Food Blog Spotlight : Sam's Place ~ Old and New Family Recipes

Sam Monaco publishes a food blog sharing awesome photos and recipes of scrumptious food that he makes himself. Visit his blog to find recipes for:

• Appetizers/Snacks
• Main Dishes/Grilling
• Soups/Salads/Sandwiches
• Pasta
• Desserts/Cookies/Candy

Why would anybody like this blog?  Because it's just good old-fashioned home cooking.  Nothing overly fancy or ostentatious.  It's everyday family-style hearty and comforting food.  The blog's tagline reads "Old and new family recipes prepared with the most delicious and fresh ingredients."

I publish a food magazine via Flipboard ~ My I Like Eating Channel. A few of Sam's blog posts are circulated via my magazine. I'm doubling the fun and resharing content from Sam's Place that was flipped first to my foodie magazine. Enjoy!

Baked Butter Garlic Chicken Wings

These baked butter garlic chicken wings made the perfect game day treat last week. You don't have to wait for a game day to enjoy these. Serve these for a nice appetizer or snack at your next party or just a snack for the family. It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of garlic.

Italian Peasant Soup

We are certainly in the cold season now, and when it gets cold outside we like our soups. There is nothing better than serving your family a hearty and healthy bowl of soup. I like all kinds of soups, especially in the winter months, which happens to last a long time in here in Western New York.

Cast Iron Skillet Pork Chops

It's winter here in Western New York, and there is nothing better to get you through those cold days than some good fashioned comfort food. I decided to make some cast iron skillet pork chops. This is another quick and easy meal to put on the table after a long day at work.

Glazed Lemon Almond Biscotti

Every year my cousin sends me a box of fresh lemons from his backyard lemon trees in Arizona. So, I put them to good use with these Glazed Lemon Almond Biscotti. The lemon and almond are a delicious combination of flavors for biscotti. If you're not a fan of almond flavor you can leave it out.

Poor Man's Pizza My Grandmother's Recipe

Poor Man's Pizza, another recipe passed down from my grandmother. I really don't know why my grandmother called this poor man's pizza, I never asked. I learned how to make this by watching her. Although my grandmother made it best, isn't that always the case? 

Moms Who Think - Halloween Recipes

Rummaging through foodie links gathered from here, there, and everywhere, and found a great blog which hadn't been visited in a while.

Best collection of Halloween Recipes at Moms Who Think ever!  Go for the Jack O'Lantern Pizza.  That way you can celebrate Halloween and National Pizza Month.  Wash it down with some Monster Slime Punch.  Grave cupcakes, optional.  :)

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Food Blog Spotlight : A Fall Neapolitan Style Dinner | jovinacooksitalian (Reblog)

Have you ever found a food blogger or food blog that is undeniably magnificent? Several years back I came across this woman's blog and am so happy to find that it is still being published. Her posts not only have great recipes but great food history too!


This one that is being shared as a reblog is perfect because it's for the fall season and it's about Italy, one of those places on my bucket list of "Places to Visit".  Will likely never realize that dream but dreaming about it is a wonderful thing.

Dream Italian?  Think Italian.  Be Italian!

The post begins by giving the reader a quick history of Neopolitan cuisine.  Neopolitan is a cuisine?  Only ever knew it to be a flavor for ice-cream!  In 3 short paragraphs, she took me from ancient Greece and Rome to modern-day Italy and the United States.  Then she set forth an entire Neopolitan dinner, recipes and all, from the first course to the dessert.  Of course, I skipped the courses and went straight to the dessert.  But that's just me!  :)


This blog post is dated 2013.  Liked it then.  Like it now!  The image from her post is an Italian Apple cake.  Isn't it gorgeous?!!

 

A Fall Neapolitan Style Dinner | jovinacooksitalian

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Deliciously Easy Upside Down Apple Cake (yumgoggle.com)

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Top 10 Most Delicious Foods in the World 2016(themeshnews.com)

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Celebrate National Apple Month in October  (or any month! 🍏)

October is National Pizza Month ~ Let's Celebrate!

October is National Pizza Month. Let's start the celebration with these fun pizza facts.

- - "The longest pizza delivery was from Cape Town, South Africa to Sydney, Australia."

- - "Scientists report that eating pizza once a week can reduce the risk of esophageal cancer. It's the tomatoes and olive oil in the pizza."

