Eat, drink and be merry
Yesterday afternoon, I pulled the tattered recipe for gingersnaps out of recipe box that had once belonged to my mother. Gingersnaps are a holiday treat we made each year growing up, and baking them every December continues as a tradition with my own daughter.
As a child, I learned the meaning of the phrase “slow as molasses” while pouring a quarter cup out for the cookies. Little did we know then that the cinnamon, cloves and ginger that make the cookies so delicious provide a healthy dose of antioxidants.
Just as fun as cooking old favorites is the joy of discovering a new recipe. You can find new ideas for holiday meals, tasty treats and more in our new recipes section on the website. Just go to the Extras tab, and click on Recipes to see videos of cooking demonstrations, find featured recipes and search a database of dozens of recipes.
Feel free to share your own favorite recipes with us in our forums. (No longer available)
You’ll also find some brain food on our website. Go to the Extras tab and click on Puzzles Plus. We’ve included an interactive version of the crossword puzzle that’s in our print edition. You can click on the Check button to make sure your answer is on the right track. If you’re stumped and want a clue, just click on Reveal Letter or Reveal to get the answer. Also try our selection of other interactive word and logic games.
After all, more and more research is finding that keeping your brain nimble through puzzles and games can stave off cognitive decline. For example, a study of adults age 75 and over published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that those who did crossword puzzles four times a week had a 47 percent lower risk of dementia than those who worked them once a week.
That’s some good food for thought.