DAY ONE HUNDRED SIXTY-ONE OF COOKING COURSE

 Wow! It has been over a week since I baked for my cooking course.  I did need a break since I was going 100 MPH there for a few weeks.  

Today I started the French Pastry Classics.  This is another one of those multi-day projects.  I already messed it up by forgetting to take the passion fruit and mango out of the freezer last night so this morning I took the passion fruit and put it in the sunshine and let it melt.  It worked.  I am making a Baba Au Rhum.  I have never heard of it but it looks super good.  I hear there is a French version and an Italian version.  Today I made the dough, let the dough rise and rise again, made the passion fruit syrup, baked the dough, and put the baked dough in the passion fruit syrup overnight.  Tomorrow I have about four things I have to do to finish up.  It should look very cool.  

 I did have a problem with the recipe because the ingredient list left one item out.  It was a crucial item: soy cream.  I only noticed it because my dough was dry and on the video his was watery.  I looked at another place and saw the item was left out off the list.  I added it but later on and my dough was not watery.  I continued on and I think they came out okay.  They taste great and look great.  What could I do at that point?? I wrote to the company and told them maybe they need someone to proof read their recipes.  (this is not the first mistake I found and wrote them about)

Lucky and I walked a mile today. She doesn't seem to be limping anymore.  Maybe she just pulled a muscle.  

Basically that was the day.  I am about to watch Jungle Book on Disney+.  I will write a review tomorrow.

Until tomorrow...

BAKING PLANNING TODAY

 I thought I was going to bake today but I looked at the baking I had planned and I realized it needed some planning.  The recipe has seven steps and I needed to plan them out.  There are general steps like: take the puree out of the freezer on Friday night, make the dough on Saturday (it has to rise twice and then bake for 25 min), take the mango out of the freezer on Saturday night and plate the dish.  

I had to plan the whole thing out and realized it will take two days since something has to soak overnight after it is baked.  So, I am starting it tomorrow morning and hopefully it will be completed on Sunday afternoon.

My neighbor's little boy (he is probably 3.5-4 years old) saw me today and said "thank you for the cake.  It was good.  Are you making more?"  His nanny told him he couldn't say that.  I thought it was cute.  

Some other neighbors have volunteered to buy my liquor and the butane gas for me.  I want to use my butane torch but my state doesn't allow me to get butane gas shipped to me.  S'mores!!  

Tomorrow I have to plan the next dessert.  These French pastries have so many steps and ingredients.  

After Lucky went with the dog walker, I took a 2 mile walk.  I just put on my audio book and I take off walking.  It is getting easier to go up the hill.  I was so wrapped up in my audio book that I missed my turnoff and went all the way up the steep hill. Working those glut muscles.

Today is my seven year Veganiversary.  I have been a vegetarian (and lactose intolerant) since I was a teenager.  

Until tomorrow...

TINNITUS

 My baking equipment has arrived!  I ordered a silicone pan and a metal cylinder for making a tart.  They arrived late this afternoon right after I got back from our walk.

Lucky and I went for a one-mile walk today. It looked so warm outside but it turned out to be not as warm as it looked so we had to walk fast to warm up. 

I woke up this morning with very loud tinnitus in my ears.  I  have bruxism (grinding or gritting your teeth) and I must have been grinding or gritting very hard last night.  One of the causes of tinnitus is grinding or gritting your teeth.  I had a very bad dream/nightmare last night and I think it caused me to grind or grit my teeth.  I dreamed that my bird died.  It was horrible.  I pulled his cover off his cage and he was dying in the corner of his cage and there was nothing I could do but watch.  Then I woke up.  I remember it so vividly.  I was afraid to take his cover off this morning until I heard him singing.  I thought it was real.  But I woke up and the ringing in my ears was SO loud I could barely hear anything else.  

I have had tinnitus for many, many years.  The buzzing gets louder and softer but is always there.  This is the loudest it has ever been.  It is mostly in my right ear but I hear it in both.  I had my ears checked before and the doctor told me there is nothing they can do for tinnitus.  I can do things to help not make it worse like wear ear plugs when around loud noises like fireworks and concerts.  Try not to use headsets with loud music.  That sort of thing.  Other than that, there is not much I can do to slow the progression.  I could teach the younger generation to protect their hearing, something I did not do enough of.  I also did not protect my eyes from the sun enough but it seems like there wasn't enough information about these things when I was 16 years old.  No advertising telling me to protect my eyes from the sun or my hearing from loud music.  Of course there wasn't advertising telling me not to smoke either. That didn't start until 1984 in Minnesota and wasn't a national campaign until 2000.  The Just Say No to Drugs campaign started in 1982.    

