With a trip to Spain looming in our future it seemed only right that I give some thought to the beverages that we might find. Sherry is to Spain what Port is to Portugal, so just what is it with these fortified wines? What is a fortified wine? A fortified wine is made when...
My husband recently took me for a weekend trip to Calaveras County. What does that have to do with Grains of Paradise? Very little, except that I found this interesting spice while in Murphys, which along with Angels Camp reside in Calaveras County, California. Grains of Paradise Grains of Paradise, formally known as Aframomum...
We are off to Spain, so the food research commenced without fail. One of the first dishes I am anxious to discover in its native land is paella. I’ve loved paella ever since my first bite, and while researching potential destinations, Valencia, Spain was on this list when I discovered this area was the...
Edam cheese was never really on my radar. I mean I’ve eaten it, and it was perfectly acceptable, but those encounters were not those superlative laden events, that I’ve had say, with a good Epoisse. However, my interest was piqued, first when my Filipino sister-in-law mentioned her father requested that she specifically bring some...
Last week, I did something I try to avoid at all costs; I waited in line. Wait, let me rephrase that, I waited a long time in a very long line for a pop up bakery at a San Francisco restaurant, Flour + Water, thanks to the inside scoop from my friend, Adrienne, aka Gastroantropology....
When I say old, I mean O L D! As in this spice mix dates back to the 1600s. The first mixes were originally billed as medicine, and were developed shortly after the introduction of red chilies to Japan. Shichi is the Japanese word for “seven.” As you explore the spice racks in the...
