Have You Heard Of Haymaker’s Punch?

Photos: iStock

Haymaker’s Punch is a homemade hydration drink familiar to Colonial Americans that throughout the years farmers continued to drink during long hot days of working out in their fields. Also called Switchel, its benefits in addition to hydration are electrolyte balance, aiding digestion, boosting antioxidants, probiotics, and energy, plus managing blood sugar. It’s easy enough to make:

Haymakers Punch

Ingredients:

4 cups of ice cold water

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (I think organic has a better taste, so I’ve switched.)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon dried ginger (or juice)

3 tablespoons of sweetener - Use honey, dark brown sugar; or Stevia to taste, i.e., whatever you like.

Optional: Sparkling water to top it off. Try 1 to 3 parts.

Directions:

Toss all the ingredients into a pitcher. Mix thoroughly and chill for a couple of hours for flavors to marry (as chefs say) before serving.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac recipe of Haymarker’s Punch is here. More old-fashioned natural hydration drinks are here.

Cocktail: FC-here

So I tried it. Although I don’t dislike it, I think it’s an acquired taste. For such as old drink that goes back 250+ years, it’s new to me! 

Healthier than soda, better tasting than lemon and hot water or vinegar and water (2 morning drink fabs). It has a tang but I don’t taste vinegar as much as ginger and lemon, so its more like a ginger-lemon ale. 

Sometimes we want a drink that is more than plain ole water, so I’m willing to give it a few tries. Certainly, I don’t hate it, and it may grow on me. How about you?

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Greek Yogurt + Fixings For An Easy Breakfast

I know the importance of a good breakfast but don’t have an appetite in the mornings due to busyness. 

With coffee I’ll just eat 2 Digestive Biscuits before getting my elderly mom up, freshened up, dressed, then microwaving her morning meal, either an omelette with cheese or ham and whole grain bread; or (2) a bowl of oatmeal with milk, peanut butter, a handful of chopped walnuts, fruit and a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. She has a good breakfast, but mine lacks the protein I need to start the day.

Many of us get extra busy in December so here’s a better breakfast that’s easy to eat and easy to cleanup with no pots or pans needed to make it:

Greek Yogurt Bowl

1 cup of Greek yogurt

1 tablespoon of peanut butter
fruit -- various to select throughout the week such as a handful of blueberries or strawberries. Half of banana. Chopped peaches, pears, or apples. (like the fruit I add to my mother’s oatmeal.)

3 walnuts

3 almonds - whole or chopped
1 teaspoon of one minute oatmeal

1 teaspoon of ground flaxseeds

a sprinkle of dark brown sugar or honey when I feel like it.

BTW, protein drinks are a decent fast breakfast, but are no substitutes for real food which is always the better choice. Protein shakes can be too heavy in minerals if consumed daily.

Greek yogurt with the addition of nuts (walnuts, almonds, pecans), seeds (flaxseeds, sunflower, chia, pumpkin) and whole grains (oatmeal, millet, quinoa) is a healthy no fuss breakfast with enough protein and fiber.

When we know better, we really should do better. I will! With only one bowl to wash this breakfast gets the job done. 

On Friday, I’ll post a recipe for the perfect energy-hydration drink that’s been around since the time of our Founding Fathers! Do you have any guesses?

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Ovico Wearable Cashmere Scarf

I spotted a wearable 100% cashmere wrap from Ovico Scarves that I’d be thrilled to find under my Christmas tree. It makes a fabulous gift and without a doubt is an investment wardrobe piece that will be worn for years to come.

Made of superfine 100% Mongolian cashmere for its exquisite softness and smoothness, it’s perfect for travel, casual wear or formal wear.

What makes this piece so desirable is its versatility. It is knitted with armholes! Yet due to the softness, lightness and fluidity of pure cashmere you could still tie it around your neck or wear it just like a regular scarf without armholes.

My dilemma would be selecting one color. Black to go with everything? Or fuchsia, cornflower blue, navy, or rose because they are so beautiful? There are 15 colors in all. I can understand splurging to get more than one color, yet as an under buyer, I’d try to stop at one wearable wrap. But ... perhaps next year, I’d add another color. 

How about you? Are you tempted too? Maybe we need to buy ourselves a holiday gift? A cashmere scarf with armholes is so practical and ingenious!

