Friday, May 30, 2008
Just so you Know
A few of you have wondered if the Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert was any good. It was very good. I really liked that I could make it several days ahead and keep it in the freezer. It was refreshing and cool...just what was needed after a spicy Mexican dinner. It wasn't chocolate, that's for sure. But it was very, very good and I would definitely make it again. There is some left over so Sis can have a piece on Sunday when she comes over for dinner.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Did You Hear Me Oprah?
Last night was karaoke again but this time at a new club. The first two times I sang karaoke was at our golf club where everyone knows each other. Last night was at an Irish pub so there were some fresh new faces and singers to make the night interesting. Some of you readers have asked me what I sang: "Take Me Home, Country Roads" by John Denver, "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" by Crystal Gayle, "I Honestly Love You" by Olivia Newton John and "Could I Have This Dance" by Anne Murray. For the last song I dragged my friend, Linda, up on stage with me. She had never tried karaoke in a public place and didn't want to do it. However, the crowd cheered her on and insisted she sing with me. She was a good sport and she sounded great. That was fun for me as I was tired of being the only person at our table to get up and sing. The only song I really practiced, "Till There Was You" was not on the D.J's song list so I couldn't sing it. It is a very old song but a good one. I was disappointed and surprised that he didn't have it. Next time, (if there is a next time) I'll bring my own CD along.
There were a lot of really good singers there last night. It was rather intimidating to follow some of them as they were good enough to be on Broadway. The best one not only had an incredibly good voice, she was also gorgeous and fit. I'm sure most of the men wouldn't have cared if she could sing well as long as they could look at her. Fortunately, to balance things out, Joe was there. Joe is a horrible singer. The DJ said he would "help" him sing the song but Joe would have no part of that. Joe really got into his song and moved and danced around the stage to his awful singing. Funny thing is, he had such a good time up there that the audience did too in spite of his poor vocals. That is what karaoke is supposed to be about; having fun regardless of your ability.
I was nervous again but a little better than last time. My friend asked me why I do it when it is such a strain on my nerves. I told her I knew it was good for me to try something that frightened me. For years I watched Oprah preach about growing and becoming all we can be. She said we need to try new things. This was new and most definitely out of my comfort level. While I won't go so far out as to go on rides at Busch Gardens, I will get up in front of a big crowd and risk looking like a fool. I only hope Oprah would be proud of me. Perhaps seeing the struggles of the people at the Alzheimer's unit has made me want to try something challenging before it's too late for me. That's why I do it. To take small chances. To live life to the fullest. To do what I enjoy. To live with passion.
There were a lot of really good singers there last night. It was rather intimidating to follow some of them as they were good enough to be on Broadway. The best one not only had an incredibly good voice, she was also gorgeous and fit. I'm sure most of the men wouldn't have cared if she could sing well as long as they could look at her. Fortunately, to balance things out, Joe was there. Joe is a horrible singer. The DJ said he would "help" him sing the song but Joe would have no part of that. Joe really got into his song and moved and danced around the stage to his awful singing. Funny thing is, he had such a good time up there that the audience did too in spite of his poor vocals. That is what karaoke is supposed to be about; having fun regardless of your ability.
I was nervous again but a little better than last time. My friend asked me why I do it when it is such a strain on my nerves. I told her I knew it was good for me to try something that frightened me. For years I watched Oprah preach about growing and becoming all we can be. She said we need to try new things. This was new and most definitely out of my comfort level. While I won't go so far out as to go on rides at Busch Gardens, I will get up in front of a big crowd and risk looking like a fool. I only hope Oprah would be proud of me. Perhaps seeing the struggles of the people at the Alzheimer's unit has made me want to try something challenging before it's too late for me. That's why I do it. To take small chances. To live life to the fullest. To do what I enjoy. To live with passion.
Monday, May 26, 2008
How Long Will it Last?
Mom was coherent today. In fact, she has been relatively clear for more than a week. I thought I understood Alzheimer's disease but this new pattern has me puzzled. Now that she is farther along in the course of the disease, she should be getting worse, not better. Not that I'm complaining, I'm just confused as this behavior is not expected. Mind you, she's not about to give a speech or live on her own...she's just making sense.