Tomorrow I will bake again.  I was happy to have a small break but I miss it.  

Until tomorrow...

WALKING INTERVALS

 Another day of work.  I am anxiously waiting for my package delivery tomorrow so I can start baking again.  I spent some time freezing some food.  I had 1/4 of the cherry crumble cake left and I froze that.  I also froze some of the kale and bean soup that I made on Sunday.  It is good to have food in the freezer for the future.  I love to go into the freezer and just pop food into the microwave or boiling water and voila food is ready to eat.  

I took another 2 mile walk while Lucky was with the dog walker.  I am getting stronger and can do the walk (much of it is uphill) in 45 minutes.  The hills really slow me down.  One hill is so steep I go 2/3 of the way up and then cut down a side street that is flat to catch my breath.  Then after one block of flat walking I walk the rest of the way up the hill.  It is like doing intervals.  3 minutes of uphill, 3 minutes of flat walking, 2 minutes of uphill and then flat walking.  Get that heart rate going!  

I found a time where there was no one on my block and I could change my light bulbs on my stairs. They have been out for months.  I finally found a good time to change them.  It will be nice to have them lit again.  

Until tomorrow...

WEIRD DAY

 Weird day.  I had two meetings scheduled and both got cancelled at the last minute.  The first meeting the person didn't show up and the second meeting got cancelled.  So my day got all messed up.  

I took a walk with Lucky for one mile.  

I did not cook today because I realized I do not have the two pans that I need to make the items for this chapter.  I will be getting them on Thursday so I can start to bake on Thursday or Friday.  

Not an exciting day plus it was really cold today.

Until tomorrow...

LUCKY SEEMS BACK TO HERSELF

 I had a day of which almost none of it I can write about.  I was busy and had no time to cook.  I did take out an hour to take a long 2 mile walk by myself.  I didn't walk all weekend since Lucky was so sick.  I spent a lot of time going up and down stairs taking her outside.  

Good news is that Lucky seems back to her healthy self.  She ate this morning and for dinner.  She went to the park with the dog walker.  

Until tomorrow...

HEARTY KALE, BEAN AND ZUCCHINI SOUP

 I spent the weekend cooking some good and hearty food for the week (and to freeze).  I made the sweet, spicy and saucy noodles on Saturday.  Then I made Roasted Potatoes, Zucchini and Chickpeas in a dill sauce.  It is so good.  Roasting the veggies really changes the flavor.

Then I soaked beans overnight and this morning I made soup in the slow cooker.  I unfortunately put it on high instead of low (second time I did this) so it is a little overcooked.  It still tastes really good.  It has kale, zucchini, carrots and beans.  I used the beans from Bob's Mills that a relative sent me.  

It was so filling and tasty.  I ate two bowls of soup.  

This was a slow day.  Lucky finally ate dinner and seems to be feeling better.  It was a hard night with her getting up a few times.  I hope she is on the upswing.

Until tomorrow... 

SWEET, SPICY AND SAUCY NOODLES

 I wanted to make a noodle dish for dinner tonight.  I took some ramen noodles (you know the ramen noodles from those packets many of you bought in college for 10 for $5) and threw out the seasoning packet.  I boiled the noodles and fried tofu.  Then I sauted the veggies (I used bok choy and shitake mushrooms) then I added a sauce.  It all came together in the pan.  It was super easy to make and it made enough for at least two meals.  It was so tasty.  

Today was a resting day.  Lucky was sick and she wanted to sit on my lap most of the day.  No it wasn't her limp, it was her stomach.  She had her usual stomach upset and she had diarrhea all day.  She didn't want to eat but I managed to get her medicine down her.

That was most of the day.  

Until tomorrow...

I PASSED THE VEGAN PASTRY ESSENTIALS COURSE

 I took my course test today and after a little bump I passed the test.  I found a mistake in the test so it looked like I got one incorrect.  I wrote to the school afterward and told them there is a mistake.  

Now I move on to French Pastry Classics. I was going to do Fine Italian Pastries & Desserts but I don't have the alcohol that I need.  My neighbor said he would help me get the alcohol and I need to connect with him.  

