Happy New Year and welcome to 2020. You may have heard some arguing whether it is the start of a new decade or it is not. Here is the simple answer. TECHNICALLY it is not. The system of our year numbering, though imposed retroactively, in a flawed manner and adjusted several times, there was no … Continue reading Happy New Year – the Decade question
Holidays/National Days
Footnotes #20 – what a year it has been…
I am happy to wish 2019 farewell. It has been a tough one for me. Luckily I did not die on the operating table after my body went into Severe Septic Shock back in late August. I emerged from three operations over an eight day period thanks to the prayers and positive thoughts of family … Continue reading Footnotes #20 – what a year it has been…
Happy Kwanzaa
Merry Christmas
National Eggnog Day
Happy Christmas Eve. Don't you love how grocery stores are stocked with eggnog between Thanksgiving and New Years? Ever try to make your own? Well, here are three recipes. First be aware that drinking raw eggs have all kinds of risks so take care if you are pregnant or have auto-immune or other health issues. … Continue reading National Eggnog Day
Happy Hanukkah
Winter Solstice
In the northern hemisphere today is the Winter Solstice. On the dark side it is the longest night and shortest day of the year. On the bright side it only gets sunnier from here through summer with lengths of day steadily increasing. It has been celebrated for many ages and often used for reflection of … Continue reading Winter Solstice
National “Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf” Day
If you call someone today and they respond by answering with "What's your favorite color?" they are honoring the National Day. Clearly a marketing ploy by the producers of that classic 2003 Will Farrell Christmas movie "Elf." Be sure to add it to your list of must see seasonal movies like "It's a Wonderful Life" … Continue reading National “Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf” Day
National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
Chocolate is such a malleable material. You can cover nearly everything in chocolate and today is a day to celebrate it. You can cover candy in chocolate. You can cover peanuts in chocolate. You can even cover peanut butter in chocolate. That is especially delicious. You can cover strawberries in chocolate. You can cover ice … Continue reading National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
National Cocoa Day
By which we mean Hot Cocoa! That delicious frothy topped warming beverage so loved as winter settles into the Northern Hemisphere. You could order it from your favorite coffee shop, but that can get expensive and requires a special trip. You can buy pre-packaged brands at the supermarket but it often contains chemical stabilizers, flavors … Continue reading National Cocoa Day
National Gingerbread House Day
Today is National Gingerbread House Day - that wholesome family traditional of assembling a dwelling made of gingerbread, icing, candies and especially gumdrops as part of the seasonal festivities. Much of the time this is assembled from a kit but it is still a lot of fun and creativity to assemble the structures, especially for … Continue reading National Gingerbread House Day
National Noodle Ring Day
Some of you may know of the actual source of this National Day. Apparently there is a tradition of making a casserole that includes egg noodles, sometimes vegetables, sometimes canned tuna, in a round shape like a bundt pan or similar. Sounds, um, interesting, but come on, you also thought of that canned American treat … Continue reading National Noodle Ring Day
National Pastry Day
Today is National Pastry Day and I hope you get the chance to celebrate by partaking in a delicious pastry in celebration. I know I will. Mmmm. As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com and on Twitter @walterthinnes
National Miner’s Day
It seems almost anyone can name a National Day to hype their product, but today's was declared by Congress. It commemorates the worst mining disaster in US history when 362 coal miners lost their life in Monogah, West Virginia in 1907. One of my full length plays is based on the southwest West Virginia coal … Continue reading National Miner’s Day
National Cookie Day
As noted earlier this week, I no longer bake masses of Christmas Cookies because of my limited New York City kitchen. That doesn't mean I don't continue to collect interesting cookie recipes. When I did the massive bakeoff I always included my two favorites - Snickerdoodles and Ginger Snaps. What if someone combined those into … Continue reading National Cookie Day
National Cookie Cutter Day
As the December holidays speed toward us, it is time to start making preparations. For me that used to mean making a huge numbers of cookies to distribute to family and friends. Before moving to New York City I had houses and kitchens large enough to support the hobby. That scale of operations are not … Continue reading National Cookie Cutter Day
Happy Thanksgiving Day
May you be blessed to find yourself among friends and family and loved ones for this holiday of shared plenty. May you bless others by sharing your bounty. I am blessed. I hope you are also. Oh, and may you not be burdened by political rants as you gather around the table. Pass the mashed … Continue reading Happy Thanksgiving Day
National Tie One On Day
No, no, nope. Not what you're thinking. Put down that bottle and shot glass. Today's National Day is all about time to tie on an apron and get cooking for the Thanksgiving Feast tomorrow. Great idea to get your sides and desserts ready in advance so you can focus on the main dishes on the … Continue reading National Tie One On Day
National Cake Day
In the tussle of preference between cake versus pie, I come down squarely on the pie side. So why would I celebrate cake day? Simple, you should try a Piecaken. In a nod to a Turducken (where a boneless chicken is stuffed inside a boneless duck and then stuffed inside a boneless turkey), a Piecaken … Continue reading National Cake Day
Happy Evacuation Day!
One of my favorite New York City holidays has largely been forgotten. During the American Revolution George Washington and his army left the island of Manhattan on November 16, 1776 (which was quaintly celebrated at nearby Fort Tryon Park recently). Through the remainder of the war the city was run by the British and they … Continue reading Happy Evacuation Day!
National Espresso Day
Today is National Espresso Day and boy is it one ofmyfavorites. I do need to be careful as if I drinktoomany of them I get veryhyper and begin talkingveryquickly and runningmywordstogether. The caffeinereally gets to me and sometimes Ijustcan'tstoptalking and then I ..... ..... ..... crashhhhhhh. G'night. As always you can find more at http://www.walterthinnes.com … Continue reading National Espresso Day
National Gingerbread Cookie Day
When I saw that National Gingerbread Cookie Day was coming up I dug into my recipe collection and was surprised to find only Gingersnap and not Gingerbread Cookie recipes. So I turned to one of my favorite recipe sources - http://www.foodnetwork.com and found a nice recipe. Here it is, properly attributed. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/gingerbread-cookies-101-recipe-1963337 =============== Gingerbread Cookies … Continue reading National Gingerbread Cookie Day
National Play Monopoly Day
You know what that means - it's the law! Dust off that old board game - regardless what special version you own. Go straight to jail and do not pass Go! and be sure to pay me the rent you owe. Maybe it is time to put down that screen and play a three dimensional … Continue reading National Play Monopoly Day
National Mickey Mouse Birthday Day
On November 18, 1928 An upstart animator by a name you may recognize (Walt Disney) premiered a short called Steamboat Willy in New York City and a star was born. Walt's growing empire was hitched to the image and antics of Mickey Mouse and remains an important spokesperson today. Over the last several decades the … Continue reading National Mickey Mouse Birthday Day
National Bundt Cake Day
A bundt cake travels pretty well, simple, delicious, always welcome at pot lucks and holiday parties. Included here - a boozy version that has always been welcomed this time of year. No kidding - no one under 21 and make sure you have a designated driver... =============== RUM BUNDT CAKE INGREDIENTS: 1 package Duncan Hines … Continue reading National Bundt Cake Day
Walter Thinnes 
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