Coffee is one of the true joys of life for millions of people in all corners of the world. First believed to have been discovered in what is known today as Ethiopia, an old legend might explain this substance’s discovery;  according to the tale, a farmer’s goat became unusually frisky after eating something it found on a bush. These, of course, were coffee beans, and after the farmer tried them and learned of their rejuvenating properties, word spread quickly of what coffee could do for human beings.

Now, there’s even a Food Blog Alliance, a blog that is a sort of clearing house for the latest information on food blogging events, debuts, and news.  Although most people who blog about food do so within the constructs of existing personal blogs, a growing number of people have been inspired to create entire blogs dedicated to the high tech foodie lifestyle.  Or the low tech foodie lifestyle.  Or the foodie lifestyle in general.  These “food blogs” are also known as “flogs” and have become some of the Web’s most popular daily destinations for hungry people everywhere.

One of the first wildly popular food blogs, Hungry Girl, led to a series of best selling cookbooks for its founder Lisa Lillien.  In fact, she’s had more than one New York Times’ Best Seller emerge from her foray into blogging about food.   Not only are her cookbooks selling like hotcakes, but she’s also been endorsed, to some extent, by Weight Watchers International, Inc., to publish its “top secret” Points Plus values alongside her recipes.  Very few companies enjoy such a partnership with Weight Watchers, which doesn’t even allow its paying members to post Points Plus values in its online message boards.

A few years ago, author Julie Powell hit the big time with her book, Julie and Julia, which was quickly snapped up by Hollywood and became a major motion picture starring Amy Adams and Meryl Streep.   It worked well for her, and look how popular she is now.  Food blogging, therefore, is nothing to sneeze at.  If anything, it’s become more popular than ever and more food bloggers are joining the ranks daily.

But, as in all things, there are dissidents.  Some people detest arriving at a blog and finding a post featuring a plateful of food.  I have heard people make comments such as “ew, this just makes it look unsavory.”  I guess it’s all a matter of taste.

Now back to dessert and food (yum!).  It seems that people are also sharing their food through social media too.  Now, of course you cannot go online and retrieve a yummy cheesecake through the computer, although that would be ideal.  But people all over the world are posting images of the delicious foods they are eating for a ton of reasons, like:

• Reviews
• Recipes
• Food Art
• Tradition
• Extreme or Unusual Food
• and Special Occasions

And guess what the number one type of food it is that people are sharing!  It’s dessert of course.  Do you share your food through social media?  Or will you start?

Chewy Chocolate Chip - According to my youngest, Santa loves chewy cookies the most.  This chewy recipe is the always delicious chocolate chip with some real chewiness.

• You will need:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (bread flour will make them chewier, if you like)
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled to warm
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed.
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
• Directions:
• Preheat the oven to 325°.  Use parchment paper and cover two large cookie sheets.  Mix together the flour, baking powder and salt and set aside.  Mix the butter and sugar in a mixer until smooth then add the egg, the yolk, vanilla and mix until incorporated.  Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Stir in the chips and nuts (optional).  Divide and roll the mix into 18 balls and evenly space half on one cookie sheet and the other nine on the other cookie sheet.  Bake the cookies for 12 to 18 minutes.  Cool on the sheets.

These cookies always seem to be the ones that please the most, and Santa must really love them because we have been leaving these out for him for the last few years.  Do you have any special cookie recipes that Santa loves at your home?

Often, people who enjoy fine and unusual cakes that cost a lot of money and are designed by prestigious chefs are the same people who put a lot of thought and care into other aspects of their lives, like their children’s college funds, or adt home security.  They don’t tend to settle for second best.  Still, there was a time when even the grandiose cakes of today had humble beginnings.  Where did cake making originate, and what was cake used for originally?  Was it closely identified with special events in the lives of people, or just a means to stay fed?  Enjoy the following infographic with the history of cake for the answers to all these questions and more:

Healthier Pumpkin Pie

Skip the thick pastry crust and use graham crackers instead in this recipe.  Also replacing sweetened milk with coconut milk helps add in some health appeal too.

What You’ll Need:

• 8 oz. graham crackers, crushed
• 3 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz)
• 1 can coconut milk (15 oz), shaken
• 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

• Preheat your oven to 375°.
• In a 9 inch pie dish combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter, toss it to coat.  After coated, press the crumbs into the bottom and up the sides of the dish.  Bake for seven minutes to toast the crumbs.  While you are making the filling, let the pie dish sit on a wire rack.
• In a mixing bowl add the pumpkin, coconut milk, brown sugar, eggs, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, and salt.  Blend it all on a medium-high speed until combined.
• Pour the filling in the pie crust.  Bake for about 45 minutes or until the filling is set.
• To cool, transfer the pie to a wire rack.  Wait a few hours before serving.

