World Smile Day

Each year on the first Friday in October, World Smile Day devotes a day to smiles and spreading random acts of kindness.

If someone smiles at you, you’re bound to smile back. A smile often expresses a feeling, encouragement to someone, or serves as a greeting. If you don’t smile enough, #WorldSmileDay is the perfect day to start.

There are many benefits of smiling:

• Improves mood
• Lowers blood pressure
• Relieves stress
• Betters relationships
• Boosts the immune system
• Relieves pain
• Increases life expectancy

Who wouldn’t want all those benefits? All it takes is smiling. And the more often, the better!

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National Homemade Cookie Day

What better way to celebrate National Homemade Cookie Day than making a  simple, tasty holiday treat

Baking is a holiday tradition in many families. Gingerbread cookies may be the first baked goods that come to mind when people envision the holiday season, but celebrants need not limit themselves when preparing special treats for their families.

Macaroons are one beloved baked good that busy holiday hosts may believe are too time-consuming to prepare. However, the following recipe for “Coconut Macaroons with Dried Cherries” from Laurey Masterton’s “The Fresh Honey Cookbook” (Storey) is easy to whip up and makes for a tasty holiday treat.

Coconut Macaroons

with Dried Cherries

Makes 25 to 30 small cookies

1          cup unsweetened flaked

            coconut

1          cup sweetened flaked coconut

8          egg whites

            Salt

1⁄4       cup dried cherries

2          tablespoons butter

1          tablespoon honey, preferably

            orange blossom honey

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F.
2. Combine the unsweetened and sweetened coconut on a baking sheet. Lightly toast in the oven for 5 to 10 minutes. Keep close watch so the mixture does not burn, though you do want a nice toasted golden brown color. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 F. (If using a convection oven, leave at 350 F.)
4. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a medium bowl until the whites stiffen into firm peaks.
5. Fold the toasted coconut into the egg white mixture.
6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Drop tablespoon-size rounds, perhaps using a small ice cream scoop, of the coconut mixture onto the baking sheet. Press one or two dried cherries into the top of each macaroon.
7. Melt the butter and honey together in a microwave on high for 20 seconds. Drizzle the mixture over the top of each macaroon. Sprinkle with a tiny pinch of salt.
8. Bake the macaroons for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned (watch carefully to avoid burning), or for 8 to 10 minutes if using a convection oven. The macaroons should be dry to the touch. You may need to bake them longer if it is a humid day. If you live in a dry area, these will keep well for a week.

Chef’s note: If you want to be really fancy, melt some chocolate and dip each one halfway into it.