353/365: National Hard Candy Day*

Posted on December 19, 2013 by Midwest Mark

Hope you’re dressed for suck-cess. December 19 is National Hard Candy Day!

It’s also National Oatmeal Muffin Day. We just didn’t feel like eating the muffin, man. The muffin, man. And since hard candy is synonymous with Christmas – a mere six days away now (!) we decided to stick with that.

Archaeologists have uncovered traces of hard candies at dig sites in ancient Egypt, China, and Arabia. Of course, rather than Dum-Dums, these “candies” were really no more than fruits and nuts dipped in honey. Sometimes they were even attached to sticks to prevent sticky fingers, a precursor of lollipops. Hard candy is made by boiling syrup until it reaches the “hard crack” stage, 300 degrees. It is then flavored, poured, and allowed to set. There is a large variety of different hard candies available including butterscotch, candy canes, Jawbreakers, Jolly Ranchers, Life Savers, Pez, rock candy, and lollipops. It’s even the name of a Counting Crows album. More hard candy is sold at Christmas time than during any other time of the year.

To celebrate, we had a classic hard candy that’s been a favorite for generations: Life Savers!

National Hard Candy Day

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352/365: National I Love Honey Day*

Posted on December 18, 2013 by Midwest Mark

If you’re not fond of today’s sweet food, buzz off! December 18 is National I Love Honey Day.

And while I have nothing against honey, it’s not the holiday I wanted to celebrate. Today is also National Roast Suckling Pig Day. How fun would that have been?! There’s only one problem: try finding roast suckling pig on a dinner menu in Portland. I scoured Yelp for suggestions, but the handful of restaurants where it was listed all serve the dish seasonally, or as a special. Sadly, it wasn’t on any of the menus in town. We could have ordered a roast suckling pig from the butcher and cooked it ourselves, but the few leads I found indicated we could expect the smallest one to weigh between 40-50 lbs. and cost in the neighborhood of $130. Gulp. Sorry, but there is no way we can swing that! I’m just thankful there are other options on the calendar today.

So, honey. Wonderful product. As most people know, honey is produced by bees, who collect nectar from flowers and regurgitate it inside the honeycombs of their beehives. Unsavory though this sounds, honey has long been a valued human food source. Cave paintings indicate humans have been seeking out honey for at least 8000 years. Greeks and Romans believed it was a food fit for the gods, and in ancient Georgia, it was packed in tombs for an individual’s journey to the afterlife. Egyptians took things one step further and actually embalmed their dead with honey. Man alive, early humans must have had one hell of a sweet tooth to go to all this trouble collecting bee vomit.

To celebrate, we made tea after dinner, and drizzled some honey into it. Yum!

National I Love Honey Day

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351/365: National Maple Syrup Day

Posted on December 17, 2013 by Midwest Mark

I’ve got a sticky proposition for you: how’s about you come help us celebrate today’s food holiday? December 17 is National Maple Syrup Day!

By maple syrup, I don’t mean Aunt Jemimah or Mrs. Butterworth. We’re talking real maple syrup – the sap from maple trees (usually sugar, red, or black maples). These species store starch in their trunks and roots; this is converted to sugar that rises in the sap during springtime. The trees can be tapped by boring holes in the trunks and the sap harvested; this is then processed to evaporate most of the water, leaving the concentrated sap behind. European settlers learned this trick from Native Americans, who were the first to collect and use maple syrup in this fashion. Originally used as a concentrated form of sugar, maple syrup became a popular topping for pancakes, waffles, and french toast, and is used to flavor everything from fritters and ice cream to fruit, sausages, baked beans, squash, and hot toddies.

To be classified as true maple syrup in the United States, the product must be made almost entirely from maple sap. A number of less expensive imitation syrups sprung up over the years, giving consumers the flavor of maple without the cost. By law, these cannot be labeled as maple syrup but are called, instead, “waffle syrup,” “pancake syrup,” “table syrup,” etc. They are usually made with high-fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors, are artificially thickened, and contain no real maple. As much as I enjoy Log Cabin, it’s not really maple syrup at all. A Rhode Island man was recently sentenced to two years probation for trying to pass off an imitation syrup as genuine maple syrup.

With such a strong emphasis on what constitutes genuine maple syrup, there was no doubt we would have to buy a bottle of the real stuff to complete today’s challenge. Which we did. Tara got up early to make us pumpkin pancakes (another wonderful Trader Joe’s find this season). Topped with real maple syrup, they were a sweet and filling start to the day!

