Crunchy, Fruity Chicken Salad

Every once in a while I'll skim through recipes of favorite blogs and one will jump right at me, causing me to make it right away. This is one of those times. Perhaps it was because the recipe called for ingredients I have sitting around just waiting to be used... or maybe because I was intrigued by the combination of flavors, textures and drawn in by the pictures. Regardless of the reason, I'm so glad I made this Crunchy, Fruity Chicken Salad to bring some life to my plain old whole wheat bread...I wasn't always a fan of chicken salad. With so many variations and some failed recipes I've tried, I eventually got turned off. But I've slowly built up my

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Cookies & Cream Dessert Bars

One thing that's great about my friends is that they love playing in the kitchen just as I do. So when I'm throwing a pot luck, I can always count on them to share some of their delicious recipes at the table. For the recent Pasta Party Dinner I hosted, my friend Suzanne took care of dessert and she made these wonderful Cookies & Cream Dessert Bars that I'm still craving nearly a week later!...Cookies and cream is a classic combination that both my husband and I love especially in ice cream. When Suzanne brought this dessert for our dinner party, we were so excited to try it out! Suzanne came across a similar recipe but when she made it, it wasn't

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Adult Autism Care in New Brunswick

Dear Honourable Elected Leaders, Representatives and Public OfficialsI am writing to you as the father of a 14 year old son with severe Autistic Disorder and profound developmental delays, and within 48 hours of the deaths of severely autistic 22 year old Benjamin McLatchie, and his father Daniel McLatchie, in nearby Gray, Maine. The Maine state medical examiner’s office has ruled the case a murder-suicide, the father having shot and killed his son and himself. Reports describe the father as a caring stay at home father who despaired for his son’s future, in a state with inadequate residential care for autistic adults, after his own inevitable

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Cod with Leeks & Tomatoes

If there's one thing I'm trying to be good at, it's keeping a routine. With our little baby on the way, I feel the need to get a head start... in the kitchen, at least. My husband caught on to me when I started making a seafood dish every week and thinks it's great to switch up our menus. So for this week, I have to thank Martha Stewart and her refreshing, tasty recipe for Cod with Leeks & Tomatoes... Cod is one fish I really like because it's not too delicate and really holds it's shape when cooking. Rather than resorting to the popular beer batter cod recipes that originally came to mind, I opted for a lighter, healthier preparation of baking it

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Pasta Milano

If there's a dish that recently surprised me, it's this one! For my recent Pasta Party dinner, I wanted to include a pasta dish that had a cream sauce other than alfredo. When looking through some restaurant menus for inspiration, I remembered trying Macaroni Grill's Pasta Milano dish awhile ago. In an effort to recreate that dish for my dinner, I tweaked the recipe to my tastes and hoped for the best. To my surprise, my guests loved my Pasta Milano and even my husband was asking me to make it again the next day!...Macaroni Grill's Pasta Milano dish consists of "roasted chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh mushrooms and imported farfalle pasta in a roa

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Bad Man Grabbed Hand: An Autism Abduction Story That Ended Well

CNEWS Canoe reports out of Ottawa that a six year old girl with autism  screamed as a suspected predator grabbed her hand in what is believed by family to have been an abduction attempt and that her screaming may have saved her. The girl had gone missing from a family barbecue and the family and friends had gone looking for her.  A male friend of the family who helped in the search heard her scream and the suspected abductor fled.  The family friend gave chase but was slowed by the need to take care of the child:  "She just screamed automatically and that is what drew the attention of my friend to go that way. He yelled, 'Hey!' an

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Cheddar & Cracker Chicken

I have a deep love for cheese and crackers that having them on hand in my kitchen is a must! Even better is being able to bring the combination of delicious cheese and crispy crackers for a quick and easy dinner. When I skimmed through my most current Real Simple magazine the other day, I knew I had to make this Cheddar & Cracker Chicken recipe. I'm so glad I did because it was a total hit!...Butter crackers is one type of cracker I have in my pantry... along with an assortment of various cheeses. This recipe pairs this classic snack as a rich, buttery crust for chicken with a nice hint of garlic. It couldn't be easier to whip this dish together.

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Three Cheese Garlic Bread

What's a pasta meal without some good garlic bread to sop up extra pasta sauce? For the recent pasta party dinner I hosted, I knew garlic bread would make it to the table. However, rather than the usual garlic butter slathered bread most are familiar with, I added a trio of cheeses on top for good measure and good eats! My Three Cheese Garlic Bread didn't last long and it's no surprise why...I'm sure many people have their own special way of making garlic bread. I usually make a compound butter with softened unsalted butter, fresh and dried herbs (oregano, thyme, rosemary, basil, tarragon, etc) and minced garlic. This is then spread onto french bread

