Food Dehydrator, Essentials You Must Know Before Purchasing

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Food Dehydrator, Essentials You Must Know Before Purchasing

Food dehydration or food drying for preserving purposes has been around in one way or another for centuries if not millennia. Until the last hundred years the food drying process has been relegated to finding a flat, dry surface that happens to be in direct sunlight. You can only imagine the hazards involved with this outdoor process ranging from bug infestation to inclement weather. Fast forward around a hundred years later and what you have got in todays marketplace is a healthy diversity of self contained, electronic food dryers or dehydrators. As you might guess, they are not all created equal and vary widely. This article is one of several that will walk you through some of these differences.
Most modern food dehydrators can vary in shape from cylindrical columns with layers of trays to horizontal boxes with adjustable trays. These Dehydrator units all have their good points and not so good points. Lets talk about some of the more controversial elements of both vertical and horizontal food dehydrators.

Air Flow

A food dehydrator works best when the airflow is moving un-impeded from one end of the unit to the other end. This air flow can be vertical or in other wordsup, that is originating from a heat source at the bottom of the dehydrator and flowing up as in fan driven or convection (hot air will always rise). The other air flow alternative would be a horizontal dehydration unit. This is where the air begins movement from a fan and heat source at one side of the unit and moves horizontally across the food trays, once again in an un-impeded or un-blocked manner. Now of course, the million dollar question, which one is best, a vertical flow cylindrical unit or a horizontal flow box unit? When you are standing out on an open plane and feel the wind blowing against you, how is the wind blowing? Of course it is blowing horizontally. Most food dehydration experts agree that the horizontal air flow or box unit is the best. The horizontal air flow throughout the box is the same whether you place the food slices in the back or the front. In most vertical or stackable dehydrators the air flow is best near the bottom and become less effective near the top. This requires you to be more aggressive in switching out the tray placement for more even drying of your food slices.

Food Odor Mixing

The word marriage stirs images of a bliss full blending of the essence of two individuals into one. In the world of food dehydration it is a consequence that you will want to avoid at all costs. With todays food dehydrators you can conceivably dry a wide variety of foods all at the same time within the same dehydrator. However the mixing or marriage of essences (tastes) and odors will always be an issue. With the horizontal or box dehydrator the air flow keeps the odors relatively contained within that immediate tray area. While the vertical or cylinder dehydrator will need to have more frequent tray changes or positioning to avoid this air flow mixing. Either way, both types will work well for a wide variety of fruits, vegetables and herbs. You just need to be a bit more aggressive in maintaining even air flow with the cylinder unit. Both types of dehydrators work well for drying meat into jerky but be aware, it is recommended that meat be done at a whole separate time than the soft and more fleshy fruits and vegetables. If you do meat dehydration then unit cleaning takes on a very important purpose.

Cleaning

Proper and regular cleaning of any piece of kitchen equipment is an essential and inevitable chore that will always be needed. Food dehydrators are no exception. The great thing is, these units are very easy to clean and when done properly should never get too dirty in the first place. All of the trays are porous, hand washable plastic and should not require any cleaning solvent other than soap and water. As bits and pieces fall down into the bottom of your dehydrator unit just a quick scoop with a damp rag should usually do the trick. If your heating element is exposed, make sure that all bits and pieces of food debris are removed from this area. If you are using wax dehydrator sheets on your trays always discard the sheet after every use and line the tray with a fresh dryer sheet. After drying meat always wash thoroughly with soap and water every area where the meat may have made contact. This will insure that no cross contamination will happen within your dehydrator and increase the years of use and enjoyment from your unit.

While there are some minor differences between the different styles of todays food dehydrators, they should give you and your family many years of healthy foods. Whether you are dehydrating fresh fruits, veggies, herbs or meats todays modern food dehydrators, with a little maintenance should last for many years.

Follow the Underactive Thyroid Diet, And Regain Your Energy -- While You Lose Weight

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Follow the Underactive Thyroid Diet, And Regain Your Energy -- While You Lose Weight

If you've got an underactive thyroid, you know that constant fatigue and weight gain are your constant companions, or least something you worry about. You feel drained of energy and life, unable to do the activities you once loved. You may be too overweight to the activities you once enjoyed, too, or you're just too tired to get out and do them. Can an underactive thyroid diet help you regain the energy and lose the weight, so that you can get back to living?

