EPILEPSY FACT OF THE DAY:
Did you know that there are almost 500 new cases of epilepsy diagnosed in the US every day?

I'm at home in Charlotte with my family and I'm onto my second dip of the day. I told you yesterday that I have a problem and unfortunately, my mother and siblings are enablers! They know to have the house stocked with salty chips and pretzels and plenty of ooey gooey dips to plunk them in. Thank goodness our recipe for "Crack Dip" (cream cheese, salsa, and sausage- you had me at HELLO) doesn't have anything purple in it or an intervention might be warranted. This Spicy Blackberry Mustard Pretzel did has no cheese or pork product in it, so while it is a departure for me, it sure is good!

Blackberry Mustard Pretzel Dip

3 Tb blackberry preserves
2 Tb raspberry preserves
1/2 cup spicy brown mustard
1/2 cup honey
1 Tb mustard seeds
Bag of pretzels

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Leftovers can be stored in frig for a week.

EPILEPSY CENTERS OF CARE

For more 50% of people, the road to getting their seizures under control can be a hard one and may require going to a facility that specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy. At the these centers, groups of epileptologists, neurosurgeons, and therapists work together to try to get seizures under control and improve the quality of life of epilepsy patients. The centers have EMUs (epilepsy monitoring units) where people come in to the hospital and have a comprehensive work up with the latest neurodiagnostic technology to pinpoint where in the brain the seizures are originating. Video EEG is used so that the care team can see exactly what is happening in the brain at the same time that a seizures occurs.  By making sure that the diagnosis is accurate, they are best able to determine the treatment course for that individual. The centers also have neurosurgeons that specialize in epilepsy surgery and managing recovery. Psychologists and therapists also have an important role at these centers because people with epilepsy often have depression and anxiety disorders too and getting those under control is critical to improving the overall quality of life for a person with epilepsy. Here's a link to two resources that can help locate a specialized epilepsy center near you.

http://www.naec-epilepsy.org/find.htm
http://www.epilepsy.va.gov/ecoe.asp

Onto the recipe! Hi, my name is Kelly and I have a problem. I am a dip-aholic. I've been struggling with this addiction for over 30 years. I've never met a chip and dip combo that I didn't like. I'm powerless over my obsession so rather than try to fight it, I'll just try to corrupt you with this yummy Spinach and Artichoke dip. Enjoy!

Spinach and Artichoke Dip
Serves 8

1 10 oz package of chopped spinach, thawed and water squeezed out
1/2 of 8 oz can of water chestnuts, chopped
1 13.5 oz can of artichokes, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 8 oz package of cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonaisse
1/2 cup sour cream
2 cups shredded italian cheese mix
1 1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp onion powder
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400
Chopped all vegetables and place in bowl. Combine the cream cheese, mayo, sour cream and spices. Mix well. Add in 1 cup of the cheese and combine.  Top the dish with the remaining 1 cup of cheese and bake for 20 minutes until top is golden brown.

THINGS I'M THANKFUL FOR

Happy Thanksgiving to all! There are so many things that I am grateful for this year. I am most thankful for my family, especially the blessing of health and happiness that we have experienced this year. Both my sister and my father-in-law are organ transplant recipients and we are so grateful to have them with us this year, healthy and full of life. I am also thankful for their donors, their families, and the physicians/nurses that made their transplants possible. We keep them in our thoughts always.

Here are some epilepsy related things that I am thankful for this year:

1-The courage and strength people living with epilepsy show everyday, which never ceases to amaze and inspire me

2-The families and caregivers of those with epilepsy, whose love and support is boundless and who relentlessly pursue the best care for their loved ones

3-The healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, pharmacists, therapists, etc) who give so much of themselves to make a difference in the lives of those with epilepsy and who never give up trying to get their patients seizure free

4-The researchers who work tirelessly to find a cure and the agencies that have the insight and commitment to fund their work

5-The groups that continue to develop treatment options and make them available for everyone with epilepsy

6-The patient advocates who make it their life's mission to be the voice of those with seizures and knock on every door in Washington and beyond to destigmatize epilepsy, improve access, and raise the quality of care for ALL people with epilepsy

7-Everyone who has read this blog and learned one new thing about epilepsy that they can teach others!


