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	<title>WIRL Project &#187; Aunt Deb</title>
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	<link>http://www.wirlproject.com</link>
	<description>What It&#039;s Really Like.</description>
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		<title>My, How Times&#8230;And Traveling Attire Have Changed!</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/my-how-times-and-traveling-attire-have-changed/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/my-how-times-and-traveling-attire-have-changed/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Mar 2015 09:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Aunt Deb]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fashion Do]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Fashion Don't]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[People Watching]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel Attire]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[What not to Wear]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4324</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Back in the 80&#8217;s, when I took my first flight, airline travel was a BIG deal. You dressed for the trip, not to impress anyone but because it was big deal. I even remember what I wore&#8230; a beautiful cream colored cotton cardigan, white blouse, khaki dress slacks and pearls. Hubby wore dress slacks and a polo shirt&#8230; typical semi-casual clothing for him. Believe it or not, most of the people on that flight were dressed similarly to us.. we fit right in. Over the years travel attire has changed dramatically&#8230; very few people dress up to travel now days. Not that I&#8217;m judging&#8230; heck, I don&#8217;t go overboard myself&#8230; I tend to wear something comfortable and preferably wrinkle resistant.  Which brings me to my story. I like to people watch&#8230; it makes the time spent in the airport go quickly&#8230; and occasionally I get fashion ideas, both do&#8217;s and don&#8217;ts.  On one particular occasion I was treated to a definite Fashion Don&#8217;t ~ &#8220;what not to wear&#8221;  outfit. We arrived early for  our flight home from Punta Cana last October. There was a very large woman with a baby in a stroller, all decked out in black spandex &#38; bright jewelry sitting directly across from us, waiting for the flight to board. When the airline called for the special needs/people traveling with children group she stood up ~ forgetting to pull down her extremely short skirt ~ and exposed her barley there thong covered hoo-ha to the entire airport! She stood talking to her traveling companions for quite a while before someone finally told her to pull her skirt down. I was laughing so hard inside I almost burst and my hubby&#8217;s face was as red as a beet LMBO! We will be going on vacation soon and I am looking forward to people watching once again.. hopefully, this time I will be treated to a Fashion Do  ]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>I&#8217;m in Hog Heaven.. We&#8217;re having Pulled Pork Pie for dinner!!</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/im-in-hog-heaven-were-having-pulled-pork-pie-for-dinner/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/im-in-hog-heaven-were-having-pulled-pork-pie-for-dinner/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Fri, 13 Mar 2015 19:00:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Aunt Deb]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bacon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[BBQ]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dinner]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Hog Heaven]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pie]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pulled Pork]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=4023</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Pulled Pork Pie You&#8217;ll need a heavy oven proof skillet (cast iron  or enameled cast iron works best) for this and you can either bake it in an oven or in a smoker.. they both produce delicious results. 1 1/2 to 2 pounds pulled smoked pork 1 -2 large potatoes, Russets work best, thickly sliced 3/4 cup BBQ sauce.. use your favorite 1 large onion, diced 9 -12 slices of bacon (depends on width) 6-7 slices or 1 cup shredded cheese ~ I use smoked provolone your favorite BBQ rub (mine is Corky&#8217;s) Spray the skillet with Pam or grease with oil or Crisco. For the crust.. Lay the potato slices down evenly on the bottom of the skillet and then slightly overlap them around the side of skillet. Sprinkle your rub (or salt &#38; pepper) on the potatoes. Spread the pork over the potatoes. Sprinkle the onions over the pork. Pour the BBQ sauce evenly over the pork. Place the cheese slices/shreds evenly over the BBQ sauce. Weave the bacon over the cheese, tuck the ends of the bacon into the meat mixture, tight to the potato slices. Bake at 375 for 1 hour 30 minutes then turn up the heat to 425 to crisp the bacon &#38; potatoes ~ about 10 to 15 minutes. .]]></description>
