What Shall We Make Today?

Food 1 Minute

Today is another national day with food–National Pralines Day. I found a recipe for “classic Southern pralines”, but I have not tried it as yet.

Ingredients

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup evaporated milk

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups toasted and coarsely chopped pecans

1/4 cup boiling water, if needed

Directions

Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the white sugar, brown sugar, and evaporated milk.

Stir until the sugar dissolves. Once all is well mixed, insert a candy thermometer. Cook the candy, stirring occasionally, until the thermometer reads 240 F.

Once the proper temperature is reached, remove the pan from the heat and drop the cubes of butter on top, without stirring. Allow the sugar mixture to sit for 1 minute.

Add the vanilla extract and pecans.

Begin to stir smoothly and constantly with a wooden spoon; the candy will begin to thicken and appear lighter in color. Continue to stir until the candy starts to hold its shape. It should still be easy to stir, but don’t overdo it, as pralines quickly go from fluid to rock-solid.

Once the confection has a lighter opaque-brown color and is holding its shape, work quicky and drop small spoonfuls of the candy onto the prepared baking sheet. Because the pralines will start to set in the saucepan, you need to spoon out the candy as fast as you safely can. If the candy stiffens before you’re done scooping, add a spoonful of boiling hot water and stir until it loosens, then continue scooping until you have formed all the pralines.

Allow the candy to fully set at room temperature; it should take about 30 minutes for the pralines to harden. Store the pralines in an airtight container at room temperature.

Enjoy.

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Published by pat frederick

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86 thoughts on “What Shall We Make Today?”

  1. Love Pralines – way too much!

    Good morning, Pat & Filly!

    HOT today 98º and heat index 105. Rest of week, rain expected.

    Hope you all have a good day!

    Liked by 2 people

  2. Morning All!
    well no new crap on the deck to clean off…so there’s that. pretty sad when you’re happy there no crap on the deck. lol
    it’s really humid outside though.
    the hummers didn’t even let me get the feeders on the hooks before they sat down and started feeding!

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Morning Filly!

        you mean the hummers? no they’re with us until late Sept or if it’s warm enough early October.

        the blackberry bushes are blooming like crazy, so i’m guessing maybe the orioles will be eating the berries soon.

        the birds have already stripped the almost ripe cherries off both trees…sigh.

        Liked by 1 person

  4. TheseTruths

    TheseTruths(@thesetruths)

    Offline

    Wolf

    June 3, 2025 00:54

    Donald J. Trump, Truth Social:

    Passing THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL is a Historic Opportunity to turn our Country around after four disastrous years under Joe Biden. We will take a massive step to balancing our Budget by enacting the largest mandatory Spending Cut, EVER, and Americans will get to keep more of their money with the largest Tax Cut, EVER, and no longer taxing Tips, Overtime, or Social Security for Seniors — Something 80 Million Voters supported in November. It will unleash American Energy by expediting permitting for Energy, and refilling the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. It will make American Air Travel GREAT AGAIN by purchasing the final Air Traffic Control System. We will secure our skies from our adversaries by building The Golden Dome, and secure our Border by building more of our Wall, and supercharging the deportation of the millions of Criminal Illegals Joe Biden allowed to walk right into our Country. It will kick millions of Illegals off Medicaid, and make sure SNAP is focused on Americans ONLY! It will also restore Choice and Affordability for Car purchases by REPEALING Biden’s EV Mandate, and all of the GREEN NEW SCAM Tax Credits and Spending. THE ONE, BIG, BEAUTIFUL BILL also protects our beautiful children by stopping funding for sick sex changes for minors. With the Senate coming back to Washington today, I call on all of my Republican friends in the Senate and House to work as fast as they can to get this Bill to MY DESK before the Fourth of JULY. Thank you for your attention to this matter!

    Like

  7. For those not familiar with these competitions, a process called “soring” is still sometimes used to cause the horses pain, thereby forcing them to pick their feet up higher. It is not as common now but some assholes still try to get by with it. They will put a caustic compound around their ankles, then put chains around them. It is gruesome and a horrible sight. Apparently, there hasn’t been universal enforcement against it.

    Just The News: “House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer on Monday expressed his support of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Inspector General’s findings on Tennessee Walking Horse competition inspections.

    Last congressional term, the committee launched an investigation into the Biden administration’s enforcement of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) and how it promulgated a final rule titled “Horse Protection Amendments” after receiving allegations of arbitrarily enforcing the HPA, a lack of due process, and potential retribution against horse trainers by the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), according to the panel.