I didn't cook anything today because I spent the time taking my test and then shopping for the ingredients that I need from WholeFoods.  Luckily I don't need to get anything from Amazon this time.  I have so many items already that I don't need to buy anything exotic.  The only item I can't seem to find is soy cream.  It doesn't seem to exist in America. There is something on Amazon but it is in another language and I am not sure that is what I want. 

I went on a long walk by myself today.  I walked 5,000 steps.  Lucky went to the beach with the dog walker and he said he took it easy with her today.

Until tomorrow...

VEGAN BURRITO

 Once again I worked today for a bit.  Then I made lunch.  I made a vegan burrito out of TVP (textured vegetable protein), spinach, vegan cheese, tomatoes and salsa.  It was super good.  

I had my food delivery and that took some time to put the food away since I bought about 12 bags of food.  I needed a lot of food and other things like toothpaste and dog poop bags.  Necessary things.  I was also out of flour and sugar and that makes cooking pastries sort of difficult.

Since Lucky has been limping on her left rear leg I decided that an outside walk was out of the question so I did a DVD inside walk for 2 miles.  She sat and watched me with her sad face.

That was the whole day believe it or not.  

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED SIXTY OF COOKING COURSE

 I started early today.  Last night I had to leave the cherries out to drain all night.  Then this morning I had to put the almond milk out to get room temperature.  Then after a work phone call I started working.  I made the dough and then left it to proof for two hours.  I spent that time washing the dishes and doing online food shopping.  I realized I had not food shopped for three weeks.  No wonder I have no food.  Okay, I have food but not the things I need to make dinner or lunch.  

Then after a two hour proof, I rolled out my dough and let it sit for 15 minutes.  Then I put in a pan, put the cherries on and put the crumble on top.  Into the oven it went.  Then I just had to wait for 40 minutes. 

It came out great.  It is a Cherry Crumble Cake.  It is so moist and delicious.  It tastes like a coffee cake we used to make when I was a kid without the cherries.  

I cut a large piece and took it to my neighbors for their guests.  Because what am I going to do with this large cake? 

Lucky and I went for a walk but I think it was too much for her.  She was limping a bit on her good leg.  She has limped since I got her on her back right leg when she walks fast.  I got it checked out when I got her and they could not find anything wrong. They think she may have been abused when she was little.  Now I have seen her limp this weekend and now tonight on her left foot/leg.  I carried her for part of the walk.  I think a few days of rest is necessary.  

Until tomorrow...

BANANA BROWNIES

 What a day!!!  I had a phone meeting with my nutritionist at 9 am.  He is so inspirational and keeps me on target which is no easy task during Covid and the lockdown.  

Then I had some work to do.  I was going to cook something but I kept getting work emails and calls so I never got going.  I also forgot to take something out of the freezer last night so I was already behind.  Instead I posted Banana Brownies that I made a week or so ago.  I made the brownies and then put them in the freezer to use for another day.  They came out great.  

Then I talked to my rep for an hour because I can't afford to get my full subscription so she gave me a break on a partial subscription.  We have been "friends" for years.  

I got a one-mile walk in with Lucky.  I needed it after sitting on my butt all day.

Then I met with my social media guy for an hour to discuss next steps.  Then an hour phone call with my client.  Then I finally ate dinner and the day was done. Phew! 

Until tomorrow...

LEFTOVER STIR-FRY

 I made a Leftover Stir -Fry.  I had some leftover veggies I cut up and threw in a wok.  I had kale, zucchini, bok choy, mushrooms and tofu.  I took the trumpet mushrooms and cut the stems and fried them in oil in the wok.  It is supposed to make them look like scallops.  I am not sure if they do but they look cool.  I am not sure what scallops taste like, I am not sure I ever tasted a scallop.  These tasted okay.  I would not go out of my way for it.  If I fried them again, I would do it differently.

Then I stir-fried my veggies and browned my tofu and threw in some Thai sauces and sugar.  It tasted awesome.  I used the white rice I made for the dog (I make extra rice and freeze it for the dog for when she gets sick.  I hadn't put it in the freezer yet.) and voila I had dinner.  

I walked on the treadmill for 2,500 steps.  I watched Big Brother while I walked, it kept my mind off the monotony.  The treadmill can be hard on my hips.  I was in great pain around 750 steps but I powered through.  I was going to stop at 2,000 but kept going to get my steps in.  I was not going to get to 4,000. 

