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 […]
Category: Stories
Post-Holiday *DETOX* Foods — Follow Your Bliss
Holidays are a much desired and needed opportunity for all of u to relax, enjoy food and spend time with our families. However, many people struggle to get back on track after the huge feasting (sometimes, for days), and if you are looking for easy ways to restore your system and feel light again, here […]…
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….
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…
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…
Pony Express Cowboy Beans: A Taste of the American West
: Pony Express Day, held on various days in April, commemorates those courageous men who risked hide & hair to ensure the delivery of our US mail. Back in the days of the Wild West there were no fast mail delivery services like there are today; no cars, no planes and ships would most likely…
Pasta Sauce: The Nectar of the gods? a little history
Spaghetti or pasta with tomato sauce, also known as marinara, is a staple of southern Italian cookery or almost anywhere that southern Italians live today. However, spaghetti with marinara hasn’t always been a pillar of southern Italian cuisine. It’s actually a relative newcomer. Let’s briefly touch on pasta. Once upon a time every school child…
Italy’s Easter Eggs & Easter Friday
In Italy, there are no Easter egg hunts, no marshmallow Peeps and definitely no jelly beans. Instead, there are chocolate eggs — massive, elaborately decorated, beautifully wrapped chocolate Easter eggs that fill shop windows across the country. The sweet treats are considered Italians’ food gift of choice at this time of year; each one comes…
“Festa della Primavera” A Spring Festival & Italia in Full Bloom
Spring and summer offer the most stunning flower festivals in Italy. The displays of fiori colori are breathtaking! Simply find a street “camminare lungo una strada” and you are enveloped in Italian spring… Today, on March 20th the celebration “Festa della Primavera” offer guests, of most every town in Italy, streets covered with gorgeous, multicolored flowers,…
Once Upon a Spice 