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2019 / Archives for October 2019

Archives for October 2019

When Parents Feel Separation Anxiety

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seperation anxiety

Many new parents are taken by surprise by the intensity and depth of their connection to their child. Of course, you expect love, but the passion that fuels the love for your child is much more than many people expect. The feelings that grow inside you when you hand your baby over to a sitter or when you watch your preschooler hop aboard a school bus can run the gamut from worry all the way to panic.

Tips for parents who feel separation anxiety

Parent’s separation anxiety is very normal, and can be a big challenge. No matter if your anxiety is slight or intense, and whether it’s short-lived or lasts for years, the following ideas can help you temper your feelings for your own peace of mind as well as your child’s benefit.

Accept that a little bit of separation anxiety is healthy
Don’t look to eliminate all your feelings of separation anxiety. These emotions exist for very good reasons. These feeling will guide you as you make choices about when and how to leave your child. They will help you decide if you are choosing the right caregiver and the right setting. These emotions can keep you close to your child so that you will know if something is wrong or troubling him. Your sensitive antenna will keep you alert to any upsets or problems.

Acknowledge that some separation a good thing
Part of your anxiety is based on the feeling that you can take care of your child better than anyone else can. That’s probably true! However, even if other caregivers don’t do things exactly as you do, it’s likely that your child will adapt and accept these differences. Even more, your child’s world will be filled with people other than you, and it’s a wonderful growing experience for him to learn that different does not mean bad. .

Get busy!
As much as you may miss your child, this is a great opportunity to do things that are easier done without a child attached to your hip. So don’t let the hours pass by nonchalantly. And don’t send the time absorbed in worry or guilt. Make use of the time that your child is away from you in a healthy and productive way. Enjoy your work or your date night. Go for a jog, take a bike ride, go out to lunch, clean your closet, get a manicure, or go shopping. When possible, plan ahead. Create a to-do list and schedule what you’ll do while your child is gone so you don’t find yourself undecided and lacking the motivation to do something.

Curb your nervousness around your child
Children are remarkably perceptive. If you are anxious and worried about your separation from her, then she may create worries based on your modeling. Avoid repeated declarations of love. Don’t make passionate promises of a rapid return. Instead, do your best to be cheerful and relaxed at times of separation. Save your worried face, if you still have one, until the door between you closes.

Set up something for the two of you to look forward to
Plan an activity for when you and your child are reunited. By setting up something specific you’ll enjoy thinking about the joy you will share at that time. Having a specific purpose in mind gives your mind a precise end to the separation and frees you up to do other things until the prearranged event.

This idea can also help your child weather the separation, as she too will have this special event and time together to look forward to.

By Elizabeth Pantley, Author of The No-Cry Separation Anxiety Solution

Remembering 9/11, Today and Every Day

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nbnjn“This is my worst fear. It’s not keeping my students safe from terrorists, it’s knowing what to do when the Chaplain comes to take Johnny out of class because not letting the terrorists win means sometimes the good guys have to die. And those good guys have kids, and they’re sitting in my classroom.” –Tucker Elliot, The Day Before 9/11

I was a nineteen year old college student when the 9/11 attacks took place. I was at my home in Brooklyn and relieved to not be in school that day because my 9am journalism class was canceled for Election Day. I stood next to my father and held his hand as I watched each tower collapse, weeping and filled with sheer terror.

Hoping to someday become a writer, I immediately took in the massive media coverage. I observed how it affected us all, and wondered how anyone could even accurately portray with words the enormity of the tragedy and chaos that was currently happening right there in my backyard.

As a New Yorker, I worried about friends and family who were in Manhattan that day, at school or at work, walking miles over bridges and desperately trying to locate loved ones while escaping the horror unfolding downtown. I was angry that someone had done this to the place I’d called home my entire life. I’d always viewed 9/11 that way, through the eyes of an angry but very, very proud New Yorker. Fellow New Yorkers will understand this, and fellow Americans will too but in a different way I suppose.

Someday many years later I’d experience memories of 9/11 in a different, new way– as the wife of a Marine and a proud supporter of our brave troops who continue to sacrifice so much in order to avenge the atrocities of that day and keep us safe from experiencing that kind of evil ever again.

