Leftovers defined by our friend Miriam: "...something that remains unused or unconsumed...Not used up; remaining after use, unusable leftover auto parts."

The definition sounds so cast-off'ish. Like no one wanted it. My version of the definition of leftovers is that you made so much, no matter how good it is, there is still enough to eat tomorrow. Very simply, leftovers means good planning.

Like the panettone bread pudding (recipe test) I made this year. Now, 3 days later, it is better than it was when fresh out of the oven and even the next day, too (it's the age old question of hot, room temp or cold of when to eat bread pudding).

Of course, some dishes should not have a leftover plan, like pasta with red sauce (tomatoes, garlic, basil) or fresh pasta tossed with calamari. Dishes like this are so fresh, that fresh is one of the main ingredients.

Food has been the best thing about this year. Maybe more so than ever before, food is an island of safety. We can share in the friendliest way, with no intent of harm or indigestion.

Sharing our favorite recipes, sharing our favorite olive oil, sharing our fave cookie or cracker, it is the wonderful act of sharing that food is! And even though we might live a little farther away than we might wish from friends and family, we can at least share our dish via photophone (bet you didn't know that this is why the iPhone was invented).

So when it comes to leftovers, it just means you did good, planned well, have a full tummy, or at least a happier mind!

New Year's Foods around the world

In Italy, Capodanno, is celebrated with a traditional meal of cotechino (pork sausage) and lentils, symbolizing progress and wealth due to their coin-like shape. Other lucky foods include zampone (stuffed pig's trotter)and festive desserts like panettone or pandoro, representing abundance and happiness.

In France, Reveillon de la Saint-Sylvestre, is celebrated with a luxurious feast featuring oysters, foie gras, smoked salmon, lobster, and other seafood, symbolizing abundance and prosperity. Champagne is essential for toasting to happiness and success, and some may also enjoy Galette des Rois, a festive cake representing good fortune. These indulgent dishes set the tone for a prosperous and joyous new year.

In England, traditional New Year's Eve foods focus on good fortune and abundance, including roast beef or pork, symbolizing progress, and seasonal vegetables like carrots and parsnips for nourishment and prosperity. Lentils or peas are included for wealth, and mince pies, a festive treat, are believed to bring good luck if eaten in silence while making a wish.

In Tokyo, Japan, New Year's Eve, or Omisoka, is marked by eating toshikoshi soba (year-crossing noodles), which symbolize longevity and resilience due to their long, unbroken strands. This simple yet meaningful meal is believed to bring good luck and a smooth transition into the new year.

Happy New Year from all of us to all of you!

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I have been thinking about this for 2 years now. Having a simple bread pudding recipe, which makes great panettone sing and not drown.

Make it early and have it ready to eat anytime.

A quick zap in the microwave and then top with a dousing of heavy cream (no need to make it fancy) and touch of maple syrup (if you want) and the panettone shines through with all its wonderful personality dancing in your mouth!

Remember your panettone comes already primed with candied fruit and lots of flavor!

I like at least 24 hours in the refrigerator or even more seems to make it all come together even better.

See the Simple and Easy ChefShop Panettone Bread Pudding Recipe here!

This red-in-color wine vinegar is delicious. Thin in viscosity, when it first reaches your lips, it feels luscious, rich, and thick.

The tip of the tongue experiences the vinegar, but the flavor comes to the senses via the lips, along with a bit of a sting (acid of the vinegar) at the back of the throat.

Unlike some vinegars, this gentle twinge at the back of the throat dissipates quickly and is more akin to a nicely-aged Balsamic.

The round flavor of its red wine origins lives in the "nose" and in the "taste". There is a complete roundness to the flavor of this red wine vinegar, which draws you in, and one spoonful is not enough!

Perhaps, even though it is a gourmet wine vinegar, it makes you feel like it is a sweet wine or an aged balsamic, and yet its notes are different than you expect.

After much tasting, I still cannot describe the flavor as I would like.

Like many, if not all red wines, if you suck in a sip, your nose will pucker at the tip, and hints of red wine vinegar will be present.

If you are willing to savor the flavors and the gourmet wine vinegar slowly, you will feel the hints of red strawberry (creaminess) laced with vanilla and hints of little tiny violets!

I can tell you that it is a wonderful, joyous surprise, and one can imagine that it makes everything taste better. What a wonderful treat this is. Agrodolce!

Three generations of grape and olive growers, Lluís and Quimeta, were already renowned growers when they decided to build their own cellar in the year 2000. Espelt is their family name, and their son, Damia Espelt, an agricultural engineer, grew the business and took on many of the decisions that now shape Espelt's wine and vinegar enterprises.

