Archive for the ‘ovarian cancer awareness’ Category
la buona cucina americana: insalata di patate della mamma
One of my favorite “Made by Mom” dishes is potato salad.
Indeed, I love all kinds of potato salad, including the one that Mary of The Flavors of Abruzzo posted two weeks ago. But my mom’s, well, it’s just my all-time favorite. It’s great for a summer picnic, but we also have it as a side dish for Thanksgiving, and even at Christmas and Easter time to go along with baked ham.
Needless to say, it’s a delicious taste of home, and it’s this week’s La Buona Cucina Americana recipe.
You see, when my mom was here over the summer, I specifically requested potato salad, but I didn’t realize at the time that it would be perfect for the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month (potatO salad, get it?). So here it is.
By the way, remember to get in your recipes and entries for the O Foods Contest–details here!
Two notes on this potato salad: do play with the measurements until you get the exact taste you want. Also, onions go great in this, but be careful not to add too much as they will overpower the other flavors.
Mom’s Potato Salad
- 3 medium potatoes
- 2 eggs, hard-boiled
- 2 ribs of celery, chopped finely
- 1/2 cup mayonnaise
- 1 tbsp vinegar (distilled or cider)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp mustard
- salt and pepper to taste
1. Hard boil the eggs. Remove from water and set aside. When cool, peel and cut into cubes.
2. Boil potatoes in salted water until just tender. Remove from water and set aside. When cool, peel and cut into cubes.
3. Prepare celery.
4. In a bowl, mix together mayonnaise, vinegar, and mustard, and add potatoes, eggs, and celery. Mix well.
5. Taste for salt and pepper.
6. Put potato salad in the refrigerator to chill for about a half hour before serving.
Insalata di patate della Mamma
- 3 patate medie
- 2 uova bollite
- 2 gambe di sedano tritate
- 1 bicchiere di maionese
- 1 cucchiaio di aceto di mele
- 1 cucchiaino di zucchero
- 1/4 cucchiaino di senape
- sale e pepe qb
1. Fate bollire le uova, lasciatele raffreddare, sgusciatele e tagliatele a pezzi non troppo grande.
2. Fate bollire le patate in acqua salata (non devono essere troppo morbide), lasciatele raffreddare, sgusciatele e tagliatele a pezzi di circa 3 cm.
3. Tritate il sedano non troppo sottile.
4. Mettete le uova, le patate e il sedano in una ciotola e aggiungete il maionese, l’aceto, e il senape. Mescolate bene.
5. Aggiungete sale e pepe a piacere.
6. Mettete l’insalata nel frigorifero per circa 30 minuti prima di servire.
Buon appetito e buon weekend!
Onion, Oregano & TimO Focaccia: O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
OK, raise your hand if you love focaccia! I do! I do!
I had never made it before, though, so I thought this What’s Cooking Wednesday would be a great time to learn, especially since I came across a recipe for Focaccia with Onions. In addition to the thyme (timo (TEE-moh) in Italian) that was listed in the ingredients, I threw in some oregano, because, you know O Foods and all.
What? You haven’t heard of the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest? Check out the details here.
As you can see, my onions were super-cooked when all was said and done, but they’re still really tasty. Note: I used red onions, so they’re not *as* cooked as they may seem. Anyway, I think next time I’ll slice them just a little bit thicker and maybe adjust the cooking temp.
If you have any other suggestions on making focaccia, please do share. Overall, I have to say that this is a fabulous basic recipe from The Italian Cooking Encyclopedia published by Barnes & Noble (with my adjustments below).
Onion, Oregano & TimO Focaccia
For dough:
- 2 1/2 tbsp fresh yeast or 1 package dry
- 1 c warm water
- pinch of sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- 3- 3 1/2 c flour
For topping:
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 medium onions, sliced
- Sprinklings of dried thyme and oregano
- Coarse sea salt
1. Put yeast in warmed medium mixing bowl (swirl around some hot water and then dump it out to warm the bowl). Add warm water, stir in sugar, and mix with fork. Let sit for 5-10 minutes until the mixture starts to foam.
2. Mix in the salt and one cup of flour with a wooden spoon, then add in another cup of flour and mix until dough begins pulling away from the sides of the bowl.
3. Sprinkle some flour on a flat work surface and knead the dough, adding the rest of the flour a little at a time. Knead for about 10 minutes until the dough is elastic and smooth, and shape it into a ball.
4. Place dough in lightly oiled mixing bowl and cover with a damp towel. Let stand in a warm place for about an hour until the dough has doubled in size. To test if the dough is ready, poke it with two fingers; if the indentations remain, it’s ready.
5. Preheat oven to 400°F.
6. Punch down the dough to release air and then knead for 3-4 minutes.
7. Brush a shallow cookie/baking sheet with one tablespoon of the oil.
8. Place the dough in the pan and spread it to the edges with your fingers. Leave this sit, covered with a towel, for a half hour.
