So...whats for dinner?
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Thanks Bedo. Sigh, it always seems to be one step forward, two steps back.
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Chi, this is my first time making it with the wine. I was intrigued the last time you mentioned it so wanted to try something different since its one of my DH's favorite meals.
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Nance,
So hard. I really hope that he starts healing and regains his strength quickly. Best thoughts,
*susan*
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Nance, hope you dad gets back to normal and you can get some good care arrangements in place. I'm right there with you on the parents to your parents thing..
It makes me sad to see my once all powerful, all capable mom no long all powerful or all capable.....and I KNOW you feel the same way with your dad.
Oh, test #2 came back for Sharon....her CEA is 31... :-| Now it's the watchful waiting and repeat the test in a bit....i'm hoping it's her arm healing that elevated the number.
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Eric,
I know I know, the CEA is not the be end, but damn 31 is high. Did she also have the 27.29? For me, that is the accurate one. I can't imagine what her brain is doing right now. If she weren't eating Jenny Craig food, I would suggest a nice, comforting stew and lots of hugs.
*susan*
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Thanks everyone for the well wishes. First chemo done. It was a rough day, had to be there by 8:00 and then walk over to imaging department to get a US on neck because I felt a swollen lymph node below my jaw line. It was nerve wrecking all day BUT results were good and 'unremarkable' ( struck me how funny 'unremarkable' has such good connotation in this context) except for 9mm nodule on the thyroid which she is not concerned about at this time. Hopefully she is right.
It occurred to me that I must be living in the wrong house! I am not eating even as good as all your leftovers. You ladies are a remarkable lot, all this menu planning and creative recipes. I spent the last few years indulging in baking to connect with my heritage and now I am told that sweets are a no no! That is just not right.
@Susan, yay on results! I know how good it is to here great news.
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Kiks,
Who says that your heritage cooking isn't good? Yes. Sweets should not be a large part of our diet, but that doesn't mean that they are not "good." I am uncomfortable with calling any food "bad." Food is just food. During chemo, you should eat anything that appeals. I didn't have the energy to talk about this when you first asked, but let me chime in now.
For me, during chemo, I needed frequent meals. I went from eating two meals a day, to about 7. But none of them were large, and they were very protein/vegetable based. I used my three days of steroid energy to cook. I will list in no particular order, the foods that I had ready to reheat: oatmeal, breakfast every day, meatballs, mini quiche [those were a labor of steroids and love], hard boiled eggs, dumplings, mashed potatoes, soups with chicken stock, and then whatever appealed. I also made eggs and smoothies for my 10am meal. I did not eat raw vegetables at restaurants. The meals that I shared with my family included more standard fare, but only items that passed my "what can I eat" test. I made most of this food from scratch, but I believe that most of them are available in your frozen food aisle.
During chemo, eat the stuff that you can imagine eating. Now is not the time to ponder "healthy" whatever that means. Eat what your body wants. There is plenty of time later to consider lifetime options.
*susan*
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I'm going to attempt to catch up but I cannot match anything you've cooked. I made plain old spaghetti which lasted 2 nights and then kale, bean, ham soup that is leftovers tonight. Tomorrow I don't know what I'll make. I have the makings for lots of stuff frozen. Might be plain chicken breasts and vegies. Or also have stuff to make mac and cheese with roasted chilies (that are residing in the freezer). I might (fingers crossed) get DH to BBQ something - weather should cooperate.
I bought a wad of frozen pizza dough at WalMart of all places. It probably has minimal instructions on it but any suggestions on how to handle it would be welcome. It's about the size of a small-med sourdough loaf.
Sandy - that is a great story about your son and the mussels/oysters.
See that I missed Minus leaving for Hawaii. Waving and hope you are having a fabulous trip.
Red - I hope your DF sees the wisdom of staying there. Making friends at dinner can only be a plus and with a nice staff - Oh My.
Lacey and Susan - loved the story of the meet up. And the food sounds wonderful.
Oh Nancy see your update about your Dad. Much prayer going up for him. Have a safe drive out there tomorrow.
Kiks - so glad your 1st treatment is behind you and you have the weekend to rest up. Susan gives very wise advice for treating yourself during this phase.
Eric - hoping that the CEA is a flukey #. Not sure of it's significance in BC. I've only heard about the 27-29. For your sake I hope the weather stays calm.
Bedo - when do you hear about the new job in Cambridge? I too have never used a pressure cooker and don't see me starting. My DM was fearless with hers, a giant thing that I was terrified of too.
