National Desert Day
“Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first.” Earnestine Ulmer
National Dessert Day is celebrated every year on October 14. It is a fun holiday that honors all kinds of sweet treats, such as cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream, and brownies.
No one knows exactly who started National Dessert Day, but it became popular through food websites, holiday calendars, and social media. The day was created to encourage people to enjoy desserts and celebrate the happiness that sweet foods can bring.
The history of desserts goes back hundreds of years. Long ago, people enjoyed simple sweet foods like honey, fruits, and nuts. As sugar became easier to get, people began creating many new desserts.
Over time, cooks invented recipes for cakes, pastries, puddings, and cookies. Today, desserts are enjoyed around the world and are often part of birthdays, holidays, and other special celebrations.
There are many fun ways to celebrate National Dessert Day. You can bake your favorite dessert at home, visit a local bakery, or share treats with friends and family. Some people have a dessert party where everyone brings a different sweet dish to enjoy.
Others try a new dessert they have never tasted before. No matter how you celebrate, National Dessert Day is a great time to enjoy something sweet and spend time with people you care about.
What’s Your Favorite Dessert?
The Irish apple tart is often considered the most popular and iconic traditional dessert in Ireland. It is a simple dessert made with sliced apples baked inside a buttery pastry crust and is commonly served warm with fresh cream, custard, or ice cream. The Irish apple tart has been enjoyed in Ireland for generations and is especially popular during the autumn apple harvest.
KIDS IN THE KITCHEN
Irish Apple Tart
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- ½ cup butter
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 6 tbsp cold water
- 6 small pink lady apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- 1 egg, beaten
- Whipped cream or ice cream, to serve
Directions
- Directions:
- Preheat oven to 325 ̊F and grease a 9-inch ovenproof plate.
- Place the flour in a large bowl and rub the butter into the flour and toss through 2 tablespoons of the sugar. Add six tablespoons of cold water, bring the dough together using a cold knife to create a soft dough.
- Roll out half the pastry to the size of the plate and lay across. Toss the apple slices in the remaining sugar and arrange over the pastry, leaving about 1-inch diameter around the outside edge.
- Roll the remaining pastry a little wider than the plate, dampen the edges of the pastry which is on the plate and place the second piece across the top of the apples. Seal the edges using a knife or fork. Hold the plate with one hand and using your other trim any excess pastry from the rim of the dish using a knife.
- Poke the top of pastry with a fork to allow the steam to release or cut four slits into the pastry near the center, but not joining. Brush the pastry with the egg wash to create a golden crust. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes or until the pastry is nice and golden brown and the apples have softened.
Literature Corner
The Cookie Crumbles by Tracy Badua and Alechia Dow.
The Great British Bake Off meets Knives Out in this fun and propulsive middle grade novel following two best friends who must solve the mystery behind a baking competition gone awry.
For ages 8-12, 320 pages.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
by Laura Nuemeroff
This book is a great first introduction to Mouse, the star of the If You Give series, and a perennial favorite among children. And with its spare, rhythmic text and circular tale, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is perfect for beginning readers and story time!
For ages 1 and up, 40 pages.
Lardie’s Laughs
Q: What room does a ghost avoid?
A: The living room!
Q: Why don’t vampires have lots of friends?
A: Because they’re a pain in the neck.
Gab in Gaelic
Will you have a piece of cake? = An gabh tu pios caca? (pron: on govh two pee-sah caw-kah)
