Robert Andrew Woolmer 1948 - 2007

It is with heartfelt sorrow that such a charismatic, popular, and talented thespian in the shape of Bob Woolmer should die so suddenly at the age of only 58, but to have been 'murdered' is truly devastating news to his family, relatives, friends, fellow students of the game, cricket fans and in fact all sports fans in general.

I ask you, will International competitive sport ever be able to fully recover from this tragedy.

The truth about why he was murdered is still unclear, however there are numerous rumours flying around, as one might suspect under the circumstances.
We are all aware of the corruption/match fixing allegations coinciding with the imminent release of his book, as put forward by many a journalist this past week.
But if it does turn out that corruption has played a part in his death, then how can we the public ever trust the outcome of any sporting event in the future to have been truly genuine.
Most of us like a flutter, as it adds to the interest of the event in question, and as in all sports there are always going to be shock results and outcomes.
Cricket is in the spotlight this next week, but next week it could be football, horse racing, golf, tennis.....whatever.

In professional sport 'greed' is the root of all evil.
People, human beings like you & I will always be susceptible to the lure of making money, even if you already have plenty. It may seem improbable that you will be suspected let alone caught. Who will know if you are not giving your best, not trying your hardest, not bothered if you win, lose or draw - if you can cash in big time.

Nobody.....until one day it all goes wrong, as inevitably it will, and you and/or your family are caught up in something bigger & more dangerous than you can handle!
You may not even have been involved directly. You may have been an unsuspecting pawn in a real life crime.

Mr.Woolmer may not have been involved, but he may have been aware of certain instances where match fixing was apparent in the sub-continent.
Knowing too much about something may turn out to have been instrumental behind his 'murder.'
Information & knowledge are powerful tools and may have proved in this instance to have been as dangerous as taking part in the practice itself!




Sincere and heartfelt condolences go to his wife, Gill and sons Dale and Russell.

He will surely live in the hearts of his cricket fans in England, South Africa, Pakistan and all over the world.



Bob Woolmer
Career History:

1968: Debut for Kent.

1972: One-day international debut for England.

1976: Selected as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year.

1977: The Centenary Test in Melbourne and England went on to take the Ashes 3-0.
Bob signed for Kerry Packer, and the establishment is not amused.

1984: He retired from first class cricket.

1991: Appointed Director of Coaching at Warwickshire County Club in England.

1994: Warwickshire won 3 out of 4 trophies and were runners up in the NatWest series.
He was appointed coach of South Africa

1994-1999: South Africa won 71% of its one-day internationals, and 10 out of 15 Test series under Woolmer.

2004: Appointed Pakistan's coach.

2007: The Pakistan team crashed out of the World Cup after being shocked by debutants Ireland. Found unconscious in his hotel room in the West Indies and later died in a hospital in Jamaica.



**Please do not make failures and successes on cricket fields a matter of life and death.

London BAR King - 'The Tattershall Castle'

As I sit here writing this post the sun is shinning, and in doing so it is also showing up my 'dirty looking' apartment windows.' On reflection I don't remember having seen my window cleaner for a good two months now, maybe more!
He is always banging on your door if you owe him a few quid, which doesn't bother me surprisingly, as he is quite a character and a betting man too.
He often gives me a horse to back which is a dead cert, although as everyone who enjoys a flutter knows - there is in fact no such thing.
However he bets big boys dosh and he wouldn't give you a donkey to back unless he had heard a whisper for it from someone on the inside.

The seasonal good weather means only two things to many. Firstly, the gyms are packed with once a year male members trying to lose their man-boobs, before they dare to unveil there shiny white torsos for the first time in six months, along with that group of fitness obsessed middle-aged women, who have been going to the gym 3 or 4 times a week forever, in the feint hope that once more this Summer they can get away with wearing a belt for a skirt and a crop top to expose their belly piercing!
Grow old gracefully I say, and that's coming from my goodself, a once upon a time gym fanatic and qualified fitness instructor.

