Cayenne Pepper---good for what ails ya!

So I spent most of the month of February hacking up one lung or the other and generally feeling quite ill and unhappy. I guess this horrid bug was going around and I got caught in the crosshairs. March arrived and I have great expectations but the other day I realized I was getting a sore throat. "Oh No!" I gasped to myself, this is how my plague started in February! I made an appointment to see the Doc, but that is 48 hours away, so I began to search for homeopathic remedies that sounded good. And boy, did I find one!

Now, I only recommend this for people who tolerate hot foods well, or in general don't consider themselves wussies in the spice pantry. You take about a half a coffee mug full of lemonade, but make sure this is the stuff that has ACTUAL sugar or at least Agave in it. None of that artificially sweetened stuff. Put your mug of lemonade in the microwave for one minute and then stir in a heaping tablespoon of honey. When that is dissolved, and 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and stir. Drink it down as quickly as you can and your sore throat will be gone in moments.

Don't freak out! The sugar in the lemonade actually takes away most of the spice heat, that is why it's important to use real sweetener. Repeat whenever it recurs.***


*** I am not a health professional, just someone who found great results with this method for myself.

Sweetpea Baking Company 1205 SE Stark St., Portland, OR

OMG! Week Two of "The Most Fabulous Sunday Brunch EVER!" Lisa Higgins and her gang of "sweetpeas" continue to dazzle Portland with their creations. This morning hubby and I were standing at the door at 8:55am waiting to be let in, along with about 6 other eager folks. By 9:15am the place was completely full, despite the extra tables and chairs that were brought in.

This was by far the most delicious vegan breakfast I've ever had, and I can COOK some mean breakfast, let me tell you. The spread consisted of seitan, biscuits and gravy, French toast, pancakes, roasted herb potatoes, tofu scramble and spinach with REAL maple syrup and earth balance margarine. $12 gets you all you can eat as well as orange juice and Stumptown Roasters coffee.

There really wasn't anything on the plate that I didn't like tremendously. The tofu scramble was most surprising to me personally, because I've always looked upon the dish with a certain bit of skepticism as I was a scrambled egg fan when I ate them. The texture and seasoning were frighteningly good and I was completely convinced that it was even better than the eggs from my past. Even the people that weren't partaking in the buffet were loving the toasted bagels with several varieties of "cream" cheese. My husband's favorite is the bacon scallion which of course, is completely without actual piggie.

If you haven't tried the baked goods, it's worth the trip for this alone.