Celebrate National Peanut Butter Day

March 1, 2015 by
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Today is National Peanut Butter Day in the U.S. Yes, we have a "day" for almost every food known to mankind, but this one is especially fun because, well, it's peanut butter. From fond memories of childhood lunches to being the secret ingredient in a chili recipe, peanut butter holds a special place in our hearts. It's a pantry staple… read more

Oscar party foods

February 20, 2015 by
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The Academy Awards, more commonly known as the Oscars, arrive this Sunday. Along with all of the Hollywood celebrities at the many pre- and post-Oscar events you will find a lot of food, much of it catered by celebrity chefs like Wolfgang Puck. The star chef shared what will be on Sunday's Governors Ball menu this year. The Governors Ball,… read more

Fat Tuesday feast

February 17, 2015 by
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Today is Fat Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras) and festivities are in full force in New Orleans. Celebrated as the last extravagance before the austere days of Lent, Mardi Gras features indulgent food and drink. Even if you don't celebrate the religious holiday, the festival is a good excuse to eat classic New Orleans-inspired food. Indexed magazine Saveur features an entire… read more

Chocolate is at home in every course of your Valentine’s Day meal

February 9, 2015 by
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Chocolate may be found in nearly every holiday or celebration, but it's perhaps most closely associated with Valentine's Day. Since one can never have enough chocolate, we'll show you how to incorporate it into every course of a Valentine's Day chocolate-themed meal. Let's start with a cocktail. The Golden kiss from Observer Food Monthly Magazine sounds like the perfect way to start a… read more

Lucky food

December 28, 2014 by
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Celebration food is often symbolic, whether due to a religious tradition or a secular one. The start of a new year, representing new beginnings and opportunities, is rife with symbolism in food, much of which is designed to auger wealth and good fortune in the coming months.  Leading the charge in this arena are black-eyed peas, especially in the American… read more

Break out the bubbly

December 27, 2014 by
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Champagne has a long and rich history of being associated with special occasions. Next week, millions of people across the globe will celebrate the arrival of the new year with a toast of champagne or sparkling wine. But if you are in the mood for something a little different, try a champagne-based cocktail instead. First, let's brush up on our… read more

Christmas leftovers as timekeepers

December 25, 2014 by
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Over the Christmas holiday, you don't need a calendar (or even a clock) to know what time it is. You can tell the time by the leftovers you are eating, and you can use The Guardian's reference for the seven stages of holiday leftovers as a gauge. The guide starts off with Christmas Day, after the main meal: "Despite the… read more

The Hanukkah latke story

December 10, 2014 by
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Fried foods feature prominently in Hanukkah celebrations, and latkes are popular expressions of the tradition. The popularity of potato latkes is no surprise - what's not to love about the contrast between the crispy exteriors and creamy insides? They're so delicious, Epicurious dreams of a latke party with their five favorite latke and sauce pairings. But did you know that… read more

Gifts from your kitchen (and your heart)

December 3, 2014 by
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  For millenia people have expressed their feelings through food. Feasts and festivals mark important milestones from the changing of the seasons to birth, marriage, and death. In addition to these celebrations, gifts of food play an important role in conveying sentiments of love and gratitude. Homemade gifts especially relay these messages, so it's no wonder many of us choose to make… read more

The intriguing history behind Thanksgiving food

November 27, 2014 by
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As people in the U.S. sit down to enjoy another holiday meal, they may not think about how traditional Thanksgiving dishes became tradition in the first place. Someone is, however, and is sharing the fascinating history behind ubiquitous food served at this time of year. Most Americans know the legend of the sharing between Native Americans and Pilgrims that inspires… read more

Load up for leftovers

November 25, 2014 by
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Cooks in the U.S. are in the midst of Thanksgiving meal preparations, and Twitter feeds are stuffed to the gills with holiday recipe ideas. We expect that most of you have already nailed down your menu, so we thought we'd give you a head start on what to do with the leftovers you'll be facing on Friday. These ideas may… read more

Get out your bundt pans

November 15, 2014 by
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Today is National Bundt Day in the United States. Although cakes baked in ring shapes have been around for centuries, Bundt cakes got a boost after Minnesota-based cookware manufacturer Nordic Ware trademarked the name "Bundt" and began producing the pans from cast aluminum. The pan was nearly a flop until 1966, when the "Tunnel of Fudge" cake, baked in a… read more

