A GOOD DAY!

This is a GOOD day!

A huge load has been lifted off us today :-D

We had to submit some more financial papers to the hospital financial administration office this morning; and when we did, the financial administration aide ((((cleared us 100%!!!)))) While she was talking to us, she was also deleting every single bill from the hospital docket. I just burst out into joyful tears and praising Elohim, I was so relieved; Hubs has been so worried – I watched him shake the heavy burden off his shoulders and every muscle in his body physically relaxed before my eyes. I know that as Christians we are not supposed to be anxious for anything, but as humans it is not that easy when you are sitting under a dark cloud that is raining on your parade. Now his heart is lighter and we can breathe easy again.

((((PRAISE ELOHIM AND THANK YOU YESHUA!))))

We did a little shopping in town too before coming back home. We stopped at Lowe’s to grab 2 dozen packing boxes which I will start loading sometime this week with things we aren’t using on a daily basis so we can pack and go when we get the green light and won’t get tripped up with frenzied last minute packing when the day arrives; the call to "come join us!" could be next week, it could be months down the road: but whenever the call comes, we will be ready to load and boogie …

Our next stop was Safeway, where we bought some protein drinks for Hubs to rebuild his strength since his bland diet is putting him off and his appetite has fallen by the wayside. He does seem to enjoy fresh fruit though, so … we grabbed some black grapes, cantaloupe, fruit mixes to be blended into tasty fruit drinks, and a strange and weird looking Korean Melon too – never had it before, so we’re curious ;-)

And while we were in town … loading the car with cases of bottled water at Wal*Mart – where one expects to see strange things – I was amused to see what was parked in the parking space next to our car; only in a small town trying to pass itself off as a small city, would something like this even happen:

Back home, I drained my full rain barrels – that was hard to do (200 gallons of water wasted!), but it had to be done: can’t load and unload full barrels at our age. And Heron Pointe manager has been formally informed (Bylaw requirement) that we would be selling, and moving, as soon as Hubs is able to safely travel; if we find a new home that allows it, we will take the rain barrels and the 6 new & empty planter boxes to our new locale – the patio Apple trees, Blueberry bushes, and Strawberry jar will go with us regardless; but the 6 boxes full of soil will stay behind.

And a surprise awaited us in our phone message: we’ve have another ‘shared-living’ arrangement floated our way from an unexpected couple. We are going to have to pray long and hard about both offers. Both offers are workable, but we want to be in Elohei’s Will no matter what happens: prayer is definitely the only way to assure that we will be ;-)

But for today, I am happy to see my husband relaxed and in a happy mood again.

Today is a GOOD day :-D

FINE FISH CHOWDER Recipe

This is a hearty soup that is both easy to make and delicious to eat :-D

The recipe comes from my ‘Jane Brody’s Good Food Book – Living the High-Carbohydrate Way’ cookbook because my husband needs a high-carb, low-salt diet at the moment.

I did not use salt or wine, since those 2 things are taboo at the moment, and the soup was very good without those ingredients.

FINE FISH CHOWDER ~Serves 6 to 8

1 Tablespoon Butter or margarine * 2 cups peeled, cubed Potatoes (2 medium) * 2 cups sliced carrots (3 medium) * 2 cups sliced Onion (2 large) * Salt, if desired, to taste * 2 whole Cloves * 1 teaspoon dried Dillweed or 1 Tablespoon fresh snipped dillweed * 1 Bay Leaf * 2 Tablespoon Flour * 2 cups boiling Water * 1 pound thick Fish fillets (halibut, cod, Pollock, rockfish, ect) * ½ cup dry White Wine * 1 cup skim Milk * Freshly ground Black Pepper * 2 Tablespoons minced Parsley

In a large Dutch oven, melt the butter or margarine, and add the potatoes, carrots, onion, salt, cloves, dill, and bay leaf; saute, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Add the flour, and cook for another 30 seconds.