I had to do some work work today so I was pretty busy.  

Until tomorrow...

BANANA SUNDAY

 I had two overripe bananas that needed to get used.  I had a request from my dog walker's daughter for some more of the Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies.  I decided I would make another batch and give her half.  She is a good kid and Lucky loves her so much.  

Then I wanted to make Banana Ice Cream for National Ice Cream Day.  So banana day it was.  

I did not walk today.  I needed a day off.  Lucky was not happy about sitting around all day.  

I did laundry and ran the dishwasher.  Then I watched TV.  I watched this Netflix limited show Unbelievable.  It is not for everyone. It is about a serial rapist and a young woman is victimized twice once by her perpetrator and second by the detectives who who accused her of fabricating her harrowing story.  It has two of my favorite female actors: Merritt Weaver (Nurse Jackie, Welcome to Marwen) and Toni Collette (Knives Out, United States of Tara, Little Miss Sunshine).  I thought is was a moving and thought provoking and edge of your seat show.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-NINE OF COOKING COURSE

 I got up this morning and finished my cooking project.  It was a three day project.  I made a German Cheesecake.  I am not sure I ever had a German Cheesecake before.  I never really had many cheesecakes in my life since I have been lactose intolerant basically my whole life.  Plus I am not really fond of cheesecake and if I was to eat something with dairy (pre-vegan days) I would rather eat ice cream.  

The German Cheesecake took most of yesterday to make and cook.  Today I decorated it with strawberries and blueberries.  It is creamy and lemony.  The crust is a sweet crust.  This is such a scrumptious cheesecake.  

After making the cheesecake beautiful, Lucky and I went for a long walk in a park.  We walked for 2.5 miles.  We saw lots of dogs and some people.  

I watched A Quiet Place 2.  I would rename it "Bad Decisions".  I was screaming at the screen.  I have never seen so many people make so many bad decisions.  When someone says "stay here until I get back".  Stay there until they get back.  Don't go poking around.  It never ends well.  

Until tomorrow...

LAAB AND TOFU

 I did a lot of cooking today.  I spent the day baking.  The item is in the fridge chilling and will be revealed tomorrow.  It was once again a multi-day project.  I had to do one part yesterday.  Today was the main part and tomorrow will be the presentation part.

This evening, after doing the 2-mile walking DVD, I cooked Laab with Tofu.   It requires a lot of mushrooms and tofu.  I had a mixed box of mushrooms that needed to be cooked before they went bad.  I stir-fried the tofu and mushrooms with sauces and ate it with rice.  I was supposed to make jasmine rice but I went the easy route and put some white rice in the rice cooker while I was doing the walking DVD and let it cook while I worked out.

 

The laab was really delicious and I have some leftover for tomorrow's lunch.  I have so much in my fridge I have a hard time finding room for anything else.

My dog walker's daughter has requested more banana bread chocolate chip cookies.  She doesn't eat any of the desserts I make so I was surprised she liked these cookies.  She just doesn't like sweets but she likes these cookies.  I have two very ripe bananas so I may make her a quick batch.  She is so cute and she is so good with Lucky.  

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-EIGHT OF COOKING COURSE

 Lucky and I got up and after breakfast we got cooking.  We needed to to be able to get finished in a descent time.  Today I made Cinnamon Twists.  They are little cinnamon twists in a cupcake tin.  They are super delicious and so "buttery".  The only thing was that the cinnamon overflowed the tin and went all over the bottom of the oven.  On the bright side, this allowed me to clean the bottom of the oven that probably had not been cleaned in a very long time.  It was mostly soot from days gone by.  Now it is sparkly.

While the cinnamon twists were proofing, Lucky and I went for a walk to get our steps in.  Then later in the day I also did the 1 mile DVD to get more steps in.  I walked 5,000 steps today.  I needed to up my walking game.

Between the walking and the baking that was pretty much the whole day. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-SEVEN OF COOKING COURSE

 I was so late cooking today.  Not only did I start late, I ended late.  A bunch of things caused the day to go long.  I read the recipe wrong and did not know I needed to let the dough sit for another hour in the middle of the day.  I had to do some work so I had to start late.  I offered 5 pieces of the chocolate cake to my neighbor and her kids and I waited around for her to show up.  All these things caused me to be finishing up at 5:30pm. 