What is it with women that when you ask them what social activities they enjoy the 'gym' is always in the top three, with the other two being swimming and pilates!

The 'gym' was once upon a time a home from home for men, where they could go to effectively preserve their masculinity and lift some weights in between chatting to other guys of the same ilk about 'man' things.

Secondly the tanning salons are empty as people try to achieve the 'real deal' even in April.

But in my world good weather means the opportunity to enjoy a bevy outdoors in the sunshine, be it in a beer garden or your own garden.
In my eyes take the opportunity now....who knows when we will see any good weather again....tomorrow, in a week, in a month!

Alternatively how about having a glass of something ON The Tattershall Castle.
Moored on the Thames, this refurbished old paddle steamer is a good place to go if your looking for a change of scenery and venue.
Drink up on the deck while the heat of the sun allows, whilst enjoying the panoramic backdrop of the London Eye, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, then toddle off down below as the sun sets and it starts to cool off.
For those looking for a 'big night in' there is also a night club on board which stays open into the early hours.
Ideally located, 2 minutes walk from Embankment tube station, 5 minutes or so from Charing Cross mainline station, and only a 10-15 minute walk from the boat itself into the West End or Soho.

'The Tattershall Castle' makes for a great meeting place. It's very informal and relaxed, and with the sun on your back, a beer in your hand and the great views of London, it is a must-go venue for an early evening or post-work libation.

Unique & Delectable Banana Pudding

My friend, Steph Jordan, has created the most unique banana pudding I've ever come upon and it looks fabulous PLUS it is so easy to make. Watch Steph walk you step by step through the process...and...ENJOY!

Visit Steph's blog for more colorful inspiration...recipes, artwork, music and more!

**TIME IS RUNNING OUT!! Have you entered our $65 CSNstores.com Gift Card Giveaway? Also, enter our sister site's blog contest to win $40 CSNstores.com gift card too.

Panda Cupcakes for a Kickin' Kung Fu Panda Party

This year we decided to surprise Ryan with a Kung Fu Panda birthday party. He had no idea we were going to do this. We invited a bunch of his friends over for the excitement. Each of the kids were given a foam sword and a balloon. They were asked to keep the balloons off of the ground, and they could only use their swords. It turned into a giant sword fight, but the kids had a blast! After the sword game, each of the kids were able to make an oragami frog. Then they were given a bowl of noodles and chopsticks, where they had to eat the noodles only using the chopsticks. Then they got to eat the yummy panda cupcakes (which were decorated with mini oreos and mini chocolate chips) and ice cream. Party favors were given out in Chinese "Take Out" boxes. What a fun party!

Happy Birthday Ryan!!!

My Lily Tier Cake

This cake was my final project for Wilton Course 3. I made the lilies and leaves with royal icing a few days ahead of time. The 6 inch and 10 inch tiers are both lemon cake with a homemade raspberry filling. I crumbcoated them with a buttercream frosting and then topped them with a homemade marshmallow, lemon fondant. I thought it turned out very well. A perfect cake for Easter. Too bad Easter is still a couple weeks away.

Beaver Buzz Core Energy Drink Review

I went to a different 7-11 last night to see if they have anything different. I came out with a Beaver Buzz Energy Drink, the Core one. I really didn't know what to expect from a drink with a Core flavour. This Beaver Buzz cost me $2.59 CAD, which is $0.60 CAD more than what Shoppers Drug Mart sells them for.

The easiest way to describe this is to say that it tastes like the regular Monster. This beverage even has the same yellow color. There is a slight difference in taste though, the Beaver Buzz Core does not have the same, strong cough syrup taste. It is still present, but it is very mild. Also, this one taste a bit sweeter than Monster, but the sweetness does not last long. If you gulp it down real quick, you will experience a taste that is very sweet towards the end, but it fades away very fast in the aftertaste. Weird. Another subtle difference is the slight sour aftertaste once the sweetness has gone away.

