Josephine Magazine January 2012

Josephine Jan uar y 2012

S t . Jo s e ph’s wome n’s mag a z ine

MORE INSIDE: Work in a new workout in 2012

Look, you’re blushing!

Give your cheeks the right kind of emphasis

Put your expenses on a diet Go from bad co-worker to model employee

EAT RIGHT FOR LIFE Lose Weight and Keep It Off!

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Visit all of our wonderful Hy-Vee departments: FLORAL • KITCHEN • ITALIAN • CHINESE • DELICATESSEN • PRODUCE • BAKERY • SALAD BAR • DAIRY FROZEN • MEAT & SEAFOOD MARKET• PHARMACY • HEALTHMARKET • WINE & SPIRITS

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Our staff Editor Jess DeHaven jess.dehaven@newspressnow.com Presentation editor Paul Branson paul.branson@newspressnow.com Photo editor Todd Weddle todd.weddle@newspressnow.com Designer George Stanton george.stanton@newspressnow.com Writers Sylvia Anderson Tamara Clymer Shea Conner Jennifer Gordon Jennifer Hall Kristen Hare Lisa Horn Christina Hazelwood Heckman Kevin Krauskopf Betsy Lee Stacey Mollus Kim Norvell Alonzo Weston Crystal Wiebe Erin Wisdom Cathy Woolridge Photography Eric Keith Jessica Stewart Matt Reid

|01/12

Josephine

St. Joseph News-Press P.O. BOX 29 St. Joseph, MO 64502

the regulars editor’s note

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events calendar

6

the 5

8

average joe

28

getting real

29

meal time

30

inside

Cover photography by Matt Reid/Josephine magazine

cover girl Melissa Chesnut of Dearborn, Mo., is often on the run — literally. Her plate already is plenty full between her job as director of development and marketing at Community Action Partnership, working as a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant, attending classes at Park University where she plans to get her master’s in public affairs this May and volunteer work with Trails West! and the Junior League. She’s also a newlywed, having married husband Todd on Oct. 15. And still she managed to fit in nine 5K races in 2011.

“I got into it to get in shape for my wedding, and my goal was to do one a month,” she says.

“I ended up doing more. It’s a fun thing to do with friends.”

In 2012, Melissa is resolving to take her running to the next level.

“I really want to do at least two 10Ks,” she says.

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| Josephine magazine |

Januar y 2012

Leading by life experience Struggles as a single mother prepared social worker to help other families

10

Change it up Instead of sticking to the same old resolutions, make these five changes in 2012

12

Resolve to rebuild You can improve relationships in 2012

14

Exercise your options Make fitness a healthy habit

16

Put your spending on a diet If your resolution is to get your finances under control, these tips can help

20

Look, you’re blushing!

Tips and tricks for emphasizing your cheeks

22

Work on it Put an end to your poor — and unproductive — office behavior

24

Finding the time for me Building in a few moments for yourself will keep your stress down

26

3

editor’s note

Looking for a way to save?

By JESS DEHAVEN Here we are, standing on the brink of a new year, and many of us find ourselves considering how we’d like 2012 to be better. Yes, it’s resolution time, and to help you make sure this is the year you finally meet some of those goals, we have an issue full of stories to help you out.

Weight loss is at the top of so many peoples’ lists, and we all know that diet and exercise are the ways to make that happen. But if the word “diet” makes you cringe, you’ll want to turn to page 12 where Kristen Hare has five changes to make in your eating habits that won’t have you starving. And on the fitness front, Cathy Woolridge took a look at several types of exercise to help you find the workout to meet your goals. That story is on page 16.

If it’s your spending that you’d like to put on a diet, Sylvia Anderson has rounded up some ideas for you on page 20.

Follow these tips and hopefully your bank account will be what’s fatter come 2013.

Perhaps your resolution has something to do with your personal and professional relationships. Those looking to repair a rift with a friend or family member should check out page 14, where Crystal Wiebe has some expert advice from counselors. And if it’s your relationship with your boss and co-workers you’d like to improve, Shea Conner’s feature on page 24 can help you identify bad work habits in need of fixing.

As for us at Josephine, we’re resolving to bring you more content on our website, give you new opportunities to interact with us and deliver another fantastic Expo. See you in 2012!

You need to insure both your auto and your home, so why not save money in the process?

Call today for a free, no-obligation look at auto and home discounts from American Family.

Rick Hopp Agency 910 N. Belt Hwy. (816) 364-1798 rickhopp.com

Dave R. Price, Agent 910 N. Woodbine Rd. (816) 233-5632 davepriceagency.com

Matt Thrasher Agency, Inc. 301 Illinois Ave. (816) 238-1121 mattthrasher.com

Carolyn Sampson Agency 6120 King Hill Ave. (816) 238-5201 csampsoninsurance.com

Scott Wineinger Agency 1805 Oak Ridge Circle (816) 233-5659 scottwineinger.com

Mark Hill Agency, Inc. 601 S. Davis Hamilton, MO (816) 583-7333 markhillagencyinc.com

Tom C. Lemmon, Agent 2524 Saint Joseph Ave. (816) 279-2606 tlemmon@amfam.com

Lee Butler Agency 2721 Pembroke Ln. (816) 279-7770 leebutleragency.com

Stephen D. Lorenz, Agent 1109 N. 26th St. (816) 901-9200 stephendlorenz.com

Cari Rich, Agent 102 E. Clay Ave. Plattsburg, Missouri (816) 539-3751 caririch.com

Call Your Local American Family Agent today.

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INSURER

2012 january area events

SUN

MON

Every Monday 9:45 a.m. (weigh-in at 8:30), TOPS (Take Off Pounds Sensibly) a non-profit, weight-loss support and education group, East Hills Church of Christ, 3912 Penn, 238-7245.

Jan. 2 7 to 9 p.m., St. Joseph Camera Club, Rolling Hills Consolidated Library.

Jan. 16 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Young Living Essential Oils presents free natural health seminar, 1570 Calhoun St., Chillicothe, Mo. Call (660) 707-0097 or e-mail millergloria@ att.net.

TUE

Jan. 3 6:30 p.m., Pony Express Chapter of Cowboys for Christ, Pony Express Saddle and Bridle Club, north of K Highway on County Road 371.

Call 238-7503.

Jan. 24 10 a.m., Welcome Wagon Social Club of St. Joseph, monthly meeting, Rolling Hills Library, 1904 N. Belt Highway.

Call 279-1947.

WED

THUR

FRI

Every Wednesday 7 a.m., Indoor farmer’s market, 3821 Eastridge Village.

Jan. 19 10 a.m., Hyde Forge Questers, 5622 S. Third St. Program on Fentonware.

