The Fountain of Youth… A Bit of History: While researching this post, I stumbled across a Chinese legend regarding goji berries that I absolutely loved. The story claims that one day a doctor visited a village, in which all of the residents had reached centenarian status in age. Upon questioning, the doctor unearthed that those…
Do You Know the Muffin Woman? A Bit of History: I happen to know the muffin woman very well, as she is my great-aunt Carol. As a child, whenever we visited her home she always made me blueberry muffins, which I considered her secret super power. Each time I enjoy one of these delectable treats,…
Spy Berries… A Bit of History: Who would suspect that the delicious, beautiful strawberries featured in my Easy Strawberry Fruit Bars are steeped in cloak and dagger intrigues? Nonetheless, modern day strawberries owe their existence to a French spy. King Louis XIV sent Amédée-François Frézier to Chile in 1712, posing as a tourist, to spy…
Something New, Something Old, Something Borrowed, & Something Blue A Bit of History: This post contains a bit of the classic wedding quartet of something new, something old, something borrowed and something blue. Circa 2012-2015, an explosion of Google searches for overnight oats fueled the argument that overnight oats are a new thing. On the…
La Dolce Vita A Bit of History: I love cooking with fresh rosemary, the smell is intoxicating and reminds me of Italy. Maybe that’s why rosemary symbolizes love and remembrance? Ancient Greeks and Romans often utilized rosemary. I particularly like the story of Greek scholars who donned a rosemary wreath to improve memories during academic…
Don’t Flip Out… About the Recipe Why spend time flipping pancakes over the hot griddle when you make them all at once in this easy recipe? Even better, Sheet Pan Pear Pancakes, store well in the freezer providing a quick toast and go breakfast for the rest of the week. Breakfast meal prep done and…
Supernova Citrus Bowl… A Bit of History A supernova of flavor explodes in this healthy, easy Citrus Breakfast Bowl! If you are like me, salient points of my earlier education have slipped from my memory, especially geometry and calculus equations. However, I tend to remember interesting facts from history or science. I actually did recall…
From Ancient Minoans to the Modern Mill… A Bit of History Evidence abounds from many ancient societies regarding the use of poppy seeds. During the Bronze Age (around 2500 BC), Minoans concocted a milk from poppy seeds for sedative purposes. In addition, documents from ancient Egypt and Sumeria demonstrate similar uses. Today, poppy seeds appear…
May Your Breakfast Be Cherry & Bright… A Bit of History Amarena cherries grow in Modena and Bologna Italy and have a beautiful dark color. Due to its sour taste, Amarena cherries are cooked in sugar and bottled in syrup. Around the turn of the century in 1905, the Fabbri company began selling and producing…
Smoke & Bog…Part 2: The Bog A Bit of History I am always intrigued by photos of cranberries floating in bogs. It reminds me of a giant swimming pool filled with bath beads! During my research for my latest recipe, Easy Baked Cranberry Oatmeal, I learned that farmers utilize two different methods for cranberry harvest….