World Cuisine – French Appetizers: Eat Like the French

Eat like zee French!! Better yet. Just eat the appetizers.

Have you been tasked with meal planning and preparation for the holidays?

My advice to you? Eat like they do in France.

Michey LM is a fellow freelance writer, and the information contained in an article she published inspired this “two cents”. She has chosen to unpublish her content; however, learning about this delicious cuisine has me yearning (or craving) for everything French!!  

A typical meal in France has 5 (or 7) components or courses. The first course consists of appetizers (or aperitifs). For me, it's perfectly alright to make them my entire meal!! Examples of French cuisine appetizers include herbed cheese spread, Amiens pates (duck pate), fish soup, and a dish called pissaladiere. There are plenty more. The first two on the list are the most satisfying to my taste buds. But more than happy to taste and sample all the other entrées too! Learn more about this wonderful food that you would probably enjoy so much, you would be perfectly fine with skipping the rest of the meal. :)

Here is a variation of the courses: 

• Apéritif, 
• Hors d’Oeuvres, 
• Soup, 
• Main Dish, 
• Salad, 
• Cheese, 
• Dessert. 

But no matter the number of courses, the meal usually begins with the apéritifs / hors d’oeuvres. Americans would call this part of the meal the appetizers. I would be perfectly satisfied just eating the appetizers. Some people skip the meal and go straight to dessert. I wouldn’t skip. I would just start at the beginning of the meal and never graze any further!

I’ll make a confession. I have always envied the French. For me, any time a group of people can enjoy eating cheese (one of my favorite foods), cook their food with butter and/or cream, and not have a problem with their weight, I call that an “art”. Besides that, I say there must be a reason why many world-class chefs (such as popular Asian TV chef, Ming Tsai) go to cooking school in France. There are many interesting links to be found around the web that discuss the art of eating like the French. Here are a few.

♦ The French eating habits the world should learn from

♦ Learn the Different Courses in a Formal French Meal

♦ Serious Entertaining: A 5-Course French Meal for Your Bastille Day Fête (You’ll want to celebrate this holiday every day, even if you aren’t from France.)  

The Everything Easy French Cookbook: Includes Boeuf Bourguignon, Crepes Suzette, Croque-Monsieur Maison, Quiche Lorraine, Mousse au Chocolat...and Hundreds More! (Everything Series)

 

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Strawberries or Blueberries? Pineberry or Pink Lemonade? Let’s Decide

Life is full of difficult decisions.  Especially when it comes to gardening choices.  Tomatoes or peppers?  Herbs or flowers?  Raised beds or containers? 'But choosing between berries? YUM! What a delicious dilemma. 🍓🫐

As if it isn't hard enough to choose between growing strawberries or blueberries. Would you believe there are these two exquisitely delicious variations of these fruits, and you have to choose?  (Or not. 😊)

White Carolina Pineberry Plant VS 

Pink Lemonade Blueberry Plant.

Let's Discuss and Decide.

🍓White Carolina Pineberry Plant

If you are a gardener and you like strawberries, then you might like to try planting the White Carolina Pineberry plant. It tastes like pineapple and strawberry TOGETHER! If you can imagine that.

A pineberry looks like a strawberry that forgot to blush — white flesh, red seeds, and a flavor often described as strawberry meets pineapple. Some say exotic, some say unusual, and some people describe it as weird. But nobody ever calls it boring.

PROs:

• Works anywhere a regular strawberry works — including dipped in chocolate.

• A berry that tastes like pineapple and strawberry? Showing off? That's right!

• Your garden instantly becomes a conversation piece.

• Featured by natural health enthusiasts as a nutrient-rich fruit. (Natural Medicine)

• A fun gift for gardeners who like trying unusual plants.

CONs:

• If you believe all strawberries should be red, this one will challenge your worldview.

• Pineberries can be a little fussier than standard strawberries, so it's not for beginners.   

Fumikas Sagisavas, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

🫐 Pink Lemonade Blueberry Plant

Do you like lemonade? I do. What I like about lemonade is that you can vary the recipe and make it even better by adding another fruit. Do you like blueberries? Well then, there is no reason why you wouldn’t love the Pink Lemonade Blueberry plant. The berries ripen to a rosy pink and taste sweet-tart, like a blueberry with a citrus wink.

