National Watermelon Day

August 3 is National Watermelon Day, 
one of the days we celebrate this month. 

Watermelon is a staple at family picnics and cookouts during the summer. But given the health benefits of watermelon, you might consider adding this yummy fruit to your diet year round if you can get it.

Watermelon is yummy and healthy

Did you know that watermelon is one of the high-lycopene foods. Lycopene is a carotenoid phytonutrient that's especially important for our cardiovascular health. 

In recent research studies show watermelon to be high in lycopene. An increasing number of scientists now believe that lycopene is important for bone health as well.

Watermelon is also a good choice for anti-inflammatory and antioxidant health benefits that can provide us with great fiber benefits at a low calorie cost.

How to Eat a Watermelon

Are you going to need a good knife to cut you watermelon? Try this one made especially for cutting watermelon, cantaloupe, or honeydew melon with ease!



  Read more Watermelon Recipes, Stories, History & More

St. Patrick's Day Cookies

St. Patrick's Day Cookies

St. Patrick's Day Cookies 

They may not be traditional but they are fun! Whether you are planning a party or just for family, these cookies will be a big hit.

For centuries, these symbols held incredible power for the ancient Celts in every way of life. These Irish-inspired cookies are shamrocks, Celtic crosses and the Claddagh.

Ancient Celts revered the shamrock because of the trinity of its leaves. 

The Celtic cross is a symbol representing the meeting place of the Divine energies.

The heart of the Claddagh represents love, the crown is symbolic of loyalty, and the hands represent friendship.

Tips to make Perfect Cookies / Top 10 Cookie-Baking Tips / Tips for Decorating Cookies

Love this photo of St. Patrick's Day Cookies
used with permission from Oh Sugar Events Claddagh

Celtic Symbols and Signs

edited 3/17/2017

Today is Toss Your Fruitcake Day

One of my favorite holiday traditions as a kid was enjoying my grandmother's fruitcake. Have you ever tasted a really good fruitcake? My grandmother made the most awesome fruitcake in the world! Assumption Abbey Bakery in Southwest Missouri makes an awesome fruitcake almost as good as my grandmother's! The Abby is located near Ava, Mo., nestled in the foothills of the Missouri Ozarks.

Jasper Mirabile, Jr. recently interviewed Assumption Abbey’s Father Cyprian on his ‘Live! From Jasper’s Kitchen’ radio show and wrote an article about the interview on kansascity.com.

He writes that "only eight monks, tirelessly and lovingly work at producing these cakes each day" and that "the task begins early each morning when one of the monks begins cracking 265 eggs."

What makes the cakes so good? Mirabile writes that the fruit is first soaked in burgundy wine, added to the batter then baked. Then the monks inject each cake "with over 1 ounce of rum and then soak them in corn syrup." After each cake if finished, the monks gather and pray over each cake.

This is a quote from the Abby's website:

"O GOD, CREATOR OF ALL THINGS
BLESS NOW THESE CREATIONS OF OUR HANDS.
THAT THESE CAKES MAY BE RECEIVED
AS TOKENS OF YOUR LOVE
AND SHARED WITH FRIENDS AS HINTS
OF YOUR EUCHARISTIC FEAST...."

If you're not a fruitcake lover, this dark, rich, traditional style fruitcake will make you one! Each cake is made with raisins, pineapple, currants, citron, walnuts, and wine and laced with rum.

The monks of Assumption Abbey produce 125 fruitcakes a day! That's almost 25,000 cakes per year. You can order you cake here:  Assumption Abbey Bakery  It comes in a decorative, re-useable tin and weighs about 2 lbs.

A good fruitcake is aged. If it contains alcohol and is wrapped in alcohol-soaked linen before storing, it could remain edible for many years. 

Tell me about your fruitcake experience in the comments!

Celebrate National Pie Day

billy.bebop CC BY 2.0

The American Pie Council promotes January 23 as Celebrate National Pie Day. They say the pie-sibilities are endless! According to them the apple pie is America's favorite (of 231 varieties, not sure where they get these numbers), followed by pumpkin pie which seems to me is a seasonal favorite and coming in third is the pecan pie, which my family only ever ate during the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays.

I grew up with sweet potato pie as my favorite until I went to Miami and ate real key lime pie....  mmmm!! Sweet potato pie is probably the healthier choice! 

What is your favorite pie? Leave me a comment!


Image billy.bebop CC BY 2.0)

edited 1/23/17

July is National Ice Cream Month

photo credit ruffin_ready (CC BY 2.0)

July is National Ice Cream Month (USA)
National Ice Cream Day is 3rd Sunday in July

“We dare not trust our wit for making our house pleasant to our friend, so we buy ice cream.” ~~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Vanilla continues to be America's flavor of choice in ice cream probably because it is the most versatile, mixing well with toppings, drinks and bakery desserts. According to the International Dairy Foods Association, America's top five favorite individual flavors are vanilla, chocolate, cookie 'n cream, strawberry and chocolate chip mint.

“My advice to you is not to inquire why or whither, but just enjoy the ice cream while it’s on your plate.” ~~Thornton Wilder

Want to know how to healthy up your favorite frozen treat:  Just because it's dessert doesn't mean it has to be unhealthy - check out these nutritious additions perfect for summer.  Healthy Ice Cream Tips

What are your favorite ice cream flavors?