Update

I’ve been shamefully neglectful of my site lately.  When not sleeping and trying to catch up on the rest I’ve been missing since the Hillbilly started his new job, I’ve been:

• Spending my online time signing up for and making the selections for all the spiffy new benefits that come with that job.  Insurance, 401K and a host of other goodies, each of which take roughly 4 hours each navigating the individual websites, reading the specifics of the various choices and putting our plans together.  Its been like a devious electronic maze and I get to be the rat…got any cheeeeese??? (If you read that in Urkel’s voice, 10 points to you!)
• Since our insurance is now back in effect, I’ve been scheduling and going to the doctors’ appointments I missed over the three months we didn’t have insurance.  As a hermit/homebody, its exhausting trying to do all this in such a short time frame.
• Another appointment I kept just this week…I’m still having shoulder issues, of course, but its getting more and more difficult to keep my shaggy mess of hair cleaned and tended.  I’d previously chopped it off from waist-length to shoulder-length when my shoulder was almost completely frozen after the injury first cropped up.  Even that was still too much, so I just went crazy and got rid of most of it.  Shaved at the neck and 1-2″ in length over the rest.  Its a change.  I keep reaching up to remove my hair clip…but its not there and neither is the hair for that matter.

  

  An afghan for a friend

• I’ve also been busy (read:  frantically) crocheting items for Christmas prezzies for friends and family.  I have about 5 projects in progress and even though I try to work on them in the order I’ll need to have them finished, I get easily sidetracked.  Hopefully I’ll have them all done in time.  In addition to all those projects, I got a rush order for two baby blankets someone wants to gift to a mom-to-be who was due to give birth “any day now”.  Those were the first ones I worked on and finished, so they could be gifted sometime before the kid goes to college.
• I’ve also been spending time looking for a new Jeep.  I’m currently in a 20-year old Grand Cherokee.  I still love it, but its time for an upgrade.  I’d really like to have the whole adventure over and done with before Thanksgiving to make the 800-mile (round trip) journey, but for some reason, I just can’t get excited about the process.
• The delivery date for our new refrigerator keeps being postponed by the manufacturer.  It looks like I’m going to have to go back to the store and cancel that order.  They’ve already said we could apply what we’ve already paid to a new selection and pay the difference if necessary.  Another thing I can’t get excited about enough to actually go to the store.

  

  Baby Blanket 2 (The mom is a fan)

 

All this in addition to finding new homes for the two puppies we had, finishing the kitchen remodel so we can begin cleaning the dining room before we host Christmas this year and needing to attend all the holiday functions that abound in November and December.  Then there’s also prepping gift lists, sending out Christmas cards, and wrapping all the gifts.  I’m tired just thinking about it.

Can we please just sit here a minute? 

Butter Chicken

My brother is four years younger than I am and wasn’t really taught certain life skills such as cooking and cleaning up after himself. So, when he went off to college and into his own apartment, about the only thing he could make was hamburgers and Kraft Spaghetti out of a box. He ended up relying on his new college friends to help him learn and being that they were mostly students from India, he became quite the Indian cuisine chef and could eat it everyday.

Me? I’m just the opposite. I managed to somehow make it to 50+ years of age without ever trying any Indian or Middle Eastern foods. I ran across this recipe and thought it sounded simple enough, I love chicken, and I had no trouble identifying most of the ingredients.

The one thing I wasn’t immediately familiar with was the garam masala, which is just a combination of other more recognizable spices. I used a pre-mixed blend in a bottle from McCormick that had ground black pepper and the 4 C’s of Indian cooking: coriander, cardamom, cumin, and cinnamon.

My plan was to serve it over Basmati rice, but in true Sunny form, I ended up tripping (over my own yoga pants no less) and spilled the whole packet of rice all over the floor. I always have brown rice on hand, so I at least had something to use.

It was edible. I’m not saying it was bad, just that I’ve never cooked with this type of spice combination, so I’m not really sure if that’s what its supposed to taste like or not. There was one flavor that stood out which wasn’t really pleasant to me and I’m thinking it may have been the coriander (also known as cilantro though technically, the leaves are cilantro and the seeds are coriander). There is actually a genetic marker which makes cilantro smell bad and taste soapy to some people, so that may be why I can’t gush about my enjoyment of the dish. It was tasty enough that I’d make it again, but I’d make my own garam masala, cut out the coriander, and reduce the ginger.

As predicted, the Boy wasn’t having anything to do with it once he took a look at it. The Hillbilly shoveled in about half a bowl and when I asked him if he wanted the leftovers for dinner the next night…declined, opting for a fried bologna sandwich instead.

Also, the recipe calls for you to make the sauce before putting it in the crock pot. Its always been my understanding that the long simmering times of a crock pot makes the seasonings stronger. I do believe I’d like this recipe after making some adjustments to suit my taste and I’m glad we gave it a try.

