#1.  Olive oil. What kind do you prefer to use?

We nearly always use Bertolli Extra Virgin Olive Oil, bought at Sams.
#2.  Meatballs. Do you make them from scratch, buy premade cooked or buy premade frozen?

It’s been a long time, but I make them from scratch.
#3.  Do you use napkins at home? Paper or cloth?

Always paper.  I don’t want more laundry to do! (I know it’s better to use cloth because it saves paper, but using paper napkins saves water…LOL)
#4.  Share a recipe for a white sauce.

EASY RECIPE: Open a can of 98% fat free cream of chicken soup and dilute with milk.  Add pepper (and a little butter if you want a buttery taste).

Here’s a recipe from foodnetwork.com that I want to try because I like the flavoring of bay leaf:

CLASSIC BECHAMEL:  WHITE SAUCE RECIPE

• 1 cup milk
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons flour
• pinch of salt & pepper
• 2 garlic cloves crushed (I might try 1 garlic clove)

Barely heat the milk and 1 bay leaf.  Melt butter over medium-low heat and add flour, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes.  Do not brown!  Add a little bit of the milk with a whisk, then add rest of milk a little at a time.  Cook for 5 minutes and then add rest of seasonings.

Healthy, beautiful hair starts on the inside.  What we eat makes a difference in how our hair looks, how our skin looks, how we feel. Below are lists of foods that contain important nutrients for pretty, healthy hair:

Vitamin B-6 found in:

• Highest amounts found in carrots, chicken, eggs, fish, meat, peas, spinach, sunflower seeds, walnuts and wheat germ.
• Also found in avocado, bananas, beans, blackstrap molasses, broccoli, brown rice, cabbage, cantaloupe, corn, potatoes, soybeans, whole grains.
  

Folic Acid found in:

• Found in barley, beans, beef, bran, brown rice, cheese, chicken, dates, green leafy vegetables, lamb, legumes, lentils, liver, milk, mushrooms, oranges, peas, pork, root vegetables, salmon, tuna, wheat germ, and whole grains.
  

Vitamin B-12 found in:

• Highest amounts found in clams, dairy products, eggs, herring, liver, mackeral, and sea food.
• Also found in sea vegetables such as dulce and kelp, and soy products as well.
  

I know someone whose hairdresser noticed significant improvement in their hair after eating steel cut oats for a couple of months.  Oatmeal is a good food source for folic acid and also for gamma linolenic acid (GLA), an essential fatty acid needed by the body.

If someone had a business, a receipt printer would be a great thing to have. Customers like receipts, and it’s nice to have a printed receipt to give them.  I went to a huge consignment sale last fall that had baby clothes and anything related to babies and toddlers.  They had a receipt printer there this last time, and it made things run so much smoother than the previous time.  It was a great help to all the people working there!

Are you needing a really good set of luggage for a special trip or vacation this year?  Luggage Base has great sets of quality, durable luggage at great savings.  They carry name brands and have all types and sizes, three piece sets, and five piece sets.  Whatever you’re looking for, they probably have it.  You can get a great value at a great price.

Macaroni Grill’s Chicken Marsala is my very favorite entree from their restaurant.  So when I saw this box on the shelf as I was going down the aisle at Wal-Mart, I was excited.  However, it turns out it’s not near as good as the actual restaurant entree, and I actually like the Chicken Alfredo boxed meal better.  Don’t get me wrong, though, the Marsala is good, but not as good as the Chicken Alfredo.  Another thing, with the Alfredo, I can easily substitute the fresh chicken with canned chicken breast if I’m in a hurry and it turns out great.   I don’t know if canned chicken would work with the Marsala – I had fresh chicken in the fridge that I used, and I doubt I buy it again to give it a try.  So if you try the Marsala with canned chicken, let me know how it turns out.

Over ten years ago, we went to Orlando, Florida, for two summer vacations in a row.  There was so much to do there that it took two summers to do everything we wanted.   For instance, we rented a car and drove to the Kennedy Space Center on the east coast of Florida one year.  That was so interesting!

For people who are planning Orlando vacations, research all the many things available before you plan your trip.

Not only does thyme add flavor to foods, but it is also great for fighting respiratory infections.  The oils in thyme fight viral, bacterial and fungal growth in the body.  Make thyme tea to relieve the following:

• * Asthma
• * Bronchitis
• * Congestion
• * Cough
• * Hay fever
• * Sore throat

Cooking with thyme:

Thyme is great for cooking.  I like to use parsley, thyme and rosemary in soups, stews and some chicken dishes for added flavor and nutrition.  It’s also good with bay leaf to season things as well.

Interesting Facts:

Thyme contains thymol which is found in Listerine and Vicks VapoRub and is used because of its antibacterial properties.  Thyme tea can also be used as a soak for Athlete’s Foot.

How to Make Thyme Tea:

Using either fresh (2 twigs) or dried thyme (2 teaspoons) per cup of boiling water.  Let it steep for 20 minutes.  There are various ways you can do this, either by using an infuser (as pictured above), placing tea in a piece of cheesecloth and using a twist tie to secure the top, or using tea filters which you can buy.

Sweeten with Stevia (which is what I use), honey, or agave nector.