Holiday How-Tos

This year Father’s Day will be Sunday June, 21st, 2020 and hopefully we will be able to spend it no longer quarantined. For this blog post I would like to do something a little different. Today, I will be reflecting on the different ways I have spent my Father’s Days of the past eighteen years. Before we get to far, you should know that I have two dads. Neither of them are gay but I’ve had them both for as long as I can remember. My mom is divorced and remarried. Dan(iel) is technically my stepdad but at home I just call him dad. Steve(n) is my biological father, that I also call dad. He’s originally from Kenya, Africa but lives in Eau Claire now.

Dan is the chef of the house so each Father’s Day we won’t let him cook breakfast for himself. We always have to wake up especially early to beat him to it because he’s an early riser who has to work at 4:30 in the morning during the week. We tell him he can’t do anything but relax until after he’s had his waffles which he’ll get around 6:30 because we aren’t waking up at four in the morning hahaha. We always make special chocolate waffles with raspberries on top. Yumm. Then for the rest of the day we let him pick out whatever he wants us to do.

If I am with Steve on Father’s Day he normally plans with his good friends and their children a trip to Mt. Olympus, the waterpark in Wisconsin Dells. Poseidon’s Wrath the biggest wave pool I’ve ever seen is always a crowd favorite. It’s my dad’s favorite so he’ll spend most of his time between there and the occasional water slide, the entire time soaking up sun and having a good time with all of us. I personally like to bounce back and forth between all the roller coasters and waterslides.

What are your Father’s Day traditions? What is the best part about Father’s Day to you?

PSA: This was supposed to be posted near Saint Patrick’s Day but somehow ended up in my drafts instead of my posted. None the less enjoy this silly blog about a tasty, green treat.

If you are like me, you get excited around the end of February/beginning of March for shamrock shake season at McDonalds, some of us like my friend Jessica even mark our calendars for the day the shamrock shake became available this year. But why are shamrock shakes a thing? Why not call them a mint shake and serve it year round? 

I decided to do my sixth and final blog post about Saint Patrick’s Day after realizing I didn’t know much about it besides that it was a day people wore green and got drunk. So I did some research, first about Saint Patrick’s Day in general and second about special foods eaten on Saint Patrick’s Day. Shamrock shakes are titled so because they are offered around St. Patrick’s Day, this is also why they are green! Saint Patrick’s Day or the Feast of Saint Patrick is a cultural and religious holiday celebrated by the irish/individuals of irish descent and followers of the Christian faith. The Feast of Saint Patrick is celebrated each year on March seventeenth in honor of the patron saint of Ireland. After converting the people of Ireland to Chrisitanity and establishing monasteries, churches, and schools, he died on March 17th, 461. (The Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica).

Today, people celebrate Saint Patrick’s Day with special foods like corned beef, cabbage, shepherd’s pie, and irish soda bread. (Our Best St. Patrick’s Day…). Shepherd’s pie is a meat pie with carrots and peas topped with a mashed potato crust. Irish soda bread is served on the side of a variety of dishes. What makes irish soda bread special is that it is made with sodium bicarbonate as the leavening agent instead of yeast which is what is traditionally used when making bread. Celebrators also celebrate by wearing green from “head to toe”, watching a Saint Patrick’s Day parade, and drinking beer. Saint Patrick used the three leaf clover or shamrock to symbolize the holy trinity, which features three parts, the Father, the Son (Jesus Christ), and the Holy Spirit. 

Sources:

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Saint Patrick’s Day.” Encyclopædia Britannica,

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 18 Feb. 2020, www.britannica.com/topic/Saint-Patricks-Day.“Our Best St. Patrick’s Day Recipes.” Food Network, Television Food Network, 2020, www.foodnetwork.com/holidays-and-parties/photos/favorite-st-patricks-day-recipes.

When Americans hear Cinco de Mayo they are often thinking, “Oh, Mexican Independence Day”. I know this to be especially true because when I asked my grandmother for ideas of holidays to blog about she suggested “You could blog about Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Independence Day!” I decided I would look into it, Cinco de Mayo is actually the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla not Mexico’s Independence Day! According to Britannica.com, “Cinco de Mayo is not to be confused with Mexican Independence Day, which falls on September 16. The latter holiday was established in 1810, some 50 years before the Battle of Puebla occurred.” The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862.

