HANDYMAN VISIT #2 & NEW YEAR'S EVE

 Happy New Year's Eve!

The Handyman came again today and we played another game of stay away.  I was outside weeding and he was in the kitchen.  I was downstairs while he was in the guestroom and outside.  We worked it out and he got almost everything done.  The best thing is that he got my timer for the drip system working!  Now I just have to get the drip system hose installed.  I have all the other parts working.  This has been a multi-layered project involving many people.  When I did a test run today and it worked, I jumped for joy.

He also put another shelf in my kitchen cabinet.  The shelf is a inch and half off and he is going to make me another one but he left the short one temporarily.  I am so happy with it.  I can fit more things in an organized fashion.

The top shelf is the new shelf.  I can fit pans and my mixing bowls on a shelf now and not stacked on  top of other things.

He also fixed where I had a leak in the ceiling a year ago. I can't even see where the damage was.  He cleaned my stairs so they can be sealed in the new year.  He is so great and he fixed so many things.

In the afternoon my friend S and I burned our 2020 moments that we wrote down.  Things we wanted to wash away from 2020.  I used the little adobe oven in my backyard.  I never used it before.  

Then we took our intentions for 2021 and buried them in dirt to hope that they blossom.  It was a fun activity. 

I wish you all a Happy New Year and be safe for the rest of 2021!  We will see each other some time soon.  We have lasted this long.  We are in the home stretch.

Until tomorrow...

HANDYMAN VISIT #1

 Today I played an adult game of keep away.  He was in my home fixing things and I was outside, downstairs and upstairs staying as far away from him as I can get.  I had a mask on all day and windows and doors open for some of the day.  He had a mask on and kept his distance.  After he left I wiped down all the surfaces with alcohol.  He comes again tomorrow and I plan to stay outside most of the time.  

I was excited because my new backpack arrived.  It came so fast.  I ordered a new backpack because my current backpack of 30+ years has begun to disintegrate and Jansport will not replace it if it is just old.  They gave me a discount and I had to use it before 12/31/20 so I bought a new backpack.  I was surprised it arrived today.  

I have to use the four bags of potatoes that I accidentally bought.  I meant to buy 4 potatoes.  I used some last week for Christmas.  Today I made a Lentil, Mushroom and Potato Pie.  I ate some and will freeze the rest.  Tomorrow I am going to make a Potato Curry that I am going to freeze also.  That will use up most of the potatoes. 

Until tomorrow...

PUTTING AWAY THE NEW COOKING ITEMS

 For Christmas I received a number of items for my cooking course.  Baking items like rolling pin and piping bags.  Saute pan and spring form pan.  Potato ricer and spiralizer.  I got the best cooking items.  I washed them all and now I have to find places in my small kitchen to put these items.  I spent 30 minutes reorganizing my pots and pans cabinet in order to fit my saute pan.  

Tomorrow I have a handyman coming and I am going to ask him if a shelf can be cut to be put in a cabinet to make more usable space.  If I can move my cupcake and pie tins to a shelf that is not to tall, it would make more space for other items that are bigger (such as my ice cream maker) to fit in the space that is taller.  Right now I would need to put the ice cream maker on top of the cupcake pans because there is no other place to put it.  I really need to rethink my space issues.  Reorganization is great but if I don't have the right size shelves it is requires some changes.

It is so great going through my kitchen and clearing things out.  I moved a bunch of items since I don't need two tin foils and three boxes of quart size plastic bags in the kitchen.  I can put them in storage in the garage until I need them.  I also cleared out a little bit of food that was bad and needed to be thrown out.  

The kitchen seems to be so much lighter since I started this reorganization.  There are so many other places I need to do this.  It is easy the way I have been doing it.  A drawer or cabinet at a time.  It seems so much more manageable that way.  

Until tomorrow...

TASKS THAT NEEDED TO GET DONE

 What a day of doing small tasks.  Making calls, accepting packages, exercising, breaking down boxes, and ordering a new knapsack.  I ordered a new knapsack because months ago I called Jansport about my old knapsack and they would not replace it but they gave me a discount code for a new knapsack that expires in a day.  I went on their website and bought my new knapsack.  

I also contacted Amazon about my shirt that never appeared.  I bought a shirt three weeks ago and it never appeared.  I had to contact Amazon to get a refund.  I got my $13 back.  Yay!

I also bought my new 2021 law books before the price increased tomorrow.  

It was a day of doing those little tasks that needed to get done.  

Until tomorrow...

END OF YEAR GRATITUDE

 I think of gratitude every day.  I write in a gratitude journal every night.  For those who don't know, a gratitude journal is a place where you write what you are grateful for. Some people do it every day, others do it weekly or every now and then.  I like to do it every day to remind myself (especially now) of all the things I am grateful for.  Some times it is small things like a beautiful sunny day or a good dinner.  Other times it is that someone called me or went me a card or text.  Other times it is that someone did something nice like take in my garbage cans or pick up my mail or bring me Christmas treats.

Back in 2014 I posted a blog posting where I wanted to do a month of gratitude for the month of December.  Then calamity occurred.  Four days later I had my bike accident and concussion the day before Thanksgiving.  Then on December 11th I was running to answer the door and cut my leg sending me back to the hospital for stitches. Then on December 20th my friend took her own life. It ended up being a crazy month and I guess I forgot my month of gratitude.  I certainly had a lot to be grateful for that month: I survived the bike accident, the cut on my leg only left a scar and although my friend took her own life, she is in peace.  I miss her dearly and we got to be in each other's lives for 15+ years.

