Never knew that!

Dear Fellow readers:

     Isn't history more fun when you know something about it ?  Hope none of you are offended.

The History of the Middle Finger:

Well,now......here's something I never knew before, and now that I know it, I feel compelled to send it on to my more intelligent friends in the hope that they, too, will feel edified. 
 
Before the Battle of Agincourt in 1415, the French, anticipating victory over the English, proposed to cut off the middle finger of all captured English soldiers.  Without the middle finger it would be impossible to draw the renowned English longbow and therefore they would be incapable of fighting in the future.  This famous English longbow was made of the native English Yew tree, and the act of drawing the longbow was known as 'plucking the yew' (or 'pluck yew'). 
 
Much to the bewilderment of the French, the English won a major upset and they began mocking the French by waving their middle fingers at the defeated French, saying, See, we can still pluck yew!  Since 'pluck yew' is rather difficult to say, the difficult consonant cluster at the beginning has gradually changed to a labiodental fricative 'F', and thus the words often used in conjunction with the one-finger-salute!  It is also because of the pheasant feathers on the arrows used with the longbow that the symbolic gesture is known as 'giving the bird.' 

And yew thought yew knew every plucking thing.

Now that you've been educated I won't be offended if you use this new found knowledge when acknowledging this new Blog insert.

Sorry for staying away from the keyboard for so long, but every time I think about sitting down and writing something that damn "Corona thing" comes to mind and blocks out any creative juices I might have had.  Important as our current situation is, It certainly gets very tiresome hearing about nothing else 24/7.  I can only imagine how strange our world would be if the situation became permanent.  Beauty would be a thing of the past, it didn't matter what you looked like since you were hiding under a mask.  Lipstick manufacturers would start filing bankruptsy....who needed it?  Television networks would go so far back showing reruns we'd have to start watching "Kukla, Fran, and Ollie"  I know, I know, many of you were not even born when this stuff was on the air.  I can remember seeing the show on a huge 7" TV. 

Let's all say a few prayers that this will end soon.

Anyway we still need to eat, so here's another recipe you might consider trying:

Spanish Baked Chicken

 Also known as "Pollo Estofado" this stewed chicken recipe is Spanish in origin. The chicken is marinated overnight in a spicy vinaigrette with olives and raisins. The chicken is then cooked in its marinade with the addition of wine and brown sugar. Excellent with Spanish rice.

1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash of pepper
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup sliced pitted green olives
3 pounds chicken parts
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 cup dry white wine

 In a medium bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, oregano, salt, garlic powder, pepper, bay leaves, raisins and olives. Prick the skin of the chicken with fork tines and add to the marinade, coating well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place chicken in a 12x8x2-inch baking dish. Combine wine with the marinade and pour over chicken. Sprinkle chicken with brown sugar. Bake uncovered at 350°F, basting occasionally, until chicken is tender, about 50 minutes. Remove bay leaves.                                Serves 4