Anna, Damia's daughter, is now a biologist and winemaker, and she had a clear calling for viticulture and winemaking. Today, she is in charge of Espelt, focusing on the native varieties and heritage of vine-growing in Emporda—and she is doing an award-winning job at that.

Located in Catalonia, north of Barcelona, near where the famous restaurant El Bulli used to be, the terrain dictates much of what they grow, how they grow it, and how their grapes and wines ultimately taste.

The land, shaped like a large amphitheater, overlooks the Mediterranean and is sheltered by the Pyrenees Mountains.

This unique terrain impacts the seasonal weather, making snow in the winter rare, bringing a mild spring, a shaded summer, and a perfect fall harvest most years.

The soil is made up of slate patched with granite. The grape vines grow in both types of soil, which impacts the flavor of the grapes and wine. The sandy soil that results from the breakdown of the slate is called saulo.

Saulo-grown wines are fresh, elegant, and easy drinking, whereas the slate-grown wines are riper, more tannic, and more powerful in flavor.

Espelt focuses on growing grape varietals native to the Mediterranean and the Emporda region, including Grenache, Carinyena, Monastrell, Syrah, Macabeo, and Muscatel.

It is the Grenache and Muscatel grapes that start as sweet single-varietal white (Muscatel) and red (Grenache) wines, which are then fermented into the signature Espelt sweet, agro-dolce vinegars.

Shop now for Espelt de Garnatxa Red Wine Vinegar!

In Hong Kong and the Guangdong province in southern China, rice porridge known as congee is a beloved staple. And when it is eaten during a New Year's celebration, it has added significance: it represents good fortune in the coming year.

See Mom's Congee Recipe here!

Jasmine rice is a long-grain variety of rice known for its fragrant, floral aroma and slightly sticky texture when cooked.

Jasmine rice originated in Thailand, where it has been cultivated for centuries. It is believed to be an ancient variety of rice, though its exact origins are somewhat unclear. The name "jasmine" rice comes from the jasmine flower, known for its sweet fragrance, because the rice has a similar aroma when cooked.

It has been grown for hundreds of years, particularly in Thailand, where it is considered a national treasure. The rice is typically grown in the fertile plains of the Chao Phraya River basin in Thailand, which provides the perfect conditions for cultivating fragrant rice.

The most notable characteristic of jasmine rice is its fragrance, often described as floral, nutty, or similar to popcorn. This aroma is caused by the compound 2-acetyl-1-pyrroline, which is found in the rice and also in popcorn and basmati rice. The scent becomes more pronounced when the rice is cooked.

Long-grain rice has a higher starch content, which makes the grains less sticky compared to short-grain rice. However, jasmine rice has slightly more stickiness than other long-grain varieties due to its high level of amylopectin, a component of starch.

The most common type of jasmine rice is white jasmine rice, which has been milled and polished. Brown jasmine rice is the whole grain version, where the outer bran layer remains intact. Brown jasmine rice has a chewier texture and a nuttier flavor due to the retained bran.

The taste of jasmine rice is mild and slightly nutty, with a subtle sweetness. The fragrance and flavor are often described as delicate and aromatic, complementing rather than overpowering the dishes it's served with.

The rice grains are long and slender, with a somewhat translucent white or pale golden color. When cooked, the grains tend to remain fluffy and separate. This separation, when cooked firmer, is one of my all-time favorite rices.

Shop now for Jasmine Rice from Thailand!

Gather all the ingredients so that they are all ready to go. Once you heat the WOK everything comes together quickly.

See the Coconut-rice Soup recipe here!

Sometimes a simple creamy pasta on the shapely Bowtie pasta is all you need. Like getting dressed up without having to go out.

See the Bowtie Goat Cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano Recipe Here!

Traditional Italian farfalle (bowtie-shaped) pasta is drawn through bronze so that the surface is rough and ready to take on whatever sauce you throw at it, just like when you were a kid, but way, way better. It is made only with locally grown, certified Italian Grown Durum wheat.

Farfalle was originally made by rolling out a flat sheet of dough, then cutting it into rectangular or square pieces. These pieces were pinched in the center to form the bow-tie shape, often using the fingers or a fork. The shape helped the pasta cook evenly and allowed sauces to cling to the folds in the pasta.

It is generally believed to have originated in Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, particularly in the area around Parma and Piacenza, which are known for their rich pasta-making traditions. The name farfalle itself suggests an association with the butterfly shape, which is characteristic of this pasta.

This is, quite frankly, one of the best shapes, period!

Sometimes a simple creamy pasta on the shapely Bowtie pasta is all you need. Like getting dressed up without having to go out.

Shop now for Sgambaro Farfalle Bowtie Pasta!

This is a delicious rub that uses a bit of sugar to help the meat brown, but cooks over low heat so the sugar doesn't char. The combination of the cocoa powder with the pepper gives a wonderful depth of flavor.

