Read this before you get a Halloween hangover

Maybe you're all about the party right now - and that's understandable.  Have a great time. Eat, drink and definitely be merry.  But as the mother around here, I'm all about the day after.  No judging, just information - on how to avoid, and deal with, a Halloween hangover.  

There are plenty of hangover cures on-line. I googled "hangover cure" and got 2.170 million results in 0.14 seconds; the yield for "hangover remedy was even better - 3.070 results in 0.13 seconds.  I looked through a few dozen of those entries.  Most of it is nonsense - or worse.  

Of course, it's fun to find out that Hunter S. Thompson's cure was "12 amyl nitrites" (one box) in conjunction with as many beers as is necessary."  Hangover foods worldwide vary from greasy, fatty, salty eggs and bacon in the U.S. to pickle juice tipped out of the jar in Russia to a Korean soup that includes cow bones, pork spine and coagulated ox blood. 

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Why Dr. Pepper should can its Dr. Pepper 10 ad campaign

Usually I write about food – how to buy, make, and enjoy it.  I don’t preach against prepared food or even junk food.  I love candy, drink soda occasionally, have a not-so-secret Frito fixation, and don’t mind silly ad campaigns in the slightest.  But last night, while watching the World Series Game 6 (an unbelievably exciting game at that), I was appalled to see a Dr. Pepper 10 ad that proclaimed the new soda is “ not for women.”

My brother used this stamp (minus my new add-on) in the 1970's to tell the world what he thought of various posters in the NYC subways and elsewhere that did, in fact, insult women. Gotta love a high school guy who would do that!

Is that OK?  Companies have to think twice before hitting the “send” button on an ad campaign.  Would it be OK for an ad campaign to tout a product as not for white people”, “not for black people”, “not for Italians” (fill in the blank)?

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Curried Spinach Soup

I love spicy soup and always look for ways to use leftovers.  Recently I combined leftover spinach, boxed chicken stock, and a few other ingredients, with the help of my trusty immersion blender.  The result, this curried spinach soup, was delicious with leftover roasted chicken and jasmine rice.  It would also go well with plain fish too, or as the first part of an East Asian-style dinner.  

You can make the soup vegetarian or dairy-free too.  For vegetarian soup, simply substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.  The first time I made it, I added milk and served it with a dollop of sour cream on top.  You could omit both of those for a dairy-free version.   

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