How about some Chicken Blueberry Sliders with blueberry corn salsa? July is National Blueberry Month (July 8th is National Blueberry Day). Before the month ends, make a bunch of blueberry recipes.

You can start with a blueberry pie or cobbler, of course, but also consider adding the little blue gems to other recipes. Consider these uses for blueberries:

 
Thanks to Wish Farms, grower of premium blueberries, and Chef Emily Ellyn, Retro Rad Television Chef, for the recipe.

> The history of sliders.
 
 
RECIPE: BLUEBERRY CHICKEN SLIDERS

Bourbon and berries are a perfect pairing—when cooked together, the flavors are amazing, says chef Emily Ellyn.

This recipe tenderizes the chicken into a pulled barbecue that will elevate a party, cookout, or picnic to a toast-worthy celebration.

Total time is 4-1/2 hours and yields 24 sliders.

Serve with cabbage slaw on the side (check out these slaw recipes).
 
Ingredients For The Sliders

 
Ingredients For The Blueberry Corn Salsa

 
Ingredients For The Cilantro Cream Sauce

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F or heat a crockpot to high.

2. RINSE the chicken with cold water and pat dry with paper towels. Add to a large roasting pan or a crockpot set to high.

3. WHISK together the bourbon glaze ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Pour over the meat. Cover and cook for 4 hours or until meat is fork tender. Once the meat is tender…

[1] Chicken sliders are fun fare for a party or picnic (photo © Wish Farms).

[2] Buy more blueberries than you need for this recipe and use them with everything (photo © Blueberry Council).

[3] The chicken breasts are slow-cooked for four hours (photo © Alleksana | Pexels).

[4] The Bourbon glaze adds a depth of flavor, but those who don’t drink needn’t worry: There’s no alcohol left after cooking (photo © Woodford Reserve).

[5] Fresh lime juice perks up the cilantro cream sauce (photo © Lindsay Moe | Unsplash).

4. REMOVE from the roasting pan or slow cooker and let cool slightly before pulling it apart with a fork. Option: If you like crispy carnitas-esque meat, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Press the shredded meat into the oil and fry until crusty on one side.

5. MAKE the Blueberry Corn Salsa: Toss the blueberries, corn, pineapple, pepper, red onion, jalapenos, and cilantro together in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the mix, toss again, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

6. MAKE the Cilantro Cream Sauce: In a small, sealable container mix the sour cream, cilantro, lime juice, and seasoning. Mix well and taste; adjust the seasoning as desired. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

7. BUILD your sliders. Place a scoop of glazed chicken on a slider bun, top with blueberry corn salsa, cilantro cream sauce, and serve with shredded cabbage. For party serving: Use your slow cooker to braise your meat as seen above.

NOTE: When holding meat during a party, add a pint of stock and turn the heat to low.

[1] Blue Hawaiian Dole Whip. Links to all recipes are below (photos #1, #2 and #3 © Dole).

[2] Frozen Mexican Hot Chocolate Dole Whip.

[3] Golden Curry & Mango Dole Whip.

[4] The original Dole Whip, introduced at Disney parks, was pineapple (photo © Disney World).

OMG: In honor of National Dole Whip Day, July 20th, Dole Food Company, which single-handedly started the Dole Whip craze at Walt Disney World in 1984, has introduced eight new Dole Whip recipes for you to make at home: creamy, dairy-free, soft-serve treats. (The date moves; the holiday is the third Thursday in July.)

Thirty-nine years later, Dole continues its in-park sponsorship of the popular frozen treat.

But the next step is bringing Dole Whip into your home with the introduction of the 8 new all-natural Dole Whip recipes. All 13 Dole Whips are now in Dole’s vast online recipe library (and the links follow.

In keeping with the spirit of the original dessert, all are made with DOLE® pineapples, DOLE® bananas, or both.

They bring the total number of Dole Whips that can be easily whipped up at home to a whopping 13. All are vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, and low-sodium, and five are also low-fat.
 
 
THE 8 NEW DOLE WHIP RECIPES

The eight new Dole Whips have something for every palate.

1. Blue Hawaiian Dole Whip (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low-Sodium, Low-Fat): A tribute to Dole’s Island roots made with pineapple, bananas, and lemons (photo #1). Here’s the recipe.

2. Creamy Lemon-Blueberry Swirl Dole Whip (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low-Sodium): A creamy blend of blueberries, bananas, and lemons. Here’s the recipe.

3. Frozen Mexican Hot Chocolate Dole Whip (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low-Sodium): A smooth, comforting combination of bananas and avocados (photo #2). Here’s the recipe.

4. Golden Curry & Mango Dole Whip (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low-Sodium, Low-Fat): Bananas, pineapple, and mango come together for an exotic taste sensation (photo #3). Here’s the recipe.

5. Healthy Halo-Halo Inspired Dole Whip (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low-Sodium): Dole’s take on the popular Filipino dessert features strawberries, blueberries, raspberries grapes, mango, bananas, and pineapple. Here’s the recipe.

