July 2nd is National Chocolate Wafer Day. Most people who have eaten chocolate wafer cookies think they’re the invention of Nabisco, which has sold its Famous Chocolate Wafers cookies (photo #2) since 1924. But the wafers are much older. While chocolate was a drink for centuries (check out the history of chocolate), by the end […]
Watermelon and feta stacks. The recipe is below (photo courtesy Mozzarella Company). [2] Instead of the dressing in the recipe below, you can drizzle balsamic glaze across the plate, as shown (photo courtesy Watermelon.org). [3] This Watermelon “Caprese” uses the conventional Caprese cheese, mozzarella, and substitutes watermelon for the not-yet-in-season tomatoes. It adds pizzazz with […]
June is National Candy Month. How much does mankind like candy and its chief ingredient, sugar or honey? Well: Our species evolved with a built-in sweet tooth. The history of candy dates back to cavemen. They ate honey and honeycomb; but took the next step to make candy from it, by drying it into a […]
For holiday weekends or cookouts, most of us pick up cole slaw at the grocery store. This commercial slaw generally consists of cabbage, mayonnaise thinned with vinegar, and a few shreds of carrot for color. It may be tangy and crunchy, but it can be so much more flavorful. Here’s how to fix up store-bought […]
[1] Fluffy biscuits need baking powder (photo of buttermilk biscuits Robyn Mackenzie | Fotolia). [2] There would be no fluffy pancakes without baking powder. Here’s the recipe for these Banana Bread Pancakes from The Baker Chick. [3] Baking powder from Clabber Girl, one of the original brands still going strong—it’s the number-one seller in the […]
May 13th is National Fruit Cocktail Day. We’re all familiar with cans of fruit cocktail from Del Monte, Dole and Libby’s. But who first created it, and why is it called “cocktail?” First: There is no alcohol in a conventional fruit cocktail. So why is it called fruit cocktail, instead of simply fruit salad? There’s […]
It’s February 23rd, National Banana Bread Day, and there’s only one thing for us to do: Bake a loaf, with lots of chocolate chunks. We prefer making ours with overripe bananas [photo #3]: brown peel = more pronounced flavor. Our friend Beth swears by using frozen bananas (we haven’t tried that yet). BANANA […]
January 3rd is National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day. Here’s a history of the popular bonbon, adapted from Candy Favorites. Chocolate-covered cherries, more formally called cherry cordials, are a chocolate shell filled with a cherry and sugar syrup, plain or flavored with alcohol. IT BEGAN WITH THE CORDIAL The word “cordial” derives from the Latin […]
This year, Chanukah, the Jewish Festival Of Lights, begins the evening of December 12th (the 25th day of the month of Kislev on the Hebrew calendar). A BRIEF HISTORY OF CHANUKAH In ancient Judea, the Syrian King Antiochus ordered the Jewish people to abandon their religion and worship the Greek gods. In 165 […]
[1] Pouring the hot, foamed milk into the espresso (photo © Olesyk | Pinterest). [2] A standard cappuccino (photo courtesy Truvia | Erika Dodge). [3] Nespresso Aeroccino Milk Frother, an electric frother (photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma). [4] Aerolatte milk frother wand, a battery-operated frother (photo courtesy Williams-Sonoma). November 8th is National Cappuccino Day, a beverage […]