Comfort Food for Winter Nights

There's nothing better than comfort food to make you feel grounded, especially in the winter. The preparation need not be complicated or expensive. One of my favorites is homemade Mozzarella Mac and Cheese.

Believe me, this is one hundred times better than anything out of a box. I made it for the family last night and the only drawback is that my garden was out of basil. Plenty of cilantro and rosemary but no basil. I'll have to plan my spring herb garden a little better.

I'm also a big fan of soup and stew; it's a good way to use up the leftovers. I love leftovers; my daughter considers them "used food." I don't agree but you have to admit there's something clever in the analysis.


Another of my favorites is homemade bread. When I first began baking bread years ago it was quite a tedious process. Then I learned about fast-rising yeast. I also like baking sourdough bread but it takes a bit of commitment because if you don't refresh the starter frequently it will go bad on you.

Here's a tip -- you don't have to buy an expensive sourdough starter. You can make your own with flour and water. Just be sure to use whole wheat flour because it still has wild yeast in it. That processed white flour is just wrong.

Happy cooking and stay warm!

New Furniture for an Economic Downturn

It sounds odd doesn't it? It seems like a recession would be the last time to splurge for a sectional sofa, doesn't it? Ironically, no. The reason for that is that a huge part of this economic downturn is the housing crisis brought about by sub-prime loans.

Consequently, very few homeowners are spending available capital on trading up on a new domicile. Instead, they are doing things like taking staycations, remodeling, and yes, investing in new furniture.

There's a bit more to it as well. I used to be the service manager at a furniture store in Houston. I found that other than couples or singles just starting out, customers used new furniture in the same way folks use comfort food. There's just something reassuring about a new leather sectional sofa.

Now all we need is a cash for clunkers furniture program to get this economy fired up!

Thank you to my sponser, www.mynewfurniturestore.com.