The NYC Marathon and Cancer

Some of my longtime readers may remember that our nephew, Shane, just 10 years old was struck by cancer in April, 2009.

That little boy traveled a very long, hard road in his subsequent battle and ultimate recovery.

I wrote of Shane's battle here and here and here.

His parents, Mark and Dee ran an emotional NYC Marathon last year, raising over $16,000 dollars for pediatric cancer research. TBHITW and I had the honor of taking all the children into the city to watch the inspiring runners.

This year's marathon was to be a run of celebration. I will let Dee (Shane's mom) take it from here:

Hi Linda,

"Shane has passed the one year cancer free mark!  We are all very excited about this.  Our doctor visits and scans have gone from once a month to every 3 months now.  

To look at Shane you would never know what he has gone through and sometimes I have to stop and think about it as well.  He is doing fabulous in school and runs on the cross country team.  When I look at him running I compare him to the other runners and even though it is hard for him (mainly because his body is not used to doing this hard exercise yet) he is getting through it.  Each week he gets stronger and faster and more confident. 

We have so much to be thankful for in life. 


To The Good Cook Readers:

This is our second year on Fred's Team and running the New York City Marathon.  Last year Mark raised so much money that I signed on as well.  We went to stay with Jim and Linda for marathon weekend.  Jim was our official transport all over the city!  Linda prepared wonderful meals for us!  And the Michigan cousins got to trick or treat with their Jersey cousins!  In short, a mini family vacation and we had a very memorable and enjoyable experience. 


The marathon itself was emotionally difficult as we remembered what had led us to this destination - Shane's cancer.  We wanted to come back and really be able to enjoy it.  However, without warning tragedy struck our family once more with the death of Jim, Mark's older brother.  For several weeks, Mark wasn't sure that he could continue on the journey of running the NYC marathon let alone fundraising for it.  Now we are decidedly in however our fundraising efforts fall far short.  We need to raise the remainder in the next week.  A very tall order.  But we are going to try, for if we don't we forfeit monies already raised as well as our entry fee already paid for the race.

Donations, big or small would be greatly apprecieated in reaching our goal.  Donations can be made online by going to mskcc.convio.net.  Select Fred's Team, then select Support a member.  You can enter Skelcy and select Mark or Deanna.

Thanks Linda!  Talk to ya soon.  And remember, from a tree a seed drops and scatters in the wind.  Then that little seed takes hold and begins to grow...and life begins again.   Look for that little seed.

Dee"

I am logging on and making a donation in TBHITW's name. If any of you can find it in your heart could you make a small donation for an incredible cause? If you are unable to afford a donation, may I ask just one favor? Keep Mark and Dee and Shane in your prayers as they continue to race for a cure for cancer.

Blessings,

The Good Cook 

Shane in Times Square with TBHITW

A Father, A Son and Bolognese Sauce

This is my brother-in-law Mark and his son Shane.

Shane just finished with his first week of radiation.

It's been a long summer.

Some of you who have been following my blog for awhile will remember that Shane was diagnosed with cancer in the spring.

Surgery to remove a tumor.

Followed by chemotherapy.

Followed by more surgery.

Followed by radiation.

Just like the summer has ended, we are hoping that the therapy portion of his cancer is now over and the healing has begun.

Mark, Shane, his mom Dee and sisters are coming here at the end of the month. Mark and Dee are running the New York Marathon. Through their running and training they have so far raised $12,000 for Pediatric Cancer Research.

We will all be at the finish line in New York City to cheer Mark and Dee as they finish the race. We will also be cheering for Shane as he symbolically finishes his victorious race against cancer.

Go Team.

Runners carbo load before a big race. I plan on making this dish the day or so before.

Bolognese Sauce

A Cook's Notes: This sauce is best cooked low and slow. If you have a crock pot, definitely use it for this recipe. The tantalizing aroma coming from your kitchen will have everyone running for a fork!! Serve it with a simple green salad and lots of hot bread.

A Gift and Some Good Things To Know

Some of you may remember from previous posts our 10 year old nephew Shane, has cancer. He is now preparing for his fourth (4th.) round of chemotherapy. Shane is a trooper, fighting back against this monster with everything he has.

I have been fortunate in my life to have worked and studied with many talented people. 

Professors and teachers who were passionate about sharing knowledge. Bosses who truly wanted me to succeed. Chef's who were more than happy to share their life's secrets and recipes. 

And a truly gifted graphic artist/designer. Anita is one of those rare breed of individuals who is both talented and humble. She is patient beyond Job. I know. Anita designed my logos, website, business brochure, business card and all my stationary. 

She put up with endless edits. Frantic reprints. A thousand requests... 