7:30 a.m., St. Joseph BNI weekly meeting, Pony Express Museum. Call 262-9684.

5:30 p.m., Third Thursday Wine Tasting, AlbrechtKemper Museum of Art. Cost is $10 per person. Call 232-9750.

Every Friday 5 to 8 p.m., Friday Night Wine Tastings, Smooth Endings Fine Wines, Spirits and Cigars, corner of Belt and Beck, (816) 749-4WINE, $5 per person.

3 p.m. and 7 p.m., Young Living Essential Oils presents free natural health seminar, 1570 Calhoun St., Chillicothe, Mo. Call (660) 707-0097 or e-mail millergloria@ att.net.

Jan. 26 6:30 p.m., St. Joseph Aglow Community Lighthouse, St. Joseph Library at East Hills.

Call 351-2139.

7 p.m., Introductory session to Creighton Model Fertility Awareness and Appreciation, Heartland Medical Plaza. Course is designed to help couples cooperate with their fertility in family planning.

Call 232-2258.

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Januar y 2012

| Josephine magazine |

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The

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Januar y 2012

| Josephine magazine |

tips for life

Take a ride to savings Money. Believe it or not, far more people overpay for car insurance simply by sticking with the same old policy. Every year, re-examine your auto insurance policy for savings opportunities. For example, consider raising your deductible, which lowers premiums.

For older vehicles, evaluate whether you really need collision coverage, which covers damage to your car when your car hits or is hit by another vehicle or object. And make it a habit to compare auto insurance quotes annually, which can be done online in minutes.

Help for a bad haircut Beauty. Trimming your own hair may seem an easy way to save time and money — but that appeal goes out the window when you botch the job. Before you lose all hope of looking presentable, however, try this remedy from Real Simple magazine: Get the most out of the length you have left by applying a tiny bit of a styling cream that contains oil. This will weigh hair down slightly so it looks longer (The cream also adds shine and smoothness).

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All the single ladies

Hot and cold

Relate. Lisa Kogan, a contributor to O magazine, has often been the unmarried girlfriend at events, and so on behalf of the single gals out there, she offers some advice for the well-meaning married women:

Nice and slow Health. A slow cooker (Crock Pot) is a big time saver because you can put ingredients in for a soup or stew in the morning and it will be ready to eat when you come home. It also helps keep food hot and fresh when your family eats at different times.

But did you know a slow cooker can improve your health? According to Dr. Weil on drweil.com, the lower temperatures that slow cookers use may help preserve nutrients that can be lost when food is cooked rapidly at high heat. Slow cooking also helps prevent the formation of AGEs, or advanced glycation end products, unhealthy compounds which have been linked to inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, insulin resistance, diabetes and vascular and kidney disease.

What is he thinking?

g Don’t play matchmaker. A girlfriend isn’t picky if she doesn’t want to date a single friend; she’s just not interested in your suggestion. g Keep helpful hints to yourself. Instead of making comments on how your single friend should dress or act, just lend a listening ear to her worries or concerns. g Nix the age talk. Single women know about their biological clocks just as married women do. You don’t want to pile on concerns about starting a family a little later in life.

Our Kevin Krauskopf explains the man’s side of the thermostat war: The winter months are here — which probably means we men have the thermostat set much too cold for your liking. But, PLEASE don’t touch it. I, for one, prefer it to be a little on the chillier side, and it can save a lot of money on the gas bill as well. If you’re really that cold, go grab a sweater or something.

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Rhonda Ewing has her own business, A Helping Hand to Families in Need.

ERIC KEITH/Josephine magazine

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Leading by life experience Struggles as a single mother prepared St. Joseph social worker to help other families

By ERIN WISDOM I Josephine magazine

A

s someone who worked toward a bachelor’s degree for 20 years, Rhonda Ewing doesn’t minimize the value of education.

Much of what the 51-year-old St. Joseph woman brings to her career, however, came not from a classroom but from life — from growing up in a single-parent household and then going on to spend a number of years as a single parent herself. Now a social worker, Ewing takes her past with her to every struggling home she visits.

“Without sharing my personal story, I’m just another professional in their home, trying to get into their business,” she says. “I know what to do and how to work with families from my own life experience.”

The work Ewing does is through both her own business, A Helping Hand to Families in Need, and as director of the St. Joseph Youth Alliance’s youth employment program.

She took on the latter position fulltime this year after several years in a part-time position and after contracting with the Youth Alliance through her business, which she began in 2002. It was born out of yet another job — one in which she was tasked with educating first-time mothers but found their need for basic items such as food, housing and diapers made it difficult for them to focus on learning parenting skills.

Frustrated that the agency she worked for insisted she stick solely to educating women on parenting rather than helping them meet their basic needs first, Ewing pursued a contract with the State of Missouri’s Division of Family Services in order to step out on her own as a social worker.

Thus, A Helping Hand for Families

in Need was born — five years before Ewing completed her bachelor’s degree.

She notes that she went back for her last stint in school largely to make sure she was “doing the right things by families.” And although she didn’t know it at the time, finishing her schooling also set her up for her current position with the Youth Alliance, in which she helps teens and young adults explore and prepare for future careers and, in addition, helps high school dropouts find a path for reaching long-term goals.

“I think I can safely say she is especially popular with young people and could be described as a ‘pied piper’ of children, getting them to behave and be respectful and convince them it’s fun in the process,” notes Fran Brothers, community networker with the Youth Alliance.

Although not a high school dropout herself, Ewing knows from marrying, having a child and divorcing at a young age how challenging it is to complete school and pursue career goals when life gets in the way. She went on to have a second child 15 years after her first and spent a long stretch as a single parent before marrying her husband in 1999. When she graduated from Missouri Western State University in 2007, along with her degree in social work she also received a “True Grit” award that commended her for her perseverance and leadership.

At home after her graduation, “I must have sat on that sofa and boohooed for 20 minutes,” Ewing says,

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| Josephine magazine |

“because that’s the point I realized how God had carried me through.”

Looking back now, she sees God’s hand not only in the fact that she finally earned a college degree but also — especially — in how her life prepared her perfectly for the work she does now. And perhaps because her experience goes beyond anything a textbook could have taught her, she’s very hands-on in how she goes about it.

“I roll up my sleeves, and we wash dishes together. We clean house together. We go grocery shopping together,” she says, describing how she begins her work with the families referred to her. Often, mastering these basic skills makes way for work on more complex issues families struggle with. And sometimes, the transformation Ewing sees in those she works with serves as a reward that sticks with her.

