Conversation 25

Good Morning Peeps and welcome to our wonderful Community on this Friday. 😎🎈

NATIONAL UTAH DAY

On May 31st, we celebrate The Beehive State on National Utah Day!

Utah became the 45th state on January 4, 1896, and is home to The Great Salt Lake, a deeply rooted Native American heritage, and a far-reaching desert history.

Travel in the footsteps of Utah’s namesake, the Utes, or the Shoshone, Navajo or Goshute. Follow the trails of early explorers or Mormon settlers. They all lived among the natural arches and bridges formed long ago. These architectural wonders of nature are a cornerstone of Utah.

Find treasure everywhere you look. From the sunrise to the spiraling cliffs and the bejeweled night sky. Catch an unobstructed view of the Milky Way for miles or schedule a trip just in time for a meteor shower. Since Utah has significantly less light pollution, night star viewing is spectacular!

Discover why some still believe the world flat by visiting Bonneville Salt Flats. Home of land speed records and a barren environment, the salt flats were once part of a much larger lake. The Great Salt Lake is one of its remnants.

NATIONAL SMILE DAY | MAY 31

On May 31st, National Smile Day encourages everyone to wear their best smile!

The first recorded smile on record took place on 126 B.C. Okay, we made that up. But did you smile? Joking aside, we generate a smile when funny things happen or find pleasure in the things we do. Someone we love or enjoy spending time with may be the cause of a grin or beaming look of joy.

Smiles are powerful! They not only create engagement between two people but the more a person smiles, the healthier their brain can be. Smiling has a direct link to our brain and can help to reduce stress.

There is so much a smile can do. Just one smile can brighten someone’s day. It can also improve your day. Smiles are infectious. A healthy smile can develop confidence and generate a new outlook on the world.

NATIONAL MACAROON DAY | MAY 31

Each year on May 31st, National Macaroon Day celebrates the small coconut cookie that is full of flavor and variety, too. Do not mistake these with the delicate sandwich cookies called macarons. No, these small, but substantial cookies hold their own despite the sometimes mistaken identity. For coconut lovers, this day summons up a little bit of bliss.

The Italians receive credit for creating these sweet morsels sometime around the 8th or 9th century. The recipes later traveled to France. However, in other parts of the world, the once flourless cookie served its purpose during religious observances.

Coconut is one of those love-hate ingredients. ~Chef Marcus Samuelsson

Eventually, the cookie made its way to the United States, where the coconut macaroon takes only a few ingredients to make. Shredded coconut serves as the main ingredient. Usually sweetened, the coconut may also be toasted. Other ingredients include flour, sugar or sweetened condensed milk, and egg whites and flavoring. Once the ingredients are combined, the mixture is dropped by spoonfuls onto baking sheets and baked. Most varieties of coconut macaroons are dipped in milk chocolate, dark chocolate or white chocolate. Almonds, pecans, cashews, or other nuts are sometimes added to the cookie.

This cookie is easy to make, even a beginner can succeed with the simple recipe.