By There’s a lot to look forward to during this jam-packed week in February! Besides delicious recipes to try for the Super Bowl and Valentine’s Day, there are other celebrations sure to boost your wellbeing.
Make a Friend Day will encourage you to expand your social circle, while putting up a birdhouse for Home for Birds Week will have beautiful birds flocking to your yard in no time. Below you’ll find fun ways to celebrate these mini holidays for a memorable week.
Sunday, February 9: Super Bowl Sunday
Buffalo chicken is a must for a Super Bowl viewing party! To make a creamy, hearty dip that’s sure to wow your crowd, try this tasty 6-ingredient recipe from the pros in the Woman’s World test kitchen. Serve it with tortilla chips or crudités.
To make Buffalo Chicken Dip: In a 2-qt. baking dish, mix 2 (8 oz.) packages of cream cheese, 1 cup of ranch dressing, 3⁄4 cup of hot sauce, 11⁄2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese and 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken.Bake for 25 minutes at 350°F. Serves 16.
Tuesday, February 11: National Make a Friend Day
Today is all about broadening your inner circle—and new research shows you don’t have to dress to impress to do so. Researchers reporting in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science asked study participants which shirt they would wear to a picnic if they were hoping to make new friends: a T-shirt with “Walmart” written across the chest or one spelling out the fancier “Saks Fifth Avenue.” While most of them chose the Saks shirt, 64% of the fellow picnic-goers chose the person wearing the Walmart shirt as a potential new friend. It seems flashy status symbols are off-putting, while neutral looks make you more relatable and approachable!
Friday, February 14: Valentine’s Day
Share the love today by whipping up these easy chocolate-raspberry tartlets.
To make: Heat oven to 350°F. Coat 8 (4″) heart-shaped tart pans with cooking spray. Mix 1⁄2 cup of flour into 1 (16.5 oz.) pkg. of refrigerated sugar cookie dough. Divide into 8 pieces; press into pans. Prick dough and bake until golden, 15 min. Let cool. Remove from pans. Next, prepare 1 (3.4 oz.) box of instant chocolate pudding mix according to package directions, reducing milk to 1 1⁄2 cups, then fold 1⁄2 cup of thawed whipped topping into pudding until blended. Divide evenly among tartlet crusts and top with raspberries. Serves 8.
February 10–16: Homes for Birds Week
Hanging a birdhouse in your yard is an easy way to help protect the birds in your neighborhood on chilly days. What’s the best place to put it? “Safety should be the main priority,” says Robyn Shepherd of the National Audubon Society. “Place birdhouses away from windows to avoid collisions, and out of reach of animals like squirrels and raccoons.” It’s also smart to keep it near greenery where birds can hide. If you buy a new birdhouse, avoid models with a perch, she says. “Perches make it easier for predators to access the house.”
February 1–28: National Blah Buster Month
This month-long holiday encourages us to nix boredom and beat the winter blues! An easy trick: Find new ways to complete your daily activities. In a Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin study, subjects were asked to complete tasks with a spin, like eating popcorn with chopsticks or watching a video through “hand goggles” (shaping their hands to mimic glasses). In all cases, those taking the unusual approach enjoyed the task more than their counterparts. The reason? Unconventional methods help recapture the “magic” of experiencing something for the first time.
Help a Hero
Donate extra gift cards!
If you have gift cards to Walmart, Sam’s Club or Target to spare, send them to Hugs for Our Soldiers. This nonprofit organization will use them to buy items for care packages they ship to troops deployed overseas. Mail cards to Hugs for Our Soldiers, P.O. Box 532, Vonore, TN 37885.
