Food For Thought: This is my story...what's yours?

My Story

I am from noisy dinner tables, comforting warm hugs, overly excited weekend bags packed and heavy sighs of relief upon returning home.
I am from calloused hard working hands and long beautiful words.
I am from footprints in the sand, ladybugs and a bushel and a peck.

I am from burnt bread, Chinese noodle cookies, blueberry pancakes and half eaten broccoli slipped under the table to the dog.
I am from stifling uniforms and fancy jazz shoes.
I am from camp fires, board games, decks of cards and countless wonder years.

The pictures of my life tell a surface story, but the lessons lurk behind the smiles. The scars of wisdom leave imprints on my heart, marks of what lies deeper.
I have danced through days and survived lonely nights.
I have battled heavy legal books and filled empty computer screens with lovely words.

I have been a punching bag, a shoulder to lean on and an ear to bend; just as often as I’ve needed the bag, the shoulder and the ear.
I have been absolutely certain and I have been utterly lost.
I have felt the praise of highest honors and the desperation of not making the cut.

I have lived scary beginnings, confident middles, and bittersweet endings. Peppered with self doubt, over-zealous mistakes, content memories and pure happiness; all imperfectly scattered through my life.

I have neatly fold wisdom, hope, questions, uncertainly and fear into piles, and gingerly packed them into the baggage of my life.

This is where I am from.
This is what I have carried.
This is my story.


xoxo
Lana

The Cupcake Lady Who Makes House Calls!

We call her “The Cupcake Lady” but some call her “The Cake Boss of Delco”. Her name is Maryellen and her business is Cakes and Candies by Maryellen. She is a native of Delaware County, originally from Clifton Heights, and later moved to West Chester in Chester county.

She started a catering business 16years ago, to make some side-money to help pay for college. She graduated college with a degree in occupational therapy and after graduation worked in payroll. She kept her catering company going on the side, but it wasn’t until 4 years ago that she really decided to pursue her passion, one she shares with millions of others—dessert!
 We love to eat it and Maryellen loves to create it.

She started baking at the age of 3 with her Nana, the original baker of her family, and decided to get back to her roots. “My heart was with desserts” she said. She quit her job and focused whole heartedly on creating her cakes and candies company. Maryellen is a master baker and choclatier. She has been practicing her craft for over 11 years, making countless goodies that have put smiles on hundreds of satisfied customer’s faces. She was recently featured in the Da Vinci Society of Delaware’s Vendemmia food and wine showcase/tasting.

 

I call her the cupcake lady because 3 years ago she started making bite-size cupcakes. “I wanted to incorporate different flavors, fillers and icing, and petite cupcakes seemed like a good way to do it.” She has flavors like Banana Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Coconut, Pumpkin Spice and Pink Champagne.

So you’re thinking…with all of these combinations, how could anyone choose? Well, the only way to know what you like is to taste it. Cakes and Candies by Maryellen does not have a store front, but uses a warehouse cooking location in West Chester. So in order for customers to try out her cakes…she makes house calls.

 That’s right, you read that correctly! A cupcake lady who makes house calls—like a fairy bringing sweet dessert goodness door-to-door.

 Just call her and make an appointment at 610-986-3802 and she brings to your home, 10 kinds of cake, with more than 12 different icings and fillers for you to try. Vanilla pound cake with Key Lime Pie Filling, Red Velvet cake with Chocolate Icing, Lemon Cake with Raspberry Filling…any combination you can imagine she can accommodate. The best part is while you’re tasting, she is keeping record of which combos got the most “Mmmmm’s” and “Yum’s” to help you decide on what you want for your special occasion.

 Oh and remember if you can’t decide, you can pick all of your favorites by choosing a variety of flavors in the petite cupcakes. (Now you see why it’s such a great idea?) Plus she doesn’t just specialize in cakes, you can also order Italian pastries, chocolates, fruits and candies. To book your tasting and make an order....

• Check out her website at http://www.cakesandcandiesbymaryellen.com/  
• Give her a call 610-986-3802 
• Send her an email to cakesandcandiesbymaryellen@yahoo.com

 

DELCO gets involved in National Take Back Day

The common adage used to be that marijuana was the “gateway drug” but times sure have changed. Statistics, provided by the DEA, explain that every day, on average 2,500 teens use prescription drugs to get high for the first time. Studies conducted by the DEA in a National Survey on Drug Use and Health, shows that in 2009 alone, 400,000 more people recreationally used pain relievers, tranquilizers, stimulants and sedatives for the first time rather than marijuana.

One of the biggest problems with prescription drugs is that people do not view them as harmful as “street drugs.” Yet, according to the Center for Disease Control prescription drugs—opioids and antidepressants, are responsible for more overdose deaths than “street drugs” such as, cocaine and heroine, are.

So how do we begin to remedy this problem? How do community members ensure that their medicine cabinets are not unintentionally dealing drugs? Participate in National Take Back Day. http://www.dea.gov/

This Saturday, September 25, from 10am to 2pm the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) will host the first-ever nationwide prescription drug take-back day. Glenolden Borough Hall, along with Aldan, Springfield, Brookhaven, Upper Darby, Upper Chichester, Media, Upland, Eddystone, Ridley Park, Tinicum, Devon, Wayne and Sharon Hill are among the 14 locations countywide that will serve as a drop box locations participating in this event. At the end of the day, the DEA will transport all prescription drugs to Media, the county seat for proper disposal.

The DEA encourages citizens to properly dispose of these medications at the drop boxes. Flushing the prescription down the toilet is not a method of proper disposal. Recent Studies by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have detected pharmaceutical drugs varying in concentration in the water supply. To ensure that water stays pure and people are not abusing these prescriptions the take-back program is the best way to dispose of old drugs.

Recent studies show the majority of abused prescriptions drugs are obtained from family and friends medicine cabinets and the hope of this campaign is to eliminate that factor. This program hopes to make communities safer and lives healthier by preventing increased pill abuse and theft. Residents and community members are encouraged to bring all unused prescriptions, including those that are old and expired, to these sites for destruction. The service is free and anonymous with no questions asked.

To find a drop location nearest you, go to http://www.dea.gov/ and type in your zip code.