TALK ABOUT MY HEALTH

 This was a big work day. I tried to get all the laundry done too but I could only get 1/2 of it done. Tomorrow is another day.

Update on Lucky: she seems to be doing better. I took her for a short walk because I had an appointment. Also my sister called and we talked while Lucky and I walked. I didn't see Lucky limp but I didn't give her 100% of my attention.

I need to talk about my health. This is after all a blog about rheumatoid arthritis. I have not been doing well for about five days. I thought it would go away so that is why I didn't write about it before. 

Last week I started not feeling well. Then I realized I had a UTI. That is an infection and my body does not like infections and it rebels. I did not take the Orencia because I am now on antibiotics. My hands started to hurt quite a lot last week. So much that it is hard to hold a cup or a glass. Scissors hurt my hands. I think you get the idea. As usual I pushed through. My hands have not gotten better and I wake up and they are swollen. 

In the mornings my feet hurt and my joints are red hot. It has not been a very fun time. I know it will be better and I just have to keep keeping on. Last Monday I took it easy because I was so fatigued I basically could not move. I think I need a day or two more like that but I don't know when that will be. I have clients, taxes, a dog and a bird that have to be handled. 

Today I decided to go through a cabinet in my kitchen that held my dog's medication. I had not gone through it since my sweet Happi passed away. Happi had a number of medical issues at the end and took a lot of medication. Plus I have the small amount of medication that has expired from Lucky. The lot of it filled almost a whole paper shopping bag. I can now find a disposal location. I think I will clean out my own medications too. I am sure there are a few expired medications in my cabinet even though I did a clean out right before lockdown. I have a lot of room in my kitchen cabinet now and could move some stuff around.

I am making my kitchen easier to cook and bake. It makes me so happy to have more room. At one point I was cooking in a space that was about 2' x 2'. It was really hard. Now I have a much larger space. 

Until tomorrow...

THE COOKIES ARE DONE

 

 It took two days but the cookies are done. They are decorated with a "Y" because that is my neighbor's alma mater. I thought it would be fun for him to get cookies with his alma mater on them. 

I took Lucky for a long walk while the cookies were drying. She is still limping a little bit. I gave her a small amount of the painkiller when we got back. It is good she is getting better. 

Until tomorrow...

MADE COOKIES FOR MY NEIGHBOR

Just like yesterday, today did not go as planned. I think I have the ant situation under control. I only saw a couple of stragglers but the many dozen I saw yesterday are gone. Unfortunately I saw a couple of ants downstairs now. I did a cleaning and will have to wait and see if that took care of them. This is a yearly event. Every time it gets hot and then it rains the ants come out. I call it the fifth season. Rainy season, earthquake season, fire season, tourist season and ant season.

Unfortunately I think I have a UTI. No, I have one. I am not happy about it. Luckily I have the medicine to take so I just started taking it. 

I took Lucky on a short walk today. Her limping seems better. But we didn't go far. 

I am made cookies for my neighbor today. I am excited to ice them tomorrow. I am decorating them with a surprise for him. 

Until tomorrow...

FELT LIKE PRE-PANDEMIC DAYS

 Today didn't go as planned. The ant situation got worse and then better. The ant bait caused lots of ants to come to the ant bait. It poisoned them. But some are still living and I am trying to deal with them. I ordered more ant bait to arrive tomorrow. The ants arrived in another place in the kitchen so I had to do another cleaning and moving items. UGH!

No baking occurred today. In fact I ordered takeout food because I didn't want to cook in the kitchen and make any mess that would attract the ants. 

I ordered food from a vegan restaurant I never got food from before. It was really good. I probably would not have gotten the fries since they were spiced and soggy. Next time. The sandwich was really good. 

Other than that, I worked all day. All Day. Felt like pre-pandemic days. Weird. 

Until tomorrow...

BARTERING FOR COOKIES

 The soapy water cleaning the area is working. The soapy water is used to clean the area not to catch the ants. As it is told to me, the ants are basically blind so they leave a trail of something when they crawl so the other ants know where to go. If you just kill an ant, the other ants will come because they will follow the trail so you need to clean the trail and the best thing to use is soapy water. You should not just clean the space but take something like a paper towel and wet it and put dish soap on it and wipe down the area leaving it wet and soapy. That will leave a film of soapy water the ants do not like. So every time I see an ant I wipe down the area and where I think the ant came from. 

