I made meatloaf last night for dinner. Nothing special, right? I agree. So I decided to grab a bunch of herbs from the garden to jazz things up a bit. Oregano, two kinds of basil, rosemary, parsley, lemon balm, marjoram, thyme and lavender all spoke to me. (I use my herbs so often that I keep a pair of scissors hanging near the front door so they are ever at the ready.) I popped them into a bowl to soak and realized how beautiful they are just sitting there. These shots are not arranged, it's all how they hit the bowl. So pretty. Growing them myself I know there is nothing funky on them, no chemicals or pesticides. They get fed all organic stuff, are talked to while I clip what I need for a meal, and tenderly cleaned of insects and dead leaves. Plus, there's the savings. I haven't had to purchase herbs for months, yet I use them in everything. It's pretty cool to grow what you eat, even if it is just herbs for now (though the pepper plant is producing like crazy and should be ripening soon.) I guess I have a gardener's soul afterall.
I love it when a recipe comes together the way it tastes in my head. I have been craving Asian food. In the past, I would get take out from Dragon's Den and all would be right with the world. Now because of the whole no wheat thing, it's not that easy. There is much more involved than making a phone call. So I needed to come up with something that would satisfy my craving and keep The Man interested. Ta da!
Saucy, tender, crunchy, full of veggies... really really yummy. Oh, and with the right prep, pretty easy.
Like all cooking, prep is important. However, Asian food for the most part requires more prep than usual so it all comes together at the same time. It's all about the mise en place, the French culinary term that translates to "everything in place". Mess with another cook's meez in a professional kitchen and you could end up being tomorrow's lunch special. Getting all of the chopping and cutting done ahead makes the final dish go together in a flash. It also gives you the time to get all the prep stuff cleaned up and out of the way, leaving very little to do after dinner.
All the veggies are cut to be about the same size, with carrot and celery cut at an angle to make them prettier. Garlic and ginger are minced, as is the cilantro. Chicken breast is cubed and tossed with cornstarch. Tamari, sesame oil, umiboshi vinegar, coconut oil, safflower oil, honey, chicken stock, white wine, salt and pepper are at the ready. The first thing that needs to be done is roast the raw cashews. Over medium heat, a large saute pan is warmed with a small dollop of coconut oil. The cashews are added, stirring constantly, until they start to brown and are fragrant.
Funny, I don't like cashews unless they are in food. I can't snack on them, but give me cashew chicken, or use them for a vegan raw tiramisu and I'm in heaven. Go figure...
Remove the cashews from the pan and give it a wipe to get any little pieces of the cashews out. (You don't want to have them burn and destroy the dish; you also don't want to wash the pan, the flavor that remains helps to make the dish.) Heat the pan up again, adding a bit of coconut oil and some safflower oil. Add the chicken, keeping the pieces spread out, and get a little color on them.
Once they are a little brown, add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and ginger. Season with a bit of black pepper, no salt yet. Once the garlic and ginger are fragrant, add the cilantro, a bit of tamari, sesame oil, honey, chicken stock, white wine and umeboshi vinegar. No recipe per se, just make it taste good. When the chicken is cooked, the sauce thickens a bit and the veggies are crisp tender, adjust the salt, add the broccoli and cashews and toss around until the broccoli is tender.
Served over rice, it was a great meal, and made both my tummy and my soul very happy. Oh, and it made The Man happy as well. He even took the leftovers for lunch the following day. :-)
I will say it right from the beginning. I am not a fan of baseball. To sit at home and watch it on TV is like watching grass grow. The Man, on the other hand, is a big fan. He will even listen to games on the radio, which is even more boring than TV. However, when the opportunity presented itself on July 4th to go to a Smokies game, I conceded defeat and agreed to go. Due to the horrible weather and the friend that offered the tickets having to work later than expected, our plans fell through, and it made The Man very sad. I don't like that; I put him through far too much lately for him to be sad. I jumped on their website and looked for tickets. To my glee, they're cheap. When I say cheap, $9.50 for the good seats, $7.50 for the less desirable seats. Movies aren't this cheap! The seating chart isn't very user friendly, and I've never seen the stadium, so I didn't know if the cheap seats were any good. I splurged and went with the good ones. I found a pair of seats that were in the second row right at first base! I texted him quickly to make sure we didn't have plans, and bought them.
