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Chef James

“The duty of a good Cuisinier is to transmit to the next generation everything he has learned and experienced.”
 
Fernand Point, 1941

FEATURED FOR MARCH

Updated: Over 9,000 Food Festivals

St. Patrick’s Day Facts & Food

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
 

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FEATURED RECIPES & TIPS

· Original Frank's Redhot Wings

· Ultimate Party Wings

· More Chicken Wing Recipes

· More Appetizer Recipes·

· French Onion Dip

· Jack's Screaming Red Sauce

· Potato Salad Recipes

· Cole Slaw Recipes

· Chicken Salad Recipes

· Kickoff Kabobs

· Banana Bread Recipes

· Mushroom Appetizer Recipes

· Crunchy Snack Mixes

· Mustard and Mustard Sauces

· Salsa Recipes

· Baked and Stuffed Potato Recipes

· Mac & Cheese Recipes
 

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March Food Holidays:

For Details, History and more DAY, WEEK and MONTH Food Holiday designations, including LINKS to Holiday Origins and Additional Information:
SEE Detailed MARCH Food Calendar

MARCH is:

• American Red Cross Month
  (Annual Presidential Proclamation since 1943)

• Caffeine Awareness Month

• Grain of the Month: Quinoa

• National Flour Month

• National Frozen Food Month

• National Kidney Month

• National Noodle Month

• National Nutrition Month  (A nutrition education and information campaign sponsored annually by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

• National Peanut Month (National Peanut Month had its beginnings as National Peanut Week in 1941. It was expanded to a month-long celebration in 1974)

• National Sauce Month

• Canada: Nutrition Month

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DID YOU KNOW?

IRISH SODA BREAD:  This is a classic quick bread from Ireland, which takes its name from the fact that it uses baking soda for leavening. It is usually made with buttermilk, baked on the griddle or in the oven, and sometimes has raisins (currants) and caraway seeds added. Before baking, a cross is cut on the top with a knife, supposedly to ward off the devil.

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Tuesday, March 17, 2026

Daily Trivia Questions are below

TODAY’S FOOD QUOTE

“My mother fried corned beef, she boiled it, she baked it, she put rice in it, she disguised it in corn bread, she boiled it in soup, she wrapped it in cloth, she beat it with a hammer, she banged it against the wall, she threw it onto the ceiling.”
James Baldwin, actor (1924-1987)
 

FOOD HOLIDAYS - TODAY IS:

• St. Patrick's Day. According to many studies, this is the biggest day of the year for combined food and beverage sales in restaurants and bars.
  (History and Facts  --  · St. Patrick’s Day Recipes)

• Corned Beef & Cabbage Day
  (Slow Cooker Corned Beef & Cabbage Recipe)

• St. Gertrude of Nivelles' Day, patron of gardeners and travelers.

• Ag Appreciation Week: March 17-24, 2026 [Community Agriculture Alliance]  A time to recognize and celebrate the importance of agriculture.
  (Farms & Farmers Trivia)

• [National Agriculture Week] (March 15-21, 2026) A time to celebrate the abundance provided by agriculture.

• American Chocolate Week (March 15-21, 2026 - 3rd week)   (Chocolate Trivia  ---  Chocolate Quotes)

• [National Poison Prevention Week]  (March 15-21, 2026 - 3rd wk March) Established by Congress on September 16, 1961 [PL 87-319]
 

TODAY IN FOOD HISTORY

461 A.D. Saint Patrick, Christian missionary, bishop and the 'Apostle of Ireland' died. (The year is uncertain).

1751 Anders Dahl was born. A renowned Swedish botanist, the Dahlia flower was named for him.

1762 The first St. Patrick's Day parade held in New York City by Irish soldiers serving in the British army.

1764 William Oliver died (born Aug 14, 1695). English physician credited with creating the 'Bath Oliver' - a very plain, round unsweetened biscuit or cracker, usually served with cheese.

1768 William Cookworthy received a British patent for a process to manufacture fine white porcelain from local clay, leading to the establishment of the porcelain industry in Britain.

1845 Stephen Perry and and Thomas Barnabas Daft patented a method for manufacturing rubber bands using vulcanized rubber.

1845 Henry Jones, a baker in Bristol, England received a patent for 'self-raising flour' - flour pre-mixed with baking powder and salt. He also received a U.S. patent on May 1, 1849. (Flour Trivia & Facts)

1849 Charles F. Brush was born (died June 15, 1929). U.S. inventor and entrepreneur.  Invented improvements to arc lights and generators. His arc lamps on NY City's Broadway gave it the nickname 'The Great White Way.'

