Alzheimer's, Reality and Hope

 

 June is Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness month. I'm recognizing this month in memory of two people I've lost. Not both of them to the Alzheimer's.

We lost my dad in 2015. Yes, to Alzheimer's. We lost Rena just a few months ago. Not to the disease. Both, to me, personify the struggles on both sides of the Alzheimer's fence. Both had to navigate daily life with the condition, even though both did not have it.

I write to process. And then to vent. It's a coping mechanism for me, a catharsis of sorts. In cases like this, not so much to get over it, but to take the first step, actively acknowledging the reality of it. Although we lost dad in December of 2015, it took me 4 months to be able to write about it, to make it real through words of my own. It was a raw, emotional piece, not about the disease itself, but the aftermath, facing the reality.

I call that first piece Daddy's Girl, and I hope you'll click over and read it. A piece of my heart sits on that page. 

We lost Rena this past March. And yet again, it took months to write about it. Just a month ago, I wrote Rena: Mourning to Missing. The reason Rena is part of this post is because she saw this disease from the other side. She was a caregiver. Not only a caregiver, but a fierce, tireless, vocal advocate for Alzheimer's awareness, for caregiver support, and an endless source of information. Her site, The Diary of An Alzheimer's Caregiver remains available, and if you're looking for facts, and hope, Rena left that behind as a gift to us all. 

In fact, it was at Rena's urging that I finally, in 2020, wrote a broader piece about the disease called Alzheimer's, the Battle and the War. For that piece, as I always do, I created a graphic. To my surprise, this graphic has been re-pinned on Pinterest more times than I ever could imagine. Making me both happy that people are interested, and sad, knowing how many people are affected.

I want to end on an up-note, with a few sweet thoughts. Reality intertwined with hope.

Strawberry Brownie Cupcakes

 

First, I wrote in my piece about the individual battles of the Alzheimer's war, that I had hope that I lived to see the day that the disease is eradicated. That hasn't yet happened, but there has been progress. Scientists now made some progress in identifying a cause of the disease, and there is an approved drug that could slow its progression. And with progress, there is hope.

And second, I want to leave you with Rena's words, those she lived by every day as she dealt with Alzheimer's in one way or another:

"Appreciate the good, laugh with the crazy, and deal with the rest."

Strawberry Brownie Cupcakes       

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 box (18.3 oz) fudge brownie mix

1/4 cup water

2/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1 box (15.25 oz) strawberry cake mix

3/4 cup milk

1/2 cup oil

3 eggs

1/4 cup strawberry jam

OPT: powdered sugar, chocolate frosting, strawberry frosting and/or fresh strawberries for garnish 

Directions:

*Grease 18 cupcake wells. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
*In a bowl, whisk together the brownie mix, water, 2/3 cup of oil, and three eggs. Set aside about 1/3 cup of the mix and divide the rest fairly evenly into the 18 greased wells. It doesn't have to be exact.

*Beat the strawberry cake mix, milk, remaining 1/2 cup of oil, remaining 3 eggs, and strawberry jam for 2 minutes. Fill the wells the rest of the way with the cake batter. Drizzle the reserved brownie batter over the top.

*Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until the centers spring back to the touch. Allow to sit in the cupcake pans for 5 minutes before running a knife around the edges and removing. Cool completely.

*OPT: once completely cool, sprinkle with powdered sugar or top with chocolate or strawberry frosting and/or top with strawberries.

Meet, Bray, Love: Secret Subject Swap

Welcome a Secret Subject Swap. This month 5 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

 

 

 

 

 

 

My subject is: Tell me about the strangest pet you've owned.
It was submitted by Sarah of What TF Sarah.

 

 

I guess you could say a mule. I also guess that maybe I should give you some background.

 

I've mentioned before that I, for a short time, lived the Brady Bunch. My mother had 2 girls, my stepfather had 3 boys. Neither of us were willing to give up our "Alice," so his lived in (with her daughter, to round out the crew) and ours came during the day.

The house was beautiful, contemporary, which is my style, the whole back of the house was glass. The back yard was large, with a pool, a barn, and a rolling hill leading all the way back to woods. There were also woods to our left, and across the street. To our right was Four Corner Farm, a home complete with a barn, horses, and all kinds of animals. The youngest daughter, Lee, was my age, and I knew her from school so I'd been over there, although not often. Her mother was an animal lover, former horse rescuer, and you never knew what you'd come across there. A de-scented skunk, ferrets in the bathroom, anything and everything animal.

 

And us next door? We had nothin'. OK, so my brother had a dog that chased his tail till I got dizzy. Big whop.

But the neighbors' main love was, without a doubt,  horses. I'd walk up to the fence between our yards with an apple or a carrot and look into those big beautiful brown equine eyes and know exactly why their family had fallen in love with horses. Damn, I mean I got great birthday presents when I was little but Lee? She got a horse. A horse! And she named him (her?) Happy Birthday.