Today I resorted to putting out an ant bait trap. I know I love all creatures and I don't want to kill them but I love them outside and not attacking my kitchen workspace. I need to work tomorrow so I hope the ants are gone. 

What do I have to work on? My neighbor and I have decided to barter. I need someone to look at some documents that I can't figure out and he loves my cookies. So, I am going to bake him some cookies and he is going to review and summarize my documents and help me navigate them. It helps that he works in the legal field. I am thinking of decorating them in his alma mater's colors. 

I took Lucky on a longer walk today. I wanted to see if she was ready to go with the dog walker tomorrow. She is not. She was still limping when she walked quickly. I also talked to the Dr. about the weird reaction she has been having after taking her medicine. She has been quite anxious on this medicine. The Dr. told me to cut the dose in half and I gave her some this evening and she seems much better. The Dr. said Lucky is sidelined until at least Monday. If she is still limping she will have to get an x-ray. 

My new whipping cream dispenser came in the mail today. I will be able to finish my chocolate dessert now. Yay! I threw the other one away.

Out of the blue today, someone I met a few weeks ago contacted me and hired me as a consultant. I was happily shocked. I start working for her tomorrow. 

Until tomorrow...

ANT INVASION

 I am feeling much better today. The fatigue has subsided somewhat. I still have most of the pain in my hands. I definitely feel this is a step in the right direction. Yesterday was pretty brutal. I haven't had a RA day like that in a long time and yes, I did think it may be COVID for a split second. I did some reading and there were not enough symptoms and they would not have stayed for one day. It was a flare. 

Now that the fear of having contracted COVID is behind me, I took Lucky out for a short walk. I wanted to see how her limp was. She is only limping a little bit. I only gave her the knock out drugs after the walk. 

To make the day interesting, I had an ant invasion. I was about to take a shower when I saw a couple of ants and then I saw more. I had to clear out the whole area and clean everything off. My pest guy says soapy water is the way to go. So now my kitchen is all in chaos until I can solve the ant invasion problem. They are looking for food and water. Ugh!

Until tomorrow...

DEFECTIVE WHIPPED CREAM DISPENSER

I woke up this morning, tried to whipped cream dispenser again and it didn't work. I emailed the company and was surprised that I got almost an immediate response. After giving them my information, they said they were going to send me a brand new one. They said obviously the dispenser was defective and covered under warranty. I should have a new dispenser by the end of the week.

Today was a hard day. I didn't feel great yesterday and trying to deal with the dispenser made the day much harder. I woke up late today and then stayed on the couch almost the whole day. I have been so fatigued and my joints are killing me. Before anyone jumps to COVID, these are the symptoms of RA. I started my Orencia shots again last week and I think I am having a reaction. I'm sure I will be fine in a week. I just need to rest. 

Lucky update: she is officially going stir crazy. The meds are not working as good because the effectiveness wears off so she does not stay asleep as much. But she seems to be better. 

I put covers on my lemon tree and blueberry bush tonight because it is supposed to get really cold tonight. Hopefully it protects them from dying. It has in the past. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWO HUNDRED NINE OF COOKING COURSE

 Today is President's Day. I spent the first part of the day relaxing. Then I decided that today was the day I was going to finish off the 2nd to last dessert for the Chocolate & Dessert Cooking Course. I want to move on to another chapter. This dessert is a 3-step dessert. I made the first step which was a Chocolate Espuma. It had to be put in a canister and put in the fridge to set. Then I did the second step which was a Chocolate Biscuit. Then I made the Chocolate Crumble. The last two parts were perfect. I took the Chocolate Espuma out of the fridge and let it defrost. Then I put the top on and put the C02 cartridge on. Nothing came out. I tried to take the top off the canister and it would not come off. Nothing worked to get it off. I asked two neighbors to get it off and they could not get it off either. It is stuck. Here are all the things I have tried: hot and cold water, putting it in the freezer, hitting it with a wrench, hitting it on a counter, using a wrench to turn it, and trying to pry under the cap with a knife (desperate times). It is not opening. 

 

I have an unfinished dessert that I hope to give away and try tomorrow. I gave my neighbors the chocolates I made yesterday. I got my first review: They are delicious!

Update on Lucky: she seems a bit better. She limped when she went out to pee today. She is really getting stir crazy. I left her alone to deliver the candies and she barked the whole time. She never does that. She is really clingy. 

