Looking Up To Audrey

Last Sunday was the 20^th Anniversary of the death of one of my favorite actresses, Audrey Hepburn. I might have missed it but I saw a magazine in the checkout line that was devoted to her life as an actress and as a humanitarian.

I’m not quite sure why I have always had this fascination with Audrey Hepburn. I suppose it has a lot to do with my family and how I grew up. Our house was known as the musical house on the street. Not because any of us could actually play anything resembling a musical instrument. Our house was the house where we all watched old movies and danced and sang throughout the movie as the music played. Is it weird to admit that I would have rather stayed home to watch old movies than go out with my friends? I know, kind of geeky!

One of my favorite movies, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, I have seen over 20 times! I own many of her other movies such as Roman Holiday, Sabrina, and My Fair Lady.  I guess you could say that I wanted to be like her. Maybe because, in most of her movies, she played characters who were not only beautiful and elegant but also fun and witty. Who wouldn't want to be like that?!

As I got older, what I loved about her even more was how she devoted the rest of her life to helping others in need, especially through UNICEF. She worked as a Goodwill Ambassador helping the severe poor in many disadvantaged communities of Africa, South America and Asia.

Below is a quote from Audrey that I often repeat to my daughter because I think it is important to remind our kids to always look beyond what we see, to see the good in others. This is especially important as they grow older.

“To have beautiful lips, say beautiful things;

To have beautiful eyes, look at people and see the good in them;

To stay thin, share meals with someone who is hungry;

That, above anything else, is what keeps you beautiful.”

         ~ Audrey Hepburn

Service Is Not Dead

I am here to tell you that service is not dead, at least, not completely! I have to say that I have been in plenty of establishments where I have felt like waving my arms frantically just to get someone’s attention. I even admit there have been times where I have incessantly pulled on the nearest person’s arm just to get some service.

Well, I am happy to report that I actually had great service the other night and I wanted to share it with you, especially with those families who have kids with food allergies. The other night we decided to go to one of our kid’s favorite restaurants, the Olive Garden. One of the reasons we enjoy this restaurant is that we can get a meal for everyone, even Katie.

Katie used to be able to eat their pasta but their current brand now has egg as an ingredient so that is out. So we went through our usual routine when ordering, “My daughter is allergic to dairy, eggs, all nuts and sesame, what can she eat here?” At which time, we usually get the “oh-uh” stare. I quickly glanced down and saw that they have a Filet Minon on the menu and I thought it would be a great treat for her since she can never have what she truly wants. The fillet and broccoli (minus the butter) were a “go” but she could not have the diced potato or rice options because they were pre-seasoned. I asked if we could have a baked potato without butter. Our waiter replied that they did not have baked potatoes in their restaurant but he would see what he could do.

Ordering our mean can be a lengthy process but this is what we do whenever we go out to eat. So we just waited to see what they would come up with. A few minutes later, the Manager dropped by our table to say they would be happy to get a baked potato for Katie. When we questioned the waiter later, he said they were “going to go out to get her a baked potato.” Going out where? Out to the store? Do they grow them in the back? Hmm....this was getting interesting.

Sure enough, a little while later our orders showed up with a nice big baked potato on Katie’s plate. It’s still a mystery where they got that baked potato, although I suppose they might have called over to a nearby restaurant. All I know is that we had a very enjoyable dinner and we would like to thank the lovely manager and waiter at Olive Garden, for making my daughter feel so special!!

Merry Christmas To All!

From our to yours,

wishing you peace and love,

....a season of brightness and light,

.......with lots of joy and cheer (watch out for the sneeky Grinch)!

Wishing you A Very Merry Christmas!!!

Brownies in a Flash

Most brownie recipes call for 2-3 eggs as one of their ingredients to help bind all the ingredients together. When I bake, I can usually replace one egg without a problem but 2-3 eggs are much harder to replace so we have not tried making brownies with Egg Replacer or any other egg replacement method. The problem is that every time we made brownies I would feel bad that Katie could not eat them. I remember a friend of hers asking Katie if she liked brownies. She turned to her and said “I don’t know, I've never had one.”

It was time for me to figure this out! Right about that time, my son came home all excited because his gym teacher had given them a recipe for “Brownie in a Cup” and he knew that Katie could actually eat it. I tried it out on both kids and they loved it so I thought I would share it with you. 

Another reason I love this recipe is that instead of having a whole pan of brownies to eat up, you only have one cup to eat and clean up. I also love that it only takes a couple of minutes to make this.

Brownie in a Cup

4T       Flour

4T       Sugar

2T       Cocoa

Dash of salt

2T       oil

2T       water

¼ tsp.  vanilla

Mix the flour, sugar, cocoa and salt in a cup. Add oil, water and vanilla and stir. Microwave for 1 minute and 30 seconds until it is the desired consistency. The exact times will vary depending on your microwave.

Christmas Alternative: Add a drop of peppermint to the brownie mix before cooking and top with crushed candy canes.

Enjoy your sweet treat!

