Celebrate December

I LOVE celebrations! I love birthdays, holidays, Tuesdays, and Fridays! I love celebrating achievements: graduations, babies, marriage, or just being an amazing human being. Give me a reason, and I'll celebrate with you! So, this is a new feature that I thought would be fun! 

In this series, I give you an overview of the food celebrations and holidays in the month, so you can celebrate. For me, it's helpful for menu planning or throwing themed dinners. These food holidays are a great way to have a themed meal and invite people over to your home. 

Inviting people into your home is a great way to build community. There's something about breaking bread, cooking, sharing recipes, and food that sparks conversation. I love talking and celebrating around a table. So, here are some food celebrations in December.

December has several celebrations throughout the month. December is:

- National Eggnog Month

- National Fruit Cake Month

There are also many celebrations on days throughout December. 

- December 1 is National Pie Day (For tips for successful pies, click here.)

- December 3 is National Peppermint Latte Day & National Apple Pie Day

- December 4 is National Cookie Day

- December 5 is National Comfort Food Day

- December 6 is National Gazpacho Day

- December 7 is National Cotton Dandy Day or Ferry Floss Day in Great Britain

- December 8 is National Brownie Day

- December 9 is National Pastry Day

- December 11 is National "Have a Bagel Day"

- December 12 is National Cocoa Day & National Ambrosia Day

- December 13 is National Popcorn String Day & National Cocoa Day

- December 14 is National Biscuits and Gravy Day & National Bouillabaisse Day

- December 15 is National Gingerbread Latte Day & National Lemon Cupcake Day

- December 16 is National "Chocolate Covered Anything" Day

- December 17 is National Maple Syrup Day

- December 18 is National "I Love Honey" Day

- December 19 is National Oatmeal Muffin Day

- December 21 is National Fried Shrimp Day & National Hamburger Day
- - For a lighter version, check out my grilled shrimp poboy recipe.

- December 23 is National Bake Day & National Pfeffernuesse Day (a German spice cookie)
- - If you need ideas for something to bake, try my thyme blueberry crisp or homemade granola for a sweet start to your day. Granola is also a great last-minute gift.

- December 25 is National "Kiss the Cook" Day & National Pumpkin Pie Day

- December 26 is National Candy Cane Day

- December 28 is National Chocolate Candy Day

- December 30 is National Baking Soda Day (aka Bicarbonate of Soda Day)

- December 31 is National Vinegar Day

I hope this list inspires your meals or party plans in December. If you participate in these monthly celebrations, tag me, @RDtipoftheday, and use the hashtag #RDTODcelebrate for a chance to be featured. 

Do you have any food holidays or celebrations that you celebrate in December? Comment below.

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy:

November Favorites: Tips for Hosting, Baking Pies, & Roasting the Perfect Turkey

November Food Celebrations

5 Healthy Eating Tips from a Registered Dietitian (RD)

4 Tips for Easy Entertaining

SaveSave

Tips for Easy Entertaining

The holiday season is a time for celebrating and entertaining. Celebrations usually involve food of some kind. If you are entertaining, you don't want to be stressed. You want to be a successful host and enjoy the party. Here are some of my tips for easier entertaining.

If you are making a meal with multiple dishes, the preparation and cook times can be challenging. You are making multiple things with different cook times. Here are my tips to help make entertaining and cooking less stressful when entertaining.

RDtipoftheday Herbed Turkey

1) Make a plan. 
To make a plan for a successful dinner, assemble your recipes. Work backward to make a time line. For example, here's a plan for a 20-pound turkey.

Step 1: Defrost frozen turkey (about 20 pounds) in the refrigerator for 4-5 days before Thanksgiving.

Step 2: Brine or season the turkey over night.

Step 3: Cook the turkey for 20 minutes per pound (20 minutes x 20 pound turkey = 400 minutes or 6 hours and 40 minutes). The turkey will need about 25-30 minutes to rest after cooking to an internal temperature of 165*F. You will also need to allow time to carve the turkey. The oven may be open and shut to add extra items, so you would want to plan for the turkey needing about 7.5 hours to cook, rest, carve, and serve. If you have Thanksgiving lunch at noon, you would need to start cooking the turkey at 4:30 AM.

2) Prepare ahead.
Preparing ahead of time reduces stress. Set the table the night before if you're able. It's always nice to have something to cross off the to-do list.

