Celebrate Every Day

Welcome to November 21, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate stepping up our stuffing and a royal cookie. I’ve always wondered why we celebrate National Stuffing Day ahead of Thanksgiving, but I think I have the answer: it’s never too early to plan the big meal. At my house the stuffing is made with homemade rolls that I make days in advance. The smell of fresh bread is an appetiz...

Welcome to November 20, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate all things absurd and keeping a lid on dinner. Anna: National Absurdity Day comes but once a year, but around here we like to point out odd things every day. Right guys? Marlo: Yes! Have you heard us in between takes? John: I mean it's kind of absurd that we're talking about absurdity. Marlo: Because we were just being a...

Welcome to November 19, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate catching a bubbly buzz and some friendly competition. Here in North America more than 90 percent of us enjoy caffeine every single day. But not all of us enjoy tea or coffee. If you love the buzz of caffeinated soda you can thank a German Chemist who first isolated caffeine from coffee beans in 1819. In England, Joseph P...

Welcome to November 18, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate cold soup and a mighty mouse. Though some like it hot, most people know the soup Vichyssoise is best served cold. Here in the States this French classic was first served at the Ritz Carlton by chef Louis Diat in the Summer of 1917. The chef was inspired to recreate the potato and leek soup of his childhood in France. But...

Some kids find their calling early on. For young Ilan Ethan his mother’s punishment became his passion. Ilan’s Greek mother and grandmother banned the kids from the kitchen, but the plucky boy couldn’t resist sneaking into this wonderland. As a penance, his mother put him to work rolling out thin layers of phyllo dough. Little did she know, Ilan would master the technique along with the alchemy of...

Welcome to November 16, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a helpful notion and food served lickity split. Dalton Stevens of South Carolina, discovered a useful way to beat insomnia. He spent his sleepless nights sewing buttons on a denim jacket for nearly three years. When he had completely covered it with 16,333 buttons, the jacket weighed over 16 pounds! Word got out and peop...

Welcome to November 15, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate successful cakes and a legacy of generosity. In 1950, inventor H. David Dalquist created a cake pan for a local women’s group who wanted to bake a traditional kugelhopf or ring-shaped cake. Naming the pan for the German word for bond, Dalquist added the ‘t’ to the end of “bund” and patented the pan in a stroke of foresig...

Welcome to November 14, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate all things sour and a day in your PJs. One of the oldest methods of preserving food is pickling. This process involves placing vegetables or fruits in a sealed container with brine or vinegar. The fermentation that takes place changes the flavor and texture of the food, creating pickles, though technically only pickled c...

Welcome to November 13, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate changing the world and making your mark. The World Kindness Movement began in 1997 in Tokyo, Japan and today includes over 28 countries around the globe. Projects include photo contests that capture moments of goodwill and generosity along with those that mirror the sustainable development goals outlined by the United Na...

Welcome to November 12, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the tale of two kitchens and the kitchen sink of pizzas. Two Los Angeles restaurants take the credit for inventing the French Dip sandwich, Coles and Philippes. Both feature thinly sliced beef on crusty French bread that is slathered with spicy mustard and dipped in au jus sauce. Coles claims that its French Dip appeared...

Welcome to November 11, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate ice cream bliss and our enduring love for Veterans. From the late 1800s on, states passed what were known as Blue Laws. They were intended to prohibit the sale of alcohol on Sunday. But the laws also prevented the sale of soda, which could be used as a mixer. That meant that drug stores couldn’t sell ice cream sodas. In...

Welcome to November 10th, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the sweet life and the military branch that turned the tide of the Revolutionary War. These days everyone could use a little sweetness. And what is sweeter than a personal sized vanilla cake with some buttercream and sprinkles? In fact the bakery known as Sprinkles tapped a trend that has continued to this day with the...

Welcome to November 9, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the season of gratitude and a regional favorite. Most people agree that the Thanksgiving meal is one they look forward to all year. And while the tradition of what's on the menu may vary from home to home, the secret ingredient that makes every meal delicious is gratitude. Perhaps you've noticed how counting your blessing...

Welcome to November 8, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the technology that inspires us every day. Science and technology are critical to our future. Plus they are just plain cool! That’s why STEM and STEAM education have become increasingly popular. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the terms, STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Math. The A was added...

Welcome to November 7, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a sacred fruit and coziness in the kitchen. Pomegranates have been a favorite of fruit lovers for a very long time. A big favorite. In Ancient Egypt, there are wall paintings depicting the fruit and King Tut was even buried with some so that he could enjoy pomegranates in the afterworld. This delicious fruit was a part of...

Welcome to November 6, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the origins of our favorite snack and smooth solos. Ignacio Nacho Anaya was the host of The Victory Club in the early 1940s. When the chef of the restaurant turned up missing one night, Ignacio hurried to the kitchen to whip up something for his favorite guests and nachos have been a favorite snack ever since. Though they...

Welcome to November 5, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate standing out in a crowd and our National mammal. The genetic trait that causes red hair is found in only two percent of the population, so those of us with natural red have no trouble standing out. If you have both red hair and blue eyes then you are in a 1 percent category and chances are you are also left handed. And wh...

Welcome to November 4, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a prehistoric fruit and the sweet invention born of necessity. Figs are an interesting fruit. They’ve been around about 100 million years. Fig trees were on Earth at the same time as dinosaurs. Humans began cultivating them in the Middle East as the first civilizations grew across the region. When they made their way to G...

Welcome to November 3, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate taking your turn in the kitchen and truly great sandwiches. It’s not often that National Day celebrations go so perfectly together but today just happens to be one of them. It’s National Men Make Dinner Day and one of my favorites, National Sandwich Day. Guys, you seriously lucked out with this one, because making a delic...

Welcome to November 2, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate getting a grip and a spicy history. Okay, I’ll admit it: “I’m Stressed!” So I’m not sure why I have to celebrate National Stress Awareness Day? Why can’t this day fall on National Chocolate Day? I’m sure we’re all aware that stress is the number one indicator of how long or how short your life will be. Today it’s time to...

Welcome to November 1, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate home cooked meals for your pet and picking your poison. You love your pet and wanna do what’s best for them. So why not cook them a healthy meal? Whether you have a dog, cat, bird, lizard or goat try making them something special in your own kitchen. Okay, granted a goat will eat anything but if you’re up for a culinary a...

Welcome to October 31, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate magical history and all things spooky. During the Golden Age of Magic, there was only one magician more famous than Harry Houdini. Adelaide Herrmann. Her husband had a very popular magic show and when he died in 1896, she kept it going. Adelaide became wildly successful in her own right, performing for the next 25 years....

Welcome to October 30, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate culinary adventures and a season of sweets. No matter how crazy or inventive recipes from today’s top chefs seem to be, they’d have a hard time rivaling anything in the Libro de arte coquinaria. This 15th-Century cookbook was compiled by the chef of an Italian cardinal and is housed in the Library of Congress. So what mak...

Welcome to October 29, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate the breakfast of champion thinkers and a good rap for felines. You may not think of oatmeal as the breakfast of champions, but here’s what one inventor had to say about it, “There is no doubt that some plant food, such as oatmeal, is more economical than meat, and superior to it in regard to both mechanical and mental per...

Welcome to October 28, 2022 on the National Day Calendar. Today we celebrate a Freaky Friday and a chocolate lover’s dream. In 1815, a massive volcanic eruption spread ash around the entire globe. The following year was dubbed The Year Without a Summer. The skies were dreary and dark, and temperatures were far below normal. In the midst of this, a legendary novel was born. Lord Byron invited Mary...