If you saw my calendar, you'd find a holiday on almost every day of the year (Sandra Boynton is a great one to follow!). I love keeping track of the fun holidays that people have come up with and celebrating them when we feel like it! Today I wanted to share our favorites.
January 9th is National Whipped Cream Day
Whipped cream is my favorite! You'll notice a lot of our favorite "fun" holidays revolve around food 😅
January 8th is Bubble Bath Day
The kids love this day! I know a lot of adults probably do as well, but I have to admit I am not a bath person.
January 15 is Strawberry Ice Cream Day
We love ice cream in our family! This day led to a new favorite homemade ice cream recipe last year.
Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
8 ounces cream cheese
1 scant cup strawberry puree
1 cup almond milk
2 cups cream
½ tsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
Mix all ingredients together in blender. Freeze in an ice cream machine or popsicle molds.
The third Saturday of January is Soup Swap Day
I don't love most soups, but Ben does and there are some that I really like. It's fun to get together with other people to celebrate.
January 27 is National Chocolate Cake Day
Another food holiday! Any chance to make extra treats, I'll take it.
February 1 is Work Naked Day
Okay, so I'll admit we never actually celebrate this one, but it's fun to have it on the calendar.
The first Saturday of February is Eat Ice Cream for Breakfast Day
This is one we never miss celebrating! I usually make pancakes and we have ice cream on top of our pancakes (something my mom used to do with us on special occasions).
February 9 is National Pizza Day
I never miss a chance to eat some pizza! I love making homemade pizza to celebrate (I always use my bread machine to mix the dough and then form into 8 individual pizzas).
Pizza Crust
3 ½ cups flour
1 ½ tsp salt
3 tbsp olive oil
1 ¼ cup warm water
1 tsp yeast (scant)
*Optional 2-3 Tbsp honey
February 11 is Get Out Your Guitar Day
I love watching Ben play guitar. It always reminds me of when we were dating.
February 25 is Chocolate Covered Nut Day
One of Ben's favorite treats is chocolate covered almonds. We don't get them often, but sometimes we'll buy some to celebrate. I've also used a good homemade chocolate recipe to make some, which is my favorite.
Homemade Chocolate
½ cup raw cacao butter
1/4 cup cacao powder
2 tbsp honey or pure maple syrup (I prefer the maple syrup taste)
Place the cacao butter in a heatproof bowl set over a small pot of boiling water. Whisk for 1-2 minutes until the butter has started to melt but there are still a few small solid pieces. Remove from heat, add the honey and cacao powder, then whisk vigorously to combine and make a smooth, thin syrup. If it’s too thick, you can return to the heat for 30 seconds.
March 2 is Dr. Seuss's Birthday
This is one the kids' favorite "fun" holidays! We always start the day with Green Eggs and Ham for breakfast. We always read a lot of his books together and then I'll use YouTube to find read alouds of some of his books that we don't own. For other activities, I go to Pinterest for ideas. One thing we did last year was make pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream for dinner, piling them together to make hats from The Cat in the Hat. I usually have at least one craft project as well.
March 7 is National Cereal Day
We don't usually buy cereal at our house, so it's a special treat when we do.
March 10 is Mario Day
It's always fun to find an excuse to play some Nintendo games (like Mario Kart or Mario Party) together.
March 14 is Pi Day
With a math teacher for a mom, this was a holiday I grew up with! I love pie and will always take the opportunity to make some (we've also done Chicken Pot Pie or pizza for dinner as well).
Easy Pie Crust
1 ¼ cups flour (I do half soft white wheat, half white flour)
½ teaspoon salt
4-12 tablespoons water
⅓ cup lard
In a bowl add the flour and salt, mix to combine.
Add the fat and cut into the flour until approximately pea-sized pieces remain.
Add the water a tablespoon at a time stirring it in with a fork. Only add enough water to moisten the flour and make the dough come into a ball.
Gather the dough into a ball. Chill in the fridge.
On a well-floured surface place the dough and pat it out into a circle. Flour the top of the dough too and roll out into a circle. Rolling only away from you and turning as you go. Add more flour as needed to keep dough from sticking.
