NATIONAL LASAGNA DAY

The best way to join in National Lasagna Day on July 29th is to bake up a pan of the Italian pasta dish. Another way to celebrate is by getting a table at your favorite Italian restaurant. 

Due to lasagna’s broad noodles, the pasta lends itself to layering. A variety of ingredients such as cheeses, meats, vegetables, and sauces create a delicious blend of savory baked layers. For individual servings, roll similar elements into the pasta noodles. A fun twist is white lasagna.   Made with chicken, mushrooms, alfredo sauce and white cheeses. 

Since lasagna is one of the oldest kinds of pasta, cooks have developed quite a selection of recipes. From vegan to seafood and dessert, lasagna fills recipe books around the world. Even the sauces come in a wide variety.

Unsurprisingly, many families create unique recipes that are passed down from generation to generation. Sometimes the sauce makes the lasagna special, too. Other families make their sausage from scratch. Fresh-picked tomatoes, onions, and herbs are often a cook’s secret. Others will claim the best lasagna makers use a specific kind and number of cheeses.

Overall, most lasagna recipes call for mozzarella, parmesan, and ricotta. However, lasagna is not limited to those three kinds of cheese. Italian seasonings such as garlic, basil, and oregano bring that delicious flavor, too. Try this super easy lasagne made in the crockpot too. Lazy Lasagna has all the flavor of the original with a fraction of the work. For another easy take on this classic try Lasagna Soup too. Find the variation and freezer version with keto friendly ingredients Lazy Lasagna recipe.

For the low carb and keto diets you can substitute strips of zucchini or even eggplant for a lower carb delight.  Make your sauce from scratch to control sugars and use plenty of cheeses.  Bring this classic comfort food to your healthy table too.

  • The origin of lasagna is debated with varying theories. 
  • Initially, the word lasagna referred to the pot in which the dish was cooked rather than the food. 
  • A 14th-century English cookbook featured a recipe for lasagna. 
  • Even cartoon characters enjoy the dish. Garfield, the cat, declares his love for lasagna in the cartoon strip with his name. 

HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalLasagnaDay

Have a lasagna cookoff. Invite friends and family over for an evening of lasagna tasting. While everyone tastes and compares, enjoy a bottle of wine and laughter. Meanwhile, tell stories of your first attempt to make lasagna – everyone has one. And, don’t forget to get the children involved in baking, too! Lasagna is a family-friendly baking experience. They can mix ingredients and add layers before the cooking begins.

Try one of these recipes:

Post on social media using #NationalLasagnaDay and share your celebration.

NATIONAL SLOPPY JOE DAY

No matter how you make this hot sandwich, on March 18th, celebrate National Sloppy Joe Day. 

The Sloppy Joe is one of America’s all-time favorite hot sandwiches. Its base ingredient is often ground beef. However, others use turkey and buffalo, too. The other elements give it its flavor, though. Onions, tomato sauce, brown sugar, cola or maple syrup to sweeten it and seasonings to spice it – and of course, any secret ingredient families may add over the years. All of it is served up on a hamburger bun or roll. And is it ever sloppy! Be sure to grab more than one napkin!

Who Created The Sloppy Joe

Meet Joe

There are different claims to the origin of the sloppy Joe.  In Havana, Cuba, in the 1930s, there was a genuine bartender who gained popularity with vacationers who went by the name of Sloppy Joe. He earned his name for his less than enthusiastic way of cleaning the bar.  He was, however, an attentive bartender, and the bar was a hot spot for the jet set.

However, no mention is found in papers from the era of a hot sandwich on the menu matching the description of a Sloppy Joe, and the man of the same name retired to Spain in 1933.

Town Hall Deli

Reader Steven Hirsch wrote to National Day Calendar and informed us that Town Hall Deli in Maplewood, NJ has a direct connection to Sloppy Joe of Havana fame. It opened in 1927, and during the 1930s, Maplewood’s Mayor Sweeney traveled to Havana, where he met the bartender named Sloppy Joe and was served a delicious sandwich. The mayor came back to New Jersey and with a well-developed taste for Joe’s sandwich. The mayor enjoyed it so much he asked one of Town Hall Deli’s proprietors, Fred Heinz, to replicate it. According to the website, “It was made with coleslaw, ham, cow tongue, swiss cheese, with lots of dressing and was served on thin rye bread. Hence, the origin of the Sloppy Joe sandwich and how Town Hall Deli of South Orange became The Birthplace of the Sloppy Joe!”

Then in 1934…

At the Ye Olde Tavern Inn, in Sioux City, Iowa, Abraham and Bertha laid claim to the Sloppy Joe when they added a loose meat sandwich on their menu in 1934. 

Whoever brought the Sloppy Joe to the world, Hunt’s made it more convenient in 1969. They put it in a can and called it Manwich.

Today many families have their secret recipes that make their Sloppy Joe’s special.  Whether it’s an unusual spice, a novel ingredient for sweetening or a homemade tomato sauce, a Sloppy Joe lends itself to originality and personality.  A new flavor is just around the corner.  In the south, you might come across a barbecue flavor while in the north, Sloppy Joe might be a little sweeter. Whatever your flavor, it is undoubtedly an all-American food holiday!  My husband who was raised in the midwest still calls them barbeques…

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalSloppyJoeDay

You know what to do! Whip up your favorite Sloppy Joe recipe and sides. Enjoy one of the following Sloppy Joe recipes:

Super Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joes
Crockpot Sloppy Joe Sandwiches for a Crowd
Sloppy Joes II
Gumbo Sloppy Joes
Sloppy Joes with Chicken Gumbo

Use #NationalSloppyJoeDay to post on social media.

