The first time I received chocolates for Valentine’s Day was when I was 7 years old. A boy in my class presented me with a tiny, heart-shaped box of Russell Stover chocolates, bought from the local drug store. I was instantly smitten, and would go on to judge all my future boyfriends by the chocolates … Continue reading A Brief History of Chocolate →

A Brief History of Chocolate

A Brief History of Food is a collection of essays, stories, and recipes of America’s culinary classics, written and told by Karen Miller.

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Forty years ago every housewife in America knew how to cook fried chicken. Remember Florence Henderson frying up chicken with “Wesson-ality” back in the 70s and 80s? In those days, homemade fried chicken was one of the most mouth-watering and welcome dishes you could serve to your family and friends. And it was very economical. … Continue reading A Brief History of Fried Chicken →

A Brief History of Fried Chicken

When I moved to the South twenty years ago, the first thing I did was to order a subscription to Southern Living Magazine. I had been told that it was the Bible for all proper Southern ladies, and I desperately wanted to fit in. Southern Living is a lifestyle magazine that features house and garden … Continue reading A Brief History of Hummingbird Cake →

A Brief History of Hummingbird Cake

Macaroni and cheese is considered the ultimate comfort food throughout the United States. Like many classic American dishes, our mac and cheese is of English origin, brought to America by our English colonists. But, it is said that macaroni, a curved, tubular pasta made from flour, had its origins in China and was brought to … Continue reading A Brief History of Macaroni and Cheese →

A Brief History of Macaroni and Cheese

Florida is a great place to live because I can grow vegetables all year long. I’ve got beautiful tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, and herbs available at my fingertips, yet for some reason, I cannot grow zucchini. But, when I lived up north, zucchini was the plague of every backyard farmer. Shopping bags full of overgrown zucchini … Continue reading A Brief History of Zucchini Cake →

A Brief History of Zucchini Cake

St. Patrick’s Day has come and gone — and what are you doing with all that leftover corned beef? Well, at my house, we’re cooking up a big batch of Red Flannel Hash. You can make regular hash with just about anything — it’s basically bits of chopped meat and potatoes fried in butter. But Red Flannel … Continue reading A Brief History of Red Flannel Hash →

A Brief History of Chocolate

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