Once the dough is large enough, seat into a pie plate. Tuck in any overhanging dough and flute the edges.
If baking with filling, follow pie instructions. If baking pie crust empty, poke pie crust with fork and preheat to 475. Bake 7-10 minutes or until pie crust is golden brown.
March 25 is Waffle Day
Again, it's a great excuse to make some waffles!
Sunbeam Waffles
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup fresh ground corn flour (dried corn kernels ground into flour)
3 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp salt
4 large eggs
2 cups milk
1 ½ tsp vanilla
3 tbsp melted butter or Olive oil
Melt butter. Beat eggs in a medium sized bowl for 1 minute. Add milk and vanilla to eggs. Sift in dry ingredients and blend on medium speed. Blend in cooled butter. Pour in about 1 cup portions on waffle iron. Enjoy with butter and maple syrup.
March 28 is Something on a Stick Day
I love this unique holiday. One of our favorite things to do is make homemade corndogs (something we basically make once a year). You could also easily do kabobs.
Homemade Corn Dogs
1 cup corn flour
1 cup wheat flour
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
¼ cup honey
4 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk
In medium bowl combine corn flour, flour, and baking powder. Stir in egg, honey, and milk. Take hot dogs and put on sticks. Dip in batter and fry in oil.
March 30 is Take a Walk in the Park Day
I love any excuse to take the kids to the park (I don't feel like I do it enough). The end of March is also usually when it's finally starting to warm up.
April 5 is Caramel Day
Caramel is one of my favorite treats and I have a recipe I love. We like to make it softer, for dipping apples in, or letting it boil more to make actual caramel candies or apples.
Homemade Caramel
1 cup sugar
2 cups heavy cream
1 ½ tbsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp butter
Combine sugar and cream in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir occasionally while it cooks. Continue cooking until it reaches the soft ball stage (check with ice water).
Remove pan from heat and add in vanilla and butter. Stir until butter is completely melted and combined.
Pour into a generously buttered 8X8 pan, or smaller for thick caramels. Place in freezer to harden for 30 minutes. Cut into squares.
April 12 is Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
We don't do grilled cheese often, but it is one of my favorite treat meals. One thing we love to do is buy a sour dough white loaf bread from the store and make grilled cheese with it.
April 13 is International Kissing Day
What else do I need to say here?
April 25 is Zucchini Bread Day
Zucchini bread is one of our family's favorite treats! I don't know why this day falls in spring rather in late summer when everyone has too much zucchini from their gardens, but I'm fine making it both times.
Zucchini Bread
3 eggs
1 cup oil
2 cups zucchini
2 cups sugar (1 ½ honey)
3 cups flour (4 cups white wheat flour)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp baking powder
1 tsp pumpkin spice (or ¼ ginger, ¼ cloves, ½ cinnamon)
3 tsp vanilla
Cream sugar, oil, and eggs. Mix rest.
Makes 2 loaves. Bake 1 hour at 325.
May 2 is National Truffle Day
I love making truffles, but they are more involved, so the only time I make them is on National Truffle Day. One flavor I always make is Oreo Truffles. I make my homemade Oreos, mix them cream cheese, and roll them into balls. I freeze the balls for about 30 minutes while I melt chocolate chips (with some coconut oil) and then I cover the balls with the melted chocolate. I use Pinterest recipes to try new flavors as well (last year we did a peanut butter one and a lemon one and we loved both, though we've tried sugar cookie and didn't like that as much).
Chocolate Oreo Cookies
½ cup butter, softened to room temperature
⅓ cup evaporated cane juice
⅓ cup honey
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 - 1 ½ cup soft white wheat flour
½ cup + 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
⅛ tsp salt
2 tbsp milk
In a large bowl, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the evaporated cane juice and honey and beat on medium high speed until fluffy and light in color. Beat in egg and vanilla on high speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed.
In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt together until combined. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The cookie dough will be quite thick.
Switch to high speed and beat in the milk. The cookie dough will be sticky. Cover dough tightly with aluminum foil or plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Chilling is mandatory for this cookie dough.
