Botticelli in a Bowl… A Bit of History: Whenever I hear the word primavera, my mind immediately visualizes a bowl of pasta and Botticelli. Of course, I always think of food first! Primavera, translated from its Italian origins, means spring. In the USA, pasta primavera consists simply of a pasta dish with fresh vegetables. Personally,…
It’s a One-Way Street… A Bit of History I live on a one-way street and am constantly driving past a black and white sign that is routinely ignored by most drivers. I never knew that edible pea pods contain fibers that only run in one direction; nature’s built in one-way street! Uni-directional fibers lends to…
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…
Frankly Speaking… A Bit of History: A bit of a debate rages about the origins of sausages, which of course are a precursor to processed hot dogs. The National Hot Dog and Sausage Council site credits Homer’s Odyssey with mentioning sausages, thus dating them back to the 9th BC. On the other hand, historians credit…
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…
It Must be from Modena A Bit of History: Reading the ingredient list on the balsamic vinegar label, I wondered what exactly is grape must? Quite simply, grape must consists of freshly crushed grape juice, stems, and skins. Storing reduced grape must in wooden barrels eventually yields a beautiful, dark, and flavorful balsamic vinegar. Evidence…
Sweet & Sour Fruit Slice Skewers A Bit of History Every year around Halloween, I ask my kids what type of candy they hope to collect during trick-or-treating. Interestingly, they always answer Sour Patch Kids. My children remained speechless, upon discovering that their favorite sour then sweet candies have been around for nearly 50 years!…
Little Green Trees… A Bit of History During my research for this post, I uncovered some very interesting broccoli facts. In England, broccoli was dubbed “Italian asparagus” after its introduction via Italian immigrants in the 1700s. Despite its recent debut in Europe, evidence suggests that broccoli cultivation began in the 6th century BCE. Starting in…
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…
Flying Purple Pasta Eaters A Bit of History: While cooking my Easy Italian Vegetable Soup, I can’t stop the 1950s song the Flying Purple People Eater from running through my brain! Especially since my kids started singing a modified version, aptly titled, the Flying Purple Pasta Eaters, after they saw the soup. The wonderful color…