		<wfw:commentRss>http://www.wirlproject.com/im-in-hog-heaven-were-having-pulled-pork-pie-for-dinner/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>To paraphrase R.E.M. ~ It was The End of My World as I Knew It.. and I&#8217;ll Be Fine</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/to-paraphrase-r-e-m-it-was-the-end-of-my-world-as-i-knew-it-and-ill-be-fine/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/to-paraphrase-r-e-m-it-was-the-end-of-my-world-as-i-knew-it-and-ill-be-fine/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 11 Mar 2015 16:00:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Aunt Deb]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Family]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Health/Fitness]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Celery]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gastroparesis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[GERD]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[I'll Be Fine]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[LPR]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[New Normal]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3999</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I have struggled with GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and LPR  (laryngopharyngeal reflux) for many years. My specialists in Rhode Island, Michigan and New York had prescribed every medication (both prescription and  over the counter) on the market; numerous X-rays, CAT scans, ultrasounds; changed my diet; scoped my throat regularly; sent me to vocal chord therapy, strapped me to a table then turned me upside down while they injected radioactive dye; had me drink barium and radioactive swallow marshmallows; and finally implanted/glued a camera in my throat that required me to wear a fancy fanny pack to capture the photos/info for several days. I was also advised to stop sleeping in a bed ~ so I slept semi-reclined in a chair for the better part of a year.. and nothing helped. I had a hiatal hernia and my lower esophageal sphincter had stopped functioning.. allowing the acid from my stomach to cause permanent damage to my vocal chords. A biopsy also showed precancerous Barretts esophagus. Four specialists all concurred that I had 2 options ~ do nothing and more than likely develop esophageal cancer in 6 months or have a Nissen fundoplication.. and on top of everything else my gallbladder stopped functioning.. just flat out quit working! Hubby &#38; I weighed the odds and scheduled the Nissen fundoplication and  hiatal hernia repair with my thoracic surgeon who specializes in diseases of the esophagus, thoracic surgery, and laparoscopic antireflux surgery and has lectured across the country and internationally on topics related to general thoracic surgery. And a cholecystectomy to be done in tandem by a doctor who specializes in gastrointestinal malignancies, including gastric, pancreatic and colorectal cancers. He also is an expert in laparoscopic applications of surgery including treatment of gallstones, hernias and staging procedures for cancer. The combined surges took just under 4 hours. On the day before Thanksgiving November 23, 2011, my life changed forever.. it was the beginning of the end of my world as I knew it. I was very fortunate that the surgeries went very well. My recovery, however, was difficult. For the first 3 months I was restricted to liquids/purees and finally graduated to minced food for the next 3 months..  but when you get right down to it.. it still beat the alternative. Unfortunately, I have been plagued with dysphagia, a recurring hiatal hernia and strictures since the original surgery. I&#8217;ve had a corrective surgery, plus several other procedures to try to alleviate the issues. I am considered to be among the very few failures of the Nissen fundoplication.. an elite group of less than 2%. It&#8217;s hard for me to accept that label.. because of the surgery I do not have esophageal cancer.. so while I may have issues it&#8217;s hard for me to call it a failure. We moved late in 2013,  so I now have a new gastroenterologist.. he&#8217;s another very thorough, great guy. In the spring of 2014 I started having new symptoms that became progressively worse over the summer. It was decided I needed  another series of X-rays, ultrasounds, and finally in October another combined EGD &#38; colonoscopy with biopsies.. the 2nd set in just under a year. I now have a new label.. Digestive Motility Disease aka Gastroparesis (GP) and Irritable Bowel Disease (IBD).. brought on by the &#8220;failure&#8221; of my Nissen. I also have a gastro-nutritionist who has added major doses of probiotics and celery* to my diet. And I am very gradually finding my way to a new normal.. My normal. My new day starts at 3am when I take my medications and go to sleep for a few hours. Once I wake up I need to eat..  that&#8217;s an adventure all of it&#8217;s own because my gastroenterologist and nutritionist have added raw fruit and vegetables to the already long list of No No&#8217;s from the very first surgery. Very few bread products, no dry or gummy foods that can get stuck in my throat, no fried foods, no carbonated beverages, no drinking during a meal, no straws in drinks, no gum chewing.. plus all of the foods that I&#8217;m allergic to must be avoided.. well, you get the gist. If I&#8217;m having a good day I can leave the house around noon.. on a bad day I am stuck at home. Yes, I have missed some family events, had to reschedule appointments and flights. It has been very long year but thankfully, the good days are becoming more frequent. I&#8217;m getting used to my new normal..  