The answer is pretty complicated, because an underactive thyroid diet can never actually "cure" you of hypothyroidism. However, if you follow a well balanced diet and have proper nutrition, including nutrients that can increase your energy and help you lose weight, you can absolutely take back at least some control.

When you feel better, you can also be more active, and when you exercise more, you can say goodbye to exhaustion and start feeling even better. Your ultimate objective should be to do 45 minutes to an hour of physical activity and exercise a day, and you don't have to exceed your abilities to it. Simply start slow, such as taking a walk every day, and then do more as you feel like it.

The underactive thyroid diet isn't as difficult to follow as you might think, either. It's really just a healthy diet, for the most part. Build it from fresh fruits and vegetables, and then add in some lean protein like ground turkey or skinless chicken. Healthy fats like olive oil and low-fat dairy should also be included.

You can also take several natural supplements to complete your underactive thyroid diet. Soy protein drinks and a supplement called Active Fiber can also help you regain good health.

Carbohydrates should be used sparingly in an underactive thyroid diet, with most of them coming from fruits and vegetables. For example, leafy green vegetables such as spinach are a good carbohydrate source. Whole grains, too, should be included, things like brown rice and oatmeal. Don't make even complex carbohydrates a mainstay of your diet, though. Instead, eat them moderately; extra fiber is important especially if you suffer from constipation due to your hypothyroidism.

If you are a vegetarian, not to worry. You can also construct your own underactive thyroid diet, but you need to make sure you get enough protein. You can get protein from nut butters like peanut butter, and from nuts themselves. Meat replacement products can help as well, and you should certainly get vegetables, which also contain protein. Soy protein is an especially good choice, because it contains the 20 essential amino acids; a good naturally based protein drink can give you the daily-recommended amounts of what you need.

Be careful if you're following an underactive thyroid diet to avoid foods that have a lot of preservatives. Although preservatives do indeed extend packaged foods' shelf life, your body doesn't find them healthy at all. Most of them also have an abundance of chemicals like synthetic flavors and colors, so use natural alternatives instead.

An underactive thyroid diet isn't really special -- it's just a healthy, well-balanced meal plan that delivers the nutrition you need for health, energy, and well being.

Five Year Career Development Plan

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Five Year Career Development Plan

If one thing is clear about life, it is that every one of us has an unimaginable amount of potential. What is also clear is that for many people that potential is barely realized even by the time we reach are full stride in our careers and personal lives. Either we dont define our goals or we dont take the measured steps necessary to achieve them.

The body of this paper will clarify the important relationship between personal career goals and career planning.

Inspiring yourself to greatness is one component in the equation, and going after the tools and techniques you need to achieve your personal potential is another. That is why Im writing this paper on the marriage between your long term career goals and the five year plan that generates your individual aspirations. Our current potential could be maintained within our current status-quo career, and serve as our long term companion. Nonetheless, it shows us actually how not to realize our individual dreams of greatness. It presents us with a choice to blue print what we really want to do and to actually get what we want out of our careers. It literally prods us to craft a persuasive career development plan and obtain are full potential. When you confidently take that initial step towards ascertaining your professional goals you have reached the core of your soul and awakened yourself to your true potential. All things considered, acquiring all the skills has turned out to be a necessity to carry out sound career planning and development. In other words, good planning will not only help us achieve those dreams emanating from our basic need to survive, but literally give us the ability to achieve far more than we ever dreamed possible.

As we move into the new millennium, we need to reinvent our selves. The problem of our shrinking world demands much more of our attention as never before.

Companys today need to harness the full potential of every colleague for greater productivity. Incidentally, regardless of what we have achieved in the past, we need to do more in the future. No matter what we have accomplished, there are always larger ideas, bigger goals, and more influential partners with whom we can network to get the job we really want. Developing a career plan is essential to making it happen and a way to leverage our resources to build a better career path. As an example, engineers like to rely on facts, numbers, and technology to lead people toward making the right decisions.

Employers also use certain screening techniques to ensure considering appropriate candidates for available positions and meeting the skill level desired for that profession. Dessler page 252 said, ultimately the individual must accept responsibility for his or her own career; access his or her interest; skills, and values; and generally take those steps that must be taken to assure a happy fulfilling career.