Until tomorrow...

VEGAN DARK CHOCOLATE PISTACHIO WHITE CHOCOLATE CUPS

 Vegan dark chocolate with pistachio white chocolate, peanuts and golden raisins cups. These cups are decadent and delicious. The cups didn't come out of the mold perfectly but some of them came out and I filled them. My neighbors are already lining up to get them even though they are not perfect. 

I learned a lot about chocolate and I plan to learn more. I really like working with chocolate and flavors. 

Update on Lucky: She has been taking the painkillers and sleeping a lot. I was told to keep her immobile and I intend to do just that. I already have a text scheduled for the dog walker letting him know she will not be going with him this week. 

Until tomorrow...

VEGAN DARK CHOCOLATE CUPS

 I tried to make vegan dark chocolate cups today. I will find out tomorrow how successful they are. I popped one out and it was 1/2 way successful so I added more chocolate to the cups. I am hoping they are successful so I can fill them.

It was really fun to play with chocolate today. I have been thinking of doing this for a couple of weeks and finally got down to doing it. 

Early this morning I took Lucky to the veterinarian's office. It was all outside but they take the dogs inside. They checked Lucky over and they think Lucky hurt her back not her knee. They gave me pain meds for her and she is currently knocked out. Lucky has to stay home for a week. I am glad they gave me pain meds because it will be hard to keep her immobile for a week. If she is still showing signs of limping after a week, they will do an x-ray or ultrasound and see what is going on. I also had them cut her nails and check her over. They said other than her back she looked good.

I am not sure why there is a huge fireworks display going on right now but it is loud. Weird timing. 

Until tomorrow...

STONE SOUP

I made Stone Soup today. A few years ago, I heard about something called Stone Soup. The folkstory goes that a traveler arrived at a town with nothing and he was hungry. He asked around for some food and no one would give him any because they said they had none to share. The traveler took a pot and added water and a stone and placed it over a fire and called it stone soup. He then told the people he would share it but it would be better with a garnish. So each of the villagers brought an item to add to the stone soup. There were potatoes, onions, cabbages, corn, peas, etc. added. When the soup was cooked, the stone was removed and the soup was eaten by the villagers and the traveler. This is a story about sharing what you have. I hear it also has the name nail soup, button soup, axe soup and wood soup. My stone soup included: butternut squash, chard, peas, leek, pasta and carrots.

 Lucky is limping. I am not sure what is wrong with her. I called late today over to the veterinarian's office to see if there were any cancellations since it is a holiday weekend and I got an appointment for 8:30 tomorrow. I took some video of her limping. Okay, she has limped as long as I have had her when she is nervous and when she walks fast. I got her checked out and they said there was nothing wrong with her. Today the limping is different. It is more of a skip. I know little dogs have knee problems and hip problems so I want to get it checked out right away. 

My sister-in-laws dog had to have some sort of knee surgery. I am pretty sure.

I also noticed that midweek she started seeming not lethargic but less active. Monday (or last Friday) the dog walker said she was having problems keeping up with the group but that was when she was having tummy issues so I thought it was just because of that. Now I am worried something else is going on. Tummy issues, slow one day, less active, and now limping/skipping. Other than that she is her old self. 

We did go on two walks today. The first walk I didn't notice the limp but the second (shorter) walk I noticed it. 

 I called the dog food place where I got the replacement dog food and they were very nice and gave me my money back for the dog food. I am torn on whether to keep the dog food, just in case, or donate it to my vet's office. I am worried I could get caught again with no food and have to use it. But I also know there are people struggling right now to buy dog food. 

I bought Lucky a new water bowl that doesn't drip. I moved her water bowl (that has been in the same place for a long time) and noticed for the first time that it is leaving a mark on the floor from the water she spills when she drinks. The new bowl guarantees your dog doesn't drip, dribble or spill water when they drink. I also got her a mat for her food bowl. Lucky is so weird that she takes pieces of her food out of the bowl and puts them on the floor. I can't figure it out but I hear other dogs do this too. The mat will keep the floor clean because I am tired of having to clean the floor every day.

 Until tomorrow...

PHOTOS

 Not much to say today. I worked some and took Lucky on a walk. We ran into a neighbor who we haven't seen in a while. Turns out he was a visiting professor at a prestigious university. No wonder I haven't seen him in months.