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Everyday Exotic Spices: Zanzibar Spices & Heritage Centre: The Continuing Story

A few years back, stumbled across an article detailing a delightful business success story about the efforts of Mzee Foum Garu aka Foum Ali Garu, a spice farmer in Zanzibar. 

Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous archipelago off the coast of Tanzania. Zanzibar and Pemba, its sister island, have a reputation for their spices. Spice farm tours are conducted for travelers to Tanzania. Tourists learn the origins and history of the spices produced in Zanzibar, their culinary and medicinal properties, and the traditional local uses. They also get to sample some delicious local dishes and a tasty “Tea Masala”. Natives and foreign students are invited to enroll at the Kizimbani Agricultural Training Institute of Zanzibar to learn even more via an internship or a volunteer project.  Mr. Garu played an integral role in promoting and developing these tours and training courses.

Image credit: Spice farm, Zanzibar by Mark, on Flickr

The organization founded by Mr. Garu was mentioned in the 2013 write-up as “Zanzibar Organic Spice Products”. It is currently operating under the name “Zanzibar Organic Spice Growers (ZOSG)”, and also recognized by the name “Zanzibar Spices & Heritage Centre”. Mzee Foum Garu combined his experience, knowledge and skills for farming spices with several other small-scale farmers and they grow a wide range of cash crops. In addition to spices (cardamom, vanilla, betel nut, turmeric, cinnamon, curry leaves and nutmeg), they cultivate many tropical fruits and vegetables (such as hairy litchi, durian and jack fruit), and plants and trees (such as moringa, the henna plant, and the lipstick tree). There is a growing European market for these food products cultivated by the zanzibari farmers.

Image credit: Zanzibar Spices & Heritage Centre

The article that inspired this post was dated 2013, however, Foum Ali Garu began his work in the 90s. It's great to read that Garu's success has continued and that other local farmers are also benefitting from the agricultural initiatives he started and the entire region is profiting.

FoumAli Garu, Managing Director, Zanzibar Organic Spice Growers. ©

Interesting Food History: The first spices plantations were established by the Oman Sultan Sayid Sa’id in the 19th century.  ~  "Seyyid Said." Encyclopedia of World Biography. . Encyclopedia.com. 16 Oct. 2017 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>.                     

Ingredients in this spice mound: 

Coriander, mustard, fennel, turmeric, cumin, sweet paprika, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cloves and white pepper.

Zanzibar Seasoning : African Blends Collection by Merchant Spice Co.

Edible Fruit Bouquet Arrangements: Home Made or Ready Made?

Don't know about you but every year one of my Top 10 New Year's Resolutions is to eat more fruits (and veggies; especially the green leafy kind).  But thinking about it.  Not only is it a good idea to eat more fresh fruit, but since there are holidays, birthdays, and special occasions all throughout the year, giving fruit as a food gift is also a good thing.  

Don't you love receiving fruit baskets and edible arrangements?  

Do you prefer to make your own or purchase these gifts ready made?

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Fabulous How to Video: 
Make Edible Fruit Bouquet Arrangements! 

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But if you're still not into making these arrangements or you don't have the time, there is a convenient way to order online and have this lovely edible gift delivered.

Edible Arrangements Coupons

Fruit Bouquets: Deliver delicious fruit bouquets to share!

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Food Blog Spotlight: Custom Cakes by Rainbow Nourishments (Raw Vegan Cake Maker)

Was watching a health infomercial and the gentleman was supplying a recipe for a cake.  He showed the cake and then said we wouldn't believe what the ingredients were.  Have to admit when I saw the recipe I thought that cake was the best disguise I've ever seen.  Indeed, until I had to change my eating habits, it never occurred to me that so many foods that I loved to eat could be prepared in a completely different way and still be enjoyed.  Who knew?  

Evidently, the vegans knew and were way ahead with this knowledge.  In one of my previous posts, I shared my love of cake ("Which Cultures Make the Best Cakes?").  Today while surfing the Internet, stumbled across these wonderful creations by a food blogger named Anthea, who published a blog is RainbowNourishments.com.  She makes custom cakes.  Sure!  There are a lot of custom cake makers out there.  But this lady specializes in raw vegan cakes that are indescribable!