    In August, Comer called on the inspector general to review the USDA’s policies and practices regarding the HPA’s implementation.

    “The USDA Inspector General’s review confirms our Committee’s findings of inconsistent enforcement of the Horse Protection Act by APHIS at Tennessee Walking Horse competitions,” Comer said in a statement on Monday. “I am encouraged that these findings align and fully support the Inspector General’s new recommendations to strengthen the horse inspection process.

    “Key measures such as implementing a clear conflict-of-interest policy, enhancing the on-site appeals process and veterinary inspection protocols, and updating guidance for horse show organizers are essential steps toward restoring trust and ensuring consistent enforcement of the HPA. APHIS must now act swiftly to implement these reforms. I look forward to seeing continued progress that addresses the concerns of Tennessee Walking Horse competitors in Kentucky and nationwide.”

    Liked by 1 person

  8. so the “they’re not hurting anybody” theory is shot to hell. ICE raided a Nebraska company and found 70 stolen identities being used. and the people who’s identities are stolen ARE being hurt:

    fta

    Zito said that among the people who allegedly had their identities stolen by the migrant workers was a Pennsylvania resident who officials said was denied prescriptions after his identity was stolen. That person’s name and identity were used by a person to gain employment at Glenn Valley Foods, federal officials said.

    A disabled Texas resident who was unable to work because of their condition was also among the alleged victims of the identity theft involving workers at the Nebraska plant. Other victims, including those from California and Missouri, were also affected by allegedly having their identities and Social Security numbers stolen by migrants who were taken into custody during the Nebraska raid.

    “The criminals who stole these identities didn’t just break the law, they upended lives,” Zito said in a statement issued by HSI. “These victims aren’t faceless statistics; they’re real people who are being denied healthcare and have lost educational opportunities.”

    https://www.newsnationnow.com/us-news/immigration/stolen-social-security-nebraska-migrants/

    Liked by 1 person

  11. Just The News: “President Trump on Tuesday expressed his disappointment as he said that both Israel and Iran violated the ceasefire agreement he helped broker with them on Monday, noting, “I’m not happy.”

    While Iran said that Israel was supposed to begin its ceasefire at 4 a.m. Tehran time, Iran’s Revolutionary Guard has claimed that Israel conducted strikes in Iran until 9 a.m. local time, The Associated Press reported. The wire service said that there were no reports of Israeli strikes in Iran after 4 a.m. local time, and that the Guard didn’t provide evidence supporting its claim. Also, Israel had a few more hours after 4 a.m. local time to continue conducting strikes.

    Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz on Tuesday said that Israel “will respond with force” after Iran’s “utter violation” of the ceasefire. The Israel Defense Forces intercepted two missiles launched at Israel from Iran, an IDF official told CNN.

    Iranian state-affiliated media outlets denied that Iran launched missiles at Israel. After 7:30 a.m. local time, “No missiles have been fired at the enemy so far,” said an Iranian senior security official. “If Israel makes a mistake, all occupied territories will be attacked, just like an hour before the war stopped,” the official told CNN.

    Trump said Tuesday morning that Iran “violated” the ceasefire, “but Israel violated it, too,” the AP reported.

    “But I’m not happy that Israel’s going out, now,” Trump told reporters at the White House before departing for the NATO summit at The Hague. “There was one rocket that I guess was fired, overboard, it was after the time limit, and it missed its target. And now Israel is going out. These guys gotta calm down. Ridiculous.

    “I didn’t like plenty of things that I saw yesterday. I didn’t like the fact that Israel unloaded right after we made the deal. They didn’t have to unload, and I didn’t like the fact that the retaliation was very strong, but in all fairness, Israel unloaded a lot, and now I hear Israel just went out because they felt there was violated by one rocket that didn’t land anywhere. That’s not what we want, I’ll tell you, and I’m telling you, I’m not happy about that, Israel, either.”

    “We have two countries that have been fighting for so hard and so long they don’t know what the f-ck they are doing,” Trump added, according to CNN.

    Trump posted on Truth Social on Tuesday, “ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW!  DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES”

    Less than an hour after the post, Trump wrote another Truth Social Post, saying, “ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly ‘Plane Wave’ to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES”

    Trump announced on Monday that both Iran and Israel had agreed to a ceasefire. This followed Trump on Saturday launching missiles that struck Iran’s nuclear sites as the Islamic country has been trading airstrikes with Israel, following the Jewish state’s missile strikes on Iranian military and nuclear sites.”

