It’s time again to review the wacky “Holidays” of the month and get silly. February has its fair share of holidays, but this month I’m going to do something different and direct you to my favorite Zojirushi recipes that everyone can make—to help celebrate these special days. There’s a recipe for everything my friend, and Zojirushi usually has one.
February 4th is National Stuffed Mushroom Day
I kind of get why this dish has its own special day. Versatile as an hors d’oeuvre and always appreciated as an appetizer, they can be filled with practically anything and can either be served right out of the oven or at room temperature or even out of the refrigerator. Try these Stuffed Potato Mushroom Skewers—juicy mushroom caps stuffed with classic parsley and mashed potatoes. Looks easy and looks delish!
February 6th is National Chopsticks Day
My favorite eating utensil! Sorry, but forks are a waste of time for most things to me—even salads. The only disadvantage is if you want to eat a steak, but you can pre-slice the meat before you serve it, right?
Practice makes perfect for handling your chopsticks. Anyone can pick up short grain Japanese rice because it’s sticky and clumpy. You could even scoop up a mouthful with your off-hand if you needed to. BUT try picking up the drier Chinese long grain kind, or for an even bigger challenge, try picking up a grain of rice at a time. To get to this level, you’ll need a sharp pair of excellent quality chopsticks and the hand-eye coordination of a surgeon. For practice, look up this Zojirushi recipe for Kurigohan. This is very easy to make with your rice cooker. Practice picking clumps of rice first, then graduate to single pieces of chestnuts, then focus on single grains last. Master this, and you are a hashi pro.
For more on chopsticks, read this.
February 9th is National Pizza Day
Alright! Who doesn’t love pizza? Now here’s a day where we have an excuse to eat one! Of course, on this day you can order one to go or visit the pizzeria on the corner, but you can also scratch-bake one if you have a breadmaker. And you can make it with whole grain wheat so that’s a bonus. Try the Whole Wheat Chicken Pizza from the Zojirushi website. Home made pizza dough—that’s the way to go!
February 14th is Valentine’s Day
Of course it is. Want to impress someone with a unique dessert? Try this interesting one that was developed for one of the Zojirushi Food Jars. It’s a fresh fruit jelly dessert that you can chill in the jar, and eat right out of it. I was thinking this is perfect for a day outdoors if the weather is mild enough— but if not, it’s transportable so you can bring it with you on movie date night at home. This looks good. Red Cranberry Gelatin with Mixed Berries
February 16th is Chinese New Year
This is the Year of the Dog and will mark the beginning of year 4716 on the Chinese Lunar Calendar. If you were born during this year, it is said that you possess the best traits of human nature. Dogs are a symbol of loyalty and honesty. Dog people are said to also be friendly, smart, straightforward and have a strong sense of responsibility.
How about some hot tea to celebrate? Oolong, a fragrant and mild Chinese tea, is loved by tea fans everywhere. This Silky Milky Oolong Tea recipe is a modern take on it—easy to make and so soothing on a cold night!
February 24th is National Tortilla Chip Day
Believe it or not, the familiar triangle shaped chip was born in Los Angeles, California, and not Mexico. In the 1940s Rebecca Webb Carranza decided to make use of the tortilla rejects from her tortilla manufacturing machine that she was using at her Mexican deli. The snacks became popular and the rest, as they say, is history. She received the Golden Tortilla award in 1994 for her contribution to the Mexican food industry.
So help celebrate National Tortilla Chip Day with a hot Cheese Fondue using your Zojirushi Electric Skillet—YUM! CHEESE! You can prepare lots of other ingredients to dip too, and make a party out of it.
There are crazy holidays for every day of the year—which on is your favorite?
Valentines Chocolates by Stewart Butterfield, Creative Commons license
All other images by Zojirushi
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