NATIONAL STUFFING DAY

November 21st is an ideal day for National Stuffing Day with Thanksgiving right around the corner. Since we are already thinking about the delicious turkey stuffing that is a traditional part of Thanksgiving dinner.

Some cooks choose to stuff the bird with crusts of bread, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Others prefer to prepare a similar dish alongside the turkey using the drippings to moisten the dish. Either way, each preparation is a personal preference or family tradition. The difference is the first is called a stuffing, but the latter is referred to as a dressing.  

The usual turkey stuffing consists of bread cubes or crumbs combined with onions, celery, salt, and pepper. Further spices and herbs such as summer savory, sage, or poultry seasoning add flavor and variety.  Other recipes include adding sausage, hamburger, tofu, oysters, egg, rice, apple, raisins, or other dried fruits.

The first known documented stuffing recipes appeared in the Roman cookbook, Apicius “De Re Coquinaria.”  Most of the stuffing recipes in this cookbook included vegetables, herbs and spices, nuts, and spelt (an old cereal). Some recipes also included chopped liver and other organ meat. 

In addition to stuffing the body cavity of poultry and fish, various cuts of meat are often stuffed once deboned and having a pouch or slit cut in them.  A few examples of other meats frequently stuffed include pork chops, meatloaf, meatballs, chicken breast, lamb chops, and beef tenderloin.

Stuffing isn’t limited to the butcher block. Vegetables are excellent containers for stuffing. Peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, and cabbage are just a few of the shapely veggies that make stuffing a fabulous part of your meal. 

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalStuffingDay

Who makes the best stuffing in your family? Some families debate this question and never settle the question. That’s why they end up with multiple versions on the table at the big meal. No one complains, though! How do you like your stuffing? Challenge yourself to try a new recipe. See if you can get the family to agree to breaking with tradition. Better get in the kitchen and test those stuffing recipes before the big day.  Use #NationalStuffingDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL CHILI MONTH

Each year in October when the air starts to get a nip to it, National Chili Month comes around to warm us up. What a perfect time to honor the ultimate chilly weather snack, just as winter is right around the corner.

Chili is the ULTIMATE comfort food. Close your eyes and picture this: the first snow of the year is falling outside your window, you’re curled up next to the fireplace with a cozy blanket, your favorite movie on, and a big bowl of steamy, hot chili in your lap with a side of cornbread. You’re lying if you say that’s NOT what you wish you were doing right now. 

  1. Chili is packed with protein. The meat you put in it contains protein, plus there are usually a few different kinds of beans in chili as well. So even if you make a vegetarian version… you’re still set with that bean protein!
  2. Fiber is another important diet staple, and chili has that, too. The chilies, peppers, and beans in the dish all have plenty of fiber in them. Fiber keeps you regular and slows the rate at which your body absorbs sugar.
  3. Chili is a great source of iron, which is something most of us don’t get enough of in our daily diets. Iron circulates oxygen through the body, and a lack of it can mean brittle nails, dull skin and thin hair.
  4. Are you trying to lose weight? Chili is a great option for you, because it’s filling, and it’s so delicious it’s hard to believe it’s healthy. The capsicum (aka the red pepper) in chili is what helps us lose weight.  It raises your body’s metabolic rate, and aids in digestion and circulation.
  5. There’s a reason besides the flavor that chili makes us happy! Chilies can cause your body’s endorphin and serotonin levels to rise, sometimes significantly. Some people even say they get a euphoric feeling after finishing a big, hot bowl of chili. You can’t go wrong!

HOW TO OBSERVE

Enjoy the following “tried and true” chili recipes:

Three-Bean Vegetarian Chili
Chili-Corn Chip Pie
Spicy Slow-Cooked Chili
Spicy Chicken Chili Stew
Biscuit Bowl Chili

While National Chili Day is in February, good chili always bring warm memories and comfort.

Use #NationalChiliMonth to post your most delectable meal on social media. In case you need a little extra push on why you need to have as much chili as possible this month… it’s healthy for you!