DAY 157 - COUNTING DOWN TO THE 50TH

Good Morning, Class of ‘64

Winter in the Country - The Old Grist Mill - Currier & Ives

 I wonder if the sap is stirring yet,
If wintry birds are dreaming of a mate,
If frozen snowdrops feel as yet the sun
And crocus fires are kindling one by one:
Sing robin, sing:
I still am sore in doubt concerning Spring.
Christina Rossetti

 No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.
  Hal Borland 

We long to rid ourselves of the deep coldness of winter for the nippy winds of March. If only those winds would come whistling through the mountains in a huge huff and puff to blow winter into next December. 

Decades ago, did we long for winters to pass and spring to come? Could it be that we pined more for future events than we did for the change in season? A north to Alaska winter probably wouldn't have mattered much to us, then. That's just the way it was, in our young days, in the valley.

In 1867, William H. Seward, United States Secretary of State, purchased Alaska from Russia for $7.2 million dollars. It became known as "Seward's Folly". What good could there be in a vast, frozen land?

On January 3, 1959 Alaska became our 49th state. We would have been seventh graders in Jr. High at Tygarts Valley High School. The "folly" of 1867 had become a gem.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska

North to Alaska

Featured in the movie by the same name.
Topped Billboard magazine's Country Singles chart,
Reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_to_Alaska_%28song%29

 North to Alaska - Johnny Horton - 1960

When It's Spring Time In Alaska

Johnny Horton's sixth release on the country chart 

and the first of three number ones on the country chart.
The single spent twenty-three weeks on the chart.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_It%27s_Springtime_in_Alaska_%28It%27s_Forty_Below%29
When It's Spring Time In Alaska - Johnny Horton - 1959

Movie Trailer - North To Alaska (1960)

John Wayne, Stewart Granger, Ernie Kovacs, 

Fabian, and Capucine. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_to_Alaska

Baked Alaska

Like many other recipes, you're surprised to learn that there are so many versions of Baked Alaska to be tried. Did you know that you can make a minty Baked Alaska and a pumpkin one, too? You can have chocolate or vanilla or strawberry, and you can add some butterscotch to it, if that's to your liking. 

Did you know there is a National Baked Alaska Day? 

The Foodie Patootie knew.

http://thefoodiepatootie.com/recipes/national-baked-alaska-day/ 

History of Baked Alaska

Also known as omelette á la norvégienne, Norwegian omelette, 

  omelette surprise, omelette norvegienne, and glace au four.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/History/IceCream/BakedAlaska.htm

 Baked Alaska - Martha Stewart

http://www.marthastewart.com/340209/baked-alaska

Martha Stewart

Adventures in (Baked) Alaska - Prepared Pantry

Traditional Baked Alaska
Individual Baked Alaska Desserts
Baked Alaska in a Cup

http://www.preparedpantry.com/Recipes/How-to-make-baked-Alaska.htm

Prepared Pantry

15 Baked Alaska Recipes from Taste of Home

http://www.tasteofhome.com/search/index?search=baked+alaska 

Baked Alaska Recipe - YouTube

Delmonico’s Baked Alaska for National Baked Alaska Day!

Delmonico’s, in New York City, claims you can still get a Baked Alaska for dessert there, using the same recipe they had when they coined the term “Baked Alaska” in 1876. 

http://nycfooddays.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/delmonicos-baked-alaska-for-national-baked-alaska-day/

Most of us have fond memories of food from our childhood. Whether it was our mom's homemade lasagna or a memorable chocolate birthday cake, food has a way of transporting us back to the past.

Homaro Cantu