Today I am a parent, and I see memories of 9/11 through yet a different set of eyes. Children losing parents — babies who will only know the person who gave them life as a face in a photograph — this is not the way it is supposed to be. As a parent who can’t even fathom not being around to witness the first steps and birthdays and graduations and weddings of these little people who are literally my EVERYTHING, it just seems so unfair. So senseless. So wrong.

Perhaps I’ll never stop gaining new perspective on the events and aftermath of September 11, 2001. Everyone has a different story, everyone knows exactly where they were and what they were doing; and here in New York, everybody knew somebody forced to say goodbye.

We may change and grow as people a little more in our everyday lives. But as witnesses to this catastrophic piece of our nation’s history, one thing will always remain a constant: the memory of the fallen, the bravery of the heroes, and the unity of our people as a nation will always live very deeply within the hearts of every single one of us. No one can ever take that away.

By Jeannine Cintron, blogger at Highchairs and Headaches.

Navigating NYC During The Pope’s Visit

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Picture 2

With the Papal visit AND the U.N. General Assembly converging on the New York City area in the same week, we’re all wondering the same thing: How are we going to get around the city?!

AT&T curated the below list of transportation apps available in the iOs and Android stores to help New Yorkers confront traffic jams, subway and bus delays, and street closures. Click here to locate and download the apps below.

Citymapper: Citymapper is the ultimate transit app, helping New Yorkers get around the city by alerting them of real-time train, bus and subway arrivals and departures.

HopStop: HopStop is a popular app that tells you the best subway route to your destination. It will no longer be available to New York commuters in October so download it now and use it while you still can!

Waze: For those of you navigating the city streets by car, Waze crowdsources commuter info to let you know the quickest roads to take, taking into account traffic and accidents in real time.

Commute: Another app for drivers, Commute proactively monitors road conditions along your route, and alerts you to travel times and incidents so you know what to expect.

40 Halloween Crafts Your Kids Can Make

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Get into the spirit of the spooky season with these fun Halloween crafts for kids, many of which can be created from materials you have laying around the house. One of the best parts of Halloween is adorning the house with spooky, ghoulish decorations. These cool and creepy DIYs make great Halloween decorations for your home or your Halloween party.

Here are our favorite Halloween crafts for kids ideas to get you started. They’re great for parents, nannies, or babysitters to do with kids.

Click on a category below to jump to that section:

Indoor Decor Halloween Crafts for Kids

1. Candy Corn Cones

Head to the craft store to pick up some foam cones, and white, yellow, and orange yarn to make this candy corn decor! Wrap yarn around foam cones to decorate with your favorite Halloween treat. Alternatively, you could paint the cones. What’s more? If you make 10 of these and grab one of your kids’ balls, you have an instant Halloween bowling set!

candy corn cone diy

2. Halloween Banner

Make a banner out of your favorite Halloween characters. Cut scrapbook paper into triangles and let your kids decorate them into spooky, scary, or silly Halloween-themed characters. Then hang a piece of twine or string and use small clothespins to add the faces to the banner! Bonus: This is also an easy way to create custom banners for birthdays, graduations, or any other parties.

halloween banner diy

3. Spooky Floating Tulle Ghost

Welcome trick-or-treaters with this super-easy spooky decoration. All you need is tulle, a styrofoam ball, something to hold the ball, spray starch, and black felt.

4. Glowing Eyes Wall Art

Creepy, glow-in-the-dark eyes as Halloween decor? Yes, please! Bonus: These are easy to make. Go hunting for some stones with your kids (try to find pairs that are relatively equal in size), then clean them. Next, gather glow-in-the-dark paint, a few extra colors, and paint brushes and get to painting your eyes!

rocks painted as glow-in-the-dark eyes

5. Bottle Bats

Can’t figure out what to do with all those empty soda bottles lying around? Transform them into bottle bats! This relatively easy craft uses recycled materials and items you might just have in your craft box! And if your kids want to flex their creativity muscles, they can use fun colors (think glow-in-the-dark paint!) and find various bits and bobs in the craft box to decorate their bats to give each one a unique personality!

bats made out of bottles for halloween

6. Bubbling Cauldron

Please your inner witch—or warlock—with an overflowing cauldron. Add fake bugs and spiders for extra ick! Who woulda thought you could use spray insulation foam to create this awesome Halloween decoration?!

