While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Pull out all the stops – May 23 is National Taffy Day ! One of America’s oldest candies has a mildly misleading name – there’s actually no salt water in taffy. Rumor has it, this common misconception started after a candy company on Atlantic City’s boardwalk flooded with sea water. All the candy maker had left to sell was, quite literally, salt-water soaked taffy. The name stuck, much like the candy sticks to your teeth. It’s not certain who started making this chewy treat, but most credit New Jersey native Joseph Fralinger with popularizing it. Humble beginnings of molasses and vanilla flavors have exploded into almost every flavor imaginable. The candy is made my melting sugar, water, butter and some stabilizers (like cornstarch) and then pulling the final product into long strands. Pulling the taffy aerates it which gives the sticky treat its chewiness and a lustrous shine.

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National taffy day

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 pudding on the Ritz – May 22 is National Vanilla Pudding Day ! This creamy, classic dessert is made by carefully simmering together milk, sugar, salt, butter, vanilla extract and cornstarch.  It can be served right off the stove on a cool summer's night, or after it's been chilled on a hot summer's day. Jazz it up with chopped nuts and whipped cream, or serve it au naturel , with nothing but a spoon. Saddle up to a bowl of Mark Bittman's luxuriously simple vanilla pudding . Or if solid food is more your thing, follow the lead of the Two Peas & Their Pod blog and bake vanilla pudding mix into chocolate chip cookies .

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National vanilla pudding day

These days, it’s easier to name the companies that don’t have a travel app than the ones that do. But press us, and we can’t really think of any. Industry players large (United Airlines, Starwood Hotels and Resorts, England) and small (beach locator, taxi finder, Slovakian ski resorts) are flooding our smartphones and tablets with vacation-related apps. The fingernail-size accessory touches on every component of travel: planning, booking, exploring, idling, photographing, filming, socializing and sharing. An app can map a route, track a flight, convert foreign currencies, edit holiday videos and even tell a German bartender, “Bitte, noch ein Bier.” Read full article > >

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Travel apps for smartphones and tablets explode, but how to find good ones?

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Do we seem a little puffed up today? It's not without reason – May 18 is National Cheese Soufflé Day! ! This savory, airy cake rises to the occasion nearly every time; the name comes from a French verb, souffler, which literally means to “blow up” or “puff up.” That's the delicious alchemy that happens when custard and whipped egg whites take a leisurely loll in a hot, closed oven. And yes, “closed” is key. There's a reason soufflés are so often played for laughs in film and television. They're temperamental little suckers, prone to falling flat as a result of temperature shifts and excess vibrations. Soufflés also take a goodly chunk of time to make, so if they're desired for dessert, diners are often asked to place their orders along with the main courses. But a classic cheese soufflé can be a showstopping main course for an at-home dinner party or holiday event – with plenty of careful attention paid to timing. The base can be made and refrigerated ahead of time, but once baked, it's best served steaming hot from the oven. It will deflate a tiny bit on the table, but still earn gasps from guests. Try this Parmesan and Gruyere-packed version from Molly Wizenberg, the self-proclaimed “fluffiest” take from Food & Wine , or get the blues with Ina Garten's Roquefort-kissed recipe . Previously – Rise to the occasion with homemade chocolate soufflé

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National Cheese Souffle Day

A faulty sauna is blamed for a fire at a holiday home in the centre of Llanberis, Gwynedd.

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Sauna sparks fire at holiday home

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. It's a shoo-in as one of America's favorite desserts – May 17 is National Cherry Cobbler Day! ! Pandowdies, crisps, crumbles, buckles, grunts and slumps are, first of all, a heck of a lot of fun to say. They're essentially all rough versions of a cobbler, which is a deep dish dessert with a thick, biscuit-like crust and a fruit filling. They're also a fantastic way to celebrate the fresh bounty of the season, and as it happens, the first fresh cherries of the year have begun to pop up at grocery stores and farmstands across the country. Get 'em while you can, though – Spring weather affected the peak growing period this year, so cherries may be in shorter supply. Cobblers don't take a whole lot of pastry know-how, but we do dig this little tip: no matter what recipe you use, taste the fruit before you add any additional sweetener. Batches of any fruit, especially cherries, can vary wildly in flavor, so you'll want to assess their place on the sweet-tart spectrum before you overpower them with too much sugar. We dig this Cherry Almond Cobbler version from KQED as well as Martha Stewart's cream-lashed rendition . We're also happy to do a bit of willful misinterpretation and opt for Gaz Regan's whiskey-based drink of the same name. Life may be a bowl of cherries, but no one ever said it couldn't be served up in a glass as well.