Now, about the energy boost. There are two labels on the back and of course the two list different caffeine amounts. Before you say that they list the caffeine on different basis, they do not. Both the labels give caffeine amounts on a per can basis. One gives 100 mg caffeine, the other 150 mg. Also, both the labels give ginseng, guarana and taurine amounts so it is not like the greater caffeine amount already includes the caffeine from the ginseng and guarana extracts. If you know anything about this difference in caffeine content, let me know.

Scores:
Cost - $2.59 CAD from 7-11
Taste - 6.9/10...not a big fan of the Monster taste, but I am giving this one a slightly higher score because of the subtle differences
Energy - 7.2/10

Overall - 14.1/20...not bad, but you might want to try the Berry Beaver Buzz or the Green Tea Beaver Buzz

The Worst Sporting Champions of All Time ! - Part One

The World Cup is over, Spain were victorious and they are the World Champions. At the end of the day whilst watching it from my humble abode here in the UK it is in my opinion that Spain were indeed worthy winners, although it was generally a disappointing tournament all-round in terms of the quality of the football played, and the embarrassment and humiliation the England players and management team bestowed upon our nation!

This article is part one of several to come celebrating those undeserved 'Sporting Champions' - those teams and/or individuals that were actually top of their field, yet were still pretty rubbish.

For this reason I shall call them 'Sport's Greatest Ever Pretenders,' starting with:
Blackburn Rovers - Premiership Champions 1995.

How did a team based around the workmanlike talents of Tim Sherwood and Jeff Kenna become champions of England?

Stick nine men behind the ball, hoof it up to Alan Shearer and hope he's not too busy flapping his pointy elbows into some poor old defender's eye socket, and in the interim point in time he whacks the ball into the back of the onion bag. That is how!

Ole, ole ole!.............free-flowing, aesthetically pleasing, champagne football!

That season Manchester United had been handicapped by the loss of the mercurial Eric 'the karate kid' Cantona, following a now well documented altercation with a Crystal Palace fan at Selhurst Park one January evening in 1995. Without the suspended Frenchman it immediately became advantage Rovers, but they still failed to claim their prize with any assumed authority.

They stumbled over the finishing line, losing three of their final five games, the last of which gave Manchester United the chance to snatch the title with the very last kick of the season, if they could win at West Ham. Luckily for Rovers, that final kick fell to United's Achilles heel, Andy Cole's club foot - and Kenny Dalglish's men topped the table by a single point.

They danced and they sang without a hint of ignominy, as this small Lancashire club lifted the Premier League trophy, just four years after the arrival and the aid of the late Jack Walker's dynasty and his millions.

Such end-of-season shamelessness would never be seen again............that was until Chelsea insisted that it 'wasn't all about Roman's f***ing money,' when in June 2003 Ken Bates sold Chelski to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich for £140 million, completing what was then the biggest-ever sale of an English football club.

He subsequently spent over £100 million on new players, as they went onto become the fifth English team to win (buy) back-to-back league championships since the Second World War in 2004/05 and 2005/06.

Milo Chocolate Nutritional Energy Drink Review

A couple of weeks ago I was at a Vietnamese market and came across this guy in one of their fridges. I have heard of it, but had never seen. I am not sure if this is a real energy drink or one of those like Nutrament. I think it is just supposed to give you energy from all the vitamins and minerals and not really a kick like caffeine works.

The drink tastes like chocolate soy milk with a touch of vanilla, but it's thicker and has some small chunks of chocolate. There is nothing else to really say about this in terms of the taste. There are no unpleasant notes or a weird aftertaste. If you like chocolate soy milk, then you will probably enjoy the taste of this.

Since there is no added caffeine (I am sure there is some from the chocolate), there is no kick, but it does work as an energy drink in the sense that it gives you energy to not fall asleep when you are feeling tired. After about 20 minutes of consuming this at breakfast, I felt pretty good and eager to do something. The whole morning I had plenty of energy and actually got some stuff done. This has its audience, but if you are after that caffeine high, skip this one.

