If you like to cook with fresh mushrooms, grow some at home. It’s easy, fun, and, as you can see from the photos, have grat eye appeal.

North Spore offers mushroom kits of exotic mushrooms. These are beauties, not [with no disrespect] plain white button mushrooms or brown creminis.

The varieties are gourmet mushrooms, highly esteemed by chefs worldwide.

Watching your mushrooms grow is a fascinating experience for adults and kids alike, and the crop will be ready in two weeks.

The simple “Spray and Grow” Kits from North Spore are rectangular boxes of light cardboard containing a block of substrate (compacted sawdust) colonized with mushroom mycelium*.

You spray the substrate twice daily (sprayer included) and wait for the magic to happen.

The mushrooms are eye-catching (or in modern terms, Instagrammable).

The mushrooms can be used in conventional preparations—omelets, sauces, sides, tarts, quiches, etc. But they have specialty uses, too.
 
 
PICK YOUR MUSHROOMS

Choose from:

 
 
HOW THE MUSHROOMS GROW

Open the box, cut open the perforated window, and spray the substrate, per the directions. Place the box in a more humid place—as opposed to a dry spot of direct sunlight.

In two weeks you’ll have full-grown mushrooms. And that’s not all.

 
Questions? Check out the FAQ.
 
 
GET YOUR MUSHROOM KITS

Get them for yourself.

Get them for your friends who love to cook.

Get them for kids, to inspire them.

It’s a gift that no one is likely to have received before, or likely to forget!

Head to Northspore.com.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MUSHROOMS
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF MUSHROOMS

[1] Pink oyster mushrooms, growing from a medium inside a box (all photos © North Spore).

[2] Golden oyster mushrooms.

[3] Blue oyster mushrooms.

[4] Lion’s mane mushrooms.

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*The mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus, consisting of a network of fine white filaments (hyphae). Here’s more about it.

†If you are concerned about eating raw mushrooms, speak with your healthcare provider.

‡A flush is the growth for harvesting during the same season. After you harvest the first growth (flush) a second growth may occur, and even successive flushes after that. The more humid the mushrooms’ environment, the likely you’ll get additional flushes. Fruiting means the same thing as flush.

[1] A stuff-your-own sabich sandwich (photo © Leny Vavsha | Panther Media).

[2] At Shayla in New Orleans, the eggplant is fried in thin, chip-like slices (photo © Shayla).

[3] An Alaskan version with a fish fillet and variations on other ingredients. Here’s the recipe (photo © Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute).

[4] Don’t want fried food? Instead of frying the eggplant, you can roast it instead (photo © Elena Danileiko | iStock Photo).

Before we introduce sabich, a bit of background.

First came hummus, seemingly from nowhere, to become a favorite American snack, spread and dip.

Sixty years ago, hummus was little known in the U.S. We were fortunate to attend a university in Manhattan, home to international restaurants of every description.

The neighborhood had both Greek and Mediterranean restaurants, so we were an early consumer of hummus, babaganoush, tahini, taramosalata, and other Mediterranean dips and spreads. (Here’s a list of those you can find in the U.S. today.)

Note that some people call them dips, others call them spreads. Often they’re the same recipe.

The nit-picking difference is that a spread is a food that is spread, typically with a knife, onto other foods, such as bread and crackers. Dips, on the other hand, have other food dipped into them. Thus, the same hummus “dip” can be spread onto a sandwich, or have raw vegetables, crackers and pretzels dipped into it.

In 1986, a commercial hummus venture was launched in the U.S. by an Israeli immigrant. It was the Sabra brand.

Soon enough, nutritionists advocated hummus as a better snack and spread, along with raw vegetables (crudités). Suddenly, everyday consumers nationwide were eating hummus. More brands proliferated, along with recipes for homemade hummus.

Then came falafel. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, it was found largely in immigrant communities. But in the last decades of the 1980s and 1990s, it began to establish itself as a mainstay of American cuisine [source].

And now, there’s sabich. It’s the second most popular sandwich in Israel, after falafel. Will it make its mark in the U.S.?

As more people turn to vegetarian and vegan foods, sabich is primed for its moment.
 
 
WHAT IS SABICH?

Sabich (pronounced with a hard ch) is a sandwich created in Israel by an Iraqi Jewish immigrant. The history of sabich is below.

Sabich is a fusion of textures and flavors: soft and crunchy, creamy and crispy, tangy and a bit spicy.

Instead of falafel’s fried balls of chickpeas with hummus and tahini sauce in pita, sabich, also a pita sandwich with hummus and tahini sauce, has different basic ingredients:

 
Variations

 
You can use the proportions you prefer. If you’d rather roast the eggplant than fry it, that’s an option too [photo #4].

You can also add grilled meat, poultry, or seafood. And you can add your spin; roasted red peppers and arugula instead of tomatoes and lettuce, for example.

Here’s an example of extreme creativity:

Photo #3 shows Green Chermoula Alaska Sole Sabich: a fish fillet a beet-pickled egg instead of the plain hard-boiled egg, chermoula sauce with harissa instead of hummus and tahini, and panko breadcrumbs for crispy eggplant slices.

