My family and I hit up Border’s Bookstore recently to see if we could grab any great finds due to their going out of business sale. Our intention was to find some reader books for Logan and any other special books that Eli might enjoy. Well, our findings gave merit to the old adage snooze=loose. The shelves in the children’s section were all but empty, save for a couple Christmas and Hanukka books. So, since we couldn’t find success in the children’s section, we moved on to the food/cooking section, where we did happen to find a gem. Check it out!

Food Fest 365: The Official Fun Food Holiday Cookbook

by Yvan D. Lemoine

Now, I have skimmed this book front to back and can’t seem to determine how Yvan knows which day is which, or if he made it up on his own, but I am all about designating each day of the year with a reason to celebrate a different food item! He celebrates everything from Grape Popsicle Day (on my birthday, May 27!) to White Chocolate Cheesecake (on Chris’s birthday, March 6!). It’s not all sweet stuff, either! There’s Eat Beans Day (on Logan’s birthday, July 3!) and Brandied Fruit Day (on Eli’s birthday, October 20!). Yes, I know, Brandied Fruit would be considered sweet, but since I happened to find myself on a trend of listing my family’s birthdays…that’s just how it worked out.

I love this stuff. Each day comes with a recipe to go along with the food item being celebrated! So, without further ado, let’s celebrate Macadamia Nut Day! I won’t list the recipe, but instead, here are 10 little known facts about macadamia nuts! Ready? Let’s do this!

1. The nuts grow on a type of evergreen tree, except with leaves.

2. Macadamia nuts are often used by law enforcement to simulate cocaine in drug stings! Who knew! When the nut is all chopped up, it resembles a white, powdery substance!

3. Some of the earliest findings of macadamia nuts came from Queensland, Australia, in 1828, where the locals called them Bauple Nuts.

4. By the 1920s macadamia nuts were planted commercially in Hawaii and the Hawaiian produced Macadamia established the nut internationally.

5. Yikes! The macadamia nut is high in fat and low in protein.

6. Oooh. Macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs!

7. Glen loves macadamia nuts.

8. Oil from a macadamia nut is used for skin care.

9. Macadamia trees are grown as ornamental plants in subtropical regions for their glossy foliage. Pretty!

10. The macadamia nut has a very hard shell that can be cracked using a hammer or rock!

So, there you have it! You are now 10 macadamia nuts facts smarter than you were five minutes ago!

Have a fun and safe Macadamia Nut Day!