 

At the time that I lived there, though, I had just barely graduated college, was starting out in my first job and living at home to save some money. And also at that time, I fell in love with big brown equine eyes too, those of a donkey. Donkeys are, if you didn't know, gentle, domesticated, smaller members of the horse family. And one day, while snacking on a cookie dough/brownie hybrid by the pool, I broached the subject of bringing him home, see if he could fit into our family.

 

Cookie Dough Brownies

 

A little about donkeys in general, and mine specifically. He was not a foal (a young donkey), nor a Jenny (a female), he was a Jack, a male. He was gentle, though undoubtedly as stubborn as a mule. Not a mule, though, mules are actually the result of mating a Jack and mare (female horse). I know all of this because these are the things you learn when you live out in the country, your neighbors have horses and you have a donkey. Actually, that's a lie. These are the things you learn when you're writing a blog post and end up spending a lot of time researching jennys, jackasses, mules, and horses on Google.

Anyway, I had named him Pardner. As in Howdy, Pardner. Hey, if Lee can name her pony Happy Birthday, I can name my donkey Howdy Pardner. 

 

 

 

Just one last bit of pertinent information: donkeys live for quite a long time. So it shouldn't surprise you to hear that I still have that Pardner I'd brought home to meet the family all those years ago. 

 

In fact, I've been married to that stubborn ass for years now.

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

Wandering Web Designer 

Climaxed 

Part-time Working Hockey Mom

What TF Sarah 

 

Cookie Dough Brownies

                                                              ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe


Ingredients:

6 TBSP butter, softened

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

1 1/2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

3/4 tsp vanilla

3 eggs

1 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 TBSP baking cocoa

Directions:
*Cream 6 TBSP butter with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 cup brown sugar. Beat in 1 egg and 1/2 tsp vanilla. Mix in 1 1/4 cups flour and the salt. Once incorporated, mix in the mini chocolate chips. Roll the dough into 30 balls. Place on a tray in the freezer for 30 minutes (can freeze overnight).

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.

*In the microwave, melt the butter and the unsweetened chocolate at 20 second intervals until smooth.

*Stir in the remaining sugar and remaining brown sugar, then the remaining vanilla and eggs. Mix in the remaining flour, salt, baking soda and baking cocoa.

*Pour batter evenly into the prepared pan. Press the frozen cookie dough balls into the brownie batter. Bake for 30 minutes.

*Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely.

Be Kind to a Kvetch: Word Counters

 

Counting my words again. 

Today my fellow Word Counters and I are sharing our monthly group post. Each month one group member picks a number between 12 and 50. All participating bloggers are then challenged to write something (or a few somethings, as the case may be) using that exact number of words. Today we all share what we came up with.

 This month's number is 40. 
It was chosen by Me!

As I've been doing in these Word Counters posts, I've chosen a theme and am using my word count multiple times in keeping with the theme. This month I've chosen the theme Be Kind to a Kvetch.

~ Today is National Do a Grouch a Favor Day. The point? To cheer someone up, whether they're having a bad day, week, month, or year. Do it to make the world a better place (or just to piss them off).  

~ For the grouchy morning person: there are coffee makers with automatic brewing features. You order it online, they bring it to your door, chances are anyone around you in the mornings will set it up. Grouch mitigation in a mug.

~ For the grouch fighting with the automated voice labyrinth to get a credit card question answered: cut that card up into tiny little shards. It's freeing, incredibly satisfying. Hang up that phone. There's many other credit card companies out there.

~ For the grouchy winter hater heading to the mailbox: Stop right there. There's a new winter mail strategy (I know, I'm a beta tester), leave the mail where it is until spring. Why rush out just to get bills, anyway?

~ For the grouchy hungry dieter: it's a pandemic, you're at home, eat the damn food. All of it. Not just the carrots and celery, the brownies, cookies, cakes and pies. Secret scientific fact: sweets will turn that frown upside down.

 

 

Peanut Butter Creme Brownies

 

~ For the grouch whose waistband is cutting off their circulation: that may be my bad. But we're all not going anywhere anyway, stop wearing pants. Helpful hint: this is not a good time to wave to the Fed Ex guy.

~For the (legitimate) grouch who doesn't get enough sleep: there are some . . . ahem . . . herbal solutions. Check for legal forms in your area. You'll thank me. Oh, and stock up on those Peanut Butter Creme Brownies, you'll need them {{wink, wink}}.

~ For the grouchy victim of whoever was in the bathroom before you and didn't replace the toilet paper roll: I offer you my wholehearted support. You go, girl, work that anger, make them pay. You're doing it for us all.

~ For the generalized, no idea why and who needs a reason anyway, perpetual grouch: What exactly do you think the liquor cabinet was made for? A pitcher of My Mai Tais never hurt anyone (OK, that may be a lie).