    Liked by 1 person

  13. “Rogue Federal Judge Openly Defies Supreme Court Ruling On Deportation Of Violent Criminal Illegals

    The Federalist, By: Brianna Lyman, June 24, 2025

    Judge's gavel

    “A federal judge issued an order late Monday night claiming an earlier ruling from the Supreme Court that permitted deportations to continue is irrelevant.

    Six months after Judge Brian E. Murphy was nominated by then-President Joe Biden and confirmed by the Senate during the last few weeks of Democrats’ control, he issued an order stating “The Court’s May 21, 2025 Order on Remedy remains in full force and effect, notwithstanding today’s stay of the Preliminary Injunction. The District Court’s remedial orders [were] not properly before the [Supreme] Court because the Government has not appealed them, or sought a stay pending a forthcoming appeal.”

    The rogue ruling came just hours after the Supreme Court agreed 6-3 that the Trump administration, at least temporarily, can deport illegal aliens convicted of violent crimes to “third countries.” The decision means the administration could resume the deportations of illegal aliens to countries other than their native land. The Trump administration previously had to permit each violent illegal alien to challenge the deportation under a prior ruling Murphy issued.

    The administration sought a stay on Murphy’s order that instructed the administration “to keep in U.S. custody all migrants slated for deportation to a country not ‘explicitly’ named in their removal orders — known as a third-country deportation,” as noted by Fox News.

    White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said on Fox News Monday night to expect “fireworks” on Tuesday, hinting the Trump administration would hold Murphy accountable for flouting the Supreme Court.

    “The district court judge in Boston has said he’s going to defy the Supreme Court’s ruling, so expect fireworks tomorrow when we hold this judge accountable for refusing to obey the Supreme Court,” Miller said.”

    Liked by 1 person

  14. “D.C. Libraries Still Want To Indoctrinate Your Child With Radical Gender Ideology — One ‘children’s’ book frames parents and teachers as adults who don’t understand the complexities of kids wanting to trans-identify and use the opposite sex bathroom.”

    By: Abigail Nichols, June 24, 2025

    LGBT kids' books

    EXCERPT: “The “pride” movement seems to be losing steam as support for policies that protect women’s sports and ban genital mutilation of children continues to grow. SCOTUS recently upheld a state law forbidding child transgender interventions and will soon decide on whether parents can opt children out “LGBTQ-inclusive” school book.

    Trump even made it clear in a January executive order that “federal funds shall not be used to promote gender ideology” and should “take all necessary steps, as permitted by law, to end the Federal funding of gender ideology.”

    Despite this, the ideology is still readily stocked on the federally funded library shelves as kids spend more time at the library this summer.

    Library of Congress

    The Library of Congress primarily receives federal funding, with some private donations.

    In the hallway to the children’s section, a poster promoting the “Women, Gender, LGBTQ+ Studies Collection Specialist” is displayed on the wall. The gender “specialist” wants to “inspire learners and creators of all ages”.

    When I visited the kids’ section at the Library of Congress earlier this month, books about the history of LGBT, gay riots, “pride” parades, and trans ideology were on the shelves.

    One of the books is If You’re A Kid Like Gavin, a “true story of a young trans activist” that follows a girl named “Gavin” who tells kids ages 4 to 8 that they know themselves better than anyone else, especially when it comes to identifying as transgender. Gavin tells her mom, “I know you thought I was a girl, but I’m actually a boy.”

    The book frames parents and teachers as adults who don’t understand the complexities of kids wanting to trans-identify and use the opposite-sex bathroom. Gavin tells kids to deny their parents’ wisdom, choose for themselves, and go on the news if their school doesn’t let them use the opposite-sex bathroom in the name of activism.

    After Gavin’s principal said she could use the boys’ bathroom, Gavin received criticism from her “gossiping” teachers, who said that she “shouldn’t even be at school at all.”

    “But he still had a choice,” the book says. “He could have used the girls’ bathroom, which didn’t feel right. Or he could have used the bathroom his school put into a closet, one that no other kid was forced to use. And he could have chosen to stay quiet.”

    Instead of using the girls’ bathroom, Gavin decides to take her story to the media: “He went on the news in his town, and then he was on the news everywhere, sharing his story, refusing to be silenced.” The book ends by calling 4-to-8-year-olds to “fight” for people who want to use “something as basic as using the bathroom.”

