Lakeside’s Herb Class (Wednesday 8:30, Train station)

This week's herb group was on cinnamon. Large crowd probably because the weather eliminates anything else, and everyone knows what it is. We learned all about history and countries of origin, and difference with cassia. Donna Shoemaker submitted the recipe for Cincinnati's famous Skyline Chili which contains cinnamon. We all got a sample. It was delicious. I intend to try it. You can use it over spaghetti; or add red beans, or put it on a hot dog.

We were all big girls (plus 2 men and a boy) with probably combined 900 years in the kitchen, so no amounts were given in the recipe. Ground beef & pork, warm water, canned tomato sauce, tomato paste with water, dried yeast, fresh cinnamon, salt, fresh diced onions, fresh garlic, dash of paprika. Cook all together slowly, low heat 1-2 hours stove top or low in crock pot. If you need amounts, here’s a recipe.

On another delicious topic:

"Trail mix" sounds so healthy. I think it's from that eco-friendly 70s era. But today it means you're not burning up calories hiking in the woods, looking for grubs and berries, but sitting on the couch munching an addictive sweet/salty mix while watching unreality shows.

Eat all the colors, but

be careful. I've been making wonderful chili soups the past few weeks. I grill lightly in olive oil about 4-5 vegetables chopped up, add Progresso Hearty Tomato, and then maybe black bean with bacon flavoring for some protein. Well, today I decided to use up the fresh cooked spinach I had in the frig. Nope. Not a good idea. Red and green make a sort of yucky brown. It didn't exactly change the basic color of the soup, but the green floating in the red is not pleasing to the artist's eye.

What's for Christmas dinner

Most of the food is ready. I dashed into Giant Eagle this morning--ran out of butter and milk of all things. Don't like that store, but it was close. I thought I'd beat the crowd since it was still dark. For our Christmas Eve dinner we're having roast turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, colorful green beans (with red peppers and white mushrooms, onions and bacon), carrots with a dab of honey and herbs, and my daughter is bringing a sugar free cherry pie with real whipped cream. Yes, I know it's not terribly original, but the left-overs are good. Church service is at 9 p.m. at Lytham Road. Then tomorrow we're serving communion at 10 a.m., so I'm serving two kinds of soup--broccoli and chili (already made and ready to be warmed up) with assorted spreads on bread and crackers, a few sweet sour meatballs, and probably some homemade applesauce if I have enough apples. I think we'll skip a rich dessert since none of us really need it. Only one member of the family lost weight in 2009, and the rest of us are enlarging our footprint and our sitprint.

I've had a real problem with my chili. For years, I made it with Brooks chili beans which has a nice sauce and flavoring. That was a tip from my mother-in-law 50 years ago--she never used anything else and always made fabulous chili. After 3-4 stores and not finding it, I bought another brand. The beans were pale, the sauce tasteless, so I've added a can of dark red kidney beans, and now it looks like something a new bride would make with the neighbors pitching in.

Now all I have to do is shift a little clutter and vacuum. I woke up about 1:30 thinking of everything I needed to do, but most of it I've forgotten. Oh well. I never have been a list maker.