Most of us think of holidays as one of those few days our employer actually pays us to stay home. We all know the big ones: New Year's, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas. And yes, some employers are a little more generous but most likely you'll have no more than 7 days a year that you consider a holiday. Depending on your religious beliefs you may add a few more to that annual list, and find that you're up to a dozen or so.
For a day to be considered a "National Holiday" it needs to be declared so by Congress. And then of course we have the "commercial holidays" that we all love, which in effect are simply days that have become popular over the years. We all love them, but for some of us that just isn't enough. Organizations, corporation, and even loosely connected groups of people can "declare" a day for any reason they choose. Some of these days catch on and become popular with the general population, some remain only recognized by their creator, and some fizzle out and become a mere memory after only a year or two.
The point is - Every day, somewhere someone is celebrating something.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

August 6, 2010 ~ National Root Beer Float Day

HAPPY ROOT BEER FLOAT DAY!!!!

Another fun food day...I love the yummy days...

Did you know Root Beer's primary flavor comes from the root of the sassafras plant or the bark of the sassafras tree.  If you were a Boy Scout or a Girl Scout I'm sure you remember how to spot a sassafras tree...they are the ones that have 3 kind of leaves...the plain oval, the 3 loped, and the mitten shaped.


Root beer dates back to Colonial days when the early Americans used a variety of herbs, roots, leaves, and bark to make what was considered light social drinks.  In 1876 Charles Hires introduced a commercial root beer with his own recipe.  His family continued to manufacture the drink and sold and distributed root beer in bottle for the first time in 1983.   

Root beer can be made in the home and there are plenty of recipe books available.

Outside of the United States root beer is more often known as sarsaparilla...which honestly I think is a lot more fun to say.  So, you might want to make yourself a "sarsaparilla float" instead.

Root beer floats were pretty common place when I was a child, but they seem to have lost some popularity and believe it or not, some children have no idea what it is or how delicious it can be.  While it might seem a simple recipe, root beer and vanilla ice cream, there are some tricks to make the perfect float.  Make sure your root beer is super cold to help keep the ice cream from melting to fast.  It's also a good idea to freeze a nice tall glass to use.  The combination of soda and ice cream will cause an instant foam, so it's best to pour the soda in the glass first leaving what looks like more room than you need for the ice cream.  Serve it with both a spoon and a straw to get all that foamy goodness.
                                                     




Upcoming Holidays

In 1 week -Left Hander's Day
In 2 weeks -National Lemonade Day (card available)
In 3 weeks -Global Forgiveness Day
In 4 weeks -College Colors Day
In 5 weeks -Swap Ideas Day
Posted by Rita Ballantyne at 8:51 PM
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