At dinner I told her about the Mexican dinner I had prepared and served to our friends. She said, "I know that was delicious." I told her I made gazpacho and asked if she knew what it was. She said, "I know what it is but I don't think I have ever ordered it." I told her about the chicken enchiladas and the Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert. True to form, she skipped over the enchiladas and asked about the dessert. She wanted to know what was in it and all of the details. Next I told her how my husband helped get ready for the company. I mentioned that since I still have a sore elbow, I can't vacuum. I said that he vacuumed the house and got into the pool and scrubbed it clean. She said, "He is such a wonderful man." "He is so kind to me."
She began to get antsy mid-way through dessert and I asked if perhaps she had to go to the bathroom. She said she thought she could. The three newer aides were on the case and immediately dropped what they were doing (and this was during a busy time) and took care of the situation. Sis and I had been bemoaning the loss of Donna, our favorite employee, but these new ones haven't had time to get burned out or frustrated by the low pay. It seems that we will survive the loss of Donna after all. Granted, there is a language barrier and they have to repeat themselves many times to get my hearing-impaired, Alzheimer's disease-ridden mother to understand anything they are trying to say. However, they don't appear to be annoyed with the system or their employers and cheerfully take good care of mom.
The aides got mom ready for bed and I told them I had to "L-E-A-V-E", spelling it out so mom wouldn't know. They got her comfortable in her lounge chair and left the room. I decided to put in a Pachebel tape to soothe her while, hopefully, she would drift off to sleep. I spent so much time trying to get the tape to work that I was there another 20 minutes. I asked her if she liked the music and she said it was beautiful but she bet I could sing much better than that. She went on and on about how I could sing better and I reminded her that she was the one with a beautiful voice. I told her if I could sing at all it was because I got it from her. I reminded her that she used to sing while doing the laundry. "Was this something we did together?", she asked. I told her, "No, I was probably just a teenager and doing my own thing but I grew up listening to you sing." I told her she would sing songs from some of the plays that she and dad had gone to see. She lit up at the mention of her husband. I handed her the picture of him and said, "Here is your handsome husband." She said, "I don't have a husband anymore." While I was quietly weeping, I managed to say, "Well, you had a good marriage." She said, "I had a good man, a wonderful man." I told her goodbye for the third time (I should have left when the getting was good) and she said, "I know, but I'm sad." I asked her why she was sad. She said, "Because I won't have you anymore." I told her I was her daughter and she would have me forever. After much hand holding and a very tender moment, she smiled at me and said, "If you mean it, that's good."
There are days when I am most eager to leave the home and get back to my world, away from the sadness and despair. When she is incoherent and not making any sense, it is easier to leave. Tonight was different. Tonight I had to tear myself away. I was enjoying my mother and our conversation. I didn't want to leave. Often, when I am leaving and saying goodbye, I think to myself that it may be the last time I will see her alive. Sometimes she is in such emotional pain that I think it would be best if she left and I silently say "goodbye forever." Tonight may be the last time I see her alive but it was a wonderful night. We had a great connection and expressed our love for each other. We brought each other joy. My mother was back, even if only for this short interlude. She was coherent. She was here. She was with me. She was the mother I will always remember, and never forget.
At dinner I told her about the Mexican dinner I had prepared and served to our friends. She said, "I know that was delicious." I told her I made gazpacho and asked if she knew what it was. She said, "I know what it is but I don't think I have ever ordered it." I told her about the chicken enchiladas and the Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert. True to form, she skipped over the enchiladas and asked about the dessert. She wanted to know what was in it and all of the details. Next I told her how my husband helped get ready for the company. I mentioned that since I still have a sore elbow, I can't vacuum. I said that he vacuumed the house and got into the pool and scrubbed it clean. She said, "He is such a wonderful man." "He is so kind to me."
She began to get antsy mid-way through dessert and I asked if perhaps she had to go to the bathroom. She said she thought she could. The three newer aides were on the case and immediately dropped what they were doing (and this was during a busy time) and took care of the situation. Sis and I had been bemoaning the loss of Donna, our favorite employee, but these new ones haven't had time to get burned out or frustrated by the low pay. It seems that we will survive the loss of Donna after all. Granted, there is a language barrier and they have to repeat themselves many times to get my hearing-impaired, Alzheimer's disease-ridden mother to understand anything they are trying to say. However, they don't appear to be annoyed with the system or their employers and cheerfully take good care of mom.