One transformation in particular that comes to mind is a teenage mother who was reported for her care of her children — care that included feeding them pizza on a daily basis.

Ewing learned the teen had run away from an abusive home at only 10 or 11 and simply hadn’t had a chance to develop skills such as cooking, so for a year, Ewing taught her to cook.

A pinnacle moment was Thanksgiving, when the young mother asked Ewing to come try the turkey she’d made.

“To this day, that was the best piece of turkey I’ve had in my life,” she recalls.

Looking forward, Ewing hopes her work leads to many more milestones like this.

“I’m fortunate I love what I do,” she says. “I love working with families.

I think families are one of the most precious resources we have.”

Januar y 2012

11

Change it up

Instead of sticking to the same old resolutions, make these five changes in 2012

By KRISTEN HARE I Josephine magazine

This year, I will not ______. I will remember to ______. I will start _______.

Yep, it’s that time again, time to make your resolutions and quickly drop them when they seem too hard. They don’t have to be, though, and making these five changes in what and how you eat could go a long way toward fixing many of the issues you face, such as health problems and weight control.

Sheri Caldwell, Hy-Vee dietitian, shared five tips for not just improving your diet, but your health and life as well.

In our culture, she says, a lot of people have weight problems.

“We tend to be overweight, but yet we’re undernourished.”

Fill your body with the right foods, she says, and you’ll not only be satisfied, but also able to enjoy the joy of eating.

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| Josephine magazine |

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GO GREEN Dark, green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale, are good for you in so many ways, says Caldwell.

Among the top five healthiest foods chosen by dietitians, Caldwell says, greens come in at No. 3. They’re filling, according to healthcastle.com, which published the list, high in fiber, and full of good stuff such as vitamins, calcium, iron and phytonutrients.

“Greens are a key,” Caldwell says.

“Think kale, think spinach, think broccoli.”

The National Leafy Green Council offers this recipe for getting some kale into your diet.

Kale and potato soup with red chili 1 bunch kale 3 tablespoons virgin olive oil 1 medium red or yellow onion, diced into 1/2inch squares 6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 1 small dried red chili, seeded and chopped, or 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes 1 bay leaf 1 teaspoon salt 4 medium red potatoes (about 1 pound), scrubbed and diced into 1/2-inch cubes 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast (optional) 7 cups water or stock Pepper Non-fat sour cream (optional) Cut ruffled kale leaves off their stems, cutting leaves into pieces roughly 2 inches square, wash them well and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a soup pot, add the onion, garlic, chili, bay leaf and salt and cook over medium-high heat for three or four minutes, stirring frequently. Add potatoes and the yeast, if using, plus one cup of the water or stock.

Stir together, cover and cook slowly for five minutes.

Add the kale, cover and steam until it is wilted, stirring occasionally. Pour in the rest of the water or stock, bring to a boil, and then simmer slowly, covered, until the potatoes are quite soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Add salt and black pepper to taste. Serves four to six.

THINK RAINBOWS After getting more greens, you generally need to get more colors in your diet, too.

According to North Dakota State University, people who eat more fruits and vegetables have a decreased risk of suffering from chronic diseases.

Red foods have antioxidants that protect the body’s cells and keep hearts healthy. Orange foods, like carrots and sweet potatoes, can prevent macular degeneration in your eyes with carotenoids. Green foods have chlorophyl and lutein and are high in vitamins and folate. Blue and purple foods have strong antioxidants, which can be anti-aging

and disease fighting and white fruits and vegetables can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

“Eat a variety of brightly colored fruits and vegetables,” Caldwell says.

“We know they’re high in fiber, with lots of vitamins, minerals and nutrients, which contributes to feeling full.”

WHERE’S THE MEAT? EXACTLY. Caldwell grew up in a family of beef and dairy farmers, so she hasn’t cut meat out entirely, but she has limited it.

In the USDA’s new My Plate guide to food, protein is the smallest portion of food and includes things like beans and nuts. While serving sizes vary depending on age and activity level, the most is 6 ounces of meat a day.

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine takes it even further, recommending a totally vegan diet by eliminating dairy and meat altogether, but if that’s too tall an order for you, Caldwell says don’t give up.

“They just need to be smaller portions of our diet,” she says.

Instead of adding meat to every meal, consider substitutes such as beans and nuts, like in this recipe from NutritionMD.

Black beans with rice 1/4 cup chopped onion 1 cup chopped tomatoes 1/2 cup chopped green or red bell peppers 1/2 cup chopped mild canned chili peppers 1/2 garlic clove, crushed 4 cups cooked black beans 3 cups cooked brown rice 6 tablespoons salsa 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley In a large skillet, combine onion, 1 cup tomatoes, bell peppers, chili peppers and garlic. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add beans and simmer for at least 15 minutes. If beans begin to stick, add a little water.

Serve over brown rice, adding salsa over the top.

Garnish with parsley. Serves six.

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GO FRESH, LOCAL AND ORGANIC When possible, Caldwell says, eat your food fresh and avoid refined foods. Frozen foods are OK, however, if they say “fresh frozen,” meaning they were frozen at the peak of their freshness. Eat food that’s sun-ripened, she says, organic, and when you can, grown locally.

“It just makes sense,” she says. “Less pesticides and chemicals is better for your body.”

And homegrown tomatoes, she adds, can’t be beat.

BE SWEET BUT REAL Caldwell ran into a customer recently who stopped drinking diet soda and lost 15 pounds.

“Studies indicate certain artificial sweeteners continue to tell the body to store fat and gain weight,” she says.

Instead of sugar or artificial sweeteners, try and adjust to less sweetness over time by slowly cutting back on sugar in your recipes, Caldwell says. Or try a natural alternative such as Stevia.

Other ways to get sweetness into your foods are to add palm sugar, dates, bananas or applesauce. About.com offers this recipe:

Oatmeal cookies 3 bananas 1 cup walnuts 1 cup figs 1 cup dates, soaked in water for 20 minutes, then drained 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups oatmeal Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Process all ingredients except oatmeal in a food processor until smooth. Add oatmeal and combine well.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly browned.

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Resolve to rebuild You can improve relationships in 2012

By CRYSTAL K. WIEBE I Josephine magazine

T

he year may be new, but chances are, your gripes with your sister, boyfriend or kids are not.

While the dynamics of individual relationships vary, we often mess things up for similar

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reasons. Luckily, similar strategies also apply to the fixing.

Do you find yourself constantly fighting with someone close to you?

Although words may be flying, you probably aren’t really communicating.

| Josephine magazine |

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Susan Shuman, a clinical psychologist at Samaritan Counseling Center in St. Joseph, believes different communication styles lead to misunderstandings with loved ones. “It is normal to have disagreements and differences of opinions,” she says, “but that does not mean they have to lead to bigger arguments or fights.”