and with the love and support of my wonderful and accepting family..  I&#8217;ll Be Fine. * Here&#8217;s a link that explains why she prescribed the celery.. it&#8217;s actually working for me. Who knew it was such a super food, an anti-inflammatory with digestive and other benefits?  ~ sure beats taking more pills! http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&#038;dbid=14#healthbenefits]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The Circle of Life..</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/the-circle-of-life/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/the-circle-of-life/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2015 23:00:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Aunt Deb]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Life/Leisure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Love/Relationships]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Bailey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Butch]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Dog]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[My Boys]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rescue]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3733</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The last few weeks have been very difficult..  my mama&#8217;s boy,  my baby dog, my shadow, my lil&#8217; Butchie has crossed the Rainbow Bridge. The day before Easter of 2014 he had an episode, not quite a seizure but more serious than his typical dramatic exhausted collapse, you see Butchie was my drama queen/little clown. Of course, we were out of town on vacation and he seemed to bounce right back to his crazy little self so we attributed the attack to him being tired from playing ball and the stress from an 8+ hour car ride. I made an appointment with our vet right after we returned home, where he was diagnosed with CHF, congestive heart failure, his collapse was actually his first heart attack. Our vet was very surprised at the severity of his condition as Butch was young (10 1/2) and had no history of heart issues. We were told to try to keep him from running and over exerting himself but to let him be a dog.. so we did. Life went on almost as usual last summer.. some days Butch would need help up the stairs or would run too fast or play too hard with his best buddy, Bailey our 12 1/2 year old Boxer, and have an episode/attack but for the most part he was fine. As the weather turned, so did Butchie&#8217;s health. By October he was having episodes more frequently and it was decided that he needed a full cardio work up.. the results shocked even our vet. His heart was now severely enlarged and his lungs were retaining fluid so he was prescribed blood pressure medication, heart medication, an amino acid and a diuretic 4 times a day. We were given two weeks of medication and a follow up appointment but you could tell by the tone that no one really expected to see him make it to the appointment. Butch not only made that appointment and he made many more.. he played with my grandson at Thanksgiving, he traveled with us for a holiday visit to our hometown, enjoyed Christmas dinner, devoured a special New Year&#8217;s Day sauerkraut &#38; pork feast and  even played in the snow with his best buddy. He seemed to be beating the odds.. with one exception, he was becoming increasingly more anxious. I could no longer be out of his line of sight. Bailey would often try to get him to play ~some days he would, others he wanted no part of it.  In typical Butch fashion he never missed a meal, or a treat and continued to boss Bailey around like it was his job and demand that he be first no matter where we went.. he was still my Butch, my crazy little clown. He managed to convince us all that he was OK.. .. and then he wasn&#8217;t. We had a follow up appointment the first week of February, I knew it wasn&#8217;t going well when they wheeled in the ultrasound &#38; Xray machines. Now his liver was also enlarged and the fluids weren&#8217;t able to be aspirated. We discussed changing up his meds.. adding another dose of each for a week and then calling the office to chat. The extra meds only seemed to make things worse so we went back to the old regimen. Butch was now starting to &#8220;disappear&#8221;, which I now know is a sign that he sensed he was very ill, I would find him in the foyer or in the office curled up in a dark corner. On his last day Butch&#8217;s health deteriorated very rapidly.. he couldn&#8217;t walk 15 feet without collapsing. I carried him out to potty because even as sick as he was, he refused to potty in the house. Bailey would kiss his face each time he collapsed.. Butch and I were both crying.. it was time to let him go. I