I am sitting at my cousin’s computer with my notebook of notes on my life the past…days.
And no real desire to really write it.
Maybe i should just go off on a tangent.
write whatever comes to mind.

Rachel Ray magazines in the bathroom.
I was told to drink a lot of water due to the altitude (i’m sitting a mile higher than you). i have followed directions very well. And so i look at the Rachel Ray magazines in the bathroom.
i tend to like anyone that has my name.

it is a whole other world inside those pages. A lot like Boulder, Colorado. the whole “20 something” idea of America.
it is very pretty. very pretty, and i like it.
i like looking at it on the pages of the magazine in the bathroom.
the houses with their matching furniture. their mouth-watering food. their entertainment. their pretty shoes.

but it feels so very far away from me.
i look at the pages, maybe get some ideas, but then i close the magazine, flush the toilet, and wash my hands.

A friend was showing me his apartment. We went up the steps and i see the grass around the apartment and it is all i can do from taking off my sandals and sliding my feet around in it. it is gorgeous.
And i am the kind of girl that says things like “WOW! your grass is amazing!”
and people dismiss me as being the slightly-weird-girl-but-we-will-humor-her.

Because in Brasil, grass is only for rich people. i only know a couple people who have grass, and it is inside a BIG wall. jail grass.

This spring/summer i have repeatedly stopped and smelled when i pass someone cutting grass. because it is such a delightful smell. and i never smell it in Brasil.

And so my friend, showing me his apartment, thinks i am a grass-a-holic. And then i saw the little trashcan with little doggy poop baggies. and i got really quiet. because i am all for nice grass and personal responsibility for picking up your doggy’s leftovers. but…

it just feels so far away.

1.                 Red hot pancakes

2.                 Red hot cookies

3.                 Decorate gingerbread houses

4.                 Red hot ice cream

5.                 Red hot applesauce

                     1 cup water

                     1/4 cup red cinnamon candies

                     8 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced (tart apples are preferred)

                     1/2 cup water

                     1 cup granulated sugar

                     1/2 cup hot-tamale jelly bean

                     2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a small saucepan, add 1 cup water and cinnamon candies; bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 to 6 minutes or until candies are dissolved. In a large saucepan or cooking pot, add apples and the dissolved candy mixture along with the additional 1/2 cup of water. Cook until apples are soft; mash apples. Now add 1 cup sugar, hot-tamale jelly beans and continue to simmer until most of the tamale beans are dissolved, about 10 minutes. Some of the jelly beans will not be dissolved and this is okay, they will be light in color. Serve hot or refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with ice cream, whipping cream or whipped cream or serve as is.

6.                 Fill a piñata

7.                 Melt and pour them into molds

8.                 Red hot rice crispy treats

9.                 Red hot hot chocolate

10.             Red hot cinnamon apples

                     8 apples (Red Delicious or any other apple or pear variety)

                     8 teaspoons Red Hot Candies (or other cinnamon candies)

                     4 tablespoons water

                     Wash the skins of the apples with soap and water. Dry apples and peel.Slice apples into bite-sized pieces, avoiding the core and any bruised sections. Place apple pieces into medium-sized pan. Add water to apples. Place cinnamon candies in pot with apples and water. Spread candies evenly in pot. Simmer covered on medium low, stirring frequently to prevent candies from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook 35-40 minutes depending upon desired firmness. Apples soften as cooking time increases. Cool slightly before serving as a side dish or a dessert over vanilla ice cream. Any remaining cinnamon juice in the pot can be served with the apples, if desired.

