Garlic Butter Shrimp Penne

When every word in a recipe title screams "yes, yes, yes, yes!" it's got to be good.  Gourmet Chef Elaine cooked up this recipe a few months ago and it was both a flavor bomb and a delicious warming treat.  While you can play around with the exact spices to add (or not), we suggest that you make sure you have the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese or your dish will be less flavorful and most likely a runny mess.  All the details are in the recipe below.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ree-drummond/garlic-butter-shrimp-penne-13767500

Argonne Forest Park

The Argonne Forest Park amusement park was located in what is now Possum Creek MetroPark at the southwest corner of Dayton, Ohio. It was the dream of Null M. Hodapp and named after Argonne Forest in France, the place where his good friend Ralph Clemons died just hours before World War I ended. He built a clubhouse for veterans and then expanded it to include a dance hall, horse racing track, shooting range, baseball diamonds, and a huge swimming area among other attractions. The park closed in 1941, a victim of wartime rationing.

Sandy Beach Amusement Park

Pappy Wilgus built Sandy Beach Amusement Park at Russells Point on the south shore of Indian Lake as the region’s tourist industry was booming in the Roaring ‘20s. It featured the state’s largest dancing venue, the Minnewawa Dance Hall, filled with over one hundred couples dancing to the music of Paul Whiteman, Rudy Vallee, and Glenn Miller. Along with the amusement park staples like a roller coaster and a Ferris wheel, Sandy Park featured the unique Old Mill Shoot where half-boat, half-car vehicles soaked their riders with the huge splash generated as they plunged into a tank of water at the end of a roller coaster hill. Sandy Hill was partially rebuilt following a 1935 fire with Big Bands booking the new Moonlight Terrace Gardens in their tours. The 1960s saw a period of decline amid growing competition and the park was renamed Indian Lake Playland in 1967, nine years before it closed down. Houses and condominiums sit on the grounds of the old park and a refurbished Sandy Beach Bridge still spans Russells Point harbor.

Christmas Display Update

On 11/24/2021 (https://dailyposts.paulishing.com/2021/11/christmas-invasion.html), I blogged about a Kettering light display that was over the top.  Compare that to the updated photo below and it's obvious they were just getting started.  There are at least twice as many nutcrackers, reindeer, gnomes, Santas, etc. adorning every spot in their yard.  This display is on Berwin Avenue and is really a sight to see, young or old.  Be careful driving and walking in this area as folks get distracted.

Lakeside Amusement Park

Lakeside Amusement Park, located in the western part of Dayton, Ohio, evolved on the site of a large, 360-degree cyclorama depicting the final day of the Battle of Gettysburg, also known as Pickett’s Charge, which opened in 1886. The park opened in the summer 1890 and featured attractions such as the Crystal Room dance hall, bumper cars, a merry-go-round, and a funhouse. The Shoot the Chutes boat ride used flat-bottom boats to drop its dozen or so passengers down a wooden ramp into a lake and an enormous splash. In 1930, a wooden twister roller coaster named Wildcat was added. The unique Flying Turns wooden bobsled ride was a favorite with couples, as they sat one behind the other, and the sled twisted and turned down the ramps. Lakeside closed in the mid-1960s and was rundown until the city cleaned it up several years ago, including adding a walking trail, parking, and a boat dock.

Eggnog Snickerdoodles

I love eggnog.  I love Snickerdoodles.  When I saw the recipe for Eggnog Snickerdoodles at the link below, I couldn't wait to fill the house with the aroma of this delicious combination.  The only deviations were subbing vanilla extract for the rum extract and opting to go with no icing on top.  Fortunately, Gourmet Chef Elaine spotted at the last second that I was using wax paper instead of parchment paper to line the cookie trays which would have ruined both the cookies and the trays.  I can be such a ditz.

https://lilluna.com/eggnog-snickerdoodles

Miami Valley Meals

Miami Valley Meals is a local organization that transforms raw ingredients provided by various food donors (e.g., farms, urban gardens, restaurants) into balanced, nutritious, and tasty meals.  Food pantries, churches, social service groups, etc., distribute those meals to needy individuals in the Dayton region.  In 2023 they provided 235,123 meals not to just the hungry but to people who are not able to cook their own meals or just have a microwave available to them.  You can learn more at the link below.

One way to donate to their cause is by buying one of the unique spice blends they have created.  Click "Shop" at the top of their webpage to check it out.  I opted for the "Feel Good Fusion".

https://miamivalleymeals.org

Room Numbers

Gourmet Chef Elaine noticed that our local high school has put each room number on a window so it's visible from the outside.  In emergencies, these numbers can assist first responders in quickly getting to the correct location.  The design of the numbers (white and not too large) helps them blend into the building and not present an eye sore, but are easily seen when needed.  Pretty clever idea to help keep the kids safe.

Big Toe Hole Preventer

Every pair of running/walking shoes I've worn ended up with a hole in the fabric on the top of the left shoe and sometimes the right, which eventually causes me to buy new shoes earlier than otherwise needed.  It's a foot condition called "the hyperextension of the distal phalanx" (I know, it sounds kinda dirty), but all it means is that every time you take a step your big toe lifts, and that rubbing will lead to a hole.  

I recently discovered the "Big Toe Hole Preventer" which uses a black path, which is under the lift-off release paper in the picture below.  You just cut the outline to your shoe size, remove the release paper, slide the cut-out to the front of the shoe, and press down.  After a minute or so you slide the applicator out of the shoe and wait 24 hours to ensure the patch is secure.  I've put them in two pairs of shoes and don't know they are there.  

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B4NWVBB1

YouTube TV Zen Channel

As I've blogged about before, I'm a big fan of YouTube TV and their latest feature expands on the little nature and other Zen-like clips they show at times in lieu of commercials.  There is now a full-time Zen channel that loops through scenes of arm-flapping penguins (shown below), crackling fireplaces, play-fighting polar bear cubs, ice skaters, and more.  While targeted at having a calming moment, I find myself flipping over to it during those all-too-often, 3.5-minute commercial breaks that cause major sporting events to regularly run 4 hours or more.  I can't wait until I can customize a 2-pane MultiView with the show I'm watching in one frame and the Zen Channel in the other.  And hopefully, YouTube TV will add a lot more scenes as these do get a bit repetitive.

https://9to5google.com/2024/12/04/youtube-tv-zen-channel