Eat Right and Sleep Well: Foods to Help You Sleep

Post by Tracy Kaler.

We all have those nights when we can barely keep our eyes open, but we’re also familiar with those evenings when we can’t seem to get to sleep no matter how many sheep we count. Few people realize that diet can play a significant role in our ability to fall and stay asleep until the alarm buzzer sounds in the a.m. Avoiding caffeine-filled foods, alcohol, and heavy meals too close to bedtime can make dozing off less troublesome.

Above and beyond these things we shouldn’t eat, try eating those foods that help promote a healthy night’s sleep. Read on to see if any of your favorites made the list.

Salmon
Known for its share of vitamin B6, which is needed for our bodies to produce melatonin, salmon encourages a good night’s rest, as does halibut and tuna.

Salmon Dinner-2

Yogurt
Did you know that calcium deficiency can keep you from sleeping? Yogurt and milk are rich in calcium, so regularly including dairy products in our diet could make a difference in our sleep habits.

Yogurt

Whole grains
Foods like barley, millet, and bulgur are rich in magnesium, which has been known to keep us fast asleep through the night.

Toasted-Bulgur Pilaf

Chickpeas
Those cute little beans that we often eat in salads and use to make hummus are jam-packed with tryptophan, a natural sleep inducer. In a nutshell, keep dipping those veggies.

Hummus

Bananas
Usually considered a breakfast food, bananas release natural chemicals needed to relax before falling fast asleep. Rather than drinking a cup of warm milk –– the classic bedtime remedy –– try a half banana instead.

going bananas : san francisco (2012)

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Breakfast in Bed – Allie’s Cake

Allie's Cake 10

Post by Alison Hein.

While I was researching historical material for Milk Toast for last week’s post, I became engrossed in Maria Parloa’s The Appledore Cook Book. Leafing through an online copy, the recipe for Allie’s Cake intrigued me, as my husband and his family call me “Ali”. Who was Ms. Parloa? Who was Allie? As usual, one food mystery begets another, but here’s what little I learned:

Allie's Cake 2

Ms. Parloa was born in Massachusetts on September 25, 1843 and little is known about her early life. She became an orphan at a young age, and learned to cook in private homes and small hotels. She died at age 65, and during her lifetime accomplished many impressive feats, especially for a woman of her era. She:

  • Wrote several cookbooks.

  • Began two cooking schools and was associated with the Boston Cooking School.

  • Is credited with the first published tomato soup recipe – Tomato Chowder – which appeared in The Appledore Cook Book.

  • Was part owner of the Ladies Home Journal, and wrote regularly for it from 1891 on.

  • Spent several years in France studying cooking techniques.

  • Raised two orphaned girls in her home in her later years.

Allie's Cake 3

Of “Allie”, there was no further word. Setting out to modernize the recipe, I made several changes. First off, ingredients and preparation steps had to be separated. Next, I added a couple of eggs (who bakes a cake with no eggs?), swapped out saleratus (the predecessor of baking soda and baking powder) for baking powder, and reduced the amount of raisins (Allie wanted to use almost 4 cups!). I also determined that a “moderate oven” would be 350°, and specified a baking time.

The end result was a rich and dark, moist and fruity cake – an engaging cross between gingerbread and scones. Somewhere during this process I think “Allie’s” cake became “Ali’s” cake, and breakfast in bed became an ode to Maria Parloa and the mysterious Allie.

Allie's Cake 6

Ingredients

¼ pound (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups raisins

Allie's Cake 4

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until thick and creamy. Add eggs one at a time until well-blended. Mix in molasses and buttermilk.

Mix all dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and salt) together in a separate small bowl. Stir dry ingredients into the batter, about one cupful at a time, until thoroughly blended. Stir in raisins.

Pour batter into a greased cake pan. Bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake begins to pull away from the side of the pan. Let cool on rack for 30 minutes. Remove cake from pan and invert onto serving plate.

Makes 1 large cake, about 20 slices.

