This week we’ve celebrated the wonders of American Fare. Served up today is another U.S culinary phenomenon, Eggs Benedict! Contrary to popular belief Eggs Benedict’s origin is not that of foreign ground. Yep, it’s all American! It even possesses its own National Day, April 16th, which I missed this year. Better late than never, […]
Category: Fun Facts
Celebrate National Pretzel Day! Pretzel’s Past & An Amazing Soft Pretzel Recipe
Did you know that the twists in pretzels are meant to look like arms crossed in prayer? See the resemblance? Twins! According to Folklore, pretzels were created by a monk around 610 in Italy. According to The History of Science and Technology, the monk baked strips of dough that he folded into a shape resembling […]
Some Favorite Foods of Famous, and Infamous, People by Ken Bayliss
They say we are what we eat, yet if you look at what some famous people ate, you would wonder. For instance, Charlie Chaplin had a very difficult childhood and ended up famous and very rich. Yet one of his favorite foods was tripe, the stomach of a cow. Not only that but tripe stinks….
The 30 Friends of Summer Tour Extended Into September!
Ciao Amici! As some of you may be aware, over the past few weeks, we’ve been on a Fare Blog Tour! We’re enjoying our journey immensely yet, are hungry for more! So, we’ve decided to extend this excellent expedition into September 2016. From the beginning, our goal was to share the deliciousness from our favorite food…
Italian Pride: Portions of Pasta’s Past
Since most all of my recipes will be centered around Italy this week, today, I would like to share a bit about pasta; its origin, uses and soon some of my fondest childhood memories surrounding them. “Nothing says Italy like its food, and nothing says Italian food like pasta. Wherever Italians immigrated they brought their…
Pie, Oh My! A Pocket Full of Info & a little history
Apple, blueberry, peach and lemon, savory, hand or even Pop tarts! Pie is what happens when pastry meets filling. Pie can be closed, open, small, large, savory or sweet. The basic concept of pies and tarts has changed little throughout the ages. Cooking methods (baked or fried in ancient hearths, portable colonial/pioneer Dutch ovens, modern…
Easy as Pie! Crust 101-10 Basic Rules for Persistent Perfection
I’ve posted this Pie Post once before, but it’s Pie week here at Once Upon a Spice and we need to get back to the basics once again. Do you want to make pies like Grandma used to bake? As we know, tender flaky crust is the foundation of all good pies. It will make…
7 Lucky Foods For Friday the 13th: Combat the Bad & Make It Good!
Superstitions abound on this day; the dreaded Friday the 13th. Visions of black cats crossing your path, walking under open ladders, seeing the triple digits 666; all seemingly never good to encounter. Some people live in fear of Friday the 13th. They’ll have to get through May 13 the best they can this year, but…
Pico de Gallo aka Salsa Fresca
In Mexican cuisine, pico de gallo literally means beak of rooster. Legend has it that fighting cocks are calmed by their handlers by placing the rooster’s head in their mouth. Yum! 😉 It is said that darkness causes birds to immediately begin the sleep cycle. Often as soon as the handler puts the bird’s head…
Black & White Cupcakes & a little cookie history
Black & White Cookies aka Half moon cookies, half and half cookies and in Germany Amerikaners have always been an elusive, personal favorite of mine. Why elusive? Mostly because they are so difficult to find! However, when I do unearth them, I snatch up a dozen of the soft, hand-sized, yin and yang frosted shortbreads,…
Once Upon a Spice 