Crock Pot Butter Chicken

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp. Butter
• 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
• 3 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch pieces**
• 1 or 2 medium yellow onions, diced
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. finely chopped and peeled gingerroot
• 2 Tbsp. garam masala
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 3/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup cilantro leaves, stems removed

Spray the inside of the crock pot with no-stick cooking spray (Pam).

In a skillet, heat the butter and oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and brown it on both sides. Scoop the chicken out with a slotted spoon and place into the crock pot.

Add the onions to the remaining butter and cook until softened. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook while stirring for 2 minutes. Add the garam masala and cook for

another minute, stirring. Mix in the tomato paste and salt, stirring for another 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and mix well.

Spoon the mixture over the chicken in the crock pot and stir to coat all the chicken pieces. Cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours.

Thirty minutes before serving, mix in the whipping cream and continue to cook. Serve over Basmati rice and garnish with de-stemmed cilantro leaves.

**I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and it ended up very dry. Use the thighs if possible.

Enjoy!

Lightening the Load

Today’s post is more or less a reflection and a forecast, presenting things I haven’t mentioned yet and what I plan to feature here in the next week or so…a weekly update.

First, what’s coming up.  As I sit here at 9am, the house is already filled with the fragrance of a crock pot recipe for Butter Chicken (or Murgh Makani). This is an experiment for myself and the family, as none of us has ever tried Indian food before. The Hillbilly had never even had Chinese food…or tried rice…before our third date.  He loves it now, especially Sesame Chicken (which I’ll post the recipe for someday).  The Basmati rice I have for tonight will also be a new experience for us all.  I don’t anticipate the Boy even attempting a bite, but the Hillbilly will look at it funny, ask me what it is and what’s in it, to ensure I didn’t try to sneak in any carrots. I’ll update you on the verdict tomorrow when I post the recipe.

I mention this story because when I started this blog a couple weeks ago, I had anticipated just posting my tried-and-true recipes, good Southern cooking, simple things that anyone could prepare. But I’ve found myself wanting to attempt new things and increase my own knowledge as well!  So, I’m going to push myself and part of that is I’ll even share my failures.

I don’t have a posting schedule in mind at this point, but I do know that on Thursdays, I’m going to try to do a #TBT Throwback Thursday piece and reprint a post from my previous blog, circa 2010.

I’d also like to start throwing in some musical posts.  I used to do a blogger assignment called Twisted Mixtape Tuesdays that was hosted by Jen Kehl.  She’d give a “theme” and we’d pick and post 5 (or more occasionally) songs that we felt fit the theme.  I loved doing this!  I may resurrect this to do on my own or maybe combine with my #TBT post and print one of my previous mixtapes.

Now, about the past…I’ve been under quite a bit of stress the past couple months, not only due to my torn rotator cuff, but also because the Hillbilly was laid off from his job of 17 years.  With his severance pay and the ten weeks of vacation pay they had to give us, we’ve been fine financially, but the loss of insurance came at one of the worst possible times.  I’ve been having to do my physical therapy at home, which has been easy enough, but some other health issues needed attention.

I finally started the process through the healthcare Marketplace a couple weeks ago. We were just approved and made the first month’s payment about three days ago and I was waiting on the welcome package with our cards so I could make some doctor appointments.  Then this morning, a company the Hillbilly interviewed with over 6 weeks ago called and made him an offer that he accepted.  He starts in a couple weeks. This is great, but also pushes back being able to make my appointments because I don’t really want to use this interim insurance if I don’t have to.  I’d rather not deal with multiple claims from different companies.  Even I’m not organized or patient enough for that.

Mom Genes

I am adopted.

Since it happened when I was about 2 days old, its never really seemed like a huge deal to me.  My parents (they will always be my parents, not “adoptive” parents) sat me down when I was around 8-years old to tell me, so I’ve lived with the fact all my life.  I couldn’t have asked for a better upbringing if it was filled from a checklist.

I’ve only considered the situation to have two drawbacks.  First, all medical forms ask you to fill out family medical history questions.  While its a big time saver to just put a big “X” through them all and say that I don’t know because I was adopted, there is always some apprehension as well.  As I grow older, there’s also more fear because I don’t know whether my mother’s aunt had breast cancer or did my grandfather have Alzheimer’s or any number of conditions and diseases that run in families.  So many of those now can be delayed or treated due to medical advances, if your doctor only knows what to be on the lookout for.

Secondly, there’s always been a small missing piece of the puzzle that is me.  Its very difficult to explain to people that grew up with that knowledge as part of their identity.  I’ve always felt a bit of jealousy when I’ve been around families and to homes that expressed their distinct heritage.  I realize that’s something I’ll never have, even with that knowledge since my upbringing was typical American suburb girl.  But I’d still like to know, what am I?  What runs in my DNA?