I made Chocolate Babka today.  I made the pre-dough yesterday and today I made the rest.  It turned out okay.  I don't think it rose enough but it tastes great.  My neighbor says "yummy".  She came over to get the final piece of the chocolate cake and a piece of the babka fresh out of the oven.

Instead of walking outside today I decided to do the inside walking DVD and do 2 miles.  I put it on mute since I know the routine and put on 80's disco music.  It is more fun that way.  YMCA, Stayin' Alive.  So much more fun than their horrible music.  

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-SIX OF COOKING COURSE

 Busy Day!  First thing in the morning while I was eating breakfast three fire trucks pulled up in front of my house, sirens going, fire persons jumping out with axes.  It was quite exciting when it isn't your house.  It was my neighbor's house.  They are all fine and there wasn't a fire that I could see.  I think they must have an alarm system that includes fire alarms and someone set it off.  The fire persons were in their house for 3 minutes.  They spent more time getting their gear out and putting it away.  The fireman that I spoke to from my window said "For such a little street we spend an awful lot of time here."  I feel I have a lot to do with that.  I have had many first responders at my house between foster kids and my own health problems.  They tend to recognize me and my house.

Then Lucky and I got in the car and went to the area where the vets office is.  We wanted to get there early so we could get a parking spot.  With all the outdoor seating there is less parking so we needed to get there before the lunch rush.  I found a spot about a block away and filled the meter.  We walked around a bit before our appointment and forgot to go back to put more money in the meter.  I remembered at the same time as our appointment and too late to go back.  We stood outside waiting for the doctor.  He diagnosed Lucky with bacteria in her intestines again.  She had this over a year ago.  She is back on Flagyl again.  She is not going to be happy because the medicine is bitter but she has to do what she has to do.  He feels this will help like last time.  Poor Lucky has an IBS type problem in her stomach/intestines.  Let's hope this helps. It will take over 2 months to see some improvement.  

I wanted to cook but didn't have much time.  I did the pre-dough for the two recipes.  Pre-dough for a slow rise recipe.  It was quick but necessary to leave it for 14 hours to rise.

Then I decided I had a few minutes to make something to get rid of two overripe bananas.  I made Oil-free Banana Brownies.  I ate one and saved one for the dog walker and put the rest in the freezer.  

My neighbor just came by and took the last piece of the sponge cake with strawberries and three pieces of the chocolate cake with raspberries.  He was impressed that I piped the pieces of cake in less than 5 minutes so beautifully.  He also volunteered to pick up the alcohol that I need for the next chapter.  So nice of him.

Until tomorrow....

DAY ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FIVE OF COOKING COURSE

 Today was Chocolate Cake with Raspberries and Chocolate Cream.  It tastes amazing and the kind of thing I could overdose on.  The chocolate cake tastes like devil's food cake and the raspberries are just amazing cooked in it.  Then the cream is like a dream on top.  Unfortunately the cream did not stiffen as much as I wanted it to but I am going to try to fix it tomorrow.  It really photographed well.

I had fun making it.  I almost forgot the raspberries because I got a phone call right as I was putting it in the oven.

I didn't get to go on a walk today.  It is really overcast and it was getting late so I decided today was a day off.  I had a work thing this morning where I had to present and I had a doctor's appointment this afternoon so I had a full day, what with making a cake and all.  

I watched few new movies lately: Boss Baby 2, The Tomorrow War, Fatherhood, Infinite, Nobody and The Queen's Corgi.  Here's a quick run down.  Boss Baby 2: I need to watch it again because I was tired and would probably give it a bad rating.  Don't watch it when you are tired.  The Tomorrow War: I liked it.  Scifi but interesting concept.  I can't get over how different Chris Pratt looks in the movie. Did he just gain weight or what??  Fatherhood: Very good movie.  Kevin Hart is so good.   Infinite: Sort of confusing at the very beginning.  But good Scifi movie.  If you believe in reincarnation you will love this.  Nobody: I liked this movie a lot.  You try to start over and people won't let you.  Pretty violent.  The Queen's Corgi: So cute.  It is an animated movie about the Queen's dog with a message.

I called the doctor about Lucky not eating so well today and he wants to see her tomorrow.  So we are going to the vets office tomorrow morning.  Cross your fingers I find descent parking.  

Until tomorrow...

