It's Monday evening and we're at our son's house in Houston waiting for Grandad's pre-operative testing tomorrow. We have to be at the Texas Heart Institute at 9 a.m.
Nick returned from a week in Canada with his wife Marie where they snowboarded and rang in the new year. He's feeling a little under the weather so I cooked up a big pot of Greek Chicken & Orzo Soup. This is one of my favorite recipes. The first time I had it, Katy made it for us. It's thickened with eggs instead of corn starch or flour, so it's high in protein and low in carbohydrates.
8 cups chicken stock
3/4 cup of orzo
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 eggs
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt and white pepper to taste
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
Roast chicken breasts in 350 degree oven for 45 minutes until done. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch thick pieces.
In a large saucepan, bring stock to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and add orzo and parsley. Cook uncovered about 15 minutes until orzo is done. Five minutes before pasta is done, add chicken.
Place eggs in mixing bowl. Whisk eggs while adding lemon juice. Whisking constantly, slowly pour a ladle of the hot stock into the egg mixture to temper.
Reduce heat to very low. Then, while whisking the soup in pan, slowly pour in the egg mixture. Soup should thicken slightly. Add salt and pepper and garnish with parsley.
Serve with crusty bread.
Monday, January 3, 2011
Friday, December 31, 2010
Hope Springs Eternal
Grams is not going to review 2010. I've already done that in my Christmas letter post. Instead of looking back, I'm looking forward to a new year with hope.
On Sunday, Grandad and I will travel to Houston. We've set aside Monday for him to recover from the trip. On Tuesday, he will again become a patient at the Texas Heart Institute. Tuesday is set aside for pre-operative testing. On Wednesday, Grandad will have his second Cardiac Ablation. He'll stay overnight in the hospital then will rest in Houston until at least Saturday.
That's where the hope comes in. He had this same procedure last June and for about a month after had no atrial fibrillation and no heart flutter. Over the last five months it has become more frequent and more persistent again. The doctor tells us that this indicates that the ablation procedure will work to correct the problem, but the ablation may have to be repeated several times to achieve long-term results. The doctor also says that this time he will be more aggressive with the procedure.
I'm hopeful that this second time will be the charm. The heart has to heal six months between each ablation. That's a long waiting period if the fibrillation returns.
We'll be staying at our son's house in north Houston. I will have internet access but I'm not sure whether I'll be up to blogging or not. I will at least post an update.
As always, your thoughts and prayers will be appreciated.
On Sunday, Grandad and I will travel to Houston. We've set aside Monday for him to recover from the trip. On Tuesday, he will again become a patient at the Texas Heart Institute. Tuesday is set aside for pre-operative testing. On Wednesday, Grandad will have his second Cardiac Ablation. He'll stay overnight in the hospital then will rest in Houston until at least Saturday.
That's where the hope comes in. He had this same procedure last June and for about a month after had no atrial fibrillation and no heart flutter. Over the last five months it has become more frequent and more persistent again. The doctor tells us that this indicates that the ablation procedure will work to correct the problem, but the ablation may have to be repeated several times to achieve long-term results. The doctor also says that this time he will be more aggressive with the procedure.
I'm hopeful that this second time will be the charm. The heart has to heal six months between each ablation. That's a long waiting period if the fibrillation returns.
We'll be staying at our son's house in north Houston. I will have internet access but I'm not sure whether I'll be up to blogging or not. I will at least post an update.
As always, your thoughts and prayers will be appreciated.
Thursday, December 30, 2010
These are NOT Resolutions!
- I will not become a neat freak. Anyone who knows me will realize that there really is
very littleNO danger of this. I will admit to being a little OCD in some areas of my life. Yes, my spice cabinet is arranged in alphabetical order, but that's organized, not neat. Come on over, I'll show you baseboards and ceiling fans that haven't been dustedin yearsever. - I will not be miserable or wallow in self pity. I choose to be happy! Sometimes life sucks, but I reserve the right to be happy anyway. I have smiled and laughed my way through a great many hard times. Some days I get by with just putting one foot in front of the other and doing what has to be done, but I choose to be happy ... and I truly believe that happiness is a choice.
- I will not abandon hope. Specifically I will keep hoping that eventually we will find a doctor or a procedure that will make Grandad well again. Chronic atrial fibrillation is one of the things that sucks. Some days hope is all that keeps me going. (Here's Grandad's health story.)
- I will not give up Starbucks no matter how much my kids make fun of me. I like the coffee, I like the atmosphere and I need the caffeine. Hey, I gave up sugar and fat, I'm not giving up my coffee. They'll have to pry the cup out of my cold dead hands. Did I mention that I like the coffee?
