savory corn muffins revisited

I posted wayyyyy back in 2015 about a savory corn muffin recipe I made from a Cooks Illustrated magazine. They came out great, but I was disappointed that I couldn't really taste the cheese. I had said then that next time I made them I would use sharp cheddar.

Well, I made them again. This time I used a mix of sharp and mild cheddar and I added bacon.  I had to use up some cooked bacon and the cornmeal I had in the fridge, as well as some leftover cheddar cheese, and figured this was a good way to do it. Plus I bought scallions for something else and had a lot left over.

The results this time?  I still can't taste the cheese! I don't know if it's me, or the cheese, or maybe cornmeal just overpowers cheese in general. I have no idea. They were still yummy, but when I use that much cheese--it calls for 1.5 cups--I expect that I'll taste it. Won't stop us from eating them, though! (I actually made these on Wednesday night and we finished them up last night.)

If you want to make them, just click the link at the beginning of this post and the recipe is there. If you want to add bacon, just chop up five strips of cooked bacon and toss it in with the scallions and cheese at the end. Note, though, that the recipe has several steps, so you might want to do this on the weekend if your weeknights are busy.

Protes Protein Chips: Zesty Nacho

I wanted to like these. I really did. But I don't.

I like trying new protein foods and most of the time I like what I buy, but sometimes I get a dud and it makes me really regret that I spent $x.xx. That's what happened this time.

I've long loved Doritos and I was hoping maybe these would be a good substitute. Yes, I totally realize they're protein chips and they won't taste just like a Dorito-- that's the reality of most protein products--but at it's at least somewhat likely they'll be a little cheesy tasting (no pun intended).

I can only describe these as vaguely spicy cardboard. I've never eaten cardboard, but I can imagine that if I did and I added some spicy seasoning to it, it would taste like these chips. It seems like the manufacturer watered down cardboard, rolled it out flat, cut it into triangle, added some nondescript seasoning and them left them out to dry.  My guess is it has something to do with the type of protein they use, which is pea protein; I'm not a fan of peas.

The stats are decent:  120 calories, 4g fat, 7g carbs, and 15g protein.

Final answer:  I love the crunch and the thickness, but that's about all I can say. I wouldn't buy these again.

homemade goodies, family and lots of snow

Emily enjoying the Christmas tree. Or plotting. Not sure which.

(I give up on trying to format this post to get things in the right spot. It is what it is. LOL)

I've been so bad about blogging lately. Something I said I'd do in the new year is to get better at posting more often. I guess it's better late than never!  The last couple weeks have been pretty busy, both at work and home. Mainly because of the holidays. Lots of cleaning, shopping, preparing, etc., as well as a new project at work, time off among team members and so on.

Last weekend we had our annual family Christmas get-together.  It was a bit smaller this year without my father and brother, plus some people couldn't make it, but it was a good time as usual. We had so much food left over! We had ham, lasagna, crock pot bourbon meatballs, potatoes, pasta salad, carrots, etc. We really didn't need that much food, but that's how it always plays out at the holidays, right?

The family room tree. 

Here are a few things I made last weekend for the get-together (sorry, forgot to take pictures):

• Homemade onion dip:  I've made this before and I love it. People still tend to favor the salty store-bought dip, but that's OK. 
• Shortbread:  I made this for the first time and it was so delicious! Crispy, light and so, so buttery.
• Rum Balls:  Another first for me. The recipe was super easy and made a lot, so this was a win for me. BUT....they are very potent. The recipe uses a combination of rum and bourbon, along with vanilla wafers, honey and pecans. They're supposed to mellow out in the fridge, but they really didn't mellow all that much over the course of a week. Very yummy, though.
• Chocolate Pie:  I've made this several times and it's always a winner. Very, very rich and chocolaty. And my pie crust came out perfect:  very crispy and flaky. Instead of hand-mixing the ingredients I used the food processor. It's so much easier and I think it comes out better since there's really no risk of overworking the dough.

