worldly wednesdays: afghanistan osh pyozee (stuffed onions)

Welcome to Worldly Wednesdays where we will explore foods from every country on earth. We have decided to tackle this task by going alphabetically through a list found on a fantastic website called One World-Nations Online. According to OWNO “there are now 195 independent sovereign states in the world plus about 60 dependent areas, and five disputed territories” We are committed to this project and want to include everyone. As our families pointed out, that will take about 260 weeks! We think it is a worthwhile venture in order to bring us closer together. Alphabetically, our first country is a sovereign state and has been in the news quite a bit for us Americans. Afghanistan: a country torn by war for decades. It is a severely beautiful, mountainous, arid country that is land locked on the South/Central Asian continent. It took a while to decide on the right dish to... Read the Rest →

 

breakfast: the scrambled omelette

Breakfast is always an important part of a day. It gives you the energy to get you through the oftentimes hectic morning. Sometimes, it can even be a reason for you to get out of bed (that’s if you’re lucky enough to be living with someone who can cook, has some semblance of knowing how to cook, or better yet, if you are a great cook yourself). The easiest and healthiest breakfast for me is an omelette. It is versatile because I can decide on just how heavy or healthy it can be. Sometimes, the simplest dish such as an omelette can be the hardest to perfect. A flawless omelette should be light and fluffy, as if biting onto a cloud of eggs. Even I, who have made countless omelettes, can still be a victim of hit and miss (this time I added too many vegetables and not enough egg).... Read the Rest →

 

giveaway: babycakes cupcake maker

Giveaway is now Closed… “Mom, why can’t I have an Easy Bake Oven!? I am the only girl who doesn’t have one!!” If you were in my house when I was a child you would hear this question at least once a week. My mother’s logic was that it was a messy toy. Why did I need an Easy Bake Oven when I could use the real one? As a 42 year old woman I still haven’t let go of the disappointment. Once a gadget junkie, always a gadget junkie. As a child my need for an Easy Bake Oven went deeper than the need to keep up with my peers. I am a born kitchen gadget junkie. I admit it. I still haven’t found a self help group for this affliction and my family has not had an intervention (yet), so I carry on with my obsession. This past... Read the Rest →

 

holidays: sharing the tastes of christmas

As we all know, work can be so hectic along with all the hustle and bustle of daily life. Hopefully, an early notice on the planned event for the holiday season, “The Tastes of Christmas” card exchange, will give you enough time to prepare and join in the festivities. All the information you need to know is available for your perusal on the right-hand side bar. We warmly welcome all aspiring chefs, food photographers, food bloggers, food enthusiasts, et al. Everyone who are invited to join belong to the food community and we encourage all to connect with our close knit group where we share a kinship for having the same passion. How to participate: We value all personal information you will be sharing. As a safety measure, to join in on the fun, please send us your information by using the contact form. Both of us will be participating,... Read the Rest →

 

seafood: saffron shrimp risotto

Saffron: expensive and exotic. The saffron crocus produces the world’s most costly spice. Saffron is expensive for good reason. It takes approximately 70,000 saffron crocus flowers to produce 5 pounds of stigmas which are the deep red tips that collect pollen grains within the crocus flower. The 5 pounds of stigmas then must dry in order to produce 1 pound of saffron. Because the stigmas are so delicate they must be harvested by hand and this must be done on the same day that the crocus begins to open. Today, most saffron is harvested in Iran or Spain. However the origins of the spice come from Greece or Mediterranean areas in the vicinity around the Bronze Age. The spice, like most spices, traveled trade routes to the Indian subcontinent around 500 BCE. It traveled via Arab merchants to Spain and by Crusaders who introduced it to France and England. Saffron’s... Read the Rest →

 

just desserts: cherries (give away winner announced)

Cherry. Innocent. Warm, sunny, summer afternoons. Plaid table clothes, baskets brimming with sandwiches. Pitchers of lemonade. Children running. Adults relaxing. Cherry pie. Wholesome. Cherry. Hedonism. Sensuality. Naughty. Innocence lost. Sultry evening. Music pulsing. Bodies moving to the primordial beat. Hot. Inhibition eroded. Sexy. Could any other fruit evoke such imagery? Sure there are peaches and melons, but there is not a single fruit or vegetable that could make us walk the tight rope between innocence and hedonism quite like the cherry. Excited to still find cherries in my local market I took the opportunity to indulge myself. I began my epicurean journey innocently by making mini cherry pies. These are a delightful, light ending to any meal. Feeling a little naughty I decided to snub my nose at September, the close of summer vacation. I wanted more summer. I made candied cherries. With large bins of apples in the market... Read the Rest →

 

giveaway: chic lunch bag by nana brown using michael millers print

Welcome to our first give away. To celebrate Labor Day we are happy to present this chic lunch bag hand created by Nana Brown using Michael Miller’s fabulous “Ironworks” print. “This reusable lunch bag holds large food containers, cutlery, drink bottles, fruit, snacks, and anything else you want to bring along. The bag is 100% cotton fabric on the outside, lined with Insulbrite® and has an inside nylon, water repellent lining. Approximate Measurements: 12″W (at top) x 7.5″W (at bottom) x 9″H x 5″D Top zipper closure – Handles are approximately 15″ long” To enter: 1. Comment on this post, telling us what you pack for lunch for yourself or your family. We will enter your name in a random drawing. The winner will be announced on Friday, September 9th. Please check back with us to see if you are the winner! 2. Please like us on Facebook then let... Read the Rest →