Ingredients: sugar, nonfat milk, barley malt extract, cocoa processed with alkali, milkfat, palm oil, carrageenan, calcium phosphate, sodium phosphate, soy lecithin, magnesium carbonate, ascorbic acid, vanillin-an artificial flavour, ferric pyrophosphate (iron), niacinamide, calcium pantothenate, pyrodixine hydrochloride, thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, biotin, Vitamin B12.

Scores:
Cost - $2
Taste - 7.8/10
Energy - 6/10

Overall - 13.8/20...vitamin/mineral type of energy, not a caffeine kick

C.P.F.C Pre-Season 2007 - Fixtures, Results and Scorers.

Friday 13th July Chelmsford 0 Palace 2 Freedman(2) - Away
Saturday 14th July Bromley 2 Palace 2 Own goal, Green - Away
Tuesday 17th July v Aldershot 0 Palace 2 Watson (pen), Kuki - Away
Friday 20th July Dartford 0 Palace 3 Fletcher, Green, Ifill - Away
Saturday 21st July Barnet 2 Palace 3 Own goal, Watson, Ifill - Away
Tues 24th July IFK Gothenburg 1 Palace 2 Ifill, Scowcroft - Away
Fri 27th July Oddevald 1 Palace 4 Dayton,Martin,Morrison,Watson - Away
Tuesday 31st July Palace 1 Watson (pen) Anderlecht 1 - Home
Saturday 4th August Palace 0 Everton 0 - Home

*All kick-off times are subject to change.

The day after Halloween - the breakfast

Lil man stayed overnight here after Trick or Treating in the neighborhood. His folks went to a party. And so I made some breakfast for us. Ive been wanting to try this recipe out, since I had some blueberries in the freezer I needed to use up. Ive been meaning to do it all week but kept forgetting to put it together so it could soak overnight. Last nite after dinner I decided to do it with lil man helping me put it together.

This is really easy, basically just layers, let it soak and bake the next morning. Its almost like dessert, a bread pudding. So while I cut up the bread......and I often have either sour dough or a nice Italian bread around, lil man cut up the cream cheese and helped assemble this. I like to make hearty french toast and so I use a good sturdy bread when I make it. I decided to do the same with this. You basically layer bread, cheese, blueberries, more bread and pour the custard mix over it all and let soak over nite. My proportions were off because I used more bread trying to use it up. I also added more eggs and milk. To the egg mixture I added some cinnamon and a bit of vanilla. I do that to my regular french toast too.

So while this was baking, I baked off some bacon to go with it. I warmed up some maple syrup too altho you could do without it. But because there is so very little sweet with this......I like it with the syrup, better. Maybe next time if I have more blueberries Ill make a blueberry topping. I certainly have leftovers and Ill be packaging them up to have later on.  I quick warm up in the oven or microwave, will be great. I do that to my leftover french toast too. This way I don't have to cook them all the time.

Fresh Blueberry-stuffed French Toast Casserole 

Assemble this simple casserole 12 to 24 hours ahead, or just before baking.

Ingredients:
4 large slices sourdough bread, crust removed and cubed
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
2 cups fresh blueberries
6 large eggs
1 cup milk
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3 tablespoons powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375*F. Arrange half the bread cubes in an 8-inch square baking dish. Distribute the cream cheese cubes evenly over the top of the bread. Distribute the blueberries over the top.

2. Top with the remaining bread cubes.

3. Beat eggs, milk and cinnamon together and pour over. Bake for 35 minutes, uncovered. Sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.

Its not dinner till the alarm goes off....

Well, my fire alarms work in the new house lol. Found out by accident. They are really sensitive too cuz there was no smoke in the house. I was baking a few strips of bacon for tonights side dish and the alarms went off. I was shocked but put the fan on over the stove. Within a min. or two it shut off. It was a night of buzzers and alarms tho and I was doing many things at once. I had the washer and the dryer going, doing my wash and I was microwaving the potatoes for tonites dinner too. So when the alarm went off I wasnt sure what it was. Plus I have only been here two wks and didnt even know if they worked yet. I really have to not multi task so much lol.