The great holiday meal debates

November 12, 2014 by
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In a recent Epicurious article, the writer opines that it doesn't matter what you put in your stuffing. Rather, she instructs that whatever flavoring agents you choose, you should put in more than you think you need to avoid a bland dish. That being said, the author notes that friendships are formed and "families torn asunder by painful debates over what ingredients belong in… read more

The foods of Día de Muertos

November 1, 2014 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 date back 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.… read more

The foods of Diwali

October 23, 2014 by
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Diwali, a five-day festival of lights celebrated by Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains across the world, celebrates new beginnings and the triumph of good over evil and light over darkness. The actual day of Diwali is traditionally celebrated on the third day of the festival, this year that day is Thursday, October 23. Diwali celebrations frequently include fireworks, candles, and other forms of… read more

Celebrate Oktoberfest

September 26, 2014 by
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We're in the midst of Oktoberfest celebrations, which recently began in Munich. While people think of it mainly as a beer festival, Oktoberfest originated as a celebration for the wedding of Prince Ludwig to Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. Today it's celebrated across the world with delicious German foods like sausages, Käsespätzle (cheese noodles), pretzels, and sauerkraut. It's a special food holiday for me since I hail from a town that celebrates… read more

Celebrate International Bacon Day

August 30, 2014 by
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Today is International Bacon Day, a relatively recent food "holiday" created by college students in 2000 in Boston or 2004 in Colorado, depending on which story you believe.  Market research firm the NPD Group reported that Americans ate 1.1 billion servings of bacon from April 2013 to April 2014 -- a six percent increase over the previous year. Baconmania may… read more

Cook your way through the World Cup

June 12, 2014 by
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Football fans across the world are celebrating the 2014 World Cup, which begins today in Brazil. Although the games are exciting on their own, many people are amping up the celebration by cooking meals inspired both by the location of the games and by World Cup competitors. Epicurious features a Brazilian-themed World Cup menu, and the site also recommends this black-eyed pea… read more

Much better than a tie

June 9, 2014 by
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On Sunday, fathers in many countries will open the obligatory Father's Day present and pull out a tie, a set of golf club covers, or maybe a new tool with an LED light on it. Being good-natured, loving fathers, they will profusely thank their sons and daughters, hang the tie in the closet with the dozen other ties received as gifts,… read more

Ice cream – summer’s dessert

June 1, 2014 by
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June is Dairy Month in the U.S. Dairy month is celebrated proudly in the Upper Midwest, where states like Wisconsin (known as America's Dairyland) have a long tradition of small family dairy farms. Dairy encompasses such a broad array of foods that it would be nearly impossible to catalog all of them in one blog post, so today we'll concentrate… read more

Ladies and gentlemen, start your grills

May 21, 2014 by
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The official Memorial Day holiday in the U.S. also marks the unofficial start of summer, and by extension, grilling season. Food websites are ablaze (groan) with grilling and barbecue recipes. Serious Eats gives the lowdown on how to make great kebabs and Saveur features a Memorial Day backyard cookout menu. Food52 shows you how to master your grill, and the L.A. Times  explains… read more

Forget flowers, get Mom something she’ll really like

May 7, 2014 by
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This Sunday is Mother's Day in the U.S. Traditional gifts for Mother's Day are flowers, jewelry, and taking Mom to brunch. (Husbands who buy their wives vacuum cleaners or washing machines for Mother's Day may be the recipient of the cold shoulder for weeks.) Instead of the same old gifts, why not get Mom something she'll really like, such as… read more

Get ready for Cinco de Mayo

May 2, 2014 by
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Everyone appreciates a reason to celebrate, especially when the festivities involve great food. This is evident in the widespread celebration of Cinco de Mayo far outside the borders of Mexico. It's likely that many people who celebrate this day may not fully comprehend the history behind it: it is not, as many people believe, Mexico's Independence Day, which is September… read more

Celebrating Anzac Day

April 24, 2014 by
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While many "holidays" about food are completely fabricated events to promote a product, some foods are associated with real holidays that have a more noble purpose. This is the case with the Anzac biscuit, made to commemorate Anzac Day. According to EYB member and blogger Pat Churchill of Cooking Down Under, each year on April 25, Australians and New Zealanders mark Anzac Day… read more

Caramel knowledge

April 5, 2014 by
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As we've discussed before, there is a "food holiday" nearly every day of the year, especially in the U.S. Today's holiday bears mention because it celebrates caramel, that fantastic transformation of a nondescription pantry staple into an exotic treat. Caramel has been part of the cooking lexicon since medieval times, if not before, and with good reason. The dark and… read more
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