- I will not stop looking for the good in people or the good in any given situation. To do so would be to compromise who I am. I try as long as I can to find the good ... but I'm not stupid and I'm no Pollyanna. Eventually I learn that there are some people who are just not good ... and, unfortunately, I'm related to some of them.
- I will not correct grammar on Facebook. No matter how many times someone uses your when they should use you're; how often they confuse their, there, and they're; or how many times they say orientated when they should say oriented, I will not turn into the grammar police. Not too often anyway.
- I will not give up my reading. I love to read, probably more than anything else I do. Reading provides an escape. It takes me places that I'll never go in real life and introduces me to people from all over the world and from other times. It improves my vocabulary and relaxes me. It's better than Calgon for taking me away!
- I will not run a marathon, half-marathon, or even a 5K. In fact, I won't run anywhere. Just thinking about running makes my knees hurt. I will, however, commit to riding my bicycle and walking more in 2011. Since Grandad's a-fib returned, I tend to just sit in the living room with him. That's not really working for me. I
willmay get my rear-end moving in 2011. After all these are not resolutions! - I will not take up playing Wii or X-Box nor any other expensive and time-stealing video games. But I'm not giving up blogging, Facebook nor solitaire. Let's not get crazy!
Happy New Year!
How about you ... what are you NOT going to do in 2011?
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Grams Made One-Dish Dinner Scramble
Grams has made this one-dish dinner a couple of times now. It's quick, easy, high in protein, and delicious. Grandad really likes it. I especially like that it doesn't make a big mess in the kitchen and you can throw it together in just a few minutes. I got this recipe from Food.com. The original recipe called for scallions, but I don't keep them on hand so I substituted onions.
1 lb ground turkey breast
1/2 of a sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 (10 ounce) bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup salsa
Cook turkey in a little olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet, stirring occasionally, until the meat is almost done, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in scallions, red pepper, mushrooms and spinach.
Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs with the garlic salt and pepper. Stir the eggs into the skillet with the meat and vegetables. Cook, stirring until the eggs are firm and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Stir in salsa and serve.
1 lb ground turkey breast
1/2 of a sweet onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 (4 ounce) can mushroom stems and pieces, drained
1 (10 ounce) bag frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
5 eggs
1/4 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup salsa
Cook turkey in a little olive oil over medium high heat in a skillet, stirring occasionally, until the meat is almost done, about 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in scallions, red pepper, mushrooms and spinach.
Cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Reduce heat to medium.
In a separate bowl, beat eggs with the garlic salt and pepper. Stir the eggs into the skillet with the meat and vegetables. Cook, stirring until the eggs are firm and cooked through, about 5 minutes.
Stir in salsa and serve.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Meet Me On Monday
Today's post is part of a meme hosted by Java at Never Growing Old. Every Monday she posts a list of questions to help bloggers get to know each other better. Here are this week's questions and my answers.
1. What are your New Year's Eve plans? We quit going out on New Year's Eve many years ago. We'll probably take in a movie and then go out for a late dinner. Odds are pretty good we'll be home for a champagne toast before midnight.
2. How tall are you? I'm 5'1" if I stand up very straight. While we're on this subject, Grandad is 6'5". That makes a 16" difference in our heights. We look a little like Mutt and Jeff.
3. What is your favorite pudding flavor? I don't like pudding, it's a texture issue, so I don't have a favorite flavor. I do, however, like bread pudding with bourbon sauce. Does that count?
4. What room of the house do you blog the most in? I only blog in the living room. I sit in my favorite chair in front of the television with my laptop on my lap and write away.
5. What is your best physical feature? I have beautiful hair and lot's of it. It's heavy and straight so I keep it short. It's brown with red highlights. Okay, truthfully. nowadays it's brown with red and gray highlights, but I keep it colored. Some day I'm going to get brave enough to just let it go gray, but probably not any time soon.
This is a blog hop.
1. What are your New Year's Eve plans? We quit going out on New Year's Eve many years ago. We'll probably take in a movie and then go out for a late dinner. Odds are pretty good we'll be home for a champagne toast before midnight.
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| Image by Free-StockPhotos.com |
2. How tall are you? I'm 5'1" if I stand up very straight. While we're on this subject, Grandad is 6'5". That makes a 16" difference in our heights. We look a little like Mutt and Jeff.
3. What is your favorite pudding flavor? I don't like pudding, it's a texture issue, so I don't have a favorite flavor. I do, however, like bread pudding with bourbon sauce. Does that count?
