National Tortilla Chip Day

My goodness, if you live in the Southwest, or anywhere in America for that matter, tortilla chips are a crunchy, delicious treat that should be on everybody’s favorite snack list.

Tortilla chips are made from corn tortillas cut into wedges and then fried to perfection. Light, crunchy and just salty enough, they consist of simple ingredients: corn, vegetable oil, salt, and water.

These delectable chips are the result of an unexpected, but brilliant, innovation by Rebecca Webb Carranza. During the 1940s, she and her husband ran a Mexican delicatessen and the El Zarape Tortilla Factory in Los Angeles. They were among the first to automate the production of tortillas. The machine often produced misshapen tortillas and Carranza decided to try and use them instead of throwing them away. She took the less-than-perfect tortillas, cut them into triangles and fried them up, selling them for a dime a bag. Carranza received a Golden Tortilla Award for her contribution to the Mexican food industry in 1994.

For decades, tortilla chips have been a nationwide sensation, served alongside salsa, chili, guacamole, and a variety of other appetizers. In fact, Nachos, which are tortilla chips topped with a variation of shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, etc. (said to have been created by Ignacia Anaya in 1943) account for 30% of all tortilla chips used in American restaurants.

The Doritos brand was the first toasted tortilla chip launched nationally in the U.S. in 1966. There are, however, many local brands, especially in the Southwest, that are considered to be “more authentic” and therefore more desirable for salsa and guacamole dipping.

Grab some of those delicious, crunchy tortillas and celebrate the day!

Random Acts of Kindness Day

Not much is known about the origin of this recognized day or who came up with it. But it is a nice idea and can help swing people’s throughts from the negative pole to the positive. The world can certainly use all the kindness it can get!

There is an interactive website called The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation. People go there to share their stories of the giving and receiving of kindness in one form or another from their fellow human beings.

Please feel free to leave your own personal stories about “Random Acts of Kindness” in the comments section of this post.

Let’s think “kindness” today and everyday! ~ Jean and Aimee

National Wild Bird-Feeding Month

Congressman John Porter (R-IL) read a resolution into the Congressional Record on February 23, 1994, proclaiming February as National Bird-Feeding Month. The formal resolution was as follows:   

“Mr. Speaker, I would like to recognize February, one of the most difficult months in the United States for wild birds, as National Bird-Feeding Month. During this month, individuals are encouraged to provide food, water and shelter to help wild birds survive. This assistance benefits the environment by supplementing wild bird’s natural diet of weed seeds and insects. Currently, one third of the U.S. adult population feeds wild birds in their backyards.

In addition, Mr. Speaker, backyard bird feeding is an entertaining, educational, and inexpensive pastime enjoyed by children and adults. Bird feeding provides a needed break from today’s frantic lifestyles. Adults enjoy the relaxation and peacefulness afforded by watching birds: nature serves to relieve the stress and can get one’s day going on a tranquil note.

Young children are naturally drawn to the activities involved in feeding wild birds, which can serve as excellent educational tools. Children can identify different species of birds with a field guide and can learn about the birds’ feeding and living habits. These observations can then provide excellent research opportunities for school projects and reports.

Feeding wild birds in the backyard is an easy hobby to start and need not overtax the family budget. It can be as simple as mounting a single feeder outside a window and filling it with bird seed mix. For many people, the hobby progresses from there. They discover the relationship between the type and location of feeders and the seeds offered in them, and the number and varieties of birds attracted. Parents can challenge an inquisitive child’s mind as they explore together these factors in trying to encourage visits by their favorite birds.”

So, let’s go... feed the birds!

National Corn Chip Day

Let’s Celebrate Fritos and Frito Pie!

