There's more to March than St. Patrick's Day

Everyone gets a wee bit 'o Irish for St Patrick's Day. But why limit yourself to one day of feasting when there's a whole month full of delicious reasons to celebrate?

MONTHLY CELEBRATIONS

• National Celery Month 
• National Flour Month 
• National Frozen Food Month 
• National Nutrition Month 
• National Noodle Month 
• National Peanut Month 
• National Sauce Month 
• National Caffeine Awareness Month

MONTHLY CELEBRATIONS

• Chocolate Chip Cookie Week, Second week
• American Chocolate Week, Third week

DAILY CELEBRATIONS

• International Pancake Day, Shrove Tuesday
• Maple Syrup Saturday, Third Saturday 
• National Hot Cross Bun Day, Good Friday 
• National Baked Ham with Pineapple Day, Easter Sunday  
• March 1: National Peanut Butter Lovers Day 
• March 1: National Fruit Compote Day 
• March 2: National Banana Creme Pie Day
• March 3: National Cold Cuts Day 
• March 3: National Mulled Wine Day 
• March 4: National Pound Cake Day 
• March 4: National Snack Day 
• March 5: National Cheese Doodle Day 
• March 5: National Absinthe Day 
• March 6: National Frozen Food Day 
• March 6: National Oreo Day 
• March 6: National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day 
• March 7: National Crown Roast Of Pork Day 
• March 7: National Cereal Day 
• March 8: National Peanut Cluster Day 
• March 9: National Crabmeat Day 
• March 9: National Meatball Day 
• March 10: National Blueberry Popover Day 
• March 10: National Pack Your Lunch Day 
• March 10: National Ranch Dressing Day 
• March 11: National Oatmeal-Nut Waffles Day 
• March 12: National Baked Scallops Day 
• March 13: National Coconut Torte Day 
• March 13: National Ginger Ale Day 
• March 14: National Potato Chip Day 
• March 15: National Ag Day/National Agriculture Day 
• March 14: National Reuben Sandwich Day 
• March 15: National Pears Hélène Day  
• March 16: National Artichoke Hearts Day 
• March 17: National Corned Beef And Cabbage Day 
• March 18: National Oatmeal Cookie Day 
• March 19: National Poultry Day 
• March 19: National Chocolate Caramel Day 
• March 20: National Bock Beer Day 
• March 20: National Ravioli Day 
• March 21: California Strawberry Day 
• March 21: National French Bread Day 
• March 21: National Healthy Fats Day 
• March 22: National Coq Au Vin Day 
• March 22: National Water Day 
• March 23: National Chia Day 
• March 23: National Chip and Dip Day 
• March 23: National Melba Toast Day 
• March 24: National Cheesesteak Day 
• March 24: National Chocolate Covered Raisins Day 
• March 24: National Cocktail Day 
• March 25: National Lobster Newburg Day 
• March 25: National Pecan Day 
• March 25: International Waffle Day
• March 26: National Spinach Day 
• March 27: National Spanish Paella Day 
• March 28: Something On A Stick Day 
• March 28: National Black Forest Cake Day 
• March 29: National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day 
• March 30: National Turkey Neck Soup Day 
• March 31: National Tater Day 
• March 31: National Clams On The Half Shell Day 
• March 31: Oranges and Lemons Day

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas are perfect for Super Bowl entertaining

 

These bite-size empanadas are filled with a spicy Buffalo chicken filling that is downright addictive! Serve with blue cheese dressing and celery to cool things down. Recipe and image courtesy of Betty Crocker.

Buffalo Chicken Empanadas  

• 1/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion 
• 1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso™ chopped green chiles, drained 
• 2/3 cup chopped deli rotisserie chicken 
• 1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese 
• 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese 
• 1/4 cup Buffalo wing sauce 
• 1 box Pillsbury™ refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box 
• 1 egg, slightly beaten 
• Celery sticks and blue cheese dressing, if desired 

Directions 
1 Heat oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with cooking parchment paper; set aside.
2 In medium bowl, mix onion, green chiles, chicken, cheeses and Buffalo sauce.
3 Unroll pie crusts. Using 3 1/2-inch round cutter, cut circles from crusts, rerolling dough to get 21 circles. Place level measuring tablespoon Buffalo chicken mixture on center of each circle. Fold dough in half over filling; pinch and press edges with fork to seal or roll edges to seal. Place on cookie sheets. Prick tops of empanadas with fork to allow steam to escape.
4 Brush each with beaten egg. Bake 16 to 20 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 10 minutes on cooling racks. Serve warm with celery sticks and blue cheese dressing for dipping.