PROs:

• For people who always wanted blueberries to be PINK
• Surprisingly beginner-friendly — perfect for newbie gardeners.   
• People might be impressed if they saw them in your garden
• Works in all your blueberry recipes (including blueberry pancakes)  

 

CONs:

• Any fruit claiming to be a blueberry “relative” should be BLUE.  (O.o)  What?  It's not blue!!

Stark Bro's. “Pink Lemonade Blueberry - Check Out This Popular Plant.” YouTube, 23 Mar. 2023, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwV9ituZoMU&t=5s.

* Want to learn more? Specialty Produce is a huge online resource for fruits, vegetables, and rare edible plants. Their site offers detailed profiles—flavor, history, seasonality, and storage tips—making it a favorite for gardeners, chefs, and anyone who loves discovering unique ingredients.

♦  White Carolina Pineberry Plant

A berry that tastes like pineapple and strawberry is a berry lover's delight! White Carolina Strawberry - Pineberry - Pineapple Hybrid Berry https://t.co/1BvmQituHf #fruit #exoticfruit #pineberries #strawberries #healthyeating #groceryandgourmet#Gifts for #Gardeners pic.twitter.com/yPOm8D0uTB

— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) April 13, 2026

♦  Pink Lemonade Blueberry Plant

Pink Lemonade Blueberry Bush Live Plant, 5-8 Inch Tall, Sweet Fruit Seedlings, 2-Pack https://t.co/6eNwG32OPU #fruit #exoticfruit #pineberries #strawberries #healthyeating #gardening #plants #groceryandgourmet#Gifts for #Gardeners [perfect for #beginners] pic.twitter.com/XQqXsSLxCF

— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) April 13, 2026

Three (3) Best TV Cooking Shows for Newbie Cooks

It’s a common expression in American culture when people are praising something new and different that they might say something to the effect, “It’s the best invention since the napkin.” By the way, do you know who invented the napkin? Well, it was Leonardo da Vinci in 1491. (No wonder they call the man a genius!)

Back on point. In my humble opinion, TV cooking shows are the greatest invention since the napkin. People give the late Julia Child credit for introducing the American audience to the wonderful world of French cuisine. Her show was called “The French Chef,” and the first episode aired on February 2, 1963. Sorry, but … in 1963, I was eight years old, and the only TV show I cared about was The Mickey Mouse Club. Cooking shows did not interest me.

However, as a married adult who was trying to please a husband and a bunch of hungry kids, TV cooking shows finally got my attention. All of a sudden, there were loads of programs on local television and cable TV. They aired 24/7, and if you had Internet access, you could watch them online. Some of the chefs even have food blogs. You can learn how to cook almost any kind of cuisine OR just get some cooking tips to figure out how to make your home-cooked meals taste better OR you can watch a well-known popular cook or chef prepare a dish and get confirmation that your recipe you have been making for years is just fine. As an example, for years, my siblings told me I made the best macaroni-and-cheese. For the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, that was the dish I was responsible for preparing. Their compliments were very much appreciated. But you don’t know how proud I was the day I watched a Paula Deen cooking show. She was preparing a holiday meal, and guess what? She made her mac-n-cheese just like me!

Three (3) cooking shows are especially good to watch if you are a newbie in the kitchen. They are no longer being produced, so you might have to search online for old episodes or buy the DVD collection.

Rachel Ray – 30-Minute Meals

Ms. Ray always said that she was a cook, not a professional chef. But that didn’t matter. She really could prepare a meal in 30 minutes. A healthy meal from start to finish. Do you know what that means to moms who work a full-time job outside the home, to be able to prepare a meal for your family in half an hour? The original shows aired from 2001 to 2012. She also made macaroni and cheese, but not the way Paula and I made it. So I wasn’t sold on that particular recipe. But I did like many of the other dishes she made. She has hosted other cooking shows since, but this is the series that made me her loyal fan.

