This weekend I went home for my best friends birthday. I am always the one out of my group of friends who is put in charge of making the cake. ( I hope it would be obvious by now why this is!) Generally, my friend requests carrot cake, as it may very well be the best thing I make. However this year I heard not one peep from her regarding the cake so I decided to mix things up. I wanted to do something smore’s themed, since that is one of her favorite sweet treats, but I didn’t want the cake to be too be overwhelming. I wanted it to be a balanced and simple cake that would truly concentrate on intense flavor. My mother suggested to me the milk chocolate layer cake from Prince Arthur flour, and I thought it was truly stellar. The cake itself was a little dry, as it is hard to make a truly moist chocolate cake, let alone a milk chocolate cake. I think though I had over baked the cake a little bit and it would have been much better with a few less minutes in the over.

The icing though was what truly made the cake – and it could not have been simpler. Two of the layers were simply marshmallow fluff, straight out of the jar. I worried that this would have been too sweet but it worked nicely with the crumbly cake layers. The other layers, and the icing on the outside of the cake was a milk chocolate ganache icing. With only two ingredients this was definitely the easiest icing that I have ever made and it was also the most delicious. Really I can’t stress enough how amazing this icing was, but remember with only two ingredients quality goes a long way. The importance of good quality milk chocolate is vital to the delicious integrity of the recipe.

Also a disclaimer is needed for this post. Although everything was baked by me, my mother was the one who photographed the cake. She has been really enjoying learning about food photography lately and I was more than happy to let her profile my cake since I was baking it at home – so I hope you enjoy the top quality pictures in this post!

Recipe

Ingredients

Cake

¼ cup of vegetable oil

4 Tablespoons of softened butter

¾ cup of sugar

2 large eggs

6 ounce of melted milk chocolate

¼ teaspoon of salt

2 ½ cups of unbleached cake flour

1 ¼ teaspoon of baking soda

¼ cup dried whole milk

¼ cup of all purpose cocoa powder

1 cup of buttermilk

Filling

2 cups of marshmallow fluff

Ganache

12 ounces of milk chocolate

1 cup of heavy cream

Directions

Preheat the over to 350 degrees f and spray to 8inch round cake pans well with non-stick cooking spray. Place oil, butter, sugar and eggs into your mixer and beat on a medium high speed fro about two minutes. Next add in the melted milk chocolate, salt, flour, baking soda, vanilla, dried whole milk, cocoa powder and half of the buttermilk. Beat again on a medium high speed for a minute. Stop and scrape down the sides. Add the rest of the buttermilk and mix for 30 more seconds.

Pour the batter equally into both pans and bake for 18-24 minutes. When a skewer comes out dry with only a few crumbs then the cakes are ready

For the icing, place the milk chocolate in a heat proof bowl and set aside. Place the cream in a pot on the stove and heat until almost boiling, stirring occasionally. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate and stir until everything is melted. Let the ganache cool in the fridge for about half an hour, until the mixture has thickened slightly (to the consistency of chocolate pudding). Remove from the fridge and using the whisk attachment on a mixer whip the ganache until it is light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes.

When cakes are cool, slice them in half so that you have four layers and ice the layers alternately with the icing and the marshmallow fluff, using a cup of fluff on the alternating layers. A tip to make sure the fluff doesn’t spill out over the edge and mess up the icing of the sides of the cake is to pipe a ring of ganache around the edge of the fluff layers.

Once the entire cake is iced, serve and enjoy!

Being a 28-year old with breast cancer is certainly not the norm, but it’s my norm. When I started going to my appts at Mass General, I was always the youngest patient in the waiting room by a large margin. When my mother would take me to my appts, the nurses mistook her for the patient on several occasions. All the literature for breast cancer patients was aimed at the over 50 crowd. There were pamphlets on how to relate to your children while you go through treatment, and support groups for spouses, etc. I was more interested in information on preserving my fertility, and how to talk with my parents and siblings about my cancer. There was very little of that kind information available. I felt very isolated and alone.

I struggled with sometimes feeling angry that I had no one to relate to as I watched the other women in the waiting room make friends and bond over their common situations, many with husbands or grown children in tow. Other times, I was glad that I didn’t see anyone else my age going through breast cancer. I hoped I was the only one so young. According to the National Cancer Institute:

From 2004-2008, the median age at diagnosis for cancer of the breast was 61 years of age. Approximately 0.0% were diagnosed under age 20; 1.9% between 20 and 34; 10.2% between 35 and 44; 22.6% between 45 and 54; 24.4% between 55 and 64; 19.7% between 65 and 74; 15.5% between 75 and 84; and 5.6% 85+ years of age.