The recipe tonight is Green Beans with Carmelized Purple Onions and Pancetta. Did I mention that I am REALLY thankful for bacon and pancetta? :) Thank heavens for that pig!

Green Beans with Carmelized Purple Onions and Pancetta.
Serves 6-8

2lbs trimmed green beans
1/2 cup diced pancetta (4 oz)
1 Tb olive oil 
1 medium purple onion, thin sliced
1/2 medium purple shallot, thin sliced
1 tsp sugar
2 Tb balsamic vinegar
1/4 chopped pecans
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in green beans and blanche for 5 minutes. Drain and rinse the green beans in really cold water for a few minutes to stop the cooking process and keep beans green. In a large skillet, cook the pancetta until lightly browned and crisp. Remove pancetta and place on a paper towel. Add the olive oil to the drippings and then the thin slices of the onion and shallot. Cook on medium heat for 15-20 minutes until they begin to carmelize. Add in the sugar and vinegar, cook for 2 minutes. Add the beans and make sure they are coated with the oil and onions. Cook just a few minutes then salt and pepper to tase. If needed, add 1 additional Tb of balsamic vinegar and oil to season. Right before serving, add the pecans and pancetta to the pan and toss. Yum!

DEAR DIARY

My baby sister, Chelsea was always obsessed with notebooks and diaries when she was little. She must have had 100 of those things laying around at anytime and it probably explains why she is such a great writer today (big sister didn't get that skill). I never had a diary, probably because I knew my brother, Stevie would somehow crack the code and reveal all my deepest, darkest secrets to all the neighborhood kids :).

Anyhow, diaries can be a very useful tool (aside from blackmail), especially if you have a chronic health condition like epilepsy. For someone with epilepsy, recording the frequency and type of your seizures, what was going on at the time of the seizure, and what effects you might be experiencing with your treatment is critical information to share with a healthcare provide.  Parents and caregivers can also keep epilepsy diaries to document these items as well as describe what the seizures looked like. This info helps the physician determine what might be triggering the seizures and if a treatment change is necessary. In this day of technology, there are several different electronic seizure diaries so you can enter in information whenever you like with a locked passcode (in case you have a pesky brother like mine ;)) and you can save a tree at the same time. It can also send reminders to take medication. Here's a link to one below: http://www.epilepsy.com/seizurediary



Tonight's recipe comes from James, just in time for Thanksgiving!. These apple and blackberry pies look amazing. Thanks again for sending this in for the blog, James!!

Apple and Blackberry Pies

Makes 4 individual sized pies:

Pastry:

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour

¾ cup whole wheat flour

2 sticks (16 TBSP) unsalted butter, kept very cold

2 tsp salt

Ice water

3 TBSP sugar plus a little extra to glaze

1 egg beaten with 1 TBSP water added

Filling:

5 apples (Rome Beauty, Granny Smith or HoneyCrisp work best)

12 blackberries

1 TBSP strawberry jam

1 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Vanilla

1 ½ tsp cornstarch

1 TBSP flour (all purpose or whole wheat)

2 tsp lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Mix flours, salt, sugar using dough attachment of a food processor

Cut butter into small cubes keeping it cold, about 32 cubes per stick (cut each stick into 8 slices and then each slice into 4 cubes) and add to flour

Pulse processor about 15 times until  flour and butter has texture of course meal

Add ice water 1 tsp at a time and pulse again, continue with 2-3 tsp until mixture has a wet sand texture, about another 10 short pulses

Remove mixture and press into a ball with your hands then flatten into two equal discs

Cover and set aside

Preheat oven to 400F

Peel and slice apples thinly

Add apples, blackberries, jam, cinnamon, vanilla, cornstarch and salt to a medium pot over medium heat

