September 10th: National TV Dinner Day

Happy National TV Dinner Day!!!! Some can say that TV dinners date back to the 1920’s, however due to mass production, TV weren’t sold nationally until the 1950’s.

In the 1920’s a man by the name of Clarence Birdseye developed a process in which he could package food and then flash-freeze it. Swanson was the brand to popularize and commercialize the TV dinner at home. Since it was a pre-made meal and easy to prepare, it made it a convenient alternative. The first TV dinner was Thanksgiving dinner. And the aluminum tray was replaced by a microwavable plastic in 1986.

Now, TV dinners come in all different varieties.

So my mom was away this past week, so I saw that chance to relive my college life and childhood. Which meant that I can eat a TV dinner and not be judged. So Kimberly and I got those Kid Cuisines and nuked that crap out of it. Actually, it wasn’t as bad as I thought. I remember getting these all the time when I was younger.

So go ahead and ruin that diet and go for the classic TV dinner. Or just get like a Lean Cuisine.

September 8th: National Hug Your Hound Day

Happy National Hug Your Hound Day!!! Another great day to love your dog. However, my Bodie isn’t here today but he is on his way home from North Carolina with my madre. So I will give him the biggest hug when I see him later tonight!!!!!! I’ve missed him so much!

Show your doggy some love today and keep on hugging him!!!

OMG!

September 5th: National Cheese Pizza Day

Happy National Cheese Pizza Day!!!! There is nothing better than pizza. I believe that this could quite possibly be the holiday to trump all other holidays. That’s it, I’m done. There can’t be another holiday as great as this day!!!!  Alright maybe not… there is Talk Like a Pirate Day and Cheese Ball Day… so THIS is definitely in the top five.

What can I say about the history of pizza? It’s long. The earliest form of pizza dates back to the late 990 AD. But, pizza didn’t make an appearance in the United States until the late 1800’s when Italian immigrants brought it over with them.

Now, pizza is a very touchy subject with some people. Why, you ask? Because some will like the cheese on the top, others like thin crusts, or greasy pizza, or *gasp* the sauce on top. For the record… it is not upside down pizza. upside down pizza suggests that the pizza fell on the floor with the crust facing upwards. Which is emotions known to most people as despair, misery, and heartache. So, no. It is not upside down pizza. But it is exceptionally delicious.

Different regions or cities of the US have a certain style of pizza. New York, Chicago, California, Midwest, St. Louis, and New Heaven. All very “different” variations of pizza. Deep dish, thin crust, three cheese, one cheese… double cheese! Which is fabulous. Then there is a type of pizza that baffles cheese lovers’ minds. It is called, Tomato Pie. A thick pizza crust and a tomato sauce. And maybe a bit of Parmesan cheese. That’s it. Now a few cities claim that they are the first to sell such a delicious cuisine. But ladies and gentlemen, I am from Utica, New York and… well, everyone knows that we hold a serious claim to the name! Sorry, Tenton, NJ, Providence, RI, and Philadelphia. You each have significant roles in the history of our country… let us have the tomato pie. K, thanks.

Usually when we have a get together with some friends and everyone is like let’s get pizza!

I’m usually like…

Mainly because I am really hoping they are like where is the best place? And I can be like Trios… let’s do Trios.

Each person, per year, eats approximately 46 slices of pizza.

Mozzarella cheese accounts for 80% of all pizza sales in the US.

The world’s largest pizza weighed 26,883 pounds.

So, honor this day but eating one of the world’s finest cuisines. I did… for breakfast. Because nothing is better than left over cold pizza in the morning.

And I shall leave you with a brief message from Nicholas Cage…

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September 3rd: National Skyscraper Day

Happy National Skyscraper Day!!! Today we marvel at an architectural art form that graces our city skylines. A skyscraper is a steel frame of many stories. Obviously when cities began to grow and real estate is important and minimal, the best way to continue to grow is to build up. Skyscrapers really began to take off once the process of steel making was introduced.

Now skyscrapers give that signature characteristic to city skylines.  And every major city around the world has some sort of skyscraper. There is not a certain height that a building needs to be in order to be considered a skyscraper. But every major skyscraper has a steel framework and has a considerable amount of glass windows.

