That is Mabel's newest thing lately...."well that was a really nice dinner, for a change". Like a change from WHAT?? Does she get slop on a regular basis?? I know people who would give their right arm to live and eat here. She had her turkey dinner for the holiday, including homemade gravy. Left over turkey was divided into a broth based soup and a tomato based soup, plus she had some creamy roasted veggie soup, not to mention ground turkey sandwiches (2) and Pasta with broccoli, turkey and Alfredo sauce. We also had a fish dish or two in there and Chicken and dumplings. Today she had artichoke ravioli with a pureed veggie/tomato sauce (great way to bulk up your tomato sauce and get extra veggies into fussy folks).
Let me add that I am sick as I can be a still not be hospitalized. I am wheezing and coughing so hard I can barely move. At night I have horrendous sweats, chills and basically am driving the dog to distraction. My sinus hurts and my ears are ringing. Yet I dragged my ass to the store this morning and managed to cook a few dishes today so Mabel would have her foods.
She is lucky her head is still attached. I am considering putting her in her wheelchair and leaving her on a street corner with the following sign:
Will keep my mouth shut and appreciate my good fortune "for a change".
PS; just a reminder that Mabel NEVER gives any input that would indicate what she would like.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Not Your Mama's Green Bean Casserole
Not into amounts here just the basic idea:
Couple packages of fresh green (or mixed) beans- steamed
Crimini Mushrooms, at least one standard package, sliced
Spicy Pecan Vinegar (here in San Diego you can get it at Great News in PB)
Oil
1/2 thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper to taste, garlic powder to taste
Heat some canola or other healthy frying oil in a pan, just 1/2 inch or so. Mix the flour and seasonings and toss with the thinly sliced onions. When the oil hits 375 (or a little fleck of flour sizzles) place the onions (shake off the excess flour) into the oil, don't overcrowd the pan. Remove when golden to a paper towel to suck off more oil. The onions are thin so don't get the oil too hot or turn your back, they will cook fast.
Next, I saute the mushrooms in olive/and or a nutty or truffle flavored oil, salt and pepper at end of saute when most of fluid has gone away. Splash about 1-2 tblsp of the vinegar and continue to saute till the mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid is gone. Toss with the steamed green beans. I did have some wonderful black truffle cream that I added (1Tbsp) to the dish at this time. I brought mine home from Italy but you could probably find it at a gourmet store as well.
Place in a pretty shallow serving dish and top with the onion rings. Definitely NOT your mama's Green Bean Casserole!
Couple packages of fresh green (or mixed) beans- steamed
Crimini Mushrooms, at least one standard package, sliced
Spicy Pecan Vinegar (here in San Diego you can get it at Great News in PB)
Oil
1/2 thinly sliced onion
1/2 cup flour, salt and pepper to taste, garlic powder to taste
Heat some canola or other healthy frying oil in a pan, just 1/2 inch or so. Mix the flour and seasonings and toss with the thinly sliced onions. When the oil hits 375 (or a little fleck of flour sizzles) place the onions (shake off the excess flour) into the oil, don't overcrowd the pan. Remove when golden to a paper towel to suck off more oil. The onions are thin so don't get the oil too hot or turn your back, they will cook fast.
Next, I saute the mushrooms in olive/and or a nutty or truffle flavored oil, salt and pepper at end of saute when most of fluid has gone away. Splash about 1-2 tblsp of the vinegar and continue to saute till the mushrooms are browned and most of the liquid is gone. Toss with the steamed green beans. I did have some wonderful black truffle cream that I added (1Tbsp) to the dish at this time. I brought mine home from Italy but you could probably find it at a gourmet store as well.
Place in a pretty shallow serving dish and top with the onion rings. Definitely NOT your mama's Green Bean Casserole!