In this last week of 2020, I am spending time thinking of the past year and really concentrating on the gratitude I have felt for whole year.  It may be that a person sent me a text during a difficult time or may be that a friend really stuck by me during the entire Covid-19.  I think it is important for me to really think about gratitude big picture for 2020.  That is my task for this week while the year comes to an end.

Until tomorrow...

DAY OF REST AND RELAXATION

 Boy did I need a day to rest and relax.  I finished watching the movie Soul on Disney+.  What a movie to make you think about your life?!  Then I watched Godmothered while I was still on Disney+.  That was a cute movie.  Now I am watching Safety.  I think it is good so far.  I got interrupted with my Game Night with a friend.

Tonight was game night.  My friend S and I decided we would try to play some games over zoom.  First we played Outburst.  It was fun but it really shows how much you freeze when you have to think of something in a time limit.  Then we played Judge For Yourself.  It is a game where there are legal scenarios and you have to decide the legal answer.  It is fun and we only played a few rounds and got 2 out of 3 right.  

It was a slow day of recuperation.

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWENTY-SEVEN COOKING COURSE AND MERRY CHRISTMAS

 I just woke up.  I was watching TV and I fell asleep.  I guess I was more tired than I thought.  It was the opposite from a relaxing day.

Merry Christmas!  I got up and immediately started on the Chocolate Mousse.  I wanted to give it enough time in the fridge to set. It tasted so creamy chocolate with just a hint of orange zest.

After my breakfast of vegan quiche Lorraine, I opened presents and spoke to family members.  I received a number of the cooking equipment items that I put on my list.

I started on the Roulade and Baked Potatoes.  The Roulade started out good but then it took a turn.  I could not get the Roulade as thin as the chef on the video.  This caused the Roulade to brake when I cooked it.  The ingredients of the Roulade were different in mine.  The recipe called for sauted onions.  I made sauted red peppers, zucchini and leek. I included the mustard and pickles.  When I flipped the Roulade, it broke in half and didn't keep it's burrito shape. 

The Baked Potatoes were cooked in a pan with spices and oil.  

Once the food was all put together on a plate with the Vegan Jus (gravy) and Herb Butter for the potatoes the plate was complete.  The food was delicious while not pretty.  I ate so much my belly was full.  It made a delicious Christmas dinner.

I am happy I have enough to have another meal tomorrow.  Merry Christmas!

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWENTY-SIX COOKING COURSE AND CHRISTMAS EVE

 It is Christmas Eve.  I can't believe the end of the year is almost here.  It feels like it was just March in some ways.  In other ways it feels like ages since this year began.  The living room is decorated but not the whole house as usual.  I have a "disco" silver tree and my fireplace is decorated a bit.  There are no lights outside except on my back balcony.  I took out my Christmas throw and my stuffed Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer characters.  I put on my Cindy Lou headpiece for a zoom call.  I gave out homemade chocolates and cookies.  It was all I wanted to do this year.  It is enough to get me in the spirit and get me through.  I have been watching Christmas movies and shows non-stop for weeks.  The presents are under the tree and I am having to keep Lucky from getting to curious.  The day is almost here.

I spent 4 hours today cooking.  I really want to have a good meal tomorrow.  I made the Vegan Jus from the Fond I made yesterday.  Basically it is gravy.  It seems to taste good.  I am sure it will be great tomorrow on the Roulade and baked potato.  

Then I made a Vegan Quiche Lorraine.  I am not sure what makes a quiche a "Lorraine" but I put other things in my quiche.  The recipe called for leek, onion and spring onion.  That is too much for me!  I would be sick for a week.  I put the leek in and then I put some red pepper and zucchini.  That is more my speed.  It did make it wetter so I had to cook it longer.  Yes, I did saute them prior to putting them in the "custard".  It still seemed to take longer to cook.  I used a trick that I saw on The Great British Bake Off to keep my crust from burning with the longer bake time; I put foil just on the crust for the last 30 minutes.  It really works!  The quiche came out great and I really like it.  It also has smoked tofu in it.

I had a small piece for dinner and it was yummy.  I can't wait for breakfast to have another piece.

Just want to slip in a photo of Lucky because she is so cute in this photo.  She is saying "What? Are you talking to me? Are you getting me something for Christmas?"  So funny!

Happy Christmas Eve!  Tomorrow is another busy day.  

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWENTY-FIVE COOKING COURSE

 I was very organized in the kitchen today.  I finished up the last two Italian dishes (besides my nemesis Pizza). First, I put together Pici Pasta I got from the freezer and topped it with Pomodoro sauce that I made last week.  

It tasted better than when I first made the pasta.  I think I cooked it longer this time.

Then I cooked some frozen Gnocchi I made a few weeks ago and put some Trapanese Pesto on it with some lemon zest.  I have to say the lemon zest really pulled the dish together.

I then switched to the German chapter.  I need to get ready for my Christmas feast.  I immediately mixed together the necessary spices for the different dishes. To do this I had to use a pestle.  I was grinding and grinding some of the spices.  Luckily in the USA many of our spices are sold already ground up.