Cook until the apples soften a little, about 10-15 min

Add lemon juice gradually, adjusting taste with more lemon juice or sugar depending on tartness of apples

Add pinches of flour to bring liquid to desired thickness (it should fall off a spoon slowly)

Let the mixture cool completely to room temp

Roll out pastry discs on a well-floured surface with a flour rolling pin

Cut 4 circles for the pie base making them large enough to allow some overhang and line greased small pie tins with the pastry

Add filling

Cut 4 slightly smaller circles for the pie top and cover each pie

Trim excess pastry and cut a few venting holes in the top

Brush each pie with the eggwash and sprinkle extra sugar on top

Bake at 400 F for about 35 min



ASK THE GOVERNMENT TO “RAISE” AWARENESS ABOUT EPILEPSY

Did you know that there is currently a bill being proposed to make raising epilepsy awareness a national priority? How great would that be?!

The following is posted on the Epilepsy Foundation’s website: “House Resolution 298 (Raising Awareness and Insight on Seizures and Epilepsy) was created to promote greater awareness and understanding about epilepsy among government agencies and bodies that come into contact with the 3 million people in this country living with this disorder. The RAISE Resolution asks for no additional money, just greater effort by the federal government to coordinate the use of epilepsy awareness and educational programs. In a time of gridlock and partisanship, H Res 298 should be easy for anyone to support regardless of party affiliation.” This legislation is critical to upgrading the standard of care for the millions of Americans living with epilepsy.

Congress has 12 working days to pass House Resolution 298. Please consider calling or writing your Representative and asking them to support the RAISE intiative to increase awareness for epilepsy and seizures. Here’s a link to find your House of Representatives contact:

 http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/

Recipe of the day:

Thanksgiving is almost upon us! I can’t wait to see our family tomorrow. There is so much to celebrate and be thankful for this year. I’ll be taking this vibrant purple sweet potato pie to Charlotte tomorrow and figuring out a way to turn the turkey purple ;). Safe travels to all!

PURPLE SWEET POTATO PIE

Serves 6

1 graham cracker pie crust

2 medium purple sweet potatoes, quartered

¾ stick of butter, melted

½ cup milk

¾ cup sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

¼ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp kosher salt

1 tsp vanilla

1 Tb flour

2 eggs

TOPPING:

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 heaping Tb confectioners sugar

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 425.

Boil sweet potatoes in skin in pot of water until fork tender (about 20-30 minutes, depending on thickness of quarters). Drain and mash the sweet potatoes. Measure 1 cup of the mashed sweet potatoes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add in the melted butter, milk, sugar and spices and beat with a hand mixer until smooth. Add in eggs last and mix until completely smooth. Pour into pie crust and bake for 5-10 at 425, then turn down the oven to 350 and bake for 35 minutes until middle of pie is set.

While pie is cooking, place another mixing bowl and heavy cream into the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Remove from freezer and combine the cream, sugar, and vanilla and beat with hand mixer until peaks form in the cream.

Let pie cool and top each slice with a spoonful of whipped cream

TALKING TO KIDS ABOUT EPILEPSY

Last Friday, I went to my son’s school to talk about epilepsy for Epilepsy Awareness Month. We had a purple party and ate purple snacks while we talked about how the brain works, how the brain can cause a seizure, and how people with epilepsy are brave and strong. They also learned the rules for helping someone if they have a seizure.  They were so attentive and asked many great questions. I could hardly believe that these kids are only 8 years old! At the end of my presentation, they each wrote a few words about epilepsy. I’m attaching a few here to show that it’s never too early to start talking to kids about epilepsy, how people with epilepsy are just like everyone else, and how they can help their friends or family if they have a seizure. Thank you, Ms. Boone’s class!

Translation:  "What do I think about people with epilepsy? They are awesome!"

