July 19th is National Daiquirí Day, honoring a rum drink conceived by a mining engineer on a hot Cuban evening in 1898. Here’s the history of the Daiquirí—named after the town in which it was created—as well as the original Daiquirí recipe. The Frozen Daiquirí never took off the way the Frozen Margarita has. While […]
[1] Chilled strawberry soup with a drizzle of vanilla yogurt. Here’s the five-minute recipe from Carlsbad Cravings. [2] Pineapple gazpacho. Here’s the recipe from Urban Accents. [3] Honeydew-cucumber gazpacho with fresh herbs and green chiles. The recipe is in the article (courtesy Rio Luna). [4] Rio Luna premium canned chiles (courtesy Rio Luna). A […]
If most marshmallows are “take it or leave it” to you; if you like artisan marshmallows; or if any marshmallow is a friend of yours; then we’d like to introduce you to Smashmallow (photo #1): commercially-distributed marshmallows in the artisan style. These commercially-produced marshmallows have all the appeal of artisan marshmallows handmade by confectioners. Just […]
[1] So simple: Just add some berries to the top of a cheesecake. This cake adds some chamomile blossoms to the strawberries. You can leave the berries plain, or substitute something else, like granola or cookie crumbs. (photo courtesy King Arthur Flour). [2] This approawch is foolproof: Place the fruit on the serving plate (photo […]
[1] Bouillabaisse, a fish soup or stew from Marseille (photo courtesy Mackenzie Ltd). [2] Escargots, a delicacy of snails in garlic and parsley butter (photo courtesy Williams Sonoma). [3] Tarte tatin (photo courtesy Taste.com.au). [4] Ratatouille with a fried egg (photo courtesy Elegant Affairs Caterers). July 14th is Bastille Day, the national day of […]
For National French Fry Day, July 13th, treat yourself to the largest French fry we’ve ever seen. Created at Michael Jordan’s The Steak House in New York City, you’ll need a fork and knife—unless you want to eat it caveman-style. Each fry (photo #1) is the size of one whole Idaho russet potato (photo #2) […]
[1] Fairytale’s Magic Morsels are “bites,” one-quarter the size of a standard brownie (photo courtesy Fairytale Brownies). [2] Tasty healthfulness: delicious by themselves, with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee (photo courtesy Kristin Hostetter | SNewsnet). [3] Are low-sugar gummy bears guilt-free? Pretty much (photo courtesy Smart Sweets). When we were […]
An overly-enthusiastic purchase of a huge bag of walnut halves at a warehouse club led us to think: What on earth were we thinking? There are just so many walnut pies, salad garnishes, pasta sauces, cookies and brownies we can eat. But we hit the jackpot with what the California Walnut Board calls walnut “cream.” […]
[1] Beef tallow. The color will vary based on grass- vs. grain-fed beef, and other factors (photo courtesy Bare Food Provisions). [2] A quality tallow made from grass-feed cows. You can buy it directly from Fatworks Foods. They also sell duck fat, lard and leaf lard, which is the highest grade of lard. [3] Threestone […]
July 9th is National Sugar Cookie Day. Don’t all cookies have sugar? Yes. But look at three basic cookies types. All are made with sugar (or sugar substitute), plus fat (butter, margarine, oil) and flour, and there are distinct differences. It’s the ratio of ingredients and the preparation instructions that determine the cookie’s texture (chewy, […]