The aides got mom ready for bed and I told them I had to "L-E-A-V-E", spelling it out so mom wouldn't know. They got her comfortable in her lounge chair and left the room. I decided to put in a Pachebel tape to soothe her while, hopefully, she would drift off to sleep. I spent so much time trying to get the tape to work that I was there another 20 minutes. I asked her if she liked the music and she said it was beautiful but she bet I could sing much better than that. She went on and on about how I could sing better and I reminded her that she was the one with a beautiful voice. I told her if I could sing at all it was because I got it from her. I reminded her that she used to sing while doing the laundry. "Was this something we did together?", she asked. I told her, "No, I was probably just a teenager and doing my own thing but I grew up listening to you sing." I told her she would sing songs from some of the plays that she and dad had gone to see. She lit up at the mention of her husband. I handed her the picture of him and said, "Here is your handsome husband." She said, "I don't have a husband anymore." While I was quietly weeping, I managed to say, "Well, you had a good marriage." She said, "I had a good man, a wonderful man." I told her goodbye for the third time (I should have left when the getting was good) and she said, "I know, but I'm sad." I asked her why she was sad. She said, "Because I won't have you anymore." I told her I was her daughter and she would have me forever. After much hand holding and a very tender moment, she smiled at me and said, "If you mean it, that's good."
There are days when I am most eager to leave the home and get back to my world, away from the sadness and despair. When she is incoherent and not making any sense, it is easier to leave. Tonight was different. Tonight I had to tear myself away. I was enjoying my mother and our conversation. I didn't want to leave. Often, when I am leaving and saying goodbye, I think to myself that it may be the last time I will see her alive. Sometimes she is in such emotional pain that I think it would be best if she left and I silently say "goodbye forever." Tonight may be the last time I see her alive but it was a wonderful night. We had a great connection and expressed our love for each other. We brought each other joy. My mother was back, even if only for this short interlude. She was coherent. She was here. She was with me. She was the mother I will always remember, and never forget.
I like my own Cooking
As promised, here are the recipes from the dinner I served last night.
Nancy's Gazpacho Crab meat Martini
3 medium to large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cored
3/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded, membranes removed
1 large celery stalk
4 medium tomatoes, cored
1 generous cup loosely-chopped Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
33 ounces bottled bloody Mary mix (I used a little less but you could stretch the recipe and use the whole bottle)
5 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon (or more to your taste) kosher salt
Cut vegetables into chunks and put first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor. Do it in batches as it will not all fit at once. Do not puree...pulse on and off and stop when it is thick with plenty of small chunks.
Transfer to a very large bowl. Add the bottled Bloody Mary Mix (regular not spicy). Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. At the table, spoon soup into large martini glasses and top with crab (1/2 pound will generously serve 6 to 8 people), chives, and lime slices.
1/2 pound fresh crab meat
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (for garnish)
lime slices (for garnish)
The Low-Fat Chicken Enchilada recipe can be found elsewhere on my blog. The only change I made to that recipe is I lightly seasoned the chicken breasts with Montreal Chicken Seasoning prior to sauteing them in olive oil.
Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert (from Pillsbury Classic Cookbook)
Crust:
1 1/4 (one and one-quarter) cups finely crushed pretzels (with salt)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
Filling:
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons tequila
2 Tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (I used Triple-Sec)
1 (10-oz.) package frozen strawberries with syrup, thawed
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1. In small bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix well. Press mixture firmly in bottom of ungreased 8 or 9-inch springform pan. Freeze while preparing filling.
2. In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, tequila and liqueur; beat until smooth. Add strawberries and syrup; beat at low speed until well blended.
3. Whip cream. Fold in whipped cream. Pour over crust. Freeze overnight. To serve, let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes. Store leftovers covered in freezer.
Note: for a nonalcoholic dessert, use 1/4 cup of nonalcoholic margarita mix or 1/4 cup of orange juice in place of the 2 tablespoons each of tequila and orange-flavored liqueur.
We had a great time and, if I say so myself, the food was delicious!
Nancy's Gazpacho Crab meat Martini
3 medium to large cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cored
3/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, seeded, membranes removed
1 large celery stalk
4 medium tomatoes, cored
1 generous cup loosely-chopped Romaine lettuce
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
33 ounces bottled bloody Mary mix (I used a little less but you could stretch the recipe and use the whole bottle)
5 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons sugar
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons Worcestershire
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon (or more to your taste) kosher salt
Cut vegetables into chunks and put first 7 ingredients in a blender or food processor. Do it in batches as it will not all fit at once. Do not puree...pulse on and off and stop when it is thick with plenty of small chunks.
