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

Grab some fresh fruit of the sea – May 10 is National Shrimp Day!

Whether you bake, boil, fry, grill, put 'em in a stew, serve 'em Southern-style with grits, stir into a scampi or stick on top of a cocktail, shrimp can be served so many ways, you'll run out daylight first.

At the base of soups or used for flavoring, shrimp is at the heart of Asian cooking. In Spain, folks like to toss them in with paella while Italians include shrimp in their pasta dishes. Coconut shrimp is a favorite in Caribbean cuisine, and curried shrimp is alive and well in Southeast Asia. And of course, fried shrimp is king here in the U.S.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

A parfait way to begin May, May 1 is National Chocolate Parfait Day!

Depending on how you parfait, you can spend this perfect day celebrating one or two wonderful ways. Because parfait literally means "perfect" in French, you'll be sure to enjoy this dessert in at least one of its forms.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Dulce delicious! Set your palate for sweet because April 5 is National Caramel Day!

When you give sugar a tan, it rewards you with even more sweetness, and this may be the only time when nearly burning something makes it taste even better.

Slowly heating sugar to 340 degrees Fahrenheit will result in the yummy process that is known as caramelization. Exposing the sugar to this kind of heat breaks down the molecules and transforms them into a golden brown liquid state.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Whip it good – April 3 is National Chocolate Mousse Day!

Forget the spoon and just stick your face into a mess of mousse today. While you won't want to comb this kind through your hair, it sure tastes like a chocoholic's dream.

A French word that literally means "froth" or "foam," mousse is both rich and airy, combining the best of both dessert worlds. The secret to its cloudlike texture is beaten egg whites or whipped cream.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

We're celebrating the best couple in history, and you know we aren't foolin' around because it's April 2. Today is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day!

Even Barbie and Ken didn't last, but peanut butter and jelly - or "PB&J" if you're into acronyms – will always be inseparable, timeless and incredibly delicious.

Back in 2002, a survey revealed that the average PB&J-loving American eats 1,500 sandwiches before graduating high school. Now, that's love.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

Invite the whole family and then some for a pile-on paella party – March 27 is National Paella Day.

Not only is this dish rich in a multitude of flavorful ingredients, but paella is just bursting with a storied heritage as well. None of the three varieties are the same, so you'll have plenty to keep you occupied today.

Originally created in Valencia on the east coast of Spain, it has been called Spain's national dish by non-residents, but proud Valencians refer to it as one of their main symbols. Varieties include Valenciana (no surprise there), de marisco (seafood), mixta (a mixture of meat and seafood) and vegetariana (vegetable).
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Ashley Strickland is an associate producer with CNN.com. She likes tackling English toffee, channeling summer with sunflower cheesecakes, sharing people-pleasin' pizza dip and green soup, cajoling recipes from athletes and studying up on food holidays.

There is a grace in the harmony of simple flavors and taking the time and care to introduce them to one another. I like to think it’s embodied in a perfect pound cake.

Take a moment to get to know the grand dame of Southern desserts.
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Ashley Strickland is an associate producer at CNN.com. She likes cajoling recipes from athletes and studying up on food holidays. We ran this post in 2011, and it seemed painfully relevant this flu season.

After the “office funk” attacked for the third time this fall, I decided to take action. I needed to find an antioxidant powerhouse with the strength to fight off any and all germs and allergies. The usual suspects just weren’t cutting it and I needed a new weapon.

During my frantic search, I stumbled upon something with such a miraculous list of healthy ingredients, I couldn’t say no. And last week, I’m proud to say that green soup entered my life.

Get the recipe and the rest of the story

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

Love it, or love to loathe it - December is National Fruitcake Month!

So maybe you didn't manage to finish off that fruitcake Aunt Betty is always so kind to bring you for Christmas ... every single year. The good news is, you still have time to enjoy it!

Fruitcake gets its name from the variety of chopped candied fruit and nuts that stud the batter and exterior of the round. The earliest known fruitcake, discovered via an ancient Roman recipe, included pomegranate seeds, raisins and pine nuts. During the Middle Ages, innovative minds tossed preserved fruit, spices and honey into the mix.
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While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday.

November 23 is National Espresso Day!

NATIONAL ESPRESSO DAY! NATIONAL ESPRESSO DAY! NATIONAL ESPRESSO DAY! NATIONAL ESPRESSO DAY! NATIONAL ESPRESSO DAY!
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