As I said, I don't like baseball, so I wasn't looking forward to this at all, except that I knew he would enjoy himself. The stadium is about an hour from where we live, in the mountains near where Dollywood is. Parking is right on site, and reasonably priced at $3 (or so The Man tells me). The tickets were waiting at the Will Call window and quickly picked up. It is a very small stadium, much smaller than he is used to, so even the cheap seats would give great views. We, however, were sitting in prime seating. Even I understood that from the moment we sat down. You could see everything so well, which made it easy to follow the game. He couldn't stop smiling. There is a lot going on besides the game, with little activities all over for kids and families, stuff on the field between each half inning, music, mascots... It's pretty impossible to get bored. After the game there were fireworks, a really wonderful display that they postponed from the 4th because of weather. Being that close to the field, it was right over our heads and quite special.
The Smokies didn't win, but we had a great time and will be doing it again really soon. Yes, I admit it. I had fun at a baseball game. I'm not sure I'll become a swag wearing fan or tune in to games on the radio, but I will root for our team and see them as often as possible. Maybe I should look into season tickets next year?
There was a recurring post subject that I used on Facebook for the last two and half years that became very popular. Miss Lexie's Sample Etiquette told the story of a woman in retail, and all the drama that she encounters. She is far more gentile than I, never failing to face the hardest situation with grace and a smile. She has become my alter ego, and a nice outlet for all the craziness that happens on a daily basis at work. Since I am on Facebook hiatus, I have decided to let her live here for the time being. I also decided to continue to let Weebly post my blog entries to Facebook for a bit longer. So, without further ado, may I introduce.....
Miss Lexie's Sample Etiquette: If you choose to come in to the store in a tiny bikini top and a skirt that would be a mini on a three year old, please don't complain (loudly, I might add) to Miss Lexie that it's cold in her area, and someone should "turn the effing heat up!" Miss Lexie's world is surrounded by coolers of all shapes and sizes that are about 33 degrees, to keep all of the lovely cheeses that she has (243 as of inventory on Monday) from dying. I wear three layers for a reason. You got accepted to UT, I assume you have a brain, dear.
I will reiterate this once again, for anyone that has not heard the news. When almonds and soy beans grow tiny little udders, I will have vegan "cheeze" in my department. Until then, please see the section that has all things fake.
Which brings Miss Lexie to an oldie but a goodie - if you choose to be vegan for religious, moral or health reasons, bravo to you! That sort of self control is not part of Miss Lexie's makeup. However, please don't ask those of us that handle food to create prime rib from soy beans. You don't want to eat meat? Then why do you want vegetables to look and taste like meat? Silly humans....
Finally, and exchange that went on between Miss Lexie and a pair of young ladies that were a tad on the dim side: Customer 1 - I'm looking for a cheese, but I don't know the name. ML - Can you describe it? C1 - it's round and orange? ML - round as in wheel or ball? C1 - "blank stare" C2 - didn't he say it looked like a softball? C1 - "blank stare".... uh, I guess so...? So I guess ...... it's a..... ball? ML - Okay... I bet it mimolette. I'm sorry, but I can't carry it. In fact, you can't get it anywhere in the US. (Miss Lexie then went on to explain what happened with the FDA and why we can never have this divine cheese here again because they are yet another ignorant government agency that thinks they know what's good for us - I won't bore you with details) C1 - "blank stare" So, can I special order it from you? ML - No, you can't get it in the US, the FDA won't let it in. C1 - "blank stare" (seeing a pattern?) C2 - I bet you can order it on Amazon, I get everything on Amazon! Even that great lipgloss.... (three minute prattle about lipgloss ensued) ML - You can't get it in the US, from Amazon or anywhere else. C1 - ...... Oh.... I guess I'll just drive to Canadia (I'm not joking with that pronunciation, I swear) and get it there. ML - (with a smile) You do that dear. Have a great trip!
