I've had a rough up-and-down ride for a couple months on methyl folate. I was so cranky, irritable, and off-center. I couldn't find my core, my place of stillness. I felt manic. And I couldn't figure out how to make it better. I kept reducing the amount of methyl folate I was taking. and the amount of methyl B12. But I was still uncomfortable. My attention span was marginal.
I tried using niacin, thinking that the methyl folate was creating SAMe. It didn't work.
And then, one day as we were driving along, my husband said, "What if it isn't the methyl folate that's making you uncomfortable? What if it's something else?" He'd asked the magic question.
For years, I'd been taking 2 tablets of 5 mg NADH every morning and it really stabilized my moods. After starting on the MTHF, one of my alternative health practitioners suggested that I cut back to just one. Could this be the cause of my discomfort?
The next day I upped the amount to 2 tablets and the anxiety stopped. Stillness returned. I could focus. Odd noises no longer upset me. My husband became a loving person again. I could get things done. The mania stopped.
I don't know why NADH works for me. But it sure does.
Chocolate Brickle Recipe
I’m excited to share this recipe with you. Yet, I hesitate. I have a pure love affair with these treats. They’re a bit crunchy, taste a bit like toffee, are coated in rich chocolate and are salty. So why do I hesitate? Because some folks have a love-hate affair with them. Meaning that some of the gals at Pat’s office request that he not bring them in to work. Not ever. Not ever again. Why? Because when they know the treats are on his desk, they make excuses to go to the 6th floor to visit his treats. Seems they can’t resist eating them. They insist the treats beacon to them – and in English, of all things. The claim is that they put out a siren call. “Come to me,” “Eat me now.” etc.
I think this is a good thing. Could these folks be so self- deprived of such luscious taste combinations that their senses cry out for more? Mine sure do. Which is why I store them in the freezer. That way they need time to thaw before I can eat them. I defrost only 2 or 3 of the broken pieces at a time. And that’s part of the allure. You can’t cut the treats into orderly squares – you need to break them. All those ragged edges and crumbs are disordered and so, even more alluring.
Cook up a batch for your friends and family. Dinner guests will ooh and ahh over your culinary expertise and creativity. They’ll inhale these treats when you serve them for dessert with a side bowl of ice cream or sorbet.
My joy in preparing these treats is out-of-bounds. For a mere 20 minutes in the kitchen, I feel like a true domestic goddess. With only 5 ingredients, you, too, can bake up these heavenly treats.
PS. I’m not a domestic goddess, but sometimes it’s fun to pretend. I’ve only been on one cooking show in my life. (KSL-5 in Utah) I wore a flouncy orange ruffled apron and was outdone by the perky morning talk show host who did all the talking for me. But alas, later that month, the pharmacist mentioned the show when I picked up my Rx for bio-identical hormones. Ah, fame.
Saltine crackers – about 1 to 2 sleeves
1 cup sugar
2 sticks butter
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Arrange saltines in a single layer on the foil. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter and sugar, stirring constantly until mixture bubbles, about 2-3 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla, then pour mixture evenly over the saltines. Spread with a spatula to evenly cover the saltines. You don’t need to be precise here, just make sure each saltine gets some sauce on it. Place in oven and bake for 7-10 minutes.
Remove from oven, sprinkle chocolate chips evenly over crackers. Let sit for 1-2 minutes to let chocolate melt. With a spatula, spread chocolate over crackers.Cool for 20 minutes, then place tray in freezer. In 3-4 hours, remove from freezer, peel off foil, and break into treat-size pieces. Store treats in freezer or refrigerator.
Variations:
Use milk chocolate chips. Top the melted chocolate with slivered almonds or chopped pecans or walnuts.Top melted chocolate with crushed Heath Bars or Resse’s peanut butter cups.
Let me know how you would describe these treats and also what you would name them.