Anyway tonites dinner was a marinated london broil that I often use on steaks. Its on a previous blog http://mermaidstreasures.blogspot.com/search/label/marinades and I made some cole slaw and a Loaded Baked Potato Casserole that I make now and then. I saw it long ago and thought it was a great idea.

Loaded Baked Potato Casserole

This makes as much or as little as you want. Heres the amts. I used tonite. But honestly you can just wing it.

5 sm. potatoes, microwaved till tender, about 8 min. total but test them halfway thru
4 green onions chopped, white and some of the green
4 slices of thick bacon, cooked then crumbled
Salt and Pepper
Shredded Cheddar Cheese
Sour Cream

Scrub the potatoes, then microwave. I usually do about 5min. then turn them over for another 3min. Then I test to see if they are tender. First I make a layer of half of the potatoes, then top them with half the bacon, onion, S & P, cheddar and then drop small dollops of sour cream on top. Then repeat with remaining ingredients. I used a ceramic casserole that has a glass lid.

You want to cover it so it doesnt brown alot on top and cooks quicker. You dont need to cook it long, just until the cheese melts and is heated thru. At about 400 degrees for 15-20 min.

If you want to get creative you could try a mixture of cheeses or add some green chilies too. This amt. tonight serves about 4. Because theres only two of us here, Ive saved the rest in a smaller casserole to heat up another nite. I love that I just scrub the potatoes and when they are cooked, just cut them into chunks and use. The skins are good for you.

Hope Solo - USA Soccer Babe

Hope Amelia Solo (born 30 July 1981, in Richland, Washington) is an American goalkeeper currently playing for Atlanta Beat in the (WPS) Women's Professional Soccer league in the United States. Hope is also a member of the United States women's national soccer team, having won 91 international caps to date.

Read more at: http://www.hopesolo.com/

SEA'S HAM GLAZE

One more recipe for the spring time.......since its the time of the year we tend to have ham for easter.
SEA'S HAM GLAZE makes enough for about a 10-12lb ham
Whole cloves to stud the ham with
4tb. Dijon mustard
1 lg. clove garlic, mashed
1/2c. Chinese duck sauce
Dash of orange juice
1/2 c. brown sugar
Heat oven to 400 degrees. With a sharp knife score the top of the ham in a diamond pattern. Stud with cloves at every intersection. Combine mustard, garlic, and duck sauce with enought orange juice to make a syrupy mixture. Spread evenly over top and sides of ham. Sprinkle surface with brown sugar and bake 90min. Serve hot or cold.
I baste the ham with this as its baking as it tends to slide off the ham. As you do it makes a nice glaze and its delish! I use the Chinese duck sauce you buy back east, the kind thats orange looking made with apricot and plums. I cant get it here so I get mom to send it. But Im sure you could use any Chinese fruit type sauce you find or even apricot jam.

PANCAKES!!!!!!!

I always liked going to the International House of Pancakes. When my kids were little and their dad would be on the road, I would take them to have breakfast for dinner. They just thought that was so cool and loved going. They still talk about that today. Now my bf and I like to go once in awhile when I dont feel like cooking. A few months ago tho I tried a different pancake that they make. They are called the Country Griddle Cakes and are made with cream of wheat. They have different texture, sort of chewy and yet light. We went there recently and found out they have a new menu and they are no longer on there! So I went hunting online to find a copycat recipe. I made it today for breakfast with some bacon and YUM it was a success so here it is for you.

