Whaddya Think, Doctor Fink?

“Traditional” potato salad probably goes back to the 1700s. Frederick the Great of Germany, ordered that potatoes should be cultivated. The wheat crop had failed and he needed to feed his army. It wasn’t long before kartoffel (potatoes) became kartoffelsalat (potato salad). The salad was made by boiling potatoes in wine or a mixture of vinegar and spices and served warm. Sometimes they added bacon and sugar. German immigrants brought the recipe to the New World, and the American, Amish,

    George Washington knew what he was doing. Natalie Colarossi wrote in Business Insider that “he spent his entire campaign budget – a whopping 50 pounds – on 160 gallons of liquor in order to sway voters on election day.” Clearly, it worked. Munching for votes is a tradition, although it doesn’t always work the way it was intended. Some stump foods tell a different story. For example, President Gerald Ford committed an unforgivable gaff in 1976, dubbed “The

    *Roots are the energy-storage part of the plant. *Sweet cassava has low levels of cyanide that’s removed in cooking. Most of the poison is in the outer bark-like peel which is easily removed.   *Happy International Carrot Day is celebrated every year on April 4. *WebMD reports that root vegetables are “dense in essential nutrients and come with a number of health benefits.” *In 19th century Victorian England, women used beet juice to give their hair a red

  *Indiana turkeys, Peanut Butter & Jelly, were chosen because of their “temperament, appearance, and I suspect their vaccination status,” President Biden joked in 2021 during the pandemic. “Instead of getting basted, they’re getting boosted.” *Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird. He lost out to the bald eagle. *Turkey eggs are tan with brown specks and larger than chicken eggs. *A baby turkey is called a poult and is tan and brown. *The Presidential Flock is

  *According to Real Simple, spaghetti squash is loaded with vitamin C – an “antioxidant, which means it boosts your immune system and protects your memory as you age.” *A spaghetti squash can vary in color from ivory to yellow to orange. Orange has the highest amount of carotene. *Cooking turns the solid inside flesh (when raw) into strands that can be easily removed with a fork. *Spaghetti squash has many different names, including spaghetti di zucca (Italy), somen nankin

  *The name “sour dough” refers to its leavening properties not taste. It’s only sour if you want it to be baked that way. *Sourdough can be used for a lot more than bread like bagels, pancakes, rolls, cookies, muffins, cakes, cobblers, and fritters. *The Israelites used sourdough to make leavened bread. *Sourdough “mother” or starter can be dehydrated – it becomes a powder that lasts indefinitely. *Sourdough isn’t gluten free but is lower than regular gluten bread. *Carl T.

  *Avocados are single-seed berries (fruit) not vegetables. *You can ripen an avocado quickly by putting it in a bag with bananas. *Avocados provide “healthy fat” that reduces bad cholesterol. *Hass Avocado, the most popular variety in the world, was patented by Rudolph Gustav Hass in 1935.     *In Ethiopia, avocados are made into juice and mixed with sugar, milk, or water. *Avocados are very healthy – they have essential vitamins and minerals, high fiber, and healthy fat. *Avocado

  *The world’s most eaten food is rice – a staple for more than half of the global population. *There are thousands of different types of rice like brown, white, black, wild, arborio, and basmati. *Some of the most unpopular foods include cilantro, celery, and tofu. *Pound cake doesn’t actually weigh a pound.     *Raspberries, cherries, and strawberries are members of the rose family. *The Caesar Salad was invented in Tijuana, Mexico in the 1920s – not Rome, Italy.

  It’s a special kind of magic. Slide squishy dough into the oven and it comes out as dinner rolls. Air-fry frozen potato balls and you end up with crispy Tator Tots. Barbecue slimy-looking raw chicken on the grill and the result is sweet, sizzling drumsticks. Yum. These days we don’t think a lot about cooking. It’s always been there. Cooking makes food delicious, creative, and fun. It’s part of families, friends, and celebrations. We’re rewarded with roast beef, creamy

  *Cream-cheese frosting on carrot cake didn’t become popular until the 1960s. *National Carrot Cake Day is February 3. *If the baking soda has a strange reaction it can turn carrots green or blue in the cake. It’s still safe to eat. *Carrots not only sweeten the cake but they also make it denser and moister. *In the 1970s and 80s carrot cake was considered a health food because of its vegetable main ingredient. *Carrot cake was a top food