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Black Friday Scores

Photo: Uniqlo

Black Friday is THE DAY to score big on fantastic basics. Sure you could buy designer names, but why not save on good quality basics for less in order to splurge on expensive merch that never goes on sale?

Between Old Navy and Uniqlo, you’ll rarely settle for good enough. Paying $50+ for leggings, t-shirts or socks isn’t necessary! The following are Black Friday scores that seem too good to be true, but they’re not! These basics are super stylish and durable without breaking the bank. As a bonus, many of the articles can be machine washed and dried with abandon!

Old Navy offers 50% off --

Leggings - $19.99 for the High-Waisted PowerSoft Full-Length Pocket Leggings + other styles, lengths and colors. I started with one pair last year, now I have 5!

EveryWear Crew-Neck T-Shirts - $6.49 - $7.49 for the Crew Neck with short sleeves. + other choices of styles, sleeve-lengths, neck shapes and colors. Old Navy’s 100% cotton t-shirts feel slight to the touch, yet last for many seasons. Every manufacturer is selling neutral colors, so I was thrilled to find pops of bright colors, namely medium blue and hot pink!

First Layer Tank Tops - In store $5 - Soft jersey, 95% cotton, 5% spandex in 7 colors. I bought my senior mom these in all colors. She wears them to bed, then under all her dresses and t-shirts. They’re very soft.

Quarter Crew Socks 3-Pack for Women - $4.99 - $6.99 - A choice of sock styles, fabrics, lengths and colors. Unlike the socks from H&M, ON’s black will not bleed on your toes! I like a percentage of cotton in my socks, but you do you!

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👚👗🎩👒🧦👚👗🎩👒🧦👚👗🎩👒🧦👚👗🎩👒🧦👚👗

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Now let's move onto another manificent retailer for quality basics! As great as Old Navy is, Uniqlo is a tad more upscale with Japanese innovation, but the sales can be just as good!

Uniqlo has so many basics from outerwear to underwear, from dresses to cardigans to skirts and blouses to accessories like hats, scarves and gloves. Its offerings are too numerous to mention! Customers get quality and style at unbeatable prices. Make a list of needs and chances are good, you’ll find tremendous bargains.  

Warm down winter coats for $199 or less - from short to long

In season’s past at Uniqlo, I bought down coats, down compact vests, merino wool cardigans, HEATTECH hats, scarves and gloves. I wear a rain resistant BLOCKTECH long parka as an ultra stylish raincoat. Before it's cold enough for a winter coat, I like to wear a cardigan and PUFFTECH Compact Vest under my Uniqlo parka. The HEATTECH woven gloves are nearly as soft as cashmere, and they last longer than cashmere. The gloves have touchscreen tips so you can use your smart phone outdoors in winter without removing them. Unlike cashmere gloves they are machine washable, a reason I like them. Still cashmere gloves are also offered. Priced at $14.90 on Black Friday for HEATTECH gloves makes stocking up affordable. You could get gloves for every coat and jacket you own so you never have to remember to switch them!

Before Old Navy and Uniqlo burst onto the apparel scene consumers had to pay 3 - 4 times more for similar quality and style. Not anymore. Go for basics on Black Friday for less! You’ll find all your essentials without emptying your wallet.🛍

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Sweet Potato Pie

We made a sweet potato pie for Thanksgiving. Very easy and likely a tad healthier than store bought pie. I used this pie dough recipe previously shared. Mostly I buy pies at Fairway, but if I do bake a pie, I go all the way by making the crust too. If I go to the store because I don’t want to make a crust, I don’t return with a frozen shell but a delectable finished pie from Frairway, never going near the freezer. Done and ready to eat!

After making my crust, I made the sweet potato filling.

Sweet Potato Pie

30 ounces - about 4 cups microwaved, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes. {Feel free to use 2-15 ounce cans of sweet potatoes.  If using fresh mashed sweet potatoes you can add 2 teaspoons of white sugar. Canned ones are usually sweeten. If in light syrup, pour out the liquid.)

1 teaspoon pumpkin pie seasoning (or cinnamon)

1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

A sprinkle of dried ginger

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, softened - Use 2 - 3 tablespoons if you wish.

1/2 cup milk - I used 1%, but cream or evaporated milk is creamier.