It assumes a rudimentary knowledge of your individual training and development needs. A self evaluation must be implemented to gauge where you are in your current career; along with developing a detailed individual career outline. It notes specific areas of development to look for and what tendencies as an individual to avoid. Going back to basics is usually a good starting point.

As an example, when learning anything in life one usually will ask for advise or encouragement. In other words, consulting a former member of a college debate team or even a past athletic coach for direction is a fundamental quality that encourages sound direction. Needless to say, the simple truth is that asking for a managers opinion and direction is usually enough in most cases to allow your career aspirations to become closer of becoming a reality. These individuals can help steer your action plan and can identify your strengths and weaknesses in both your development and required supplemental training. They can help horn your skills towards your desired direction and interest. In these words of wisdom they have shared how certain skills can be put into use in a variety of different environments.

As a result, my individual career plan began 3 years ago. In order to enhance my professional career I began job interviewing and missed a job opportunity from the lack of acquiring a college degree. I possessed many of the skills necessary for many of the jobs I interviewed for, but unfortunately companys today see no real value with on the job experience without an education. All things considered, initially you must identify your fears of returning to the classroom setting with the attitude that in real life we learn every day.

While each one of us is blessed with different levels of talent, the ability to continually learn as our world evolves gives you a tremendous advantage in our competitive world. Whether you are currently a manager, facilitator, or a student developing a career plan for professional growth career planning outline can identify the most common mistakes individuals make when trying to advance their individual careers and how to avoid the pitfalls of apprehension. Including a detailed five year career development outline you can adapt your individual goals, and turn your career path into a polished and persuasive source of vitality and a first class career professional.

Fishing and Tipping in Guatemala

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Fishing and Tipping in Guatemala

Tipping when fishing

Tipping in Guatemala is not widely practiced - although it has become the norm in certain services, particularly - as you would expect - in any provided directly to tourists and foreigners. We are frequently asked "What is considered normal tipping practice when fishing", to which we generally advise that a tip of $125-175 per boat per day is probably average. The wide range should be primarily determined by factors such as - #1 is how hard did the crew work for you ? Were they watching the baits ALL the time ? Were they changing out the baits on a regular basis to avoid them becoming "washed out" ? Were the considerate and asking how YOU would like to fish rather than how they normally fish ? - How many anglers on the boat (in fact how many passengers total) - the tip referenced above assumes 4, so if more or less there is a case for adjustment - Were you provided with snacks, food and drink as and when you want it ? Were your needs anticipated? - Did the captain work hard to find fish ? Was he successful ?

While the tip should not necessarily reflect the number of fish caught, there IS a correlation between o Number of fish caught and effort/work provided o Number of fish raised to efforts to scout a productive area and find what baits are working In all cases of course, the tip is discretionary, and should reflect the level of service provided and your satisfaction with the crew.

The suggestions above are given for guidance and for your consideration only. Be aware also that there can be a significant difference in expectations for tip between "local" crews (which are reflected above) - and "Professional" or "International" Captains.

The prime season in Guatemala is relatively short compared to many other destinations, and so there is a "school of thought" that says that Captains and crews have a need to compress earnings into a shorter time - and so the average needs to be higher. Again, we leave the reader to wrestle with that one alone. Tipping for other services

A general "rule of thumb" that is realistic, is that if you are receiving service from someone who primarily deals with tourists/anglers - then a small tip (or one that reflects the effort and time) is reasonable. Of course hardly anyone is going to refuse a tip, but some examples of what is customary maybe : - Maid in a villa : $5/day total for the group unless there is a lot of laundry or extra cleaning to be done - Chef/Waitress in a private villa : $25/day for the group between them. The chef is usually the "leader" 'so a tip left for him/her would be shared amongst the rest of the team - Drivers - only expect to tip if they help substantially with luggage ($1/bag), or if they go out of their way to help (run an errand for example) - Tour guides - maybe 10% of the total cost, or approximately $2/hour spent with them - of course this can vary significantly based on number in the group, quality of narrative etc Do NOT expect to tip for "professional" services (doctor, bank, modern stores).