I needed to make a Vegetable Fond.  That is a fancy way of saying a vegetable stock.  I threw a bunch of vegetables, spices, and herbs in a pot and simmered that for an hour.  

Once it was done the fond smelled so good.  I am going to use some of it to make a Vegetable Jus tomorrow.

Since I am making baked potatoes Friday, of course I needed to make Herb Butter to put on the potatoes.  So I put a bunch of herbs and spices in the food processor and made herb butter. This is not the most enticing photo but it tastes amazing.

That was the end of the cooking for the day.  It was enough.

I wanted to show the cute bags that I made to give away all the cookies and chocolates to my friends and neighbors. 

Aren't they cute?  I haven't gotten any feedback except from my guinea pig/ dog walker who said he loved the cookies because they weren't too sweet.  

A very nice neighbor dropped off some sweets for me.  It was so nice.  All day he was texting me asking me this neighbors' name and that neighbors' name.  I was wondering why he was asking but it wasn't my place to ask. I figure if he wanted me to know he would tell me.  He did tonight when he dropped off my bag.  I was just about to call him to come get his bag when he stopped by.  It all worked out.

Tomorrow is another day of cooking and getting ready for the Christmas feast.  Tomorrows cooking is supposed to be Quiche Lorraine and Chocolate Mousse.  Cross your fingers.

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWENTY-FOUR COOKING COURSE

 Breaking News: Vegan chef killed a pizza dough. She is sitting on her couch drowning herself with Sleigh Bells Ring tea and eating a Christmas cookie.  

Yes, it is true.  I tried to make the pizza dough today and it was a terrible disaster.  I think what went wrong was that I didn't have all the ingredients in little bowls all measured out like the chef in the video.  I was trying to measure them out as I went along.  That included cutting open the bag of flour and measuring the ingredients.  It just doesn't work when I am using yeast.  I have to be ready immediately with all the ingredients. No one told me this.  I was moving at a much slower pace and suddenly the yeast had done its thing and I was only part way there.  There was no going back once the yeast did it's thing.  So into the compost it went and I will live to fight another pizza dough battle when I get more flour.  Chalk this up to knowing how to work with yeast.  

I have never worked with yeast before last week and I can tell you, I am not a fan so far.  It is so complicated.  Frankly it is a miracle we have bread at all.  I find it so stressful.  I will try again.  A little pizza will not beat me.  But it will have to be after Christmas because that is when the flour is arriving.  Thank goodness.

Tonight I watched an online production of Estella Scrooge.  It was really good and way better than I expected.  First, it is a musical so if you don't like musicals it is not for you.  I like some musicals and I didn't mind this one.  There were a few numbers I could have done without but since I am in my own home and not a theater, I could pick up my phone or get up and walk around. Second, it had this amazing (some may not like it) almost animated background sometimes.  I thought it was interesting since it was made during Covid-19, they had to do something with the background.   Third, a couple of the characters were really good. The ghost of Christmas past was excellent.  I also likde Smike.  It is the story of Ebenezer Scrooge but really only the framework.  This has another sub-story that is nothing like the original story.  As you can guess the main character is a woman and it in present time (but not in a pandemic).  I would recommend it highly if this is your kind of thing.  It runs through the holidays.  I rented the on-demand ticket because I don't like to be pinned down if I don't need to because of my RA and how I don't always feel up to things sometimes. 

Until tomorrow...

COOKING HISTORY

 When I was a kid I could not cook.  It was a running joke in my family that I was really good at making reservations.  In college I shorted out my whole dormitory with a hot pot.  I really was a mess at cooking.  I had a mother, step-mother and brother who were all really good at cooking and I was shooed out of the kitchen.  I was given the chores like setting the table and washing the dishes and filling the dishwasher and I was happy with those chores.  Happy is a bit of an exaggeration but I was happy I was not in the kitchen cooking.  

Then I became a vegetarian and if I wanted to eat, I had to  cook for myself.  I learned how to cook many different ways to cook tofu and other vegetarian dishes.  I made dishes that made people forget they didn't have meat.  

 I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and I had to learn to cook healthier.  By healthier I mean more balanced meals and meals with nutrition.  Not all vegetarians eat well.  There is a lot of vegetarian "fast food" out there and I was eating a lot of it.  So I learned how to cook real food with the help of a nutritionist.

Then I became vegan.  I needed to learn to cook all over again.  Cooking became more serious for me.  Since vegans do not eat anything live or anything that comes from anything live, it limits what I can eat.  I also do not eat onions and garlic.  I cook many different dishes with soups being my favorite.  I like to bake but eating sweets puts the pounds on.  I found I was eating the same types of dishes over and over again.  That is why I wanted to do this cooking course.  I wanted to learn how to cook international dishes and things that I would never make otherwise.  I would never make panna cotta if I was not in this course.   I needed this course to stretch myself to cook and bake things out of my comfort zone.

Until tomorrow...

CLEARING OUT THE MESS IN THE LIVING ROOM

 I decided it was time to pick up the living room.  Or as I call it "my office".  The living room has sort of been transformed into my makeshift office during the past few months.  It is just easier with the dog and constant deliveries.  My real office is in the back of the house where I get great sun and I look out over trees.  I chose it because it is relaxing.  But during Covid-19 it is not relaxing because everything I need is in the front of the house.  The dog, the front door, the windows for me to look out to see what delivery is happening, etc.  If I am in the back of the house, I have to keep jumping up to see if a delivery was made because we all know that not all delivery folk ring the doorbell.  That is how a package was stolen once.  The delivery person delivered a box but never rang the doorbell and the box sat for 1.5 days before it was stolen.  I was sick so I never went outside and didn't check the front door.  I am now very neurotic about checking the front door for packages.