IHOP Cream of Wheat Pancakes or Country Griddlecakes
1/ 1/4c. flour
1 1/2c. buttermilk (or make the sour milk version of it)
1/3c. cream of wheat, dry
1 egg
1/3c. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4c. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
Heat a skillet over medium heat. (I used my electric griddle).In a large bowl, combine all ingredients until smooth. Pour the batter by 1/3c. portions into a pan coated with cooking spray and cook pancakes till brown.
Makes about 10

I didnt have buttermilk here so I made the sour milk equivlent of that and I cut back a bit on the sugar only using 1/4c. instead of 1/3c.

The bf proclaimed them awesome and I have to agree so I guess Ill be making these more often. BTW whenever I make pancakes or french toast I freeze the extras. A quick zap in the microwave and Ive got an instant breakfast. I never toss the leftovers away. I know my dog wishes I would tho . I frequently add vanilla to my pancakes when I make them but today I did them just as you see. I asked the bf if he thinks it needs it and he says they are perfect just like this. Dont mess with perfection!

XL Energy Drink Review

I got this from the local bargain store for only $0.97 CAD. The can is a bit dirty and most of the ones in the fridge were a bit banged up, which leads me to believe that these have been there for quite some time. Who am I to complain, this cost me a $1. All I had to do was get a glass and wipe the top off a bit.

As soon as I popped the tab, the familiar smell of Red Bull hit me. The beverage has the same color too, dark yellow. The only difference so far is the sweeter aroma. Yes, the taste is almost identical to the Red Bull one except that it is sweeter and a bit less sour. The aftertaste is cleaner at first, but sweetness slowly starts building up. I like the taste because I love the Red Bull/Red Rain/Red Rave taste and the price is right too.

I cannot find the caffeine content anywhere on the can, but I am almost positive, it is 80 mg - the same as Red Bull, Red Rain, Red Rave. I drank a can of this at lunch and I was feeling peppy within 10 minutes. The boost only lasted for over an hour, which is a bit sad. I think I am getting too used to energy drinks with much higher amounts of caffeine. I will give this the same rating as Red Rain and Red Rave simply because there are people out there who only need 80 mg of caffeine, or even less.

This is where I have to let you know that when I was looking for the caffeine content, I came across the "Product is certified Kosher." statement on the back of the can.

Scores:
Cost - $0.97, on sale
Taste - 8.1/10
Energy - 6/10

Overall - 14.1/20...almost a Red Bull clone, except sweeter and with a very low price tag

BaBoom Energy Spray Review

Today I am trying something different, an energy spray I picked up from 7-11 for $4.99. Five dollars sounded like a lot of money but when I checked out the online store on BaBoom's website, I was happy to discover that the price online is $6.99.

Don't let the container fool you, the spray is not as big. The bottle resembles breath sprays only it comes in a screaming red color with a red cap. There is not much else to the spray bottle.

The manufacturer recommends using the energy spray 5 sprays at a time with the bottle containing enough liquid to last 150 sprays. I don't feel like wasting my $5 all at once so I cannot confirm that this number is correct. I will only assume that the actual number falls within the 150 shots. The spray does not taste bad. It tastes like a not so tasty energy shot only that once the liquid reaches the tongue and the throat it does not instantly turn bitter or soapy. Since each set of sprays - 5 burst in total, contain only 1.3 calories, the taste is like a sugar free drink. The label says that the flavour is watermelon/orange but what I tasted mostly was the orange part. There is a faint sweet taste which might resemble that of watermelon, but I cannot say for sure. The aftertaste is nothing impressive and the only good thing I can say about it is that it is not foul, bitter or disgusting in any way. Perhaps for the next flavour release, I would strongly recommend peppermint or spearmint so this energy spray can double as a breath spray.

The label says nothing about the amount of caffeine present in each spray, but I can say that it is not too much since 5 is the suggested number of sprays. With 5 sprays I did get a buzz after only 10 minutes, but I also got an elevated heart rate, which is something I have only gotten after drinking a can of Rage Wrath. The buzz does not last a long time - 40 or so minutes. But when you have 150 shots at your disposal, this isn't much of an issue. I like the quick delivery, but perhaps a bit more caffeine can be added.

