Ancient Honey Sesame Cookies.....Secrets of The Silk Road...

This past April, I went to an exhibition at the UPenn Museum of Archeology and Anthropology.  I had actually gone there to look at their collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts, which is amazing because they excavated a large number of the artifacts themselves.  They have one of the largest Ancient Egyptian collections in the area if you ever have the chance to go.  Anyway, I stumbled upon an exhibition they were hosting called "Secrets of The Silk Road".  The crossing of ancient cultures is a hot topic for art historians right now so it was not surprising that this was at the museum. I'm sure we will be seeing a lot more of this in the future! Sorry, I will keep the nerdy Art History talk to a minimum.  Here is the blurb from the UPenn website about the exhibition, only because I couldn't have described it better myself.

"Secrets of the Silk Road explores the history of the Tarim Basin in western China. Extraordinarily well-preserved mummies and other materials found at the cross-roads of the legendary Silk Road suggest the area was active for thousands of years, with diverse languages, lifestyles, religions, and cultures present."

Very well said, and with that I will tell you how I came upon this cookie recipe.  Along with a mummy and some other interesting artifacts were a few food items.  There was a 1000 year old Wonton, yes I said Wonton!

 

Yum!

 They were preserved because they were in the dry desert sand for 1000 years.  Next to the 1000 year old Wonton were some 1000 year old cookies! And there I found the Ancient Cookie recipe.......

 

This is an actual picture of one of the ancient cookies that has been shaped like a chrysanthemum.

Unfortunately, our cookies will not be shaped like flowers.

Ancient Honey Sesame Cookies:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp baking soda

1/2 cup of unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 cup sesame seeds

In a bowl, combine dry ingredients.  In another bowl, combine butter, honey and eggs with an electric mixer until well combined.  Slowly add flour into the mixture.  Cover and chill the dough for one hour or until firm.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Form chilled dough into one inch balls and then press down with your fingers slightly.  Bake 10 minutes or until golden brown.  Brush tops of cookies with melted butter when done and immediately roll in sesame seeds.

These cookies are delicious! Enjoy!

I would like to thank my neighbor Maureen for letting me borrow her mixer to make the cookies!! Thanks!

Wishing You Well Today And Always.

Stomach Ease Tea.......Holistic Indigestion Remedy.......

 It is important to remember that trouble with the stomach has much to do with a troubled mind.  Often times it is hard to treat ailments of the body without taking the time to treat the mind and spirit. Indigestion or intestinal problems can be a direct result of unresolved conflict in the spirit.  The end result can be trouble after meals, food allergies or an imbalanced digestive system.   Worry and fear can be big trouble for your digestion.

 In times of high stress and anxiety it is important to take time to be still and be with ones self.  Resisting the temptation to run off to the next activity can have a positive influence on the outcome of your day and your overall health.  Taking a few minutes to have a cup of tea after a meal can be very beneficial.

The mind and spirit must be treated to allow the  body to heal.  I have often turned to tea as the band-aid for my physical discomforts.  This tea recipe is a twist on an Ayurvedic remedy.  I use this concoction when I am feeling discomfort after meals.  It works like a charm after a hearty meal to help the food settle and digest.  

 

1 pinch of Baking Soda

One half of a Fresh Lemon

Fresh Ginger or Ginger Powder

Warm a cup of filtered water, add ginger powder, baking soda and squeeze lemon in........sip and enjoy.....

This tea works to aid in digestion and to ease the stomach.

Wishing You Well Today and Always.

Good-Will Hunting....Hunting For Treasures....The Golden Nugget

The Golden Nugget Antique Flea Market is one of my favorite places to go and hunt for "treasures"! It is a beautiful, winding tree lined drive up River Road to Lambertville, NJ.  You are just a stones throw away from New Hope, Pa once you arrive in Lambertville.  You could  make a day of it and get some lunch over the bridge when you are done at the flea market! The Nugget is open wed, sat and sun year round.  I usually go more often in the spring and summer when the weather is nice and almost always score something awesome when I am there!   I really enjoy strolling around the tables in hopes that I will get a good deal on something fantastic! The excitement alone is worth the trip. 

Collecting.......

"Learn Everything you can, anytime you can, from anyone you can-there will always come a time when you will be grateful you did"


Being a collector of something that you love helps one to engage in the process of lifelong learning.  It is good to choose something that you are interested in learning about to collect.  It can be an engaging hobby to participate in and is sure to improve your quality of life.  It is important to have things in your life that are full of simple pleasure.  You can never go wrong with collecting!

Coinlink.com has an article about collectors and suggests these reason as to why people begin and continue collections:

1. Knowledge and learning
2. Relaxation and stress reduction
3. Personal pleasure (including appreciation of beauty, and pride of ownership)
4. Social interaction with fellow collectors and others (i.e. the sharing of pleasure and knowledge)
5. Competitive challenge
6. Recognition by fellow collectors and perhaps even non-collectors
7. Altruism (since many great collections are ultimately donated to museums and learning institutions)
8. The desire to control, possess and bring order to a small (or even a massive) part of the world
9. Nostalgia and/or a connection to history
10. Accumulation and diversification of wealth (which can ultimately provide a measure of security and freedom)

Think about something that you would like to collect and get started!


I am a collector of old books, amongst other things and always on the look out for a new addition to my ever growing collection.  The best part is when you find something you really like, and then come home to find out that it is worth a lot more than you paid for it.  

Old Dusty Books........

I bought these two books today. Along with the excitement of purchasing an item like this, is the thrill of finding out its history and value.  I found out that both of these books are from the early 1900's.  The Blue book is worth at least $30. I only paid $2 for it!  I have some books in my collection that I paid less than $5 for that are worth over $100!  I don't think I will be selling them anytime soon but it is good to know that they have some monetary value. The best part of buying old books is thinking about where they may have been and who may have read them! 

Original Jewelry........ 

The other thing that I really love to collect is old jewelry.  It is great to find original pieces that have some character and history. I found this locket with the Japanese figures painted on the front of it today.   I think that it will look great with a gold chain.  It is a really unique piece that is even more beautiful in person.

I also found these tortoise studs and a tortoise ring! These will match perfect with the tortoise bracelet that I found two weeks ago at 2nd Avenue thrift! It is unbelievable when you find things that will go together...I mean, what are the chances really! 

I hope that you have found some information that you will be inspired to take along on your journey. Perhaps you will find something that you like to collect and be able to share it as well!

Wishing You Well Today and Always.