11.             Red hot tea (stir in until melted)

12.             Red hot apple cider

13.             Connect the dots game

14.             Throw in the air contest to see who can catch them in your mouth

15.             Make smiley faces on construction paper

16.             Fill up a jar with them and use it to hold plastic flowers

17.             Red Hot Cinnamon Candy Apple Cake

1 cup Red hot cinnamon candies
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Apple juice, divided
1/2 tsp Red food color
4 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
1 pkg (18 oz.) Yellow cake mix
1 pkg (4 serving size Instant vanilla pudding
2 Eggs
1 cup Sour cream

Oven Temp 350° Baking Time 30 to 35 Min. Pan Type 9” by 13” pan. Preheat oven, (coat a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray) In a large saucepan, combine the cinnamon candies, sugar, 1/2 cup apple juice, and food color. Heat over high heat, stirring until candies dissolve. Add apples and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the apples are tender; spoon into the baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, and the remaining 1/2 cup apple juice.
Mix well and spoon over the apple mixture, spreading to completely cover. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly, then invert over a serving platter. Allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.

18.             Red hot cinnamon popcorn

6 quarts popped popcorn
1 package (12 oz size) red cinnamon candies
Sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Spread popcorn in a lightly buttered roasting pan; bake at 250 F while preparing syrup. Pour cinnamon candies into a 2 cup measure. Fill remaining space to the top with sugar. Place in a heavy pan; Add butter, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; carefully stir in baking soda. Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat. Continue to bake at 250 F for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool. Break into pieces; store in an airtight container.

19.             Red hot trail mix

20.             Red hot bark

                     1 pkg white chocolate chips

                     1/2 cup cinnamon red hot candies

 Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and set aside for now. Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. White chocolate burns easily, so it is important to stir frequently so you don’t ruin your chocolate. Once the white chocolate is melted and completely smooth, add most of the red hots to the chocolate, reserving a few spoonfuls. Stir the red hots into the chocolate until they are well-distributed. Pour the candy out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it into a thin layer with an offset spatula or knife. Sprinkle the reserved spoonfuls of red hots over the top of the bark and press down gently to adhere them to the chocolate. Place the bark in the refrigerator to set for about 15 minutes. Once the chocolate is set, break it into small irregular pieces by hand and serve. Red Hot Bark can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

21. Freckle bread

                     1/4 cup water, lukewarm

                     1/2 cup milk, lukewarm

                     1/4 cup butter, softened

                     2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

                     1 1/4 teaspoons salt

                     1/4 cup sugar

                     1 teaspoon vanilla

                     1 large egg, lightly beaten

                     3 cups flour

                     1/2 cup red-hot candies

Combine all dough ingredients except cinnamon candies and mix and knead together -by hand, mixer or bread machine- until you have a soft, piable dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes to one hour or until full and round. To test, poke dough with index finger approximately 1/2 inch deep. If the impression remains, the dough has sufficiently risen. Gently deflate the dough, and pat into a 8″ x 10″ rectangle. Knead in the cinnamon candies in 3 stages, using about 1/3 of the candies each time. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a greased or parchment lined 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 40-50 minutes. Dough should just crest the top of the pan. If making buns, divide the dough evenly into 9 pieces and shape into smooth, round balls. Place buns in greased 9×9″ square pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 30-40 minutes. Buns will be full, puffy and barely touching one another. Bake bread (or buns) in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for buns). If bread browns too quickly on top, tent loosely with aluminium foil. Place pan over parchment or foil lined cookie sheet to catch any drips of hot candy. Bread is done when internal temperature reads 190 degrees on an instant thermometer. Remove bread from pan and allow to cool on wire rack. Place rack over a piece of parchment to catch any drips of hot candy. Candy will set as bread cools.

22. Red hot sweet potatoes

                     2 cups sliced cooked sweet potatoes

                     1 1/2 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples

                     1/2 cup brown sugar

                     1/4 cup butter

                     1/2 teaspoon salt

                     1/4 cup cinnamon red-hot candies

In a greased 1-quart casserole, alternate layers of sweet potatoes, apples, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Sprinkle the candies over the top. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 1 hour. Serves 4.

