Make pasta with pesto to celebrate
Columbus Day. Photo by Shyman | IST.

Yet, Columbus Day begs for an Italian dinner.

Christopher Columbus (1451 – 1506), an explorer from the Republic of Genoa in northwestern Italy, voyaged four times to begin a colony on the Caribbean island of Hispaniola. This initiated the first widespread contact between Europeans and indigenous Americans and was the beginning of European exploration and colonization of the Americas. (The term “pre-Columbian” refers to the peoples and cultures of the Americas before the arrival of Columbus and successive Europeans.)

Perhaps Spanish food should be enjoyed today as well, since Columbus’ voyages were financed by Queen Isabella of Castille, and Columbus Day is celebrated in that country as well as throughout the Americas (except for Canada).

So choose Spanish cuisine if you like; we’re planning an Italian dinner tonight—most appropriately, pasta with pesto.

• Why make pesto? Liguria, the region of Italy that is home to capital city Genoa and the birthplace of Columbus, grows superb basil; the making of pesto began there. Learn the history of pesto.
• Try this homemade pesto recipe.
• Read the history of pasta. It originated in China, traveled to Arabia and then to Sicily, where Genovese sailors brought it to mainland Italy.
• Look for pasta from Alte Valle Scrivia, a pasta-maker located in the hills above Genoa.
• See our review of the best pesto.

A cup of fine tea is so delicious, it requires no milk or sugar—like a cup of delicious black coffee. Milk and sweeteners are used to give a more pleasing flavor to bland, bitter or otherwise unattractive tea flavors.

So spend more and start with good tea. While the price per pound may seem high, no home needs that much tea. You can start with a few ounces.

While all tea comes from the same plant, Camellia sinensis, the terroir (microclimate, soil, etc.) and how the tea is finished after plucking creates many hundreds of different flavors (think of how varied “red wine” is).

• Fancy packaging and silken tea bags are no guarantee of the finest tea. Look for a store or tea salon that sells loose tea and learn to use a tea ball or a other infuser. Our favorite is the Ingenuitea, a small plastic pot that infuses the loose tea and then is placed atop a cup or mug to release the brewed tea, straining out the leaves. We also like Bodum’s YoYo Personal Tea Set with a built-in removable strainer in a double-wall glass mug (no coasters required) and lid to keep the heat in.

Photo by Sara Sang | IST.

• Choose hearty teas for breakfast. Assam, Ceylon, Earl Grey, English Breakfast and Irish Breakfast are examples.
• Go lighter for afternoon tea. Try Chinese blends, such as Darjeeling.
• Stay light for after-dinner tea. Decaffeinated tea or caffeine-free herbal teas (chamomile, hibisucus, rooibos and rosehip, for example) won’t keep you awake.

Store tea in an airtight container away from light, moisture and aromas that can alter its delicate flavor. Green and white teas can be refrigerated for freshness, but don’t “store” tea. Buy only what you’ll consume in a month or two.

• Learn more about how to brew the perfect cup of tea.
• See how to pair tea varieties with different foods.

Our favorite 2010 Chex Party Mix combines
peanut butter candy pieces and white
chocolate. Photo courtesy General Mills.

Your participation in voting will help the hungry as well. The 2010 contest kicked off with a $25,000 donation to Feeding America. For every online vote, Chex will make an additional $2.00 donation, up to an additional $25,000.

Our favorite of the five finalists was developed by Eliza E. of Manchester, New Hampshire. Thanks, Eliza!

The crunchy peanut butter and white chocolate mix disappeared in the blink of an eye. We had to make more to enjoy on top of ice cream!

The yellow and red Reese’s Pieces we used make a great Halloween snack as well (you can add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of candy corn).

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. LINE two cookie sheets with foil or waxed paper. Place 3 cups Rice Chex in a large bowl.

2. MELT white vanilla baking chips uncovered in a small microwavable bowl on High about 1 minute or until chips can be stirred smooth. Pour melted chips over cereal in bowl; stir to evenly coat.

