Rich and creamy cheesecake is a popular dessert around the world. And Blueberry Cheesecake is among the most popular flavors. If this is one of your favorite desserts, then it is your lucky day. Today is Blueberry Cheesecake Day. They say, “Those that indulge, bulge”. But on this May 26 holiday, indulge yourself with a slice or two of rich and creamy blueberry cheesecake. And, for this one day don’t worry about the bulge”.

We’ve been making and enjoying cheesecake for thousands of years. We have the ancient Greeks to thank for inventing it. Over thousands of years, different cultural groups have altered and modified the basic cheesecake formula. Hundreds of recipes are the result. Perhaps the biggest thing that makes a cheesecake unique is the topping. Among all the seemingly endless varieties of toppings, blueberry is among the most popular.  

A blueberry cheesecake is easy to make. There are “bake” and “no-bake” recipes.  It begins with a graham cracker, cookie, or pastry bottom crust. Next comes the cheese filling. It is simple to make the cheesecake filling from scratch. Or, you can buy a cheesecake mix. After the cheesecake is finished, generously pour blueberry pie filling on top and you’re ready to serve it to all of your hungry family and friends.

Candy lovers rejoice! Today we celebrate and enjoy one of your favorite confections. Today is National Taffy Day. On this May 23 holiday get your jaws chewing on this candy treat. Eating taffy brings back fond memories of summers at the beach, amusement parks and fairs, and just plain summer fun. You can almost feel the warm, salty breezes and sand between your toes. As you read our taffy trivia, bite into a piece or two of taffy as you learn some great factoids to share with your friends. Then, make plans to hit the beach, as school will soon be out, and summer vacation is near.

The primary ingredients of saltwater taffy are butter and sugar. Different flavorings are added, too. The ingredients are boiled, and the mixture is stretched to make it light and chewy. Then, it is rolled and cut into bite-sized pieces and individually wrapped. If you’ve never been to a candy store that makes taffy on-site, what are you waiting for!? 

Here’s a little interesting taffy trivia: On April 15, 2016, the Annabelle Candy Company from Hayward, CA decided to celebrate sixty-five years in business in a very big way. They set the Guinness World Record for the largest piece of taffy candy. Two years of planning paid off when they produced a 524-pound piece of taffy.

Today is a holiday to celebrate your true love. C’mon admit it. You’re in love with chocolate. As a result, you and all of the other chocoholics of the world are going to love National Devil’s Food Cake Day. On this May 19 holiday, leave your halo and the angel food cake on the kitchen counter. Rather, indulge your taste buds in the intense flavor of this dark and velvety cake. If you’ve never tried this cake before, today is the perfect opportunity for you to join millions of other chocolate lovers as they indulge in a culinary thrill. Without a doubt, you’ll be reaching for a second slice of this sweet cake. We won’t tell anyone if you go off of your diet for just one day to make your sweet tooth happy. And if you get caught, just tell people “The devil made me do it!”

Devil’s Food Cake is distinctly different from other chocolate cakes. Most notably, it is made with cocoa, instead of chocolate squares used in making regular chocolate cake. This gives it a more intense flavor. Additionally, a few other different ingredients, and a slightly altered way of making it, result in a velvety cake that is moister, darker, richer, and airier than other chocolate cakes.

Favorite Movies: The Devil Wears Prada (2006), The Devil and Miss Jones (1941, 1973)

Certainly, this is a nutty day in every way. It’s National Walnut Day. This May 17 holiday celebrates a healthy and good-tasting tree nut. Are you a health nut? Like other tree nuts, walnuts contain healthy antioxidants and Omega-3 oil, Delicious and nutritious are two great traits for any food. So, those of us who are not allergic to tree nuts should strive to increase our intake of walnuts. Luckily, that’s an easy task. They are an ingredient in countless recipes. So, you can enjoy them at every meal and for dessert. And they are a very popular snack item, too. 

