13 Ways to Use Cucumbers

1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day, just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, Folic Acid, Vitamin C, Calcium, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorus, Potassium and Zinc.
2. Feeling tired in the afternoon, put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B Vitamins and Carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours.
3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance.
4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area.
5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes, the phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles too!!!
6.. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins and electrolytes to replenish essential nutrients the body lost, keeping everything in equilibrium, avoiding both a hangover and headache!!
7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries and often used by European trappers, traders and explores for quick meals to thwart off starvation.
8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe, its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water.
9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Take a cucumber slice and rub it along the problematic hinge, and voila, the squeak is gone!
10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water, the chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber with react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown the reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams.
11. Just finish a business lunch and realize you don't have gum or mints? Take a slice of cucumber and press it to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds to eliminate bad breath, the phytochemcials will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath.
12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean, not only will it remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine, but is won't leave streaks and won't harm you fingers or fingernails while you clean.

13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing, also works great on crayons and markers that the kids have used to decorate the walls!!

Roasted Pepper & Tomato Soup

•2 Tablespoons butter



•2 Tablespoons flour


•16 oz can of whole tomatoes with Italian seasoning, undrained


•7 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, drained


•1 cup chicken broth


•6 oz. can tomato paste


•1 clove garlic, minced


•1 Tablespoon sugar


•1 Tablespoon dried basil or 2 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped


•Salt and pepper to taste






Melt butter in large saucepan. Stir in flour to make a roux and cook for about 2-3 minutes stirring constantly. Add tomatoes, red peppers, broth, tomato paste, garlic, sugar and salt and pepper. Cook until soup bubbles. Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a standing blender.

Roasted Maple Apples

Roasted Maple Apples

Serves 6


1 Tbsp butter


6 small red apples, washed and halved


2 Tblsp maple syrup


6 sprigs fresh sage (optional)
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Heat butter in ovenproof saute pan' over MEDIUM heat until melted. Add apples, cut side down; cook until golden on underside, about 4-5 min. Turn apples over,drizzle maple syrup over top of apples. Add sage to pan, if using.


Place on center rack of oven. Roast apple halves until tender and beginning to caramelize on surfaces about 15 min.


Note: Use 9 x 13-inch baking pan if you do not have an oven-proof saute pan.

Easy Peach Cake

Easy Peach Cake



1 pkg. yellow cake mix


1 (20 oz) can peach pie filling


3 eggs


TOPPING:


1/2 c. flour


1/2 c. sugar


1/4 c. margarine


1/2 c. nuts






Mix cake mix, pie filling, and eggs. Beat until peaches are in small pieces. Spread in greased and floured 9 x 13 inch pan. Mix Topping ingredients and sprinkle on top of batter. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes until center springs

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Banana Chip Fluff

If you find yourself with more than you can use, simply spoon it into a plastic container with a tight-fitting lid and pop it in the freezer!



1 (3.4 oz.) pkg. instant sugar free banana pudding mix
1 3/4 c. skim or 2% milk
1 (8 oz.) pkg. fat free frozen nondairy topping -- thawed
1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

Prepare the pudding mix using the skim milk according to the package directions for pie filling. Carefully fold in the thawed topping until the mixture is smooth and fluffy. Fold in the chocolate chips and spoon the mixture into dessert dishes. If desired, layer between cookie crumbs. Chill for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Yields: 6 servings

International Delights Creamer Coupon

Pamper Yourself With International Delight Coupon


Flavored coffee is a nice way to indulge and pamper yourself. Whether you want to relax and warm up or want a pick-me-up while you cool off, you can do it with the many flavors of International Delight. Not a coffee drinker? No problem! They have great recipes that don’t include coffee, from orange cream floats to vanilla mint cocoa.

The next time you want to pamper yourself, use this special offer to help get the ball rolling.

New Year's Good Luck Foods

Traditional New Year foods are also thought to bring luck. Many cultures believe that anything in the shape of a ring is good luck, because it symbolizes "coming full circle," completing a year's cycle. For that reason, the Dutch believe that eating donuts on New Year's Day will bring good fortune.


Many parts of the U.S. celebrate the new year by consuming black-eyed peas. These legumes are typically accompanied by either hog jowls or ham. Black-eyed peas and other legumes have been considered good luck in many cultures. The hog, and thus its meat, is considered lucky because it symbolizes prosperity. Cabbage is another "good luck" vegetable that is consumed on New Year's Day by many. Cabbage leaves are also considered a sign of prosperity, being representative of paper currency. In some regions, rice is a lucky food that is eaten on New Year's Day.

Sugar Plum Dip

A friend on Facebook shared this and it sounds YUMMO!

SUGAR PLUM DIP: good with meatballs:

1/2 cup cranberries, finely chopped 2 teaspoons dry mustard 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper 1/2 cup sugar-free grape jelly 1 teaspoon lemon juice Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan,and cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated.

Serve dip warm.
8 Yield: 3/4 cup

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Herbal Healing Teas

Recipes for Herbal Healing Teas

Cold and Flu Tea
1 part peppermint
1 part yarrow
1 part boneset
1 part elder flower
A few drops of vinegar and honey to taste
Place two to four tablespoons of the herb mixture into an empty glass,
ceramic, or stainless steel container. Boil a quart of water; pour over
herbs; cover; steep for at least ten minutes, then strain. The tea will
become more bitter the longer you brew it, so feel free to adjust the
vinegar and honey to taste.

Sleepytime Tea
1 part valerian
1 part passionflower
1 part skullcap
To make a quart of tea, place two to four tablespoons of the herb mixture
in
a glass, ceramic, or stainless steel container; boil water and pour over
herbs; cover and steep for at least 10 minutes; strain.

Soothing Tea
1 part oatstraw
1 part linden flower
1 part lemon balm
1 part passionflower
Place two to four tablespoons of herbs in a glass, ceramic, or stainless
steel container; boil water and pour herbs; cover and steep for at least 10
minutes; strain.

Cold Prevention
1 part horsetail
1 part alfalfa
1 part nettle
1 part red clover 1 part red raspberry
Licorice, orange peel, or anise seed to taste
Pour a quart of boiling water over two to four tablespoons of herbs; cover
and steep for at least 10 minutes--even overnight; strain.

Laxative Tea - Drink At Bedtime
1 part senna leaves
1 part buckthorn bark
1 part anise seed
1 part fennel seed
1/2 part licorice root
Steep 1 tablespoon in 1-1/2 cups boiling hot water for 10 minutes. Sweeten
as desired

Digestion
2 parts peppermint leaf
1 part fennel seed
1 part anise seed
1/2 part ginger root
Steep 1 tablespoon in 1 cup boiling water. Sip slowly.

Immunity Booster
- three cups a day during cold or flu
2 parts echinacea root
1 part hyssop
1 part peppermint leaf
1 part thyme
Steep 2 tablespoons in 1 cup of boiling hot water.

Sore Throat/Laryngitis
1 part marshmallow root
1 part mullein
1 part licorice root
1 part blue malva flowers
Mix in equal parts. Steep 1 teaspoon in 1/2 cup boiling hot water. Sweeten
with honey or rice syrup.
Ginseng Tonic Tea - for fatigue
1 part white Asian ginseng root
1 part red Asian ginseng root
1/2 part Chinese licorice root
1/2 part Chinese red jujube date

Steep 1 tablespoon in 1 cup of boiling hot water.