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I see my refresh missed a couple of things. That's what happens when I go back/forth between several pages.
Susan - Can't say how very happy I am to hear about the TMs drop. When is dear GB due?
Special - what a menu. You can certainly tell you know your way around a kitchen.
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Susan, she is just kind of ignoring things and continuing on. I tell myself not to worry; that Mickey and Sharon, besides being different people, had different cancers and there have been 3 decades of treatment advances....but the mind doesn't always follow the heart.
Kiks, Sharon had a huge steroid high-energy-buzz for a couple of days after each chemo. When it wore off, she didn't crash, but she did slow down a bit. Unremarkable does have a nice ring to it. There may be other such "incidentalomas"....the scans are so detailed and everyone is working so hard to find *something* on the scans, that stuff that isn't a problem, and never will be a problem, will be noticed.
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Eric, ((Hugs)) for Sharon and you. This CRAP is gut wrenching for sure.
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Eric, "ignoring things and continuing on" just makes sense to me....until she hears further diagnostics. I always think that the loved ones can carry more anxiety during watchful waiting and you are prime for that given your history. Wish we could lift your worry. Hugs to you and Sharon from me, too.
I did make it to the MO yesterday in the height of our snow storm. I ended up on the highway in the middle of a not small armada of giant snowplows! Yikes, that was an experience....especially since they just cut across lanes whenever they wanted to, cutting off several cars. I was strategic in avoiding their monstrous blades, and made it to the hospital with all fenders in tact.
. My appt. and blood work were "unremarkable" and for that I am grateful. I was also thrilled that I encountered several new nurses and support staff who were particularly pleasant and helpful. What a positive tone that sets!! I hope they stay. My MO did say that she would not at all be concerned about a cortisone shot in my shoulder setting off LE reactions, so that is a relief. After my appt. I took the side roads back to my town and dragged two large vases to a flower store to get one filled with flowers for an event for which I was asked to provide a simple arrangement. The center of our town was a mess with the snow piles, and icy slush and I was glad I wrapped the vases in towels as I was slipping and sliding on foot. I'd been told I could get a nice bouquet for $35, and when I arrived, the owner told me he could make me an arrangement for $135 and up! Fortunately the woman I'd spoken with before was there and told him how much I wanted to spend. He reluctantly gathered some flowers with my preferred colors, wrapped them in a bouquet, I paid, and left. Then my car got stuck in the snowbank surrounding it. I was very pleased to remember how I used to rock a car to get enough momentum to propel out of same. And as soon as a kind driver was willing to stop on our busy main street to wait for me, I rocked and rocketed myself back on to the road. I was happy to get home, where I intrepidly plowed through the mound at the end of the driveway.
Anyone in this area has probably seen the stunning sunset we had at the end of the storm. Here are two pix of the "golden trees" which Mother Nature gifted us..
Dinner was an after thought....Rao's marinara with meatballs I found in the freezer over linguini, and a big salad with lots of greens I have on hand.
I am about to make pizza dough with my 00 flour, so pizza it is tonight!
We have Winston the pooch for this week as DS2 and DGF are heading to St Lucia. My allergies are already acting up.
I think a trip to the groomer with him might help. His fur picks up everything on the ground.0 -
Lost one pic...
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wow.... Is that white stuff what's called snow? :-)
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Last night, it was time to refresh my rye starter. I really, really hate to throw out starter and it is not yet time to make bread. A quick google search, and it was clear. I needed to make discard starter pretzels. I divided the starter and fed the first half with more pumpernickel flour and threw it into the fridge. I added some white flour to this one, and left it on the counter. This morning, the white flour starter was having a party. White flour was like crack to this starter. The 100% starter on the other hand was just a bit puffy, as I expect. The pretzel dough is rising now. Stopped by the Japanese/Korean market and picked up some pork, in the katsu "style" and a Granny Smith apple. I will pound the pork to make a schnitzel like preparation, served with wedges of Meyer lemons. I will sautéed some red cabbage with apples, apple cider, etc. for a German-stype preparation. And then those pretzels, the inspiration for tonight's meal. If I can find some bits and bobs of green stuff in the fridge, I might make a second side.
Leftover potato-leek soup for lunch. I used the remainder of last week's rye bread to make some croutons which was a nice textural addition.
*susan*
p.s. Yes Eric. That was snow. The sunset yesterday was magnificent.
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Kiks, I hope you're feeling well today. You obviously had a big day yesterday.
Lacey, gorgeous pics! I miss New England. I lived in Boston for four years during college.
Auntienance, prayers out for your father. My dad was hospitalized for pneumonia twice in the last 3 years, and it's scary, but my dad came out thriving both times. It just takes a while to completely recover.
Tonight is shepherd pie, with ground turkey instead of lamb, and salad with a balsamic vinaigrette I made yesterday
Bedo, Love Stouffers Mac and cheese. It reminds me of my childhood
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Last night, Bob called from the hospital where he was making rounds, and said he wanted to go out to dinner at B’way Cellars. Normally, he’d drive directly there and I’d walk so I could be the designated driver home (or he’d drive home and we’d both walk to & from). But we had a half-case of wine to pick up, so he came home and we took my car. I usually start with a flute of cava and if my entree called for a red, I’d drink about half of that (and give Bob the rest). Portions are big, so we usually bring home leftovers. But since we both wanted the same salad, app & entree we decided to split all three courses. I also skipped the cava and drank water till the entree. Salad was julienne apple, baby greens, “craisins,” walnuts & sherry vinaigrette. App was mussels steamed in a white wine broth spiked with Dijon mustard, tarragon and a little cream (which I slurped with a spoon while Bob sopped it up with the included croutons). Entree was a NY strip, med. rare, with wild mushroom demi-glace, haricots verts, and roasted Brussels sprouts instead of mashed potatoes. I drank a Jovino Pinot Noir from OR--but I actually stopped at 3 oz., without making the conscious decision to do so. I’m noticing these days that with reds, once I’m done with the foods that accompany them I’m done with them as well, even after I’ve had just an ounce or two. (Before bc, I’d order or raid the fridge for cheeses to accompany it). Unfortunately, I have no such discipline when it comes to good sparkling wine. (Not a fan of prosecco or other bulk-processed sparklers). So full we couldn’t even think about dessert. Later at home I had a decaf espresso and a square of 85% dark chocolate (Green & Black, which tastes even better than some brands of 72%).
This morning, I made my son a bagel & schmear with lox, dill and capers. Had the same, but subbed out the bagel for a slice of low-carb 100% whole wheat toast, and added a little red onion and sliced tomato (which he hates). Bob left early for work and had brunch at the hospital. He has to stay over in Oak Lawn tonight so he can get home in time for B’way Cellars’ private Super Bowl party tomorrow. So for Gordy & me I’m defrosting a couple of salmon fillets (today is salmon day!), baking a purple sweet potato, and quickly stir-frying some sugar-snap peas. (Talk about "eating the rainbow"....). Will have either water or seltzer & lime with it.
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I have to drive a couple of hours to find snow. It's in the 70F degree range right now, but we pay for it, with interest, during the summer when it routinely rises over 115F degrees.
DD's car stalled Thursday night on a major street--blocking traffic--and we had to have it towed home. I had to read up on Volvos...haven't done much with them.....and figured out it was the fuel pump inside the gas tank. One gets to that part by crawling into the trunk opening up an access panel, curling up and working away. I guess it was worth saving the $650 ($50 me to do fix it versus over $700 for a shop to fix it). I"m happy but feeling somewhat like one of Susan's pretzels.
I haven't planned anything for dinner tonight, but I'm not too worried. DD is certainly grateful that I fixed her car and probably won't notice the no dinner situation. :-)
Super Bowl tomorrow...I'll be over at a friend's house helping him with car work. This means I'll be over early to my mom's house. This is the dad of "my test daughters". Neither of us are that interested in football, so this works out pretty well
Chi, you just gave me an idea. I have a 6 ounce steak in the refrigerator...and some mushrooms...and some salad fixings....Cut in two, that's not a bad sized small meal steak for DD and I. I don't want to mess up Sharon's Jenny Craig meal plan as she's down 8-9 pounds and is most happy about that.
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I did pretty well on Jenny Craig when I was in my 30s (and with a toddler at home and a husband working too late for us to dine out often--not to mention not traveling much). Lost 65 lbs. on it (and when I started, I was 7 lbs. lighter and an inch taller than I am now). But in retrospect, I was really a pain-in-the-ass about it. Even when we went out, before I was allowed one make-your-own-meal-plan-day per week (or after, when it wasn’t one of those free-planning days), I would actually bring a frozen JC dinner to restaurants and offer to pay to have it nuked while Bob & Gordy ate off the menu (never got charged for that, though). When I hit goal, we were on vacation in a resort condo outside San Diego, and I brought a small suitcase full of JC nonperishables and drove into the JC center in Escondido for my weigh-in and frozen meal purchase. I think I was at goal maybe 5 minutes (or so it seemed). Threw my back out on my treadmill a week later; and soon got tired of having to log everything I ate and every activity I did and turn the diaries in to my counselor each week. The upshot was that by the time I hit 50 I was 235 lbs. and had to start the first of several diets (the most successful starting with a stint on Redux till it was recalled, and then getting hit by a car and being nonweightbearing--and thus basically bench-pressing my body weight with every step, using a non-wheeled walker--for 10 wks, leading to what seemed like an automatic 65-lb. weight loss). When, at 225 lbs., I nearly passed out after a 1/4 mi. walk and a trip to & from my basement on NYE 2012, my PCP used the word “de-conditioned” and ordered a battery of heart tests (all turned out perfectly normal). The 80-yr-old cardiologist who administered my treadmill stress test said to simply cut out sugar and limit my carbs. So I did. I hope to remain below 200 by this time next year. My MO says she’s good with that, given I’m on letrozole.
Tomorrow will be a challenge, though. We are walking to B’way Cellars’ staff-and-friends Super Bowl party. Tom, the owner-exec. chef, has known about my low-carb diet since I started it, and always has low-and-no-carb options as well as the usual traditional no-damn-good-for-you game-day snacks on the buffet. And now that he caught bacterial endocarditis last spring and has to eat heart-healthy himself, I’m sure there will be some low-fat low-sodium stuff as well. My challenge is going to be avoiding the free craft beer, popcorn, chips and sweets and sharply limiting my wine consumption. (At least there won’t be howling winds and 2+-foot high uneven snowdrifts to negotiate this year, so I hopefully can avoid tearing any muscles on the walk there & back).
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The pretzels were not a total success. I mean, they are a home-baked product, so they aren't horrible, but I wanted something less "soft." I have to make one more batch so I have upped the temperature of the oven and I will boil in the baking soda water for a bit longer. But, mostly, I think the recipe is for a soft pretzel. It was a valiant experiment for leftover starter, but the search continues for a more German-style pretzel. The cabbage however, was fabulous. In fact, this was good enough that I am actually going to write down what I did, so I can reproduce.
Eric, I think that your DD is a pretty smart girl. She will notice the lack of dinner, but she might not say anything and quietly make herself a bowl of cereal. Or, if she is really smart, she will grab something along with a pot and make you dinner. Your determination to keep cars going for miles and miles is admirable. Do you work on elderly Subarus? Our 2001 Legacy [not Outback] is getting old. We are getting to "that" moment.... do we keep it going, dropping money into repairs on such an older vehicle, or trade both of our cars in and get one new car. Mr. 02143 isn't ready to go to one car, but I think having two in a place where owning a car is expensive, is starting to feel like one too many.
*susan*
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Susan, you may have come across this one already. It's a little more "bagely."
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How about this one? http://www.theoktoberfest.com/HTML/pretzel/ , or this one, that seems normal enough: http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/1139659/authent... , until you get to "Once the dough has risen, place the trays next to a cold window with some wind blowing. A fan can be used if there is no breeze."
Really? I can only bake these when there is a cold window with wind? Oh my goodness! Just makes me laugh out loud.
Second batch is done. Higher oven temp was better, but these are still just soft breads in a pretzel shape. I made six of them as beehive rolls. They will be mighty tasty as the container for a turkey or pastrami sandwich. Maybe batch one will turn into croutons or squirrel food.
*susan*
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Well, I'm sure the squirrels will be thrilled with rejected soft pretzels, Susan. ;
Tonight I used the Roberta's recipe for pizza dough (since I bought some 00 flour at WF this week) and I actually think that I like another recipe better. That did not stop us from scarfing down a lot of pizza! I must keep experimenting....
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The Pretzel Saga. The search for the perfect pretzel. Our heroine's continuing story of the good the bad and the ugly. By Susan. LOL
Lacey those pictures are gorgeous! It's those things that make a ss the shoveling worth it.
Chisandy sounds like an amazing dinner
Eric, I'm sure your DD appreciates your being handy with the cars. My car is the newest one. It's a 2003. LOL. My husband got his sisters Tracker after his Concord finally died at 350,000 miles. He loves it. But the door handle just fell off nd he ordered it online. In the meantime he has to keep the window open at night so he can get in the drivers side door in the morning. Did I mention it's been warm here? All the way up to 27. LOL
Hsant, funny you should mention Shepard s pie. I usually are that withe leftovers from my sloppy joe. I add veggies and top with leftover Mashed potatoes. But i didn't make that today. Maybe tomorrow.