diy bubbling cauldron for halloween

7. Tissue Paper Pumpkins

All you need is tissue paper, pipe cleaners, and scissors for this easy Halloween craft for kids. Have your little ones make a bunch of these and put them in a bowl on your dining room table, place them on your bookshelves or mantle, or simply scatter them around the house for some Halloween vibes. Plus, these pumpkins won’t rot like real ones, so they’ll last through Thanksgiving dinner!

tissue paper pumpkins

8. Jack-o’-lantern Mosaic

This is a great craft activity for kids to make at a Halloween party or in the days leading up to Halloween. Draw the outline on a big piece of paper, then cut up paint swatches in shades of orange, green, and black, and have the kids glue the pieces down to create a monster-sized mosaic. And you don’t have to limit yourself to a jack-o’-lantern, think Frankenstein’s monster, a witch, a ghost, candy corn…you get the idea! Or try the smaller-scale version pictured below.

9. Plastic Lid Monsters

Don’t recycle those plastic lids from juice, milk, or salad dressing bottles! Save them to make these creepy creatures for Halloween. Collect the lids starting now, and then come Halloween craft time, give them to your kids, along with a variety of materials for decorations (think: googly eyes in different sizes, pipe cleaners, felt, paper, markers, feathers, beads, and more) and a glue gun. Glue some magnets inside the lids, and you’ll instantly have a family of monsters hanging on your fridge!

plastic lid monster craft for kids

10. Sandpaper Pumpkins

This simple craft can be made using any kind of paper, but the texture of the sandpaper makes it a fun, sensory experience—especially for kids with visual disabilities.

paper pumpkin craft made out of sandpaper

11. Pumpkin Jars

Coat the inside of an empty jar with orange acrylic paint, create a spooky jack-o’-lantern face and you’ll have the perfect decoration. Add in a battery-powered tea light for some festive decor, will with candy to give out as a Halloween party favor, or add some flowers for a cute Halloween vase. Not interested in working with paint? You can make similar jars using orange tissue paper!

12. Chalkboard Stones

Paint clean rocks with chalkboard paint, and your kids can draw fun Halloween shapes and phrases on them with this simple craft. Bonus: You can change up the drawings on them for each season, making this a DIY you can use year-round. Have extra rocks? Make story stones with them to stretch your family’s imagination muscles.

stones painted with chalkboard paint as halloween decorations

13. Paper Bag Haunted House

No Halloween is complete without a haunted house. Here’s an easy way for kids to create one using a paper lunch bag. You can decorate your house with these mini haunted houses, or use the decorated bags for your kids’ lunches leading up to Halloween!

haunted house made out of a paper lunch bag

14. Paper Cup Spiders

Got lots of those plastic or paper cups in your pantry? Reuse them to create these cute spider crafts that your kids will love to decorate. Place the spiders around your house, or hang them from string for a spooky Halloween mobile!

15. Halloween Candles

Stop by your local dollar store for some clear glass vases or candle holders and let your kids decorate them with paints, ribbons, paper, and more for some beautifully haunting Halloween candles. Then add in some battery-powered tea lights or candles and line your table or windows with them.

glass candle holders decorated for halloween

16. Halloween Hands

This is a classic edible Halloween craft that your kids can hand out to trick-or-treaters, take to school for a Halloween snack, or serve up at your Halloween party. All you need are some clear plastic gloves, popcorn, candy corn, and spider rings, and you’re ready to get making!

17. Window Trees

Transform your house into a haunted house for spooky season with cardboard and black paint! Decide what shapes you want to make (witch silhouettes, ghosts, spooky trees, tombstones, etc) and cut them out of cardboard. Then let your kids help with painting them. Once dry, hang inside on your windows with clear tape, and your neighbors will see a spooky sight!

cardboard cut into tree silhouette in window

18. Tissue Paper Ghosts

Place a sheet or two of white facial tissue over round lollipops and tie with string or white ribbon just below the pop itself. Make ghost faces with a black magic marker. Hang the ghosts and make them float by attaching longer strings to the ghosts’ “necks.”

