Did You Know?
Endless Summer?

 Well, not entirely endless. If you want to spend the longest summer vacation, try going to Antartica where summer lasts 6 months long. This is unlike other summers because the sun shines 24 hours a day during this time, believe it or not! Not much of a summer due to the freezing temperatures really. Nighttime, on the other hand, comes in the form of one long night in the remaining 6 months (winter) which is engulfed in cold total darkness!
Macaroons

 Macaroons are cookies or confections, or crosses between the two, depending on where they are made. The macaroon is a close relative of the meringue. “Macaroon” means different things to different people. To some, it’s a big ball of coconut, to others, a delicate, airy meringue. Both are delicious.
Mango Facts

 - More fresh mangoes are eaten every day than any other fruit in the world.
- The popular "Paisley" design is a design from India based on the mango.
In India, the mango was once considered as a sacred fruit- it was said that Buddha was presented with a grove of mangoes to provide him with a shady refuge.
Cheesecake History

 Cheesecake is believed to have originated in ancient Greece. The first recorded mention of cheesecake was back in 776 B.C. It was served to the athletes during the first Olympic Games held that year.
Chocolate

 Bittersweet chocolate is what is usually called for in baking. It contains more chocolate liquor (at least 35%) and less sugar than sweet chocolate. Semisweet chocolate contains 15% - 35% chocolate liquor.
Hershey's Caramel Beginnings

 Did you know that Milton Hershey of the world-famous Hershey's chocolate empire, started off not with chocolate, but with caramel? Hershey had started his career by founding the Lancaster Caramel Company in 1886. He learned chocolate-making only because he was looking for new coatings for his then-famous caramels.
Polvoron

 Polvoron is powdered milk candy, made of flour, sugar butter and powdered milk. The flour is toasted, all the ingredients are mixed and shaped into round or oval-shaped molds. It is believe that making polvoron started during the American occupation to use up the huge amount of powdered milk brought in by the Americans.
All Saint's Day

 In the 7th century CE, Pope Boniface IV created All Saint's Day. During this time, there were so many saints that there were not enough days in the year to accommodate each of them. So, All Saint's Day was to honor the saints who didn't have a unique day, and to celebrate the saints that the Church had failed to recognize. It originally was held on May 13, but was moved by Pope Gregory in 835 CE to November 1 in order to distract Christians from celebrating Samhain (Halloween).
Halloween Holiday

 Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness. Pumpkins also come in white, blue, and green. Great for unique monster cravings. Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters. But hey- you could give away MY San Grahams Macaroons, Brownies, or Toffee for a change. The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
Pudding

 Chocolate pudding is a class of dessert with chocolate flavors. There are two main types: a boiled then chilled, texturally a custard set with and a steamed/baked, texturally similar to cake.
World's Best Cheesecake Eater

 Did you know that there's a way for cheesecake to get you into the Guinness Book of World Records? Sonya Thomas got her name immortalized in the popular book-- she holds the world record for cheesecake eating after she ate 11 pounds of cheesecake in 9 minutes.
The Graduation Cap

 The square stiff hat is believed to have been developed around the 16th century. There are two general beliefs to its square shape: one believes that it resembles a “mortar board”, popularized in Oxford University, which represents the mortar board of a master workman; while another belief rests on the obvious resemblance of its shape to a book. For whatever reason, being square has become the distinguishable form accepted through the years.
Coconut: A fruit, a nut or a Seed?

Though its name suggests that it is a nut, I've always regarded coconut as a fruit. When the coconut is young, it has properties like fruit, and as it matures, it becomes more nutty. But in fact it is not a nut or a fruit; it is a seed.
Pinipig

 Pinipig is actually immature glutinous rice that is harvested and pounded into what looks more like light green flakes. The flakes are moist and redolent with a fragrance that is simply unique. Some restaurants used to replace pinipig with the more readily available corn flakes
Mango

 The mango (Mangifera indica) is a tropical Asian tree of the cashew family. They are now grown extensively throughout the tropics, and are sometimes known as 'the peach of the tropics.
Pastillas

Pastillas are made from milk and sugar boiled together until thickened, then cooled and formed by hand into little mini-logs that are often rolled in more granulated sugar before they are individually packed in cellophane and paper.
Suman

 Suman is a rice cake originating from the Philippines. It is made from glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, and often steamed in banana leaves. It is served wrapped in buli or buri palm leaves and usually eaten sprinkled with sugar.
Banana

 Bananas are great for athletic and fitness activity because they replenish necessary carbohydrates, glycogen and body fluids burned during exercise. They are available all year-round and they are harvested every day of the year.
Melon

 Melon is a term used for various members of the Cucurbitaceae family with fleshy fruit. Melon can refer to either the plant or the fruit, which is a false berry. Many different cultivars have been produced, particularly of muskmelons. The plant grows as a vine.
Origins of the Umbrella

 The basic umbrella was invented over four thousand years ago. There is evidence of umbrellas in the ancient art and artifacts of Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and China. These ancient umbrellas or parasols were originally designed to provide shade from the sun. The Chinese were the first to waterproof their umbrellas for use in the rain by waxing and coating their paper parasols with lacquer.
Why are Pencils Yellow?

