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National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day
3 Gourmet Grilled Cheese Combinations Earlier this month, I posted about 5 different ways to make sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches. Today is National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day. So, we are going to look at some more variations of the time-old classic sandwich. BTW, I am taking this month seriously. At our house we are having grilled cheese more than ever. AND my daughter is a huge fan! The classic grilled cheese sandwich featuring lots of melted cheddar (or American) on soft white bread is the quintessential comfort food. When paired with a bowl of warm tomato soup, this popular combination evokes warm memories of childhood for many. However, if you…
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Homemade Soft Pretzels
The month of April is National Soft Pretzel Month. My son is a big fan of big soft pretzels — so much so that we had to start making them at home. This is a simple soft pretzel recipe that you can adapt with butter and salt or cinnamon and sugar. The recipe also contains short videos that illustrate each step. There are also tips so that you can make your pretzels the best ever! Baking Tips Tip 1: One of the keys to success with this recipe is to dip the pretzels in a boiling alkaline bath before baking. This step is what gives soft pretzels that distinctive rich…
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Sourdough Grilled Cheese Recipes
Happy April! No April Fool’s here! April 1 is National Sourdough Bread Day. April 12th is also National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, And April is National Grilled Cheese Month. So going along with this, today’s post covers grilled cheese sandwiches using sourdough bread. Yum! Different Ways to Make Grilled Cheese Using Sourdough Bread A good grilled cheese sandwich isn’t hard to make, but there are many variations you might want to try. Here are some different ways to make a grilled cheese. Since sourdough bread is the star of the day, use sourdough for these variations. Tomato Bacon Grilled Cheese This is a simple variation of a traditional grilled cheese…
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Medical Conditions that Interfere with Normal Sleep
If you are always exhausted, despite making real attempts at improving your sleep, or you have trouble falling asleep or staying asleep (insomnia), then you should always discuss this with your medical doctor. There are two reasons for this. First, some medications contain compounds that make it harder to sleep. For example, some pain medications have caffeine in them. In addition, some asthma medications, and even nasal decongestants can also disrupt your sleep. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Second, a number of health conditions, both physical or mental, can interfere with your sleep, and some of them can actually be dangerous. Here are a few physical medical…
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Irish Food Traditions and Where They Come From
If you’ve ever had traditional Irish food, you’ll know that it’s made from inexpensive, simple ingredients. There is also a “no waste” approach to food. This comes from a long tradition and history of poverty amongst a large portion of the population. Of course, Ireland has come a long way and times have changed, but the traditional meals are still grounded in this long, rich history. A Brief History One glance at a true Irish recipe and you’ll see that there are often only a few ingredients. Few seasonings are used, with salt and pepper being the most common. Common recipe ingredients include potatoes, cabbage, bacon, beef, lamb, bread, and…
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Understanding the Different Stages of Sleep
National Sleep Awareness Week 14-20, 2021 Sleep is a necessity. It allows your brain and body to recover after periods of wakefulness. Specifically, sleep restores your body’s ability to function, to repair body tissues, create hormones, consolidate memories and learning, and regulate mood. Sleep makes up such an important part of our lives, that there are people who spend the majority of their careers dedicated to the topic. Whether you experience an occasional day of sleepiness, or you feel like you spend most of your days in a sleep-deprived state, it is important to understand the different stages of sleep. This can then help you improve the quality of your…
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Why Is Sleep So Important For Your Health?
You already know that sleep is important. And because this week is Sleep Awareness Week 2021, there will be posts about sleep all week! Without adequate amounts, you feel sleepy. You may also experience other obvious signs and symptoms such as crankiness, headaches, and/or trouble concentrating. However, there are even more serious consequences of not getting enough shut-eye. Your Physical Health 1) Increased Risk of Obesity due to the following factors a.) No energy: If you don’t get adequate sleep at night, you may delay getting out of bed in the morning, because you are too sleepy. As a result, now you don’t have enough time to make a healthy…
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How Much Sleep Do You Need?
National Sleep Awareness Week, March 14-20, 2021 Considering that we spend one-third of our lives asleep, knowing how much sleep is required is a good question. However, it often comes with an over-generalization. For example, in March 2015, the National Sleep Foundation came up with some guidelines on how much sleep that people, of different ages, should be getting. General Sleep Recommendations The recommendations were for healthy people with normal sleep patterns. The appropriate duration of sleep for a newborn, for example, is 14 – 17 hours. Whereas, teenagers are fine with 8 – 10 hours. Young adults and middle-aged adults should be aiming for 7 – 9 hours per…
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Homemade Dark Cherry BBQ Sauce
Spring is near! Which means that grilling season is coming. So here is a nice sauce that you can try for your next grill session: Homemade Dark Cherry BBQ Sauce. This flavor-packed BBQ sauce combines the natural sweetness of cherries and maple syrup with the welcoming warmth of ginger, cinnamon, and rosemary. For best results, prepare this recipe one or two days in advance. Although it can be enjoyed immediately, this sauce really comes into its own when the flavors are given time to fully develop. This month is also National Sauce Month so this BBQ recipe is another sauce to add to your repertoire. Here is another post about…
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It’s National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day 2021
Hello, everyone! Things are getting back to normal slowly here in Texas. We survived the winter storm Uri. There was so much damage but the people who lost everything are getting help. Hopefully, they will take the necessary steps to prevent this from happening again1 So, on the month of March! Today is National Peanut Butter Lovers Day. It’s the perfect day to celebrate the versatility of peanut butter. There are so many ways that peanut butter can be used — in desserts, meals, smoothies, sandwiches, You can have it for every meal if you wish (and my daughter often has that very wish!) To revel in the joy that…
