Thank you to all our friends in the blogging community who responded to our request to promote the Electrolux and Kelly Ripa Cake Off! Thanks to you, millions of people read our posts and went to Kelly-confidential.com and helped in the fight of Ovarian Cancer.

The winner of the American Express Gift Card, chosen at random using Random.org, is Laurie Cooper of guessingalltheway.com! Congratulations Laurie!

Thank you all again – Buttoned Up!

Fully Baked With Kids

By Sarah Welch

Baking with children is a special event. Their little bodies, attuned to the promise of sugary treats to come, bounce around with anticipation, desperate to take on challenges that are often beyond their ability. Figuring out how to harness all that anticipation fruitfully can be quite a challenge.

Here are a few ways to enlist the help of a young child while you are baking without putting them (not to mention your sanity) at risk.

Make a big deal out of setting aside all of the ingredients.

I don’t know about your kids, but my three-year-old loves help mom get all of the ingredients out and ready. I stand in front of the pantry cabinet and hand him each item: a bag of flour, spices, sugar, etc. He places them on the counter top and makes sure that the spices are up to code (he can’t resist opening each spice bottle) to smell. The bonus for me is that little exercise eliminates the time I typically waste running back and forth to the pantry to get items as I need them.

Give them a grown-up task.

If I’m baking an apple pie, I let Will help me cut up the apples, and make a really big deal of it. At first I was terrified of the thought of him holding a knife. But then I realized, if I don’t teach him, who will? So, I set him up with his little Bjorn stool next to the counter so that he is high enough to be productive. I put a cutting board in front of him along with a quarter of an apple and give him a table knife to use. I demonstrate how to chop up the apple and he then follows suit on his own. It doesn’t matter if he makes a dog’s dinner of it – he feels like he’s contributing in a big way. Plus, it keeps him quiet and out of my hair for at least five to ten minutes! I always make a big deal out of including his bits into the mix.

Throw on an apron for good measure.

Kids love costumes and getting in character. Give them an apron and ask them to be your main chef. If you have a chef’s cap, all the better! You might find that they’ll take their duties more seriously if they are in character.

Let them do the mixing.

What kid doesn’t like turning on the electric mixer and going to town? Taking charge of the grown-up device with you standing by to help if needed is empowering and f-u-n.

Give them a few items to decorate if you can.

Whether you’re making blueberry muffins or gingerbread cookies – everything is more fun with a little flair. Give your littler helper permission to make the final product her own by adding a bit of flourish.

Give Back To Ovarian Cancer Research:

Take a minute to give back. Go to Kelly Ripa’s Cake Off For A Cause http://www.kelly-confidential.com/rd/0003/ from February 10th to the 19th. Why? Because Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for every vote cast in the Cake Off. You will also get great tips on baking from Kelly and the Cake Boss himself. And don’t forget to enter to win yourself an Electrolux Induction Range

Meet Alison Greenberg, Amazing Woman & Ovarian Cancer Survivor

I want you to meet our close family friend, Alison Greenberg. Alison has always been an amazing woman. I am sure you know someone like her. She is the one with the most energy, the most enthusiasm for life and the one that everyone else counts on. Alison is a phenomenal wife, mother (2 grown kids) and friend. She lives in Los Angeles, California. Alison is also a 5 year stage 3 ovarian cancer survivor. She was kind enough to allow me to interview her. Lets help Alison and everyone else to raise money for the Ovarian Cancer Research fund by going to http://www.kelly-confidential.com/rd/0003/ and letting Electrolux give $1 for every vote cast in the Cake Off until February 19th.

Alicia: How were you diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer?

Alison: I had not been feeling well for months. I had sharp pains by my ovaries and had been to the doctor several times. They thought it might be a bladder infection or a gastro problem. This was July, 2004. It didn’t go away and in October it was getting much worse. I went back to the gastroenterologist. He was going to give me a test for something but as luck would have it his machine was broken and he said that we should do a cat scan instead just to be sure all was ok.

I had the cat scan and went to the internist for the results. I was alone because I certainly did not expect any bad news. There is no cancer in my family only heart disease. So there I was alone when the doctor told me (with tears in his eyes) that I had ovarian cancer and I would need surgery right away. It was October 2004. My surgery was in November and my treatments followed that. I was just 58.

Alicia: Where are you in your fight now?

Alison: I just celebrated 5 years of being CANCER FREE. I am at 3 months and 5 years to be exact.
For the first 5 years I went back to my surgeon every 4 months and the oncologist every 3 months. I have now graduated and now I see the surgeon every 6 months and the oncologist every 4 months. I also get a yearly cat scan. 50% of ovarian cancer patients have a reoccurrence so being vigilant about follow ups is a must.

Alicia: Why is raising money for Ovarian Cancer so important?

Alison: Ovarian cancer is very difficult to detect. By the time most women know they have it, it is too late. I feel very strongly that I want them to find means for early detection so more people can be survivors and have a great quality of life. Right now there is only a blood test (CA125) that is not very accurate with lots of false positives so it does not get used much. We need more. If we can do this we can save so many lives. That is why research money is so critical.

