WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT TODAY?

INTERNATIONAL CABERNET SAUVIGNON DAY

Every year on the Thursday before Labor Day, International Cabernet Sauvignon Day celebrates the world’s most widely recognized red wine grape varieties.

Cabernet Sauvignon was developed quite by accident in the seventeenth century. A red Cabernet Franc grape plant bred with a white Sauvignon Blanc grape plant in a French vineyard. The happy accident led to the making of one of the most popular wines in history. Bordeaux, France, is known to produce exceptional Cabernet and Cabernet blends. Today, however, this wine is produced in nearly every major wine region around the world.

Who else enjoys Cabernet Sauvignon? 🍷

NATIONAL CREAM-FILLED DONUT DAY

National Cream-Filled Donut Day on September 14th recognizes one of our favorite foods. 

Cream-filled donuts come in so many varieties. If you aren’t a fan of fillings in your pastries, consider trying some of the latest flavors. Not only have bakeries become creative with their fillings, but they’ve also branched out with their toppings, too. 

Some of the top cream-filled donuts we love (in no particular order) are:

• Boston Cream
• Bavarian Cream
• Chocolate Cream
• Lemon Cream
• Custard
• Caramel Cream
• Strawberry Cream
• Vanilla Cream
• Peanut Buttercream
• Holland Cream
• Fluffernutter Cream
• Orange Vanilla Cream
• Nutella Cream
• Marshmallow Cream
• Maple Cream
• Espresso Cream
• Coconut Cream

Now, if this list doesn’t make you run out and fill an order for at least a dozen, keep reading. And, there’s not a sprinkle to be found.

Add bacon crumbles to the maple cream. If you order an espresso cream, ask for a hazelnut drizzle. Of course, if you’re in an autumn frame of mind, sprinkle it with pumpkin spice and sugar. Orange vanilla cream makes an excellent dessert when topped with vanilla ice cream. Serve the caramel cream with coffee and cozy up with a good book. When it comes to marshmallow cream, the obvious toppings are chocolate and graham cracker crumbs.

What is your favorite Cream Filled Doughnut?

Mine is Boston Cream!

I would like some others like coconut cream.

HOW TO OBSERVE #CreamFilledDonutDay

Go out and enjoy a Cream-Filled Donut or make some of your own. Here is a Cream-Filled Donut recipe.  Of course, you can always bring some to work. Sharing with your co-workers garners unknown benefits. Surprise a neighbor or your spouse. Visit your favorite bakery and be sure to give them a shout-out, too! The rewards are endless where Cream-Filled Donuts are concerned.

When Is National POW/MIA Recognition Day 2021?

September 17, 2021

You Are Not Forgotten – that's the central phrase behind the POW/MIA remembrance movement which honors America's prisoners of war, those who are still missing in action and their families.

Many of our service members suffered as prisoners of war during several decades of varying conflicts. While some of them made it home, tens of thousands more never did.

Here are four things to know about how this important movement got started, what it means and how you can help recognize it.

POW/MIA Recognition Day

POW/MIA Recognition Day is commemorated on the third Friday of every September, a date that's not associated with any particular war. In 1979, Congress and the president passed resolutions making it official after the families of the more than 2,500 Vietnam War POW/MIAs pushed for full accountability.

During the first POW/MIA Recognition Day commemoration, a ceremony was held at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., while the 1st Tactical Squadron from Langley Air Force Base in Virginia flew the missing man formation. Most ceremonies since then have been held at the Pentagon, and many smaller observances have cropped up across the nation and around the world on military installations.

Related: A Missing ID Card Spent 50 Years in Vietnam. Now It's Coming Home

The point of POW/MIA Recognition Day is to ensure that American remembers to stand behind those who serve and to make sure we do everything we can to account for those who have never returned.

POW/MIA Numbers

In order to comprehend the importance of this movement, all you need to do is look at the sheer number of Americans who have been listed as POW/MIAs.

According to a Congressional Research Service report on POWs:

• 130,201 World War II service members were imprisoned; 14,072 them died
• 7,140 Korean War service members were imprisoned; 2,701 of them died
• 725 Vietnam War service members were imprisoned; 64 of them died
• 37 service members were imprisoned during conflicts since 1991, including both Gulf wars; none are still in captivity

According to the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, 83,114 Americans who fought in those wars are still missing, including:

• 73,515 from World War II (an approximate number due to limited or conflicting data)
• 7,841 from the Korean War
• 1,626 from Vietnam
• 126 from the Cold War
• 6 from conflicts since 1991

The DPAA said about 75 percent of those missing Americans are somewhere in the Asia-Pacific. More than 41,000 have been presumed lost at sea.