MORE THAI FOOD

 Okay, I wanted to eat more Thai food.  I ate drunken noodles for two nights and now I want to eat another Thai dish.  I made Pad Thai.  If you remember last time I didn't really like it that much.  I think the recipe had me put in too much Tamarind paste.  This time I put 1/3 the Tamarind paste and it tasted better.  Next time I will put a little less.  Tamarind is a really strong flavor.  The Pad Thai was really good and I ate 1/2 of what I made.  

I woke up this morning and didn't take a shower and didn't feed the animals.  I got in the car and went to the ATM.  I found an ATM that is inside and I thought that would be safer.  I drove to the more suburban area and went inside where the ATM was and there was a homeless person sleeping inside.  I suddenly felt less safe since I was taking out money.  I kept one eye on the person who was sleeping and one hand on my pepper spray.  I took out my money and got out of there.  The person never moved.

I went right to the gas station and had to go in since I had cash.  The guy was super nice and was telling someone to get vaccinated since he had Covid months ago and said it was no joke.  He also broke a big bill that the ATM machine gave me.   I got a full tank and headed home and it wasn't even 10 am. 

I spent time putting things away.  Cleaning up a little. I finally boxed up my tax prep from April and put my puzzle back on my card table so I can work on it again.  It was on my dining room table but the lighting is so bad there I couldn't work on it.  

Until tomorrow...

THAI "NOT TAKEOUT" FOOD

 I had a hankering for vegan Thai food but I thought "why buy takeout when I can make the food myself?" So, I made my own Drunken Noodles.  I made a double batch so I could eat it for two days.  It was so good and it definitely curbed my Thai food hankering.

I took Lucky for a walk. I wanted to take her to the park but yesterday I tried to get gasoline but my new credit card would not work and I didn't have much cash.  I am so low on gasoline that I am nervous to use any of it to go for a joy ride until I get gasoline.  My plan is to go get some cash and get some gasoline during the hours when no one is out and about. 

My neighbor came by for a plate of treats and I gave her four different things.  She was so happy.

Until tomorrow...

EMERGENCY DENTAL APPOINTMENT

 Okay, it was not an EMERGENCY but an urgent dental appointment.  Turns out my new mouth guard chipped my tooth.  It chipped the back of my front tooth.  My front teeth are naturally separated with a space between my two front teeth.  Think Michal Strahan or Madonna (now not back in the day).  When I was little and had braces I was given the choice to have an operation to remove a muscle that grew between my two front teeth pushing them apart or to get my teeth "bonded" together.  It is not actually bonding but a mesh piece of metal that is cemented to the back of my teeth that holds them together.  It is sort of like a tooth brace.  This is my second or third rendition since every now and then it wears out and breaks while I am eating something I probably should not.  You will never see me eat a whole apple or frozen Snickers (if I ate Snickers) or anything that is hard that I have to bite into.  

So what chipped was the cement on the back of my teeth or that is what I thought.  The cement was chipped but also I have a super small filling in my front tooth.  The mouth guard broke the filling and it felt like a chipped tooth.  The dentist filed down the chipped cement and then filed down the chipped filing.  I haven't looked at it yet but at least my tongue is not getting caught on my front teeth anymore. She also filed down the mouth guard.

Yesterday I made a wonderful Chickpea Pasta Salad.  It is so tasty and I am glad I made enough for a few days.

Lucky and I went for a long walk this afternoon.  The weather was nice.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-FOUR OF COOKING COURSE

I started my day early so I could get this dessert done in one day.  It had many components.  First I had to cook the sponge cake.  Then I had to get the coconut milk in the fridge.  After the cake finished, I was able to take Lucky for a walk while the cake cooled.  

Then I decided to make another recipe for lunch and started boiling pasta.  Once the pasta was done, I made a chickpea pasta salad.  I ate that with an heirloom tomato.

Then I got back to the cake by making the whipped coconut cream.  It tastes amazing.  I spread that on the cake and put strawberry slices on top.  Then I added a glaze on to the strawberries.   

 

I did a little research online.  I searched some of the big medical sites and I found some folks who have had flares after taking the vaccine.  Turns out I am not alone.  There have been folks with rheumatoid arthritis who have been on my type of medication who had to go off the medication to get the vaccine and who then had flares when they returned to their medication.  I feel better now knowing I am not alone.  "The American College of Rheumatology issued guidance regarding COVID-19 vaccination on Feb 8, 2021, and acknowledged a theoretical risk of flare of autoimmune disease after vaccination with moderate consensus."

