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By LANIE PIMENTEL
Petunia5045(at)gmail.com
A few weeks ago, I was given a ticket to our local Renaissance Fair. I was pretty excited because I’d never in my 28 years of living, had been to one despite there being one each year not too far from my house. But I guess it wasn’t my thing, or it wasn’t […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Two words. Compound butter. Much like the lesson taught in first grade where the children would go around the classroom naming compound words such as classroom, campground, and playground, the lesson of making a compound butter is the same as the word. Taking things that exists separately, and merging them to make a […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5043(at)gmail.com
The artichoke, according to Wikipedia.org< is a perennial thistle originating in southern Europe around the Mediterranean. The flowers develop in a large head from an edible bud about 8–15 cm diameter with numerous triangular scales; the individual florets are purple. The edible portion of the buds consists primarily of the fleshy lower portions […]
Two weeks ago, as I was doing my research for my coconut article, I came across recipe after delicious recipe using this wonderful coconut as the star. I decided that 1 week of coconuts was simply not enough. There are tons of great desert recipes if you are a lover of coconut, and that my […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
So, you just found the last of the hidden eggs with your little ones, and you are sitting in the kitchen with three dozen crayoned, stickered and dyed Easter Eggs and you are thinking… now what?
Below I have compiled a list of recipes I would like to try today […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5043(at)gmail.com
Coconutsthe seeds of palm trees are most comely cultivated in South America and South Asia and are said to have a thousand uses! It is no wonder that most recipes that incorporate coconut into non-desert dishes are found on South Asian menus. Especially Thai recipes. Yummy!
In my opinion, there are thousands and thousands […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
“The chickpea is neither a chick nor a pea… discuss”
Linda Richmond, Saturday Night Live’s Coffee Talk Host
Chickpeas, also known as garbanzo beans (and many other names) is a legume from ancient times.
These little peas are filled with fiber and protein, which makes them a go-to necessity for many […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Leeks, an oversized green onion-looking vegetable, is a close friend of garlic and onions. Like an onion, this vegetable can be the star of the show, or an awesome side dish.
Although leeks are big, the whole thing is not meant to be eaten! Once ready to cook with the leek, cut off the […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Bell peppers, otherwise known as sweet peppers, are vegetables that have no limits.
Green peppers are unripe bell peppers, while the others are all ripe, with the color variation based on cultivar selection. Because they are unripe, green peppers are less sweet and slightly more bitter than yellow, orange, purple or red peppers. It […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
One of my favorite fat-free snacks of all times is Salsa. It is a versatile snack that can double as a spicy topping to our favorite main courses!
I like to whip up my own salsa. Below is the recipe use when I make my way to my local […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Mustard is a condiment that most people associate with pretty much just hot dogs (my fiancé was stunned with this revelation!). But mustard adds a great zing to pretty much anything!
I have discovered and prepared three recipes using honey as one of the main ingredients. One is for […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
I threw my first party this week to celebrate my birth, 28 years ago. And since I love most things food, I wanted the food at my party to be a little more than chips and dip. So after years of watching tons of Food Network programming, I […]
It would make sense to wish Melanie a happy birthday today since, well, she was born today many, many, many moons ago [[okay, not that many]].
But we here at the cactus also want to wish her congratulations for getting engaged to her long-time boyfriend Brian.
So, we’re torn: Which do we wish first?
Brian asked her to […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Many things can bring on the need for some good old fashion comfort food. Bad weather, homesickness, a rough day on the job. One of my favorite comfort foods is Macaroni and Cheese. And thanks to people like Grandma and Kraft, Mac and Cheese can be a […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
New Year’s Eve is quickly approaching and that means lots of mini-bite sized snacks to eat from 2007 ’til 2008. Each year, no matter where I end up ringing in the new and best year to come, I always bring some staples. Here are some tasty little treats […]
Right now, you have to take out a second mortgage if you want to buy a gallon of milk. I mean, it’s seriously cheaper to raise a cow from birth and squeeze your own milk than to go to the grocery store and buy some. I don’t care if you live in a no pets […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Eggnog.