NATIONAL CHILI DAY

National Chili Day on the fourth Thursday in February honors one of America’s favorite winter dishes–chili. It’s also known as chili con carne (chili with meat).

Chili is most commonly made up of tomatoes, beans, chili peppers, meat, garlic, onions, and cumin.  However, cooks offer up so many variations to the basic chili recipe. And, with so many varieties, chili cook-off competitions love to feature chili as a favored entry.  

American frontier settlers used a “chili” recipe of dried beef, suet, dried chili peppers and salt. All this was pounded together and formed into bricks and dried. They could then boil the bricks in pots on the trails. 

At the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893, the San Antonio Chili Stand helped people from all over the United States appreciate the taste of chili.  Because San Antonio was a significant tourist destination, it helped Texas-style chili con carne spread throughout the South and West.  In 1977, House Concurrent Resolution Number 18 of the 65th Texas Legislature designated chili con carne as the official dish of the U.S. state of Texas.

Before World War II, hundreds of small, family-run chili parlors (also known as chili joints) popped up throughout the state of Texas as well as other places in the United States. Each new chili parlor usually claimed some kind of secret recipe. 

Ways to enjoy chili

There are many ways that people enjoy the great taste of chili, some of which include:

  • Add chili to hot dogs to create chili dogs.
  • Top burgers with chili and enjoy a chili burgers.
  • Combine chili and cheese with fries and make chili cheese fries.
  • Make the ultimate baked potato by stuffing it with chili.
  • “Frito pie” is chili with spaghetti noodles.
  • Transform mac and cheese into chili mac.
  • Mix rice and chili for another flavor favorite.
  • Change it up. Black beans instead of red, green chilis, and sour cream.
  • My favorite is topped with fresh green onions and sharp cheddar cheese.

NATIONAL CHILI DAY HISTORY

Rich Kelly of Hard Times Cafe in Arlington, VA founded National Chili Day. The day has been celebrated with cook-offs, pot lucks, feeds and bottomless bowls since at least 2006. 

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalChiliDay

There are so many ways to enjoy chili. Just about everyone has their own recipe, too.

Jen’s Easy Chili
White Chicken Chili

Use #NationalChiliDay to post on social media.

Men Make Dinner Recipes

What’s for dinner. In my family growing up that question was primarily answered by mom.  Dad made pancakes, and BBQ.  The rest was left to mom to figure out 355 days a year.  My dad did not know his way around a kitchen. 

Flash forward to today and my loving husband Scott is the same way.  To be a fly on the wall when I tried to teach him how to make spaghetti.   (I found spaghetti noodles in interesting places for days)!  Now he can assist me with simple tasks with very explicit directions.  After my aneurysm left me unable to go to the kitchen, I give him lists of ingredients, utensils, supplies and I reach for the extra supply of patience needed for describing things I don’t think twice about.  To bad this day is not celebrated everywhere. 

To be fair to there are a lot of men who enjoy the task.  Famous chefs include a large number of men, but for those who do not know what a colander is here are some easy recipes that impress with flavor.

Jen’s Lazy Lasagna

Jen’s Greek Cassarole Bake

Jen’s Super Sandwhich

Jen’s Keto Quiche

Jen’s Easy Chili

Turkey Bacon wraps

Be sure to check out all our recipes for more tasty delights that you are sure to enjoy.

NATIONAL CHEESEBURGER DAY

Check out My Black & Blue Burgers recipe

National Cheeseburger Day on September 18th honors America’s favorite sandwich with a slice of cheese. A few days ago, we celebrated National Double Cheeseburger Day. This food holiday is the lighter version. While only a single stack, this tasty burger still earns a celebration!There are many theories to the beginning of the cheeseburger dating back to the 1920s. One story suggests that Lionel Sternberger invented the cheeseburger in 1926 while working at his father’s Pasadena, California sandwich shop, The Rite Spot. During an experiment, he dropped a slice of American cheese on a sizzling hamburger.

However, like numerous iconic foods, many people and restaurants claim the origin story. For example, a restaurant in Los Angeles called O’Dell’s placed the cheeseburger on their menu in 1928. It came smothered with chili – all for the price of a quarter. Kaelin’s Restaurant in Louisville, Kentucky claims they invented the cheeseburger in 1934. One record that gives the Humpty Dumpty Drive-In in Denver, CO bragging rights is the trademark they received in 1935 for the name “cheeseburger.” Another who applied for a trademark of that word was Gus Belt, the founder of Steak n’ Shake. Sometime in the 1930s he also applied for the trademark. 

Despite all these claims, a couple of things are for sure. The cheeseburger checks all the marks for satisfying a craving, and the cheeseburger isn’t going anywhere!

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HOW TO OBSERVE #NationalCheeseburgerDay

Grill up or fry up your favorite cheeseburger. You don’t even have to cook. Visit your favorite burger joint and order up a delicious cheeseburger. With all the options available, you’re sure to find one that fits your taste. 

Use #NationalCheeseburgerDay to post on social media.