She urges her clients to focus on positive, rational communication — and she practices what she preaches. “My husband and I have been able to resolve our conflicts without them becoming more than they need to,” she says. “We have never yelled at one another, called each other derogatory names or stormed off in the middle of a discussion. This has definitely been a positive factor in keeping our relationship happy and healthy.”

However, if your relationship already feels like a war zone — what Annabelle Eason describes as: “You dig into your trench and come out only to yell at each other” — underlying inequity may be what’s preventing you from truly hearing one another.

“How do you communicate when you basically think that person is wrong or out to get you?” asks Eason, a licensed specialist clinical social worker in Overland Park, Kan. She believes relationship problems can stem from an unfair distribution of relationship work, from household chores to simply keeping the partnership top of mind.

People can become so locked into an overfunctioning or underfunctioning role that to themselves and those around them it becomes their identity.

Over time, a “bossy wife” feels perpetually unappreciated or a “lazy husband” feels incapable of making a satisfactory dinner even if he tried. Among friends: “Ms. Reliable” may never confide her own vulnerabilities to the “drama queen” friend who only ever calls mid-meltdown.

“Before you know it, you’ve got a pretty big space between these people,” Eason says. Within that void, negativity — in the form of nagging, fighting or quiet resentment — thrives.

Underfunctioners usually do need to step up in big and small ways in order to become more active participants in the

relationship. To allow this transition, however, the overfunctioner must let her own load be lightened.

Don’t drop everything whenever your daughter calls with a minor crisis. Encourage your brother to coordinate Mom and Dad’s anniversary party, even if he wouldn’t plan the same event you would.

Certainly, it’s natural for relationships, not only between parents and children, to have a more dominant, leading partner. But that fact shouldn’t preclude a sense that each party is contributing and respected.

“Somebody has to drive the car. Somebody has to think about what’s going on,” Eason says. “But there’s a difference between being the driver and doing all the work. You don’t have to do everything just because you see what needs to be done.”

But what if you don’t want to do anything?

Left unchecked, a lack of consideration or breach of trust can leave members of any relationship ready to give up. You might even feel like you have already.

That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s too late. Clinical psychologist Judy Moore offers therapy for individuals and couples in Kansas City. Until they re-establish their connection, she tells clients not to be afraid to “fake it until you make it.”

Emotional distance can be recovered through deliberate acts of connection.

Couples fall apart, she says, because they quit doing things together.

So, make a date once a week, alternating which partner picks the activity. Set aside two whole minutes to hug or kiss each day as a means of accepting one another’s appreciation.

“With sweethearts,” Moore says, “we seem to find people more motivated to work on things.”

Yet the two-minute acceptance rule can work around the water cooler or at family gatherings, too.

“Just set your intention,” Moore says.

“You can do almost anything for two minutes” — including talk to your bratty cousin.

Do it enough times, and you might even remember why you used to think she was funny.

Read and relate Author and clinical psychologist Harriet Lerner is a relationship expert based in Topeka, Kan. Since the 1980s, she has shared her expertise nationally through several best-selling books about improving relationships.

Annabelle Eason, a licensed specialist clinical social worker in Overland Park, Kan., describes Lerner’s first book, “The Dance of Anger: A Woman’s Guide to Changing the Patterns of Intimate Relationships,” originally published in 1985, as “the queen mother of self-help books.”

Lerner writes for a female audience from a feminist perspective, offering case studies and practical advice on how to enhance and strengthen your connections to the key people in your life. Her latest volume, “Marriage Rules: A Manual for the Married and the Coupled Up,” is set for release on Jan. 5.

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Exercise your options Make fitness a healthy habit

By CATHY WOOLRIDGE I Josephine magazine

I

f the holidays have gifted you with some extra pounds, rest assured you’re not alone. But with a new year just beginning, you can resolve to go from flab to fab.

Exercise is the key, and yes, it is going to take work.

Before you even get started, forget the unrealistic resolutions that you know you probably won’t be able to keep. So, none of that “I want to lose 50 pounds by March.”

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| Josephine magazine |

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g Using your body weight as resistance is an easy way to accomplish inexpensive strength training techniques.

“Try to set little goals,” says Kelly Carson, National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) certified personal trainer with Anytime Fitness in St. Joseph and Smithville, Mo. Promise yourself you’ll drink more water, you’ll take the stairs instead of the elevator or that you’ll add an extra five minutes to your workout. These are goals that put you in control.

Don’t moan that you just don’t have time for exercise. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. And that should be doable for most of us.

Now, when it comes to exercise there are a variety of options from strength training to Zumba. Experts recommend a combination of both aerobic (or cardio) and strength training for a total body workout.

“They not only get the cardiovascular benefit, but they are strengthening their muscles, as well,” says Nancy Grundberg, owner of Success Weight Loss & Fitness in St. Joseph.

Here’s a quick look at some total body exercise options:

STRENGTH TRAINING This form of exercise can be done with just your body weight (think pushups, squats), free weights (dumbbells, barbells), kettlebells, resistance bands or cords or weight machines. You can even use a core (stability) ball as part of your routine, Carson says.

Both Carson and Grundberg say the benefits include increasing metabolism (burning more calories), building stronger bones and improving joint stability. The Mayo Clinic (mayoclinic.com) adds that strength training also helps increase stamina and helps manage chronic conditions such as arthritis, back pain, diabetes, depression, obesity

and osteoporosis.

“It’s going to help you build lean muscle,” Carson says. “Five pounds of muscle looks better than five pounds of fat.”

If you want to try something a little different while strength training, then maybe pole fitness is for you. It’s a strength training class that uses a pole for stability, according to Grundberg.

There’s also pole/chair fitness.

“We use a chair as a sexy prop while learning a chair dance,” Grundberg says. “We also use the pole for resistance while strengthening your entire body.”

PILATES Created by Joseph Pilates in the early 1900s, Pilates consists of low-impact flexibility, muscular strength and endurance movements that emphasize the use of the abdominals, lower back, hips and thighs.

According to Andrea Glidewell, the Pilates instructor at Success Weight Loss & Fitness, the benefits include building a strong core (which are your

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| Josephine magazine |

back and abdominals) and increasing strength and flexibility.

For a twist on the traditional Pilates, why not try “Polates?”

“It is a combination of pole and Pilates. It is a very effective, fun way to get in shape,” Grundberg says.

