Now that the big Holidays are over there is a lot less pressure to prepare big and exciting meals, which can be great if that sort of thing doesn’t appeal to you. On the other hand it also means that there are fewer days with special meals to look forward to. For many people it could be Easter again before they even get out the real plates, I say that with no judgment but rather the hope of inspiring you to look a the smaller holidays as a chance to serve something a little special to your family.
As long as I can remember our family has always celebrated every little holiday. The ones my mother didn’t cover my grandmothers did, for example my family on my dad’s side still gathers at my grandmother’s house every March 17th to eat a traditional Irish meal while wearing green and talking about how beautiful Ireland is. We all used to get together for Greens day, which is the weekend after Thanksgiving when we would make evergreen wreaths and roasted hot dogs. The Friday before Easter we all gather together to dye Easter eggs and eat doughnuts. My dad spends hours trying to make the perfect purple egg and my Grandmother and I whip out the glitter and stickers just as everyone else is ready to wrap it up. Not every holiday was that elaborate or specific, sometimes it was just the little things like a special dessert on Valentine’s Day or paczkis on fat Tuesday.
Now days I like to look up random holidays in order to add a little excitement to our menus. This Thursday just happens to be Chinese New Year’s which makes it the perfect time to have stir fry and egg rolls. Sunday is the super bowl so we will be going to a friend’s house and eating guy food I think. The next week is our third wedding anniversary so while we will going away for the weekend I am still planning to make a red velvet cake type dessert as I make something new but with the flavors of our wedding cake each year. Then of course is Valentine’s Day and just around the corner will be Mardi gras. Some months have more to celebrate then others and when that happens I like to pull up a list of obscure or food related holidays like national ice cream week or fried chicken day. Just remember if you run out of new and fun things to add to your menu then take a moment and look online to see if there are any upcoming special days you could be inspired by.
This week we are having…
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Much Love, Aislinn and Emily
Grandma's Canning Jars 