A number of our hosts have introduced us to some unique kitchen and dining related practices during our trip that I have really enjoyed learning about, so I thought I’d share.
1) High Tech Technique
I consider myself somewhat of an ice cream connoisseur. That being said, when a host of ours shared an ice cream serving technique with us, I was greatly dismayed that it was my first time learning of this genius technique. Our hosts showed us how to deal with ice cream that may be overly frozen and kind of tough to scoop. Instead of wrestling with the scoop, simply whip out a bread knife and saw through the container an inch from the lid. Now it may sound odd but it really is brilliant. When you put the lid back on, it prevents that pesky layer of ice that sometimes forms between the surface of the ice cream and the lid when it is served the traditional way. Additionally, this way of serving ice cream is perfect for pairing ice cream with other desires like pie or cake, as the ice cream comes out in neat, flat, circular sheets of deliciousness, the perfect mount for a brownie or slice of cobbler.
2) Marvelous Mug Cake
Apparently the secret to a good mug cake is using a cake mix with angel food cake properties and topping it off with dove chocolate, at least according to one of our hosts that we had a few weeks ago. After making and trying mug cakes this way, I can confidently endorse this advice. As a college student whose meals during the school year consist of dining hall food and microwave cuisine, information like this is invaluable. Quick, easy, accessible desert-making advice? I’m all ears.
3) Plate of Honor
This quirk differs from the other two in that it doesn’t concern food. One of our more recent hosts introduced us to a dining tradition within their family which centered around a “special plate.” The concept entails setting the dinner table with one plate that differs from the rest of the plates. When the meal begins everyone at the table has until the end of the meal to share one thing they appreciate about the person eating from the special plate. I thought this concept was really neat and thought it would be fun to do it again sometime.
~ Jordan