Add the boiling water, and cover the pot tightly. Simmer the chowder over very low heat for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

Add the fish and wine. Cover the pot, and simmer the chowder for another 10 minutes or until the fish flakes easily with a fork. Discard the bay leaf.

Add the milk to the soup, and cook the soup, stirring, until it is hot.

Season the chowder with pepper, and serve sprinkled with parsley.

TURKEY BALLS Recipe

Still sticking to a diet, but adding a few spices here and there to make the bland menu a bit more tolerable for Hubs; not too heavy on the spices, but just enough dash of flavor to make the dishes palatable.

Tonight we had Turkey Balls with a light sauce to finish up the leftover rice and veggies from previous meals. With just the 2 of us, even “small’ recipes become 2 or 3 meals. I froze half the Turkey Balls for future meals.

This recipe comes from my “Eat Right, Eat Well – The Italian Way” Cookbook. I like this cookbook and it is well dog-eared and many of the pages are marked with margin notations noted over the past 25 years; LOL

While the recipes are easy, simple, light, and have nutritional information tacked to the end of each one, what I really like is that none of the recipes are seasoned with an excess of salt – in fact, many do not even use salt as a staple ingredient. A definite plus!

TURKEY BALLS ~serves 4

1 pound ground Turkey * 1 Egg White, lightly beaten * 1 teaspoon grated Lemon Peel * 1 Tablespoon finely chopped Italian Parsley or fresh coriander * 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh Ginger * ½ teaspoon minced Garlic * freshly ground Black Pepper to taste * Truffled Sauce (recipe follows)

In a medium size bowl, mix all ingredients together; form 12 count golf-ball sized balls.

Bowl water in a steamer. Steam balls in covered container for 2 to 4 minutes – do not overcook.

Serve with Truffled Sauce.

Per Serving: calories – 588; cholesterol – 321.0 mg; protein – 116.3 gm; carbohydrate – 3.2 gm; total fat – 9.2 gm; saturated fat – 2.9 gm; mono triglyceride – 3.4 gm; poly triglyceride – 1.9 gm

TRUFFLED SAUCE ~Serves 4

My husband is  on a strict diet following the hospital ordeal, so when I made this sauce I used butter flavored cooking spray, omitted the olive oil, used scallions, halved the Marsala cooking wine and replaced the other half with water, replaced the broth with water, and replaced the truffles with fresh white mushrooms … and it was quite tasty. Definitely a repeat recipe ;-)

1 Tablespoon Butter * 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil * 4 Tablespoons finely chopped Onion * 1 teaspoon minced Garlic * 1 Tablespoon minced Italian Parsley * 4 Tablespoons imported sweet Marsala or port * 1 teaspoon Flour * 2 Tablespoons chicken or beef broth * freshly ground Black Pepper to taste * 2 Tablespoons thinly sliced white Truffles

Heat the butter and oil in small saucepan, then add onion. When onion begins to brown, add garlic & parsley and cook about 10 seconds. Add marsala and flour, stir well; add broth and pepper. Cook about 1 minute, stirring often. Turn off heat and add truffles.

Per Serving: calories – 265; cholesterol – 31.0 mg; protein – 1.1 gm; carbohydrate – 10.5 gm; total fat – 25.0 gm; saturated fat – 8.1 gm; mono triglyceride – 13.7 gm; poly triglyceride – 1.4 gm

To understand what triglycerides are and why they matter, follow this link: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-cholesterol/in-depth/triglycerides/art-20048186

MOD BLACK CATS/PUMPKIN KITCHEN TOWEL SET

I love Fall, and I like black cats and pumpkins; so when I saw this graph on Pinterest a few weeks ago, I knew I would have to use it somehow. 2 days ago I decided to use the graph for a kitchen towel set – I think it turned out real nice ;-)

$10 for the set (choice of Dishrags; both will match nicely)

I made a large crochet 'button' to mimic a full moon and sewed it in place.

