Daily Holidays - December 16

National Chocolate-
Covered Anything Day (CNN) - Everything is better covered in chocolate, right?

Everything should be better on Tuesday, since it's National Chocolate-Covered Anything Day.

It's a real thing, according to the National Confectioners Association.

Food.com has a few chocolate-covered suggestions: strawberries, pretzels, potato chips and bacon. http://www.live5news.com/story/27636369/national-chocolate-covered-anything-day-is-tuesday

Safe Toys and Gifts Month In recent years, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has created a robust toy safety system, by requiring testing by independent, third party testing laboratories around the world; enforcing stringent lead and phthalates limits for toys; imposing some of the most stringent toy standards in the world; and stopping violative and dangerous toys at the ports and in the marketplace before they reach children’s hands. These combined efforts continue to foster the confidence of American families as they prepare to shop for toys this holiday season. http://child-familyservices.org/december-is-national-safe-toys-and-gifts-month/

Tomato and Winter Squash Month December is National Tomato and Winter Squash Month, a time to celebrate two very versatile “vegetables” that contain a wealth of flavors and nutrients.

You may find this hard to believe, but at one point tomatoes (once called “love apples”) were considered poisonous and grown solely for their ornamental value. Today tomatoes are the most popular garden vegetable in America. While technically a fruit, they are considered a vegetable for culinary purposes and used in many dishes from countries and cultures around the world.

And not only do they taste good, but they’re good for you as well. Tomatoes are packed with vitamin C, potassium, fiber and vitamin A.

There are also plenty of reasons to fall in love with winter squash – they are versatile, nutrient-dense, and just plain delicious–but one of our favorite things about them is their shelf life. Just store them in a cool, dry place (don’t refrigerate!) and they can stay tasty for 1-3 months.

- See more at: http://blogs.usda.gov/2012/12/10/don%E2%80%99t-forget-your-winter-%E2%80%9Cvegetables%E2%80%9D/#sthash.d88xtbv5.dpuf