Month: December 2018

2018-12-17T12:47:00

(BPT) – It’s the time of year when home bakers shift into high gear, creating delicious cookies to share with family, holiday parties or cookie swaps. Some bakers dare to experiment with new recipes, while others stick with old favorites. Yet, even the tried-and-true recipes don’t always turn out right.

Experienced bakers know how to achieve perfect cookies every time. But don’t worry! There’s no need to buy high-priced equipment or enroll in culinary school. All you need are simple tools, practical know-how and the best tasting, highest quality natural ingredients, including the holiday staple Watkins Organic Ground Cinnamon, to make cookies that will please everyone.

Here are a few simple tips for delectable holiday cookies.

* Invest in a food scale. Baking is all about chemistry. For consistent results use a simple food scale. This is important when measuring flour, which settles and varies in density if scooped. The rule of thumb is: Every cup of white flour equals 5 ounces, though some sources may recommend less. Many recipes indicate required ounces or grams. The right amount of flour is needed to absorb the ingredients, and to provide correct ratios with raising agents.

* Chill the dough. After mixing ingredients, chilling cookie dough for an hour or more prevents cookies from over-spreading while baking. Time spent in the fridge also gives ingredients the chance to gel, enhancing flavors, especially if you’re using spices. Another upside: You can prepare dough ahead of time and chill until you’re ready to bake, making prep easier.

* Use parchment paper. No need for pricey baking sheets. Parchment paper on cookie sheets does wonders for preventing overdone cookie bottoms.

* Hone your decorating strategy. You don’t need a lot of skill to achieve beautiful results. Start with good dough (properly chilled) and use a variety of cookie cutters to achieve perfect shapes. Cool cookies before applying icing or toppings so they won’t melt or run. Use Watkins Assorted Food Coloring with no artificial dyes for the best results in colorful holiday-themed treats. Creating effects with a variety of toppings (candies, sprinkles, icing, etc.) will make it look like you spent days in the kitchen.

* Use high-quality ingredients. Always start with high-quality, fresh ingredients for the best taste and appearance. Make sure your flour and raising agents, like baking powder or baking soda, haven’t sat in your cupboard too long, losing their effectiveness. Using the best quality flavorings like Watkins All Natural Baking Vanilla Extract results in scrumptious holiday cookies. Unlike ordinary vanilla, which has a higher alcohol content, Watkins All Natural Baking Vanilla is made with flavor-rich Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla. It is a double-strength vanilla, so you need only half the normal amount in your baking.

Here is a classic recipe to delight your family and guests.

Deluxe Sugar Cookies

Cookies:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon Watkins All Natural Baking Vanilla Extract
1/2 teaspoon Watkins Pure Almond Extract
2 tablespoons milk
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder

Frosting:

4 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
1 to 2 teaspoons Watkins Pure Orange, Watkins Pure Lemon or Watkins Pure Peppermint Extract, to taste
Watkins Assorted Food Coloring

Cookies: Combine butter, sugar, egg, extracts and milk in large bowl. Stir in flour and baking powder; mix well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm (about 2 hours). Heat oven to 400 F. On lightly floured surface, roll dough one third at a time to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut with floured cookie cutter. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes or until edges are light brown. Immediately remove to cool on wire rack.

Frosting: Combine all ingredients; beat until smooth.

2018-12-17T09:01:00

(BPT) – For many, the holiday season means travel! In fact, millions of U.S. residents travel more than 50 miles away from home during the holiday season. Unfortunately, burglars are also aware of these holiday season travel statistics. While many families look forward to the holidays, it is easy to get carried away with excitement and forget to prepare your home for your time away. There’s nothing worse than coming back from a relaxing vacation to a stressful situation at home, so it is best to be prepared and protect your home before you travel.

Home security matters

It may sound simple, but it is important for people to remember to set their home security systems to the appropriate settings before leaving for travel. Investing in a high-quality, easy-to-use security system grants the ultimate peace of mind for travelers. If you forget to arm your system before you leave, don’t panic! Some home security systems let you arm, or disarm, your system by remotely accessing it via any smartphone, tablet or computer. You can also set up alerts to remind you if your system hasn’t been armed.

You could also invest in a smart doorbell that automatically sends a text or email to you each time the bell is triggered. Take a look at your security cameras to make sure everything is OK, or have a trusted neighbor stop by. Smart doorbells can also trigger entryway lighting to give the illusion that someone is home.

