Lisa Bramen

Lisa Bramen

 

Lisa Bramen was a frequent contributor to Smithsonian.com's Food and Think blog. She is based in northern New York and is also an associate editor at Adirondack Life magazine.

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How a Missile Silo Became the Most Difficult Interior Decorating Job Ever

A relic from the Cold War, this instrument of death gets a new life … and a new look

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The History of the Lunch Box

From a working man's utility product to a back-to-school fashion statement, lunch boxes have evolved with technology and pop culture

Lisa's last Food and Think post

The Food & Think Year in Review

Beer batter, doggie bags, culinary crimes, beer koozies... Lisa Bramen says farewell with a list of her favorite 2011 posts

Juniper berries

What the Heck Do I Do With Juniper Berries?

Botanically speaking, they are female seed cones. But culinarily, the dark violet orbs look and taste enough like berries to deserve the name

A "pooping log"

Yes, Virginia, There Is a Pooping Log, and Other World Christmas Traditions

Santa can't do it all. Many places have their own traditions about who—or what—is responsible for bringing Christmas candies and toys

Miracle berries

Hanukkah Parties With a Twist

Latkes are delicious, but I've been thinking it's time to throw some new food traditions into the Hanukkah mix

Raisins are a food that picky eaters won't touch.

Can a Picky Eater Change Her Ways?

Most expand their culinary horizons as they get older, but a few people hold fast to limited diets of familiar things like macaroni and cheese

Gestational diabetes is a risk for older pregnant women.

The Gestational Diabetes Diet: Taking Carbs from a Pregnant Lady

The last thing a pasta-loving pregnant lady with a sweet tooth wants to hear is that she should cut out carbs

Political cookbooks come from all sides of the spectrum.

The Edible Is Political: Cookbooks from Both Sides of the Aisle

The cookbook has been a campaign tool for the women's suffrage movement, John F. Kennedy and now Ron Paul

Only in Quebec, the tourtiere -- a holiday meat pie.

Tourtière: Québecois for Christmas

For French-Canadians, the must-have holiday food is a spiced meat pie

Fuyu persimmons

Five Ways to Eat Persimmons

Both fuyu and hachiya persimmons are usually available in late fall and early winter. Here are a few ways to use either variety

Mocktails

Mocktails for Expectant Moms and Hangover-Free Holidays

Going beyond the usual soft drinks, some bars and restaurants are starting to get creative with their nonalcoholic beverages

Pumpkin pies

Thanksgiving in Literature

Holiday readings from Louisa May Alcott, Mark Twain, Philip Roth and contemporary novels that use Thanksgiving as the backdrop for family dysfunction

Lisa's vintage stove is a little too vintage.

Cooking Through the Ages: A Timeline of Oven Inventions

How much has technology really changed since the first ovens, wood-fired hearths?

Boiling the wort

Brewing Beer is More Fun With Company

There has probably never been a better time to take up home brewing; supplies and information are readily available at bricks-and-mortar stores and online

Sign for Upper Jay

Inviting Writing: Thanksgiving

A loaf of parkin

Treacly Treats for Guy Fawkes Night

The anniversary of a failed assassination is celebrated with fireworks, bonfires, effigy burning and some very sweet desserts

Stuffed cabbage

Five Ways to Eat Cabbage

It's versatile and found in cuisines throughout the globe. Stuff it, fry it, shred it and more

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Ten Horror Movie Food Scenes That Will Make You Shudder

Movie directors know that the quickest way to the audience's gag reflex is through its stomach

Deviled eggs, one of many Halloween treats

Deviled Eggs and Other Foods from Hell

What, exactly, is so wicked about mixing hard-boiled egg yolk with mayonnaise and mustard?

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