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The best thing about baking chicken is that it’s fast, easy and simply delicious. There are literally hundreds of recipes out there and the best part is that as an ingredient, chicken is really easy to work with. It adapts well to innumerable marinades and can be paired with a number of spices. In fact, each culture around the globe has its own way of baking this accommodating meat.

Now, potatoes have long since been considered a European staple. But, did you know that in reality they are a New World food and were introduced to Europe by Spanish explorers around 1536?

The traditional pea soup is actually the split pea soup which is made from the dried legume and not the fresh/frozen green pea. It is believed that the Greeks and Romans even cultivated this legume as far back as 500 to 400 BC and the vendors sold hot pea soup on the streets of Athens.

Spinach is a green leafy vegetable loaded with nutrients and antioxidants that boasts some formidable connections to amaranth and also beets and quinoa. It is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals and is loaded with proteins and carbohydrates. Broccoli is a rich source of both fiber and protein.

The word ‘Goya’ is an Urdu word that refers to a suspension of disbelief particularly through stories. And, is that not exactly what short stories are meant to be – an immersive experience of reading which transports a reader to the make believe world created by the author? Are not stories meant to be escapes and glimpses into a world that offers entertainment? In my opinion stories are meant to be addictive therapy but of the good, doctor prescribed kind.

The term roast chicken traditionally referred to a whole chicken, spit roasted over an open fire. Back then, in the olden days, the chicken was roasted with its own juices with very minimal marinade being used.

Little is known about the origin of the word strawberry but it is believed that most likely the word comes from the Old English streawberige because the plant sends out runners which could be likened to pieces of straw.

My cranberry cookies made with almond flour with maple syrup is one quick recipe. This recipe does not use white sugar as that is substituted by maple syrup or pancake syrup. The cookies are super quick to make and turn out moist and soft. I use cranberries for their anti oxidative properties but you can use blueberries, chocolate chips or any other dried fruit of your choice. The cookies taste delicious whatever you add to them. To spice up the cookie dough I prefer to add a little bit of cardamom powder. Trust me that makes all the difference in this. You can also add a cinnamon powder.

The stems have good vasodilator properties. They help in blood circulation in the body and also help to lower blood pressure. The stem lies beneath the slushy, muddy waters in which the plant grows and is technically called the rhizome. This is why it is commonly confused as a root, when in fact, it is a stem.