The House of Orange… A Bit of History Wild carrots sport colors of white or yellow, did you ever wonder why we typically consume orange ones? Over thousands of years of domestication, carrots evolved from a bitter, pale, root into a sweeter, orange version with more beta-carotene compared to their wild cousins. This turned out…
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…
A Fruit Fit for a King… A Bit of History: Olive trees symbolize endurance, eternity, and peace. However, you won’t need an endurance effort to craft this easy, 5-minute Sun-Dried Tomato Olive Tapenade. Olives have an incredible ability to adapt to a multitude of environments; including temperature fluctuations, soil changes, and salt water. In fact,…
A Guide for Building the Perfect Greek Inspired Sandwich Introduction: Coming from a Greek and Italian family, I can definitely appreciate the puns featured in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Eating plant-based I always enjoy the line “What do you mean you eat no meat? It’s ok, I make lamb.” But aside from…
Mushroom Madness… with Homemade Tomato Za’tar Ketchup Introduction: My friend Jana very kindly gave me their air fryer while in the process of converting to a different unit. At first, I thought I would just play around with it. However, I discovered that we use it on a daily basis. It is such an easy…
Watermelon Sugar…Tastes Like Summer A Bit of History: The Harry Styles song Watermelon Sugar has been stuck in my head for weeks now. When I think about the tastes of summer, I immediately conjure light and refreshing recipes. Last summer, I first tasted Crenshaw melons at Boone Hall farms down the road. They were hands…
Ultimate Comfort Food… About the Recipe: Creamy Roasted Summer Tomato & Eggplant Soup Sometimes, even in the middle of summer, I crave a bowl of comforting, fresh tomato soup. I especially love this Creamy Roasted Tomato Soup on a rainy day or the frequent tropical stormy weather we have in the South! Summer is the…
From A GlassBlower’s Lips… A Bit of History: Risotto a creamy Italian dish is made from short grain arborrio rice, broth or wine, and vegetables. Risotto dishes often contain butter or olive oil and spices, especially saffron, or fresh herbs. However, I like to make risotto with a bit of crunch to it like my…