Cava ROCKS. You can get an excellent bottle of the bubbly in the $10-$15 range. I’ve heard wine enthusiasts admit that some of the better (yet still cheap) cavas are comparable to the best (and very expensive) champagnes. Cava’s low price point makes some people turn up their nose at it, but it’s really excellent…

How about hot spiced tea? A recipe I came across goes like this:

Amen. My bosses would sometimes treat me abominably, subject me to double standards, and most definitely not listen to me or give me the benefit of the doubt when there was a problem. And yet they griped about how I “didn’t feel good about the job,” as if that was possible.

My job plunked me into a telephone customer service role after years of doing other things. It wasn’t what I was hired for, not what I wanted, and I felt uncomfortable doing it. I had zero training; they offered none. I was supposed to figure it out on my own. (Later, I was blasted for not seeking out training on my…

I used to make my own tomato sauce (a neighbor would give me her extra tomatoes, but she moved away) and I would freeze it in 1-pint containers, usually what I needed for various recipes. When going to a party I would often grab one or two containers as a host gift; they always flipped and immediately shoved it in the…

Or just cutting off the dome and noshing on that while you ice the cake! Hey, the cook has certain privileges....

I needed this the last few days, waiting to hear back about a job I interviewed for. Now I need ways for coping with disappointment. :(

FIVE GUYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I should add...I had a ouija board and several times tried to contact whatever spirits were haunting the house, but nothing ever happened. I used it with my sister, with friends, and by myself, and never got anything. My friends would insist they were getting messages from beyond but I could always tell it was their…

This isn’t really terrifying, but it is weird and eerie.

If you have some left over, get this cookbook and make their apple butter cake! (Hint: It says to use one loaf pan; use two smaller ones instead, as it’s too much for one pan.)

I tried a recipe for apple gingerbread, and it basically boiled down to: Make gingerbread, and fold in some cut-up apples. Pretty darned good! You could probably jazz up some cake mixes with diced apples, like spice cake.

Also, an employer who values my maturity and isn’t going to dismiss me because I’m over 50. Age discrimination is real and is a growing problem.

Among the things I’m looking for right now...

I was once at a recital where this was played by a guitar/mandolin ensemble. I wish a recording existed of that because it was exquisite.

In your honor.

Just give me this, please.

A college friend who’d had money problems was able to work with a credit union when other banks scorned him. I knew someone else who’d had major credit issues, wanted to leave her bank, and felt she was prisoner because every bank she tried wouldn’t even let her open an account. She finally went to a small local bank…

Check over your local credit union’s membership rules; you’ll often find some way of getting in. The credit union I joined is for those employed by the state, but they also allow those who went to college in the state to join as well. Another local credit union is open to anyone who lives, works, or goes to school…

I had problems with my bank (one of the big national ones), largely in the many fees that were eating up my account alive. I called them once or twice about it, but got nowhere. I got great service once when a rep helped me get a small personal loan to help with my moving expenses, and there was a branch near my new…