23.             Put on top of monkey bread

24.             Red hot lemonade

25.             Red hot yogert

26.             Red hot peanut brittle

27.             Fill tubes and make red hot maracas

28.             Use them for little kids to count on for math

29.             Use them for chips playing bingo or checkers or gambling chips

30.             Fill a jar and play the “guess how many” game

31.             Dip them in chocolate

32.             Make red hot beanbags

33.             Glue them onto dollar store glasses

34.             Red hot coffee

35.             Modern coffee table: glue red hots to coffee table top, seal with polyurethane, and cover with a pane of glass

36.             Mancala “Jewels”

37.             Have a contest to see who can throw them the farthest

38.             Lick it and stick it on your body. Contest to see who can make the most stay the longest

39.             Leave them out in the sun until they are partway melted and then make sculptures

40.             Spitting contest

41.             Use them like darts on a bull’s eye

42.             Shoot them out of straws at people at the next table in the restaurant

43.             Use them to play jacks

44.             Decorate a picture frame

45.             Lick it and then use it to make body art

46.             Relay race with red hots on a spoon. Loser has to eat them all.

47.             Who can balance the red hot on their nose the longest

48.             Give them away

49.             Sell them

50.             Use them to lead ants to ant traps

51.             Red hots jelly

5 1/2 c. sugar
3 c. water
1 c. red hots candy
1 (6 oz.) bottle Certo

Mix sugar, candy, and water in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and at once add Certo. Bring to a full rolling boil for 1/2 minute. Remove from heat, skim, and pour quickly in glasses. Paraffin at once. Makes about 9 (6 ounce) glasses.

52. Red hot coca-cola

53. Decorate a candle

54. Melt and make red hot lollipops

55. Red hot lotion

56. Red hot jello

57. Red hot headbands—glue them on

58. Red hot nail decorations

59. Throw them on the floor to trip someone who is trying to get you

60. Melt them and then stick a wick in the middle and make a candle

61. Put them in baggies and give them to people along with a list of 100 things they can do with them

62. Use them as sling shot ammo

63. See who can fit the most in their mouth without swallowing or gagging

64. Science experiment: see how long it takes them to turn white and the water turn red

65. Grind them up and use them as sprinkles on a cake

66. Glue them to your ears for earrings

67. Use them for the dial of a telephone picture

68. Use them to make the clock

69. Glue them to strings and then hang the strings from the doorframe as a hippy curtain

70. Use them as a count down to Christmas—eat one a day until they are gone

71. Glue them to strings and use them as necklaces, bracelets, or other jewelry (it is much easier than trying to poke them and string them that way. I tried it)

72. Grind it up and make a sandcastle

73. Melt them and make a volcano with liquid red stuff

74. Melt them and make window prism decorations

75. Melt them and make valentine hearts

76. Pass them out for trick or treat candy

77. Melt them and make rose colored glasses

78. Throw them as confetti at a parade

79. Line your garden with them to keep the bugs away from the plants

80. Put them in your shoes to make them smell better

81. Put them in your drawer like potpourri

82. Write ‘HELP” with them if you are stranded on an island

83. Color them black and give them as coal to people who are bad at Christmas

84. Put them in a playground instead of mulch

85. Who can stick the most in their nose

86. Make a mess with them

87. See how many you can get your dog to eat

88. See if you can get your cat to eat them

89. Trade them for something else

90. Chew them up and use it to plug up a whole

91. Red hot candy fluff salad (This sounds nasty, but I am getting desperate: )

20 ounces crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 cup red hot candies
2 cups mini marshmallows
8 ounces Fat-Free Cool Whip

Combine pineapple and candy. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours. Stir in marshmallows and whipped topping. Cover and refrigerate until serving.

92. Apple Dumplings with Red Hot Candy Recipe
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup Crisco shorting
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar, divided
6 tablespoon butter, divided
1 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
6 granny smith cooking apples
Syrup:
1 cup sugar
2 cup water
4 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon Red Hot candy
Sift 2 cups flour with salt. Make a paste of 1/4 cup of the flour and 1/4 cup water. Cut Crisco shorting into remaining flour, then stir in flour paste. Mix thoroughly and divide into 6 portions. Roll each piece into 7 or 8 inch circles. Peel apples and core. Set each apple in center of circle. In core hole, put 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 teaspoon butter, 7 red hots and a sprinkle of cinnamon. Fold up dough around each apple and seal tightly. Arrange in a 9 x 13 x 2 inch deep baking dish. Make a syrup of sugar, water and butter and red hots; bring to a boil. Pour the syrup over apple dumplings in baking dish and bake at 425° for 40 to 50 minutes. Baste the apple dumplings with the syrup frequently while baking.

