San Inazio 2k17

Every year the Boise community comes together to help celebrate The San Inazio Festival that is held the last weekend in July at the Basque Block in Downtown Boise. This Festival is a 25+ year celebration honoring St. Ignatius of Loyola, who is the patron saint of the Basques community. It started out as a picnic where families would come together to eat and enjoy each other's company, and once it became so popular turned into a Boise community event that features music, dancing, sporting events, and of course some of the most popular foods from the Basques kitchen! I went and checked out the festival with a few friends, and even met 5 or 6 more people and had the chance to learn their stories which always fascinates me!

OPA! - Boise's 36th Annual Greek Food Festival

Boise's 36th Annual Greek Food Festival took place this past weekend in the Downtown Boise area every year during the weekend after Memorial Day. St. Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church has been the hosting hub for the festival over the years, and funds raised have been used to help support the church's outreach initiatives along with their partners such as Life's Kitchen.

Although there have been Greeks in the Boise area for much longer than 36 years, the festival was started by about 20 members of the Greek community as a way to introduce Boise to Greek culture. One of the originals, Effie Karellas Kaufman, said that promoting ethnicity in the community was important to them. Effie has deep roots in the Peninsula in areas such as Athens, Arcadia, and Kalata Village of Greece.

Indulge Boise Food Tours

A few weeks ago I bored you with my excitement about taking photos for a local food tour called Indulge Boise Food Tours, and guess what I'm back to do it again. I was so intrigued from behind the camera that when I got home I registered to do a tour myself. Although I was there from beginning to end shooting the tour, actually going through the tour was a completely different experience. It's almost like when food tastes much better when you don't have to cook it yourself. Instead of focusing on lighting, and angles, and trying to catch moments, I was able to focus on the foods I was trying for the first time and I was allowed to actually take in the full experience.

Ketchup is My Best Game

For centuries tomatoes have been included in dishes all over the world. Tomatoes are eaten cold or hot, and can be added to foods in both it's raw and cooked forms. It is even commonly used as a drink. One debate that has been the cause of many arguments over the years is whether tomatoes are fruits are vegetables, well I am here to save your friendships. Tomatoes are fruits! In 1893, the US Supreme Court decided that the tomato is a vegetable-based on the popular definition that classifies vegetables by their use. Tomatoes are typically eaten like a vegetable, so the court thought it was only fair to group with the vegetables. I wonder why this debate was so important it had to go to the supreme court? Inquiring minds want to know. Anyway, they are often perceived to be vegetables because their sugar content is so much lower than what we expect from a typical piece of fruit.

Faith the Size of a Mustard Seed

Most people have heard the saying "Faith the size of a mustard seed", which is a religious saying that is found in the Bible for those who follow the Christian faith. The mustard seed is very small in size, and the quote is supposed to represent always having faith, even if it is on a small scale. But the mustard seed is not just a religious proverb. It is actually the inception of something great, a mustard sauce!

Ranch is a Part of Who I Am

Although I love almost all sauces, my first true love was ranch dressing. So much so, that I have had many nicknames with the word ranch in it. It does have mostly to do with the fact that my last name is spelled ranch with the letter "b" in front of it, but it is also because everyone knows I have always loved it. Some of those nicknames include: Lauren B-Ranch and Hidden Valley(named after a brand)

I'm Saucin'

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an absolute lover of sauce. There are not many things that I will eat without some sort of sauce. As a matter of fact, at this present moment, I cannot think of anything so that should tell you something. I actually have more than one shelf dedicated to just sauces in my fridge. How many sauces do you have in your fridge? I just counted, and I actually have 23! That is insane. I have a serious problem!