Day 3 of Food for Thought – Alice’s Fruit Crisp

Each day from October 5-12, I will post one of my mother’s recipes (my favorites of course), how FTD has affected my family and a little bit about the AFTD.

What is Frontotemporal Degeneration?

The behavioral form of FTD is characterized by loss of empathy and increasingly inappropriate social behavior.  People gradually become less involved in routine daily activities and withdraw emotionally from others.  Unusual behaviors may include swearing, overeating or drinking, impulsivity, repetitive behavior, sexually inappropriate behavior or deterioration in personal hygiene habits.  The person may show little awareness of these behavior changes and little or no concern for their effects on others.

How has FTD affected my family?

For me the most difficult part of FTD is mourning the loss of my mother over and over and over.  I remember sitting in bed with her one evening crying to her that I missed my mother and wanted her back.  She said, “I’m right here, Zoy.”  And what do you say when your loved one says they feel like they are disappearing and you know that there is nothing you can do about it except to comfort her.  I’ve learned over the past several years to try and live in the moment and make the most of each and every moment with her and hold those memories close. 

How can I help?

The first thing you can do to help is to learn as much as you can about FTD and the Association for Frontotemporal Degeneration or AFTD (www.theaftd.org).  The AFTD is a not-for-profit organization founded to advocate for more funding into the causes and treatments of FTD as well as provide caregivers and patients with a dependable source of accurate, reliable information and support.  The second thing you can do is make a donation to the AFTD.  Your support helps to promote and fund research into finding the cause, therapies and cures for FTD.  Please go tohttp://theaftd.givezooks.com/grassroots_fundraisers/alice-s-angels-food-for-thought-2014 and make a donation during our 2^nd Annual Food for Thought week, October 5-12.

I love this recipe because it speaks to my mother’s simplicity in life.  She could always make the simplest of ingredients taste amazing.

Fruit Crisp

Topping:

1/3 cup flour

1 cup uncooked oats

½ cup brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ cup melted butter

Fruit:

4 cups fruit (apples diced or berries)

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons of the topping

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix the topping ingredients together and set aside.

Mix the fruit ingredients together.  Pour into an 8x8 inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray.  Sprinkle the topping over the fruit.  Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and topping begins to brown.

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.