Thomas Sullivan, an American tea merchant, with his love of labor-saving devices, was the first to develop the teabag. In around 1908, Sullivan, a New York tea merchant, started to send samples of tea to his customers in small silken bags. Some assumed that these were supposed to be used in the same way as…
Category: Stories
Catsup or Ketchup? The Victorian Era Cure-All & Some Other Saucy Claims
The British-based “ketchup” or American-named “catsup” is a tomato-based table sauce used for dunking fries, spiraling on hot dogs and glazing meatloaf…on and on. However, in the Victorian Era, it held some pretty saucy claims. European traders were first introduced to the thick red pottage while visiting the Far East in the late 17th century….
Guest Chef Wednesday! Mamul by Lynn from Lynz Real Cooking!
Mamul is a baking masterpiece offered by my dear friend Lynn of LynzRealCooking. She’s an amazing women with extreme diverse culinary talents whom I hold in high regard and close to my heart. Please check out her blog–it’s nothing short of incredible! Lynn says, “Mamul is a traditional Middle Eastern cookie that is made for the Eid…
Balsamic: The Real Deal or Knock Off?
Did you know that real aged balsamic vinegar actually costs anywhere from $75 to $400 or more? Here are a few reasons why: Balsamic vinegar is NOT like other vinegars. What defines vinegar is the fermentation of alcohol — typically wine but also beer or cider — into acetic acid. Red wine vinegar, white wine…
Happy New Year Blessings From Once Upon a Spice!
A new year is like a blank book, and the pen is in your hands. It is your chance to write your fresh, beautiful story. Counting my blessings and wishing you more. Hope you enjoy the New Year in store. Have a joyous New Year, my Dear Friends!
“Mama Carmela”
This is a vintage, 1945, wedding photograph of my lovely Mama Carmela–the inspiration behind “Once Upon a Spice.” Today would have been her 93rd birthday. My blog is dedicated to her and her passionate love of family and cooking. This strong, sweet, intelligent, loving, Italian woman ignited my culinary enthusiasm at the tender age of…
Reflections: “Christmas I Knew” By The Co-Author of Our Cookbooks Ken Bayliss
If you have ever read, or seen the film of Dylan Thomas’ A Child’s Christmas in Wales you have an idea of my early version of Christmas. Growing up forty miles from him, and thirty three years after him, things were not too dissimilar. The coal fire, glowing red and encouraged by my father for…
Once Upon a Spice 