made the phone calls and my hubby came home to take us for one last ride. Before we left I fixed the boys Butch&#8217;s favorite foods for lunch.. strawberries, hotdogs,  string cheese and cake.. they gobbled every bite and Butch rallied, again. He walked into our vets office like the champ that he was.. and I held my baby dog while he drifted off to sleep. At home Bailey knew Butch was gone.. he cried for days, refusing to eat or drink and searched every inch of the back yard, sniffing out Butch&#8217;s tracks looking for his best buddy. I truly thought we were going to lose him too. I finally managed to get him to drink a bit of broth but he was still refusing to eat so we went to visit our favorite vet, where he was diagnosed with severe depression and stress induced colitis. He has been on a scrambled egg, boiled chicken, home made white bread and bone broth diet along with an antibiotic/anti-inflamatory and is making progress. I am very gradually weaning him back to his regular diet of lamb &#38; rice. He is slowly adjusting to our new life but is still so sad. Which brings us back to the title of my WIRL.. Bailey needs a companion, he misses his buddy Butch and we miss him terribly too. So today we applied to rescue a dog.. not to replace Butch, because no dog could ever replace my baby. Just as Butch didn&#8217;t replace Maxx, our Cocker Spaniel, the new dog will not replace him.. they will be in my heart forever. The Circle of Life continues.. &#160;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>1</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>I Just Keep Telling Myself It&#8217;s Only Hair&#8230; But&#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/i-just-keep-telling-myself-its-only-hair-but/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/i-just-keep-telling-myself-its-only-hair-but/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Mar 2015 02:00:40 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Aunt Deb]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Products/Shopping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Style/Beauty]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[It's only Hair]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rant]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stylist]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3583</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Sooooo, I tried to make an appointment with my stylist to have my hair shaped and high/low lighted the other day, only to find out she&#8217;s left the salon. I was set up with another stylist for Friday. I went in early to explain all of the issues that I have with my hair to her.. the semi-bald spots where I finally have regrowth and I am growing my hair out; that I do not want the highlights too light ~ I prefer that it look natural and I like a full head of highlights; the fact that I&#8217;m allergic to many products &#38; break out in hives so she/I&#8217;m limited in product choices; that my hair is very fine, thin and has multiple cowlicks plus it will not hold a curl without strong hair spray; that I am not handy with styling tools at all and only use hot rollers; etc. The stylist said she understood and remarked that I had very few grey hairs and agreed that high/low lights would be the correct choice and went off to read the notes that should have been on my account.. of course there were none. She was very thorough with choosing the low light color so I assumed we were on the same page. I could not have been more wrong. She stopped foiling my hair at mid head.. I asked why she had stopped to which she replied &#8220;Oh, you wanted a full head?&#8221;, grabbed more foils and continued to wrap my entire head. That should have been my first clue. I must say, that she is very personable, funny and chatty. I really haven&#8217;t met anyone since we moved here over a year ago, so it was nice to have a conversation with someone besides my husband, my doctors and our veterinarian and I ignored the red flag. After several minutes she checked one of my foils and said it would just be another minute before I was done. And then she was paged.. And it all went south from here. She took the call, it was obvious that it was personal and should not be being held where others could over hear. It also went on for a well over 10 minutes, during this time everyone in the salon learned far more about her personal life than we needed to know and my hair was over processing! I asked the stylist in the station next to mine if she would check my hair.. it was beyond done. She approached my stylist and told her she needed to get off the phone and my hair was needing to be rinsed out. My stylist continued her phone conversation for another few minutes before returning to address my hair. She attempted to explain her personal call to me and since I didn&#8217;t want to embarrass her I said that I really hadn&#8217;t heard anything and we proceeded to the shampoo bowl. She continued to talk about her money/credit/car issues and I tried to change the subject as we walked back to her station. I grabbed my iPhone and showed her some photos of myself to make sure she knew that was the