So, I really cleaned the area up.  I found my election packet from November, a bunch of notes that are weeks old and old envelopes.  The pile went from 3.5 inches to .5 inches.  My living room looks so organized now. I finished the Christmas decorations and the house looks more festive. 

I made the bags for the treats for my friends.  I made four things to put in the bags: shortbread cookies, oatmeal raisin cutout cookies, chocolate coins with orange or lemon zest, and chocolate with almond butter inside with sea salt.  I think people will like them.  Just a little bit of sweetness on Christmas.  

Until tomorrow...

CHRISTMAS COOKING AND DECORATING

 I decorated more of the house today.  I put the lights and decorations on the tree and put some lights on the fireplace and the ficus tree. The house seems more festive now.  I don't think I am going to do must more.  If it is not going to rain I may put the luminaries out on my steps. 

My disco Christmas tree.  I love it.  It is so shiny.  I have the kind of lights where some stay lit and some blink.  This is my 2020 ornament, our photo is on the back:

I made more Christmas treats to give my friends.  Today I made Chocolate Coins.  They were so simple.  They are dark chocolate with orange or lemon zest on top.  A few have walnuts on top. 

Poor little Lucky was having a stomach ache and she wanted to be a little baby so she climbed into my bed.  She is so cute.

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWENTY-THREE COOKING COURSE

 I had a busy day in the kitchen.  I am super excited!  I made focaccia!  Can you believe it?  I made my first recipe with yeast.  It was quite confusing because the chef used fresh yeast and I used activated yeast.  So there was some converting going on.  I also didn't see my dough rise.  It did get softer.  I went with it and figured what is the worst thing that could happen?  

I made Schiacciata con l'uva - Sweet Focaccia with Grapes.   It tasted so good.  The grapes burst in my mouth and the focaccia was so sweet from the sugar.  

It took all day to make because I had to let the dough sit.  I had one slice.

During the down time I made Christmas Oatmeal cut out cookies with raisins.  They were fun to make and they are tasty.

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWENTY-TWO COOKING COURSE

 Boy oh boy.  I ate my dinner and then I started to feel funny.  At first I just felt funny.  Then I started to feel lightheaded.  Then I had a very unhappy stomach so I went to bed at 7pm and put a heating pad on my stomach.  I started to feel better and I wrote my blog and watched TV.  Then an hour or so later I was quite ill for about an hour.  Now, I know what you are thinking.  No, I don't have Covid.  

I think I had a bad reaction to eggplant.  I have never really eaten eggplant before.  I have only ever eaten canned soup that has very little eggplant in it.  If I order a sandwich and it has eggplant in it, I take the eggplant out.  Today was the first time I ate a significant amount of eggplant.  I had the eggplant salad for lunch and then I had the same eggplant salad for dinner along with the eggplant parmigiana.  I ate almost 1/3 of an eggplant in one day. 

In between getting ill, I looked up reasons for having a reaction to eggplant.  One is people who can't tolerate aspirin.  I can't take aspirin, it upsets my stomach.  I can't take medicines with an aspirin base.  Here I go eating on an empty stomach something that is basically aspirin.  No wonder I got so sick.  I think I will go back to avoiding eggplant.

I spent my day taking it easy but also cooking.  I did not make the pizza dough because it is too energy intensive.  Instead I made Panzanella - Tuscan Bread and Vegetable Salad.  I only took a small bite to see how it tasted.  It was good.  Tasty.  It looked good.  

Then I decided to take a short nap and watch Die Hard and get some client work done.  I was excited to hear that I am getting HBO Max.  I was scheduled to cancel HBO today because I was not getting HBO Max but then the premium channel gods shined down on me and settled the premium channel argument and HBO Max showed up in my lineup today.  Something else good happened this month!  

I made Christmas chocolates to add to the gift bags I am making for my friends.  I am going to have no contact gift bags that people can stop by and pick up.  So far there are Christmas cookies and now chocolates.  They are little chocolates with an almond butter mixture inside with Celtic sea salt (that someone in my family gave me) on top. 

I just tried one and they are amazing!  Not too sweet.  Not too salty.  Just right.  

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWENTY-ONE COOKING COURSE

 I spent the day in the kitchen. Okay, I’ll be honest, I didn’t get out of my pajamas all day.  I just kept cooking. First, I made Basil Pesto. I needed it for a recipe later in the day. 

Then I made Caponata Siciliana - eggplant salad. I am not a fan of eggplant so waited to make the eggplant recipes until the end of the chapter. Boy, was I wrong about this recipe. I would eat this recipe anytime. (So funny! I was flipping TV channels this evening and a contestent on a cooking show was making this dish!) It was a warm salad with vegetables, capers, raisins, pine nuts, and balsamic vinegar. It was a party in my mouth. There is salt from the capers, sweetness from the raisins, crunch from the nuts, a tartness from the vinegar and topped with fresh tomatoes. I didn’t even know there was eggplant in the salad it was so good. So many times I have been served slimy eggplant. This was anything but.