AEROBICS Aerobics is engaging in any sustainable activity that gets your heart, lungs and muscles working. That can be aerobics classes, walking, running, biking, swimming, boxing, engaging in sports, kickboxing, dancing, etc. According to medicinenet.com, the benefits include better cardiovascular health, burns fat, increases your stamina and reduces health risks such as heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, stroke and certain types of cancer. Mayoclinic. com adds that aerobic exercise also keeps arteries clear by boosting good cholesterol (HDL) and lowering bad cholesterol (LDL).

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17

Take off holiday pounds by exercising CONTINUED FROM Page 17

ZUMBA Let’s get the party started with one of the hottest trends in fitness. Zumba, which was invented by Alberto “Beto” in the mid-1990s, combines Latin music and dance moves. According to Zumba.com, the fitness craze was born in Cali, Colombia, when aerobics instructor Perez forget his traditional aerobic music. He improvised with the music tapes he had in his backpack (salsa and merengue) and created a routine that emphasized letting the music move you.

Zumba improves cardiovascular health, burns calories, increases stamina and bone density, improves balance and muscle tone, helps you lose body fat, lowers blood pressure and improves your mood, according to webmd.com.

KICKBOXING Kickboxing combines martial arts, aerobics and boxing in a high-energy workout. Its benefits, according to livestrong. com, include weight loss, increased energy levels, stress relief, improved flexibility and cardiovascular health, and it builds muscle.

Form is important in a lot of these exercises, so Carson recommends that you talk to a personal trainer or go to a gym and talk with the pros there.

“Don’t watch other people,” she says. Those other people may not be using proper form when doing the exercise.

Whatever you choose, try not to consider exercise a chore.

If you think you have to do it, then you’re more likely to think up excuses not to do it. So, find activities that you like doing and have fun. Grundberg suggests not looking at exercise as a temporary fix for weight loss.

“It needs to be a lifestyle habit,” Carson says.” I like to teach people to make lifestyle changes.”

To make that lifestyle change easier, Grundberg recommends finding a friend to be a workout partner. She says that way you will have someone to be accountable to until you in a routine. But ultimately you are the one in charge of making time to exercise.

“If you don’t like the way you look ... get up and get moving,” Grundberg says.

g Kickboxing can increase energy levels, relieve stress, improve flexibility, and improve cardiovascular health. This type of exercise combines martial arts, aerobics and boxing.

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Put your spending on a diet If your resolution is to get your finances under control in 2012, these tips can help

By SYLVIA ANDERSON Josephine magazine

W

hen there are more bills at the end of the month than money in the bank, it’s time to put your spending on a diet.

Just like losing weight, it’s not easy, but you’ll feel so much better if you do.

“One of the key factors is planning,” says Lisa Gabriel, outreach specialist with Community Action Partnership of Greater St. Joseph (CAP St. Joe), who teaches budgeting classes and helps clients learn how to get control over their spending.

Planning is what keeps you from making those unexpected purchases, she says, like going out to eat because you don’t have anything in the refrigerator for dinner.

Or buying a sweater simply because it was on sale. Claiming you have no time for this is not an excuse.

“At one time I was a single mom with two little children and I didn’t have time either,” Gabriel says. “But if I wanted to change what was going on, I had to make time.”

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FIRST STEP: PLAN A BUDGET Add up all your fixed expenses such as rent, utilities, child care, car payments and insurance, then subtract them from the amount you bring in after taxes. Write all this down.

“See how many expenses you have and if you are in balance with your net pay,” Gabriel says. “If you can see it on paper, it’s easier to deal with it a little better.”

You may need to cut out some fat to get yourself back in shape. This is done by separating your needs from wants.

Do you really need a 4G Smartphone?

Couldn’t you live without that lip gloss?

If you have children, this can be very hard because they will say they need everything.

PLAN WHEN TO PAY YOUR BILLS “I do mine every two weeks,” Gabriel says, “because that’s when I get paid.”

Decide which bills to pay on which pay period. If you get paid every other week, that will leave you with two extra pay periods a year you can use to plan for non-monthly expenses, she says.

MEAL PLANNING The grocery store is where thrifty spending habits often are led astray.

How many times do you leave with more than you came for? A list is essential, but it’s not enough, Gabriel says. You also need to plan your meals for every day in the pay cycle with the amount of money you have budgeted to spend. Make sure to take into account those out-of-the-ordinary days when you will be eating out or when the kids will need to take a lunch to school.

Then make your list and stick to it.

“It’s hard to keep a food budget with the economy the way it is,” Gabriel says. “I try to stay within it the best I can.”

but you can plan it for every pay day or certain days of the week.

“You work hard for that money,” she says. “When I get paid, I want to know where it’s going.”

Need to cut expenses even more?

Here are some ideas from Money Management: Living on Less by the University of Missouri Extension Service:

g Install a water-saver showerhead.

There will be water and energy savings, and family members may not even notice the change.

PLAN YOUR TAXES Will you be getting back a sizeable tax refund? Don’t blow it on non-essentials. Make this a part of your budget and use it to pay down loans or purchase something you need. Not getting anything back? A lot of times how much you get back has to do with what you do before the end of the year, says Jerry Williams, CPA with Sumner, Carter, Hardy & Schwichtenberg “One thing we offer here is we will look at your last couple of years free to see what you are missing out on,” he says.

Check out what credits or deductions you need to act on this year such as Independent Retirement Account, residential energy credits or college savings such as Missouri’s MOST 529 account. And double up on any final contributions to your mortgage or child care. Why pay more taxes than you need to?

STAY IN BALANCE The trick to keeping your spending down is to reconcile your bank account on a regular basis, Gabriel says. It also cuts back on overdrafts, which is an expense nobody wants. Gabriel likes to do this every time she spends money,

g Change filters regularly. A furnace that is well maintained operates more efficiently. g Wash walls instead of painting.

Washing may be all that is needed to freshen the look of a room. g Use shades or insulated drapery liners to block sun in summer and drafts in winter. g Turn down the hot water heater to 110 degrees if you do not have a dishwasher and 140 degrees if you do. g Analyze your insurance coverage to make sure you are adequately insured at the lowest price. The cost for the same coverage can vary widely from one company to another. g Check through your telephone and cell phone bills carefully each month to be sure all the calls you are paying for are correctly billed. g Learn how to maintain your car.

Change oil, air filters and oil filters when recommended. g Bring your lunch from home instead of going out to eat. g Download all of the ideas at http:// extension.missouri.edu/explorepdf/ hesguide/famecon/gh3600.pdf.

Look, you’re blushing!

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Tips and tricks for emphasizing your cheeks

By LINDSAY LADEROUTE I Josephine magazine

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any women don’t put much thought into blush. Most of the time, it’s simply pick a color, brush it on and you’re done.

