The Sleep of Reason - Little Ears Alfredo

Sunday - What the hell??  I woke up at 3:00 this morning and never got back to sleep.  I finally gave up just before 6:00, came downstairs and started to prepare breakfast.  Bacon in the oven, eggs poaching in the oven, and the griddler is fitted with the waffle plates, coated with nonstick spray, and ready to be heated for the Krispy Kreme doughnut French toast.  Yes, Krispy Kreme. Don't knock it till you try it. Then I "repurposed" the burnt ends from Jimmy Bear's, and finally felt tired enough to go back to sleep.

One problem - it is now 9:47 in the morning, and heading back to bed is not an option, at least not a good one, so I may as well go back to cooking.  Although I have officially dropped chicken as a menu item (keeping in mind that there are several pieces of citrus jalapeño chicken sitting in the leftover zone), I still have a fairly substantial list of mains and sides in the preparation queue.

I cannot lie - I hurt today, all over.  Too much time on my feet cooking, too much time spent walking all over BJs warehouse, too much time living inside my head.  Very bad neighborhood. There's a bit of fuzz between my ears, just enough to cloud my train of thought. It's weird though, that my head can still be sharp enough to develop recipes - almost like that part of my brain is on automatic.

So it is from that place that this recipe sprang.  I had been wanting to use the last of my Tiny Turkey Meatballs in something other than a red sauce.  This worked even better than expected.  I use bottled tomato sauces quite a bit, and they are mostly pretty good, but I never found a bottled Alfredo sauce that suited my palate until I tried Publix Premium after comparing the list of ingredients with other brands.                                    

The name of the dish has nothing to do with corn, ears, little or otherwise, nor is it the name of a recently uncovered, previously unknown Van Gogh painting, nor the nickname of a character from "The Sopranos".  I asked Cory to pick the appropriate pasta to go with the finished sauce, and once he saw the box of orecchiette, it was a done deal.  Orecchiette is Italian for "little ears' and Alfredo is the gentleman who invented the well-known pasta sauce that forms the basis of the dish.  I know, I like the Van Gogh story myself.  Sorry.

This recipe presupposes that you made a big batch of Tiny Turkey Meatballs back in November and froze them for future dishes.  If you didn't, this might be a good time to do so, because these little meatballs are positively versatile.

Little Ears Alfredo

6-8 oz. cooked Tiny Turkey Meatballs (about 16 tiny meatballs)
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
Kosher salt, ground black pepper, Emeril's Essence
4 thin slices capacollo, sliced into thin strips
1-15 oz. jar Publix creamy Alfredo pasta sauce
1-14oz. can Cento quartered artichoke hearts, rinsed and well-drained
1/2 tablespoon herbes de provence
pinch crushed red pepper (flakes)
ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup dry orecchiette pasta, cooked according to package directions
1/4 cup half-and-half, and as needed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, or more to taste
2 tablespoons grated Romano

In a large skillet, heat the butter and oil; add the onion and garlic, and season with the salt, pepper and Essence.  Sauté for a few minutes, then add the capacollo.  Sauté another 2 minutes, add the meatballs, and stir together.  Pour in the Alfredo sauce, and stir in the artichoke.  Season with the herbes de provence, red pepper, and more black pepper.  Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.  Stir in the half-and half.  Fold in the cooked pasta.  Taste and  adjust seasonings.

Transfer to a baking dish, and top with the Parmesan and Romano.  You can refrigerate it at this point, or bake, covered, in a 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes until heated through.  If starting to heat it after refrigeration, drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of half-and-half, and bake for 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Huevos "Abogado" - Guacamole Devilled Eggs

Saturday - Let's see if I can pull myself back together.  The second cuppa coffee almost always helps, but the best thing this morning was a snuggle with my little lover, Romeo.  I'm also looking forward to our dinner with friends at our favorite Korean restauarant (outside of Korea, that is).

If you are feeling less-than-fine, go to your happy place, or borrow one of mine

And then I started giving some serious thought to cooking, and my mood began to climb even more.  We have pretty much worked our way through any prepared dishes, so under any circumstances I would be cooking, but Rob and I are leaving on our cruise a week from today, and that means I am going to want to leave Cory with plenty of choices for the following week as well.

Now it is absolutely true that Cory is perfectly capable of cooking for himself, or even a girlfriend.  He likes to cook, which I find rather gratifying. But I find it even more gratifying to cook for him and his dad.  It's what I do. It's what I did today, with tiny turkey meatballs, capocollo, and other good stuff, to create a sauce for pasta.  It's also what I did with a lonesome avocado and a couple of hard-boiled eggs.

Our dinner at Seoul Garden in Maitland was even better than expected. Our friends loved it as well.  A Korean dinner table is always a work of art because of the little plates of side dishes that accompany every meal. That can include a couple of different kimchi, tofu, bean sprouts, pickled daikon radish, and on and on.  Besides the banchan (side dishes), we enjoyed what seemed to be an endless variety of Korean specialties like japchae, bimimbap, galbi, bulgogi, and mandu.