2 large eggs

Optional: I tossed in 1/2 cup of applesauce for moisture and mass since I didn’t use the cream and lightened up the butter.

 

Directions:

1) One by one, I tossed the ingredients into a mixing bowl and incorporated them with an electric mixer.

2) Pour into your prepared pie shell. I didn’t do it, but if you put foil on the dough/crust edges after it bakes for 1/2 hour, it stays moisturer while the rest of the pie finishes baking. I could eat my crust fine but would have taken this extra step for guests. Heck, I’d have used cream for them too. We try to lighten up desserts for just ourselves.

3) In a preheated 350 degree F oven, bake for 50 - 55 minutes.

Remove, cool and slice. Enjoy!

image: Google

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Thanksgiving In Manhattan

All photos except where noted: Dreamtime

I’ve spent all my adult life in Manhattan. My 1st Thanksgivng here I spent with my friend, Chris, a Julliard gratuate from New Orleans and met his lovely Louisiana Mama in his apartment. He lived in Hell’s Kitchen at the time, and after dusk, walked me back to Penn Station for safety. Other mutual friends attended his Thanksgiving dinner too, and we ate scrumptious food and exchanaged many amusing stories at the dinner table.

The next 8 Thanksgivings I walked across Central Park to spend Thanksgiving Day on the Upper West Side with the same friends, Don and LeAnn and their ballet friends. Don and LeAnn were together for 15 years before sadly divorcing. 

Then I accepted various Thanksgiving invitations ... 3 times spending it on the Upper East Side, once on the Lower East Side, once going to Princeton N.J. by train, once traveling by train to a N.J. town I no longer remember the name of, and a few times spending Thanksgiving with my friends, Sheila and Ken, who lived in Clifton Park, N.J. Sadly they are both deceased now. Sheila’s death was a shock! I’ve accepted her loss, but still think about it. A couple of years I also hosted Thanksgiving dinners in my apartment with different New York friends who have since moved away to other cities. We had wonderful times with none of us having to worry about long commutes home at night.

Truthfully, life is bittersweet and always influx. It never stands still, not for past, present, or future generations. Change is a certainty.

This year I’m again spending Thanksgiving Day in Manhattan. I’ll be with my senior Mom in my apartment. As a younger adult I always went to see my parents for Christmas, but thought I should establish my own Thanksgiving traditons. The two holidays are so close together also.

But life comes full circle, and now as my senior Mom’s caregiver this will be our 4th Thanksgiving spent together (not counting my childhood). I’m happy she’s healthy enough to walk indoors on a walker and can stay with me in my home. I’m grateful to be able to keep our dwindling family (we miss the ones who have passed) together. I learn new things about old people daily.

When I do have dinner guests to prepare for I enjoy having them over, and yet this year I’m thankful to have a more relaxing Thanksgiving without travel or the cleanup. Four days without any appointments of any kind sounds like bliss to me. We’ll likely order-in our turkey dinner and supplement it with more sides or desserts if we desire anything. We’ll watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on televison (I went to it twice) followed by the National Dog Show. This year, it’s exactly how I long to spend Thanksgiving Day. If we feel like it, we may bake the first batch of our Christmas cookies ... or not! We’ll let our Thanksgiving Day unfold and spend it exactly as we wish, in the moment; well-fed; and perhaps some of it horizontially.😁

Photo: Istock

Our friends and family will visit us one or two at a time from Advent to New Year's, and we’ll love seeing them as we’ll be fully rested. We love❤️ New York City where you’re never bored or truly alone!🗽🏙🎄

🍁Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

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How To Eat Split Peas If Not As Soup?

When temperatures drop, we make lots of homemade soups including split pea, lentil and bean. However, several of my friends and neighbors are pea soup haters, so we can’t share a batch and end up eating pea soup a day or two longer than we wish. Split peas are a rich source of protein, fiber, iron, folate, potassium, magnesium, and zinc. Although I like its creamy texture, after my last batch I began to wonder what else could I do with split peas?

 It turns out, cooked split peas can be turned into nutritious dips, pesto or mixed with avocados to add protein to guacamole. Dips, pesto and guacamole are dangerous as we usually eat much more than a single serving! The dish I’ll try is an easy and chunky split pea salad -- food to chew!