Above is the family room Christmas tree. This is where we put the bigger tree since it's a bigger room. I also reserve this tree for all the modern lights and ornaments. Below is the living room tree. This is always the smaller one, and this is where we use the old-fashioned C9 lights, as well as the ornaments that have a more traditional look. We always get two because we use the family room the most, but we like having a tree that can be seen from the street. Since we normally go cut them down, the cost isn't much at all. This year, however, we had to buy from a lot since the timing just didn't work out right. As you can see, they look nearly perfect. I prefer a tree that looks more natural--fat with uneven limbs--but they're still really nice. This year I skipped using tree skirts. Mainly because I get tired of constantly fixing them--the cats love to lay on them or play under the tree, so they tend to make a mess of the them.

Living room tree. 

We had a white Christmas this year, which was really nice. There wasn't all that much snow, but it was just the right amount. Last weekend, however, we got about a foot and it was officially a blizzard. Oh, and the temperatures were BELOW ZERO! We had the wood stove and fireplace going the whole time since our house is old and drafty. We burned a ton of wood! (And today? The snow is all gone because it was 60 F and pouring rain all day yesterday, and now the yard is flooded.)

And now that it's all over, it's time to clean the leftovers out of the fridge. I really don't think I could look at another piece of ham. let alone eat one. Lasagna went into the freezer, along with the leftover kielbasa. The rest of it is getting tossed; there are only so many leftover potatoes two people can eat. Actually one person, because I haven't had any of them.

All the decorations are down; however, I can't claim they've been put away in the attic. They're sitting either in the hutch, ready to be brought upstairs, or they're upstairs and waiting to be put into boxes. I really want to go through all the boxes and toss whatever is broken or doesn't work, and maybe donate anything I don't want anymore. I know, I say that every single year and I've done it maybe once. Maybe this is the year?

I'll be posting an update about my back pain very soon. It's an ongoing battle, but I think there could be light at the end of the tunnel finally.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I was going to write a nice post, reflecting on the past year, but I just don't feel like it. Maybe that should be a New Year's resolution:  get better at blogging more often. Or at least putting more effort into some things. Actually, I'm serious when I say I want to get better at blogging more often. I also want to resume cooking one recipe a week from my cookbooks. I started it last year, but life got in the way.

Anyway, tonight I'm busy making rum balls for my upcoming family Christmas get-together. These things are literally 90 proof! The recipe says they need to mellow out in the fridge for a few days. I agree, as they are quite strong at the moment.

I'm also burning a real bayberry candle. The folklore goes that if you burn a bayberry candle on either Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve (or both), it will bring you good luck, health and prosperity in the new year. Hopefully that's true, as 2018 really needs to be better than 2017. It was a mixed bag, but definitely more bad than good. This year brought lots of loss, both expected and unexpected; sickness, although nothing grave; fulfillment of a longtime goal (tummy tuck); and new little ones (kittens, not kids!) in the house.

Here's to hoping that 2018 holds more of the good things!

update #4: the war on back pain (and some fun mixed in)

Yes, another update!  I had my cortisone shots last Thursday, finally.

I was busy this past weekend attending the Christmas by Candlelight program at Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, so I didn't get a chance to post. Plus, I wanted to wait a few days before posting so I can figure out if they're working or not. And, of course, I've been busy getting ready for Christmas. So hectic!

Here are some pictures from Christmas by Candlelight. Most pictures are a bit dark, but that's because they're mostly lit by candlelight. 😉

I love how this room looks, but I'm sure the cats would destroy it! Actually, if I wanted to be historically accurate at Christmastime, there wouldn't be any Christmas decorations in my house. Well, not like the ones above, anyway, which are representative of the 19th century. At the time my house was built, 1735 (18th century), they didn't decorate like above. If you want to read about it, go here.  

This is the Village green. Not quite dark yet, but it's pretty. It was so nice to be there when there was snow on the ground. It made it feel a lot more like Christmas in New England.

These trees are so pretty and look like they would be a real space-saver! And I want that flooring! Actually, we do have that flooring underneath all the cheap carpeting the sellers installed, which is on top of 1920s hardwood, which is on top pf wide-plank flooring like above. Someday we will tear away the layers to reveal the original flooring.

