Good Tuesday morning.
One of life’s greatest pleasures, I would argue, is a perfect grilled cheese sandwich. Paired with tomato soup? Or maybe just a dollop of ketchup and a slathering of Dijon mustard? Yes, please. Why not gild the lily while we’re at it?
Toast? We already know how I feel about THAT. Butter? Hard to find fault with a fatty condiment, though I know some people swear by mayo instead to get that perfect crispness.
And, of course, cheese. I like cheddar, and also Swiss, but to be honest, as really hot-off-the-grill, perfectly golden, traditionally diner version with a slice or two (or three?) of orange American is hard to find fault with.
The origins of grilled cheese are not completely clear.
The combination of bread and cheese, well, THAT dates back centuries. In France, for example, the Croque Monsieur (a delicious concoction of toasted bread, cheese, and a slice or two of ham) was first appeared on menus in 1910.
Here in the U.S., mention of a “toasted cheese sandwich” was made in a cookbook int he early 1900s, and open-faced cheese sandwiches were both popular and economical during the Great Depression. Adding the second slice of bread was reportedly a luxury added to make the meal more filling.
The popularity of grilled cheese – or any sandwich, really – can potentially be attributed to Otto Frederick Rohwedder, who is considered “the father of sliced bread” because he invented a bread slicing machine that made distributing white bread both easy and affordable.
The other guy to blame, (or praise, depending on how you feel about the matter), is the inventor of processed cheese, James L. Kraft. He created a revolutionary pasteurizing process that ensured cheese wouldn’t spoil – even when transported long distances.
By 1914, J.L. Kraft & Bros. Company (now known as Kraft Foods) opened its first plant in Illinois. The infamous Kraft Singles — individually wrapped slices of processed cheese — was introduced about 35 years later, though supermarkets didn’t start carrying them until 1965.
A modern-day grilled cheese can be something truly elevated, with artisanal bread, multiple cheese varieties, and the introduction of fruit, meat, nuts, vegetables, condiments, and all other manner of add ons. If you can dream it up, it has probably been done.
Even dessert grilled cheese is a thing. (Brie and Nutella, anyone?)
Oh, and by the way, it’s National Grilled Cheese Day. You’re welcome.
As an aside, even if you’re not a opera fan, today would be a good day to check out the Google Doodle, as it celebrates what would have been the 89th birthday of Montserrat Caballé, who is perhaps best known for singing a duet with Queen’s Freddie Mercury entitled Barcelona, that was written and recorded to be the anthem for the 1992 Summer Olympics in her hometown of Barcelona.
Caballé died on October 6, 2018.
I’m looking ahead to the rest of the week, and BOY HOWDY! We’re going to have temperatures in the 70s….even close to 80 degrees! BUT, it’s going to rain. No matter, it will be WARM rain, which is going to be a nice break from, well, everything.
Today, it’s also going to rain, and temperatures will be comfortably in the mid-60s.
In the headlines…
Reports that Russia has appointed Gen. Alexander Dvornikov to take over operations in Ukraine indicate that the war could be set to enter a brutal new phase as Moscow readies a major offensive in Ukraine’s east, some military analysts said.
Dvornikov, who most recently oversaw Russian troops in Syria and has a history of targeting civilians, was chosen as the new ground commander in Ukraine, a U.S. official and a Western official confirmed.
Fears grew of a major escalation in President Vladimir Putin’s war on Ukraine, as the country braced for a large-scale assault in the east, and the remaining defenders of the strategic southern port city of Mariupol faced the prospect of chemical weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky launched a fresh appeal for military aid as the country prepared for some of the conflict’s heaviest fighting so far, while France sent a police unit from its armed forces to Ukraine to investigate possible war crimes.
Ukraine’s prosecutor general, Iryna Venediktova, said that her office is investigating 5,800 war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by Russia during Moscow’s unprovoked attack on Ukraine.
President Joe Biden met virtually with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Washington presses New Delhi to take a tougher stance against Russia over its invasion of Ukraine.
Amid the current crisis, Fiona Hill and other former advisers are connecting President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign on Ukraine to Jan. 6. And they’re ready to talk.
As expected, Biden announced the finalization of a rule banning sales of so-called ghost guns, the hard-to-trace firearms made from kits that law enforcement is increasingly recovering at crime scenes across the country.
