The history of election cake
Although it might have seemed that this US election season was never going to end, voting is finally over after today. In years past, the act of voting may well have been celebrated with an election cake, an all but…
Antipasto
Spice and butter sales boom during pandemic
Last weekend I spent a couple of hours stripping leaves from thyme, oregano, and mint stems that I had dried, preparing a stock of herbs to carry me through the long winter months ahead. I also assessed my spice…
Antipasto Cookbook Lovers Holidays & Celebrations
2020 Gift Guide for the Baker
Several times a year, I put together a gift guide of great products and cookbooks that would make a special gift for the baker or cook in your life. My cookbook lovers/guide for the cook is coming soon. Today is all…
Food news antipasto
We begin this week's run down of food news with the sad news that Cecilia Chiang, credited with bringing authentic Chinese food to the U.S., has died at age 100. Chiang's pioneering Mandarin restaurant in San Francisco…
It's time for cranberries to shine
Until I had been out on my own for a few years, my only experience with cranberries came during Thanksgiving, involving a tin can and a wobbly cylinder with ridges encircling it (all the easier to cut even portions). I…
An outpouring of cookbook love
Last week we shared the sad news that the 3,800-volume cookbook collection of California chef Cindy Pawlcyn was destroyed in the Glass fire that swept through the Napa Valley. As news of the devastation circulated,…
Great British Bake Off – Recap – Week 5 – Pastry
Google spends a great deal of time trying to figure out what I like to search for and suggests articles for me to read. Right now I see countless headlines as follows - "GBBO was never meant to save us" "GBBO has pulled…
Food news antipasto
When Danny Bowien started Mission Chinese Restaurant, he was looking to create a working environment free from the abuses he experienced as a young chef. From the outside, it seemed that Bowien was achieving his goal of…
Cookbooks or lookbooks?
Some cookbooks on my shelf have splashes and splotches in many places, worn dust jackets, and other signs of being well-used in the kitchen. Others are pristine, with stiff spines and immaculate covers. This does not…
Do you organize your grocery cart?
A lot of people dislike bagging their own groceries, feeling like it is disenfranchising workers and pushing work on shoppers without giving them any benefit in price reduction. I, on the other hand, often volunteer to…
Is something amiss in the GBBO tent?
As Jenny has noted in her weekly recaps, the Great British Bake Off seems to be lacking its usual charm and it seems more difficult to engage with the bakers this season. It is difficult to put a finger on what about…
Extreme gardening takes root
Vegetable gardening took off this year, partly because the pandemic stoked fears of food shortages and partly due to the fact the people had a lot more time on their hands and needed a good socially-distant hobby.…