Couldn't make this stuff up if I tried. Much love! Miss Lexie
It's been a while since I've written, and I'm sorry. Between work, feeling the ups and downs of this terrific pair of diseases (or are they "conditions"?), trying to get through daily life and all the other stuff, I just haven't had the energy. My deepest apologies to the three people that actually read this. Here is a quick recap of what has been going on:
I am taking a Facebook vacation. I love my friends, but the negativity and stupidity is starting to get to me. I need positive energy around me to heal properly, and I am not finding it there. This one loves X and hates Y, this one loves Y and hates X and Z and anyone that doesn't agree is a moron, which causes the first one to argue that X is the best and #2 is an idiot, and so on. There is enough hate in the world, I don't need it there too. I love a good intelligent debate, but not over nonsensical bull crap. "I know you are but what am I?" is not a good intelligent debate, and that is what it seems to be reduced to. So, goodbye Facebook. Perhaps we shall meet again somewhere smarter. (If you keep tabs on this blog through FB, you will want to subscribe to the emails. This will be the last post that will show up there until I decide to return. Just look to the right and you'll see the subscribe box. I don't spam, and neither does Weebly. The only time you'll get something is if I post something.)
The meds are working somewhat, but I still have that disconnected druggy feeling, so I'm not sure what to do. I've cut the Cymbalta to every other day and my head is a bit clearer, but it doesn't manage the pain and swelling as well that way. Seeing the doc in a couple of weeks, maybe he'll have an alternative.
Work has been weird - busy one day, ghost town the next. This past week has been devoted to getting ready for inventory. It happens quarterly, but this is the big end of fiscal year wrap up, and my first time doing it solo, so everything has to be perfect. Working a lot sucks when you don't feel your best.
I had an incident that solidified my thought that maybe I'm celiac after all. I went shopping on Wednesday and picked up a new yogurt product that I saw advertised. The brand name is Muller, with the dot thingies over the U (I think it's called an umlaut) The ad makes it seem very European, a little exotic and really interesting. Well, it's made by Quaker Oats, right here in the good old US of A. They have a three product lines with great looking flavors, all of which are carried by Publix - Corner (yogurt in a square container with a corner container of topping - a la Fage, which has been doing it so well for decades.), Greek Corner, and FrutUp (yogurt on the bottom, a "fruit mousse" on top.) The last one is the one I picked, in five flavors (they were $1 each on sale). It's a 150g cup of lowfat yogurt with a "fruit mousse" on top. More of a lightly set gelatin than a mousse, it has texture that shows that it is actually made with fruit. I tried the blueberry first. Lightly sweet, with a great natural blueberry flavor and a nice texture, I dug through it and into the yogurt. Sweeter and smoother than I'm used to since I'm a Greek girl all the way, it was more like a custard than a yogurt. It has a well balanced sweetness and vanilla flavor, not too fake tasting either. All in all, it was really yummy and a great dessert or sweet treat. I was pretty excited, until about 40 minutes later. My stomach started to hurt like I had been punched. My hands and feet swelled and turned bright red. The intense aching started all over. I ran to my dear friend Wendy who has been celiac for over a decade, and she gasped. Seems my face was also swollen and bright red. She knew immediately what had happened, that I had eaten wheat. For the life of me I couldn't think of what could have poisoned me, and I was a bit scared and confused, then I dug that yogurt container out of the garbage. Sure enough, "contains: wheat". She gave me a couple of Glutenease, a probiotic supplement that helps digest the gluten protein and get it out of the system faster. I finished up work as quick as possible and got my butt home. Why on earth is there wheat in yogurt you may ask? Artificial flavors, natural flavors and maltodextrin. They all can contain wheat. What a moron I am, not reading the label on a new product. But it does confirm without a shadow of a doubt that I can't do it anymore.