19. Slime…Need We Say More?

Hit the kitchen this Halloween and make a recipe for fun when you learn how to make your own slime. This homemade slime recipe is designed for kids to get their hands dirty, plus it offers sensory stimulation for sight and touch. Prepare to get messy and have a lot of fun with homemade slime.

child's hands holding homemade slime

Outdoor Decor Halloween Crafts for Kids

1. Mini Vampire Pumpkins

Transform a cute, innocent baby pumpkin into a scary Dracula! All you need is mini pumpkins, plastic vampire teeth (which you can easily find in the Halloween section of any store this time of year), and sewing pins for eyes. Though, you can use anything for eyes, really…think: beads, pompoms, googly eyes, felt…you get the idea!

mini vampire pumpkin

2. Illuminated Ghost Milk Jugs

Here’s another recycled craft, this time using empty milk jugs. Give your kids (empty, rinsed out) milk jugs and a marker and have them draw silly or spooky faces on them. Then cut a hole in the back and insert a battery-powered tea light to see the faces come to life at night! Line the walkway to your house with these jugs to welcome enthusiastic trick-or-treaters in style.

3. Googly Eyes Halloween Wreath

Googly eyes, ping-pong balls, and a wreath form are the basics you need to whip up this eye-catching door decoration! After all, if you put googly eyes on anything, you’ll make people smile.

googly eye wreath for halloween

4. Trash Bag Spider Web

Using a similar method to create coffee filter snowflakes, you can turn a boring old garbage bag into an eye-catching spiderweb. It’s perfect Halloween decor for your porch or stoop!

trash bag spider web halloween decoration

5. Ding Dong the Witch is Dead

Fans of the Wizard of Oz will appreciate this porch decoration. Just stuff some Halloween-themed tights with polyfill, paint an old pair of shoes like ruby slippers, and place the faux legs against the house.

stuffed legs that look like the house landed on a witch

6. Glowing Jack-O’-Lantern Jars

Head to the dollar store and grab some canning jars with lids, glow sticks, and black sharpies to make these cute, colorful decorations! And while the directions call for the glow sticks to be cut open (by an adult!), you could just as easily put the glow stick in the bottom of the jar for a less-messy option. A few things to note from Amanda Formaro, over at Crafts by Amanda: Green and yellow glow sticks work better than other colors and glass markers work better than Sharpies, but either option is fine.

7. Halloween Wreath

This creepy, feathery, skull wreath is more involved and better to create with older kids, but it’s  perfect for your Halloween door. And Karen Bertelsen, the blogger behind The Art of Doing Stuff, was able to source all the materials for this from her local dollar store. It may scare away some trick-or-treaters, but that just means more candy for you!

homemade creepy halloween wreath

8. Frankenstein’s Monster Can Craft

A great craft for older kids, you can turn an empty paint can into the monster from Frankenstein—then fill it with Halloween candies for the trick-or-treaters, Halloween party attendees, or just you and your kids!

can painted to look like a monster

9. Glowing Eyes

Looking for a quick, easy DIY to scare-ify your yard? Try this idea from RustandSunshine.com: Cut eyes into toilet paper tubes, put glow sticks inside the tubes, and stick the glowing tubes in the trees and bushes around your house. Trick-or-treaters will feel like they’re being watched!

glowing eyes at night

10. Pumpkin Candy Dispenser

Going trick-or-treating with your kids, leaving your door unmanned? Instead of leaving a bowl of candy on the porch, try this: Drill holes in a pumpkin and stick lollipops in the holes.

11. Halloween Duct Tape Doormat

Looking for a fun Halloween decor project? This Duct Tape doormat from Stephanie Morgan, founder and managing editor of Modern Parents Messy Kids, is a great one to do with kids. It teaches them about upcycling and only requires a few supplies.

diy duct tape door mat for halloween

You’ll need:

  • a well-worn doormat (preferably one you were getting ready to toss)
  • a few rolls of Scotch® Color & Pattern Duct Tape in Halloween colors
  • a cutting mat
  • a straight edge
  • scissors
  • tape

