Just because it’s National Whole Grains Month doesn’t mean you have to flock to the brown rice and whole wheat pasta. Good as they are, why not try something new—something you might enjoy as much or more? Because whole grains are not only good for you; they’re delicious.

Thousands of years ago, many more grains were cultivated; in modern times, the majority have fallen out of fashion. Yet, with focus on the important health benefits of whole grains and the recommended 3-5 servings daily, these largely-forgotten nutritional powerhouses call out for your attention.

All of the ancient grains are very healthful and excellent sources of protein and dietary fiber. They’re a less expensive way to add high protein to your diet, with minimal fat. You may know farro, quinoa and other newly “discovered” ancient grains, but how about these four?

1. Amaranth. Amaranth was first cultivated 8,000 years in Mesoamerica. Like quinoa, is actually a seed, not a grain. Like quinoa, it is a whole protein, containing all of the essential amino acids (the amino acid lysine is lacking in many grains); and is gluten free. Amaranth contains unusually high-quality protein and is higher in fiber than wheat, corn, rice, or soybeans. Use it place of corn grits in your polenta. Try this Amaranth Polenta with Wild Mushrooms recipe.

Quinoa cakes with spinach, feta and lemon-dill yogurt sauce is a healthier take on spanakopita. Photo courtesy PaniniHappy.com. Here’s the recipe.

3. Millet. Millet was cultivated in China some 10,000 years ago, making it one of the earliest cultivated grains. It was revered in ancient China as one of five sacred crops*. Whole grain millet is a good source of protein, essential amino acids and fiber. Quick-cooking, easily digested and naturally gluten free, millet has a mild, sweet flavor and can be served in sweet or savory preparations. Try it as a hot breakfast cereal. Serve it as an alternative to rice in salads and stir-fries. Serve millet with a drizzle of olive oil, and a dash of salt and pepper in place of mashed potatoes. Add a crunch to deviled eggs, salads and other recipes with toasted millet seeds (recipe). You can also add uncooked millet to breads for a crunchy texture and a hint of sweetness.

4. Teff. Teff is an ancient North African cereal grass, and the smallest grain in the world. The germ and bran, where the nutrients are concentrated, account for a much larger volume of the seed compared to more familiar grains, which provides its “nutritional powerhouse” standing. One serving of whole grain teff averages 4 grams of dietary fiber, 7 grams of protein and nearly one quarter of our suggested daily calcium intake. Cook or bake with it: Here’s a delicious Apple and Pear Crisp made with teff.

There’s more to consider, of course. Here’s a complete list of whole grains:

Amaranth, barley (but not pearled barley), buckwheat (kasha), bulgur (cracked wheat), chia/Salba®†, corn (whole grain corn or cornmeal, yellow or white, but not grits), farro (emmer wheat), flaxseed, grano, hemp, Kamut® (khorasan wheat), millet, oats (oatmeal, whole or rolled oats), popcorn, quinoa, rice (black, brown, red, wild), rye (whole), spelt, sorghum, teff, triticale (a barley/wheat hybrid), whole wheat.
 
*The list varies by source. The Classic of Rites, compiled by Confucius in the 6th century B.C.E., lists broomcorn, foxtail millet, hemp, soybeans and wheat.

September 13th International Chocolate Day and gourmet retailer Balducci’s is celebrating with samplings and giveaways. They’ve also shared their recipe for Dark Chocolate-Chili Fondue, below.

Balducci’s will have samples of the chocolates at its:

From September 13th to September 22nd, visitors can enter to win a Balducci’s Chocolate Lover’s Gift Basket, filled with an assortment of international chocolate treats:

Celebrate International Chocolate Day with chocolate from different countries. Photo courtesy Balducci’s.

RECIPE: DARK CHOCOLATE-CHILI FONDUE

Ingredients For 4-6 Servings

1. MELT chocolate with cream, milk, butter, sugar, chili pepper, cinnamon and cayenne in a small heavy sauce pan. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla.

2. TRANSFER to a small fondue pot and keep warm. Serve with dippers of your choice
 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE CHOCOLATE FONDUE RECIPES.

Hannah focuses on vegan cooking and baking, but everyone will find her recipes to be simply delicious.

