Diana

Apr 2014 19

Deviled Egg Plates: Collectible and Oh, So Usable

2014 Articles, Diana Bulls, Food Fun, Hometown History

by Diana Bulls

Here we are, Easter almost upon us, with spring just around the corner–well whatever we call spring in central California. When I think of spring and Easter (the secular holiday, not the real one), it's not long before I am thinking about eggs, specifically deviled eggs. Honestly, can you have an Easter picnic or get together and not have deviled eggs? Not in my family. In fact, Thanksgiving is the only time the family gets together when deviled eggs aren't there too.

Mar 2014 1

Collecting Reamers: Going For the Juice

2014 Articles, Diana Bulls, Food Fun, Hometown History

by Diana Bulls

Reamers–a useful little kitchen gadget–have been around for a long time, but their heyday only lasted through the 1930s and into World War II.

Jan 2014 25

Pie Safes: Simple Technology Keeping Food Safe

2014 Articles, Diana Bulls, Food Fun, Hometown History

by Diana Bulls

Today there are not many Americans who think about how to store food. Nearly every household has a refrigerator, a freezer and a variety of plastic or metal storage canisters. Food comes from the grocery store in cans, bottles, boxes or bags–ready to just put away in the frig or pantry–with little concern about hungry critters

Aug 2013 3

A Funny Thing Happened While Climbing My Family Tree

2013 Articles, Diana Bulls, Hometown History, Reedley News

by Diana Bulls

Those who know Jim and I well, know that we love history and all things historical which includes our family genealogy. Jim's mother, Minnie Bulls, could almost be a professional genealogy researcher and, fortunately, my relatives were really good record keepers.

May 2013 25

Rats Are Just Misunderstood: Mainely Rat Rescue

2013 Articles, Diana Bulls, Rodent Ramblings

by Diana Bulls

And so are rat lovers. Most people take one look at us, with that beady-eyed, long-tailed critter coiled around our neck and are totally grossed out. That's pretty much what Robin Rushlau of Dresden, Maine thought. "I had friends who had rats–I wouldn't even look at them. I thought they were the creepiest pets ever." But all that changed when she let her daughter pet sit for one while the owners were on vacation. "I couldn't believe how wonderful he was. At the end of the two weeks I wouldn't let him go back."

May 2013 11

Host a Mother’s Day Tea Party

2013 Articles, Diana Bulls, Food Fun

by Diana Bulls

Nothing says Spring or Mother's Day, like a tea party. Drinking tea was once a lost ritual in the U.S., but it is now making a comeback. The specialty tea market has grown and tea shops can be found all over, even in cities like Fresno! Tea can be sweet or savory, spicy or fruity and it has depth and flavor. Tea is for people of all ages, and especially for those people who like to feel warm and fuzzy on the inside.

May 2013 11

Fun Collectibles-Infusers: A Tea Time Necessity

2013 Articles, Diana Bulls, Food Fun, Hometown History

by Diana Bulls

Tea time and Mother's Day seem to go together, so I immediately thought about the simple tea infuser. Once nearly extinct, but now making a comeback, this lowly little item was a necessity for brewing the perfect cup of tea. Infusers were around for a long time before the invention of tea bags. Sometimes called a tea ball or tea egg, by the time of Queen Victoria, no respectable British household would be without one of these, but before we get in to the nitty-gritty of tea infusing, we need a little history lesson on tea itself.

Mar 2013 23

Collectible Kitchenware: Salt & Pepper Shakers

2013 Articles, Diana Bulls, Food Fun, Hometown History

by Diana Bulls

Most of us pay little or no attention to salt & pepper. They don't cost much and are easily obtainable at any grocery store. Every household has a container of salt & pepper on the table or in the cupboard, but it wasn't always this way. At one time, both salt and pepper were literally worth their weight in gold! Modern salt mining techniques and expanded pepper growing regions have made them an everyday item rather than a luxury.

Nov 2012 10

Practical Kitchen Pets: Pie Birds

2012 Articles, Diana Bulls, Food Fun, Hometown History

by Diana Bulls

So, you have taken my advice from past articles and have started poking around in your grandmother's (or mother's) kitchen drawers, and you found this ceramic thingy. It sort of looks like it was half of a salt and pepper set, but then again, there is only one hole on top and it's way too big. Lucky you; you have found a pie bird! It is one of those whimsical, days-gone-by kitchen gadgets that is still practical enough that every pie baker should have one.

Oct 2012 20