Even today at 32, I stick out like a sore thumb in the waiting room during my annual mammogram. As we all sit in the small room in our robes waiting for our turn, the women talk about their children and grandchildren, retirements and divorces. They talk about their treatment, pain, recurrence and fears, all while I read my Cosmo magazine feeling so alone. I want so badly to be included in this group that no one wants to be in. It is a strange dichotomy, wanting to belong and not belong at the same time.

You need a wig wizard, a professional who can make selecting that first ever wig less uncomfortable and confusing at a time when you are feeling most vulnerable.

You want a professional who can talk you through what you want in a wig…something that is almost an exact replica of how you usually wear your hair or an entirely different look that can be passed off as “something new.”

Although I’ve had breast cancer twice, I didn’t require chemo for either cancer but that didn’t prevent me from needing a wig. I am one of a small group of women whose hair thins out on hormonal therapy. Six months into tamoxifen I no longer felt comfortable wearing my own hair. While I  didn’t have any bald spots, my entire head of hair thinned out to the point you could see through it. Hair extensions were not the answer, I needed a wig, especially since I would be on Tamoxifen  for another 4+ years.

Living in NYC, I thought I would have a number of options to choose from, places where I could sit, in privacy, trying on wigs at a prices I could afford, with the help of a understanding professional. I assumed that a professional would cut and shape the wig to look natural and feel comfortable on my head. I worked long hours and needed not only to look my best, I needed to feel my best. I couldn’t manage a hot, heavy wig. I was already facing the challenge of trying to stay cool during the hot flashes of Tamoxifen, I didn’t need an extra source of heat!

Several wigs and a lot of frustration later, I found my wig wizard, Cecelia Knight. I was walking along 23rd Street in Manhattan with a dear friend when she pointed to an awning for a full-service hair salon that included wigs  and said, ” I bet that’s one you haven’t tried yet.”  Reluctantly, I agreed to check it out with her. From that day to this, I have never had a bad hair day.

I invited Cecelia to share about picking out and learning to care for a wig. Cecelia is a licensed cosmetologist and hair stylist with over twelve years experience in fitting and styling wigs.  A cancer survivor herself, she knows first hand what a woman feels when facing hair loss and the need to wear a wig.

As Cecelia describes it, “Buying and wearing a wig for the first time can be a daunting experience. Most of us have never seen ourselves bald and we really don’t want to.  Unfortunately, many chemo drugs take a woman’s hair and being bald for six months or more becomes a reality that needs to be dealt with until new hair grows in after treatment ends.

When a woman first calls for an appointment, because she has started or is about to start chemo, I suggest that she come with a friend.  Most women are confused, overwhelmed and unsure when they come for a wig . A trusted friend can not only offer support during wig selection but can offer an objective viewpoint on what does and doesn’t look good.

I begin each session in a private room, away from the rest of my salon. The room is full of long and short hair wigs, both curly and straight. First I ask if the woman wants to get something that closely resembles her own hair or a new look entirely.The goal is to make each woman feel as comfortable with the idea of wearing a wig, as well as insuring a good wig fit.

If the woman has begun to lose her hair, I will suggest that she cut it off as the wig will fit better. Fitting and wearing a wig over a head of existing hair is difficult. Wigs fit much better on a natural head.

We  begin by trying on samples I have in stock to determine, size, style, shape and comfortable fit. We also review catalogs from wig manufacturers.  Once the style, shape and fit are determined, we then discuss the pros and cons of  human and/or synthetic hair. Synthetic and human hair wigs are equally durable. Either type can be matched to your hair color and desired style. Some of the things I ask a woman to consider are:

• Synthetic wigs are less expensive than human hair wigs and easier to maintain. Synthetic wigs hold their set longer, dry faster after washing, and are virtually “wash and wear”.
• Human hair wigs have more styling versatility and a more natural feel. A human hair wig can be styled just like “real hair”  using curling irons, blow dryers, and hot curlers – heat that would melt a synthetic wig. Top quality (Grade A) human hair wigs can even be re-dyed or permed. Human hair wigs require more maintenance and regular professional styling and resetting is recommended.

Another consideration, which adds to the natural look of a wig, is the wearing a wig that is a monofilament (or mono-top) wig that is made with a special, very fine lace material that takes on the color of the wearer’s scalp. Each individual strand of fiber is hand tied into the monofilament material. In most regular wigs, fibers are sewn onto a lace fabric. As a result, a monofilament wig is much more natural looking than a regular wig because the fiber can be parted and the scalp area looks natural and realistic.

