A Little R&R

Now that the weather is finally cold in Little Rhody, I thought we ought to review the necessary items for winter illness first aid (you can read about them in more detail here).  I've been availing myself of these remedies for the past week or so due to non-stop headaches.  I'm not quite sure what is causing them, but I have it narrowed down to allergies, rapid weather changes, dry heat, forgetting to wear my tinfoil hat to keep the aliens from accessing my brain, or a combination of those factors.

Regarding the shameless self-promotion: just because when I'm feeling rotten I don't post much new material, that doesn't mean you shouldn't be reading when you're feeling rotten.  Just sayin'.

The World's Fanciest Electric Kettle

Image: Cuisinart.com

I haz one.  Santa rocks!

A Birthday Tea Party

The table is set for a tea party.

My niece Katie turned 25 a couple of weeks ago, but I was busy making her birthday gift (which was a scrapbook of all the pictures I took of her on a steeek in Paris and took WAY longer than I thought it would) so I didn't have a luncheon for her until yesterday.

Menu

Cheddar cheese sandwiches with arugula and honey mustard

Cucumber sandwiches with mint

Cream cheese and strawberry jelly sandwiches

Blueberry scones

Cupcakes

Tea

Katie, her daughter Elizabeth (age 6), and I all wore pretty dresses and pearls. A lovely time was had by all.

Royal Wedding Breakfast

I wasn't invited to the official royal wedding breakfast (must have been an oversight), so I created my own. I got up just in time to see the Hot Royal Brothers go into Westminster Abbey. Great timing, if you ask me.

Yes, I really am sitting in front of my computer in pajamas and faux jewels, sipping tea and eating freshly baked biscuits. I've also been joining in the commentary on GoFugYourself.com. This is the most fun I've had at a wedding, ever.

Bee Happy -- With Recipe!

I bought The Herbal Kitchen by Kami McBride a few months ago, and I've been having a great time experimenting with the recipes. I went through a pesto phase for a while but I didn't tell you about it because I'll be darned if I can figure out a way to draw pesto -- or pasta, for that matter -- without it looking like a Rorschach Test.


The whole book is great. I struck gold, though, with her recipe for Cinnamon-Ginger Honey. It's so simple to make and keeps for up to a year -- but trust me, you will go through it much more quickly. It's yummy. Try it on buttered toast, oatmeal (if you use the recipe I posted here, I recommend omitting the brown sugar), or as a sweetener for tea. Dissolve a teaspoon in hot water to make a warming, tummy-settling drink.

You will need a clean and sterilized glass jar with a lid.

Cinnamon-Ginger Honey

1 cup honey
2 tbsp. powdered cinnamon
1 tbsp powdered ginger

1. Bring water to a boil in a double boiler (if, like me, you don't have one, just put a heatproof bowl over a pot of water once it's hot), and reduce to a simmer. Pour honey into the jar and place in the top of the double boiler. Let the honey warm for 15-20 minutes or until it reaches a consistency where it can be easily stirred. You don't have to stand over it, but stay close enough to keep an eye on it.

2. Carefully remove the jar of honey from the pot and stir in the spices. Allow to cool, then cap the jar. Stick the flavored honey in the cabinet for two weeks before using. Keeps up to a year.

Culinary Quote: J.M. Barrie