Spaghetti Bread…A new twist on an American Classic A Bit of History: Did you ever wonder why American cooks bake zucchini into bread? It seems strange to cook an apple cinnamon squash quick bread recipe. Nevertheless, in the Middle Ages cooks routinely baked root vegetables like zucchini, sweet potatoes, and carrots into a pudding-like dessert….
A Dalliance with Dal… A Bit of History: When I walked into my local Trader Joes’s last week, my eyes delighted in the array of pumpkin products on display. I cheerfully tossed some of my favorite fall items into my cart and began to ponder different dishes. Whenever the weather cools, or if I start…
Life is Gourd… A Bit of History The phrase “Life is Good” might just sound like “Life is Gourd” with a mouthful of these delicious Pumpkin Nut Breakfast Cookies. I look forward to the influx of pumpkin and fall foods in the grocery stores and autumn vegetables and fruits in my CSA box. I have…
The Iceman Cometh for Breakfast… A Bit of History: The popular play, The Iceman Cometh, debuted on Broadway in 1946. Even though this play was published long ago, the Iceman I am referring to is much older! Scientists discovered remains belonging to Otzi (3100-3400 BC), known as the Iceman, in the Alps between Austria and…
Sweet Water & Hot Honey… A Bit of History: My latest culinary venture for Hot Honey Sage Vinaigrette revolves around Asian pears, specifically the Hosui Japanese variety. With a shape resembling an apple and a russet brown exterior skin, Hosui pears are exceptionally juicy. In Japanese, their name means sweet water. Asian pears, cultivated for…
Sometimes Shiitake Happens… Sometimes Shiitake happens; mushrooms that is and life. However, in this case it was both wonderful and horrible. I happened to purchase a good amount of locally cultivated shiitake mushrooms (this was the wonderful part). Unfortunately, I was having just an awful week between my car and bike breaking down and just…
For Lisa.. A Nightstand Worthy Sandwich… A Bit of History: As a college student, my dormitory mates and I always looked forward to Thursday night TV. On Thursdays, new episodes of Friends, Seinfeld, and ER would air. We would all gather in Lisa’s room to enjoy our favorite episodes of “shows about nothing.” While working…
A Bit of Simon & Garfunkel… About the Recipe: Parsley Lemon Thyme Vinaigrette While crafting this recipe, I could not stop thinking of the Simon & Garfunkel 1966 album Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme. Popular in folk music in the 1960s and with my parents, who I think owned every record! While this tangy, wonderful…
The Mad Apple… A Bit of History: Sometimes I feel like a mad scientist in the kitchen. Mixing seemingly random ingredients, running the blender until it smokes, dropping things in the oven and then pondering where the burning smell is emanating from. While conducting a bit of research for my version of Grilled Eggplant Dip,…
Inverted Bruschetta… A Bit of History: Once again, an ancient fruit stars in my recipe for Smoked Fig Jam Bruschetta. Scientists and historians discovered evidence of fig cultivation dating back over 11,000 years ago in Jericho on the West Bank. Figs are really a fascinating fruit with a long and significant history! Since figs predated the domestication and cultivation…