"Research based on data from the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR)-COVID-19 Registry and recently presented at the EULAR 2021 Virtual Congress. A 2021 study followed 1,519 people with arthritis and other musculoskeletal conditions, including RA, psoriatic arthritis, and other forms of arthritis. Of the participants, 78% received the Pfizer vaccine, 16% received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, 5% received the Moderna vaccine, and 1% received an uncertain vaccine type. After vaccination, 5% of the participants experienced arthritic flare-ups, and 1.2% experienced severe flare-ups."

Okay, so I am not crazy.  We all know if there is something out there for me to have or get, I will get or have it.  Now that I know it is a possibility, I can relax and let it run it's course.  I am not sure if I will take the extra prednisone.  I will give it more time to see what happens.

Until tomorrow...

 

DENTAL MOUTH GUARD

 I am so happy!  I finally got my dental mouth guard.  After five weeks of grinding my teeth after I broke my mouth guard, I will finally be able to sleep all night through.  Five weeks ago I cracked my mouth guard by grinding too much.  Then after going to the dentist to get fitted for a new mouth guard, I tried to wear the cracked guard and I woke up and the guard had a piece of plastic missing where it was cracked.  Now it was actually broken.  I decided that since I could not find the broken piece, it was best that I didn't wear the mouth guard anymore.  

Now I have a new mouth guard and I am so happy!  

Lucky and I went for a long walk today.  It was super foggy so it was actually cold.

I ordered groceries from Whole Foods and I was supposed to have them delivered from 6-8pm.  I waited.  I got a text at 7:34 pm saying the groceries were delivered.  Nobody delivers anything without Lucky knowing.  In fact the UPS guy delivered something the other day and rang the bell.  He inquired where Lucky was because that was the first time he got to ring the doorbell without her hearing him and barking when he pulled up in his truck.  He was worried she was sick or passed on.  She was at the vet getting dental work done.

When I got the text from Amazon I went and looked for the groceries.  Both doors, nope.  I looked up and down the street, nope.  I called Amazon and the woman called the delivery guy.  He said he didn't know where he delivered the groceries.  What??  What do you mean you didn't know where you delivered the groceries less than 30 minutes ago?  

Amazon is replacing my groceries but can't deliver them until tomorrow night.  As my brother said "24 hour delivery".  Luckily I don't need the groceries tomorrow to make my recipe. 

My neighbor came to get a plate of goodies.  He was so happy seeing a plate full of sweets.  I really like putting smiles on people's faces.  

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-THREE OF COOKING COURSE

 I cooked a Marbled Gulgelhupf today.  What is a Marbled Gulgelhupf?  It is a bundt-type cake.  It has a specific mold (that I did not use because mine was too big) that makes it stand out.  It is marbled with white cake and chocolate cake.  

It is really light and super tasty.  I really like this cake.  I would make it again in a minute.  It just took a lot of utensils and bowls.  I would need to perfect it to make clean up easier.  Boy is it good!

Lucky and I went for a walk.  I took a wrong turn because I was trying to get my Audible book working and I let Lucky steer and she took me on the wrong street.  We worked it out but didn't go our regular way.

Until tomorrow...

USED UP EXTRA DOUGH

 I had some dough leftover from making the apple pie so today I made two mini apple pies.  The are so cute and probably delicious.  I am probably going to give them away since I have 1/4 of the original pie still in the fridge.  I also have 1/2 the galette.  

I spent some time today doing the end of the laundry.  I cleaned dog towels, rugs, blankets.  I washed a tablecloth from so long ago.  Everything is clean including the washing machine that I scoured and put through the cleaning cycle.  All before the 4pm deadline.

I then reorganized and cleaned part of my bedroom.  I am finally taking out one of the dog cages in my bedroom.  I had two because I had two dogs but I haven't had two dogs for a year so it is time to remove the second cage.  This gives me so much more real estate in the room.  I can also get in my drawers without moving a cage.  Once I get some boxes removed from my garage, I will have more room in my garage to access and reorganize things.

I made a fun dinner so that took up a bunch of time.  I made huli huli sauce to put on cauliflower.  I also put it on some tofu.  It is really tasty.  

I didn't get to walk today with all the other things going on.

Until tomorrow...

HAPPY JULY 4TH!!