6. Mint Green Dole Whip (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low-Sodium): One of Dole’s tangiest Whips ever calls for blueberries, bananas, avocado, grapes, and spinach. Here’s the recipe.

7. Sweet & Spicy Tamarindo Dole Whip (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low-Sodium): A unexpected mix of bananas, plantains, and pineapple delivers a powerful flavor punch. Here’s the recipe.

8. Twisted Candy Cane Dole Whip (Vegetarian, Vegan, Gluten-Free, Low-Sodium): Dole whips up strawberries, raspberries, bananas, and pineapple for holiday—or any day—inspiration. Here’s the recipe.
 
 
Here are the first five DIY Dole Whip recipes:

> Pumpkin Spice Sweet Potato Dole Whip.

> Dole Berry Banana Fro-Whip.

> Dark Chocolate Dole Whip.

> Classic Dole Whip Popsicles.

> DIY Dole Whip (the original).
 
 
MORE TO DISCOVER

> The history of frozen yogurt.

> The history of ice cream.

> The different types of ice cream and frozen desserts.

July 20th is National Lollipop Day.

It’s easy to make lollipops at home if you have candy molds and sticks.

The molds are inexpensive, and the same molds can be used for chocolate.

Then, just mix corn syrup, sugar, flavor and color and you’ve got pops.

Molds are available with swirly designs, flower, stars, hearts, smiley faces and holiday themes.

In a half hour, a dozen (or more, as you wish) lollipops will be cooling in their molds, almost ready to eat!
 
 
RECIPE: LOLLIPOPS

You can make clear lollipops (no added color) with inclusions like glitter, nonpareils, sprinkles, even edible flowers.

With colored pops, match the color to the flavor: red/cinnamon, green/lime, yellow/lemon, etc.

Make one flavor at a time.

TIP: Test your candy thermometer before each use by bringing water to a boil. The thermometer should read 212°F. Adjust your recipe temperature up or down based on your thermometer reading.

Ingredients For 12 Standard Size Lollipops

 
Preparation

1. SPRAY the molds lightly with nonstick cooking spray, then wipe with a paper towel so that only the thinnest layer of spray remains.

2. PLACE the lollipop sticks in the candy molds; set aside.

3. COMBINE the corn syrup, sugar and water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally and brushing down the sides of the pan with a wet pastry brush as needed. Cover and cook for 3 minutes to dissolve the sugar crystals.

4. UNCOVER and cook over medium-high heat, without stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 300°F (hard-crack stage).

5. REMOVE from the heat and let the mixture sit until it completely stops bubbling. Then stir in the flavoring and food coloring. Be sure to turn your face away from the pot since the odor is very strong.

6. IMMEDIATELY pour or spoon into the molds. Let cool before removing from the molds.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF LOLLIPOPS

According to the National Confectioners Association, eating sugar from a stick likely dates to prehistoric man, who licked honey off the stick he used to scrape it from the beehive.

The ancient Arabs, Chinese and Egyptians made fruit and nut confections candied in honey, which may also have been eaten from sticks, owing to the stickiness of the confection.

But what we think of as a lollipop likely dates to Europe in the Middle Ages, when sugar was boiled and formed onto sticks as treats for the wealthy—the only people who could afford sugar.

By the 17th century, sugar was plentiful and affordable. In England, boiled sugar treats (hard candy) were popular.

The word “lollipop” (originally spelled lollypop) first appears in print in 1784, roughly coinciding with the beginning of the Industrial Revolution.

Beginning in the latter part of the 18th century, industry, including confectionery, became mechanized (although artisan confectioners remained).

Horehound drops, lemon drops, peppermints and wintergreen lozenges became everyday candies.

We don’t know the inventor of the modern lollipop: who first put hard candy on a stick.

George Smith, a confectioner in New Haven, Connecticut, had been manufacturing hard candy disks on a stick since 1908, as had other confectioners. But Smith trademarked the term in 1931.

The first automated lollipop machine was invented in Racine, Wisconsin in 1908, producing 2400 lollipops per hour, 57,000 per day. Today’s machines can produce 3 million lollipops daily.

Today’s lollipops come in all shapes and sizes, from hand-crafted works of sugar art to caffeinated Java Pops and bacon lollipops.
 
 
> The history of candy.

[1] You can make these with simple silicone lollipop molds (photo © Taste Of Home).

[2] After you’re comfortable making lollipops, express yourself with flowers, edible glitter, whatever (photo © L3rq0ry | Pixabay).

[3] Making heart-shaped pops (photo © Freepik).

[4] There are shapes for every occasion (photo © Roman Odintsov | Pexels).

[5] Let your inner artist soar (photo © Amborella Organics).

Ice cream is our favorite food—no kidding. We could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and all the times in between. We can sit in bed watching late-night TV with a pint at our side. And we scrupulously take note of all of the ice cream holidays—each a reason to indulge.

