Unfortunately, no one is completely sure of the true origin of
April Fool's Day - maybe the original 'April Fools' just weren't
the greatest record-keepers (they weren't called fools for
nothing! :-) Although some feel that it's the culmination of
many culture's Spring celebrations that has led to this
mischievous holiday, the most commonly held belief is that it
started in France in the late sixteenth century.

In 1582, France became the first country to switch from the
Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. In the older system
(Julian), New Year's festivities began during the last week in
March, culminating in New Year's Day - April 1st. In the
Gregorian system, New Year's Day is January 1st.
Unfortunately, communication being what it was back then
(extremely slow), it took several years to actually let everyone
know about the change in calendars! These unfortunately
uninformed people, along with a group who just flat-out
refused to accept the Gregorian system, were labeled as
'fools'. The general population ridiculed them, sending them
on 'fool errands', inviting them to nonexistent New Year
parties and playing other practical jokes on them.

This harassment evolved over time, and eventually became the
light-hearted holiday of harmless pranks and practical jokes
that we know today as April Fool's Day.

So to sum up, if they had stayed with the Julian calendar, we'd
all have a week of New Years celebrations. With our current
system, we only have a day - I don't know about you, but those
original 'Fools' don't seem so foolish to me! :-)

France - In France, an April Fool is called 'Poisson D'Avril' -
April Fish. This is because a young naive fish is easily caught,
and likewise, an unsuspecting and naive person is easily
tricked.

Scotland - Known as Taily Day, this day is devoted to pranks
involving the buttocks. The butt of these jokes (pun
intended) are called April Gowks - Gowk being another name
for a cuckoo bird. (Side Note - The origins of the 'Kick Me'
sign can actually be traced back to this holiday...seriouslyl!)

England - Pranks can only be pulled in the morning here, as it
is considered bad luck to play a practical joke on someone
after Noon. A Fool is called a 'Gob' or 'Gobby' and the victim
of a prank is called a 'Noodle'. (I still can't figure out if you're
supposed to pull a prank and yell 'April Gobby!' or 'April
Noodle!' - if anyone has any insight on this, I'd love to know!)

Rome - On March 25th, they celebrate the resurrection of the
god Attis in a holiday known as the Festival of Hilaria, also
referred to as "Roman Laughing Day".

Portugal - April Fool's is actually a two-day event in Portugal,
landing on the Sunday and Monday before lent. On these
joyous days, people throw flour at their friends.

Mexico - The Mexican counterpart to April Fool's Day is Los
Santos Inocentes, and is actually celebrated on December
28th. The day was originally a somber remembrance of King
Herod's slaughter of all male children in his kingdom.
However, it has evolved into a happy day of pranks and tricks
(and the victim may even receive a candy or silly gift after
being tricked - maybe we should start giving consolation
prizes after we play a prank on someone too :-)

India - The festival is called Holi and is celebrated the
celebration of the arrival of Spring. On March 31st, people
play jokes on one another and smear each other's faces with
colors and flower extracts (So they may end up looking a little
funny, but they'll smell great!).

1. The Swiss Spaghetti Harvest
In 1957, the BBC news show Panorama announced that due to
a very mild winter and the near elimination of the dreaded
spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper
spaghetti crop. Along with this announcement was footage of
Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees.
Hundreds of viewers called in, many asking where they could
get their own spaghetti tree. BBC helpfully replied that they
should "place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and
hope for the best".

2. The Left-Handed Whopper
In 1998, Burger King published a full page advertisement in
USA Today announcing their newest menu item: a "Left-
Handed Whopper" specially designed for the 32 million left-
handed Americans. According to the advertisement, the new
Whopper included the same ingredients as the original
Whopper, but all the condiments were rotated 180 degrees for
the benefit of their left-handed customers. The next day, in a
follow-up press release, they revealed the Left-Handed
Whopper was a hoax, but that thousands of customers had
gone into restaurants to buy the new sandwich - and many
others had requested the 'right-handed' version.

3. Instant Color TV
In 1962 there was only one TV channel in Sweden and it was
broadcast in black and white. The station's technical expert,
Kjell Stensson, appeared on the news to announce that thanks
to a newly developed technology, all viewers could now
quickly and easily convert their existing sets to display color
reception! All they had to do was pull a nylon stocking over
their TV screen and their favorite show would appear in color.
Stensson then proceeded to demonstrate the processes and
apparently did a pretty convincing job of it - hundreds of
thousands of people (of their total population of seven
million) were tricked.

