fortune.

How does this make sense?

Americans drink seven times more beer than wine. And most of us can't tell so-called "good wines" from bad ones. The ambiguity of wine is presumably what gives rise to the sizable industry around wine competitions, sommeliers, ratings, and commentary that often sounds more like poetry than a beverage review. ("Yellowing and leesy in character, with a deep, brooding style.")

In a 2007 essay, Princeton economist Richard Quandt discussed "the two principal sources of bullshit" in life: First, there are some subjects that tend to induce an unusually large amount of bullshit ... Equally importantly, there are some people who engage in bullshit with greater frequency than the average; they have a special propensity to bullshit, perhaps habitually or compulsively or just for the fun of it ... In some instances, there is an unhappy marriage between a subject that especially lends itself to bullshit and bullshit artists who are impelled to comment on it. I fear that wine is one of those instances where this unholy union is in effect."

Therein lies the problem with wine: you have the science of turning a great fruit into a great drink. Then you have what are seemingly objective quality variables like balance and complexity. But layered onto that is a mountain of subjective opinions, people trying to prove their sophistication, and a whole lot of marketing. The nature of wine makes it really hard to tell the difference between expertise, nonsense, and personal preference.

Take wine comments, for example. There's no doubt that people can learn through training how to identify different grapes and regions, and develop the vocabulary to distinguish and describe subtle flavors and aromas.  But at the same time, people are always vulnerable to the influence of their expectations. And time and again, researchers have been able to trick even expert wine tasters.

By dyeing a white wine red, researchers at the University of Bordeaux showed how easily visual cues can dominate wine students' sense of smell. When they thought the white wine was a red one, they described it using words commonly applied to red wines (incidentally, those words are typically dark objects like red berries or wood).

Another powerful cue is price. 

We can't help but associate price with quality, and most of the time it's probably a good assumption that you're paying more for a reason. 

But does that association hold up for wine?

Buy three red wines at different prices to see if coworkers could tell the difference.

Would they be able to tell which wine was the most expensive?

 

Would they enjoy that wine more than the others? 

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