 For July 4th I, of course, woke up and watched the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest.  Yes, I am a vegan but this is an annual sport that I watch.  Plus one of the winners is from the West Coast and we all cheer for him.  Joey "Jaws" Chestnut is scarily amazing at competitive eating.  I find it so interesting.  Even if they were eating pounds of broccoli I would still find it fascinating.  

Then I started more laundry.  I got four loads of laundry and drying done today before the 4pm deadline. 

Lucky and I went on a walk.  We did our regular walk backwards today to try something different.  

I decided to use up a banana that was soft.  I made Vegan Banana Bread Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They taste amazing!  So good and banana-y!!  

I watched a Boss Baby 2 and The Queen's Corgi in between the cooking, walking and laundry. 

Until tomorrow...

TOMATO AND ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

 I put the laundry in first thing this morning.  I wanted to make sure I can get all the laundry I need to get done this weekend.  I have my regular laundry plus sheets and towels plus my comforter plus a ton of dog towels.  I have dog towels stacked up from dog baths, dogs in the rain, dogs getting sick, dogs on furniture, dogs in beds, dogs just needing a "blanket".  They all need to be cleaned and I have been lazy and not cleaned them.  It is past due time to clean them and then clean out the washer.  It will take time and I was going to do it three months ago but then I decided to put in solar and decided to wait.  Why not clean them when I was paying a lot less for electricity?  The towels were not going anywhere.  They aren't wet or anything; just smelly like a dog.  

This weekend is the weekend.  It is fairly sunny and I can wash them over the holiday once I finish my towels and bedding.  Then the whole washer and dryer gets cleaned out.

I made a Tomato and Zucchini/Squash Casserole.  It has yellow squash and green zucchini and tomatoes with vegan cheese and spices.  It tastes delicious.  It was a Pillsbury recipe that I changed around. 

I can't wait to eat dinner.  I haven't decided what to eat with it.  

Lucky and I went out for a walk and ran into a neighbor I haven't seen in 9 months.  She is a pediatrician and her husband is also a doctor.  They have two small kids around the ages of my niece and nephew but their daughter is the older one.  Their daughter LOVES Lucky and she is so gentle with Lucky.  Lucky is so good with her.  We talked for 1/2 hour.  Then Lucky and I walked our mile.

I finally finished season 2 of The Umbrella Academy.  I watched season one while commuting on mass transit and in doctor's waiting rooms.  I used to download the episodes and watch them on my phone.

Until tomorrow...

DAY ONE HUNDRED FIFTY-TWO OF COOKING COURSE

 Christmas Apple Pie!  I did call it 4th of July Weekend Apple Pie.  But the course called it Christmas.  It was SO good.  It had a pie crust that was just like I like it.  Super thin crust with no ends.  I don't like thick pie crust ends.  It was also not dry as some pie crusts can be.  It was mostly insides.  It was made with a tart ring so there were no "crusts".  It was basically just the structure and then fillings.  Inside was a cream made from vanilla pastry cream and marzipan so it was sweet.  Then on top were apples that had been steeped in a syrup made from cardamom, cinnamon, star anise, rum, cloves, and raisins.  The apples tasted so delicious.  I can't wait to eat more of it.  I have some leftover dough, cream and apples so I may make some tarts.

It was a busy day and an overcast one so I decided to stay inside and walk my mile on the treadmill.  I got some unexpected phone calls today.

I am still learning how to use my electricity to my advantage with the solar.  I know I need to use my big appliances before 4pm to get the best rate.  This has so far been a challenge for me since in the past I have been used to doing things later in the day.  Running the dishwasher is easy because I can do that really late.  But laundry is the biggest challenge for me.  Laundry needs a good 2.5 - 3 hours to clean sheets and towels.  That means I have to start them early in the day and remember to move them from the washer to the dryer at the appropriate time.  This may sound easy but my washer and dryer are in the garage and I can't hear the buzzer when the washer is done.  I have taken to setting my alarm on my phone.  Because if I don't move the wash to the dryer in time, I run out of time to do the next load of laundry before it is 4pm and I am into the "high cost" zone.  I never thought about this before.  Now I have to.  It reminds me of the olden days of cellphone usage before unlimited plans when you had to be careful not to go over your minutes.  You only went over your minutes once when you saw how much it cost you!  I had a family member get charges from a foreign country and I am sure that person will not do that again!  Anyway, I am re-learning how to use electricity.  It is a very good exercise.  

Until tomorrow...