On a recent visit to one of our favorite little lunch spots, a question arose that hadn’t really ever crossed my mind before.  The culprit was a plate of grilled chicken with sauteed spinach and romesco.  After thoroughly enjoying my lunch, a phenomenon happened that was so off-putting that I had to get to the bottom of it.  Not until I was back at my desk and googling like a mad person, did I find that this is a perfectly natural (however annoying) occurance.  Cooked spinach makes your teeth feel…hmmm….fuzzy?  No, gritty?  Well, it’s more like….stripped with paint thinner.  Not that I’ve ever gargled with paint thinner.  But, if I had to imagine what it is like, this would be it. read more »

Punxsutawney Phil, the prognosticating groundhog (also known as a woodchuck…who knew?), says to leave your winter coats out for another six weeks.  Call it denial if you want, but I’m starting summer now.  Nothing reminds me of sitting on a sunny patio in shorts and flip flops quite like the taste of a Dark ‘n Stormy.  This concoction is a mix of Gosling’s Black Seal rum and ginger beer/ale.  If you are talking to a true Bermudian, they’d say Barritts Ginger Beer is the only acceptable mixer   (and being as it is the “official drink of Bermuda”, I would heed their advice).  read more »

Perfect Recipe for celebrating National Pretzel Month

When the website launches, you will see that our recipes are rated.  The most involved recipes are called “therapeutic.” These are the type of recipes that you can turn on a little music and spend part of an afternoon just cooking.  It’s a way to relax, enjoy your time to yourself and come away with that perfectly satisfying edible project.  Here is one we know you’ll love.

Soft Pretzels

1tablespoon sugar
1 (1/4 ounce) package active dry yeast
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
Course salt, as needed
4 quarts water
1/4 cup baking soda

Stir together sugar, yeast, and 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (105 to 110�F) in a glass measuring cup, then let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, discard and start over with new yeast.)
Whisk together 3 1/2 cups flour and 1 tablespoon table salt in a large bowl. Add yeast mixture and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a dough. Dust work surface with 1 tablespoon flour, then turn out dough and knead, gradually dusting with just enough additional flour to make a smooth sticky dough, about 8 minutes. (Dough needs to be somewhat sticky to facilitate rolling and forming into pretzels).

Return dough to bowl and cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap, then let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled in bulk, about 45 minutes. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface and cut into 8 equal pieces. Using your palms, roll 1 piece back and forth on a clean dry work surface into a rope about 24 inches long. If dough sticks to your hands, lightly dust them with flour. Twist dough into a pretzel shape. (Dough will retract as you form the pretzel.)

Transfer pretzel with your hands to an oiled baking sheet and form 7 more pretzels in same manner with remaining dough, spacing them 1 1/2 inches apart.

Let pretzels stand, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, put oven rack in upper third of oven and preheat oven to 425�F. Bring 4 quarts of water and 1/4 cup baking soda to a boil.

Using both hands, carefully add 3 pretzels, 1 at a time, to boiling water and cook, turning over once with tongs, until pretzels are puffed and shape is set, about 2 minutes. Transfer parboiled pretzels to a rack to cool. Repeat with remaining 5 pretzels in 2 batches.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper and oil paper, then arrange pretzels on sheet. Brush pretzels lightly with some of egg and sprinkle with coarse salt. Bake until golden brown and lightly crusted, about 35 minutes. Cool 15 minutes, then serve warm with your choice of condiments.  We like good old ballpark mustard!

What am I??

*I am a member of the family Lamiaceae.

*I have attractive lilac or pink flowers.

*Egyptians used me for mummification.

*I am indigenous to Southern Europe.

*I contain the derivative that is the active ingredient in Listerine.

*My sprigs are a symbol of courage.

What am I??

Answer:

Thyme

What am I??

I am a member of the family Alliacieae.  I am a descendant of a plant found in Southwest Asia.  I am known to have been consumed by Greek and Roman soldiers as well as laborers who built the Pyramid of Giza to keep up stamina.  Clay reproductions of me were found in the tomb of King Tut.  I am mentioned in the Bible.  I have been used as currency.  China is the largest producer of me per year; the United States only produces 2% of the world’s supply of me.

What am I??

Answer:

Garlic

What do these cheeses have in common??

*Port Salut
*Munster
*Stinking Bishop
*Gethsemane

We’ll give you a hint….They would be great with a Chimay beer….

They are all made by Trappist Monks!!

Try this or any other themed cheese plate for entertaining friends! First one to figure out the similarity gets a bottle of Frangelico (based on a Trappist recipe).   We recommend your Monk-made snack with ripe summer fruit, crackers and a Chimay (also made by monks).

America’s favorite vegetable is the potato.  Statistics show that the average American eats about 130 pounds of potatoes per year.  Russet potatoes make up a large percentage due to french fry and potato chip consumption.  But what about all of the other varieties popping up on grocery store shelves?  There are white, red and even purple ones! Marble sized and finger shaped!  What is the purpose behind so many types?  They are just potatoes after all, right?  Not exactly.

Potatoes can be (pretty much) broken into two groups- starchy/mealy and waxy.  Sounds delicious, huh?  While starchy potatoes (i.e. Russets and Idaho) are great to bake, mash and french fry, they don’t hold their shape very well when boiled.  That’s where waxy potatoes (i.e. red skinned, white skinned and fingerling) come in.  For boiled, steamed, sauteed, scalloped and au gratin, low starch potatoes are your best bet.  They also make much creamier soups and hold their shape in potato salad.

Sometimes, just using the right tool for the job can make all the difference!

quinoa: KEEN-wah

Consider this:
*Machu Picchu, the Incan “lost city” of Peru, was probably built around 1460.
*Incans lived on staples of maize, quinoa and potatoes.
*Three countries (Ecuador, Bolivia and Peru) are responsible for growing almost 80% of all quinoa.

Now think to yourself:
“When was the last time I had a bowl of quinoa?”

If your answer is “not in a while” or “what in the world is quinoa” we understand.  If you had a 550-year old secret grain that was so perfect you could practically live on it alone, you wouldn’t be telling a whole hungry world about it either.  Buuut over the last few hundred years other countries have experimented with growing quinoa.  As recent as 20 years ago, farms in Colorado started toying with quinoa as a main crop.

But what makes it so prized that cultures would keep most of their bounty to themselves?  For starters, it has no cholesterol (like all other plants), high fiber, no gluten, high protein and is full of essential amino acids mostly only found in meat.  This makes quinoa a perfect meat substitute for vegetarians and omnivores alike.  It is also outrageously easy to prepare.  You’ll rinse the quinoa thoroughly in a small strainer and drain.  Just as in cooking rice, you’ll use 1 part quinoa to 2 parts liquid.  Water, chicken stock or veg stock are preferred. Place in a pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to simmer and cover to cook 10-12 more minutes.  Fluff with fork and enjoy.

We love quinoa as an addition to tabouleh, stuffed bell peppers, soups and anywhere you would use a common white rice.

Rice accounts for half the world’s staple food!!

It can be traced back to 5000 B.C. in China.  Today, it is grown on 6 continents and in 110 countries.
Rice varieties are categorized by the length of their grain (short, medium, long).  There are over 40,000 different varieties that exist.  Wild rice comes from a different type of plant than other rice, and it contains more protein and fiber.  3,000 grains of rice come from just 1 rice seed.

America’s first millionaire was Elias Haskett Derby.  He capitalizied on the East Indies pepper trade by importing black pepper.  He later used his fortune to endow Yale University.