Like all holidays Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in a variety of ways. In Mexico, they celebrate with patriotic clothing and traditional mexican food sold by vendors. They also celebrate with reenactments of the Mexican Army’s defeat over the French in Puebla, the city that the original battle took place in. In the United State you will find celebrators partying with friends and families, listening to mexican folk music, dancing, and eating foods such as enchiladas and tacos. There are even a few special traditions in other places. For example, in the Cayman Islands an air guitar competition is held annually on May fifth. Another unique tradition takes place in Vancouver, Canada, in which they host an annual skydiving event. This year Cinco de Mayo will be on a Tuesday, Tuesday May 5, 2020. How will you celebrate Cinco de Mayo this year?

P.S. Check out this fun, easy recipe for Watermelon Paletas, a special treat that can be eaten on Cinco de Mayo or any day of the year. 😉

*Recipe found at allrecipes.com

Watermelon Paletas – makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of water
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• 1/2 cup of white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of grated lime zest
• 1/4 teaspoon of salt
• 4 cups watermelon, cubed
• 1 teaspoon of chopped fresh mint

Directions:

1. Mix water and sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
2. Blend sugar syrup, watermelon, mint, lime juice, lime zest, and salt in a blender until liquefied, 1 to 2 minutes. Pour the mixture into 10 ice pop molds.
3. Freeze paletas for 2 hours and insert wooden sticks or handles into the molds; return to freezer and freeze until solid, 12 to 24 hours.

Nutrition Facts:

Per Serving: 58 calories; 0.1 g fat; 14.8 g carbohydrates; 0.4 g protein; 0 mg cholesterol; 59 mg sodium.

Resources:

“Cinco De Mayo Traditions.” Punchbowl, Punchbowl Inc., 2020, www.punchbowl.com/p/cinco-de-mayo-traditions.

Lynch, Danielle Walquist. “Watermelon-Mint Paletas Recipe.” Allrecipes, Allrecipes.com, 16 July 2012, www.allrecipes.com/recipe/223490/watermelon-mint-paletas/?internalSource=staff%2Bpick&referringId=1217&referringContentType=Recipe%2BHub.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “Cinco De Mayo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 8 Feb. 2019, www.britannica.com/topic/Cinco-de-Mayo.

“Easter is the only time of year when it is safe to put all your eggs in one basket.”

-Unknown

Like Christmas, Easter began as a Christian festival. In the Christian faith Easter celebrates the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This year Easter falls on Sunday, April 21st and will be celebrated by millions across the globe. You would be surprised by the amount of people who are all celebrating Easter on the same day but in a variety of different ways.

Note that; not all people in each of these places all celebrate in this way,  just a percentage of them do. 

In America most families spend Easter (in some cases attending a church service) and in most cases dying eggs, searching for plastic eggs filled with treats, receiving a basket with goodies, and eating way too much candy. America is not the only country to celebrate Easter this way in fact, most of the Northern hemisphere celebrates with these traditions!

In other places like Africa Easter is celebrated in a completely different way. In Africa a long mass service is held from 3 am to 6 pm, during which christian hymns are sung with Kigelegelele, high pitched noises of woman. After their mass service, traditional dances are performed and special food like roasted rice with meat or chicken is served. 

In Mexico, Easter is celebrated with passion play enactments. These enactments are taken very seriously, some actors spend the entire year leading up to it preparing. People in Mexico chose to enjoy their holiday that can be as long as 12 days from start to finish with a community of their choice. 

Like America, Australia has a population of people from different parts of the world. So Easter is spent in different ways in different parts of Australia. One universal tradition you may see in all parts of Australia is children exchanging Easter Bilbies, which is an equivalent to American’s easter bunny that looks more like a mouse or rat. A bilby is an endangered animal in Australia. Chocolate factories began molding candies/chocolates in the shape of them and donating a percentage of the profits to help keep the animals from extinction.  

As you can see all of us across the world celebrate at different times in different ways but you’ll notice we can find a few things in common in all places. No matter where you are in the world you are most often spending holidays with relatives and friends and eating celebratory foods/treats.

“Easter Around The World: Easter Traditions.” TheHolidaySpot.com, http://www.theholidayspot.com/easter/worldeaster/.

