Boat of Hope

Hope Chest Team

Every year my chiropractors at Naturally Chiropractic in WNY host a benefit for Hope Chest, a dragon boat racing team paddled by breast cancer survivors. Hope Chest exists for many reasons – to dispel the myth that breast cancer survivors should refrain from extensive and repetitive upper body exercise, to offer a free exercise program specifically designed to meet the needs of breast cancer survivors, to provide positive group support and a new perspective on surviving breast cancer and to provide the community with life saving information on breast cancer.

Initially, I came on board because Naturally Chiropractic had a big part in bringing me back to life after three rough pregnancies, three disastrous deliveries and three years breastfeeding. I wanted to give something back. So I offered to cook gluten-free foods at the Boat of Hope benefit. Later, when a friend of mine was diagnosed with breast cancer and a team member directed me to some wonderful resources for her, the cause became more personal.

At Boat of Hope, the amazing husband and wife team of Lori Milanovich and Brian Burford and the stupendous staff at Naturally Chiropractic work all day giving discount adjustments. There’s a huge Chinese auction, chair massages, free food and crafts for kids. All proceeds go to the Hope Chest Team. It’s a fabulous event and if you live in the WNY area, stop by and say hi! The members of the Hope Chest team would love to meet you, and I’ll be handing out samples of Marlene’s Mocha Rum Cheesecake from Scrumptious, Olivia’s Fennel Soup from Luscious and cooking up other goodies. Look for the purple balloons and the Dragon Boat in the parking lot. For more info on the Boat of Hope event click here.

To donate or for more information  on the Hope Chest Team click here.

Share in the Hope Chest credo: Paddle with a Purpose, Workout like a Woman and Empower Yourself!

Luscious Has A New Cover!

“A sizzling second book in a new contemporary series featuring sexy chefs. Newly divorced chef Olivia Marconi is balanced on the knife-edge of a major meltdown. A week in Italy with Sean, her hot divorce attorney–not to mention the fantastic food and wine–sounds like the perfect getaway. If only she wasn’t there to break her parents’ hearts by quitting the family business. Sean’s attention makes her feel brave, desirable, and adventurous again. But Sean is hiding something, and Olivia is short on trust these days. Can a romantic interlude in Italy turn into something more, or will it all go up in smoke?”

I can’t wait for July 3rd!

I’m giving away a mini offset spatula on May 14th! It’s my favorite pastry tool. It can do things like this:

You need one! You gotta have one!

If I could give everyone a mini offset spatula, I would! To enter the contest, leave a comment on the blog before May 14th. I’ll draw names out of a toque mid-May!

No Spring Melt Down!

Straight-Up Fruit Tart. An irresistible classic!

This time last year I was about to lose my marbles. (You can read about it here.) It was a memorable experience, and I vowed not to repeat such idiocy this year. Nope, I wasn’t going to teach an intermediate pastry class, plan a classical pastry class, edit Scrumptious and write 1000 words of Luscious each and every day. Nope – this year I was going to teach an intermediate pastry class, plan a classical pastry class and write a synopsis plus the first thirty pages of Book Three in my hot chef series. Whew! I’m so glad I learned from my mistakes last year…

Actually I did. Well, sort of. It was May before I pulled my head out of my tush last year. It’s only March now, so let’s call it a win.

How did I trick myself into thinking I wasn’t making the same mistake again? I told

Luscious Tiramisu helps a lot. If this pic hits you where you live, the recipe is under Recipes, Luscious, Tiramisu on this very blog. I invented it when my Olive Garden Tiramisu habit exceeded my resources...

myself my classes were my first priority and anything I got done on Book Three was pure gravy…but then I worked obsessively on the synopsis every day before going downtown to teach my night class. I worked on weekends, too. I made tons of progress! Then I got bitchy and exhausted just like last year. My husband said, “No wonder – you are working sixteen hours a day.” (He said it without a smirk, too, God love him.)

Head. Wall. Bang.