3. SPREAD mixture in single layer on one of the cookie sheets. Refrigerate 5 minutes or until set.

4. REPEAT the above using the remaining cereal and the peanut butter chips; refrigerate 5 minutes or until set.

5. GENTLY BREAK up coated cereal into large bowl. Add peanut butter candies and peanuts; stir gently to combine. Store in an airtight container.

Makes 22 half-cup servings. You can vary the recipe using different flavored chips and/or candy-coated pieces.

The other finalist recipes include Backyard BBQ Chex Mix, Chex Cajun Kick, Chex Honey Nut Cherry Crunch and Chocolate Coffee Toffee Chex Mix.

Two generations ago people purchased “coffee” at the grocery store; one generation ago brands proliferated at the supermarket as people debated preferences for Chock Full O Nuts, Eight O’Clock Coffee, Maxwell House and other brands.

In 1959, the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia upped the ante, convincing millions of Americans that coffee from Colombia was the best. It created the character of coffee grower Juan Valdez, a fictional coffee grower. Television and print ads explained how Juan worked hard all year to grow coffee good enough to be selected by the export agent “El Exigente” (The Demanding One). [Factoid: Carlos Montalbán, brother of actor Ricardo Montalbán, portrayed El Exigente.]

Today, we’re asked to go beyond country choices (Costa Rica, for example), to the regional choices (the Terrazu area of Costa Rica), and even the particular estate where it is grown (such as La Minita).

It’s a long road to produce a good cup of
coffee. Photo by Joan Vincent | IST.

The water-to-coffee ratio, appropriate grind, proper brewing equipment, method of brewing and filtration are all important.

So what do you need to know?

• Get to know the good roasters in your area (ask at specialty coffee shops). You want beans that are roasted and immediately delivered to retailers.
• Grinding the beans right before brewing doesn’t make the coffee better, unless the beans are freshly-roasted. Don’t buy more coffee than you’ll use in a week: The best coffee isn’t made from beans roasted a month ago. Even if you have the beans only a brief time, they must be protected from moisture, light and air in airtight containers.
• Good-quality beans demand good-quality water: Water comprises 98% of a cup of coffee. If the water from your tap has chemical flavors, install a water filter.
• Spend extra for a good brewing machine. Read reviews. There are plenty of them online.

Finally, check out these eight steps for brewing professional-tasting coffee.

“Unstuffed cabbage” with pierogies.
Photo courtesy Mrs. T’s.

Pierogi (pronounced PYEH-roe-gy and also spelled pierogy and a dozen other variations) is a stuffed dumpling, usually in a half-moon shape, that can be boiled, baked or fried. Although many Americans refer to “pierogies,“ the word “pierogi” is the plural form. The singular form is pieróg.

A form of stuffed pasta, pierogi are related to Italian ravioli and tortellini, the Ashkenazi Jewish kreplach, the Chinese wonton, the Japanese gyoza and numerous other “pillow pastas” (stuffed pasta dough) enjoyed by cultures worldwide.

Popular pierogi stuffings include cabbage, cheese, mashed potatoes, mushrooms, meat, onions, sauerkraut, spinach and other ingredients, alone or in combination. There are also fruit-filled dessert pierogi, stuffed with apple, berry, cherry, peach, plum and prune fillings.

Pierogi-making in the U.S. blossomed at the beginning of the 20th century, with the influx of immigrants from Eastern Europe. In the 1940s, pierogi became a staple of church fundraisers in Eastern European neighborhoods of the Northeast and Upper Midwest.

Mary Twardzik and her friends would gather around the kitchen table and make pierogi for their Pennsylvania church. Inspired by the popularity of the pierogi, her son Ted founded Mrs. T’s on October 8, 1952. Last year, the company helped to establish the first National Pierogi Day.

UNSTUFFED CABBAGE AND PIEROGI RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Preparation

1. Sauté pierogi as box directs.
2. In 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat, cook kielbasa slices until lightly browned. Stir frequently. Remove to bowl.
3. Cook cabbage and onion in same skillet, in hot oil over medium heat, until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. Add garlic, tomatoes with their liquid, carrot, salt, caraway seed, pepper and kielbasa. Heat to boiling over high heat. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Add pierogi to skillet; heat through and serve.

Serves 4.