Nothing Like An Ice Cold Glass Of Tea

As if the whole month wasn't enough to celebrate National Iced Tea Month, we needed to dedicated one specific day for National Iced Tea Day! June 10 is National Iced Tea Day. Nothing feels more satisfying than a nice glass of iced tea on a sunny day.

Iced Tea is my coffee. I prefer it, and it doesn't give me the caffeine jitters. Just about everywhere I dine, I'm usually the one who orders iced tea (or Arnold Palmer, which is half tea/half lemonade).

For first timer's or new tea lovers, I'd like to share with you my tea criteria:
Real Tea Flavor - If I'm going to have some tea, iced or hot, I want to be able to taste the natural herb. I actually find tea to be a very satisfying taste. So the first thing I look for is the flavor.
Natural Sweetness - Before any added sugar or sweeteners, how sweet is the tea? I rarely add sugar to brewed tea so I would like to feel the boldness of the taste.
Added Sweetness - When I go for bottled or specialty flavors, I know that there will be added sweetness. Of course I wouldn't say no to a sweet tasting glass of iced tea, but I don't want my tea to be polluted by sugar... Unless it's sweet tea of course!
Additional Flavors - Raspberry iced tea seems to be the most popular flavored iced tea. I do love that a few restaurants and brands expand on their tea flavors. Even when it comes to Arnold Palmers, people experiment with the different lemonade and tea combinations.

What's your favorite iced tea flavor?

What's your iced tea preference? Super sweet or natural flavors?

What's your favorite bottled iced tea?

Have you ever made your own iced tea?

So many questions for just one simple drink! Whether you go to the market and pick out a bottle of your favorite brand, dine out tonight and order the fruity iced tea flavors, or steep a few tea packets in the comfort of your own kitchen, let's raise our glasses and toast to National Iced Tea Day! Now today's a Monday that's not so bad ;)

Christmas in June?

There's a rumor out there that today, June 5, is National Gingerbread day. Yeah, you read it correctly, gingerbread. You know, like those yummy gingerbread people cookies you like to munch on over the holidays.

Usually during the holidays, the atmosphere is so jolly and cheery. Apparently, the Foodie council people (not really an actual thing... unless it is and I don't know yet!) felt like giving us a super holiday in the middle of the year. So why not, Gingerbread day in June? Maybe it's to remind us that Christmas is in six months, or maybe it's to remind us to always be in a jolly mood, regardless of the season. Either way, I think we should celebrate National Gingerbread Day by whipping up a gingerbread family, gingerbread loaf, and any other tasty holiday favorites!

Happy six months until the Holidays :)

It's The Cheesiest Day Of The Year

Everyone loves cheese! So naturally there has to be a foodie holiday dedicated to our favorite dairy snack : Today is National Cheese Day.

As a cheese lover myself, I love trying out new cheeses for recipes, simple snacks, and wine pairing. There are more than 900 known cheeses in the world, and they can all be classified by texture. Here are some of the most common cheeses:

• fresh cheese (ricotta)
• soft cheese (feta)
• semi-soft cheese (Fontina) 
• semi-hard cheese (Gouda) 
• hard cheese (Cheddar)
• double or triple crème cheese (Brillat-Savarin)
• blue cheese (Gorgonzola) 
• washed rind cheese (Limburger)
• bloomy rind cheese (Brie)

What's your favorite type of cheese and/or cheese dish?

June Foodie Holidays

It's a new month, but not just any month... It's the month that kick's of Summer!

We're all looking forward to relaxing in the sun, going to the beach, having fun with friends and of course... EATING :)

Let's kick off June by being on the look out for some June Foodie Holidays.

June is...

National Candy Month

National Dairy Month

National Iced Tea Month

National Fresh Fruit and Vegetables Month



We're already in the third day of June, and today is national egg day!


Stay tuned this month because there are a lot of great food holidays in June!

Is it Macaron or Macaroon?

Today, May 31st, is National Macaroon Day! Now that's not to confuse National Macaron Day on March 20th.

So what is the difference between macaroons and macarons? Is there really a difference or is it just another way to spell the tasty treat?

First, let's simply define each one: a macaroon is a lightly-baked meringue-like cookie. A macaron is a sweet meringue-based confection in a sandwich-like presentation. Both the English word macaroon and French word macaron are derived from the italian maccaronem, meaning crush or beat. This is due to the key ingredient for both pastries being crushed almonds. Although they share this common ingredient, the only other ingredient they share are egg whites. The rest of the mixture is what separates the sweet from the rich, and the smooth from the crumbly.

The macaroon is most popular as coconut flavored, a lighter and crumbly snack to a person's dessert palette. The macaron is much more sweet, usually more tastier-looking by the variety or colors (food coloring) to match the many flavors (from chocolate to pistachio).

So I guess we can say that the macaroon and macaron are cousins. Needless to say, go out and buy yourself a tasty treat and happy National Macaroon Day!

Make the Most of May

The final few days of the month of May is upon us. Have you been able to celebrate any food holidays this month?

Some May food holidays include:
National Orange Juice Day - 4
International No Diet Day - 6
National Shrimp Day - 10
National Chocolate Chip Day -15
National Wine Day - 25

May is also National Barbecue Month AND National Hamburger Month!

How awesome has this month been for foodies?

As we celebrate our remaining days of May, Wiki How has a great 'How To Celebrate National BBQ Month' article. See if you can do a few!

Celebrate National Barbecue Month

So warm up your grill, toss in a couple of franks and beef patties, slab some bbq sauce on that rack of ribs and enjoy the sunshine and (almost) start of the summer!

Happy National Wine Day!

May 25 is National Wine Day.

I'm raising my glass to all of you bloggers, foodies, friends and strangers out there who read our blog. Thank you!

When I turned 21, the first thing I wanted to ever taste was wine. I watched so many films when I was younger and noticed how sophisticating, social and just plain happy gatherings were when people were sipping wine and chatting merrily. So I figured something had to be up with wine. Even growing up and going to church on Sundays, wine was something sacred. So since my 21st birthday, I discovered, experienced and shared the wine I tasted and the foods I paired it with. I still can't ever remember what to pair the exact wine with the food I eat, but that's what my friend Matt is for - my personal wine aficionado. The only rules I ever remembered were to pair white wines with white meat, seafood and light food and pair red wines with red and dark meat or heavy meals. But when you're a wine enthusiast like my friend Matt, there are certain wines for every food. Here's a nice chart to refer to when you want to pair your wines this three day weekend.

For a larger view of this image click here

Whether you drink alone or with friends this National Wine Day and for the rest of the weekend, here's to you. Thanks for reading and have a great memorial weekend. Cheers!

What Are Your Memorial Day Plans?

The best thing about Memorial day, aside from the fact that we observe the holiday for the men and women who passed away while serving in the United States Armed Services, is that it is celebrated on the last Monday of May. And for some reason from that day forth, everybody just cannot wait for summer.

From Barbeques to picnics to the beach to the park, Memorial day is the perfect get together as a 'start of summer hurrah!' And for those of you who soak up the sun early or have evening gatherings, there are sure to be sales in most stores for Memorial day Monday (some even for the entire weekend!).

So expect this weekend to be packed full of events in your neighborhood.

Check out your local chamber of commerce, city website, city hall, the local newspaper, or even event sites like Yelp, Meetup. EventBrite and others.

As always, Twitter, Facebook and other social sites are great starters. Having fun with friends during the three-day weekend seems like what I'm going to do this weekend!