Showing posts with label Fran Lewis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fran Lewis. Show all posts

Thursday, August 27, 2020

What If? - Fran Lewis, Author



Creamy Vegan Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

Fettuccine Alfredo

400 g fettuccine
1 1/2 C raw cashews, soaked for 20 minutes in hot water
1 C fresh water (1/2 a cup if using tofu instead of cashews)
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil
1 C finely chopped white onion
2 large portobello mushroom caps, thinly sliced
4 C thinly sliced cremini mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 C dry white wine (vegan friendly)
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil
1 tsp dried parsley
4 C fresh baby spinach
1 C low-sodium vegetable stock

Vegan Parmesan (Optional – Can also buy a Vegan Parmesan Product)

2/3 C raw cashews
1/4 C nutritional yeast
1 tsp sea salt


Instructions

To make the vegan parmesan, combine ingredients together in a food processor until a fine crumb or meal is formed. Store in a jar or container in the fridge. This will last up to 3 weeks.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook noodles to al dente. Drain but do not rinse.  Meanwhile, rinse and drain cashews from the soaking water and add to a high-powered blender along with water, apple cider vinegar, and lemon juice. Blend until very smooth.  In a large pan over medium heat, sauté onion in olive oil for 2 minutes until soft and fragrant.  Add mushrooms and cook for 4 minutes. When mushrooms are half cooked and start to release some moisture, stir in minced garlic, sea salt, and ground black pepper and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.  Once mushrooms have shrunk and released all their water, add in white wine (or replace with an equal amount of low-sodium vegetable stock, plus 1 to 2 teaspoons of lemon juice) and simmer for 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in fresh basil and dried parsley, and cook for another minute.  Stir in the cashew cream, spinach, and slowly stir in 1 cup of low-sodium vegetable stock. Stir for about 4 minutes.  Add noodles to the pan and toss to combine everything well, and coat noodles in sauce for 3 minutes.  Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of vegan parmesan and toss to combine. Serve with more vegan parmesan and ground black pepper as garnish.


Recipe notes

If you are reheating leftovers, heat in a pan adding small amounts of vegetable stock a bit at a time while tossing the noodles to thin out the sauce again.


What if? - Review by Martha A. Cheves

What if? - There were no more planes or trains.  All you needed to do was think about being somewhere and you were there.  There was only one race where your face may look a little different but your skin colors were the same.  Would the world be a better place?

What if? - You came to the edge of town and saw a sign that read "You are leaving the town of MUNDANE AND NO EXCITEMENT."  As you walk out of town you come across a crossroad.  One sign informs you that its road leads to the town of "NOWHERE - Keep Wandering."  The second road reads to the town of "Decisions.", The third to the town of "Surprises" and the fourth to a sign that tells you to "Just Walk in This Direction and You Will find Out..."  Which road will you take?

Through her short stories, Author Fran Lewis has given us a few situations to test our minds as we see where the stories lead to and end up.  Did the characters make the right decision?  Better yet, do we agree with their decisions?  What if?

Sunday, June 30, 2019

Silent Voices - Fran Lewis, Author


Chocolate Mousse Cup Graveyards

Each cup of chocolate mousse is decorated with some chocolate sprinkles, one of the candy zombie hands and a cookies and cream tombstone.
Items you’ll need to make the chocolate mousse graveyards:
water
sugar
egg yolks
heavy whipping cream
chocolate jimmies (sprinkles)
If you buy the zombie hands they come with the chocolate sprinkles.
12-20 Cookies and Cream Tombstones
OREO Cookie Crumbs
white chocolate or white confectionery coating



Silent Voices - Review by Martha A. Cheves

All my life I had to struggle and work hard for everything that I ever needed. So, why not take advantage of a situation?  My grandmother, Gertie, was frail and much older, needing constant care at home. Her mind was sharp, but her legs were weak. She could no longer shop for herself  and going to the bank to deposit her disability checks had become a real chore. Each one of us had a different father, and not one of us had all of the conveniences that life should have given us. So, we joined forces to get what we deserved from our grandmother. My sisters and I had decided to take on the responsibility of her daily care. Of course, I felt, as they did, that we deserved something for our efforts. Moving into her huge house was not a problem, as she had six bedrooms, three baths, and enough closet space for everyone. The house was amazing, and the kitchen was state of the art. Taking some of what she had was not a problem until she began to realize that something was wrong.