Medicinal Ingredients: vitamin B3, vitamin B6, taurine, caffeine.

Non-Medicinal Ingredients: water, glucose, glycerin, artificial flavours, sodium benzoate, propylene glycol, ascorbic acid, saccharin sodium, sodium glycocholate, sodium lauryl sulfate.

Scores:
Cost - $4.99 per spray
Taste - 6/10
Energy - 6/10

Overall - 12/20...not bad for something so unique

Snickerdoodle cookies

Yesterday J and I made Snickerdoodles. We tripled the recipe cuz J wanted to make some for her dad for Christmas as a gift. The recipe says it makes 24 if you make 1 in. balls. They lie! We ended up with about 9 dozen! So J took quite a few and wrapped them all up for her dad. And I have 4 1/2 dozen here and she took the rest home with her to take to her church last nite. She was going to something at the youth group, a huge cookie and cocoa party.

I had 4 baking pans going all afternoon that held about a dozen each pan. I remembered that last yr. I made some Vanilla sugar so for the topping we mixed the Vanilla sugar and cinnamon. I thought it would add an extra flavor boost. They are yummy!

I know most of you probably have a good Snickerdoodle recipe but Ill post the one I used here anyway.

Soft Snickerdoodle Cookies

* 1 cup butter
* 1 1/2 cups sugar
* 2 large eggs
* 2 3/4 cups flour
* 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons sugar
* 3 teaspoons cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix butter, 1 1/2 cups sugar and eggs thoroughly in a large bowl. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl. Blend dry ingredients into butter mixture. Chill dough, and chill an ungreased cookie sheet for about 10-15 minutes in the fridge. Meanwhile, mix 3 tablespoons sugar, and 3 teaspoons cinnamon in a small bowl.

Scoop 1 inch globs of dough into the sugar/ cinnamon mixture. Coat by gently rolling balls of dough in the sugar mixture. Place on chilled ungreased cookie sheet, and bake 10 minutes. Remove from pan immediately. Makes 24

Bawls Geek Beer Review

The first time I had Geek Beer was a year ago. I stopped at the only gas station/convenience store on a long stretch of county highway, at least 100 km away from the nearest city, and I was surprised to find the store stocked with various energy drinks. That was the last time I saw and had this beverage, until last week. I found a well stocked energy drinks display at a near-by convenience store, which also had Geek Beer for $2.59 CAD per bottle.

I like the color of the bottle - brown - very similar to real beer bottles. The drink is very carbonated and a bit creamy. Unlike other root beers, this one doesn't have many taste ingredients to give it a rich character. It tastes a lot like mass market root beers, such as Barq's and A&W's. The taste is sweet with hints of caramel and the finish is sweet at first, but clean in the long run. More importantly, it is not tainted by the energy ingredients, which makes this an enjoyable drink. I like the taste, and I think this is easier to drink than the original Bawls, but I cannot see myself drinking this on a regular basis.

The bottle does not bear an indication of the amount of caffeine in the bottle, but after a quick look on the ThinkGeek website, I found that the bottle contains 80 mg of caffeine. I wouldn't call this a "high caffeine" guarana root beer, just caffeinated guarana root beer. That's the same amount of caffeine a small can of Red Bull contains, which can give some people a rush, but not me, or any caffeine addicts. If I need a small boost, I go for 80 mg drinks, but if I need to wake up, I need at least double that. I started to feel the effects of the caffeine within 20 minutes of taking the first sip, but the energy boost lasted for just over an hour. On the plus side I did not experience a crash.