Most women choose synthetic wigs for the reasons already mentioned and because they don’t want to make a major financial investment in a wig that they feel they will only need for six months or so.Very good synthetic wigs run between $200 and $300 dollars, while human hair wigs are considerably more. Many insurance companies will cover all or part of  the cost of a wig for hair loss due to medical treatments. Call your insurance company and find out before shopping for a wig. If you insurance does not cover a wig, this expense is tax deductible.

Once a woman has made the choice of material, it is time to look at swatches of what colors the wig material can he made up in and to choose a color. The order is placed with the wig manufacturer. Waiting time can be anywhere from a few days to a few weeks in the case of wigs that are monofilament and take longer to make. Custom wigs will taken even longer.

When the wig comes in, the woman needs to try it on and accept the wig before it is cut and shaped exactly for her. Most wigs need some styling, shaping and cutting. This process is included in the initial cost of the wig.  Once the wig is cut and styled the a wig company will not accept it as a return.

Every wig company includes care instructions with the wig. Synthetics are easy; just wash, shake, let dry and wear. Human hair requires a professional’s touch to look as it did when you purchased it.

I tell each woman that there is no need to be afraid of you wig. Play with it. Comb it and brush it until you are comfortable with how it looks. Be patient; it will take time to get used to wearing a wig, but if properly fitted and styled, you will not look like you are wearing a wig.

For more about navigating breast cancer, visit www.noboobsaboutit.org

1.  A federal task force recommended against routine testing of healthy men for the prostate-specific antigen (PSA), which can be a sign of prostate cancer. However, Dana-Farber’s Philip Kantoff, MD, called the message “misguided” and said that oncologists are using the test to find those who may benefit from screening and treatment.

2. Researchers compiled a complete genetic map of prostate cancer for the first time, an achievement that may expand understanding of the disease and lead to new treatments. The work is already providing insights into the disease, according to a team led by Levi Garraway, MD, PhD, of Dana-Farber and the Broad Institute. Scientists have uncovered alterations in tumors that prevent the body from making proteins that suppress cancer growth. Other findings may eventually allow scientists to tell whether a cancer is slow-growing or aggressive, an important key to determining the best treatment options.

3. The FDA approved new drugs targeting genetic abnormalities in lung cancer and melanoma, reflecting what oncologists say is a promising new era of highly specific cancer therapies.

• The drug crizotinib (Xalkori) was approved for advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients with a certain mutation in their tumor. Geoffrey Shapiro, MD, PhD; James Butrynski, MD, and Pasi Janne, MD, PhD, reported groundbreaking work on crizotinib in 2010.

• Ipilimumab (Yervoy), an immune-stimulating drug, was approved for patients with previously untreated metastatic melanoma. Dana-Farber’s F. Stephen Hodi, MD, led a study showing that a combination of ipilimumab and the monoclonal antibody drug bevacizumab (Avastin) could be safely given to patients with inoperable melanoma and appeared to be more effective than either drug alone.

One of my all time favorite restaurants is Figs on Charles street.  This Todd English restaurant focuses on Pizza, and do they ever get this right. You can chose from a large variety of toppings, all of which will be displayed on a delicious and slightly crisp thin crust pizza cooked on the back of a standard sized baking sheet.  Imagine a 26 x 18 in. sized pizza. Pure heaven. Also great for sharing truth be told. My favorite topping? The Bianco pizza, with Arugula and tomato it is delicious way of getting a full serving of greens while still enjoying some yummy pizza.

Fig's Pizza

Max Brenner would be next on my list, and although this is a chain restaurant, for a chocolate lover like me it is a must-mention.  Located on Boylston street near the Prudential center Max Brenner is all about creating a chocolate culture. Most of his dishes are uniquely crafter to highlight this aspect, including many of the main dishes like the fries which are dusted with a chili cocoa powder. The real standout of this restaurant is the dessert menu featuring dishes like a smores sampler, chocolate berry waffles and even syringes filled with pure chocolate to squirt into your mouth. In short this is the perfect place for any chocolate and dessert lovers.

Max Brenner Waffles

Although I could go on and on about my favorite restaurants I’ll stop after this one because I could be happy attending only these 3 places for the rest of my life. Stephanie’s on Newbury is the perfect spot for brunch. Although the restaurant is always crowded that just further demonstrates their commitment to the quality food they put out. What I love about this place is that although they are a ‘nice’ restaurant, they aren’t stuffy. They are producing American classics that are truly done right.  The grilled cheese at this restaurant is possibly the best I have ever had, served on brioche bread with goat cheese, tomato and avocado it is the perfect combination of creamy and crunchy and tart.  If that’s not enough they also serve it with potato chips, yum.

