Getting old is for the birds…..What is memory???

Have you heard the first saying before, and then forgot what you just heard? Well that is called getting old. I was driving to work this morning and I heard an ad on the radio that was talking about increasing your memory, but, the only thing, I forgot what it was all about. How is that for a memory? Also, just after that was another memory ad, saying, “if you can’t remember what I just said about five sentences ago, and then you have a memory problem”. Well, I didn’t because I wasn’t paying attention, stupid!!! But, alas those out there in the “world” that were listening to the same ad are probably thinking to themselves that they now, have a memory problem, but, they forgot about it when they reached their destinations. What a joke, what is this world coming too? Who pays attention to any ads about memory? At least I can’t “remember” the last time I did. ( Sorry for the pun). I was a little disturbed by the fact that a strong majority of people in the United States will be in their 60’s soon. That is scary isn’t it? We will have parties for our last real memories. When did we take our last pill, bath, brush our teeth, comb our hair, (the last three, anyone near you could answer that). I can see it all now. I am asking my wife upstairs, do you know when that memory party is? She will say “no”, and then she will say “I wish I could remember where I put that invitation”, then she will say “I think I put in my purse, but I can’t remember where I put it”. Then I will, come back and say, “Did you forget to take your purse out of the car”? And she will say, no, “I forgot my keys and I didn’t use the car, or did I”? I found your keys, they were in the refrigerator, it looks like you were going to make a sandwich, and they were stuffed in between the slices of bread. Oh, no, THOSE ARE MY KEYS!!!
A quote from a famous man: "Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory." --Albert Schweitzer. I could go on and on…….but, you will probably forget about this tomorrow, and it will be just a distant memory. Well, here is a QEFG recipes that will kick start your memory and make you start drooling at the thought of it.

Double Chocolate Pie

Prep Time: 10 min

Total Time: 4 hr 10 min

Makes: 8

Ingredients:
2 cups Cold milk, divided
1 pkg (4-serv size) JELL-O Chocolate Flavor Instant Pudding/Pie Filling

1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed, divided
1 Graham cracker crumb crust (see below)
1 pkg (4-serv size) JELL-O White Chocolate Flavor instant Pudding/Pie Filling

Directions:
Pour 1 cup of the cold milk into medium bowl. Add chocolate flavor pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 1 minute. (Mixture will be thick.) Gently stir in 1/2 of the whipped topping, and spoon evenly into crust. Pour remaining 1 cup cold milk into another medium bowl. Add white chocolate flavor pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk 1 minute. (Mixture will be thick.) Gently stir in remaining whipped topping and spread over pudding layer in crust. Refrigerate 4 hours or until set. Garnish with additional whipped topping. Store the leftover pie in refrigerator.

Graham cracker crumb crust

1-1/2 cups HONEY MAID Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 375°F. Mix all ingredients until well blended. Press firmly on bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 8 minutes or until lightly browned; cool completely.

Chocolate Caramel Pecan Pie

Prep Time: 30 min
Total Time: 3 hr 15 min
Makes: 10 servings

Ingredients:
3 cups PLANTERS Pecan Pieces, divided
1/4 cup Granulated sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 bag (14 oz.) KRAFT Caramels
2/3 cup Whipping cream, divided
1 pkg (8 squares) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
1/4 cup Powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. Vanilla


Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Place 2 cups of the pecan pieces in food processor or blender container; cover. Process until finely ground, using pulsing action. Mix with granulated sugar and butter. Press firmly onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate. Bake 12 to 15 min. or until lightly browned. Cool completely. (If crust puffs up during baking, gently press down with back of spoon.) Microwave caramels and 1/3 cup of the whipping cream in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2-1/2 to 3 min. or until caramels are completely melted, stirring after each min. Pour into crust. Chop remaining 1 cup pecans; sprinkle over caramel layer. Place chocolate, remaining 1/3 cup whipping cream, the powdered sugar and vanilla in saucepan; cook on low heat just until chocolate is completely melted, stirring constantly. Pour over pie; gently spread to evenly cover top of pie. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. Store the leftover pie in refrigerator.

OK, OK there is help!

For you that are out there and feeling that you are losing your memory, here are a few steps that might help you:

Four Memory Tricks
Nothing helps you get ahead quicker than a good memory. Whether you're trying to remember the name of the guy you just met, a state capital, or complex sets of business data, these simple tricks can help you improve your memory skills.
1. Start by chunking. According to psychologists, it's especially hard to make your brain recall long lists of separate pieces of information. To make it easier to remember a long list of almost anything, break the list into small and manageable groups, or "chunks."
For example, you might find it hard to remember all of the original 13 British colonies in the United States. But if you break them into small groups based on common traits, such as the region each colony belongs in, it's much easier. First, just concentrate on learning which colonies belong in which region. When you know each region, you know the whole set of 13.
Mid-Atlantic
1. Delaware
2. New York
3. New Jersey
4. Pennsylvania
Southern
1. Maryland
2. Virginia
3. North Carolina
4. South Carolina
5. Georgia
New England
1. Connecticut
2. Rhode Island
3. Massachusetts
4. New Hampshire
2. Use mnemonic devices. These are memory improvement techniques, and are sometimes quite elaborate. One common device uses words or abbreviations to compress lists of information into shorter bits that are easier to remember. Here are some common examples:
Names of the Great Lakes
H-O-M-E-S; Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior
Colors of the spectrum
R-o-y G. B-i-v; Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Indigo Violet
Order of operations in mathematics
Please Explain My Dull, Awful Subjects; Parentheses, Exponents, Multiplication/Division, Addition/Subtraction
Planets in the solar system
Many Vocal Enemies Make Jokes Squealing Under Nervous Pressure; Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto
Biology taxonomy
Kings Play Chess On Funny Green Squares; Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species
Musical scale
Every Good Boy Does Fine; E, G, B, D, F
3. Link information to visual cues. Often it's easier to remember a place or an image and its characteristics, than it is to recall a set of unfamiliar pieces of information. To memorize the information, you can try taking an item from the list and associating it in your mind with a picture or place that you know well.
For example, let's say you need to memorize the presidents of the United States since World War II. You could associate each of the presidents with a place you know well, such as your front porch:
Eisenhower - Sitting on the steps
Kennedy - Knocking at the front door
Johnson - Swinging on a porch swing
Nixon - Standing at the mailbox
Ford - Ringing the doorbell
Carter - Sitting in a wicker chair
Reagan - Standing under the porch light
Bush (1st) - Standing on the right
Clinton - Sitting at a table
Bush (2nd) - Standing on the left

To reinforce this, you could draw a sketch of your porch, and note on it the location of each president. This technique is so powerful that you might find yourself thinking of the presidents the next time you go to your porch.
4. Read with a purpose. Many psychologists think that the best way to remember what you read is to follow the PQ4R method. PQ4R is a mnemonic device for Preview, Question, and four R's: Read, Reflect, Recite, Review.
If you are reading a chapter in your biology book, for example, you should start by skimming the whole chapter for an overview. Then create some questions to concentrate on while you study, such as "How does photosynthesis work?" Then read the chapter.
After you've finished, reflect--think about how the chapter has answered your questions. Recite the answers back to yourself, explaining the information in your own words. Finally, go back through the book, skimming again for the main points.
Sound like a lot of work? It may take longer than a quick skim, but it's also a great way to make sure you retain what you are reading, rather than just sitting in front of the book and turning pages.