Jack Layton: Canada, and Canadian Families with Autistic Children, Have Lost A Strong, Compassionate Voice

Photograph by Fred Greenslade, Reuters

There will be many words spoken to express the great loss that Canadians feel on hearing of the passing of Jack Layton.  His positive, feisty, spirit won the hearts of many Canadians in the last election but he has long been a champion of great causes from the homeless to the environment.

Jack Layton was also aware of the challenges facing Canadians with autism and the need for the federal government to address those challenges. The Medicare for Autism Now! organization had obtained the following statement from Jack Layton as leader of the NDP which I had posted on September 17, 2008:

"Jack's Response on Autism

First, both NDP MP Peter Stoffer and myself have challenged the federal government for not providing funding in its last budget to help families with autistic children. I fully recognize that families with autistic children are in crying need of support and they are very disappointed that the Conservative government has ignored their needs in their budget spending.

On the matter of voting, in the April 3, 2006 to September 14 ,2007 session of parliament MP Shawn Murphy introduced his private members legislation Bill C-304, An Act to provide for the development of a national strategy for the treatment of autism and to amend the Canada Health Act. C-304 received first reading on May 17, 2006 but unfortunately it did not make it to third reading or a final vote because it died when the Harper government chose to prorogue that Parliament. I am also aware that on March 29, 2007, the Standing Senate Committee on Social Affairs issued a report on the Funding of Treatment for Autism titled:" Pay Now or Pay Later: Autism Families in Crisis" in which they recommended that the federal government demonstrate some leadership in the autism file by collaborating with the provinces to create a National Autism Strategy and address the funding of treatment. However, this report was not put before parliament for a vote.

New Democrats recognize that providing support for families with Autistic children has to be a bigger priority for the federal government than another corporate tax cut. That is why Peter Stoffer has introduced Private Members' Bills, C-211, An Act to amend the Canada Health Act (Autism Spectrum Disorder) to "ensure that the cost of Applied Behavioural Analysis ( ABA) and Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI) for autistic persons is covered by the health care Insurance plan of every province" and C -212, An Act respecting a Canadian Autism Day. ' The federal NDP is proud of Mr Stoffer's efforts to help put the needs of Autistic children on the political map."

Goodbye Jack.

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LEMON RISOTTO (RISOTTO AL LIMONE)

THE WEEKEND BEFORE THE TRIP





My suitcase lies open at the foot of my bed, clothes spilling out as items are piled up, tossed on to the top higgledy-piggledy. Shorts and flip-flops, swimsuit and sandals, lipstick in every shade of pink, clothes for a conference and clothes for a shopping mall, clothes for strolling the French Quarter of New Orleans and clothes for lounging around the house in the heat of a Florida summer. Frantically have I been working, packing, writing a presentation and blog posts, planning, organizing and wishing that I had more time!



The weekend passed quickly and enjoyably with friends visiting. Husband cooked and I entertained, mostly talking about food. Saturday afternoon and Sunday allowed us the chance to rediscover our city through the eyes of a tourist. JP was group leader, escorting us from one site to another and regaling us with tales of the city’s history. Pointing out gorgeous buildings old and new, admiring the view of the silvery city spread out and shimmering below us as we stood perched atop the Butte Sainte Anne, we crisscrossed Nantes trying to get everything in, not missing one interesting or intriguing thing. The Cathedral offered a cool respite from the afternoon’s heat as much as an ice cream eaten on the Place Royale as the fountain of the Loire and her tributaries danced and spattered behind us. And of course we brought our guests to the Talensac market on Sunday morning, pushing our way through the weekend crowd as we chose what to have for lunch. I spent a lot of time chatting with Marie-Noelle, talking kids and food and, well, mostly food. She fed my desire to discover more local food traditions and recipes, and I filled a sheet of paper with names and ideas, cakes and tarts to try and I even invited myself to her house so she can teach me how to make certain traditional plats, dishes, her way, the French way. Two days spent with her and I am fired up to get cooking and writing.





