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Winner of Foodie Freebie Friday: Kim & Scott's Pretzels

Thank goodness it's (Foodie Freebie) Friday! We made it through another week and what a great week it has been... and an even better weekend ahead for me. I hope you had a great week too and have some fun weekend plans in store. This weekend is the first full weekend I had to myself with no events or entertaining plans since May 1st! I'm really looking forward to taking time out to play in the kitchen, have some culinary adventures to myself and relax... I'm so excited! What plans do you have for the weekend in your corner of the world?

This week's Foodie Freebie Friday is one that got me all twisted up and inspired me to make some soft pretzels soon. I loved reading all the various ways readers like their soft pretzels and it's been confirmed - a majority prefers to enjoy our pretzels simply with a little salt! Accompanying dips are varied but my favorite would have to be cheese.

Kim and Scott's Preztels not only offer great plain pretzels but their sweet and savory flavors take pretzels to a whole new level. A special thanks to Kim & Scott's Pretzels, they will be sending a lucky reader a complimentary pretzel package of 10 different pretzels to indulge in including...

6 oz. Apple Cinnamon Pretzel

6 oz. Original Cheesecake Pretzel

6 oz. Mixed Berry Cobbler Pretzel

6 oz. Chocolate Crumb Pretzel

6 oz. Cinnamon Roll Pretzel

6 oz. Pizza Pretzel

6 oz. Cheese Lover's Pretzel

6 oz. Spinach Feta Pretzel

6 oz. Grilled Cheese Pretzel

6 oz. Cream Cheese Pretzel

http://www.kimandscotts.com/wdk_kas/wcm/content/ks/images/top_banner_ecomm.png

So who's the lucky winner that's receiving a Kim & Scott's Original Variety Pretzel Pack?

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:
10

Timestamp: 2009-07-31 14:58:03 UTC

Comment #10 comes from Frances who said...
I have to come up with one favorite? hmmm... chocolate covered with sprinkles!!
July 27, 2009 2:19 PM


Congratulations to Frances! Please email me at itsjoelen@gmail.com so I can have your Kim & Scott's Original Variety Pretzel Pack sent to you!

Thanks again to all those that commented and stay tuned to the next Foodie Freebie announcement on Monday, August 3, 2009! Don't feel discouraged if you haven't won yet - I have a whole year's worth of freebies ahead and next week is one that you won't want to miss!

The Great Autism and Swine Flu Vaccine Experiment

The vaccine causes autism debate will now be front and center for years to come as US Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius confirms that the Swine Flu (H1N1) Vaccine will be laced with the mercury based preservative thimerosol.

In an interview with Katie Couric Secretary Sebelius says thimerosol is safe and parents need not worry:

"study after study, scientist after scientist, has determined that there really is no safety risk with thimerosol. There is concern about parents of why autism rates are rising. And, as you know, we've got some special NIH studies, thanks to the president, focused on just what is going on.

But thimerosol has been proven to be safe. It's used in seasonal vaccine-- seasonal flu vaccine. And, again, we want to assure people that that-- the scientists, again, have confirmed-- that there is really a safe factor with using thimerosol. It's an effective preservative and one that we think actually adds to the likelihood that we'll have a safe vaccine for a while to come.

....

based on the science. And the science, again, continues to indicate that the ingredients we're anticipating using in this vaccine are safe to use."

The article Web Exclusive: Sebelius on Vaccine Fears does not indicate what studies Secretary Sebelius relies upon to assert that the science shows that thimerosoal is safe and does not cause autism. Given that pregnant women will be targeted it appears that the swine flu vaccine program will essentially be an experiment which could result, or not, in a new wave of autism diagnoses in the children of women receiving the swine flu vaccine. I hope that Secretary Sebelius is right in the result but I believe she has overstated the "science" supporting the safety of thimerosol and the alleged lack of any link to autism disorders.

Hopefully accurate records will be kept. In a feature last year, also on CBS, Dr. Bernadine Healy expressed concerns about vaccines and indicated that research of a vaccine autism connection had been expressly discouraged by health authorities. CBS also reported that:

"CBS News has learned the government has paid more than 1,300 brain injury claims in vaccine court since 1988, but is not studying those cases or tracking how many of them resulted in autism.

