Every month brings old and new food holidays, some that are worth celebrating, and some that aren’t. There are plenty of food holidays per month, but these 10 April food holidays are the ones you don't want to miss. I think it’s important to celebrate these holidays, be it with friends, family, or by yourself because we all need a little something to celebrate every day.
April 2- National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
Starting the month off right if I do say so myself! This is quite possibly the best dynamic duo ever invented and I’m definitely not mad about it getting its own holiday. I love a good classic smooth PB and grape jelly on white, but as trends are changing, so are the ways to make this delicious treat! Check out some of these new and improved PB&J’s.
April 7- National Coffee Cake Day
As we head further into April, we start to steer away from the classics and dive into the more unique foods. Coffee cake gets its name because it was originally made to be eaten with coffee. There’s no coffee in it so don’t worry about a caffeine fix keeping you up all night. My favorite part is the cinnamon crumbles that garnish the top. There are many different ways to vamp up an original coffee cake: pumpkin, brown butter, sour cream, and even Kahlua (if you’re of age, of course!).
April 11- National Cheese Fondue Day
The thing I love about fondue is that you can dip whatever you want in it. Like sure there are things that are more acceptable to dip than others, but really who is to tell you what you can and can’t dip? I typically dip bread, veggies, or pretzels. You also get to decide how much cheese you want. For me, I’ll just take the whole pot. They even make at home fondue pots so you can bring the party wherever. Dipping things in hot cheese has never sounded so good!
April 12- National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
As I mentioned before, I love cheese. If I could eat it for every meal I would. Now, put a few pieces of bread around some cheese, toast it nice and crispy, and you best believe you’re not getting rid of me anytime soon. A new trend that I am starting to see is gourmet grilled cheese shops. They have all different flavors with different toppings, or you can create your own. I’m a big fan of mac n cheese grilled cheese and anything with a little BLT. Check out some of these gourmet grilled cheese flavors for a savory treat that you won’t want to miss.
April 14- National Pecan Day
This one’s a little nutty if you ask me. A whole day dedicated to a small fragile nut? No one really wants to eat a plain old pecan, so the only way to celebrate today is to spice things up a bit. My favorite is honey glazed pecans because they melt in your mouth and have a mix of sweet and salty. Another really great way to use pecans is in combination with caramel and chocolate to create an old favorite: a turtle!
April 18- National Animal Crackers Day
The child inside is jumping for joy that this is a recognized holiday because if you don’t secretly LOVE animal crackers, you literally did not have a childhood. Frosted or not, these fun cookies always put a smile on my face, and often I still crave them. I highly recommend Trader Joe’s ones because they come in a big tub, so it’ll be a while before you run out. Here’s a quick life hack: dip them in Trader Joe’s Cookie Butter for an even sweeter treat!
_Libby_ on Flickr
April 22- National Jelly Bean Day
I am the first person to openly say that I hate jelly beans. Plain and simple I think they’re gross and I will not be celebrating today. However, if you love them and are ready to celebrate, click here for 10 new flavor combinations that I bet you never thought to try. If you really wanna have fun, though, go pick up a game of Bean Boozled and wait and see which of your friends have to eat the gross flavors. Some fan favorites include dog food, rotten eggs, and toothpaste. Mmmm, how could you not love jelly beans?
April 24- National Pig-in-a-Blanket Day
Any food is better in mini form, let’s be real. Mini hot dogs might be the best party snacketizer in the game. I mean they’re there for everything. Every football game, cocktail party, and barbecue, you can count on a plate of the little guys to roll in at some point. There are so many different dipping sauces to choose from too between ketchup, mustard, and honey mustard. I can taste the warm flaky crust as I write this article. I don’t know when the next time I eat one of these will be, but I’m praying that it comes pretty soon.
plasticrevolver on Flickr
April 26- National Pretzel Day
I’m not really sure what kind of pretzel we’re talking about here. Soft pretzel? Pretzel sticks? Who knows? But I do know that I am in favor of any and every kind of pretzel that wants to celebrate today. Again the dipping sauces seem endless, as do they pretzel flavors. You could go sweet like cinnamon sugar with a vanilla glaze, or you could go salty like a good old classic ballpark pretzel. You could even go savory with a pepperoni pretzel and marinara dipping sauce. The list goes on and on! I know it’s hard to choose, but try not to get too twisted up!
April 30- National Oatmeal Cookie Day
Oatmeal raisin cookies are the most underrated cookie out there and I will carry this with me forever. Without a doubt one of my favorite kinds of cookie, this chewy, cinnamony, goodness tastes better the next day. Don’t get me wrong, all cookies are good fresh out of the oven, but you gotta let this one sit to get the perfect chewiness that comes in a good oatmeal cookie. Throw some raisins in there and I’m on board! I’m also a big fan of the new flavors that I’m seeing. Orange and cranberry sit at the top of my list, but there are way more where that came from.