It’s A Whopper… A Bit of History: Ten years ago, Scott Robb of Alaska, claimed a new Guinness Book of World Records for the heaviest cabbage. The whopper green cabbage tipped the scales at 138.25 lb. That’s a lot of Rainbow Asian-Inspired Cabbage Salad! In contrast, a typical garden green cabbage weighs a mere 1-2…
You Can’t Beet These… A Bit of History: Back in the early 1970s, a “veggie burger” indicated a meat patty topped with a few token vegetables. However, in the early 1980s, changes appeared on the culinary horizon. While disputes rage over who deserves credit for the first veggie burger. Both the Smithsonian Magazine and Wikipedia,…
“There & Back Again” for Hobbit Cake A Bit of History: I freely admit that I eat like a hobbit! While I don’t quite fit in all 7 daily hobbit meals, I do give it a solid go. The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings have consistently topped my favorite book list since childhood….
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!…