National Maple Syrup Day

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350/365: National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

Posted on December 16, 2013 by Midwest Mark

Today you’re allowed to let your imagination run free – as long as you let it run in a sweet direction. December 16 is National Chocolate Covered Anything Day!

This would probably be a much more exciting holiday if we hadn’t already eaten chocolate covered insects. Once you’ve gone there, anything else is going to pale in comparison. I’ve eaten my share of unusual chocolate covered foods before – including bacon and Pringles – but those items don’t compare to this list of 11 “seriously weird chocolate-coated foods.” Onions? Pickles? Slim Jims? Weird barely begins to describe it! And from The Huffington Post, here are 10 Things You Didn’t Know Taste Delicious With Chocolate. Avocado made the cut. As did beets and quinoa. I’ll take their word for everything here.

Still, we wanted to try something a little different, so after perusing the aisles of WinCo I settled upon chocolate covered banana chips in their bulk foods section. I think I would have liked chocolate covered banana slices better, because these were crispy – being chips and all – and the texture was a little unusual. But they didn’t taste bad. A couple at breakfast time, and we were good on our RDA of potassium for the day!

By the way…we now have only 15 days left in our challenge!!

National Chocolate Covered Anything Day

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349/365: National Lemon Cupcake Day

Posted on December 15, 2013 by Midwest Mark

Pucker up, baby! Today’s celebrated food is a little bit sweet, a little bit tart…and a whole lot delicious. December 15 is National Lemon Cupcake Day!

We’ve had multiple cupcake holidays this year, and on other occasions, have substituted cupcakes for cakes, saving us both calories and money. So we feel like we have paid due tribute to these small, individual cakes that – true to their name – really could be served in cups, if so desired. Most cupcakes tend to be very sweet, but I’ve always found the presence of lemon in baked goods to be a nice, light, tangy contrast to all that sugar. It’s no surprise that my favorite type of cake is lemon.

Not much else to say that hasn’t already been discussed elsewhere, so let’s just dive in! Tara made these from scratch. They were moist and delicious!

National Lemon Cupcake Day

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348/365: National Biscuits & Gravy Day*

Posted on December 14, 2013 by Midwest Mark

Today’s food holiday celebrates a hearty breakfast duo. Bacon and eggs? Nah. Pancakes and sausage? Guess again. December 14 is National Biscuits & Gravy Day!

It’s also National Bouillabaisse Day. This one-pot fisherman’s stew that originated in France sounds satisfying, but we didn’t feel like going to the trouble (and expense) of making it or ordering from a restaurant. No need to knock ourselves out with just a couple of weeks left, right?

Biscuits and gravy are two distinct foods that are delicious on their own. But together, they take on splendid new flavors! Kind of like what happens when you mix peanut butter and chocolate…only much more savory. They consist of soft dough biscuits covered in a thick “country” or “white” gravy that usually includes pan drippings, flour, milk, and crumbled sausage. It is often seasoned with black pepper and sometimes called “sawmill” gravy. The dish originated in the American South following the Revolutionary War. At that time food was in short supply, and breakfast was usually the most substantial meal of the day, providing energy for a long, hard day of work on the plantations. Because pigs were a popular and cheap source of livestock, sausage became a key ingredient. This filling morning meal was enough to get people ready for a busy day ahead.

We stopped by our favorite neighborhood mom ‘n pop restaurant for breakfast this morning, and shared some biscuits and gravy. Bonus points for this meal: it’s perfect hangover food!

National Biscuits & Gravy Day

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347/365: National Ice Cream and Violins Day

Posted on December 13, 2013 by Midwest Mark

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, today’s holiday is music to your ears. December 13 is National Ice Cream and Violins Day!

OK. Say what?! I am definitely left scratching my head over this one. We’ve celebrated some odd food holidays this year, but today’s takes the cake. The origin of this holiday is shrouded in mystery, so all we can do is take a stab at a wild guess. There is one possible explanation that at least can’t be completely ruled out. December 13 is widely known as National Violin Day. And on this date in 2010, rock violinist Ben Lee of FUSE broke the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Violin Player by playing more than 14 notes per second. Maybe he went out for ice cream to celebrate afterwards! Whatever the reason, today we pay homage to the sweet duo.

Only…exactly how are we supposed to do so? I have no musical talent whatsoever. I mean, I can play a kazoo if need be, and could probably get by on the tambourine, but a violin is a sophisticated musical instrument that takes years of practice to master. I’m pretty sure if I picked one up and started playing the result would be akin to nails on a chalkboard, not people settling down to enjoy ice cream.