At the end of this week I will actually be in New Orleans! I cannot believe it! All the planning and discussing and it is finally here! I will be so sorry not to see my wonderful friend Lael there (and hope she is healing well and quickly), and I will miss her humor and warmth, but I will be dashing around the city with Gwen and getting to know Sarah, Andie, Dianne and Nancie better – and in person. I have been working my little tail off preparing my talking points on Food and Culture, which I will happily be presenting with Jay of Bite and Booze. I am also extremely excited to be working alongside Dianne of Will Write for Food, who is to moderate our presentation. This will be my first American food blogger conference and my first trip to New Orleans and I am equally thrilled and excited about both. See, I keep using the same words over and over again, my head is simply spinning with, yes, I’ll say it again, excitement!



And then I am off to Florida to see my mom and my baby boy. Together, the 3 of us will shop and eat, shop and eat and, yes, shop and eat some more. Sadly, my man will be left behind with his new projects, the older son who starts back with his third year of studies and, of course, The Marts. Being separated from JP is never easy no matter how often I fly off to the States without him, but as I, the woman of the family, leave for a few weeks, the three men bond which warms my heart. And when he stays behind and allows me the luxury of a long visit with my mother, well, more shopping for us!





I have left you with very little food for thought today. I have neither waxed eloquent on a subject near to my heart nor posed a curious philosophical question. I have delighted my readers with no quirky tales of my past nor caused the heat level to rise to simmer with provocation and romance. I count the minutes of every day, marking off items on a list as I complete preparations, jotting down thoughts on a sheet of paper already heavy with ideas. I listen to Simon as he chatters on and on about New Orleans, thrilled to be able to guide me virtually around his city and suggest where to find the best Po’Boy in town. Gwen and I shoot e-mails and private twitter messages back and forth, back and forth as we prepare our speeches, pack our suitcases, try and squeeze into jeans that absolutely fit just last year and talk about food. Friday morning, she’ll be taking me to breakfast at Café du Monde for coffee and beignets, New Orleans style, and then I’ll take her to Sucré, New Orleans’ famous pâtisserie where we are expected and where we hopefully will get to meet Chef Tariq Hanna. Then we may just be ready for the excitement and activity of the conference! Laissez-les bons temps rouler!





I leave you today with a favorite summer recipe. I am not sure why this silky, creamy, luxuriously rich risotto has become a summer mealtime favorite, but it has. Maybe it is the clean, tangy lemony flavor that fills the mouth with each bite, or maybe because it makes the perfect summer meal just served with a crisp, cool mixed green salad topped with summer’s best juicy, ripe, sweet tomatoes and tossed with a tart vinaigrette. With a glass or two of a beautiful chilled white wine. Whatever the reason, this is an absolute must-make for anyone who loves risotto, lemon, summer or, to put it bluntly, eating. Seriously. And now I rush off to throw a few more things onto the pile of clothes on my bedroom floor, hoping that at least some will fit, polish up my presentation one more time before printing it out and start dinner for the man and I. Have I forgotten anything?



And maybe this time you can leave me a suggestion or two about what you may, in the future, want me to write about... or a question or two you might want to ask me. Feel free. I am open to suggestion, though I beg you please, only serious suggestions and questions permitted.





LEMON RISOTTO

From I Risotti fromAnna de Conte’s Italian Kitchen



Serves 4 – 6 as a first course or side dish or 4 as a main dish served with a mixed green salad tossed with a Balsamic vinegar and olive oil vinaigrette.



2 pints (1.25 liters) light chicken or vegetable stock, homemade if possible, or if not…. I use 2 broth cubes

2 oz/4 Tbs (60 g) unsalted butter

1 Tbs olive oil

2 shallots, finely chopped

1 branch celery, finely chopped

10 oz (300 g) rice for risotto (arborio or carnaroli)

½ unwaxed, untreated lemon

5 or 6 fresh sage leaves or ½ tsp dried sage

Leaves from a small sprig of fresh rosemary or ¼ tsp dried rosemary

1 egg yolk

4 Tbs freshly grated Parmesan

4 Tbs heavy or light cream

Freshly ground black pepper



Bring the stock to a boil and remove from heat. Some recipes say to leave it on a low simmer during the preparation of the risotto, but I never do.