look I was going for. What I wanted and what I got are worlds apart!! There are no mirrors in the shampoo room so you can imagine my surprise when I sat down in her chair to see the highlights are actually bleached out completely stripes! She asked if she was cutting/styling my hair.. hello.. I have a 3 hour appointment booked.. that alone should have answered her question before it was asked. I can&#8217;t tell you how many times my hair was caught in her round brush &#38; yanked as she blew it dry and continued to perseverate over her phone call. Then she asked how much she should TRIM off. To which I answered, you&#8217;re supposed to be cutting and styling my hair.. that I am going out on Saturday with a couple I have never met and want to look good. Never once did I ask for a layered straight hair style.. but the next thing I know she has cut layers into my extremely fine, thin hair!! She never even touched my bangs.. they&#8217;re still hanging in my eyes.. and the root line is still extremely visible from my last trip to the salon. She asked if I wanted to rebook and I said I would get back to her. All the while I&#8217;m thinking that I need to get out of there, go home and fix my hair. To make matters worse, she presents me with a bill that is $60 more than I paid my old stylist for a good haircut &#38; color!! I barely made it home before my hubby.. so I started dinner instead of going up to try to fix the mess on my head. The only thing hubby said was &#8220;You&#8217;re hair sure is straight, I thought you were getting your hair done today?&#8221;  That spoke volumes. This morning  tried to style my hair so it looks half way decent.. to no avail. She cut a freaking shag into my hair!!!  I am beyond upset, I don&#8217;t want to go out tonight, and I am furious that I actually paid to have my hair ruined. After several attempts to style this mess I called the salon. I explained that while I don&#8217;t want to cause trouble for her, my hair looks horrible and I am beside myself. I should not have to &#8220;pay, both literally and figuratively, for her being upset over a personal call that should never have interrupted my appointment. The salon manager has scheduled me in for a color correction and new hair cut next week. They&#8217;re more than likely going to have to cut my hair considerably shorter in order to get rid of the flip and heaven only knows what they can do to fix the color. It has taken me 2 years to get my hair to shoulder length and she ruined it in one afternoon.  I know it&#8217;s only hair.. and it will grow back but&#8230;. &#160; &#160;]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>3</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Split &amp; Sweet Pea Soup with Potatoes, Garlic, Celery &amp; Carrots for Lent</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/split-sweet-pea-soup-with-potatoes-garlic-celery-carrots-for-lent/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/split-sweet-pea-soup-with-potatoes-garlic-celery-carrots-for-lent/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 21 Feb 2015 20:00:11 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Aunt Deb]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carrots]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Garlic]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lent]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Onions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Peas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Soup]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3220</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[&#160; 2 teaspoons garlic, minced 1 onion, chopped finely 2 stalks celery, chopped finely 2 tablespoons butter/oil 2 cups dried split peas 1 bag (10.8oz) frozen sweet peas, chop/grind* 1 1/2 to 2 quarts vegetable broth 2 potatoes, peeled and chop/grind* 2 carrots, peeled &#38; chop/grind* 1 1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke* ~ I use hickory 1 bay leaf 1 cup half &#38; half or non dairy creamer In a large stock pot with a lid sauté the garlic, onion, celery &#38; carrots in the butter/oil until onion is soft. Add the rest of the ingredients ~ except for the cream &#38; frozen peas. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer &#38; cover. Stir soup occasionally &#38; simmer until dried peas are soft.. about 2 to 3 hours. Once peas are soft add the half &#38; half &#38; grated frozen peas. At this point the soup is chunky ~ if you want it smooth use an immersion blender to blend it to your favorite consistency. * I use my food processor to chop/grind the veggies.. and I chop/grind the peas straight from the freezer, otherwise they will turn to mush]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Spinach &amp; Artichoke Baked Pasta .. perfect for Ash Wednesday and Meatless Mondays!