A birthday cake for 90 years (and a kitchen full of old and new)

My grandfather turned 90. A feat more incredible because of everything he has gone through--both mentally and physically. He lived during the depression years and worked hard as a young boy. He was drafted into the army during WWII with reconnaissance forces, regularly crossing into enemy territory. He was captured by the Germans on Christmas day in 1944 and remained there for four months until the camp was liberated by the Russians, just in time to save his frozen and starving body. In spite of all this, he's never lost his smile or his joy. And he passes that on to everyone he meets.

detoxing

I just completed 5 days of the Haas detox diet. I thought it would be good to share my experience with it, since I'm no detox fanatic, having only done it once before, and because I think I'm like a lot of other people--I try to eat healthy, but sometimes fail, and I try to exercise regularly, but also sometimes fail. Every once in a while you just need an extra boost to get your routine back on track and to remind yourself of what you should be eating and how much. I had done the same detox a couple of years ago and loved the end result. I really believe, in my limited experience doing them, that they're a great experience for your body. It's an energy boost and cleanse all at the same time and a great opportunity to rid yourself of SNACC--sugar, nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and chemicals (dairy, too). This is the abbreviated plan (taken from http://chetday.com/haasdetox.htm):


THE DETOX DIET

SPECIAL GUIDELINES for THE DETOX DIET:

Chew your food very well and take enough time when you eat.
Relax a few minutes before and after your meal.
Eat in a comfortable sitting position.
Eat primarily steamed fresh vegetables and some fresh greens.
Take only herbal teas after dinner.

root beer float cupcakes

I got together with some of my very favorite cousins a while back. I asked what I could bring and what they liked to eat. My cousin's reply: root beer and cupcakes. No problem! I had remembered seeing a recipe for root beer float cupcakes on, what other site?, smitten kitchen! I'm not even a fan of root beer and these cupcakes won me over. They have a slight root beer taste, but not overpowering. The cute whipped cream perimeter and scoop of ice cream was a great combo. The cherry on top? For good measure.