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Monday, August 21, 2023

I'd Like to Order Kung Pao Chicken Smothered with Melted Cheese! (Yuk!)

A few years back, I was having a spirited discussion with co-workers at one of my temp jobs and the discussion turned to food preferences. Mexican versus Chinese. 

I said: “I love Chinese food!”

My co-worker's response was:
“No way! Chinese food doesn't have near enough cheese for me!!”

I laughed and thought to myself: 'Yep! She's right about that!'

But why? ⍰
Why is there hardly any cheese in Chinese cuisine?




Did some research. Here is the quick answer, according to Corinne Trang, affectionately referred to by her many admirers as the “Asian Julia Child”. She says: “In Asian food culture, you have thousands, countless amounts of herbs and spices that we use at any given time. So few of these spices go well with cheese.” *

Nevertheless, there is a food trend going in the “fusion” direction and chefs are experimenting with incorporating cheese into Asian recipes.

I seriously doubt that you can order a plate of kung pao chicken smothered with melted cheese.  I didn't say the chefs had taken leave of their senses.  😋

But what do you think of this "adaptation"?

Do you like Chinese food with or without cheese?

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*Quote Source:
Kuo, Stephanie. "The Real Reason There's No Cheese In Asian Cuisine." CheeseRank : Your Go To Guide for All Things Cheese. N.p., 28 July 2014. Web. 15 June 2017. (NOTE: Links to an archived copy.)



It Turns Out, There is Such a Thing as Chinese Cheese


The Blog: Cookbook author and teacher Diana Kuan writes about traditional and modern takes on Asian home cooking on her blog, Appetite for China. She has also recently launched an online shop called Plate and Pencil, with cute gifts like a "Dumplings Around the World" tote bag.

Discovering Cheese in One of the Most Unsuspecting Places


It's nearly impossible for any Westerners to remember the first time they tried cheese. From pizza to pasta to hunks eaten on their own, cheese's ubiquity in our diets means that we've been enjoying it since before we could eat most other solid foods. For Liu Yang, a cheesemaker in Beijing, the ...

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Friday, August 11, 2023

Foodie Friday : Who Loves Nachos?

This foodie blog is US-based but readers and subscribers are from around the world.  I grew up in Miami, Florida (USA) and I never really knew anything about nachos until I moved from Florida to Texas in 1987. That basically means that I was on planet earth, living in one state in the same country, for about 30 years before I knew there was such a thing as nachos.  

Since I am sharing content with a global community of foodies and food lovers,  I may be talking about a snack or fun food that some of you have not heard of.  So I'm wondering …

Do you like nachos?


For those of you who don't know nachos is a plate of corn tortilla chips smothered in melted cheese and you throw on any additional toppings that you like: ground beef, chopped tomatoes, chopped green onions, salsa, whatever! Nachos are really popular in Texas. It's a great snack. It's fun food for a party.



Have you ever tasted nachos?

Yes
No


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Do you like nachos?

Yes
No
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Is there a snack or fun food where you come from that is similar to nachos?

Yes (See comments)
No

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Tuesday, August 8, 2023

Are the Foods You Love to Eat on a List?

FOOD! This topic has so much variety that one of my friends suggested the best 2 words to describe it is “food diversity”. Diversity is right. People love sharing recipes. Nutritionists and medical practitioners share information about health benefits, health tips, and healthy eating. Others like to go on a sort of “food safari” and talk about all the bizarre foods they discovered.



#1 Top 10 List of Superfoods


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EatingWell publishes a free newsletter and you can receive articles with weight loss tips and healthy recipes. They published a top 10 list of superfoods you can and should eat every day The great thing about this list is there is a superfood (or super drink) that can please everybody in my house. My daughters love tea. My husband loves oranges. And I love sweet potato!

#2 Medical Advice About Superfoods


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For contrast and comparison, another listing of superfoods was published via Medical News Today and it shares insightful information about the health benefits and about taking supplements.

#3 WARNING: Delicacies Can Be Dangerous!


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Many people are blessed to travel the world and get introduced to new foods they have never tasted or even heard of. Here is some advice you should never ignore. In some countries, certain foods may be considered “delicacies” but … “Prepare them wrong and you can die!” Some foods don't even require preparation because they are eaten raw. My first time seeing this fruit was when I visited The Bahamas to meet my husband's parents. I tasted it. It was delicious. So it was a shock to see that star fruit was on this list of "dangerous foods". Who knew?

#4 100 Healthiest Foods ~ Is Your Favorite Food on the List?

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It's great to review a Top 10 List of healthy foods to eat. But a list of the Top 100 healthy foods gives you more to choose from. That's 10 times YUM! YUM! Pomegranates, one of my favorite fruits is on this list. Spirulina is also on the list. To my surprise, certain meats, like bison, are also on the list.

