Though in existence since the Stone Age, the The Republic of Slovenia did not become fully independent until 1991, making it a baby among its neighboring European countries. On Nov. 22 the former Yugoslavian territory celebrates Rudolf Maister Day, a holiday marking the day in 1918 when General Rudolf Maister took control of Maribor, Slovenia’s northern border. Maister is considered to be a great military hero as well as a poet and painter. On this day the Slovenian government gives a nod to its rich history and honors those who helped keep the country together in the face of other countries who wanted to control it.
Putting the military aspect aside, the great thing about looking at international holidays is learning about countries that are unfamiliar. Slovenia is a small country located on the southern side of the Alps and because of this is becoming increasingly more popular with skiing tourists. Other than mountains, the country is full of lush green forests and beautiful lakes. Slovenian food is strongly influenced by its neighbors, Austria (strudel), Italy (ravioli) and Hungary (goulash).

The potica is a special Slovenian cake that is also a holiday speciality in the Iron Range area of Minnesota, which has a large Slavic and Scandinavian heritage. Potica is made from a thinly rolled yeast dough that is layered with walnuts, butter, cream and vanilla, rolled into a spiral and baked to a crisp amber brown. If you are willing to do the work and roll out until you get very thin dough, give this recipe a try. Otherwise, there are several bakeries online that sell and ship it.
Potica
Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1/4 cup milk, lukewarm
1 teaspoon white sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup butter4 tablespoons white sugar
6 egg yolks
5 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/3 cups milk
1 cup butter, melted
12 ounces honey
1 1/2 pounds chopped walnuts
1 pinch ground cinnamon
Directions
Dissolve yeast in 4 tablespoons lukewarm milk. Add 1 teaspoon sugar and 3 tablespoons flour. Stir well and set aside.  Cream 1 cup butter with 4 tablespoons sugar. Add egg yolks, one at a time. Add yeast mixture and mix well.
Add 5 cups sifted flour, salt and 1 1/3 cup milk and beat well. Beat dough for 10 minutes or until bubbles form. Cover with flour and let rise 2 hours. Cut dough in half and roll out each half as thin as possible on floured board. Spread each half with melted butter, honey, walnuts and douse with cinnamon.  Roll up like jelly roll, place on baking sheet, allow to rise and bake for one hour at 350 degrees.

Children are important to the United Nations, and rightfully so. This world organization deals with issues and rights of all kinds of people, and gives a voice to issues that concern everyone. Universal Children’s Day, Nov. 20, marks the day on which the Assembly adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child in 1959, and the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989. The day is to highlight the welfare of children, with an emphasis on concerns such as health and education for the poorer parts of the world. But its also a good time to show the younger ones in your life that they are loved and important. To show it with food, try this quick and kid-friendly fruit pizza. 
Fruit Pizza
Ingredients
prepared, uncooked sugar cookie dough
8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup cool whip
2 tsp. vanilla
various fruit, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, kiwi, etc.
Directions
Press uncooked cookie dough into an ungreased pizza pan, or into the bottom of a cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until lightly browned. Let cool. Mix cream cheese, cool whip and vanilla. Spread onto cookie. Cut cookie into serving sizes, then garnish with fruit. Make sure fruit is completely dry or the crust will get soggy.

In what will go down as one of the greatest marketing tricks ever, the South Korean makers of a cookie stick have successfully integrated their product into their local culture by inventing a holiday named after itself. Touted as a day for love, like Valentine’s Day, Pepero Day is for exchanging and eating of Pepero sticks with as many family, boyfriends, girlfriends, and acquaintances as you can. Pepero is a cookie stick, dipped in chocolate syrup, manufactured by Lotte in South Korea since 1983. It comes in ten flavors, including strawberry, almond and …..cheese? The date of November 11 was chosen because when written as 11/11, it resembles four, long Pepero sticks.

To share with your family, try this homemade version of sugar cookies dipped in chocolate.
Ingredients
1 cup butter (2 sticks
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the chocolate dip
1 package (8 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup butter
1 cup finely ground walnuts or pecans

Directions
Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray cookie sheets with no-stick cooking spray or grease lightly.

In large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar; beat well. Add egg and egg yolk, beating after each addition. Add vanilla; beat well. Gradually add combined flour, baking powder and salt; beat until well blended.

Scrape dough into heavy-duty plastic food storage bag; seal tightly. Snip off one corner of bag to make a 1/2 inch diameter opening. Squeeze dough onto prepared cookie sheets using kitchen scissors to cut dough into 2-inch long strips and spacing strips 3 inches apart.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes until bottoms are lightly browned. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheets; transfer to wire rack. Cool completely.

