Ode to a Cuban

It's simply shocking. I never realized the rest of the country was so deprived. Are there really Americans who have never tasted the yummy goodness of a pressed Cuban Sandwich? I feel so sad. Please fix one and do press it; it really makes a difference. While you eat, read about the history of our beloved sandwich.

If you come to Tampa, try a Cuban at La Teresita or the Silver Ring Cafe. You won't be sorry.

Thanks to Sticks of Fire for the links.

Sugar High Friday - Honey

This Friday is July's Sugar High Friday. The theme is "Oh Honey, You Shouldn't Have!" - meaning a dessert with honey. I'm going to enter this month for the first time. Honey is one of my favorite things so I'm looking forward to it.

Chai Revisited

I've tried another chai recipe. My first experiment left me hopeful enough to try again.

I opened an English Breakfast tea bag and added a pinch each of ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground nutmeg, ground cardamom, and unsweetened dark chocolate cocoa. I resealed the tea bag and heated 1 cup of water in the microwave. Then, I added the tea bag and let it steep. In a mug, I heated about one-fourth a cup of milk in the microwave. I stirred one tablespoon sugar into the hot milk and then added about three-fourths a cup of the tea.

It was delicious - sweet but with a little bite to it.

Freecycling

I might be the last to know (it wouldn't be the first time) but I just visited Freecycle. I had heard about Freecycling before but had never gotten the chance (or remembered) to check it out until today. Last night, my own mom joined freecycle to get rid of a stack of concrete blocks she can't use. She had several offers within minutes from people wanting to pick-up the blocks.

The Freecycle Network is made up of many individual groups across the globe. It's a grassroots movement of people who are giving (& getting) stuff for free in their own towns. Each local group is run by a local volunteer moderator (them's good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by clicking on the region on the right. It will generate an automatic e-mail which, when sent, will sign you up for your local group and send you a response with instructions on how it works. Or, go directly to the Web site for your local group by clicking on your community's link on the left. Can't find a group near you? You might want to consider starting one (click on "Start a Group" for instructions).

I just joined the local Freecycle group. I think it's a great idea to help others and save the landfills for true trash.