• Watch Rachel Ray cooking shows on Prime Video

Ming Tsai – East Meets West

Ming Tsai can cook! Mr. Tsai prepares “fusion” dishes. In other words, he takes the best of the East and the best of the West and fuses them to make wonderful Asian-European recipes. Unlike Rachel Ray, Ming Tsai is a professional chef who attended Le Cordon Bleu, a culinary school in Paris, France. He made his appearance on television when he served as a substitute or guest chef for Sara Moulton on her TV show. When she returned to work to pick up where she had left off, to her surprise, people who had watched her program while she was absent kept asking about that Asian guy. He’s Chinese-American. One thing led to another, and he ended up having his own TV show. The East Meets West episodes aired from 1998 to 2003. I like the episodes where he cooks with his mom and pop. Although he went to French cooking school, he gives his mom credit for teaching him most of what he knows about cooking. Isn’t that sweet?

• Watch Ming Tsai cooking shows on Prime Video

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Paula Deen – Paula’s Home Cooking

Paula’s a Southern gal, and I grew up eating Southern cuisine. To clarify, I am talking about the traditional food cooked by folks who live in the Southern United States. Black-eyed peas, collard greens, corn bread, fried chicken, etc. Get the picture? I liked Ms. Deen’s show for 2 reasons. The first reason I have already stated. It’s the food I grew up eating, so a lot of what she cooked reminded me of home. The second reason is that Ms. Deen’s personal story reflects the triumph of the human spirit. I always love the stories where a person gets knocked down, but they get back up and summon their will to survive. Ms. Deen found herself divorced with two sons to support. After trying various jobs, she decided to try something she knew she was good at: Southern cooking. She started a home business, making sandwiches. People would place orders, and her sons would ride bicycles and deliver to the customers. From that start, it was one success after another. She opened restaurants and published cookbooks and was ultimately allowed to have her own TV cooking show: Paula’s Home Cooking aired from 2002 to 2012. Yes, I know that her road to success has not been without controversy. But I personally admire her gumption! I also like her recipes, but confess that they need to be modified to be a little bit healthier and heart-friendly. It was not only one who had that opinion. Her own son, Bobby Deen started a TV show called “Not My Mama’s Meals”. He took his mom’s recipes and tried to revise them by reducing the fat content, sugar, etc.

• Watch Paula Deen cooking shows on Prime Video

Do you have any favorite TV cooking shows?

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Original source

Food and Nutrition: You Must Find Ways to Eat Your Veggies (It's Not That Hard)

Eat your veggies. I know this. But for me, it just required a little creativity. However, I learned that saying it and doing it was easy!

I Ate What My Mom Cooked!

My diet when I was growing up basically consisted of greens or legumes (black-eyed peas or lima beans) seasoned with ham hocks or smoked pork neck bones. That’s how my mother cooked. That’s what my mother cooked. And that’s what we ate. My mother let it be known that if we didn’t like what was on the stove, we were welcome to go out and try to find our own food. Or? We could hold out until we got hungry enough to eat it!!

Most of the time I was hungry enough!

But looking back, when I think about it, had my mother simply not added that one ingredient – the meat for seasoning – we could have been an almost vegetarian family. I say almost because of course for Christmas and Thanksgiving there was always turkey. For Easter, there was a ham. And for most of our Sunday dinners, there was fried chicken. Occasionally during the week we might have smothered pork chops or smothered liver.

I was blessed to receive government grant money which paid for my tuition and books, my dorm room, and my meals at the university cafeteria. It was in the cafeteria that I learned that it was perfectly normal to eat a large bowl of salad for lunch! A large bowl? Loaded with veggies? Really? My mom never served us a big bowl of salad!

Plant-Based Foods and Meatless Mondays

Nowadays plant-based food and meatless meals are all the rage. On Twitter, they circulate lots of recipes and meal ideas and hashtag them #MeatlessMonday. Not only are we treating our bodies well but we’re saving the planet too!

Life events actually forced me to completely change my dietary and eating habits. My late husband was diagnosed with heart disease. Consequently, when making out the grocery list beef and pork was no longer on the list. And we started adding more veggies to our meals. It wasn’t a difficult adjustment to make actually. Lots of times when I was at the grocery store there were certain veggies that I wanted to try. But we had a budget. By the time I finished buying all of the other foods on the list, there was no more money left for trying those veggies. But what do you know? Not buying beef or pork freed up $30 to $35. Now I had the money to buy zucchini, swiss chard, bok choy, cauliflower and lots of other fresh vegetables.

