| lesley153
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| Thanks Garry. I'm there. :) |
Reply #1262. Aug 17 10, 6:57 PM
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| veronikkamarrz
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Hi Garry! I'm there too...with a little password change. Geeze!
Reply #1263. Aug 17 10, 8:29 PM
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| lesley153
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Jonathan did indeed cook chicken last night, as he did a year ago. He said he had lots of lovely liquid left over - what should he do with it? Ask me? silly question! But I didn't say bring it here - I suggested he use it the next time he made this dish, so he's going to freeze it. It could end up his very own hundred-year-old sauce.
He also said fear not, there was a lot of lemon and garlic with it. Was the liquid bitter? No. I said I'd been looking the Nigella Lawson recipe up online, and had come across a comment which said that onion in the dish would release its sugars and counteract any bitterness from the lemon. He had put onion in it!
He also lifted the skin and anointed the flesh with the juice of a lemon, mixed with garlic paste, olive oil and tarragon, and then put the skin back over it.
I have no idea how and when he learnt to do all this, but I wish he'd move back in! |
Reply #1264. Aug 18 10, 1:47 PM
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Jazmee27 
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It's refrshing when a man cooks!
Reply #1265. Aug 18 10, 2:20 PM
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| lesley153
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Jazmee, I think it's very sexy, and still unusual, even among the young ones. When I was 20, I went out for a few months with a man who cooked, but he was a little older and had been independent. All the others seemed unable to cut the mummy apron-strings.
The one I ended up marrying said he couldn't cook because he couldn't bear to touch food with his bare hands. Think that's a good line? His sister married someone who said exactly the same thing.
Deunan I want one thankyouplease. :) |
Reply #1267. Aug 18 10, 2:55 PM
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guitargoddess
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Cooking is quite uncommon among young women nowadays too, it seems. Most of my friends can do things like boil like an egg and make a pancake out of a box but that's about it. Baking is a little more common though. My brother (he's 19) has been especially useless in the kitchen most of his life, but thanks to his newfound love of watching cooking shows, he's getting into it. Last Christmas, he couldn't even make Rice Krispie squares by himself (just rice cereal + melted marshmallow, basically, if Rice Krispie things aren't popular in the UK - are they?) Today, he made himself from-scratch pancakes for lunch. Granted he had to call me at work and ask where the flour is kept. Then call back and ask what does it mean to grease the skillet. But he did it!
Reply #1268. Aug 18 10, 3:38 PM
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| lesley153
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Shame, that. :( Perhaps most people watch cooking programmes for fun, and then get a takeaway, so good for your brother!
I am prepared to be corrected but I think melting marshmallows is more an American thing - we tend to eat marshmallows as they are, from the packet. Cereal squares have been a childhood staple for as long as I can remember, but we make ours with Rice Krispies (or corn flakes) and melted chocolate.
A few years ago, I told new neighbours about food we could get delivered. One of them was fish. No thanks, she said, I would never cook fish I couldn't shake out of the packet into the frying pan. She was about 40, certainly old enough to have three children, and she cooked everything out of packets. She was the woman I watched defrosting a WW tagliatelle carbonara for her husband's evening meal. Even if you cooked it for them, I suspect that most people would run screaming from a whole fish. We can't cook and we're forgetting how to eat too.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Quick medical update.
My legs are getting gradually less swollen, which means I'm more agile. I can climb on the bed, like a two-year-old, instead of sitting on the edge of the bed and swivelling on my bottom to get in. First thing in the morning, they actually look normal! It shouldn't be long before they look normal all day.
I cut down on the dihydrocodeine from a maximum of eight a day in the hospital (worked a treat, but put me to sleep, so I cut them down to six and then four), to one a day at home. I was told to try to stop them within six weeks, because they're addictive. I stopped taking them after a month and went on to codeine for a couple of weeks but now I don't need them either. A couple of paracetamols a day seems to be enough now, and I shall be pleased to stop them too.
