Hearty Beef Chili

Sausage, Apple and Cranberry Stuffing

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups cubed whole wheat bread
• 3 3/4 cups cubed white bread
• 1 pound ground turkey sausage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 2 1/2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 Golden Delicious apple, cored and chopped
• 3/4 cup dried cranberries
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley
• 1 cooked turkey liver, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup turkey stock
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F (175 degree C). Spread the white and whole wheat bread cubes in a single layer on a large baking sheet. Bake for 5 to 7 minutes in the preheated oven, or until evenly toasted. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a large bowl.
2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the celery, sage, rosemary, and thyme; cook, stirring, for 2 minutes to blend flavors.
3. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Mix in chopped apples, dried cranberries, parsley, and liver. Drizzle with turkey stock and melted butter, and mix lightly. Spoon into turkey to loosely fill.

ABCDs of Skin Cancer Warning

Q: What are the warning signs of skin cancer?

A: There are several different types of skin cancer, and each can present in a different way.
In general, for non-melanoma skin cancers, be particularly suspicious of any new skin lesions or irritation that persist for longer than a month.

The warning signs for melanoma, the most dangerous form of skin cancer can be summarized with the ABCD rule.

A is for ASYMMETRY: One half of a mole or birthmark does not match the other.

B is for BORDER: The edges are irregular, ragged, notched or blurred.

C is for COLOR: The color is not the same all over and may include shades of brown or black, or sometimes with patches of pink, red, white, or blue.

D is for DIAMETER: The spot is larger than 6 millimeters across (about 1/4 inch–the size of a pencil eraser), although melanomas can sometimes be smaller than this.

Other warning signs are:

1. A sore that does not heal.
2. Spread of pigment from the border of a spot to surrounding skin.
3. Redness or a new swelling beyond the border.
4. Change in sensation–itchiness, tenderness, or pain.
5. Change in the surface of a mole–scaliness, oozing, bleeding, or the appearance of a bump or nodule.
6. A mole that looks very different from your other moles.

Everyone should have a health care professional perform a full-body skin survey once a year.

Cappuccino Punch

Ingredients:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup instant coffee granules
1 cup boiling water
2 quarts milk
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1 quart chocolate ice cream, softened

Instructions:

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and coffee; stir in boiling water until dissolved.  Cover and refrigerate until chilled.

Just before serving, pour coffee mixure into a 1 gallon punch bowl.  Stir in milk.  Add scoops of ice cream; stir until melted. 

Yield: 1 gallon

Warning: Reading This Blog May be Hazardous to Your Health

Investing some of your other 8 hours to this blog, learning, and advancing is critical to creating new wealth and enjoying life, but doing so may be hazardous to your health. So why is this blog dangerous?
What are you doing right this moment? You’re reading this blog. What else are you doing? You’re sitting. My guess is that you have been (or will be) sitting for quite some time today. And that’s the bad news. Too much time sitting and not enough active time is a bad for you. Duh, right?

I consider myself a health nut — I exercise daily and I scour food labels — but I was shocked to learn just how good a little bit of exercise can be for you mentally and physically. During my commute, I’ve been listening to some of the latest research on the benefits of exercise in John Medina’s book, Brain Rules.

Why Exercise?

• Boosts things like problem-solving, planning and attentional tasks.
• Cuts risk of Alzheimer’s by 50 percent.
• Strengthens muscles and bones.
• Improves long-term memory.
• Regulates appetite.
• Bolsters the immune system.
• Reduces risk for diabetes.
• Treats depression.
• Reduces risk for cancer.
• Cuts risk of stroke in half.
• Decreases risk for heart disease.

I knew exercise was good, but come on. This list is incredible. You’ll feel better, look better, live longer, and you’ll become smarter. But how much exercise do you need? An hour a day? No. At least 45 minutes, right? Nope. Just 30 minutes. Oh, and you only need to exercise two or three days a week to reap these rewards.

So you’re looking at just an hour or so a week! If you can’t find an hour in an entire week to dedicate to exercise, you don’t have to. Try combining several activities into one. For example, take a walk with your family. Bring a book or magazine to the gym. Print copies of your favorite blog and read them on the stationary bike. Make calls while you’re on the treadmill. Listen to an audiobook. There’s no excuse whatsoever.

You can find an hour a week, even if that means less time reading my blog…

Parmesan Chicken Wings

Ingredients:

16 whole chicken wings
3/4 cup finely crushed butter flavored crackers
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried basil
3/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup butter, melted

Instructions:

Cut chicken wings into three sections; discard wing tips.  In a small bowl, combine cracker crumbs, parmesan cheese, basil and garlic salt.  Drip wings in butter, then roll in crumb mixture.

Place in a single layer on greased baking sheets.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden brown and juices run clear.

Yield: 8-10 servings

Banana Sour Cream Bread

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3 cups white sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 very ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup chopped walnuts (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. In a small bowl, stir together 1/4 cup white sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Dust pans lightly with cinnamon and sugar mixture.
2. In a large bowl, cream butter and 3 cups sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, sour cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Mix in salt, baking soda and flour. Stir in nuts. Divide into prepared pans.
3. Bake for 1 hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.