Here’s the recipe. But is it still sabich?

We’d say that it’s an homage to sabich, and an example of how the classic version can inspire new concepts.

Ramat Gan, a town in the metropolitan Tel Aviv area, is considered to be the birthplace of sabich.

In 1948, following increasing anti-Semitism in Iraq, a large number of Iraqi Jews fled to the newly-formed state of Israel. Many settled in the town of Ramat Gan.

One particular refugee, Sabich Svi Halabi, settled in Ramat Gan. In the early 1960s, he bought a small food stand from an elderly couple. Among other offerings, he created a sandwich from the ingredients that were part of the Iraqi Jewish diet.

The sabich sandwich†, as it became known, was a pita pocket stuffed with fried eggplant, hard-boiled eggs, hummus, tahini, tomato, cucumber and a mango sauce* called amba.

He chose to use stuff an Israeli pita pocket rather than roll the ingredients in the traditional Iraqi flatbread, laffa (or lafa). It was more neatly handheld.

European-styled pickles (pickled cucumbers) were also included.

The concept spread: In the 1950s, street vendors throughout Israel began to sell sabich. Along with falafel, sabich became one of the most popular sandwiches in Israel [source]. It was eaten for breakfast and lunch, in casual restaurants and from street vendors.
 
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*Some sharp-eyed people question how mangoes became part of Israeli cuisine. Since medieval times, Iraqi Jewish merchants traded with India. Mango chutney was imported to Iraq, where locals of all faiths purchased it. Some Iraqi cooks enhanced the condiment with chiles, fenugreek and mustard. When the sabich was born, y Israeli pita rather than the traditional Iraqi flatbread; European-inspired cucumber pickles were thrown in too; and the Israeli passion for adding hummus to any sandwich was, of course, indulged. [source].

†You may also see a claim that “sabich” is an acronym for the Hebrew words for salad (salat), eggs (baytzim) and eggplant (chatizilim, with a hard ch). Modern Hebrew uses acronyms frequently, so some people like this explanation [source].

‡Here’s a recipe to make amba from scratch. A hack is to buy mango chutney and season it with the ingredients in the recipe. Use the olive oil to give it more of a sauce consistency.

We love to give gifts of pimento cheese. It isn’t a “thing” in the Northeast, where we live. We can’t remember the last time we saw it in a cheese department. Yet it’s such a versatile cheese, to use on bagels, burgers, hors d’oeuvre, crackers and beer, and so much more.

> Here are 20 ways to use pimento cheese.

Pimento cheese is typically made with cheddar, but can be made with any cheese you can grate: jack, gouda, etc. Sometimes it’s mixed with cream cheese for super-spreadability.

For a cheese lover, a gift of pimento cheese can be an eye-opener.

Birdie’s Pimento Cheese, of South Hill, Virginia, is a venture that began as many small food businesses do: selling in local farmers markets.

After continually selling out their stock, Robin and Glenn Allen sold their 25-year-old printing business and set forth to make pimento cheese full-time.

You can buy a dozen different gifts online—all pimento cheeses with accompaniments from artisan crackers to charcuterie to nut mixes and pretzels.

Personally, we’d go for one of every pimento cheese flavor:

 
Then, all you need is beer, wine, cocktails, or whatever to start the party (or the afternoon snack or the pre-dinner appetizers).
 
 
> Head to BirdiesPimentoCheese.com to buy pimento cheese.

> The History Of Pimento Cheese
 
 
PIMENTO CHEESE RECIPES

[1] The pimento cheese is currently available in five flavors (all photos © Birdie’s).

[2] One of 12+ gift options.

[3] You pick the flavors with each item you order.

[1] Sweet and savory: pizza doughnuts topped with Hormel pepperoni cups (all photos © Hormel).

[2] Beyond doughnuts, the pepperoni cups have uses in addition to pizza.

[3] How about pepperoni cups on a salad?

[4] A pepperoni cup grilled cheese sandwich.

[5] How abut a pepperoni frittata, for breakfast, lunch or dinner?

Move over, pizza bagel. You too, English muffin pizza. There’s a new round mini pizza in town: a pepperoni pizza doughnut (photos #1 and #2)!

In honor of National Pizza Party Day, May 21st, The Doughnut Project in Greenwich Village, New York City, has teamed up with the makers of Hormel® Pepperoni Cup N’ Crisp.

They’ve created a limited-edition pizza doughnut called “Cheese The Day.”

And we love it!

Known for its trend-forward, hand-crafted doughnuts, The Doughnut Project took inspiration from the little pepperoni cups, that fit easily on a doughnut, crostini, and just about any other place (see photos #3, #4 and #5).

There’s more about the pepperoni cups below.

Using half of a plain, unglazed doughnut as the base, Cheese The Day is topped with homemade marinara sauce, fresh mozzarella cheese and five yummy pieces of Hormel Pepperoni Cup N’ Crisp.

The sweet and savory doughnut is unlike anything The Doughnut Project offered before. It’s a new way to enjoy pizza that you just can’t pass up.

The doughnuts will be served warm in-store from Friday, May 21st through Sunday, May 23rd.