"If someone has epilepsy, you can help them"

"If someone had epilepsy, I would say "Everything is OK" to that person"

"If someone has a seizure, put a soft thing under them. Remember to stay with them until they recover"

Recipe of the day:

My son and I like to cook together. It’s a great way for us to spend time together, talk about things, and laugh. He has always liked “experimenting” with recipes (some of which have been quite interesting, like the spaghetti and cheese taco he prepared for dinner yesterday ). On Saturday morning, we got up and decided to make a purple recipe together using things we had in the frig and cupboard. We ended up with this Blueberry Applesauce Coffee Cake and it was a hit for breakfast since it wasn't too sweet. Hope you enjoy it.

Blueberry Applesauce Coffee Cake

1 box Duncan Hines spice cake mix

1 ¼ cup applesauce

3 eggs

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup chopped pecans

1 pinch kosher salt

1 pint blueberries (or blackberries if you have them)

GLAZE

½ cup powdered sugar

1-2 Tb milk

Preheat oven to 350

Combine first 6 ingredients in a bowl until well combined. Add in blueberries at the end and gently stir into batter. Bake at 350 for about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and tablespoon of milk. Stir until powdered sugar is dissolved and a glaze forms. If mixure is too thick, add an additional tablespoon of milk. Drizzle over the top of the cake. Serve cake alone or slathered with a pat of butter.



HOW IS EPILEPSY TREATED?

The vast majority of people with epilepsy will receive drug therapy to try to control their seizures. These medications are called antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) and they decrease the excitability of cells in the brain that cause seizures. There are many different AEDs available; each one has benefits and risks. People with epilepsy and their physicians have to work together closely to find the right drug or combination of drugs to manage their seizures. According to the Epilepsy Foundation, approximately 50% of those with epilepsy will be able to achieve seizure freedom with medication at least for some period of time. Another 20% will have a significant reduction in their seizures with AEDs but 30% will continue to have seizures despite medication.  

When AEDs fail to control seizures, surgery, medical devices or the ketogenic diet may be options. For example, those with seizures that originate from a specific area in the brain may obtain seizure control by having that area removed.  Others may elect to have a device called a vagus nerve stimulator implanted that delivers pulses of electrical energy to the brain to try to decrease seizures. Children with uncontrolled seizures may go on a strict, supervised diet with little to no carbohydrates and receive 80% of their calories from fats to control their epilepsy. This diet is thought to work by decreasing the amount of glucose available to fuel the brain to generate seizures.

Tonight I'm posting two fig recipes (one is to make up for missing my post on Thursday since the kids were sick this week). The first recipe is a simple and beautiful fall salad with fresh figs and pomegranate. The second is fig, proscuitto, and arugula pizza. It’s late and I am having a hard time trying to tie the recipe name to something about epilepsy so the best I can do is say that I hope someone FIG-ures out how to cure epilepsy soon!!

Fig, Pomegranate and Cheese Salad

Serves 4

1 bag of spring mix lettuce

8 fresh purple figs, cut into 4 pieces each

1 pomegranate, peeled and seeds removed

½ cup salted pecans

4 ounces of crumbled goat cheese or blue cheese

Optional-Thin shaved slices of red onion

Balsamic Dressing-

½ cup olive oil

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

1 tsp honey or sugar

1 clove of garlic minced

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all salad ingredients in a bowl. For dressing, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together.

Fig, Proscuitto and Arugula Pizza

Serves 4

1 ball of pizza dough (I bought a medium dough from Fellini’s pizza in ATL for $3)

6 Tb of fig preserves

4 medium sized balls of fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

6-8 fresh figs, sliced

6 paper thin slices of prosciutto, torn into 3 inch pieces

1 handful of fresh baby arugula

¼ cup shaved parmesan cheese

Drizzle of balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425

Roll out dough on cutting board to fit a medium sized sheet pan. Spray sheet pan with cooking spray before placing dough inside. Spread the fig preserves on the dough and top with the slices of fresh mozzarella. Fill in any gaps with the shredded mozzarella. Top with fresh figs and torn prosciutto. Bake in oven from 15-20 minutes until top is lightly browned and bubbling. Remove from oven and top with arugula, parmesan, and drizzle of balsamic vinegar.