Every now and then we get a couple of weeks break between major holidays and observances and right now we now find ourselves in a sort of limbo until the Easter/Passover holidays come around.

When this occurs I like to see what happened this week in history {and no I am not scraping the barrel trying to come up with something to write about after doing this for 10 years! Well, maybe a little!}

So let’s take a look at some big thinks that happened this week in days gone by.

April 4th Susanna Medora Salter is the first woman to be elected mayor in the nation in Argonia, Kansas. (1887)

April 4th Martin Luther King Jr. is assassinated. (1968)

April 4th The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is signed. (1949)

April 5th General Douglas Macarthur died in Washington, D.C. at the age of 84. (1964)

April 6th Explorers Matthew A. Henson and Robert E. Perry are the first to reach the North Pole. (1909)

April 6th the first modern Olympic Games open in Athens, Greece (1896)

April 6th Twinkies hit the market. The first Twinkies were banana-filled.(1930)

April 7th the musical South Pacific, by Rodgers and Hammerstein, opens on Broadway. (1949)

April 7th The World Health Organization (WHO) is founded. (1948)

April 8th Hank Aaron of the Atlanta Braves hits his 715th home run to surpass Babe Ruth's 714 home run record. (1974)

April 9th Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrenders to Ulysses S. Grant at Appomattox Courthouse, ending the Civil War. (1865)

April 9th The U.S. Senate passes a law making Winston Churchill the first honorary U.S. citizen. (1963)

April 10th the "unsinkable" RMS Titanic departs on it's maiden voyage from Southampton, England. (1912)

So what can we make out of that lot? Well it’s got to be the Twinkie!

Twinkies were introduced by The Continental Baking Company in Indianapolis, which also made "Wonder Bread" and had a snack line you’re probably familiar with called Hostess. One of their bakers named James A. Dewar got the idea for the "Twinkie" while he delivered one of their products, a cream filled strawberry shortcake. The machines to make these sat idle when the strawberry season was over so he came up with an idea to use them to make a snack cake filled with a banana filling, and only charge a nickel for a package of 2. It was good idea as money was tight for people during the great depression.

Dewar came up with this name when driving by a billboard that had an ad for shoes from the "Twinkle Toe Shoe Company". He shortened the name to ....Twinkies....

Just like the song went "Yes We Have No Banana’s” popular during the WWII because bananas were rationed, Hostess had to come up with a different filling.

They switched to vanilla crème and it was popular so they never changed back.

The Twinkie rose to popularity in the '50's in great part due to Hostess sponsoring the Howdy Doody show, featuring the Twinkie.

During the 60's when there were huge fears of a nuclear attack, many bomb shelters were built winkies were one of the most popular items to have because it was said that they "stay fresh forever".

It has become an American Icon; even president Clinton put one in a time capsule.

They remain as Hostess best selling snack cake producing half a billion a year!

TWINKIE-MISU

Serves about 10.

Ingredients

Box Hostess Twinkies
½ cup strong coffee, cooled & sweetened
¼ cup Kahlua
½ gallon coffee or coffee & chocolate ice cream
Chocolate shavings or sprinkles

Method:

Slice Twinkies in half lengthwise.
Spray 9 x 5 loaf pan with cooking spray.
Put five Twinkie halves, cream side up, side by side in pan.
Mix coffee and Kahlua; with pastry brush, apply liberally to cut side of Twinkies.
Spoon about a ½ inch layer of softened ice cream over Twinkies.
Repeat until you have used enough Twinkies & ice cream to fill the loaf pan.
Cover tightly with foil and freeze several hours or overnight. This can be served from the pan in slices or unmolded, garnished with the chocolate and served.

AND FINALLY…

A 14-year-old girl walks into a hairdresser's shop with a Twinkie in her hand. She sits on the seat and the barber puts the plastic cover on her. As he is cutting her hair, she takes out her Twinkie and starts to eat it, not realizing that her cut hair is falling on her Twinkie. The hairdresser, being polite, looks down at her, smiles playfully, and says, ''Young lady, did you know that you're getting hair on your Twinkie?''
She smiles back, and says, ''Yes, I know...I'm growing boobs too!''