I can cook several Korean dishes and with all modesty, they come out pretty darn good.  I don't make my own napa cabbage kimchee - I don't even eat the stuff - but I make sure that there is always a jar of the good stuff in the refrigerator,  Cory is shameless about eating kimchee with kielbasa, which I suppose isn't all that different than my combining kielbasa and sauerkraut - except my dish is finished in a rich sauce of sour cream, while the kimchee contains enough Korean red pepper flakes, unlike any other red pepper I've used in cooking, to blow off the top of your head and send it spiraling upwards towards the International Space Station. Cayenne pepper is a pale cousin to the Korean stuff.  Since I'm no chili head, I'll just leave the kimchee-making, and eating, to other, braver souls with cast iron palates.

We over-ordered with complete abandon, resulting in a ridiculous amount of leftovers, so much that I have revised my cooking plans for the upcoming week.  Well, just slightly, mind you.  I won't be cooking any sort of chicken.  Not that I think anyone will notice.

Back in the day, when I did a lot more entertaining, I served a lot of homemade guacamole and trays of devilled eggs.  My guests never seemed to tire of these, nor of the barbecue smokies I threw into the crockpot.  I don't know if these appetizers fell under 50's or 80's kitsch, and I don't think anyone cared.

Recently I came across a recipe for avocado devilled eggs which seriously grabbed my interest. The best of both worlds you might say. Super-kitsch! I went so far as to pick up a Hass avocado and set it on the kitchen counter to ripen some more. Then I got side-tracked running to doctors and labs, and when I finally had time to prepare the eggs, I had misplaced the recipe.

This recipe is better than the one I lost.  I based it on my favorite guacamole recipe, making a few adjustments to accommodate the addition of the egg yolks. If I ever entertain again, I will be sure to serve these.

Huevos "Abogado" - Guacamole Devilled Eggs

1 ripe Haas avocado, cut in half, pit removed
1 small Persian lime, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch of cayenne pepper
6 hard-boiled eggs, peeled, cut in half lengthwise
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1/2 Roma tomato, seeds and pulp removed, remaining tomato minced
1/2 tablespoon minced jalapeño
Gourmet Garden chunky garlic paste, to taste
Gourmet Garden cilantro paste, to taste (I used about 1 tablespoon)
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (no more than this or filling will become too soft)

additional ground cumin and dried cilantro leaves, to garnish (Optional)

Scoop the avocado flesh out of the shell halves and add to a medium bowl with the juice of half the lime.  With a fork, mash the avocado, then add the salt, cumin, and cayenne.  Add the yolks from the eggs and use the fork to mash them and combine with the avocado.  Stir in the onion, tomato, jalapeño, garlic paste, cilantro paste, and the mayonnaise.

Taste and adjust seasoning, including a few drops of lime juice if needed. Use a spoon to fill the egg white halves, piling the filling high.  Garnish with a very light dusting of cumin powder, and sprinkle on the dried cilantro leaves.  Cover and refrigerate an hour or more before serving.

Don't Need to Needle Me Anymore

Friday, Day 33, continued - Ouch. I'm done, but please don't stick a fork in me. I've had quite enough of that today.  I decided to forego the prescription for a pain-killer and went to Race-Trac for frozen yogurt instead.  For now I am just a little sore and hoping it doesn't flare into anything more dramatic, but my whole left side is starting to rebel from the earlier indignities and that ice pack feels good.

If I understood correctly, the lump did not, unfortunately, collapse when punctured.  That necessitated a series of entries deep into my left breast, a procedure involving pressure and sharp pinches and the loud click of metal, five different times.  Bummer indeed.

I now have an appointment every day next week, including the last day before we cruise, and that one to find out the results of today's tests.  I still believe everything is going to come out benign, and I am pleased that the surgeon is taking every possible precaution in examining the anomaly.

But this whole experience is wearing me down, physically and emotionally, and I feel like I'm back at the beginning of this nightmare, 33 days ago.  I hurt, I'm exhausted, and I'm depressed.

I was, however, able to appreciate the beautiful blooms on my hibiscus that appeared just in time for our return from the surgeon.

Loquat Lately - Buttered Waffle Toast

Thursday, Day 32 - I finally figured out how I would like to use the loquats in a savory recipe.  Just in time to notice that the overripe fruit has fallen from the tree, or rotted outright on the branch.  There will be no stuffed pork chops in the immediate future. Bummer.

A rather sad-looking rose in the midst of weeds; a survivor, notwithstanding

I spent most of today involved with (yet another) doctor - traveling there, waiting, over an hour speaking with her, traveling back, dropping off prescriptions, picking up prescriptions ... you'd think I was sick or something. Since I have been going back to all the doctors I haven't seen for 8 or 10 years, it has been like some kind of bizarre old home week - or month.

