Everything you love about our blog (food facts, cooking tips, food history, and, of course, food porn) will soon be available in a monthly e-newsletter: "Kitchen Shaman's...
We are back on the Spice Road and this time looking at star anise. What makes this licorice tasting spice so popular, even today? Star anise is a spice that hails from southwestern China. It spread through Indo-China and Japan, ultimately finding its way into Europe...
In the world of professional cooking being able to make a good polenta is just as important as mastering the art of risotto. The careful watching of the pan. The constant stirring. Adding the fat and the liquid at just the right time. Turning out the polenta. Setting...
It’s time to get out the picnic basket because July is National Picnic Month. What is a Picnic? A picnic is an outdoor gathering where food is brought by the attendees and shared. Picnics have evolved over the last several centuries. Thought to come from hunting...
July 19th is National Ice Cream Day and in this heat nothing tastes better than creamy frozen goodness. Even vegans can celebrate the many forms and varieties of ice cream with all the choices we are presented with today. In the spirit of celebrating not only National...
There is a control freak in every chef. I don’t care how humble, how calm they may appear, chefs like order. Floors must be clean, stainless steel tables should sparkle, not a speck of dust or dirt anywhere. Food belongs in containers lined up on shelves that...
While traveling approximately 3,000 miles this summer, I have had the opportunity to cook in other people's kitchens. We are hunkered down in Kansas for awhile and I was caught sauteing bell peppers, onions and mushrooms for hummus wraps. Here's the evidence that I'm...
It’s National Onion Ring Day and all over America restaurants and fast food joints are serving up this crunchy fried treat. The history of this mostly American invention can be traced back to the 1920’s. There are reports of them appearing before that, but...
Humans love onions. And onions love us. Dill is grown around the world. It is used in everything from borscht to tofu. It has interesting medicinal properties as well. They are one of the world’s earliest domesticated crops. Nine million acres are devoted...
Its that time of year again when the Spouse and I take the trek from the desert of Arizona to the flat lands of Kansas. I still remember my first impressions of Kansas a dozen years ago. It's flat. It has big sky. And corn, lots of dried out corn in the fields,...
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