Biden brought one of the kits to the Rose Garden, declaring the new rules “basic common sense” before holding aloft one of the weapons made from the gear.
It was an attempt by Biden to regain his footing on a political front that is currently bedeviling him and Democrats. Only 38 percent of voters approve of the president’s handling of crime, according to a new ABC-Ipsos poll.
Biden’s ghost gun rule, which requires new background checks and serial numbers, was unveiled alongside his new pick to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
Biden’s popularity dropped to its lowest point yet in a CBS News/YouGov poll out Sunday — with just 42% of Americans approving of his performance while 58 percent disapprove.
The president’s younger sister Valerie Biden Owens defended her nephew Hunter Biden as a victim of conservative attacks amid controversy around his notorious laptop and allegations of financial misconduct.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris tested negative for COVID-19 yesterday as a mini-outbreak continued in permeate D.C. circles.
Queen Elizabeth II spoke about symptoms of COVID-19 during a recent video call, weeks after her own brush with the virus.
The World Health Organization is keeping an eye on two new strains of COVID-19 that have popped up around the world.
The U.S. State Department ordered the departure of all nonemergency U.S. Consulate staff and their families from Shanghai as the city’s health authorities announced more than 23,000 new daily infections.
The new White House Covid-19 response coordinator, Dr. Ashish K. Jha, said that while there had been a recent uptick in new U.S. coronavirus cases, he was not overly concerned.
The risk of developing inflammatory heart conditions after Covid-19 vaccination is relatively low, two large studies found, especially when compared with the heart-related risks from Covid-19 disease itself and from vaccines against other diseases.
Vaccine makers Pfizer Inc. and Moderna Inc. named company outsiders as chief financial officers as they look to deploy some of the cash they have generated during the Covid-19 pandemic.
An experimental drug halved the death rate among critically ill Covid patients who were receiving supplemental oxygen and were at high risk for serious lung disease and death, the drug’s developer announced.
Starting April 18, Philadelphia will require people to again wear masks in public places after health officials reported a rise in COVID-19 cases.
Philly is the first major US metropolitan area to bring back masking requirements after a slew of cities and states dropped restrictions as cases began trending downward in January.
Universities nationwide are reinstating mask mandates amid an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra announced that it was canceling a four-city tour of Europe because of concerns about the spread of the coronavirus in Europe and the United States.
New York, New Jersey and California failed in their handling of the COVID-19 pandemic because of stringent lockdowns and policies, while Florida was among the best-performing states in the country, a new study has found.
With more companies adopting hybrid work, New York City’s economy, which relies on commuters and full office buildings, faces an uncertain future.
Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that more than 70 million COVID-19 over-the-counter tests have been distributed to date by New York State as part of the administration’s ongoing efforts to keep New Yorkers protected throughout the pandemic.
Democratic leaders in New York are worried voters will run away from the party, especially in the suburbs, so much so that Hochul is embracing the state party chairman’s idea to create a third party line for embattled Democrats to run on.
Hochul’s comments represent the first time she offered her thoughts on the proposal, which has received a mixed reaction at best from other Democrats as well as progressives.
Just days after passing her first state budget, Hochul hit the campaign trail. She picked up two union endorsements – including from 32BJ SEIU – and spoke with reporters about a contentious budget process that she maintains delivers for New Yorkers.
Hochul’s first budget was a late one, but in the end, she insisted, it’s one that puts money back into the pockets of New Yorkers. “They don’t pay attention to whether it’s a couple of days late or not,” Hochul said. “At the end of the day, we got it done.”
The Democratic governor, however, is taking heat from her primary opponents over everything from changes to the state’s bail laws, an 11th-hour taxpayer subsidy for a new Buffalo Bills stadium, and the less-than-transparent nature of the negotiations.
The Giuliani name may not be in good enough condition to get the former mayor’s son, Andrew, to Albany. But it’s still great for rolling through Queens.
The Wall Street Journal: “(E)xamine the state budget deal she cut last week, which is larded with union and corporate welfare, while charting an imprudent fiscal course. Ms. Hochul is Andrew Cuomo without the self-restraint.”
