What to Celebrate September 16 to 22, 2019
Celebration Ideas for September 16 – 22, 2019
As we head into the 2nd half of September the weather’s warming up around here again. Summer’s back!
Well, technically it never left … since astronomical summer doesn’t end until the 23rd. At any rate we plan to enjoy the days no matter the temperature. How about you?
And good food makes enjoying the day easier. Luckily there’s lots of good food to enjoy this week! Which is good, because you’re’ going to need that energy for visiting museums, cleaning up the world, and talking like a pirate.
Celebrate for the rest of September
What a delicious month September is! Get creative with these four foods & you’ll eat like royalty for the rest of the month.
National Honey Month: Use honey at every meal all month! Remember to sweeten your tea (hot or iced!) with it too.
National Mushroom Month: Get creative with mushrooms! And do use more than those white button mushrooms you find in every grocery store. They’re fine, but kinda’ boring. Enjoy more flavor with cremini, shiitake, chanterelle, procini, and others. Mushrooms make almost anything better!
National Chicken Month: Chicken is an incredibly versatile meat, so you should have no trouble finding different ways to cook it every day for the rest of the month. And remember, both honey and mushrooms can help dress up chicken!
National Potato Month: Potatoes are another versatile food. You can boil them, bake them, mash them. Cut them into wedges, shoestrings, discs. Eat them lightly sprinkled with salt or add any number of toppings, from chives to cheese. And of course they make excellent additions to soups & stews. So make sure you add potatoes to some of your chicken meals this month!
Weekly Celebrations for September’s 3rd Week
This week we celebrate 3 groups of people who often don’t get the recognition and appreciation they deserve.
And we think about the lives of the animals we eat and how to stop pollution before it starts. And hopefully take action to help make the earth a cleaner, more humane place.
Chef’s Appreciation Week (September 15 – 21, 2019): Thank a chef (or 2 or 10) this week! Without them you’d have to do a lot more cooking. ;) The founders moved the week from August to September starting this year.
National Farm Animals Awareness Week (September 15 – 21, 2019): This week is about ensuring humane treatment for farm animals. Although animal welfare laws have gotten better since the Humane Society of the U.S. started this week in the 1990s, many animals on factory farms still live in sad conditions. Learn more about factory farms (and farm animal use in research) for this week.
Pollution Prevention Week (September 16 – 22, 2019): This week is all about stopping pollution before it starts. That makes keeping our environment clean much easier … because we don’t have to clean up pollution that doesn’t exist! And we can all do our part, from using fewer harsh chemicals to producing less garbage overall.
National Rehabilitation Awareness Week (September 15 – 21, 2019): Rehabilitation professionals help people get their lives back with physical, occupational, and speech therapy services. And since people who need these services often feel depressed or angry over their situation, therapists also offer a lot of compassion & patience during sessions. If you or a loved one has benefited from rehab, thank your therapist during this week. And anyone can learn more about this profession; maybe even consider entering it! See what one rehab specialist wrote a few years ago.
National Postdoc Appreciation Week (September 16 – 20, 2019): Postdocs (Postdoctoral students) deserve more credit than they often get for their contributions to scientific discovery in the U.S. This week helps to recognize that. See if a school or research institution near you is having any events for this week. And give any postdocs you know a pat on the back for all their hard work (that includes yourself if you’re a postdoc!).
Celebration Days coming up for Sept. 16 thru Sept. 22
The patriotism we’ve shown & felt for the 9/11 commemoration continues this week with Constitution Day, the Air Force’s birthday, and POW/MIA Recognition Day.
But the week isn’t all somber. We also have fun talking like a pirate.
And of course there’s the deliciousness. And oh boy do we have deliciousness for this week. There’s at least one food or drink to enjoy every day! Most days have 2. So enjoy your Monte Cristo, paw paw, pepperoni pizza and more.
All that good food will be good fuel for cleaning up the world, enjoying red pandas, and getting around without a car.
So let’s have another fun-tastic week!
September 16:
National Guacamole Day: You do know how to celebrate this day, right? Mash up some avocados, add whatever extras you like in your guac & enjoy! But for goodness sake, make your own! That stuff the stores sell in tubs just can’t compare.
National Stepfamily Day: This day (and all week!) celebrates & supports stepfamilies. Because it’s not always easy to combine 2 families, but the rewards of figuring out how to make it work are worth it.
National Cinnamon Raisin Bread Day: Start your day with cinnamon raisin toast to celebrate this day. Or use it to make French toast. Or pudding. Or whatever else your heart desires. As long as you’re eating cinnamon raisin bread, you’re celebrating right!
Respect for the Aged Day: This is actually a national holiday in Japan, but it seems like something we should all celebrate. Why not do something nice for your elderly neighbors and/or relatives for this day? And read more about Japan’s celebration of this day.
September 17:
International Country Music Day: If you already love country music, then celebrating this day should be simple! Listen to your favorite artists and maybe even try someone new. Then introduce others to your favorites. Hopefully you can convert at least one person into a country music lover. And if you think you don’t like country, listen anyway … it could be you just haven’t found the right artists for you yet.