When I saw the Haematologist a couple of months ago, my haemoglobin count was 14, which is about as good as it ever is. It was a little under 10 when I left the hospital, and the last blood test a week ago showed that I was still a bit anaemic. That shouldn't be difficult to correct. Roll on the new energetic me! When I have as much energy as a normal adult, I won't know what to do with myself! |
Reply #1269. Aug 18 10, 5:06 PM
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Squisher
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Hi Lesley, top of the morning to ya! Shall we share a nice cuppa English Breakfast tea? Let's save the jaffa cakes for later in the morning ;)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Awesome news! Your hemoglobin is up, legs are less swelled and you don't need painkillers anymore. Pretty soon you'll be jumping up and down on your bed! I am weaning myself off some very useless painkillers myself (one for nerve pain). Funny how taking 4-6 ibuprofen a day works better for me than any painkiller I've ever tried. I guess I need something for inflammation, rather than something to numb my brain (must not be numbable).
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
IMO, melted marshmallows mixed with something tastes much better than the unaltered version. Never been a big marshmallow fan anyway, but Rice Crispy Squares are delish!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
OK, brief holiday synopsis! Brace yourself :) We travelled to our neighbouring province of British Columbia for a week. My eldest son was invited to a soccer tournament there, and the team did very well (it wasn't his regular team, but he knows a couple of boys on that team). Unfortunately they lost the gold medal final in a bloody shoot-out! Talk about some long faces on a team of 11-year olds. The rest of the time we spent camping at various locations in and around some beautiful lakes. B.C. has lots of trees, mountains, lakes & beaches, orchards and vineyards. I would have liked to visit a winery, but it just wasn't in the cards (in other words, the rest of the family didn't want to go!). The weather was hot, but it was a nice little getaway. We are going away again at the end of this month, back to B.C. for a cousin's wedding. We're also going to stay a few extra days. Should be fun.
Reply #1270. Aug 18 10, 11:37 PM
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| lesley153
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Morning, Squisher! I can't think of a nicer way to start the day than a good cuppa, in good company, with the promise of Jaffa cakes to come.
I love this: ~*~*~*~*~*~*~* and I may steal it. It looks like a row of flowers. Or diamonds, perhaps?
It's great that you've found something that help, but Ibuprofen makes me ill. (I had it years ago post-op, and I threw up everything from my boots. Years later, a student nurse offered it to me post-op, and I declined nicely, but she said, with all the infectious optimism of sheer youth, "Try it again. You never know, it might be all right this time." I was kicking myself as I gave in and anded up puking everything I'd eaten for a week, but the ward sister was very sympathetic, and I now have the courage to say no to, and preferably avoid, student nurses, as well as Ibuprofen.)
Have you tried cod liver oil? Anti-inflammatory without the side-effects and only a million calories a spoonful.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Aah - is that why Americans toast marshmallows, or melt them in hot chocolate and Rice Krispie squares? because they're boring? I'm sure it'l catch on here. If you look for Rice Krispie "recipes" on the Kellogg website, half of them ask for melted marshmallow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Oh dear - bad luck about the match. I hope he wasn't long-faced for too long!
Schoolchildren here, certainly in state schools, are mostly protected from the evil of competition, because losing will make them feel bad. The PC lobby have clearly forgotten that someone has to win, and that winning makes you feel good. The result is that a whole generation doesn't know how to win or lose graciously. This is not helpful when they emerge into the Real World, where everything is competitive. It's OK, children at private schools still beat the living daylights out of each other.
The rest of it sounded wonderful, if you can brave camping. Do you need family with you to visit a winery? Company is pleasant but surely not essential? |
Reply #1271. Aug 19 10, 7:23 AM
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Jazmee27
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Can't bear to touch food with his bear hands? Copout! (Though I probably shouldn't talk-I don't cook from scratch as don't have any good recipes like I used to, and I never learned the stove yet so am using the microwave and heating stuff up.)
GG, at least your brother's willing to learn-even if he does need constant direction from you!
