By Mary-Eileen Gallagher
This month, let us eat, drink and be merry! Seriously, we don’t have to wait for St. Patrick’s Day to celebrate life with food and (green) drink.
So, carpe diem in the kitchen! Live life to the fullest – stomach, that is – and dream as if you’ll eat forever.
March is full of hidden food holidays begging to be celebrated. So mark your calendars and gather your friends to party.
March 1: National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day Two ingredients to paradise: a peanut butter jar and a silver spoon. Whether it is Skippy, Jif, Teddy’s or PB ‘ Co., today is a guilt-free indulgence into your favorite fetish.
March 2: National Peanut Month “No man in the world has more courage than the man who can stop after eating one peanut,” according to Channing Pollock. Great News! Yesterday wasn’t a fluke – March is National Peanut Month so you can celebrate peanuts all month long.
March 3: National Mulled Wine Day Heated and spiced, mulled wine warms any winter night. Stick to the $7 to $10 wines, and serve it in mugs with sliced fruits.
March 4: National Pound Cake Day Buy it by the pound in the freezer department, let it thaw in your refrigerator, then top with strawberries and whipped cream.
March 5: National Cheez Doodle Day They’re cheesy, they’re poofy, they’ll stain your fingers orange and now they’re art! Check out this Cheez Doodle sculpture www.photo.net/photo/pcd0087/cheese-doodles-wide-60 or be creative and make your own.
March 6: National Frozen Food Day Frozen pizza is a no-brainer; so be bold, be brave and try something new.
March 7: National Caffeine Awareness Month Spend the extra buck at Starbucks to satisfy your caffeine craving. Words to remember: Venti, extra shot and yes to whip cream.
March 8: National Peanut Cluster Day Visit the store at Prudential or the cart in Copley mall for a delicious, handmade peanut cluster from Truffles Fine Confections.
March 9: National School Breakfast Week Touted as the most important meal of the day, studies also show that eating breakfast promotes weight loss, helps concentration and improves overall nutrition. Set your alarm.
March 10: National Blueberry PopOver Day Gratify that grumbling a.m. tummy and honor this day with a pair of frosted blueberry Pop-Tarts.
March 11: Johnny Appleseed Day He walked barefoot, wore a metal pot on his head and planted apple trees across the American frontier. Johnny Appleseed died at age 74 (after more than 50 years of travel), confirming the old adage that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
March 12: National Baked Scallops Day Gain access and insight to Legal Seafood’s baked scallop recipe at www.recipezaar.com, search recipe number 86307.
March 13: National Peanut Month – remember? Also known as goobers, goober peas, pindars, ground nuts, earth nuts, monkey nuts, and grass nuts, peanuts are not even nuts, but members of the pea family. Americans are still nuts for them though, consuming 700 million pounds of peanut butter per year.
March 14: National Potato Chip Day In 1853, America’s favorite snack food was invented by mistake. One evening at Moon’s Lake House restaurant in Saratoga Springs, N.Y., a finicky customer continually sent his French fries back to the kitchen, complaining they were too thick. Utterly flabbergasted, Chef George Crum sliced the next batch so thin that they couldn’t even be pierced with a fork, hoping to rile the unruly customer. But the customer loved them, and the rest is history.
March 15: American Chocolate Week A ticket to the chocolate buffet bar at the Langham Hotel is just one of the delicious stops on the Boston Chocolate Trolley tour. If money is no object in fueling your chocolate addiction, this will be the best ride of your life.
March 16: National Artichoke Hearts Day Drain one can of artichoke hearts and blend in a food professor. Transfer to a baking dish and add 1 cup mayo, 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese and 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder; mix until evenly blended; bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Dip with chips.
March 17: St. Patrick’s Day! National Green Beer Day Food and beverage sales skyrocket on St. Patrick’s Day, making it one of the most lucrative days for restaurants and bars. Take part in the festivities at an authentic Irish pub like Black Rose, 160 State St.
March 18: National Oatmeal Cookie Day Eighty-percent of U.S. households have oatmeal in their cupboards, making it the perfect cookie to make anytime! Add raisins, cranberries, white chocolate chips or macadamia nuts for a tasty texture.
March 19: National Chocolate Caramel Day To honor this day, you’ll need three things: one box of brownie mix, chocolate Hershey bars (8) and one bag of caramels, morsels unwrapped. Prepare the brownie mix according to the package. Pour half of the batter in a 9×13 baking dish; top with layer of chocolate bars then a layer of caramels. Pour in remaining batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.
March 20: National Ravioli Day Celebrate stuffed pasta in the North End. The wild mushroom ravioli at Rabia’s Ristorante, the Lobster ravioli at Dino’s and the cheese ravioli at Grill 417 are all under $15.
March 21: National French Bread Day Thaw the final chills of March with a giant French bread bowl from Au Bon Pain filled with your favorite hot soup.
March 22: National Sauce Month Recipe for Applesauce BBQ Sauce: Combine 1 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup ketchup, 2 cups unpacked brown sugar, 6 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool completely before brushing on meat.
March 23: National Chip and Dip Day These chips were made for dipping! Buy a bag of Tostitos Scoops and dip with delight into salsa, guacamole, nacho cheese, sour cream or layered bean dip.
March 24: National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day Raisins, deemed “nature’s candy,” became my candy when Nestl