Transfer to a very large bowl. Add the bottled Bloody Mary Mix (regular not spicy). Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Refrigerate overnight for best flavor. At the table, spoon soup into large martini glasses and top with crab (1/2 pound will generously serve 6 to 8 people), chives, and lime slices.
1/2 pound fresh crab meat
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (for garnish)
lime slices (for garnish)
The Low-Fat Chicken Enchilada recipe can be found elsewhere on my blog. The only change I made to that recipe is I lightly seasoned the chicken breasts with Montreal Chicken Seasoning prior to sauteing them in olive oil.
Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert (from Pillsbury Classic Cookbook)
Crust:
1 1/4 (one and one-quarter) cups finely crushed pretzels (with salt)
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
Filling:
1 (14-oz.) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons tequila
2 Tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (I used Triple-Sec)
1 (10-oz.) package frozen strawberries with syrup, thawed
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1. In small bowl, combine all crust ingredients; mix well. Press mixture firmly in bottom of ungreased 8 or 9-inch springform pan. Freeze while preparing filling.
2. In large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, lime juice, tequila and liqueur; beat until smooth. Add strawberries and syrup; beat at low speed until well blended.
3. Whip cream. Fold in whipped cream. Pour over crust. Freeze overnight. To serve, let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes. Store leftovers covered in freezer.
Note: for a nonalcoholic dessert, use 1/4 cup of nonalcoholic margarita mix or 1/4 cup of orange juice in place of the 2 tablespoons each of tequila and orange-flavored liqueur.
We had a great time and, if I say so myself, the food was delicious!
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Searching for good Mexican Recipes
We are playing golf tomorrow morning with friends and having them over to the house for dinner that evening. No golf for me today as I'm resting my tennis elbow and cooking for tomorrow night. The menu will be margaritas and beer with chips and salsa followed by Crabmeat Gazpacho Martini as an appetizer. That is gazpacho topped with crabmeat served in a martini glass. The presentation is beautiful. I'm going to combine two different gazpacho recipes as I like the flavor of one and the texture of the other.
In addition to beautiful weather, another wonderful thing about living in paradise is that it's tomato season here. Yesterday we picked about 25 pounds of tomatoes and paid only $10. Sis and I split them giving us each about 45 tomatoes for $5. Such a deal! Deciding how to use them all up is the only problem. The gazpacho should use a few.
The entree will be Low-Fat Chicken Enchiladas with all the toppings.
For dessert I'm experimenting with a new recipe: Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert.
You would think we would have fabulous Mexican restaurants here in Sun City Center, Florida, as the Hispanic population is enormous in the surrounding towns. Unfortunately, we haven't found Mexican food in a restaurant that is as good as we can make at home.
If the two new recipes are delicious, I'll post them so you can enjoy a good Mexican meal, too.
Adios Amigos.
In addition to beautiful weather, another wonderful thing about living in paradise is that it's tomato season here. Yesterday we picked about 25 pounds of tomatoes and paid only $10. Sis and I split them giving us each about 45 tomatoes for $5. Such a deal! Deciding how to use them all up is the only problem. The gazpacho should use a few.
The entree will be Low-Fat Chicken Enchiladas with all the toppings.
For dessert I'm experimenting with a new recipe: Frozen Strawberry Margarita Dessert.
You would think we would have fabulous Mexican restaurants here in Sun City Center, Florida, as the Hispanic population is enormous in the surrounding towns. Unfortunately, we haven't found Mexican food in a restaurant that is as good as we can make at home.
If the two new recipes are delicious, I'll post them so you can enjoy a good Mexican meal, too.
Adios Amigos.
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Music, Music, Music
Along with millions of other Americans, I was glued to the tube for the entire season of Idol. What fun it was to critique the contestants and agree or disagree with the judges. Thanks to Randy Jackson the word, "pitchy" screams in my head every time I hear someone singing off key. Since we have been attending a local club with karaoke lately, the screaming is almost nonstop. A few of the singers are talented but most are not. I finally got up my nerve and sang a few songs at karaoke the other night. Turns out it is harder to stay on key than I thought. While I was pretty proud of my singing on one song, I was definitely a little off on another and I actually heard the word "pitchy" in my head while I was singing! I'm taking this judging thing a little too far. Next week we are going to attend karaoke at a different place and my friends have told me to come up with some more songs to sing. The pressure is too much. Today I dragged out my karaoke machine and sang to myself for two hours trying to come up with something that matched my voice. Made myself hoarse and came up with nothing. I have a new respect for the Idol's Jason. He kept trying even though he was in over his head. Kind of like me.
