A Year Of Cupcake Holidays & More Cupcake Fun

[1] Our favorite from Junior’s: the retro “Hostess cupcake” with a creme center (photo by Katharine Pollak | © THE NIBBLE). Here’s a recipe to make your own. [2] The first of numerous Hostess Brands snack cakes (photo © Hostess Cakes). [3] Something more conventional: a cupcake with blackberry frosting and a fresh blackberry (photo…
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The History Of Carrots & The Invention Of Baby Carrots

What’s up, doc? Here’s a little history of one of our most popular veggies: carrots. According to the USDA, Americans consume 11.8 pounds a person per year. (Beyond raw carrots, this figure includes carrot cake, carrots in soups and stews, and so forth.) In the beginning, all plants and animals were wild. Over thousands of…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Improving Bad Bubbly With A Kir

[1] Kir Royale: sparkling wine and crème de cassis, which is blackcurrant liqueur (photo © The Mercury | Atlanta (now closed, alas). [2] The original Kir, simply crème de cassis and white wine, has no bubbly. It begat the Kir Royale (with Champagne, above) and a dozen more variations (photo © Stuart Webster | Wikipedia).…
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FOOD FACTS: For Mayonnaise Lovers

Unlike mustard, pickles and other condiments that are essentially the same as at the time of their invention, mayonnaise evolved into something quite different. The “original” mayonnaise was a sauce served at a banquet following the 1756 Battle of Mahón, a city on the island of Minorca in the Mediterranean. The new recipe was named…
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FOOD FACTS: What Makes A Food “American?”

Thanks to our friends at FoodTimeline.org for this interesting take on what makes a food “American.” Nearly all of today’s popular American foods—apple pie, chocolate, cole slaw, hamburgers, hot dogs, jelly beans, ice cream, pizza, potato salad, steak, tacos, and watermelon—originated in other countries. (Check the origins on FoodTimeline.org.) Their ingredients and recipes were introduced…
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