Most people think potatoes originated in Ireland. But that’s not true. The Andean Mountains of South America is the birthplace of the "Irish" white potato that we eat today. The Spanish Conquistador, Pedro Cieza de Leon, in his journal "Chronicle of Peru" first wrote about potatoes in 1553. Potatoes were a standard supply food item on Spanish ships. Sailors who ate papas (potatoes) did not suffer from scurvy.

By the 1800s, Irish peasants were eating a daily average of 10 potatoes per person. The potatoes supplied about 80% of the calories in their diet and it helped the Irish feed their animals, too. The dependence on one food crop was dangerous, but no other crop had ever proved to be as reliable to grow.

In the 1840s heavy rains rotted the potato crops in the ground. Without potatoes, both the peasants and animals went hungry. And when the animals died for lack of food, milk, meat and eggs were no longer available. More than one million of Ireland's population died of starvation.

People on the northwest coast mainly first used pesto sauces, sun dried tomatoes and foccacia bread. Florence is known for tasty and healthy meals with plenty of soup and grilled meats. Sicily invented some great dessert, such a marzipan that is made with noodles and extra cheese and tastes like candy. Lasagna is my favorite food!

Every Saturday morning, my mother prepares plantains for our family lunch. You can hear her in the morning flattening the plantains with her rolling pin. Because plantains cook quickly, you know lunch comes soon when you hear the oil frying in the pan.

We serve green plantains as a side dish. For a healthier version, boil the green plantains instead of frying them. Plantains or plátanos are big on nutrition and are a staple food in the Caribbean. But plantains and bananas originated in China and moved to Africa then towards the pacific. In the Middle Ages, both Moslems and Christians thought that the banana was the forbidden fruit of paradise.

Take a taco shell; add a big spoonful of the meat mixture, top with lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Carefully spoon salsa on top. Enjoy!

Taco night is a favorite time for our family. My mother makes this when she has a busy day because it is easy for her. But I love it, because when my mother puts out all the colorful ingredients and we get to make our own tacos, it looks festive. We have the most fun on taco night, because our family is more relaxed and we laugh and tell jokes. After we are finished, there are just a few dishes to clean, so my mom is happy too.

Wash the inside and outside of the bird thoroughly. Sprinkle to taste the salt and pepper on the inside and outside of the bird.

You can stuff the cavity with carrots, celery, and onion sprinkled with the rosemary and thyme. (This keeps the bird juicy and you can use the vegetables for your gravy or stuffing.) Rub the olive oil under the skin of the bird. Slice the skin near the breast to get under the skin. Put in a large roasting pan.

Don’t use a flimsy aluminum foil pan because it could be dangerous taking the turkey out of the oven. While the bird is cooking, baste it using a large spoon.

Cook the bird until the meat thermometer reads 170 degrees in the meaty part of the thigh and the skin of the turkey is a golden brown.
Make sure the inside of the cavity reads at least 165 degrees. For a 10-14 lb turkey it could take 3 hours or more. When the turkey comes out of the oven it will continue to cook. So let it sit for 20 minutes before carving.

It was President Abraham Lincoln who proclaimed Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863. Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the official bird of the United States. Since 1947 the National Turkey Federation has presented a turkey to the White House for Thanksgiving every year.

Reportedly, about 272 million turkeys were raised in 2001. It is believed that 46 million of them are eaten at Thanksgiving, 22 million at Christmas, and 19 million at Easter! My family eats Turkey on those holidays. Turkey is my favorite food, because it tastes good and reminds me of my family at holidays

Place lettuce leaves on six plates. Put the cool macaroni on the lettuce leaves. Top with a scoop of tuna. You can add tomatoes, celery, and cucumbers to your salad.

Tuna is America’s most popular fish dish. The average person eats 3.6 pounds of tuna every year - most of it canned. The word ‘tuna’ comes from the Latin word, Thunnus.

The tuna are constantly in motion and can swim up to 55 miles per hour. Tuna eats up to ten percent of its body weight every day. Depending on the type of tuna, it can weigh anywhere from 10 pounds to 600 pounds!

Albacore: White-fleshed fish that is light
Yellowfin: Comes from the Hawaiian islands
Bluefin: A high-fat content fish that has a lot of flavor
Bigeye: Properties of Bluefin but the fish don’t grow as big

On that first warm night, we will sit together and talk about what we will do for the summer. I start to get excited because I know the end of the school year is near. Summer in the Bronx is short, so I try and drink as many milkshakes as I can before it gets too cold to drink them and its time to go back to school.

In India their version of a milk shake is the "Lassi" that is made with cold yogurt and spices like mint, cumin and cardamon. In Italy they add coffee espresso to thier shakes. And, in hispanic communties a milk shake is usually a fruit smoothie blended with milk.

In a frying pan cook the ground beef on medium heat until browned. Drain off the fat. Add 2 cups of spaghetti sauce to meat and cook until hot.

Take the remaining spaghetti sauce and put it on the bottom of 2 quarts rectangular baking dish. Put 2 uncooked lasagna noodles on the bottom of the baking dish on top of the spaghetti sauce.

Spread one-third of the meat mixture on top of the noodles. Then, carefully try to spread one-half of the cottage or ricotta cheese over the meat. Sprinkle a half cup of the mozzarella cheese on top of that. Add another layer of 2 uncooked noodles, 1/3 of the meat, the rest of the ricotta or cottage cheese, and another half cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese.

Add the last layer of 2 uncooked noodles, the rest of the meat and cheeses and sprinkle the top with the grated Parmesan cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and place in oven for an hour. The lasagna will be hot so be careful when you take the foil off.
Let it cool for 15 minutes before serving.

December 23rd is the one night our whole family gets together. All of my aunts, uncles and cousins are there. This night is almost as special as Christmas for me. That’s because sometimes our whole family cannot get together for Christmas dinner because some of my aunts, uncles and cousins have to go to the houses of their in-laws. But this night is always free for my family.

We eat my grandmother’s lasagna, laugh, sing and dance. We catch up on our family stories and laugh about the past

When I came home I decided to learn how to make this drink for myself. I couldn’t believe how easy it is to make. My family in the Dominican Republic makes this drink with fresh lemons or limes, but I like it with orange juice because it tastes sweeter and is easier to make. If you decide to make this with fresh lemons or limes you have to squeeze them first and make sure you take out the seeds. The Bronx can get very hot in the summer. When I make this drink it takes me back to the time I spent in the Dominican Republic with my family for my 10th birthday.

Cook the sugar and 1tbsp of water in an aluminum round pan over low to medium heat until the sugar is melted and a light golden brown color. Remove it from the heat and quickly swirl the mixture until the sides of the pan are covered with a thin layer of caramel. Let the caramel harden.

In a bowl, beat the eggs and stir in water, sweetened milk, and vanilla. Pour into pan of caramelized sugar.

Take a larger pan and fill it with an inch of hot water. Place the pan of flan into the larger pan and bake at 350 degrees for an hour or until the center jiggles. Remove the dish from the larger pan to a wire rack and let it cool for an hour. Then put it in the refrigerator for several more hours or overnight.

Flan is a type of custard. It has been around since the medieval times. An old Italian cookbook published in 1475 said that custard-type foods were considered very healthy. Besides being very nourishing, it is believed that custard helps the chest, liver and kidneys, and that it improves fertility.

Flan can be made in so many different ways. You can add ingredients that will make it a meal. In Europe, flan is often served during Lent when meat is forbidden. In my family we only eat it as dessert.