She designed my aprons and continues to offer me suggestions and redesigns. (She took one look at my original, pitiful attempt at a blog header and fixed it immediately)

Recently Anita has gone above and beyond the call of a Graphic Artist. On her own time, with again the patience of Job and the fortitude of a saint, she designed [pro bono] a logo for Shane. 

She took the time to get to know him, waited for me to take pictures, designed and redesigned as an entire family weighed in with opinions.... Here is Shane's logo and mantra, soon to be appearing on T-Shirts everywhere:

Yes, that is Shane's face and body in a Jedi Knight uniform. He's a big fan of Star Wars and he is striking back against cancer (Mr. Lucas, I hope you understand)

There are gifted people in this world and then there are people who are a gift to know. Anita is both. 

*If you'd care to contact Anita for your design needs, she is beyond reasonable, I know (cook's don't make a lot of money and this blog thing doesn't pay the rent)...  you can contact Anita at SpeckGold@comcast.net.

Tell her The Good Cook sent you.

Because I have been remiss dear readers in giving you culinary tips and tricks, here is your weekly reading list of culinary terms. Enjoy. 

These terms are from my Soup and Bread class:

Some good terms to know:

Mise en place: (meez ahn plahs) A French term referring to having all the ingredients necessary for a dish prepared and ready to combine up to the point of cooking. Good cooks know that stuff happens in the kitchen. Kids cry, dogs need to go out, phones ring. By practicing Mise en place, you will never ask yourself, did I add the salt yet???

Mirpoix; mirepois: (mihr-PWAH) A mixture of diced carrots, onions, celery and herbs sautéed in butter or oil. Sometimes ham or bacon is added. Mirepoix is used to season sauces, soups and stews, as well as for a bed on which to braise foods, usually meats or fish. A white mirepoix omits the carrots and often incorporates mushrooms and/or parsnips.

Stock: In the most basic terms, stock is the strained liquid that is the result of cooking vegetables, meat or fish and other seasoning ingredients in water. A brown stock is made by browning bones, vegetables and other ingredients before they’re cooked in the liquid. Most soups begin with a stock of some kind and many sauces are based on reduced stocks.

Reduction: (reduce) Culinarily, to boil a liquid (usually stock, wine or a sauce mixture) rapidly until the volume is reduced by evaporation. This will thicken the consistency and intensify the flavor.

Chop: Using quick, heavy blows of a knife to cut food into bite size or smaller pieces.

Mince: To cut food into very small pieces. Minced food is in smaller pieces than chopped food.

Poach: To cook food gently in liquid just below the boiling point when the liquid’s surface is beginning to show some quivering movement.

Yeast: Yeast is a living, microscopic, sing-cell organism that, as it grows, converts its food (through a process known as fermentation) into alcohol and carbon dioxide.

Baking Powder: a leavener containing a combination of baking soda (an acid) and a moisture-absorber (such as cornstarch). When mixed with liquid, baking powder releases carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause a bread or cake to rise. Baking powder is perishable. To test if your baking powder is still good, combine 1 teaspoon of it with 1/3 cup hot water. If it bubbles enthusiastically, it’s fine.

Expect a pop quiz in a future post! 

Cooking with Shane for Cancer - no recipe included

I got the best phone call of my life the other day. 

Wasn't The Food Network calling offering me that cooking show (shame on them)

Wasn't the lottery commission calling to tell me I won the big one. 

Wasn't Weight Watchers calling to tell me their scales are off by 20 pounds and I'm actually underweight and don't come back. 

Wasn't the college boards calling to tell me my brilliant children should not have to spend a cent on higher education and they should choose any college of their choice and just go - all expenses paid.

No, as lovely as any of those calls would have been, the best phone call came from our 10 year old nephew in Michigan. 

Shane was calling from the 5th. floor of Beaumont Hospital where he was getting his second round of chemotherapy. 

Shane has cancer. 

Shane told me that he was trying to think of ways to help other kids with cancer. What?? Help other kids... but you have cancer. 

Yeah, yeah.. whatever. The purpose of the call was to ask me to help him help other kids with cancer who have to be on a neutropenic diet. 

Sometimes, if their blood counts get too low, doctors advise a neutropenic diet to ward off any exposure to bacteria. In a nutshell, fresh fruits and vegetables have to be avoided, as well as any fast food, food from a deli, food that is dispensed (think ice cream, soda, etc). 

If you really start thinking about it, even that syrup dispenser at your local waffle house could be deadly for these kids.... no fresh herbs, no yogurt, no soup at a restaurant, no ice tea with lemon... really, think about it - it gets huge! 

Shane's idea is for me to teach him how to cook healthy, easy, TASTY (he stressed tasty) meals following the restrictions set forth by the diet. We also have to take into consideration queasy stomachs and sore mouths. 