Some may like it, some may hate it, but this milky drink has been traced back many generations to England where usually only the rich could partake in its frothy goodness. Poor people rarely had milk at their disposal, and no refrigeration. Since the big wigs owned […]
By LANIE PIMENTAL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
On cold winter nights during December, nothing makes my tummy feel all warm and toasty like a warm oversized mug of soup, an electric blanket and a good book or movie!
I am new to the whole butternut squash soup thing, but the idea was appealing. I found a nice two-pound butternut squash […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
When the temperature drops, and the snow starts to fall, nothing says warm up the bones to me like hot beverages. Hot teas, ciders and chocolate are as warm and comforting to me as a blanket out of the dryer!
There are so many varieties of teas to choose from out there. […]
By JIM MONTANA
jim.montana(at)hotmail.com
On a personal note: First let me say that I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Second let me apologize right now for what could be sub-Jim Montana quality of this week’s column. This past Thursday, I lost a true inspiration in my life: My Grandmother finally lost her fight […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
Fat Thursday has passed. After offering out as many doggie bags to guests as you can, you are still stuck with a refrigerator full of leftovers, what is there to do?
I am one to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner again on Friday for lunch, this I admit, but after that I am ready for […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
There is nothing that brings excitement to my heart more than to hear the word, fondue. According to our old friend, Wikipedia, Fondue refers to Swiss communal dishes shared at the table in an Earthenware pot over a small flame. The term fondue comes from the French fondre […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
An apple a day can do more than keep the doctor away. They can ensure hours of hours of fun and delicious apple-ey treats!
And since apples are good pretty much year round, go to sleep knowing that there is never an apple treat far away from consumption.
Apple harvest […]
By LANIE PIMENTEL
petunia5045(at)gmail.com
[[Ed.’s note: If Lanie’s name looks familiar — but maybe out of place — that’s because she was our regular In The Workplace writer, but now she’s replaced Michelle Riccardi as our food and drink writer. This is her first regular food and drink column — she did guest once — so wish […]
By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8263(at)gmail.com
Good day cactus readers! And congratulations to my friends John and Amy on their wedding yesterday!
I’m not sure if it is being a girl or what, but when I hear the word “wedding,” I get so excited. Marriage, caterers, flower girls and honeymoons; the whole package is thrilling.
I took a career quiz not […]
By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8264(at)gmail.com
It’s October, my favorite month! Magazines like Montgomery Ward and Harriet Carter get me so excited to own my own home, and when October comes around, everything looks like how I imagine my home.
Of course I obsess over what my kitchen would look like — from the pots and pans to the tableware. […]
By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8263(at)gmail.com
Rachael Ray finally called and asked me to be on her show.
Just kidding, but I did get tickets to her show. I am no pro in getting tickets for shows or concerts or sporting events because people always get them for me. I read the directions to the show about 15 times and […]
By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8263(at)gmail.com
It amazes me how busy the restaurant Chili’s is near me. The food isn’t that good. I think it is more convenient than anything else. I worked at the busy location near me for about two weeks and decided the patience you need to be any part of that staff is way beyond […]
By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8263(at)gmail.com
In middle school, my class took a trip to Medieval Times, which is a restaurant with a show. The idea of the restaurant is to be fun and different. There aren’t any utensils, so eating with your hands is different — but I don’t recall it being fun, for me at least. […]
Today our favorite food and drink writer — Michelle Riccardi — turns 23.
So, in honor of her birthday, we at cactus i.v. ask: What’s the recipe for your favorite birthday cake?
P.S. — e-i-c Lisa’s grandma’s birthday is the day after Michelle’s. She turns 86, so we at the cactus wanted to take a minute to […]
By MICHELLE RICCARDI
mia8263(at)gmail.com
Happy Birthday to me! I graced the world with my presence 20 somewhat years ago (Age withheld because I have panic attacks every time I say it, but if you are one of my loyal readers you already know how old I am.)
[[Ed.’s note: Sorry Michelle. I already blew your cover in your […]