93. Red hot salad
6 ounces Cherry Jell-O; (2 Pkgs)
4 ounces Red Hots Candy
3 cups Boiling Water
20 ounces Pineapple; Crushed, Undrained
2 cups Applesauce

Dissolve Jell-O and red hots (also known as Cinnamon Imperials) in boiling water. When cooled to room temperature, add pineapple and applesauce. Pour into oiled 8-cup mold. Chill before serving.

94. Red hot covered marshmallows (melt the red hots and then dip them in the marshmallows

95. Make red hot Christmas tree ornaments

96. Red hot biscotti

97. Red hot brownies

98.  Freeze them and then put them in a zip lock baggy and use them as ice packs

99. Send them overseas. To a soldier. “Operation shoebox.”

100. Use it for play money

101. Put them in the washing machine with a white shirt and see what comes out

The woman stands in the

Middle

of the street. She holds her hand out and asks for money.

Will i give it to her?

What is the cost of making her go away?

what is the cost of paying off my conscience?

Or will i be stubborn and not give anything, thinking i am doing more by not encouraging her.

Won’t she just get out of the street?

Day 24: 12 Steps to solving poverty (By Paul Polack “Out of Poverty”)

1. Go where the action is (and stop pitying poor people)

2. Talk to the people who have the problem and listen to what they say

3. Learn everything you can about the problem’s specific content (learn about the poor around you, as well as global poverty and what can be done)

4. Think big an act big

5. Think like a child

6. See and do the obvious (when you know the people, you know the problem, sometimes you simply know a solution)

7. If somebody already invented it, you don’t need to do it again (help whatever is already going on)

8. Make sure it has positive measurable impact that can be brought to scale. Make sure it can reach a million people and make their lives measurably better. (wow. he really did mean think big.)

9. Design to specific cost and price targets

10. Follow practical three year plans (three years is a long time)

11. Continue to learn from your customers (“To move out of poverty, poor people have to invest their own time and money…Start with a simple proposition. If we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start thinking of them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious customers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up.”)

12. Stay positive: don’t be distracted by what others think

Day 25: I rode my bike to the youth center and the kids were more surprised than any adults have been so far. Kenisha said “You’re lying Ms.Rachel–your car is right outside.” They just think i am weird. I haven’t really been to the center much since last year–since before i became a vegetarian (i worked there for four years before Brasil took over my life). My poverty experiment made the kids shake their heads and move on, but they can’t get past the “no meat” thing. Curtis said “But it ain’t no meal without no meat!” and then they tried to convince me that meat was healthy and i needed it. it didn’t work.

Day 26: The youth center has two big boxes of red hots. just sitting there. Someone donated them, and no one knows what to do with them. Some of the kids eat them, but there are only so many red hots you feel like eating at a time. It hasn’t even made a dent in the boxes. I figure if i can make up “100 ways to use a paper clip” for a school assignment, i can find “101 ways to use red hots” for REAL LIFE.

Riding home from the youth center it started to rain: that perfect rain where the sun is still shining. So i stopped and sat under a tree to enjoy it better. and fell asleep. When i woke up, it wasn’t the nice rain anymore. My bike and i ran up the nearest house that had a porch and sat there until the rain stopped, while i really hoped no one was home. i really, really hoped.

