DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   This recipe comes from  www.annies-eats.com  .   Enjoy making these extra large cookies.  But, don't forget to share!  Enjoy! Giant Double Chocolate Cookies    Now this, my friends, is a  cookie . A whopper of a deep dark chocolate cookie, and it’s chock full of chocolate chips. It’s thick, chewy, and just sinful. The glass of milk is not just a prop – it’s a necessity in this case. These cookies definitely earn the title of “giant”, considering that 4 ounces of dough is used for each one. I’m not such a fan of quarter-pounder burgers, but quarter-pounder cookies? I’m totally on board. If you don’t have a kitchen scale yet ( tsk tsk ), here is the perfect excuse. How else will you know that each cookie is exactly 4 ounces? This is important business, people. Truth be told, I actually haven’t eaten an entire cookie at once. I keep eating half at lunchtime and half after dinner. Believe me, I could...

January 1st-New Year's Day - You already knew this one. Celebrate by getting ahead start on breaking your New Year's resolutions. January 2nd-55MPH Speed Limit Day -Observe the 55 MPH holiday by driving the speed limit in your state or country. Or if you don't like it just say "I can't drive 55"! January 3rd-J.R.R. Tolkien Day -Invite a Hobbit over for dinner! YAAAA! January 4th-World Hypnotism Day - Try to hypnotise your children into doing what you want them to do. (like that's going to happen). January 5th-Bird Day - Go out and pet a parrot and keep your fingers away from the beak. January 6th-Epiphany -Go to church and ring some bells. January 7th-I'm Not Going To Take It Anymore Day - Got a beef with someone, go up to them and yell this catchy little phrase to them. January 8th-Bubble Bath Day - When's the last time you've seen any man take a bubble bath. Women, go ahead and have a ...

   This uniquely American event began as a promotional effort by Pasadena's distinguished Valley Hunt Club. In the winter of 1890, the club members brainstormed ways to promote the "Mediterranean of the West." They invited their former East Coast neighbors to a mid-winter holiday, where they could watch games such as chariot races, jousting, foot races, polo and tug-of-war under the warm California sun. The abundance of fresh flowers, even in the midst of winter, prompted the club to add another showcase for Pasadena's charm: a parade would precede the competition, where entrants would decorate their carriages with hundreds of blooms. The Tournament of Roses was born. 1958 U.S. Army Continental Band    "In New York, people are buried in snow," announced Professor Charles F. Holder at a Club meeting. "Here our flowers are blooming and our oranges are about to bear. Let's hold a festival to tell the world about our para...

  When January comes along, you may think that the food holidays have come to an end, but you'd be wrong. January is filled with many food holidays. Here is a list of the food holidays you can look forward to in January. January 1st-Apple Gifting Day - This is such a fun day to celebrate. A fun way to enjoy this national food holiday is to bake an apple pie or some other favorite apple dessert that you may like. Christmas may be over, but it's never a bad time to bake a gift for someone. January 2nd-National Cream Puff Day - If you're tired of baking, never fret. You can always head to your local bakery and pick up some delicious cream puffs. January 3rd-Chocolate-Filled Cherry Day - Go out and enjoy a handful of some chocolate covered cherries. I can't seem to find any that are filled with chocolate. January 4th-National Spaghetti Day - Who doesn't love spaghetti (besides me)? On this food holiday, shake things up by making s...

Christmas parades can be seen in cities and towns nationwide. The parades help usher in Christmas. Christmas parades can be small with just a few floats, and a couple of bands, or very large with a lot of floats, several bands, clowns, assorted groups, and cars carrying important people from the community. But whether the Christmas parades are small or large in size doesn't matter, it's what is at the end of the parade that makes all the difference and that would be Santa Claus! Seeing Santa Claus means the Christmas season is here! Christmas parades have been going strong for 90+ years. When Christmas parades first started it was more of a way for people who lived in small towns to get together and socialize with each other while watching a very short parade. The parades were something the communities looked forward to every year. One such Christmas parade in California started in 1928. It was one of the smallest parades ever. There was only one actress and Sa...

In Albania , Christmas is one of the most popular festivals and celebrated with great merriment by the local people who observe the occassion as a commemoration of the birth of Lord Jesus. The population of the country is mixed with Muslems and Christians. But Christmas in Albania is unique, what with both the communities celebrating the occassion with almost equal fervor. Albanians share a wonderful bond with their family members and for them, family values stand above anything else. Hence Christmas in Albania is a family affair. Here, people love to celebrate the festival in the company of their entire family. The Christmas traditions observed here are more or less similar to that of the rest of the world. Popular customs such as attending the midnight mass on 24th night and going to the church in the morning is religiously followed by all the Christians of Albania. The gift giving tradition, as observed in other western countries, has been in practice here to...

    All Saints' Day  (in the Roman Catholic Church officially the  Solemnity of All Saints  and also called  All Hallows  or  Hallowmas ), often shortened to  All Saints , is a solemnity celebrated on 1 November by parts of Western Christianity, and on the first Sunday after Pentecost in Eastern Christianity, in honor of all the saints, known and unknown.    In Western Christian theology, the day commemorates all those who have attained the beatific vision in Heaven. It is a national holiday in many historically Catholic countries. In the Roman Catholic Church, the next day, All Souls' Day, specifically commemorates the departed faithful who have not yet been purified and reached heaven. Catholics celebrate All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day in the fundamental belief that there is a prayerful spiritual communion between those in the state of grace who have died and are either being purified in purgatory or are in heaven ...

   This recipe comes from sallysbakingaddiction.com  .   Here's a recipe for some small, tasty mini cakes, for not just you, but for the loved ones in your life. I had my first bake sale this past weekend. Reader Maggie (hi Maggie!) from the Hillyer Art Space in DC approached me this summer and asked that I bring and sell a few baked goods to their art showing. The  original brownie cupcakes  on my blog have been so popular, I knew a fall-inspired version of them would be a huge hit. Plus, I’m a tad obsessed with pumpkin and I don’t think I’m alone in that.  Needless to say, these babies were the first item to sell out. For the cupcakes, I remixed my original recipe and melted some good quality chocolate in the batter instead of cocoa powder. The melted chocolate makes these brownie cupcakes dense, rich, moist, and decadent. Pure chocolate decadence.  Is there really anything better? Yes. ...