Pick a simple appetizer or dessert that can be made ahead of time. Or, ask your guests to bring something. Pick up an appetizer from the store or make a fruit platter, cheese board, or vegetable platter.

Try making a turkey veggie tray with homemade hummus. The hummus can be made a few days before and refrigerated. The veggies can be washed, chopped, assembled and kept in refrigerator. You can have your kid chefs assemble the turkey. Extra hands make light work.

Try making a non-traditional dessert like my browned butter cereal treats. You can make it the day before and keep it sealed in an airtight container. These cereal treats are quick and easy to make. Kids and adults love them!

RDtipoftheday Glazed Carrots

3) Plan for extra.
This is a motto in my family. Knowing you have a little extra food prepared is nice for eliminating the mental stress caused by the question "did I make enough food?". It's also handy for the unexpected but welcome guests.  Also, who doesn't love leftovers?!?

RDtipoftheday Green Bean Bundles

4) Enjoy the party.
You've gathered your favorite people: your friends and family. You've prepped and prepared a delicious meal. Now, enjoy the party! A great host is relaxed and fully involved in the present. Have fun!

RDtipoftheday Tex Mex Deviled Eggs

To review, here are the four steps for successful entertaining.
1) Make a plan.
2) Prepare ahead.
3) Plan for extra.
4) Enjoy the party.

Stay tuned this week for leftover ideas to create new and delicious meals form your holiday leftovers. 

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook. 

If you enjoyed this post, you might enjoy:

November Favorites

8 Simple Sides for Easy Entertaining

5 Easy Breakfasts for Entertaining

November Food Celebrations

Y'all I LOVE celebrations! I love birthdays, holidays, Tuesdays, and Fridays! I love celebrating achievements: graduations, babies, marriage, or just being an amazing human being. Give me a reason, and I'll celebrate with you! Grapes are in season, so I'm celebrating.  

In this series, I'm provide an overview of the food celebrations and holidays in the month, so you can celebrate. For me, it's helpful for menu planning or throwing themed dinners. These food holidays are a great way to have a themed meal and invite people over to your home. 

Inviting people into your home is a great way to build community. There's something about breaking bread, cooking, sharing recipes, and food that sparks conversation. I love talking and celebrating around a table. So, here are some food celebrations in November.

November has several celebrations throughout the month. November is:

• National Georgia Pecan Month
• National Peanut Butter Lover's Month
• National Pepper Month
• National Stuffing Month 
• National Raisin Bread Month
• National Fig Week is November 1-7

There are also many celebrations on days throughout November. 

 Bacon Egg and Cheese Deviled Eggs

• November 2 is National Deviled Egg Day

Tex Mex Deviled Eggs

• November 3 is National Sandwich Day

One of my favorite quick lunches is soup and a salad; here's how to make my favorite cobb salad. Here's another fun sandwich idea. If you like jalapeno poppers, you'll love my mini jalapeno chicken sliders.

• November 4 is National Candy Day

• November 5 is National Doughnut Day

• November 8 is National Cappuccino Day

• November 10 is National Vanilla Cupcake Day

• November 11 is National Sundae Day

• November 12 is National Pizza with the Works Except Anchovies Day

• November 14 is National Guacamole Day

• November 15 is National Clean Out Your Refrigerator & National Raisin Bran Cereal Day

• November 17 is National Baklava Day & Homemade Bread Day

• November 18 is National Apple Cider Day & National Vichyssoise Day

• November 21 is National Cranberry Day & National Gingerbread Cookie Day

• November 22 is National Cranberry Relish Day

• November 23 is National Espresso Day

• November 25 is National Parfait Day & National "Eat with a Friend" Day

• November 26 is National Cake Day

• November 28 is National French Toast Day

• November 30 is National Mousse Day

I thought this list would be inspiring for your meal plan for October. I hope it is inspiring. So, let's celebrate. If you participate in these monthly celebrations, tag me, @RDtipoftheday, and use the hashtag #RDTODcelebrate for a chance to be featured. 

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you liked this post, you might enjoy:

Easy Empanadas

Jalapeño Chicken Sliders

Poblano Soup

Let's Celebrate September

Y'all I LOVE celebrations! I love birthdays, holidays, Tuesdays, and Fridays! I love celebrating achievements: graduations, babies, marriage, or just being an amazing human being. Give me a reason, and I'll celebrate with you! So, this is a new feature that I thought would be fun! 

