It is 1964. Imagine, for a moment, being a young student from Korea, Vietnam, or Jamaica. You arrive in an unfamiliar small town in rural America to attend a university with 12,000 other – mostly American – students. The culture is distinctively Midwestern and the food is unusual. You have limited access to familiar and…
This fresh zucchini rice salad salad uses seasonal summer ingredients found at our local famers markets along with with brown and wild rice. We use Southern Illinois Cahokia Rice in most of our rice dishes. The cashews provide a nutty crunch. Cahokia Rice Supporting local and regional businesses is important because, in doing so, we…
Mediterranean flavors and simplicity are at the heart of this Greek inspired salad. The recipe combines capers, tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions with creamy feta cheese and briny capers. This salad comes together very quickly using locally sourced, fresh ingredients. A very good friend shared this recipe with me; he made me promise to never, ever…
Let me introduce you to delightful Christmas tree spritz cookies! They always made an appearance at our holiday gatherings when I was a kid. Add some food coloring and splash in flavored extract to give the cookies festive cheer. Let’s not forget the sprinkles! History of Spritz Cookies Rooted in German and Scandinavian cuisine, spritz…
Each week, Chili and I showcase a cocktail on our live broadcast, The Davises Eat. This year, we have been virtually traveling the U.S. – something that came from the pandemic – and learning about American regional cuisine. It has been a fun theme for the show this year and we have enjoyed sharing these…
I recently ran across a recipe from Nancy Fuller for creamed corn bread pudding and decided I needed to give it a try. It is very similar to a side dish my grandma use to make that called for creamed corn, corn bread and paprika. So, I mixed the two recipes and created something like…
Similar to our American hamburgers, German frikadellen are flat and pan fried. They are also a close cousin to our meatloaf because they have a variety of herbs and spices and use milk, eggs, and breadcrumbs as a binder. Ingredients Use Up Leftovers Traditional frikadellen use up leftover meat, traditionally veal or lamb, but beef…
Bubble pizza is one of those meals from childhood that you just need in your life sometimes. Its simplicity makes it a quick weeknight meal and you can customize it to to please your family’s taste buds. Even though my mom made this frequently when I was growing up, it’s a dish I had forgotten…
Dill pickle quick bread is tangy, briny, buttery, and the perfect snack for a chilly Autumn afternoon. I was, admittedly, skeptical at the thought of putting dill pickles in bread. My kitchen smelled so good while it was baking that I could barely wait for it to come out of the oven so I could…
The French Vichyssoise, the Scottish Cock-a-Leekie soup, and the Welsh Tattie and Leekie soup have two things in common: potatoes and leeks. Potato leek soup is found in many cultures and calls for very similar ingredients. Some versions add cream while others are puréed. The French serve theirs chilled while the rest are hot. No…
One of my favorite foods is chicken pot pie. Not because of the pie itself, but because I love the creamy rich chicken filling. Truth be told, I don’t like pie crust! This recipe is just the filling topped with baked biscuits. It satisfies my soul, especially on cold nights. I cheated and used canned…
Swiss chard is a leafy green that many people are unfamiliar with. I actually don’t see it in the grocery stores where I live, at least not on a regular basis. When I do get my hands on some, it is from a local farmer or at one of our specialty stores in town. There…
I grew up calling this recipe “German potato salad”. As I’ve learned more about German regional cuisine, I’ve realized they, too, have many ways of making potato salad. I’ve also learned that potato salad recipes can cause quite the stir among German communities online! Even with the variations, there are two basic styles. In the…
How does coconut pancakes topped with Bananas Foster and whipped cream sound for dinner? It sounds pretty decadent, doesn’t it? I thought so, too. While searching the internet for a new pancake recipe, I ran across this one for Homemade Coconut Pancakes from The Spruce Eats. I adjusted the recipe a bit based on our…
It’s September, which means pool season is over for me and I’m mentally moving very quickly into Fall. This week, I’ve been thinking about Thanksgiving. I’ll blame the Food Network App for that because I keep watching turkey videos. Alas, it will be here before I know it… so, I think I’ll focus a bit…
Do you know what Hygeia salad dressing is? Neither did I until I saw it referenced in several salad recipes in a 1910 cookbook and went on a hunt to discover its ingredients. Eugene and Mollie Griswold Christian In 1910, Eugene and Mollie Griswold Christian published “250 Meatless Menus and Recipes”, one of several healthy…
My Grandma Raines and her kitchen have a very special place in my heart… and stomach! I could tell you multiple stories about her cooking and our time spent picking vegetables from the garden. I could also tell you how loud she hollered every time I let one of Grandpa’s hunting dogs in the house!…
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February 16th is nearing and I’m excited! Outlander season 5 premieres that night! I was a latecomer to Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, reading the first novel, Outlander, over 20 years after it first published in 1990. I was hooked. As a result, I spent the better part of the following two years reading through all…
I grew up eating this cucumber salad with creamy dill dressing never knowing that it has a strong connection to my German heritage.
I have always enjoyed participating in Amy Johnson Crow’s 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge. This year, I’m putting a food heritage spin on the 2020 themes and writing monthly instead of weekly. Week 3 of this year’s 52 Ancestors challenge is “Long Line”. This, like many of the weekly themes, can be interpreted in…
Have you ever wondered what we ate 100 years ago? These loaded twice baked potatoes are topped with a gooey cheese sauce remade from a frugal 1920 recipe.
Many years ago, I ran across the Antique American Cookbooks collection printed by Oxmoor House in 1984 when I discovered one of the eight volumes in a resale shop. Since then, I grab one up every chance I get – they aren’t easy to find. One of my favorites is Mme. Begué and Her recipes:…
Thanksgiving is nearing and I, like many, am in planning mode. Admittedly, I’m a traditionalist when it comes to Thanksgiving foods. For me, Thanksgiving is a time for taking in the sights and smells of Autumn … a time when pumpkins, apples, sweet potatoes, and winter squash are in abundance. These are the flavors and…