 In the 1980's, American pencil makers wanted a special way to tell people that their pencils contained Chinese graphite since the best graphite in the world at that time came from China. Because the color yellow is associated with royalty and respect in China, the American pencil manufacturers started painting their pencils bright yellow to communicate this “regal” feeling and association with China. The trend continues on until today.
Apples & Apple Trees

 The apples from one tree can fill 20 boxes every year. Each box weighs an average 42 pounds and contains approximately 105 apples. Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free. 25 percent of an apple's volume is air – that's why they float. The largest apple picked weighed three pounds.
Strawberry

 Berries on a straw? There is a legend that strawberries were named in the nineteenth-century by English children who picked the fruit, strung them on grass straws and sold them as "Straws of berries". Another theory is the name was derived from the nineteenth-century practice (ands still today, although most farms use raised beds, enclosed in plastic) of placing straw around the growing berry plants to protect the ripening fruit.
Peanut Butter

 Peanut Butter was developed in 1890 by a St. Louis doctor for his patients with bad teeth. It was promoted as a health food at the St. Louis Exposition 14 years later, but the oil separated from the grainy solids. In 1933, a California packer was able to homogenize the peanuts into a stable butter - "Skippy Churned Peanut Butter".
Origins of the word XMAS

 Although it is a common misconception that the term Xmas is disrespectful, its origins show this not to be true. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos, and the letter “X” was frequently used as a religious symbol. Thus Xmas is merely an abbreviated form of the word Christmas and was first used by Europeans in the 16th century.
What's a Durian?

Imagine the best, most delicious, and sensuous banana pudding you can imagine, add just a touch of butterscotch, vanilla, peach, pineapple, strawberry, and almond flavors, and a surprising twist of — garlic??!! Like many of life's greatest experiences, eating durian cannot be adequately described with words. Durian has a characteristic delicious flavor, creamy texture, and tantalizing fragrance that is just... durian! — the king of fruits, Nature's most magnificent fruit gift.
Why is it called Tiramisu?

 Tiramisu means "pick-me-up" in Italian. It represents the high energetic content (eggs and sugar) and the caffeine of the strong black coffee.
Pineapple

 Pineapples are the berry to a perennial herb, borne on a stem that emerges from a cluster of leaves just above the ground. It takes 18 to 22 months for a pineapple plant to produce a single 4 to 5 pound fruit. About a year later, the plant will produce a second fruit, smaller than the first. Hawaii is the number one country producing pineapples. Pineapples are a used as a symbol of hospitality.
Tarts

 There is something very appealing about a miniature tart. It’s so much fancier looking than an ordinary cookie and seems to promise more in the flavor department, while at the same time its small size lets you indulge yourself in a bite or two without guilt. From a preparation standpoint, miniature tarts aren’t much more difficult to make than full-sized tarts are and they are certainly easier to transport and serve.
Brownies

 Brownies are an extremely popular chocolate-based dessert made with eggs, flour and sugar.
Cheesecake

 Cheesecake is believed to have originated in ancient Greece. Historians believe that cheesecake was served to the athletes during the first Olympic Games held in 776 B.C.
Endless Summer?

 Well, not entirely endless. If you want to spend the longest summer vacation, try going to Antartica where summer lasts 6 months long. This is unlike other summers because the sun shines 24 hours a day during this time, believe it or not! Not much of a summer due to the freezing temperatures really. Nighttime, on the other hand, comes in the form of one long night in the remaining 6 months (winter) which is engulfed in cold total darkness!
 
Macaroons

 Macaroons are cookies or confections, or crosses between the two, depending on where they are made. The macaroon is a close relative of the meringue. “Macaroon” means different things to different people. To some, it’s a big ball of coconut, to others, a delicate, airy meringue. Both are delicious.
 
Mango Facts

 - More fresh mangoes are eaten every day than any other fruit in the world.
- The popular "Paisley" design is a design from India based on the mango.
In India, the mango was once considered as a sacred fruit- it was said that Buddha was presented with a grove of mangoes to provide him with a shady refuge.
 
Cheesecake History

 Cheesecake is believed to have originated in ancient Greece. The first recorded mention of cheesecake was back in 776 B.C. It was served to the athletes during the first Olympic Games held that year.
 