The branch of the government that handles vaccine court told CBS News: “Some children who have been compensated for vaccine injuries…may ultimately end up with autism or autistic symptoms, but we do not track cases on this basis.”"

There you go. First authorities do not research or track possible vaccine related autism cases. Then they claim the science does not support a vaccine autism link. And vaccine programs like the impending Swine Flu program are reported on the basis of "science" to be safe with no autism connection.

See no autism, hear no autism, speak no autism.




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WGN Midday News with Chef Rick Bayless!


How's this for a culinary adventure?!? Today was an exciting day because I was featured on WGN Chicago's Midday News. It's was a great opportunity to talk about the recent RedEye Virtual Kitchen Stadium competition I won, along with Chef Rick Bayless and RedEye Competition Chairwoman, Dorothy Hernandez.


The behind the scenes of a TV news station is pretty interesting and seeing how it all comes together is a lot of fun to watch. Here's the news desk where Steve Sanders, Dina Blair, and Tom Skilling sit during the broadcasts...


The room itself is filled with quite a few cameras and lights, filling up the ceiling...


My cooking segment was towards the end of the Midday News so there were quite a few segments ahead of me, including Tom Skilling's weather report. He stands in front of a huge green screen in which images behind him are only displayed when it's broadcasted. It's quite a skill to point to various parts of a green wall without seeing what city or state it is, much less what the weather front is bringing in!


Tom is such a personable and warm person... just like he comes across when he's doing his thing on camera. The RedEye staff and I got a chance to take a pic with Tom before he headed out...


While the Midday News was filming, I was cooking and preparing my dishes... did you happen to catch the 2 "camera teasers" before the segment during the broadcast? There were moments where the set had to keep quiet since the cameras were rolling and there was always someone to tell us how many minutes/seconds until air time.


So show time is only a few minutes away and Chef Rick Bayless arrived. It was great that he remembered me a couple of weeks ago when we met at a BBQ picnic event, even though it was a pretty brief encounter during such a busy event. After (re) introductions, we took a group picture together...


We had a few minutes to talk about the recipes, how our segment will go and some last minute prep. Chef Rick Bayless was extremely kind and warm. Off camera he's slightly soft spoken and just a pleasure to be around. On camera, his upbeat personality shines through his big smiles and you can certainly feel his positive energy!


..... And it's showtime! You can watch the cooking segment here! Here are some shots from the interview too...


One thing that wasn't seen on the cooking segment was Dina and Rick trying my dish. I think it was because everyone was pretty hungry up to this point and they had to endure the great aromas from the kitchen while I was cooking and preparing. It probably wouldn't have been pretty seeing it on camera because we all devoured everything when the cameras were off. I received quite a few compliments from everyone on my dish, including Chef Rick Bayless... and it was quite an honor to not only have him review my recipes but to meet him and have him try it in person!



Special thanks go to the RedEye staff, especially Dorothy Hernandez for creating such a fun cooking competition and reaching out to me to participate; Chef Rick Bayless for participating as the guest judge and his time to come out and join me in the spotlight; the WGN News team and crew who made it quite a fun experience; my husband Louis for being my biggest fan and ultimate recipe taste tester; and my parents for their help, support and inspiring me to continue my culinary adventures.

Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty's Autism Therapy Wait Lists Harm Ontario's Autistic Children

I try to keep this blog site focused on autism and I try to keep it non-partisan despite being a life long Liberal. (With Prime Minister Stephen Harper washing his hands of Canada's autism crisis it is hard to present non-partisan commentary about federal autism initiatives. or lack thereof). In recent elections, provincially and federally, I have shifted toward a strategic voting mind set voting for the candidate, and the party, that is most likely to represent hope for autistic children and adults. As someone who has been a Liberal though I am seriously disappointed by the autism record of the Ontario Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty.

I am proud of New Brunswick's political leaders, both Conservative and Liberal, for what they have done on behalf of autistic children although much remains to be done. Both Conservative and Liberal governments in New Brunwick have failed to date to address the crisis in adult autism residential care and treatment.

