the life of morag

Well, it became more of a hamlet after more than a few breakages and someone, I'm blaming dad, eating a roof tile!  Every year I make a gingerbread house but I can never bring myself to destroy it in order to eat it.  I thought that with individual houses I would be able to eat them without destroying everything.  Having my house and eating it if you will!  The gingerbread recipe is over at AnnaintheKitchen.  It makes delicious bisuits but I'm sure there's a much better recipe out there for houses. 

Hi all. This is an article I wrote a little while back about the wonders of vinegar and how I use it in cooking. It's a little long, but I hope you enjoy it:

For as far back as I can remember, I have loved vinegar. As a little girl, I would douse my salad greens with the dark balsamic my mother kept in a cruet on the table, eschewing the "boring" olive oil. I vividly remember drinking the dark pool of it at the bottom of my dish, always feeling a momentary burn in my esophagus but licking my lips nonetheless. I was, and still am, a voracious pickle eater and while I no longer drink pickle juice, I still remember happily downing that as well. Almost anything with a sour bite can make my day. I recognize though, that many people do not like the sharp (even stinging) bite of fermented ethanol and acetic acid (the two major contributors to vinegar's bite). While I can't relate, I would like to share some interesting information about various forms of vinegar and how I use them to spice up my cooking.

My love of vinegar has become even more pronounced in recent years as I have developed a severe allergy to soy. An avid cook, I always thought having to do without soy sauce, teriyaki, and all my other favorite soy-based ingredients would severely detract from the flavors of my cooking. I never imagined I could eat sushi, my favorite food, without the ubiquitous caramel-colored sauce in which to dip it. Having to avoid soy has been limiting, but creative uses of different kinds of vinegars have not only made up for the lack of soy in my cooking but in some cases surpassed all my expectations of what a delicious meal could be...let alone mere "alternative" meals. And I am not alone in my quest to find replacements for soy products. Plenty of people today are beginning to eschew soy products for various health reasons, many of which are addressed here: http://www.naturalhealthstrategies.com/dangers-of-soy.html . Whether you suffer from an allergy, are avoiding soy for your health or simply want to add more flavor and variety to your diet, vinegar can be surprisingly delicious, versatile and healthful.

( Read more )

Does anyone have some really good baked tofu recipes?

Another question please -

I used to love drinking fruit juice every morning with my breakfast. But now I just watch those Florida Orange commercials and think about the horrible pay and terrible conditions that their workers suffer with. And then there's all the sugar and extra vitamins and such that they put in. So I looked at my local good-food store, and the natural stuff was pretty expensive, but it tasted ok.

So basically, what I am looking for, is some good juice from a good company. I just don't trust all those mega-lith companies, they just ruin the land and treat workers and locals awfully.

So what are your favorite juice companies? I don't like grapefruit juice and I don't drink orange juice anymore (long story). But I like other juices.

i just popped a giant blister on my toe because i couldn't resist it. but now i need to clean it. i'm visiting my dad, and to be quite honest, i don't want any soap of his and his wife's touching my foot. but the only cleaning product i have is my baking soda. and toothpaste. and my crystal deodorant. and some cornstarch. would any of those work? and i'll have to hop down to the hotel desk and ask if they have bandaids. i just figure that i probably should clean it.

Don't you just love when trying to clean out your pantry ends up in making something you normally would not have tried that is AWESOME?

That is what happened today!

I was poking around my kitchen, trying to use up the food I have and found a few Yukon Gold potatoes and an almost-too-ripe avocado.
After they were soft, I drained them, and mashed them up with the avocado, a splash a original rice milk, and a teensy dab of EB.

DELICIOUS.

And I still have enough rice milk for my cereal tomorrow!

My father-in-law gave us a bunch of old cookware, like baking pans and metal mixing bowls. They have a bit of rust on them, and I was wondering how the best way to clean them up would be. I know my wok said if it got rusty, just to scrape it off with a scouring pad, then re-season with oil.

I really want to save these pans and other items instead of throwing them away and really need them, so any advice will be appreciated!



And, this is a far one, but I was wondering if there was another way to clean out drains without using baking soda and vinegar. I have the baking soda, but no vinegar and no money to buy a small bottle and won't until Monday. Should I just wait until Monday, or is there another way?

I appreciate this!

*ETA- It is not cast iron. It's more like aluminum pans and the like. I can't tell you exactly what metal it is.

For about a year now I've been using vinegar to clean. It works well. I just use an old squirt bottle and fill it half with vinegar and half with water.

Yesterday I was cleaning in the kitchen and decided to move the toaster and microwave to clean under them. Apparently someone spilled something a long time ago and when they cleaned it up they didn't bother with what went under the microwave. Yuck! It was a thick sticky mess.

This is the first time I cleaned something so gross without the help of chemical cleaners. I have to admit I was pretty skeptical. I mean vinegar was great on mirrors and small messes. But I didn't know if it would be strong enough. The last time I cleaned something like that it was with chemicals and it wasn't easy.

