Pasta night? This week make a savory chicken pasta dish using different varieties of flavored chicken sausage. You won’t have to fix two separate meals for dinner if you want to serve something that is too spicy for the kids… pasta makes it easy to improvise. 

The key ingredient here is flavored chicken sausage. Look for Aidell’s in stores or Sausages by Amylu  in stores and on line. They both have amazing combinations that pack a lot of flavor, like sun-dried tomato and basil or apple and gouda.

Sauté veggies in two pans and add simple ingredients to one pan and more spicy additions to the other. Serve both pasta dishes side by side and the younger set may surprise you with their preferences!

Pasta Duets: Savory Chicken and Pasta (Hot and Not)

Heat the water for the pasta. Saute a chopped onion in olive oil until translucent, then add a cup of chopped leftover veggies, like green beans or asparagus.

Split the veggies between two pans and in one, heat slices of precooked chicken sausage (try Aidell’s Habanero and Green Chili, or Amylu’s Andouille if you like heat ), add 2 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 cup of chicken broth, a splash of white wine, and a teaspoon of crushed dried herbs (Italian blend or sweet basil). In the other pan of veggies, add slices of mild chicken sausage or shredded cooked chicken, 1 tablespoon of tomato paste, 1 cup of chicken broth and a sprinkling of dried thyme.

Simmer both sauces while the pasta cooks. Cook bite-sized pieces of additional fresh vegetables (like broccoli) by just tossing them in to boil with the pasta during the last 2 to 3 minutes. Drain the pasta (along with the veggies you added to the cooking water).

Now remove the two sauces from the heat, and mix half of the pasta and veggies into each. Sprinkle with fresh minced parsley and plenty of grated cheese.

The sausages freeze well right in the package, so you can have a home cooked entrée in the time it takes to cook pasta.  Have fun sampling the different varieties to create an entirely new dish every week (or skip the meat and double the veggies for a classic vegetarian pasta). Have even more fun finishing up the extra sausage links on another night by making this recipe for Chicken Sausages with Onions, Peppers and Potatoes.

Coming soon…“kid pastas” that adults love.

Check out other recipes by Dr. Pat in Healthy Lifestyle…

Madonna adopted her son, David, from an orphanage in Malawi (where his father left him after his mother died in childbirth), and while she gave him a better life, she wasn’t done helping the people of that country. Her plans to build a girls’ school in Malawi are moving forward, with a task force of four prominent Malawians already on board.

Madonna’s project is said to be on par with what Oprah Winfrey has done in South Africa. It will most definitely be a multi-million dollar project, but I don’t think any of us have any doubts as to whether Madge can foot the bill.

The pop superstar has been involved in other Malawian projects, as well. She produced and narrated a documentary called I Am Because We Are, highlighting the plight of several Malawian children whose mothers died of AIDS. The film was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival, where Madonna said the documentary carried the message that “We are responsible for each other and that if we can help in any way, shape or form, we should.”

Regarding Madonna’s adoption of Malawian-born David Banda, the Malawian courts are expected to rule in her favor today.

Photo courtesy of dailymail.co.uk

I have yet to meet anyone, male or female, who doesn’t think Pierce Brosnan is a dashing, handsome man. And, I always feel a little less guilty about my gawking when the celebrity I’m daydreaming about is also a really good person, and let me tell you — I daydream about Pierce Brosnan without any pangs of guilt.

The former 007 has been a proponent of environmental action for over 10 years, and he and his wife have set up a trust to donate to environmental organizations. Not only has he done this and encouraged the public to donate what they can, but he has been a pretty hefty contributer himself, personally reaching the one million dollar donation mark. You’ve got to love a man who has no problem supporting the causes he’s passionate about by digging into his own pockets.

Pierce encourages his fans and fellow environmental activists to donate their money to causes that will offset carbon emissions by planting trees as well as paying carbon tax when traveling in environmentally sensitive areas. But the environment isn’t the only cause that gets this leading man to take action. He’s been a supporter of breast cancer research and replaced a playground near his home in Hawaii — a good guy through and through.

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

I don’t think anybody would argue that being a mom is a tough job — that’s why Mother’s Day is such a special time for celebration for so many families. And while many celebrity moms get some flack because they’re able to hire nannies and continue to work as actresses, there are lots of famous moms who make a concentrated effort to take on all the responsibilities that come with motherhood, sometimes at the expense of their careers.