Heat half of the butter and the tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet, pot or terra cotta risotto dish. Add the chopped shallots and celery – what the Italians call the soffritto - and gently cook for a few minutes until translucent and soft. Add the rice and stir to coat all of the rice well with the fat. Cook, stirring, for a couple of minutes until the rice is translucent. Pour a ladleful or two of the hot broth or stock over the rice, stir and allow to gently boil until the liquid is almost completely absorbed by the rice.



Continue to add the broth, ladleful by ladleful, or two at a time at the most, over the course of the cooking period, stirring constantly, allowing each addition of broth to be almost completely absorbed by the rice before adding more liquid.



Meanwhile, grate the zest from the half a lemon and mix it into the finely chopped fresh sage and rosemary or with the dried herbs. Mix this into the rice halfway (about 10 – 12 minutes) into the cooking.



Continue until the rice is meltingly tender to the bite and the risotto is thick and creamy. This should take more or less 20 minutes. Do not worry if you do not need all of the broth. Or if you do not have enough broth then simply add water at the end as needed.



Squeeze the juice from the half lemon. In a small bowl, combine and whisk together the egg yolk, the grated Parmesan, the cream, the lemon juice and a generous grinding of black pepper.



When the risotto is cooked and the rice is very tender, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the egg, cream and Parmesan mixture along with the remaining butter. Cover the pan and allow to rest off the heat for 2 minutes before giving the risotto an energetic stir until well combined. Serve at once.





I usually serve this Risotto al Limone simply with a large, tossed salad dressed with a clean, tangy vinaigrette made with Balsamic vinegar and a good quality extra-virgin Italian olive oil. Add a loaf of fresh bread and maybe a plate of Italian cheeses or cold cuts and it is the perfect meal. Especially wonderful in the summer.

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Denver Breakfast Strata

Article first published as Denver Breakfast Strata on Blogcritics.

Weekends are the days I really look forward to making breakfasts. It's the time of week where I have some extra time to prepare something more than the usual toasted bagel or bowl of cereal/oatmeal. The most recent weekend breakfast I made was this Denver Breakfast Strata. I guess some folks may call this a breakfast casserole, but because the dish has various layers, it's best known as a strata. As you may have guessed, this strata is layered with ingredients commonly found in a traditional Denver omelet. Sautéed onions, bell peppers, mushrooms, diced ham and cheddar cheese fill this strata with tons of flavor for a satisfying breakfast!

My husband will order a Denver omelet when we're dining out for brunch if it's on the menu. It's definitely his favorite breakfast above anything else. With this in mind, I was inspired to take all the things he loves about a Denver omelet and incorporate it into a breakfast casserole. This is a great dish to make for a crowd and is perfect for either a breakfast or brunch meal. Another bonus is you can make it in advance the night before and bake it the next day!

Denver Breakfast Strata
recipe adapted from AllRecipes

1/2 crusty French baguette, cut into bite sized cubes
1/2 pound ham steak, diced
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup diced bell peppers (any color)
1 cup sliced mushrooms
3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place the bread cubes on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 7-10 minutes until toasted; cool. Once cooled, transfer half of the bread cubes into a greased casserole dish. Set aside the remaining half of bread cubes.

Meanwhile, in a skillet, melt the butter and sauté the onions, peppers and mushrooms until softened. Layer the vegetable mixture over bread cubes. Top with half of the remaining bread cubes.
 
Next, sprinkle the ham and shredded cheese in the casserole dish. Top with the remaining bread cubes.

In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, mustard, salt and pepper. Pour over the bread mixture. Cover the casserole with plastic wrap and place a small plate on top to weigh it down. Place the casserole into the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes or better yet, overnight, to allow the bread to absorb the egg mixture.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 45-50 minutes or until puffed and golden. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

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Brunch Book Exchange

Why are there only 24 hours a day? Or probably a better question to ask is, why is it that all the things I want and need to do can't be done within a 24 hours period?! So much has happened since my last post (mid-August) so here I am yet again to catch things up (sorry mom & dad!)