The four granddaughters pool their ideas and resources to take over what their grandmother has worked her whole life to have.  BUT… the situation takes a turn when Gertie turns the tables on them.

Each of the stories within this book are voices beneath the tombstones.  How they got there and why.  These voices make you wonder just how many other voices are out there, never to be heard and never to be avenged for their demise.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Hidden Truths & Lies - Fran Lewis & Jake Swerdloff, Authors



Coffin Sandwich

2 slices whole wheat bread
3 slices OSCAR MAYER Smoked Ham
1 KRAFT Singles
1 Tbsp. MIRACLE WHIP Dressing
1 lettuce leaf

Tap or click steps to mark as complete
Cover 1 of the bread slices with ham and Singles. Spread with dressing; top with lettuce. Secure with plastic toothpick, if desired.  Cut sandwich into coffin shape using coffin template and sharp knife. For a more durable template, trace the template onto a piece of cardboard and cut out.



Hidden Truths & Lies - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir Laugh Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

My name is Dr. Goldman, and I guess my story began over twelve years ago with a simple comprehensive examination of my patient.  Cursory exam of the teeth, gums and mouth done, I instructed the nurse to take a full set of x-rays.  Leaving Lisa to take the films, I went into my office and returned some phone calls... the films were developed and showed nothing more than two small cavities that I felt could wait to be filled.  But, on the lower left side there was something dark and not very big that looked like she was losing some bone.  So, not thinking anything of it and not wanting to alarm the patient, I never told her about it.

This was a mistake that Dr. Goldman would take through life.  It turns out that he would rather draw out the patient's visits and pocket the money than to point out something that might be a real problem to her health.  It was also a mistake that Dr. Goldman will take to his grave.  See, this patient will get her revenge on this greedy doctor.,

Hidden Truths & Lies is full of short stories of those speaking from the grave.  Those under the head stones and their stories as to how they got there.  The mistakes they made and the events that lead to them never being able to mend those mistakes.  Makes you wonder how many other stories are laying beneath the ground under all those headstones.

Monday, June 22, 2015

The Vanishing Mind of Ruth Swerdloff - Fran Lewis, Author



Baked Parmesan Chicken
(Mom's Favorite)

2 tablespoons dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves, chopped
Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 8 ounces each)
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
3/4 cup panko or dried coarse baguette breadcrumbs
Cooking spray

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
Mix the mustard, thyme, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the cayenne in a medium bowl. Add the chicken breasts and turn to coat completely; set aside.
In a medium shallow bowl, combine the parmesan and panko. Dredge the chicken pieces in the panko mixture, coating evenly and heavily, and pressing the coating into the meat.

Put the chicken on a rack set over a baking sheet, spray with a quick burst of cooking spray and put the sheet in the middle of the oven. Bake until the chicken is golden and cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes. Let rest 5 minutes before cutting or serving.

The Vanishing Mind of Ruth Swerdloff - Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish

How do you say goodbye when you are still here?  How do you say goodbye before your thoughts, desires, and wishes disappear from your mind?  What happens when all that's left of you is a human shell?  Everyone invites guests to their homes for dinner, or just to talk.  But, some guests overstay their welcome and others are just plain annoying.  Uninvited guests can be escorted out and asked to leave, hopefully never to return.  One uninvited guest mad its way into my mother's mind and refused to leave.

I've known people who have family members that have literally lost their minds.  Or better yet, lost everything stored within their minds.  They forget where they are, where they are going, who they are and who the strangers that keep showing up might be.  They forget to eat or can't remember if they did eat.  They forget the names of their favorite food and even their own children.  As the days go by they lose more and more of what took years to fill their minds.  Eventually that full mind is empty and hollow.  What causes this?  You've probably already answered that question with that terrible disease called Alzheimer.

I've personally never been exposed to Alzheimer but after reading The Vanishing Mind I feel that has changed.  The way the Author combined the experience as a caregivers/family member and the journals written by her mother when her mind was still there enough to write, you can't help but feel as if you're a part of the family or at least a close friend.  The insight I found through this book has me watching my own loved ones more closely with the possible chance that they may show some of these signs.  I'm also watching myself too.

Author Fran Lewis goes one step further in helping those who are faced with this dreadful disease.  She has included tips for the caregivers stressing on how to speak in a way that may be a little easier for them to understand; how to help them with simple things like eating, dressing and bathing;  how to find activities that they may understand and enjoy;  and she even gives you a list of agencies that can be beneficial in helping you with their care, understanding their problems and most important - how to deal with your own feelings.