4. Sidd Finch
In the April 1985 edition of Sports Illustrated, there was a
story about a new rookie pitcher, Sidd Finch, who was going to
play for the Mets. He could throw a baseball 168 mph with
pinpoint accuracy, and he had never even played the game
before! He learned the "art of pitch" in a Tibetan monastery.
Mets fans everywhere celebrated their team's amazing luck in
finding such a talented player, and Sports Illustrated was
flooded with requests for more information.

5. Internet Spring Cleaning
In 1997 an email message spread throughout the world
announcing that the internet would be shut down for cleaning
for twenty-four hours from March 31 until April 2. This
cleaning was said to be necessary to clear out the "electronic
flotsam and jetsam" that had accumulated in the network. The
cleaning would be done by "five very powerful Japanese-built
multi-lingual Internet-crawling robots (Toshiba ML-2274)
situated around the world." During this period, users were
warned to disconnect all devices from the internet. This joke
was an updated version of an old joke that used to be told
about the phone system. For many years, gullible phone
customers had been warned that the phone systems would be
cleaned on April Fool's Day. They were cautioned to place
plastic bags over the ends of the phone to catch the dust that
might be blown out of the phone lines during this period.

I would love to pretend that I diligently researched and
compiled this list, but...well, I didn't. The Museum of Hoaxes
has made an extensive list of the top 100 April Fool's Day
Hoaxes of All Time. They also have more details on the above-
mentioned pranks (check out the Swiss Spaghetti Harvest for a
link to the original broadcast!):
www.museumofhoaxes.com

Dressing:
2 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp minced onion

Salad:
10 ounces fresh spinach - rinsed, dried and torn into bite-
sized pieces
1 quart strawberries - cleaned, hulled and sliced
1/4 cup almonds - blanched, slivered and toasted

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the
dressing. Cover and chill for one hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and
almonds. Pour dressing over salad and toss. Refrigerate 10 to
15 minutes before serving.

Recipe by Andrea McInnis, found on allrecipes

Asparagus-Proscuitto Rolls
Serves 2-3

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
Salt and pepper to taste
3 thin slices prosciutto, cut in half crosswise
3 tbsp cream cheese or goat cheese, divided
18 stalks asparagus
Blanched Italian parsley for garnish

1. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and garlic in a bowl
and whisk well.
2. Stir in the chives and salt and pepper.
3. Spread each piece of prosciutto with 1/2 tablespoon of
cheese.
4. Roll 3 stalks of asparagus in each half of prosciutto.
5. Top with vinaigrette. Serve at room temperature.

Found on Good Morning America:
www.wchstv.com

Cucumber, Tomato and Tofu Salad
Serves 4

1 tomato, chopped
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup canned kidney beans, drained
1/4 cup diced firm tofu
2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Salt and pepper to taste

1. In a large bowl, combine the tomato, cucumber, red onion,
kidney beans, tofu and basil. Just before serving, toss with
balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing, and season with salt and
pepper.

Feta-Stuffed Chicken
Serves 4

1/4 cup crumbled basil-and-tomato feta cheese
2 tbsp fat-free cream cheese
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper
Dash salt
1 tsp olive oil
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 10-ounce package prewashed fresh spinach, trimmed
2 tbsp walnut or pecan pieces, toasted
1 tbsp lemon juice
Lemon slices, halved (optional)

1. In a small bowl, combine feta and cream cheese; set aside.
Using a sharp knife, cut a horizontal slit through the thickest
portion of each chicken breast half to form a pocket. Stuff
pockets with the cheese mixture (you can secure openings
with wooden toothpicks). Sprinkle chicken with salt and
pepper.
2. In a large nonstick pan, cook chicken in hot oil over
medium-high heat about 12 minutes or until tender and no
longer pink, turning once. Remove chicken from pan, cover
and keep warm.
3. Carefully add chicken broth to pan. Bring to a boil and add
half the spinach. Cover and cook about 3 minutes or just until
spinach is wilted. Remove spinach from skillet, reserving liquid
in pan. Repeat with remaining spinach. Return all spinach to
pan and stir in the nuts and lemon juice
4. To serve, divide spinach mixture among 4 dinner plates. Top
with chicken breasts. If desired, garnish with lemon slices.

Found on www.midwestliving.com

Maple Glazed Carrots/Yams

1 lb cooked carrots or yams
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp orange juice, frozen concentrate*

1. Mix maple syrup and orange juice in a small mixing bowl.
Pour over cooked and drained carrots/yams.
2. Allow to simmer for 5-10 minutes. Sprinkle with ginger, if
desired, and serve.

* If you don't have frozen juice, use 1 tbsp orange Jello
dissolved in warm syrup.