Love Our Children USA has come out with their Third Annual “Mothers Who Make a Difference List,” and there are a bunch of well-known names on it — Cate Blanchett, Marcia Cross, Geena Davis, Salma Hayek, Holly Hunter, Naomi Watts, Kate Winslet, Ashleigh Banfield, Marcia Gay Harden, Jill Hennessey, Finola Hughes, Vanessa Mathison, Melania Trump, Nancy O’Dell, and Kim Raver all made the 2008 list.

The “Mothers Who Make a Difference List” is Love Our Children USA’s way of honoring mothers who, despite a heavy work schedule, find a way to balance their home and career lives so they can serve as solid parents and role models.

Love Our Children USA comes out with this list because there are over three million children in our country who are affected by violence, and bullying, cyberbullying, and a bevy of other internet-related dangers are all too prevalent for a large percentage of school-age children. It’s important to recognize the impact a loving, nurturing mother can have, not only on her own child, but on every mother and child with whom she comes into contact because she makes her family her priority.

Can you think of a mother who makes a difference? Tell us all about her in the comments!

Photo courtesy of theage.com.au

Glenn Close is a bonafied dog lover, and was recently recognized for her efforts by Look To The Stars. She received the Golden Bone for her work as co-founder of Fetchdog.com, an high-end online store selling dog and puppy supplies. That alone, while nice, isn’t such a big deal. What’s special about Fetchdog is that when Glenn and her husband started it last October, they decided to donate a percentage of every sale to a dog-related charity of the purchaser’s choice.

The store itself has some really cool items, ranging from training tools and leashes (I have my eye on the Not-a-long Coupler) to Earth friendly beds, toys, bath products, and more. But that’s not all the site has to offer.

Glenn also has a blog called Lively Licks, and I’m a huge fan. In it, she holds interviews with celebrity dog owners like Martha Stewart and Debra Messing as well as interviews with inspirational dog owners, like Tracy Christensen and his avalanche rescue dog, Mick. Additionally, she gives tips, tricks and advice on dealing with things like dog smell, hair, and accidents.

She might have played Cruella DeVil in 101 Dalmations, but Glenn Close is anything but cruel in real life. Congrats on your newest award, Glenn, and keep up the good work!

Close-up photo courtesy of starpulse.com. Photo with dogs courtesy of fetchdog.com.

Planting a garden is the perfect way to have some fun with the kids…and to get them more excited about vegetables!

Your little gardener will delight in watching the tiniest seedlings grow into big super stars. The home grown versions of these favorites not only taste better because they ARE better, but they also create tremendous pride in the achievement.

Try these winners for a kid-friendly garden:

• Tomatoes. If you only plant one tomato, choose a “Sweet 100″ cherry tomato. This is a small tomato with a big-tomato taste. It has an unbelievably sweet flavor; we love to rinse and eat them right from the bush. The most amazing thing is how much they produce; there are hundreds (thousands?) that just keep coming throughout the summer. Serve them in a bowl for snacking, slice them in half for salads, garnish pasta dishes. Yum!

• Cucumbers. My favorite is a burbless or seedless cucumber. These have a milder flavor, especially peeled. We eat one or two everyday, usually just sliced for munching before dinner. I have even sliced them to make sweet pickles, but we usually eat them too quickly for that!

• Green beans. Another “pick” for the kid-friendly garden is a row of pole beans. Pole beans are “indeterminate”, which is a fancy way of saying they produce for the entire growing season; the more you pick, the more you get. Pick them small, about 3 to 4 inches, for the most tender beans. Steam them lightly; a slight crunch preserves their flavor and you won’t lose vitamins to the cooking water.

• Zucchini. If you have room (and that is a big IF), then plant a yellow squash or zucchini. These are show-stoppers with their HUGE leaves and rapid growth. The kids will be impressed. The drawback here is that you certainly will have much more squash or zucchini than one family could possibly eat; that is, until you try fresh zucchini slaw, homemade zucchini bread, and even zucchini pickles! You will also be more popular in the neighborhood and at the office when you share your bounty. Pick them small (6 to 8 inches) for the best flavor.

Small yard? Use a large container on the patio for a single tomato or cucumber plant with a tomato cage to let it climb. Container gardening is a great way to get started, and it makes watering and weeding so much easier.