Women do not realize how truly important blush is. Blush helps you look younger and healthier and helps to finish off any look, whether it be a sun-kissed glow or for going out on the town. You may find it hard to pick a color or place it just right, but with these tips and tricks you can become a blush pro in no time.

Picking the right blush color may seem daunting, but it is really quite simple.

“Blush is meant to be a natural compliment to your skin,” says Melissa Evans, a makeup artist and hairstylist from Overland Park, Kan. Use your skin as a steering wheel for picking the right color. For all women, blush that gives you a natural and soft glow is best. To easily determine your natural blush color, simply pinch your cheeks or look in the mirror after a jog, says Melissa Chesnut, a Mary Kay independent beauty consultant who resides in Dearborn, Mo. Beyond your natural blush, your skin tone is another way to help pick the perfect blush color. For ivory or beige skin, soft peaches and warm pinks are the best choices, according to Chesnut.

“Women with olive skin tones should use blush with warm undertones such as a tawny or coral or rich sienna. If a woman is bronze or ebony, a rich, warm undertone like apricot or a warm brick gives the skin a natural glow,” she says.

While skin tone is most important, do remember to keep the season in mind when choosing a blush color.

“Naturally as your skin changes with varied sun exposure from summer to winter, it’s a good idea to update your blush with the seasons,” Evans says.

This leads to lighter, more bronze colors in the summer and darker, richer colors in the winter.

After you’ve chosen a blush color, next choose the type.

Powder is the quickest and easiest to apply, according to Evans. The best tool to use for applying powder is a slanted, medium sized, soft-bristled brush. Loose powder blushes can be messy and hard to apply, but they have an upside.

“A good thing they offer is that they can be combined with other tones or bronzers for a very customized look,” Evans says.

Both Evans and Chesnut prefer to use crème blush.

“I like the dewy look it leaves. It takes a bit more to build color if you start off light-handed, but I feel that gives a bit more control,” Evans says. newspressnow.com/josephine

Chesnut believes it is the most natural looking. Crème is the best choice for mature skin since it does not set into fine lines, mentions Evans. The best way to apply crème blush is with the fingertips.

When applying blush, there are two aspects to keep in mind: your face shape and age.

“Typically you tend to have more rounded cheeks in youth, so under the cheekbone can be a great place to add definition,” Evans says.

But for more mature women, it is important to keep the color more focused on the actual cheekbone, Chesnut says.

For a rounded or heart-shaped face, you should “place your blush in a sideway V shape, the point of V toward mouth, and blend up,” Evans says. “For a square face, start just under your eyes, on the cheekbone, blending toward your temples.

For a rectangular face shape, apply blush on outer/upper corner of cheekbones and blend gently toward your nose, but not too close, Evans says.

Blush mishaps can happen, but they are easy to correct. If you have too much color, Chesnut says to use “pressed foundation powder over the color to mute it or help blend it in more.” If you feel that you placed it in the wrong spot, Evans suggests to “try to blend out with your foundation. Be careful though — if you really don’t think you can blend it into your skin without it looking cake-y, there is no shame in starting over.”

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Work on it

Put an end to your poor — and unproductive — office behavior

By SHEA CONNER I Josephine magazine

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veryone has some weaknesses in their on-the-job behavior that they need to work on, but many don’t realize that some of the things they consider “little” actually anger their co-workers and bosses.

For your consideration, here are four of the biggest bad work habits that can be easily broken with just tad bit of thought, consideration and motivation.

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POOR PLANNING AND PROCRASTINATION A lot of people really do work best under pressure, but putting tasks off until the last minute often invites plenty of problems. When you leave yourself no wiggle room to complete a task, you run the risk of encountering an unexpected obstacle that makes you miss your deadline, and bosses are rarely cool with that.

“Even if the situation’s out of your hands, everyone will be left wondering why you didn’t plan better and account for last-minute emergencies,” says Anthony Balderrama, a career advice columnist for Career Builder and AOL Jobs.

When you have time to work ahead, do it. We all need little momentary mental breaks between projects, but no one should be spending hours on their work computers checking their friends’ Facebook statuses and getting sidetracked by YouTube videos. Even trips to the snack machine often lead to time-consuming chats with other co-workers. Avoid these time-suckers at every turn.

“You’re being paid to show up and work — not talk on your cell phone or get on Facebook or take a smoke break,” says Sandy Dozier, career counselor for the Missouri Career Center in St. Joseph.

Without even knowing it, some people procrastinate sheerly through poor planning. If you spend your first hour at work wondering what you should work on during the day, you’re one of them.

“So many people, when they leave their office at 4 to 6 p.m., really have no clue what they’re going to do first thing the following morning,” says Glenn Davis, president of the Next Step Group, which recruits sales and sales management professionals for software and other companies.

Don’t simply shut down your computer once you’re done with your duties or when the clock strikes 5 o’clock. It’s more efficient to plan your schedule for the next day before you leave work, Davis says, while the upcoming tasks are still on your brain.

SLOPPY E-MAILING E-mails are second nature to most people these days, and as an informal form of communication, they’ve basically become a digital Post-It note. Many workers type entire messages and send them off without proofreading or double-checking the recipients. That’s a recipe for disaster.

“If you haven’t learned your lesson by now, the day will soon come when you accidentally “Reply All” to an e-mail and a slew of unintended readers receive a silly note you only intended your co-worker to read,” Balderrama says.

Make sure you read through and spellcheck your e-mails before you hit “send.”

Another annoying e-mail habit that hurts that employers frequently encounter are workers who reply to every single

one. Answering every e-mail as it comes in may make you seem responsive, but it’s not productive. In fact, it makes you look like you’re not focusing on the work tasks at hand.

“You feel like you’re being a hero because you’re dealing with all your email,” says Valerie Frederickson, CEO & founder of Valerie Frederickson & Co., an HR executive search and consulting firm.

“But it has nothing to do with achieving your goals.”

CONFUSING INFORMAL WITH DISRESPECTFUL In many workplaces, the boss might be the decision maker, but he or she isn’t the stern, soulless bigwig we often see on TV. In fact, using your supervisor’s first name and hanging out after work are common in many industries.

Still, you are the employee and the boss is the one who tells you what to do. And he or she can fire you if necessary. Don’t cross the line by talking to him or her as if you’re talking to your college buddy or gal pal.

“You need to show some respect for their authority,” Balderrama says.

Additionally, your co-workers may not appreciate your sense of humor as much as you think they do. Skip any off-color or racially targeted jokes, Griffen says. And

be careful not to delve too much into sensitive subjects like politics and religion.