Then I made some vegan Shortbread Cookies. I needed to use small cookie cutters because there wasn’t much dough. So I had to use some non-Christmas cookie cutters and decorate them in Christmas colors. It worked.

After a short break while I let the eggplant soak in the salt, I started making the Eggplant Parmigiana.  I had some firsts. I never cooked eggplant, I never fried any food before and I never made eggplant parmigiana. This eggplant parmigiana has eggplant that gets fried but with no breading. Then the eggplant gets put in a ramekin with tomato sauce and pesto. The ramekin goes in the oven and when it comes out I had to flip it over on a plate. Not as easy as you think it is going to be. 

It tasted so good. I could not believe it was eggplant. There was nothing chewy or slimy. It was tasty and the sauce/pesto mix made me want to lick the plate. 

After that I just wanted to sit down. It was a long day and I have another one tomorrow. My plan is to finish this chapter by the end of the weekend.  I am done eating Italian food.

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWENTY COOKING COURSE

 I got a huge food delivery today.  It was so exciting.  Everything I asked for was in the delivery. So now I can do some cooking.

I got down to business.  I multi-tasked and made two things at once.  First I started by making tomato sauce.  I need tomato sauce for another recipe tomorrow.  Then I started making Orecchiette con Cime di Rapa.  I used the orecchiette I made a short while ago and froze.  Then I cooked in a pan spinach, dried hot chili and olive oil.  I mixed them together once the pasta was cooked.  It tasted so good.  It was probably the best spinach I have ever eaten and spinach is one of my favorite vegetables.  The dish was so earthy and had just that little kick of spice at the end.

Later in the evening I mixed some shortbread cookies.  They were really dry but I researched a way to fix how dry they are and hopefully make them able to cook and eat.  

I really want to cut the cord to cable.  I have been having issues with the cable going in and out.  I am not sure if it is the cable company or my connection or my cords but it is annoying and I don't want to have to deal with cable anymore.  I called today and found out they don't care if I cancel or not.  I asked about returning my boxes and such and was told I had to bring it back.  Then I went on their website and it said I can package it up and UPS can come pick it up due to Covid.  So I am going to research this more.  If I can package it up and have UPS pick it up, I may do that option. It would be a big savings per month.

I thought my heel was really getting better but this evening it is bothering me again.  I think I need to spend more time sitting with my heel elevated and less time walking and going up and down stairs. I am going down to elevate and put it on a heating pad.

Until tomorrow...

LEAK IN MY ROOF

 I decided to keep up keeping my foot elevated.  My foot feels so much better but I know from experience that if I go back to "normal" I will be back to having a painful heel again.  So I am taking it easy for a few more days so the cooking has to wait a few days.

But today was filled with deliveries.  I had an Amazon delivery of food, an Amazon delivery of packages, a postal delivery of a package and the dog walker picked up and dropped off the dog.  I also called the roofer about the leak that I heard in the wall.  

Friday it started raining for the first time in months.  I was sitting here quietly and I started to hear a tick tick tick.  I could not figure out where it was coming from.  Finally I figured out it was in the wall between two windows.  I put my ear to the wall and it sounded like water was dripping in the wall.  I looked outside and no water was significantly dripping on the outside and none was dripping on the inside.  It was weird and distracting.  I called my roofer (who put in both my roofs) the next morning and his mailbox was full.  A year ago when he was here fixing a leak, he was very ill with cancer and taking chemo treatments so I worried that maybe he was very ill or worse.  This morning I called again and he answered.  I was so relieved not because I like him as a roofer but because he is such a nice and generous in spirit guy.  He is also funny.  He arrived at my house (yes he came right over!) and checked it out and found a crack in my terra-cotta roof.  He is going to come back in a few days and fix it.  When he got off my roof he said "Oh, have I been here before? The person who did your roof was good."  Then he laughed at his joke!  Crisis averted.

Now I am watching a local online Christmas/holiday event that is in it's 27th year.  They are doing a very good job so far.  It is getting me into the spirit for sure.  All these carols are wonderful.  

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you.  The dog walker took Lucky to the beach today and there are King Tides. He is being careful but today Lucky fell into a tide pool.  She was walking along a thing and she fell off and fell in.  Then before he turned around she ran up a hill because she got scared.  He sent me a picture and I could not find her in the picture she was little on the hill.  She really likes to climb!  

If you look closely you can see little Lucky in that red circle.  She is a daredevil for sure. She is sound asleep next to me now.  She had a big day.

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWO TUTORING AND ACHILLES TENDONITIS

 Last night I slept with my foot on a heating pad (I turned it off when I went to sleep) and propped up on pillows.  When it is like that, it feels fine.  When I walk short distances it feels fine.  It hurts when I go down to feed the dog or give her her medicine.  I spent the day with it propped up on pillows.  I put a wrap on it to give it support.  

Today was tutoring day two.  I can't say it ended up much better.  There were still hard feelings leftover from yesterday and we didn't get off to a good start.  We decided that a music break at the one hour mark was a good compromise.  Only the 10 min break didn't stop and when I couldn't get the music to stop, I said the rules weren't being followed. Either there is a commitment or there isn't.  I am not there to be a babysitter over video.  I have a new appreciation for online teachers.  They all deserve a raise.

