Hot Buttered Rum Recipe & The History Of The Drink

January 2nd is National Hot Toddy Day, and January 17th is National Hot Buttered Rum Day. We’ve always been piqued about why Colonial Americans put butter into a mug of hot rum, so we drilled down. First, what is hot buttered rum? It’s a toddy with butter. What’s a toddy? A toddy, or hot toddy,…
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Why Don’t Asian Teacups Have Handles & The Right Temperature For Tea

[1] Most Asian countries serve tea in handle-less cups (photo © Kanaya Tea). [2] These are freshly-picked tea leaves (photo © Paulina H | Unsplash). [3] Matcha, originally a ceremonial tea only, has even smaller cups (photo © T2 | Unsplash).   If you eat at Asian restaurants, you may (or may not) have given…
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A Great Whole Grain: Quinoa Recipes For National Quinoa Day

National Quinoa Day is January 16th, celebrating a whole grain* that came to prominence in the U.S. about a decade ago. Yet, many people have never tried it. Those who have are nutrition-oriented, excited that quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wa or KEE-noo-ah) contains more high-quality protein than any other grain. In fact, it’s a complete protein: It…
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FOOD FUN: Pepperoni Pizza Popcorn Recipe

[1] Pepperoni popcorn. This original recipe from The Popcorn Board didn’t contain tomato powder, which we added (photo © The Popcorn Board). [2] Tomato flakes are available from The Spice Lab. Tomato powder is another option. [3] Turkey pepperoni (photo © Applegate Naturals).   The Popcorn Board is a non-profit organization funded by U.S. popcorn…
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A Hot Tea Toddy Recipe For National Hot Toddy & Hot Tea Days

[1] All of the toddies here are shown in clear glasses or mugs. Why? It makes the drink look better (photo © L’Adresse | NYC). [2] In Colonial times a pat of butter was added to the toddy, creating Hot Buttered Rum. It clouded the drink, but in those days, everything was drunk from a…
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