NEVER BEING ON TIME Some companies are very strict about the time you clock in and out. Others have guidelines, but no hard rules in place. So you can arrive at 8:05 a.m. and it’s not a big deal. But if over time you’re arriving at 8:50 a.m. and leaving at 4 p.m. (with plenty of breaks in between), your reputation will suffer.

“The overall image will be that you’re not a very good employee,” Dozier says.

“It’s important that you be there on time and look your best.”

If you’re late to work — especially when meetings are scheduled — your boss and colleagues will associate that trait with you. When it’s time for a promotion or to deal with an important client, everyone will think twice before giving you the opportunity.

“Who wants to trust the person who can’t manage his or her time?” Balderrama says.

Davis adds that people who show up 5 or 10 minutes late for a meeting cause a “domino effect.” Meetings later that day may be thrown off schedule because the earlier ones ran late. And people who show up on time feel their time is being wasted. That’s just inconsiderate.

“Let Us Be Your New Provider” East Ridge Village • 3829 Frederick 816-279-1668

Finding the time for me Alison Schieber has a busy schedule, but she makes time for herself.

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Building in a few moments for yourself will keep your stress down

By JENNIFER GORDON Josephine magazine

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lison Schieber needs a deep breath just to list a typical day’s schedule.

The St. Joseph woman homeschools her three kids, ages 12, 10 and 7, then takes them to violin lessons and basketball practice in the afternoon. From there she’ll take two of her kids to piano and voice lessons. Her husband, Keith, will pick up the third child at basketball practice and then get the two from voice and piano lessons so she can go to a meeting.

On top of her responsibilities at home, Mrs. Schieber serves as the president of the Allied Arts Council and will spearhead the Missouri Citizens for the Arts lobby day for the region, which takes place in February. She also participates in a book club and holds season tickets to the Lyric Opera of Kansas City.

With careful planning, she and Keith make it work, but she admits some days are a struggle. Last-minute events com-

plicate the best-laid plans. Suddenly even going to book club turns into a hassle.

Dr. Marilyn Glenn, a psychotherapist at Atchison (Kan.) Counseling Services, sees families with time demands like the Schiebers all the time in her practice. “I would agree that an awful lot of people overload their daily schedule, especially people in the role of taking care of families, parents who are taking kids from here to there,� Glenn says. “It really is hard to juggle.�

Alison found herself really crunched for time as a parent of small children. “When the kids are little and you’re getting up in the middle of the night, there’s sort of the ‘do you ever get a moment to yourself ?’ and you really don’t,� she says.

Now that Alison doesn’t need to baby-sit her 10-year-old during dance class, she’ll bring a book along, call a friend or go out to eat.

She and her husband carve out time to explore their individual interests as well.

Alison makes it a point to see an opera in Kansas City and will meet up with her

parents while there.

The time away, she finds, really helps her clear her head. Her family benefits from it, too. “I also think it’s important for you to give your children space. I can’t make my dreams their dreams. I have to pursue my own interests. I can’t live through my children. They have to decide their interests,� she says.

Glenn tells her clients the same thing.

She recommends couples take a night or two away from the home once a month or get a hotel room in Kansas City for a weekend. Neglecting self-care doesn’t do any good for the family, she cautions. “If parents don’t nurture themselves, they can become over-demanding of their children,� Glenn says.

When a schedule doesn’t allow for a night off, Alison recommends making the most of whatever quiet moments crop up between activities. Down time, even if it’s five minutes, can be useful for de-stressing exercises like meditation and deep breathing.

New Year New You

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average joe

Year-end reflections Once Christmas is past, let it go and look to the future ALONZO WESTON is a columnist and reporter for the St. Joseph News-Press. The St. Joseph native has served on the News-Press staff for more than 20 years. He and his wife, Deanna, have two children and a dog. The St. Joseph native is also a sports junkie who doesn’t pick up after himself. If you’d like to suggest an idea for this column, contact Alonzo at alonzo.weston@ newspressnow.com.

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Januar y 2012

t’s funny how I used to look forward to New Year’s Eve. My wife, Deanna, and I used to look for the best New Year’s Eve party bargain at a bar or hotel in Kansas City. With each passing year, we’ve inched closer to home.

We’ve gone from having a house full of people over for food, fun and games to just sitting around watching movies now. Hey, it’s just another year, right? You can only hope it’s better than the last. But after awhile, it all becomes routine.

So here you are again, with beer in hand and close to the end of another year. You’re sitting there in the same recliner, wearing the same beer gut you vowed that you’d lose this time last year. You were going to exercise more, drink less and eat right. Yeah, right.

Your new man lasted all of three weeks. So here you are again on the precipice of a new year getting ready to start it off by doing all the things you vowed to give up at the beginning of this one.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s is sort of like a bad habit grace period.

You have a week to get all the beer drinking, high-carb eating, slothful living out of your system before setting off on yet another clean-living campaign.

It’s also somewhat of a depressing time and you’ll need all the libations and you can get to get through it. Sure there’s plenty of football, but it’s games like the AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl or New Era Pinstripe Bowl with teams like Marshall and Wyoming.

All of your presents are opened. The gift wrap trash

| Josephine magazine |

needs to be taken out. The Christmas tree and all the decorations are past their usefulness.

Christmas trees and decorations up past their prime look like a house after a long ago party. The cute decorations and fancy lights look like half empty drinks, spilled chips and used party favors that no one bothered to clean up. Christmas is over. Get over it.

One thing I never got used to is the idea of greeting cards.

What do you do with them after you’ve read them?

Don’t get me wrong, Christmas cards are always nice to get.

They’re like little gifts of thought that someone thought enough of you to buy a stamp, sign and mail to you. Throwing them away somehow feels like their sentiments are worthless. Even if they didn’t write the words, you’re still throwing someone’s heartfelt thoughts in the trash.

But yet it’s sorta creepy to keep Christmas cards around.

It’s almost like hoarding. Besides, peoples’ feelings change over time.

Aunt Bess may have thought well enough of you to send such a lovely card 30 years ago. Now she hates your guts after you ran over her cat in the driveway two winters ago.

Throw them away. You’ll get more cards. Valentine’s Day is coming up. That will put you on a whole ‘nother guilt trip.

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T

he headlines last month read “Butt Injection with Fixa-Flat Leads to Arrest.” I am not making this up, folks. It has been reported that a transgender man from Miami, posing as a plastic surgeon, injected a mixture of rubber cement, mineral oil and Fix-a-Flat into a woman’s rear end in an attempt to give her a larger behind. Needless to say, the woman ended up in the emergency room. Luckily, she is alive, but very ill.