We put white pine garland on our front door this year. It was inspired by this house in the village. It looks so nice and is more historically accurate.

This is my favorite part of the event:  mulled cider made in the hearth. So delicious!! So much sugar, though! I have to sip slowly, even though the cup is small. I bought the spices to make the cider, and I have the Sturbridge Village recipe, so I'm going to try it when the family comes down in January for our annual Christmas get-together. It will be sad to not have my dad and my brother there, but they will be there in spirit. And since my house is so old, they may literally be there in spirit!

Anyway, on to the cortisone shots...

So far I would say they're working somewhat. I'm not feeling total relief; however, I'm not waking up during the night or in the morning with pain, which is really nice.  And that's probably the most important thing to me at the moment. (There's nothing like starting off your day at 3 am already in pain, and then tossing and turning for a few hours until it's time to get up.) I still have pain when I sit or stand too long, but I'm guessing that will improve with time as the annular tear heals.

I'm sure some people want to know if the shots hurt.  Cortisone shots burn, and everyone has a different pain tolerance. Mine is somewhere around low to medium. I'd say the shots were a little uncomfortable, but it was over quickly. The whole procedure took about five minutes. I had two shots, both of which were to the left of my spine, in the lumbar area. Here's how it went:

• I waited in the exam room for the doctor to come and get me. I didn't need to change out of my clothes or anything.  While I was waiting, I heard a man yelling. Not continuously. At first I thought he was yelling. Maybe he had a broken bone and was having it set or something. Then I heard some shorter yells. I then figured maybe he was sneezing or coughing, since some people sound as though they're yelling when they do that. But then I realized that, yes, he was actually yelling. In pain. I then started to get even more nervous and was freaking out a bit, wondering if the yelling was coming from the room I was going into. Yup, turns out it was.
• Doctor opened the door to call me into the procedure room and...he was wearing a big blue lead apron, goggles and gloves (they use flouroscopy--live xray--to help guide the needle). And he's bald. All I could think of was a villain in an action movie. I asked him if the yelling was coming from the room I was going into and he said yes. Wonderful.
• I laid face-down on the table with my arms hanging down towards the floor. I didn't move a muscle, since I knew the needle would be close to, if not in, my spine. I definitely had it in the back of my mind that if the needle went somewhere it shouldn't, I could be paralyzed. Maybe that's irrational, but I worried about in nonetheless. 
• The doctor applied iodine and then gave me four shots of Novocaine in the area where the catheters would be inserted to administer the cortisone. It stung, but that's normal. Next he inserted two catheters:  one next to each affected disc.  Insertion of the catheters wasn't painful. Maybe a little uncomfortable, but not pain. I thought the shots would go directly into a disc or the spine, but I guess they go in from the side. I just wanted to get it over with so I didn't ask.
• Then he administered the cortisone. He told me I'd feel some pressure and maybe a burning sensation. Umm...yes. It wasn't truly pain, but it was definitely discomfort. I felt the lower shot more and I felt the cortisone rushing through the muscles in my left butt cheek and down the back of my upper thigh. It didn't last long, but I was glad it was over. The second shot above it wasn't as uncomfortable.
• And then it was over! He removed the catheters, put some bandages on and that was it. I got up and went back to the exam room to get my post-procedure instructions, which were to wait until the following day to shower, no strenuous activity for 48 hours, and schedule a follow-up in two weeks.

I go back for a follow-up with the doctor next week. I have the option of having the shots again, although I don't know the time frame for that. Also, my HSA account is wiped out at the moment due to having to pay for my MRI, my husband's MRI, both our physical therapy sessions, and other medical expenses. It's my first year in the plan so I didn't have much built up when all this came about. I'm thinking if I need another round of shots I will wait a few months.

I wish I could say the shots worked and I feel fabulous. But at least I do have some relief. The fact that I don't have pain in bed is enough for me right now.

Stay tuned!

update #3: the war on back pain

This is a good representation of how I'm feeling about my back pain lately. I really just want to be done with it already; it's frustrating, and physically and mentally exhausting.

