Rapaire,

Yuck. All of that from oil, eh? I used to make a marvelous salad that consisted of cooked spinach, cooked garbanzo beans (chick peas) and tuna in oil from which the oil is not drained. The three are mixed and it was wonderful. I've experienced no such reaction as described, but this is the only occasion I can think of that I've used the oil.

There are instances when things submerged in oil without properly heating it all (like those decorative bottles with a few whisps of herb and some plump cloves of garlic in the bottom) have produced lethal amounts of salmonella.

Back to the regularly scheduled thread:

An easy drink for a cold winter's evening: Faux-mulled cider.

Put some apple juice or cider into a mug. Drop in a half-dozen or more cinnimon candies ("Red Hots") and heat in the microwave. Don't boil the juice, but get close. Stir it for a little while after it's hot and the candies will disolve into the juice.