In this series, I'm going to provide an overview of the food celebrations and holidays in the month, so you can celebrate. For me, it's helpful for menu planning or throwing themed dinners. These food holidays are a great way to have a themed meal and invite people over to your home. 

Eating together, celebrating, and inviting people into your home are a great ways to build community. There's something about breaking bread, cooking, sharing recipes, and food that sparks conversation. I love talking and celebrating around a table. So, here are some food celebrations in September.

September has several celebrations throughout the month. September is:

• National Chicken Month
• National Honey Month
• National Mushroom Month
• National Papaya Month
• National Potato Month
• National Rice Month

There are also many celebrations on days throughout September. 

• September 1 is National Gyro Day
• Our city has a Greek Food Festival this month that my friends and I are going to got to. See if your city has a Greek Food Fest and enjoy some gyro and baklava. Yum!

• September 2 is National "Grits for Breakfast" Day

• September 4 is National Macadamia Nut Day

• September 5 is National Cheese Pizza Day

• September 6 is National Coffee Ice Cream Day

• September 9 is National "I Love Food" Day

• September 10 is National Hot Dog Day

• September 12 is National Chocolate Milkshake Day

• September 13 is National Peanut Day
• I used peanuts to make the "gold" in my rainbow and pot of gold hummus plate.

• September 17 is National Apple Dumpling Day

• September 18 is National Cheeseburger Day
• I made this turkey burger for the NKF. You can get the recipe on their Food Coach website.

• September 23 is National White Chocolate Day

• September 25 is National Food Service Workers Day

• September 26 is National Key Lime Pie Day
• I made these yummy, key lime squares for the NKF. If you want the recipes for free, sign up for there Food Coach. Enjoy!

• September 29 is National Coffee Day

I thought this list would be inspiring for your meal plan for September. I hope it is inspiring. So, let's celebrate. If you participate in these monthly celebrations, tag me, @RDtipoftheday, and use the hashtag #RDTODcelebrate for a chance to be featured. 

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you liked this post, you might enjoy:

Easy Empanadas

5 Things You Should Know about Being a RD

3 Easy Hummus Recipes

Healthy Snack Ideas

SaveSaveSaveSave

Let's Celebrate August

Y'all I LOVE celebrations! I love birthdays, holidays, Tuesdays, and Fridays! I love celebrating achievements. Give me a reason, and I'll celebrate with you! So, this is a new feature that I thought would be fun! 

In this series, I'm going to provide an overview of the food celebrations and holidays in the month, so you can celebrate. For me, it's helpful for menu planning or throwing themed dinners. These food holidays are a great way to have a themed meal and invite people over to your home. 

I feel like inviting people into your home is a great way to build community. There's something about breaking bread, cooking, sharing recipes, and food that sparks conversation. I love talking and celebrating around a table. So, here are some food celebrations in August.

August has several celebrations throughout the month. August is:

• National Catfish Month
• National Peach Month
• National Panini Month
• National Sandwich Month

There are also many celebrations on days throughout August. 

• August 2 is National Ice Cream Sandwich Day
• August 3 is National Watermelon Day
• August 4 is National Chocolate Chip Day
• August 5 is National Mustard Day & National Waffle Day
• August 10 is National S'mores Day
• August 11 is National Panini Day
• August 12 is National Julienne Fries Day

• August 13 is National Fillet Mignon Day

image via Google Images

• August 15 is National Lemon Meringue Pie Day & Happy Birthday to Julia Child!
• August 19 is National Hot and Spicy Food Day
• August 20 is National Chocolate Pecan Pie Day

• August 22 is National Peach Day
• Start your day off with peaches and homemade granola.
• End your day with an easy peach bread pudding.

• August 24 is National Peach Pie Day

• August 25 is National Banana Split Day

• August 27 is National Burger Day
• August 30 is National Toasted Marshmallow Day
• August 31 is National Trail Mix Day

I thought this list would be inspiring for your meal plan for August  I hope it is inspiring. So, let's celebrate. If you participate in these monthly celebrations, tag me, @RDtipoftheday, and use the hashtag #RDTODcelebrate for a chance to be featured. 

For more recipes, encouragement, and tips for healthy eating, follow me on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter. 

If you liked this post, you might enjoy:

 Summer Pasta Class and Cooking Tips

#HealthyRD Challenge

Cooking Class: Pasta

Cake Decorating Class Review

Thyme Blueberry Crisp Recipe