Chocolate

 Bittersweet chocolate is what is usually called for in baking. It contains more chocolate liquor (at least 35%) and less sugar than sweet chocolate. Semisweet chocolate contains 15% - 35% chocolate liquor.
 
Hershey's Caramel Beginnings

 Did you know that Milton Hershey of the world-famous Hershey's chocolate empire, started off not with chocolate, but with caramel? Hershey had started his career by founding the Lancaster Caramel Company in 1886. He learned chocolate-making only because he was looking for new coatings for his then-famous caramels.
 
Polvoron

 Polvoron is powdered milk candy, made of flour, sugar butter and powdered milk. The flour is toasted, all the ingredients are mixed and shaped into round or oval-shaped molds. It is believe that making polvoron started during the American occupation to use up the huge amount of powdered milk brought in by the Americans.
 
All Saint's Day

 In the 7th century CE, Pope Boniface IV created All Saint's Day. During this time, there were so many saints that there were not enough days in the year to accommodate each of them. So, All Saint's Day was to honor the saints who didn't have a unique day, and to celebrate the saints that the Church had failed to recognize. It originally was held on May 13, but was moved by Pope Gregory in 835 CE to November 1 in order to distract Christians from celebrating Samhain (Halloween).
 
Halloween Holiday

 Orange and black are Halloween colors because orange is associated with the Fall harvest and black is associated with darkness. Pumpkins also come in white, blue, and green. Great for unique monster cravings. Chocolate candy bars top the list as the most popular candy for trick-or-treaters. But hey- you could give away MY San Grahams Macaroons, Brownies, or Toffee for a change. The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
 
Pudding

 Chocolate pudding is a class of dessert with chocolate flavors. There are two main types: a boiled then chilled, texturally a custard set with and a steamed/baked, texturally similar to cake.
 
World's Best Cheesecake Eater

 Did you know that there's a way for cheesecake to get you into the Guinness Book of World Records? Sonya Thomas got her name immortalized in the popular book-- she holds the world record for cheesecake eating after she ate 11 pounds of cheesecake in 9 minutes.
 
The Graduation Cap

 The square stiff hat is believed to have been developed around the 16th century. There are two general beliefs to its square shape: one believes that it resembles a “mortar board”, popularized in Oxford University, which represents the mortar board of a master workman; while another belief rests on the obvious resemblance of its shape to a book. For whatever reason, being square has become the distinguishable form accepted through the years.
 
Coconut: A fruit, a nut or a Seed?

Though its name suggests that it is a nut, I've always regarded coconut as a fruit. When the coconut is young, it has properties like fruit, and as it matures, it becomes more nutty. But in fact it is not a nut or a fruit; it is a seed.
 
Pinipig

 Pinipig is actually immature glutinous rice that is harvested and pounded into what looks more like light green flakes. The flakes are moist and redolent with a fragrance that is simply unique. Some restaurants used to replace pinipig with the more readily available corn flakes
 
Mango

 The mango (Mangifera indica) is a tropical Asian tree of the cashew family. They are now grown extensively throughout the tropics, and are sometimes known as 'the peach of the tropics.
 
Pastillas

Pastillas are made from milk and sugar boiled together until thickened, then cooled and formed by hand into little mini-logs that are often rolled in more granulated sugar before they are individually packed in cellophane and paper.
 
Suman

 Suman is a rice cake originating from the Philippines. It is made from glutinous rice cooked in coconut milk, and often steamed in banana leaves. It is served wrapped in buli or buri palm leaves and usually eaten sprinkled with sugar.
 
Banana

 Bananas are great for athletic and fitness activity because they replenish necessary carbohydrates, glycogen and body fluids burned during exercise. They are available all year-round and they are harvested every day of the year.
 
Melon

 Melon is a term used for various members of the Cucurbitaceae family with fleshy fruit. Melon can refer to either the plant or the fruit, which is a false berry. Many different cultivars have been produced, particularly of muskmelons. The plant grows as a vine.
 
Origins of the Umbrella

 The basic umbrella was invented over four thousand years ago. There is evidence of umbrellas in the ancient art and artifacts of Egypt, Assyria, Greece, and China. These ancient umbrellas or parasols were originally designed to provide shade from the sun. The Chinese were the first to waterproof their umbrellas for use in the rain by waxing and coating their paper parasols with lacquer.
 
Why are Pencils Yellow?

 In the 1980's, American pencil makers wanted a special way to tell people that their pencils contained Chinese graphite since the best graphite in the world at that time came from China. Because the color yellow is associated with royalty and respect in China, the American pencil manufacturers started painting their pencils bright yellow to communicate this “regal” feeling and association with China. The trend continues on until today.
 