One of the best things that happened to my autistic son Conor, was moving from the Toronto (Burlington) area back to New Brunswick in 1997, the year before he received his autism spectrum disorder diagnosis at age 2. At that time there was little in the way of autism services available here in New Brunswick. Determined and focused parent advocacy, access to amazing, community involved academic and professional help and conscientious, responsive political leaders from both Conservative and Liberal parties, have resulted in an autism service delivery model for autistic children in this relatively poor province that has earned national and international recognition. Such sweeping change for the good of autistic children has not taken place in the much larger, and wealthier, province of Ontario. Had we stayed in Ontario in 1997 Conor would not have enjoyed the autism services he has received here in NB. Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty may be many good things but he has not been a friend of autistic children in Ontario.

Attached hereto is a news release from Autism Resolution Ontario which speaks to the situation confronting autistic children in Dalton McGuinty's Ontario:

TORONTO, July 29 /CNW/ - A new documentary on the challenges of one child
with autism in trying to access publicly subsidized autism therapy effectively
captures the Ontario government's inadequate, harmful and discriminatory
autism intervention policies, and raises fresh concerns about the ongoing and
extreme neglect of all children with autism in Ontario waiting to receive this
essential treatment.

Jaiden's Story: The Struggle for ABA Therapy in Ontario is a brief and
compelling portrait of three-year-old Jaiden, who has been waiting for
provincially funded applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapy since September
of 2007, and whose family is trying to cope with the government's abandonment
of their son and with the high cost of private ABA therapy.

"Jaiden needs ABA therapy to learn how to communicate and socialize
appropriately with others, and to function in society. By making my son wait
for years for this crucial therapy, the government is neglecting his basic
developmental needs, severely compromising his future prospects, and
ultimately, violating his fundamental human rights," says Sharon Aschaiek,
mother of Jaiden.

ABA is the most established, scientifically proven and effective autism
intervention that is widely used by children with autism worldwide. Children
with autism benefit most from ABA when they receive it intensively-about 30
hours a week of one-on-one instruction-beginning in their early years.

As demonstrated in Jaiden's Story, which can now be seen on the News
section of the ARO site (www.autismresolutionontario.com) or on YouTube
(www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgLJrIJsOvs), while Jaiden languishes on the waitlist
for the Ontario government's intensive behavioural intervention (IBI)
program-IBI is the early and intensive application of ABA-Aschaiek helps her
son in the only way she can-by paying for private ABA therapy. However, early
intensive ABA is costly: currently, Aschaiek spends about $20,000 a year, and
that cost will increase as Jaiden gets older and is able to participate in
more therapy.

As a single mother of limited means, Aschaiek was forced to move with her
son into her parents' home in Thornhill to save on cost-of-living expenses.
She now spends almost every cent she makes on therapy for her son, but she
says it's entirely worth it, as Jaiden is making significant developmental
gains with ABA. However, because Ontario government will continue denying
subsidized intervention to Jaiden for many more months or even years, Aschaiek
worries about how she'll pay for Jaiden's future therapy.

"Even with the minimal amount of ABA therapy I can afford, Jaiden has
advanced so much. Thanks to ABA, he can now express himself much better, and
he's more interested in family and friends," Aschaiek says. "However, when
Jaiden will require $30,000 to $50,000 worth of therapy a year, I won't be
able to afford it. Without receiving enough of the ABA therapy he needs to
develop and function, Jaiden will be at serious risk of losing the skills he's
gained, and failing at school and in adulthood."

Jaiden is far from alone in his lengthy wait for vital ABA treatment:
currently, about 1,500 children with autism in Ontario are waiting to
participate in the provincial government's subsidized IBI program.
Disturbingly, that's more than the number of children actually receiving it -
about 1,300. About another 400 children are actually waiting to wait - that
is, they are waiting to qualify to get on the IBI program waitlist.

"The wait for my family has meant that my wife had to resign her job, my
mother exhausted her retirement savings, and we have exhausted all our savings
and retirement funds - all to self-fund/deliver our son's therapy," says
Mississauga-based Barry Hudson, father of Barry, 4. "So, not only does my
son's therapy still need funding, but I, my mother and my wife will require
income supplements in our retirement. In summary: the ABA wait list crisis
equals pay much more later."