National Pizza Party Day is celebrated on the third Friday in May.
 
 
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN PEPPERONI PIZZA DOUGHNUTS

If you’re not in the neighborhood, we encourage you to pick up a bag of Hormel Pepperoni Cup N’ Crisp and make your own.

 
This year, do something special: Have a Pepperoni Pizza Doughnut. Like regular pizza, you can eat any leftovers the next day.
 

ABOUT HORMEL PEPPERONI CUP N’ CRISP

Hormel Pepperoni Cup N’ Crisp is a premium pizza topping uniquely crafted to curl into a bowl shape, cooked to crispy perfection.

In the past, all pepperoni used to cup, but production efficiencies eliminated that aspect*. The current pepperoni cup shape—called the roni cup—was re-created by a Columbus, Ohio-based company called Ezzo Sausage Co. A restaurant supplier, Ace Endico, introduced them to the New York market in 2016.

The cup style—versus the traditional flat slices—has been gaining in popularity in pizzerias, especially in New York City, where it appeals to the many foodies who are always looking for something new and special.

Roni cups became a trend, spawning debates of cups versus flats (i.e., the silver dollar-type slices)—and lots of photos on social media.

Hormel, which makes America’s #1 pepperoni brand, caught the trend with HORMEL Pepperoni Cup N’ Crisp. It’s available in two versions:

 
The Hormel pepperoni cups can be found at select retailers nationwide. For more information, visit HormelPepperoni.com.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF PEPPERONI

“Peperoni” is the Italian word for bell peppers. There is no Italian salami by that name, and we don’t know how pepperoni was named.

Pepperoni itself is an American cured meat salame that was created about a century ago by Italian-American butchers. It has its roots in Italy’s salame piccante.

No one can pinpoint when and where, but pepperoni was made by blending finely-ground pork and beef, seasoned with cayenne or chili flakes, garlic, fennel, mustard seeds and/or paprika, and salt, stuffed into a casing and dried.

Pepperoni is an example of syncretism: when two or more ideas unite into something new.

Pepperoni is not considered an “Italian” cured meat because it was invented in the U.S. It is “Italian style.”

TIP: In addition to topping pizza or mac and cheese, added to a charcuterie board or grilled cheese sandwich, or mixed into pasta dishes, try grinding some pepperoni into meatballs and ragù for an added punch.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF DOUGHNUTS
 
 
> DOUGHNUT VS. DONUT
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF PIZZA
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*Pepperoni was originally made with natural casings that were left on the product as it was sliced. The casing contracted a bit during cooking, causing slices to pucker.

After World War II, as manufacturers sought greater production efficiencies, most switched to paper-like fibrous casings, which were typically removed before slicing. These casing-free slices remained flat as they cooked. Producers in a few “holdout” markets, such as Buffalo and Detroit, still made and make the original cupping pepperoni [source].

†Salame (salami is an Americanization of the word) is cured sausage that is fermented and air dried. Sausage, on the other hand, is made using ground meat and it has a casing (skin) around it which protects it from falling apart.
 
 

With summer grilling on the mind, how about a beer-based barbecue sauce?

Rufus Teague has just launched them.

The company sells a high-end line of eight craft barbecue sauces, including two that are sugar-free and Keto friendly.

(The company uses the BBQ spelling; The Nibble uses barbecue.)

Now there are three more to add to the family:

Rufus Teague has introduced the world’s first BBQ sauces made with beer and sold in an actual beer can!

The beers are from the acclaimed Boulevard Brewing Company in Kansas City, Missouri.
 
 
MEET CAN-O-QUE BBQ SAUCE

You may find other barbecue sauces made with beer; but Rufus Teague’s Can-O-Que sauces are packaged in an actual beer can.

The sauces are not only delicious: They’re fun!

There are three Can-O-Que sauces, made with different styles of beer. The sauces comprise 25% beer.

The sauces are named after Boulevard’s beers:

 
The varieties are sold individually or in a variety pack.

They’re perfect for gifting, tailgating, or “simply making your dinner table look cool,” says Rufus Teague.

Each can has a snap-on re-closable lid.

So have some fun as you enjoy delicious barbecue sauces.
 
 
> THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF BEER & THE HISTORY OF BEER
 
 
ABOUT RUFUS TEAGUE

Rufus Teague is an award-winning, independent producer of high-quality craft BBQ sauces and rubs.

The company has a highly decorated product lineup that includes Honey Sweet, Touch ‘O Heat, Blazin’ Hot, Whiskey Maple, Smoky Apple, Steak Sauce, Chick N’ Rub, Meat Rub, Spicy Meat Rub, Fish Rub and Steak Rub.
 
 
ABOUT BOULEVARD BREWING COMPANY

Boulevard Brewing Company is the largest specialty brewer in the Midwest. Their beers are available in 45 states and 11 countries.

[1] Tank 7 BBQ Sauce is made with a saison beer (all photos © Rufus Teague).

[2] Space Camper is made with Boulevard Brewing’s IPA.

[3] unfiltered wheat beer is the mildest (non-spicy) sauce.