Troubles shared are troubles halved or even quartered. Thank you for kind words of support.
I came out of the slump. As I do. Took the whole day off even though there was pressure from other tenants to get the flu shot today as the nurses were in the building and ready to visit all who needed. I must say the service here is amazing. But I was in no mood to interact with strangers so I will just have to go to the clinic and get it.
I was inspired by blog-friend Cup on The Bus to fire up my dormant cooking skills, so was most pleased today to produce 7 bowls of coconut curry soup. 4 for the freezer, 3 for now.
I was thinking while doing so that there should be a cookbook for disabled/elderly/financially challenged etc.seniors full of simple recipes like Cup on the Bus had posted and the ones I can make, including the shopping list to make it all happen. Not much of a list but basic stuff.
I had bought a big bag of frozen onions (did you know you can buy these for a couple of bucks?) as I was always throwing out rotting onions.
Then my local grocery store supplies cleaned and chopped up veggies for a couple of bucks too.
I also buy frozen broccoli and cauliflower. And those small tomatoes. And roasted red peppers in a jar (lasts forever).
So today:
A 1/2 cup of those frozen onions, 2 small spoons of garlic from a jar - fry these gently in good oil for a couple of minutes before adding:
Large tetrapack of chicken stock
1 can of coconut milk
As much curry as you like to taste.
Maybe some water
Any veggies you have on hand.
Today was mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, red peppers, carrots, celery and broccoli.
I simmered all this for about 2 hours and then used my immersible blender to cream it up leaving some little chunks pf the veggies.
Absolutely delicious.
Good to hear you are feeling somewhat better. I am certain such cookbooks have been published and we may even have one among our many that are never used now as we get recipes from the net.
ReplyDeleteVery good point Andrew, tho I find so many of them have far too many ingredients, some expensive and no shopping list, say for a week.
DeleteThe web has made all the difference, but so many seniors don't have it and don't want it. I know. Hard to believe.
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I never buy frozen broccoli or cauliflower anymore, I prefer the taste of fresh over frozen. Ditto frozen green beans, yuk. There must be something in the snap freezing process that alters the taste just enough to bother me. I don't have the same problem with frozen peas, but I prefer beans to peas anyway, so I buy fresh green beans and freeze them myself. I make large amounts of soup when I'm cooking it too, always freezing single serve containers, along with beef casseroles, spaghetti sauces etc. So handy to just thaw and heat while cooking up some rice or pasta. Glad to hear you are feeling better.
ReplyDeleteMy trouble is standing and chopping. I have to eliminate this, sitting and chopping feels weird and awkward. I don't notice much of a taste difference tho I agree there is one.
DeleteI was glad I fired up my cooking gene again.
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You do sound a little more chipper today - doing for yourself, even if it was only thinking of your 'belly' obviously did you good. I've seen a cookbook similar to that you described but it was years ago. Often church groups put them out for fundraising. I think the attitude to the ingedients we eat has changed from those of years gone by. Brains & Tripe come to mind. Liver I like - others can't stomach it at all
ReplyDeleteCurious to know that as November is almost winter is that early or late for Canadians to get their flu jab
I realise it's different country/attitudes - Ours are usually available April (early autumn) if you leave it any later there's always the chance of getting caught in an early outbreak.
We here in Newfoundland have a later winter and later autumn so this is the time for us. Rest of Canada is a little different. I do like liver I have to say. Tripe I couldn't abide or sweetmeats, I am so close to going back to vegetarian again these days. If I reflect too much on meat I want to stop ingesting it.
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Yes I have also often found cooking an antidote to almost anything bad - and baking too. I have a cookbook like this, but in Danish, sorry, else I could send you a copy. I think they do exist out there. Your soup looks nice, filling and warming ;)
ReplyDeleteI should do a web search in simple recipes. And fire up my own ones too without too much labour as the standing is what puts me off.
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That curry with this rice dish would have sent you into orbit.
ReplyDeletehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nasi_lemak
You are absolutely right, Ramana, I would be floating above the earth, how delicious is that?
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I think I will try your recipe. I need to buy coconut milk and garlic.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like it Gigi and it's good to have some in the freezer too.
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I need to do this, coconut milk, my chef granddaughter said good for inflamation - grandma will and not in a good place as
Deleteplace in Nashville has a room available for me
difficult decision
With winter coming you might consider it Ernestine. You can always go back to cottage in spring again.
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I can't imagine the flavour, WWW but if you say it's good - it'll be good! Thank you! I've copied the recipe to my Word Pad to pass on to Himself - the cook in our household. I have, only recently, tried a frozen dish curry based, also "organic". I enjoyed it - hadn't eaten curry since leaving the UK, it's hard to come by in deepest Oklahoma!
ReplyDeleteI can imagine T - the challenges of finding a good curry house in OK must be seen to be believed. Here in Newfoundland we are astonished at how many we have. Such a tiny province on a large island in the North Atlantic and we are spoiled for choice.
DeleteFunny how that works!!
Good luck to Himself and the cooking.
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I need to buy one of those blenders. I've often wished I had one.
ReplyDeleteYou are so right about the cook book, and what to have on hand. I too rely on a lot of frozen veggies.
They go on sale now and again Joanne. I picked mine up for about $35 after doing some research on best brands. They are amazing for soups and also quick whipping of smoothies, cream, etc.
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That coconut curry soup sure looks good, good enough to cure the blahs. Glad you're feeling better about things.
ReplyDeleteI started such a book about eight yrs ago. It's called "When it hurts to cook". It's on a Mac Cookbook, owned only sofar by three of us. Recipes are freely given, even one similar to what you've written here. The recipes created are to include quick and easy to make, out of frozen, canned, dehydrated foodstuffs, to serve four servings max (most times sometimes I too give away containers of...), left over meats, beans and lentils either canned and drained or the red lentil which cooks quickly, doable all at once in the slow cooker, or adaped to keep the savoury bits until the last few mins. I have a slow cooker, a toaster oven, an electric (automatic shut-off kettle), and am presently *window* shopping for the best least expense hopefuly on-sale ceramic coated electric skillet. I am changing all those old fashioned recipes and ways I learned to cook at age 8, standing on a stool with a huge down to my ankles apron doing my best to follow the instructions my mother phoned from work, and those new ones that have curry, and ghalangal and other things I hadn't heard of back then. I have lowered my standards and bought dried and frozen, how far can I go? If I can eat it or change it so I can make it sitting, make it cheap, and make it without having to buy it, I will. When it hurts to cook. When I started this I wasn't meaning old age, but here I am! When I started it I meant it to be about disability, illness, difficulty with transportation and storage. It grows. I do things differently. Instead of buying for example, the large coconut milk and planning to freeze what I don't use, I buy the small ones. A bit more expensive, but no waste. Small can of tomatoes, small small small. Oh you can freeze what you don't need, the 20-something tells me. You. Don't. Say. I say. Apartment sized fridge, with my freezy gel muscle packs taking up quite a bit of room thank you. I have started putting together other people's small recipes too (Nigella Lawson has what she calls Emergency Brownies, but I call them Brownies for One Old Lady). I have gone back to quick breads, yes Irish soda, and Cornbread, which I create zip baggies of the dry stuffs, add egg, oil, makefour muffins quickly in the toaster oven and forget about buying a huge loaf of bread that costs $4-$5 and goes stale. Needs must. It hurts to cook. Emma
ReplyDeleteThat sounds good. I've never seen frozen onions. I do use onions frequently enough that they virtually never go bad.
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