Raisins get no respect. The lowliest member of the dried fruit totem pole, raisins have none of the exotic allure of dried mangoes or pineapple, none of the so-good-I-could-sneak-it-into-the-movie-theater-instead-of-candy appeal of dried cherries. Raisins, with their grade school lunchbox associations, get left at the bottom of the bag of trail mix, picked out of the sticky buns. Only prunes have a worse rep, but ever since they changed their name to 'dried plums,' they've hardly given us the time of day. While I can't be bothered with the beef jerky-tough little raisins from the cardboard canister, I do adore the juicy fire raisin from Trader Joe's, the plump specimens baked into oatmeal raisin cookies. In fact, raisins are underutilized in baking; as soaking in a wet batter and being cooked in an oven tends to soften them, even the cheapest raisins will suit the purpose. In honor of National Raisin Day today, try one of the recipes from Sun-Maid's website - the old-fashioned raisin pie looks irresistibly sticky-sweet. I'm still looking to replicate a raisin cake I ate frequently in Argentina - it was a rather flat yellow sheet cake studded with sugar-swollen brown and golden raisins. If anyone has a similar recipe, please give me a shout.
May is National BBQ Month and National Hamburger Month
Cupcakes, not for dessert (unless beef is your idea of a treat)
Because eating French Fries in the car is so tough
