12 Recipes to Celebrate Chinese New Year 2011

My husband is part Chinese and so we usually celebrate that side of his family during Chinese New Year. This year, Chinese New Year falls on February 4, 2011. But you don't have to be Chinese to get in on the fun! Have your own celebration by preparing something Chinese inspired, whether it's an authentic recipe or inspired by one. To help you out, here are 12 Recipes to Celebrate Chinese New Year 2011 with along with other entertaining ideas to ring in the year of the rabbit!... Make Chinese New Year 2011, the year of the rabbit, a fun one by gathering friends and family. Aside from trying out one of the recipes below, here are some other food fun w

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The Realities of Severe Adult Autism Challenges: Out of the Spotlight and Out of Mind

Dr. Temple Grandin has accomplished much in business, and on the lecture circuit, and deserves applause for her accomplishments.I do not doubt that Dr. Temple Grandin has done much for autism awareness generally over the past 12 years since my son was diagnosed with Autistic Disorder. But awareness of the realities faced by severely autistic adults has not increased noticeably over that time and to some extent has been obscured by Dr. Grandin's accomplishments.  Dr. Grandin is an exceptional person of exceptional accomplishment.  The key word is exceptional.Claire Danes is receiving acclaim for portraying Dr. Grandin.  And there e

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Chocolate Toffee Crunch Cookies

It's been awhile since I've made some cookies. Toffee bits have been in my pantry for a week or so and I was looking for something interesting to make with them. When I stumbled on a recipe for Toffee Crunch Cookies on Food Network, I decided to adapt a bit and made these Chocolate Toffee Crunch Cookies. These cookies are chock full of toffee bits, oatmeal, shredded coconuts and chunks of chocolate almond candy bars. It's a great mix of textures and flavors!...The only changes I made to the original recipe include omitting almonds and adding chopped chocolate almond candy bars which I had sitting in my pantry. You can certainly use chocolate chips or

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ESPRESSO CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH MOCHA MASCARPONE FROSTING

A LITTLE BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONI don’t remember any of my childhood or teen birthdays. There were no parties, not a one, no streamers, no pointed cone party hats, no cakes piled high with gaudy neon-colored roses with Jamie written elegantly across glossy white icing. No surprise parties as far back as I can remember, no friends hiding in darkened rooms behind sofas and armchairs smothering giggles, no gifts piled high awaiting the astonished scream tumbling into laughter from the lips of this birthday girl. No teen dances in the back room of my parents’ house, pouring over the boys’ names on the invitation list with a best girlfriend, wondering which w

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Φεουδάρχες και δουλοπάροικοι στη ( σημερινή) Ευρώπη.

Φεουδάρχες και δουλοπάροικοι στη (σημερινή) Ευρώπη Του ΡΟΥΣΣΟΥ ΒΡΑΝΑ Από τα «ΝΕΑ» «Αυτός θα είναι φέτος ο μαγικός αριθμός στην Ευρώπη: 3,3%, η ανάπτυξη που προβλέπεται να έχει η οικονομία της Λετονίας.Γι' αυτό το λετονικό μοντέλο λιτότητας και εσωτερικής υποτίμησης προβάλλεται σήμερα σαν μια μεγάλη επιτυχία. Οι τραπεζίτες και οι εφημερίδες τους προτρέπουν και τις άλλες ευρωπαϊκές χώρες: "Γιατί δεν κάνετε κι εσείς όπως η Λετονία, να θυσιάσετε την οικονομία σας για να πληρώσετε τα χρέη σας"; (...)Πόσο όμως αυτός ο αριθμός είναι πράγματι μαγικός; Η ανάπτυξη της Λετονίας θα συνοδεύεται από διψήφια ανεργία. Και δεν θα αφορά τους δεκάδες χιλιάδες μετανάστε

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Severity Levels in the DSM-5's New Autism Spectrum Disorder: Requiring Support, Substantial Support and Very Substantial Support

The DSM-5 will merge the disorders now commonly referred to  as Autism Spectrum Disorders into one diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder and will divide that spectrum by severity levels.  The severity levels are Level 1 - Requiring Support, Level 2 - Requiring Substantial Support, and Level 3 - Requiring Very Substantial Support.  Intellectual Disability, as expected,  is not mentioned in this classification scheme even though it is obvious that Intellectual Disability will be common amongst persons with Level 3 Autism Spectrum Disorder and non-existent in the Level 1 ASD where most persons currently diagnosed with Aspergers will b

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A Weekly Serving - 1/29/2011

It's been a great week and I'm glad it's the weekend! Before I type away with some personal musings...Here's what I cooked up in the kitchen this past week...Lobster Mac & CheeseA great dish for Valentine’s Day or just to surprise that special someone…  Peanut Butter Brownie PieIf you’re a fan of peanut butter and chocolate, this Peanut Butter Brownie Pie is for you!…  Here are the recipe collections I've posted this past week...7 Tasty Touchdown Snack Recipes Here are some some of the tasty recipes for the big game to check out… 8 Sliders for Superbowl SundaySome of the tastiest things com

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Criteria D in the DSM-5's New Autism Spectrum Disorder: Limited and Impaired Everyday Functioning

With the  January 26, 2011, revision of the  new Autism Spectrum Disorder category in the DSM-5 will some high functioning persons who currently have an Autism or Aspergers diagnosis  actually lose their autism diagnosis because they do not meet  criteria D,"limited and impaired daily functioning", of the 4 ASD mandatory criteria?"299.00 Autistic Disorder                   Revised January 26, 2011Autism Spectrum DisorderMust meet criteria A, B, C, and D:A.    Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across contexts, not account

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Joely Cakes... now available at retail stores!

So the recent grease fire we had at the restaurant has left us out of commission for a bit while everything gets renovated. Before the fire, one of the projects I started working on was developing my 'tropical cupcake' line highlighting Filipino flavors. Not only were my cupcakes going to be on our restaurant dinner menu, but also sold in our retail grocery store. Going even further, the cupcakes would also be sold at wholesale to local Filipino grocery stores. The idea was to have my retail cupcake line separate from the restaurant.As for the name, Joely Cakes, I named my baked goods line after my son since our nickname for him is "Joely Joel.

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8 Batches of Brownie Recipes

For the upcoming Superbowl, I've found dessert bars to be a great choice to serve up. While friends and family are gathering around the tv watching the game, it's a good idea to offer food that is portable and doesn't require any utensils. With this in mind, my dessert bar of choice would have to be brownies of course! There are so many brownie recipes out there with quite a few variations. It can be hard to choose but here are 8 Batches of Brownie Recipes that I've made myself and highly recommend!...Best BrowniesThese are from Cook's Illustrated - my go-to cooking source! Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough BrowniesWho knew cookies and brownies would taste

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