1. When baking a pie with a traditional crust as opposed to a graham cracker crust or something similar, always use aluminum crust covers to protect the dough from burning.  These are sold at many cooking or home goods stores as either a 9 inch or 10 inch ring, but I prefer the sections of aluminum covers so I can adjust them to areas that are getting more heat towards the end of baking or vice versa.  Also, they can be used on any size of pie without purchasing more than one pack.  I would recommend covering your crust initially when you put your pie in the oven and then removing them when there are 5 to 10 minutes remaining, depending on how well they are cooking.
2. If you discover an ingredient that works well in one recipe, don’t be afraid to experiment with it in others as well.  Personally, I add cinnamon to almost every pie, muffin and cupcake that I bake because the spice adds a warmer flavor that compliments so many other recipes.  You can also add a dash to your pancakes or waffles in the morning to give your family a special treat!
3. It can be tricky to get your frosting to the desired consistency and color even if your followed a recipe to the tee.  If your frosting turns out too thick, slowly stir in a small amount of milk until the consistency is perfect.  When you need to achieve just the right color for your frosting to match party decorations or school colors, use paste food coloring to get more vivid colors than a liquid version.

According to the infographic below, ice cream got its humble beginnings in ancient Greece, way back in the 400s BC, as a matter of fact!  The Greeks discovered that snow sweetened with honey and fruit amounted to a delicious delicacy that people were also willing to pay for.  Many believe that this was the first historic occurrence of ice cream, although not as we know it today by any means.  In my family, we have a similar recipe called “Snow Cream” that is made from clean snow, vanilla extract, and sugar.  It’s quite good, I assure you.  Everytime we make it, I have to be sure to arm the adt system before we go to sleep for the night, lest someone should break in and raid our freezer.

Legend has it that French leader Napoleon Bonaparte was especially fond of ice cream.  In the iconic 80s film Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Napoleon, brought to the present through time travel, is taken by Bill and Ted to dine on ice cream for the first time in a throw-back to that historic trivia.

Here is an infographic full of information about the history of this well loved frozen sweet treat.

1. Never, I repeat, NEVER use frozen commercial rhubarb out of the bag.  If you have the space in your garden, grow your own small crop and you’ll get a ton of pies just from a couple plants.  If you don’t have the luxury of your own garden (or the time to properly maintain it), go to a local market or organic supermarket and they will most likely have some hearty stalks that will do the trick.  Of course, rhubarb isn’t growing all through the year, and, if you’re like me, you want rhubarb pie all year long.  If you chop up a few batches at the end of summer and freeze them yourself in your own plastic bags, you’re much better off.  If you do decide to use frozen rhubarb from the store, bear in mind, your pie will be runnier and not quite as tart so I would adjust by adding a little extra flour.

2. If your recipe doesn’t already call for a teaspoon of cinnamon and a big squeeze of lemon, add ‘em in.  This is the subtle flavor difference between an amateur’s rhubarb pie and someone who has some old fashioned experience.  I also like to add a sprinkle of nutmeg over the top of the crust, to add a little pizzazz to appearance and an extra punch of spice.

3. Don’t hesitate to try out some varieties to the original!  My grandmother made an absolutely incredible rhubarb meringue pie that always knocked guests off their feet.  The key to that type of pie, besides the precarious meringue peaking, was to puree the rhubarb blend first to get a sort of cream like filling.  Another favorite variety of mine is raspberry rhubarb pie.  Just enough sweet and tart to really quench anyone’s craving.

So next time you’re searching for something unique to serve for dessert with the family, try your hand at a classic rhubarb pie.  You never know what little secrets you might pick up or what new varieties you’ll create and be able to pass down in your family.  Just don’t forget to share!

What You’ll Need:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 4 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 4 eggs
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups pumpkin (YUM!)
• 1 1/4 vegetable oil
• 8 ounces cream cheese
• Pumpkin Seeds (optional)

What You’ll Do:

1. Preheat your oven to 350° and place the cream cheese on parchment paper and roll it into a log.  Put the cream cheese into the freezer while you are working on the next few tasks.  Line your muffin tin with baking cups.
2. In a mixing bowl mix all of the ingredients (minus the pumpkin seeds and cream cheese).
3. Fill the muffin cups 1/2 full.
4. Remove the cream cheese log from the freezer and cut “disks” that are equivalent to around 2 teaspoons so they are ready to be pushed into the batter.
5. Press the cream cheese down int he middle of the batter in the muffin pan and sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.
6. Bakes your muffins for around 25 minutes until the edges are firm around the outside.
7. Let the muffins cool completely and enjoy!

Now I can get my pumpkin fix throughout the year.  I’m still waiting for my Pumpkin Spice Latte though…