DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   This rustic cake gets a zing from a tangy lemon glaze. The sauce dresses up the cake for dessert (or brunch). Ingredients Glaze 1 1/2 cups (packed) powdered sugar, sifted 2 tablespoons (or more) fresh lemon juice Cake 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/3 cup yellow cornmeal 3/4 cup sugar 3 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup buttermilk 2 large eggs 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel 3/4 teaspoon vanilla extract 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled Crushed-Blueberry Sauce Preparation glaze Combine powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons lemon juice in small bowl. Stir with spoon until smooth and paste-like, adding more lemon juice by 1/2 teaspoonfuls if glaze is too thick to spread. Set aside. cake Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter cake pan with 2-inch-high sides; line bottom with parchment. Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl; whisk to blend. ...

    Disputed in the last Sunday in June, it is undoubtedly the event the Pisans feel most strongly about . On that one day they once more discover the heated opposition between the factions, ready to root for the colors of their own Magistratura (or Court. The ‘Magistratura’ is the political-military organization of a quarter or of the team which participates in the Game). The Gioco del Ponte virtually closes the events of the Giugno Pisano, reproposing, in the magnificent setting of the lungarni which are jammed with people (generally there are no less than 100,000 spectators, sometimes many more) the ancient historical opposition between the Parties of Mezzogiorno (south of the Arno) and Tramontana (north of the river). The actual battle is preceded by a historical procession with participants wearing period armature and costumes (around 750 in Spanish style) and with the banners of the participating teams of the four ‘historical’ quarters of Pisa, represe...

   It isn’t hard to imagine that America and Germany shares a lot of similar customs and inventions. After all, roughly 17% of Americans are of German descent. 15. Chicken Fried Steak    Although the origins about this delicious, plate swamping treat vary (I mean, we can’t even agree about who or where it was first served in the Lone Star State) most sources say that it is attributed to German and Austrian immigrants in Texas, who brought over the recipe for Wiener Schnitzel. Of course, Americans took it up a notch and really fried the heck out of that sucker and smothered it in gravy. It is believed that it started being referred to as Chicken Fried Steak, and not Wiener Schnitzel, during the war with Germany. 14. Ring Binder    The famous ring binder that we all come into contact with at least once a week (or daily if in school) is a German invention – and a relatively recent one, at that. Friedrich Soennecken invented it in Bon...