While cookies cool, prepare chocolate dip.
Place chocolate and butter in medium microwave-safe bowl. Cover loosely with waxed paper and microwave on high, stirring every 20 seconds, until chocolate is smooth and fully melted.

Place nuts in shallow dish.

Dip one end of cookie (about 1/2 the cookie) into chocolate and then immediately into the nuts to coat. Repeat with remaining cookies. Let cookies stand at room temperature until chocolate is set.

November 1 is World Vegan Day and before all you carnivores start booing, think about the health benefits of eating vegan style. Vegans enjoy all kinds of plant foods, fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, seeds, legumes, and mushrooms. They do not eat any animal products, meat and dairy, eggs or cheese or honey. So even if you don;t want to adopt vegan eating on a permanent basis, choosing to do you a few meals a week can make significant improvements to you health.

World Vegan Day was chosen as the anniversary of the founding of the Vegan Society, a group formed in 1944 to promote the vegan lifestyle. In addition to not eating animals or animal by-products, they also do not wear animal skins or furs, or purchase anything made with these things. The society has lots of information on products that directly or indirectly use animals in their manufacturing process.
The theme for Word Vegan Day 2008 is “Vegan Catering for All”. The group hopes to encourages restaurants to include vegan selections on their menus. And the food is no different than many mainstream dishes, though things may be tweeked to eliminate eggs and milk. Think pasta casseroles soy milk and cheese, or meatless chili with god fresh tomatoes. Of course vegetable soup is a common vegan recipe that we all love on a cold winter’s night. For thanksgiving, try this Praline Sweet Potato Casserole.

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

4 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes (or yams)
3 tablespoon melted soy butter
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoon brandy
1/2 ts ground ginger (1 tablespoon fresh grated)
1 ts salt
1/8 ts pepper
1/4 ts allspice
1 ts grated orange peel
1/2 ts cinnamon

Directions:

Combine all ingredients. Mix well with an electric beater. Pour into a well-buttered 2 qt. shallow casserole. Spread with praline topping.

TOPPING: 1/3 cup brown vegan sugar, 1/2 cup chopped pecans, and 1/2 ts cinnamon.

Combine ingredients and mix until well blended.

Bake at 350 for 30 minutes

Every country is proud when their leaders stand up to their enemies, but Greece in one of the only ones to have made a holiday out of it. On Oct. 28, 1940, the Greek dictator Ioannis Metaxas told a representative from Italian dictator Mussolini “no” when asked if the Greeks would allow the Italian army to cross its borders and occupy locations important to the mission of the Axis forces in World War II. The Italians didn’t take no for an answer however and hours later launched an attack on Greece, which began the beginning the Greco-Italian War. The Greek army valiantly fought the Italians and then later Hitler’s army, always refusing to submit to the Nazi demands. The Greeks’ fierce resolved resulted in Winston Churchill saying “the world will no longer say that Greeks fight as heroes, but heroes fight as Greeks”.

Today the Greeks continue to show their pride in these important events with patriotic displays on most public buildings during Okhi Day, every October 28.

Celebrate the day with an easy taste of Greek tradition, Spanakopita or Greek Spinach Pie.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds fresh spinach, rinsed and chopped - the bagged kind works best
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese
16 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 cup olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly oil a 9×9 inch square baking pan.
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic, until soft and lightly browned. Stir in spinach and parsley, and continue to saute until spinach is limp, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool. It’s very important that it cools so that the moister in the spinach is absorbed.
In a medium bowl, mix together eggs, ricotta, and feta. Stir in spinach mixture. Lay 1 sheet of phyllo dough in prepared baking pan, and brush lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet of phyllo dough on top, brush with olive oil, and repeat process using eight total sheets of phyllo. The sheets will overlap the pan. Spread spinach and cheese mixture into pan and fold overhanging dough over filling. Brush with oil, then layer remaining 8 sheets of phyllo dough, brushing each with oil. Tuck overhanging dough into pan to seal filling. Cut into serving sizes before baking.
Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.

Though they have a history steeped in political upheaval, the islands of Fiji conjure up peaceful thoughts of hammocks and pineapple drinks. As recently as 2007, a coup led by military forces installed Ratu Josefa Iloilo as president. This Pacific island group has seen trouble many times since its independence from Great Britain, who ruled them as a colony since 1874. Independence was granted on Oct. 10, 1970, a date now marked as the national holiday Fiji Day.

The theme for the 2008 Fiji Day is “Diverse Harmony for a new Fiji”. The population is made up of native Fijians, (Melanesians) and Indo-Fijians, descendants of Indian indentured servants brought to the islands by the British in the nineteenth century to work on the sugar plantations. As a result of this INdian influence, much of the cooking in Fuji involves spices. The islanders also follow the Indian tradition of eating on the floor while the family sits on mats, using no utensils, just hands.

