Us peons always get the tea on.

It is Someone's Birthday

Everyone has a birthday, some people seem to celebrate their birthday a lot, while other folks do not have much of a birthday celebration at all.

Most of us entertain the notion of the birthday with expectations: some hope, some anticipation, perhaps some anxiety, fear, or regret. There are very few of us who have no idea, no concept of what might happen to us this upcoming birthday.

It is always nice to be able to give someone else a pleasant surprise for their birthday. Most of us want to receive the thought, as well as the gifts. We all enjoy the cake and the ice cream, the soda pop, the treat bags and the presents as children, right?

Recognizing another person's birthday is not always easy, remembering to send out that card to people who want to receive a card from you, being able to send a gift to someone who really wants to receive a gift from you, then, knowing what to send.

Just remember - it is the thought that counts.

Cranberries a Tart Fruit - Used a Lot For Thanksgiving

• 1 seedless orange, peeled, sliced and separated
• 1 apple, cored and sliced, thinly
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 can whole cranberry sauce

• 3 cups oatmeal
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup almonds
• 1 12 ounce can whole cranberry sauce

The Flax Seed, Oil and Flour

The flax seed is a food powerfully packed with nutrients. This is a food recognized by a recent issue of Women's Day magazine (November, 2006), for being one of the most nutritious foods.

Flax flour is available for purchase at many health food stores, however, not every shop will carry it. If you are going to the shop anyhow, no need to call, however, if you are making a visit to the shop just for the purpose of purchasing flax flour...

Flax seeds and flax oil were foods of Classical Greece, and are mentioned for being this in the book, Food in History, by Reay Tannahill, 1973, Stein and Day, NY, NY.

p. 77 states, "Oil was everywhere in demand in the ancient world, for food...flax and cameline in northern Europe."

I have yet to try flax oil in my home cooking. It is sometimes used to prepare spanikopita, although sparingly, along with sesame seed oil in the recipe. In other words, yes, flax oil is expensive.

p. 79 states "The Greeks," said Pliny, "soak some barley in water (probably for a few days), and then leave it for a night to dry. Next day, they dry it by the fire and then grind it in a mill... When it has been got ready, in the mill they mix three pounds of flax seed [which produces linseed oil when warmed and pounded], half a pound of coriander seed, and an eighth of a pint of salt, previously roasting them all."

Flax flour is an excellent addition to whole grain recipes. I remember cooking with it, and topping the bread with a tablespoon of oatmeal, a teaspoon of flax seeds, and a teaspoon of dried lavender flowers. This was a beautiful scottish oatmeal bread, the recipe for which has been lost.

A midwinter's drink - the Zabaglione

The zabaglione is a frothy heated beverage, concocted with milk, eggs, spices, and a small amount of rum flavoring or liquor. There is a lot of protein and a lot of cholesterol in this beverage, as well as the alcohol, which is not usually as problematic.

Zabagliones are not as popular as protein shakes or smoothies, however, they are rather tasty, as well as a good source of protein.

• 6 eggs
• 2 cups milk
• 3 cloves
• 1 vanilla bean
• 1 shot brandy
• 1 cinnamon stick

These ingredients may be mixed in a food processor, blended, or whipped with an egg beater or a wire whisk. The wire whisk is a preferred way of stirring if one uses the stove top method of heating.

The zabaglione may be heated in a microwave, a slow cooker, in a double boiler, or carefully and slowly, directly on top of the stove. This drink is thicker, richer, and much less sweet than egg nog.

This was a popular drink during the Big Band Era in the winter.

The zabaglione is also an Italian dessert, made with gently beaten sweet cream, sugar and eggs. This zabaglione is served with berries or grapes, and may be served in a large goblet for the children.

Working At a Fast-Food Restaurant

Fast-food, the quick service restaurant (QSR), this is a special opportunity for some special people these jobs are also filled by high school students, college students, stranded tourists, housewives, people who are strapped for cash, refugees, and retirees.

