Category Archives: HELPFUL HINTS

ANNIE FENN, BRAIN HEALTH AND WARM KALE BLACKBERRY SALAD

I first encountered Annie Fenn when she gave a video presentation, “Cooking in the Brain Health Kitchen” for the Aspen Brain Institute’s Expert series. Her talk charmed me, being not only down to earth, but also highly informative with many take away tips as well as some great recipes. Annie knows what she’s talking about. A […]

ORCHID CURE

ORCHIDS AND CINNAMON For fellow orchid addicts:  After finding large black spots on two of my favorite phalaenopsis, I immediately called the local orchid hospital. The doc on call suggested a two-step cure. “First,” he said, “cut the spot from the plant, cutting with a sterilized tool, well below the spot, back to where the […]

MINDFUL EATING

Call it what you want: meditative eating, mindful eating, eating with intention—once learned, the benefits are life-changing, but let me cut to the chase:

LONG LIVE THE FLOWERS

You can help your fresh flowers last longer by putting them in water enhanced with a little sugar and bleach. The sugar feeds the flowers and the bleach kills bacteria. Add 3/4 teaspoon bleach and 1 teaspoon sugar to every 2-1/2 cups water for a home-made preserver as good as florists use.

CRUISE CONTROL

DIETING ON THE CRYSTAL SERENITY If there is anytime to dish the diet it is on a cruise where you can have food 24/7. And if any cruise overloads with quality as well as quantity, it is a Crystal Cruise, where the food is always a feast. So it is odd that Michael Falla, the […]

BERRY STAINS

RASPBERRY  BLUEBERRY  BLACKBERRY  Talking of berries—no need to worry about those red and blue bruise-colored stains juicy berries leave on your favorite shirt and best table linens. Barbara Gibbs Ostmann, co-author of The Recipe Writer’s Handbook (John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2001), told me her mother’s secret for dissolving berry stains. (Disclaimer: proceed at your own risk; […]