Day 27: I took the girls from the center to the University again to go swimming and play basketball, since we had those free passes. This time, our Bible study was a little different. I passed them a page of 51 things to do with red hots (half way there), and i asked them what this had to do with Jesus. “Not to waste things…like our life?” said Key’anna. “Not to think Jesus is just for Bible study?” said Erica. Wow. i should have had them do the Bible study. I’d been thinking about how life with God takes us “outside the box” that we normally have. We have one way of thinking about things:

this is how i drive to work

this is what i eat

this is who i talk to

this is what i watch on tv

this is my music, my style of clothes, my hobby…

…this is how i follow Jesus

We get stuck in a rut, like the box of red hots, waiting to be eaten one piece at a time. But there is so much more–God wants to lead us in all things–in so many ways we can’t imagine. He is creative. If there are 101 other ways to use red hots, how many more ways does God want to use us than simply going to church on Sunday?

“Trust God from the bottom of your heart. Don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go. He’s the one who will keep you on track.” paraphrase of Proverbs 3:5-6

And then we tried out some ideas. We made red hot lemonade. Red hot cookies. we melted some and made red hot suckers and a big red hot mess that i had to clean up later…

Day 28: I have been riding my bike out to meet the sunsets whenever possible. It is a great tradition to start, make, or continue. i try to find a new place every time. preferably with water…i love to see dusk ripple over water. So i sat on a bench in front of a pond with my mp3 player and sweater, lost in pink and orange when a girl comes up to me, not more than 10 years old, and with wings for hands. Not waiting for an introduction, she begins to talk to me, not noticing that i am polite enough to remove my headphones to listen. “I walked all around this place and found these feathers” she said (i was glad because it looked like she just chopped a wing off and taped it to her hand). “I got a whole bag of feather and now i have these!” As she flapped her hands around. “A few more and you can fly” i dryly commented, wanting to listen to my music instead. “Well, maybe i do need some more” as she stood on the bench and flapped and jumped and laughed. She was silent as as group of geese flew overhead, turned, and slid into the dark water below us. i think she was as jealous of them as i was. They might not be able to reason, but they can fly. and i think that is unfair. And so did my friend as she ran around flapping her gathered wings, talking to the geese, talking to me, talking to anything else she wanted to, while i put back on my headphones and finished a glorious sunset.

Day 29: “It would take 13 billion dollars a year to end hunger for the world’s poorest citizens. Compare this with the 18 billion dollars that is spent on pet food every year in the the US and Europe.” –Debora Meroff “True Grit”

I get upset when i read things like this.

“But money won’t solve the problem, Rachel, it never will.” said my friend to me

i know…But what will?

then tell me WHAT WILL solve it. Each person doing their part? What is their part? To give themselves to helping others. I think God wrote a calling/way of helping/social cause on the heart of each person. One thing that GETS them–it grabs their heart and won’t let go. I think it is the job of each person to find this thing and then GO AFTER IT.

And i think for every person who NEEDS a donut, there is a person who needs to GIVE a donut. We are made to need others AND to be needed by others. We give ourselves because Jesus gave Himself for us. and we can do nothing less.

All i can do is me. But that doesn’t stop the desire to want to change the whole world–to do more than what is just “YOUR PART.” because i feel lonely here…trying to throw all the starfish back into the sea. (you know the analogy…a man sees all these beached starfish–thousands of them–who will die. the friend says he can’t save them all and make a difference. the man picks up one, throws it back into the ocean, and says “i made a difference to that one.”)

But i have so many questions. If you are throwing starfish into the sea, and see someone standing there doing nothing, what is wiser–to stop, show him how to throw with you, and then both throw them back, or to just keep going alone? To stop and train i guess. But what if that person then walked into the ocean and began throwing the starfish back out. what is wiser–to keep throwing alone, neutralizing his effect, or to go and try to stop him? Try to stop him i guess. So when do you give up and simply go back to throwing them back in yourself? is that enough? What is your responsibility in the end?

Day 30: 30 days–money spent on food: $60.39

other money spent: gas money to Chicago. so $2 a day living expenses. basically. mostly granola for breakfast, Hummus and spinach wraps with carrots for lunch, and rice and beans for dinner. Eggs whenever i was still hungry. or spinach salad. By week two i was able to afford sour cream and applesauce, the third week i was able to get apples and kiwi, and by the last week i was able to get dried cranberries and matza. Those were my special things. The main things i missed were fruit and broccoli. i am not sure where broccoli came in there. i just really missed broccoli.