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MIXED BERRY PIE WITH SWEET PASTRY LATTICE CRUST

DAY 2: IN THE MOUNTAINSISN’T IT A LOVELY DAY…He calls me a princess, accustomed only to the best, demanding the glitter and comfort of luxury, the subtle hint of privilege. This reputation trails after me, wraps its gilded arms around me, drawing me into her soft embrace, leaving her tarnished stain all over my innocent face. Yet one wonders how I fell headlong into this princess status, how it clings to me like mud and won’t let me go. Nothing, absolutely nothing in my past can account for this, nothing at all. A humble childhood spent in cheap catalogue clothing running barefoot on hard, scorching cement and tip-toeing through sticker-laden yards, a

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Maine Man Shoots and Kills Autistic Son and Himself

Dennis Hoey of  The Portland Press Herald  reports that a man in Gray, Maine shot and killed himself and his 22 year old autistic son yesterday:"A father shot and killed his autistic son Tuesday at their home on Yarmouth Road before turning the rifle on himself, Maine State Police said. Cumberland County sheriff's deputies found the bodies of Daniel McLatchie, 44, and his son, Benjamin McLatchie, 22, in the family's driveway at 227 Yarmouth Road around 2:30 p.m.  ... State police Sgt. Chris Harriman said ...  it appeared that Daniel McLatchie was upset about what would happen to his autistic son after he and his wife died. He was a

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BLT Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing

Salad is like the obligatory vegetable dish on the table, isn't it? Often times, it can be an afterthought where lettuce is just thrown in a bowl with dressing on the side. Well, for my recent Pasta Party dinner, I didn't want the usual Italian or Ceasar salad to pair along with the meal I prepared. Thankfully, my Real Simple magazine subscription gave me another salad option and I prepared this BLT Salad with Creamy Parmesan Dressing...I'm in the 'bacon camp' where I think food is better with bacon. Perhaps it's not exactly the most healthiest choice but I was willing to make an exception for my dinner party. This salad is nothing more than bacon, le

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It is the people, economical stupid.

It is the people, stupid !!!Ζούμε πολλά κακά μαζί που δεν τολμάμε να ομολογήσουμε. Ζούμε μια κρίση του καπιταλισμού με στοιχεία τραγικά για τη ζωή της ελληνικής κοινωνίας με ευρωπαϊκές και παγκόσμιες προεκτάσεις.36 χρόνια από την μεταπολίτευση και την επαναφορά της δημοκρατίας ενώ διανύουμε 30 χρόνια άκρατου νεοφιλελευθερισμού, 9 χρόνια υποτίθεται κοινής ευρωπαϊκής πολιτικής στην ευρωζώνη και 2 χρόνια από το απόλυτο κραχ με συνδυασμό ενεργειακής, χρηματιστηριακής και διατροφικής κρίσης , εποχής που η χώρα μας βρίσκεται από μια απόλυτα αυτοδύναμη κυβέρνηση με μεγάλη κοινοβουλευτική πλειοψηφία και σιωπηλή αποδοχή χωρίς αξιόλογη αντιπολίτευση να εκχωρεί

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Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms

When it comes to stuffed mushroom recipes, I've seen white button mushrooms used most often. But what about portobello mushrooms? They have such a great, sturdy shape that's capable of handling a good amount of filling and serving them up is as easy as cutting them into wedges. Well, I let portobello mushrooms shine in this Cheese & Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms recipe and they were fantastic! I may not ever go back to stuffing white button mushrooms again...For the Pasta Party dinner I hosted recently, I wanted to include some favorite appetizers on the menu. One such appetizer is stuffed mushrooms. Using portobello mushrooms in place of the standard

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CBS Utters Autism Profanities: The C Word and the P Word

CBS may be asking for trouble with its use of words deemed profane by self appointed spokespersons on behalf of severely autistic children and adults. In one article alone Autism Challenges American Science to Seek Cure CBS utters two words, "cure" and "parents", that are considered vulgar, unfit for discussion  and morally reprehensible by President Obama's disability council nominee Ari Ne'eman and other very high functioning leaders of Autism's Neurodiversity sect who do not consider autism a disorder or a disability that should be cured and who oppose efforts by parents seeking cures for their own autistic children. To compound its poor be

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Toasted Ravioli with Marinara Sauce

I'm not usually big on fried foods but I had a hankering for something crispy and cheesy. One Italian inspired appetizer I enjoy on occasion is toasted ravioli. Having this as an appetizer for my Pasta Party dinner was great since it featured how pasta doesn't always have to be the main course of a meal. In fact, I thought this Toasted Ravioli with Marinara Sauce rivaled versions found at restaurants!What's great about this recipe is that it's easy to make, especially if you're going with the convience of frozen ravioli. If you're more ambitious (and have more time and energy) than me these days, you can certainly try your hand at making homemade ravi

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Pasta Party Dinner

I really enjoy Sundays, especially with family and friends. Now that we have a single family home, we thought it would be good to start doing some special Sunday dinners with friends and family. To kick our new tradition off, we had friends come over for a Pasta Party Dinner...Tonight was a great night with friends where we got together over a pasta dinner. I prepared the meal while guests brought in drinks and dessert to share. As one would expect, we all fell into a food coma in front of the tv afterwards. Here's the menu we enjoyed for our Pasta Party Dinner... stay tuned for the recipes this week!Toasted Ravioli with Marinara SauceCheese & Sau

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