Vegan Wednesday

The other day, I was in one of our local downtown areas when I remembered that it was Vegan Wednesday! Vegan Wednesday is the one day a week this restaurant bakes vegan cupcakes, which are made with no dairy and no eggs. Thinking about my daughter, I thought I'd just pop in and buy her a vegan cupcake, just to surprise her. There are vanilla cupcakes with decadent chocolate frosting and red velvet and chocolate cupcakes with chocolate cream cheese frosting. As my eyes finally found the sign that says "Vegan Cupcakes" on it, my excitement quickly turns to disappointment. The only vegan cupcake they had made for that day was a peanut butter cupcake. I know there are many people who love anything with peanut butter in it. I for one am not one of those people.The other problem is that my daughter is also severely allergic to peanut butter and all other nuts.

What is frustrating to me is this seems to happen to us quite often and in many different places. There has been many a time when we have been excited to walk into a bakery that has some vegan bake goods on display only to find that they have peanut butter or nuts in them. We are getting pretty good at hiding the disappointment on our faces, especially my daughter, but it gets harder and harder each time. So for now I can dream that one day when I walk in to buy my daughter a vegan cupcake that maybe, just maybe, it will be a red velvet cupcake with vegan cream cheese frosting. Yummy! So for those people out there who are nice enough to make those delicious vegan baked goods, hold the nuts and peanut butter please!

The Evolution of a Teenage Birthday Party

Now that we have hit the preteen years, it’s no more ladybug or My Little Pony birthday parties. Now its sleepovers, movies and dance parties. Katie just got invited to her first “spa” birthday party. We are talking hair, facial masks, and nails. It’s pure girl time! This is the best thing for Katie because I am not a girlie, girl kind of Mom. I am one of the few mothers who have never gotten a manicure. Yes, this is true!  I also admit that while I can do a basic braid on someone else’s hair, I cannot do a thing with my own hair. And I’m not sure I even know how to put on make-up anymore. So I know Katie will love this spa” party idea!

Since starting middle school, Katie has met a lot of new friends which I am very grateful for. The only problem is that many of them do not know about her allergies. So when Katie’s new friend and her Mother dropped by to hand deliver her party invite, I got the opportunity to talk to them about the party. One of the things they were very excited about was a chocolate facial they were going to give everyone. That’s when the bells starting going off in my head. As a Mom of a child allergic to dairy I kept thinking that chocolate = dairy so we had to come up with some alternative solution. I wanted her to go to this party but I want to make sure she is going to be safe.

Instead of panicking, I thought about how I could make this work for Katie. My best option was to look at what fun recipes I could find on the Internet. In my search, I found several great sites for natural facials. Some of the sites we looked at include Birthday party 4 kids and E Facial Masks.

Katie just got back from her party and had a great time! They did each other’s hair and even though Katie decided to not to do her own handmade facial there, she had a great time and she did not feel like she missed out. She did try her own “special” facial when she got home and she looked marvelous! I’d show you a picture but she would not be a very happy if I did so you will just have to use your imagination!

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Here is the recipe we modified for Katie to use:

Ingredients:

·         4 Tbsp. finely ground espresso or coffee beans (I use my own grinder, but already ground coffee and even instant coffee work, too)

·         4 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder (your basic Hershey's is perfect here)

·         6-8 Tbsp. dairy product. I used plain soy yogurt.

·         2 Tbsp. honey (use for dry skin)

Preparation:

If you have whole beans, finely grind beans in a grinder. Remember, beans should be finely ground so they don't scratch your face. If you just made coffee, you can use the freshly brewed coffee grounds, but they won't contain as much caffeine.

Mix coffee and cocoa powder in a bowl. Add the soy yogurt and stir until it forms a smooth paste. We used 6 Tbsp. but you can use more yogurt if you like a thicker paste. Stir in the honey. Try warming up the honey in the microwave so it mixes better. Apply the paste to your clean face and neck. Let the mask dry.

Use a wet a washcloth and to loosen the mask, then rinse with warm water. Remember you do not want to rub your face because the coffee grounds could scratch your skin. You can store the leftover paste in the refrigerator for several days.

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Here are some more Non-dairy Facial Ideas for you to try:

Apple Zinger Mask (For the treatment of acne and oily skin)

1 medium size fresh apple, grated
5 tablespoons of honey
Cool water to wash the face afterwards

Mix the grated apple with honey to make a mask. Apply a thin layer of this Apple Zinger Mask on your whole face. Let it sit on the skin for 10 minutes and dry up a bit. Wash the mask off with cool water. Use this facial mask when fresh so apply immediately.

Carrots and Honey Facial Mask (For normal to oily skin and for protecting the skin from wrinkles)

2 to 3 large carrots, cooked and mashed
4-1/2 tablespoons honey

Stir ingredients together. Apply.

My Bloody Scarecrow

Katie always has the best costumes for Halloween and this year she wanted to be a Bloody Scarecrow to scare all the kids.

What do you think? Did she pull it off?