Kiss and Get Kisses in Return!

Humans’ imagination is very rich on different events, holidays and traditions. People always wanted and needed something to eat and something to entertain themselves. Perhaps, this is another reason for abundance of holidays and special days we have every month all year long. But even if it is so, we have nothing to complaint of – just on the contrary, we are glad to have another opportunity to have some fun and spend more time with our friends and close people.

The 28^th of April is such a day – Kiss Your Mate Day! Even if you don’t need a special day to kiss your mate, let it be another opportunity for keeping romance and intimacy in your relations. It goes without saying that kissing is not only extremely pleasant – it is also very healthy! If you kiss regularly, you’ll avoid wrinkles; have better mood and positive attitude to life! Once one of my lectures said, “If you grumble and are in a bad mood, it means, nobody kisses you”! There is sense in his words, isn’t there?

So, I’m sure you know that kissing is appropriate always and everywhere. Here are some tips and traditions of this holiday.

· There is no upper limit to the number of times you can kiss your mate today.

· There is no upper limit to the number of kisses you can share today.

· It is highly recommended that you limit your kisses to just one mate.

· If you don't have a mate, it's alright to kiss someone who is not formally your mate.... Hey, you never know. This day may be a beginning.......

· You can kiss your mate wherever you want (location/place).

· You can kiss your mate wherever you want (anatomically speaking)

· Giving candy or flowers is not required. But, we suggest that those who do will receive more kisses.

Kiss and get kisses in return, get more positive emotions, have Kiss Your Mate Day, Love Your Mate Day, Take Care of Your Mate Day… of your own. Take care of your relationships, and this day will become a good tradition in your family!!!

It’s time you fell in love with Garlic!

You don’t like garlic??? I’ll pretend not to hear you! Why? Because today we celebrate the National Garlic day! Perhaps, it is not the best day to kiss your better half, but it is sure to be a great opportunity to fight against microbes. Used across the world for millennia, both for culinary and medicinal purposes, garlic has been successful in treating wounds, infections and intestinal parasites. It's even mentioned in Egyptian hieroglyphs!

Today many scientists have concluded from the results of numerous clinical trials, that garlic has anti-bacterial properties and helps lower cholesterol and blood pressure. It also contains allyl sulfur compounds and these are currently being studied by the National Cancer Institute for their ability to slow or prevent the growth of tumor cells, which may prove effective in fighting certain cancers.

Cooking wise, it's worth noting that the smaller you chop garlic, the more pungent it becomes. Garlic which has been through a garlic press is 10 times stronger than garlic which has been chopped with a knife. So, if you want a milder tasting dish, either add whole of halved cloves.

Garlic is also well known in repelling vampires, curing warts and protecting against the plague!

Whilst National Garlic Day seems to be an American invention, this awesome little bulb merits being celebrated the world over. Celebrate National Garlic Day by using it heavily in your meals and snacks today. Spend some time researching its medical benefits. You might find you are adding more garlic to your menu everyday.

Garlic Linguine with Mushrooms

Vegetarian Main Course Serves 4 Prep and cooking time 20 minutes

Ingredients

Salt

Water

450g/1lb Linguine

25g/1oz Butter90ml/

3fl.oz. Olive Oil

4 Garlic Cloves, thinly sliced

450g/1lb Mushrooms, sliced

2 tbsp freshly chopped Parsley Black Pepper

Instructions

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil.

2. Add plenty of salt and the linguine and cook for 8-10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat the oil and garlic in a saucepan then add the mushrooms and sauté gently until golden, stirring from time to time.

4. Add the parsley, salt and pepper to the mushroom mixture and mix well.

5. Drain the cooked pasta well, return to the rinsed out pan and stir in the oil and garlic mixture, tossing to coat well. Serve immediately.

Garlic Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
1 cup marinated artichoke hearts - drained, finely chopped
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 small can chopped green chile peppers
4 cloves of fresh California-grown garlic - crushed
Mix all ingredients in bowl, spoon into baking dish and bake for 20 minutes at 350x. Serve warm or cold on crackers or bread.

Tired to do the chores? Quit… for today!

Every month of the year seems to have some holidays or any other reasons for celebration. We are glad because of this, ‘cause we get a chance to relax a little bit, forget about our problems and troubles and spend time with our friends, relatives, family etc. If you think that All Fools’ Day is the only holiday April can boast of, you are mistaken!

I’m glad to announce that you may do nothing about the house today! Why? Because today we celebrate No Housework Day! The origin of this holiday (yes, I really mean it!) it still unknown. Perhaps, one day a person decided that he/she is sick and tired of all this routine work and arranged a day off! In any case we can be glad we have this nice tradition!

The majority of women who do the chores will say that this is the most thankless job. It often goes unrecognized and worst of all.....is taken for granted. Usually men do not appreciate all that amount of work their spouses do about the house. There is at least one day of the year, when they can revenge. There are two ways of celebrating this holiday. If you normally do the housework around the house, cease and desist for this day. Instead, kick back and enjoy the day. Relax and do anything, except housework.

If you are a spouse or significant other, do the housework for your mate. It gives her (or him) a break from the housework. And, you just might get an appreciation of how much work it takes to keep up the house.

Perhaps, it would be nice to have such a day at least once a month – but who said, we couldn’t create such a holiday on our own? Remember the saying, “all work and no game made Jack a dull boy”? I mean not only daily routine here. Do not forget about rest and life around you! Have a nice No Housework Day!