Most of these jobs require black shoes or black sneakers. This is the most important part of your uniform, as you will be standing up all day during this job. Some employers offer you a new pair of shoes or sneakers as part of the uniform package. You will need to wear shoes that fit right, shoes that are sturdy, durable, and comfortable for you to wear. If you cannot find shoes, you may need to consult with Dress for Success, an organization that helps clothe people that do not have a lot of money for clothing, or Goodwill, or Saint Vincent de Paul, or The Salvation Army. You will be able to receive an outfit from one of these organizations that will impress your interviewer.

Fast-food restaurants are "down" or downscale retail storefronts. If you are neat, clean, well-groomed, and are able to be friendly without saying a whole lot of words, you will do fantastically well at the fast food restaurant, or QSR (quick service restaurant).

If you are looking for a company to help pay for your college, many of these companies offer scholarships, or programs that will help pay for your tuition, and/or books, if you have reasonably good grades. If you are able to keep a 3.0 GPA, or even a 2.5 GPA, your tuition burden will be lightened by the company you work for.

Most QSR, or fast-food companies will provide you with one or two workshirts, and one or two pair of trousers to wear to work. There is no need to worry about uniforms, although, you may need to write a request every week politely and patiently in order to obtain two workshirts in your size.

Washing your uniform daily - going to the laundromat is difficult at times if you do not have a machine in your house. I use cheap shampoo (V05, Suave, Lander), the $1.00 per bottle shampoo, and wash my shirt off in the sink. The shampoo is cheaper than laundry detergent, and the stains usually are removed from the dark uniform shirt enough to look right, and smell pleasantly for the next day of work. If the shirt does not dry overnight, .25 cents will dry it at the local laundromat.

What if I have a white shirt? Be certain to spot treat the shirt at work, before you go home, even if it is with a dilute cleaning solution from the janitorial spray bottle. You need to be careful with the bleaching of your white uniform shirt. Fill a clean bucket (not a little sand bucket, a gallon-sized bucket at the very smallest) 1/2 full with water, then add 1/2 cup of bleach, then add your shirt. Let the shirt soak for at least three (3) hours in the diluted bleach solution. If you did not notice this stain until you arrived back to your pad/crib/place, you should still be allright. Check on the stain, it should be completely gone three hours later. Take the shirt out, place in the sink, (check the bucket for any undies that might have wafted into the bucket, and remove if found in the bucket), then, dump the water/bleach into the toilet. Then, you can wash your shirt in the sink with that cheap perfumed shampoo, so it has that pleasant qsr smell that will help you to fit in with your co-workers.

Leave the nice doodads at home. You can buy jewelry from a gumball machine and wear it to this job order. You can make hair ornaments yourself, or necklaces, and your coworkers will appreciate it. You can wear those trinkets to work that you could not wear to your office job.

Key words to use: Hello, good day, greetings customer! May I take your order please?, May I help you? Is there anything else you would like? Would you like to supersize that? Thank you for your order - always be polite to the customer.

Keep your eye on the cash, double-count the cash, make sure that your drawer contains exactly the money that your cash register receipts say that it contains. Make sure that you are an accurate cash handler.

Please note - this is not a career, unless you are planning to become the restaurant manager.

Training people to work at the shop: you can have your phone ringing off the hook, have every employer in town calling you, if you interview well. Your entire house can be employed just by using these simple tips. Remember, there are only so many restaurants in a given town, if your housemates get the bright idea of starting a QSR (Quick Service Restaurant) employment agency, the whole place could go belly-up in weeks.

If you are going to be employing friends, let your friends swim, or let them quit. Just try to relax, be peaceful, and enjoy your day at work, while working.

• Previous Posts:

• It is Someone's Birthday
• Cranberries a Tart Fruit - Used a Lot For Thanksgiving
• The Flax Seed, Oil and Flour
• A midwinter's drink - the Zabaglione
• Working At a Fast-Food Restaurant
• Work at Home Jobs

• Related Posts:

• Unusual Fun Gifts
• Birthday Gift For Wife
• 10 Great Places To Go On Your 18th Birthday!
• Camp Rock Birthday Party Ideas
• High School Musical Birthday Party Ideas
• Speed Racer Birthday Party Ideas
• Minnie Mouse Birthday Party Ideas
• Super Mario Bros. Birthday Party Ideas