Helping Hands for JDRF!

In just three weeks, I will be participating in the JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes in Indianapolis, Indiana.  I have been doing the walk since 2004, when the company I worked for at the time sponsored the event.  Over the past several years, we've had several family members and friends join us for the walk, and we've grown from registering as individual walkers to forming this friends and family team.

JDRF Walk to Cure Diabetes 2011

JDRF is near and dear to me because its striving to find a cure for a disease that has affected and continues to affect many people I know.  My grandfather, Gene Hand, was a diabetic.  He had one leg amputated and had to take insulin shots daily for years.  I chose the team name, Helping Hands, in remembrance of him.  My mother, my sister, my cousin, my uncle, second cousins, friends, and many many more, have all been affected by diabetes.

JDRF may focus their research on type 1 diabates, but I believe that JDRF is on the right track to finding a cure for diabetes in general.  I have no doubt that a cure or even progress towards a cure for either type of diabetes will greatly affect the research and finding a cure for all types.  And definitely check out JDRF's homepage for the latest and greatest on their progress and advancement in finding the cure!

If you'd like to join us for the walk this year, please check out our walk team's website below.  We'd love to have as many people as possible join us in supporting this worthy cause!  It's a couple hours of your time on a beautiful fall Saturday morning.  This is one of the most gorgeous parts of Indianapolis as well.  The walk starts in Military Park and goes by the IUPUI campus, behind the Indianapolis Zoo and through White River Gardens and over the canal.  You will not find a more beautiful path in this city, and to go on such a beautiful walk with thousands of people!  Bring your camera for sure!

Kids, dogs, strollers, wagons all welcome!  We hope to see you there!

Helping Hands Walk Team Page:  

http://www2.jdrf.org/goto/helpinghands

Walk Details

Date:

October 6, 2012

Walk Location:

Military Park
601 West New York Street
Indianapolis, IN

Registration Start Time:

9:00 AM

Walk Start Time:

10:30 AM

Length of Walk:

5K (3.1 miles)

Message from JDRF:

We are taking steps to help JDRF achieve its goal of improving the lives of all people affected by type 1 diabetes (T1D) by accelerating progress on the most promising opportunities for curing, better treating, and preventing T1D. By joining our Walk Team and making a donation, you will be helping us to raise funds to directly support research with the greatest potential to conquer this disease.

We are motivated by the courage and perseverance of those facing the everyday challenges of type 1 diabetes - they are the reason we challenge ourselves to give more, to do more, to achieve more. We challenge ourselves to make a real difference in the lives of those with T1D.
Will you accept the challenge to make a difference by walking with us? All we need you to do is click on the "Join this Team" button, make a donation, and begin fundraising. It is simple, fast, and fun!
Thank you for your support, and we'll see you on Walk day!

If you can't make it to the walk, please consider supporting this cause by making a donation to our team.  We are so grateful for the support and the knowledge that one day there will be a cure for diabetes!  Thank you!

Maple Oatmeal Apple Crisp

I love apple crisp, and I love maple oatmeal so it definitely wasn't a big stretch to combine the two.  I know many people make fruit crisps with oatmeal in the topping, but this was a first for me.  This particular recipe came about because I was out of brown sugar.  Every apple crisp recipe I could find called for brown sugar.  There was no time for a trip to the store, so I had to improvise.  I've read that you can make brown sugar by adding molasses to granulated sugar, but  I didn't have any molasses either.  So I began thinking what else might make a good substitute and started searching the cabinets.  Even though I didn't have brown sugar or molasses, I did have good old fashioned maple syrup!  So why not give it a try.  And voila, maple oatmeal apple crisp was born! (Well not born, but baked!  You get the picture!)

Using this quick and easy apple-oatmeal crisp recipe as I guide,  I made my own maple oatmeal apple crisp. I knew I'd be using a 9x13 pan and was making this to take to a dinner party so I essentially doubled that recipe and then began tweaking it.

To start, I peeled and cored 8 Granny Smith apples.  Then I sliced them thin and cut the slices in half.  I wanted small pieces that I knew would cook thoroughly.  Gently toss the apple pieces in a bowl with the lemon juice.  Then sprinkle with the cinnamon and sugar.  Spread evenly in pan.

For the oatmeal crisp, I started by softening two sticks of butter.  Either plan ahead here or carefully soften in the microwave.  Then I pulled out my food processor to do the rest of the work for me.  Add the sugar and maple syrup to the food processor and pulse several times to combine.  You might need to run a spatula around it to make sure it all gets mixed together.  Then add the butter, flour, and cinnamon and pulse again until thoroughly mixed.  Lastly add the oatmeal and give it a few more pulses.

Thanks to the maple syrup this mixture sticks together pretty well, so gently break it up into small pieces and spread out on top of the apples.  Bake and enjoy.  Don't forget the ice cream to go with it!

Maple Oatmeal Apple Crisp

Ingredients:

Apples

• 8 Granny Smith apples; peeled, cored, and sliced
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Oatmeal Crisp

• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter; softened
• 1 cup flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cups oatmeal

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Toss apples in a bowl with lemon juice, sugar, and cinnamon.  Spread apples evenly in 9x13 glass baking dish.  In food processor, combine sugar and maple syrup.  Pulse till thoroughly mixed.  Add butter, flour, and cinnamon.  Pulse until combined.  Add oatmeal, and pulse 2 to 3 more times to combine.  Spoon oatmeal crisp on top of apples, and gently break apart and spread evenly across the top.  Bake for 35-40 minutes (I went all the way to 40 to get a nice crisp on the top.).  Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

*Recipe adapted from Cooks.com

Thanks for the Feature!

I sat down at the desk this morning with my coffee and proceeded to check my email like I always do.  It's normally a bunch of junk email with just an occasional nugget of useful information.  This morning though I had a fantastic surprise!  I saw I'd been mentioned on Twitter and discovered my blog post from yesterday was featured today in a Parent/Teacher Daily newsletter from Living Montessori Now!

I seriously love Living Montessori Now, and if you've never checked it out, definitely make the time.  Fan them on Facebook too to get quick access to awesome free daily printables and lots of other wonderful posts!

What a great way to start the morning!  Thanks Deb, you made my day!!