While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Today's food holiday is in the bag – May 25 is National Brown-Bag-It Day ! If you’re sick of the same old options at your workplace cafeteria, or tired of forking out precious cabbage for lunchtime nosh, consider jumping on the BYOL (bring your own lunch) bandwagon. Not only is brown-bagging it cost-effective, there are a ton of residual positive effects too. For starters, you're in control. You can make your lunch as healthy as you’d like. Crunchy snacks keep the mind going when the afternoon blues hit. Trail mix or roasted nuts will keep your brain active. And, don’t forget a sweet treat ! If you’re pressed for time, make a batch of something on Sunday night that’s easily portable and you can eat for two or three days. Dishes like lasagna (or any other baked pasta dishes) get better as they sit. Soups and casseroles are other great options. And, just because you’re bringing your own, doesn’t mean you can’t socialize during lunch hour. Link up with other brown-bagging friends and sit together. You can also set up lunch swaps , or try a potluck. Just because you’re brown-bagging it, doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.

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National brown-bag-it day

The troubled genius of James Brown

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VIDEO: The troubled genius of James Brown

Chuck Brown, known as the “Godfather of Go-Go,” a genre blending funk, jazz and soul and other musical forms, died Wednesday, his manager said.

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Go-go music pioneer Chuck Brown dies

Rose Mary Sabo Brown spent just 30 days with her new husband, Army Spec. Leslie Sabo Jr., before he shipped out to fight in Vietnam. But from that month together in 1969 grew a lifetime of love.

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Newlywed hero’s 1970 sacrifice honored

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

Gov. Jerry Brown proposed slashing state workers’ pay and spending on social programs and prisons, calling the moves “difficult — but necessary.”

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Brown Proposes $8.3 Billion in Cuts for California

World War II veterans who served on Arctic convoys should be given a dedicated campaign medal, Scottish government minister Keith Brown says.

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Minister calls for Arctic medal

5@5 is a daily, food-related list from chefs, writers, political pundits, musicians, actors, and all manner of opinionated people from around the globe. Editor's Note: Lara Creasy is the Beverage Director at The Optimist and Oyster Bar at The Optimist in Atlanta, Georgia. She's also the  beverage director at JCT Kitchen & Bar in Atlanta and No. 246 in Decatur, Georgia. Modern Americans think of punch as a quick, cheap beverage to throw together and serve at a baby shower, with ginger ale and sherbet on the list of potential ingredients. But, punch is actually a cocktail of great historical significance, hugely popular in Colonial America and 18th century Europe. Many recipes from that era survive to this day, and are still delicious. Originating in India, punch actually derives its name from the Hindu word “panch,” which means five. Classic punch always has five ingredients or elements, and it can actually be quite boozy, complex and wonderful. If you’re brainstorming ideas of something fun to serve at your Mother’s Day brunch this weekend, or by the pool this summer, just keep these five basic building blocks in mind, and let your imagination go wild. If your friends and family snicker, just remind them that Benjamin Franklin drank punch. The Five Elements of Punch 1. Spirit Unless you are in college, and your version of “punch” is made in a sports cooler or a garbage can, there is no reason to use inferior spirits in your punch. Starting with a quality base spirit is the foundation of any good cocktail, and punch is a cocktail after all. Consider making your sangria, which is technically a punch, with a high quality brandy, and maybe a wine that doesn’t come in a jug. 2. Sugar Many people are afraid of using sugar in their drinks, thinking that it will just be too sweet. Sugar serves a basic purpose in almost any cocktail: it balances acid. When making punch, don’t just think about basic white sugar. Although it has its place. There are many more options to choose from: honey, agave nectar, brown sugar, molasses, even sweet liqueurs like triple sec or elderflower liqueur. Each type of sweetener adds a different depth of flavor and each complements the base spirit in a different way. 3. Citrus Citrus juice provides the acid in a punch that the sweetener balances. Any citrus will work, depending on your desired result. Lemon, lime, grapefruit and orange all lend entirely different flavor profiles and different levels of acidity. 4. Spice Being that punch was originally an Indian creation, the spice part makes sense. It can literally mean spice, such as adding cardamom to a grapefruit, gin and rosewater punch, or it can mean bitters, as in adding Angostura to a tequila-pineapple punch. Spice can also be a tea used to infuse the base spirit, or a cinnamon stick used to garnish a warm fall punch. The possibilities are endless. 5. Water Water is essential to any cocktail, but it’s especially important to punch, which is designed to be ready to serve straight from a bowl or pitcher with no additional shaking or stirring with ice to dilute it. Water can be added to punch in the form of actual water, or it can be another element of the recipe, such as tea, a non-citrus fruit juice, a soda for sparkle, or simply a slowly melting ice block. The purpose of water is to keep those spirits, sugar and citrus from knocking your socks off, and to make them more palatable. Garnish with fresh, seasonal fruits and herbs. You can’t go wrong. Is there someone you'd like to see in the hot seat? Let us know in the comments below and if we agree, we'll do our best to chase 'em down.

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5@5 – Pack a punch this Mother’s Day

Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.) is calling on Harvard Law Professor Elizabeth Warren , his Democratic challenger, to release all her past job applications and personnel records in order to settle her Native American heritage. Read full article > >

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Scott Brown pushes Elizabeth Warren on Native American issue

LOUISVILLE — Bob Baffert calls his son, Bode, over for the cameras. The boy, a shy 7-year-old, relents as his mother brushes a mess of brown hair from his eyes. Then the boy shows what he’s learned from his father, the witty trainer whose hard-driving style has led to three trips to the winner’s circle at the Kentucky Derby . Read full article > >

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2012 Kentucky Derby: Trainer Bob Baffert has a different feeling this year

Challenges Brown’s accusations.

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Elizabeth Warren: I’m Qualified for My Job

Twitter flared up again Wednesday with speculation about the health of Chuck Brown , but the 75-year-old Washington music legend’s manager Tom Goldfogle tells the Post the that it is “just rumors.” Cherita Whiting, Brown’s daughter, said in an interview that her father is doing well. She did not disclose any specific information about his health. Read full article > >

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Chuck Brown death rumors swirl on twitter

Rupert Murdoch tells the Leveson Inquiry former Prime Minister Gordon Brown was not in “a balanced state of mind” when he “declared war” on News Corporation.

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Brown ‘pledged war with Murdoch’

While you're frying up some eggs and bacon, we're cooking up something else: a way to celebrate today's food holiday. Turn topsy-turvy with joy because April 20 is National Pineapple Upside-Down Cake Day ! Some desserts you have to turn upside down to get the utmost joy, and we certainly don't mind flipping the pan for this golden delicious treat. While inverting cake pans with fruit in the bottom and batter on top is an idea dating back to the Middle Ages, canned pineapple wasn't available in America until Jim Dole began tinning them in 1903. Soon after, pineapple upside-down cakes began to appear on American kitchen tables everywhere. Melting butter in a cast iron pan with brown sugar is a tantalizing way to start, and then you plunk pineapple slices into the mixture for an even sweeter beginning. A simple cake batter is poured on top – and yes, the smell of it baking just might make the neighbors beat your door down, so fair warning. Once you retrieve said heavenly confection from the oven, you invert the gooey contents on a cake plate. Serve up some history with this storied recipe from vintage junior league cookbook, ” Tea-Time at the Masters .” One bite will turn any frown right-side round.

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National pineapple upside-down cake day

The polar bear evolved from the brown bear about 600,000 years ago, according to new genetic data.

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DNA reveals polar bear’s origins