Author Archives: Allison

This stove top stew has a hearty rich flavor that makes it the perfect comfort food! Guinness Beef Stew is a dish that includes Guinness stout beer, beef, stock, and root vegetables. This dish has Irish origins. The original Irish stew contained mutton or lamb, root vegetables, and stock. The stew would be simmered forContinue reading “Guinness Beef Stew”

A West Coast favorite! Eat them outside under the sunshine! Modern Baja Fish Tacos come from Baja California in Mexico. The tacos are filled with deep fried battered fish, and garnished with spicy mayonnaise, shredded lettuce, salsa, and lime wedges. They are a variation on the original fish taco invented by the indigenous people thatContinue reading “Baja Fish Tacos”

A simple dessert that can be eaten any time of the day! Pound cake is a type of cake that is typically baked in a loaf pan or Bundt pan. It originated in Europe during the early 18th century. The name comes from the fact that in early recipes for the cake a pound ofContinue reading “Orange Honey Pound Cake”

A vegetarian classic! Great for BBQs and picnics! Veggie burgers are a type of burger patty that does not include any meat. They are composed of ingredients like beans, grains, nuts, seeds, or fungi. Recipes for “vegetable” burgers containing no meat have been cited in print form as early as 1969. The first veggie burgerContinue reading “Black Bean Mushroom Burgers”

A Japanese favorite! Sauce recipe included! Tonkatsu comes from Japan. It is a dish where a pork chop is breaded and deep fried. In 1899, tonkatsu was invented at a restaurant called Rengatei in Tokyo, Japan. It was called katsuretsu or katsu. The phrase “tonkatsu” meaning pork katsu occurred in the 1930s. Before tonkatsu wasContinue reading “Tonkatsu (Pork Cutlet)”

An American favorite summertime treat! A shortcake is small sweet spongecake or an American style biscuit. Strawberry shortcake is a well-known dessert that includes shortcake, strawberries mixed with sugar that have sat for an hour and released their juices (macerated), and whipped cream. The first written recipe for strawberry shortcake appeared in a 1588 EnglishContinue reading “Strawberry Shortcake”

A brunch or breakfast classic! This quiche can be made ahead of time so you do not have to wake up early! Quiche is a staple in French cooking, but it actually originated in Germany. The word quiche comes from the German word kuchen meaning cake. The most famous recipe for quiche is Quiche Lorraine.Continue reading “Morning Quiche”

A vegan Vietnamese treat! Dau Xanh Vung or sesame rice balls are a very popular treat in Vietnam. They are sweet dumplings made of rice flour, filled with mung bean paste, covered in sesame seeds, and then deep fried. Other versions of these dumplings can be sweet filled with taro root or red bean paste,Continue reading “Sesame Rice Balls (Dau Xanh Vung)”

A coffeehouse classic made right in your own kitchen! Some scientists believe that bananas were the first fruits. Bananas were believed to have originated around 10,000 years ago. The first bananas were thought to be grown in the area that embodies the Philippines, Malaya Peninsula, Indonesia, and New Guinea. The variety of banana that isContinue reading “Banana Nut Muffins”

A tasty vegetarian meal that takes less than 30 minutes to make! Pad Thai was invented in the 1930s in Thailand. It is a stir fried noodle dish that includes rice noodles, eggs, and tofu that is flavored with tamarind pulp, garlic or shallots, fish sauce, red chili pepper, and palm sugar. The dish isContinue reading “Tofu Pad Thai”