Efforts to find those men, identify them and bring them home are constant. For example, the DPAA said that in the past year it has accounted for 41 men missing during the Korean War: 10 had been previously buried as unknowns, 26 were from remains turned over by North Korea in the 1990s, one was from a recovery operation, and four were combinations of remains and recovery operations.

The National League of Families POW/MIA flag, also known as the POW/MIA flag or simply the POW flag, consists of a silhouette of a prisoner of war (POW) before a guard tower and barbed wire in white on a black field. "POW/MIA" appears above the silhouette and the words "You Are Not Forgotten" appear below in white of the black field.

First day of fall September 22, 2021: Today’s the fall equinox
Updated: 7:02 a.m. | Published: 7:01 a.m.arewell flip-flops, hello pumpkin spice: The autumnal equinox is Wednesday
Doyle Rice
USA TODAY

Our long, hot summer is finally coming to an end on Wednesday.
The exact time of the equinox is 3:20 p.m. EDT.
Although astronomers say summer ends Wednesday, meteorologists say summer ended Aug. 31.
Farewell, flip-flops. And hello pumpkin spice.

Our long, hot summer is finally coming to an end on Wednesday with the autumnal equinox, which marks the beginning of fall here in the Northern Hemisphere.

At a precise moment each September, usually on the 22nd or 23rd, the sun is directly above the equator, marking the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere.

South of the equator in the Southern Hemisphere, it's known as the vernal or spring equinox and marks the beginning of spring.

What time is the autumnal equinox?
The exact time of the equinox is 3:20 p.m. EDT. The equinox occurs at the same moment worldwide, according to the Old Farmer's Almanac.

The word equinox comes from the Latin words "aequalis" and "nox," meaning equal night. On the autumnal (and the spring) equinox, day and night are both roughly 12 hours long in most of the world.

This will be true Wednesday from as far north as Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska – north of the Arctic Circle – to as far south as Wellington, New Zealand, the world's southernmost capital city.

Day and night aren't exactly 12 hours long on the day of the equinox because the Earth's atmosphere refracts, or bends, light in an optical illusion that brings more daylight than there really is. Because of this, the date when day and night are of equal length is usually a few days after the autumnal equinox.

Another equinox fun fact: On Saturday, the sun rises almost due east and sets nearly due west for most of the world, except at the North and South Poles.
Days in the Northern Hemisphere will continue to get shorter until the winter solstice, or “shortest day of the year,” which this year falls on Dec. 21.

Another hallmark of fall: The time change. That’s coming on Sunday, Nov. 7.

Today marks the start of astronomical fall, but meteorological fall began on Sept. 1. Forecasters use three-month time blocks to denote the seasons, which makes things neater for observation and record-keeping purposes.

Today will actually feel fall-like as well across Alabama — at least by the end of the day.

According to the National Weather Service a cold front will bring in cooler and drier air across Alabama, which will be felt in earnest tonight.

Lows tonight are forecast to drop into the 40s in n north Alabama and the low to mid-50s across the rest of the state:

NATIONAL ICE CREAM CONE DAY SEPTEMBER 22, 2021.

From  the dawn of time, everyone from philosophers to the the man or woman on the street has scratched their confused heads over this mind-boggling question — how can you hold and eat ice cream in your hands without making a mess? This September 22, celebrate the long-awaited answer —  National Ice Cream Cone Day — by taking a bite into America’s favorite way to eat a cool, sweet treat!

Before the invention of the ice cream cone, there was no good solution to the hassle (not to mention the mess) of eating an ice cream without dripping the stuff down your arms or down your chin and ruining your clothes. But thanks to this so-simple-it’s-incredible-nobody-thought-of-it-earlier innovation, now we’re free to indulge ice cream cones in waffle-style, pretzel, chocolate-coated, wafer, sugar and more. So, feel free to enjoy these waning hot days by getting your favorite cone (ours is sugar!) and celebrate National Ice Cream Cone Day.

National Cherry Jubilee Day September 24, 2021.

There is no proper mention of the founder and the year in which the National Cherries Jubilee Day celebration was first observed. But the Cherries Jubilee has a long history. Cherries Jubilee is a classic flambé dessert dish made with cherries and liqueur, typically Kirschwasser or brandy. It will be subsequently flambéed and served as a sauce over the vanilla ice cream. The French chef Auguste Escoffier is credited with the invention of this dessert. Auguste Escoffier introduced it for the first time in one of Queen Victoria’s Jubilee celebrations. It is, however, unclear if the dessert made its debut for the celebration of the Golden Jubilee of 1887 or the Diamond Jubilee in 1897. It had quickly become one of the most stylish desserts of that era. As it was introduced during the jubilee celebration, hence the name Cherries Jubilee.

