Waldorf Astoria

Curried Waldorf Salad (Thanks to Alice Blanco)

The original Waldorf salad combined celery, apples and mayonnaise, with walnuts and raisins later added to the mix. This version uses less mayonnaise (you can substitute yogurt for some of the mayonnaise in the original), but it has the same sweet, savory and crunchy mixture of celery, apples, raisins and walnuts. Slice the apples and celery thin for a more elegant salad.

Ingredients:

For the Dressing:

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt

3/4 teaspoon curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

Salt to taste

For the Salad:

2 Fuji apples

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

1/3 cup lightly toasted walnut halves

1 cup thinly sliced celery, from the heart of the celery

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup celery leaves or flat-leaf parsley (or 2 tablespoons each), coarsely chopped

Directions:

1. Mix together: lemon juice, yogurt, mayonnaise, curry powder, cumin, and salt. Set aside.

2. Cut the apple into 12 wedges. Cut away the core of each wedge and slice into thin crosswise slices. Toss in a large bowl with 2 teaspoons lemon juice. Add the remaining ingredients and toss together.

3. Shortly before serving toss the salad with the dressing.

Serves 6 - will hold for a few hours in the refrigerator.

Tortilla Soup

I have not been able to find a satisfactory tortilla soup recipe - every single one has something I don't like - I have therefore, invented my own and it is simple. I will share it here momentarily right away - on the next post. In the meantime, go to McDonald's and Burger King and Taco Bell and Papa John's and load up on those little packets of chili sauce or chili peppers and ketchup they give you with every order. Just trust me - you're going to need those little packets - and, if you can, get extras - they're free. Oh, and meet Bernie - he looks hungry, but I can't share my recipe with him - he's in the slammer.

Hints 3

Here are three more household cleaning hints: 1. When you discover water rings or heat marks on your table, make them disappear by making a paste made up of equal parts non-gel toothpaste and baking soda, applying a small amount of the mixture with a soft, damp cloth, and rubbing the spots until they are gone. Buy some good coasters and use them if you don’t want to go through this again. 2. To remove candle wax from a table cloth, place two pieces of paper towels on either side of the wax stain, then use a warm iron to run over the paper. The paper should absorb the wax from the cloth. 3. To remove crayon marks from walls and wallpaper, spray the spot with multipurpose lubricating oil, wiping gently with a paper towel or cloth. You can also use a small amount of baking soda, applied with a damp cloth - rub out with a gentle, circular motion.

Cheap hints - part 2

Here are two more easy and cheap household hints: 1. If you spill wine on your carpet, sprinkle salt on the spot immediately and let the salt absorb the wine, then wash the area with water and regular detergent. If this doesn’t do it, you’ll need a new carpet. (Call my uncle, he sells and installs carpet.) 2. When you get ink on your clothes, try soaking it in milk, dabbing it with rubbing alcohol, or spraying a little hair spray on it. Each of these methods will work. Good luck and try to be more careful next time.

Household hints

Here are three household hints I found in an old book recently. If you start using them, you might not have to buy fancy stuff at the store anymore. If they don’t yield good results, you can go back to the store-bought chemicals (I guess.): 1. To freshen a garbage disposal thingy, sprinkle baking soda and a few drops of dishwashing liquid in the disposal. Scrub the inside of the gadget thoroughly with a brush and rinse. If you want a citrus aroma, run a couple of cut up lemons through the disposal afterward. Rinse again. 2. To remove mildew from laundry, rub the affected area with half a lemon that has been dipped in salt, then wash as usual. 3. If you want to make glass cleaner, mix 3 parts vinegar and 1 part water in a spray bottle. Clean as usual. If you behave yourselves, I’ll look for more easy hints.

Cassie's Banana-Cherry Smoothie

Banana-Cherry Smoothie - Yes!!!!

Ingredients: 1/2 cup milk, 1 banana, 2 cherries, and 2 tablespoons cherry juice.

Mix the ingredients in a large cup then place in a blender set to puree. Makes one delicious banana-cherry smoothie. Enjoy!!!

Hot

According to Yahoo!, these are the ten hottest (spiciest) dishes out there. They will scorch your tongue and the taste will linger in your mouth for a couple of days after you’ve eaten: Phaal Curry (India), Pork Vindaloo (India), Ball of Fire Pepper Steak (made with Red Jabanero Pepper - USA), Caribbean Chicken (Jamaica), Devil Pork Curry (Malaysia), Thai Pepper Steak (Thailand), Sichuan Flower Pepper Hot Pot (China), Chicken Peri-Peri (Angola), Papas a la Huancaina (Peru), and Kimchi Pork (South Korea). The story was tied to some travel website so maybe; just maybe, all they were trying to do was grab our attention? Anyway, I won’t try any of these dishes because I dislike peppers. I always have.