Organic Granny

When I was a young married woman, eons ago, the making of the Christmas cake (or "fruit cake," the recipes also interchangeable with "wedding cake") was still a big tradition in many families. The recipe ingredients included a lot of dried fruits-- some that looked and tasted not anything like the original fresh fruits-- and the usual feasting culprits: sugar, dairy, eggs and alcohol.  The preparation that went into the cakes generally involved a lot of soaking (in alcohol) that could extend to many days.  With all the ingredients in, your typical fruit cake was dense and heavy enough to be used as a door-stop, if need be. There were "light" and "dark" fruit cakes in my family.  The light cakes probably used less soaked fruits and were baked for a shorter period of time?  The dark cakes had a slightly bitter, burnt taste.  I preferred the light cakes that my Auntie Geneva baked every year and sent out.  They were sweeter and tended to h

courtesy of Pixabay Yes, I too love the traditional Christmas tree-- the fragrant pine or the standard luxurious artificial tree with the built in LED lights that never need to be strung or removed.  But this year I thought it would be fun to have something in one of the corners of a room that was NOT a traditional tree as defined above.   The best place I find for ideas is on Pinterest 1. LET'S START SMALL..... Mittens with Greens Pretty easy representation of a small tree.  More like a wreath.  But shaped like a tree, so it passes.  Get a pair of knit mittens and stuff them with greens-- fake here, but you could use fresh cedar, etc. 2. The Gentle Woodlands Tree Hanging .. Image Sourced from OHbaby This is a simple and sweet stylized Christmas tree that would look good on any wall.  Drill some holes in some sticks of lessening lengths, put string through to take on the triangle tree shape, and hang (or perch) your choice of whimsical decorations on the s

Here are the vegan mains, sides, soups, smoothies, desserts, pastries, and breakfasts as shown on Instagram.  These recipes appeared on Instagram in 2019 . Just go ahead and click on the link below to go directly to the recipe! They are arranged in their categories from the most current Instagram recipe to the oldest-- to see them as they come out, join me at  https://www.instagram.com/healthiacynthia/ ADDICTIVE SNACKING Best Hummus Recipe- Garlicky, Vegan, GF MAIN COURSE VEGAN RECIPES Roasted Brussels Sprouts Zucchini Basil Linguine Sweet Potato-Braised Purple Cabbage Real Deal Baked Veggie Burger                                                                                               Tofu Amritsari Masala Curried Chickpeas with Spinach and Tomatoes                                  Sweet Potato Vegan Stew                           Maple-Brown Sugar Glazed Tofu                                           Vegan Baked

If you are a bookworm-- a bibliophile-- someone who loves reading books-- then you likely enjoy being around other book-ish folks. I am going on my own thoughts and experiences here. I grew up in a book-loving home, was read to as a child, and was reading the same serial books as my mother by the time I was twelve. I married an English major. He reads, he writes. If I need some time to finish a chapter at night, he understands. If you are dating-- or married-- someone who doesn't read, there is likely some cognitive dissonance in your relationship. Maybe that is an unfair judgement. But I'm guessing that if you are a big time reader-- maybe a teacher or someone who belongs to a Book Club- you enjoy discussions about books you love. And maybe you get those needs met by having friends who you can talk to. But on the off-chance that you would like your partner to start reading, you might be interested in the Reading List for "He's Just Not That Into Literacy-