I hope that these tantalizing descriptions will inspire you to not only try out these fabulous restaurants but do some exploring of your own and allow you to make your own list of favorite places to dine. Happy eating everyone!

Our Wedding Day in September, 2010

Since today is Valentine’s Day, I thought I would tell you a bit about my Valentine – my husband. I met Marc in August of 2007, just three weeks before being diagnosed with Breast Cancer. We’d been out a few times, and I had no idea how to tell him the news. We hadn’t even had ‘the talk’ about being in an actual relationship. I thought for sure that my summer fling was going to run for the hills.

After I told my immediate family about my diagnosis, I called Marc to tell him. I will never forget his reaction. He said, “I’m very sorry to hear that.” Then we talked a bit about my fears, and how little I knew about my illness at that point. Before we got off the phone, he initiated plans for another date. I thought he was off his rocker.

We continued to date for the next few months while I had an additional surgery in November and then began chemo in January. I was impressed that he had stuck around through the surgery and recovery, but was still terrified that the minute I lost my hair, he would leave. I think my parents’ were worried about that too. I am certainly not my best self when I am sick and unhappy, never mind bald, sick and unhappy.

Our first Valentine’s Day was spent with me mostly trying to hold it together since my hair had started to fall out a few days earlier. Feeling romantic was a challenge to say the least. But we made it work, with dinner at my place and a cheesy movie to watch too.

To this day, I don’t know how or why we made it through my treatment, knowing each other for just a few months. My husband is a special man. He was there for me, listened to me, held my hand when I was scared and rubbed my back when it was so swelled and sore from chemo. He didn’t flinch when I took my wig off, and never said a word about my weight gain. He got used to seeing me in pajamas, and I don’t think I wore a bit of my usual makeup for months. He didn’t take it personally when I cried or yelled for no reason either. He was a trooper.

About six months after I finished up with my chemo, Marc admitted to me that while I was going through treatment, he had gone to a support group for people dealing with a loved one’s Breast Cancer. I was shocked – I’d had no idea. He said he wanted to better understand what I was going through and how to help. If I hadn’t already known he was a keeper, at that point it became crystal clear.

Even so, for a long time I worried that since we’d grown so close during a time where I was so vulnerable and needy, would we still get along when I didn’t need him so much? The dynamics of a relationship change so much when illness is introduced and I know that most people have a chance to get to know each other’s best selves before they get to know each other’s sick, un-showered, bald, depressed and anxious selves.

Today our relationship isn’t always about Cancer. It’s about who did the dishes, what’s on TV and where we’re going on Saturday night. It’s about how work was that day and what’s posted on Facebook. It feels much more balanced. I am so grateful to Marc for being there for me during my treatment, and also because he was there to witness the transformation to a healthy, happy me. He understands my continued anxiety surrounding annual MRIs and mammograms in a way he wouldn’t if we hadn’t gone through this together.

In many ways, the circumstances of our first year together (which I celebrated with no eyebrows while wearing a bad wig) were a blessing. I got to see how Marc handles crisis – with a level head and a sense of calm. And Marc got to see how I handle personal tragedy – using humor and a snarky attitude. When he proposed to me, there was not a doubt in my mind that Marc was the only man for me. Not because he’d seen me through Cancer, but because we’d gone through it together and come out united on the other side.

The following post is courtesy of Navigating Cancer, www.navigatingcancer.com introducing a new partner to their site who is offering information and recipes to help cancer patients with eating well by improving their diets.

Cooking with Cancer is a non-profit organization started by Dr. Luis Pineda, an oncologist with over 26 years of experience. Dr. Pineda attended culinary school in 2003 to improve the nutrition and diet of cancer patients. Cooking with Cancer now has a group on Navigating Cancer and each week adds a new recipe to their library on site. Each recipe is prepared specifically with cancer patients in mind. Recipes feature  foods and preparation methods that  help minimize the negative reactions certain foods can have with specific side effects from chemo and radiation treatment.

Gina Seibert from Cooking with Cancer shares more about the organization and their mission, saying,”Our mission is to help those with cancer to enjoy a better quality of life through eating well with good food. Our goal is to create awareness of a patients’ poor quality-of-life due to neglected nutrition from lack of enjoyment in eating.  This problem has continued to be neglected, accepted and even expected.

We support the right of everyone, regardless of their state in sickness or health, to enjoy an enhanced quality-of-life and nutrition through good food, eating well and good cooking. We believe that patients undergoing treatment deserve to enjoy the pleasure of food and nutrition.

This is the foundation that Cooking With Cancer, INC. is built on.  We are a non-profit charitable organization that dedicates its resources and energy to the research and development of new recipes for cancer patients. We provide education not only for patients with cancer but also their family and friends.

