20 Best Travel Quotes to Inspire and Uplift
Filed Under Travel Tips, What's Up at TIK
Here at The International Kitchen, we love travel, and we love travel quotes. We believe that travel is not only fun, but that it is actually good for you (more on that here)! And nothing explains that as succinctly as a well-turned inspirational travel quote. There are hundreds and hundreds of enticing travel quotes out there - just do a quick search and you'll see what I mean, but be… Read
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How to Make Gougères, or Savory Choux Pastry
Filed Under Cooking Videos, Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, What's Up at TIK, France
Anyone who bakes has probably at least heard of pâte à choux, or choux pastry, that airy, delicious pastry that is the base for such French treats as eclairs and cream puffs. But you might not have heard of gougères, which is a savory, cheese-infused version of the same type of dough. Learn to make choux pastry on a cooking vacation in France. Choux pastry is one of those baking… Read
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Why Molise "Doesn't Exist" and Other Fun Facts about Our Authentic Italy Culinary Tour
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Travel Tips, Italy
There's a saying in Italy. "Molise non esiste." Molise doesn't exist. It's a running joke among Italians to pretend Molise doesn't exists due to its small size and relative obscurity, even among Italians. If you ask your average Italian to tell you something about Molise, you shouldn't expect much (if any) information! But it's also a running joke among Molisani, the quirky inhabitants of Molise, who seem to enjoy the… Read
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"Thursday, Gnocchi!": All About Our Favorite Italian Dumpling
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Kitchen Tips, Travel Tips, Italy
"Giovedì gnocchi, venerdì pesce, sabato trippa." So the saying goes in Rome, that Thursday is gnocchi day, Friday is fish day, and Saturday it's tripe! It's not hard to understand the "venerdì pesce" – this is a Catholic country after all. But why gnocchi on Thursday? I've always heard that it was to load up with a heavier meal the day before the Friday fast, and that it worked well… Read
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Things We Learned in 2020
Filed Under Special Occasions, What's Up at TIK
Well, we are almost there. If you had told us 10 months ago, when the Coronavirus first hit Italy and the rumblings of trouble sounded as shrilly as our phone lines ringing with calls from worried clients, that we would still be working from home, that restaurants would only be open for take-out, that the borders of almost every country would be closed to US travelers... we'd have thought you… Read
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10 Holiday Recipes You'll Love
Filed Under Special Occasions, What's Up at TIK, France, Italy
We just finished our 10 Days of Holiday Recipes on social media and thought we'd recap them here for easy reference! We hope they help make your holidays brighter, or at least more delicious. We also hope you caught our special holiday thank you to all our travelers: Whether you're looking for something savory or sweet, we've complied some of our favorites for you to enjoy! 10 Holiday Recipes 1.… Read
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All About Butter & How to Make Hollandaise Sauce
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, France, India, United Kingdom, USA
Butter. Yes, butter. Today we're all about butter, and it's not because it's national butter day (evidently that is October 25th–who knew?), nor because we've accidentally over-whipped the cream and ended up with it by accident (yes, that has happened). So why butter? Butter is one of the most versatile of ingredients. It is part of the magic that goes into such dissimilar things as flaky puff pastry and creamy… Read
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Holiday Appetizers: Antipasti, Tapas, and Hors d'Oeuvres, Plus a Recipe
Filed Under Food History, Recipes, Special Occasions, What's Up at TIK
As we approach the holidays, one thing everyone seems to be looking for are appetizer recipes. Whether for a sit-down meal or as a spread of munchies to sustain you through the day, there is no doubt that appetizers are a big part of holiday meal planning. And certainly at The International Kitchen when we get together for holiday parties, potlucks, or birthday celebrations, appetizers are always a key part… Read
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Béchamel, The Mother Sauce
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, France, Greece, Italy
I first encountered béchamel sauce, or besciamella in Italian, when I lived in Italy during my university days and was taught by my Italian boyfriend's mother to make lasagna, or "pasta al forno" as it is called there. Yes, lasagna! In Italy lasagna (or lasagne, adopting the plural form), is not piled with ricotta and mozzarella, it is, rather, a delightful concoction of thinly rolled, flat egg noodles sandwiched between… Read
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Celebrating Thanksgiving with Three Sisters...Even If Your Family Is Far Away
Filed Under Destination Features, Food History, Special Occasions, USA
This Thanksgiving is likely to be one of the least traditional for many U.S. families. Instead of gathering in large groups for a traditional turkey dinner, most of us will be celebrating in small family units. Many people will be missing from our family table this year, but there are still three sisters I can celebrate with! And their names are.... corn, beans, and squash? Our family, like many others,… Read
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