Once we have all of our TASTY, easy, healthy meals we will put all the recipes into a cookbook for kids. I'm not sure what his distribution plans are, but who am I to question his idea?

Cool huh? 

We are leaving next week for Michigan where Shane and I will begin our "test-kitchen" cooking. I hope I can do it without adding too much salt to the recipes from my tears. 

Once again, I got schooled by a 5th. grader. 

This is Shane last year on a camping trip to Acadia, Maine. We had a blast! 

Nothing To Add...

This post is from my brother-in-law's blog, www.teamskelcy.wordpress.com.

I have nothing to add but tears for the pain this beautiful family is going through (and a great picture)

"Shane made it through the installment of his port with some discomfort and will start chemo on Wednesday morning 9:00a.m.  He actually smiled a few times and talked to  his sisters.  Grandma Waters and Grandpa and Grandma McVicar sat with a sleepy Shane for awhile.

  My house is divided tonight with me and the girls at home, and Dee and Shane at the hospital.  Not a good feeling for sure.  But even at these low points I feel connected with them.  My son will have his mother by his side tonight.  I can’t think of a more comforting feeling for Shane then that.  I miss them deeply.

  That unwelcomed stranger came out of the shadows today, breathing down my neck.   But knowing Dee is where she has to be and me home with the girls makes that stranger cringe.  Teamskelcy is together, even when we are apart.  We feel the team growing everyday.  The prayers, hugs, and smiles are bonding this cause together.  This might be hard, but togetherness will make it work. Tonight  two sweet angels sleep peacefully at home with their dad.  Another angel sleeps by his mother’s side feeling safe and loved.  But everyone is together in their dreams.  Sleep well tonight world.  The fight has just begun."

This is Shane and his sisters, Allyson (alley-cat) and Kaitlyn (katy-did) - the very handsome runner in the background is their dad, Mark #1556, in the dark blue shirt. He and Dee (and the kids) are quite the runners. Mark and Dee will be running in the NYC Marathon this fall. To see how you can help - go to their blog, www.teamskelcy.wordpress.com. The Best Husband In The World and I will have the pleasure and privilege of having everyone stay at our home for the big event! Go TeamSkelcy! 

Cancer Sucks and Shanewiches

"Cancer Sucks, But My Son Rocks" - those are words written by my brother-in-law (Shane's Dad) on his blog site, www.teamskelcy.wordpress.com

Forgive me if I use this blog over the coming weeks and months to talk about our nephew.

When cancer strikes a loved one, the whole family gets cancer together. As a family we have weathered this storm before. With my father and the best husband in the world's father (prostate cancer). TBHITW's mom, breast cancer. My mom, colon cancer. All are survivors and we give thanks everyday for that.

But when cancer strikes a 10 year old boy - all reason flies out the window. All perspective can get lost in the battle.

Shane's journey into the world of cancer started with an innocent fall on a school playground just a few weeks ago. A bruise to his left side, above his hip was the beginning. When the "bruise" got worse, a second visit to the pediatrician was warranted. It wasn't a bruise. In a few short days of MRI's and tests, Shane was undergoing surgery to remove a tennis ball size tumor from his left side. TBHITW went to Michigan, the family rallied around Mark and Dee, Shane's parents, his sisters (the twins) just Irish Twins away in age, Kaitlin and Allyson and of course, Shane.

The surgeon felt 99.9% sure he got it all. Praise be! The tumor was not attached to the bone and had not spread. It was a "contained" tumor. Shane went home from the hospital, TBHITW came home from Michigan and we rejoiced that an angel pushed Shane down on the playground - otherwise the tumor would not have been found for months.

Then the pathology reports started coming in....

Confusing, infuriating, terrifying. The cancer is rare. Pathologists were consulted at the University of Michigan, the University of Boston and Emory University in Atlanta. A team of 20 tumor specialists was assembled. What was this? What path of treatment was needed? The verdict that came back has tried the faith and hope of everyone in this family. A rare cancer - rarely seen in adults and only seen 5 times in children. They are even loathe to name it. Myxiod Sarcoma? The doctors say it doesn't need a name. The diagnosis is enough.

The tumor team and all the pathologists have decided that the course of treatment will commence with chemotherapy beginning June 1. A full summer of it.

To be followed by radiation.

To be followed by surgery to remove even the skin that was covering the tumor. 

To be followed by a skin graft. 

We feel helpless in the face of this enormous disease that has captured our family. 

Some of us will pray. Some of us will cry. Some of us will yell. Some of us will shake our fists at the cancer gods and some at their very own God. 

Some, like Mark and Dee, will run in the NYC Marathon this fall - raising money for cancer research and honoring their son's struggle. 