Remote locks are also useful if you are planning on going away for the holidays, but still need to allow certain visitors into your home while you’re gone. You’ll be able to lock and unlock your doors remotely and be alerted every time the door is unlocked. This means if you happen to forget your house keys you’ll be able to let yourself in when you return from vacation. If you’re leaving your teens or young adult children behind this holiday season, you can get alerts for when they leave or come home. You can even set up an emergency automation that unlocks your doors if a fire is detected.

If you’re still likely to worry with a home security system, smart doorbell and remote lock, then consider video surveillance. You’ll be able see live video of your home from your smartphone, tablet or computer and sync your cameras to motion detectors so you can receive video clips of movement as soon as the sensors are triggered.

Don’t let your home look abandoned

If your home looks like it has been abandoned, that is often a green light for a passing burglar.

It’s one thing to arm your home security systems before you leave, but it’s another step entirely to make sure your home looks lived in when you’re gone. However, there are a few ways you can create this illusion:

* Ask a neighbor, friend or family member to help collect mail and packages, shovel snow and move cars. Trick burglars into thinking you are there.

* Use a smart lighting system that lets you program lights to come on at specific times each day. This is an easy way to make it look like you’re home.

For more information and tips, visit: USAA.com/ADT.

2018-12-14T16:47:00

(BPT) – Most people have a personal connection to cancer. In fact, an estimated 1.7 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer this year. But there are several lesser-known types of cancer that many people do not know about which can make diagnosis and treatment decisions more challenging. One example is a closely related group of rare blood cancers known as myeloproliferative neoplasms, or MPNs. 

MPNs are rare blood cancers in which the bone marrow functions abnormally, affecting the body’s blood cells. There are several types of MPNs, including myelofibrosis (MF), polycythemia vera (PV), and essential thrombocythemia (ET). While MPNs are progressive blood cancers that can occur at any age, they tend to be more common in older adults. Estimates of the prevalence of MPNs vary, but data suggest there may be as many as 200,000 people in the United States living with these diseases. 

MPNs are serious, chronic, and progressive, but largely unknown, as most patients and caregivers have never even heard of an MPN prior to diagnosis. Since talking to a healthcare provider about MPNs can be overwhelming, here are three tips to help guide those challenging and important conversations:

Review the NCCN Guidelines

The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN^®) — an alliance of leading cancer centers devoted to patient care, research, and education — developed a set of guidelines that patients, caregivers, and doctors can reference for important MPN information such as disease explanations, symptoms and diagnosis details, disease monitoring and management information, supportive care techniques, and more. These guidelines, developed by experts in the field, can help enable people living with an MPN and their caregivers to take a more active role in disease management and have informed conversations with their healthcare team. To read these guidelines, please visit NCCN.org/patients/MPNs.

Connect with Others

“MPNs tend to be a misunderstood disease,” said Matthew W., who has been living with PV for more than 10 years. “Since MPNs are rare, it can be hard to connect with others who truly understand what you are going through.” Given his health history, Matt is passionate about advocating for the MPN community and even formed a support group in his area to help people diagnosed with MPNs.

There are also support groups and online communities for people living with MPNs. Additionally, Voices of MPN offers information and resources on MPNs for people impacted by these diseases.

Use MPN tracker tools 

If you are living with an MPN, you may already know you have a progressive condition. Tracking your MPN on a regular basis can help you identify changes in your health and help ensure that you are having those important conversations with your healthcare professional. By using the Voices of MPN tracker tool, you can track your symptoms, blood counts, and past procedures.

Following these three tips can help you take control of a disease that, at sometimes, can feel out of your control.

To learn more about MPNs visit VoicesofMPN.com or “like” Voices of MPN on Facebook.

Developed by Incyte Corporation.

© 2018, Incyte Corporation. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners. MAT-­HEM-­00443  12/18

2018-12-14T10:01:00

(BPT) – For those who can’t go home for the holidays, sending loved ones a text or social media shout out may be a sufficient alternative to celebrating in-person. 

Bank of America’s Trends in Consumer Mobility Report, which explores timely mobile trends and forward-looking behaviors, shows that the line between the physical and digital is blurring. Americans are getting more comfortable forming relationships, communicating and even gifting via digital channels. 

According to the report, the majority (60 percent) of consumers believe they can be friends with someone they’ve only met virtually, and many (42 percent) view communicating virtually just as or more meaningful than communicating in-person. When it comes to how they’re communicating, consumers prefer mobile to in-person when connecting with loved ones, including siblings (74 percent), friends (68 percent) and parents (53 percent). 