This is a book that I recommend to everyone - young and old.  It might just be the book that will help you better cope with those you love who just might experience this heart breaking disease called Alzheimer.

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Bertha and Tillie Sisters Forever - Fran Lewis, Author



Chicken Kabobs with Grilled Onions
(fRAN'S SISTER'S FAVORITE)

3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons teriyaki sauce
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
Pinch pepper
Pinch salt
1 pound chicken tenders, cut in half
1 bunch green onions
10 wooden skewers, soaked in water for 30 minutes
 
Spray a grill rack with nonstick, nonflammable cooking spray. Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.

In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine the garlic, soy sauce, lemon juice, teriyaki sauce, olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, pepper, and salt. Add the chicken. Seal the bag and chill for 1 hour.

Drain the chicken, discarding the marinade. Thread the chicken onto the skewers. Arrange the skewers on the grill, and grill until the chicken is done, about 3 minutes on each side. Grill the green onions until browned, about 1 minute on each side. Arrange the green onions on a serving platter. Top with the chicken. Serve immediately.
 

Bertha and Tillie Sisters Forever – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
 
My mean and horrible cousin said, “Bertha is the one that started the spitball fight in the bathroom. She was throwing them at everyone, and even hit the guards in the face when they tried to stop them. She bumped into one of the guards and knocked him out with her wide butt when she tried to run away. The coach was knocked out when she threw the ball and broke the window, causing it to fall on the volleyball coach. She deserves whatever she gets. Bertha thinks she is so smart. All she is and will always be is fat, ugly, and oversized.”
 
Can you imagine being a young person and have someone talk about you in this manner? And with you standing there too? It has to hurt. Bertha is overweight but what she lacks on the outside she more than makes up for on the inside. She isn’t athletic, she can’t even throw a bowling ball without it landing in the wrong lane. But she is still a good person to know, to be around and one of the best friends you’ll ever have, if you just let her.
 
In Bertha and Tillie Sisters Forever, Bertha tries to find herself. She tries to find just where she fits in her world of peers. While doing this, she doesn’t always make the right choices. One of her tries came when she decided to join a gang that harassed little kids on the playground. She tried it but it just wasn’t in her to be mean. Lesson learned and her next step is taken. Instead of joining a ‘gang’ she decided to create her own. But instead of being mean, Bertha’s gang became a team of investigators who are instrumental in catching the guilty people who broke into the music room and destroyed the instruments, gaining her respect from the teachers and police as well as a few of her classmates.
 
With ‘Adolescent Bullying’ being brought to light lately, Sisters Forever is the perfect book for young people to read. It helps them in understanding that just because you’re fat, you don’t wear designer clothes, your house isn’t a castle or your parents don’t drive the best car, you don’t have to accept bullying from anyone. You do need to stand up for yourself and if you can’t talk to an adult you trust and allow them to help you find the solutions to stop the bullying.
 

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Bad Choices - Fran Lewis, Author

 
Devil's Food Cookies
(A Fran Lewis Favorite)
 
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) devil's food cake mix
2 eggs
2 tablespoons butter, softened
3 tablespoons water
1/2 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
 
In a large bowl, combine the cake mix, eggs, butter and water (batter will be thick). Fold in chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 10-13 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned. Cool for 2 minutes before removing to wire racks. Yield: 28 cookies.
 
Bad Choices – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat; Think With Your Taste Buds; A Book and A Dish
 
Enter the peer – that person who is somehow inexplicably like them; a person who makes them feel comfortable; one who makes them feel like they fit, like they belong; someone – and get this – who when they look at they seem able to see themselves and most importantly what they consider to be their true selves. Therefore, a peer serves as a defining mirror; a living mirror, a person who describes them – defines who they are by being it, living it, in front of them. It must be who they are (they rationalize) because it is they (the Peer Group) with whom they fit best…people with whom they feel most comfortable…a group of people and especially one friend in particular (a BFF) with whom they can relax and act naturally around. They watch these living mirrors and learn all about themselves. If the mirrors change then so do they. If it (the Peer Group) accepts them then they accept themse.ves If, however, it rejects them then they first begin to try harder to please the mirror, mirror on the wall, mimicking its instructive reflection. Or, perhaps, they may come to find that there are other mirrors – other Peer Groups -, which are better suited to help them discover the mystery of “who am I?”
 
