What is Relay For Life? and why do I need your help? a non food related thought...

Last year around this time... My family received a huge dose of motivation to raise money for the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. My wonderful sweet step mom, Sally was diagnosed with Stage 4 Small Cell Carcinoma. We were devastated. We will miss her very much, but we cannot even come close the the pain of my sister, my niece, or my father.

This year my motivation is different, I no longer need to hear about someone I love being sick, I need to work hard at raising money so that NO ONE ever has to hear that news. 


Please share this blog/link with your friends so they can donate..  
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/tracehillman

What is Relay For Life?

Relay for life is an annual fundraising walk. It was started  by Dr. Gordy Klatt as a personal way to raise money for his local American Cancer Society. He spent 24 hours circling the track at the University of Puget Sound. He friends and supporters spent $25 to run/walk with him for 30 minutes. In the end he raised $27,000 in 24 hours (check out more of the history at this link: Relay For Life History).

Why am I doing this? 

We have been involved for over 8 years because my oldest son, who was 6 years old at the time, was upset that our family pet had cancer and wanted to know what he could do. With the help of my wife, Brandy, he was able to find a Relay For Life team that would allow him to join and he set out to raise money. This continued until three years ago when Brandy decided that instead of trying to find a team, we should start one. 


Each year we have new reasons to be motivated, but 2011 was a tough one. We do not visit my family in Alabama very often, but because of the amazing company I work for and the careful planning of my wife and I, we were able to visit my family twice in the summer of 2010. It was great. We spent all of our time out in the country with Grandma Sally, Grandpa Wendell, Aunt Amanda and sweet cousin Miranda. Even Nanny Alice (my mom) came out to visit and hang out. The boys were in heaven. Not only was the food amazing thanks to the doting of Grandma Sally, but they could chase chickens (and the occasionally skunk by mistake), catch fireflies, play with puppies and just relax. 

So to come back to Colorado full of great memories and southern hospitality, and only a few months later to find out that Grandma was so very sick, was terrible.


If you need a reason to donate or raise money, then think about the faces of the children. The children who do not understand the world enough to know what is happening to the people they love. Think about the parents that learn that their child is sick and may not make it. 

CANCER SUCKS! It sucks, but their are treatment options and education about prevention and their are support groups, programs to support the patient and their family, and these are all things that the American Cancer Society does. 

What can you do?

You can donate. You would be amazed what a $5 bill can do, Click here to find out...
You can walk.. and raise money in your area: www.relayforlife.org 
You can share this blog/link with your friends so they can donate...
http://main.acsevents.org/goto/tracehillman 

 Please help me stop this killer and help me make it so that I never have to tell my children or their children that someone they love is going to die.

Sunday experiments...

Today was busy, just like every weekend, we had basketball and basketball and then we had some basketball... Actually my wife and I did have a date night, thanks to Grandma for watching the boys Saturday night. We took a few minutes to take a picture or two and the we raced to see "The Vow".. let me just say that Channing Tatum kinda ruins it for every guy in the theatre. It was a good movie and we had a very nice time.

I love where we live.. the views are magnificent and the weather is great 95% of the time.

So on Sunday I wanted to make some thing new... I have been formulating a recipe for a couple of weeks and finally had the time. This is what I made:

Can you guess what it is? Give up? It is a chayote crisp. What the hell is a chayote? It is a mexican squash. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chayote, it is like a vegetable pear. It is crisp and juicy, but there is no sweetness. I have done a couple of things like dicing and adding to soup, last night I fried it like a potato, and I saw in this month's issue of Food Network Magazine, there is a recipe for chayote-jicama salad. My wonderful El Salvadorian friend looked at me like I was going to grow a second head when I told her my idea of the dessert. So I had to give it a try. I peeled, seeded and sliced the chayote in a basic apple slice shape (is that an actual description?), tossed with cinnamon sugar and topped with a simple topping (butter, cinnamon, sugar, old fashioned oats). Baked it at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes and it looked amazing.

The taste was very bland... :( So I added a little pancake syrup and a pinch of salt and that made a big difference. I will add more flavor prior to baking next time.

Now before you get all crazy on me.. there was some indications that it would work. Check out this urban legend.

I like it and will be trying to incorporate the vegetable in more dishes.

Second experiment of the day...

Leftovers part II... my wife made a delicious dinner a couple of nights ago, it was diced pork in a light bbq sauce. I heated the meat in a skillet with the sauce and added a wedge of Weight Watchers Jalapeno cream cheese.

I let the sauce reduce and then spooned on to whole wheat hot dog buns with a slice of slice cheese. Popped them into the broiler and served...

Judging by the speed in which my 13 year hoovered these sammies down.. I am thinking this may be a keeper.

I have some more ideas coming up and I hope you enjoyed these random thoughts...

Now go cook something!

Connect with me on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cookingwithtrace

Happy VD! (Valentine's Day)... (from February's edition of The Source)

Happy VD! (Valentine's Day)...
Valentine's Day is arriving fast, are you prepared? Do you want to have a romantic dinner but are a little short of cash? What is the solution? Cook something!!!!

Cook? Who me???? Yeah you! Trust me a romantic dinner at home with candlelight and soft music can be a very powerful aphrodisiac (if there is such a thing)!

Yes, I am serious, not only can you earn serious brownie points, but you can save some cash by staying in and making it a night to remember.

What can I cook? Well that depends on you... do you have a signature dish? Do you have a regional style that you can improvise with (Italian, Chinese, etc.)? I would recommend something light and flavorful, because honestly you do not want to put your date into a food coma, if you get my meaning... wink, wink, nudge, nudge...

Here are a couple of ideas to get you started, but you could always search the internet or ask a friend for suggestions.

Spinach strawberry salad
8 ounces fresh torn spinach or baby spinach
1 1/2 to 2 cups cleaned and sliced strawberries

Image: Carlos Porto / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Dressing
1/4 cup Canola oil or other salad oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon strawberry preserves
Pinch of salt and pepper

Preparation:
Toss spinach with sliced strawberries.

Microwave strawberry preserves for 15-20 seconds and combine with remaining dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid; shake until well blended.

When ready to serve, drizzle dressing over the salad and toss lightly.

Simple Roast Chicken (from Real Simple)

1 onion, sliced

1 3 1/2- to 4-pound chicken, giblets removed

1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved

Preparation:

Heat oven to 450° F. Place the onion in a large roasting pan. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Tuck the wings under the chicken and place it on top of the onion. Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper.

Scatter the potatoes around the chicken, drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of oil, and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Roast, tossing the potatoes once, until a thermometer inserted into a thigh registers 165°F, 50 to 60 minutes. Let the chicken rest at least 15 minutes before carving. Serve with the potatoes and onions. http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/simple-roast-chicken-10000001141403/index.html

For dessert, you can use your imagination! Happy Valentine’s Day!

Now go cook something for someone you love. Trace

See this and other recipes at www.cookingwithtrace.com  or email me at cookingwithtrace@gmail.com