    Image CreditAbigail Nichols / The Federalist

    D.C. Public Library

    The D.C. Public Library also receives federal funding…..”

    https://thefederalist.com/2025/06/24/d-c-libraries-still-want-to-indoctrinate-your-child-with-radical-gender-ideology/

    Liked by 1 person

    1. kids are CURIOUS and impressionable. end of story.
      if he decided he wanted to be a goat, what would the response be? to allow him to run naked through the yard and sleep outside eating grass?

      Liked by 1 person

  18. TheseTruths
    TheseTruths(@thesetruths)Offline
    Wolf
    June 24, 2025 12:22

    ICE arrests 11 Iranian nationals in 48 hours

    In its latest crackdown against illegal immigration, federal agents arrested 11 Iranian foreign nationals in 48 hours, including one watchlisted individual — part of a series of targeted operations spanning eight states and nine cities nationwide.

    Among those arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since Sunday, June 22, is Mehran Makari Saheli, at his home near St. Paul, Minnesota. ICE officials say Saheli is a former member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), an elite branch of Iran’s armed forces. They said the detainee has “admitted connections to Hezbollah,” a U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organization backed by Iran.

    ICE said that five of those arrested possessed previous criminal convictions ranging from grand larceny to drug and firearm possessions.

    The Department of Homeland Security says Yousef Mehridehno had been living in America illegally for nearly 8 years when federal authorities determined he lied on a visa application. Roughly four months after the Iranian foreign national was added to the U.S. known or suspected terrorist list in February, he was apprehended by federal agents Sunday in central Mississippi, just outside of Jackson.

    Officials have not linked these arrests to any specific terrorism plots and the Department of Homeland Security has stated that there are no current, credible threats to the U.S. homeland, despite a heightened security environment following U.S. strikes on Iranian nuclear sites over the weekend.

    But all 11 Iranians have been charged or accused of crimes beyond civil immigration violations, according to ICE officials, who say the arrested men represent a threat to public safety.

    While arresting Ribvar Karmi in northern Alabama on Sunday, the Department of Homeland Security says federal agents found an Islamic Republic of Iran Army identification card on his person. According to ICE officials, Karimi purportedly served as an Iranian Army sniper from 2018 to 2021 and entered the U.S. in October 2024 on a K-1 visa, reserved for migrants engaged to be married to American citizens. Karmi is now detained in ICE custody, where officials say he will remain pending removal proceedings…

    Like

  19. WeThePeople2016

    June 24, 2025 12:42 pm

    Hot Da*n… 🔥🔥

    🚨 RFK Jr. Just Blasted Congressman Pallone into the Stratosphere for being owned by Big Pharma

    It was so harsh, they had to cut him off and refrain from speaking.

    “15 years ago you and I met, and you were at that time a champion for people who had suffered injuries from vaccines…>

    Since then, you’ve accepted $2M from pharmaceutical companies, more than any other member of this committee.”

    https://rumble.com/v6v9c4r-rfk-jr.-just-blasted-congressman-pallone-into-the-stratosphere-for-being-ow.html

    https://t.me/candlesinthenight/84100

    Liked by 1 person

  25. TheseTruths

    TheseTruths(@thesetruths)

    Online

    Wolf

    June 24, 2025 13:18

    Trump DOJ Hits Back Hard After Biden Judge Defies Supreme Court, Says His Order Barring Deportation of Illegal Aliens to South Sudan Remains in Effect

    …On Monday evening, Judge Murphy ignored the US Supreme Court and said his previous order remains in effect.

    “The Court’s May 21, 2025 Order on Remedy remains in full force and effect, notwithstanding today’s stay of the Preliminary Injunction,” Murphy said.

    On Tuesday morning Solicitor General John Sauer asked the Supreme Court to clarify its decision.

    “The district court’s ruling of last night is a lawless act of defiance that, once again, disrupts sensitive diplomatic relations and slams the brakes on the Executive’s lawful efforts to effectuate third-country removals. For over two months now, the Executive has labored under an injunction that this Court yesterday deemed unenforceable. This Court should immediately make clear that the district court’s enforcement order has no effect, and put a swift end to the ongoing irreparable harm to the Executive Branch and its agents, who remain under baseless threat of contempt as they are forced to house dangerous criminal aliens at a military base in the Horn of Africa that now lies on the borders of a regional conflict,” John Sauer wrote.