National Apple Dumpling Day: Mmmm … apples, cinnamon sugar & butter nestled in a flaky pastry. How can something so simple taste so amazing? We have no clue! But apple dumplings definitely deserve their own day. And Sept. 17 is it! So make & enjoy apple dumplings. You won’t regret it!
National Monte Cristo Day: You know you need one of these hot ham & cheese sandwiches! In past years Bennigan’s, founder of the day, has offered free Monte Cristos (with purchase). Why not see if your local Bennigan’s is doing that this year? If it’s not, or you don’t have a nearby Bennigan’s, try this copycat Bennigan’s Monte Cristo recipe.
Constitution Day and Citizenship Day: For this day we commemorate the signing of the US Constitution in 1787. We also think about what it means to be a US citizen and recognize those who are on the path to citizenship.
September 18:
National Ceiling Fan Day: Ceiling fans make staying cool (or warm!) more cost-effective. Just turn on the fan & it feels like the room is up to 8 degrees cooler than it really is! Or in the winter switch the fan to rotate clockwise & push that rising warm air back down into the room. And since ceiling fans use a fraction of the energy of air conditioners & furnaces, you save money while staying comfortable!
National Cheeseburger Day: You do know how to celebrate this, right? Make or go out for your favorite cheeseburger!
Air Force Birthday: Celebrate the creation of the US Air Force on September 18, 1947. Before then it technically existed, but it was part of the Army, starting in 1907. It became a separate and equal part of the US Military in 1947.
September 19:
National Pawpaw Day: Have you ever tried a pawpaw? Lots of people haven’t, even though it’s native to the US! Shoot, lot’s of people haven’t even heard of this fruit, much less tried it. But the folks at Kentucky State University want to change that. So they created this day. And 2019 is the very first celebration. So head out to the farmer’s market or grocery store and see if you can find some pawpaw!
National Butterscotch Pudding Day: When was the last time you had homemade butterscotch pudding? Well this is the day to break that dry spell! And if you think you don’t like the stuff, maybe you’ve only had the instant stuff. Try this homemade butterscotch recipe & see if you change your mind.
Talk Like a Pirate Day: Or, in pirate-speak: Talk Like a Sea dog Day. You know what ye be havin’ t’ do on this tide, aye? AYE? Ye must turn all yer normal words into swashbuckler-speak! (You know what you have to do on this day, yes? Yes? You must turn all your normal words into pirate-speak!).
National Ask An Atheist Day: This day is for having a conversation with at least one atheist to learn more about secularism. And the idea is to make those conversations courteous. Not like the many comments you may find on social media where both sides just make fun of the other. That accomplishes nothing. But actual, honest conversations can help create understanding.
September 20:
Clean Up the World Weekend: This 3-day event is all about taking local action to clean & protect our environment. And when these local actions take place all over the world (which they do!), we are on our way to cleaning up the world.
International Grenache Day: Enjoy a glass or 2 of Grenache to celebrate this day. And the end of another productive week (we hope!).
Pepperoni Pizza Day: Is pepperoni your favorite pizza topping? If so you’re not alone. It’s the most popular topping for this popular food. And on this day it’s the only topping allowed … if you plan to celebrate correctly that is. Can you drink Grenache with pepperoni pizza? Absolutely! (ok, we’ve never tried that pairing, but this seems like the perfect day to try it).
POW/MIA Recognition Day: This day honors the members of our Armed Forces who are prisoners of war or missing in action. Communities hold vigils, walks, and other events to honor these men & women and their families. See if there’s one near you and join to show your support.
September 21:
International Red Panda Day: Learn about red pandas, visit red pandas in the zoo, and spread the word about these adorable critters. And if you have kids, they can become Red Panda Rangers just by helping to spread the word.
Museum Day: Visit a museum for free on this day! Smithsonian Magazine hosts this day, and museums around the country offer free admission to anyone with a Museum Day ticket. Find participating museums and get a ticket here.
Puppy Mill Awareness Day: Help spread the word about the harsh conditions dogs live in at breeding facilities (puppy mills). They live in tiny cages, get little if any vet care, and know no love. It’s a sad life for the animals forced to breed over and over until they’re “used up,” and tossed aside like garbage.
National Pecan Cookies Day: Make and eat pecan cookies for this day!
September 22:
Elephant Appreciation Day: Do you appreciate elephants? It’s hard not to! So learn more about them, visit them, or even have an elephant-themed party if you’d like! Maybe consider donating to an elephant focused charity to help protect them too.
National Ice Cream Cone Day: We’re up for any day that involves celebrating with ice cream! And for this day you (and we) must eat that ice cream in a cone. We have no problem with that! As far as we can tell the kind of cone (sugar, waffle, etc) doesn’t matter. So choose your favorite.
National White Chocolate Day: If you love cocoa butter without the actual cocoa (powder or liquor), then this day is for you. Despite the name, this stuff isn’t actually chocolate (at least not by FDA standards). But it is still yummy! Maybe celebrate by topping your ice cream cone with white chocolate bits or sprinkles.
World Car Free Day: If you’ll be going out for your ice cream cone, go somewhere close to home. Because to celebrate this day right you must avoid driving. The idea is to encourage us to move away from our car-dominated lifestyles and reduce pollution & congestion. Those seem like worthwhile goals!