~ In case you didn't catch on, may as well admit it. Those grouchy people above? They're me. And any favor you might care to bestow, well, today's the day. Get out there and do a grouch a favor. I'm waiting . . .

Here are links to the other Word Counters posts:

On the Border 

Messymimi’s Meanderings 

Peanut Butter Creme Brownies
                                               ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

 

NOTE: I used a box brownie mix (with canola oil), and reduced fat peanut butter in this recipe to lower the fat content. You can use any brownie recipe and full fat peanut butter if you choose.

Ingredients:

1 box (about 18 oz) dark chocolate fudge brownie mix

1/2 cup reduced fat peanut butter

1/2 cup marshmallow creme

2 TBSP milk

Directions:
*Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

*Prepare the brownie mix as per box directions, or prepare your own brownie recipe as you normally would.

*Spread the brownie batter evenly into the prepared pan.

*Whisk together the peanut butter, marshmallow creme and milk until smooth. 

*Place into a sealable plastic bag, snip the corner and pipe onto the brownie batter. Using a toothpick, swirl the peanut butter mixture through the top of the brownie batter.

*Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the edges have browned and the brownie are fully set. Cool completely before slicing.

 

Peanut Butter Brownie Graveyard: Boo Blog With Friends

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends themed collaborations. Each month a group of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about his partnership is that it's not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may a recipe, sewing tutorial, crocheting, crafts project, book review, and/or technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is Boo. Because, you know, October. And Halloween.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here's a peek at what we all came up with:

I made a Peanut Butter Brownie Graveyard.

Peanut Butter Brownie Graveyard

I said in my first October post of 2019 that I wouldn't be playing with my food as much this year. Since the start of this blog I'd write Halloween themed posts and develop Halloween recipes through the entire month. But the fun of that was the look on the boys' and their friends' faces when I served the spooky (or gross) foods. Now, with the boys grown and mostly gone, I'm doing that less and less, more focusing on Fall flavors this month than escalating the "I dare you to eat this" game.

Today, though, is one of those exceptions. With a theme like Boo, I jumped right back into those days. And although it's more rare for me to come up with these kinds of recipes I have to admit, it's still fun.

I started by making Peanut Butter Brownies. I used crunchy peanut butter, but you can use smooth if you prefer. Innocent looking brownies, aren't they? Not for long.



While they were baking, I made the hands. I drew them onto parchment paper, then turned the paper over and piped melted vanilla bark to form the hands using the drawn hands as a template. I added "blood" and "fingernails".

I also used the melted vanilla bark to make the tombstones. 

Added eyes and some blood to the ghosts.

And made a zombie out of the Keebler Stripe cookie. 

When the brownies were done, I carved out the central grave and prepared the zombie to emerge. 

Then added the rest of the scene.

Spooky fun, right? Delicious too!

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:


 



Melissa of My Heartfelt Sentiments shares a Quick & Easy Halloween Treat craft.





 



Tamara of Part-time Working Hockey Mom shares A Little Halloween Fun in the Shower. 



 


Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares how to make your own Boo-tastic Cat House. 






 

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares Boo! Treats.

 

 





Kia of The Ground Beneath my Feet shares Bodie Ghost Town: The Best Ghosts are all in my Mind . 

Peanut Butter Brownie Graveyard

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
1/4 cup peanut butter (I used crunchy)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour

1 oz vanilla bark
10 slivered almond pieces
red piping gel
4 chocolate covered peanut butter cookies
4 marshmallows
10 candy eyes 
1 Keebler Fudge Stripes cookies (your choice of color/flavor)
1 TBSP finely chopped peanuts

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 11 baking dish.
*Melt together the butter and unsweetened chocolate in the microwave until smooth. Whisk in the peanut butter, then the sugar, followed by the eggs. Last, mix in the flour. Spread into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until completely set. 
*While the brownies are cooking, draw 2 hands, approximately 2 1/2 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide, onto parchment paper. Turn over so the clean side is facing up.
*Melt the vanilla bark, seal into a sandwich bag and snip a very small piece from a corner to use for piping. Pipe the outlines of the hands on the parchment paper. Pipe "RIP" onto the chocolate peanut butter cookies.
*Go back and fill in the hands, then immediately stick a slivered almond piece onto the top of each finger to form a fingernail. Dot the flat backs of the eyes with the melted vanilla bark to attach to the marshmallows and the Keebler Stripe cookie.
*Drizzle a little edible red writing gel along the fingernails, define the lines between the fingers with the tip of a knife, then carefully place the "hands" in the fridge. Use more writing gel to simulate dripping blood on the ghosts.
*When the brownies are done, cut a 5 inch slit into the center of the brownies and scoop a little of the brownie out. Very carefully, place the Stripe cookie partially into the top of the slit and sprinkle the peanuts around the edge of the slit to look like disturbed dirt. Place 2 marshmallow ghosts towards the top of the brownies and 2 towards the bottom. Refrigerate to cool and set.
*Once the brownies are cooled, gently push the "tombstones" in by the ghosts and place the hands so they appear to be coming out of the grave.