“These growing trends are why we take a unique high-tech, high-touch approach, meeting our 36 million digital clients where they are,” said Nikki Katz, head of digital strategy and emerging experiences at Bank of America. “Whether it’s through digital or physical interactions, our job is to make it easy for our clients to bank how and where they want to.” 

Other findings from the report include: 

Paying the new way

Thanks to person-to-person payment services (P2P), you can skip the stress of holiday shopping. Forty-four percent of consumers currently use P2P. Out of those users, 81 percent say they are comfortable gifting money via the technology, with nearly half saying they would use it specifically for holiday gifts. 

Accelerating the move to mobile banking

Mobile banking usage continues to rise, as nearly three-quarters of consumers say they use their bank’s mobile app. Perhaps this is because nearly all mobile banking users feel the app saves them time, with 80 percent saying it saves them up to an hour per week. 

The decline of the password

The majority of Americans are comfortable using biometrics on their smartphones today, including fingerprint/touch ID (69 percent), voice recognition (65 percent), facial recognition (50 percent) and retina scan (44 percent).

For more information, visit bankofamerica.com/mobilityreport.

2018-12-14T14:01:01

(BPT) – As we head into the winter months, we tend to be in closer quarters indoors and constantly around friends and family. It is important to be conscious of infectious diseases, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which are spreading rapidly among public places like gyms and schools. MRSA prevention should continue at home, especially for groups at higher risk, like student athletes.

MRSA is one common superbug that can be potentially deadly. Caused by a type of Staph bacteria often found on the skin and in the nose, MRSA is easily spread by skin-to-skin contact or touching contaminated items or surfaces. It is also resistant to many antibiotics, making it difficult to treat. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it is estimated that there are an alarming 72,444 infections and 9,194 MRSA-related deaths each year in the U.S alone.

“In 2000, I had ankle surgery and ended up infected with the antibiotic-resistant bacteria MRSA. The infection spread to my bone marrow and bloodstream and required many surgeries and rehabilitation,” said Jeanine Thomas, MRSA survivor and founder of MRSA Survivors Network. “Since then I have been dedicated to advocating for patients and families to help inform them and bring awareness of the disease and prevention measures to the general public.”

Taking simple measures at home and on-the-go can help you to protect and safeguard your health, environment and family from dangerous bacteria and viruses, including MRSA, this season. Clorox teamed up with Thomas, former NFL player Brandon Noble, who has been personally affected by MRSA, and Saskia v. Popescu, MPH, MA, CIC, hospital epidemiologist and infection preventionist, to share the following expert tips:

1. Wash your hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 15 seconds — the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice — or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer. “Winter is a prime season for stomach bugs and diarrheal illness, so it’s important to stay vigilant with hand hygiene,” said Popescu. Be extra cautious in public settings like gyms, locker rooms, households and schools, where these viruses are increasingly spreading.

2. Keep to yourself and do not share personal items, such as towels or razors, which contact bare skin. MRSA is easily spread by skin-to-skin contact or touching contaminated items or surfaces. It is also resistant to many antibiotics, making it difficult to treat.

3. Act fast and take care of cuts and open wounds by covering them up with a clean, dry bandage until healed. Seek a medical professional if the wound worsens or doesn’t heal quickly. “When I contracted MRSA, it changed my life. I had no idea such a disease existed and would pose as a threat to my career, health and overall well-being,” said Noble.

4. Use a barrier, such as a towel or clothing, between skin and shared equipment at the gym. MRSA prevention should continue at home, especially for groups at higher risk like student athletes, as MRSA bacteria can remain on surfaces after someone touches them, making it possible for someone else to pick them up.

5. Regularly clean countertops and other surfaces in your home. “Keeping your germs at bay in the kitchen is easy,” said Thomas. “Just mix 1/2 cup bleach with one gallon of water, wipe surfaces and leave solution on for 5 minutes and then rinse.” The CDC recommends disinfecting surfaces which are likely to come in contact with skin with an EPA-registered disinfectant, like Clorox Regular Bleach with CLOROMAX.

“I wish I had known the simple ways to prevent the spread of this disease, like I do now, as that could have made all the difference,” said Noble. As germs and illnesses spread quickly, especially in close proximity areas, taking proactive steps to prevent common viruses and bacteria from spreading in the home, at schools and locker rooms is more important than ever to help protect our health, family and community. Learn more on how to prevent the spread of viruses and bacteria, such as MRSA, at Clorox.com.

