Holiday greetings, day 14...

I accidently did my winter whites tablesetting post on the garden blog so if you saw it before I moved it to my kitchen blog - my apologies. A peek below of the sparkling setting.
A female hairy woodpecker enjoying some zick dough (peanut butter, lard, cornmeal, flour and birdseed). I thought I would show you something edible today since most of December's national holidays seem to involve food. Did you know that today, December 14, is National Bouillabaisse Day
While I like to cook and even started a second blog to highlight new recipes, I had to actually use google to see what bouillabaisse is :) The following information was copied from the website punchbowl.com.
December 14, 2010 is National Bouillabaisse Day

Bouillabaisse is a tasty fish stew that originated in Marseilles, France around 600 B.C. The Phoceans actually founded Marseilles so the stew was referred to back then in Greek as "kakavia." Bouillabaisse also appears in Roman mythology as a soup that Venus feeds to Vulcan. Today, bouillabaisse is an extremely popular dish across the Mediterranean.

When bouillabaisse is made, it is rarely made for fewer than ten people. The more people that share the meal, the more different varieties of fish that are included in the stew and thus, the more tasty the bouillabaisse.

Marseille fishermen typically make the dish when they return to port. Rather than using the more expensive fish that they catch, they use common fish like rockfish and shellfish. Different herbs and spices are also added to the soup for flavor such as garlic, orange peel, basil, saffron, and bay leaf. Vegetables like tomatoes, onions, celery, and potatoes also began to be added during the 17th century.

To celebrate today, try your hand at making your own bouillabaisse stew for your family to enjoy!

I wish you all Happy Holidays whether you want to celebrate Winter Whites as I did at Kathleen's blog party, or if you plan to try your hand at making bouillabaisse. Man that word is hard to spell and type!