Pink dragon fruit layer cake

  

Pink dragon fruit layer cake

This recipe captures pretty much everything that I love about cakes. I love taking a bite of a sponge cake and squashing the air out of it in my mouth (ok, that sounds weird and confronting, but it's the truth so I'll stick with it). I love the simplicity and smoothness of raw cakes.

Amazing Cake Stand Multifunctional Cake and Serving Stand For weddings,events, parties, 4-in-1 Crystal Cake Dome

Acai Bowl Cheesecakes

Smoothie bowls are a staple in my diet as they are quick to make, delicious and can be made out of pantry/freezer ingredients. Smoothie bowls are normally thick smoothies poured into bowls, made with some sort of frozen fruit, and topped with things like granola, fresh fruit, dried fruit, nuts, coconut...

HABIBEE 6-in-1 Acrylic Cake Stand Multifunctional Serving Platter and Cake Plate With Dome (6-in-1 Cake Dome)

Rainbow nicecream cake

Whoever invented nicecream (aka icecr eam made of blended bananas) is a genius.I thought: what if I could combine my current favourite food (nicecream) with my favourite concept (rainbows) into something that could enjoy at ANY time of the day. This marbled nicecream cake reminds me that adults CAN have fun with their food.

Edible Butterflies © -Large Rainbow Variety Set of 12 - Cake and Cupcake Toppers, Decoration

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Chinese Mooncake Festival (Mid Autumn Festival)

Mid-Autumn Festival, Zhongqiu Jie (中秋节) in Chinese, also known as the Mooncake Festival or Moon Festival, is one of China's biggest holidays. 

For 2023, it will be celebrated on Sep 29, 2023.

Similar to American holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas, the Mooncake Festival these days is about family reunions and good eating, where mooncakes are a traditional food gift.  Would just like to point out a significant event that can be traced back to the 14th century when China was ruled by the Mongols.  The event really gives cause for celebration.

"Planning a rebellion against the Mongol emperor, Chinese rebels came up with the idea of hiding a secret message inside mooncakes, which the Mongols did not eat. These mooncakes told rebels to rise up on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The uprising was successful, and henceforth the Mid-Autumn Festival was celebrated with mooncakes everywhere in China."  

(Source: Mooncakes in Mid Autumn | Desserts First)

Recycling a post from my lifestyle blog, Joie de Vivre Magazine and embellishing it a little bit more.  There are lots of people participating in the festivities so finding related or similar articles was super easy.  Hope you like the content shared.

Holidays and Festivals :
Chinese Mooncake Festival

https://varugab.tumblr.com/post/96456695851/asian-art-history-finals-infographics

Mid Autumn Festival 2017 - 20 Mooncakes That Even Chang Er Will Love

It's almost Mid-Autumn Festival again, the 15th day of the eight month on the lunar calendar (which falls on October 4 this year) when the moon is full. The traditional way to celebrate this festival is by indulging in mooncakes. Every year, we are spoilt for choice when it comes to the mooncake flavours available.

Why Chinese People Eat Mooncake During This Time of the Year
The Mid-Autumn Festival (also the Mooncake Festival or Lantern Festival) is considered to be one of the most significant festivals for Chinese people. Celebrated on the 15th day of the eighth month of the Chinese calendar, the 3,500-year old tradition is commonly observed all over the world to worship the moon, celebrate the harvest season, ...

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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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

Online Quiz Maker

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Do you like nachos?

Yes

No

Quiz Maker Online

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Is there a snack or fun food where you come from that is similar to nachos?

Yes (See comments)

No

Create an online quiz

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Foodie Fun! Love Me Some Nachos | https://t.co/oEHiAVw4r1 https://t.co/oUpCKCCWXK via @flipboard @EverydaySpices #foodies #foodlovers #foodieFriday #funfood #foodfun #favoritefoods for #munchies #cheeselovers #nacholovers

— My Fox Nooze (aka Joie de Vivre Magazine) (@FoxMarks_ATX) September 12, 2019

21 #Nachos That Changed The World ~ https://t.co/3141Rx7caT via @flipboard @EverydaySpices #funfood #foodfun #Iheartnachos #recipes #tailgating

— My Fox Nooze (aka Joie de Vivre Magazine) (@FoxMarks_ATX) September 12, 2019

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

10 Everyday Superfoods - https://t.co/Adn9FPN6Kd ~ These 10 #superfoods top the list of the best healthy foods to eat every day. ~ https://t.co/rLgAzkwcEk via @EatingWell ~ #healthyeating #dietandnutrition #Top10Lists pic.twitter.com/esnt1qHmI9

— EverydayExoticSpices (@EverydaySpices) March 12, 2019

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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!

