Food for Thought : Thanksgiving

It is hard to believe Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. In the next few weeks, many of our kitchen appliances will get more use than they do any other time of the year. If you will be doing a lot of baking and cooking over the next few weeks, follow these tips to get your kitchen ready:
1 . Check your spices and herbs. If you do a lot of baking, you are going to need these. Make sure you have plenty and the ones you have on hand have not expired. Pay special attention to the ones you only use a few times a year such as vanilla, poultry seasoning, pumpkin pie spice and nutmeg.

2 .  Check out your baking and cookware. Make sure you have enough roasting pans, casserole dishes and cookie sheets. Make sure these are free from rust and wear. Also make sure you have plenty of serving dishes and your knives have been sharpened.

3 .  Make room in your freezer. You are going to need the extra room for make-ahead dishes. Throw out anything not labeled and dated properly. Although foods will remain safe for some time, the quality decreases after just a few months. Go ahead and prepare the meals you have been saving.

4 .  Clean everything thoroughly. Pay special attention to baseboards, ceiling fans, light fixtures and cabinets.

                                    Honey-Bourbon Toddy

Servings: Makes 2
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons honey
1 cup hot water
6 tablespoons bourbon or Apple Bourbon (recipe below)
 2     3x1/2' strips lemon peel
2 cinnamon sticks

PREPARATION:
1 .   Stir honey and water in a 2-cup measuring cup until honey dissolves. Add bourbon (or better yet, Apple Bourbon, in which case you'll use 1 Tbsp. honey). Divide between 2 Toddy glasses. Twist a strip of lemon peel over each drink, then add to glass. Stir each with a cinnamon stick and serve.
                    APPLE BOURBON RECIPE:
To make Apple Bourbon, combine a 750-ml bottle of bourbon, 4 cored, sliced Fuji apples, and 4 cinnamon sticks in a pitcher. Cover; chill for 3 days. Strain and sip of use in recipe above.

Words of Wisdom :

"True humor is fun - it does not put down, kid, or mock. It makes people feel wonderful, not separate, different, and cut off. True humor has beneath it the understanding that we are all in this together."
　
Suffering is the result of resistance; so much better to simply embrace people, things, feelings... as they are. Intolerance is a habit we’ve been taught, but it can be unlearned. Changing habits requires conscious practice.

"In the midst of hate, I found there was, within me, an invincible love. In the midst of tears, I found there was, within me, an invincible smile. In the midst of chaos, I found there was, within me, an invincible calm. In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer. And that makes me happy. For it says that no matter how hard the world pushes against me, within me, there's something stronger – something better, pushing right back."


"The future is not some place we are going, but one we are creating. The paths are not to be found, but made. And the activity of making them changes both the maker and their destination."













A Proud Grandpoppa   G. ---- Mr. Humble  sitting in for  Poppa , hopefully  he will be  back  soon .