It's been about a month since I last updated you on my war on back pain. Where am I now? Well, I'm not there yet, but I'm feeling a bit better than I was a few months ago.

I just completed 12 sessions of physical therapy (PT). I'd say on a scale of 1 to 10 (1 being always in pain and 10 being I'm feeling no pain), I'm feeling somewhere around 5 most of the time. I was hoping PT would help me more, but it hasn't. I saw a bit of an improvement a few weeks ago, in that I wasn't waking up in pain in the middle of the night, but then I plateaued and now I seem to be regressing back to waking up in pain.

The next step is to get a spinal injection of cortisone, which I will be having on December 14. I went to see that doctor this week. I was nervous, because I'd read many not-so-good reviews about him online. Most of them said he's arrogant, has a bad bedside manner, minimizes people's pain, and is a know-it-all. In the end I decided that it would be great to have an obviously nice, caring doctor, but ultimately what matters is whether he's good at what he does, and if he has good aim with that needle. Turned out I was worried for nothing. He was a nice guy. He chatted and laughed with me. He explained the procedure and what I can expect without me having to ask a million questions. He said they'll use the MRI scans to determine where exactly the injection needs to go, and they'll use live fluoroscopy to help him guide the needle. I may or may not have a temporary increase in pain for a few hours up to two days; it happens to some people and not others. This injection should decrease the inflammation and help alleviate the pain over the longer term. I'm hoping I'll only need one injection, but the doctor said it's pretty common to need a second injection. Afterwards, I may be sent back to PT for a little while longer.

So, that's where I'm at. I'm still using my back brace when I sit for long periods, such as taking longer car rides, sitting in seminars, and at my desk; I have a standing desk at work, which I love; I use a knee pillow at night since I'm a side sleeper; and I try to stay active.

Speaking of being active, my workout routine has suffered quite a bit the last month. My trainer was on medical leave starting at the beginning of October, then I went on my business trip, then I started PT. Also, my workouts were very limited due to not being able to do anything that's considered high impact, like jump squats and burpees, and no lifting weights over my head. Around Halloween time, I developed neck and shoulder blade pain, which may have been from the PT, and it gave me headaches; I was miserable for most of my relaxing "staycation" because of it. That lingered for three weeks until I finally took the advice of a few people and got my very first massage, which was fabulous BTW. That seemed to help a lot. And now my back is hurting again, so I'm taking it easy with my workouts.

Eventually I'll feel normal again. I have to, right??

homemade french onion soup

This weekend I made French onion soup for the first time ever. It was time-consuming, but I'm so glad I did!

I've been wanting to make onion soup for quite a long time; I love it. Obviously the best part is the cheesy crouton on top, but I definitely love the whole package. I can make a meal of it. Not only because I love it, but because it completely fills me up (I am weight loss surgery patient, after all!). But I don't order it very often. Mainly because I'm always completely torn about whether I want an actual meal, like a burger or something, or I want the delicious onion soup. On the one hand, ONION SOUP! On the other hand, a complete meal with leftovers to take home. The meal almost always wins. I think, too, that I just can't get away from who I am: someone who craves food variety, and has a real FOMO (fear of missing out). What if I get the soup and I really miss having the burger? What if I get the burger and it isn't good? What if they stop making burgers or onion soup? And now that my stomach is so small, I can't have a meal AND the soup. And I hate wasting food. And sometimes I don't like leftovers. *sigh* The struggle is real...

I found this recipe online and decided to give it a try: How to Make French Onion Soup. It didn't seem overly complicated, most of the cooking time is hands-off, it didn't have any non-typical onion soup ingredients, and I have pretty good luck with recipes from The Kitchn. 

I had to buy a few ingredients to make this, but it wasn't anything I won't use again: crusty bread for the croutons (got some off the day-old bread clearance rack--it's gonna get toasted and dunked anyway!); gruyere cheese, which I got on sale in the deli; brandy; and wine (I got the little four-pack so I don't waste a bottle--I'm not a wine drinker). 

I set about slicing all the onions (lots of crying was done...). They went in the pot with the melted butter and olive oil and cooked for about 15 minutes. The you add the sugar, salt and pepper and cook for about an hour.