See the easy Cocoa and Chile Rubbed Pork Chops Recipe here!

From "The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking" cookbook.

See the Risotto with Zucchini Recipe here!

Delicate without adding a flavor, rice bran oil just may be the world's healthiest edible oil. Rice bran oil comes from the most nutritious part of the rice grain, loaded with monounsaturated fats & polyunsaturated fats, as well as vitamin E. These are the good fats that help your body lose weight.

Which means that Non-GMO rice bran oil is not only nutritious, but a superior salad, cooking, baking and frying oil that leaves no lingering aftertaste.

Might be time to replenish your jugs!

Shop now for Rice Bran Oil!

Full of wonderful flavor that you can add to eggs in the morning, sandwiches at lunch and rice and beans for dinner! Versatile! Not hot.

Mole sauce (MOH-lay) is a traditional Mexican sauce. Its history dates back many centuries and is rooted in indigenous Mexican cuisine.

The exact origin of mole sauce is uncertain, but it is believed to have originated in the region that is now modern-day Mexico many centuries ago in pre-Columbian times when indigenous civilizations in Mexico, like the Aztecs and Mayans, developed various complex sauces made from a combination of ingredients.

The word "mole" is derived from the Nahuatl word "molli," which means sauce or concoction. Mole sauce is typically made by combining a variety of ingredients, including chili peppers, nuts, seeds, spices, chocolate, and other flavorings. The exact ingredients and preparation methods can vary widely depending on the region and the specific recipe.

There are numerous variations of mole sauce throughout Mexico, with each region having its own unique version. Some of the most well-known types of mole include:

Mole Poblano: Originating from the state of Puebla, Mole Poblano is perhaps the most famous type of mole sauce. It typically includes chili peppers, nuts, seeds, chocolate, and various spices.

Mole Negro: Hailing from the state of Oaxaca, Mole Negro is a dark and intensely flavored mole sauce. It features ingredients such as dried chilies, nuts, seeds, spices, and chocolate.

Mole Coloradito: This mole sauce, also from Oaxaca, has a reddish color and a slightly sweet taste. It often includes ancho and guajillo chilies, tomatoes, nuts, seeds, and spices.

Mole Amarillo: Originating from the state of Tlaxcala, Mole Amarillo is a yellow-colored mole sauce. It is made with yellow chilies, tomatoes, tomatillos, nuts, and spices.

Mole Verde: Hailing from the state of Oaxaca, Mole Verde is a green mole sauce made with a variety of green chili peppers, herbs, nuts, and seeds.

Mole sauce is incredibly versatile and can be used in a variety of ways. Traditionally, it is most commonly used as a sauce for poultry, such as chicken or turkey. However, it can also be used as a sauce for other meats, such as pork or beef. Mole sauce can also be used as a base for stews, poured over enchiladas or tamales, or even used as a dip for tortilla chips.

Shop now for Bunches and Bunches Smoked Oaxacan Mole Sauce!

This recipe is easy and simple to make and delicious. It is a variation of the classic Key Lime pie recipe with the substitution of Sudachi citrus.

It is delicious!

See the Sudachi Key Lime Pie Recipe Here!

Sudachi is a small, green citrus fruit native to Japan, primarily associated with the Tokushima Prefecture on the island of Shikoku. It's highly valued for its distinct flavor and is commonly used in Japanese cuisine to enhance various dishes.

Sudachi has a vibrant, sharp citrus acidity that is more intense than a lime or lemon, but less sour than a yuzu. The flavor is both tangy and aromatic, with a fragrant, almost floral undertone that makes it stand out from other citrus fruits.

Unlike the harsher sourness of lemon or lime, Sudachi has a more complex, nuanced tartness. The flavor is refreshing but not overpowering, which makes it perfect for finishing a dish without overshadowing other ingredients.

The skin of Sudachi contains oils that give off a potent, zesty aroma, which is often used in zest form to add fragrance to a dish or drink.

Sudachi has been cultivated in Japan for over 1,000 years, with the earliest references to the fruit appearing in texts dating back to the Heian period (794-1185). The fruit's origins are thought to be in the mountainous regions of Shikoku, where it thrives in the temperate climate.

The fruit is grown primarily in Tokushima Prefecture, which is known for its Sudachi production. The area's climate and soil conditions are ideal for cultivating Sudachi, contributing to its unique flavor profile. Sudachi trees are relatively hardy and grow in both, cultivated orchards and wild, mountainous areas.

In Japanese culture, Sudachi is often associated with good fortune and prosperity. The fruit's name, "Sudachi," is a homophone for the phrase "To grow and prosper" ("sudachi"), making it a popular gift, especially for New Year's celebrations and auspicious occasions.

Shop now for 100% Pure Cold-Pressed Sudachi Extract!