Oana, if you love doughnuts then let me take you to the motherland. Recently my kids grandmother and I was looking through the cupboards for a crock pot to deep fry some chickens when she introduced me to some of her old cook books. At first I knocked them because these where cookbooks her church published. I'm a member of the Nation of Gods and Earths so anything from a Christian church I pay no attention to. Then I continued on reading some of these 19th/20th century recipes to find some nice recipes. Then Nanna (kids grandmother) asked me if I ever had monkey bread. Monkey Bread? That's what I said. Then Nanna went on telling me about this "monkey bread". She told me that her mother made it all the time for holidays and white folks back then loved it to death. I thought it was an European dish but nope. I'm from New Orleans Louisiana, land of the big booties and creole cuisine. I can cook most of these dishes myself but my family never had this monkey bread. It's really soft dinner rolls layered together with butter to create a butter roll tree. I noticed all of her cook books had a monkey bread recipe in them. I'm like damn, it must not be that good if I haven't heard of it yet. So I did my research to find out this dish is traditionally called Afrikan Coffee Cake. Then I remembered that New Orleans has a dish called Afrikan Coffee Cake that was Christianized for a Christian holiday, Fat Tuesday. This particular dish is the signature piece for the Mardi Gras celebration, the King Cake. I can make a King Cake because my mother taught it me but like most American bred Afrikans our culture and traditions were stolen and outlawed to practice so my momma didn't tell me the origins, just the recipe. So now here in DC my kids are like what is this King Cake or Monkey Bread. After giving them a factual history lesson I decided to make it for them. The first picture is my first attempt made with just sugar, cinnamon, brown sugar, butter and store bought biscuits. It was gone in one day. So I decided to make another one with some Creole "stank" on it. This time I used sweetened butter, molasses, brown and light brown sugar, milk, flour, eggs, and I made the glaze from an old school powdered sugar, water and buttermilk recipe...and here you have it for the second picture. It's a shame that racism is apparent in all American history. What's worse then that is today people play a blind eye to it like it never existed. Maybe if people are really sincere of the truth then maybe we can sit at the table together to have a slice of the King's Cake. But apparently not everyone believe Afrikans should be KINGS. That's funny, who do you think created kingdoms worldwide? Check the facts! Peace.

Several months ago Hollywood studios released a blockbuster film that is currently up for several awards called Contagion. With heavy hitters like Matt Damon, Gwyneth Paltrow and Laurence Fishburne as the main cast, they attempt to follow a web of infected individuals as a pandemic erupts across the world. This incredibly strong strand of flu virus that seems to originate from an animal spreads like wild-fire from the shores of Hong Kong, San Francisco, Chicago and everywhere in between. Day of our lives we are only a few steps from a disease that can take us out. In recent reports on news outlets we have witnessed firsthand the dangers of bacteria and germs that find their way into our homes and on our foods. This got me thinking about another airborne disease that gets very little ‘press’; the germ of negativity! It’s a scary thought that every person we meet could be a carrier of the disease of negativity. And worse, these infected could pass it on to travelers, hospitals, schools, churches and cause a widespread panic. Every sneeze is causing suspicion as to whether or not you are the next victim.

Negativity is defined as: an unpleasantness, lacking positive or constructive features. This can potentially describe most of the people we communicate with on a daily basis, or sometimes ourselves. All you have to do is look at a local news show and realize the ratio of positive and negative reports are grossly disproportioned. While we have done all we can with hand sanitizer and flu shots, we have neglected to protect ourselves from the deadliest disease of all. There are no statistics to show the amount of dreams, visions and potential that has been destroyed by the illness of negativity. Just as with any disease, knowledge, prevention and a little precaution will go a long way to keep you symptom free.

People are often surprised at my candidness when it comes to speaking up about my battle with cancer. In August of 2010 I was diagnosed with a rare form. You know that thyroid gland that exists in your neck? It does wonders for your energy levels and helps regulate your metabolism. Well I had malignant thyroid tissue in one of my ovaries which is almost unheard of. So much so that my case was referred to Yale University (PA) and involved Kaiser Permanente, Washington Hospital Center, and Holy Cross Hospital (DC Area). It required that I also have my thyroid removed in March of 2011 just after my birthday. I then had radiation treatment shortly thereafter in May of 2011. 

The fact of the matter is, cancer is plaguing the nation, It is becoming as common as the cold it seems. I am not ashamed to tell people about my experience because in my mind it may help save someone's life. As I take this journey, it is my hope that someone will hear my story and it will drive them to keeping their regular doctor visits. Furthermore if one feels in their heart that something is not right, it is important to pursue it and get as many opinions as possible until the source of the ailment is found. I know this from experience as mines went under the radar until after the decision was to made to have the first surgery. It was not until the biopsy was performed that what they thought was a large cyst was confirmed to be cancer. Wow!