"Alex's Friends" Update

The A Team is excited to announce that we're at 27% of our goal with a month and a half to go!

Dear Alex's Family and Friends,

Step Up for Down Syndrome (SUDS) is the major fundraising event of the year for the Down Syndrome Association of Greater St. Louis (DSAGSL). DSAGSL's mission is to benefit the lives of people with Down syndrome and their families through individual and family support, education, public awareness, and advocacy. This association has directly benefited our lives by providing us with access to resources, guiding us through an overwhelming amount of information so we can focus on what's most important and relevant, and connecting us with other beautiful families.

Aaron, Alex and I have formed a team to participate in this year's SUDS on June 3. Our team is called "Alex's Friends." In 2011, this event celebrated the many abilities of people with Down syndrome and hosted approximately 5,000 attendees. We're hoping to grow the number of attendees and donations so that DSAGSL can continue to extend its reach. We're asking for your help to make this year's event the best, yet.

We're simply asking you to - do what you can. There are many ways to get involved to support "Alex's Friends."

The first, is join the team! We'd love to have you join us on Sunday, June 3, from 9:30 am to 1:00 pm. The day starts with opening activities/check in, followed by a one mile walk, lunch, music and dancing and finishes with the closing ceremony. I promise you that the day will touch your life and leave you with a new perspective.

The second way to get involved is to donate. Again, we're simply asking you to do what you can. Anything you can offer will make a difference. You can donate by visiting our website (link below) or send a check to Aaron Weisenborn (we will compile all cash donations and write a single check made payable to DSAGSL). Our address is 12115 Old Big Bend Rd, Kirkwood, MO 63122.

Next, you can fundraise with your own networks. Expand your reach to benefit DSAGSL. Pass it on.

Lastly, and most importantly, learn something new about Down syndrome and share it with another person. At 9 months old, Alex sits up on his own, rolls over both ways, eats and drinks by himself, says a lot of words we don't understand and love to hear, loves to dance, plays with his Schnauzers, and gives the best hugs. Sounds pretty typical, huh. He works very hard to learn new things and has proven to be very focused and independent.

Thank you, for doing what you can. We are so blessed that God made Alex especially for us. He belongs to an amazing family and has amazing friends.

Pan Roasted Salmon

Found this recipe on Pinterest and made it for dinner tonight. Two thumbs up from the A Team. Very easy to make. Not too sweet. A little spice. Enjoy!

Pan-Roasted Salmon

Makes 4 fillets

4 6-oz. salmon fillets, skinned
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper
½ tsp. ground cumin
¼ tsp. dry mustard
1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine brown sugar, salt and spices for the salmon in a small bowl. Rub spice mixture on the top side (non-skin) of the salmon fillets.

Sear fillets, rub-side down, in oil in a large oven-proof non-stick skillet over high heat. When the fish releases easily and rub side is browned, about 2 minutes, flip fillets and transfer pan to the oven.

Roast fillets until they flake easily with a fork, about 5-6 minutes.

Lemon Sheet Cake

This is a SIMPLE cake recipe and very delicious. Requested by Deb. Enjoy!

Lemon Sheet Cake

Cake
- 1 (18 1/4 ounce) package lemon cake mix (Duncan Hines Lemon Supreme)
- 4 eggs
- 1 (15 ounce) can lemon pie filling

Frosting

· 3 oz. Cream Cheese (softened)
· ½ Cup butter (softened)
· 2 cups confectioners sugar
· 1 ½ tsp. Vanilla

Mix cake mix and eggs until blended. Fold in Pie filling. Spread in greased 10 x 15 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees 18-20 min. (until tooth pic comes out clean). Cool cake.

Beat cream cheese, confectionars sugar and butter until smooth. Mix in vanilla. Frost cake. Store in refrigerator.

Happy Easter from Matthew

The Barry Boys at Opening Day

Put down the potato chips...

Kale Chips - As seen on the Dr. Oz show

Replace those empty calories with vitamin-rich kale. A nutritional superstar, kale is rich in vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, manganese and fiber. Indulge your craving for crunch with these healthy, homemade kale chips.

I tried these last night and they were surprisingly good!

Ingredients

1 bunch organic kale

1 tbsp olive oil or olive oil spray

Sea salt to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 ° F.

Rinse and pat dry kale leaves. Remove leafy part from stem and rip into chip size pieces. If using olive oil: put all the leaves into a bag, drizzle the olive oil into the bag, add seasonings and shake. Arrange on cookie sheet. Or, if using olive oil spray: simply arrange kale on cookie sheet, lightly spray all the "chips" and season with salt. (I also added a little grated parmesan for extra flavor.)

Bake for 15-20 minutes. Watch carefully that they do not burn. As soon as the edges turn brown, they are done and ready to enjoy!

A Twist on Baked Beans

I made this side dish for our friends last night. It got rave reviews. So have a cheat day on all of our work to be healthy and active and enjoy! Great for a Spring or Summer day.

Start with 6 slices of thick cut bacon (peppered may be a good touch also). Cut in half and fry over medium-low heat. You do not want to brown or crisp the bacon at all; the point is only to render the fat and get the bacon pieces ready to bake and turn brown in the oven. Remove the bacon pieces and leave the bacon fat in the pan.

Dice an onion. With the skillet over medium heat, add the onions and sauté them for a few minutes. Stir occasionally.

In a small bowl, measure 1/2 cup of your favorite BBQ sauce, 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1/4 cup of Apple Cider vinegar, and 2 tbsp of dijon mustard. Mix well.

Pour 2 cans of pork 'n beans into the skillet. Stir with onions. Then add the mixture. Stir well and bring to a simmer. If you prefer spicy, add a fresh chopped jalapeño at this point.

Pour into a large casserole dish. Layer the partly cooked bacon slices over the top.

Bake at 325 for two hours. You want the beans to be very very cooked, the bacon to be very very brown, and no soupiness to the dish.

Let sit for 10 minutes. Enjoy!