I got some of the scrapbook paper that I ordered. Why scrapbook paper you ask? I use scrapbook paper as background in some of my food photos. I bought some scrapbook paper that was on sale. They sell scrapbook paper in these large books that have about 100 pieces of 12 x 12 paper. Some of the books were on sale for $5 and $10. This is really cheap for a book of scrapbook paper. One book is all plaids which can look like a table cloth. The other book has a sort of tie-dyed look. These backgrounds really add to photos. 

Until tomorrow...

TOFU, BROCCOLI AND RICE

 Hate to give another sick report on Lucky but she is having a hard time transitioning back to her old food. I had to put her on a new food a month ago when her regular food was back ordered because of supply issues. I transitioned her slowly from the regular food to the new food. I was down to one can of the new food when her regular food arrived so I had to transition her back to her regular food very fast. I think her tummy did not like the quick transition. She skipped breakfast but she ate dinner so I hope she is feeling better now.

I made a dish a few days ago that was simple but good. Seasoned tofu, steamed broccoli and white rice. I had some white rice leftover from the rice I made Lucky. I put some soy sauce on top of the dish. It was pretty good. 

The dog walker has gone on vacation now for a long weekend so Lucky and I are on our own for a whole week. She is going to be so unhappy. She really likes her two hour walks with him. I do not take her on two hour walks.

Until tomorrow...

VALENTINE'S DAY DELIVERIES

 Yesterday I delivered Valentine's Day packets filled with cookies and chocolate to my friends and neighbors. The packets included the cookies that I decorated and chocolates that I made. The people who received the packets seemed very happy to get a Valentine's day surprise. 

I was so happy this afternoon when I got a big delivery. It was a package I have been expecting for weeks. It was a cart for the kitchen. My sister-in-law and I discussed this in depth over a month ago and then I bought it online. I didn't know it would take this long for it to arrive. I put it together in 15 minutes and this evening I put a number of items in it. I bought it for my baking items. Bakers have a number of items (some small) that I need to keep together and I had nowhere to put them. I have an old kitchen and the drawers are not deep. I wanted to put some of my packing items in one place, all my cookie cutters in one place and piping bags in another place. Now I can. The drawers are about 6" deep so they hold a bit and the cart rolls. I am super pleased with my choice. This also leaves some more space in my existing drawers which is good. 

I did not ride the stationary bike like I did last night but today Lucky and I went for a walk. 

Until tomorrow...

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

 

Isn't this a great photo?  They look so in love. Happy Valentine's Day!

I handed out Valentine's Day cookies and candy. It was nice to give other people joy. 

I used my softbox (used to take photos) to take my first photo today. If you remember I had to return the first softbox because the first time I turned it on to take a photo, the light blew. I received my new softbox and it works so far and I took my first photo. 

It was a low key day.

Until tomorrrow...

 

HAPPY GALENTINE'S DAY

 I woke up and finished the Valentine's Day cookies today. I had to finish all the flooding of the frosting. That is when the you frost inside the outline that I did yesterday. I didn't finish all the cookies but I may not. My hands were starting to get sore and I have enough cookies frosted to give away. I need to figure out how to do this faster and easier. I think it just takes practice. 

Today is Galentine's Day. It is the day you celebrate the day with your girlfriend(s). I celebrated with my girl Lucky! 

We watched the Superbowl and the halftime show. Then Lucky and I played a bit. She wanted to play catch and throw the toy and chase me. 

Until tomorrow...

NOT QUITE DONE WITH THE VALENTINE'S DAY COOKIES

 I worked really hard on the cookies today. It was an unseasonably warm day today. Okay, it was a beautiful day today. I was inside icing cookies. I got all the icing made to the right color and then I got all the outlining done and then I ran out of icing and I was super tired. I called it a day. I had some issues with everything today and it took so much longer than anticipated. I think tomorrow will go faster. 

Lucky is feeling much better today. I realized the warm weather is probably getting to her. She hates the heat and it was in the 80s yesterday and almost as hot today. She is really a fog dog. She loves the weather to be 65 degrees year round. I should have realized it yesterday when she laid on the hardwood floor. She never lays on the hardwood floor. I think she was looking for a cool place.

I ate Vegan Tikka Masala tonight. I pulled it from the freezer. I made it months ago and shrink wrapped it. I had some leftover rice to eat with it. It made a nice dinner. 

Until tomorrow...