Remove cookie dough from the refrigerator and allow to sit at room temperature for 20 minutes-- if the cookie dough chilled longer than 3 hours, let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes. This makes the cookie dough easier to scoop and roll.
Preheat oven to 350. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. Scoop and roll balls of dough, about ½ tablespoon of dough each, into balls. Place on the baking sheets.
Bake the cookies for 8 minutes. The baked cookies will look extremely soft in the centers when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. They will slightly deflate as you let them cool. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
May 3 is Harry Potter Day
As a Harry Potter fan, I am really excited about this one. We only just discovered it, so this will be our first year celebrating it.
May 4 is Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you)
I have to admit I am not the biggest Star Wars fan (though I do enjoy it). We always watch the movies with our kids, though, and try to do Star Wars themed activities and foods on this day.
May 13 is National Apple Pie Day
Apple pie is my favorite pie (maybe Ben's as well, though his might be pumpkin).
The Best Apple Pie
2 unbaked pie crusts
6 cups peeled, thinly sliced dark green apples (about one apple per cup)
½ cup evaporated cane juice
2 tbsp soft white wheat flour
½ tsp cinnamon
⅛ tsp ground nutmeg
Preheat oven to 375.
Toss apple slices flour, sugar, and spices. Spread one pie crust on a pie plate (covering the edges), put apple mixture in. Cover with second pie crust, press the edges together with your fingers, draw four or five lines in the middle of the top pie crust.
Cover entire pie with tin foil. Bake 40 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes, until edges of pie crust start turning brown.
Eat warm with ice cream or let cool.
The third Friday in May is Pizza Party Day
Once again, any excuse to eat pizza! There are actually quite a few different pizza holidays, and we like to celebrate them all.
May 21 is Strawberries and Cream Day and Talk Like Yoda Day
Talk Like Yoda Day is a must to celebrate! And one of my favorite treats happens to be strawberries with whipped cream, so that's how I always celebrate this holiday. It helps that by May, strawberries start to be more in season.
May 24 is National Scavenger Hunt Day
I always love to celebrate by making a scavenger hunt for the kids to do, with some sort of prize at the end (usually quarters). I get a lot of ideas for it from Pinterest.
May 28 is National Burger Day
We love homemade hamburgers at our house! I use my bread recipe, but instead of forming it into a loaf, I let my bread machine mix the dough and then form it into hamburger buns. We get our hamburger patties from our local meat plant and use our air fryer to cook them.
June 7 is National Donut Day and Chocolate Ice Cream Day
Two great things on the same day! We have a great recipe for both chocolate ice cream and donuts (though we also love to buy donuts from a couple local places as well).
Chocolate Ice Cream
2 cups cream
2 cups milk (we use powdered milk from the LDS cannery)
⅔ cups pure maple syrup (or sugar)
¼ cup cocoa powder (we use Dutch cocoa)
½ teaspoon salt
Mix together in a blender, then freeze in an ice cream machine or popsicle molds.
Glazed Donuts
¾ cup butter milk (or ¾ cup almond milk + 2 tsps white vinegar, mix and let sit a minute)
6 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 egg, beaten
¼ cup butter
3 ½ - 4 cups white wheat flour (do not get too much flour)
1 ½ tsp SAF yeast
Mix in bread machine on dough cycle. Roll out and cut out donut shapes. Let rise about 30-60 minutes.
Fry in oil about 350. We’ve had the best luck flipping them every few seconds until both sides are golden. (In the air fryer, bake at 350 for about 4 minutes)
Donut glaze:
6 tbsp butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsp hot water
Heat in a pan on the stove until combined. Dip donuts while donuts and glaze are still warm.
June 12 is Red Rose Day
I haven't actually done this yet, but I would love to get a red rose for each of my girls on this day. I think they would love it.
July 17 is National Ice Cream Day
We love making ice cream at our house, but Ben and I more often make it when the kids are in bed. Holidays involving ice cream are a great excuse to make some for the kids too.
Vanilla Ice Cream
2 cups cream
2 cups milk (we use powdered milk from the cannery)
½ cup maple syrup
¼ cup unflavored whey protein powder
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
Mix together in a blender, then freeze in an ice cream machine or popsicle molds.
