DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

  Chocolate has the incredible ability to stand alone quite nicely while playing along with loads of other prominent ingredients—without being a bully. And that is why a brownie sundae can be so frustrating: How can you settle on one ice cream flavor or a single sauce? We figured Father's Day is the right time to have a brownie sundae  your  way. Dads have soft spots for cuteness, so serving up a brownie raft supporting mini-scoops of three different ice creams adrift in three different sauces will tickle him to no end. Feel free to use whatever ice cream flavors are the family favorites.  ingredients 6 (6- by 1 1/2 -inch) strips of  the Ultimate Brownie 1 pint each of vanilla, chocolate, and coffee ice cream Red Berry Sauce Warm Chocolate Fudge Sauce Marshmallow Sauce Special equipment: A small (1 3/4- to 1 1/2-inch-wide) ice cream scoop (optional) preparation Put brownie strips on each of 6 plates and top with small scoops (o...

COSTUMED WITH A MEDIEVAL AIR     A sport for all times, the Calcio Storico or traditional football played in costume, in Florence, Italy, dates back to the 15th century. Woven with Italian brain, brawn and passion, the Calcio Storico was played by the aristocratic young noble men in front of the Basilica of Santa Croce and some times in the areas of Via Il Prato, Piazza della Signoria or Piazza Santa Maria Novella in celebration of the Feast of St. John. Held every year on June 24th, the awesome pageant of the Calcio Storico takes you to its ancient origins where ‘calcio in costume’ or ‘costume football’ was played for over 500 years. The playing field     With traditional districts to identify each of the four teams, the Calcio Storico, ‘calcio livrea’ or ‘football in livery’, colors the spirited pageant with the teams dressed in different colors, blue for St. Croce, red for St. Maria Novella, white for St. Spirito and green for St. Gi...

   Creating a spring or summer décor is simple – just use something green – plants, flowers or create pieces like these for decoration – pea and moss balls. The supplies are: Mod Podge in matte, green acrylic paint, one package of six smooth foam balls, a bag of green moss, and a bag of dried split peas. First paint the balls with acrylic paint and let dry. Paint Mod Podge and press the pieces of moss or the peas to the ball. When gluing moss, do it half by half, when gluing peas, take smaller sections and wait for 5 minutes to let the peas grip. Now you can arrange these balls into some bowls or baskets and decorate any place with this light summer touch.

The late Richard Sax, celebrated cookbook author and champion of home cooks the world over, inspired this flourless chocolate cake—a riff on his iconic chocolate cloud cake. ingredients Cake: 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces, plus more, room temperature, for pan 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided, plus more for pan 10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (61%-72% cacao), coarsely chopped 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 6 large eggs 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt Topping: 1 cup chilled heavy cream 1/2 cup mascarpone 3 tablespoons powdered sugar Special equipment: A 9"-diameter springform pan preparation For cake:  Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter springform pan and dust with sugar, tapping out any excess. Combine chocolate, oil, and 1/2 cup butter in a large heatproof bowl. Set over a saucepan of simmering water and heat, stir...

    Is it called  Memorial Day or  Decoration Day?      Many people, especially those in the south, ask themselves this question every year. Compounding the confusion is the fact that both celebrations are often held on the same weekend in May. Most of us have participated in Memorial Day celebrations. I've had the experience of participating in several Decoration Day celebrations as well. According to  History.com  Memorial Day was first celebrated as Decoration Day. This day first happened officially a few years after the Civil Warn ended on May 30, 1868.     General John Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic is widely credited for the original proclamation. This held great importance even though the Grand Army of the Republic was a group of former soldiers and sailors and not a governmental organization. President    Richard Nixon  officially declared Memorial Day to be a fed...

F or a Southerner, a  MoonPie  is the perfect accompaniment to a  Royal Crown Cola . This graham cracker cookie and marshmallow sandwich covered in chocolate has been around for nearly 100 years (the trademark was registered in 1919), and they're still made by the Chattanooga Bakery in Tennessee, the bakery that first produced them. But among the crowds flocking to the Gulf Coast during Carnival, the MoonPie is mostly known for being a Mardi Gras throw (one of the things tossed from parading groups on Fat Tuesday). Children and adults alike clamor for the individually wrapped banana- and chocolate-flavored pies, which help tide the spectators over as the floats roll by. In Mobile, Alabama, home to  America's first Mardi Gras celebrations , MoonPies have become so synonymous with the city and Carnival, that local officials now drop a neon MoonPie from a local office tower on New Year's Eve. Moonpies are traditionally thrown from Mardi Gras f...

    Christmas is a time of presents, anticipation, excitement and goodwill virtually anywhere in the world. In different parts of the world, however, the specific traditions used to celebrate Christmas can vary widely. 10 United States Here in America, a typical tradition at Christmas time is to leave a tray of cookies and a cup of milk out for jolly old Santa Claus. Santa makes his list of the boys and girls that have been either naughty or nice, and comes to their home on the night before Christmas. Santa will leave the good children a gift made by the elves at the North Pole, and he will leave the naughty children nothing but coal in their Christmas stockings. 9 Venezuela During Christmas time in Caracas, Venezuela, from December 16 to December 24, the streets are closed for the roller skating mass. Yes, that is exactly what it sounds like: a mass of people roller skating together through town. Frustrating for those trying to make their way t...

This sophisticated mashup of the campfire classic uses Nutella to bind the graham cracker crust and coffee to deepen the chocolate flavor in the rich ganache filling. ingredients Graham cracker crust: 9 whole graham crackers, ground finely in a food processor 2 tablespoons heavy cream 2 tablespoons Nutella 1 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, melted 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted Coffee ganache: 12 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 61% cacao), finely chopped 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" cubes 1 1/4 cups heavy cream 2 tablespoons finely ground coffee beans Meringue: 2 large egg whites 1/2 cup sugar Special equipment: One 9" metal or glass pie dish; a kitchen torch (optional) preparation For graham cracker crust: Mix graham cracker crumbs and remaining ingredients in a small bowl to blend. Press mixture onto bottom and up sides of pie dish; chill until crust is fi...

To get a super-light mousse, you'll need to properly fold together the whipped cream, egg whites, and melted chocolate. ingredients 1 pie crust, homemade or store-bought 4 large egg whites 3/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar 10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (do not exceed 71% cacao), chopped, plus more shaved with a vegetable peeler for garnish 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 4 cups heavy cream, divided 1 cup coarsely crushed chocolate wafer cookies (such as Nabisco Famous Chocolate Wafers), divided 1/2 cup crème fraîche 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt Special equipment: A 9" pie dish preparation Preheat oven to 350°F. Line pie dish with crust; crimp edges decoratively. Fully bake pie crust according to recipe or box instructions. Let cool completely. Whisk egg whites and sugar in a medium heatproof bowl set over a medium saucepan of simmering water until sugar dissolves and egg whites are warm but not hot, 3–4 minutes. Remove from ...