There’s no doubt that Fritos are the quintessential American corn chip. There is simply nothing quite like the tasty snack. In 1932, Elmer Doolin was so taken with the bag of corn chips served with his lunch in San Antonio, Texas, that he paid $100 for the recipe and started the Frito Corporation. His company refined the chips, mechanized the process, and then moved the company to Dallas to market the product. The new company was named the Frito Company and in 1961 it merged with the H. W. Lay Company to form the snack king corporation called Frito-Lay, Inc. Although there are many brands and types of chips, no one has been able to copy the distinctive taste, texture and crispness of Fritos. And so, when a recipe calls for Fritos, nothing else will do.

Original Fritos ingredients are limited to whole corn, corn oil and salt. Fritos are now made in the following varieties: Original, Barbecue, Chili Cheese, Flamin' Hot, Tangy Roasted Corn, Sabrositas (lime & chile), Scoops (wider chips intended for dipping), Pinch of Salt, Dirty Mexican Chicken, and Ranch Style.

The classic Frito pie is this: a single-serving bag of Fritos, opened lengthwise and topped with chili or chili beans, Velveeta cheese, lettuce, tomato, and onion. For the hearty, green chiles and/or jalapenos are added.

As to its true origin, some say Frito pie actually did get its start at the Woolworth’s on the Santa Fe Plaza in the 1960s, as a dish created by lunch counter worker, Teresa Hernandez. Corporate lore at Frito-Lay, however, claims that Daisy Dean Doolin, mother of the man who first bought the rights to market Fritos in 1932, not only perfected her son’s product, but also created the Frito pie recipe as a way to help market the corn chips. Regardless, this dish is extremely popular throughout the Southwest, especially Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma. ~Jean

National Hat Day... was Yesterday

We honor National Hat Day with the celebration of the Cowboy Hat!

The Cowboy Hat has become so iconic that it can be worn virtually anywhere in the world and receive immediate recognition. Before the invention of the cowboy hat by John B. Stetson, cowpunchers of the plains states wore hats leftover from previous occupations. Top hats, derbies and Civil War caps, as well as tams and sailor caps were all worn in the early days of the western frontier. The first cowboy hat was designed in 1865. As the story goes, John B. Stetson (and some of his companions) went west to seek the benefits of a drier climate. During a hunting trip, Stetson amused his friends by showing them how he could make cloth out of fur without weaving.

After creating his fur flannel, Stetson continued the joke by making an oversized hat with an enormous brim. But he, and his company, noticed that the hat would be useful in protecting the wearer from rain and sun. Stetson decided to wear the hat on his hunting trip. He was so happy with the outcome, that he continued wearing it on his travels throughout the West. In 1865, he began producing the first line of his oversized hats, and before long, his "joke" became known as the cowboy hat. The original Stetson hat sold for five dollars. Today, the cowboy hat is a link to the Old West, lending its wearer an air of rugged individuality and playful enjoyment that still rings of Stetson’s humorous invention. ~Aimee

A Bit of Cowboy Hat Movie Trivia: In the 1960s Doris Day movie, “Pillow Talk,” Rock Hudson’s fake Texan persona is named “Rex Stetson,” although he never wears a cowboy hat in the film’s New York City setting. Hudson did, however, succeed extremely well in impersonating a Texas oilman, making the sex-farce comedy one of the top box office hits of the year. In one piece of dialogue he tells Day that being with her is "like sitting around a pot-bellied stove on a cold, winter mornin'." Now, that's a real down-home compliment, if I ever heard one! ~Jean

Tomorrow is... National Bird Day

Why National Bird Day?

• The beauty, songs, and flight of birds have long been sources of human inspiration.
• Today, nearly 12 percent of the world’s 9,800 bird species may face extinction within the next century, including nearly one-third of the world’s 330 parrot species.
• Birds are sentinel species whose plight serves as barometer of ecosystem health and alert system for detecting global environmental ills.
• Many of the world’s parrots and songbirds are threatened with extinction due to pressures from the illegal pet trade, disease and habitat loss.
• Public awareness and education about the physical and behavioral needs of birds can go far in improving the welfare of the millions of birds kept in captivity.
• The survival and well-being of the world’s birds depends upon public education and support for conservation.

To find out more visit the National Bird Day website