Monday, December 03, 2007
Long Time
Wow, November went by without a whisper! I was busy with MD visits and all. I did not have to deal with Thanksgiving as I was working. I like my job, I love my 2 mile commute and all that. I am now sitting here waiting to see if I get a job with the State. Part of me would like to delay it for 6 months, take my vacation while working at API. Another chance will come up and I can re-take the "exam" in February and improve my score.
I have just had a frustrating encounter with my mother. She is in super whiny mode today. She continues to fail to communicate with me in a constructive manner. Someone asked me recently how she was when she was younger. She was a great communicator then, screamer is more like it. She would stand in the kitchen and scream for my father to fix, do, take care of something. She never had a difficult time telling us kids (mostly just me by that time) what to do and how to do it (folding towels comes to mind, not to mention other cleaning tasks). You simply did it "Mabel's Way", nothing else was acceptable.
The encounter started when I called her to lunch ( always get it on the table by noon so why I have to "fetch" her I don't understand). I had purchased a rolling cart to put stuff from the pantry on so she could reach it more easily. I told her it was an early Christmas gift, instead of "Thank You", or "How nice" I got the old, "I don't know if I'll be here by then" (I'm sure that has crossed her lips more than 1000 times since moving in with me ELEVEN YEARS ago!!). She thinks she is going to die cause sometimes her vision is bad....hmmmm, maybe she should go for the cataract surgery that the one eye doc recommended. Now one thing is usually not enough so we also got a lovely psychosomatic fable that the small cut she received on her head from a fall over a year ago is morphing into some deadly growth???? Truthfully the sci-fi status of this complaint befuddles my brain. As usual she wants me to look at it, there is nothing there. Funny but she quit complaining of her scalp itching when she quit perming her hair...hmmmm!
I can't believe that she is so frightened of death. Most folks I know are really ready to call it quits by the time they get to this stage. They are accepting it. She prays and lights her candles but yet she has a severe fear of death. I am sure if she had to go to the hospital she would tell them, once more, to do everything possible to keep her alive. I am not ready to die but I know it is inevitable. It is inevitable that she will have another fall, maybe it will be one where she finally sustains a significant injury, something she has avoided in her old age. I hope I can meet these challenges with courage and acceptance.
I have just had a frustrating encounter with my mother. She is in super whiny mode today. She continues to fail to communicate with me in a constructive manner. Someone asked me recently how she was when she was younger. She was a great communicator then, screamer is more like it. She would stand in the kitchen and scream for my father to fix, do, take care of something. She never had a difficult time telling us kids (mostly just me by that time) what to do and how to do it (folding towels comes to mind, not to mention other cleaning tasks). You simply did it "Mabel's Way", nothing else was acceptable.
The encounter started when I called her to lunch ( always get it on the table by noon so why I have to "fetch" her I don't understand). I had purchased a rolling cart to put stuff from the pantry on so she could reach it more easily. I told her it was an early Christmas gift, instead of "Thank You", or "How nice" I got the old, "I don't know if I'll be here by then" (I'm sure that has crossed her lips more than 1000 times since moving in with me ELEVEN YEARS ago!!). She thinks she is going to die cause sometimes her vision is bad....hmmmm, maybe she should go for the cataract surgery that the one eye doc recommended. Now one thing is usually not enough so we also got a lovely psychosomatic fable that the small cut she received on her head from a fall over a year ago is morphing into some deadly growth???? Truthfully the sci-fi status of this complaint befuddles my brain. As usual she wants me to look at it, there is nothing there. Funny but she quit complaining of her scalp itching when she quit perming her hair...hmmmm!
I can't believe that she is so frightened of death. Most folks I know are really ready to call it quits by the time they get to this stage. They are accepting it. She prays and lights her candles but yet she has a severe fear of death. I am sure if she had to go to the hospital she would tell them, once more, to do everything possible to keep her alive. I am not ready to die but I know it is inevitable. It is inevitable that she will have another fall, maybe it will be one where she finally sustains a significant injury, something she has avoided in her old age. I hope I can meet these challenges with courage and acceptance.
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