BAKED VALENTINE'S DAY COOKIES

 I woke up today with three things to do today. 

1. Take the softbox box down to the UPS drop-off location. I added tape handles late last night so I could carry the big box comfortably. The box holding the softbox is not that big but the shipping box is huge. It wasn't heavy just big. I walked it down to the place and the owner came outside with her handheld UPS machine and scanned it and then emailed me the receipt. We talked for a few minutes and I left. Easy peasy as I say.
2. I then walked down to the post office to mail my ballot. It is election day next week and I wanted to make sure my vote was counted. There were only a few things to vote for and seriously not anything I really cared about but I did my civic duty.
3. I baked the Valentine's Day cookies from the dough I made yesterday. I think they came out pretty good. I am going to ice them tomorrow.

I attended a webinar about chocolate covered strawberries that are made into roses. It was interesting and I learned a lot. I can now make chocolate strawberry roses. I haven't tried it yet but I know the technique. 

Update on Lucky: we had a hard night with her stomach issues but we finally fell asleep. She didn't eat this morning but ate some tonight. 

I bought her regular food because it is finally back in stock. It should arrive on Monday. I called the other company to see if I could cancel the order for the food she has been eating while her regular food was on back order and they said it may not have been shipped yet. (first what the heck! I ordered it last week!) They said if they can't cancel the order and it does get shipped they will refund my money since I called to try and cancel it because it is making her ill. So I am feeding her rice with chicken baby food meanwhile. 

Until tomorrow...

RETURNING THE SOFTBOX

 My new photography softbox arrived yesterday. So, now I can pack up the broken softbox and send it back. The reason I could not send the broken softbox back before was that I had the inner boxes but I recycled the larger outer box. Therefore I could not put the inner box inside anything to send it back and I had to wait until the new softbox arrived to use the outer box of the new one to send back the broken one. 

 Today I packaged the broken softbox up and contacted UPS. They would not come get it unless I paid $14. UPS already came once but I didn't have the necessary box to package the broken softbox yet so I could not send it back. The UPS guy said they could come back. What he neglected to say was that it would cost me $14 to schedule a pick up. 

I called a local UPS pick up (that conveniently is across the street from a location where I used to live) and the owner remembers me. She is super nice and said if I brought it tomorrow, I could wave from outside and she would come outside to get the box so I didn't have to go inside her store. I always said it never hurts to be nice to people because you never know what the future brings. I remember when she went through a rough time with a family member and checking in on her. I am the kind of person who always knows people in their neighborhood. I say hi to folks. I strike up a conversation. 

Once I got that sorted. I decided to start making cookies for Valentine's Day. I got the batter made and rolled out. It is chilling in the fridge. Tomorrow I will finish cutting the cookies and baking them. 

I have a doggie with a tummy ache next to me. She is miserable. This week I haven't been able to give her much of her medicine and now her tummy is acting up. Poor baby. 

Until tomorrow...

VEGAN CHOCOLATE BOMBS WITH PISTACHIOS AND PUFFED QUINOA

 I had a very early meeting about social media. It was really good. I met some really nice people who had some great ideas. 

Last week I attended a webinar with a lady who gave some great advice: don't throw away leftovers. Save them for another dish. She was talking about icing but it can be used in other instances like chocolate. I had some leftover chocolate ganache from when I made the vanilla chocolate clouds so I decided to make something with it. I made Vegan Chocolate Bombs with pistachios and quinoa puffs inside. I got one review already and he said they are "great". I am more critical and I think they need more stuff inside. But I always think I can do better.

At the last minute I melted some leftover white chocolate and drizzled it on top to make them pretty. 

Okay, I have to vent. This evening a firetruck came to one of the houses across the street. The truck was blocking the street (as firetrucks do) while they were attending to the neighbors emergency. I don't know what the emergency was but they weren't rushing around. Another neighbor pulled up in his car and needed to get by the firetruck to park in his garage. Instead of going around the block or waiting, he got out of his car and asked the firetruck to move so he could park his car in the garage. Is it just me or has this world gone mad? Asking a firetruck to move during an emergency call so you can park your car in your garage. Is this the epitome of privilege or just not caring for your fellow humans or what? The worst part is that his children were in the car and this is what he is teaching his children. 