Cooking Tasty Veggie Dishes is Not That Hard

Now my only challenge was how to cook them and make the veggies tasty and not boring. TV cooking shows, food blogs, and Twitter to the rescue! There is no shortage of veggie recipes on the Internet. In fact, if you can find an Indian TV cooking show or YouTube video to watch, an Indian food blogger or an Indian food Twitter account to follow, you can learn all kinds of ways to prepare your veggies as a side dish or as the main meal. The spices they use to add flavor are amazing!!

However, if you’re not an adventurous cook and you just want a no-fuss way to cook and eat your veggies here is a way that is quick and easy.

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Chop up some veggies. What kind of veggies? Whatever you want. Pattypan squash (or any other squash), peppers, onions, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplant, etc. Season with fresh herbs like basil, parsley, oregano – whatever herbs you like. Add chopped garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Toss them in some olive oil. Mix all your ingredients, wrap in foil on a baking dish. Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes. You can drizzle the roasted vegetables with your favorite balsamic reduction or not! You can serve over rice, quinoa, crusty bread, etc. or just eat them!

Most dietary experts say that you should eat 5 cups of fruits and veggies per day. Most people don’t have problems finding fruit to eat. We like fruit. It’s sweet! But when it comes to the veggies? We know it’s good for us. But we have to get creative.

Content previously published at 100Springs.com

Spice Spotlight : Capsicum Annuum (Peppers)

My late sister liked bell peppers. Me? I never paid any attention. It was an ingredient in a recipe. Fine! If it wasn’t in the recipe, I never missed it. To me, if I had celery, why did I need a bell pepper? Moved from Florida to Texas, and in this state, particularly in two cities where I lived (El Paso and Austin), the folks love their fajitas, which are made with small pieces of meat (chicken, beef, or pork), and chunks of veggies, mainly onions and bell peppers. Bell peppers in all different colors. I must say they make the dish pretty.

Anyway! I like fajitas. If it weren’t for this dish, I don’t think I would have even realized that different color peppers exist and also have different flavors. For example, the red bell pepper actually tastes sweeter than the green bell pepper. The green pepper, if you put too much in a recipe, can taste kind of bitter. I blame my ignorance on a family tradition. My mom only bought green bell peppers. My sister only bought green bell peppers. So? I only bought green bell peppers. I learned by example. It’s not my fault! I watch a lot of cooking shows, and once heard one of the TV chefs say that a red bell pepper has more vitamin C than an orange. Did you know that? Coming from Florida, I was inclined not to believe that. But even though it’s true, I would still rather have an orange. Wouldn’t you?

I also recently discovered that there was such a thing as a purple bell pepper. There is a website called johnnyseeds.com. There is even a sweet chocolate organic pepper. I’m not sure I want to try it. But if you’re brave enough, go for it!

There seems to be a little confusion over the use of the word capsicum. In my mind, that is. I always thought capsicum was the word used for a hot red pepper. But I was watching an Indian chef on TV and she used the word “capsicum” for the dish she was preparing, however, she was talking about bell pepper. I was confused but an Indian guy on a Q&A site called Quora clarified the difference between the bell pepper and capsicum. It turns out that we are both right!

I am not really a huge fan of bell peppers. But I can live with them. So if a recipe calls for the ingredient, I prefer to use RED.

What about you?
♦ ♦ ♦

Vegetarian Singapore noodles - quick and easy!

Recipe uses bell peppers, bean sprouts, snow peas, tumeric + curry powder. Follow the recipe here >> https://t.co/gv5x5UTdLO#vegetarian #recipe pic.twitter.com/zesbccX17H

— Louisa Clements (@Living_Lou) August 13, 2018

The secret to this #Japanese Style Grilled Bell Peppers #recipe is a dressing that is both sweet and savory - and plenty of katsuobushi!
RECIPE >> https://t.co/GbXmltkUSB pic.twitter.com/uROEb7dapQ

— Pickled Plum Food and Drinks (@misspickledplum) August 8, 2018

● Herb and Spice Spotlight: Capsicum (Red Pepper) https://t.co/zsmV9DtqDM @EverydaySpices #foodanddrink #veggies

— Treathyl Fox (aka cmoneyspinner) ~ #Freelancer (@cmoneyspinner) June 17, 2020

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Grocery Shopping on Amazon ~
The Best Fresh Peppers in Best Sellers.