Found (along with many other yummy maple recipes) on:
www.ontariomaple.com

8 lamb loin chops (1 1/4-inch thick)

Marinade:
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-1 tsp orange zest
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Combine the ingredients for the marinade.
2. Add the lamb chops, cover and marinate at room
temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate up to 8 hours, turning
occasionally.
3. Broil or barbecue meat, 4-6 minutes per side, or until
desired doneness, turning once and brushing often with
marinade.

Found on recipezaar

Maple Mousse
Serves 6

1 cup pure maple syrup
2 envelopes (25mL) unflavored gelatin
5 large egg yolks
2 cups whipping cream
2 tbsp apricot jelly (optional)
Maple sugar chunks/candies (for garnish)

1. In a medium saucepan, heat maple syrup to the boiling
point. Remove from heat and sprinkle with the gelatin. When
gelatin dissolves, stir it into the syrup.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks until blended,
then slowly pour the hot maple syrup and gelatin mixture into
the beaten egg yolks in a fine stream, beating continuously,
until blended. Let cool to room temperature.
3. In another mixing bowl, whip cream until soft peaks form.
Fold cream into maple mixture, blending gently but
thoroughly.
4. Have ready six glasses or small bowls. Pour mousse into
these and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or freeze. Bring to
room temperature before serving. If desired, heat apricot jelly
and an equal amount of water until warm and pour over the
mousse. Garnish with Maple Sugar Chunks or Candies.

Found in the Montreal Gazette

http://www.april-fools.us

A fun April Fool's Day page - a list of some famous and funny
April Fools jokes, some holiday history, e-cards, gag ideas and
more.

http://wilstar.net/holidays

A really cute holiday site - it has a countdown for all major
holidays as well as the history, customs, traditions and some
games.

http://www.thefoolsday.com

April Fool's recipes, art, party invitations and decorations and
lots more. Very fun site.

"I love the individual Chicken Noodle and Tomato soups!
They're the BEST instant soup mixes. Great taste. I like the
Tomato with a sprinkling of bacon bits and shredded
mozzarella cheese. Healthy and quick!"
Patricia Ralston, GA

"I tried the potato soup. WOW is this good. I can't believe it
only takes water to make it so delicious! YUMMY! Thanks so
much!!"
Susan Haug, VA

"We have tried several of your soups and loved them all but
the one product my family fought over was your Pure Canadian
Maple Syrup. The flavor was wonderful and the little jug was a
treat as well. Next time I place an order I am going for the
larger size!"
Beverly Polston, KY

"I used to think that nothing could be better than Wisconsin
maple syrup. I was wrong. Your maple syrup is absolutely the
best I have ever used. I need to order some of the small
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will have some real syrup to use!"
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"I love your new website. It is so easy to navigate, easy to find
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Maple Salmon Recipe

Marinate 4-6 salmon fillets in 1 cup maple syrup, 1/3 cup of
soya sauce and a splash of balsamic vinegar for 48 hours. Dip
one side in cracked pepper and bake in oven at 500 F for
about 15 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes.
Andrea Leger, NB

Sausage Minestrone Recipe

First brown some sausage and onion and added the O.G.
Minestrone soup mix to that. While it was cooking I boiled a
diced potato and some elbow macaroni. Added those to the
pot before the soup was done. It turned out really good - a
hearty, tasty meal on a cold Indiana night.
Pam Luke, IN

Easy Tortilla Soup Recipes

I added black beans and chicken to your mix and had a soup
that even my kids loved.
Therese Maltby, CO

I added the chicken as the package suggested and some dried
minced onion. Then I put in a little extra water and some low-
sodium chicken broth and boiled some old-fashioned noodles
in the mix. Just for fun, we added scallops and fresh-frozen
green peas. Wonderful flavor!
Lynn Ashbrook-McBride, MI

"I think it was fantastic and I would like to try more!"
Brandi Sharp, MD

"The soups are easy and taste great! Keep up the great work!"
Vicki Darnell, IL

"Love your maple syrup. It was nothing short of divine."
Shari Dalton, ON

"Knowledge speaks, but wisdom listens."
Jimi Hendrix

"The pen is mightier than the sword, and considerably easier
to write with."
Marty Feldman

"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."
Auguste Rodin

"I don't care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as
members."
Groucho Marx

"How to make a million dollars: First, get a million dollars."
Steve Martin

"I'm tired of all this nonsense about beauty being only skin-
deep. That's deep enough. What do you want - an adorable
pancreas?"
Jean Kerr

"Wise men make proverbs, but fools repeat them."
Samuel Palmer

"If at first you don't succeed, try again. Then quit. There's no
use being a damn fool about it."
W.C. Fields

"I have six locks on my door all in a row. When I go out, I only
lock every other one. I figure no matter how long somebody
stands there picking the locks, they are always locking three."
Elayne Boosler