A tradition in Fiji is the lovo, prepared by digging a large pit and then lining it with dry coconut husks. They are then set on fire and stones are heaped on top. When the flames subsides the food is wrapped in banana leaves and are lowered in the pit. Meat and fish and vegetables are cooked for about two to three hours.

Traditional Fiji foods involve many items found easily on or around the islands, such as fish, coconut and pineapple. A popular side dish is Pineapple and Sweet Potato Bake, which uses a cheese sauce on top.

Ingredients
2 medium sweet potatoes, baked, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch slabs
1 fresh pineapple, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/4 inch slabs (or use 1 can or pineapple rings)
½ cup freshly grated coconut
¼ cup green onions, chopped
2 cups cheese sauce (see below)
sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Arrange each layer (sweet potato, pineapple, coconut, green onions) in a lightly oiled pie plate in that order, seasoning each completed layer with the sea salt and fresh ground pepper. Pour cheese sauce over top. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve hot.

Cheese Sauce
6 Tbsp butter
6 Tbsp flour
2-1/2 cups light cream
2 tsp dry mustard
2 cups cheddar cheese, grated
Combine flour and butter in heavy pan over medium heat. Cook for 2 minutes, until flour starts to brown. Slowly stir in the cream. Stir constantly until desired consistency achieved, then add cheese, mustard and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until cheese is melted, remove from heat and use immediately.

South Africa is a country made p of many cultures. Leaders wanted a way to allow citizens to celebrate this diversity, so Heritage Day was established. The holiday has its roots in Shaka Day, a longtime celebration of Zulu King Shaka. His legacy was a uniting force in the nation, because he worked to bring harmony to various zulu nations.

September 24 is a dual holiday in South Africa. National Braai Day honors one of their long-standing traditions, the open fire barbecue. The word braai (rhymes with cry) is Afrikaans for “barbecue” or “roast”. The custom is sort of like a pot luck, with family and friends gathering in one place, all bringing food to share. Traditionally men do all the barbecuing, while the women make the salads, vegetables and pap, a traditional porridge. Try this version with sheba tomato gravy over top.

Ingredients
PAP
1 cup cornmeal (white or yellow)
2 cups boiling water
1 (14 ounce) can creamed corn
1 pinch salt
1 teaspoon margarine

SHEBA

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces onions, chopped
8 ounces green peppers, chopped
1 (16 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 teaspoons brown sugar
3 garlic cloves, crushed
salt and pepper
parsley, dried or fresh to taste

Directions
Pap
Add boiling water, creamed corn, salt and margarine to casserole dish. Add cornmeal and stir. Cook in microwave for 2 minutes, stir. Cook for around 6 to 8 minutes, stirring every 2 minutes, until pap is thick and fluffy. Serve with gravy, sheba, or salsa. Great with barbequed meat. To make microwave pap without creamed corn, add an extra cup of boiling water and cook as directed.

Sheba.
Sauté the onion in a frying pan with oil until soft – make sure heat is not too high, you don’t want the onions to brown. When onion is soft, add green pepper and stir for around 2 minutes – doesn’t have to be completely cooked.
Add can of tomato paste and also can of diced tomatoes. Then add 3 big cloves of crushed garlic and two cubes of brown sugar and chopped fresh parsley (around 2 tbsps).
Add ½ teaspoon of salt and 1 ½ tsp of freshly ground black pepper.
Cook over slow heat (simmer) for about 10 minutes. Better the day after it is made.
Serve over pap.

Are you German and proud of it? Then Sept. 17 is for you! It’s Von Steuben Day, celebrating Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben (born Sept. 17, 1730) who came to America on the advice of Benjamin Franklin. Von Steuben met Franklin in France and impressed him with his military training. Knowing that General George Washington was short on schooled military leaders, Franklin recommended him for service. Von Steuben joined Washington at Valley Forge and volunteered to serve without pay (though he asked for and was eventually granted a $2,500 a year pension). He was instrumental in helping the Continental Army with drills and discipline and formulated a sanitation plan for the camps.

Von Steuben Day is celebrated with parades in New York, Philadelphia and, most notably Chicago (this is the parade featured in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off). After the parade their are generally German festivals, with traditional dancing, food and of course beer. There’s nothing more traditional than sauerkraut, which translates to sour cabbage in English. Try this easy sauerkraut and pork for a taste of traditional Germany.
Sauerkraut and Pork
Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs. pork, cubed
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. caraway seed
1 lg. can sauerkraut, drained

Directions
Brown pork in 1 tablespoon fat. When browned, add onions and brown a few minutes more. Add 1/2 cup water, paprika, and salt and simmer 1 hour. Mix sauerkraut with sugar and caraway seed and stir into pork. Simmer or steam 15 to 20 minutes. Serve over egg noodles.