Split Pea Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup green split peas, cooked

2 cups water

1 large chicken or any flavor bouillon

2 cups of chopped plum tomatoes (or any variety)

14 oz corn, cooked

1 medium onion, diced

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup organic vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon dijon or brown mustard

2 teaspoons or garlic to taste - fresh or dry powered work.

1 teaspoon or black pepper to taste

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

A sprinkle of soy sauce

More salt if needed after a taste.

1-2 teaspoons honey

Directions:

1) In a pot on the stove top bring the water and bouillon to a boil, then pour in the dry split peas. Cook uncovered for 15 - 20 minutes until the water evaporates. Remove the cooked peas to cool. With a shorter cooking time, they will soften without disintegrating into soup.

2) Toss all the vegetables and spices into to a big salad bowl and incorporate.

Optional step: If you want to get fancy, garnish with shredded extra sharp cheddar and chopped parsley.

Eat at room temperature or chill. Add brown rice, pasta, or quinoa for a complete protein and meal.

Split pea soup is healthy, filling and comforting. I’ll still make it this fall and winter, but I also look forward to trying something new, split peas not turned into a soup. The pea haters of the world don’t know what they’re missing.😋

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Among My Favorite Leggings Are Old Navy’s PowerSoft

Over the years I’ve compiled 2 Best Leggings Roundups. Apparel gets discontinued, and yet my October 14, 2021 blog is still relevent. The leggings on that list are available and haven’t changed much. With Black Friday approaching I'll add another leggings option to grab on promotion. I know Old Navy well enough to know they'll go on sale for 50% off at under $20 a pair! Black Friday is always a best day to save on basics.

There are variations in style such as leg length and pockets or no pockets. This style even comes in a pair of shorts. I buy the High-Waisted PowerSoft Full-Length Pocket Leggings - The PowerSoft material is a light compression, smooth, sweat-wicking fabric. They never feel rough or stratchy on my skin. They have an attractive, snug, yet not too tight fit. Yes, you  can buy them without pockets, but why would you? The pockets don’t take away from a smooth appearance. I slide my apartment keys inside to go down to my mailbox hands-free. I also machine wash these PowerSoft leggings, but tend to hang dry them. 

For a polished casual-smart look, pair them with a t-shirt and cardigan or blazer. You never have to look sloppy even when just hanging around the house. Stock up during the Black Friday sales! You’re wear them 3/4 of the year.

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What Makes Grade 1 Soap Long Lasting?

Today I’ll share a pet peeve of mine. It drives me crazy and over the years I’ve gotten less tolerate of it!

I love the smell of both Dove and Ivory soaps, two drugstore brands, but I stopped buying both of them because they are not long lasting. Both brands crack, split, or turn into a gooey mess before I finish the bars, untidiness I wish to avoid! I haven’t studied these two specific soaps but here are 5 factors that make splitting and cracking more likely: 

1. Freshly cut cold-process soap cured less than 4–6 weeks.
2. High-water content recipes or soft oils (like high olive oil without enough hard oils).
3. High glycerin content or use of humectants.
4. Rapid drying (high heat, low humidity) that creates a brittle skin.
5. Poorly mixed batter or air bubbles left in molds.

I don’t know why Dove and Ivory soaps split, crack or become muck, but I no longer want to deal with it! So what should we look for instead?

Longer lasting harder bars of soap have a high content of hard oils like coconut oil, palm oil, or shea butter and a high percentage of saturated fatty acids like palmitic and stearic acid -- the latter added to increase the bars hardness and durability. Soaps that undergo a longer cure time will last longer. Also the Total Fatty Matter (TFM) makes a difference. Grade 1 soaps have 75% or higher TFM.

Look for Triple Milled Soap. By definition, it is premium long leasting soap (often French, British or Australian). Triple-milled soap is made by passing the soap mixture through steel rollers three times, a process that removes excess water and air to create a dense, smooth, and long-lasting bar.

IMHO, grade 1 soap makes a fabulous gift! It’s an essential we use all day every day! Chagrin Valley Soap and Salve makes fancy grade 1 soaps for a Christmas stocking. 

Still Triple Milled Soap need not be expensive! You often find them for less at health food stores, T.J. Maxx, and European styled drugstores. Kiss the gooey messes goodbye!!🧼

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