International [Whatever] Day

I love any excuse to celebrate. (It's true: my college roommate Mary can attest to my strict adherence to Margarita Tuesdays at our apartment during our senior year. In case you're wondering, no, I don't still stick to that rigid schedule. Any day is a good day for a margarita. But I digress....) Last month, on the eve of the big snowstorm, I stopped by my local Giant supermarket to pick up a few things. You know, the important stuff: rice crackers, an avocado, heavy cream. As I strolled by the cereal aisle, I saw this display:

Really? I'm surprised it wasn't promoted at school -- lord knows kids in the DC public school system could stand to eat more whole grains. I went home and made myself a fruit and yogurt parfait with granola, lest I be accused of neglecting this important occasion. Twas as delicious as it was patriotic.

Now, over this past summer, I acquired a jar of fancy chocolate hazelnut spread from my dear friend Susan. I vaguely recalled a few years ago hearing something about an international nutella day, and I distinctly recalled missing this most significant of days last year. So I made sure that I put it into my calendar and set a reminder. I mean, I wouldn't want to have my foodie card revoked -- the blatant use of fake cheese powder on my popcorn already has me on the food police watchlist.

This Friday -- February 5 -- I participated in my first local celebration of IND. As we sipped on our morning coffees at the school, my interns and I enjoyed slices of farmers market apples slathered in luxurious chocolate hazelnut spread. And then we proceeded to teach kids how to make a healthy butternut squash sauce with whole wheat pasta. (Are you kidding? Of course I didn't tell the kindergarteners it was IND or there might have been a riot.)

Last night, the IND celebration continued over handmade, mini nutella pop tarts that one of my dinner guests brought over. (In case you want to crank out some pop tarts yourself, here's a recipe that I used when we made them in a Brainfood class a few years ago.)

As we nibbled on Suzanne's flaky homemade pastries, her 10-year-old daughter informed us that she and her friends had celebrated National Icecream For Breakfast Day. What?! How did I miss that one? I'm marking NIFBD on my calendar right now. My dear readers, are you aware of any food-related holidays I should know about?