I’d seen the kiosks at the airports, and the ads in the magazines, but I have had no first hand experience with the Rosetta Stone. The press release for this offer states:

Rosetta Stone fully immerses users into the historical Irish language, recreating the instinctive language-learning experience with the help of vivid images and speech recognition technology. The easy-to-use platform allows users to learn Irish the same way they learned their first language and the program’s addictive quality helps users stay engaged and facilitates success.

And I have to say, they are exactly right. My husband (whose mother hailed from Ireland, therefore qualifying us for dual citizenship) and I sat down and did the entire demo together. The phrases pop up on the screen, and the user then clicks on the pictures.

Really get into the spirit of the Emerald Isle this St. Patrick’s Day, and go learn some Irish Gaelic!  Here’s the link for the  free trial of Irish Gaelic on RosettaStone.com/Irish from March 11 – 18, 2010.

Go n-éirí an t-ádh leat! (good luck)

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Chocolate Babka Recipe

Sponge:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3 ounces cake yeast
2 cups warm milk

Dough:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
10 egg yolks
2 eggs
4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour, as needed
1/2 cup butter, clarified

Filling:
14 ounces almond paste
5 egg whites
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Make the sponge: Combine the flour, sugar, yeast, and warm milk; then cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature 1 hour.Make the dough: In bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together the sugar, vanilla, salt, egg yolks and eggs until well blended. Fit the mixer with a dough hook, add the flour and sponge, and mix until combined; then drizzle in the butter. Mix with the dough hook until incorporated.

Place it in a greased bowl, covered, and let it rest and rise until doubled in volume, about 1 1/2 hours.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Fit the mixer with the paddle attachment and mix together the almond paste, egg whites, and butter. Add the chocolate and mix until combined.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Lightly flour a work surface, turn out the dough and punch it down to release the built up gases. Divide the dough in 1/2. Cover 1 piece with a damp towel as you roll the other
piece into a rectangle 8 by 14 inches and 1/4-inch thick. Let the dough rest while you roll the other out. Spread each with 1/2 of the filling, then roll them up jellyroll style and pinch the seams to seal them. Flatten the dough slightly with a rolling pin, then twist the dough 6 to 8 times. Allow the dough to rest a few minutes. Make spirals with the dough and place them in 2 greased 8-inch cake pans. (Alternatively, lay the dough straight out in 2 greased tube pans.) Cover each pan with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled in volume, about 30 to 60 minutes.

Bake the cakes for 45 minutes; then let cool in the pan.

Martha Stewart has a similar recipe…could be quite good.

• 1 1/2 cups warm milk, 110 degrees
• 2 (1/4 ounce each) packages active dry yeast
• 1 3/4 cups plus a pinch of sugar
• 3 whole large eggs, room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, room temperature
• 6 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 3/4 cups (3 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces, room temperature, plus more for bowl and loaf pans
• 2 1/4 pounds semisweet chocolate, very finely chopped
• 2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon heavy cream

And, there is actually a Gluten Free Babka Recipe that I actually might be trying for AJ.

Chocolate or Cheese Babka

2 1/2 Tsp Active Dry Yeast
3 1/2 C All-Purpose Flour
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 Tbsp Butter Or Margarine
1 C Milk (Plus 2 Tbs)
2 Lg Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

—–Cinnamon Sugar Filling—–
2 tbsp Unsalted Butter — softened
1/4 C Granulated Sugar
1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

—–Crumb Topping—–
1 tbsp Unsalted Butter — softened
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
2 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
2 pinches Ground Cinnamon

—–Egg Wash—–
1 lg Egg White Beaten With 1 Tsp Water

—–Chocolate Babka Filling—–
1/4 C Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
1/2 C Granulated Sugar
1/4 C Unsalted Butter — melted
1/3 C Pecans — coarsely chopped

—–Cheese Babka Filling—–
8 oz Farmer Cheese
2 tbsp Granulated Sugar
1 tbsp All-Purpose Flour
1 lg Egg Yolk
2 tsp Orange Zest — grated
1/4 C Dark Raisins

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Is your little one afraid to see Santa this year? Is he overstimulated by the mall and all the glittering lights, afraid of all the people, conscious of every detail around him, ready to flee at the slightest movement of someone in line, refusing to put on that shirt and tie for grandma?

In my search for tips on how to prepare AJ to visit Santa I only found two posts…This one and this one so it was obvious that it needed to be addressed.

Every parents’ dream is to get that beautiful picture of their son or daughter with Santa for the very first time. (Well, at least I know my dream was and I know that my mother pushes me to get my son all dolled up every year and take the most perfect posed shot I can.) But it is just not a reality for kids with autism or SPD, for children with developmental delays like PDD or anxiety.

• Do be wary of your child’s insecurities. If you know your child is scared of elves chose a photo opportunity that does not have elves manning the camera.
• Do plan ahead

Talk to your son or daughter before they visit with the man in the red suit. Generally speaking, they’re not supposed to talk to strangers, so show them that Santa is a known character.

Books, animated films and television programs can help take the mystery away from the man.

• Do go at odd hours of the day or week. Wednesdays are great days…the slowest day of the week and can often yield the best results.
• Do take along a comforting friend or relative who can hop up there with him.
• Do let him know that its okay to talk to Santa and that Santa is safe.
• Do be prepared to walk away if things get too hectic.
• Do be prepared for a bad photo but don’t be surprised if it a great one!
• Do talk to Santa. It will make your child feel more comfortable.
• Do keep pictures up all year so that your child sees pictures of him/her with Santa for next year.
• Don’t make a huge event out of it.
• Don’t dress him up so he is uncomfortable. For sensory kids this can be the worst…ditch the formal wear and go for something comfortable. My favorite picture of AJ is of him in overalls and a green turtleneck.
• Don’t forget the snacks, the drinks, and the lovie. Ever been without the comfort item? Now there is a lost cause. Make sure your child feels safe.
• Don’t go before scheduled naps or before lunch times when lines can make children cranky.
• Don’t go to the mall where things get out of control quickly. Look for other local places like department stores, school outings, or even local neighborhood events. Our special needs group hired a Santa this year for an hour and it was a great success. If you have someone of Santa Size…rent the costume for a small group.

We had a great visit with Santa last year because we chose to do it on AJ’s terms. Our friend hired Santa to fly in and AJ was able to approach him at his pace. He sat on his lap and talked to him when he wanted to, not when the line behind him dictated. It worked great.

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When we did our huge construction project this past spring I found glitter in our basement (from our first floor). It had fallen through the old floorboards when they took out the old hardwood floors. This year I spent about $40 on glitter for various projects for Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas and all of it was on sale. If I had known about this glitter I would have saved myself a lot of money!

To make your own glitter follow these simple instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350.

Place salt into a small bowl.

Add drops of any color food coloring and mix with the salt.

Spread salt mixture onto a baking sheet so that it is a single layer.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes.

Remove and let cool before transfering to a storage container for use.

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