Saturday, January 7, 2006

 

Spotlight: The first cookbook to use standardized measurements in its recipes, The Boston Cooking School Cookbook, was published 110 years ago today. Edited by Fannie Farmer, the book became one of America's favorite cookbooks and was republished as The Fanny Farmer Cookbook. When a stroke kept her from attending college, Fannie Farmer began to cook at home. She entered the Boston Cooking School, eventually becoming the school's director and later founding her own school of cookery.

Quote: "I certainly feel that the time is not far distant when a knowledge of the principles of diet will be an essential part of one's education. Then mankind will eat to live, be able to do better... work and disease will be less frequent." – Fannie Farmer

Word of the day: avoirdupois: the system of weights used in the US, where 16 ounces is equal to one pound (© )

Today's News:

• Newt Gingrich: urges GOP reform after Abramoff scandal (story)
• Howard Stern: to get $220 million in Sirius stock (story)
• Jon Stewart: to host the Academy Awards (story)

Today's History:

• Galilean moons: largest of Jupiter's moons were first observed by Galileo Galilei (1610)
• Khmer Rouge: Pol Pot's regime was toppled when Vietnam took Cambodia's capital, Phnom Penh (1979)
• Bill Clinton: impeachment trial began (1999)

Today's Birthdays:

• Charles Addams: macabre cartoonist, father of The Addams Family (1912-1988)
• actors: David Caruso (50), Nicolas Cage (42)
• Katie Couric: host of The Today Show (49)