Directions

  1. Once you have your supplies, go online and find an appropriate Halloween image. Silhouettes work best—try using the “clip art” filter in Google images to find one that will work.
  2. Use photo editing software, such as PicMonkey or Photoshop, to make the image the same size as your doormat and print the image on several pages and lay it out on your doormat to be sure it will work. Then cut out the silhouette on each “quadrant”.
  3. Now it’s time to get to taping! Be sure your doormat is clean, pick a background tape color, and start layering strips onto the top of the mat.
  4. Tuck the ends of each strip under so that your mat looks like this.
  5. Layer several strips of black Duct Tape onto your cutting mat and tape the first image quadrant on top and use the straight edge to cut around the silhouette and remove the excess tape. Repeat this process with each quadrant.
  6. Then line up the four black silhouette pieces on top of your doormat. Don’t worry if it’s not perfect, the tape is very forgiving. If you don’t get it lined up perfectly, you can just add another piece of black tape on top.
  7. The last step is to cut out a spooky message and apply it to the top of your silhouette. I added a few black stripes on each side for visual balance and used glow-in-the dark tape for the wicked smile and the, “Boo!”. It’s quite the creepy look in the dark—perfect for Halloween.

Halloween Crafts for Kids: Costumes

1. Felt Crown

Whether your kid wants to be Max from Where the Wild Things Are or Elsa from—duh!—Frozen for Halloween, they’ll need a crown to complete the outfit. Try your hand at a custom, two-sided felt topper that (bonus!) can be used later for imaginary play from Project Kid by Amanda Kingloff.

2. Duct Tape Cape and Mask

Nothing screams DIY quite like Duct Tape—did you know there are scholarships available for teens who make their prom tuxes or dresses out of the sticky stuff? Try your hand at making a Duct Tape cape and mask for a reusable costume (and hey, if you need to fix something, you’ll have tape with you!).

duct tape cape and mask

3. Paper Animal Masks

Is your kiddie an animal lover? Are they dressing as a cat or bird for Halloween? All you need are pants and a sweater in the color of the animal and one of these DIY masks for a completely homemade costume!

4. Train Costume

Why buy a kid’s Thomas the Tank Engine costume this Halloween when you can build one? Using cardboard boxes and crafts supplies, follow this step-by-step guide from a Rockland County mom to DIY a train costume for your child.

DIY Thomas the Train Costume

5. DIY Animal Costumes

Have a kid who loves frogs or dogs? Check out these two easy costume DIYs. They’re seriously easy—they both use hoodie sweatshirts as the base for the costume. What could be easier (and keep your kid warm if it’s a chilly Halloween night)? Bonus: These costumes are super budget-friendly!

diy frog costume

6. Toddler No-Sew Tutu

What could be cuter than a toddler dressed as a ghost, with the focal point of the costume being a tutu?! Find out how to make your own with this DIY from Jennifer Garry, the Westchester mom behind the blog CuddlesandChaos.com. Plus, older kids can easily tackle this DIY on their own if their costume requires a tutu.

DIY no-sew ballerina tutu

7-10. Even More No-Sew Costumes

Local parents share how they made DIY costumes for their kids to dress up as grapes, Waldo, a school bus, and Charlie Brown, Lucy, and Linus.

child in diy grape halloween costume

 

Photo Credit (top of page) Shutterstock / MsMaria

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Delicious Fall Recipes

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You’ll absolutely love these fall recipes — Pumpkin Mac And Cheese, Apple Cider Donuts, , Baked Stuffed Pumpkin, Cinnamon Baked Apples, Crispy Acorn Squash Rounds.

Pumpkin Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound pasta – elbow, curly, penne – it’s up to you
  • 1/4 cup butter
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 cup Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup white cheddar, shredded
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced and sautéed in a little butter until soft
  • 1 ½ cups canned pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling water, about 1 minute less than directions.

While the pasta cooks, melt butter in a medium sized pot, then whisk in flour to make a thick & relatively lump-free paste. Stir in the milk until smooth and slightly thickened – then add in the Dijon, both cheeses, sautéed onions, pumpkin, cayenne & salt & pepper. Blend everything, then add pasta and combine well – place into an oven proof dish.

Melt the butter in a non-stick pan, add breadcrumbs and mix well to coat – add to the top of the macaroni. Put in the oven and bake 30 minutes or until golden brown & serve.