So, we decided on a compromise: we would have a bowl of ice cream while listening to violins. It just so happens we’ve got some CDs by Jimmy be Free, a local violinist who usually hangs out at the Portland International Airport playing music for passersby. Weird gig, huh? He happened to play at a company event a few months ago and so impressed Tara, she bought some of his CDs. We dished up a couple of scoops, hit PLAY, and paid honor to both ice cream and violins.

You can view a video – music and all – of this event on Facebook. Just click on the link!

National Ice Cream & Violins Day

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346/365: National Cocoa Day*

Posted on December 12, 2013 by Midwest Mark

You might end up steaming mad if you overlook today’s food holiday. December 12 is National Cocoa Day!

It’s also National Ambrosia Day. This was considered a food or drink of the Greek gods that, when consumed, would provide immortality to whoever ate it. Seeing as how there aren’t any 1,000-year-old Greeks walking around nowadays, I’m thinking that’s one legend that never lived up to its hype. It’s also National Popcorn String Day. Great for decorating Christmas trees, but probably not meant to be consumed until after the holidays, by which time it’s stale. So we’re going with cocoa, which is a perfectly hot and refreshing treat this time of year!National Hot Cocoa Day

The Mayans were the first to use cacao beans to brew a beverage known as xocoatl, an unsweetened precursor to hot cocoa. In the 17th century, Spanish doctor Antonio Colmenero de Ledesma was the first to publish a recipe for modern-day hot chocolate, referring to it as an elixir to help cure ailments. The drink was a hit; even our esteemed first President, George Washington, enjoyed a cup of hot cocoa for breakfast every morning. Hey, a man’s gotta have something to look forward to after a busy AM chopping down cherry trees!

Though many people consider hot chocolate and hot cocoa one and the same, there actually is a difference. Hot chocolate is made by mixing hot water or milk with melted chocolate, while hot cocoa is a combination of hot water or milk and cocoa powder.

To celebrate, we had a cup of hot cocoa before bed. Yum! (I took the spoon out, first. Wouldn’t want to poke myself in the eye).

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345/365: National Noodle Ring Day

Posted on December 11, 2013 by Midwest Mark

Even the most geometrically challenged will enjoy today’s food holiday, so long as they like pasta. December 11 is National Noodle Ring Day!

I was thinking noodle rings referred to those cans of miniature ring-shaped pasta otherwise known as Spaghetti-Os. But actually, they refer to a literal ring, or circle, of noodles. This dish, popular in the middle of the 20th century, was made by mixing noodles with ingredients such as eggs, ketchup, worcestershire sauce, and cheese, and putting the ingredients into a ring mold to bake. When it’s finished the dish is inverted, and the center can be filled with vegetables or main dishes. Creamed chicken was particularly popular. There were lots of variations, with some pretty outlandish ingredients. Who buys pimentos anymore? This recipe has pretty much disappeared from modern cookbooks, probably because serving a dinner shaped like a tire isn’t as appealing as it once was.noodlering

As much as I love all things retro, there is a reason certain vintage recipes have fallen out of favor, and that most likely has to do with the fact that they are what we might refer to as “disgusting” by modern culinary standards. Take this recipe, for instance. I have no idea what “dry” American cheese is, but do I really want to find out? No.

So, we improvised. We still made a noodle ring, but used Tara’s tuna noodle casserole recipe. And you know what? This turned out delicious!

It was probably the crumbled Lay’s potato chips she sprinkles on top.

National Noodle Ring Day

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344/365: National Lager Day

Posted on December 10, 2013 by Midwest Mark

If you’re a woodsman whose primary occupation is felling trees, today we celebrate your prowess and saw-wielding skills. December 10 is National Lager Day!

Oh. Hold on. That’s lager, not logger. My bad. (We appreciate you anyway, tree harvesters! The world would be a different place without wood). Lager is a type of beer that is fermented for longer periods of time at lower temperatures. It is the most popular type of beer in the world, and includes different styles such as Bock, Pilsner, and Märzen. The term “lagering” refers to the cold storage of beer in places such as caves, and was common throughout the Medieval period. It was discovered that beer continued to ferment when stored in cold conditions, thus, the German name lagerbier means “beer brewed for keeping.” Once refrigeration was developed in the 1860s, lagers quickly overtook ales in terms of popularity. German immigrants introduced lager-style beer to America in the 19th century, and it has remained a beloved beverage ever since.

I am not a fan of beer, and Tara pretty much sticks with Bud Light. Fortunately, Budweiser happens to be America’s most well-known brand of lager beer, with Coors in second place. Therefore, all we had to do was pop open a can of Bud Light, and we were set. And yes, I partook, though I did not enjoy it as much as Tara.

National Lager Day

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