Melanzane alla Parmigiana (Recipe for Eggplant Parmesan)
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes
What is "parimgiana?" You will see this word on recipes and menus in Italy, but what exactly is it? In a nutshell, it means it is a dish made with a tomato sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (or a similar substitute). When you see "alla" incuded in the name of an Italian dish, it generally means "in the style of." Some classic examples, besides melanzane alla parimgiana, are pasta alla norma,… Read
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Russian Tea Cake Recipe for National Cookie Day
Filed Under Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Special Occasions
December 3 is National Cookie Day, so why not dedicate a blog to everyone's favorite sweet treat and a fabulous Russian tea cake cookie recipe? The word "cookie" originally comes from the Dutch word "koekje," meaning cake. Of course, much of the English-speaking world calls them "biscuits," but that just shows how influential Dutch immigrants were on the development of American English. Cookies were originally made as a way to… Read
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Visiting the Palais des Papes in Avignon
Filed Under Destination Features, Travel Tips
It sometimes surprises travelers that the largest Gothic palace in the world is the Palais des Papes (Palace of the Popes) and that it lies not in Rome, but in Avignon, France! It is not only one of the most visited sites in France, it is one of the most popular cultural sites explored by our culinary travelers in Provence. In fact, most of our cooking vacations in Provence include… Read
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What Is the "Riviera of Flowers" and Why You Should Go There
Filed Under Destination Features, Travel Tips, What's Up at TIK
The northwestern coast of Italy is shaped a bit like a gently curving upside-down "U," with the western-most part slanting southward toward France and Monaco. It is here that you stay during our amazing Sojourn in Sanremo culinary vacation in Italy. This western part of the Liguria region is known more specifically as the "Riviera di Ponente" (Western Riviera or Riviera of the Setting Sun), and the western-most part of… Read
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