lpinkmountain I wonder if you might have rosacea. (By the way, please forgive me...I'm not a dermatologist at all but just am someone who all of a sudden developed a kind of blotchy bumpy skin.) When I went to the dermatologist for my yearly check up (I've become really good about this), she told me that I have rosacea. If that's the case with you, there are very specific things that should be used on the skin and equally specific things to avoid. Actually, I've saved money on skin stuff because the dr. told me that the best cleaner for my skin is Cetaphil (cheap) and that the Oil of Olay products are good as well. Her comment was that they have good chemists working for them. I'm to avoid Retin-A (boo hoo) and to wear a really good sun block. Vanicream (another cheapie) sunblock was also recommended. I don't wear much makeup but did have a couple of Bobbie Brown products left over from my daughter's wedding a few years ago. The doctor told me that those were OK to use because there wasn't anything in them that shouldn't go on the face. Good luck. Regarding skin, I figure that my eyes are getting worse just at the right time because I can't see all of the imperfections without my glasses. So...I just don't wear them!

Thank you for bringing up this subject. My grandparents are Hungarian and I only wish that I had my grandma's recipes. But then again, she really didn't have "recipes", but did everything from taste and feel. She made the best poppy seed, cottage cheese with raisins, and nut strudels and made her own pastry. I remember watching her stretch it out on a cloth laid over her kichen table until it was paper thin. I really don't recall if she made cabbage strudel though. But I absolutely loved the cabbage noodles that she made. Probably a similar taste, and she made her own noodles too. The cabbage is shred and sauteed in butter until very limp and browned. It takes on a whole different flavor - somewhat sweet and savory at the same time - so that is probably how the cabbage strudel tastes. She also made poppy seed noodles and bread crumb dumplings that were served drizzled with honey. The bread crumbs were sauteed in butter until browned and crisp. And I remember she always ground the poppy seeds before using them to bake and cook with.

She was one of my "favorite people that I don't actually know" and I was really sad to hear of her passing. "You've Got Mail" is the movie version of comfort food to me. DH & my kids would bet that I have the dialogue memorized by now. It came as no surprise to me that Nora was a food person. I bet she would have enjoyed this forum. Thanks, lpinkmountain, for this post.

Must have been interesting around the dinner table. Don't think it was "Shut up and eat".