World Cuisine : The India-Africa Cooking Connection

For me, a hearty stew has always been the ultimate family-style comfort food. Prepare a big pot, fill the bowls for family, friends, and honored guests, break bread, and chow down!! (Keep reading and you'll get the "bread" and "chow" references.)  Such a meal can unite family and friends, make strangers feel welcome, and dare I say ... connect countries?  Hey!  Nothing wrong with wishful thinking and dreams of world peace.

Indians love curry; in fact that's where it originated. Africans like peanuts; it was a food used to feed the slaves because it was an excellent source of protein. These tidbits of info gleaned from researching world cuisine, global flavors, and food history.  When the Indians and the Africans combined their food loves ... the "mix" was WOW!  Let the links shared below explain the impact.  They lead to recipes that introduce your palette to the blending of the cultures of  India and Africa in every delicious mouthful.  Not just dishes that use curry and peanuts but meals with other flavorful cultural ingredients.  It's family food, it's comfort food, it's "all kinds of deliciousness" food!! ☺

Let's Go to South Africa for Some Indian Food

Experience the flavors of Indian food in South Africa.

Indian cuisine South Africa style blends Indian and African foods

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African cuisine reflects the amalgamation of hundreds of different cultures and groups that inhabit the continent. The local culinary traditions are a fusion and it can be seen in the choice of ingredients, method of preparation and cooking techniques.

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More of My Best Of Chicken Recipes

When I published the first list of My Best of Chicken Recipes, it was well-received.  But such a list is never really complete. Here are a few more recipes. Hope you like them!

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5 Facts About Chicken:

1. Chicken is the most common poultry in the world.
2. PerTV chef Lidia Bastianich, chicken is the most Googled food term.
3. Chicken is shown Babylonian carvings that date back to 600 B.C.
4. Africans love chicken so much, suppliers have a hard time keeping up with the demand.
5. Alektorophobiais the fear of chickens. ( Who would be afraid of a chicken? (O.o)}

Find more interesting facts at The Fact Site.

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#1 Jamie Oliver’s Thai Chicken Laksa

They say that while the king and his noblemen feasted on large portions of meat, the peasants were content to take the leftover meat scraps to make hearty soups or stews to feed themselves and their families.  It has also been said that the servants actually enjoyed better health and lived longer because they consumed less meat, ate more vegetables, and the broth was good for their innards. {Heard that on a televised documentary. I don't get Time magazine anymore.}

I fancy most soups, but particularly chicken soup.  Plus, Jamie Oliver believes in healthy eating.  This sounds marvelous!!  Take this to a soup party, and there won't be any leftovers to take back home. 

#2 Taiwanese Three Cup Chicken

This recipe has three key ingredients: sesame oil, Chinese rice wine, and soy sauce. The word “cups” means these ingredients should be in equal ratio, not a literal measurement.  You will enjoy learning this interesting food history.

#3 Hot Chicken is a Favorite in Nashville

Hot chicken is an extremely popular, fun food, and it has an interesting history.  One legend says it was invented in Nashville, Tennessee, during the Great Depression. 

#4 Mexican Chicken Tortilla Soup

Chicken Tortilla Soup is one of my favorite soups.  Instant Pot seems to have become a favorite small kitchen appliance that many of my friends are using for cooking.  An easy recipe for my favorite soup using an Instant Pot?  I should pass this on to my friends to prepare, and hope they invite me over to enjoy it.  LOL.

Cooking Basics ~ Indian Food ~ Tempering

Respected food writer Monica Bhide has written for well-known publications such as Food and Wine and Cooking Light. In her article, “The Crackling Spices Of Indian Tempering”, she writes about a cooking method common to Indian cuisine called “tempering”.