It is not often that I have girly tendencies. However, upon hearing that The Man's sister in law and family were coming to visit, I decided we needed new furniture desperately. We have one three seat sofa and a club chair, both of which were generously left by the old roommate/now landlord so we wouldn't have to sit on the floor. They are extremely comfy, but not suitable for company of more than one. So I went to Knoxville Wholesale Furniture Clearance on Tuesday after work. I wasn't expecting to find anything, I really did think I would be disappointed yet again. (We had looked together on Saturday, and it was a complete bust.) My salesperson was nice and left me alone to wander the huge sales floor. I found two that I really liked in a good price range, and sent The Man pictures. His answer was "whatever you like best is the best." Not at all helpful. I was almost ready to select, when I decided to look at the half of the floor I didn't look at. My salesman had mentioned that the sectionals on that end were the reclining type, which I hate. Eh, it was worth the wander to make sure I only had two to decide between. I discovered that it was also where the deep clearance stuff was. There, tucked back in a corner, was a huge deep chocolate brown two piece sectional with a price tag that made me gasp. Original price, $1200 - current price $499.99! It was a floor model, with a few spots on it that you could only find if you looked closely. Who cares about spots when I have a cat and a man? I sat down and knew it was mine. Then I spied my favorite piece on the floor - a gorgeous chaise, a little wider than a twin bed, in a classic pattern of chocolate brown, cafe au lait and federal blue. I sat down. My body relaxed and sunk in to the cushioning. Perfect fit. I looked at the tag and smiled. Original price, $950.99 - current price $449.99. Yup, mine as well. Filled out the paperwork, made the down payment and set up delivery. I have decided to finance it for a short period of time to help build up my credit. We want to buy a house sometime in the near future and need the help. It will all be paid off by August, so it won't cost much extra, but will be a great positive mark towards our future.
Delivered Saturday just an hour and a half before company arrived, I had to scramble to place it all. The delivery men were unbelievably polite and quick, which gave me time to move stuff around. The sofa was bigger than I remembered, so we really could have done without the chaise, but all together it worked well and looks gorgeous. As you can see, both The Man and The Cat are quite happy with it already. The coffee table will have to be replaced, it's too light, and I need pillows on the sofa, but all in all I consider this a success. Now we can have a party!
The visit with the family was perfect. A lovely bunch of people, I feel like I've known them forever, and really can't wait to see them again. New furniture, a sparkling clean house, a wonderful new family... I am a very happy, lucky woman.
It has been raining forever. I swear the last time I was in Home Depot there was an old guy in a dress and sandals buying lumber by the cubit. (If you don't get the joke, you obviously didn't go to Sunday school.) Its been a rough couple of days at work, moving every display that I put up just two weeks ago. Plus, damp weather makes me ache. I need comfort food. It's not a want, it's a need. Something that goes together quickly is chili. Fortunately, it is one of The Man's favorites. Ground chuck, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, red and yellow bell pepper, diced tomato, black beans, navy beans and kidney beans, seasoned with chili powder, cumin, coriander, mexican chocolate, coffee and a pinch of cinnamon. Served over a brown rice quinoa pilaf, sprinkled with GF corn tortilla chips and raw sharp cheddar, this is going to be a great way to chase that dampness away.
Wow, the picture came out pretty crappy, but the salad was positively divine. I ate it cold for lunch and it was great. The chicken turned out a tad dry when it was cold, so I may poach it instead of sauteing it next time, but the apple and veggies were still al dente, the greens nicely wilted, and the quinoa had just the right texture. Plus it didn't all stick together, it was fluffy and perfect. I think the key to that is cooking it in the rice cooker. It will definitely be a summer staple!
Its a tough road when all you feel is pain, everywhere and always. I certainly don't have it nearly as bad as most, so I feel like such a sissy when I complain, but damn it, it hurts. The meds take the edge off and loosen up my joints somewhat, but they make me so foggy headed and hung over that I'm not sure it's worth it. Thirty minutes after taking them I fall into a sort of sleep where everything twitches and my legs are more restless than they've ever been. I'm not as quick on the verbal draw as I am used to being. The simplest tasks require more thought at times. Is it worth the tradeoff? I'm contemplating that a lot the last few days.
I have had two very knowledgeable people suggest I go vegan, that dairy and meat produce an acidic environment in the body which causes inflammation. I know my limitations, and I don't see this happening. I will cut down for sure, but giving up wheat has been hard enough. That is a wagon I'm sure I'd fall off of often.
