Ybor City – Historic Cuban-American Neighborhood
Perhaps because it is so difficult for Americans to go there, I am fascinated by Cuba –with its rich history and culture. To gain access, Americans must get a license from the U.S. Treasury Department, and that license requires a specific purpose (e.g., journalism, charitable work, government business, etc). I haven’t applied for a license since I don’t think writing a food blog would qualify 🙂 Continue reading
Inspired by one of my fellow bloggers, Cookinginsens, who shared the delicious results of her recent freezer purge, I decided it was time to clear out the basement freezer. I was making very good progress in this endeavor. My final task was to utilize the last of the 2011 Michigan blueberry crop. After all, the 2012 blueberry season had arrived. Why would anyone hoard frozen blueberries from last year when there was a new crop to be had? Time to make some blueberry muffins — best with fresh blueberries, but quite serviceable with last year’s crop — and an excellent way to use frozen blueberries. Continue reading
Pastitsio (παστίτσιο)
I grew up in New Jersey, a stone’s throw from New York City. So, I was accustomed to bilingual households. As in our home, it was the norm among my friends to have grandparents and/or parents born outside the U.S.A. America is a melting pot of cultures, and this was, and still is, particularly true in the New York City metropolitan area. In part, this was due to the area’s proximity to Ellis Island*, the main immigrant conduit in the first half of the 20th century. Greater than one third of the U.S. population (this includes me) can trace at least a portion of their ancestry to the 12 million people who landed here between the late 1800s and 1954. Continue reading
Last year, I was missing my English golfing friends so much that I invited seven of them to visit and golf in Michigan. Surely, I thought, they wouldn’t all say “yes”. They had families, jobs, etc. I would be lucky if one or two agreed to make the transatlantic trip. Right? Continue reading
A GLOBAL GARNISH 
