Oh my god ... to die for !!!  Talk about a little effort that promises a wickedly indulgent weekend breakfast or anyday dessert, this is it for sure. A judicious smear of mascarpone (Italian cream cheese which is half the fat of butter) helps to make it luxurious, but even lighter low-fat cream cheese will work as well. Warming the berries is part of the secret as it will make the flavor bloom and transform their juices into a rosy syrup.

Are your mouths watering yet?

Ingredients:

• 4 thick slices whole-wheat bread
• 6 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 cups sliced or diced hulled strawberries
• 4 tablespoons mascarpone, (Italian cream cheese)

Preparation:

1. Toast bread in a toaster.
2. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over high heat. Add sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice and cook, stirring, until the sugar melts and the mixture begins to bubble, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add strawberries and stir until juices begin to exude and the berries are heated through, 30 seconds to 1 minute more.
3. Spread 1 tablespoon mascarpone on each piece of toast. Top with the warm berries.

Hidden Dangers In The Home

Do you have any idea what some of the top hidden dangers in a home could be? Home may be where our heart lies, but it can also pose a major health hazard and make every one who dwells within really sick. Many of the dangers are elements you can’t see and sometimes smell. It is so important to take some time and make sure that safety in the home applies to you.

Listed below are 7 top dangers you should be aware of whether you live in an apartment or own a home.

Carbon Monoxide

This is a silent killer. You can’t see it or smell it and usually comes from faulty fuel-burning appliances: furnaces, stoves, fireplaces, clothes dryers, water heaters and space heaters, as well as automobile exhaust from attached garages when a car is left idling too long.

Low levels of this “killing”gas can cause headaches, dizziness, disorientation, nausea and fatigue. Much higher levels can lead a person to unconsciousness, impaired vision, nausea, vomiting, confusion and death while sleeping. Make sure you have a detector on every level of your home or mid-way in your apartment before the bedrooms. Have your furnace checked annually and make sure the flue is always open and not blocked in your fireplace.

Cleaning Products

The leading killer of children under the age of five is products found under the sink. If you can’t store them high, then spend the few dollars it cost to place a baby-proof lock on your cabinets. And while you’re cleaning, make sure the bottles are not within reach.

Mothballs

These naphthalene balls may keep moths away but they emit caustic chemicals that through inhalation, ingestion and dermal contact can cause anemia, damage to the liver, and, in infants, neurological damage. Use cedar blocks, cedar chips or dried lavender instead.

Medications

The various shapes and colors look as tempting as candy. Make sure your pharmacist uses child safety caps & when you’re trying to get your little one to take their medicine, don’t tell them it tastes like candy, even if it does. Store them where little hands can’t get at them. Teenagers are abusing prescription drugs at an alarming rate. Keep them where they can’t find them or under lock and key.


Carpet Chemicals


Most people don’t realize they are sensitive to chemicals until something happens. If you are renovating/building your home or apartment with new carpeting, be aware that new carpet smell is 4-PC, a chemical in carpet backing. The smell can last days, even a week and cause temporary headaches and hoarseness in people sensitive to chemicals. The room should be kept well ventilated until the smell goes away if sensitivity occurs.

Dust Mites

These little buggers you can’t get rid of so, the key is putting a barrier between you and them. Because we can’t see them they are one of the most common causes of allergies and asthma. They feed off of moisture and the dead skin cells our bodies shed. Gross … yes and their favorite place to hide are in our beds, pillows, mattresses and sheets. Wash bedding once a week, place your children’s favorite pillow or stuffed animal in the freezer for a few hours as it kills them, don’t go to bed with wet hair and regularly vacuum your floors. Purchase an allergy cover for your mattress as they’re woven and mites can’t get through (around $40.00).

Mold

Mold spores make their home in damp spots within 24-48 hours and it doesn’t take much for them to multiply. They trigger asthma symptoms, such as coughing, wheezing and shortness of breath and responsible for sneezing; runny or stuffy nose; itchy, watery eyes; and inflamed sinuses. They grow on damp basement walls, in carpeting that gets wet constantly, inside closets and on wooden backs and bottoms of furniture stored in damp spaces.

Use a fan in the bathroom during your shower or bath to pull the moisture out of air, wiped down your shower and don’t allow the moisture to sit, use a dehumidifier constantly if you have a moist basement, don’t use carpeting in the bathroom, kitchen or laundry room where moisture can build up. If you have these symptoms but can’t find the cause, call a home inspector as they’re licensed and trained to find the source.

Out of sight and out of mind is not always good. Be alert and cognizant of those hidden dangers before they can cause any harm to you and your family.

Light Mashed Potatoes -Mmmmmm!

5 Personalities To Avoid

No one likes to have unnecessary drama in their lives especially coping with difficult people.  There is so much tragedy, heartache and difficulties to contend with in our personal lives and work place we certainly don’t need to increase the madness by involving ourselves with individuals who suck the life out of us.