Still worried about my cousin.  His procedure did not go smoothly, and the doctors are set to try a "do-over" next week, using a more serious device to get into the clogged arteries.  I get sick thinking about it.  Speaking of procedures, I have an office procedure scheduled for tomorrow with the surgeon; my poor girls are going to be subjected to involuntary acupuncture of sorts, with biopsies to follow.  I had so much tissue removed for biopsy during the multiple procedures I endured over the last month and a half, you would think I would have lost some weight. Ha.  Just kidding.  Still waiting for official word of results.

Friday, Day 33 -  This is the third, or maybe fourth, day of insane itching, which leads to crazed scratching which results in crankiness.  Mine. Fortunately that has been partially offset by my breakfast of toasted buttered bread.  I know, simple minds, simple pleasures.  But wait!  This is rather fabulous toast as it was made using my new griddler waffle plates. As you may remember, the griddler is my new favorite appliance, one of the very few - Keurig and toaster and that's it - appliances that I leave on the counter. This is the same appliance that, with the grill plates in place, made The Best Damn Grilled Cheese Sandwich.  Waffle makers are hot property right now, as Facebook and the Internet put up new and interesting ways to use them, like omelets and French toast.  Not just any French toast, but French toast made from a Krispy Kreme doughnut.

I have a lot to think about after my lengthy conversations with the therapist and the psychiatrist.  Fear really is the mind-killer, and I am afraid of a great many things.

Like this procedure.  I suddenly realized that last time I had a core biopsy done, I was knocked out cold, because I was also having the more invasive tumor removal under my right arm.  This time I get a Valium about an hour before the procedure, and the areas that are going to be punctured - best verb I could come up with - will be numbed.  I will likely be awake, Valium notwithstanding.  What are the chances that I am going to feel pain?  Put your bets down, ladies and gents!

I am afraid of many other things, most of them illogical (Leonard Nimoy voice here).  Those are the ones I have to think about.

Another Day, Another Doctor

Wednesday, Day 31 - April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.  Although it's difficult to see in this picture, there is an entire "garden" of blue pinwheels in front of the sign.  This year the pinwheel garden was set up in front of the Historic Courthouse in Kissimmee, under one of the ancient oak trees.  Beautiful.

Children deserve a good childhood, a childhood free of abuse and neglect.  Parenting is the hardest job in the world, and many parents are not up to the task, because of substance abuse, mental health issues, intellectual limitations, poverty, or generational abuse.

There are a number of social programs out there to assist people to become healthier, competent parents, but these need to be funded and promoted.  Families need to be encouraged.  Children need to be protected.  And in case you ever need it, here in Florida, the Abuse Hotline number is 1-800-96-ABUSE.

As polarizing as my sunglasses, my Facebook status declaring that I was "Ready for Hillary" has garnered some reaction.  My nearest and dearest fall into one of two categories - staunchly conservative and strongly liberal. Being a rational anarchist I follow neither path.  I am mostly conservative except when I am liberal.  But even more than that,  Hillary is  perhaps the most polarizing and controversial figure in American politics.  You love her or you hate her, and either side can quote chapter and verse the facts that support their respective positions.  It is going to be a long and interesting election season, and perhaps it is best that that's all I say about that.

Today's odd-looking flower from yesterday's walk

Last night was horrible.  HORRIBLE.  The itching never stopped, even with an extra dose of hydroxyzine, which has left me feeling hungover.  The pups were suffering as well from their own itching issues, scratching and whimpering throughout the long sleepless night.  No sleep whatsoever, and I have to drive to the surgeon's office in north Orlando.  I just hope I don't fall asleep on I-4; it wouldn't be the first time.

I receive a lot of information on fibromyalgia through Facebook, and it amazes me the full range of bizarre symptoms we all seem to share.  The insane itching, the pain in strange places, the exhaustion, the brain fog.  I remember complaining about the brain fog 40 years ago.  Those needle-like shooting pains in my breasts - we know there is nothing on the mammogram or ultrasound to explain them - and then I saw posts from fellow fibro travelers complaining of the same thing.  What a really crappy disease!  I also saw someone asking about problems with swallowing food, and I found that interesting.

Chelsea is driving me crazy this morning.  First she barked her head off until I brought her upstairs, where I have been filling out endless forms for my medical appointment today (is it still relevant that I had my tonsils and adenoids removed in 1956?)  Then she barked her head off because her brothers were downstairs and she wasn't. She still isn't coming with me.

So, the doctor ... oy, the doctor, again.  So many doctor appointments. I could make this my life's work.  Today's appointment gave rise to three more - and so it goes.  I will have the core biopsy procedure on Friday, another mammogram on Monday, and an MRI on Wednesday.  My poor girls are definitely beginning to feel overexposed.

The Magic are finishing their season tonight in Brooklyn.  And tax season is finally, officially over.

From yesterday's walk, photos of some of the old homesteads on Clyde Avenue:

This one needs a lot of work, but the potential is limitless.  The photo doesn't do this justice.