Me, I'll cry a little (I call them my private cries - maybe in the shower, maybe when I'm all by myself in the kitchen). I'll google Myxoid Sarcoma - maybe. But mostly I'll cook. I'll rename old recipes for Shane and invent some new ones. I'll find the foods that soothe a chemotherapy racked body. I'll visit in July and take over someone's kitchen like an invading army. That is my therapy. That is where I find solace. In front of a pot. Creating, tasting, inventing, feeding. Feeding the family and feeding my soul. And somewhere in all that stirring and mixing and basting and sauteing is a prayer for a cure. 

ShaneWiches - formerly known as Whoopie Pies. (I can rename it because I changed the recipe somewhat in order to use whole wheat pastry flour and brown sugar instead of the traditional all white flour and sugar - feel free to change it back! I also feel free to rename it because if ten year olds can get cancer, they can have a cookie/cake named after them)

Cookies (Cakes):

1 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c all purpose flour
2/3 c unsweetened cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 c unsalted butter, softened
1 c packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
1 c buttermilk (if you don't have buttermilk, add 1 tablespoon lemon juice or white vinegar to one cup milk, let stand for 5 minutes)
Crystal sugar (optional)

Filling:
6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened
2 c confectioners sugar
1 jar (7 1/2 oz) marshmallow cream
2 tsp vanilla

1.  Heat oven to 350
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.  Combine flour, cocoa and baking soda.
In another bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 3 min.  Add egg
and vanilla and beat to combine.  Alternately add flour mixture and
buttermilk beginning and ending with flour.  Mix until smooth.

2.  Drop 1-inch mounds of batter 2 inches apart onto baking sheets.
Sprinkle half of the mounds with crystal sugar (optional).  Bake until tops are puffed
and cookies spring back when touched, 15 min.
Transfer to rack and cool completely.

3.  To make filling:  Beat together butter, confect. sugar, marshmallow
cream, and vanilla until smooth, about 3 min.  Spread a rounded tablespoon of
filling on flat side of half of the cookies.  Top with other.

Make these for all the people you love in this world - just because you CAN. 

Boys, Mussels and Kettles

Children are amazing, aren't they? Their response to everything is so simple and pure. This is Shane, my 10 year old nephew, less than 24 hours after surgery to remove a cancerous tumor from his side. 

My husband (the best husband in the world) asked him how he was feeling. A big two thumbs up is his reply. He is feeling strong. Which reminded me of muscles (mussels)

We don't have the results back from the biopsy yet so we don't know if this was stage 1,2,3 or 4 cancer and until then we won't know how the doctors want to proceed (radiation, chemo, combo of), but here he is, smiling his smile of life, feeling happy and strong. Now if that isn't a lesson for all of us, what is? The surgeon does feel that he was able to remove all of the tumor, that it had not spread to the bone or his abdominal cavity. Thank God and thank you for your prayers. 

Jim is still in Michigan. He will come home tomorrow. He called last night, feeling very lonely and sad. How can that be? He was with his entire family, sister, brothers, mom and dad and all the assorted nieces and nephews (the littles, as I call them) that come with them and everyone is feeling happy and strong. His reply was that being with them, made him lonely for me. They were complete, and he wasn't. This is one of the reasons he is the best husband in the world. 

I know how he feels. Yesterday, because I was lonely for him, I went to a beautiful place not far from our home. It is a low valley, cut out by a glacier thousands of years ago (I know this because the best husband in the world, who is a geologist, told me). It is called a glacial kettle. Over the years, one bulb at a time, thousands of daffodils have been planted here and, like daffodils do, they multiplied. Today, there are over 30,000 daffodils blooming in this kettle. 

It is a beautiful place and brought me much peace. This glacial kettle also reminded me of

a. my husband and 

b. a big black cast iron kettle I have. 

Which reminded me of this simple, yet satisfying meal:

Mussel Pot for Two:

3 pounds Prince Edward Island (or your favorite, such as green lip) mussels, scrubbed and debearded. Click together any open mussels, if they don't close, discard them.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 shallot, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup white wine, such as Riesling (more for drinking with dinner)

1 small bunch fresh flat leaf parsley, rough chopped

1 loaf crusty, french bread

Melt the butter in a dutch oven or better yet, a cast iron kettle if you have one. Add the shallots and saute until soft (about 5 minutes).  Add the garlic and give it another minute. Add the wine and mussels, bring to a good simmer. Put a lid on it and cook for 5 to 8 minutes or until the mussels open. 

Throw a handful of chopped parsley in and stir. Discard any unopened mussels. Serve with crusty bread for dipping into the sauce and a good cold white wine. 

Enjoy and stay happy and strong no matter what life hands you. 

A Cooks Note:

You can substitute clams or large shrimp (in the shell) for the mussels. This is a great appetizer for 4 to 6 or a simple, light meal for two. Add a salad if you insist on greens.