They’re a boon for people who are kosher, lactose-intolerant or simply cutting back on cholesterol. The recipe below can be made as conventional or vegan fare.

Considering how to use a new brand of cream cheese*, Hannah decided to add “a bit more of a savory spin to things.”

Her individual-size, gourmet cream cheese balls look almost too pretty to eat.

She serves them at parties, with toast or crackers. We served them with bagels, elevating the familiar to the sophisticated.

You can serve more than one “flavor” of cream cheese balls—perhaps a spicy option if your guests like heat, or a cutting edge blend if they like nouvelle flavors.
 
Convenience alert: You can make the cream cheese balls in advance and freeze them. You can also make one large ball for the center of a party tray.

Ingredients

 
Don’t hold back on garnish ingredients; check around to see what you have at hand:

 
Preparation

1. MINCE and combine the garnishes.

2. ROLL the cream cheese balls into 1- or 1-1/2 inch diameter (what looks right to you). You can use wood butter paddles or your hands (you can use plastic kitchen gloves). If the cream cheese warms and starts to lose its shape, stick it in the fridge or freezer until it hardens enough to be smoothed into a round ball.

3. ROLL the cream cheese balls in the mix to coat.

4. SERVE on a bright colored plate or on a bed of greens, as in the photo.
 
 
Check out Hannah’s Bittersweet Blog and sign up for the feed. You’ll enjoy every morsel.
 
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*Hannah used Galaxy Food’s vegan cream cheese.

†Hannah used pine nuts. Use your favorite: almonds, pecans, pistachios, walnuts, etc.

‡Tip: We find it easier to use a scissors rather than a knife to cut small dried fruits.
  

For some chocolate fun, try the “Here’s the Scoop” collection from Choclatique, a Los Angeles-based artisan chocolatier.

The chocolate makers turned their favorite ice cream flavors into chocolate truffles. Take a bite of Amaretto-Mocha Fudge, Buttery-Toasty Pecan, Dark Chocolate Boysenberry Swirl, Happy Birthday Cake, It’s Been A Rocky Road, Sea-Salted Creamy Caramel and Snowy Vanilla-Peach, among others.

Of course, the handmade and hand-decorated chocolates aren’t cold like ice cream, but they’re creamy and refreshing. And they don’t melt—at least, not at room temperature.

Assortments range from 8 pieces to 30 pieces, $20 to $65.

The company also makes a Designer Donut collection—donut-shaped chocolates in There’s warm glazed doughnuts— Cherry, Cinnamon Twist, Cruller, Frosted Vanilla, Glazed, Maple, and Sprinkles.

Check out the fun at Choclatique.com.
 
FIND MORE OF OUR FAVORITE CHOCOLATES.

How many people do you know who have even had a Daiquiri, Old Fashioned, or Tom Collins?

A retro cocktail party may be just the thing to introduce them to tippling in the good old days.

So banish the Cosmopolitans for an evening, and turn back the clock with a menu of five classic cocktails. These famous oldies date to the 1800s.

> Also below, retro hors d’oeuvre to serve with the cocktails.

> Plus, the history of cocktails.
 
 
THE TOP RETRO COCKTAILS

1. Daiquiri: Ernest Hemingway’s favorite cocktail combines rum, lime juice, and simple syrup, shaken and served neat (photo #1). Here’s the history of the Daiquiri.

2. Dry Martini: This combination of gin and dry vermouth is garnished with an olive or lemon twist garnish. The less vermouth, the drier the Martini. People who wanted to drink straight gin could ask for just a splash of it. It’s the only cocktail in this group that isn’t sweet. From early times, people used sugar to mitigate the hard edge of the alcohol (photo #2). Here’s the history of the Martini.

3. Manhattan: This classic whiskey cocktail, dating to the 1870s, is made with bourbon or rye and sweet vermouth, served in a rocks glass and originally garnished with a maraschino cherry, although today orange peel is often substituted (photo #1). A gin-based version is the Martinez, another oldie made with sweet vermouth, bitters and the cherry. That recipe was first published in 1887, attributed to a bar in Martinez, California (photo #3). Here’s the history of the Manhattan cocktail.