</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/spinach-artichoke-baked-pasta-perfect-for-ash-wednesday-and-meatless-mondays/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/spinach-artichoke-baked-pasta-perfect-for-ash-wednesday-and-meatless-mondays/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2015 21:48:22 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Aunt Deb]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Artichoke]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ash Wednesday]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Casserole]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Meatless]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pasta]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Spinach]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3128</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Need a delicious but meatless meal and love hot Spinach &#38; Artichoke Dip? Boy, have I got a recipe for you. Spinach &#38; Artichoke Pasta Casserole 1 box (12oz) Penne, cooked al dente 1 jar (14 oz.) artichoke hearts, rough chopped, reserve juice &#38; one heart for garnish ~ do not use marinated 1 bag (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained 1 cup pecorino Romano cheese or Parmesan, grated 1 cup real mayonnaise 1 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt 1 cup smoked provolone* cheese, shredded 1 tablespoon garlic, minced 1 small onion, minced 1/2 tsp lemon juice ½ tsp Sriracha or Frank&#8217;s Red Hot 1/4 cup panic bread crumbs Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients, except panko, mix well. Add enough of the artichoke juice to make it &#8220;saucy&#8221; but not wet. Pour into a greased casserole dish. Evenly sprinkle panko over top and add the whole artichoke heart to the center. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or until it&#8217;s hot &#38; bubbly and the panko is golden brown. *I use provolone but Monterey Jack and Swiss would be delicious too.]]></description>
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		<title>King Cakes.. recipe adapted from Saveur.com.. for Fat Tuesday.. Shrove Tuesday.. Mardi Gras Celebrations</title>
		<link>http://www.wirlproject.com/king-cakes-recipe-adapted-from-saveur-com-for-fat-tuesday-shrove-tuesday-mardi-gras-celebrations/</link>
		<comments>http://www.wirlproject.com/king-cakes-recipe-adapted-from-saveur-com-for-fat-tuesday-shrove-tuesday-mardi-gras-celebrations/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Feb 2015 03:54:35 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Aunt Deb]]></dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Food/Drink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Almond King Cake]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[King Cake]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.wirlproject.com/?p=3083</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[I made the dough exactly as written but cut the dough ball in half to make 2 cakes and then only made/used 1/2 of the cream cheese filling for this cake and divided the frosting between the two cakes also.. plus I baked them on Pampered Chef pizza stones INGREDIENTS FOR THE DOUGH: 1 (¼-oz.) package active dry yeast ¼ cup sugar ½ cup milk 2 tbsp. light brown sugar ½ tsp. vanilla extract 1 egg 1 egg yolk 2¾ cups flour ¾ tsp. kosher salt 8 tbsp. softened butter FOR THE FILLING For Cake#1 1 lb. cream cheese ½ cup packed dark brown sugar ½ cup chopped pecans 2 tbsp. maple syrup 2 tsp. ground cinnamon ½ tsp. kosher salt Zest of ½ lemon For Cake#2 1 can (12.5oz) Almond Cake &#38; Pie Filling FOR THE ICING: 2 cups confectioners&#8217; sugar 1 tablespoon half &#38; half Sliced almonds &#38; Green, purple, yellow and white sanding sugars to garnish. INSTRUCTIONS 1. Make the dough: In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a hook, combine yeast, ½ tsp. of the sugar, and ¼ cup water heated to 115°. Stir to combine and let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Add remaining sugar, milk, light brown sugar, vanilla, egg, and egg yolk. Beat on low speed until thoroughly combined, 1 minute. Turn mixer off and add flour and salt. Mix on medium speed until the dough just comes together. Turn mixer speed to high and knead dough for 4 minutes. Add the butter and continue kneading until dough is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, about 6 minutes. Remove bowl from mixer, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit until doubled in size, 1½–2 hours. 2. Meanwhile, make the filling: Combine cream cheese, brown sugar, pecans, maple syrup, cinnamon, salt, and zest in a large bowl and beat on medium speed of a hand mixer until combined; set aside. 3. Punch down dough and turn it out onto a heavily floured surface. Pat dough into a long rectangle, it should be about 1/3 inch thick. Spread the filling evenly over the dough, staying about 1/2 inch away from the far long end. Roll up jelly roll style. Pinch ends together to make a circle.Transfer rolled dough circle to a parchment paper-lined baking sheet; cover with plastic wrap and let sit for 1 hour. Heat oven to 350°. Uncover cake and bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Let cool completely. 4. Make the icing: Whisk together the sugar and half &#38; half in a small bowl until smooth. Transfer king cake to a cutting board or serving platter; spread icing evenly over top of cake and sprinkle evenly with sanding sugars.]]></description>
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