NATIONAL TV DINNER DAY

September 9, 2026September 8, 2026Jensperspectiveblog Leave a comment

National TV Dinner Day is observed annually on September 10th. In 1953, C.A. Swanson & Sons changed the prepackaged meal business forever. Introducing the TV Dinner revolutionized frozen food.

In 1962, Swanson stopped using the name TV Dinner. However, in the United States, the term remains synonymous with any prepackaged dinner purchased frozen from a store and heated at home.

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The first Swanson TV Dinner consisted of a Thanksgiving meal of turkey, cornbread dressing, peas, and sweet potatoes. Originally, Swansons made the tray of aluminum. They separated each food item into individual compartments, too. At home, the cook heated the dinner in the oven. The cooking time was usually 25 minutes. Today, nearly all frozen food trays can be cooked in the microwave or a conventional oven.

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When Swanson’s first sold TV dinners, they priced them at 98 cents. In the first year, production estimates reached 5,000 dinners. To their surprise, Swanson far exceeded that amount. In the first year, they sold more than 10 million of them.

TV Dinner Facts

1960 – Swanson added desserts to a new four-compartment tray.
1964 – Night Hawk name originated from the Night Hawk steak houses that operated in Austin, Texas, from 1939 through 1994. The original diners were open all night, catering to the late-night crowd. The restaurants produced the first frozen Night Hawk TV dinner in 1964.
1969 – The first TV breakfasts were marketed. Great Starts Breakfasts and breakfast sandwiches followed later.
1973 – Swanson markets the first Hungry-Man dinners. The meals included larger portions of its regular dinner products.
1986 – Microwave-oven safe trays debut on the market.
1986 – The Smithsonian Institute inducted the original Swanson TV Dinner tray into the Museum of American History.

Much has changed since the original TV Dinner. They also remain a popular choice for a fast and convenient meal, fun to eat in front of the TV!

Looking for something to watch? Check out some of my favorites here.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalTVDinnerDay

Get out a TV dinner, pop it in the microwave or oven, and enjoy! Use #NationalTVDinnerDay to post on social media.

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NATIONAL EMPANADA DAY

April 7, 2026April 5, 2026Jensperspectiveblog 6 Comments

Each year on April 8th, National Empanada Day recognizes a delicious pastry that comes in several different forms. The name empanada comes from the Galician, Portuguese and Spanish verb em pandar, meaning to wrap or coat in bread.

Empanadas are made by folding the dough or bread around a seasoned stuffing. The stuffed dough is then baked or fried. Very much like hand pies, these delicious pastries offer a variety of choices. You can make your empanadas with meat, cheese, vegetables or fruit fillings. However, they may be made with other ingredients, too.

A cookbook published in 1520 in Catalan, the Libre del Coch by Ruperto de Nola, mentions empanadas filled with seafood.

If you’ve never had an empanada, you might be surprised just how versatile they are. Different parts of the United States make them with their own style and flavors. Starting in the Southern and Southwestern United States where an empanada is called a Creole empanada, the dish becomes a savory meal. There, they fill the half-circle flaky crust with seasoned pork, beef or chicken, and cheese.

Head to the Southeastern part of the country and empanadas transform. A little more on the sweeter side, they fill these pastries with fresh or reconstituted dry fruit. Some choices include apples, apricots, peaches or sweet potatoes. Once fried, the pies have a crispy outer shell with piping hot fruit inside.

Further west in New Mexico, making empanadas for Christmas is a winter tradition. They make sweetmeats, similar to mincemeat, using ground pork, sugar, pinon nuts, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. Everything is then sealed in a tortilla-like dough and deep-fried in lard.

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More to Expolre…

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalEmpanadaDay

Make your favorite version of empanadas. You can choose from a variety of fillings and make one for everyone in the family. Have everyone try their hand at making the dough and filling them. Whether you prefer to make them into a meal or a dessert, the day will be celebration-worthy!

If you’re doubting your dough-making skills, try frozen or canned dough. While you’re cooking, be sure to share your recipes, too!

Use #NationalEmpanadaDay to post on social media.

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National Burrito Day

April 2, 2026April 5, 2026Jensperspectiveblog Leave a comment

National Burrito Day on the first Thursday in April celebrates the tasty and versatile Mexican dish wrapped in a tortilla.

A burrito is a heavy tortilla wrapped around meat, cheese, tomato, rice, beans, vegetables, and sauces. Like many other tortilla dishes, the burrito is flexible. The cook chooses the meat fillings from ground beef, shredded chicken, shredded beef or shredded pork. The same applies to the bean choices, often ranging from black, red, whole or refried beans. Once again, the flexibility of choice applies to the vegetables allowing the cook to grill the vegetables or keep them fresh. Spices such as cumin, chili powder, and oregano give the burritos an authentic Mexican flavor. For added crunch, chimichangas are burritos that have been deep-fried.

The word burrito first appeared in the Dictionary of Mexicanisms in 1895. The Guanajuato region of Mexico uses the term and means little donkey in Spanish. It is possible that it stems from the appearance of the packs and bedrolls donkeys used to carry. In other regions of Mexico, similar types of food are known as flauta.

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The burrito was introduced in the United States in the 1930s at the El Cholo Spanish Café in Los Angeles. Since then, the burrito has found its way to menus all across the United States. Home cooks serve the burrito because it’s a crowd-pleaser and filling, too.

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalBurritoDay

Call some friends and go out for burritos or make some at home. Who makes your favorite burritos? Be sure to tag someone who prepares the best burritos whether it’s mom or the local Mexican restaurant. If you make the best, you might be getting some love today.

Use #NationalBurritoDay to post on social media.

Don’t forget any of these related celebrations…

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March 17, 2025March 17, 2025Jensperspectiveblog Leave a comment

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