No, it’s not that little pill that you now have to ask your pharmacist for by name.

The answer is Red Hots cinnamon candies, which were created by Ferrara Pan in the 1930s.

If you’re looking for a cure for those boring coffee blues, sprinkle in a few Red Hots and give your coffee a swirl. Instant cinnamon. The extra spice will warm your soul faster than the bean itself.

Don’t stop with your coffee, though!

The next time you make an Apple Pie, omit the cinnamon and nutmeg and use 3 tablespoons of Red Hots instead. This idea comes from the Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Cookbook, 1960 Edition a thin, pink book I inherited from my Aunt Sharon.

This recipe for Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Apples is one I look forward to trying.

For more Red Hots recipes, click here.

The tediousness lies in setting a timer and flipping the cookies to dry them evenly without burning them, and in lowering the temperature for the second phase of the baking. The longer they cook at a lower temperature, they harder and drier they become.

I like mine a medium dryness. I have had some that are so crunchy, I feared they’d break a filling.

Anise, by the way, is an interesting spice that is in the dill, fennel, cumin and caraway family. In addition to flavoring, it was used in ancient times for medicinal purposes. It tastes like mild licorice, and is a great compliment to coffee or strong tea. Sambuca, an Italian liqueur that is flavored with anise, is often served as a compliment to Tiramisu and other richly flavored desserts. A number of biscotti recipes actually call for Sambuca to strengthen the anise flavor.

Sarah’s Mild Anise Biscotti

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons almond extract

1 tablespoon anise seeds, ground (measure before grinding)

1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix together dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately, then fold the wet ingredients into the dry. Mix them by hand or on “low” if you’re using a mixer (Thanks again, my love, for my Professional 6 series). The key here is to stop when the dough gets clumpy – do not over mix.

Divide the dough in half, and roll it out into 4″ wide x 1/2″ thick slabs.

Put the two slabs onto a non-stick OR a greased and floured baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. They should be golden brown and just starting to crack on top.

Remove the biscotti slabs and allow to cool to touch. Cut diagonally in 1/2″ slices and arrange them sideways back on the cookie sheets. Lower the oven temp to 250 degrees. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven. Turn the biscotti onto the opposite side and bake for 15 more minutes. Continue to bake in this fashion until they are as dry as you like.

Store in an airtight container (moisture will make them lose their crunch!) and serve as directed in my blog

The photo, by the way, is of me enjoying my homemade biscotti along with a nice steamy mug of Stash‘sHoliday Chai.

By the way, despite all this talk about anise, I can’t stand straight up licorice or the similar flavor of root beer!

Today, I was missing their Isalata Casaburo, and decided to make my own. It hit the spot. The taste is uncomplicated and refreshing. The bite sized texture makes it easy to eat – you can almost scoop it up, as opposed to having to stab it with your fork. An excellent compliment to Italian dishes.

My version:

• Iceberg & Romaine Lettuces – 1-2″ pieces
• Scallions – Chopped diagonally in about 1/2″ pieces
• Red peppers (use ones that are juicy, yet crisp!) 1/2″ pieces
• Generous amounts of freshly grated Romano and Parmesan cheeses
• Garlic Croutons (If you don’t have the patience for making your own – T. Marzetti’s Restaurant Style Garlic & Butter croutons are quick substitute.)

Top a mixture of 3 parts Red wine vinegar to 1 part olive oil – you want the flavor to be pungent and the quantity to be enough to coat the lettuce, not drench it, when the salad is tossed.

Serve with a thick piece of Italian bread, smothered with real butter – the kind of bread with a crust so thick that you have to physically yank it away from your mouth.

It should be noted that I was teasing Thomas earlier for turning his nose up at Tom’s Penne Garden Alfredo last week, when he decided he didn’t like it without even tasting some. When he asked what was in it, I told him “spiders”. Lately, they have been observing the spiders on our front porch, some of which are rather large. He ate the whole bowl full and asked for seconds.

Penne Garden Alfredo

Cooked penne pasta, sauteed

Saute separately and add:
Garlic cloves to taste
Broccoli
Shiitake mushrooms
Tomatoes (optional)

Mix in Bertolli Creamy Alfredo Sauce

Top with freshly grated Parmesan

Would also be delicious with prosciutto.