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National Cherry Cobbler Day

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Chips ahoy! May 15 is National Chocolate Chip Day. Whether you toss them in brownies, pancakes, muffins or cookies or just scarf them by the handful straight from the bag, these tiny teardrop-shaped morsels will melt away your Tuesday troubles. If you opt to celebrate today's holiday with the quintessential cookie recipe, try out this scrumptious version from iReporter Cynthia Falardeau's grandmother. “[My grandma] taught me that any adversity could be overcome by the simple gift of a cookie,” Falardeau said. Grandma Carr's Chocolate Chip Cookies 3 cups of all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon of baking soda 1 teaspoon of salt 2 sticks of sweet cream butter 3/4 cup of firmly packed brown sugar 3/4 cup of granular sugar 2 eggs 2 teaspoons of real vanilla extract 1 bag of jumbo semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks 1 cup of nuts, M&M’s, coconut or Heath chips Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, soda and salt; set aside. Combine the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Mix dry and wet ingredients together. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 10 minute until lightly brown. Cool for one minute on baking sheet and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

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National chocolate chip day

When it came time for Sivan Pardo, 31, to plan her wedding to her 28-year-old fiancé Scott Renwick, she knew she wanted a “big fat vegan wedding.” “As Scott and I are both vegans for ethical reasons, it was very clear to us that we wanted our wedding, and everything around it, to reflect our ethics and values,” said Pardo, the founder and director of “The Vegan Woman” website. Pardo has been vegan for one year and a vegetarian since she was 12. There will be no animal-derived products served at her reception on June 1. Scott Renwick and Sivan Pardo She is hardly the first bride to use her wedding menu to express her beliefs. In 2010, former first daughter Chelsea Clinton famously served a vegan menu and gluten-free cake during her nuptials to Marc Mezvinsky to reflect her own dietary choices. Clinton did, however, also offer the option of organic grass-fed beef to omnivorous attendees. She is among the brides and grooms meeting their guests halfway down the aisle on menu choices in the interest of making their big day more harmonious. It's a fine waltz between “it’s my wedding and I’ll serve seitan if I want to,” and appeasing the average guest’s palate. The compromise is one that Jennifer Fugo was willing to stomach. She was diagnosed with gluten sensitivity in 2008, and two years later, opted against a gluten-free wedding. “At first I wanted the entire wedding to be gluten-free, however I came to realize that the cost was just too much to bear,” said Philadelphia-based Fugo. She runs the “Gluten Free School,” an online educational resource for the gluten-free lifestyle. While her guests noshed on traditional wedding fare, Fugo enjoyed a personalized gluten-free meal. And when it came time to cut the cake, there was a gluten-free, vegan cupcake waiting for her. For those with gluten intolerance like Fugo, the flour in a regular wedding cake would have wreaked havoc on her digestive system. Sick and bloated is no way to spend your wedding day. “Most caterers should be able to accommodate health-related dietary restrictions individually and create a special meal for the bride or groom without serving it to all of the guests,” said Chicago-based wedding planner Camille McLamb . “But ultimately, whether the restrictions are health-related or due to religious or ethical reasons, it's the bride and groom's day, and they should choose a menu that they are most comfortable with.” For Pado and her fiancé, the menu with which they felt most at home was entirely vegan. “We could not imagine having our wedding tainted with the suffering of animals for the sake of keeping some of our guests pleased,” she said. “Especially as we know how wonderful, rich and exciting the world of vegan cuisine is , and that all people really need to do is just give it an honest try.” Among the items the couple will be serving: eggplant rolls with sun-dried tomatoes and vegan cream cheese, mushroom risotto, coconut milk-based penne pasta with peanuts and chives and honey-melon soup with mango sorbet. Pado says she and Scott are constantly invited to non-vegan events, and though the non-vegan food and drink “saddens” them, they attend as a sign of appreciation for the invitation – and hope for the same mutual respect on their big day. “We hope that by inviting our family and friends to an event that is cruelty-free, they will respect us and our chosen lifestyle on our very special day,” she said. McLamb says the menu can communicate something about the couple to the guests. “I've had couples that served curry to reflect their Indian heritage and hushpuppies to showcase their Southern roots,” she said. “Dietary restrictions based on religion, ethics, or beliefs are no different; they highlight something that's important to the couple and personalize the wedding.” When Siobhan Kent married her husband Aaron, they wanted to personalize their wedding with one of their favorite foods – Southern barbecue. The mother of the bride, however, advised the couple that since their officiating rabbi kept kosher, the reception should reflect the same, even if Siobhan's half-Catholic, half-Jewish family only kept kosher on major Jewish holidays. “I wasn't a bridezilla by any stretch, but I wasn't too mature about being denied bacon on what was supposed to be the best day of my life,” said Kent. In the end, her mother’s opinion meant more than her persuasion toward pork, especially since her parents paid for the wedding. No harm done. The Kents ended up getting more than their fill of barbecue on their big day, it just happened to be in the form of chicken. “The kicker on the whole day was that the rabbi ended up not being able to attend, so this delicious kosher buffet was served to an audience where absolutely no one kept kosher,” she said. Ultimately, the people invited to a wedding should know the bride and groom well enough to understand their choices. McLamb says a wedding should be treated like a dinner party; if you go to a vegetarian’s house for dinner, would you expect a T-bone? If guests know the hosts abide by certain dietary rules, they shouldn’t expect to be served outside those. And if your second cousin twice-removed does end up complaining because there isn’t any schnitzel, McLamb suggests the bride and groom can simply reply, “'I'm sorry you feel that way, but this is important to us.' In the end, most people understand that the bride and groom's preferences reign supreme on wedding day.” No further explanation needs to be served. Take Our Poll

