Happy Cinco de Mayo


Happy Cinco de Mayo

The 5th of May is not Mexican Independence Day, but it should be!  Cinco de Mayo is not an American holiday 

Mexico declared its independence from mother Spain at midnight, the 15th of September, 1810.  It took 11 years before the first Spanish soldiers were told and forced to leave Mexico.

So, why Cinco de Mayo? And why would Americans savor this day as well? 

Because 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5 1862. 

For more info:  history.com

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on this day … 5/5 1865 – The Thirteenth Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery in the U.S.


1494 – Christopher Columbus sighted Jamaica on his second trip to the Western Hemisphere. He named the island Santa Gloria.

1798 – U.S. Secretary of War William McHenry ordered that the USS Constitution be made ready for sea. The frigate was launched on October 21, 1797, but had never been put to sea.

1809 – Mary Kies was awarded the first patent to go to a woman. It was for technique for weaving straw with silk and thread.

1814 – The British attacked the American forces at Ft. Ontario, Oswego, NY.

1834 – The first mainland railway line opened in Belgium.

1862 – The Battle of Puebla took place. It is celebrated as Cinco de Mayo Day.

1865 – The Thirteenth Amendment was ratified, abolishing slavery in the U.S.

1891 – Music Hall was dedicated in New York City. It was later renamed Carnegie Hall.

1892 – The U.S. Congress extended the Geary Chinese Exclusion Act for 10 more years. The act required Chinese in the U.S. to be registered or face deportation.

1901 – The first Catholic mass for night workers was held at the Church of St. Andrew in New York City.

1904 – The third perfect game of the major leagues was thrown by Cy Young (Boston Red Sox) against the Philadelphia Athletics. It was the first perfect game under modern rules.

1912 – Soviet Communist Party newspaper Pravda began publishing.

1916 – U.S. Marines invaded the Dominican Republic.

1917 – Eugene Jacques Bullard becomes the first African-American aviator when he earned his flying certificate with the French Air Service.

1925 – John T. Scopes, a biology teacher in Dayton, TN, was arrested for teaching Darwin’s theory of evolution.

1926 – Eisenstein’s film “Battleship Potemkin” was shown in Germany for the first time.

1926 – Sinclair Lewis refused a 1925 Pulitzer for “Arrowsmith.”

1936 – Edward Ravenscroft received a patent for the screw-on bottle cap with a pour lip.

1945 – The Netherlands and Denmark were liberated from Nazi control.

1945 – A Japanese balloon bomb exploded on Gearhart Mountain in Oregon. A pregnant woman and five children were killed.

1955 – “Damn Yankees” opened on Broadway.

1955 – The Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) became a sovereign state.

1956 – Jim Bailey became the first runner to break the four-minute mile in the U.S. He was clocked at 3:58.5.

1961 – Alan Shepard became the first American in space when he made a 15 minute suborbital flight.

1966 – Willie Mays broke the National League record for home runs when he hit his 512th.

1978 – Pete Rose of the Cincinnati Reds registered his 3,000th major league hit.

1984 – The Itaipu Dam opened on the Paraná River between Brazil and Paraguay.

1987 – The U.S. congressional Iran-Contra hearings opened.

1991 – In New York, Carnegie Hall marked its 100th anniversary.

1997 – Dolores Hope received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1997 – Ivan Reitman received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

2000 – The final episode of “Boy Meets World” aired on ABC.

Cinco de Mayo: How to Prepare Shredded Meat and Poultry Safely ~ repost


In the U.S. and abroad, many will celebrate Cinco de Mayo by hosting large parties, cooking delicious traditional Mexican foods and drinking margaritas.

Among the most popular Cinco de Mayo dishes are Chimichangas, Fajitas and tacos. These dishes usually contain shredded beef, chicken and pork cooked in delicious sauces and spices. If you are thinking of making one of these dishes, then this blog is for you!

While there are many excellent recipes, below is the most basic way to handle and prepare shredded meat and poultry safely.

