National French Fry Day on July 13th recognizes a staple food on menus across the country. It comes in so many different cuts and styles, there’s a favorite for everyone to enjoy!
French fries, also known as chips, fries, finger chips, or French-fried potatoes, are batons of deep-fried potatoes. No matter what we call them, they’re common fixtures at fast-food restaurants and are loved by all ages!
A wide selection of condiments such as ketchup, ranch dressing, vinegar, mayonnaise, honey mustard, cheese, and many more complement French fries. As a healthier alternative, sweet potatoes also make delicious fries and accompany many dishes on menus around the country. Other varieties are baked and come in unusual shapes such as curls, waffles, crinkle, or tornado cut.
Beyond the condiments, chefs and home cooks sprinkle seasonings to add flavor and spice to their fries. Whether you add a little garlic and onion powder or spice it up cajun style, a potato crisped just right will satisfy a combination of tastes. We top them with chili or nacho cheese and jalapeños, too. Depending on the type of fries, we might top them with even more ingredients and call them all sorts of things.
The expression “French Fried Potatoes” first occurs in print in English in the 1856 work Cookery for Maids of All Work by E. Warren.
It is believed by some that the term “French” was introduced to the potatoes when the American soldiers arrived in Belgium during World War I and consequently tasted Belgian fries. Since French was the official language of the Belgian Army at that time, it is possible the American soldiers began calling the fried potatoes “French” fries.
Capitalizing on the bountiful fruits and vegetables available this time of year, National Smoothie Day on June 21st celebrates the refreshing beverage brought to you by the blender.
Using fresh ingredients, whole grains and punches of flavor, smoothies transform our fruits and veggies into a delightfully cool drink. Some smoothies incorporate herbs and spices, punching up the flavor level. The base ingredients include milk, yogurt, juice, and a blend of fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables in a variety of combinations.
You may turn a little green when you consider adding vegetables to your smoothie, but don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Both fruit and vegetable smoothies can pack in the nutrients, but be careful, the calories can also add up. Making smart choices will help keep your smoothies on the healthier side:
Limit your boosters – Ingredients like nut butters, seeds, grains and protein powders increase the fat and calories. While these ingredients add flavor and even nutrients, include them in small portions. You can also limit them to 1-2 per smoothie.
Control portion size – Just like our regular meals, smoothies can become oversized. Monitor the portion size for your main ingredients so that when your smoothie is complete, the calories and fat add up to a balanced serving. For example, one cup of berries, half a cup of yogurt and a tablespoon of a nut butter shouldn’t put you over.
Avoid juices – Prepared juices add calories. If you need a little more sweetness, consider adding a calorie-free sweetener or limiting the juice to just a splash.
Add veggies – Spinach, beets, kale and zucchini are just a few of the veggies that add nutrients and fiber without adding a lot of calories. And these veggies don’t add any offputting flavors.
Add a little spice – Cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and turmeric add flavor without adding calories. They also provide us with other benefits as well. Cinnamon, for example, may help lower blood sugar and blood pressure.
Smoothies make a terrific meal substitute, too. When you’re craving something sweet or need an energy boost, a smoothie can be the answer.
Visit your favorite smoothie bar and order your favorite combination. Share your recipes and invite someone to join you. Tell us what your favorite ingredients are, your tips and tricks, too. May we also suggest:
Try something new. Swap out one ingredient for another. You might find the best combination ever.
Give a shout-out to your favorite smoothie bar. They will appreciate it!
Share a photo of your beautiful smoothie!
Pick up a smoothie recipe book.
However you celebrate, be sure to use #NationalSmoothieDay to share on social media.
The Saturday after the Summer Solstice, gather your friends and family to celebrate Summersgiving! This day is designed to combine all the fun of summer with America’s favorite Thanksgiving food. It’s a celebration of life, rooted in gratitude, to be shared with the friends and food that make life fun.
