We’ve all heard it. As kids we say it and as adults we think it. “I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream.” We are sure that there are some folks out there who don’t care for ice cream. However, ice cream is by far one of our favorite desserts. So, as the weather continues to warm we would like to devote a post or two or three to our all time favorite summer treat: ice cream. Let us take this opportunity to define ice cream and a few other frozen treats. 1. Ice Cream: a frozen food containing cream or milk and butterfat, sugar, flavoring, and sometimes eggs. 2. Gelato: a rich ice cream, made with eggs and usually containing a relatively low percentage of butterfat. 3. Sorbet: a frozen food made from fruit puree that is whipped. 4. Sherbet: a frozen food made from fruit, milk... Read the Rest →
We’ve all heard it. As kids we say it and as adults we think it. “I scream. You scream. We all scream for ice cream.” We are sure that there are some folks out there who don’t care for ice cream. However, ice cream is by far one of our favorite desserts. So, as the weather continues to warm we would like to devote a post or two or three to our all time favorite summer treat: ice cream. Let us take this opportunity to define ice cream and a few other frozen treats. 1. Ice Cream: a frozen food containing cream or milk and butterfat, sugar, flavoring, and sometimes eggs. 2. Gelato: a rich ice cream, made with eggs and usually containing a relatively low percentage of butterfat. 3. Sorbet: a frozen food made from fruit puree that is whipped. 4. Sherbet: a frozen food made from fruit, milk... Read the Rest →
As spring nears walk-a-thons and races will begin taking place around the country. Americans will get moving to raise money for their favorite causes. A few years ago a friend asked if I would participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Naturally, I said yes as I knew how important it was to her and many others. I had no idea, though, what I was getting into when I agreed. Many walks and races require a minimum donation in order to officially participate. In order to be an official participant in the Avon Walk a minimum donation of $1800 was required. Two more friends agreed to participate and so we became a team of four that needed to raise a total of $7200. Individually we had a difficult time raising the funds so we decided to work as a team. We set up bake sales at craft fairs, but... Read the Rest →
As spring nears walk-a-thons and races will begin taking place around the country. Americans will get moving to raise money for their favorite causes. A few years ago a friend asked if I would participate in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. Naturally, I said yes as I knew how important it was to her and many others. I had no idea, though, what I was getting into when I agreed. Many walks and races require a minimum donation in order to officially participate. In order to be an official participant in the Avon Walk a minimum donation of $1800 was required. Two more friends agreed to participate and so we became a team of four that needed to raise a total of $7200. Individually we had a difficult time raising the funds so we decided to work as a team. We set up bake sales at craft fairs, but... Read the Rest →
We have reached Belgium on our “Tastily Touring” adventure. You can’t say the word “Belgium” without thinking chocolate. And, in light of the current issue of Food network magazine, “The Chocolate Issue”, we could not have “landed” in Belgium at a better time. But, before we become consumed in chocolate talk, let’s learn a little about Belgium. In 1830 The Kingdom of Belgium became independent from the Netherlands. It was occupied by Germany during World War l and World War ll. Belgium is a founding member of the European Union and a member of NATO. Located in Western Europe and bordered by Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, France, and the North Sea, Belgium is at a European crossroad and could be considered a European melting pot. Belgium derives its name from the Belgae, a Celtic tribe and during the past two millennia has been influenced by cultures: Roman, Germanic, French, Dutch, Spanish... Read the Rest →
Finding the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe can be akin to finding the Holy Grail. Once you find it, you will have eternal life, well… in the case of the best chocolate chip recipe, let’s just say you will attain eternal bliss. It takes time, a lot of patience, a whole lot more of trial and error, and maybe a pound or two in the weighing scale to reach perfection. I’ve been hearing a lot about the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that was initially published in July of 2008 and was adapted from the recipe of Jacques Torres. I decided to give the recipe a try last month since chocolate chip cookies are always a must during the holidays. This is no ordinary recipe. To achieve absolute perfection, you must strictly adhere to the Cookie Commandments. 1. Mix the ingredients with absolute precision. 2. Wait the prescribed... Read the Rest →