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Here comes the bride … and her dietary restrictions

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. You can have whatever you like – May 11 is National Eat What You Want Day ! Maybe you've been on a restrictive diet and you're ready for that one, luscious treat you can't stop craving. Or, maybe you just can't make up your mind because of the overwhelming tasty choices. No matter your food dilemma, today is for you to celebrate your favorite flavors. If you're incredibly indecisive, visiting a buffet, or setting up one in your own home, is a fun way to explore the boundaries of your taste buds. After all, pretty much any buffet is all-you-can-eat, which goes pretty well with today's theme. So by all means, treat yourself today and have what you truly want. Tell us your favorites and what you'll be having today in the comments below, and don't forget to toast to your taste today.

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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. 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. But no matter where you are, you'll have to peel and devein those little beauties first. The shell is easy to detach – just hold the tail and peel away. To get rid of the digestive tract, just cut a slit in the back of the shrimp and remove it with a deveining tool, or even a knife, skewer or toothpick. Pop shrimp all day long with these fun, tasty and varied ways . Summer is well on its way, so there's no better time to test out your favorite shrimp dishes … or become a shrimp boat captain, if you're so inclined.

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National shrimp day

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Hey, Blondie! You know what May 9 is? It's National Blonde Brownie Day ! Blonde or butterscotch brownies, also known as “blondies,” pack the sweetness without the caffeine kick of chocolate. They are made with a brown sugar base and baked like any dessert bar. If your brownies have ever turned out a little bitter, never fear – the brown sugar will take you away on a wave of sweetness. To amp up the flavor of the chocolate-less baked goodness, you might want to toss in chocolate chips, coconut, toffee, candy or nuts. When you add chopped nuts and shredded coconut, the treat is technically classified as a “dream bar,” but we think you're still safe to enjoy one today. Bake up a pan of blonde brownie goodness , drench it in caramel sauce or save it as the base for your ice cream sundae. You won't be disappointed that chocolate didn't show up to the party.

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Portugal adds to its austerity measures with the decision to suspend four of its 14 public holidays for five years.

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Crisis-hit Portugal axes holidays

The use of a photograph of Madeleine McCann to advertise holidays on an independent website is described as “vile” by the travel firm.

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Madeleine photo use dubbed ‘vile’

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Open up a little envelope of love on May 8, also known as National Empanada Day ! From Western Europe to Latin America to Southeast Asia, these little stuffed pastries are a favorite to eat, no matter if you bake, fry or simply wrap bread around your favorite filling. Similar to calzones, empanadas originated in Portugal and spread out across Europe. They were mentioned in a Catalan cookbook in 1520, particularly with a filling of the seafood persuasion. These “small pies,” sliced into savory portable wedges, made their way to Latin America, the Philippines and even Indonesia via Spanish and Portuguese travelers. As a result, the dish is still a favorite today in all of these areas. Try a sweet or savory filling (or both) to get your empanada fix. One thing is for sure: no matter if you like sugar or spice, this day will end with all things nice.

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National empanada day

A holidaymaker dies in a 50m fall from cliffs in Cornwall in front of his wife and children.

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Family witness cliff fall death