Holiday Baking 2023

October 30, 2023 by
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October is my favorite month of the year as it holds the promise of the holidays. (I started drafting this mid-October!) For me, November is too close to the actual holidays and December is go-time. October means that I have time to plan and look forward to the seasonal festivities of baking, buying gifts, and decorating. Some years decorating means… read more

Celebrating National Pasta Day

October 17, 2023 by
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I was struck with the urge to make homemade pasta today, a desire that came out of the blue. After pulling the pasta machine out of the cabinet, I proceeded to make simple ricotta-filled ravioli (judging by the results, I need more practice). Imagine my surprise to later learn that today is National Pasta Day, with restaurants around the country… read more

How Canadian Thanksgiving differs from the US holiday

October 6, 2023 by
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Canadian Thanksgiving happens next Monday, and families will gather for a traditional meal that looks similar to those served during the US version of the holiday. Even though the meals might resemble one another, there are a few ways in which the Canadian edition of Thanksgiving differs from that of its southern neighbor. The first and most obvious difference is… read more

The foods of Rosh Hashanah

September 15, 2023 by
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Rosh Hashanah, meaning "head of the year" in Hebrew, is the celebration of the Jewish New Year. The holiday includes several food-related customs including eating apples dipped in honey, as well as eating other symbolic foods such as pomegranates, dates, string beans, beets, pumpkins, leeks, and fish heads. Each of these symbolizes a wish or blessing for prosperity and health in the… read more

Does this settle the scone debates?

August 8, 2023 by
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Scones have been an integral part of afternoon tea in the UK for hundreds of years. The recent coronation of King Charles reinforced this tradition and drove sales of scones up by 120%. Clotted cream and jam sales also spiked during the weeks leading up to the coronation. This week is Afternoon Tea Week, so scones are again front and… read more

Celebrate French food on Bastille Day

July 13, 2023 by
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I'm not French, but since nearly all of my great-great-great grandparents lived within spitting distance of the Rhine I say "close enough" for celebrating Bastille Day by eating French foods and drinking a French 75. Even if your ancestors are not French or French adjacent, holidays from other countries or traditions offer a great way to break out of a… read more

Father’s Day recipe ideas

June 17, 2023 by
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Tomorrow is Father's Day in the US, UK, and Canada, part of a three-day weekend in the US with the Juneteenth holiday falling on Monday. For many families that means the perfect excuse to do outdoor cooking, meat on the grill, and picnic fare. If you plan on making something special but are out of ideas, head over to Delish to… read more

Ideas for your Juneteenth menu

June 14, 2023 by
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Monday marks the third year of Juneteenth being an official federal holiday in the United States. It was first celebrated in Texas in June of 1866, one year after Major General Gordon Granger signed the order proclaiming that slaves in Texas were now free - two full years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. In the beginning it was called… read more

Celebrate National Doughnut Day

May 30, 2023 by
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Food holidays tend to sneak up on me and I don't realize it is National [insert food here] Day until after it's over. However, I am always on point for National Doughnut Day, because deep fried cake/sweet dough is so darned delicious. The holiday is happening on June 2, and here in the US, Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme (among… read more

Celebrating Cinco de Mayo

May 5, 2023 by
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Much like St. Patrick’s Day, Cinco de Mayo is a holiday celebrated by people far outside the borders of its original nation. It’s likely that many people who celebrate this day do not understand its significance and history. It is not, as many people believe, Mexico’s Independence Day, which falls on September 16. Rather, it’s a relatively minor holiday in… read more

Celebrating Anzac Day

April 22, 2023 by
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Anzac Day, celebrated on April 25, is taken seriously by Australians and New Zealanders, so much so that there is an official recipe on the books that decides what does and doesn't count as one. For those who don't know, Anzac Day commemorates the first major military campaign of Australian and New Zealand troops during WWI in 1915. ANZAC stands for Australian… read more

Celebrate National Margarita Day

February 22, 2023 by
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Today is National Margarita Day in the United States. This is, of course, not an official holiday, but is one of the myriad food "celebration" days that highlight specific dishes, ingredients, and beverages. You can literally celebrate a different food every day if you so desire. These days range from National Cream Puff Day in January to Oatmeal Muffin Day in December. Pink… read more