1864 Work began on a 2 mile long, 5 foot diameter, water supply tunnel for Chicago. It was completed in 1867.

1910 The Camp Fire Girls was founded in the U.S. (previously the ‘official’ year was 1912).

1944 John Sebastian of the music group 'Loving Spoonful' was born.

1958 The Champs' 'Tequila' was number 1 on the music charts.

1967 Billy Corgan of the music group 'Smashing Pumpkins' was born.

1968 Over 6,000 sheep are found dead in Skull Valley, Utah as a result of U.S. Army nerve gas testing at nearby Dugway Proving Ground on March 13.
(Sheep Trivia and Facts)

1971 Martin Hadden was born.  British chef. Executive Chef for Historic Sussex Hotels.

2001 The Eden Project officially opens in Cornwall, England.  Its numerous Biomes are the biggest conservatories in the world. (www.edenproject.com/)

2020 Coronavirus: At least 33 states have closed all K-12 schools causing concerns for students who are in free school meal programs.
 

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A FEW FEATURED FOOD FESTIVALS
(See All 9,000 Food, Wine & Beer Festivals)

March 1-31, 2026 - Taste Atlantic City
Atlantic City, New Jersey

March 13-April 12, 2026  Knott's Boysenberry Festival
Buena Park, California

March 19-21, 2026  Iowa Rabbit Festival
Iowa, Louisiana

March 19-29, 2026  50th Annual Collier Fair
Naples, Florida

March 20-22, 2026  20th Annual California Artisan Cheese Festival - Santa Rosa, California

March 20-22, 2026  Razor Clam & Seafood Festival
Ocean Shores, Washington

March 21-22, 2026  Chattanooga Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival - Chattanooga, Tennessee

(SEE ALL FOOD FESTIVALS and OTHER FOOD EVENTS)
 

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FOOD TRIVIA QUIZ    (new DAILY questions)

1) The following events took place in the same year.
What year is it?
· The Clementine is developed in Algeria, a hybrid of the tangerine and the Seville orange (bitter orange).
· Fannie Merrit Farmer opens Miss Farmer's School of Cookery in Boston, Massachusetts.
· New York baker Newman E. Drake founded Drake Bakeries, which will produce items such as Devil Dogs, Ring Dings and Yodels.
· Barnum's Animal Crackers are introduced in a box with a string so they may be hung from Christmas trees.
· Pepsi-Cola Co. is founded in North Carolina by Caleb Bradham.

2) What is the difference between dried currants and fresh currants?

3) How did 'bounceberries' get their name, and what is their more common name?

4) How many 'squirts does it take to get a gallon of milk from a cow?

Click Here for Today’s Quiz Answers
 

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Read an article about Chef James and the FoodReference.com website published in the Winona Daily News, Minneapolis StarTribune, and numerous other newspapers: Click here for the Article
 

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Dedication
This website is dedicated to:
· Gladys Ehler, my mother, who taught me patience and how to make Sauerbraten (it is still my favorite)
· Edward Ehler, my father, who taught me a love of books and history.
· Barbara Saba, my sister, who taught me how to dance.
· Cpl. Thomas E. Saba, my nephew.  Died in action on Feb. 7, 2007 in Iraq.  He was 30 yrs. young.

          Chef James
 

TOP

DID YOU KNOW

The Twin Popsicle was invented during the Great Depression so 2 could share one for a nickel.
 

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A FOOD LIFE

"There are those who say that a life devoted to food -- cooking it, eating it, writing about it, even dreaming about it -- is a frivolous life, an indulgent life.  I would disagree.  If we do not care what we eat, we do not care for ourselves, and if we do not care for ourselves, how can we care for others?"
Fictional cookery writer Hilary Small, in episode 6, series 2 of 'Pie In the Sky'

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Click Here for
Food Emergency
Websites, Phone #s, E-mails, etc.

 

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Classic Fish and Seafood Recipes
 

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DID YOU KNOW?

The term 'corned' as in 'corned beef' refers to the very coarse salt originally used in the salt curing process. In British English 'corn' refered to any small grain or particle, especially those of cereal grains such as wheat.

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IN SEASON FOR WINTER

VEGETABLES
(Recipes  --  Tips)
Avocados
Beets
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Celery
Collard Greens
Kale
Leeks
Onions
Parsnips
Plantains
Potatoes
Pumpkin
Rutabagas
Sweet Potatoes & Yams
Swiss Chard
Turnips
Winter Squash

FRUITS (Tips)
Apples
Bananas
Grapefruit
Grapes
Kiwifruit
Lemons
Limes
Oranges
Pears
Pomegranates

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DID YOU KNOW?

The most valuable fruit crops in the United States are in order, grapes, apples, oranges and strawberries.

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Website last updated on Tuesday, March 17, 2026