Salaries in Guatemala are low compared to US or European standards, to give you an idea (and perhaps to help gauge the "value" of a tip :

- Unskilled day labour - you may see people picking fruit or cutting grass with a machete in the central reservation for example : $8-10 per day

- Moderate skilled office or shop worker : $350/month

- Skilled but not professional (may speak English for example) : $500/month

- "Professional" (accountant, bank sub-manager, store manager) : $1000/month

Of course, just like anywhere, there is a small percentage of folks (mainly in the city) that earn a substantial amount of money, but for the most part, compensation is relatively low - and so a tip (or "propina") can be very meaningful.

Feng Shui for Cooks Enhancing Positive Energy in the Kitchen

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Feng Shui for Cooks Enhancing Positive Energy in the Kitchen

If you love to cook, chances are you spend a lot of time each day in the kitchen. Because the kitchen is considered to be the heart of the home, you want this room to be inviting, full of positive energy, and attractive to your family. The kitchen should be a place where you enjoy spending time preparing food for your family. It should also be an area where family members gather to enjoy time spent together. If you are the primary family chef in your household, here are some great ways to add a bit of positive feng shui to your kitchen.

Create an Efficient and Clutter-Free Kitchen Space

One of the most important things you can do in your kitchen is to keep it free from clutter. Not only is a cluttered kitchen very uninviting, it can also create an unsafe environment in which to work. Although you might think that it is convenient to store items on the countertop, these items could actually be hindering your effectiveness and efficiency in the kitchen. Start by taking a look at your kitchen. Are there items on your countertop that you only use on an occasional basis? If so, remove them from the countertop and store them in a cabinet or on a shelf instead. Once your countertops are cleared, youll feel more energized in the kitchen. Positive energy will also flow more freely throughout the entire kitchen.

You should also focus on the floor of the kitchen. If you are currently storing anything stacked on the floor, try to find another alternative storage method. Items on the floor can definitely block the free flow of positive energy throughout a room. Plus, when you stack items on the floor of the kitchen, you are creating potentially dangerous safety hazards. Finally, you should turn your attention to the knives that you use in the kitchen. For the sake of safety and to prevent them from cutting into the rooms chi energy, they should be stored in drawers instead of on the countertop.

Keep Shelves and Cabinets Organized

Once you have the countertop areas and the floor of the kitchen clean and organized, its time to turn your attention to the shelves and cabinets. In feng shui, hidden clutter is considered to be just as detrimental as visible clutter. So, dont just stuff everything into the cabinet and close the door in your attempt to maintain a neat and tidy kitchen appearance. Not only will cabinet clutter disturb the flow of positive energy in your kitchen, but it will also make it an unpleasant area in which to work. When you are stressed by not being able to find the things you need, you will naturally transfer this stress to your environment and to other family members. Instead, keep shelves and cabinets well organized so that both you and your kitchen radiate positive energy, happiness and beauty. Once this is done, youll undoubtedly find that your family will enjoy even more good times together in the kitchen.

Famous Sonoma wine region retains smalltown flavor

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Famous Sonoma wine region retains smalltown flavor

The rolling hills and vineyards of the Sonoma Valley are just part of a natural tapestry that has beckoned art-lovers and wine connoisseurs to this region for decades. Indeed, the fathers who founded missions here were growing grapes hundreds of years ago. Then, in the late 1850's, a fellow named Col. Agoston Haraszthy figured it all out.

Haraszthy was a Hungarian immigrant who convinced the state of California to send him to Europe on a fact-finding mission to see just how European growers created what were acknowledged to be the best wines of the time. He came back convinced that the soil in the Sonoma Valley was ideal for growing grapes, and that locally produced wines could rival those in Europe. He founded the Buena Vista winery and, by 1876, the Sonoma Valley was producing more than 2.3 million gallons of wine per year.

Today, the Sonoma Valley and the nearby Napa Valley are the cornerstones in a winery industry that continues to grow well beyond Northern California. Whether you're visiting Mendocino in the north, or Temecula in the south, the California wine-growing regions continue to show the world that the local product can compete with the best wines anywhere.

And so Sonoma and Napa keep packing in visitors seduced by the fertile landscape, the charm, the history and now the variety of wineries that each region has to offer the California traveler. Stately inns and luxurious resorts have sprung up alongside the hundreds of wineries in those regions today, each accommodation offering a getaway experience that becomes almost spiritual in the way it transports the visitor to a completely different way of life.

In Sonoma Valley, you're likely to see more family-run wineries and fewer of those owned by international conglomerates. The landscape is similar to Napa but everything seems just a bit more "small-town."