Pancake day around the world

February 20, 2023 by
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In yesterday's antipasto post I briefly discussed Mardi Gras (aka Fat Tuesday or Shrove Tuesday), which happens tomorrow. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Pancake Day around the world, and every country celebrates with their own version. The Guardian's Yvonne Lam takes a look at seven different styles of pancake that span the globe. Spanish-style French toast (Torrijas) from The… read more

Super Bowl Sunday calls for super food

February 8, 2023 by
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Millions of people will gather around their television sets this Sunday as the 57th Super Bowl takes place in Arizona. Even if you aren't a fan of American football (which ironically is played almost exclusively with the hands and not the feet), you might tune in to see the commercials or the halftime show. And, most likely, you'll be eating… read more

Dishes to celebrate the lunar new year

January 21, 2023 by
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The Lunar New Year falls on January 22 this year, and ushers in the Chinese New Year as well as celebrations in other Asian countries including Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, and Indonesia. The holiday begins on the new moon on the first day of the new year and ends on the full moon 15 days later. For Chinese celebrants, 2023 heralds… read more

Holiday memories, made new

December 25, 2022 by
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I looked back today at what I wrote during the holidays in December 2019, a few months before the world was turned upside down. The post, about favorite holiday food memories, was about the dish of nuts that my grandparents always put out during the Christmas season. That memory is more poignant today because not only were traditions put on… read more

Pastry chefs wow with edible holiday decorations

December 20, 2022 by
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Gingerbread houses across the nation are suffering from a serious case of envy over the creations showcased in a recent Forbes article about amazing edible decorations from talented pastry chefs. While these displays are made from gingerbread, chocolate, and other foods, they are not meant to be eaten. Some of them take months to complete, only to be viewed for… read more

What’s the best time for the holiday meal?

November 22, 2022 by
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You've set your Thanksgiving (or other holiday) menu, gathered the ingredients, cleaned the china and linens, and are all set to start your feast. Now the question remains: what time should you serve the meal? The Washington Post's Becky Krystal recently explored this question, and found the time periods that met with the most approval. Accidental turkey from Food Network… read more

Keeping it basic for the holidays

November 11, 2022 by
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Adventurous cooks who like to try new foods are often stymied during the holidays. We would appreciate adding new or unusual items to the menu, but the diehard traditionalists want everything to be exactly the same - often leading to hard feelings or at least a classic sitcom situation. Instead of fighting the traditionalists, there is a case to be… read more

The foods of Día de Muertos

November 2, 2022 by
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On the heels of Halloween is the Mexican celebration Día de Muertos or Day of the Dead, celebrated November 1-2 each year. Day of the Dead celebrations can be traced to the ancient Aztecs, who felt that instead of mourning the deceased, people should celebrate their lives and welcome their spirits back to the land of the living once a year. Spanish… read more

Celebrate National Coffee Day

September 29, 2022 by
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The US and Canada are celebrating National Coffee Day today, and the international 'official' holiday is just around the corner on October 1. Coffee shops will have specials all day long, and baristas will be whipping up everyone's favorite caffeinated beverages, whether it's a latte, espresso, flat white, or just a good cuppa. While coffee beverages of all sorts are… read more

The foods of Yom Kippur

September 28, 2022 by
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Ten days after the Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashanah, which began on September 25) is Yom Kippur, the most holy day on the Jewish calendar. It is the last of the ten days of penitence, and this year begins at sundown on October 4. Although this isn't necessarily as food-centric as other holidays, there are two meals associated with this… read more

Mooncakes with a twist

September 6, 2022 by
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The Mid-Autumn Moon Festival, which this year falls on 10 September, is the second most important festival in China after Chinese New Year. The holiday is also celebrated by many other Asian countries, such as Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines. While originally conceived as a harvest celebration, the focus these days is on family reunions, so the festival often draws comparisons to US… read more

Celebrate Bastille Day with French food and drink

July 13, 2022 by
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Food, drinks, and fireworks in July aren’t limited to the United States. Ten days after America’s Independence Day, the French also have their own red, white and blue holiday. Called Bastille Day by English speakers, the day is known to the French as “La Fête Nationale,” and it celebrates the anniversary of the liberation of France marked by the storming… read more

World Chocolate Day is here

July 7, 2022 by
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Today is World Chocolate Day! The middle of summer is a brave choice to host this food holiday in the Northern Hemisphere, but there is a reason: it's celebrated on 7 July because that is allegedly the date that chocolate was first brought to Europe in 1550. It's not as though we really need a day to celebrate chocolate, because… read more
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