Friday, March 23, 2012

March 23: National Melba Toast Day and National Chip and Dip Day

National Melba Toast Day

Another food named after a person!  Melba toast is apparently named for Dame Nellie Melba (real name Helen Porter Mitchell- I suppose when you're awesome enough to have food named after you, you can have as many names as you want.)   Dame Melba is also the lucky gal for whom the Peach Melba was named for. 

Melba toast is bery simple to make - it's just thinly sliced bread.  Usually served with soup, Melba toast can be topped with melted cheese or pate.  Apparently when Dame Melba was ill, her chef made these thin slices of toast for her and they became a regular part of her diet.  Not Martha has all the details, including some more information about the fascinating life of Dame Melba. 



National Chip and Dip Day

Chips and dip is not really a food observance that require much elaboration, and it's a day everyone can easily celebrate.  Just pick up a bag of your favorite chips (or make them) and pair them with your favorite dip (either homemade or storebought.)  And it doesn't have to be the old fallback of potato chips and some sort of cream cheese dip.  Why not try something different?   How about apple chips with a caramel dip or banana chips with a chocolate dip if you're looking for something sweet?  Try a different brand of chips than you would normally buy - maybe you'll like it better than your usual brand. 

MyRecipes has a round-up of their favorite chip and dip pairings.  Concerned about eating healthy so you look good in a bathing suit this summer?  EatingWell has a "Healthy Chip and Dip" recipe collection.   I opted to celebrate today with whole grain pita bread chips from Trader Joe's paired with spicy hummus, also from Trader Joe's.  I really can't offer up any good reason why I didn't make my own chips or hummus today - I was just too busy and tired today

At least the weekend is here and I can sleep all day if I want to.

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