Our first visit to Sonoma was during one of its many festive events held down in the Plaza a "town square" kind of park that all of the downtown buildings are built around. During this celebration the park was decked out with dozens of booths offering draft beer and food items, and locals were toe-tapping to classic rock performed by a lively group of middle-agers. The party was spilling out into the historic shopping district that surrounds the park and, on this hot summer Sunday, Sonoma was attracting a parade of weekend visitors.

At least a half-dozen wineries including Buena Vista are within a few blocks of the Sonoma Plaza. But for serious wine-lovers, this is only the beginning. Drive up Highway 12 a few miles and you run into a bunch more continue onto Highway 101 and you discover wineries all the way from Santa Rosa on up to Geyserville. Then you begin to realize that the Sonoma Valley is just the tiny southeast corner of Sonoma County, and that wineries and grape-growing are big business throughout the county.

We spent a couple of hours exploring the attractions in the Plaza area such points of interest as the Mission San Francisco Solano de Sonoma, the Sonoma Cheese Factory and a wide variety of stores, most of them housed in well-maintained historic buildings. Then it was off down the road a couple miles to the resort we'd chosen for this short getaway to Sonoma the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn and Spa.

Driving into the Fairmont Sonoma is like arriving at your French country estate for the weekend. The ambiance and grandeur just make this seem like a larger-than-life experience as you make your way into the circular driveway and are immediately greeted by the helpful hotel valet. You notice at once that the grounds of this stately hotel have been impeccably manicured, not a blade of grass out of place. Walkways weave around the main inn and into the forest behind the inn where the hotel has dozens of stylish new suites.

In fact, the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn spent $62 million upgrading the inn to make it one of the most prestigious spa resorts in Northern California. Built in the style of a mission in 1926, the hotel has a rich history of beckoning travelers even before the present structure was built. The inn's Mission-style architecture has been maintained, but enhanced. Rustic woods and wrought iron are used in the restored lobby to fit in with the feel of the surrounding wine country. French antiques adorn the lobby. Just outside the lobby a three-tier circular fountain is the centerpiece of the entrance plaza and looks like something you would find in Rome.

We were shown to a suite that was tastefully decorated with furniture featuring the most stylish fabrics, carefully color-coordinated to look like a scene out of Architectural Digest. A little breakfast nook looked out the shuttered windows to the lush landscaping, trees and gardens found throughout the resort's eight acres. A fireplace was at the ready with a small couch positioned nearby for total relaxation. The spacious bath area was typical five-star with its separate shower stall plus an oversized bathtub.

One reason the Sonoma Mission Fairmont Inn has long been popular with travelers is the natural hot springs that provides thermal mineral water for soaking. This goes hand in hand with the spa services offered at the resort more than 50 such treatments in all, making the inn a hit with guests seeking a little renovation of their own. The hotel offers a successful "Girls Weekend" package that has proven too much to resist for homemakers and professional women wanting that special pampering.

The Fairmont also offers what is reputed to be the Sonoma Valley's best 18-hole golf course. And, to top it off, the resort is known among Sonoma locals for its especially fine dining at Sante, the resort's signature dining room. Chef Joseph Brown has been brought on board to prepare a healthy, uncomplicated cuisine that focuses on the fresh ingredients found in the Sonoma wine country.

So it was obvious to us that we had found a big-town resort in what really could be Smalltown USA. The recipe for relaxation at the Fairmont Sonoma Inn and Spa is one part ambiance, one part style, one part history lesson, one part world-class recreation and one part total indulgence whether it be fine dining, the spa or the wines produced by some of the best vintners in California.

Just a short drive from the Fairmont Sonoma Inn are several attractions to see while you're in the Sonoma area:

General Vallejo's home -- Sonoma founder General Mariano Guadalupe Vallejo purchased this historic home's site in 1850 and today you can get a sense of history while at the same time enjoying the various fruit trees, cottonwood trees and Castilian roses that are part of the home's landscaping.

Haraszthy Home -- Agoston Haraszthy's home is still there at the site of the historic Buena Vista Winery.

London State Historic Park Located on 800 acres, this park has the remains of London's house, which was burned. The park also has a museum and picnic spots to enjoy a little cheese and some of that Sonoma wine.

