NATIONAL FOOD HOLIDAYS IN DECEMBER!!

   December is a time to celebrate our faith, be with our families, and enjoy great food.  But, there are more food holidays in this month than you might think.  There is a national food holiday for everyday of the year.  You'll not only find out which food holidays are in December, but you'll also find suggestions on how to celebrate each holiday.

• National Pie Day, Dec. 1st:  Pies are so easy to make, especially if you start out with store bought pie crusts.  Just make a quick filling, bake, and enjoy.
• National Fritters Day, Dec. 2nd:  Try a nice apple fritter for breakfast with a big cup of joe.
• National Apple Pie Day, Dec. 3rd:  Apple pies are so easy to make, but since you just made a homemade pie, why not pick up a Mrs. Smith's pie?  Give yourself the day off from having to make one from scratch, just bake, add a scoop of your favorite ice cream and serve.
• National Cookie Day, Dec. 4th:  This is definitely the time to bake cookies.  Get out  your favorite recipe and make a extra large batch for friends and family.
• National Sacher Torte Day, Dec. 5th:  Torte is a chocolate cake that was invented in the 1800.s.  You can find many recipes online or you can just bake a regular chocolate cake instead.
• Microwave Oven Day, Dec. 6th:  For this food holiday, do something fun and find a recipe for candy that can be made in the microwave (how about some one bowl fudge).
• National Cotton Candy Day, Dec. 7th:  This is another food holiday that can be really fun.  Spend the day at a local carnival, which happens to be one of the best places to find cotton candy.
• National Chocolate Brownie Day, Dec. 8th:  On this food holiday, do something easy yet decadent by jazzing up a store bough brownie mix.
• National Pastry Day, Dec. 9th:  Visit your favorite bakery on this food holiday and stock up on all of your favorite goodies.
• National Lager Day, Dec. 10th:  Head to a pub or tavern and enjoy a nice glass of your favorite lager.  What time is it???  It's beer thirty!!!
• National Noodle Ring Day, Dec. 11th:  There are several variations of this dish.  Just go online and find a recipe that sounds good to you.
• National Cocoa Day, Dec. 12th:  Is there anything better on a cold winter night than curling up with a blanket, your significant other and a couple mugs of hot cocoa?
• Ice Cream and Violins Day, Dec. 13th:  I'm not exactly sure how this food holiday started, but does anyone really need a reason to enjoy a big bowl of ice cream?
• National Bouillabaisse Day, Dec. 14th:  Enjoy a hearty fish stew on this food holiday.
• National Cupcake Day, Dec. 15th:  This is another great food holiday. Just make your favorite cupcakes, eat 3 or 4 their small!!
• National Chocolate Covered Anything Day, Dec. 16th:  Go all out on this food holiday and make your favorite candy, maybe some chocolate truffles, or even some chocolate covered strawberries!!
• National Maple Syrup Day, Dec. 17th:  Enjoy a stack of pancakes on this food holiday.
• National Roast Suckling Pig Day, Dec. 18th:  I'm not sure who actually has time to roast a whole pig, especially during the holiday season.  Just go out and get a canned ham or some pork chops instead.
• National Hard Candy Day, Dec. 19th:  It's almost Christmas, enjoy a nice candy cane!
• National Fried Shrimp Day, Dec. 20th:  Head out to your favorite seafood restaurant and enjoy some jumbo fried shrimp.
• National Hamburger Day, Dec. 21st:  On this food holiday, go all out and make gourmet hamburgers.  Add a little chili and cheddar cheese for a nice chili burger.
• National Date Nut Bread Day, Dec. 22nd:  Date nut bread is delicious served with some sweetened cream cheese.
• National Pfeffernuesse Day, Dec. 23rd:  These are a heavily spiced cookie.  If you wanted to, you could make gingerbread man cookies instead.
• National Eggnog Day, Dec. 24th:  On this food holiday, serve up a big mug of eggnog topped with whipped cream and cinnamon (I do have an article on my blog about it and also the recipe for some nonalcoholic eggnog).
• National Pumpkin Pie Day, Dec. 25th:  Enjoy a nice pumpkin pie with your holiday feast.
• National Candy Cane Day, Dec. 26th:  After all of the Christmas activities are done, sit back and enjoy a nice candy cane (maybe make some hot cocoa and use the candy cane as a stir stick).
• National Fruit Cake Day, Dec. 27th:  If you like fruit cake, enjoy a nice slice.  If not, make a cake that you enjoy eating.
• National Chocolate Candy Day, Dec. 28th:  Go to your local big box store or even a See's Candy store and get yourself a box of your favorite nuts and chews.
• Pepper Pot Day, Dec. 29th:  This is a Jamaican soup and the recipe can be found online.  This is a great recipe to make if you're tired of the cold weather.
• National Bicarbonate of Soda Day, Dec. 30th:  Put your baking soda to use and make some delicious baked goods.
• National Champagne Day, Dec. 31st: Ring in the New Year with a glass of bubbly, or sparkling cider if you don't drink alcohol.