Four Interesting Things About the Black-Eyed Susan

These bright flowers, the black-eyed Susan, (botanical name – Rudbeckia hirta) were just begging me to take their picture this afternoon, so I obliged.  And as I was writing this post I realized that I knew very little about them.  A quick search of Wikipedia produced some interesting information.

1.)  It was decided in 1918 that the black-eyed Susan would be Maryland’s state flower.

2.)  The black-eyed Susan symbolized “Justice”.

3.)  In traditional medicine, the roots of the black-eyed Susan are used an astringent wash to treat sores and swelling.  The Native Americans used the root as a poultice for snake bites, as an infusion for treating colds and worms in children, as a diuretic, and the juice of the roots has also been used for earaches.

4.)  There are several variations of a cocktail named the Black-Eyed Susan.  One variation is the official drink of the Preakness horserace.  Here is the Preakness’ official recipe.

What is your favorite flower?

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Happy Hour!

Happy Hour at our house involves more than just a cocktail, it involves a great dinner created by two foodies who appreciate each others abilities to prepare, and devour.  And prepare and devour we did! 

 

The plan had been set in place earlier in the day with the standard question of “What’s for dinner tonight?”  It doesn’t matter who asks the question, what’s more important is who answers it.  I don’t know about you but sometimes it seems to be a painstaking task just trying to decide what to make for dinner.

 

After careful consideration of weighing our choices a plan emerged.  My husband would grill a couple of strip steaks, top them off with onions and mushrooms sautéed in olive oil, and throw some crumbled Stilton’s blue cheese on top.  He even decided to get out the sizzle platters for the occasion.

 

Happy Hour wouldn’t be that without a cocktail so I made a  giant white wine Spitzer.  I prefer to make these using (wine) ice cubes made with my favorite white wine.  Now keep in mind that alcohol doesn’t freeze entirely, if at all.  It depends on the sugar content, so the cubes have a slushy consistency.  After putting the cubes in a large wine glass add your favorite sparkling water.  I used a diet cranberry-raspberry.  Garnish with your favorite fruits.  I used a wedge of lemon, and some fresh raspberries from our garden.  Ooh, so refreshing, and low in calories.   I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Needless to say he did a superb job, and it’s a darn good thing the wine Spitzer was low cal!