Allie's Cake 11

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Movies in Bed: Justice League vs. Bizarro League

Post by Mark T. Locker.

bizarroOkay, I admit it: I have a soft spot for the LEGO universe. I think their cartoons and movies are fun, entertaining, and kind of hilarious. I also enjoy their video games and my son is (like every other child on Earth) a big fan of the building blocks. Naturally, when a new mini-movie came out, he was dead-set on watching it and I was a total pushover about it.

LEGO Justice League vs. Bizarro League is silly, action-packed, and even a little bit meaningful. If you don’t know about Bizarro Superman, here’s what you need to know: he was a Lex Luthor creation, meant to equal Superman but he ended up being this weird, backwards version of Superman who does everything backwards. Tell him to put something down and he’ll pick it up. You get the idea. He is a major headache for Superman. But when Bizarro Superman decides to make his own version of the Justice League, it goes out of control and they are sent to some faraway planet to live their Bizarro lives.

My favorite is Greenzarro, the backwards Green Lantern who can only conjure a giant green teddy bear, that he uses to comfort him in the face of danger.

There is a whole plot line involving alien planets and someone named Darkseid who is mining the Bizarro world of all Bizarro Superman’s “friends”.

This is a great movie to watch when you realize it’s much later than you thought it was and still wanted to squeeze in a family movie night. It’s only about 45 minutes long.

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Bedroom Design: 5 Ways to Modernize an Outdated Bedroom

Post by Tracy Kaler.

When was the last time you decorated your bedroom? If it’s been a decade or more, your space probably looks a little outdated. Even if you have a classic brass bed that remains timeless, things like patterns and accessories can start to look tired and lifeless after a while.

Updating your sleep space might not require as much time and energy as you think, however. Take a look at these five tips to help you modernize your bedroom, so it’s feeling fresh and stylish in a flash.

1. Play with fabrics
It’s easy to see how the above bedroom could look dull and dated without the prints on the curtains and pillows, which add a splash to the interior. Don’t be afraid to try a new pattern, even if it’s on the trendy side.

2. Create an interesting bed wall.
Cabinetry and an over-the-bed shelf add interest and dimension to this white room’s bed wall in an Amsterdam home.

3. Purchase a sleek platform bed.
A platform bed can facelift even the most dated bedroom. Transform your space by adding a modern bed or headboard.

4. Accessorize
A chandelier, clean no-fuss art above the bed, accent pillows and a throw at the foot of the bed, breathe life into this Minneapolis bedroom.

5. Add a classic modern piece or a conversation-starter.
A Scandanavian chair dresses up the corner of this contemporary bedroom. A sculptural piece of furniture or an objet d’art can add flavor to an otherwise bland interior.

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Bedtime Stories: The Universe of Douglas Adams

hitchhikers guidePost by Mark T. Locker.

When I was a nerdy 12-year-old boy, my single greatest discovery was the four books that comprised the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy series. By the time I was fourteen, that trilogy had grown to five books, arguably the longest trilogy ever written. I have been revisiting the series for the first time in many years; so long, in fact, that I had forgotten the entire plots of the final two novels.

If you are unfamiliar with the series, the quick and dirty summary is this: Arthur Dent, earthling, awakes one day to discover bulldozers in his yard, preparing to raze his home to make space for a new highway. But before they can get going on demolishing his home, the planet is suddenly surrounded by a fleet of alien ships, Vogons, to be precise, who are preparing to demolish the planet to make space for a new hyperspatial express route. Luckily for but unbeknownst to Arthur, his best friend Ford Prefect happens to be an alien from Betelgeuse researching the Earth for the reference guide The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.  He hitches a ride for himself and Arthur on one of the Vogon ships and into relative safety.

The five books follow Ford, Arthur, Ford’s friend Zaphod Beeblebrox, two-headed ex-president of the galaxy, earthling Trillion, and the hopelessly depressed Marvin the android. We learn who really first populated the Earth, what the true purpose of the planet was, and who our secret overlords were all along.

If you or a loved one love absurd yet engaging stories, I cannot recommend this enough. Even if science fiction isn’t your bag, you are likely to enjoy these stories. They are much more than a space drama. Recommended for nerdy adolescents.

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