Here are the 50 ice cream holidays, listed below, plus a list of America’s favorite flavors.

But, there is not yet a:

 
and most importantly:

 
So if you’re in a position to create one of these holidays, we’d appreciate it.

And make them in April and October, two months where there are no ice cream holidays, and the December holiday is rather iffy*.
 
 
> America’s 21 top ice cream flavors are below.

> The history of ice cream.

> The different types of ice cream and other frozen desserts.
 
 
THE YEAR OF ICE CREAM HOLIDAYS

January

 
February

 
March

 
April

 
May

 
June

 
July

 
August

 
September

 
October

Nothing!
 
November

 
December

 
 
THE 21 MOST POPULAR ICE CREAM FLAVORS

The YouGov public opinion survey asked 1,000 U.S. adults about their favorite ice cream flavor. The results:

[source]

[1] Which flavor would you eat first (photo © McConnells)?

[2] Make a luscious parfait on November 25th, National Parfait Day (photo © ).

[3] National Baked Alaska Day is Februawry 1st (photo © Monkey Business | Dreamstime).

[4] Scoop up your favorite flavor on National Ice Cream Cone Day, September 22nd (photos #4 and #5 © American Heritage Chocolate).

[5] Have a chocolate cookie milkshake on September 12th, National Chocolate Milkshake Day.

[6] Head to Pinkberry on February 6th, National Frozen Yogurt Day (photo © Pinkberry).

[7] Coffee lovers: Make an affogato by pouring espresso over ice cream. September 6th is National Affogato Day (photo © Tony Liao | Unsplash).

[8] National Cherry Popsicle Day is August 26th. But you can go for an artisan cherry ice pop instead (photo © Fabbri).

*This isn’t the same as the official holiday in July, but it does appear in various online articles. We found no factual information about who created this holiday. Like a number of others, it may be based on some local event.

†This holiday is not specifically for ice cream but for the flavor in general.
 

[1] Sour balls: the original sour candy (photo © Tootsie Roll Inc.).

[2] Lemon Heads, a candy to pucker for (photo © Hampton Popcorn Company).

[3] Sour Patch Kids combined sour with chewy (photo © Edelweiss).

[4] Sour Belts in the rainbow flavor (photo © First Choice Candy Store).

THE HISTORY OF SOUR CANDY

When we were growing up, in the pre-digital era, there was one type of sour candy: sour balls, hard round so-called “sucking candies.”

Hard sour candies can trace their lineage to the lozenges of the 1700s. Citric acid, a component of lemon juice, provided plenty of tartness.

Sour balls and other “penny candy” became popular in the mid-1800s [source].

Sour candy-making began in the 19th century. By the end of the 19th century, a love of hard sour candy had spread to the U.S.

By the 1980s, the hard candies were joined by chewy sour candies and gummy sour candies. Check out the Top 10 best-tasting sour candies, below.

But back to the beginning of America’s sour craze:

The 1950s had Charms Sour Balls, the best-known brand of the hard round hard candies. The then-standard flavors were orange, grape, lemon, and lime (photo #1). Today’s Charms Sourballs are made in Cherry, Lemon, Lime, Orange, Pineapple, and Raspberry.

In 1962, Lemon Heads appeared: a hard, round ball made with real lemon juice, causing quite the pucker (photo #2). They were introduced by the Ferrara Candy Company, which also sells Nerds, Trolli, SweeTarts, Brach’s, and other popular candy brands.

America’s sugar-sweet palate was warming to embrace sour.

The 1970s and 1980s were big growth years for sour candy.

In the 1970s Sour Patch Kids were first introduced in Canada, making their way to the U.S. in the mid-1980s to the joy of hundreds of thousands of kids, and maybe a few adults.

Warheads were invented in Taiwan in 1975 and first imported to the United States in 1993.

The 1980s saw a great sour candy event: The Trolli brand of sour gummy worms was invented in Germany.

In the 1990s a new shape emerged: Sour Punch fruit-flavored straws.

In 1921 the most recent entry, Sour Belts, was launched in Canada. It was ranked the #2 best-tasting sour candy (see the list below).
 
 
Who Invented National Sour Candy Day?

The American Licorice Company—which makes the Sour Punch and Sour Straws candy lines—founded National Sour Candy Day in founded in 2015.

National Sour Candy Day celebrates those mouth-puckering fruit flavors that we can’t get enough of.
 
 
TODAY’S TOP-TASTING SOUR CANDIES

Here’s a Top 10 ranking of sour candies by taste, conducted by Thrillist. Here’s the full article.

1. Trolli Sour Brite Crawlers
2. Sour Belts
3. Haribo Sour S’ghetti
4. Star Mix Twin Snakes
5. Haribo Sour Gummy Worms
6. Extreme Sour Sweet Tarts
7. Sour Punch
8. Sour Skittles
9. Sour Patch Kids
10.Airheads Xtremes

Pucker up, America!
And check out the 50 national candy holidays.