Scores:
Cost - $2.59 CAD for a 296 mL bottle
Taste - 7.9/10
Energy - 6/10

Overall - 13.9/20...I think this is more of a niche drink than a mass market one. It tastes good, but it does not have enough caffeine to satisfy the cravings of a caffeine junkie

XS Energy Drink Cranberry-Grape Blast Caffeine-Free Review

Today I am trying the caffeine-free version of the Cranberry-Grape Blast energy drink made by XS. The difference between the caffeine-free and the regular version is, you guessed it, the lack of caffeine. This is done by simply removing all the ingredients which contain caffeine. Also, don't think for a second, that other active ingredients, such as taurine, have been removed as well. If they were taken out of the can, this energy drink would be nothing more than an overpriced sugar-free soda drink.

Taste

The taste is similar to the regular cranberry-grape energy drink, but not quite identical. This one has a stronger cranberry taste, though it only appears for brief moments of time before it's overpowered by something that tastes like a combination of coffee and chocolate. This strange twist was also seen in Slimquick's energy shot from about a year ago. I would have to conclude that the removal of the active ingredients has had some impact on the taste, especially the finish, which resembles mocha lattes more than anything else.

Energy

As expected, the buzz from this caffeine-free drink is not as good as that from the regular energy drink, but it still gives you a surprising kick...though very minor. Being a sugar-free drink on top of everything, the kick comes in slow and resembles something of a jolt because it lasts a very short time. If you don't normally drink energy drinks or coffee, but are looking for a boost, this might be a good one for you, but if you are one of those people that has to have a coffee or an energy drink to wake up, I suggest you look somewhere else for a boost worthy of your time.

Scores:

Cost -works out to about $3.66, delivered

Taste - 6.5/10

Energy - 3/10

Overall - 9.5/20...almost a pass, but without a serious caffeine-free boost, it would be hard to pass

DIET is a four-letter word!

Since this is the first post of the New Year it came to mind that most people reading this have either started a diet, contemplating a diet or are wanting to watch what they eat. The word DIET is a nasty four-letter word in my opinion as the diet industry has become big business with low rates of success. If you have dieted, lost weight AND kept it off then congratulations! To the rest of the 95% of us that gained back the weight...or more weight than we lost - never fear, there is hope. I'll be discussing Super Foods in upcoming posts, which may help you in your journey towards a healthier lifestyle (notice, I didn't say a diet which may help you!)


You may be wondering what gives me any authority on losing weight or eating healthier. I won't go into all the details; however I have been overweight for more years in my life, than not. While growing up I was an athlete and could eat just about anything I wanted. I married right out of high school, quickly had a baby and have never been thin again since. As life stresses hit me over the years my weight escalated higher and higher.

In 2007, I lost 89 pounds by simply writing down everything that I ate, adding up the calories each day to keep within 1600 to 1800 calories a day plus ate lots of Super Foods while doing so. I've also been a carb junkie my entire life; but the most important thing was WHY I was a (bad) carb junkie. I truly believe that the reason the majority of overweight people are overweight is because we eat instead of dealing with life. I am a Food Addict and use food to soothe myself when I'm sad, mad, glad, have PMS or bored. I have fond memories of my mother and I going to the local bakery, buying a dozen raised glazed donuts and eating half of them on the way home...it even makes my mouth water just writing about it - plus provides a happy memory of my mother.

You may be able to relate to this, you may not, depending on your circumstances or where you are in your journey to being honest with yourself. If you consider yourself overweight and only have 5, 10, 20 pounds to lose then I can't relate and you probably can't relate to this article.

In March of 2008, life started a toward spiral with two family deaths, long term illness, empty nest syndrome, a job loss, husband's work injury, moving AND I gained back most of those unnecessary 89 pounds. It is hard to accept that I failed yet a great friend basically told me to let go of my self-loathing and failure to move forward. This statement was just what I needed to get started in a forward direction again. I began adding back Super Foods into my life and I'm feeling better (less depression, less aches, better mood, hugely reduced bad cholesterol level).

If you have never written down everything you eat, I highly suggest it! Just eat the way you normally do while writing down the calories for one week (there are many free online calorie calculators). Let me know what you discover about the things you eat.

I'd also love to hear about your experiences with the Super Foods which we will be discussing during the week...first post coming shortly.