This is about three pounds of yellow onions. Close enough!

This is what it cooks down to. For whatever reason, I can never seem to get my onions to the "dark walnut" stage of color when caramelizing. I don't know if it's the recipe, me, my stove, or what. They still tasted great, though. To this you add the flour, cook for a minute, and then add the broth and wine and simmer for at least an hour.

This is after adding the broth and wine and then simmering for a little more than an hour.

I finished it off with about 1/4 cup of brandy. Then I sliced up the bread and toasted it in the toaster oven. After popping it on top of the soup, and then topping with a couple slices of Gruyere cheese, I put the bowls on a cookie sheet and broiled until the cheese browned. This is the only thing I did differently from the recipe. The recipe says to bake the bowls of soup in the oven for a half hour and then broil to brown the cheese, but my bowls don't specifically say "oven safe" on the bottom and I didn't want to chance them breaking. Still came out just fine, though.

The results? Divine!! I typically judge French onion soup by two factors: the cheesiness and crunchiness of the crouton, and the saltiness of the soup itself. Obviously, I can control the crouton very easily, so no problem there. It was kind of crunchy-chewy, with lots of melted cheese. I was worried that the soup would be very salty, as onion soup usually is, but it wasn't salty at all. As a matter of fact, I think I could have easily doubled the salt without an issue. Since I followed the recipe and used what was called for, I just added more salt and pepper at the end.

I would totally make this again, but I think I would add at least another pound of onions. It just didn't have enough onions for me, as I typically prefer onion soup to be a bit on the chunky side. Although this was pretty time-consuming to make, it was mostly hands-off cooking time.

(And yes, one bowl completely filled me up.)

cinnamon baked oatmeal

So, I made this while I was on vacation a couple weeks ago:  Cinnamon Sugar Baked Oatmeal. Just click on the name to go to the recipe.

This oatmeal was so yummy and the recipe was so easy! What I liked about it was that it came out more like an oatmeal bar. I'm thinking I could add raisins and pass them off as actual oatmeal bars. Yup, I think I need to try that!

I also liked that it calls for only one banana, as opposed to the three bananas in this recipe I made awhile back for peanut butter brownie oatmeal.  There are times when I forget I'm saving the bananas for a reason and then I end up eating them. So, I'm left with one overripe banana. What does one do with just one overripe, mushy banana? Make this recipe, of course. :)

If sugar is an issue for you, just omit the cinnamon sugar topping. Or you could use an artificial sweetener that scoops like sugar. I kept the real sugar, but was careful to test the waters before eating a bigger piece. The oatmeal itself has only one banana and 1/4 cup of brown sugar, so it has a bit less sugar that the peanut butter brownie oatmeal recipe, which uses three bananas. You could even sub in a different milk, like nut milk that's unsweetened, for even less sugar. I used whole milk this time around, but next time I might use my Fairlife milk, which is half the sugar of regular milk.

So, what baked oatmeal recipe should I make next? I'm thinking something with blueberries, since I have a bunch of fresh blueberries in the freezer. I've also got some unsweetened coconut in the fridge. I have cocoa powder galore. Maybe another batch using the cocoa and coconut. I'm sure if I scour the cabinets and freezer enough I'll find lots more that I can whip into a batch of baked oatmeal!

homemade turkey stock

I was on vacation from work last week. I actually had what people would call a "staycation," and a pretty productive one at that. Ick, I hate that term. "Staycation." Even though I was on vacation and stayed home, it's still a vacation in my book. Any time I don't have to be at work is a vacation.

Anyway, my plans were to go to physical therapy for my back issues, scan a ton of family photos, do some cooking, and do a little clothing shopping. I'm happy to report I did all those things! It was a great week, other than a neck problem cropping up, and even though I wasn't super productive, I rested a lot, had a leisurely week, and crossed some items off the to-do list, like dropping two more bags of clothing at Good Will.

