PASTA Pasta existed for thousands of years before anyone ever thought to put tomato sauce on it. The average person in Italy eats more than 51 pounds of pasta every year. Top-quality pasta is made from durum wheat, which is grown in North Dakota Pasta is categorized in two basic styles: dried and fresh. Dried pasta is made without eggs and can be stored for up to two years, while fresh pasta will keep for a few days under refrigeration. 100% whole wheat pasta contains more fiber; therefore gets digested slower than regular pasta. October is National Pasta Month.

CHOCOLATE Chocolate is made from the fruit of the cacao tree. Cacao pods contain nibs that are crushed to make unsweetened chocolate. When the cacao nibs are crushed, there are fats and solids remaining. The fats are called cocoa butter. The solids are ground into cocoa powder. White Chocolate does not contain cocoa solids but can be called chocolate by U.S. FDA standards. It must contain cocoa butter. Hawaii is the only US state that grows cacao beans to produce chocolate. More than 36 million heart-shaped boxes of chocolate are sold every year for Valentine's Day. Each cacao pod is about the size of a pineapple and holds thirty to fifty seeds. It takes between seeds to make one pound of chocolate.

GARLIC BREAD Garlic bread consists of bread topped with garlic and olive oil or butter Said to have been invented during the late 1940s boom of Italian-American restaurants Used with Italian or French bread slices Spread garlic butter on both sides Heated in the oven If your fancy it can also be broiled or grilled. There are many variations, including bread brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with minced garlic and herbs

ICE CREAM Ice cream is a frozen dessert usually made from dairy products, such as milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavours Most varieties contain sugar, although some are made with other sweeteners In some cases, artificial flavourings and colourings are used in addition to, or instead of, the natural ingredients Ice Cream is made by stirring, while freezing, a pasteurized mix of one or more dairy ingredients It takes 12 lbs. of milk to make just one gallon of ice cream The U.S. enjoys an average of 48 pints of ice cream per person, per year, more than any other country

SUSHI Sushi is Japanese. Sushi actually is characterized by a slightly sweet, sticky rice, made with a sweet vinegar and rice combination, usually lined with seaweed or kelp, called nori, and then the ingredients are placed in the center and the rice and seaweed are wrapped around the ingredients into a cylindrical roll Sushi has its roots in Southeast Asia. It has been modified for over 2000 years. In its earliest form, dried fish was placed between two pieces of vinegared rice as a way of making it last The nori (seaweed) was only added later as a way to keep one’s fingers from getting sticky Did you know that the sushi commonly known today is only a variation within other types of sushi? Some Different Types of Sushi Futomaki – This is the thick, fat roll of sushi that is usually cut into seven or eight pieces. Hosomaki – This is a thin sushi roll that usually contains only one type of filling. Uramaki – This is a sushi roll where the fillings wrapped with nori are on the inside and the rice is on the outside surrounding the nori. Temaki – Also known as a “hand roll,” this is a cone-shaped sushi roll wrapped in nori, where one end is sealed off with the seaweed and the other end is loose with the ingredients spilling out Cucumber roll California roll Dynamite roll Tuna roll Avocado roll

CAKE Types of cake Angel food cake Chocolate cake Vanilla cake Birthday cake Marble cake Bundt cake Butter cake Carrot cake Cheesecake Cup cakes Coffee cake Fruit cake Etc....

WATERMELON Watermelon is a vine-like flowering plant originally from southern Africa Over 1,200 varieties of watermelon are grown worldwide Watermelon is an ideal health food because it doesn’t contain any fat or cholesterol, is high in fiber and vitamins A & C and is a good source of potassium Every part of a watermelon is edible, even the seeds and rinds A watermelon contains about 6% sugar and 92% water by weight Watermelons were grown by Native Americans in the 16th century watermelon range in weight from less than one to more than 200 pounds the flesh can be red, orange, yellow or white Good-quality watermelon will be firm, evenly-shaped, heavy for its size and have a deep-pitched tone when slapped with an open palm

BROWNIES Ingredients: 4 tablespoons (20g) cocoa powder 1/2 teaspoon (2.3g) baking powder 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter Coconut topper (optional) 2 tsp (10 ml) vanilla Two egg yolks 2 beaten eggs 2/3 cup (132g) sugar 1/4 cup (50g) sugar One can evaporated milk 2 tablespoons (30 ml) milk 1/4 cup (60g) butter 1 cup (125g) all purpose flour HOW TO MAKE BROWNIES Melt chocolate and butter in a saucepan; stir constantly. Remove from heat. Add eggs, sugar, milk and vanilla and mix well. Stir together flour and baking powder and pour into chocolate mixture. Stir the mixture thoroughly. Pour into a waxed paper lined baking dish, or a greased round 9x9x2" baking pan. Bake at 350ºF (176ºC) for 15 minutes. Spread with coconut topper and bake for minutes more. Don't overcook - the center should be fudgy, not dry. Cool and cut into bars. Finished.

PURPLE GRAPES A grape is a fruiting berry of the deciduous woody vines of the botanical genus Vitus Seedless purple grapes provide 110 calories per one cup serving, 0.3 grams of fat, 29 grams of carbohydrates and 1.2 grams of protein. The total carb content includes 1.4 grams of dietary fiber and 24.8 grams of sugar One cup of purple grapes contains 9 milligrams of phosphorus and less than 1 milligram of vitamin C and thiamine The cultivation of the domesticated grape began 6,000–8,000 years ago in the Near East In most of Europe, dried grapes are referred to as "raisins" or the local equivalent