As I research & find things to celebrate...or find new & different ways to celebrate holidays (find out some of those ways HERE), today is no exception!
While I was looking into President's/Presidents'/Presidents Day...I found some major & interesting discrepancies!
*GASP OF SHOCK*
Did you know that not every U.S. state looks at the 3rd Monday in February the same way? If we weren't divided enough...this comes along, too!!
* If you celebrate Presidents Day, you are celebrating a day of presidents as a federal holiday to get a long weekend.
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| image of Mount Rushmore via Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mountrushmore.jpg |
* If you celebrate Presidents' Day, you are celebrating a day focussing on the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln (February 12th) & George Washington (February 22nd) as a federal holiday to get a long weekend.
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| image via www.sfsu.edu |
* If you celebrate President's Day, you are celebrating a day for George Washington's birthday, the day it was actually meant to celebrate...but as a federal holiday to get a long weekend.
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| George Washington is on a horse... ...on a boat... Take that Old Spice AND Andy Samberg! (George Caleb Bingham painting found via www.chrysler.org) |
Grammar matters, people...grammar matters.
So I decided to just take the 3rd Monday of February as a scheduled long weekend day & actually celebrate Abe's & George's birthdays on their respective days. Amm-i-rite?
Well...today is the 282nd birthday of our first president. And, as I do, I wanted to see what else to have besides cherry pie or something.
As I got researching...like I do...I was reading about hoecakes.
They are basically cornbread pancakes that were made by slaves with their cornmeal rations, and then used the flat part of their gardening hoes as a griddle by placing them on the fire to cook the cakes. Because of the hoes being so close to the fire, the cakes could be ashy...and they also got the name ash cakes, too.
You're welcome.
I went searching for some "authentic" hoecake recipes. I found some, but really a lot of modified ones. I used one that was modified, but not overly. (that recipe HERE) As it was recorded by George Washington's daughter, he enjoyed hoecakes "swimming in honey and butter."
I made very rustic hoecakes and made my honey butter to top them with. Pretty perfect! Amm-i-rite? Except I did make them in a skillet on the stove...not on the flat part of a garden hoe over a fire. I served bacon with 'em since I knew that would be eaten...and we had some on hand.
Then I was gonna make some variety of cherry cookies or something...but the day & week had been SO busy, I just didn't have it in me to attempt a pie or cookies...or anything! So, we decided to pick up some cherry drinks instead. Yep, we headed to Sonic Drive-In: the boys got cherry Coke floats, and I got a cherry slushy.
I did learn that pies of the colonial times were probably more like turnovers...so I may attempt something like that next year...
Also, I read something very interesting about a question from a boy asked at a tour of Mt. Vernon. He asked if George Washington ate Hershey bars. The question brought up something interesting: he could not have eaten a chocolate bar as they were not yet invented. However, cocoa beans had been introduced to America at that point; they were made into hot drinks...so he would have enjoyed HOT CHOCOLATE! They would have had it flavored with things like cayenne pepper, orange peel or anise. So why not have some with a cherry cordial flavor? Mmmmm...
So, next year...why not enjoy some hoecakes with honey butter, a cherry turnover & some hot chocolate?
Maybe go to the dollar store or find where you can find something for $1.25...
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| image via https://medium.com/generation-field-notes/cdae06278047 |
Or you can start an indoor herb garden or start a Chia pet on a day like today - George revolutionized the way crops are grown...
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| Yes...a Chia Kitten...because...internet |
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| Chia Herb Garden |
...or even start a revolution...that seems to be big again these days...
Wow...I hope the show, "Sleepy Hollow", is back in full swing next year (Anyone love watching that show & dying for it to come back in the fall?) & has a great way that Ichabod Crane celebrated General Washington's birthday! Wouldn't that be amazing?
Stay tuned...
God Bless, AM~Erica
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