by B.L. Unkel | Dec 23, 2023 | Holidays
Christmas customs and traditions are many and varied. One of the best-known, at least in the U.S., is the Christmas tree. Evergreens Evergreen trees, like mistletoe and other evergreen plants, have been used in pagan and Christian winter festivals for thousands...
by B.L. Unkel | Dec 16, 2023 | Everything Else
What do Christmas, Druids, a Norse god, and bird droppings have in common? Mistletoe, of course! The Plant Mistletoe is a semi-parasitic plant that grows in large spherical clumps on a wide variety of hosts—trees and shrubs. Some mistletoe clumps can get as...
by B.L. Unkel | Dec 9, 2023 | Baking
Christmas—my favorite time of the year. One of the many things associated with the Christmas season is gingerbread. What Is It Gingerbread covers a broad range of baked goods. From crisp cookies to moist cakes, gingerbread is any baked good, seasoned with...
by B.L. Unkel | Nov 25, 2023 | Baking
Food Names What Thanksgiving leftovers are you now enjoying? Turkey? Green bean casserole? Sweet potatoes? Pecan pie? The names of these foods make sense. They tell you exactly what you’re eating. Other dishes have names that not only don’t provide a clue as to what...
by B.L. Unkel | Oct 28, 2023 | Holidays
Another Halloween is almost upon us. History Halloween began more than 2,000 years ago as a pre-Christian Celtic festival called “Samhain” (pronounced “sow-in” and meaning summer’s end). It marked the changing seasons and the final day of the...