I found out that apple sauce and granola didn’t taste very good together, and that the natives were very nice about trading eggs for milk in my granola. because dry homemade granola doesn’t cut it. I found out that onions make everything better, from rice and beans to hummus wraps to spinach salad. i ate a lot of onions. I found out that i could only do this because i had unlimited spinach from a garden and family and friends that kept giving me free food. i found out that sometimes…you just want SOMETHING ELSE, ANYTHING ELSE to eat and drinking another glass of water just doesn’t cut it. I found out that every single week there was a different price for eggs. i wonder why.

I found out a lot of things that had nothing to do with food. i found a lot of books of a lot of great people doing a lot of great things in the world. I found a lot of great ideas and dreams and optimism. i received a lot of encouragement from a lot of good people and had conversations with strangers and friends and family that would have never come up otherwise. I found that this experiment made me think outside the box on a lot of things. i found that i take more time to do the little things, and the little things bring me more happiness than whatever else i used to be doing. i found time to enjoy sunsets. i found that my choices were more limited, but my ideas became unlimited. i found myself tired and irritated at the food before me, and at my bicycle. i found myself more grateful for the little things. Like when John got me a kiwi.

I found that i felt strangled when i couldn’t GIVE things to people, but empowered when i made my family a spinach salad and bean tortilla lunch. i understand now why i have so many friends in Brazil who want to feed me. When you don’t have money to give, you want to give something, and you NEED to give. It makes you feel better. it makes you feel…empowered. i found that i have some great friends and a wonderful family. i found 101 ways to use red hots.

i found that i will never really know the hopelessness and helplessness that those in true poverty feel. That this is just a little baby step toward something…something i am not sure of yet. And maybe it is just a way of easing my conscience and patting myself on the back for doing a good job…now lets go eat. But whatever it was, i enjoyed it. I learned a lot of things. It was a good month.

The Youth center has TWO HUGE BOXES of red hots donated.

and no one knows what to do with them. This just can’t be right.

i had 20some ideas, but then…

UPDATED WITH HELP FROM YOU! THANK YOU!!! HALF WAY THERE!!!!

Please keep sending ideas!
here is what i got so far:

1.                 Red hot pancakes

2.                 Red hot cookies

3.                 Decorate gingerbread houses

4.                 Red hot ice cream

5.                 Red hot applesauce

·                     1 cup water

·                     1/4 cup red cinnamon candies

·                     8 large apples, peeled, cored and sliced (tart apples are preferred)

·                     1/2 cup water

·                     1 cup granulated sugar

·                     1/2 cup hot-tamale jelly bean

·                     2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

In a small saucepan, add 1 cup water and cinnamon candies; bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 5 to 6 minutes or until candies are dissolved. In a large saucepan or cooking pot, add apples and the dissolved candy mixture along with the additional 1/2 cup of water. Cook until apples are soft; mash apples. Now add 1 cup sugar, hot-tamale jelly beans and continue to simmer until most of the tamale beans are dissolved, about 10 minutes. Some of the jelly beans will not be dissolved and this is okay, they will be light in color. Serve hot or refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with ice cream, whipping cream or whipped cream or serve as is.

6.                 Fill a piñata

7.                 Melt and pour them into molds

8.                 Red hot rice crispy treats

9.                 Red hot hot chocolate

10.             Red hot cinnamon apples

·                     8 apples (Red Delicious or any other apple or pear variety)

·                     8 teaspoons Red Hot Candies (or other cinnamon candies)

·                     4 tablespoons water

·                     Wash the skins of the apples with soap and water. Dry apples and peel.Slice apples into bite-sized pieces, avoiding the core and any bruised sections. Place apple pieces into medium-sized pan. Add water to apples. Place cinnamon candies in pot with apples and water. Spread candies evenly in pot. Simmer covered on medium low, stirring frequently to prevent candies from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook 35-40 minutes depending upon desired firmness. Apples soften as cooking time increases. Cool slightly before serving as a side dish or a dessert over vanilla ice cream. Any remaining cinnamon juice in the pot can be served with the apples, if desired.