If you live in or near a city and never really stop to admire such a marvelous sight, today is the day to do so. Just take a moment to look up, or if you are lucky enough, look out across the city and take it in. We’ve come a long way.

August 31st: National Trail Mix Day

Happy National Trail Mix Day!!!! Trail mix is like granola… but cooler.

Trail mix is primarily a dry mixture of nuts, grains, and dried fruits. Although it can contain M&Ms, pretzels, and crackers. It is a light weight snack that is convenient for hikers or just outdoorsy people. Or you can eat it just for the hell of it. It is a great way to boost your energy, too.

Frozen Yogurt Trail Mix Bars

Trail Mix Smoothie

Salted Caramel Trail Mix

Dark Chocolate Trail Mix Energy Bites

Trail Mix Cookies

So make your own today and head out into the woods for the weekend! If you are going camping or on a road trip, don’t forget to pack the trail mix!!!!

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August 30th: National Toasted Marshmallow Day

Happy National Toasted Marshmallow Day!!! What better way to close out your summer before school starts and to celebrate Labor Day Weekend than to have a campfire and toast some marshmallows!

Now we’ve already celebrated s’mores day, but today is all about the marshmallow part! Which in my opinion is the best part. Who doesn’t love that airy sugar?

Toasted Marshmallow Fudge

Toasted Marshmallow Cupcakes

Toasted Marshmallow Chocolate Martini

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake

Chocolate Pudding & Toasted Marshmallow Tarts

Toasted Marshmallow Krispie Treats

Toasted Marshmallow Coconut Milk Ice Cream

Go out and enjoy the summer weather with some family and friends by starting a campfire and toasting some marshmallows like the good old day.

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August 28th: National Bow Tie Day

Happy National Bow Tie Day!!! Bow ties are extremely classy. It screams Golden Years. And where is the best place to view how these pieces of material look magnificent on men… the red carpet of course!!!! Haha

Hey Baby… 😉

So if you are a bow tie lover, then today is the day for you. Now you have to choose one out of your 100 bow ties that are in your closet to represent this day. Good luck.

August 27th: National Banana Lovers Day

BANANAS!!!! I love my bananas.

Every year at B&F I collect banana stickers. Mainly Chiquita, just because they are hilarious… and awesome. I always put them on the brim of my hat so my hat is usually covered with stickers by the end of the season. And last year we all had t-shirts made, and we got nicknames on the back. Mine was Chiquita ❤

Bananas go fabulous with any kind of ice cream! Scratch that, don’t eat it with the creme de minthe.

Fun BA-NA-Na Stuff:

The banana tree, isn’t a tree at all. In fact it is the largest flowering herbaceous plant. This plant grows, flowers, then dies down to ground level. The following year it regrows.  And the banana is a berry.

You would think that the bananas grew downward instead. Lol

Clusters of bananas are considered hands, and the single bananas are considered fingers.

Bananas are full of potassium. Like Potassium-40, which is radioactive. Who knew that something that is radioactive could be so tasty.

Bananas are considered the four largest agricultural product because over 100 billion bananas are consumed a year.

Americans eat more bananas then any other kind of fruit. But the Ugandans have the highest consumption rate, with over 500 lbs per person per year. Americans consume an average of 26.2 lbs.

Bananas have an acid which aids the body in creating serotonin which is a chemical that can make you happy. Depressed? Eat a banana. In those Snicker commercials, it should be a banana.  Hahaha

The Cavendish Banana is the most commercially sold banana.

There is a Banana Beer that is sold in Eastern Africa.

The brown spots on the banana as it ripens are actually sugar pockets that develop from starch. That’s why the really brown bananas are always good for banana breads!

It is said that by rubbing the inside of a banana peel on a mosquito bite or poison ivy, it helps alleviate the swelling and itching.

There over 1000 different types of bananas, but few are edible.

The easiest way to peel a banana is actually from what we consider the bottom. You just pinch and peel. It’s how the monkeys with their opposable thumbs do it!

Thanks to Gwen Stefani, I will always know how to spell bananas. And yes, I sing the song in my head whenever I write it down.