• 8 1/2 lbs. Alexander’s light malt extract syrup
• 1 1/2 oz. Santiam or Tettnanger hop pellets (boiling)
• 1/2 oz. Santiam or Tettnanger hops (finishing)
• 10 lbs. sour cherries
• American ale-type yeast
• 3/4 c. corn sugar

O.G.: 1.046 – 1.050
F.G.: 1.011 – 1.017
Bitterness: 33 IBU
Color: Rose

Add the malt extract and boiling hops to 1 1/2 gallons of water and boil for 60 minutes. Then use a strainer to remove as much of the boiling hops as you are able to do without worrying. Rinse/sparge those hops with some hot water to get all the good stuff out and back into the brew pot. Then add the crushed sour cherries and finishing hops to the boiling wort. The cherries should cool the wort to a temperature of about 160 degrees F. Let the cherries steep for a good 15 minutes at a temperature between 160-180 degrees F. These temperatures will pasteurize the cherries wort. Do not boil, as boiling will “set the pectin” in the fruit and will create a harmless haze in the finished beer.

After the cherried wort has steeped for 15 minutes, pour the entire contents of the wort (without sparging) into a sanitized plastic fermenter with cold water to make 5 gallons. Pitch yeast when cool. After 5 days of “primary” fermentation, carefully remove as much of the floating hops and cherries from the fermenter as humanly possible. Remember: be sure that the strainer you use is sanitized by boiling or with a sanitizing solution.

After you have removed much of the floating debris, rack (siphon) the beer into a secondary fermenter. You will notice sediment of spent cherries and hops. Avoid siphoning this sediment (don’t worry). The pits create one hell of a nuisance once they get into your siphon hose. Attach an air lock to the secondary fermenter and continue with fermentation until the beer begins to show signs of clarity. Bottle when fermentation is complete.

Age and serve chilled. It is even appropriate to add ice cubes to Cherries in the Snow.

You deserve a kiss for brewing this one!

Below is recipe for the salad I made for the moms at the kid’s costume party.
Put in a pot on the stove :
Chicken breasts
Two “glugs” of soy sauce and dry sherry
2 crushed garlic cloves
Water to cover chicken
Cover and Boil until cooked through, then slice the chicken thin and set aside. (Boiling in a marinade quickly infuses the chicken with flavor – as an alternative, you could use leftover chicken and sprinkle it with soy sauce before adding to the salad)

Put in a salad bowl:
Spring mix lettuce plus some crunchier lettuce (like Iceberg or Romaine) for texture
Fresh snow peas – hard tips removed

Top with a layer of sliced Chicken
Mandarin oranges (store brand is fine)
Chow mien noodles

Serve with Litehouse Sesame Ginger dressing. (It’s in the refrigerated section of the grocery store.) The bottle may look a little different – more like a regular salad dressing bottle. Perhaps the one on their website is a “new look” ? Note: I’ve tasted a number of Asian style dressings, and Laura Collins and I agree this is the best one!

If you’re looking for an alternative to pasta salad to bring to your next potluck, try this. People always ask for the recipe. I should say that my friend Beth Catranis introduced this to me when Aiden was born, and she brought over a meal.

This salad is a great use for leftover rice. It has a fresh, almost Mediterranean flavor. It would be excellent alongside a thinly-sliced cold, rare roast beef or even under a chilled salmon. Besides, who needs an excuse to use the almighty rice cooker?

We usually double this recipe.

Combine in a mixing bowl:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp water
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice (btw: one med. lemon = approx. 4 tbsp juice)
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp snipped fresh parsley
• 2 tbsp snipped fresh dill
• 2 green onions, thinly sliced (can be substituted for 2 tbsp minced chives)
• 1 tsp Dijon-style mustard
• 1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 c. chopped red bell pepper

Blanch the following and then add:

• 1 cup yellow or green summer squash
• 1 cup broccoli florets

Then add 2 cups cooked rice (to cool hot rice, rinse with cold water in a colander)

Cover and chill for at least 4 hours in the fridge before serving.

Variation: Omit red pepper and broccoli and substitute with two additional squash (a green and yellow squash combination looks prettier than just plain yellow squash.)

Feel free to experiment and post your recipe variations. Enjoy!

Prepare in a pitcher that holds at least 2 quarts:

Combine and stir:

• 1/2 cup of instant coffee
• 1/2 cup of boiling water

Stir in:

• 1 can Eagle Sweetend Condensed Milk
• 2 cups of cold water
• 1 quart cold chocolate milk

Serve over ice and with a nice cloud of Reddi-wip.
Sprinkle with grated chocolate for added yum factor.

Variations:

Fat free or low fat – Use fat free or low-fat milk. Both Eagle and Reddi-wip carry fat free versions of the product.

Additional flavor – use flavored instant coffee instead!

Would be great spiked with Kahlua or Bailey’s

Mit hefe (with yeast), this is the real thing, and now homebrewers can make a superdeluxe version of this brew with barley and wheat malt extract. Not only does the ease of wheat malt extract make this superpopular beer style part of your beer cellar, but even the unique Bavarian wheat beer yeast is now available to homebrewers. Ask your local homebrew supply shop to special-order it for you if they don’t carry it regularly.