Sonoma Cheese Factory -- Celso Viviani was the founder of the Sonoma Cheese Factory in 1931 and today his son and grandson still run the business. You'll see how the cheese is made and the best part is you'll get to taste any of the cheese they make.

Sonoma Train Town If you're into exploring full-sized cabooses, this attraction not only has cabooses, but nearly two miles of train track located on 10 acres. It also has a 47-foot clock tower modeled after the 16th Street Depot in Oakland.

AT A GLANCE

WHERE: Sonoma and the Sonoma Valley are located about 45 miles northeast of San Francisco.

WHAT: Sonoma Valley is right next door to Napa Valley with the same breathtaking scenery and ambiance and the same good wine, just with fewer people and wineries. Wineries here tend to be smaller, family-run.

WHEN: Any time of year. The weather in the Sonoma Valley is pleasant year-round, although check with the locals about when to see the grape crush and harvest and other special events that occur throughout the year.

WHY: A charming destination in its own right but made even more special with a stay at a world-class spa resort like the Fairmont Sonoma Inn and Spa.

HOW: For more information on Sonoma Valley, please go to www.bestinsonoma.com. For information on the Sonoma Fairmont Resort and Spa, please go to www.fairmont.com/sonoma/ .

Famous Chefs in History

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Famous Chefs in History

Because of the French domination of the culinary scene since time began (or so it seems, anyway), it stands to reason the most famous chefs in history are - what else? - French, with the exception of one American woman (discussed later), who was, nevertheless, trained in classical French cooking.

Known as the "King of Chefs and the Chef of Kings," Antoine Careme went from being an abandoned child left at the door of a restrauteur in 18th century Paris, to become the father of "haute cuisine" - the high art of French cooking - in the early 19th century. Chef to then-world movers and shakers such as diplomat Talleyrand-Perigord, the future King George IV, Czar Alexander I, and the powerful banker James Rothschild, Careme is noted for his voluminous writings on cooking, including the famed L'Art de la Cuisine Francaise (The Art of French Cooking), a five-volume masterpiece on menu planning, table settings, hundreds of recipes, and a history of French cooking.

Another Frenchman, George Auguste Escoffier, bridged the 19th and 20th centuries with a modernization of Careme's elaborate cuisine by ingenious simplification of it. Escoffier lent his talents as a chef to open the Ritz and Carlton hotels with partner Cesar Ritz, and then went on to wow such illustrious passengers as Kaiser William II of Germany on the German liner Imperator. Besides being known for such famous treats at Peach Melba, created for Australian singer Nellie Melba in 1893, Escoffier penned numerous volumes on cooking and was largely instrumental in the betterment of conditions within commercial kitchens. A stickler for cleanliness, he demanded the same from his workers and forbade swearing or any type of violence, which at the time, was common as apprentices and other help were routinely beaten by older staff.

Charles Ranhofer, the son of a restrauteur and the grandson of a chef, goes down in the annals of great chefs as the first French chef to bring the grandeur of his country's cuisine to America. Noted primarily as the head chef of New York City's famed Delmonico's restaurant, Ranhofer ran its kitchens for nearly 34 years. Serving such luminaries as President Andrew Johnson, President U.S. Grant, Charles Dickens, and a host of foreign dignitaries, Ranhofer created such culinary distinctions as Lobster Newburg and Baked Alaska, among many others. He also wrote "one of the most complete treatises of its kind," according to the New York Times in praise of his book, The Epicurean, published in 1894.

A discourse on famous historical chefs would not be complete without the inclusion of one of the most gifted chefs of all time: an American woman named Julia Child. Born to a prominent California family, Child did not begin to cook until the age of 34. It was after she moved with her husband to France that she had her grand epiphany: Good food is more than roast beef and mashed potatoes. She flung herself headlong into an education at the esteemed Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris and later wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking with two partners. Child went on to become the first "celebrity chef" with more books, television programs, newspaper columns, and magazine articles. She brought exquisite French cuisine to America as much with her "have-a-good-time" attitude toward cooking as she did with her talent and expertise.

To all these great chefs, we owe a debt for their giftedness and tireless contributions that have truly turned cooking into an art form. It does make one wonder, however, if ever the temptation arose with any of them to ever dine secretly on a lowly peanut butter and jelly sandwich or to toast the evening with Kool-Aid and crackers. We'll never know, but we'll surely speculate - as we take another bite of quiche Lorraine.