President’s Day is always celebrated the third Monday in February. It was originally designed to celebrate the life of George Washington, our country’s first president, but now it is a day to celebrate all U.S. presidents.
President’s Day began in 1800 after George Washington’s death in 1799. It became a day of remembrance for the father of our country. It became a federal holiday in 1870. It was signed into law by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879 for the District of Columbia only. It was expanded to the entire nation by 1885. It was the first holiday to celebrate the life of an individual.
Congress proposed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act in the late 1960s to shift several federal holidays from specific dates to predetermined Mondays to give employees a three-day weekend. The act included a provision to combine Washington’s birthday on Feb. 22 with Lincoln’s birthday, which falls on Feb. 12.
Here are some interesting facts and trivia about these two great presidents.
- George Washington is known as the father of our country.
- Washington was the only president that did not live in the White House.
- Washington did his own bookkeeping and recorded every single penny of expense and profit. His ledgers still exist today.
- There were 13 stars on the U.S. flag when Washington became president in 1789.
- By the time Washington became president, he had only one real tooth left. He had many sets of false teeth.
- Washington was the only president unanimously elected.
- Washington never served in Washington, D.C., the capital that was named for him. The first capital was in New York City and then was moved to Philadelphia.
- Washington was 6 feet tall, which was considered very tall for the 1700s.
- Washington gave freedom to his slaves in his will.
- Abraham Lincoln was 6 feet, 4 inches tall. The tallest president in history.
- Lincoln was reported to have kept money and important papers in his stove pipe hat.
- Lincoln was the first president to wear a beard.
- When Lincoln was called “two-faced” by a rival, he was quoted as saying, “If I had another face, would I be wearing this one?”
- Lincoln suffered from depression but was a renowned jokester and loved to laugh.
- Lincoln is found on two pieces of American currency: the penny and the $5 bill.
- Lincoln was the first president to be assassinated.
- Lincoln is best known for his leadership during the Civil War and was assassinated just five days after the war was over.
For those of us who have a holiday, enjoy. Hope you will give this week’s recipes a try. Thanks for reading.
CORNBREAD SALAD
1 (8.5-ounce) package cornbread mix
1 package dry ranch dressing mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup mayonnaise
½ red bell pepper, chopped finely
½ green bell pepper, chopped finely
½ cup finely chopped onion
3 large tomatoes, chopped
1 (16-ounce) can pinto beans, drained
2 cups canned corn
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
10 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
Cook cornbread according to package directions; cool and crumble. Combine dressing mix with mayonnaise and sour cream. Combine peppers, onion, beans, tomatoes and corn. Layer half bread, half vegetables, half cheese, half bacon and half dressing. Repeat all layers, and refrigerate overnight.
(This looks great in a trifle bowl.)
CRAWFISH AND CORN BISQUE
1 bunch green onions, chopped
½ cup butter
2 packages frozen peeled crawfish
2 cans (18-ounce) Campbell’s Select Harvest roasted garlic potato soup
2 (14-ounce) cans creamed corn
2 pints half and half
¾ teaspoon liquid crab boil
Salt and pepper to taste
Creole seasoning to taste
Saute’onions in butter. Do not drain any of the ingredients. Mix everything in a large pot and simmer for about an hour. Do not let come to a boil.
APPLE CRISP
3 cans apple pie filling
1 box butter cake mix
2 sticks butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
½ cup sugar
Spray a 9-by-12-inch baking dish with Pam. Pour pie filling into dish, and sprinkle with cake mix. Sprinkle pecans and sugar evenly on top. Pour melted butter on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Serve warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or room temperature with Cool Whip.
- Contact Lee Ann Flemming at lafkitchen@hughes.net.