Tonight I worked out a colored graph for a Thanksgiving kitchen towel set; I’ll start work on that set tomorrow.

WALK IN THE PARK

The other day we were downtown paying the water bill, and I saw this questionable cloud formation as I was buckling my seatbelt … so I got back out of the car and snapped a pic of it. It fit the day perfectly. And it still fits our days … as we do what we can do and wait patiently for Elohei to work everything concerning us out.

I gotta tell you … patience is not my strong point: waiting is very hard right now. Especially with the astronomical hospital bills flooding the mailbox and the $$$$$ hung up in bureaucratic red tape (if we were freeloading illegals or America-hating terrorists, I am sure the money would flow like a flood); but since we are Americans, receiving money WE PAID INTO Medicare and Medicaid all of our working years is NOT available to us without making us jump through governmental hoops designed to make us do unnecessary backflips, barking, and clapping like trained seals); the $$$$$ we are asking for is OURS BY RIGHT and should be put into effect immediately. Instead we are treated like criminals by desk jockeys for even asking for some of it.

Plus, everything Hubs went through in that stupid hospital was brought on by the doctors who misdiagnosed and mistreated him from the get-go thinking they had a human guinea pig to practice on and we should be thankful (they were wrong on both counts) – why should we have to pay for their screw-ups? I am still peeved; and HUbs refuses to go to anymore doctors for anything. And I am okay with that, considering doctors don't know what they are doing/push drugs/and did their best to kill him with their scientific guesses while he was under their 'care'. Patience; not one of my strong points:

Hubs is eating a little more everyday now – and it is staying down – and he is walking a bit further every time we go to the Park to feed the little furry beggars; LOL

We have been to the Park twice this week; today is the furthest Hubs has walked. I am real proud of him. He is not doing anything foolish or risky like some men do when faced with death and dealing with fear, but he IS determined not to let fear get a foothold. We are taking 1 day at a time, doing what we can with the new limitations, and giving the rest to Elohei – trusting in His care and resting in His perfect peace that passes all human understanding. We know that given the situation 2 weeks ago, Hubs is alive for a specific reason and he will remain so until his mission on earth is completed. For that we are thankful and bless Elohim every day.

And we laugh that Hubs is wearing his sweat pants in public. Why? Because when he retired 7 years ago, the grandkids (22, 17, & 15) asked, “You aren’t going to wear sweats everyday now, are you? And you aren’t going to go out in public wearing sweats … are you?” We both said, “No;  just around the house.” But since Hub’s hospital ordeal he has been so weak, and pulling sweat pants on is just about all the strength he has to dress with, we just don’t care anymore what people want to think when we are out and about.

SHEPHERD’S BEEF PIE Recipe

Getting gutsy and spreading our wings with the monitored meals :-)

We think this meat-n-potatoes-dish will do as well for tonight’s Supper meal as the fish dish did last night. I am using buffalo instead of beef because the fat content in buffalo is quite a bit leaner than in beef, and my Blackfoot blood appreciates the buffalo when I can get my hands on it; LOL

This dish also comes from my ‘Weight Watchers 365-Day Menu Cookbook’. And it freezes well too.

SHEPHERD’S BEEF PIE Recipe ~ Makes 4 servings

12 ounces cubed sirloin of Beef * 1-1/2 cups Beef Broth * 1 teaspoon Salt * 2 bay Leaves * Dash Thyme leaves * 2 whole Cloves * 1 cup sliced carrots * 1 cup sliced mushrooms * 1 cup diced Celery * 1 cup diced Onions * 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Flour * 1 pound peeled, COOKED Potatoes - mashed * 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon Margarine * ½ cup skim Milk * 4 ounces grated Cheddar cheese * 1 Tablespoon chopped Chives

Prepare and boil potatoes. When potatoes are fork tender, mash with margarine, milk, chives, and cheese. Put in refrigerator.

