Power-Up Cubes

When I was growing up, I had a friend who was really into video games. I think he was the best Pac-Man player in our town. I, myself, didn't really see the point in getting all worked up about controlling the movements of blinking lights on a screen, but, to each his own, right? I did pick up a few nuggets of information about video games just from being around him. One of them was the concept of "power-ups", which were objects in the game that gave instant power or heightened abilities to the character that obtained them. Years later, I still remember this, which just goes to show how deep-seated and influential our early life experiences can be. 

Turmeric Quinoa Pilaf

I'm not normally a New Year's resolution maker, but this year, I decided to go ahead and make one. And, since there's no time like the present, I'm jumping right in, even if the calendar still says it's December.

My resolution is to use turmeric in my cooking every day of the week. Sound extreme? I think not. Here's why.

There is a lot of research being done on the components of turmeric, and the results are pretty darned impressive. Curcumin, the active ingredient of turmeric is being looked at as a potential treatment for an array of diseases, including cancer, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, allergies, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Cystic Fibrosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and other chronic diseases. Pretty impressive, right?