Aschaiek and Hudson are just a couple of the hundreds of highly motivated
parents across the province who are involved Autism Resolution Ontario (ARO),
a new grassroots, non-partisan advocacy initiative working to make publicly
funded ABA therapy more accessible, and to achieve social justice for children
with autism. ARO is leading an ongoing, high-impact, province-wide public
awareness campaign to promote the benefits of ABA as the most proven and
effective autism intervention; to expose the government's neglectful and
discriminatory autism intervention policies; and to promote practical and
cost-effective solutions-based on existing studies and reports-to resolving
the autism crisis in Ontario.

Jaiden's Story is the first documentary in what is planned to be a
three-part series that will fully explore the most pressing ABA
inaccessibility issues facing children with autism in Ontario and their
families.

Aschaiek echoes Hudson's sentiment that, ultimately, the Ontario
government's denial of early intensive ABA to children with autism is a
problem that affects everyone, because taxpayers will have to pay millions of
dollars more down the road to sustain these individuals as adults.

"With sufficient ABA, our children have much better chances of becoming
independent and contributing members of society," Aschaiek says. "Without it,
the government is condemning them to a lifetime of dysfunction and social
services dependency."

For further information: To learn more, or to book an interview with
Sharon Aschaiek or other ARO family members, contact Sharon Aschaiek at (416)
352-8813 or sharon@autismresolutionontario.com



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Swine Flu Vaccines, Autism and Public Health Gamblers in Canada

As in Europe, and in the US, so too in Canada where officials are also fast tracking swine flu vaccines without proper safety trials. The CBC, as expected from a government financed media, offers an uncritical assessment of the Canadian fast track strategy in Swine flu vaccine fast-tracked in Canada, U.S., Europe. CanWest News offering a more independent, critical analysis of Canadian strategy reports that, unlike in the US, Canada does not have a plan in place to provide no fault compensation to people injured by the vaccine as occurred in the 1976 swine flu scare vaccination program:

A leading public health expert is calling on Canada to create a no-fault compensation program for people who may be harmed by a swine flu vaccine that millions of Canadians will be urged by the government to get this fall.

Kumanan Wilson, Canada research chair in public health at the University of Ottawa, said in an interview with Canwest News Service that children and adults could be exposed to an incompletely tested vaccine and that a compensation scheme is needed to encourage the public to buy into any mass immunization program.

When the World Health Organization last month proclaimed swine flu the first pandemic since 1968, Canada’s chief public health officer, David Butler-Jones, said everyone should get the new flu shot when it becomes available.

“The more people that have immunity, the easier it is to stop,” he said.

But Canwest News Service has learned that, unlike the United States, the Public Health Agency of Canada has no plans to compensate people who may be injured by an H1N1 vaccine.

A vaccine injury program would give people who suffer an adverse reaction faster access to compensation without having to go through the legal system. Quebec is the only jurisdiction in Canada that has a non-fault compensation program.

Public Health Agency of Canada officials acknowledged last week there won’t be time for a swine flu vaccine to go through standard safety testing before immunizations begin in the fall. The first doses are expected to be available in three to four months. Officials said they are working with regulators on ways to reduce any time required for getting the vaccine out. Canada could invoke emergency provisions to get the vaccine out quicker, before all the data from human trials that test safety are complete.

Hopefully Canadian governments will enact a true no-fault compensation system for those injured by the swine flu (H1N1) vaccine and will at least fully and accurately record what happens to those, particularly pregnant women and young children, who receive the untested vaccine shots.

Specifically, given some evidence that the swine flu (H1N1) virus has itself been linked to autism, governments should keep reliable records on autism diagnoses amongst children receiving the swine flu vaccine, or children born of mothers who received the vaccine while pregnant. Would it be too much to ask governments to keep such records and make the resulting information available before relying on the old "correlation does not imply causation", or "it's just a coincidence" arguments to mock those who see their children regress into autism after vaccination?




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NUTTY CHOCOLATE BROWNIE DROP COOKIES

WHAT A PAIR! (-or- Moose Nuggets to say good-bye)

First there were Lucy and Ethel.


Then there were Barbie and Midge.


Then there were Gertrude and Alice.

…. well, maybe not.

Then there were Laverne and Shirley.


And then there were French and Saunders.