In a medium saucepan place beef cubes, broth, salt, bay leaves, cloves, and thyme leaves. Cover and simmer for approximately 1-1/2 hours.

Take mashed potatoes out of ‘fridge and allow to soften at room temperature while finishing the shepherd’s pie filling.

To the beef broth, add carrots, mushrooms, celery, and onions. Simmer until veggies are just tender. In a small bowl mix flour and some of the beef broth; stirring constantly to form a smooth paste – add to beef and veggies; simmer 5 minutes longer.

Spoon beef mixture into a casserole dish.

Top with potato mixture and bake at 375-degrees F for 10 minutes … or until heated through …

… then broil 6 inches from source of heat for 1 or 2 minutes to lightly brown the potato topping.

PER SERVING: 373 calories; 26 g protein; 17 g fat; 30 g carbohydrate; 916 mg sodium

FILLET OF SOLE FLORENTINE Recipe

We started solid foods for Hubs at Suppertime yesterday; it’s dicey because he has to be on a high carb/low sodium diet with limited potassium intake, so … my cookbooks are getting a workout. LOL My goal is to keep him kicking for a while longer if Elohei is merciful – we know HE is faithful and that is why Hubs is alive and back at home now after much corporate Believer prayer and petition. To HIM goes all the glory and honor; and if everything we are going through at this moment is for a witness and testimony to Elohei’s faithfulness and mercy, then our complaints will be far and few between. As Hubs says, ‘though He slays me, yet will I serve Him’. We know that Lucifer can only torment us for a little while, but he cannot take our lives; our lives are held securely in the palm of Elohei and HE has the final say one way or the other. We are okay with that. Amen.

Hubs also has to lay off fatty beef & pork, and start eating more chicken, fish, and greens to lose weight and regain his health so his heart, lungs, and kidneys do not have to work in overdrive; I have been hounding him for YEARS to lose weight, so hearing it from someone else was a silver lining out of this entire hospital hell nightmare we struggled through recently. Hubs isn’t very happy right now about his choice of menus, but he knows he needs to go down this road if he’s to regain a firm foothold again in the land of the living, so he’s trying. The chicken and some fish is okay with him – the salads, not so much, though he is a good team player and is valiantly choking the salads down. He likes spices, but his stomach does not at this time, so tonight I cut back on the spices when I made this fish recipe and it was delish! MPO is that the full amount of spices called for may have overwhelmed the dish. In any case, the meal (served with a side of ½ cup mashed potatoes – so Hubs wouldn’t feel too picked on, LOL) went down and stayed down :-D Fillet of Florentine is definitely a repeat ;-)

This recipe comes from my ‘Weight Watchers 365-Day Menu Cookbook’.

Fillet of Sole Florentine

FILLET OF SOLE FLORENTINE ~2 servings

2 teaspoons Margarine * 1 Tablespoons Lemon Juice * ½ teaspoon Salt, divided * ½ teaspoon Cornstarch, dissolved in 2 Tablespoons Water * ½ cup COOKED and well-drained Spinach * ¼ cup sliced Mushrooms * 12 ounces fillet of Sole * Dash EA of: White pepper/Garlic Powder/Paprika * Thin Lemon slices & chopped fresh Parsley to garnish

Preheat oven to 400-degrees F. Melt margarine in a small saucepan; add lemon juice, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and dissolved cornstarch; cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Spread spinach over bottom of shallow 3-cup casserole dish:

Spinach in casserole dish; I grew this spinach, so I know it is not infected with e-coli or processed to death

Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon salt and spread mushrooms over spinach:

Place fish fillets over vegetables:

Fish fillets over veggies; 12 ounces of sole is a LOT of fillets!

Pour prepared lemon sauce over fish and sprinkle with seasonings ...

... and bake in oven for 15 minutes – or until fish flakes when touched with a fork; then broil 1 minute. Garnish and serve.

Per Serving: 189 calories; 30 g protein; 5 g fat; 4 g carbohydrate; 910 mg sodium