11.             Red hot tea (stir in until melted)

12.             Red hot apple cider

13.             Connect the dots game

14.             Throw in the air contest to see who can catch them in your mouth

15.             Make smiley faces on construction paper

16.             Fill up a jar with them and use it to hold plastic flowers

17.             Red Hot Cinnamon Candy Apple Cake

1 cup Red hot cinnamon candies
1/2 cup Sugar
1 cup Apple juice, divided
1/2 tsp Red food color
4 Granny Smith apples, cored and chopped
1 pkg (18 oz.) Yellow cake mix
1 pkg (4 serving size Instant vanilla pudding
2 Eggs
1 cup Sour cream

Oven Temp 350° Baking Time 30 to 35 Min. Pan Type 9” by 13” pan. Preheat oven, (coat a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray) In a large saucepan, combine the cinnamon candies, sugar, 1/2 cup apple juice, and food color. Heat over high heat, stirring until candies dissolve. Add apples and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Boil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the apples are tender; spoon into the baking dish. In a medium bowl, combine cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, and the remaining 1/2 cup apple juice.
Mix well and spoon over the apple mixture, spreading to completely cover. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly, then invert over a serving platter. Allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.

18.             Red hot cinnamon popcorn

6 quarts popped popcorn
1 package (12 oz size) red cinnamon candies
Sugar
1 cup butter
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Spread popcorn in a lightly buttered roasting pan; bake at 250 F while preparing syrup. Pour cinnamon candies into a 2 cup measure. Fill remaining space to the top with sugar. Place in a heavy pan; Add butter, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil; boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat; carefully stir in baking soda. Pour over popcorn, stirring to coat. Continue to bake at 250 F for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool. Break into pieces; store in an airtight container.

19.             Red hot trail mix

20.             Red hot bark

·                     1 pkg white chocolate chips

·                     1/2 cup cinnamon red hot candies

 Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and set aside for now. Place the white chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave until melted, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. White chocolate burns easily, so it is important to stir frequently so you don’t ruin your chocolate. Once the white chocolate is melted and completely smooth, add most of the red hots to the chocolate, reserving a few spoonfuls. Stir the red hots into the chocolate until they are well-distributed. Pour the candy out onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it into a thin layer with an offset spatula or knife. Sprinkle the reserved spoonfuls of red hots over the top of the bark and press down gently to adhere them to the chocolate. Place the bark in the refrigerator to set for about 15 minutes. Once the chocolate is set, break it into small irregular pieces by hand and serve. Red Hot Bark can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.

21. Freckle bread

·                     1/4 cup water, lukewarm

·                     1/2 cup milk, lukewarm

·                     1/4 cup butter, softened

·                     2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast

·                     1 1/4 teaspoons salt

·                     1/4 cup sugar

·                     1 teaspoon vanilla

·                     1 large egg, lightly beaten

·                     3 cups flour

·                     1/2 cup red-hot candies

Combine all dough ingredients except cinnamon candies and mix and knead together -by hand, mixer or bread machine- until you have a soft, piable dough. Allow the dough to rise, covered, for 45 minutes to one hour or until full and round. To test, poke dough with index finger approximately 1/2 inch deep. If the impression remains, the dough has sufficiently risen. Gently deflate the dough, and pat into a 8″ x 10″ rectangle. Knead in the cinnamon candies in 3 stages, using about 1/3 of the candies each time. Shape the dough into a loaf and place in a greased or parchment lined 8 1/2″ x 4 1/2″ loaf pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 40-50 minutes. Dough should just crest the top of the pan. If making buns, divide the dough evenly into 9 pieces and shape into smooth, round balls. Place buns in greased 9×9″ square pan. Tent the pan loosely with lightly greased plastic wrap. Allow to rise for 30-40 minutes. Buns will be full, puffy and barely touching one another. Bake bread (or buns) in preheated 350 degree oven for 30-40 minutes (20-25 minutes for buns). If bread browns too quickly on top, tent loosely with aluminium foil. Place pan over parchment or foil lined cookie sheet to catch any drips of hot candy. Bread is done when internal temperature reads 190 degrees on an instant thermometer. Remove bread from pan and allow to cool on wire rack. Place rack over a piece of parchment to catch any drips of hot candy. Candy will set as bread cools.

