Tag: cooking

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A Cup, A Spoon, and A Dash

ellenparkerwrites

December among my family and friends includes an increase in baking. Favorite recipes, often spotted with traces of ingredients, are pulled out of folders, boxes, and cookbooks. Shopping lists include once-a-year items. Cooks search cupboards for pans stored eleven months ago.

The scents of cinnamon, anise, and peppermint fill the kitchen air. Mumbles, commands, and shouts are given to and by cooks and helpers of all ages. (And species if you have pets.)

Sprinkles and colored sugars add a festive touch to cookies. Cakes and pies appear in record number. And candy — fudge, pretzels dipped in chocolate, and divinity are found cooling on the counter.

Do you have a recipe you make every year? A dish that gives a special “touch” to your holiday?

Louisa Mueller, a young baker in the sweet historical romance, New Dreams, hums and sings as she prepares treats for the fictional village of Elm Ridge, Illinois. Check out the book at the link for more information on this tale of new Americans and their dreams. https://amzn.to/3vWydWE

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Kitchen Constant

ellenparkerwrites

The dried fruit of this plant has been in every kitchen I’ve encountered. Sometimes it has been whole. Often it is ground – either fine or coarse. Black outnumbers white by a wide margin.

The fruit of this vine has not ripened. I don’t see even a hint of red. Perhaps I should have returned a few days or a week later.

The next time you pick up the pepper shaker (or grinder) and add a little “pep” to your meal, consider the vine. Unless you have a greenhouse, I doubt you’ll be able to grow your own in the United States. This tropical plant likes it warm. The commercial growers are located in Sumatra and Java — plus other places with similar climate.

In the sweet historical romance, Stitching a Dream, Polly purchases peppercorns from the grocer. She, and others, are in the habit of “bruising” them with a pestle or other heavy kitchen tool before putting them into soups and stews. Have you cooked with whole peppercorns?

Here’s a link to the book: https://amzn.to/3VwoeFh