• Nourishing Superfood Bowls: 75 Healthy and Delicious Gluten-Free Meals to Fuel Your Day

#2 Medical Advice About Superfoods

What are #superfoods and why should you eat them? by Megan Ware RDN LD
(Last updated Mon 7 Jan 2019) ~ Excellent article published Medical News Today discusses #Healthbenefits AND #HealthTips for taking #supplements #HealthyEating #diet and #nutrition ~ https://t.co/xvMQFMajYt pic.twitter.com/HbVtJUg2Xc

— EverydayExoticSpices (@EverydaySpices) March 12, 2019

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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.

• Superfood Kitchen: Cooking with Nature's Most Amazing Foods (Julie Morris's Superfoods)

#3 WARNING: Delicacies Can Be Dangerous!

Top 15 Most Dangerous Foods in the World (Read this before eating) - https://t.co/kdauKXAaiZ ~ "Some of the most dangerous foods on the planet are delicacies in some countries. Prepare them wrong and you can die! Try these foods at your own risk!" #exotic #foodanddrink pic.twitter.com/veqADGZj6e

— EverydayExoticSpices (@EverydaySpices) March 12, 2019

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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?

• Superfoods Cookbook: Book One: 75+ Recipes of Quick & Easy Cooking, Low Fat Cooking, Gluten Free Cooking, Wheat Free Cooking, Low Cholesterol Cooking, ... - weight loss plan for women) (Volume 29)

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

100 Healthiest Foods on the Planet | Eat This, Not That! ~ https://t.co/tLSBCmpK78 ~ #HealthyFood #healthyeating #eathealthy #fruitsandveggies @EatThisNotThat pic.twitter.com/MO9wWXQdRx

— EverydayExoticSpices (@EverydaySpices) March 12, 2019

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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.

• Diabetes Superfoods Cookbook and Meal Planner: Power-Packed Recipes and Meal Plans Designed to Help You Lose Weight and Control Your Blood Glucose   

Original source:  Virily.com

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!! ☺   

FYI. In America, October is National Pizza Month.

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Originally published at Persona Paper on April 30, 2015.

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.

Summer Fruit Medley Green Salad - 

The Grateful Girl Cooks!

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Pomegranate & Pear Green Salad with Ginger Dressing Recipe | Yummly https://t.co/9PBr8M0vLl via @flipboard #saladrecipes #salads w/ #fruit #eatyourveggies #fruitsandveggies @EverydaySpices

— Treathyl Fox (@cmoneyspinner) June 29, 2019

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Grilled Mango and Pineapple Salad https://t.co/D9bihbolRQ via @flipboard #saladrecipes #salads w/ #fruit #eatyourveggies #fruitsandveggies @EverydaySpices

— Treathyl Fox (@cmoneyspinner) June 29, 2019

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Tropical Salad with Pineapple Vinaigrette Recipe https://t.co/9N71nMbYyE via @flipboard #saladrecipes #salads w/ #fruit #eatyourveggies #fruitsandveggies @EverydaySpices

— Treathyl Fox (@cmoneyspinner) June 29, 2019

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The Ultimate Fruit, Cheese & Nut Salad | Ambitious Kitchen https://t.co/VFgWVfQlmf via @flipboard #saladrecipes #salads w/ #fruit #eatyourveggies #fruitsandveggies @EverydaySpices

— Treathyl Fox (@cmoneyspinner) June 29, 2019

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Green Salad with Beets, Oranges & Avocado Recipe | Yummly https://t.co/aFjg5SWBtZ via @flipboard #saladrecipes #salads w/ #fruit #eatyourveggies #fruitsandveggies @EverydaySpices

— Treathyl Fox (@cmoneyspinner) June 29, 2019

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Christmas Tree Salad - Aka Raw Chard Pecan Pom Salad Recipe | Yummly https://t.co/OvHshZXWMF via @flipboard #saladrecipes #salads w/ #fruit #eatyourveggies #fruitsandveggies @EverydaySpices

— Treathyl Fox (@cmoneyspinner) June 29, 2019