Have you ever been to Bavaria and sipped a tall, cloudy Weizenbier with a twist of lemon or at home had imports such as Ayinger, Paulaner or Spaten Weizen or Weissbiers? If you enjoyed their spicy, clovelike and bananalike aroma and flavor along with the special and healthful yeastiness, then bud, this beer’s for you.

Ingredients for 5 gallons:

• 6.6 lbs. half-and-half wheat and barley malt extract syrup (there are many brands)
• 1/4 oz. Hallertauer hops (boiling): 4 HBU (110 MBU)
• German wheat beer-type yeast
• 1/4 cup corn sugar or 1 1/4 cup dried malt extract (for bottling)

O.G.: 1.048 – 1.050 (12-12.5)
F.G.: 1.008 – 1.010 (4-4.5)
Bitterness: 13 IBU; Color: 5 SRM (10 EBC)

Add the wheat and barley malt extract and hops to 2 gallons of water and boil for one hour. Strain, sparge and transfer immediately to 2 gallons of cold water in the fermenter. Top off with additional water to make 5 gallons. Add the yeast when cool and ferment to completion. Bottle when fermentation is complete. After about 2 weeks, serve slightly chilled.

Many Germans roll the bottle on the table before opening to it get the yeast sediment well mixed with the beer. This is an option you might want to try for authenticity. And for real authenticity, set yourself in a sunshine sort of mood. Really relax, and if it isn’t summertime, pretend it is and you’re taking a break to enjoy your very own homemade effervescent and refreshing Lovebite Weizenbier. It’ll be the next best thing to being in the Bavarian Alps.

This is an EASY dessert that tastes and looks amazing with little effort! Great for parties or gifts (they need to be kept cold, though, to keep the chocolate from melting).

The kids and I just made a batch, and are going to go bless the neighbors with them. Wish we had the camera – they look beautiful!

You’ll need:

-Fresh, cold, clean strawberries with leaves attached – wiped clean with a damp cloth (do not rinse, it makes the strawberry absorb the water and it lessens the intensity of its flavor). The colder they are, the easier the chocolate will adhere – not frozen, though, then they get pithy.

-Chocolate chips (white or regular (I like semi-sweet) )

-Shortening

-Toppings (optional) (Ice cream sprinkles, crushed banana chips, toasted coconut, crushed toasted nuts, dusting of cocoa)

-Trays that fit in your fridge

-Sauce pan if you are heating the chocolate on the stove, or a microwaveable dish

-Waxed paper

* * *

Line your tray with waxed paper

Stir together over low heat (or put in the microwave) chocolate chips and shortening. Add about 3 tsp of shortening to every half-cup of chocolate chips. It makes the chocolate smoother, and helps it to harden quicker. Only warm the chocolate. Do not let it bubble – this will make it get clumpy.

Remove from heat.

Holding onto the leaves, roll the strawberry in the chocolate.

Dip into a topping of choice (or just leave it plain with the chocolate) and then place covered strawberry on tray

When the tray is full, put it in your refrigerator to help the chocolate set.

Keeps in the fridge for about a day. Looks great carefully wrapped in a delicate looking box.

Sarah’s Strawberry Decorating and Topping Suggestions:

-Once resting on the tray, drizzle the berries with a contrasting color of chocolate
-For rich, strawberry truffles, use semi-sweet chocolate and dust with Hershey’s Cocoa powder before the chocolate hardens
-Banana Berries : Crush sweetened banana chips and roll the berries in them while they are still wet
-Strawberry Nut Crunch: Roll the covered berries into toasted nuts (almonds, pecans, and hazelnuts are rich in flavor! Yum!)
-Strawberry Colada: Toast snowflake coconut in the oven until golden brown. Roll covered strawberries into the flakes.

For more control over decorating the berries, use a decorator’s icing bag. This is how they make them at Shari’s Berries. (Check out the website for ideas!) I saw a tour of the factory on the Food Network. (The Bananas and Cocoa were MY ideas, Shari!!! If you copy me, I’ll know you’ve been reading my blog!!)

6lb Pork Roast

Rub:

3 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
3 tablespoons dark brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Mop:

1 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons Lea & Perrins’ Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon coarse salt
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Top with Cattlemen’s BBQ sauce, and cole slaw.

Mix rub ingredients together. Rub evenly over the roast. Heat a cast iron skilled, then add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Sear the rubbed pork on all sides, then place in a Crockpot. Mix all mop ingredients until well blended. Pour mop over the roast and let cook on “LOW” for at least 12 hours or until pork shreds away from itself. Serve on nice, crusty rolls (we like Amoroso’s). Top with Cattlemen’s BBQ Sauce to taste (use sparingly to enhance flavor, not mask it – the pork is GREAT even by itself). Serves 24.