~Courtesy of Sam the Cooking Guy

Apple Cider Donuts

acd

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 1/3 c. + 2 tbsp. apple cider
  • 1/2 c. white whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp. aluminum-free baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. sea salt
  • 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp. nutmeg, fresh
  • 1/4 c. sugar
  • 2 tbsp. honey
  • 1 large egg

For the topping:

  • 3 tbsp. butter
  • 1/4 c. apple cider
  • 1/3 c. fine sugar*
  • 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a small pot, melt butter. Stir in cider, and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, whisk together flours, baking powder, sea salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a medium bowl. Set aside.
Into the cooled butter mixture, whisk in sugar, honey, and egg until evenly combined. Side note, dip honey measuring utensil in the melted butter first for easy honey removal. Then stir together wet and dry ingredients until just combined. Over-mixing will create a tough donut.

Spray donut pan. Add batter to a piping bag and pipe evenly into the pan. Bake for 7 minutes. Allow to cool 1 minute before removing donuts onto a cooling rack.

Meanwhile, make topping. Melt butter and stir in cider. In a flat-bottomed bowl, mix together cinnamon and sugar (if you don’t have superfine sugar, add sugar to a food processor and quickly pulse until fine, not powdery).

Quickly dip each donut in butter mixture and lightly coat in the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place back on cooling rack. Best served same day, slightly warmed. If storing leftovers, lightly cover, if at all.

~Courtesy of TheFauxMartha.com

Butternut Squash Risotto

risotto1

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 whole Butternut Squash, Peeled, Seeded, And Diced.
  • 3 Tablespoons Butter
  • 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
  • Black Pepper To Taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder
  • 1/2 whole Diced Onion
  • 1-1/2 cup Arborio Rice
  • 6 cups (approximately) Vegetable Or Chicken Broth (low Sodium)
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste
  • 1/8 teaspoon Turmeric
  • 1/4 cup Heavy Cream (less If Desired)
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan Shavings (more For Serving)
  • Finely Minced Parsley, For Serving

Directions:
Heat 1 tablespoon butter and olive oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add squash and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Cook for several minutes, turning gently with a spatula, until squash is deep golden brown and tender (but not falling apart.) Remove to a plate and set aside.

Heat broth in a saucepan over low heat. Keep warm.

Add 2 tablespoons butter to the same skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until translucent. Add Arborio rice and stir, cooking for 1 minute.

Reduce heat to low. In 1-cup increments, begin adding broth to the skillet, stirring to combine and gently stirring as the broth is absorbed. As soon as the liquid disappears, add in another cup to cup-and-a-half of broth. Continue this process, stirring gently as the broth incorporates and the rice starts to become tender. Add salt, pepper along the way.

Taste the rice after about 5 cups of broth have been absorbed and see what the consistency is. Add another 1 to 2 cups of broth as needed to get the rice to the right consistency: it should be tender with just a little bit of “bite” left to it.

When the rice is tender, add in the cooked squash and turmeric and stir it in gently. Add the cream and Parmesan shavings and stir until it’s just combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Sprinkle minced parsley over the top and serve immediately!

~Courtesy of The Pioneer Woman

Baked Stuffed Pumpkin

pumpkin stuffed

Ingredients:

  • 4 oz. sweet Italian sausage
  • ½ c. chopped onion
  • 1 pumpkin
  • ½ c. chopped Granny Smith apples
  • ¼ c. white wine or chicken stock
  • 1 c. Israeli couscous
  • ¼ c. dried cranberries
  • 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme
  • 1 tsp. fresh oregano
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • 4 small pumpkins

Directions:
Make the stuffing: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Decase and crumble the sausage meat and place it in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook the sausage until it is almost done — about 8 minutes. Remove the sausage from the pan, increase heat to medium, and add the onion and 2 cups of the chopped pumpkin. Sauté until the pumpkin begins to soften — 5 to 7 minutes. Add the chopped apple and sausage and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the wine, cook for 2 minutes, remove from heat, and set aside. Combine the couscous, dried cranberries, olive oil, thyme, oregano, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add meat mixture to the bowl and toss to combine.

Bake the pumpkins: Evenly fill the hollowed-out pumpkins with the stuffing mixture and place the pumpkins in a shallow baking dish. Cover the dish with aluminum foil, bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and bake for 10 more minutes. Serve immediately.