Undocumented individuals aged 65 and over will be able to obtain taxpayer-financed health care in the new budget – a move critics say will incentivize the undocumented to flood New York for the benefits.
College students this November could have an easier time casting ballots under a provision approved in the New York state budget this month.
The changes adopted in the final budget agreement to contentious issues surrounding when cash bail should be required and how quickly evidence is made available during discovery have won the backing of law enforcement organizations and district attorneys.
Sandwiches, soups and salads are substantial. A bag of chips or a bowl of nuts, no. That’s according to the guidance issued by the State Liquor Authority on a “substantial food item” is to qualify for a patron to order a drink to go along with a takeout meal.
A Rockville Centre woman’s remarks at a village board meeting, which were published on social media, have attracted the attention of Hochul, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman and other public officials who said the comments were antisemitic.
Five-term New York State Sen. Phil Boyle, a Long Island Republican, announced that he won’t seek a sixth term, shaking up the local political landscape two months before voters decide the primary elections.
New York Mayor Eric Adams is battling a case of COVID-19, working remotely from Gracie Mansion where he is isolating. He said his symptoms are mild and that he will be back to attending events around town when he gets better.
Many NYC residents seem uncertain about the trajectory of the city and whether Adams can fulfill his pledge of improving public safety.
Juneteenth — a commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States — is now an official New York City holiday.
“It’s time for our city to finally do what’s right and officially designate Juneteenth as a city holiday,” Adams, the city’s second Black mayor, said in a statement. “This decision is long overdue, which is why it will immediately take effect this year.”
Adams will unveil his first city budget at Brooklyn’s historic Kings Theatre — where his inauguration has been set to take place before Omicron cases spiked in the city last January, causing its cancellation.
Thousands of apartments that homeless New Yorkers qualified for through city housing vouchers remained unavailable to them last year thanks to a tangle of red tape that advocates say is keeping the homeless in shelters far longer than needed.
The mother of a Bronx straight-A student wounded in a deadly stray-bullet shooting received a personal apology from Adams after he learned the bleeding teen was asked by a cop on the scene about any gang affiliations.
After a pandemic lull, anti-Semitic hate crimes in New York City are at historic highs.
The Manhattan district attorney’s office aims to beef up its hate crimes unit amid a spike in unprovoked attacks, and asked Adams to devote more resources to the effort.
The popular “Fearless Girl” sculpture will continue to stand outside the New York Stock Exchange after city officials voted to extend the sculpture’s temporary permit for 11 months.
A California woman who tackled a Black teenager at a SoHo hotel after falsely accusing him of stealing her cellphone pleaded guilty to a felony hate crime charge stemming from the altercation. Parts of it were captured in a widely seen video.
Squeezed by higher property taxes, soaring energy costs and unpaid rent during the pandemic, landlords of regulated apartments are hoping for the biggest increase from the city Rent Guidelines Board in at least a decade.
A year and a half after New Jersey residents voted to legalize cannabis, the state gave seven medical-marijuana companies approval to start selling their products to all adults, opening the door to the first legal sales in the New York City region within a month.
Colin Jost, one of the stars of “Saturday Night Live,” has ridden the Staten Island Ferry across New York Harbor many times. But yesterday he rode one for the first time as its owner.
At a state Board of Regents meeting, officials suggested that a highly selective program for gifted teens may be incompatible with the agency’s stated mission of promoting diversity, equity and inclusion.
For the first time since the NFL’s New York Giants left town a decade ago, a professional sports league is going to hold training camp at the University at Albany.
A local philanthropy donated $1 million to the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society, by far the largest contribution in the shelter’s 135-year history.
The smash hit musical “Hamilton” will return to Proctors next March as part of the KeyBank Broadway Series, more than three years after it sold out a two-week run at the theater.
A new lawsuit alleges Rensselaer County officials ignored a worker’s complaints about sexual harassment by her co-worker.
The Lake George Park Commission is seeking Adirondack Park Agency approval to conduct trials with a controversial herbicide in two dense patches of invasive Eurasian watermilfoil.
MSNBC host Rachel Maddow announced she will host her eponymous television show only on Mondays starting in May, she told viewers on her first night back from a hiatus.
Months after Britney Spears was released from the conservatorship that she said was restricting her from having a third child, the pop star announced in an Instagram post that she is pregnant.