Granted, there are those in-laws who interfere more than you would like, the neighbor who knows every time you change your underwear or the charity person who always hounds you for help.  Generally they all mean well, have a good heart, can be tolerated and avoided when you want to.

Toxic personalities, however, can be crippling, harmful and simply have traits that may be damaging to your self-esteem and emotional well-being.  Do you know who they are?

Bullies

We’re not talking the playground kind either.  Bullying in the workplace is even worse and happens more often than not.  Most companies have policies dealing with sexual harassment but like many schools & universities, none for this issue.  A study by the International Conference on Work, Stress and Health, revealed bullied employees prefer to quit their jobs than deal with it and were more stressed and harbored more anger and anxiety that affected their work. Bullies use deception, amoral behavior and abuse of power.  37% of individuals nationally have been bullied.

What can you do?   There are some great sites that address this issue.

http://humanresources.about.com/od/difficultpeople/qt/work_bully.htm

http://www.dmp.wa.gov.au/documents/Guidelines/MSH_G_DealingWithBullyingAtWork.pdf

Abusers

No one wants to admit they are in an abusive relationship.  DO NOT blame yourself if you are being mistreated by your partner, your spouse or family member.  You don’t have to go it alone because there is a strong support system available.  Communities provide resources like your local police station, YMCA, church, synagogue, or other place of worship. Or you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233).  The only way to stop it is removing your self from the situation.  You will not have to stand alone.

Gossips

In the work place it can be destructive and have serious consequences.  People who do the tongue wagging are generally passed over for promotion because they cause dissension amongst fellow employees.  Gossipers rarely tell the truth and tend to embellish to make them self look better.  That old adage “show me don’t tell me” has some value to it.  Only believe what you see and not what you hear as most gossipers begin their story with, “I heard.”  Your wrong judgment of someone can cause a devastating effect both personally and professionally and creating an audience for such a person only gives them the opportunity to fuel the fire.  Ignore them and walk away.

Toxic Controllers

You know who these kinds of people are.  They try to take you away from other loved ones. Don’t want you to be friends with any one else.  They may demand all your time and become upset when you make plans for activities that include others. They always find the negative in a situation and perhaps are always putting you down. Kick these people to the curb and distance yourself from them.

Cheaters

Cheating is a sign of a much bigger problem.  If one can get to the bottom of why, a relationship may be salvageable and prove stronger and better in the long run.  Often those who cheat with a sexual act are two types of people. Those who pray on another’s needs to satisfy their own and those who didn’t mean to cheat but circumstances evolved before they stopped themselves like the death of child and not being able to talk or get comfort from your partner or spouse. Individuals who fall out of love may seek other relationships while still married because they need a fulfillment, but don’t want to hurt the other person. In the end what truly matters is the pain one causes.  What we need to do is own up to it, be an adult and do what’s right for all involved.

Stand by Your Man Yes or No?

Tammy Wynette had a hard time defending that #1 single she released in 1968 even though she didn’t believe in the lyrics herself.  It became a lightning rod for feminists back in the day when the women’s rights movement was beginning to stir like a dust storm across the U.S.  Regardless, all that hoopla made her single one of the most covered in the history of country music and the most successful record of her career.  

Are women today still as complacent when it comes to a cheating man?  You would think most would simply kick their butt to the curb, or do what Lorena Bobbitt did to her cheater back in 1998 … chop chop … drastic yes but boy did she ever make a statement across America!

So why do women keep their cheating men around?  The reasons are plenty.  There is that old stigma “we need a man to take care of us.”  Insecurity and lack of self-esteem to make it on your own can be debilitating for many women especially if they don’t have a strong support system.  Better to keep him around than be alone is another when you’ve already invested a number of years.  I say get a puppy.  They’re more loyal and their love is unconditional.  Drawing the short end of the financial straw and loosing a style of living and status in the community is another.  Some women believe men are expected to slip up any way and simply aren’t perfect (that excuse really gets me).   Sad but true, many friends don’t stay loyal when you’re no longer a couple and then there’s the pressure from family and the disgrace and guilt they make you feel.

Should you stay emotionally invested?  The answer is different for every one.  Living with a cheating partner creates toxicity in your life that erodes the commitment you made together, keeps happiness at arms length and chips away at ones self-image.  If counseling and therapy can’t correct it then faith is in knowing one of two things can happen.  You can either let the fear of losing that partner debilitate you or, you can learn how to stand on your own and find happiness again being you, doing what’s good for you and moving forward to a more fulfilling life.

If you like nostalgia, you can check out Stand by Your Man on YouTube at

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwBirf4BWew

Anti-Aging Skin Products For 2011

 This is an AWESOME video I saw on the Today show introducing some great new anti-aging skin products for 2011.

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