DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Here's a list of the National food holidays for the month of June: June 1:  National Hazelnut Cake Day June 2:  National Rocky Road Ice Cream Day June 3:  National Egg Day June 4:  National Cheese Day June 4:  National Frozen Yogurt Day June 4:  National Cognac Day June 5:  National Gingerbread Day June 6:  National Applesauce Cake Day June 7:  National Chocolate Ice Cream Day June 8:  Jelly-Filled Doughnut Day June 8:  World Oceans Day (Sustainable Seafood) June 9:  National Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Day June 10:  Herbs & Spices Day June 10:  National Iced Tea Day June 10:  National Black Cow* Day /*A root beer float June 11:  National German Chocolate Cake Day June 12:  International Cachaça Day June 12:  National Peanut Butter Cookie Day June 13:  Kitchen Klutzes of America Day June 14:...

     The Royal Highland Show  is Scotland’s leading outdoor event showcasing all that’s best in farming, food and countryside.     The show will be the 174th and the 54th to be held at Ingliston, near Edinburgh. It regularly attracts over 175,000 visitors with the 2010 attendance breaking all records at 187,644.     Sponsored by The Royal Bank of Scotland, the show is one of the country’s most iconic and historic brands, mixing serious agri-business with fun, music and entertainment. For 2014, the show will run from June 19th to the 22nd.     Look out too for the Countryside Area, Forestry Arena, Agri-Trade Area, Children’s Discovery Centre, Outdoor Living Area, Motor Zone, Equestrian Village, Renewables Section, Food and Drink Hall, Shopping Arcade, Honey Marquee and Handcrafts Pavilion...not to mention 5000 of the UK’s finest cattle, sheep, goats and horses plus competitions, demonstrations and lo...

Banana Cream Pie Cupcakes give you the taste of pie in a fun cupcake. Recently, I tried new Betty Crocker® FUN da-Middles™ cupcake mix. The concept is great. The cupcakes bake up with a fun filling inside, so there is no need to frost them. I enjoy them plain but thought it would be fun to jazz them up and create a gourmet-type cupcake. I love the taste of banana cream pie. So when I saw the vanilla FUN da-Middles™, I thought they would make the best base for a Banana Cream Pie Cupcake concoction. If you’re like me, you will love these delicious cupcakes. They are so easy to make and don’t require many extra ingredients to turn out amazing treats. I started by stirring in some instant banana pudding mix into the filling. Before I added the mix to the cupcake liners, I put a vanilla cookie in the bottom of each cup. Then I followed the directions on the box for adding the cream and topping with more batter. It’s super easy and fun to do! ...

  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...