Dept. of Home Economics: Healing Herbs

Did you know that in addition to being delicious, cinnamon does lots of good things for the body?  The next time you sit down to a piece of apple pie, you can call it health food.

Get the scoop at My Life In Food: A Culinary "Art" Journal.

Auntie's Tips: Post-Thanksgiving Dieting

This is a bad idea.

Dept. Of Home Economics: Vinegar

Sometimes your tummy is unhappy. Maybe you ate too much garlic at an Italian restaurant last night, maybe you just got over a bout with the 'flu, maybe nerves or acid reflux are rearing their ugly heads. Fret no more, gentle readers. Auntie Maria has a remedy for that. It's cheap, it's easy to concoct, and you probably have the ingredients already in your cupboard.

1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbsp. honey (or more to taste)
1 cup hot water

Stir the apple cider vinegar and honey together in cup or mug. The vinegar will begin to break down the honey and make it dissolve more easily. Add hot water and stir well. Sip when cool enough to drink. Believe it or not, it's delicious. Repeat 3 times a day until symptoms improve.

Now, don't be silly and try this when you've got an active stomach virus, and don't take it instead of going to a doctor if your symptoms get worse. But for relief of short-term stomach pain and nausea, this remedy really works.

According to EarthClinic.com, 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar dissolved in 16 oz. of water and sipped throughout the day can help with allergies, arthritis, gout, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and more. Models drink this concoction to help with weight management. I tend to think models look better than I do because of superior genetics combined with consuming far less cheese and chocolate. But it's worth a try.

White vinegar is great for all kinds of things around the house. You probably already know it's great for cleaning windows. But it can do so much more.

I like to mix white vinegar with a little baking soda to make a paste (it will foam like crazy, so use bigger bowl than you think you need). This mixture is great for scrubbing the sink, removing stubborn stains from countertops (spread it over the stain and let it soak for a few minutes), and any time you want a little muscle but you don't want to use an abrasive cleanser. I've even used it to remove the stains left on a hardwood floor by magazines that got wet.

Vinegar. It's cheap, it's versatile, and it's probably already in your kitchen. Mary Agnes would approve.