Original source:  Virily.com


Friday, August 4, 2023

QOD (Question of the Day): Homemade Pizza or Buddha's Delight?

Watched parts of two new cooking shows and was torn between the two brand-new episodes because they both came on at the same time, on different channels. (NO! Never learned how to program a VCR!)


- So on one show, the guy lives on a farm and he was making pizza. He milked the cow that morning and used that milk to make fresh mozzarella cheese.

- On the other show, the lady was visiting a farm and planned to prepare dishes using freshly picked produce. She ended up serving a #vegetable platter. All sorts of root veggies are sliced thin like potato chips (raw; not cooked).

QOD (Question of the Day):
- If you have to choose between pizza and a veggie delight*, as your last supper, which would you pick?  (* Some folks call a vegetable platter or plate with all veggies, Buddha's Delight.)


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If it's my last supper, I'm going for the pizza – loaded with meat and veggies!! Extra large.  Extra cheese.  And I'm not sharing!! ☺   



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Originally published at Persona Paper on April 30, 2015.

Friday, July 28, 2023

Choose Sides: How Do You Like Your Green Salad? Fruit or No Fruit

Been married to my husband for over 40 years. This is a long-standing DIVIDE. My husband says fruit has no place on a bed of lettuce or other greens used to make a salad. I say all green salads taste better with fruit - nectarines, pears, strawberries, raisins, mangos! Love that sweet taste. He says "Forget about it!" This coming from the man who taught me to eat carrot and raisin salad.

Whose side are you are you on? 

Fruit is fantastic in a salad. Yes??

If you say NO.  These recipes might persuade you to change your mind.
















Friday, July 21, 2023

Herbs and Spices: There is Ginger and Then There is Blue Ginger

Spice Spotlight: Blue Ginger or Galangal 

One of my favorite Asian TV chefs is Ming Tsai. He had a restaurant called Blue Ginger, which sadly, closed in 2017, even before the COVID-19 pandemic. I never really thought about the name of his restaurant until I learned that there is a plant called “blue ginger”

It is not in the ginger root family but it looks like ginger; and its stems have beautiful blue flowers. So people call it “blue ginger”. If you accidentally put galangal or blue ginger in your recipe thinking it is ginger, you'll know as soon as you taste it that you made a mistake. Although, you might not mind the difference in the flavor.

This tropical plant is native to Indonesia and is a seasoning that adds flavor to numerous Southeastern Asian dishes. Blue ginger is used as a ornamental plant for home or garden; as well as a cooking ingredient. Also, like most herbs and spices, it has medicinal purposes.  

(NOTE: Also called Thai ginger or Siamese ginger.)

Friday, July 14, 2023

Foodie Friday : Let's Do Sushi! Keep It Kosher!

Determined to make your own sushi? The four ingredients listed below are considered the "basic sushi essentials".

  1. Gari, thinly sliced and pickled ginger.
  2. Wasabi, aka Japanese horseradish
  3. Nori, dried seaweed used to wrap the sushi roll
  4. Sushi rice, a Japanese rice that is sticky and short-grained.

Got these tips from Bani Grill. Great basic information to get started. But beyond this point? Uuuhh ... Let's go together.




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"Revolutionizing the way you eat sushi."

Starting with:
KOSHER SUSHI











Wednesday, July 12, 2023

Michelle Wibowo's Sugar Art Is More Than Precious!

Thank you for stopping by. We apologize but the content you are looking for, though originally published here, was accepted by the Editors at Vocal.Media.  

Food historians say sugar art dates as far back as 4000 B.C.  In the 17th century, Catholic friars taught Mexicans how to use sugar to create ornaments and decorations used in Day of the Dead celebrations.

♦ From 4000 B.C. ... Fast Forward to the 20th Century

Michelle Wibowo, took the technique of sugar art to an entirely new level by creating and/or recreating incredible edible sugar sculptures.  She recreated Michaelangelo's famous painting, 'The Creation of Adam', using marshmallows and sprinkles.

Food Ways thinks she should be called the "Sugar Artist of the Century".  

Patience, please.  One more click.

The History of Sugar Art and a Spotlight on the Sugar Artist of the Century!



Cool Tweets About Sugar Art










Monday, July 3, 2023

Spice Spotlight: Cinnamon

I can smell nutmeg, apples, and cinnamon.

I can sprinkle a little powdered pumpkin spice or a dash of plain old cinnamon in my morning cup of coffee.

For an evening meal, I can enjoy a hearty bowl of butternut squash soup or cook up a stew chocked full of root vegetables and meat, made with that special secret ingredient:  cinnamon.


In the United States, people associate cinnamon with the autumn season and/or the Christmas holidays.  But for me, any time is a get time to enjoy cinnamon.
😍  


Shining the spotlight on one of my favorite warming, feel-good spices.  Cinnamon!






http://amzn.to/2gi4rq4
Did you know:

- There is a mythological creature called the Cinnamon Bird?
- In Ancient Egypt, cinnamon was used in the embalming process?