So make your favorite banana recipe today or go buy a some and eat to your hearts content, bananas have no fat! Just be careful of that potassium.

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August 26th: National Dog Day

Happy National Dog Day!!!! This was such a hard day to narrow down my pictures. I have soooo many of my Bobo where he is being too freaking adorable that it was impossible. So today I will celebrate this amazing character I have in my life today.

Our first dog was Midnite. I loved her. But we had to move and dogs weren’t allowed. I’m pretty sure she got adopted because we were at the Herkimer Diamond Mines and this dog looked exactly like her, just older.She saw us and walked right up to us and tried like hugging our legs and such. I was having a heart attack the entire time because I couldn’t believe it. We didn’t speak to the owner though, so we will never know.

Now how we got Bodie. My mom said she would never get a dog. But something changed her mind. I was away at college, senior year, so my mom and sister were home. I was video chatting with Kimberly and then my mom pops in and I start talking to her. She goes “What would you say if I ever got a dog?” And I was like “Ma, it’s your decision…” Ma then goes “What about one that looks like this one…?” and then Kimberly pops in the frame holding this small little black and white fur ball with big brown eyes.

I just about screamed! He was too adorable. I couldn’t believe that she actually did it!!! We had three cats, but one had just passed away so now we were down to two animals. So obviously a dog would fit nicely. That was almost two years ago.

Bodie turns two next month. He is a miniature Australian Shepard and he has no tail. So when he sits on the couch his hind legs are kinda moving a round to keep his balance on his butt. His butt is a completely different story. When he comes running to us when we come home, he can’t control his butt from wagging so fast that literally his butt almost smacks his head. He loves everyone. When we go for walks, he will watch people and wait for them to look at him and say hi before he runs over to them to be petted.

He is a smart little cookie too. You know how the rawhide bones are all twisted and folded up? Well he went upstairs to my mom while she was working and whipped his head so he threw his bone at her. She was like, seriously. Then she picked up the bone and started unfolding it. Bobo was sitting there watching every move she made. She gave it back to him and he disappeared. Five minutes later he comes back with another one, and throws it at her. Again, she was like seriously?! And she unfolded it, and gave it back. Pretty sure he did it one more time. By then, Ma was like oh my god! He is smart.

Bobo and Ma kayaking ❤

He loves playing hide and seek with my sister. She would throw his ball, and he would chase it then she would hide. So he would come running back in and drop his ball then start looking for her. After he finds her, he jumps all around and then brings her the ball to do it again.

He really is a character. And I love him to death. He brings a smile to my face everyday. If you guys follow me on intagram, I usually have many many pictures of him posted haha. So show some love to your dog or any dog for that matter. Volunteer at a humane society and maybe walk them!!!! Or take your dog for ice cream 🙂

WARNING! I may have spent the better half of my night looking for these… so don’t judge me. Hahahah dogs are so funny.

Basically Bobo’s reaction whenever we ask that question.

OMG I’m dying… HAHAHAHA

Visit the National Dog Day website now!!!!

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August 25th: National Banana Split Day

Happy National Banana Split Day!!!! The original epic sundae. The banana split has a very controversial history. The debate is between two towns; Latrobe, Pennsylvania and Wilmington, Ohio.

Latrobe’s story is that a young pharmacist made a triple scoop banana ice cream sundae in 1904. However, three years later in Wilmington, Ohio a restaurant owner held a competition among his employees to develop a sundae that would attract customers in the harsh winter they were having. Ernest Hazard developed a sundae that became the famous banana split. It called for three scoops of ice cream with a split banana on the sides then a shot of chocolate syrup, strawberry jam, and pineapple bits, all topped with whipped cream and cherries. Now every year in June, Wilmington hold a banana split festival to commemorate their role in ice cream history.

Banana splits are a lot of fun to make at work. But it is a bit of a pain to order. I always feel like I am interrogating a customer when I have to ask all these questions for a banana split. Hard or soft ice cream? Nuts? The regular toppings of strawberry, chocolate, and pineapple? By the last question the customer is bobbing their head with you haha

So go out and celebrate today by making your own banana split at home or go order one! If you don’t get a banana with your split… I apologize. It wouldn’t be the first time we forgot to add that…