National Frozen Yogurt Day

National Frozen Yogurt Day is on February 6th in the United States.

Frozen yogurt, or yoghurt, is what it sounds like. It's a dessert made from yoghurt that has been frozen.

Frozen yoghurt is similar to ice cream, and the technology that was used to make ice cream was, in the 70s, tried on normal yoghurt. This was not an instant hit, as the taste was not that popular with consumers, as it is more tart than ice cream. The tartness can range from slightly to much more. Recently, it has become much more popular. Frozen yoghurt is lower in fat than ice cream, and therefore not as unhealthy. Powder mixes are available, making it easier to make frozen yoghurt at home. The tart flavour has become much more accepted by consumers, and is sometimes even a selling point.

Flavourings and other ingredients are added to the yogurt, just like they are to ice cream, and it is used in much the same way.

National Chocolate Fondue Day

National Chocolate Fondue Day is on February 5th in the United States.

Fondue is originally an Italian, Swiss and French dish in which melted cheese is served in a pot. The cheese, which normally has other ingredients added to it, is then kept warm by a small burner underneath. Diners, using long forks, dip items, such as bread, but meat and vegetables are also used, into the cheese which have been cut up into bite size pieces.

A chocolate fondue is very similar, only instead of melted cheese, melted chocolate is used instead. Again, the chocolate has items dipped into it using long handled forks, but in the case of a chocolate fondue, these are things such as fruit, pastry or marshmallows.

One modern variant on the chocolate fondue is the chocolate fountain, in which the chocolate falls down stepped tiers in the manner of a waterfall into a basin at the bottom where the chocolate is kept warm.

National Homemade Soup Day

National Homemade Soup Day is on February 4th in the United States.

Soup is a popular warming dish in the middle of winter, so this is an appropriate time to have a day celebrating soup. Whilst most soup may be purchased pre-made these days, before the advent of canning it was much more common to make your own. It is still not too difficult to make your own soup, even if it is a bit more complex than simply opening a can - or, for fresher soups, a refrigerated cardboard container - and heating it up.

Homemade soup, like all soup, can vary tremendously, from the very simple to the very complex, from a clear, thin soup to one so packed with ingredients that it's essentially a stew. It all depends on how far you want to go. Ingredients used, such as vegetables, can be left in chunks or blended to make a thicker, opaque soup.

There is one easy way of making homemade soup. It is possible to buy appliances that do it all. Add the ingredients to the machine which then blends them and, in a manner that reduces the amount of cleaning, also cooks the soup afterwards. You can't get much easier than that when it comes to making your own soup.

National Stuffed Mushroom Day

February 4th is National Stuffed Mushroom Day in the United States.

Whilst stuffed mushrooms can be a tasty dish, you really need the right type of mushroom in order to successfully make it. Some types of mushrooms, such as small, button mushrooms, closed cap mushrooms or some of the more exotic types such as enokitake, a mushroom popular in Asia, are not really suitable for stuffing.

The type of mushroom that works best is one that is reasonably large and reasonably flat. The centre stalk of such a mushroom can be removed, leaving more room (the stalk can then be used in the recipe, if desired) which can then be filled. Once the mushroom has been filled, it can then be topped, and cooked, usually either by grilling or by baking in an oven.

Cheese and breadcrumbs are two popular topping types for adding on top of whatever fills the mushroom. Cheese, in particular soft, or cream, cheese, is also popular for using in the filling itself.

This is not to say that mushrooms other than flat ones cannot be stuffed, but the method is a bit different, and technically isn't really stuffing. The mushroom in question would have the, again, often cheese-based, filling added around it, and then the whole would be encased in breadcrumbs and deep fried.

The larger type of stuffed mushroom would be most likely used as a vegetable accompaniment to a main meal, whilst the smaller type would often be served as a starter, perhaps with a dip.

National Cherry Month

National Cherry Month is February in the United States.

Cherries are the fruit of many different trees, which are stone fruits, or drupes, that have a fleshy exterior and a stone inside. Although there are many different types of cherry, many of which may bear fruit, those that are actually eaten come from a fairly limited number of species, which usually are cultivars of the sweet cherry, although the sour cherry, which is used in cooking, provides a number of cultivars.

Cherries grow throughout Europe, northern Africa and western Asia. The fruit itself has been consumed since prehistoric times, although these would have been from wild trees rather than cultivated ones. The name comes from the Greek name of a town in what is now northern Turkey where the first cultivated cherries may have come from. Today, Turkey is still the largest producer of both sweet and sour cherries.

Cherries can be eaten raw and are also used in cooking and as a flavouring. The cherry itself does not contain much in the way of nutrients.

National Carrot Cake Day

February 2nd is National Carrot Cake Day in the United States.

Given that carrots are a vegetable - and not one that is merely treated like a vegetable, but one that actually is - rather than a fruit, they may seem an odd choice to make a cake from, and one that is a sweet dessert cake.

Carrot cakes are made from mixing carrot in with a batter which results in a cake rather like a quick bread. The baking process softens the carrot and the resulting cake is moist and will keep longer than most. The cake itself is usually glazed or topped with something, rather than plain. Other ingredients may be added to the cake too.

The reason for using carrots is sugar. The portion of the carrot eaten, the orange taproot, stores a lot of sugar. In fact, carrots have one of the highest percentages of sugar of any vegetable. Sugar beet has more, and that vegetable is grown for its sugar content. Consequently, carrots are very sweet and the sugar is what makes them a suitable ingredient in a sweet cake.

National Baked Alaska Day

National Baked Alaska Day is on February 1st in the United States.

Baked Alaska may not be from Alaska, but this dessert is named in honour of that state, although back when it was first named, Alaska wasn't a state, nor even a territory, but was first administered by the military. The state-to-be had recently been purchased (in 1867) for $6.2 million from the Russian Empire. The dish was named by Charles Ranhofer, the chef-de-cusine at the famous Delmonico's Restaurant in New York.

The dessert is made from ice cream, cake and meringue. A pie dish is lined with slices of cake, with sponge and Christmas pudding being two of the most popular. Inside this is placed the ice cream. The dish is then topped with meringue and placed, very briefly, in an extremely hot oven until the meringue is browned. The ice cream should still be frozen if this is done correctly, due to the brief cooking time and the insulating effects of the meringue.