Cinnamon Kick

Kari & I both love cinnamon toast....and the best in the world is made by Donnas Kay (the secret is to broil it). However, I've just recently discovered that we've grown up using the cheapest grade of cinnamon and haven't had sense enough to know what we are missing! I bought a bottle of Saigon Cinnamon....and could immediately tell the difference in just the smell!

Since I've really begun to feel rotten from this head hold (which seems to be located in just my nose!) I made my mulled cider last night (or course, the 22 degree weather spurred me along, too) and made me 2 pieces of broiled cinnamon toast. I woke up in the night with my throat on fire, so heated some more of the mulled cider almost to the boiling point and downed it using a straw so I wouldn't burn my tongue. It was a good pain! lol

Facts about cinnamon:

*It's a small tree that grows in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Brazil, Vietnam, and Egypt--it's the bark that is used for spice.
*There are 4 varieties of cinnamon, but the two popular ones are Ceylon and Cassia.
*Ceylon cinnamon is sweeter and the bark is thinner than Cassia.
*Cassia cinnamon is the least expensive and is commonly sold in supermarkets in the U.S. [Saigon cinnamon is the high end of this variety.]
*Ceylon cinnamon sells for about $32 a pound and is sometimes called the true cinnamon.

[Ceylon cinnamon on left; Cassia cinnamon on right]

Health benefits of cinnamon:

*Cinnamon can help lower cholesterol.
*It may help regulate blood sugar.
*It can stop medication-resistant yeast infections.
*It can reduce the proliferation of leukemia and lymphoma cancer cells.
*It has an anti-clotting effect on the blood.
*It can provide significant arthritis pain relief.
*It inhibits bacterial growth and food spoilage.
*Smelling cinnamon boosts cognitive function and memory.
*It fights E. coli bacteria in unpasterized juices.
*It's a source of manganese, fiber, iron, and calcium.

'Tis the season...for Mulled Cider

Mother gave me a small candle that she'd bought at Wal-mart for $1.00...it's called Mulled Cider. She got her money's worth and more! The scent from this candle is so strong and "life-like" that I've caught myself several times thinking I needed to go in the kitchen and pour myself a cup!!

Mulled Apple Cider

4 cups of apple cider (or about a qt.)
6 whole cloves
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick, broken into pieces (or sprinkle a spoonful of ground cinnamon to taste)
1/2 orange, sliced
1-inch peeled, fresh ginger, cut into 6 slices (you can substitute a bit of ground ginger to taste)

Combine the ingredients in a medium saucepan and simmer over a low flame for 20 minutes. Strain and serve. [About 130 cal. per serving--and this makes about 4-5 servings]

Note: You can also add about 1/4 c. orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice and/or sliced lemons...whatever you might have on hand or have a taste for.

I think I started wearing mascara in 8th grade...and it was Maybelline from the beginning. I was always fascinated with that little red box of cake mascara and the little tiny brush. Advances had been made in make up by the time I started wearing it that I went straight for the tube kind! Even through that short period in my life when I wore royal blue mascara (I think this was our 8th grade year when Diane and I had such a crush on our math teacher! lol) I've always worn Maybelline....and pretty much wouldn't be caught dead without mascara on.......until I started working for Edison in 2000.

You know, mascara just didn't fit in to my daily routine of wearing corporate pajamas! lol I continued wearing mascara when attending church or doing trainings or some other public function, but when I was in my home office or running to Wal-mart....I was just slumming--no mascara!

During the year I was post-Edison, lamenting the loss of my dream job, and just eating till I reached the size of a Macy's Thanksgiving Day balloon, I sure wasn't going anywhere that required wearing mascara. Then I got a job at Greenville...and I was very thankful to have the job, but I had such a long commute that I had to decide what to sacrifice...sleep or mascara? Miss Piggy could wear mascara, but I just couldn't give up the sleep to look like her that early in the morning, so I went to school everyday for two years with NO mascara! Oh, the shame! (Well, not really...I just didn't care what they all thought because I knew I wouldn't be there long.)

I was so thrilled to have the job at Sam Rayburn that I whipped out the mascara brush....only to discover that my lashes no longer curled!!! OMGOSH!! They were just sticking out straight...like old lady eyelashes!!

I was determined that I was NOT going to school without mascara any more, so I perservered with applying the stuff every morning...haven't missed a day without it. Now, I'll admit that it's not 3 or 4 layers like I used to wear (you know that Tammy Faye look...well, I wasn't quite that bad, but I did like it on thick!), but I get on at least one or two coats.

....and it took TWO months before my eyelashes started curling!!!

Blown off course.....

So....a little hurricane by the name of Ike blew through in early September....and the grand-pets came to live with me for 2 1/2 months....I somehow managed to fry the computer complete with smoke effects and sparks!...then my backup computer lost its virus protection and came down with an infection of worms and viruses...and it took me two months to get it back!!!

School is keeping me so busy I'm still losing weight! VERY SLOWLY....I'm having yogurt or cottage cheese & jello for breakfast. I'm literally having to lock the library doors for 30 minutes just so I can have lunch...otherwise, I'm just over run with munchkins of all sizes and ages who want books to read...this is a good "problem" to have tho :)

I've had a few times since school has started that I've "fallen off the wagon" so to speak....mainly to being so tired from school that I just didn't want to cook anything.

Speaking of tired....I think I'll go to sleep now...and get back to blogging on a regular basis tomorrow!