Today is National Chiffon Cake Day, plus a few other “Days”. Apparently I missed National Black Forest Cake Day. I won’t be focusing on today’s subject of celebration or choice of cakes although personally, when you’re talking lemon desserts, I am a big fan of lemon meringue pie (National Lemon Meringue Pie Day is August 15th).
My Aunt Catherine made the best lemon meringue and she made it for me, apparently, because the rest of the family was loyal to the “Goddess of Cakes and Pies”, my mother, and would not commit any form of heresy in her presence. Now in the Roman pantheon, I believe my mother also would have been the “Goddess of Danish Puff Pastry”. Aunt Catherine knew I was a heretic and most likely, she revelled in the collaboration. She’s gone now, and her lemon meringue pie is a fond memory.
She was married to eccentric Uncle Mike who assembled an actual one-seat airplane from a “kit”. He was quite proud of the foldable wing. We were all concerned that he would attempt to fly it and we were working on an intervention of sorts when the FAA, fortuitously pulled his pilot’s license. It seems he had an inner ear condition which affected his ability to determine “up” from “down”. I could see where that would be a hazard in the air.
Heretical pie and FAA inner ear licensing issues aside, I want to give you a heads up for tomorrow’s National Day (March 30th), which is National I am In Control Day. You may need to prepare as do I. I won’t be blogging tomorrow, because I have an obsession with blogging, according to my roommate. Perhaps a few of my fellow bloggers have the same obsession. A clue that you are so afflicted would be something akin to watching some random piece of detritus in the road floating past you during a rainstorm and having a profound need to write about its “journey”. However, if you’re thinking about tying your partner’s chihuahua to that piece of detritus then actually, the month of May is National Mental Health Awareness.
The origin of “I am in Control Day” goes back to 1981, after President Reagan was shot and Secretary of State, Alexander Haig’s statement was taken out of context when he said, “I am in control here…” Poor man had to resign. Tomorrow will also be National Doctors Day and National Pencil Day. Enjoy the day. If you feel the need to celebrate your taste buds, carrot cake with cream cheese frosting is a good choice and a valid option if you missed National Carrot Cake Day, on February 3rd.
the EXCESSIVE GARDENER 