Before You Start Cooking with your Slow Cooker

Before heading to the store, check your slow cooker manual to find out how much meat the pot can hold. Some smaller cookers can only hold three pounds of meat, while others may fit up to ten pounds.

At the grocery store, buy the meat of your choice (beef, chicken or pork), place it in a plastic bag and bring it home within two hours; or one hour when the room temperature is above 90 °F. Use chicken within two days and cuts of red meat cuts, such as beef and pork within 3-5 days.

Slow Cooking Your Meat Base for Cinco de Mayo Recipes

Always start with a clean cooker, clean utensils and a clean work area. Wash hands for 20 seconds with warm water and soap before food preparation.

Add thawed meat and desired amount of liquid and spices suggested in your recipe, such as broth, water or barbecue sauce. Keep the lid in place, removing only to stir the food.

When you’re ready to shred the meat, use either a clean large, shallow bowl or platter and two clean forks to pull the meat apart. This meat can be used for any of the Cinco de Mayo recipes we mentioned, so get creative!

For more information on slow cookers: Slow Cookers and Food Safety

For more information on cooking for large groups: Cooking for Large Groups

Cinco de mayo ~~ May 5, 1862 Battle of Puebla


So, today is Cinco de Mayo; the history behind why Americans celebrate May 5th had me thinking about how a small group of people definitely living in a different era took a stand and while there are many stories of how people in our past stood up; such as John Lewis, MLK,Dorothy Height  and others , who most often marched  … Peacefully — maybe we in the 21st Century should gain strength from these stories of how these great people stood up f  themselves, had the courage to challenge laws rules and legislation that clearly perpetuated discriminatory behavior …

We the People of the 21st Century need to stand up stand tall and stand together against the people that seemingly want to take the rights away from a select few… Gotta say just considering a move toward or anything that is even remotely close to stripping our citizens rights away makes me scratch my head …whatever happened to being innocent until proven guilty? maybe not in this era of trump

As we all hear politicians hawk their claim to fame or what they will do for you. The media is going through their poll numbers spreading their collective rhetoric. I don’t know about you, but polls mean nothing when my vote hasn’t be included though the fact is … most democrats do show up to national elections more often and to be sure the day that Barack Obama became President was the day that MIDTERMS became just  as important and as the midterm races begin, hopefully a shift in reality will be to a hard left.  Americans need to be reminded that midterms matter so vote for a member  for Congress that will have courage to put Politics aside and do the work of the People to correct the years of questionable behavior on both sides of the aisle … If you want to live in a 21st Century America as most of us do, that means telling the 1%  your trickle down solution for the middle and lower class stopped working a long time ago. While republicans say cutting slashing and eliminating social programs is good because it will make folks more self-sufficient ask yourself how many of your members of Congress or their family needed help is on Medicare/caid Social Security or has had to deal with that donut hole that actually hurt our Seniors. Republicans in Congress are in it to win off the backs and at a cost to you your family least we talk about civil human  reproductive rights and our earth!

speaking of which …

Our environment has been put on the back burner since the trump admin came to power and now it is in serious jeopardy. The Obama Administration had environmental challenges and this admin needs to demand in-depth evaluations on the way BP ,Massey mining were handled while getting ready for more natural ones. The BP oil spill was a warning to Oil Corporations, who side stepped protocol and safety practices.  In the of case BP it was obvious … at least to most, that in the event of a spill  … a safety procedure should be deployed immediately, not made and put in place after the fact. We owe our children and the next generation a chance to breathe, live/have infrastructure for 21st Century living.

Americans want and need Congress to have the courage to regulate big Corporations! We need a complete overhaul on how oil drilling and transportation is handled in the future…

The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5th, 1862, near the city of Puebla during the French intervention in Mexico. The battle ended in a victory for the Mexican Army over the occupying French forces.

4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed the French and traitor Mexican army of 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City on the morning of May 5 1862.  For more info:  history.com