July 18 is National Hot Dog Day
One of our favorite summer activities is roasting hot dogs with Ben's parents. Hot dog day is a great time to do so!
July 30 is National Cheesecake Day
Cheesecake is another of Ben and my favorite dessert, though we don't have it often.
Homemade Cheesecake
1 graham cracker crust, lined in a cheesecake pan
1 pound cream cheese, 2 (8-ounce) blocks, softened
3 eggs
¾ cup honey or sugar
2 cups plain Greek yogurt
1 lemon, zested
1 dash vanilla extract
Preheat the oven to 325.
Beat the cream cheese on low speed for 1 minute until smooth and free of any lumps. Add the eggs and continue to beat slowly until combined. Gradually add honey and beat until creamy, for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add yogurt, lemon zest, and vanilla. Periodically scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beaters. The batter should be well-mixed but not overbeaten. Pour the filling into the crust-lined pan and smooth the top with a spatula.
*The pan can be surrounded by thick tinfoil and placed in a pan of water to help the batter bake more evenly
Pour into cake pan, filled three quarters. Bake for 45-75 minutes. The cheesecake should still jiggle (it will firm up after chilling).
Let cool in pan for 30 minutes. Chill in the refrigerator, loosely covered, for at least 4 hours.
August 2 is Ice Cream Sandwich Day
I have always loved ice cream sandwiches, though again, they aren't a treat we have very often. We sometimes buy them from the store, but I also love using my Oreo cookie recipe to make homemade ice cream sandwiches. They are the yummiest!
August 3 is Watermelon Day
We love watermelon!
August 4 is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day
Chocolate chip cookies are my favorite kind of cookies and I love the recipe I have. I always at least double the recipe and I also love doing half chocolate chips, half another flavor of chips (like white chocolate or butterscotch), which is something I remember my mom doing. We prefer softer cookies, so I always do slightly less flour (the dough is pretty sticky when I cook it) and cook it for less time (they look doughy until they cool).
Chocolate Chip Cookies
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, softened to room temperature
2/3 cup pure maple syrup or brown sugar
1/4 cup evaporated cane juice (sugar)
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups wheat flour
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (I do half white or butterscotch, half chocolate)
In a large bowl using a hand-held mixer or stand mixer with paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on medium speed until completely smooth and creamy. Add the brown sugar and granulated sugar and mix on medium speed until fluffy and light in color. Mix in egg and vanilla. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl as needed. In a separate bowl, combine flour, cornstarch, baking soda and salt. On low speed, slowly mix into the wet ingredients until combined. The dough will be sticky. Add the chocolate chips and mix for about 5 seconds until evenly distributed.
Preheat oven to 350°. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside. Roll balls of dough, about 1 tbsp of dough each, into balls.
Bake for 7-10 minutes, until barely golden brown around the edges. They will look extremely soft when you remove them from the oven. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely.
August 8 is National Pickleball Day
Pickleball is something that Ben and I recently have grown to love.
August 10 is S'mores Day
This is another great time to make a fire with Ben's parents and roast hot dogs and s'mores!
August 31 is Eat Outside Day
I remember as a child loving picnics. As an adult, we don't do picnics nearly as much as I thought I would when I was a child. This is a great chance to get outside and have a picnic with the kids.
September 4 is Eat an Extra Dessert Day
Who wouldn't want to celebrate this holiday?
September 5 is Cheese Pizza Day
Another pizza holiday! Cheese pizza is the kids' favorite kind.
September 7 is Buy a Book Day
Now this is my kind of holiday 😁
September 12 is Chocolate Milkshake Day
Milkshakes are a favorite at our house. We love making milkshakes with leftover homemade ice cream and we also love going out to places like Wendy's to get a Frosty (though it happens once a year or less).
September 13 is Roald Dahl Day
I have to admit, we have yet to celebrate this day, though I've read all of his books aloud to the kids (they LOVE his books). I've seen others do fun things to celebrate this day, though, and I really want to do some fun activities/food for it this year.
