National Strawberry Parfait Day & The History Of The Parfait

June 25th is National Strawberry Parfait Day. We just published a July 4th breakfast parfait recipe, but the original parfait was made from ice cream. In the U.S., a parfait is a layered sundae. In France, it’s a different type of frozen dessert, as we’ll explain below. A parfait (American) can be simple, with alternating…
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RECIPE: Beer Batter Onion Rings

Onion rings with horseradish-dill sauce instead of ketchup. Photo courtesy QVC.   Try something different for National Onion Rings Day, June 23rd. The standard condiment is ketchup, beer-battered onion rings are delicious with a horseradish dipping sauce. Here’s a recipe from QVC’s chef David Venable. It even bows to tradition by including some ketchup! What…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Lavender For Summer

Today is the first day of summer. When we think of summer, we think of lavender. Lavender is a flowering plant, a genus of 39 species that originated in the Mediterranean, northern and eastern Africa and southwest Asia, including India. The most widely cultivated species is English lavender, Lavandula angustifolia. Though not native to England…
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TIP OF THE DAY: Cucumber In Your Drinks

Today is National Dry Martini Day (some say it’s World Martini Day—perhaps the international celebration). We’re having a very dry Martini—just a splash of vermouth—with Pinnacle’s cucumber vodka. If you like cucumber, this article explores other ways to enjoy it. But first: A Cucumber Martini recipe (along with a Cucumber Mary recipe). The history of…
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FOOD HOLIDAY: Roll Your Own Sushi

June 18th is International Sushi Day, and that gives us an idea for a Father’s Day gift (as well as for lunch). If Dad likes sushi, how about a set of sushi knives for Father’s Day…and a copy of Sushi: The Beginner’s Guide? Sushi chefs use different knives, and some are quite specialized: Deba bocho,…
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