A couple days after my last post, I hosted a Brunch Book Exchange with fellow moms. It's an ongoing event where moms and kids come over to enjoy breakfast/brunch, followed by a book exchange. This first event of this series was great because it was with moms I've already met before and live nearby. There were 4 of us moms and a total of 6 kids. The amount of folks was perfect for the sit down brunch I hosted. We had a little buffet of various egg benedict fillings, allowing everyone to create their own. I recreated it after a "brinner" event I hosted because it works perfectly for a brunch date too.

After our brunch, we enjoyed each other's company while watching our kids play. Then it was time to exchange books! I loved this aspect of our get together because it's new books to read - both for our little ones and myself. I asked fellow moms to bring a children's book and a cookbook they'd like to swap. In doing this, moms were able to check out some cookbooks while the kids got new children's books. It was a win win for everyone!

I'll be hosting these breakfast book exchanges monthly and already for September there's a waiting list. I initially wanted up to 10 moms along with their kids, but after having 4 moms and 6 kids at our first event, it's a better idea to keep it small and manageable. Since August's brunch book exchange highlighted eggs benedict, for September, I'll be providing a doughnut bar. Guests will be able to help themselves to a variety of homemade doughnuts which they can frost and top with a smattering of fun ingredients (different frostings/glazes, sprinkles, nuts, etc.) I'm excited to make doughnuts for the event so it should be fun!

I wish I had taken more pics during this event aside from the food/table, but with 6 kiddies around me, it was quite a challenge. I'll have to practice taking more pics during our little foodie events so I can share them!

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Sunday Fun Day Giveaway: Eggland's Best Egg Prize Pack!

Happy Sunday! This week has been ridiculously busy and it seems like this upcoming week is no exception. I'm so ready for a day when I have nothing planned the whole entire day... which will be sometime next week. However, the upcoming Labor Day weekend is just around the corner so that's definitely something to look forward to! How has your week been? Anything fun planned for the week ahead? Last week,my friends of Mandarano Balsamic sponsored the giveaway for their Mandarano Balsamic Glaze. A lucky reader will receive a bottle to enjoy with their favorite dishes. A special thanks to Mandarano Balsamic for sponsoring. Here's a big Congratulations to the winner of this past week's giveaway! Please shoot me an email at itsjoelen@gmail.com to claim your prize...

Mandarano Balsamic Glaze

Winner: Comment #17!

And if you've noticed, this week's giveaway was announced a day early! Please check out the details of the giveaway goodies sponsored by Eggland's Best this week here...

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Plaudite Cives!

Του ΚΩΣΤΑ ΛΟΓΟΘΕΤΗ*

• Plaudite Cives!

  Plaudite Cives! - Χειροκροτήστε, πολίτες! -προέτρεπε στην αρχαία Ρώμη ειδικός κήρυκας τους ρωμαίους θεατές, όταν εκείνοι δεν αντιλαμβάνονταν πότε ακριβώς έπρεπε να χειροκροτήσουν στο θέατρο. Αφορμή για το σύντομο αυτό σημείωμα είναι η αντίδραση των μεγάλων κομμάτων στις αποδοκιμασίες που δέχονται βουλευτές και στελέχη τους από πολίτες. Προφανώς τα κόμματα πιστεύουν ότι εξ αιτίας των μεγάλων και σοβαρών υπηρεσιών τους προς την πατρίδα, την οποία οδήγησαν στο σημερινό της μεγαλείο, θα έπρεπε τα στελέχη τους να επευφημούνται και να χειροκροτούνται σε κάθε τους δημόσια εμφάνιση και όχι να ποτίζονται με χολή αντί του μάννα. Προσπαθώντας, λοιπόν, κάπως να συμβάλουμε προς την κατεύθυνση αυτή, παίρνουμε το θάρρος να οικειοποιηθούμε, μετά είκοσι αιώνες, το έργο του Ρωμαίου κήρυκα και να προτρέψουμε κι εμείς:
  Χειροκροτήστε, πολίτες, όσους οδήγησαν τη χώρα στην πλήρη εκμηδένιση της εθνικής της αξιοπρέπειας, παραχωρώντας τη διακυβέρνησή της σε ξένους μικροϋπαλλήλους διεθνών συμφερόντων και ευθέως δηλώνοντας προς κάθε κατεύθυνση την απώλεια της εθνικής μας κυριαρχίας.
  Χειροκροτήστε, πολίτες, τους άρπαγες της ΑΓΡΕΞ, της Τράπεζας Κρήτης, των δέκα δισ. των σεισμοπαθών της Καλαμάτας, τους μιζαδόρους των υποβρυχίων, του C4Ι, των ολυμπιακών έργων, των βλημάτων MILAN, MAGIC και TORM1, των αρμάτων LEOPARD, της αγοράς του αιώνα, των MIRAGE, των F16, των φρεγατών του Π.Ν. της ΕΒΟ, της ΕΛΒΟ, της ΠΥΡΚΑΛ, της ΠΡΟΜΕΤ, και της ΚΥΔΕΠ, της ΔΕΗ, του ΟΣΕ και του ΟΤΕ, της Ο.Α., του ΟΠΑΠ και των ΕΛΤΑ και των λοιπών κρατικών προμηθειών, ων ουκ έστιν αριθμός.
  