Of course, if you have been reading my blog for a long time, I have had run-ins with this bully neighbor before over my outside lights and me parking in my driveway. He thinks he owns the world. He thought he could tell me what to do, I think, because I am a female. Well, he wasn't ready for this female. I am not like the females in his life, that is for sure. He backed down quickly when I stood up to his bullying. 

They are not getting any of my baked goods!

Until tomorrow...

POTATO, CARROT, CANNOLLINI BEAN AND KALE SOUP

 I learned how to decorate cookies today. It was a specific cookie to be honest but all the things I learned can be used to decorate any cookie. It was a strawberry cookie and the person showing the technique was super entertaining. Unfortunately, I lost the link to the strawberry cookie cut out when the webinar ended and now I can't locate the cookie cutter. Super disappointed. The cookie was very cute. I will try to find it.

I made some fantastic soup: Potato, Carrot, Cannollini Bean and Kale Soup. It is really good and I have lots of leftovers. 

I have another baking webinar later this week.

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWO HUNDRED EIGHT OF COOKING COURSE

 I got up and was unsure if I was going to do anything. Have any of you experienced a feeling that you don't know what day it is? Maybe it is because I have been in my house for so many days, but I spent all weekend so sure that this was President's Day weekend that this morning I slept in thinking it was a holiday. I even emailed someone asking why they were working today. I was that sure it was a holiday. I am either loosing my mind or being inside all the time has finally made me crack. 

No, I spoke to the doctor and he says many people are going through the same thing. A perpetual Groundhog day. I just need to get a bit of structure back in my day. For the first year of lockdown I was very structured. I had my days planned out in advance. Even if I had no meetings I had things planned to do each day. Lately, I have not been doing this and I think it is making it seem like each day blends together. 

Today I made Vegan Chocolate Hazelnut Spread. It can be spread on toast or apples or anything. It is very chocolatey and delicious. 

I gave some of the chocolate desserts to one of my neighbors and she gave them to her friend who is a baker. The woman said they were so good that I could sell them. I thought that was a huge compliment. I really like making the chocolate candies. 

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWO HUNDRED SEVEN OF COOKING COURSE

 I had all these plans for today but alas, my body had different ideas. I woke up late and didn't feel like doing anything. Lucky vomited early in the morning so I had to clean that up and then I went back to bed. I realized she needed to eat some rice for breakfast (she had some of my leftover rice for dinner last night) so I had to make some first thing.  That sort of delayed my morning. I got laundry started, fed the bird, fed Lucky, and fed me. Lucky and I took a walk around the block mid afternoon. Then we watched TV all afternoon into the evening. Relaxation is what I needed. 

I received my new fingertip gloves to keep my hands warm on these cold days.

I got them in four different colors. So far I like them a lot. I can keep my hands warm and still type on my computer, use my phone and eat. I know it isn't that cold here but it has been pretty cold for our neck of the woods lately and I have been trying to conserve energy by turning the thermostat down. 

Here is the dessert I made yesterday. I finished it late last night. It is Vegan Carrot White Chocolate Muffins with Coconut Lime Caramel Drizzle. Quite decadent. 

They are mini muffins. The caramel is made from sugar and coconut milk. It is so creamy I have to keep myself from drinking it. 

Until tomorrow...

VEGAN ASIAN FOOD DELIVERED

 I worked really hard on a dessert today and I am going to post it tomorrow. I am too tired today. It is late and I just want to put my feet up. I was making good time and then I wanted to call my sister-in-law for her birthday and then my cousin called and next thing I know over one hour flew by. I still had not eaten and I was hungry. Then by the time I ate it was late and I still had to finish the caramel and take the photo and then clean up. I did finish the caramel and take the photo but I left most of the cleaning up until tomorrow. Unfortunately that makes me behind tomorrow because I have to clean up from today. 

So, I ordered in dinner and had vegan Asian food. I had  pot stickers, noodles and vegetables. It was all very good. I probably ate too much but I was at that point where I was too hungry so I ate a lot. 

I also did laundry and took a walk to the post office today. I had mail I had to pick up today. It was a full day and I am happy to finally be off my feet for a few minutes before I get to bed.

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWO HUNDRED SIX OF COOKING COURSE

 Busy day here today. I had a morning meeting and then once I got Lucky out the door to go to the park, I made more of the Espresso Truffles. I only made 1/2 of the the other day and I wanted to finish up making them. They are really good and I have to stop myself from eating them. I don't normally have caffeine so this is new to me. 