    Like

  26. WeThePeople2016
    June 24, 2025 1:35 pm

    ⚠️ JUST IN: Voting on Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill” will begin in the Senate on FRIDAY, Senate Majority Leader Thune says

    Thune asserted he will NOT be sending the Senate back on vacation until the bill is on the President’s desk

    That’s how this should work ALL the time!

    🇺🇸Join👉 @SGTnewsNetwork

    https://t.me/SGTnewsNetwork/96584

    Like

  28. I am back from my appointment @ the VA. Looking pretty good overall. BP good, weight above 95 at least, don’t know about the blood tests yet. When I got there, I noticed my oxygen tank was close to the red zone (I wasn’t sure how long the small ones last and I’d been using it for quite a while this morning). They brought in one of their tanks to use so I would have enough for the trip home – made it w/no problem. Dr. Lutz is going to send me something to help break up the phlegm in my lungs and gave me some examples of things to eat that would help me gain some weight, like peanut butter and cheese. Everyone was really great. But I was beyond frustrated by the time I got there.

    Whoever is in charge of their texting system is a damned lunatic and needs to be fired!!!! Close to 20 separate texts in the last 2 weeks – are you going to make this appointment – reply Y1 for Yes, yada, yada, yada – repeated over and over and over again; the last 2, while I was driving to my appointment today, BEFORE 9 AM, asked I had shown up for my appointment at the VA (which was for 9:30!!!) Dr. Lux said all the patients were fed up but there was nothing he could do about it. I told him I was determined to find a way to block every one of them! Sheesh!

    Liked by 2 people

    1. Oh, and the thrush is gone – thank you baking soda! I wanted to give the meds back to Dr. Lutz but he said technically, they aren’t allowed to accept it….but if I were to wait until he walked out of the room, I could toss it in the trash can and no-one would be the wiser. I chose instead to bring it home and dispose of it properly, the way a pharmacist told me to do it – dissolve them in hot water in a baggie, then toss the baggie. Done!

      Liked by 1 person

      1. Oh, yeah and I’ll be taking more breaks but a lot of this won’t get better until I start getting some regular exercise and rebuilding my muscles – they are mush at this point.

        Liked by 2 people

  30. Liked by 1 person

  32. “It’s always better to go to a lib-sided news outlet like TheGuardian.com to get a slant on what’s happening in Libloolooland. In this case, the choices really are between bad and really, really, REALLY bad.

    The race pits two drastically different Democrats against one another. Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist endorsed by the progressive wing of the Democratic party, is the main challenger to Andrew Cuomo, the former New York governor who has been backed by the party’s centrists and billionaire donors.

    Cuomo, who resigned as governor in 2021 after more than a dozen women accused him of sexual harassment, was the clear frontrunner earlier in the year. But Mamdani has enjoyed a meteoric surge in polls in recent weeks, and could benefit from the primary’s ranked-choice voting system.

    As he is described above, Mamdani, a 33-year-old democratic socialist, is a total fuckin’ whackjob who will drive the city in to bankruptcy in weeks, if not days, should he get in. He even supported Hamas over Israel during the attack on the festival.”

    Liked by 1 person

  35. “It’s reported that a woman was nearly dragged underwater by an eight-foot alligator as her husband clung onto her – while a second victim jammed his fingers deep into the beast’s eyes.

    Christiane Salvador, 64, nearly lost her arm when she was suddenly attacked by a female alligator while kayaking with her husband Phillip and a group of 20 people on Tiger Creek in Polk County, Florida. Christiane first felt something ‘bump against her paddle’ before the massive alligator snapped it in half and sent her kayak flipping over into the water.

    Witnesses were shocked as they watched her struggle to keep her head above water while screaming, ‘There’s an alligator on my arm.’ Her husband Phillip immediately tried to help.

    He sprung into action by pulling his wife on top of his kayak but one of her arms wouldn’t come out of the water because the alligator had its jaw clamped down on Christiane’s elbow.

    The alligator eventually released its grip on Christiane which allowed her husband to pull her to shore where he immediately began first aid. But when Morse tried to flip over Christiane’s capsized kayak, the same alligator launched a second attack grabbing the front of his life vest and dragging him underwater.

    Morse’s quick thinking led him to stick his fingers ‘deep into the gator’s eyes.’ He then undid the buckles on his life vest and the alligator fled while still clutching the vest in its mouth.” 

    Liked by 1 person

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