Apples & Apple Trees

 The apples from one tree can fill 20 boxes every year. Each box weighs an average 42 pounds and contains approximately 105 apples. Apples are fat, sodium, and cholesterol free. 25 percent of an apple's volume is air – that's why they float. The largest apple picked weighed three pounds.
 
Strawberry

 Berries on a straw? There is a legend that strawberries were named in the nineteenth-century by English children who picked the fruit, strung them on grass straws and sold them as "Straws of berries". Another theory is the name was derived from the nineteenth-century practice (ands still today, although most farms use raised beds, enclosed in plastic) of placing straw around the growing berry plants to protect the ripening fruit.
 
Peanut Butter

 Peanut Butter was developed in 1890 by a St. Louis doctor for his patients with bad teeth. It was promoted as a health food at the St. Louis Exposition 14 years later, but the oil separated from the grainy solids. In 1933, a California packer was able to homogenize the peanuts into a stable butter - "Skippy Churned Peanut Butter".
 
Origins of the word XMAS

 Although it is a common misconception that the term Xmas is disrespectful, its origins show this not to be true. The Greek word for Christ is Xristos, and the letter “X” was frequently used as a religious symbol. Thus Xmas is merely an abbreviated form of the word Christmas and was first used by Europeans in the 16th century.
 
What's a Durian?

Imagine the best, most delicious, and sensuous banana pudding you can imagine, add just a touch of butterscotch, vanilla, peach, pineapple, strawberry, and almond flavors, and a surprising twist of — garlic??!! Like many of life's greatest experiences, eating durian cannot be adequately described with words. Durian has a characteristic delicious flavor, creamy texture, and tantalizing fragrance that is just... durian! — the king of fruits, Nature's most magnificent fruit gift.
 
Why is it called Tiramisu?

 Tiramisu means "pick-me-up" in Italian. It represents the high energetic content (eggs and sugar) and the caffeine of the strong black coffee.
 
Pineapple

 Pineapples are the berry to a perennial herb, borne on a stem that emerges from a cluster of leaves just above the ground. It takes 18 to 22 months for a pineapple plant to produce a single 4 to 5 pound fruit. About a year later, the plant will produce a second fruit, smaller than the first. Hawaii is the number one country producing pineapples. Pineapples are a used as a symbol of hospitality.
 
Tarts

 There is something very appealing about a miniature tart. It’s so much fancier looking than an ordinary cookie and seems to promise more in the flavor department, while at the same time its small size lets you indulge yourself in a bite or two without guilt. From a preparation standpoint, miniature tarts aren’t much more difficult to make than full-sized tarts are and they are certainly easier to transport and serve.
 
Brownies

 Brownies are an extremely popular chocolate-based dessert made with eggs, flour and sugar.
 
Cheesecake

 Cheesecake is believed to have originated in ancient Greece. Historians believe that cheesecake was served to the athletes during the first Olympic Games held in 776 B.C.
 
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Baking Tips

Have Proper Measuring Tools
A drinking glass does not count as a cup, nor does your cereal spoon count as a teaspoon. Make sure you buy proper measuring tools, which are quite affordable and can be found in the baking aisle of your supermarket or any housewares store.
Know Kitchen Basics
Make sure you have the right gadgets and know basic tricks and terminology.
Have All Of Your Ingredients
There's nothing like getting through half of the recipe and realizing you have no eggs. Make sure you have all of your ingredients beforehand so you don’t have to make an extra trip (or two) to the store.
Know Ingredient Substitutions
Sometimes either you or a store runs out of essential ingredients - but that doesn’t mean you have to stop baking. There are many substitutions you can make for common ingredients.
Follow Recipes Carefully
If you don’t, your final product may not turn out the way you want it to be. So, do not take shortcuts or eliminate ingredients unless you are very sure it will not affect your baking.
Experiment
Instead of chocolate chips, try butterscotch chips. Instead of almonds, try walnuts. Instead of vanilla extract, try almond. The possibilities are endless, and you never know what you may end up with.
Make Sure You Time Your Baking
Don’t guess how long your baking should be in the oven. Use a kitchen timer or stopwatch - preferably something that beeps or rings. Don’t rely on watching the clock, because any distraction, such as TV or Internet surfing, can lead to burned food. If your food is not done when the timer rings, keep checking in three-minute increments.
Make Sure Your Food Is At Optimal Temperature
When you take your food out of the oven, make sure you serve it hot or let it cool, depending on what recipes call for. Sure, you may like warm chocolate cake, but it’s likely to fall apart when you ice it.
Clean Up Your Mess Promptly
The faster you clean up your mess, the easier it will be. Dried-out food is much harder to get off of pans and cookware.