Each recipe we develop is intended to enhance taste for patients, calculated to heal the mouth and provide maximum nutrition.  Recipes are meant to treat certain side effects, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fluid retention, etc. We will post new recipes on www.navigatingcancer.com on a regular basis.”

Congratulations to Navigating Cancer for adding this much needed feature to their site. Thank you Dr. Pineda for giving patients in treatment the tools for eating!

I don’t ever think I will forget the day I heard five years ago that Kelley Tuthill a TV reporter on WCVB in Boston was diagnosed with breast cancer.  As a reporter Kelley was in my home all the time and now to hear Kelley, a young mother, wife and daughter was fighting breast cancer was a shock.   But I am sure it was more of a shock to her and her family but it was a shock to the Boston Community as well.

What was more amazing to me was that Kelley chose to share your story as she was undergoing treatment.  Cameras were with her to share Kelley’s Story every step of the way.  This is only a part of what makes Kelley the amazing woman she is but an inspiration to so many.  She helped more women than she could ever imagine by taking what many keep as private and make it as public as possible.  Kelley indeed made a difference in the lives of many – those she knew and those she would never meet.

But after Kelley’s treatment was over, Kelley did not stop being a breast cancer advocate and supporter.  Kelley never took a back seat to helping others.  This is where I had the opportunity to meet Kelley and see Kelley every year before the start of Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer! Kelley visits the clinics at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute with Tim Fonseca, Executive Pastry Chef from the Four Seasons Hotel Boston where they share Tim’s famous chocolate chip cookies before the start of our event.  Kelley and Tim distribute cookies and talk with the patients, their families, the doctors, nurses and staff.  It is one of my favorite things to do before Boston Bakes.  It brings Boston Bakes back home to Dana-Farber and makes our mission on raising money for breast cancer research more important when you see the faces of those fighting breast cancers with all that they have.  Sharing a cookie with Kelley and Tim for one day makes a difference.

I thought I was the lucky one for Kelley giving us her time each year to do this but this year I found out Kelley looks forward to this as much as I do!  I must admit that was a wow moment for me something I surely was not expecting to hear!  It is a very special day for us and Kelley talks to so many people when we are at the clinic. It never fails that she always meets someone she knows.

Kelley is also an author and her book You Can Do This!: Surviving Breast Cancer Without Losing Your Sanity or Your Style is a must read!

Kelley, here is to your health and happiness!  Thank you for all you do for breast cancer.  I look forward to seeing you next May when we once again visit the clinics at Dana-Farber with chocolate chip cookies in hand for our tradition of kicking off Boston Bakes for Breast Cancer.

On Monday, February 13^th, watch News Center 5 at 11 PM to see an update on Kelley’s Story. Additional stories will continue during the week starting on Tuesday on News Center 5 at 5 PM.

Today’s gadget is for all of you out there who consider your blender to be one of your closest friends.

Your blender is there for you in the morning when you’re running late and a breakfast shake on-the-go is all that will silence your stomach gargles until lunchtime. A blender provides you with an extra energy boost by whipping up a pre-workout protein shake so that your muscles can prevail. And your blender will be at home waiting for you when all you want after a long day at the office is a cold banana daiquiri.

So, in order to celebrate one of the most famous kitchen gadgets of our time, the Cuisinart Compact Portable SmartPower Blender is today’s topic of conversation.

I once heard a friend refer to another friend as ‘tiny, but strong’, and I think those are the perfect words to define this Cuisinart blender. The small, compact base allows for easy storage. And the SmartPower is equipped with three different sized cups: one 32 ounce blending cup, one 8 ounce chopping cup ideal for mincing herbs, and four 16 ounce to-go cups for busy folks in motion.

Cuisinart Compact Blender

And the to-go cups allow you to do all the blending right inside of them. All you have to do is throw in your desired ingredients, blend it, and then instantly enjoy right from the same cup! No need to clean up because after you’ve finish your smoothie/shake/whatever just throw it in the dishwasher!

This ‘powerhouse’ of a blender is equipped with a 350-watt motor for pureed perfection. Highly renowned and reviewed by consumers the Cuisinart Compact Portable SmartPower Blender is sure to be a crowd-pleaser.

Available from multiple retailers including chefscatalogue.com, Amazon.com, Crate & Barrel and Macy’s this lovely little gadget ranges from around $50.00 to $100.00.

And here’s one yummy shake that can be enjoyed at anytime of the day or night!

1 whole banana, 1 cup of Naked Green Machine juice, 1 tablespoon of either tahini or peanut butter. Put it all into your blender with some ice, pulse and enjoy! Modify to suit your taste buds!