Raspberry Nutella Panini

Ingredients

1 can Pillsbury refrigerated crusty French loaf or country Italian loaf

¼ cup Nutella

¼ cup raspberry preserves

1 cup Fresh raspberries

Directions

• Heat closed contact grill or Panini maker for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, on work surface, carefully unroll dough. Cut into 8 rectangles.
• Place to rectangles on grill; close grill. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from grill. Repeat with remaining rectangles.
• Spoon 1 tablespoon Nutella on each of 4 rectangles; top each with 1 tablespoon raspberry preserves and ¼ cup raspberries. Top with remaining rectangles.
• Place to sandwiches on grill; close grill. Cook 1 to 2 minutes or until golden brown. Repeat with remaining sandwiches.

Variation: Swap out the raspberry jam and fresh raspberries for your favorite and fresh fruit. Works well with strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries.

Helpful tip: to avoid a mess while making the sandwiches, be sure to leave the border around the edge when topping the bread with the fillings.

Serves 4

Update: Ultrasound on the neck

Well it's been 1 year and 3 months since the surgery. My endo finally got approval for me to go in for an ultrasound to check the area where the mass was previously.

In the letter I received from the Endo dated Oct 6, 2014

I have reviewed the results of your tests and the results indicate:

The follow-up CT of your neck showed that the previously noted nodules near your trachea and sub-clavicle  are no longer present.

Recommendations:
Continue you .650 Synthroid dose as discussed at your previous appointment.
Follow-up at Endocrinology Clinic in December.

I'm slightly amused by this letter. I pretty much knew that the CT scan would be clean as it's just been a little over a year. I am asymptomatic still. The surgeon felt that a CT scan would be a waste of time and money until the 2 year mark because of the cancer being a slow grower and it having taken 16 years to grow back the 2nd time. He was more interested in having a PET scan done.

PET scan is another topic of irritation. As that will probably never happen as I'm out of appeals for it and I've already had one 15 years ago therefore am supposedly ineligible even though I fall into the 1% group who has the cancer come back.  Something that no one mentions at the time your originally going through all the diagnoses and treatment planning. 

Will it come back in  15-16 years? Or is it lurking in some other spot where I've got something off that the doctor's can't seem to put a finger on? I don't know other than time will eventually tell. I know that the surgeon is concerned that it could be lurking else where but then he was stunned by how much he had to remove and where it was located especially since he figured it was "scar tissue" and not cancer. Yes, I lived up the bit of a nasty shock for him rep that I have. 

The medical team is still concerned even though they are cautiously optimistic that I've beaten it for a 2nd time and can celebrate my 1 year 3 month +7 day cancer free anniversary with their blessing. There are still the rumbles and whispers over the lack of staging this time. So they are being super cautious about not getting my hopes up too high especially since I'm still extremely hypothyroid although there's been a bit of improvement and I'm "almost" in a normalish range which I've not been for a long time. Hey at least I'm out of the triple digits and down into the teens. That's progress. 

So why the caution well cause the pathologist still won't budge on staging the cancer based just on the mass that was removed and sent in. Now I'm torn between being peeved with him for being a complete idiot and being disappointed with a tiny bit of peeved  and some sympathy for him being a stickler for following the rules. After all it's not his fault that there was an exception to the rule made for him to follow. Recap for those who are new to the saga or to refresh those who remember it faintly from a year ago. I missed getting staged this time on the cancer because the surgeon didn't remove the thyroid and send it in with the mass. The surgeon didn't remove the thyroid to send in not because of incompetence which the pathologist claims but because he simply couldn't remove what wasn't there. He couldn't do it cause it had been removed originally 11 days shy of 17 year when the  first surgery was done and I was first diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

I'm glad there was nothing showing on the ultrasound as it confirms my faith in the surgeon to have done his job fully. Yes, I know I had faith in the original surgeon to have done the same and that was shaken but then I've learned things about the original surgeon that I made me question stuff and got confirmed with this surgeon. So until something like that repeats and hopefully it doesn't. I'm standing on having faith in him.

So any ways that's the most recent update on the thyroid saga. Next one will probably be in December after I make it back to the Endo clinic for a follow up.

Spicy Chicken Pizza Roll Up

Ingredients

8 slices precooked packaged bacon

1 pound ground chicken

1 can (10 ounce) diced tomatoes with green chilies, drained

2 teaspoons dry ranch dressing mix

1 can Pillsbury refrigerated classic pizza crust

2 cup shredded Italian cheese plant ( 8 ounces)

1 tablespoon Crisco pure olive oil

Instructions

• Heat oven to 375°F. In 12 inch nonstick skillet cook bacon until crisp. Remove bacon; leave any drippings in skillet.
• Add Chicken to drippings; cook over medium-high heat, stirring quickly, until no longer pink. Stir in tomatoes. Crumble bacon in order to skillet. Drain extra liquid necessary; stir dressing mix.
• Unroll dough on nonstick cookie sheet; sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Spring chicken mixture over cheese. Top with remaining cheese. Starting on one long sigh, roll up; turn see the site down. Brush with olive oil.
• Bake 23 to 27 minutes or until golden brown. Cover to prevent overcrowding if necessary. Let stand five minutes. Diagonal to Serve

Serves 6

Support your local Boy/Cub Scouts

It's BSA Popcorn time!!!

Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts will be going around the neighborhoods door to door to inquire if you would like to buy some popcorn or maybe they will be at a booth outside a local business.

Did you know you can help a scout earn his own way in Scouting? By taking the time to place an order either with a boy who knocks at your door or at a booth or even online.

70% of your purchase will be returned to a boys unit, council and to his Scout rewards. Your purchases help them fund fun, educational activities and help more kids experience all the things that make Scouting great.

Another option that my son's Troop is participating in to raise the money for the boys to participate in activities or  be able to go to summer camp is by  selling Christmas Wreaths, Door Swags, and Centerpieces. 

My son's goal for this year is to raise enough money to go to summer camp. He's an 1/8th of the way there. Selling hasn't been easy for my son but it has been an overall good experience for him as he's worked hard at learning how to interact with the general public,  how to speak clearly so others can understand him, how to handle money, and what customer service is all about. These are not easy for him in general so popcorn and wreath selling gives him extra motivation to practice and work on these life skills.

Thank you for reading.