2018-12-14T11:01:00

(BPT) – It’s your fifth holiday party this season and, yet again, you were asked to make a dessert. This time of year, your calendar fills up quickly and it seems like you need to bring a treat every time you leave your house. But that doesn’t mean you need to turn on your oven.

From turkey and sweet potatoes to cookies for decorating, your oven works overtime during the holiday season. Give it a rest with these quick, no-bake holiday dessert ideas:

Peppermint ice cream

If you live in a warmer climate, it’s nice to add a refreshing treat to your holiday lineup. Let others do the baking. With only five ingredients, this ice cream is easy to make and pairs perfectly with holiday cookies.

Gluten-free hazelnut-cocoa tart

You can whip up a holiday tart without even turning on your oven. This hazelnut-cocoa tart combines two crowd-pleasing flavors into one delicious, decadent dessert. Easy-to-make and gluten-free, this recipe will become your new go-to for entertaining.

Decadent holiday fudge

Treat your friends and loved ones to this classic holiday recipe. Stick with the original chocolate and nuts recipe, or play around with pure coffee extract or pure orange extract to create a new signature fudge flavor.

Chocolate truffles

You don’t need baking experience to make delicious, creamy, melt-in-your-mouth chocolate truffles. Perfect for the holiday season, these four-ingredient chocolate truffles come together in no time. Get creative and adorn with nuts, colorful sprinkles, cinnamon, peppermint candies, or even chipotle powder for an added kick. Nielsen-Massey Vanillas’ holiday bundle has vanilla, almond and pure peppermint extract in one convenient package to help add variety to your truffles.

Vanilla pudding with berries

This vanilla pudding recipe is perfect for a holiday brunch. Enjoy it on its own or add it to your fresh fruit tarts. For a frozen treat, you can use molds to create tasty pudding ice pops.

Let these no-bake dessert ideas relieve your holiday cooking stress. For more year-round recipe ideas, check out nielsenmassey.com.

2018-12-13T12:01:00

(BPT) – Some people with diabetes in the U.S. face increasingly high out-of-pocket costs for insulin, a medicine that regulates the level of sugar in the blood and allows cells to use and store sugar for energy. Some people are confronted with difficult financial choices and healthcare consequences that can prove dire. Some even ration their insulin to offset costs, which can be dangerous.

In response to the struggles people with diabetes face, Eli Lilly and Company, a major insulin manufacturer, is offering several new solutions to lower and cap monthly out-of-pocket costs for people who pay at or near full list price because of their insurance designs, including the launch of a new helpline. The Lilly Diabetes Solution Center provides real answers to people who need help paying for their insulin.

People who call the helpline at 833-808-1234 (9 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday) will find experienced representatives who will review the individual circumstances and identify immediate and longer-term options to help them pay for their Lilly insulin. Some of the options are being offered for the first time by Lilly.

These solutions primarily apply to those who pay the highest prices for their insulin, such as the uninsured and those still paying a deductible on their high-deductible insurance plans. Support is available in English, Spanish and several other languages.

“We don’t want anyone to have to pay full list price for their insulin, and many people who do will be able to pay significantly less by calling our helpline,” says Mike Mason, Lilly senior vice president, Connected Care and Insulins, noting that diabetes often requires multiple treatments and supplies.

“Our goal is to ensure that people paying high out-of-pocket costs for Lilly insulins are matched with the best solution available to reduce their financial burden and help ensure they receive the treatment they need,” Mason explains.

The solutions recommended by representatives will vary depending on each person’s circumstances. Lilly is offering several options to help people, including ways to save money on insulin purchased at the pharmacy, how to access insulin through free clinics, and support for immediate needs. Out-of-pocket costs for people who use traditional co-pay or co-insurance plans will continue to be set by their health insurer.

Based on estimates from market research data, more than 400,000 people living with diabetes in the U.S. and Puerto Rico could benefit from the helpline.

As a global leader in diabetes care for nearly a century, Lilly is committed to finding solutions, such as those offered through the Lilly Diabetes Solution Center, to make prescription drugs more affordable for all people with diabetes.

“We encourage people who pay at or near full list price for insulin, and those who don’t have the financial means to afford the costs they face, to call the helpline,” says Lilly’s Mason.

PP-LD-US-1710 09/2018 ©Lilly USA, LLC 2018. All rights reserved.