Translation: red wine (not too heavy), 1-2 cinnamon sticka, 3-6 cloves, juice of an orange, juice of a lemon, brandy/rum/schnaps, sugar to taste - warm up (slowly) and enjoy. I usually put orange juice & orange slices. If you want something less strong, mixing in strong black tea is a good way to delete it.

Another festive / gift recipe - homemade truffles and apart from the whipping they are easy as anything (no dipping, they are just rolled in cocoa). And taste lovely. If you dont like truffles that dark, use milk chocolate or half half. Note: Of course the rum can be replaced with just about any flavoring or liqueur from cayenne pepper to bayley's... I tend to like rum, px sherry, raspberry liqueur, orange marmelade and grand marnier as flavors for mine.

T hese recipes all come from a battered notebook where I copied recipes when I was a kid. It is well used and covered with stains... The pages are starting to fall apart so I think it is a good idea to save those online. The carrot cake has been a classic recipe in Switzerland very far back, they actually claim it was invented there. Who knows? The recipe differs from carrot cakes found in the UK and US - it has more carrot and is a very moist cake. Mostly it means a higher carrot/sugar ration, a lot of eggs and almonds (or hazelnuts) and almost no flour. It could probably be done gluten free replacing the wheat flour with an alternative. The cake is better after a few hours' or overnight rest. It also freezes very well. And, as it is quite solid, it also "piles" quite well on top of each other. I had made this for my wedding cake in the US and had almost more requests for the recipe than congratulations at the reception...

some old historic cake recipes, quite unusual ingredients

Herbal tea for respiratory troubles\n\nThis an herbal mixture that is wonderful for a sore throat, stuffy nose, congestion in the chest, and so on.\n\nYou don't need to use ALL of the herbs listed here; mix it up individually depending on what the problem is. If it's mainly a sore throat, use herbs for soothing the throat and helping to fight the infection; if it's congestion use herbs to loosen the mucous and make sneezes and coughs more productive and so on. Please research the effects of these herbs.\n\nEucalyptus to loosen mucous and help to open and soothe membranes\nComfrey is a natural analgesic, helps with sore throat\nLavender helps open nasal passages, relaxes muscles and can help with headaches\nRosehips are a good source of vitamin C\nJuniper berries are a mild expectorant\nElecampane is an expectorant, and an excellent remedy for bronchitis, as it helps with cough\nAngelica is good for cough and colds\nCatnip is a good cold and flu remedy, as it is an expectorant, eases stomach upset, and fever reducer\nAnise is an expectorant\nPeppermint is an antibiotic, and soothes nausea, upset stomach, and headaches\nSage is an immune stimulant\nAlfalfa is an immune stimulant\nHorehound is very good to use when there is severe congestion, as it promotes mucous production and soothes the muscles of the bronchus\n\nThe following herbs can be added as needed.\nGoldenseal is an antibiotic\nHyssop is good for sore throats\nLobelias is powerful against respiratory infections, such as earache, or of the lymph nodes, so could be very useful for those with mono\nWild cherry bark is a cough suppressant, most useful when taken at night so as to inhibit coughing while trying to sleep\nBlood root is an expectorant and can help to relax the bronchial muscles\nBoneset is good for upper respiratory infections and can also relieve mild aches and pains associated with influenza\nCloves can stimulate and disinfect the bronchial membrane\nElder flowers are good for upper respiratory a

RED SNAPPER DELIGHT 6 red snapper fillets, 2 - 2 1/2 lbs. 1/2 c. butter 4 tbsp. green onion tops, chopped 2 tbsp. chopped parsley 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 (8 oz.) can sliced mushrooms 1 (14 oz.) can artichoke hearts, sliced and drained 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper or to taste 1 tbsp. lemon juice Pat fillets dry in baking dish. Saute butter, onion, parsley, garlic, mushrooms, artichoke hearts, salt and cayenne for 2 minutes. Add lemon juice. Pour over top of fish. Bake at 350 degrees until fish is flaky. Serve with white rice.

made with cepes and served with lemon rice

2 tablespoons butter 1 1/4 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 cup chicken broth 1 cup dry lentils 4 cups beef broth 1 cup diced turnip 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon dried basil 1 cup raisins 2/3 cup chopped dried figs

2 tablespoons cooking oil 6 scallions, white bulbs and green tops chopped and reserved separately 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 pound Swiss chard or other greens, tough stems removed, leaves washed well and shredded 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen black-eyed peas 3 cups water 3 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco Sauce 1 3/4 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 pounds piece of ham, diced 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper 2 teaspoons red or white wine vinegar