My husband suggested letting it soak for a bit before wiping it up. So I sprayed it liberally and did something else for 2 or 3 minutes.

When I went to wipe it up it came right up. No need even for elbow grease. lol

And my husband says vinegar wouldn't be able to clean as well as clorox. ROFL

I think this was part because since I've been using vinegar I find that it works really well. And also because I let it soak. I'm just so glad I was able to clean it up so easily!

I checked the memories, and they answered my first question but now I have more. lol

has any one had any experience with nature's bounty probiotic acidophilus capsules for digestive health for treating yeast infections?

if so, how long do I take them and how far up do they go when inserted vaginally?

one more,
if taken by mouth by a male,
would it clear up a light infection? and how long should he take them?
or would just the creams work?



sorry I know real little about this stuff. @_@

Sooooooo. I failed most of my classes last year. And I withdrew (or at least i thought I did, I didn't register last term and the website told me that was pretty much it), but now that I've figured my shit out somewhat I'm kind of wishing I hadn't bailed. The website is completely unhelpful on this site. It's still letting me on ROSI (but telling me I can't enrol, no surprises there), is there a way I can get back in or do I have to reapply from scratch? I can't call my registrar 'til after Christmas and you guys are way more straightforward anyway.

WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm.



wow..... was surprised to see that little sticker on the back of a keychain i got as a christmas gift (crowded teeth brand from hot topic, i assume). what does this mean for the future of product labeling and safety? what are the guidelines that these warning label follow?

thoughts?

I sent my husband to the store to get me a mullein tincture for my cough. He misunderstood me and brought home a mullein flower ear oil. I already opened it so I can't take it back.

The ingredients say mullein flower extract (1:4) and Extra Virgin Olive Oil (that's it). It seems like I could still take it for a cough, but I'm not sure what kind of dosage. Anyone have any guesses?

I am tired. I'm not depressed or otherwise mentally incapacitated and I want to do more, but after I get home from work, I could do nothing and be happy.

I've been to the doctor twice about this, and always the blood work comes back without any problems.

I think excercising would help tremendously, but I don't have the time to go after work and getting up early enough to go feels like I imagine "hitting the wall" feels like to marathoners and leaves me exhausted for the rest of the day.

I don't eat processed foods, but probably eat more white rice and pasta than I should. I don't drink soft drinks or eat much sugar because eating sugar and processed foods leaves me feeling icky (other female relatives in the family are diagnosed with hypoglycemia, and I have a sneaky hunch I'm border line, even if the bloodwork comes back showing nothing).

I know that a fairly significant lifestyle change is needed, but how does one make a lifestyle change when doing anything is so dad gum tiring?

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to make getting up early to go to the gym less of a midevil torture, so that I can start making a habit of it a few days a week (which will hopefully grow into more days a week?)

I'm not looking for a "magic bullet", but some things that might help out enough that I can start helping myself.

I'm a 26 year old female, not pregnant, and otherwise in good shape.

Thanks for the input!

I searched to see if this was asked before and I found nothing. I was also hoping someone would touch on this subject, but no avail! So here I am with a dying Christmas tree next to my carport. I really want to do something useful with this thing and I have been keeping my eye out on local news and such to see if anything pops up. It hasn't. I know a couple years ago I heard you can donate trees for beach erosion?? I can't find any info on this! I just don't want to chuck it to the landfill! Can anyone help? :(

I am selling a barely used Ti-84 Plus graphing calculator (around $160 incl. tax) for $80. Comes with manual.
Located near downtown Toronto, I am leaving town on January 3rd morning (sunday), so if you are interested, please PM. Thank you

It would appear that our new puppy came to us bearing a fungal gift!

Does anyone have any suggestions of a really good natural way to treat Ringworm on a dog? I have been thinking Tea Tree Oil would be best.

I just feel hesitant to use the anti-fungal wash prescribed by the vet as I am 8 months pregnant and don't like the look of the chemicals on the back! My husband isn't home often enough to wash her three times a day so it's down to me!

Any suggestions or experience treating this sort of thing? I don't want to be stuffing around with natural treatments if they aren't going to work as I'd like the ringworm gone before baby comes!

What would you do if you were me?

i have a pair of leather boots that i'd like to waterproof. i know i can buy all sorts of mixes, but i'd like something that is more natural, even if i'll have to apply it more often, unless 'more often' means every time i wear the boots in snow or rain. i read that lanolin is one possibility, are there others?

x-posted to thetrail

A friend of mine suggested that I should post this here, so hopefully some of you will get a kick out of it. :) It's a Yule Log I made for the holidays. It's a chocolate cake roll filled with peppermint ice cream, ganache coating on the outside, and meringue decorations.



( Behind the cut: two more pictures, links to recipes, and the ridiculous saga of making this Yule Log. )

more at my food blog HERE