If there’s any country that knows how to throw a party, its Mexico. On Sept. 16 they go all out to celebrate the nation’s independence from Spain in 1810. Cars and buildings are decorated, the national colors of red, green and white are everywhere and of course food abounds.
Mexico started off as an independent county, with the Olmec, Teotihuacan, Maya, Toltec and Aztec empire. But then arrived Cortez and the Spanish explorers in the 1500s and with them disease and guns that killed many of the native people. For 300 years the Spanish ruled over Mexico, until Napoleon invaded Spain and installed his brother as king. The Mexicans, possibly inspired by the recently ended American Revolution, decided it was their turn for liberty. On Sept. 16, 1810 their own liberty bell was rung from a little church in Dolores, Guanajuato by Father Hidalgo. After an 11 year war, the Treaty of Córdoba was signed on August 24, 1821, giving the Mexicans their homeland back.

This very time consuming dish of stuffed chilies is very traditional for Mexican Independence Day. The pomogranetes are in season and the colors are those of the Mexican flag.

Chiles en Nogada (Chilies in Walnut Sauce) Recipe
You must start this dish one day ahead by soaking the walnuts for the nogada sauce overnight.
INGREDIENTS
The Picadillo:
2 lbs of boneless pork
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped

A molcajete (mortar and pestle)
8 peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1/2 inch stick cinnamon
3 heaping Tbsp of raisins
2 Tbsp blanched and slivered almonds
2 heaping Tbsp acitron or candied fruit, chopped
2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 pear, cored, peeled and chopped
1 peach, pitted, peeled and chopped

Directions
Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them into the pan with the onion, garlic, and salt and cover with cold water. Bring the meat to a boil, lower the flame and let it simmer until just tender - about 40-45 minutes. Do not over cook. Leave the meat to cool off in the broth.
Strain the meat, reserving the broth, then shred or chop it finely and set it aside. Let the broth get completely cold and skim off the fat. Reserve the fat.
Cook the onion and garlic in butter, until they are soft. Add the meat and let it cook until it begins to brown.
Crush the spices roughly and add them, with the rest of the ingredients to the meat mixture. Cook the mixture a few moments longer. Add chopped peach and pear to the mixture.

The Chilies:
Put 6 chiles poblanos into a fairly high flame or under a broiler and let the skin blister and burn. Turn the chiles from time to time so they do not get overcooked or burn right through.

Wrap the chiles in a damp cloth or plastic bag and leave them for about 20 minutes. Make a slit in the side of each chili and carefully remove the seeds and veins. Be careful to leave the top of the chili, the part around the base of the stem, intact. Rinse the chilies and pat them dry.

Stuff the chilies with the picadillo until they are well filled out. Set them aside on paper towels.

The Nogada (walnut sauce)
The day before:
20 to 25 fresh walnuts, shelled
cold milk
On serving day:
The soaked and drained nuts
1 small piece white bread without crust
1/4 lb queso fresco
1 1/2 cups thick sour creme (or creme fraiche)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
Large pinch of cinnamon
Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until they are smooth, like a pesto

To Serve
To assemble the dish, cover the chilies in the nogada sauce and sprinkle with fresh parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds.

“Oh, say can you see…” What would a baseball game be without those famous words? The state of Maryland celebrates when this line and the others that make up the “Star Spangled Banner” were written on Defenders Day, Sept. 12. This state holiday marks the Battle of North Point, a successful defense of the city of Baltimore from an invading British force during the War of 1812. The battle centered on Fort McHenry, where a young lawyer waited out the battle in the bay outside the fort. Though they were shelled by the British, the scrappy colonists did not surrender, inspiring Francis Scott Key to write the poem “Defence of Fort McHenry”. This poem was later set to the music of an old British drinking song and in 1931 it was officially named the United States’ national anthem.

Baltimore and the Fort McHenry historical site host huge patriotic displays during the weekend surrounding Defenders Day. Activities included encampments, reenactments and of course fireworks. Celebrate with your soldiers with a taste of Baltimore, Maryland Crab Cakes.
Ingredients
1 lb. Maryland Backfin (lump) crabmeat
1 c. Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1 lg. egg beaten
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1/2 teas. (or more as you prefer) Old Bay seasoning

butter, butter, or oil for frying

In mixing bowl, blend all ingredients except for crabmeat. Add crabmeat, fold in gently, but mix thoroughly. Shape into cakes. Cook in fry pan until browned; about 5 minutes on each side, or broil. You can also wrap crabcakes and freeze for later use.