While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Shake and bake, baby - December 30 is National Baking Soda Day.

While this holiday may not exactly make you want to stick a spoon in the baking soda jar, don't forget that this little white powdery miracle is what makes all of your favorite baked treats come to life.

Baking soda is a leavening agent, meaning it releases carbon dioxide and has a nifty way of poofing up batter, especially in treats like cakes and pancakes. It also enhances the texture of fried foods and gives them a little uplift.

You can use baking soda for things other than actual cooking, like exfoliating or removing a tough stain. Back in the day, it was also cooked with vegetables to make them soft and completely lacking in nutrition.

Chances are, if you can think of one of your favorite sweet treats, it has a bit of baking soda in the middle of the ingredient list. Crack open just about any cookbook or flip through the family recipes and we're sure you'll find something to make in honor of "bicarbonate of soda."

But if this food holiday leaves you feeling deflated, never fear - 2011 is not going out on a boring note. After all, December 31 is National Champagne Day! So from all of us at Eatocracy, have a wonderful New Year's Eve, clink some glasses, knock back the bubbly and we'll see you, and a whole new year of food holidays, in 2012!