Beer in the Windy City
Filed Under Destination Features, Travel Tips, Wines & Spirits, USA
Today is National Beer Day, and in its honor we'll be talking about beer in our hometown, Chicago. The rise in the production, sales, and quality of so-called "craft" beers in the US in the past few decades, and particularly since the 1990's, has meant a corresponding increase in craft breweries and brewpubs, not to mention a plethora of amazing brews to try. When I was young and growing up… 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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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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Decadent Brownie Sundaes with Hot Fudge Sauce
Filed Under Kitchen Tips, Recipes, USA
A good brownie sundae has been one of my favorite desserts since childhood. I remember going to Friendly's with my father and ordering it every time. This version uses homemade ice cream, but you could use store bought as well. That being said, it's perhaps the simplest ice cream you can imagine – it doesn't even require any cooking! The fudge sauce recipe makes 3 cups. I usually divide it… Read
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A History of Sandwiches and a Sandwich Recipe
Filed Under Cooking Videos, Food History, Kitchen Tips, Recipes, Italy, USA
It's national sandwich day, and we're asking ourselves: do sandwiches exist in the cuisine of every country in the world? What defines a sandwich? Does a wrap count? What about a sandwich in pita? A burrito? A spring roll? A crepe? Let's make things easier and say that to be a sandwich, it has to have something 'sandwiched' between two pieces of bread. One piece of bread folded over doesn't… Read
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Changing the Lives of Women One Box of Aprons at a Time
Filed Under Interviews, What's Up at TIK, India, USA
Today we're featuring an interview not with one of our fabulous chefs or tour guides, but with Theresa VanderMeer, the founder of the company that makes our aprons, totes, and document holders. If you've traveled with us on one of our multi-day cooking vacations, you've received one of these textile goods with your documents package, and we hope you noticed the tag on it that explains that your item was… Read
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