Finding the ultimate chocolate chip cookie recipe can be akin to finding the Holy Grail. Once you find it, you will have eternal life, well… in the case of the best chocolate chip recipe, let’s just say you will attain eternal bliss. It takes time, a lot of patience, a whole lot more of trial and error, and maybe a pound or two in the weighing scale to reach perfection. I’ve been hearing a lot about the New York Times Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe that was initially published in July of 2008 and was adapted from the recipe of Jacques Torres. I decided to give the recipe a try last month since chocolate chip cookies are always a must during the holidays. This is no ordinary recipe. To achieve absolute perfection, you must strictly adhere to the Cookie Commandments. 1. Mix the ingredients with absolute precision. 2. Wait the prescribed... Read the Rest →
I admire Paula Deen her for her many accomplishments and the obstacles she had to overcome. She will always have a special place in my heart for more reasons than just her recipes. She helped me to adjust and grow in a culture that was very foreign to me. Because of my husband’s career in the USMC I’ve spent many years on and off south of the Mason Dixon Line. Twenty years ago, when I first moved to North Carolina as a newlywed I was reluctant to embrace anything southern. With a heavy New Jersey accent I stood out like a sore thumb. I went through many adjustments that first year of marriage. Military life, carrying our first child, and living within a culture foreign to me all caused me to cling to my roots, particularly the food. But, it was Paula Deen that truly opened the door to the... Read the Rest →
I admire Paula Deen her for her many accomplishments and the obstacles she had to overcome. She will always have a special place in my heart for more reasons than just her recipes. She helped me to adjust and grow in a culture that was very foreign to me. Because of my husband’s career in the USMC I’ve spent many years on and off south of the Mason Dixon Line. Twenty years ago, when I first moved to North Carolina as a newlywed I was reluctant to embrace anything southern. With a heavy New Jersey accent I stood out like a sore thumb. I went through many adjustments that first year of marriage. Military life, carrying our first child, and living within a culture foreign to me all caused me to cling to my roots, particularly the food. But, it was Paula Deen that truly opened the door to the... Read the Rest →
A lot of Japanese desserts tend to be squishy. “Squishy” is not an inviting word to describe something edible, nor the term “glutinous”. Traditional Japanese desserts are just that: sticky, chewy, or mushy such as ohagi (glutinous rice cakes) and kurikinton (pureed sweet potato with candied chestnuts). But picture perfect, nevertheless. The Japanese always eat with their eyes as well as their mouths. This makes the preparation of the common Japanese desserts tedious and meticulous, much like creating works of art. One of the few Japanese desserts I love, and not to mention an exception to the description “sticky,” is castella. It is a Japanese sponge cake made typically from flour, sugar, eggs, and starch syrup. History indicates that Portuguese merchants introduced this dessert in the 16th century and it was called Pão de Castela, which means “bread from Castile.” It is known to be the specialty of Nagasaki. Although it... Read the Rest →
A lot of Japanese desserts tend to be squishy. “Squishy” is not an inviting word to describe something edible, nor the term “glutinous”. Traditional Japanese desserts are just that: sticky, chewy, or mushy such as ohagi (glutinous rice cakes) and kurikinton (pureed sweet potato with candied chestnuts). But picture perfect, nevertheless. The Japanese always eat with their eyes as well as their mouths. This makes the preparation of the common Japanese desserts tedious and meticulous, much like creating works of art. One of the few Japanese desserts I love, and not to mention an exception to the description “sticky,” is castella. It is a Japanese sponge cake made typically from flour, sugar, eggs, and starch syrup. History indicates that Portuguese merchants introduced this dessert in the 16th century and it was called Pão de Castela, which means “bread from Castile.” It is known to be the specialty of Nagasaki. Although it... Read the Rest →
Aboriginal Australians are believed to have first arrived on the Australian mainland by boat from the Indonesian archipelago between 40,000 to 60,000 years ago. They spoke one or more of hundreds of separate languages and dialects, and their lifestyles and cultural traditions differed from region to region. The first recorded European contact with Australia was in March 1606, when Dutch explorer Willem Janszoon charted the west coast of Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. European explorers and traders continued to chart the coastline of Australia, then known as New Holland. In 1688, William Dampier became the first British explorer to land on the Australian North West coast. It was not until 1770 that another Englishman, Captain James Cook made a scientific voyage to the South Pacific in order to further chart the east coast of Australia and claim it for the British Crown. Britain decided to use its new outpost as... Read the Rest →
