Baking Powder and Women

Last night I started going through my cookbook. No, I didn't write a cookbook. "My Cookbook" is a binder filled with recipes that I have been collecting since high school. Every time I open this binder it's a trip down memory lane. Seeing my Gran's handwriting on some of her recipes gets me choked up, but it also makes me so happy that I saved these. Especially her fabulous peanut butter cookie recipie with her secret ingredient.

I came across my recipe for baking powder. I used to make my own baking powder, but I haven't down it in years. With my slow, but sure vow to decrease my sugar intake I should start making my own again. Store bought baking powder does contain sugar. Many, many, many items contain sugar that you wouldn't think do.

Here is my recipe:

1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons arrowroot
2 teaspoons cream of tartar

Mix these ingredients together and store in an airtight container. This should yield approximately 5 teaspoons.

The amount is 1 1/2 teaspoons to replace 1 teaspoon in the recipe.

If I knew that I was going to be doing some baking I would just mix up a batch of this and then have it for the week.

I can't swim and one day I will go into a long and boring diatribe about my many attempts at learning. I have always loved the water though and have always been amazed that not only can humans swim, they can do so with a bunch of equipment strapped on their backs.

On July 7, 2005 4 American women of African descent (or African American women) became the first organized group of black women to dive on the WWII wreck of the Japanese Navy's The San Francisco Maru.

Brenda Berliner, Melvina Edwards,Tara Gauthier and Adrienne McAdory dove the Maru,which sits in over 200 feet of water. What makes this even more exciting is that the Maru, located in Truk Lagoon, Micronesia, has live ammunition on its deck.

Truk Lagoon is the final resting place for more than 6 submerged Japanese vessels. This undersea phenomena is not only covered with coral and numerous varieties of fish, but is also the home for many naval artifacts. (heard the story on Black America news this morning even though I can't seem to locate the story on the site)

Check out the Women Are Persons monument and read the story behind it to learn about some gutsy Canadian women.


"Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily this is not difficult".
-Charlotte Whitton, Canada Month, June 1963