This crazy act was performed at something called a “plumping party,” and they are all the rage. At these parties, you are offered a snack and a drink, then you and your friends lay across the kitchen table while a “doctor” injects you with Botox or Restylane. Well, these parties are not just for lips and wrinkles anymore. You can now get your whole rear end “plumped” in someone’s kitchen.

If there is anyone on this planet who knows the scorn of being butt-challenged, it is me. I have never had a rump.

Even as a child, when I got into trouble my parents would have to ground me because there was no bottom to swat.

I never really knew until the last few years that my fanny flatness was considered by some to be a liability. As a matter of fact, being the fastest kid down the slide in elementary school because I didn’t have the drag that my bulbous-butted friends did always made me think I had a special gift that made me more aerodynamic.

Now with society’s emphasis on a fanny you can set a tray of drinks on, I am suddenly selfconscious, knowing there is nothing but flatness between my shoulder blades and my knees.

I have tried several non-sur-

gical options hoping to get me some junk in my trunk, like doing a million squats. I came away with no additional tushy tissue, only sore thighs. I also tried consuming more calories to plump up my fat cells, but the additional weight just went to my tummy and neck and I ended up looking like one of those dancing cartoon frogs that had a big head and body, but a tiny bottom and skinny legs.

There is another option I have yet to try and that is “butt pads.”

I have been told there are foam rubber inserts you can put into your jeans that supposedly give you a J-Lo type of tukas. I am hesitant to try these because I am convinced if I get sweaty, one of my fake “cheeks” will migrate and freak people out.

I am aware — because of my large tummy and lack of buttockal tissue —I look like a Barbie that someone twisted the bottom half around so the rear is facing forward, (take a moment to get a visual) but I am OK with that. I am also OK with the fact that my belt loops are always tearing off because of my continual tugging on them to keep my britches up, and I have come to grips with my dresses always being shorter in the front. These are just a part of who I am. I don’t need Fix-aFlat to fix MY flat if I like me.

I embrace my flat fanny. It has allowed me to fall on it, a LOT, it doesn’t take up all of the room in my jeans so I can shove large items into my back pocket and I am protected from a lot of unwanted pinching.

The size of my seat has nothing to do with the size of my brain, so I will not be attending any “plumping parties.” As long as I can sit in a chair and not fall onto the floor during dinner, I am happy.

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| Josephine magazine |

getting real

Baby doesn’t need back The benefits of a flat fanny STACEY MOLLUS is a humor columnist who believes laughter is the best form of exercise and happy people are the best looking people. She loves her family, chocolate, clothes that are stretchy and things that sparkle. You can contact her at queenofchocolates@live.com or follow her on Facebook at “Queen of Chocolates.”

Januar y 2012

29

meal time

Leftovers ... love ’em I love having leftovers around. Just about anyone can follow a recipe, but leftovers can be an art form. Also consider that throwing out any food makes it a very expensive ingredient! (I might be a little over zealous since my family used to joke that they couldn’t remember the original meal.)

Living in France, I fell in love with good cheese, which can be expensive. Fromage Fort, a delicious spread, is an economical and easy way to use up odds and ends.

More a ratio than a recipe, you can use any almost leftover cheese (not processed please!). Remove rinds from hard cheeses.

Fromage Fort 1 pound leftover cheese at room temperature 1/4 cup extra dry vermouth or dry white wine 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened 2 heaping tablespoons parsley leaves 1 small garlic clove Grate hard cheeses and cut others into half-inch cubes. Place all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. Wait a day to let the flavors meld.

In Italy, I learned several ways to use leftover pasta, and this is one of my favorites. I like it so much sometimes I don’t wait for leftovers.

Capellini Cake 4 cups cooked and cooled pasta, such as capellini, fettuccine or linguine 3 eggs, beaten 3 scallions (green onions) finely chopped 1/2 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 2 tablespoons olive oil Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut pasta into 2-inch pieces. In a large bowl, combine pasta, eggs, scallions, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Mix well. In a 9-inch ovenproof sauté pan, heat olive oil, swirling to coat bottom and sides of pan. Add pasta mixture to pan, packing it in to make it level on top.

Cook over medium heat three to four minutes until lightly browned on bottom. Slip a rubber spatula around edges and bottom of cake to keep crust from sticking. Place pan in oven and bake about 15 minutes or until cake is firm to touch in center. To unmold, slip rubber spatula around edges and bottom to loosen. Place large plate over top of pan and careful invert to unmold. Cut cake into wedges to serve.

30

Januar y 2012

I learned a lot when working with James Beard, the king of “using up” ingredients. Stale bread became his favorite stuffing; good any time of the year as a great side dish. You can freeze leftover bread until you have enough for the following. This can be made a day ahead if you cover tightly and refrigerate. I use a lot more olive oil nowadays when cooking, but the butter flavor in this makes it a real treat.

Bread stuffing 2 sticks unsalted butter 1 cup minced onion 1/2 cup walnuts or pine nuts 7 to 8 cups fresh bread crumbs (very lightly toasting the bread crumbs in a 350-degree oven gives a great flavor) 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage leaves or tarragon or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried sage or tarragon Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 1/2 cup minced scallions (green onions) 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves Melt butter over medium heat in a deep Dutch oven or casserole. Add onions, cook until they soften, stirring occasionally. Add nuts, stir until they begin to brown, about three to four minutes. Add bread crumbs and herbs, mix well. Turn heat to low.

Add salt, pepper and scallions, mix well. Taste seasoning, adjust if necessary, turn off heat and add parsley, mix well. Turn mixture into ovenproof casserole and bake about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Capellini Cake 1½ cups canned tomato soup 1½ cups bread crumbs 1½ cups cooked chopped vegetables, whatever you have 1/4 cup finely chopped onion Salt and freshly ground pepper 6 eggs 1½ cups grated Cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine soup, crumbs, vegetables, onion, salt and pepper, spread in a baking dish. Make six indentions in mixture to hold eggs. Crack one egg into each indention, sprinkle top with cheese. Bake about 30 minutes, or until eggs are set and cheese is completely melted.

LONNIE GANDARA TAYLOR is a St. Joseph native who has returned home after a prestigious career in the culinary field. She taught cooking classes in the San Francisco Bay area for years and was a professional assistant to Julia Child, James Beard, Martha Stewart, Simone Beck and Martin Yan, among others. She is a graduate of the Paris Cordon Bleu, the Academie du Vin in Paris and the first culinary class held in the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, as well as being the author of five cookbooks.

LEFTOVER VEGGIES Puree leftover green salad dressed with vinaigrette and add to hot chicken stock for a quick and tasty soup. I used leftover vegetables in a baked egg concoction that my girls loved.

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