Lesley, that's progress indeed! It takes time, and it gets frustrating, but don't minimize the small successes.
Reply #1272. Aug 19 10, 8:55 AM
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| lesley153
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Jazmee, I thought it was a cop-out too, but his sister's husband doesn't cook, and that's exactly the same reason he offered. I suppose it might be real. Thinks: say you were shouted at when you were little, for eating with your hands, the result would be embedded, even if you forgot the reason. He was also unbelievably lazy, so who knows.
Thank you for your support, but I am magnifying the small successes as much as I can. It took me a long time to reach this pinnacle of decrepitude, and I'm expecting it to take me a long time to recover properly. Anywhere, there's nothing small about being able to climb on the bed! :) Although I am tempted by Squisher's idea of bouncing on the bed. Haven't done that for a very long time! |
Reply #1273. Aug 19 10, 10:12 AM
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garrysouders
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Lesley I just finished my first public reading of my poetry, it seemed to be well recieved and the applause made me warm all over. I would not have been there were it not for you. I enjoyed myself whole heartedly and too you goes my grateful thanks. Garry
Reply #1274. Aug 19 10, 8:43 PM
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| lesley153
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Garry, I am so happy to hear that.
*applause*
Thank you, I shall happily accept credit for something I deserve credit for: this isn't it. You were there because you have a gift for writing, obviously combined with a gift for reading.
Here's to many more of your poems, and many more warm readings. :) |
Reply #1275. Aug 19 10, 9:05 PM
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| lesley153
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| I forgot to ask - which poems did you read? |
Reply #1276. Aug 19 10, 9:11 PM
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Jazmee27
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Just make sure that if you do [take Squisher's idea] that you do so carefully (wouldn't want you to ruin any progress)!
Reply #1277. Aug 19 10, 9:29 PM
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garrysouders
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Good day Lesley, you sound so full of vim and vigor, looks like you are making headway in a hurry. Its good to hear the energy in your voice. Have you any plans for the near future with Johnathan? Have you read anything lately that impressed you? Here is a hug just for you. ((((())))) garry
Reply #1278. Aug 20 10, 1:12 PM
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| lesley153
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Thank you, Garry, I think you're right about the vim and vigour returning rapidly. I've got a long way to go before it all comes back, but it's getting there.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Jonathan arrived late this afternoon and he could understand why I had cabin fever because he had it within half an hour of arriving. We got in the car and he drove to a a little run of shops which includes two electrical shops.
We wandered round one, we walked to the other - a couple of hundred yards, further than I've walked for months, further even than the walk to the post box on Monday, and at a useful speed, too - and wandered round the second shop. He thought it might be a good idea for me to have a smoothie-maker, but not after we saw what was on offer; nasty, flimsy plastic things with weak motors, generally bought as Christmas presents, like yoghurt-makers, and quickly consigned to the back of the third drawer down, next to the yoghurt-maker. We decided that a food processor would be as good at pulverising fruit.
We looked at microwaves too. Mine is older than him, so the odds are that I shall need to replace it sooner rather than later. Some of them were impressive, and some of them slid back on the shelf when you pressed the button to open the door.
And then we walked back to the car. Not once did I stop to catch my breath - or groan.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
I have an ancient food processor, which I haven't used for years. It doesn't occur to me to use machines when I can use a knife and a chopping board. He pulled it out to fill it with fruit (a mango, an orange, and a squeeze of lemon juice), switched it on, switched it off, took it outside till it stopped smoking. I tipped the fruit onto a board, got a sharp knife, and made fruit salad.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Yes, I have read a poem which I liked, and I know there are a lot more where that came from. Thank you for the hug - keep them coming. :) |
Reply #1279. Aug 20 10, 4:20 PM
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| lesley153
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It's bedtime. I shall jump on my bed and try not to
1. bang my head on the ceiling;
2. bounce off again.
This strikes me as a sensible, grown-up way to behave.
Night, everyone! :) |
Reply #1280. Aug 20 10, 7:05 PM
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