I mentioned in an earlier post that I made a turkey. It was on my birthday, actually. I then used the carcass to make turkey stock. I had to cut the carcass up, because it was too long for my biggest pot. (As you can see, it still has a good amount of meat on it, which was used later for turkey salad.) I tossed in a bunch of vegetable scraps from my odds-and-ends bag I keep in the freezer for such occasions:  a couple scallions, some celery, celery leaves, and carrots. I also tossed in some fresh sage, parsley and rosemary from my garden, fresh onions, bay leaf, dried thyme, some peppercorns, and a little salt. I then covered it all in water and boiled it until the carcass started falling apart. There's really no set time I use. When it looks done and smells great, it's done. There's also no set recipe.  Whatever I feel like throwing in and actually have on-hand is what goes in; however, I will say that I typically use mostly the same things all the time.



Still lots of meat on that carcass!

Look at all those veggies! Everyone is going for a nice, long swim. :)

This is what I got when I was done:  five quarts of homemade, delicious turkey stock. You have no idea how good this smells (and tastes)! My intention was to freeze these jars, but apparently these canning jars are no freezer-safe; I had one casualty when doing a test freeze. I put the other four quarts into Ziploc bags and laid them flat on a cookie sheet to freeze. Kind of a bummer, because I really wanted to use the jars. I'll have to find another use for them since I have a dozen.



happy birthday to me!

Yes, today is my birthday.  I'm 43 years old. How the hell did I get to be 43??  It seems to have happened overnight. My mom always told me that once I hit 21 the years would fly by, and they have!

Anyway, I'm on vacation from work this week. This morning I put a turkey in the oven. It was hanging around the freezer for awhile and I decided I'll use it for various things: hot open turkey sandwiches, snacks for the kitties, and to make turkey stock. After I put it in the oven I took a little trip to Trader Joe's in search of pure vanilla extract. (Yes, I left the house with the oven on. Washer was on, too!) The price has skyrocketed this year, so I figured I'd check Trader Joe's, as I find their prices are lower than most places on many items. I found a 4 oz. bottle of bourbon vanilla for $8.99. That's not bad considering Price Rite--a discount store--wanted $4.99 for 2 oz. and Sam's Club had an 8 oz. bottle for $20.98. I also plan to make my own; however, I've noticed that there are no vanilla beans being sold in my usual haunts. I know there's a big shortage right now, so that's why the prices are so high and beans are scarce. If I find some beans and make my own extract, I'll post about it.

I bought these flowers for myself at Trader Joe's ($3.99!), along with some pineapple salsa, two bags of riced cauliflower, and a cat. A cat?? Just kidding! That's Leia and she was highly interested in my flowers. I had to put them on the fireplace mantle so the cats can't nibble on the leaves.

When I got home, I found the house hadn't caught on fire, much to my relief. Actually, the oven wasn't even on anymore. Upon further inspection I found that the microwave, toaster oven, coffee maker, laundry room and dining room were all without power. I headed down into the basement to check out the electrical panels (a scary prospect: heading to the basement, alone, in a very old house...). None of the circuits were tripped. I let Bob know and he called to tell me to check the sub panel. Turns out everything on the sub panel was without power, which means the sub panel is blown or the wiring is blown. Either way, not a good thing. Luckily the fridge and deep  freezer are not on the sub panel, so my food is in no danger of spoiling.

So, yeah. I came home to a half-cooked turkey and a half-done load of wash. I have a gas stove, which is great when the power goes out. But the oven is controlled by digital buttons. I grabbed an extension cord and was able to plug the stove in and finish the turkey (much to Leia's delight).  Unfortunately I can't finish the wash because I have well water, which requires a pump and that pump runs on power. I do have water at the moment, but I need to conserve it until the power is fixed.

I have to go to physical therapy later for my back. It seems to be helping a little; however, now I have a lot of pain in the base of my neck and left should blade, which is causing me a headache. It's been a week and isn't going away. I'll have to mention that when I go to PT later.

No big plans for the rest of the day, other than to scan some of the family pictures. I brought all the bins back from my parents' house and I've decided I want to scan as much as possible so we don't lose any precious memories. There are lots of scrapbooks, too, the my grandfather put together. I think it will be a fun, if very tedious, project for the remainder of the week.