Everyone has a favorite holiday food or tradition, and Summersgiving provides the opportunity to bring them all together under the sun and stars for one big celebration. Make a feast and share the dishes that mean celebration with a broader crowd of friends and family. Let the joy and fun memories grow year after year!
Around the year 2009, Robert Solomon created a Thanksgiving BBQ with his best friends to celebrate summer and all the food he thought he could only have at Thanksgiving. He loves turkey and all the rich side dishes that come with it. They drank cranberry martinis into the night, and Summersgiving was born from a love of great food, great drinks, and great friends.
HOW TO OBSERVE #Summersgiving
Grab the turkey (what Thanksgiving dinner would be complete without one) and serve it with all your favorite holiday foods and eat them in celebration of the day. Or, reinvent the holiday classics and share your Summersgiving favorites on social media with #Summersgiving. Be sure to invite all your friends and family and tell everyone it’s time to party Summersgiving style.
On the third Sunday in June, Father’s Day honors the role fathers play in the family structure and society. The day recognizes not just fathers, but the father figures in our lives. These are the men we look up to who set solid examples for us and guide us throughout our lives.
Many families dedicate the day to their fathers and grandfathers. Whether they are first-time fathers just learning to change a diaper, or experienced fathers offering sage advice, the day celebrates everything a father is. Fathers from family to family play a variety of roles. They may be a caregiver, provider, or advisor. Some fathers are the strong, silent types. And yet others tell us stories for days. Fathers teach, guiding small hands as they hammer a nail or sail a kite.
We only look up to our fathers for so long. At some point, we begin to see things a little differently. But that’s not when we stop looking up to them. It’s at that point, we turn and look forward together.
FATHER’S DAY HISTORY
After the success of Mother’s Day, this special day and its observances began to appear around the United States and the world. However, the road to this national observance was not an easy one.
First Recorded Father’s Day
The first recorded celebration of Father’s Day happened after the Monograph Mining Disaster in West Virginia. The disaster killed 361 men and left around 1,000 children fatherless in December of 1907. Grace Golden Clayton suggested a day honoring all those fathers to her pastor, Robert Thomas Webb. On July 5th, 1908, the community gathered in honor of the men lost in the mining accident. They assembled at Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church South, now known as Central United Methodist Church, in Fairmont, West Virginia.
Other Claims about Father’s Day
In 1910, the YMCA in Spokane, Washington recruited several clergymen with the help of Sonora Smart Dodd to honor fathers throughout the city. The date was set for June 5th but was later changed to June 19th (the 3rd Sunday in June), as many clergymen needed more time to prepare.
Presidential Intervention
Harry C. Meek, a member of Lions Clubs International, claimed that he first had the idea for Father’s Day in 1915. Meek argued that the third Sunday of June was chosen because it was his birthday. The Lions Club has named him “Originator of Father’s Day.” Meek made many efforts to promote Father’s Day and make it an official holiday.
After a visit to Spokane, WA in 1916 to speak at a Father’s Day celebration, President Woodrow Wilson wanted to make the day official, but Congress resisted fearing that the observance would become too commercialized. Once again, a president nearly intervened, but President Calvin Coolidge stopped short of issuing a national proclamation in 1924.
Sonora Smart Dodd continued to work to make Father’s Day a national observance. In 1938, she collaborated with the Father’s Day Council, a group of New York Men’s Wear Retailers, for the commercial promotion of the observance. Many Americans resisted the holiday for decades because of these attempts to commercialize the day.
It wasn’t until 1966, that President Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first presidential proclamation honoring fathers on the third Sunday in June. The holiday wasn’t made an annual event until President Richard Nixon signed it into law, making it a permanent national holiday in 1972 over 50 years after Mother’s Day came into existence.
Celebrate your father. Explore his favorite hobbies or encourage him to share a story or two. Play a game or take him to one. Enjoy your time with your father and celebrate him. Share images of you with your father on social media and be sure to use #FathersDay too!