  
  Χειροκροτήστε, πολίτες, αυτούς, που επί τριάντα χρόνια με τις δήθεν εξεταστικές επιτροπές, με τον χονδροειδέστερο τρόπο κοροϊδεύουν έναν ολόκληρο λαό, μεθοδικά, συγκαλύπτοντας όλα τα παραπάνω και που μέσα από ένα νομοθετικό πλέγμα προφανούς σκοπιμότητας και εξοργιστικής προκλητικότητας, πλήρως αδρανοποίησαν τη Δικαιοσύνη, καθιστώντας την θεατή της λεηλασίας της πατρίδας μας.
  Χειροκροτήστε, πολίτες, όσους, έχοντας αφήσει απερίσπαστους όλους τους παραπάνω να ξεκοκαλίζουν τα κλοπιμαία, έχουν σαν τα κοράκια επιπέσει στη φτωχολογιά, τους αδύναμους, στους γέροντες και τις γερόντισσες αυτού του τόπου, στους μεροκαματιάρηδες και στους ανέργους, προσπαθώντας να βγάλουν τις μίζες των λαμογιών από τον ιδρώτα, τον μόχθο και την αξιοπρέπεια όσων δεν έκλεψαν, δεν λαδώθηκαν, δεν παρασίτησαν ποτέ στη ζωή τους.
  Χειροκροτήστε, πολίτες, αυτούς που γύρισαν την εργατική τάξη πιο πίσω απ' τον Μεσαίωνα, καθιστώντας τους εργαζομένους σύγχρονους σκλάβους και έρμαια των διαθέσεων των εργοδοτών τους, απλώς και μόνο για να γίνονται οι πλούσιοι πλουσιότεροι και οι φτωχοί φτωχότεροι.
  Χειροκροτήστε, πολίτες, αυτούς, που ανάλγητα τσαλαπατώντας και συστηματικά εξαθλιώνοντας κάθε παραγωγική δύναμη αυτού του τόπου έστρεψαν, με τον πιο ανήθικο και εγκληματικό τρόπο, τη μια τάξη κατά της άλλης, στοχοποιώντας ως αιτία της καταστροφής τα λίγα ψίχουλα που ο ένας παίρνει παραπάνω απ' τον άλλο, και προκλητικά αποκρύπτοντας τη λεηλασία της πατρίδας που οι ίδιοι διέπραξαν.
  Χειροκροτήστε, πολίτες, αυτούς, που με την ανικανότητα, την αδιαφορία και το μίσος προς κάθε τι ζωντανό και ελπιδοφόρο, έχουν μεταβάλει τα νιάτα της πατρίδας σε ζητιάνους των δικαιωμάτων τους και με τόση αδιαφορία (ή μήπως και με κρυφή χαρά;) βλέπουν τα παιδιά μας να παίρνουν των ομματιών τους προς τις τέσσερις άκρες του ορίζοντα για ένα κομμάτι ψωμί.
  Χειροκροτήστε, τέλος, αυτούς που σε αγαστή, προκλητική, ολοφάνερη και ξεδιάντροπη συνεργασία με τραμπούκους και κουκουλοφόρους, έπνιξαν στα χημικά διακόσιες χιλιάδες ανθρώπους, απλώς και μόνον για να μπορέσουν οι ίδιοι ανενόχλητοι να αποτελειώσουν την πατρίδα, ξεπουλώντας την με τον πιο οδυνηρό (για μας) και τον πιο εξευτελιστικό (γι' αυτούς) τρόπο.
  