It is a rather lengthy process to make them, first part is pretty easy with the melting of the chocolate and adding some things and then chilling it and cutting it. The second part is the messy and harder part. First I don't really like things on my hands: hand cream, sunscreen, etc. so putting chocolate all over my hands is not an enjoyable experience. I have to pick up the pieces of chilled chocolate, dip my fingers in melted chocolate and rub it on the piece of chocolate, then put that piece of chocolate in a bowl filled with cocoa powder and coffee powder.  Then I fish those pieces of chocolate out of the powder with a fork and put it in a sieve. Once the sieve has a bunch of pieces of chocolate in it, I dump the sieve after shaking it to get any excess powder out. All this with chocolate on my hands. Now, at this point you are probably asking why I don't dip the chocolate pieces in the melted chocolate? I don't want gobs of melted chocolate on the pieces of chocolate, I just want a coating enough so the powder will stick. If there is too much melted chocolate, it falls off once the powder comes in contact with it. This whole process has to be done rather quickly before the melted chocolate that is put on the pieces of chocolate firms up and the powder won't stick. 

Now you may see why I did it in two batches. It takes a long time to do a lot of little pieces of chocolate. I didn't want to do large truffles of espresso. No one wants that much espresso at one time, at least I don't! Just a little 1" by 1" or 1-1/2" by 1-1/2" piece is perfect maybe a 2" by 2" but no bigger. 

I am on to the next chocolate dessert now since I have all my ingredients. I may make something with lemons too since I have a whole tree full of lemons. Maybe lemon cupcakes with lemon curd decorated for Valentines Day. Or lemon cookies for Valentine's Day. Who knows?? 

I made a stir fry for dinner that was bok choy, broccoli, frozen peas, Thai noodles, sauce and a Boca spicy chik'n veggie patty cut up. It was really good. 

 

Until tomorrow...

LUCKY ALMOST ATE A CHOCOLATE CLOUD

 Today I was a manager. I managed my gardener while he cleared out my backyard. The clover in the backyard was so high Lucky looked like she was on safari. The gardener I have is not fast but he is thorough. He also hung a wall mount organizer on the wall by my back door so I could hang the broom, hoe, shovel and rake. I bought this organizer 10 years ago and have never installed it. He did it in like 15 minutes. I am so happy to have my tools off the floor and out of the way of the stairs so people will no longer trip on them. Another thing checked off the "million item to do list". 

The backyard looks amazing. He may take forever but when he leaves the garden is ready for a magazine cover. It always makes me so happy. I wish I had the health to keep it looking like this all the time but he says he can help me try to make it more manageable. 

Lucky got out and grabbed a chocolate cloud I had given the gardener. She sneaked and snatched one from his plate. I had to grab her and shake her upside down until she spit it out. Luckily they were big candies and she couldn't just swallow it. She was giving me the ugly growl and would have bitten me but then she would have had to give up the candy. She did not want to give that candy up but she did eventually. I gave her an appropriate cookie for giving it up. 

Years ago her old dog walker told me he was walking her and she got a hold of a chicken bone and he had to do the same thing. He shook her upside down and she finally let it go. That is where I learned what to do. I am glad my reflexes remembered. I honestly didn't think, I just did. In case you don't know, chocolate is toxic to dogs and this chocolate would be very toxic. It is top end chocolate with top end chocolate inside and they are the size of a large walnut or silver dollar. That is a lot of chocolate for a little dog to consume. Not like a dog eating an M&M. Lucky is fine now with nothing hurt but her pride.

Until tomorrow...

DAY TWO HUNDRED FIVE OF COOKING COURSE

 I made Espresso Truffles today. They are not fancy but they are good. I only had 1/2 one because it was 8pm and I wanted to sleep tonight. They are chocolatey and espresso smooth goodness. 

Today was a busy day of working and baking. I am getting involved in a project on resilience. It is interesting and something new. I am not so sure about my role yet but I am game to see where it goes. 

Until tomorrow...

ALMOST 100%

 I am feeling much better. I even worked today. Okay, I worked and then I sat and watched TV. I had a meeting about my ex-foster kid for a short time. But I decided to skip cooking and take it easy. Recuperation is my top priority. 

I got a new toy in the mail today. It is a professional baking whipped cream dispenser. I need it to make one of my fancy chocolate desserts but it is also fun to use. 

Until tomorrow...