22. Red hot sweet potatoes

·                     2 cups sliced cooked sweet potatoes

·                     1 1/2 cups peeled, cored, and sliced apples

·                     1/2 cup brown sugar

·                     1/4 cup butter

·                     1/2 teaspoon salt

·                     1/4 cup cinnamon red-hot candies

In a greased 1-quart casserole, alternate layers of sweet potatoes, apples, brown sugar, butter, and salt. Sprinkle the candies over the top. Cover with foil and bake at 350° for 1 hour. Serves 4.

23.             Put on top of monkey bread

24.             Red hot lemonade

25.             Red hot yogert

26.             Red hot peanut brittle

27.             Fill tubes and make red hot maracas

28.             Use them for little kids to count on for math

29.             Use them for chips playing bingo or checkers or gambling chips

30.             Fill a jar and play the “guess how many” game

31.             Dip them in chocolate

32.             Make red hot beanbags

33.             Glue them onto dollar store glasses

34.             Red hot coffee

35.             Modern coffee table: glue red hots to coffee table top, seal with polyurethane, and cover with a pane of glass

36.             Mancala “Jewels”

37.             Have a contest to see who can throw them the farthest

38.             Lick it and stick it on your body. Contest to see who can make the most stay the longest

39.             Leave them out in the sun until they are partway melted and then make sculptures

40.             Spitting contest

41.             Use them like darts on a bull’s eye

42.             Shoot them out of straws at people at the next table in the restaurant

43.             Use them to play jacks

44.             Decorate a picture frame

45.             Lick it and then use it to make body art

46.             Relay race with red hots on a spoon. Loser has to eat them all.

47.             Who can balance the red hot on their nose the longest

48.             Give them away

49.             Sell them

50.             Use them to lead ants to ant traps

51.             Red hots jelly

5 1/2 c. sugar
3 c. water
1 c. red hots candy
1 (6 oz.) bottle Certo

Mix sugar, candy, and water in large saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, and at once add Certo. Bring to a full rolling boil for 1/2 minute. Remove from heat, skim, and pour quickly in glasses. Paraffin at once. Makes about 9 (6 ounce) glasses.

You, God, who live next door–

if at times, through the long night, i trouble you

with my urgent knocking–

this is why: i hear you breathe so seldom.

i know you’re all alone in that room,

if you should be thirsty, there’s no one

to get you a glass of water

i wait listening, always. just give me a sign!

i’m right here.

as it happens, the wall between us

is very thin. Why couldn’t a cry

from one of us

break it down? itwould crumble

easily.

it would barely make a sound.

**

I am, you anxious one.

Don’t you sense me, ready to break

into being at your touch?

my murmurings surround you like shadowy wings.

can’t you see me standing before you

cloaking in stillness?

Hasn’t my longing ripened in you

from the beginning

as fruit ripens on a branch?

i am the dream you are dreaming

when you want to awaken, i am that wanting:

i grow strong in the beauty you behold.

and with the silence of stars i enfold

your cities made by time. –Rainer Rilke

I want to go beyond what is in front of me.

i want so much more than who i am

there are so many needs and i want to reach out and fill them

i want to go and be a part of something.

R: Please God…what can i do now?

G: the dishes.

R: the dishes? why the dishes?

G: because that is where you are now.

R: the dishes? forever?

G: no, not forever. today the dishes and tomorrow the world. or maybe the dishes again.

R: Why the dishes?

G: Because you need the dishes.

R: When will i need something else?

G: When you are fine with just the dishes.