Biscottis help mom to attend conference
HELP FOR KATIE JEFFERY might come dipped in white or milk chocolate. Her mother Kayleen, a recent graduate of the Culinary Academy at Spokane Community College, is selling gourmet biscotti to raise money so she can attend a conference to learn more about how to improve life for her disabled daughter.
Katie, who will be 3 this month, hasn’t been fully diagnosed but experts call her symptoms “sensory integration dysfunction.”
What it means is that Kayleen’s “beautiful, happy, fun child” has trouble understanding the sights, sounds and tastes of the world. She has low muscle tone and hasn’t walked and can’t talk or communicate with her family, Kayleen says.
She hopes to raise enough money with her biscotti sales to attend a conference in Virginia about a program called “Floortime,” which was designed by psychiatrist and child development expert Dr. Stanley Greenspan.
Greenspan was featured recently on NBC’s Today show during a series of stories about autism.
“Floortime” is “an intensive home program designed to draw out children like Katie who are so withdrawn and uncomfortable in our world,” Kayleen says.
She also hopes to set up the program at home, buy equipment and hire help for her daughter.
Kayleen works almost full-time as a cook and her husband is a nursing student at SCC. She started Queen Bee Biscotti so she can use her culinary expertise to give her daughter the best chance at a meaningful life.
Kayleen’s biscotti flavors include: Chocolate Cherry Chile (a classic combination of warm, rich flavors, but not spicy), Black Chocolate Espresso, Curry Cashew Raisin and White Chocolate Coconut Macadamia. Each bar is dipped in gourmet white or milk chocolate.
She’s also offering a sampler box if you can’t decide or want to try them all. Each box of 8 biscotti is $10.
Kayleen will take orders through March 12 and plans to deliver the biscotti at the end of the month.
To order call Kayleen at 999-0476 or e-mail kayleenjeffery@hotmail.com.
Stretching that food dollar
Admit it. Some of the canned goods in your cupboards aren’t really cooking staples, they’re dust collectors. Well, Washington State University Extension food experts can teach you how to prepare great meals with those cans of food, and stretch your grocery budget in the process at class twice this month.
Sponsored by the Salvation Army, the “How to Stretch Your Food Dollar” classes feature demonstrations of home cooked meals using inexpensive ingredients and cupboard staples, along with information about nutrition and food safety.
The Second Harvest Food bank will provide the food for recipe demonstrations during the 1-hour class.
The class is open to the public and will be held at 11 a.m. on March 10 and again on March 24 at the Salvation Army’s Transitional Housing Complex, 127 E. Nora Ave.
For more information, contact The Salvation Army office at 325-6821.