4. Old Fashioned: Bourbon based and served in a rocks glass, sugar, bitters, and an orange slice are muddled in the glass; ice and bourbon are then added. The term originated with late 19th-century bar patrons, to distinguish cocktails made the “old-fashioned” way from newer, more complex cocktails (photo #4). Here’s the history of the Old Fashioned cocktail.

5. Tom Collins: A tall drink of dry gin, lemon juice, sugar syrup, and soda water, garnished with a maraschino cherry and a lemon slice (photo #5). The recipe was first published in 1876. There was no particular Tom Collins for whom it was named; rather, “Tom Collins” was an everyman name referenced in conversation, along the lines of John Smith and John Doe. Here’s the history of the Tom Collins.

Bonus option:

6. Mint Julep: Not just for Kentucky Derby parties, this tall glass of muddled mint and sugar syrup, crushed ice and bourbon deserves attention year-round (photo #6). It originated in the South in the 1800s. A julep is generally defined “as a sweet drink, particularly one used as a vehicle for medicine.”* Here’s the history of the Mint Julep. Here’s the history of the Mint Julep.
 
 
> Check out the Top 10 cocktails in the world.
 
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*Source: Wikipedia. It should be noted that before it became a leisure drink, spirits were developed for, and used as, medicine.

[1] The rum-based Daiquiri (photo © Tempered Spirits).

[2] What makes a martini “dry” is little or no vermouth (photo © Cotton Bro | Pexels).

[3] The Manhattan was created in the 1870s by a New York bartender whose name is lost to history (photo © Ruth’s Chris Steak House).

[4] An Old Fashioned is made with Bourbon (photo © Adam Jaime | Unsplash).

[2] A Tom Collins (photo © Bombay Sapphire Gin).

[6] A Mint Julep, made with rum, is traditionally served in a silver or pewter cup (photo © Ruths Chris Steak House).

 
 
COCKTAIL HISTORY

The mixture of ingredients that became known as a cocktail predates the use of the word. In the 18th century, drinks combining a spirit, sweetener, water, and bitters were mixed, and bitters were often sipped for medicinal purposes.

Plus, the concept of punch as a sweetened mixed drink made in a quantity to serve several people originated in India.

European sailors and traders encountered it there in the 17th century. The British East India Company is credited with bringing punch recipes back to England.

Although in India punch was not alcoholic, it became so in Europe. Spirits (usually rum) were added to the Indian recipe of tea, water, sugar, citrus, and spices.

Thus, the individually mixed drink called the cocktail was a simple evolution.

Individual cocktails as we know them today have existed since the early 1800s. The first known mention of the word “cocktail” was used to describe a mixed drink in 1803, appearing in a newspaper called The Farmer’s Cabinet in Amherst, New Hampshire [source].

A few years later, a reader wrote to The Balance and Columbian Repository, a newspaper in Hudson, New York, asking “What is a cocktail?” The reply, published in the May 13, 1806: “Cock-tail is a stimulating liquor, composed of spirits of any kind, sugar, water, and bitters—it is vulgarly called bittered sling….”

The term gradually came to reference any kind of alcoholic mixed drink, specifying, for example “gin cocktail.”

It took several decades for the first published bartenders’ guide with cocktail recipes. How to Mix Drinks; or, The Bon Vivant’s Companion, by “Professor” Jerry Thomas, appeared in 1862 and is still in print! In addition to recipes for “cocktails,” there cobblers, flips, punches, shrubs, slings, and toddies. Bitters was the key ingredient that differentiated cocktail recipes.

The leading claim to the first cocktail party goes to Mrs. Julius S. Walsh Jr. of St. Louis, Missouri. In May 1917, she invited 50 guests to her home at noon on a Sunday. The cocktail reception lasted an hour, and lunch was served at 1 p.m.

While the record is mum on the subject, the cocktail event may have followed the Sunday church service.† Now there’s an idea ready for revival: church followed by cocktails with friends.
 
 
The Origin Of The Word “Cocktail”

The origin of the word “cocktail” remains a mystery. It appears to have originated at the beginning of the 1800s. Here are the leading theories:

 
Perhaps someday, someone will uncover an article from the early 19th century that sheds light on the word’s true origin.

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†Since 1924, the Walsh mansion has been the residence of the archbishop of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of St. Louis.

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