I switched over to my Sunday friends.  It was a slow day keeping my foot elevated. 

I did an inventory and did a big online food shopping.  I didn't realize how low I had gotten in my inventory.  I am stocking up.

Until tomorrow...

TUTORING AND ACHILLES TENDONITIS INJURY

 This weekend I am going to be tutoring my foster child.  He needs some help in school and I volunteered to help out.  It is a test to see how much high school math, science and English I can recall.  I don't hold out too much hope for remembering but I can see how much I can figure out.  I have a Master's degree so I feel I am pretty smart.  I think I can probably problem solve freshman high school work.  

I just ended my first tutoring session and it was science.  It was mostly watching videos about science things and writing about what you saw and felt about it.  That is right up my alley.  I excel at those questions the most.  Then the rules to our tutoring session were not complied with and the tutoring session was ended.  One of the rules was that there was no fooling around: listening to music, texting, social media, and general fooling around.  I warned him and he ignored the warning and I had to shut it down.  Rules have to be followed.  We will try again tomorrow.

I tried to ride my exercise bike and I had this pain in the back of my heel.  I am a bit worried I have Achilles Tendonitis.  This is a self diagnosis.  If it is, I need to stay off my foot for a few days or longer to let it heal.  Maybe I switched from 30 minutes to 45 minutes to quickly.  Maybe I walked too much this week.  Who knows?  I just want to heal it quickly and not let it get bad.  I am lucky that I am inside and can afford to sit around.

Until tomorrow...

HAD TO LEAVE THE HOUSE

 Yesterday I was supposed to get my car inspected.  I say was supposed to.

A few months ago I got the notice in the mail that to register my car for 2021, I had to get my car inspected before the beginning of January.  I panicked.  Didn't they know there was a pandemic going on?  Didn't they know we were all supposed to be sheltering-in-place?  Didn't they know I was staying home to stay safe?

Obviously not.  If I wanted to keep my car on the road, I had to get this done.  So I found a place close by that I knew and that had little foot traffic.  I called and spoke to the guy about my situation (staying inside, autoimmune compromised, etc.) He said he could do it with little to no contact.  Okay.  I would go at 5pm on a day where he little traffic.  I went yesterday at 5pm.  I went a little early to top off my gas tank. (I even had time to finally return my library DVDs from FEBRUARY in the library return slot that just happen to be open.) Then I drove up to the garage door.  He was closed and the sign had his phone number.  I called him and he said his machine broke down.  He needed a part and would be open tomorrow.  Doesn't help me today.  I told him fine but he better call me tomorrow and let me know that the machine is working again before I schlep over again.  He promised to call.  

Fast forward to today.  He called me at 12:30pm to tell me the machine was fixed and I could come by at 3pm.  I was there at 2:50pm ready to go.  He wore two masks but he came way to close to me.  I think I have been inside for too long; people getting close to me is freaking me out.  I am not used to being around people.  He came close to me to hand me the paperwork to sign and when he wanted to get in the car.  I practically threw the paperwork back at him.  I had a mask and gloves and a face shield but still back up buddy!  

As I suspected the car passed and I was home in 25 minutes.  He said he rushed it for me. I think he could see how uncomfortable I was.  

Overall, it went well and the car passed.  I think when I get out of this house I will need to exit slowly and not hop on a bus right away, I may have an anxiety attack from all the people being so close!  

Until tomorrow...

DAY NINETEEN COOKING COURSE

 I know I promised pizza today but I realized that I didn't have the right flour. After the debacle with the pasta dough, I didn't want a repeat so I bought the right flour.  The flour will be delivered on Saturday.  Then I will start the two day process to make pizza dough.

Instead I made Ribollita.  Ribollita is a Tuscany Soup.  It is also a bread soup meaning it has bread in it.  There are no spices in the soup but salt and pepper.  The flavor comes from the vegetables in the soup.  It has fennel, leek, carrot, celery, kale, spinach, beans, and potato.  It is a thick soup kind of like a stew due to the bread that goes in the soup.  It has very little liquid in it.  The recipe mad enough for three bowls and I can't wait to eat them.  

I received a phone call from the rheumatoid arthritis doctor's office today.  They were calling to schedule an appointment for January.  They asked if I wanted to come in or do it virtually.  Uh, virtually please!  

Then I had to call my eye doctor to get a prescription.  My sjogren's is acting up and my eye got so dry that I have another eye situation.  I got out my prescription and put it on my eye and then I looked at the expiration date and it said Jan 2020.  Oops.  It is too old for the pharmacy to get me a refill so I had to call the doctor's office and the nice doctor questioned me.  She wanted to make sure I knew what I had.  Yes, I do, the same thing I always get.  So, she called in the prescription and I should get it on Monday.  Meanwhile I will just keep using the expired prescription.  I am sure it okay.  I look at it sort of like expiration dates on soy milk.  Yeah, it is a day past but does it still smell okay?  Then I would still use it.  It will be fine. 

Until tomorrow...

GUT DOCTOR APPOINTMENT

 I had a virtual doctor appointment with my gut doctor today.  We spoke about my stress levels and my new vegan cooking and how that is effecting my stomach.  She agreed that anything I can do to reduce my stress in this crazy time is paramount.  Whether it is yoga, meditation, exercise or cooking, I need to do it.  I agree.  I think I need to many of those things combined.