When I arrived at the home to visit mom today, all of the residents were listening to Don who was singing along with his karaoke machine. At last my dreams had come true. The new activities director had hired this man as entertainment. He even sang very, very old songs which were completely appropriate for the ultra-senior citizens. Unfortunately, he was pitchy. Worse than that, he really couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. He had no idea how the old-time songs were supposed to sound so he made up a tune as he went along. It was truly awful. Just horrible. Call me Simon Cowell if you must but it's true...this man had absolutely no business getting paid to sing. He wasn't just slightly off key, he butchered every song. I thought to myself that it was going to be a very long afternoon. Mom was happy to see me but she wasn't very happy in general. She had her head turned away from the singer and seemed to be completely disinterested. She was obviously tired and kept her eyes closed most of the time with her head thrown back. I held my hand under her head for an hour so she could rest it. She wasn't moaning today but she had a pained expression on her face. Part of the way into the show she turned to me and said in a rather loud voice, "Do you like this?" I didn't think she was even paying attention. Could it be that she knew he couldn't sing and that was the reason for the pained expression? I was afraid to be honest because who knew what she would say if I agreed with her that he had a horrible voice. I pretended to not hear her. Later she said it again. I lied and told her, "Yes, I'm enjoying the music." Fortunately, she let it drop. Eventually, I stopped analyzing his singing and realized most of the residents were happy and enjoying being entertained by Don. He tried hard to engage them and had some of them swinging their arms and clapping. One resident, Kay, got up and danced and swayed to the music right next to Don for 5 songs. He told the residents they had value and were important. Several times he walked around the room and held each resident's hand while he sang. When he held mom's hand, she had the most beatific smile on her face. It made me weep to see her so happy. Maybe he couldn't sing worth a darn but he knew how to reach through the fog of Alzheimer's and win an enormous smile from mom. I guess he does deserve to be paid!
As for American Idol, my dvr turned off the exact minute before they announced the winner. I had wasted months of judging, voting and hoping and didn't get to see the final winner announced. What a letdown when I learned later that the wrong David had won. Sorry you David Cook fans but Archuleta has the better voice even though neither one is at all pitchy. I should know.
When I arrived at the home to visit mom today, all of the residents were listening to Don who was singing along with his karaoke machine. At last my dreams had come true. The new activities director had hired this man as entertainment. He even sang very, very old songs which were completely appropriate for the ultra-senior citizens. Unfortunately, he was pitchy. Worse than that, he really couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. He had no idea how the old-time songs were supposed to sound so he made up a tune as he went along. It was truly awful. Just horrible. Call me Simon Cowell if you must but it's true...this man had absolutely no business getting paid to sing. He wasn't just slightly off key, he butchered every song. I thought to myself that it was going to be a very long afternoon. Mom was happy to see me but she wasn't very happy in general. She had her head turned away from the singer and seemed to be completely disinterested. She was obviously tired and kept her eyes closed most of the time with her head thrown back. I held my hand under her head for an hour so she could rest it. She wasn't moaning today but she had a pained expression on her face. Part of the way into the show she turned to me and said in a rather loud voice, "Do you like this?" I didn't think she was even paying attention. Could it be that she knew he couldn't sing and that was the reason for the pained expression? I was afraid to be honest because who knew what she would say if I agreed with her that he had a horrible voice. I pretended to not hear her. Later she said it again. I lied and told her, "Yes, I'm enjoying the music." Fortunately, she let it drop. Eventually, I stopped analyzing his singing and realized most of the residents were happy and enjoying being entertained by Don. He tried hard to engage them and had some of them swinging their arms and clapping. One resident, Kay, got up and danced and swayed to the music right next to Don for 5 songs. He told the residents they had value and were important. Several times he walked around the room and held each resident's hand while he sang. When he held mom's hand, she had the most beatific smile on her face. It made me weep to see her so happy. Maybe he couldn't sing worth a darn but he knew how to reach through the fog of Alzheimer's and win an enormous smile from mom. I guess he does deserve to be paid!
As for American Idol, my dvr turned off the exact minute before they announced the winner. I had wasted months of judging, voting and hoping and didn't get to see the final winner announced. What a letdown when I learned later that the wrong David had won. Sorry you David Cook fans but Archuleta has the better voice even though neither one is at all pitchy. I should know.
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