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Microwave Oven Day

December 6: Microwave Oven Day

When you think of things you make exclusively in the microwave, what do you think of? Lean Cuisines? HUNGRY MAN? Popcorn?

I actually make popcorn NOT in the microwave under normal circumstances, but in honor of Microwave Oven Day, I decided to make an exception.

At work we have a “Munchie Mart”, where you can buy snacks and the proceeds go to our employee recognition events. Some of the snacks have little notes on them and you’re encouraged to give them to your coworkers. Or… yourself?

Tomorrow: National Cotton Candy Day

National Sacher Torte Day

December 5: National Sacher Torte Day!

Sacher Torte! I don’t know what that is! I thought all tortes are created equal… but apparently that’s not the case. Since I’ve begun this Quest, I’ve tried to read a week or so in advance to see if I’ll need to special order anything (see: chocolate covered bugs) or make a special trip somewhere. I guess Sacher torte slipped through the cracks. I assumed it was just like, a torte. Um, no. It’s some fancy Austrian thing I guess? Viennese? From what I can gather (again, based on MEMORY since I’m flying through the air at like, 500 miles an hour or whatever and cut off from civilization as we know it aka wikipedia. Anyway, it’s a chocolate cake with some raspberry (I think!) layer and a chocolate ganache coating.

I guess people special order these suckers for NATIONAL Sacher Torte Day? Who knew? These are probably the same people who buy Nouveau Beaujolais at 12:01am.

What further complicated my completing this mission of my Quest was that I had my work Christmas party after work on December 5th from 5pm-10pm. How was I going to procure (or god forbid MAKE) a torte after my party??

Work to the rescue!

One of my department’s supervisors was promoted and switching out of our department, so there was a big ole cake. A big ole chocolate cake with raspberry filling and chocolate frosting. If that’s not the poor man’s version of a torte, I don’t know what is!

Tomorrow: Microwave Oven Day

National Apple Pie Day

December 3: National Apple Pie Day

Don’t you feel like apple pie day should be in the fall? A HARVEST type of thing? No, you don’t think that? Well, you’re wrong.

I had a plan to get an apple pie from McDonald’s if necessary, but as it turned out, I had made an apple pie for a Thanksgiving potluck at work and had taken a leftover piece home and stuck it in the freezer. It pays to look ahead at the food days calendar!!

Tomorrow: National Cookie Day

National Fritters Day

December 2: National Fritters Day

I had planned on buying an apple fritter from some place (a doughnut store? Is that where you buy a fritter? Obviously I hadn’t planned far enough in advance to figure out where to get a fritter…), but then I got home and the idea of leaving to buy a fritter was beyond annoying. I had a giant apple (helllloooo honey crisp!) and the other necessary ingredients so why not venture into the world of deep frying at home again! Because the last time went SO WELL. Not.

This fry session was decidedly better than the last. At least this time I thought the end product was edible. Would I make it again? No, probably not. The grease burns and left over oil are a pain and I realized I prefer my apples crisp and… not hot. Wait, does this mean I don’t like fritters? Did I do it wrong? Are they supposed to stay crispy? They weren’t soggy, but they didn’t SNAP or anything, which is obviously the best part of an apple.

Tomorrow: National Apple Pie Day

National Pie Day

December 1: National Pie Day

Guys, I normally just go with the flow with the assigned days, but everyone knows that PI(E) DAY is March 14 (3.14). I mean, COME ON. March 14 is apparently National Potato Chip Day. What sense does THAT make?

But whatever, no harm no foul since I had leftover Thanksgiving pie. Hooray!

Tomorrow: National Fritters Day

National Mousse Day

November 30: National Mousse Day!

What exactly is a mousse? If I wasn’t IN A CHAIR FLYING THROUGH THE AIR RIGHT NOW without an internet connection, I would do that thing where I consult Wikipedia and it would tell me that a mousse is… a whipped and airy dessert that contains eggs and isn’t cooked… ? I just made that up, but that’s what I think a mousse is.

Going with my definition, I think French Silk Pie qualifies as a mousse. It’s chocolatey, fluffy, whipped for what seems like forever (okay, like, 25 minutes) and has eggs in it that aren’t cooked. That, my friends, is what a mousse is to me.

I was lucky since I made French Silk Pie for Thanksgiving. In fact, I made two just to ensure that I’d have a piece left for National Mousse Day. I supposed I could have always just put some mousse in my hair and called it a day… but I’d rather have the pie.

Tomorrow: National Pie Day.

National Leftovers Day

November 29: National Leftovers Day

God bless this day, right? Everyone loves Thanksgiving leftovers. Pie for breakfast, turkey sandwich for lunch, rice pudding for dinner (just kidding! blehh)!

Again, November 29 is “actually” Chocolates Day and/or National Lemon Creme Pie Day… but the fourth Friday in November is leftovers day.

What’s your favorite Thanksgiving leftover? I think mine is stuffing. I love stuffing, but I think maybe the reason I love stuffing so much is because I literally eat it once, maybe twice, a year. I should also be clear that I love my family’s stuffing… not all stuffing. I was at a holiday party recently and there was this bowl of what looked like dry breadcrumbs. I was scared of it (what was it? why was it on the table? was it a garnish for the salad?). It was apparently STUFFING which was silly and dumb and laughable. No. Just no.

Tomorrow: National Mousse Day

National Turkey Day

November 28: National Turkey Day!

November 28 is “really” (quotes because who really decides these things, anyway?) National French Toast Day. BUT the fourth Thursday of November aka Thanksgiving is designated as National Turkey Day. And amen for that.

I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

Tomorrow: National Leftovers Day

National Bavarian Cream Pie Day

November 27: National Bavarian Cream Pie Day

{My right arm is cramping for T-Rex arms typing}

I’m not sure if I’m brought this up yet, I’m hoping that after the holiday season I start getting some national vegetable days or something. PIE PIE PIE. I love pie, but lordy, I would appreciate a kale day sprinkled in here and there.

It’s odd when you need to prepare a Bavarian cream pie the day before Thanksgiving. Especially when you’re already tasked with making four pies (French Silk x 2, pumpkin and key lime) for the holiday festivities. I thought about making a Bavarian cream pie for Thanksgiving. But what if it was gross? And wouldn’t it have been weird to serve a pie with a piece gone?

I decided to make one instead and headed to the grocery store for necessary ingredients. While strolling through the aisles, reading on my phone and probably bumping into things and being generally annoying, I found a recipe for a COCONUT variation on the Bavarian cream pie. The recipe basically looked like a recipe for coconut cream pie (which I made for Christmas last year!). As luck would have it, there was a single slice of coconut cream pie in the bakery section. SOLD.