Then we talked about heartburn since I have been cooking a lot of Italian food.  I agreed that I have been having some heartburn so she sent in a prescription for more medicine.  But really overall I have not been having many heartburn or stomach issues in the past three months.  

Overall it was a good discussion.  I also asked since I am high risk, how someone gets on the list to get the vaccine when it gets here and it is time for tier 3.  She said I would need to get in touch with my primary doctor and get on a list when tier 3 is announced.  Who knows if there will be enough vaccines for me to get one but I can wait until it is my turn.  I am not going anywhere.

Tomorrow is pizza day!

 Until tomrrow...

DAY EIGHTEEN COOKING COURSE

 Today was Pasta Day!  Yesterday I made the pasta dough and put it in the refrigerator.  Today I took it out and rolled it out to make two different types of pasta.  This pasta is different than the pasta you would buy in the store.  It is made with semolina flour, water, salt and olive oil.  There is no egg so it is a little denser.  The chef says it is common in the South of Italy.  

I rolled out the first batch to make Orecchiette Pasta.  They look like little ears.  I made enough to eat one meal and freeze some for another meal or two. 

I ate mine with Pesto Alla Trapanese the pesto I made last week with the nuts and sun dried tomatoes.

It was really good.  The pasta takes a little getting used to since it is a little different texture than I am used to and I probably made some of the orecchiette a bit too thick.  It is an art to make those ears.

After making a batch of orecchiette, I took a break and then I started on the Pici pasta.  Pici Pasta is long noodle pasta.  Once again mine are probably a bit thick but my hands were getting tired.  I rolled a lot of pasta.  I froze the whole batch for another evenings dinner.

It was a fun but exhausting day of pasta.  I am not sure how often I will make pasta by hand.  Maybe I will try it again to see if I can do it better.  It is a lot of work for little output for one person.  But then I think about how much better it is for me to make it from scratch.

Thursday or Friday will be Pizza day!  Everyone loves pizza.  

Let's see how my hands feel tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

DAY SEVENTEEN COOKING COURSE

 Today was a day of learning.  I started with vegan Panna Cotta.  Last night I got ready by putting the frozen strawberries and a can of coconut milk  in the refrigerator.  This morning I used the strawberries to make Strawberry Coulis.  I used the firm cream part of the top of the coconut milk to make the cream base of the Panna Cotta.  

It is a two step process that took hours.  I tried Panna Cotta many years ago and didn't like the texture.  My opinion has now changed.  I really liked this panna cotta.  The cream portion was not that texture from years ago, it was much firmer.  The strawberry coulis was sweet but tart and the lemon zest made it taste so good I wanted to lick the bowl.  

While the Panna Cotta was chilling, I started my pasta dough.  The recipes from the cooking course have many of the measurements in ounces and grams.  Since the recipes are from Europe, I didn't know they use different measurements for different items.  Well, I found out today.  I measured out the ingredients for the dough and put them in the mixer.  It was not right and too runny.  That was mistake number 1.  Then I tried to fix it.  That was mistake number 2.  I finally had to bail on that try at dough and start over.  I found a conversion app and started again and this time it looked right.  It is chilling in the fridge.  Tomorrow will be the day we find out if I can make pasta.

Until tomorrow...
 

STARTING CHRISTMAS DECORATING

 I finally put together my new Christmas tree.  My new Christmas tree is a disco Christmas tree.  It is a silver tree.  I have always wanted a silver tree and I thought that of all years to get one, this was the year!  I want to shine this year!  I want to stare at a shiny tree with sparkly lights.  Not to mention, there was no way for me to get outside to get a real Christmas tree and my little Charlie Brown Christmas tree is getting a bit worn.  

It is a sweet Charlie Brown tree for sure.  It is supposed to be 4' tall but that is a stretch.  I have it sitting on a box.  

This year's tree is about 6' tall with the stand.  It is the perfect size for my space.  I have to put lights and decorations on it to make it ready for Christmas.  I am going to decorate and make the place look like Christmas.  I love the sparkly lights and smell of Christmas and Christmas songs and Christmas baking.  

I signed myself up for a few activities to get in the spirit.  I am watching a live (recorded ) performance of a Christmas play and a reading of A Christmas Carol.  I think those things are what I would normally participate in and doing them from home will feel like some sort of normal.  

Until tomorrow...

REORGANIZING THE PANTRY

 I call it the pantry but my kitchen is so small that it is really a cabinet. I keep my dry goods and canned food in a cabinet. I should have taken a before photo but I forgot. There was food on top of food. Food falling out every time  I opened the doors. It was a mess. 

The jars arrived yesterday and I wanted to get them in action right away. I wanted to organize the cabinet. First off I could not find my yeast or national yeast. Both things I need. Then I started realizing I had no idea what was in the cabinet at all. 

I woke up this morning and got to work. First, I began filling the jars. They looked so great. Then I had so much room that I wanted more room. I began clearing out another shelf, then another, then another cabinet.  I threw away so much old and useless food. The expiration dates scared even me. I had Crystal Light that had a use by date of the year 2000. I don’t even drink Crystal Light. 

After I cleared out, I sorted and made zones. I now have a baking shelf. I have a shelf with all the vinegars and such. Then I put all my boxed food snacks on a shelf. I organized my grains and rice on a shelf.

