National Holidays in October: The Food Holidays

I have received a number of comments on my special, bizarre holiday lesson plans article series about the fact that there are more than enough food holidays to keep you cooking during the entire year. Anyone who has made that observation is right. I mix up the holidays that I include in my lesson plans series so that kids will learn about a number of different topics. However, that was no reason to not to make a separate series for the food holidays. Here it is. Enjoy!

If you enjoy frappes, do you really need a day as an excuse to enjoy one? It never hurts, right? If you haven't tried a frappe, this is a great opportunity to order one or make it at home yourself. If frappes really aren't your thing, enjoy a different coffee drink today. I won't tell. There are also a number of great frappuccino dessert recipes if you would prefer to take the baking route to enjoy a good frappe flavor.

Enjoy a good breakfast with eggs or use this as an excuse to bake a dessert with eggs. Alternatively, break out your beautiful deviled egg plate and put together a batch of deviled eggs for it. Have you always wanted to try a different kind of egg? Give it a shot today.

Are you like me and not a huge fan of cake, particularly really sweet cakes like angel food? Give it another chance today. Maybe you can find an amazing from scratch recipe that is better than a box mix with way too sweet frosting. Pair it with fresh whipped cream and/or fruit to combat the sweetness.

I have a hard time understanding how some foods get their own national days, but this is not one of them. I am a huge fan of peanut butter and eat it at just about any occasion possible. Spread peanut butter on your toast this morning, enjoy a peanut dressing on a salad for lunch, make a peanut butter dessert, or enjoy a classic peanut butter sandwich. The possibilities are endless here.

If you've never tried cake decorating and are intimidated, consider a resource to help you out today. There are lots of books at the library, video and picture tutorials online, and local classes. Did you know that Michaels offers cake decorating classes? You'll be able to wow your family and friends at the next birthday party that you host.

Make a classic recipe today or switch it up and try something new. Go the extra mile and make the frosting yourself. Don't discount the possibility of cupcakes without frosting, too. An exceptionally good recipe won't need it. If you're making cupcakes for a special occasion, don't forget cupcake toppers or a themed decoration.

Did you know that you can brandy fruit? I had no idea until I started putting this article together. One of the neat aspects of this concept is that you can use it to put a new twist on a classic recipe. For example, instead of making apple pie with regular apples, use brandied apples. If you're having trouble finding recipes and resources for brandied fruit, search for specific types of fruit (i.e. apples, cranberries).

There are so many different things that you can make for this holiday for breakfast, lunch, dinner, or a dessert or snack. If you already have a favorite nut recipe or snack food, indulge in it today. If you're looking for a challenge, try something new instead. As the weather is getting cooler, this is a great time of year to make a batch of roasted nuts. The smell is as incredible as the taste.

You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving to make pumpkin cheesecake. This is a perfect excuse to make your favorite recipe or try one (or two) new recipes before the holiday is here. I love pumpkin pie more than cheesecake so this is a perfect way to make a cheesecake recipe even better in my mind.

Enjoy a childhood classic today and have a bologna sandwich. My husband loves to eat bologna on wheat bread with Miracle Whip. If you're looking for a twist on this recipe, there are a number of fried bologna sandwich ideas out there. You can also put a twist on the classic by purchasing a higher grade of bologna from the deli counter at the grocery store.

Do you even have to plan for this food holiday? Keep it simple with box macaroni and cheese or take the challenge and make pasta from scratch today. Or you can do anything in between. There are lots of easy slow cooker recipes that you can finish off with pasta as well as baked pasta dishes that come together in no time.

I had heard of mincemeat, but I didn't know much about it until I put this article together. It is a mixture that includes distilled spirits, dried fruit, and spices. It can also include beef, beef suet, or venison. Initially, it always had meat. Many modern versions have beef suet, although sometimes vegetable shortening is substituted for it. [Source] There are a number of modern dessert recipes with it that are perfect for special occasions.

There are a number of chocolate related holidays out there. I always assume that everyone loves chocolate, which obviously isn't true. If you fall into the "not a fan" category, enjoy a different indulgence of your choice today. For those who don't need any particular reason to eat chocolate, keep it simple with a high quality piece of chocolate (Dove, anyone?), put together one of your favorite chocolate desserts, or challenge yourself to make a new chocolate recipe.

It's a good thing that candy corn is only widely available for a short period of time because you a couple months is plenty of time to get your fill and then be done with it for a while. If you want to mix it up this year, opt for chocolate candy corn or make a recipe that includes candy corn. Did you know that you can buy candy corn M&Ms and Oreos around Halloween? They are both perfect for baking. For those who would prefer to skip it altogether but love the bright candy corn colors, make a candy corn craft instead.

Are you still looking for ways to use up the final tomatoes from your garden? This is a great option that you may not have explored yet. Sun dried tomatoes are also readily available in many grocery stores. Honestly I've never had them myself so I may have to give it a try this year. You can enjoy them on their own or use them in many different recipes.

In case you haven't already thought of a ton of ways to include baking and food decorating into this month of food holidays, you can find a few other random occasions throughout the month to do this. Put some extra work into the food presentation for your next dinner party or make special birthday treats for a family member or co-worker.

I am not a big fan of caramel apples, but if you're going to eat one, this is the time of year to do it when they are made with delicious in season apples. You can also keep this concept simple with sliced apples and caramel dipping sauce.