Sure, walnuts may be only the third most popular nut behind peanuts (actually a Legume), and almonds. However, it truly deserves its own day of recognition. In addition to its popularity in the kitchen and as a snack food, walnut trees have a big application that most other types of nuts don’t. Walnut trees are a popular wood for furniture and cabinetry. The wood is beautiful and high-quality. It is one of the most popular timbers for many woodworking projects.

The only knock against walnuts is that they are a hard nut to crack. It is difficult to crack a walnut open without the nut inside breaking into many pieces or even getting crushed. If you want to break them open without smashing them into a million pieces, do not use a nutcracker. Rather, experts advise the use of a butter knife or even a screwdriver. Insert the tool into the crack of a walnut shell. Then, pry it open. Use a knife or a tool called a “Nut Pick” to scrape out the nut inside.

How to approach this holiday: Don’t go ape. Go nuts!

Are you looking for a flavorful and versatile biscuit? Buttermilk biscuits are one of America’s favorite rolls. Today, we celebrate them on National Buttermilk Biscuit Day. Also called “Quick Bread”, you don’t want to miss this May 14 holiday. Like other food holidays, it is a culinary treat. We encourage you to take up the challenge and celebrate this food holiday by enjoying a buttermilk biscuit at every meal. 

 Fluffy buttermilk biscuits are a classic Southern comfort food that’s easy to make. Just about anything goes well on or in this dense biscuit. So, enjoy buttermilk biscuits for any meal for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And, let’s not forget dessert and snack time, too. Use them to make strawberry shortcakes. Put any type of fruit on them, top it with whipped cream, and you have a great dessert.   

Three things set them apart from other types of bread and rolls.  First, they use baking soda and baking powder instead of yeast as a rising agent. Second, you can have it at any meal and snack time, too. And third, it is dense and readily absorbs liquids without immediately turning to mush like many other rolls and breads.

Buttermilk biscuits have few ingredients. Although you can add many other ingredients, basic buttermilk biscuit ingredients consist of flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, butter or margarine, and buttermilk. The average biscuit contains 23- 27 grams of carbs, 170 – 210 calories, and 8 grams of fat. While most recipes call for up to a teaspoon of salt, those of us on a low-salt diet can all but eliminate it from the ingredients. 

Did you ever wonder just what would happen if you ignored the notice on the mattress tag that threatened a federal prison cell for you if the tag is torn off? Will you serve time and come out of jail as a felon? Well, today is Tear the Tags Off the Mattress Day. So, we’re going to tell you all about these tags that are found on mattresses and pillows. Also called Mattress Tag Day, this May 9 holiday encourages us to throw caution to the wind, and rip those tags off. Then, we will see you again in 7 to 10 years. Or, maybe less with time off for good behavior!

Officially, the tag reads “Under penalty of law, this tag is not to be removed….”. By law, the tag contains important information about the mattress, including the materials used, care instructions, and fire safety information. Manufacturers and retailers are not allowed to remove these tags.

In this often-divided country, there is one thing we all can agree on. Mattress tags are ugly and irritating. The objective of this holiday is to celebrate and exercise consumer freedom. After all, you own the tag. So, you can do anything you want to it.

Did You Know? If you live to be 75 years old, you will have spent 25 years in bed.

Today is National Paste Up Day. Sometimes called International Paste-Up Day, this holiday is always celebrated on May 7. Before the advent of computers and software programs, paste-up artists, also called layout artists, performed the task of preparing copy for printing presses. 

Like any other industry, technology evolves, changing work processes and tasks. As computers and software programs evolved, the paste-up task in printed media disappeared. One might think that glue, paste, and other similar items like correction tape and white-out would also disappear. However, there still are uses for all of these items. Some are readily available in stores. 

Clearly, this holiday was originally intended to recognize and celebrate the importance of paste-up artists or layout artists. And the importance of their role in published media should never be forgotten. However as previously stated, this position was eliminated with the arrival of computer software programs and technology. So, we suggest this holiday be extended to include school art projects where students still glue cutouts images, and even text onto construction paper for art projects. As the children work on their project, teachers can educate them about the role of paste-up artists and the history of preparing media for printing.