One thing I love about being able to write for SPROUT is being able to find things that I not only enjoy to write about but find the things I love to eat!
Peanut butter and I go way back. I can remember whenever I had a major break up with the boy of my dreams (at that time they all were) I would find myself sitting in my bedroom with a jar of peanut butter eating it by the spoonfuls drowning my sorrows in JIFF. No bread was required. Now that I am much older, I sit at my desk or on the couch and eat it by the spoonfuls still! I was taught by a very good friend how to take the spoon or knife and get every last bit out of the jar as well. (That in itself is not as easy as you would think). No peanut butter jar gets by me without a spoon being dipped in it.
Today is a sticky day. National Peanut Butter Lover's Day salutes America's favorite sandwich spread. What kid didn't grow up loving a PB&J sandwich? It's a staple in our house.
Smooth Peanut Butter is by far the most popular. Crunchy peanut butter is also on the market, and is enjoyed by many. Peanut Butter is not limited to a Peanut Butter and Jelly (PB&J) sandwich. It's popular on crackers, celery and other "peanut butter" holders. It is also used in recipes for cookies and snacks. And, don't forget peanut butter candies, too!
Did you Know? Peanut Butter is 90% or more peanuts. While it has no artificial preservatives, an opened jar is stored on a shelf at room temperature.
Fat Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday. It is also known as Mardi Gras Day or Shrove Day. It is a day when people eat all they want of everything and anything they want as the following day is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of a long fasting period for Christians. In addition to fasting, Christians also give up something special that they enjoy. So, Fat Tuesday is a celebration and the opportunity to enjoy that favorite food or snack that you give up for the long Lenten season.
Nowhere on the planet is Fat Tuesday celebrated more than on Bourbon Street in New Orleans. The day is celebrated with festivities and parades and of course much food and drink. While in New Orleans, a big tradition is in wearing Mardi Gras beads and giving them to others. And tradition requires that if a guy gives a girl some beads, she has to do something for him.....this can be just loads of fun.........
Did You Know? On Bourbon Street in New Orleans, store owners coat poles and columns with Vaseline to keep wild and rowdy revelers from climbing them (and perhaps falling).
March 9, 2011: Ash Wednesday
Ash Wednesday is the first day of the Christian season of Lent and a sign of penitence. During Lent, Christians must fast and give up things they like. The Lenten season lasts for 46 days.
On Ash Wednesday, Christians go to mass and receive ashes on their foreheads in the sign of the cross. It is a reminder of from "Ashes to Ashes and Dust to Dust". It means that we came from dust and we shall return to dust, referring to our earthly bodies, not our souls.
Did you know? The ashes you receive are from the prior year’s palms.
Have you ever heard the saying “you can’t eat just one”… when it comes to LAYS potato chips, that could not be more true. There is not a chip in that bag that will be left unattended. I have eaten potato chips with salsa, French onion dip and my all time favorite… peanut butter (a must have). I am not sure how healthy it is to sit down and eat a whole bag of potato chips but they are certainly tasty with anything you prefer to put on them.
National Potato Chip Day celebrates the ever popular potato chip. Potato Chips are America's #1 snack food. But, its not just a snack food. Its the potato of choice for many lunchtime and dinner meals. Regular (or plain) potato chips are by far the most popular. Other popular flavors are barbecue, sour cream & onion, oil & vinegar, and ranch.
Did you Know? Potato chips were first made by Chef George Crum in Saratoga Springs, NY on August 24, 1853. Americans have been in love with them ever since.
Make your own potato chips! Its easy to do. The kids will love it, and so will you.
Homemade Potato Chips Recipe
Description: Making Homemade Potato Chips is fun and easy. It’s so easy, that you will wonder why you didn't make them before. And, best of all, both you and the kids will love them.
Ingredients:
3-4 Potatoes, washed
Vegetable oil
Salt, regular or lite
Preparation Directions:
Peel potatoes, or leave unpeeled as desired.
Slice potatoes very thin.
Put sliced potatoes into ice cold water, and set into the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. Note: you can skip this step if making just a few.
Drain potatoes and dry very thoroughly with paper towels. Any water can cause dangerous splattering of hot oil.
Heat oil to 375 degrees in a fryer.
Place a layer of potato chips into the fryer.
Fry chips to a light brown.
Drain basket and pour chips onto paper towels.
Salt lightly to taste.
Tip: Only put a few chips into the fryer at a time to avoid them sticking together.
I encountered my first Dyngus Day back in 1996 when I first began dating my husband. We would go to a local Polish club that has a beautiful way of celebrating the day every year. Plenty of good food and tons of people there with their water guns just having clean fun. I personally never went to the next step of throwing my dishes at him (heard Corelle dishes don’t break anyway) but I do get a very big smile when the pussy willow trees start to bloom in my neighborhood. Great memories can be made on this day.
Dyngus Day, also spelled Dingus Day, is a Polish Holiday. It is very popular in Poland, and in Polish communities in America. After the long Lenten holiday, Dyngus Day is a day of fun. and, perhaps a little romantic fun. It is always celebrated on the Monday after Easter.
There are all sorts of ways for boys to meet girls. But, this one takes the cake.
Guys, on this day you get to wet the ladies down. Sprinkling or drenching with water is your goal. Chase after the ladies with squirt guns, buckets, or other containers of water. The more bold and gallant boys, may choose to use cologne. Hitting (gently, please) the ladies on the legs with switches or pussy willows is also common.
Yes ladies, you can strike back. Ladies, you get your revenge on Tuesday, when tradition has it that you throw dishes or crockery back at the boys. It has become increasingly popular for the ladies to get their revenge on Monday, tossing water back at the boys.
Note: Dyngus Day is also called Wet Easter Monday. Hmmmmm, I wonder why!?
Dirt Cups Recipe (Source: www.recipes.kaboose.com)
Little boys and girls love to play in the dirt, and these delicious dessert cups allow them to really enjoy it. Crushed chocolate cookies and instant chocolate pudding create a muddy earth in these cups, while gummy worms and insects wriggle out of them. You can even tuck them into new, foil-lined clay pots, if you like.
1 package (16 ounces) chocolate sandwich cookies (crush them into tiny pieces in a plastic bag)
Gummy worms or insects
Equipment:
Measuring cup
Medium mixing bowl
Wire whisk
Rubber scraper or large spoon
Measuring spoons
8-10 paper or plastic cups (8 ounce size)
Cooking Instructions:
Pour the milk into the mixing bowl and add the pudding mix. Beat with the wire whisk until well blended (about two minutes). Let pudding stand for five minutes. Stir topping and 1/2 of the crushed cookies into the pudding (very gently) with rubber scraper until mixture is all the same color. Place about 1 tablespoon of the remaining crushed cookies into the bottom of each cup.
Fill cups about 3/4 full with pudding mixture. Top each cup with the rest of the crushed cookies. Add gummy worms and insects to decorate. Put cups into the refrigerator for about one hour to chill them-- and enjoy!