4. What room of the house do you blog the most in? I only blog in the living room. I sit in my favorite chair in front of the television with my laptop on my lap and write away.
5. What is your best physical feature? I have beautiful hair and lot's of it. It's heavy and straight so I keep it short. It's brown with red highlights. Okay, truthfully. nowadays it's brown with red and gray highlights, but I keep it colored. Some day I'm going to get brave enough to just let it go gray, but probably not any time soon.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
The Calm Before Christmas, Baby Cheese & A Special Request
Today is one of the days that Grams enjoys most at Christmas. Today is the day that everything is ready. The pre-holiday frenzy is over. In the tradition of women everywhere I've spent the past month getting everything ready for Christmas. Here's an abbreviated list of all that's been made ready.
I've already shown you our Christmas tree. Now take a look at some of my other decor. I'm proud to say that I only spent about $25 on new decorations this year. I bought battery-operated LED lights for my mantle garland, berries to add to the same garland, and a package of scrapbook paper to make the Merry Christmas pennant banner. It was a bit of a challenge to photograph, but here's my best attempt.
I made the banner by using Jenn Balcer's pennant banner instructions from Split Coast Stampers. I didn't think the pennants were substantial enough so I added the rectangular card stock behind each one. I'm very pleased with how it came out.
Last year, I went to Hobby Lobby's after Christmas clearance sale and bought three rolls of black and white paper. I used it to wrap our gifts this year. Then the packages were tied with brightly colored bows. I buy remnant fabric ribbons on clearance and keep it on hand. On Christmas morning, after all the gifts are opened, I sit and patiently roll all the fabric ribbons and stash them to reuse. Some of these ribbons have been used at least five years. I like the effect of the black and white with the colored ribbons.
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| Photo from here |
- Cards mailed
- House decorated
- Shopping done
- Stockings ready to stuff
- Gifts wrapped
- Bows tied
- House cleaned
- Baking finished
- Menus planned
- Groceries on hand
I've already shown you our Christmas tree. Now take a look at some of my other decor. I'm proud to say that I only spent about $25 on new decorations this year. I bought battery-operated LED lights for my mantle garland, berries to add to the same garland, and a package of scrapbook paper to make the Merry Christmas pennant banner. It was a bit of a challenge to photograph, but here's my best attempt.
I made the banner by using Jenn Balcer's pennant banner instructions from Split Coast Stampers. I didn't think the pennants were substantial enough so I added the rectangular card stock behind each one. I'm very pleased with how it came out.
Last year, I went to Hobby Lobby's after Christmas clearance sale and bought three rolls of black and white paper. I used it to wrap our gifts this year. Then the packages were tied with brightly colored bows. I buy remnant fabric ribbons on clearance and keep it on hand. On Christmas morning, after all the gifts are opened, I sit and patiently roll all the fabric ribbons and stash them to reuse. Some of these ribbons have been used at least five years. I like the effect of the black and white with the colored ribbons.
Our Little Princess and her parents visited last weekend. They're spending Christmas with her other grandparents this year, but they were able to join us for the Vanecek family Christmas party. It was fun watching her open presents with her cousins. She really liked the baby doll and carried it everywhere the rest of the weekend.
On Sunday we took her to mass with us. After mass, I took her out in front of the church to show her the Nativity Scene. She walked right up to the lighted plastic figures and was able to name many of them. The day care center she goes to is affiliated with a Baptist Church and they've obviously been working on the real meaning of Christmas. Her mom had told me that they had a birthday party for Jesus where they sang Happy Birthday.
She knew Mary and Joseph. She recognized the shepherd and pointed out the three kings. Then she walked over to the manger, pointed at the baby, and said proudly, "Baby Cheese." That made me smile.
I will admit, I've had a bit of difficulty accepting the idea of not seeing them at Christmas this year, but think I've finally gotten a proper perspective and am going to enjoy celebrating with the rest of the family. Nick and Marie arrived in time for dinner this evening. They've gone to visit friends tonight, but will spend the rest of the weekend with Grandad and me.
Our holiday traditions include attending Christmas Eve Mass with Grandad's family, followed by a family dinner at my mother-in-law's home. We'll exchange gifts there on Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning we'll open gifts at home. That afternoon we'll take in a movie and then come home for a roast beef dinner.
We'll be busy celebrating with family for the next few days so I will probably not be blogging. But, I have a special holiday request for all my readers. Please remember six-year-old Liam in prayer. Liam is the grandson of my dear friend, Sandy, and was recently diagnosed with leukemia. They are a family of great faith and I know they will appreciate your thoughts and prayers.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! May the "Baby Cheese" bless all of you!
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