Eating the Calendar: June 30th is National Mai Tai Day, but I thought it was Ice Cream Soda Day!

Being a non-drinker, when I saw that June 30th was Mai Tai Day the first thing I thought was "OK, I'll get a virgin version of the drink, but after reading the recipe I realized that it just wouldn't work. After a bit more Googling I found out that it was also Ice Cream Soda Day, so I preceded with that as my plan. Low and behold, I come to find out that no, Ice Cream Soda Day was June 20 and that I'd missed it!

So, here's a video of me enjoying a delicious Chocolate Ice Cream Soda on National Mai Tai Day.

Eating the Calendar: June 29th is National Almond Butter Crunch Day! Microwave recipe and video

I had no idea what Almond Butter Crunch was until I Googled it and was thrilled to learn that one of my favorite candies, Heath Bar, is considered an almond butter crunch!  While not an entirely original recipe, mine was unique in that I was determined to make this as easily as possible. That meant utilizing the microwave for the cooking and skipping the traditional roasting of the almonds... sort of.

Ingredients:

1C (2 sticks) Unsalted butter. (Don't have unsalted? See note below) 

1 1/2C Sugar
1/4tsp Salt (Omit if using salted nuts and butter)
3Tbs Water
1Tbs Light corn syrup
1tsp Vanilla or artificial vanilla
1/3C Roasted, salted sliced almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4C Roasted, salted almonds, finely-chopped (Reserved for toping)
1/2C Dark chocolate chips (Or semi-sweet, or milk chocolate)

NOTE: Because I was using  pre-roasted and salted almonds as well as salted butter I opted to omit the salt. 

On a microwave safe plate scatter the whole, pre-roasted almonds in a single layer and microwave on high for two-three minutes, stopping at two minutes to stir.  Set aside to cool and once cool enough to handle.

Remove 1/4C  of the almonds and finely chop with a knife or food processor and reserve.

Coarsely chop the balance of the almonds with a knife or food processor and reserve.

In a large microwave safe container melt the butter on high for a minute or two. We are looking to melt but not actually cook the butter at this stage.

Add the sugar, corn syrup and water and mix evenly with a spoon or silicone spatula.


Microwave on High for 6 minutes, keeping an eye on mixture to prevent overflowing.

Remove from microwave and stir quickly to prevent the mixture from cooling.

Continue cooking in one to two minute intervals until the mixture begins to develop a light brown color, or when the temperature reaches 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the mixture from the microwave and quickly stir in the 1/3C of coarsely chopped almonds and the vanilla and pour out and pat to  a1/4" thick layer on a nonstick sheet pan.


Scatter the chocolate chips in a single layer across the mixture and cover for two minutes with a second sheet pan to retain heat.

Using a spatula spread the melted chocolate chips across the mixture and then scatter the reserved 1/4C of finely chopped almonds.

Allow to cool until firm. If you are impatient as I was place the sheet pan into the freezer for 30 minutes. 

When cool, give the pan a slight twit to break the candy free and break into cookie-sized pieces with your hands.  

Enjoy or store in an airtight container of zipper-top food storage bag.