NATIONAL LOBSTER DAY

National Lobster Day on September 25th takes a taste of a seafood favorite. 

The simplest way to enjoy Lobster is boiled then dipped in melted butter.  A couple of favorite lobster recipes include Lobster Newberg and Lobster Thermidor.  It is also the main ingredient in soup, bisque, lobster rolls, and salads.

Large lobsters are estimated to be 50 years old.

These marine crustaceans live at the bottom of the ocean. If they avoid the lobster pot, some can live up to 100 years old. Even though we consider them a delicacy today, that wasn’t always the case. In colonial times, the lobster received very little culinary credit. In fact, the pigs and goats ate more lobster than the well-to-do.

While lobsters arrive at our tables bright red, they don’t start out that way. In the ocean, they come in many colors. Some are yellow, green, or even blue.

Now that lobsters rank higher on the menu, consider these nutrition facts.

• Lobsters contain no carbohydrates and 27.55 grams of protein per 1 cup serving.
• In that same 1 cup serving, there are 129 calories and 1.25 grams of fat.
• Eating lobster offers an excellent source of selenium, omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin A, and calcium.

Attention lobster fans: you matter. In fact, you matter so much that even the U.S. government has gotten in on the act. Every year since 2015, the U.S. Senate has passed a resolution at the behest of members from various New England states (this year's resolution was authored by New Hampshire's lawmakers, according to an announcement from Senator Jean Shaheen's office), to designate National Lobster Day. This year, that day is September 25. And if you're lucky enough to dwell within an even vaguely reasonable traveling distance of any participating Red Lobster restaurant, then the news is about to get even better as some local restaurants may have a surf and turf special to celebrate September 25th, 2021. Bon Appétit which literally means “good appetite.”

NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZEL DAY

October 7th officially marks the sweet and salty goodness of National Chocolate Covered Pretzel Day. Whether they’re dipped in dark, milk or white chocolate, be sure to celebrate every mouthwatering pretzel bite!

Salty, crunchy pretzels and chocolate are the gold mine of the snack world, and their combination is the epitome of the oh-so-popular sweet and salty flavor craze. Change up the chocolate from white to milk to dark chocolate, and they satisfy even a mild sweet tooth.

History of the Chocolate Covered Pretzel

Many creative stories have been shared to explain how pretzels and chocolate came together. One tale tells of a German baker joining forces with his chocolatier neighbor in the 1500s to dip pretzels. However, this idea is purely imagination. Dipping into the history of pretzels and chocolate, the story might become a little clearer.

Historians document the story of chocolate quite well. However, anyone dipping pretzels into chocolate back in the 1500s would have had a soggy mess. Why? Because only drinking chocolate existed in those days. Nearly 300 years later, Casparus van Houten Sr. developed a process to separate the cocoa solids from the butter. Then, in 1828, his creation brought on a candy revolution which led to the development of the most amazing, versatile ingredient we have today: chocolate!

The first commercial hard pretzels, the kind that makes the combination with chocolate so irresistible, came along in 1861. Julius Sturgis opened a bakery in a house built around 1784 in Lititz, Pennsylvania. He used a recipe given to him by an unnamed friend. How long people had been making hard pretzels before then is unknown.

The marriage of two delicious treats, chocolate, and pretzels, came along sometime after that. However, the point is that the celebration starts now! We celebrate all shapes and sizes of chocolate covered pretzels, too. Beyond the twists, rings, and rods, there are pretzels perfectly decorated with sprinkles and infused with flavors that will put your favorite coffee shop to shame. Chocolate covered pretzels adorn cakes, bars, and ice cream, too. As unique favors, who wouldn’t want to find an assortment of their favorite sweet and salty snack in a party bag?

HOW TO OBSERVE NATIONAL CHOCOLATE COVERED PRETZEL DAY

Pick up your favorite combination of pretzels, chocolate, and toppings. Share a few, gift a few (and don’t forget to treat yourself, too!) Add chocolate covered pretzel pieces to popcorn or dip them into Nutella or ice cream. Then share your favorite indulgences by posting #ChocolateCoveredPretzelDay photos on social media.

WHAT IS NATIONAL DESSERT DAY?

“Let them eat cake!” This popular french saying holds true especially on October 14, aka National Dessert Day! Calories don’t count today, so make sure to pick up that box of donuts you’ve been thinking about all week. Cash in those kale salad points and reward yourself with the a warm sugary glaze. You’ve earned it! What is favorite dessert??