Typical Indian Buffet

EXCERPT: ” … Tadka translates as 'tempering.” It is a method widely used in Indian cuisine, in which whole or ground spices are heated in hot oil or ghee, and the mixture is added to a dish. Hot fat has an amazing ability to extract and retain the essence, aroma, and flavor of spices and herbs and then carry this essence with it when it is added to a dish. …”

Now, before you frown and turn away because of the mention of two little words – “Hot fat” – it might interest you to know that tempering has nutritional benefits, as it helps the spices unlock their healing properties.

The Crackling Spices Of Indian Tempering | Special Series: Kitchen Window | NPR

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Do you have a particular Indian dish you really enjoy? (It can be a dessert.)

Best Indian Dessert Recipes

(Source: Previously published via Webnuggetz)

Karma and the Art of Butter Chicken#Cookbook by Respected #food #writer Monica Bhide. @mmonicaln
➡️https://t.co/gH3Bb1tj3H
"Smell and taste your way through #India while rooting for the protagonist to find a way to fill his hunger. When you put it down, find ways of reaching… pic.twitter.com/8b9utwBFT2

— My Shopping Channel (@goshoppingbees) December 15, 2025

Inexpensive Meals: Lentils are Hearty, Healthy and a Small Bag Can Feed a Crowd

LEBANESE RECIPE: Mujaddara

I did not start eating lentils until I got married back in the 70s. It was never served in my mom's house. I learned how to cook them because my husband liked them. I usually seasoned them with smoked turkey and added diced carrots, onions, and celery. Learned that lentils are a common dish in the Middle East. They are legumes and they come in different colors: black, brown, red, and yellow. They can not be eaten RAW. Also, you don't have to soak them before cooking.

FUN FOOD FACTS:

• Lentils are one of the oldest cultivated crops in human history. (You know it! They're mentioned in the Bible.)

• Lentils likely came to the USA via European Settlers, especially from Mediterranean countries.

• In the early 1900s, the USDA and land-grant universities began promoting lentils as a rotational crop due to their nitrogen-fixing properties.

• As of today, the USA is now one of the world’s top producers of lentils. The United States grows several types: green, red, black (also known as Beluga lentils), and French green (Puy-style) lentils.

Mujaddara is a dish of cooked lentils together with groats, generally rice, and garnished with sautéed onions.

• Here is a recipe: Mujadara (Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions) -Cookie and Kate  

“Mujadara is served across the Middle East in various forms and goes by differing names, depending on where you are. It has many spelling variations: mujadarra, mujadarah, majadra, mejadra, moujadara, mudardara, and megadarra.”

• More Info: What Are Lentils and How Do You Cook Them? | Cooking Light ~ 

The good thing about lentils is that they are very inexpensive, and one small bag (16 oz.) can make a big pot to feed a lot of people.

How Do You Like Them Apples? Like 'Em? I Love 'Em!

In the USA, October is the month we celebrate Halloween, pizza, and apples. I especially like the fact that October is National Apple Month. It was founded as National Apple Week in 1904 and later expanded to the entire month of October. Apples are such a delightful fruit and come in numerous varieties. There is a variety for practically every letter of the alphabet, including the letter Z. The variety is called Zestar.

Apples in Legends, Myths and Folklore

• Ever Hear of Johnny Appleseed?

From childhood, I have heard all kinds of stories about apples. The story I remember vividly is the one about Johnny Appleseed. As a child I remember hearing the story about a man who walked everywhere in America and everywhere he went, he dropped apple seeds on the ground and apple trees grew. That’s not really true. It is true that he was a real person and not a legend. His real name is John Chapman (1774 – 1845) who became known as Johnny Appleseed. He introduced apple trees to various parts of America such as Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. It’s not just the fact that he planted the trees which contributed to the environment. He was also a very kindhearted man and became known for his acts of charity, as well as his conservation efforts. It made him somewhat of a folk hero.

Image Credit:  John Chapman (1774 –1845), aka Johnny Appleseed

Other Legends and Myths About Apples

• Is it in the Bible?