There's probably lots of other things you didn't know about cinnamon as well.

If you're curious, read more:  20 Facts about Cinnamon.



Community Post: 35 Crazy-Good Ways To Indulge On Cinnamon This Fall: Because it is the best of all the fall spices!






Links to a sampling of recipes using cinnamon that reflect world cuisine and global tastes:




Kunafeh, the Middle East's Favorite Cheese Delight!



https://www.tumblr.com/myfoodieluv/792542919952302080/dolce-rita-kunafeh-the-middle-easts-favorite



Chinese Cinnamon Beef Noodle Soup Recipe - Chinese.Food.com


Chinese Cinnamon Beef Noodle Soup Recipe - Chinese.Food.com

This was published in a Fine Cooking magazine a couple of years ago. I was so excited to have found a relatively easy yet very flavorful noodle soup for my family. My husband (the ultimate food critic) loves this and doesnt mind eating it for days.





Tomato Bredie - Traditional South African Stew (Video) | PantsDownApronsOn (One stick of cinnamon required.)


https://www.tumblr.com/myfoodieluv/792543963461697536/tomato-bredie-traditional-south-african-stew


Featured Products from SpiceCubed.


Friday, June 23, 2023

Meal Kit Delivery Services: Spotlight on Hello Fresh

There are many people who have a very busy lifestyle.  They are on the run so much that they don't have time to expend on preparing a home-cooked meal.  In order to ao avoid eating fast food or junk food, Hello Fresh offers a valuable service.  They do the meal planning and grocery shopping for you.


Food is fresh, never frozen. In addition to meats and veggies, they have plant-based meals for vegans and vegetarians.

They deliver the meal kits once a week and you can skip deliveries if you need to, like if you're going out of town. You can also easily cancel your account.

The company owners, managers, and staff are very conscious of their social responsibilities. For example.

~ They promote healthy lifestyles

~ Their meal kits don't waste food.

~ They request that customers recycle the boxes the goods were delivered in.

Headquartered in Germany, and in business since 2011, Hello Fresh meal kits are extremely popular in America.



Sunday, June 18, 2023

Food Blog Spotlight: Hungry Couple's Soups, Stews and Chowders

One of the main reasons I started publishing this foodie blog was to shine a spotlight on all of the awesome food blogs that are already out there.  Many scientists make fantastic discoveries and the majority of them have two things in common.  
  • Number 1, the discovery is usually accidental, i.e. they stumbled upon it.  
  • Number 2, whatever they discovered, it's been there all along!  

That's how I find awesome food blogs and I am not ashamed to say that I accidentally found the wonderful food blog called Hungry Couple.  


I got so excited at having found it that totally I forgot what my initial blog search was for.  LOL.  The blog posts archives go all the way to 2008 and they have recipes for drinks, desserts, breakfast, dinner ideas, and my favorite comfort food ... soups, stews, or chowders.  January may be the official soup month but I can eat soup all year round.  Soups, stews, and chowders are my comfort food.

I would have been happy to spend the entire day perusing the Recipe Index.  But I was anxious to share these wonderful comfort food recipes with my blog visitors.  Why keep all the fun to myself?  Enjoy!

Image Credit:  Amazon.com











Friday, May 26, 2023

Foodie Nuggets: For Newbie Cooks Who Want to Cook Chinese Food

Once upon a time when I was a newbie cook, I wanted so badly to cook Chinese food.  But no matter what I did my food just did not have that authentic Chinese flavor.  This was before TV cooking shows had become so pervasive. 


Hormel Foods Corporation is an American food business that has been around since 1891. Me personally? I have been enjoying Hormel food products for over 50 years; mainly, its canned chili. I stumbled upon a product at my local grocery store and it changed everything!

There are 4 distinct flavors:

  1. Classic Sauce
  2. Szechuan Spicy
  3. Bangkok Peanut Sauce
  4. General Tsao

They are all delicious! But my favorite is the Classic Sauce. If these products are not on the shelf of your local grocery store, you might be able to find them at an Asian market in your area. If not they are sold via Amazon and are reasonably priced.

There are plenty more House of Tsang® products.  These are the ones I'm familiar with.  I promise you! Use any of these sauces in your recipes and it will taste just like you went out to eat at an Asian restaurant.  





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(Food blurb? - a short post, not saying much, but saying enough!)

Check out some of the other food blurbs:

Za-atar Spice Blend on Flatbread

The Key Ingredient in Nigerian Food

What is  Angelica keiskei?

WARNING: Delicacies Can Be Dangerous!

Sharing a Soup Recipe That Soup Lovers Will Love

Five (5) healthy and holistic ways to get more energy


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