Now, there are Jamie and Clare. And what a pair.

Ok, so all the good photos of us are on her camera on their way home. Give me a bit of time.

Great women duos, what would one be without the other? One plays it straight or plays off the other, not as much sidekick as foil. They make fun of themselves, trip over each other, fall flat on their hypothetical backsides and get right up and start all over again. They know what the other is thinking before it is said, they reinvent themselves as they go along, they, in the end, are women, supported by the other, capable of anything, afraid of no situation and there is nothing they won’t try.

Clare and I just spent a week together. We have known each other for not quite a year, first through Mudflats then across the pages of Facebook. What happens when you finally meet someone you know only over the internet, what flits through your mind when you are off to pick them up at the train station knowing that they will be spending a whole week in your home?

The ten days have come and gone and she is now on her way to Switzerland. I am thrilled to say that Clare and I got along like a house on fire, as if we had been neighbors forever. Our inner Lucy and Ethel kicked in the minute we met face to face, Laverne and Shirley minus the beer factory. Well, we may not be as goofy as that greatest of American tv teams from the 50’s (I mean, false eyelashes and lipstick when you are disguised as a man? Who was she kidding?) or quite as outrageous as Dawn and Jennifer at their mightiest. We may not even be as glamorous as Barbie and Midge, but we made one hell of a great team.

Everything is fun with a friend.

She taught me to make no-knead bread, I introduced her to the first and best steak tartare she has and will ever eat. We showed each other clips of our favorite British Comedies and we laughed until we cried. Everything and anything makes us both think of food, and we giggled at all the bad hair, combovers, helmet hair and strange characters wherever we went. And if you don’t think that these things make for a tight friendship, then I don’t know what does. It was an outstanding week.

Just hanging out in Nantes together, eating ice cream served up by Clem.

And we baked. We have posted what we made together. Yet as true Mudflatters, we watched in joy and fascination as the Governor of Alaska left office (I think you know my politics) and decided that the most perfectly appropriate something had to be made. Together. In honor of both Mudflats and the now-former Gov. I mean, after all, if it wasn’t for her we wouldn’t have ever met, now would we?

Cooking together like Kaye and Eve. Classic!

We batted around ideas, racked our brains for hours, for the perfect Going Away Party treat to offer our friends in celebration of this strange political victory, deliberating between Egg On Your Face Word Salad, Half-Baked Alaska and various other dishes, and finally settled on these wonderfully gooey, chocolaty goodies. We now offer up Nutty Moose Nuggets and a thank you for AKM not only for her fabulous blog, both amusing and informative, but for bringing us all together.


NUTTY BROWNIE DROP COOKIES (MOOSE NUGGETS)
Adapted from Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook

6 oz (180 g) semi-sweet chocolate, either chips or chopped (we used Lindt Dessert 70%)
1 oz (30 g) unsweetened chocolate, chopped (we used Lindt Dessert 85%)
2 Tbs (30 g) unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup (135 g) sugar
¼ cup (30 g) flour
¼ tsp baking powder
1 cup (100 g) coarsely chopped pecans

The two chocolates.

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment or oven paper.

Place the chopped chocolates in a medium-sized bowl in the microwave (or over a pan of simmering but not boiling water) and heat gently until almost melted.

Remove the chocolate from the heat while there are still pieces or it may over cook.

Add the softened butter and stir vigorously until all the remaining bits of chocolate and the butter are thoroughly melted, combined and smooth.


Add the vanilla and the two eggs to the chocolate/butter mixture and whisk or beat together (by hand) until smooth.


Combine the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add to the chocolate mixture and stir until completely combined and smooth.


Fold in the chopped nuts.


Drop by rounded teaspoons onto the prepared cookie sheets and bake (I bake one batch at a time in my tiny French oven) for 8 to 10 minutes until just barely set in the center but no longer gooey. Remove from the oven and carefully lift off and remove to a metal cooling rack to cool.

Ok, how funny is that? Vile, maybe, but funny. And oh so good!

These rich, dark, fudgy cookies with the crunch of nuts are the perfect treat to have with a cold glass of milk or a hot coffee as you are sitting in your jammies in front of your computer, watching Alan Partridge on dvd or (yes we did) Tropic Thunder.

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