9. In the meantime, heat two tablespoons of oil in a pan on low heat, add onions, and cook until tender.
10. Stir in thyme and oregano and remove from heat.
11. Remove towel from pan and make indentations in the dough with your fingers.
12. Brush oil from the onion mixture on the dough, then spread onions over top evenly. Sprinkle lightly with coarse salt.
13. Bake in the oven for about 25 minutes, until just turning golden.
14. Cut into squares or wedges, and serve focaccia by itself, as a side dish, or even as the bread of a sandwich. It is best warm or at room temperature.
Buon appetito!
Don’t forget to submit your O Foods recipe by September 30
and/or donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund!
Also, Megan’s Expat Snapshot of Italy Contest is still going on until tomorrow night–just head over to Career By Choice and fill in the blank: You Know You’re in Italy When….
Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month: Signs & Symptoms
Right now I want to turn attention to just the facts ma’am–what all women need to know about potential symptoms of ovarian cancer and what exactly you should be asking of your doctor if you experience them.
Ovarian cancer has been called the “Silent Killer” because it often isn’t discovered until it has spread to other parts of the abdomen; as you know from the facts from the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund posted in the O foods post, once ovarian cancer reaches later stages, the survival rate beyond five years drops to just 45%. When detected and treated early on, though, the five-year survival rate from ovarian cancer is greater than 92%.
But ovarian cancer isn’t silent! As many ovarian cancer awareness organizations say, “It whispers–so listen!”
Here are some common signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer:
- Vague but persistent and unexplained gastrointestinal complaints;
- Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling and pain; bloating and/or feeling of fullness;
- Unexplained change in bowel habits;
- Frequency and/or urgency of urination;
- Unexplained weight gain or loss;
- New and unexplained abnormal postmenopausal vaginal bleeding.
If these symptoms are sudden and persist for more than 2 or 3 weeks, consult your gynecologist. A full pelvic exam, including the rectovaginal component, is the best screening method for ovarian cancer, and another test is a transvaginal ultrasound. Be sure to tell your doctor about your symptoms so she knows exactly what she should be looking for.
Ovarian cancer risk factors include:
- Peri- or postmenopause;
- Uninterrupted ovulation (no pregnancies and no prior use of oral contraceptives);
- Family or personal history of breast/ovarian cancer;
- Presence of BRCA1 or BRCA2 gene mutations.
The following may aid in prevention:
- Use of oral contraceptives for 5+ years;
- Multiple pregnancies/breastfeeding;
- Removal of ovaries or tubal ligation–these procedures may reduce but not eliminate risk.
For a handy guide to the signs and symptoms, risk factors, and prevention of ovarian cancer, print out the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund’s tent card (from which the above facts come). Better yet, print out a stack and hand them out to all the women in your life!
And here are some more ideas on what you can do for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
Tomorrow, another O recipe!
Oatmeal Banana Craisin Muffins: O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
Here is a fast, easy, tasty (just like we like ’em!) O Food recipe based on one from Cooks.com.
Read on...O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awarness Month Contest
Some of you may remember last year’s Dolce Italiano contest to spread the word about the wonderful cookbook by the 2008 Bon Appetit award-winner for best Pastry Chef Gina DePalma.
Well a few months ago, I found out from Diana, a lovely blogger and B & B owner in northern Italy, that Gina was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and was undergoing a whirlwind of treatment. I wrote Gina a quick email, sending my best thoughts and wishes, and Gina, recovering from surgery and about to undergo chemotherapy, immediately wrote back a message full of courageous spirit, humor, and love–vintage Gina.
You see, Gina was already thinking about what she could do to raise ovarian cancer awareness and money to fight the disease. So a few of us from the Dolce Italiano contest got together and we proudly announce:
O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen and Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer, Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy, Jenn of The Leftover Queen, and Michelle of Bleeding Espresso are asking you to donate to the:
Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (via FirstGiving.org)
and then, out of the goodness of your hearts and to be eligible for the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest, please do the following:
1. Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato) and include this entire text box in the post;
OR
2. If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word about the event and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.
AND
3. Then send your post url [along with a photo (100 x 100) if you’ve made a recipe] to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on September 30, 2008.
We will post a roundup and announce prize winners on October 3.
Prizes:
- 1 Recipe Prize for best “O food” concoction: $50 gift certificate to Amazon;
- 1 Awareness Prize for only publicizing event: Copy of Dolce Italiano cookbook.
———
From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:
- Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.
- The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease.
- The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.
- In spite of this patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years. Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.
- When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.
Please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund
and help spread the word!
P.S. Feel free to use the ribbon widget in my sidebar in *your* sidebar.
If you need help setting it up, please contact me!
Michelle Kaminsky is an American attorney-turned-freelance writer who lived in her family's ancestral village in Calabria, Italy for 15 years. This blog is now archived.
Calabria Guidebook
Recipes
