FALL FOLLIES

THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF

CADILLAC NEWS -- NOVEMBER 4, 2023

Daylight saving time begins tomorrow, November 5, at two o'clock in the morning, otherwise known as the Fall Follies. This is because the occurrence fosters debate regarding the merits of standard time versus daylight saving time. 

 

Deciding on one system over another is above my pay grade. However, my message to the powers that be is simple: “I don't care.” As one lone voice in the wilderness I beseech you to just pick one and roll with it. This jumping forward and backward is making us goofy. 

 

When it comes to this practice, the United States is an outlier. Most countries do not use daylight saving time. “Only about a third of the world’s countries practice daylight saving time, and the vast majority of them are in Europe. While most of Europe and the U.S. practice daylight saving time, some policymakers in the European Commission and in the U.S. Congress have proposed doing away with it.” 

 

There are more complications. “The U.S. is one of the few countries with multiple time zones. Only around twenty countries in the world have more than one time zone. In the U.S., Hawaii and most of Arizona, as well as some territories, do not observe daylight saving time.” Even in Michigan, there are four counties in the western upper peninsula that are on Central Standard Time, while the rest of us are on Eastern time.    

 

I have no preference here. Either standard time or daylight saving time would be fine by me. Just pick one. (https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/10/26/most-countries-dont-observe-daylight-saving-time/)

 

As for now, the move to daylight saving time means sunset on November 6 will be at 5:26 PM. This means most of us will be having our dinner in the dark. When it's dark and cold outside, having warm comfort food for dinner is good for our spirits. To that end, Southern Living magazine has compiled a wonderful list: “Recipes Your Grandma Always Took To Church Potlucks.” 

 

These recipes are simple, easy to prepare, and sure to please. They share down home goodness and do not suffer from Food Network syndrome (if one spice is good than twenty-seven spices must be twenty-seven times better.)

 

Everything on the menu is enticing from Chicken Spaghetti Casserole and Classic Baked Macaroni And Cheese to Texas Sheet Cake With Fudge Icing. Get all the recipes at: https://www.southernliving.com/grandma-church-potluck-recipes-7494612.

 

A staple of winter dinners is pasta. You may know that Americans consume more than six billion pounds of pasta each year, roughly twenty pounds per person. However, you may not know what variety of pasta aligns with your zodiac sign. See your pasta-zodiac connection at: https://nypost.com/2023/10/17/what-pasta-are-you-based-on-your-zodiac-sign/.

 

For example, Libra (September 23 – October 22) aligns with spaghetti and meatballs. “Ruled, by Venus, planet of love, aesthetics and attraction, Libra is the sign of partnership and popularity. Disney’s 'Lady and the Tramp' provides the most iconic pasta scene in all of cinema history. The spaghetti kiss remains a cultural cornerstone.” 

 

Once you choose the proper pasta for your sign, you might be interested in topping it with a Michigan product offered by a Detroit rapper – Eminem’s Mom’s Spaghetti Sauce. It's now being bottled and sold at some Michigan stores. The sauce is a bit pricey. “Each 25-oz bottle of Mom’s Spaghetti Sauce is $13.” 

 

What does it taste like? “The sauce is described as tasting like a leftover sauce the first time around. This isn’t a sauce that tastes like what your neighbor’s Italian grandma would spend all day simmering. This is a clean take on a classic jar sauce, crafted in the straightest manner… honest… legit… not saddled with any nonsense.” (https://www.mlive.com/life/2023/10/you-may-lose-yourself-when-you-see-the-price-of-eminems-moms-spaghetti-sauce-jars.html)

 

Depending on your stove top, when you cook your pasta and sauce you may have a Michigan inventor to thank. 'The man's name was Lloyd Copeman, from Flint. Born in Lapeer County in December 1881, he attended Michigan Agricultural College, which later became Michigan State University.'

 

“By 1912, the Copeman Electric Stove Company was formed, thanks to stockholders raising half a million dollars. This is where he invented the first heat-regulated electric stove that he dubbed the 'fireless cooker'.” (https://99wfmk.com/lloyd-copeman-flint-inventor/?)

 

Copeman also invented the flexible ice cube tray and the modern toaster. “The automatic electric toaster toasted bread on both sides...before, the consumer could only toast one side, take the slice out, turn it over, and brown the other side.” 

 

Finally, if you enjoy a nice loaf of bread with your dinner pasta or toast some slices for you morning breakfast, Food&Wine sends along a nifty tip – How to Decode the Colorful Tags on Your Bread Bag. “Those colorful plastic clips that keep our loaves of bread closed in between grabbing slices are more than just a decoration — they’re the key to freshness.”

 

Here's the scoop. Most bakeries don’t produce bread on Sundays and Wednesdays. “So, many grocery stores follow a similar schedule with their bread tag coloring: Monday – Blue, Tuesday – Green, Thursday – Red, Friday – White, 

Saturday – Yellow. To help us remember the nifty key, the days of the week match the colors when listed alphabetically. So, since 'blue' starts with ‘b’ and is close to the start of the alphabet, it corresponds to Monday. That means if you go to the grocery store on a Friday, you’ll want to choose a loaf with a white bread tag to ensure the freshest bread.” (https://www.foodandwine.com/what-the-color-of-your-bread-tag-really-means-8379446)

 

Oh, by the way. Don't throw away those bread tags. Have you ever had the end of a roll of tape stick to the rest of the roll? Then you have to search for the end and try to pry it loose from the roll? It's frustrating. The bread tag solves the problem. Just stick it to the end piece of the tape roll and the end no longer sticks to the rest of the roll. Ten more uses at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecoeDToIJZg. 

 

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Read Neff Zone columns online at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews.