Well, this cast was taken off on Thursday, Dec 1, 2011. Thank heavens. When it came off it was such a relief and then I was dismayed at how much tone I had lost in my right calf, and I feel my foot looks terrible. Maybe it is just me.

You can see where the doctor injected my ankle with Marcaine over 2 weeks ago. And my little toe has been so crimped into the cast that it isn't moving. My toes are sort of shriveled looking to me also. But that's just me being critical.

Now my fibula is still healing, so they have given me a walking boot to give my leg support while it continues to heal. And I still can't drive since my foot is too weak. Honestly I can't see trying to do anything much as it still hurts to put any weight on it. But they insist I need to, and from how thin my calf looks I agree. I mean honestly, look at this boot, I feel like I have a frankenstein's Monster boot on. LOL

All in all, another 4 weeks before I get to drive, and I start physical therapy on the 6th. Thank heavens they are just 2 blocks up the road from home, so driving me won't put Richard out too much. It's so close he can go home for an hour and come back for me.

Check out how beautiful the ramp is coming along! Richard has really outdone himself. The hand rails are going up and as you can see, he is using plenty of Brackets to ensure it is very safe. I am so tickled with what he has done for me here.

 So that is todays update.  I'll let you know how the physical therapy goes. I'm such a wimp I am sort of dreading it. We will see how it goes.

Rolled Oat Cookies from Moira Glavan

This recipe comes from a dear friend from Florida, Moira. She now lives in Wisconsin and she is very talented and inventive in the kitchen. Check out her wonderful creation of Rolled Oat Cookies. She had some left over bananas that were getting too ripe, so she thought, "Let's make cookies!" and that is just what she did. Here is her Recipe:

Moira Glavan

I will tell you exactly what I did..:

 

Smashed up 5 ripened bananas, added in 2 tsp of cinnamon and 2 teaspoons of nutmeg, added in 1 tsp of vanilla extract, added in about 2 tbs of honey, then stirred in 4 cups of rolled oats, and 1 1/2 cu...ps of applesauce and 1 cup of diced dates...stirred well all together....preheated oven to 350, spoon dropped mix on ungreased cookie sheet (flattened them out) and baked for about 25 minutes each batch.

 

I want to try them again now still using the bananas as the base along with the applesauce, but may try cranberries or blueberries instead of the dates...They do turn out more of a moist chewy cookie rather then crispy, and if you wanna make it more desert like, you can always dab them with fat free cool whip.

 

Now, I have to add, these would be Gluten as well as dairy free. If you have my allergy to Tryptophan, there is some in the bananas. But I find if baked into something, or in a smoothie, I can tolerate them to a degree.

Cool whip is made with Soy, which is high in Tryptophan, so try a Rice Whip if you can find it. I have gotten it at Good Foods and Whole Foods in the past.

And her idea of substituting Cranberries or Blueberries for the Dates is great. Just remember, Dates, are high in sugar and are somewhat starchy, so they don't add liquid when cooking. The berries will. I would go with Fresh Cranberries in the winter and then you are not adding sweeteners that are uneccessary and only raise the calories.

 

Thank you Moira for a wonderful new recipe. Happy eatings everyone!

Leek & Potato Soup

I have had a few requests for the recipe for my Leek & Potato Soup. It's really super simple. And I did it in the Crock Pot, even easier.

Leek & Potato Soup

3 large Leeks

1 large sweet onion (I like Vidalia or Mayan Sweets) (Diced Up)

5 Cloves of Garlic (Peeled and minced)

2 Tblsp Goat Butter & 1 Tblsp Olive Oil

8 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes (Peeled and Diced)

1 Cup of Goat Yogurt

6 oz of Chevre (I used basil garlic to give a bit more flavor)

2 cups of Chicken Stock (Or Vegetable if you prefer)

3 cups of Whole Milk (I used Goat due to my allergies to Cow)

1 tsp salt

Black Pepper to taste

The hardest part for this is prep work. Leeks by nature are gritty, so you have to really wash them well. You will use the white part only (Going into the very pale green) Do not use the dark green parts as that is too strong in flavor. You will cut the bottom root ball off of the Leek, then cut thin rings, approximately 1/6 of an inch. Cut all the way up to the light green and stop. You will then take those rings and seperate them by sticking a finger in the middle and causing all the layers/concentric rings to pop out. Put into a colander and run under cold water. Get your hand in there and toss and make sure they are all clean.

Once clean you can put them in the crock pot with the chicken stock and turn it on High to start. I warmed the chicken stock in the microwave so the pot gets warmed up from the inside helping to prevent it from cracking as it heats up.

While the leeks start to cook in the Crock, I started the onions in a large skillet with 2 Tblsp of Butter (I use goat, you can find it at Fresh Market, Whole Foods and some of the larger Kroger Stores) and 1 Tblsp of Olive Oil. I happen to have some Olive Oil that has garlic and Oregano in the oil to flavor it. This just adds to the flavor of whatever I am cooking and I used this. I found it at World Market.

I cooked the onions until starting to get translucent and a bit of golden on edges, then added the minced garlic. I continued to cook for another 3 minutes and then poured all of this into the crock with the Leeks in the stock. I stirred well and then added the potatoes. (Hubby had peeled and I diced them up.) Also I rinse the potatoes well in cold water. This helps to remove some starch and they cook smoother.

I stirred the potatoes into the Leek mixture and put the lid on. I let this cook for about 2 hours. At this point I got out the Stick Blender, or as Alton Brown says "The Boat Motor" and I blended everything in the pot until it was creamy smooth with no lumps. I add the Yogurt, Chevre & Milk at this point and stir until smooth and well blended. I let continue to cook on low for another hour.

I like to serve with a spoon of Chevre or more Yogurt on top and chives sprinkled on for color. You can also serve it cold on a hot day. It's a real delight.

This soup can be used as a base for making other soups too. I like it for making homemade seafood chowder. Just heat, add seafood and maybe some cut up carrots or corn and serve.



Day of Venting!

Technically, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. (It is almost 2 am here and since I haven't gone to bed yet, it still feels like Tuesday to me. LOL) I know I already posted my reasons I am thankful. And yeah, I am thankful. But tonight, the pain in my leg is up and my mood has dropped with the pain. Tonight I am feeling the fears and insecurities that come with pain.

My husband who has been doing so well helping me is back to dropping hints of being single and why marrying me has been a hardship to him. He has looked for a reason to quit the security job for a while and now that he has it's my fault he isn't getting that extra income. I am so tired of being the reason his life is so bad. (Or so he keeps saying.)

On top of it all, I think my family in Georgia is mad at me for some reason. Not one of them has called to see how I was after my accident. I didn't fall on purpose. I sure as heck didn't want a broken bone. And even more, I didn't want to have this happen in the middle of my Mom's move. I didn't want to let her down and even more, didn't want my brother and his wife to have to step up and do all of what I do for her. But all I hear from them is to grow up and be an adult when I needed help and was in pain and crying because I was afraid. Excuse me, I am not a stone cold fish. I do have an emotional nature and a natural response to excessive pain.

So why do I feel guilty for being human? Why do I feel like I am letting everyone down and they are holding it against me? No... I am not on pain killers. I am allergic to so many that the doctor wouldn't prescribe anything. So I am on Arthritis Strength Tylenol and nothing else. I am staying off my leg as much as possible, I am keeping it elevated and following doctors orders.

Maybe it is just because Saturday is my 52nd Birthday. Mom talks to me about it on the phone but other than her, I haven't gotten one birthday card in the mail. Or at least, Richard hasn't gotten the mail since Saturday, so I don't think I have one. Since I can't get to the Mailbox myself, I don't know. But it is depressing to think none of my immediate family has remembered. I got 6 birthday emails from restaurants with their birthday specials. But none from my family. The only person who has remembered / said anything is my half sister in TN. And for that, I am truly greatful.

Today I am feeling low. Normally I wouldn't blog this, but a blog is a journal. The difference is, it's a journal everyone else sees. But it is still a journal. And journals are where you write not just the good things, but your fears and bad days also. So today is a bad day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Well, Thanksgiving is just a couple of days away. I can't believe how fast another year has passed us by. This year, I am thankful for my Husband, Richard, who has really stepped up and done so much to help me. As you have seen in my previous post, I fell and broke my leg. Richard built me a beautiful ramp so I can safely come and go from our home. But he has also fixed meals, helped out with laundry, tackled my "forbidden" closet to help me dress. He is walking the dog and even drove my to Mom's and got her groceries for her. I am feeling blessed.

I am also thankful for a wonderful family who have been here in my life for all these years. For putting up with my moods and helping me in the past and now. I am thankful to have my Birthmother and Half-Sister in my life even if we are not near each other. They have added a happy new dimension to my world. I am extremely greatful to have found them.

I am looking forward to a big gathering with family for Thanksgiving. I am just sad I can't help or contribute much this year. I'm debating if I can find a way to make the Deviled Eggs for my brother. He loves them so much.

I am also thankful for all the friends I have all over. Ones I have known since I was a child and those I have met over the years through work, clubs and even Karaoke. :) And for the Cousins, Aunts and Uncles who I don't get to see half as much as I would like.

I pray that each and every one of my family, friends, and readers have a safe, happy and blessed Thanksgiving.

Here is a semi-documentation of progress so far. First day after fall, this is the temporary cast that Southside Regional Medical put on my leg in the ER. It was too tight and was crimping into my ankle. So had to have a rush appointment with Colonial Orthopedics who cut that cast off.

And here is how my foot looked right after. My toes were swollen and my ankle is too. And look at the bruising around my knee. It's just starting to show here.

When I hit the floor my foot was under my behind, the knee completely flexed back. The bruising is where the knee hit the floor on the way down.

This is the Royal Purple beast that they put on at Colonial Orthopedics. My foot stayed swollen a good deal of the time, but I kept it up as much as I could.

This is the beautiful Ramp my hubby built. He is still working on hand rails and at the end he needs to put a landing as the walk doesn't meet up with the driveway. Poor planning on the part of the people who put in the driveway and our deck to start with.

My new hair cut to make it easy to deal with. I really don't like my hair this short, but sometimes you just have to go with it. Besides, I know my hair grows fast, so it won't be short for long. Sigh

Big Purple Cast is off. My ankle looks horrid. All bruised from the cast and the break. Doc gave me a shot of Marcaine in my ankle to numb it. That lasted almost 12 hours. Around midnight I started crying because the new cast was tighter and heavier. Misery to the millionth power.

The pink cast. It is tighter, and they made it heavier because there is more of the fiberglass wrapping. I am now in the start of week 4. Hopefully only will have a cast for another 2 1/2 weeks. Then I go to a walking boot.

Here is Mom with Uno. We finally got up to see her on Saturday, Nov 19th, thanks to Richard driving us up there. What a production that was. I feel for Richard. He had to get me, my walker and wheel chair into car. Then up at Mom's get it all out of car. Turns out, Uno would be a great Sled Dog. LOL He pulled me in the Wheel Chair. I just kept my good foot (with boot on) to the ground as a rudder to stay straight. Mom was thrilled to see us and I was so happy to see her apartment. I don't think much of Jim's idea of furniture arrangement, but I wasn't there, so I can't make changes. At least she is somewhat settled in.

We will be back up there this Thursday for Thanksgiving and then all drive to Jim's. Not sure how that will go, but we will see.

Anyhow, a big thanks to my Hubby for all his hard work to make things as easy for me as he can. He has really stepped up and I am so proud of him.

Till next time, have fun everyone, and remember, "Watch out for wet Linoleum!"

Well, a lot has happened since my last post. My Mom had a fall on July 23rd. She uses a electric scooter chair to get to and from the dining room back to her apartment. On this night the meal ended and one of the staff brought her scooter to her, but forgot to unplug the key. This is the on button for this model. Key in, scooter on, and if you touch a lever it moves. Mom put her foot on the floor board, started to step up with her other foot and accidently pushed the lever while grabbing the handles to balance herself. The scooter lurched forward and Mom went over backwards. Best as we can guess, she bruised the back of her left leg on the seat as she was going down.

Beginning of August Mom wasn't feeling right and Cedarfield rushed her to the ER. They said it was just a flu and sent her home. Three days later I took her again and insisted on them checking her for a stroke. I explained about the fall and that she had hit her head on the wall. That time they said she had a UTI and no stroke and sent her home. Just 3 more days, she called me as I was driving up and said "I don't feel good, I think I am going to pass out, I think I am going to die now" well, if that wasn't dramatic enough to scare me to death I don't know what was. I hung up with her and called the Nurse and told them to hurry and call 911. They didn't call until I got there, but they were there with her when I arrived. So 911 was called, and Mom went to the ER for the 3rd time in a week. This time, a really on the ball Doctor was in charge and he ordered a Chest CT and found she had a blood clot and that it had been breaking off and going to her lung. Pulmonary Embollism and they put her on blood thinners. She was sent home to Health Care and they wouldn't let her go back to her Independant Living apartment. So the process started to packing her to move to Assisted Living.

I was working hard cleaning and preparing her place for the move. I was doing her laundry and taking care of anything she needed. The move was set for 11/3/2011 and I was there every day for over a week packing, and cleaning. Then on Friday the 28th of October I had to make a stop at my brothers office  before driving up. It was cold, drizzly and just darn yucky out. I walked in the door to his building, got about 5 feet inside when my left foot went sliding forward and my right leg just gave out. I fell hard with my leg crumpled under me. When I went to straighten it out I started to scream, the pain was overwhelming. At first I only felt the pain in my knee, but then I realized my foot was even worse. Jim came out of his office and sent someone to call 911 to take me to the Hospital. I had broken my ankle and was down for the count.

While I am stuck at home with a cast and strict no weight on right leg rules, Jim and his wife had to take off and help Mom with her move. I feel aweful, useless and down right depressed. For years I have been there for Mom. Now I feel like I have let everyone down. And I am stuck in the house with a wheel chair and a walker, but no way of going anywhere. Richard is working on building me a ramp. But his boss is not giving him time off, so it's really hard on him too.

Anyhow, needless to say, I won't be doing much cooking anytime soon. But I will try and keep everyone posted on my progress here and on Facebook and Twitter. Stay tuned. :)

Rose

A while ago I saw a segment about Black Garlic at this URL and was enthralled with the idea of a Garlic that is better than roasted and delicious to use in recipes. I searched all over for it and found some at a brand new Super Kroger store across from Short Pump Mall. I immediately peeled a few cloves and diced them up and used them as a spread with a bit of olive oil on Boboli Crusts to make home made pizzas. The flavor was mellow, nutty and perfect. The problem... finding more.

Tonight I did an online search and found out much more about this delightful sensation. It's new to the US and chefs around this country. But in Korea it has been around for centuries. The best part, it doesn't give you bad breath like raw garlic and it's health benefits are doubled in the fermenting process.

It is easy to use, just peel the skin which is loose and easily removed, then dice, slice, mash or however you want to use it. You can even just eat the cloves as they are sweet and you won't suffer the Halitosis that regular garlic will give you.

So where did I find some? Try http://www.blackgarlic.com/ or you can order some from Amazon but it was cheeper at the blackgarlic.com website. I have been told some Asian markets carry it, but there are none in the Chester area. I am telling grocers and produce managers all over the area about the benefits of Black Garlic. Hopefully, some will take the hint and start carrying it.

So if you want to try something different, go on your own hunt for Black Garlic today! You will be so glad you did.

Corned Beef with a Twist.

This week I was shopping at Trader Joe's in Short Pump. Just as I got there I saw they had a table out front loaded down with Brussel Sprouts on the stem. They were beautiful and I bought 2 stalks. I don't know if you have ever seen how they grow, but that long stalk is totally loaded down with little green heads that look like mini cabages. I swear there were about 50+ sprouts on each stalk. What to do with that many Brussel Sprouts? Well, besides my usual dish that is. And then it hit me, Corned Beef in the Crock Pot with carrots, an Onion diced up and about as many Brussel Sprouts as I could make fit. They worked so much better than cabbage and the flavor was fabulous. I have the Hamilton Beach 2/4/6 quart Crock Pot. For this dish I used the 6 quart.

Corned Beef & Brussel Sprouts in Crock Pot
1 corned beef brisket w/seasoning packet
1 bag of baby carrots
1 large sweet onion diced
1 frozen cube of garlic (1 tsp) (I bought these at Trader Joe's)
2 frozen cubes of basil (2 tsp)
Pinch of fennel seeds
About 50+ Brussel Sprouts
2 cups of water

Clean and dice the onion and put in crock pot. I add half the carrots to the bottom of the pot.

I then opened the package with the Brisket and put the meat in the crock with the fat side down. I add the water in the bag to get the juice from the brisket and pour into the crock over the meat. Then I open the small seasoning package and pour it in too. I add the 3 frozen cubes of garlic and basil and the fennel seeds. I then add the rest of the carrots and all the cleaned brussel sprouts.

Put the lid on and allow to cook on High for 2 hours. Turn the meat over immersing the brussel sprouts and continue cooking on High for another hour.

Turn down to Low and continue cooking for at least another hour. (Even better if you let it cook another 2 hours.)

I cooked whole wheat egg noodles to serve the corned beef over. I also took the juice from the crock pot and put it into a small pot on the stove and added brown rice flour to thicken and make a nice gravy.

For hubby I had Sam Adams Winter Lager to drink with his meal. For me I had Ginger Ale Zevia. (sweetened with Stevia, 0 calories.)

A great meal on a cold winter day! Happy cooking!

Family and the Big "C".

This little clip from a movie taken in the 1950's at our home in TN before I was born. That's my Mom in the white and her sister Rosanne on the left of the picture. I think the little girl in front mugging to the camera is my cousin Jeannie. I'm including this clip because this Aunt, one of the nicest ladies ever has Cancer. She has been fighting with the cancer for over 6 years now. I now hear she is having terrible pain in her legs and can barely walk. And since she is in California I can't just pop in to see her. So I just want to let her know how I feel.   When I was little, we went to California to see Aunt Rosanne & Uncle Mel. I was 13 at the time. I remember their great home on a golf course in San Juan Capistrano. I remember seeing my first Roadrunners trying to nest in their yard. I remember the warmth and joy in their home. And I remember falling in love with food thanks to Rosanne and her daughters all being fantastic cooks. Jeannie taught me how to make killer carrot cake while there. And oh how I loved going to the Laguna Beach Art Festival while there.

The second time I visited was in 1977 and again I was taken by the warmth and love that I felt from Rosanne and family. I learned to eat more veggies this time. LOL Jeannie was a Vegetarian and she helped me so much with learning to eat healthy.

Now I wish I could go and visit and give back somehow to this incredible Aunt who taught me so much. I don't have the money for this trip so it's just a wish and frustrating too. I have entered every contest I can find in hopes of getting a free trip out there. No luck so far. But I keep trying.

So hug your family. Give them lots of love. You never know when you won't be able to see them again. As we get older, so do our Aunts, Uncles, Parents and so on. And eventually they are gone and we would give anything to say "I love you!" just one more time.

I'm Back!

I know my previous blog got lost in the ether and I have to start over. But here we go!

I still plan to work on recipes that are safe for people with food allergies. I myself have issues with anything that has Tryptophan, so that includes Cow's Milk, Turkey, Dark Meat of Chicken, all Beans, Egg Yolks and to a lesser degree Bananas. I am also limiting the amount of wheat/gluten in my diet. So you can see I have quite a lot of challenges to still eat healthy and have dishes full of flavor and nutrition at the same time.

In the future I will put in my recipes for Mac n' Cheese, Lasagna and more. I will even tell you how to make Ricotta Cheese from Whole Goat's Milk. (It's marvelous and fairly easy too.)

I will also have pictures and listings for my jewelry designs. I will have paypal.com links for buying pieces if you want to purchase something.

And of course, just some every day ruminations, posts of what's happening in my life and pictures of trips, scenery, family and more. Lots of pictures of Uno since he is my little joy and keep an eye out for fun photos of the deck kitties too.

So I'm back, let's see what craziness I can get up to!

Rose