Through Author Fran Lewis’ Bertha books I’ve found that this woman has such a strong care for young people, how they feel about themselves and what becomes of them. In her book Bad Choices she walks us through, of all places, a cemetery as some of the faces behind the stones tell us about the Bad Choices they made that put them where they will be forever. Each case gives the teenager’s point of view about life, what helped develop this view and what they did that brought a true end to your view.
 
In each case, you the reader can make up your mind as to who is really responsible for the deaths of these young people who never reached the joys of adulthood. Is it the parent’s fault? The pressure applied by their peers? Or could it just be a kid that’s mixed up and really needs medical attention? How as a parent can this be prevented? How do you recognize when there’s a problem? Through Bad Choices you’re given the clues to the puzzle as well as ways to help prevent the puzzle from coming apart. And this all starts from conception! Yes, the very beginning of life! My own kids are grown but I see some of these problems already hitting my own grandchildren. I think this is a book I’ll be sending on to their parents to see if it might help before it’s too late.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Because We Care - Fran Lewis, Author

 
Sweet & Sour Meatballs
(One of Fran's sister Marcia's favorite)
  • 1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle chile sauce
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 9 ounces grape jelly
  • 1 pound lean ground beef
  • 1 egg, beaten
  • 1 large onion, grated
  • salt to taste

Directions

  1. Whisk together the chili sauce, lemon juice and grape jelly. Pour into slow cooker and simmer over low heat until warm.
  2. Combine ground beef, egg, onion and salt. Mix well and form into 1 inch balls. Add to sauce and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
Because We Care – Review by Martha A. Cheves, Author of Stir, Laugh, Repeat and Think With Your Taste Buds
 
‘As the primary and only caregiver for my mom who has Alzheimer’s I have had to develop different ways to keep myself active and my mind stimulated.  All too often as a caregiver you become so immersed in taking care of the needs of the person who is ill that we forget about our own.  When you make the decision to care for a family member at home you are really taking on a challenge of herculean proportion.  Every day is different and every challenge unique and must be handled differently but with kindness and care.  When a person has Alzheimer’s the hardest thing to deal with is their changing and erratic behaviors.  They can be calm one minute and out of control or violent the next.  These behaviors tend to put a lot of stress and strain on the caregiver.’
 
Through her trial and error learning Author Fran Lewis discovered some of the most basic yet important things that the caregiver will be confronted with when caring, not only for those with Alzheimer’s but other diseases and incapacitating illnesses.  Through her book Because We Care she brings to light the warning signs of Alzheimer’s as well as the importance of discussing your fears with the patient’s doctor.  She explains why it’s so important to follow a routine with the patient to keep some of their confusion down.  This includes things as simple as when to go to the bathroom, when to eat and even bed time.    She stresses the importance of security with Alzheimer’s patients.  They do have a tendency to wander off so items such as ID bracelets or necklaces are exceptionally important as well as keeping a current picture handy in case the police are brought in to help with the find. 
 
Lewis discusses the choices you might face as to keeping the patient at their own home, having round the clock nurses, moving them into your own home or placing them in a facility.  She brings to light the pros and cons, not just for the patient but also for the caregiver.  How to find a suitable facility and even what questions to ask of not only a facility but of nurses for in-home-care. And truly just as important, how to spot patient abuse and what to do if you suspect or know this is happening to your loved one.
 
Lewis also speaks, through first hand knowledge, about Traumatic Brain Injuries, which caused the death of her sister. And I must mention too that the proceeds for this book go to Montefiore Hospital to the fund they set up in memory of Fran Lewis' mom and sister.
 
But one thing Lewis puts heavy stress on is the importance of the caregiver’s own health and well being.  She impresses the fact that the caregiver’s whole normal way of life will change when taking over their patient.  The stress that goes along with being a caregiver is so much more than you can ever imagine.  And to help with this stress, Lewis offers suggestions throughout the book that will help when dealing with this phase of the care. 
 
I’ve only had short bouts with being a caregiver and never for an Alzheimer’s patient.  My Dad and I were both blessed with his being alert until the last couple days of his life.  But I still know the stress that just watching him deteriorate in a short 5 month period put on me.  I can’t imagine watching someone with Alzheimer’s change into a person who I no longer know nor knows me.  For any of you out there that are going through this situation, I suggest you read this book.  I really feel it just might help.  For those of you who aren’t currently acting as a caregiver, this is still a book I recommend you read.  You never know when you too might have to make the choices and deal with the stress that Lewis and people like her have dealt with and are still dealing with.
 

 
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