Alicia: What has being a cancer survivor taught you?

Alison: I have learned how incredible human beings are and how amazing my support system is. That is such a great gift.

I have also leaved that you need to be your own advocate. It you are a woman and you have abnormal bloating or pain in your ovaries. Go to the doctor and be your own advocate. Get answers and if you need to demand a cat scan. You need to look out for yourself and often you know if something is really wrong even when the doctors may not.

Give Back To Ovarian Cancer Research:

Take a minute to give back. Go to Kelly Ripa’s Cake Off For A Cause http://www.kelly-confidential.com/rd/0003/ from February 10th to the 19th. Why? Because Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for every vote cast in the Cake Off. You will also get great tips on baking from Kelly and the Cake Boss himself. And don’t forget to enter to win yourself an Electrolux Induction Range

Return to the Kitchen

by Carley Knobloch

These days, you can’t turn on a TV (or peer in your wallet) without being reminded of our economic downturn. Gone are the days when a little retail therapy was the preferred fix to life’s problems— the Jimmy Choos that were once a no-fail cure to a bad day are now collecting dust on the boutique shelf. We’re scrutinizing the purchases we used to make without thinking, and the “need to haves” have suddenly become the “we’ll do withouts”.

The absence of all these “things” leaves a void that many of us don’t know how to fill. We’re asking ourselves sobering questions: Who am I without my car? My DVD player? My car with the built-in DVD player!? And what should I do with my hands now that I’m not swiping credit cards or wearing a hole in my trackpad shopping online?

For many of us, refuge awaits in the kitchen. In these economic times it’s life’s simpler (and less expensive) rewards that sustain us. The simple act of creating a home-cooked meal, however, is something foreign to many of us screen-wielding, microwaving, stuff-driven types, but it’s exactly what the doctor ordered. Home cooking requires a little bit of a palate adjustment from the high-octane salt, fat and sugar content of the processed foods we’re used to, but the side effects are too good to ignore. We slow down. We feel better. We connect with the people we love. We connect with ourselves.

If your lack of culinary confidence has kept you from experimenting, these simple tips might be just what you need to kick start your triumphant return (or debut) in the kitchen.

One of my favorite and most rewarding ways to cook almost anything is high-heat roasting. Crank your oven to 400 degrees, toss your favorite vegetable or protein with olive oil, salt & pepper, and bake until cooked through and browned on top. A sweet potato loves high heat, and so does broccoli. Chicken thighs, salmon, even roasted shrimp are a great twist on a typical shrimp cocktail. The greatest part is that you can toss it into the oven and forget about it— no tending to the stovetop.

Another great technique that sounds fancy, but is super-simple? Blanching. All this means is you’re boiling foods (usually vegetables) in hot water for a short amount of time, and then plunging them into cold water to stop the cooking. You can even add the vegetables right to a pot of pasta right before you’re ready to drain it, so you’ve got one less dirty pot to wash. Blanching seals in the color and snap of what you’re cooking, so you don’t end up with limp carrots or green beans turned brown. Then, just toss with a little butter, salt & pepper and you’ll fall in love with vegetables all over again.

Something else to remember is that cooking for your family doesn’t have to mean that everything on the table was hand-crafted by you. The art of assembly can take much of the pressure off the time-crunched cook. If your local italian joint makes great rosti, grab some to serve with a green salad and a rotisserie chicken you pick up from the supermarket. Put together a beautiful brunch by buying warm croissants and muffins from your favorite bakery and serving with easy scrambled eggs and berries. Finding clever ways to assemble meals can inspire you to get in the kitchen more often, knowing you won’t have to make multiple things at once.

Lastly, the best advice I can offer to a reticent cook is to remember why you’re cooking. Just because we’re surrounded by convenience foods doesn’t mean they’re our best choice, and when you remember why you’re slaving over a hot stove, you’ll be more inclined to do it more often. Does a home-cooked meal mean you’re checking-in with your otherwise-reclusive teenager? You’re helping your husband reduce his blood pressure? In this fast-paced world full of excuses (there’s no time! I don’t know how to cook! there’s a Pizza Hut down the street!), assigning a deeper meaning to the task of making dinner will help you stay on course and keep cooking, bringing more than just a casserole to the people you love.

Carley Knobloch is a life coach and productivity expert who helps frazzled families embrace technology and simplify life. Her free email, The Juicebox, provides weekly tips to help you conquer your to-do list and stress less. To get The Juicebox, go to JuiceboxTips.com.

Give Back To Ovarian Cancer Research:

Take a minute to give back. Go to Kelly Ripa’s Cake Off For A Cause http://www.kelly-confidential.com/rd/0003/ from February 10th to the 19th. Why? Because Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund for every vote cast in the Cake Off. You will also get great tips on baking from Kelly and the Cake Boss himself. And don’t forget to enter to win yourself an Electrolux Induction Range