Place them in a bowl with the bay leaf and cover with warm water.

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In a blender, combine the softened chilies and bay leaf, 2 cups of water and cumin.

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Remove the bay leaf and cinnamon stick and mix in the dates, apricots, raisins, and cherries.

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Add the bay leaf and thyme, a scant tablespoon kosher salt, and 15 or 20 black peppercorns.

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Add the remaining spring of thyme, bay leaf, and white wine to the pot and bring to the boil.

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Reduce the heat and add the rice, spices, cinnamon stick, and bay leaf.

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Add the bay leaf and oregano and stir well to combine.

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Eugenol, a methoxyphenol found in various essential oils such as clove, bay laurel, cinnamon leaf, and rosemary, appears to be a particulary effective peorxynitrites scavenger (the methyl group binds to peroxynitrites and the phenol group converts it into water and a nitrogen dioxide anion).

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Rosewood Little Dix Bay in Virgin Gorda, meanwhile, now offers a Natural Neem Leaf Facial, with its principal ingredient picked daily on the island.

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In addition to Leaf and Shuler, other disappointing top-five NFL picks include offensive lineman Tony Mandarich (Green Bay, 1989) and defensive back Bruce Pickens (Cincinnati, 1991).

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