~Courtesy of Country Living

Cinnamon Baked Apples

apples

Ingredients:

  • 1 teaspoon butter
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 3 teaspoons vanilla sugar
  • 3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 6 large apples – peeled, cored, and sliced
  • 3 1/2 tablespoons water

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a large baking dish with the butter.

Mix brown sugar, vanilla sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Layer about 1/3 of the apples in prepared baking dish; sprinkle with 1/3 of the sugar mixture. Repeat layers twice more.

Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Pour water over apples and continue baking until tender, about 15 minutes more.

~Courtesy of Allrecipes

Crispy Acorn Squash Rounds

squash

Ingredients:

  • 2 acorn squash, sliced into rounds
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • 1/2 cup finely ground cornmeal
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
  • 6 sage leaves, chopped
  • 3 egg whites, lightly beaten

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, then place a wire rack on top of the sheet. Spray with non-stick spray.

Peel acorn squash rounds, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, chili powder and nutmeg. In one bowl, add egg whites and lightly beat with a fork. In a second bowl, add flour, sage, cornmeal and breadcrumbs and mix. Coat each squash round in the beaten egg white, then dredge through the cornmeal mixture, pressing to adhere. Gently place on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining squash. Right before baking, mist squash with a spritz of olive oil or non-stick spray.

Bake for 20 minutes, then gently flip (if desired), mist once more, and bake for about 20 minutes longer, or until squash is crispy and golden. Serve with dipping sauce of choice.  Garnish with crispy sage is desired.

Courtesy of How Sweet Eats

Lesser-known Symptoms of Breast Cancer

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breast cancer

Public perception that breast cancer is only identified by lumps detected through self-examination or routine mammography may prevent thousands of women from receiving an early diagnosis and the care they need. Although lumps are the most common symptom associated with the disease, women should recognize that breast cancer can produce additional symptoms.

Susan G. Komen for the Cure, one of the premier organizations for breast cancer research, advocacy and treatment, advises that the warning signs for breast cancer are not the same for all women (or men). Various changes in the breast and body can occur, including the following conditions.

• Breast-size changes: Many left and right breasts are not completely symmetrical, and women familiar with their bodies know that one breast is often slightly larger than the other. However, breast-size changes that occur out of the blue may be indicative of a medical problem.

• Skin rash or redness: Women who are breastfeeding can experience a rash on the breasts from an infection of breast tissue. But those who are not breastfeeding should be evaluated by a doctor if redness, irritation or rash appears.

• Nipple changes: Nipple discharge that starts suddenly and is not associated with breastfeeding can be indicative of cancer. Other changes to the nipples, such as pulling in of the nipple (inversion) or itchy, scaling skin on the nipple, should be brought to the attention of a doctor.

• Changes to the skin: Dimpling of the skin, peeling, flaking, or scaling skin can be a cause for concern as well.

• Lumps elsewhere: Cancerous tumors may not only be felt in the breasts. Breast cancer can spread to the lymph nodes around the breasts, and lumps may be felt under the arms.

• Unexplained pain: The Mayo Clinic advises that less than 10 percent of people diagnosed with breast cancer report pain as a symptom. But unexplained pain in an area of the breast should not be ignored. Breast pain that does not go away and seems to involve one area of the breast should be checked.

• Fatigue: General cancer symptoms can include unusual fatigue and unexplained weight loss. These symptoms should not be left unchecked.

One of the best things women and men can do is to familiarize themselves with their bodies so they will be more capable of pinpointing any irregularities that may develop. Individuals can routinely look at their breasts and inspect for subtle changes. But remember that hormonal breast changes occur during the menstrual cycle, so it’s best to be familiar with how breasts look and feel both during and after menstruation.

DID YOU KNOW?
Breast cancer can affect both men and women and is one of the most common forms of cancer. Thanks to increased awareness and screenings, many cases of breast cancer are diagnosed early and treated successfully. BreastCancer.org says that invasive ductal carcinoma, or IDC, is the most common form of breast cancer, accounting for about 80 percent of all breast cancers. The American Cancer Society says that, although IDC can affect women of any age, it is most common among women age 55 or older. The good news is that this type of cancer is highly curable, provided it has not spread outside of the ducts to other breast tissue. Survival rates for any breast cancers diagnosed in the early stages are excellent.

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