MDBCs 02 Nov 2023

On November 2, boil some eggs, and make some delicious deviled or deviled eggs as they are spelled in the United Kingdom, because it is Deviled Eggs Day.

Deviled eggs are a popular snack or party food made from boiled eggs. Traditionally, the yolk is scooped out, mixed with mayo and seasonings and scooped back into the boiled egg whites. Deviled eggs are served cold.

No Sinister Origins

The dish can be traced back to ancient Rome, where it is believed that it was served as the first course. Today, deviled eggs are a very popular appetizer in European and American cuisine. They are traditionally also prepared as part of the Easter meal in many parts of the world. In the United States, deviled eggs are served in a special platter with slots to fit the egg halves.

Food historians have traced the use of the term deviled eggs to the 18th century. During that time, deviled was a culinary term for spicy and hot foods. It is possible that the association came from the connection between the devil and heat in Hell.

How to Celebrate?

Make some deviled eggs at home for family and friends or host a deviled eggs buffet for brunch. Use your leftover deviled eggs to make egg salad sandwiches for Sandwich Day on November 3.
Experiment with flavors and condiments. Add a little bit of curry powder to the mashed egg yolk and mayo mix for a South Asian flavor or perhaps some wasabi to transport you to Japan? Add avocados or bacon to the mix for an elevated taste.
If you are feeling particularly fancy, what about topping the eggs with some caviar or some shaved truffles?

Did You Know…

…that contrary to the popular Equinox myth, one can balance an egg on its end all year long? According to the myth, an egg can be balanced on one end only at the exact moments of the Equinoxes.

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Men Make Dinner Day

The first Thursday of November is Men Make Dinner Day, a made-up holiday that encourages men to actively participate in household matters such as cooking.

For long, the kitchen was considered to be the domain of women and were off limits to men. Today, as more and more women go out in the workforce and there is a demand for equality in the society, workplace and at home, this is a trend that is slowly fading out. Men and women become more equal partners in a family – they are sharing more and more house-related tasks like cooking, cleaning and parenting.

Men Make Dinner Day is an attempt to spread the message that men can cook and can take on the responsibilities that were previously thought to be women's tasks.

How to Celebrate?

Men, wear an apron and get into the kitchen and make a dinner for your family.
On this day, make a cooking schedule with your partner so that you can share the responsibilities of cooking and feeding your family.
If you have never learned how to cook, maybe today is the day to begin - there are a lot of recipes for of easy to cook meals that can be found online and in cookbooks.

Did You Know…

…that the oldest cookbook on record is the De re conquinaria? Written in Latin, historians believe that it was written sometime in the 1st century.

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International Stout Day

Usually celebrated on the first Thursday of November, International Stout Day pays tribute to the stout, a popular type of beer.

International Stout Day, whose creator is unknown, was first celebrated in 2011. It has gained in popularity over the years, with bars and breweries holding tasting events, brewing classes, and special happy hours with discounted stouts.

Dark and Strong

Historically, stout beer was considered to be a type of porter—a dark beer made from brown malt first introduced in London, England in the 17th century and popular throughout England and Ireland. The stronger and darker porters with more alcohol were called stout porters. Eventually, stout porters gained a faithful following, the word porter was dropped, and the beers came to be known only as stouts.

Stouts are usually made with roasted malt or barley, hops, water, and yeast. They tend to have a higher alcohol content, though not always. Guinness, one of the world's best-known stouts, has about 4.1 to 4.3% alcohol by volume (ABV). Most stouts tend to fall between 5 to 8% ABV.

Variety of Stouts

As this type of beer became popular around the world in the 17th and 18th centuries, brewers started experimenting with fermenting conditions and ingredients to create several different kinds of stouts. For example, Milk or Sweet Stout is made by adding lactose, while Oatmeal Stout is made by adding oatmeal to the ingredient list. Other varieties include Russian Imperial Stout, American Stout, and Dry Stout.

How to Celebrate?

Gather your loved ones and visit your local brewery or bar to participate in a stout beer tasting.
If you are a home brewer, why not take the opportunity to make your own signature stout at home? Don't forget to share with friends and family.
Learn more about the history of beers in general and stouts in particular.

Did You Know…

…that beer enthusiasts use the word zythology to refer to the study of beer and beer making? The word cannot be found in a dictionary but is popular among those who brew and drink the beverage. It comes from the Greek words zythos, meaning beer, and logos, meaning study.

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Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
Weevil
Weevil who?
Weevil weevil rock you.

***

Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
Sam and Janet
Sam and Janet who?
Samenjanet Evening.

***

Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
From.
From who?
Actually, grammatically speaking you should say "from whom."

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Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
A little old lady.
A little old lady who?
I didn't know you could yodel!

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Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
Somebody who can't reach the doorbell!

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Knock! Knock!
Who's there?
Broken pencil.
Broken pencil who?
Forget it—this joke is pointless.

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Knock! Knock! Who's there? Boo hoo. Boo hoo who? Aww, don't cry—it's just a joke.

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From the police blotter,  or, what a beat cop deals with  every day:

• A deputy responded to a report  of a vehicle stopping at mailboxes.  It was the mail carrier.

• A woman said her son was  attacked by a cat, and the cat would not allow her to take her son to the hospital.

• A resident said someone had  entered his home at night and taken five pounds of bacon. Upon further investigation, police discovered  his wife had gotten up for a late-night snack.

• A man reported that a squirrel  was running in circles on Davis Drive, and he wasn’t sure if it was sick or had been hit by a car. An  officer responded, and as he drove on the street, he ran over the squirrel.

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Out of all the creatures in the animal kingdom, hairy frogs are among some of the most freaky. These creatures, also known as the trichobatrachus robustus, or the horror frog, live in Central Africa where they break their own bones in order to produce claws when faced when faced with predators. One researcher explained:

Some other frogs have bony spines that project from their wrist, but in those species it appears that the bones grow through the skin rather than pierce it when needed for defense.

Males grow up to about four inches and grow long hair-like strands of skin and arteries. Its believed that this “hair” helps the frogs take in more oxygen into their skin.