Today supper was based on a flatbread served at my favorite little bistro in town I roasted some small peppers on my stove. Topped a toasted small flatbread with hummus, onion and the roasted peppers. Added some parmesan cheese popped it into the oven for a bit and drizzled it with balsamic. It was good. Not as good as the bistro but not bad. I'll pay more attention and see what I left off next time.
Much love to all.
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Gordy’s got a couple of late shows to do, and the salmon didn’t thaw enough in the fridge. I wanted something beefy, but I had steak last night. So I marinated and grilled some asparagus, baked a small purple sweet potato (an interesting experiment I don’t care to repeat), and nuked some grilled portabello mushrooms from Whole Foods’ salad bar. Poured about 4 oz. of the Signorello Cabernet I’d preserved with the Coravin (a marvelous way to have good wine but in small doses and not all that often). Drank abt. half of it, but the vegan dinner just didn’t satisfy me (sorry, but I really am a carnivore). So I cut a small slice each of country pate, truffle pecorino, buffalo-milk Toma and queso Iberico (cow/sheep/goat) and had another ounce of it. Still have some left but don’t feel like finishing it (although since the Coravin leaves the cork & capsule intact, I can’t pour it back. So I’ll put it in a little container and save it in the fridge for deglazing a pan).
Think I’ll refill my seltzer, have a low-carb cookie and a square of dark chocolate, take my meds and call it a night.
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i have been at my dd and son in laws house since yesterday.this is a very sad weekend . We are waiting for the vet to come to put her dog to sleep. Dd and her dog .have been through thick and thin together for 12 years .My wonderful sil mother was just diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer I pray that they will continue to receive strength from each other in this very young marriage. I am sorry to bring sad news. Please say a prayer for strength for them,the doggie and his family
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Bedo, you and your family will be in my prayers. It seems like when it rains it always pours. I am so sorry.
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Oh Bedo -- how very horrible. I'm so sorry for them. It's very nice that you could be with them today. (((Hugs))) to all of you. Ironically, my DDIL just called yesterday to tell me that their dog was just diagnosed with untreatable bone cancer. A sad house there too.
In the ongoing dad saga, his foot doctor saw him in the hospital today and discovered a large "tunnel" on his foot (I have no idea what that is) that he abraded and packed. Dad is scheduled for an MRI tomorrow to see what is going on there. This is the very same doctor that he has been seeing on a monthly basis for years and who initially sent him to the hospital for the infection. How he did not see this "tunnel" before is beyond me, especially since dad has been complaining about not being able to put weight on the foot for quite some time. Dad is very frustrated and so am I. Getting information has been difficult for me and for him. The weekend hospital staff have been very unhelpful except for one very sweet CNA. She shaved dad and washed his hair for him which lifted his spirits considerably. I will be calling his doctor myself tomorrow. All of this is not helping my stomach.
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Bedo, so sorry about your daughter’s dog--the only drawbacks to pets is that their lifespans are so short, and we must deal with grief so often. We had to put down our 19-yr-old kitty (whom we’d had since he was 2) a year ago and there’s still a hole in our hearts.
Nance, prayers that your dad’s foot heals. Is that “tunnel” a fissure? It often lurks invisibly beneath a thick callus until it becomes painful.
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Bedo, sympathetic thoughts for you and your daughter and her husband and mother in law.
Hoping things improve greatly for your dad, and, thus, for you, Nance.
I'm sitting in the living room with dh and his visiting brother. Both are taking naps! They got the napping gene from their dad. We're waiting for the Super Bowl. DH and I are hoping that the Broncos will win but don't think it's likely. Peyton Manning grew up in New Orleans and his dad is much liked and respected. So we always root for whatever teams the Manning boys are playing for. Unless they're playing the Saints.
We went to Crabby Shack, a nearby casual restaurant, for lunch. I had fried oysters and thin catfish fillets with some delicious sweet potato fries. I couldn't eat all the meal so there's a Styrofoam box in the refrigerator. Later we'll get out the home-made hummus and grated cheese spread with some crackers and chips. If anyone wants more food, there's leftover chicken gumbo and I'll cook another batch of brown rice.
I would have gone out this morning and bought a King cake but there was King cake last night at the Endymion party.
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