ANGEL FOOD CAKE W/TROPICAL FRUIT & RASPBERRY SAUCE & A MINI RANT

If you've been watching this blog, you already know that I could care less about calories when I'm posting recipes - but I probably should be. This culinary delight is not only super simple to prepare, but has only a tiny 128 calories per slice.  Say what?  Anywho, this summer has been all about fruit and more fruit.  Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
1 Medium Mango, diced (1 cup)
1 Medium Orange, segmented (reserve juice)
2 Pints Fresh Strawberries, divided
1 Tsp Freshly Grated Ginger
2 Tbsp Cold Water
1 Tbsp Seedless Raspberry Jam (low sugar)
1/2-1 Tsp Coconut Extract
1 8 Oz Store Bought Angel Food Cake, cut into 8 slices
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Coconut (toasted)

DIRECTIONS
1.  Combine Mango, Orange and its juices , 1 Pint Raspberries and Ginger in a medium bowl and set aside.

2. In a blender or food processor, combine the second Pint of Raspberries, water, Jam and Coconut extract, then puree until smooth.

3.  Arrange the cake on  serving plates, with the fruit on the side.  Drizzle the cake and fruit with the raspberry sauce, and sprinkle with coconut flakes.

VIRTUAL ASSISTANT

Did you know that there's an International Virtual Assistant Association?  You can become a member for a fee, or use their large directory to find the person you need for your business. Check out www.ivaa.org for more information.  Also, Power to Fly, (love that business name) which launched in 2014, is another place to find jobs as a freelancer.

If either of these don't work, https://www.zirtual.com/ is a great resource, too.

SERVICE DOGS

Those with disabilities such as PTSD, Blindness, Anxiety, Cerebral Palsy, or in a wheelchair, etc., are eligible to have a service dog. Good training for these animals normally takes about 18 months to 2 years.  

You may have noticed that these wonderful animals are well socialized and quite friendly, so they don't mind being petted. 

However, before doing so, it's important to get permission from the owner of that pet.  Someone suffering from a disability may panic or feel uncomfortable having strangers in their space.  I actually experienced this situation with a retired marine who had a neurological disorder.  When I touched his dog, he became jittery, causing the dog to go into protective mode, and I gulped in a little bit of fear.  Once *James calmed down, along with the help of his mom, they explained what had happened.

MINI RANT - The Mayweather vs McGregor fight will be on PPV on 8/26/2017.  If you want to see it in HD, it will set you back $99 to watch it in the comfort of your living room, and cry later when you get your cable bill.  Experts expect the purse for this event will be over $390 million.  A confidentiality agreement was signed by both fighters so we don't know how much they'll earn, but we can safely assume it will in the millions.

Everyone knows I'm no fan of Mayweather for 2 reasons.  I'm suspicious of his Floyd Mayweather Jr. Foundation. He's received thousands in donations, and as recently as August 5, he allegedly gave students "a chance to win a laptop" some school supplies, raffled prizes (more money!)during his Back to School Giveaway. The gallery pictures focus  more on facepainting than school supplies in my opinion.  I'm not even sure how current those pics really are.

 He's had multiple convictions for domestic violence.  In one instance his own son saw his mother being beaten by his dad and had to give an eyewitness report to the police. No child should ever have to do that.   Even if those two things weren't on the drawing board, I have a huge problem with people who punch each other for a living earning more than teachers.

For the upcoming school year 2017/2018, teachers in NC may earn about $40,000.  New York teachers have a base pay of about $54,000, and Georgia has a base rate of $32,000 annually.  I think you see where I am going with this, and wonder how in the world the men and women who teach our children to read and write are so grossly underpaid in comparison to a boxer?!  Something is very wrong with that picture.

Also, if boxers can make that type of money, we should never have to ever worry about 1 in 6 kids being hungry or people not having a place to call home.