An apple is not mentioned in the Garden of Eden. Neither the Old or New Testament specifically state what the forbidden fruit was that Adam and Eve ate. However, for years people have insisted that it was an apple. Eating it caused them to be driven out of the Garden of Eden. An apple? Not sure why. (O.o)

Non-Biblical Myths

In Greek mythology, it was said that a golden apple is what caused the Trojan War. “The war originated from a quarrel between the goddesses Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, after Eris, the goddess of strife and discord, gave them a golden apple, sometimes known as the Apple of Discord, marked 'for the fairest'.”

In Norse mythology, it was believed that apples held the key to immortality. The name of the Norse goddess who was the keeper of the apples was Iðunn. Her name means “ever young”.

The Celtic people buried apples with the dead. To the Celts the apple was sacred and it was associated with rebirth. Excavators have found graves dating back 5,000 years that had petrified apple slices.

In ancient Silesia (now modern-day Poland), people believed if they slept under an apple tree, it would induce dreams; and if a young woman put an apple under her pillow on New Year’s Eve, she would dream of her future husband.

How Do You Like Your Apples?

Apples can be eaten raw. Just pick them right off the tree. Bake them in pies, make cobblers, cookies, brownies, put them in salads, turn them into jelly, and more. My favorite way to enjoy apples? Apple pie. YUM! What about you?

Content previously published via 100Springs. (site shut down.)


glitter-graphics.com

Japanese Hamachi with Matsutake, Zestar apple, Pine nuts, and Pine Bud syrup; a dish as delicious as it is beautiful! pic.twitter.com/SgOWYl6a96

— Sorellina Restaurant (@SorellinaBoston) October 18, 2019

Four (4) Uncommon Cooking Ingredients Explained (Guest Post)

Below is a short explanation of four (4) uncommon cooking ingredients and how to use them in cooking. 

1.  Clear Jel is a refined cornstarch that reacts better for freezing and canning recipes in particular; cornstarch tends to go cloudy in these situations. Clear Jel is used in the same proportion of cornstarch (1:1) in baking recipes. Like traditional cornstarch and the health store alternatives - arrowroot and potato powder, etc. - this product needs to be combined with the sugar (or flour) called for in the recipe prior to adding to any other ingredients in order to reduce clumps from forming.

2.  Sea salt is healthier than regular table salt; the fact that it requires less processing means it also has a smaller ecological impact. It is a natural source of iodine, which, along with other nutrients, is essential for a healthy sex life. A local herbal consultant once told us that sea salt can also be used in place of Epsom salts in your bathwater.

3.  Tamari is considered to be less salty than soy sauce and is often stocked in health food stores. You can find low-salt versions of both tamari and soy sauce. Tamari sauce, however, has enzymes that aid digestion and promote healthy intestinal bacteria.

4.  Orange Zest, citrus zest or citrus powder are all terms referring to a similar product - to simplify we personally call it 'citrus zest'. It is used to bring out other flavors and to condition flour. Chop lemon, orange or lime peel and allow to dry (or use a dehydrator) - turn this into a powder using a blender or grinder, and store in the cupboard as you would any spice or herb. 1 Tbsp of fresh zest is equal to 1 tsp. of dried; while 1 Tbsp of fresh zest is equal to 6 Tbsp. juice. As such, this one ingredient in the cupboard offers more ways of reducing grocery costs.  Making your own citrus zest at home is a fantastic way to move toward a more frugal kitchen, while reusing "waste" (the peels). 

Now that you know more about these ingredients, hopefully, it will give you the confidence to use them in your kitchen.

AUTHORS:  Lillian and her husband Dave are the team behind Brummet Media Group, high-fiving cheerfully as they pass each other on the way from checking off one item or other from their long to-do list. Their business includes Dave's music studio and percussion accessory products and graphic design work, as well as popular blogs and numerous award-winning non-fiction books. 

- From One Small Garden, with over 300 delicious, nutritious recipes! 

(Original Source: EzineArticles.com, republished with permission.)

From One Small Garden: Over 300 Delicious, Nutritious #Recipes: Brummet, Dave, Brummet, Lillian #cookBooks https://t.co/oeWVX3FXyX

— Everyday Exotic Spices Presents Food Ways (@EverydaySpices) December 6, 2024