It all looks so much better. I still have more to do but I can open the cabinet and things don’t fall out like they used to.  

It’s my brother and sister-in-law’s anniversary today. Happy anniversary! It was my brother and his husband's anniversary earlier this week. Happy anniversary!

Until tomorrow...

DAY SIXTEEN COOKING COURSE

 I woke up early to go to the post office. I got cooking early by making the Castagnaccio (Chestnut Cake) first. Castagnaccio is a typically autumnal dessert from Tuscany. It isn’t very sweet but it is nutty and would be good served with ice cream.

Then I continued to cook and I made Brushetta. I have never eaten brushetta before because I can’t eat garlic and brushetta has garlic. I made it with the amount of garlic I can tolerate. It was very good. I could see eating brushetta with a salad or soup. 

I had one more recipe to make and that is Bean Salad. I didn’t have the arugula for the topping but it is COVID time so I had to make due. This was probably the most disappointing dish so far. It was pretty tasteless. 

I got my delivery of jars. I was pretty surprised. I thought I ordered 3 jars to try them out. Well, shopping at night has struck again. I must have ordered 3 cases of jars (3jars in a case). I got 9 jars. Turns out I like them and they fit the space so it all worked out! They look great.

I am going to fill them with rice, sun dried tomatoes, cranberries, flour, and quinoa. I can’t wait.

Until tomorrow...

NIGHT SCHOOL FOR MOUNTAIN LIONS

 I got my Christmas cards in the mail today.  They look great.  Better than I expected.  I am going to spend this weekend getting them put together and out the door.  I am just waiting for the stamps to arrive. They are holiday stamps.  This year I am using a sticker to close them instead of licking them to close.  I got some cute stickers that match my cards.  The only part I have left to do is printing my labels.  

Tonight I went to night school and learned all about mountain lions.  Mountain Lions are also called pumas, cougars, panther, painter, and catamount.  Who knew? I thought they were all different animals.  It just reminded me of the time there was a mountain lion in my neighbor's backyard. Now I understand how the mountain lion wandered into an urban neighborhood.  It was probably a young mountain lion and it wondered off looking for adventure and got more than it bargained for.  It is interesting to hear about all the research happening about the movements of mountain lions and how we can make it better for them.  Making tunnels or bridges so the wildlife can move from one mountain range to another and not have to cross freeways and highways.  That way the animals don't end up in populated areas.  

My hands felt better today.  I took it much easier today. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY FIFTEEN COOKING COURSE

 This was the day to finish the Sweet Pears with Non-Alcoholic Wine.  It was more involved than I thought it was going to be.  I had to design the pears into the shape they needed to be.  Then I needed to make the English Cream.  That made it so wonderful.  It was a lemony sort of custard that sat in the bottom of the bowl.  The pear and the custard made such perfect partners.  

I ate this pear and I gave the second pear to my dog walker.  I have another to eat tomorrow.  That third pear was my "mistake".  I don't care, it will still taste amazing.

I was given a very nice compliment today.  Someone told me that I write good descriptions to go with the photos of my food.  I guess all those hours of watching cooking shows have come in handy!

I am having some serious stiffness in my hands.  I think I need to figure out some ways to sort this out. Maybe some hot gloves (which I have), stretching, or a hand bath.  All good ideas.

Until tomorrow...

DAY FOURTEEN COOKING COURSE & WORKING ON SORE HANDS

 I made Pumpkin and Potato Curry last night.  It is not on the Cooking Course Curriculum; it is on the supplemental cooking section.  I needed to use up the pumpkin from the pumpkin risotto I made on Thanksgiving.  It made a lot of Curry so I may freeze some for a later date.  It is a very different recipe than I made before because it has lentils in it.  It is good and I would make it again because it filling on a cold day.

Today I started my new schedule of cooking more recipes each day.  I started today with Sweet Pear with Red Wine.  I don't drink wine nor do I have any so I used sparkling non-alcoholic grape wine.  It seemed to work.  I cooked the pears.

This made the house smell so wonderful and Christmasy.  Once it was done cooking, I then put the pears in a container (I only had a vase big enough) and put them in the fridge. 

They stay there for 24 hours and then I get to finish the recipe. Stay tuned for Pears Part II.

Simultaneously I was making a Fennel Salad.  It is fennel and orange and a dressing.  It was so light and delicious to eat.

Once I gobbled the salad down, I started in on the third recipe.  It was Pesto alla Trapanese.  This recipe didn't go quite as easy as the other two.  I tried halfing the recipe and I am not sure what went wrong but it didn't get a creamy as the guy in the video.  It still tasted fantastic, tart and like I wanted to spread it on a piece of toast.  It just doesn't look as creamy.

It was a cooking day and I got a lot of things accomplished.  

I have been having sore hands and I hope it isn't from all this cooking.  Using knives and peelers is hard on my hands.  Peeling things for some reason is really hard on my hands.  Today trying to peel three pears was SO hard and I was trying to come up with ways to do it easier. I finally used a cloth to hold the slippery pear since trying to hold a slippery pear hurts to much.  I need to find better ways to do things in the kitchen so I am not hurting my hand and wrist joints. I will focus on making it easier.

Today is World AIDS Day.  Time to remember the people lost to AIDS.  

Until tomorrow...

Stiff hands.