I made a pretty remarkable dinner last night, for a couple of reasons. First, I made a meal that included no pork products. Second, no cheese either. (Both are a rarity in this house, as our love for bacon and all things cheesy is pretty legendary.) Third, no shopping involved, it all came out of the pantry, freezer, 'fridge and garden. Quinoa salad with chicken breast, carrot, celery, onion, sage, parsley, thyme, mixed greens, Jazz apple and pignoli, all cooked in coconut oil. The greens were a baby mix of kale, spinach and chard, and the herbs all came from the garden. Not sure if The Man enjoyed it as much as I did, but the leftovers are coming with me for lunch for sure. Cooking the quinoa in the rice cooker is such a time saver, this all went together in the blink of an eye. I served it hot last night, but lunch will be cold. I have a feeling this is going to be in heavy rotation this summer, with lots of variations as soon as the tomatoes and peppers start producing.
It's a beautiful day here in East Tennessee. Got to sleep a little later this morning, thanks to staying up way too late watching Silver Linings Playbook.
If you haven't seen it, please do. Brilliantly written, directed and cast, it is a very fulfilling emotional roller coaster. Plus, staring at Bradley Cooper for two hours really isn't the hardest thing I've done this week.
Ran some errands with The Man, then a really terrific lunch at a new Mexican restaurant in town. So good I went to Yelp as soon as we got home. It's so new that it wasn't there yet, so I was the first to review it! Gave it 5 stars and four thumbs up. If you're in the area, please check out Old West Mexican Restaurant on US Hwy. 411 S in Maryville. You will not be disappointed. I'll post pics as soon as The Man emerges from his food coma, otherwise known as the afternoon nap :-) (I was too busy stuffing this amazing food in my face to take pictures, but he got a great one of the entire spread.)
The remaining part of the day will be filled with some light housework, a movie or two and cooking dinner - grilled NY strip steaks, warm herbed potato and greens salad with bacon onion vinaigrette and a lovely Italian blood orange soda and pinot grigio spritzer. Thinking about making more of the maple bacon popcorn as well, so I can tweak the recipe a bit. It really is the best I've had, and it's pretty damn easy to make. Maybe there will be enough to hand out some samples this time.
Oh, for anyone interested, I have a meds update: After a call to the doc on Friday, I got a generic prescription for the anti-inflammatory, and found a voucher for a free month of the anti-depressant. Picked everything up today for about $14. At least I have a month to find out if it works. Still working on getting help with the anti-depressant so I can continue to take it, but this is a start. Fingers crossed, because I'm really getting tired of feeling like a tin man that's been left out in the rain.
Well, I saw the doc today for the results of my tests. What a shock I got. My body thinks I'm healthy as a horse. Not a single problem anywhere - thyroid is perfect, insulin levels ideal, heart is great, blood pressure is 100/80, red and white cells exactly where they should be, no sign of any of the auto-immune markers, nothing at all wrong with me. He seemed surprised that I wasn't thrilled. I would have taken anything at this point, something, anything that will explain why I hurt all of the time. After a nice long talk he really feels that it is a combination of two conditions, fibromyalgia and osteoarthritis. Much better than MS, but I'm not doing back flips. What I know of both conditions is they really aren't manageable, and certainly not curable. He has prescribed two medications, one is an anti-inflammatory, and the other is an anti-depressant that has also been shown to help with pain management. We also discussed the GF life, and whether it really is making a difference. Neither of us think so, but have agreed that I will continue until I see him again in 6 weeks to make sure. Definitely better to keep the toxins in my body down to a bare minimum.
Since my life would be so incomplete without road blocks, I hit a big one when I tried to get the scripts filled - my insurance won't cover any of the cost until I've reached my $2000 deductible. The monthly total for these two will exceed $450. I should be covered for the first month, I'm trawling the pharma websites for free 30 day trial vouchers. I already checked into Walmart, but neither are part of the $4 prescription coverage they advertise. I've also filled out a couple of applications for drug assistance. Plus I'll call the doc tomorrow and see if there are lower cost alternatives, maybe something that is on the $4 plan. All this, and I don't even know if it will work!
I'm a chef, mom of two grown amazing people, a culinary instructor, and now a holistic nutrition and wellness counselor. I will be adding homeopathy to that list of accomplishments soon, and this is a record of my journey towards that and many other goals, along with the stuff that turns me on and off. Like my Facebook page for even more amazing ideas and recipes. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Healthy-People-Culinary-Program/214831771901699?ref=hl