Devour Dayton February 2022 Issue

 Please click on the image below to view to entire February 2022 issue

Celebrate American Heart Month with heart healthy tips from Atkins

 There's a lot more to the month of February besides Groundhog, Valentine's and President's Days. It is

also American Heart Month and there's no better time to start taking care of your heart for a healthier and happier life. Here are some tips from Atkins to help get you jump started.

1. Take time to measure your waist. Waist size is a predictor of heart health better than your BMI (body mass index). A waist that is over 35 inches can lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure and diabetes.
2. Keep an eye on your carb intake. According to the Harvard Nurses Study, processed and rapidly digested carbs such as white flour and rice, sugar and packaged cookies, crackers and chips increase a person's risk of coronary heart disease.
3. Eat a healthy breakfast. Studies have shown that those who eat a healthy breakfast every morning are more successful at losing weight and keeping those extra pounds off than those who don't. 
4. Aim to squeeze 30 minutes of exercise into your day. Regular exercise helps to strengthen your heart and your body and turns your body into a fat burning machine. If 30 minutes all at once is impossible to do, break it up into shorter sessions.
5. Embrace snacking. Indulging in healthy snacks will help stave off the hunger and cravings that make you overindulge. Nuts, cut veggies and string cheese are all good options.
6. Eat the right fats. Contrary to what many think, not all fats are created equal. In fact, some types of fat are actually beneficial to your heart. Be sure to include olive oil, avocados, seeds and nut butters in your diet as well as cold water fish such as salmon, halibut and tuna.
7. Keep stress in check. Stress will get your heart pumping, but not in a good way. Stress has been shown to have a negative impact on the old ticker, so be sure to treat yourself to some much needed me time by going for a walk, reading a book, enjoying your favorite hobby or meditating.

Gluten-free chocolate pecan cookies recipe

Going gluten-free doesn't mean you have to give up great tasting baked goods. These cookies are proof of that!

GLUTEN-FREE CHOCOLATE PECAN COOKIE

• 3 cups powdered sugar 
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa 
• 1/4 teaspoon salt 
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature 
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 cup toasted chopped pecans

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together powdered sugar, cocoa and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until frothy. Combine egg whites and vanilla, then mix into sugar mixture. Stir in chocolate and pecans until well combined. Using a 1 1/2 inch cookie scoop, drop cookies 3 inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake 8-10 minutes, until cookies are shiny on top and cracked. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to wire racks to completely cool.

Carrot mandarin layer cake recipe from Dole

If the thought of making yet another carrot cake leaves you feeling a little uninspired, try this tropical inspired carrot cake from Dole. It has all the moist deliciousness of a traditional carrot cake, but also has a hint of the sweet, sweet tropics with the addition of mandarin oranges.

CARROT MANDARIN LAYER CAKE

• 2 packages (2-layer) carrot cake mix 

• 4 cans (15 oz.) DOLE® Mandarin Oranges, drained, divided 

• 3 cups whipping cream 

• 1/3 cup powdered sugar 

• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract 

• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray four (9-inch) round baking pans with cooking spray and line with parchment or wax paper. Prepare cake mix according to package directions. Mix with hand mixer for 2 minutes. Fold in half of mandarin oranges. Pour batter into prepared cake pans. Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan onto wire rack; cool completely. Beat cream to stiff peaks. Fold in powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Divide whipped cream mixture in half. Add 1-1/2 cups mandarin oranges to one half whipped cream. Cover; refrigerate both whipped creams for 1 hour. Spread mandarin whipped cream between cake layers. Spread remaining whipped cream over top and sides of cake. Garnish with remaining mandarin oranges.