September 18 is Rice Krispies Day
Rice Krispies have never been my favorite treat, but Ben loves them. We always make them on Rice Krispies Day and in addition to regular Rice Krispie Treats, I always make my own version (that is healthier, but also that I love the taste of more, because it doesn't use marshmallows).
Healthy Rice Krispie Treats
⅔ cup brown rice syrup
¼ cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp salt
4 cups brown rice crisp cereal
Combine the coconut oil and brown rice syrup in a saucepan over medium heat, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Boil for one minute, then remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract and salt. Pour the cereal into a large mixing bowl and stir in the boiled syrup mixture until the cereal is well-coated.
Line a 9-inch baking sheet with parchment paper to prevent sticking, then spread the coated cereal in the pan. Use an additional piece of parchment paper over the top of the cereal, to keep your hands from getting sticky, then press HARD to pack the cereal tightly into the bottom of the pan. The harder you press, the better.
Place the bars into the freezer to cool for 45 minutes, then remove the pan and bring the bars to room temperature.
September 22 is Hobbit Day
We love the Japanese-American made cartoon of The Hobbit. I have major nostalgia for it from my own childhood and the kids and I watch it every year on Hobbit Day.
October 4 is National Cinnamon Day and Taco Day
Tacos are a family favorite (except for Rylee, who only eats quesadillas). We always use ground turkey and season it with plenty of taco seasoning. Then we make refried beans and heat corn shells on the stove with cheese until it's melted.
To celebrate Cinnamon Day, we always make cinnamon rolls, another family favorite.
Cinnamon Rolls
1 cup warm milk
1 tsp salt
¼ cup honey
¼ cup butter
2 beaten eggs
3 ½-4 cups white wheat flour
1 ½ tsp yeast
1 tbsp vital wheat gluten
Mix in bread machine on dough cycle. Roll out on pastry cloth. Spread ⅛ cup butter melted on dough and sprinkle ⅓ cup sugar over butter. Then sprinkle generously with cinnamon. Roll and cut.
Place on cookie sheet and let rise double. Bake at 350 for 18-23 minutes.
October 31 is Caramel Apple Day
Ben and I always used to raid our kids' candy after they went to bed on Halloween, but we always ended up regretting it--it never tasted as good as it sounded and made us feel awful. Our new tradition is for me to make homemade caramel apples in the morning so that after the kids go to bed, Ben and I can have our special treat instead of candy. They always taste amazing and never make us feel sick.
November 16 is National Fast Food Day
We rarely get fast food (other than pizza, which we probably get too often), but we always have fast food on this day. Each person can choose whatever fast food they want, even it means I drive to three different drive throughs.
December 8 is National Brownies Day
Brownies have long been one of my favorite desserts. I have a recipe that I love--they have the same amazing texture as box brownies but are rich and chocolatey (and less sugary) than from the store.
Better than Box Brownies
1 cup olive oil
2 cups evaporated cane juice (sugar)
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup soft white wheat flour
1 ¼ cup good quality, unsweetened cocoa powder
Preheat oven to 325°F. Move oven shelf to the top slot.
Lightly grease an 9X11 with cooking oil spray. Line with parchment paper (or baking paper); set aside.
Combine oil and sugars together in a medium-sized bowl. Whisk well to combine. Add the eggs and vanilla; beat until lighter in color (another minute).
Sift in flour, cocoa powder and salt. Gently fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until JUST combined (do NOT over beat as doing so will affect the texture of your brownies).
Pour batter into the prepared pan (if using a glass pan, line with parchment paper), smoothing the top out evenly.
Bake for 50-60 minutes or until testing with a toothpick, the toothpick should come out dirty (slightly clumpy) for fudge-textured brownies. Watch closely, do not overcook.
After 5-10 minutes, carefully remove them out of the pan (if overcooked, take out immediately) and allow to cool to room temperature before slicing into 16 brownies.
*For halving the batch, bake in a 8X8 pan for 45-50 minutes
December 13 is Ice Cream Day
Another day to celebrate by eating ice cream! I won't complain!
There are lot of fun holidays out there and I love seeing all of them! These are our family's favorites and I love the memories and family culture these create for us.
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