“Giving gifts to others is a fundamental activity, as old as humanity itself. Yet in the modern, complex world, the particulars of gift-giving can be extraordinarily challenging.” -Andrew Weil

Can you believe today is already FEBRUARY 10th??? That’s crazy! I don’t know about you but for me the month of January has really flown by. That said it’s Valentine’s Day this week! Now if you are anything like me you have a million other things going on so Valentine’s Day had been put on the back burner but now it’s here and you’re scrounging for ideas for your significant other. Like the quote says above, as we evolve so has gift giving to the point where gift-giving is all too stressful and seems to be a competition for the getting “flashiest” thing. This Valentine’s Day I challenge you to take a step back and find something personal and easy-going for your significant other.

So without a do, here’s my list of last minute gift ideas:

• Flowers and chocolate are a classic go to.
• If you’re not too late or live in a small town like me dinner reservations are still in the running.
• Take a sweet and simple approach by buying a gift card from your significant other’s favorite place(s) and making a handwritten/handmade card.
• If it’s not too late yankee candle has customizable candles, get a candle with a picture of the two of you printed on the glass.
• His and hers mugs with cute valentine’s day socks make for a sweet gift too, stick some hershey’s kisses in there for the cherry on top!
• Again if it is not too late, a popular gift this year is a cute “Drive safe I need you with me key chain”.
• Photos of the two of you are always a great gift, to make the gift even more special consider painting a cute box to put them in or make a collage that can be framed

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For many the holidays especially Christmas can be stressful and overwhelming. But like my Grandmother reminded my family and I this weekend, “Christmas is for spending time together.”

Alright, let’s be real…teachers included we’re all just trying to get through this last stretch of school before Christmas. That being said, here are some fun ways to get in the Christmas Spirit…

• Listen to Christmas music!!
  • You can tune into you local radio station on your way to work or pull up a music platform like Spotify, either way Christmas music is a fun way to get into the holiday spirit without getting in the way of your regular routine.
• Whether you’re into horror, comedy, or romance, there’s a Christmas movie out there for you!
  • My personal favorites are National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation and The Santa Clause: The Escape Clause!!

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• Baking Christmas cookies is another great way to get into the holiday spirit. 
  • For some extra fun consider making a gingerbread house, they make great centerpieces and are a fun activity to do on a free night.

• Buy yourself a Christmas Sweater!! Cute and Comfy or Tacky, no matter, Christmas sweaters are a fun and easy way to show your Christmas spirit.
• And decorate a Christmas Tree! Whether a classy look or homey look is the one for you decorating a tree is a December MUST.

We all know the struggle of rushing to get those last minute presents wrapped, so below you’ll find a quick easy way to wrap your gifts in 5 easy steps.

Though great for all your holiday gifts, this easy step-by-step guide can be used for any gift wrapping anytime! Whether you just need a refresher or are embarking on your first gift wrapping endeavour I have got you covered for your next birthday, wedding, anniversary, or whatever!

You will need:

• Wrapping paper
• Scissors
• Tape

Step One: Cut a large strand of wrapping paper large enough to place your gift in the middle of; place the gift in the middle diagonally

Step Two: Fold each side over and tape the top and bottom.

Step Three: Fold the edges in separately, this will give you two triangles. Then, fold the bottom triangle up, and the top triangle down.

Step Four: Now repeat step three for the other side.

Step Five: For fun add a bow! Grab some ribbon, take each side and tie it like you would a shoelace.

*This hot chocolate is made easiest in a coffee shop type setting but can be modified for at home use*

Drinking hot coco on a cold winter night, a timeless tradition we Wisconsinites are all too familiar with. Join me here to learn step by step how to make the best hot chocolate ever!

You will need:

• A cup/mug
• A heaping spoonful of powdered sugar
• A pump(s) of chocolate syrup
• A metal steaming cup
• An espresso machine to steam the milk
• And milk

Step One: Gather supplies

Step Two: Pour 4 cups of milk into metal steaming cup

Step Three: Pump two shots of chocolate syrup into steaming cup

Step Four: Add heaping spoonful of powdered sugar to steaming cup

Step Five: Steam chocolate mixture to 120 degrees fahrenheit

Step Six: Pour hot coco into mug of choice

Step Seven: Add whip cream and chocolate syrup drizzle

*Adding a candy cane to your hot coco is optional, but will add some festive flavor perfect for staying warm on Christmas Eve.

I can easily recall fond memories of hot coco-drinking visits with family and friends. Hopefully you can add this recipe to your collection and enjoy some sweet memories of your own.