Giant Brownie Bowl Party Sundae: Rock It Blog With Frends

Today’s post is the next in our series of Blog With Friends theme collaborations. Each month a group  of bloggers get together and each publish a project based on a theme. What I love about this partnership is that it’s not bloggers with similar interests or strengths but a diverse group coming up with a variety of posts. In any given month we may have a recipe, sewing tutorial, crafts projects, book review and/or a technology post all related to the theme of the month.

This month's theme is Rock It.

There will be individual project pictures and links to what everyone else has to offer at the end of my post, but here’s a peek at what we all came up with:

This time of year my thoughts go to school. We had back-to-school traditions in our house. When it came to food, I made all of the boys' dinner favorites in the week leading up to the first day. Then, on the first day I always made treats for the hordes of kids who invariably ended up at our house. Over the years, there were many hits, I mean we are talking treats, but one overwhelming favorite. When it comes to being a rock star mom, this recipe truly Rocks It! 

Giant Brownie Bowl Party Sundae

Make the brownie bowl ahead of time, it takes a while to make so I often made it the day before, refrigerated it overnight then brought it to room temperature the next day. The bowl is not difficult, it just takes time. 

Let me tell you that whenever the boys saw (or smelled) the brownie bowl being made I'd always see their eyes widen. They knew what was coming the next afternoon. And they loved it.

First I made a half batch of brownies:

While the brownies are cooling slightly, line a round 2 quart bowl with plastic wrap. Be sure it hangs over the edges, this will help remove the brownie bowl from the glass bowl for serving.

Then you get to play with the brownies. Yes, you'll get your hands dirty. While still warm, they are formed into a bowl, then put in the freezer to set for one hour up to overnight. 

Use the plastic wrap to remove the brownie bowl from the glass bowl then gently peel off the plastic wrap.

I used some of our favorite toppings, but you can change this up any way you want. Use different ice cream flavors, add nuts or chocolate sprinkles, whatever works for your family.

Assemble in two layers, first the bottom:

Top it off and serve it on a platter and hand out spoons, or let the kids break it up and put it into individual bowls. Whatever you do, with this recipe, you will rock it!

Don't be surprised when in the first minute it looks something like this:

As always, any time you make one of my recipes, feel free to post a picture of it to my Baking In A Tornado Facebook Page. I'd love to see it!

Be sure to visit all of this month's other Blog With Friends projects:

Dawn of Spatulas on Parade shares her recipe for Tropical Sangria.

Tamara shares How to Rock Life as a Part-Time Working Hockey Mom. 

Lydia of Cluttered Genius shares Conquering the Cricut Explore Air 2.

Rabia of The Lieber Family shares How to make a Chrome Book Sleeve.

Jules of The Bergham Chronicles shares Kindness Rocks!

Giant Brownie Bowl Party Sundae

                                                                          ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 oz unsweetened chocolate
3/4 stick margarine
1/4 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup flour

1 banana
6 ripe strawberries, hulled and striped
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
4 scoops chocolate ice cream
4 scoops strawberry ice cream
1/4 cup fudge sauce or chocolate syrup
1/4 cup strawberry syrup
1/4 cup caramel ice cream topping
whipped cream
colored sprinkles
cherry

Directions:
NOTE: The brownie bowl takes a while to prepare, you can make it a day in advance.
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 X 8 baking pan.
*Melt together the unsweetened chocolate and margarine in the microwave. Stir until completely smooth. 
*Stir in the vanilla. Once incorporated, stir in the sugar, then the egg and last the flour.
*Spread into the prepared baking dish and bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes until still warm but not hot.
*Line a 2 quart bowl with plastic wrap large enough to hang over the sides. Using a spoon, mix the brownies to make them crumbs then, using your hands, spread into the bottom and up the side of the glass bowl to form a brownie bowl. Allow to cool completely at room temperature for 20 minutes, the freeze for at least one hour.
*Remove the brownie bowl from the freezer and use the plastic wrap to help you remove it from the glass bowl. Carefully peel off the plastic wrap and place the brownie bowl on a serving platter.
*Cut the banana in half (width), then in half lengthwise.
*Place 2 scoops of each ice cream flavor into the brownie bowl. Sprinkle with half of the strawberry slices. Gently press the banana slices into the ice cream along the edges to stick up over the bowl or just lay along the sides.
*Fill the bowl with the rest of the ice cream and strawberry slices. Drizzle with the chocolate, strawberry and caramel toppings, then the sprinkles. Top with whipped cream and a cherry.