Pick up a few small plants soon, because you won’t have a crop for another 70 days or so. Then just add soil, water, sun and love…and be sure to send me your photos! I want to see your biggest and best…

Happiness is…my very own vegetable garden.

More by Dr. Pat…

Social networks are all the rage — it seems like everyone is on MySpace, FaceBook, Twitter, or some other version. And while these definitely have a lot of advantages, like staying in touch with friends or getting back in touch with long-lost acquaintances, they aren’t exactly used for “good” most of the time. There are a lot of creeps out there.

Jessica Biel is aware of this, and felt that the tools of online social networking could be put to better use. And so, she teamed up with her dad to start the Make The Difference Network, which aims to connect individuals and businesses with nonprofits to make caring and doing good things just a little easier.

People can use MTDN to search for nonprofit organizations, donate to their wishes (like literacy, women’s issues, holistic health, etc.), and then see how their donations help the organization. The nonprofits can join for free, and they keep every single bit of the donations made.

Jessica was inspired to do what she could to aid individuals and organizations in need after helping to raise money for a fan with muscular dystrophy. The fan has since passed away, but she continues to be inspired by his (and his family’s) courage, and knows that by providing MTDN, she’ll be helping others in similar situations.

If you have a specific cause you’d like to help fund, but don’t know what organization you should give your money to, check out the wish section of MTDN and find your cause!

Photo courtesy of askmen.com

Celebrities are raising their voices to support the U.S. Campaign for Burma. The people of Burma are being attacked by their own government, and many are unjustly imprisoned, including Nobel Peace Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi (who is the leader of the National League for Democracy in Burma and the only Nobel Peace Prize winner currently imprisoned).

In addition to this, Burma was hit by a cyclone on May 2nd — a cyclone of which the government was aware but refused to warn its people — and the death toll could be as high as 60,000, with hundreds of thousands left homeless. Still, the Burmese government has blocking any international aid.

Fortunately, Hollywood is stepping up, hoping to get one million voices involved in Burma: It Can’t Wait over 30 days. This campaign is a part of the U.S. Campaign for Burma, and is using celebrity videos to help make people aware of the human rights being violated there and get people like you and me involved.

Will Ferrell’s video was Day 1, and Day 2 consisted of a humorous skit involving Jennifer Aniston and Woody Harrelson. Other celebrities who already have videos up (and we’re only on Day 7) are Sarah Silverman, Eddie Izzard, and Jason Biggs.

So what are you waiting for? Go, check it out, watch their videos, and add your voice. I just did.

Photos courtesy of askmen.com

As I wrote about a couple of months ago, Reese Witherspoon is the Global Ambassador for Avon, and she’s working with the company to raise awareness and funds for a variety of women’s issue.

Reese was on hand for Avon once again this past weekend, this time at the sixth annual Avon Walk for Breast Cancer Washington, D.C., where she acted as a special guest. She cheered on walkers and spoke at the closing ceremony. However, this wasn’t the first time Reese was involved with a breast cancer walk.

In her speech at the closing ceremony, she said, “As the Honorary Chairman of the Avon Foundation, one of my first experiences last year was to meet Avon Walk walkers at at training walk in Los Angeles … [I] hope my presence can in some measure express my deep appreciation for all the women and men who participate in the Avon Walks, and for all of the people who dedicate their lives to breast cancer research and care.”

Is there anything not to love about this girl?

Photo courtesy of ecorazzi.com

Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, are celebrating the 20th anniversary of his rainforest charity, the Rainforest Foundation, by throwing a benefit concert through which they hope to raise $2 million.

The Rainforest Foundation has been quite successful — early on, it helped to legally set aside over 37,000 square miles of land in Brazil for the Kayapo Indians after the tribe’s chief asked for help in saving his people’s land from developers. This was just a start. The Foundation has offices in New York, London, and Oslo, and serves as much as a human rights organization as one that protects the rainforest.

Often, we think about plants and animals as the primary victims of deforestation in the rainforest, but indigenous people have lived in these areas for centuries, so they are affected by displacement as well.

Sting won’t be performing solo — he’ll be joined by Billy Joel, James Taylor, and Brian Wilson. The concert will take place next Thursday at Carnegie Hall, and tickets are priced between $175 and $400.

Photo courtesy of sting.com