  Αυτά τα ολίγα περί χειροκροτημάτων, με την ελπίδα να πιάσουν τόπο, και του λοιπού οι πολιτικοί και οι παρέες τους ηρέμως και αδιαταράκτως να τρώνε και να πίνουν, ημών απλώς ευχομένων «καλή όρεξη» και -κυρίως- «καλή χώνευση».
  * Δικηγόρος, πρώην εισαγγελέας - αντιπροέδρος Ενωσης Δικαστών-Εισαγγελέων

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Eggland's Best Brinner & Giveaway!

If there's one thing I love, it's meal planning. I really enjoy putting together meal plans and menus for the week and especially when I entertain. Often times, I look to ethnic cuisines for inspiration on a menu theme. Other times I look towards a specific main dish to help me come up with accompanying dishes to complete the meal. But when Eggland's reached out to me to host a dinner featuring breakfast foods, I thought it was a genius idea! As a result, I hosted a delicious Eggland's Best Brinner, breakfast + dinner. It was such a fun theme and a delicious one at that. In fact, the meal plan I came up with for this special brinner is perfect any time of day including for breakfast, lunch and of course, dinner.

When it comes to eggs, one of my favorite egg dishes is eggs benedict. It's a dish that involves gently poaching eggs, which are traditionally served up on toasted english muffins with Canadian bacon and topped with a rich egg sauce, also known as a Hollandaise sauce. Preparing this involves a lot of eggs so I thought it was the perfect dish to highlight Eggland's Best eggs for my brinner. To take it a step further, eggs benedict can be served up with different variations. The traditional Canadian bacon can be substituted with other meats such as bacon, sausage, deli ham, turkey, salmon, crab cakes, etc. The possibilities are endless! There are also other condiments and sauces that can be used aside from Hollandaise, including guacamole, sour cream, Mornay sauces, etc.

In the spirit of highlighting eggs, I decided to feature an eggs benedict bar where guests could create their own eggs benedict with assorted meats. Everything was served separately for folks to help themselves. Poached eggs, toasted english muffins, and assortment of deli ham, deli turkey and pork sausage was available for our guests. And to top our benedicts, I made the traditional Hollandaise sauce. To accompany our eggs benedict bar, I also served up...

Crispy Hashbrowns

Tossed Green Salad
with grape tomatoes, toasted pecans and crumbled feta cheese


Pancake Puffs


Fresh Fruit Salad


Coffee & Assorted Teas

So if you're looking for some tasty meal ideas for your next dinner, it can be just as easy as preparing breakfast favorites for a fun Brinner!  To make it easy for you, one lucky reader will receive a special Eggland's Best Prize Pack which includes the following:

• 2 Free EB Dozen coupons (Any variety- classic, cage-free, or organic)


• 1 Free EB Hard Cooked and Peeled variety coupon


• 4 EB ramekins


• 1 EB apron


• 1 EB whisk


• 1 EB spatula


• 1 EB egg timer


• 1 EB eco bag


• 1 EB plush egg
  

Some guidelines:

- Giveaway is only for those who live in the United States - my apologies to my non-United States readers!

- You must check back in a week when winners are announced and email me to claim your prize if you win.

To enter the giveaway, leave a comment answering: 

What's your favorite way to enjoy eggs?

Deadline: Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 12 midnight CST.

One winner will be randomly chosen by Random.Org's Interger Generator based on the number of your comment and will be announced on Sunday, August 28, 2011, within next week's Sunday Fun Day Giveaway. Good luck!

Full disclosure: Eggland’s Best provided me with VIP coupons, a gift card, information and sponsored a prize pack to giveaway to my readers.

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