Last year during the Cyber Monday sales, I finally purchased the 23 and Me kit to test both my medical and ancestral genetic makeup.  It arrived and I set it on my bookcase, where it sat and sat, for well over a month.  Each day as it would catch my eye, I’d ask myself if I was ready for what I might learn.  The answer was “not today”.

Then the day came shortly after the first of the year when it was time.  I followed the instructions, spit into the tube, packaged it back up and mailed it off.  I remember taking a deep breath as I handed the box to the girl at the UPS store and noticed my hand trembled a bit.  And then came the waiting.

Every other day, I’d log onto the website to see if my results had been posted.  A week, then two and three.  I don’t even remember how many passed until the day came.  I printed everything off, made a fresh cup of coffee and curled up on the couch to take my time reading through everything.

I read over the medical portions first and was relieved to know that I didn’t seem to have the genetic markers for any of the things I’d been fearful of.  Since then, the few smaller things I did show markers for have been discussed with my doctors and placed in my medical files.  There’s been some concerns I’ve seen in articles and forums as to whether insurance companies can refuse to pay for things you may be genetically inclined to develop.  I figure I’ll cross that bridge if I ever come to it and hopefully the law will catch up to science before then.

Next up was my genetic ancestry.  My pale skin, freckles, blond hair and blue eyes are all  good clues to my makeup, so I always thought German or Scandinavian.  Surprise, I’m almost 43% Irish, 22% Swiss then followed by about 10% each of Danish, German and Scandinavian.  I also had less than 1% each of Spanish/Portuguese, Sardinian and Native American.  Huh, interesting…now what?  Nothing much has changed.  I still don’t have a sense of cultural identity, but just having the personal knowledge seems to be enough.

There’s been a lot of mockery, sarcasm, derision and doubt cast upon these tests and their validity recently.  The memes are mostly funny and the controversies don’t really bother me much.  Its not like I plan to run around yelling “Kiss me, I’m Irish!” (though maybe that isn’t such a bad idea) or booking the next flight overseas to start researching my ancestry.  It is what you make of it.

The one thing I didn’t consider was the possibility of being matched with some biological relatives.  Was that a can of worms I even wanted to open?  As of now, I’ve only run into people that “might” be a second or third (or even more distant) cousin.  I’m okay with that.  I know very little about the woman that birthed me, just her name and that I already had two older siblings.  I feel a major sense of trepidation at the possibility of connecting with them.  But, that’s another bridge I’ll cross…hopefully never.

Body Betrayal

Other than some colds, sinus infections, and yearly allergy episodes, my life has been blessed with mostly good health.  As I age though, it seems all the maladies have been stockpiled and are dropping like cluster bombs to wreck havoc on my body.

First it was my digestive system.  From neck all the way to, well, the nether regions, I think I’ve suffered it all.  Reflux, hiatal hernia, intestinal lesions, diverticulitis, ulcerative colitis and IBD;  I’ve had issues with them all.  My GI doc and I are on a first name basis and I even sent him a Christmas card last year.  Through trial and error, I’ve learned what I can and cannot eat to minimize the impact of these problems.

Around that same time, my reproductive system turned traitor and began the slow (so very slow) trek towards menopause.  Hot flashes, night sweats, memory issues, cycle irregularities, and other vile symptoms I won’t squick everyone out with were my constant companions for over NINE years.  The end is in sight on this one though.  Four more months and my doc can officially declare me post-menopausal.

Next, the multiple knee injuries I suffered as a young adult from sports and assorted alcohol-fueled adventures have returned to wreck their vengeance upon me.  Navigating any number of stairs either up or down is an exercise in unimaginable pain.  So much so that I’ll either have to learn to deal with it or have both knees replaced.

I also became a medical anomaly by developing a somewhat rare condition called Cholinergic Urticaria, or heat hives.  Yup, I’m allergic to heat.  Anything that raises my body temperature will set off a flare of itchy, red masses of welts.   It may be heat from air or water temperature, exercise, sickness, stress, and even the friction of too tight or rough clothing will set this condition off.  Luckily, I can avoid most of those factors and the rest are usually controlled by a daily antihistamine.  (If interested, here’s a great article describing the condition:  Am I Allergic to Exercise?)

Finally and most recently, I developed a tear in my rotator cuff…simply from degeneration caused by aging.  When it began three months ago, I could barely move my arm in any direction away from my body without excruciating pain.  Showering and hair styling were a significant challenge, not to mention my usual household chores.  Its been months of physical therapy, but I’m making progress.  I can raise my arm halfway over my head now.  Yay.  *sigh*

Every once in a while, I allow myself a few moments to wallow in self-pity and wonder, why me ?  What’s next?  Is there anything left to break down?  How much more can I take?  And one of these times, Mother Nature is simply gonna crack her knuckles and say, “Hold my beer.”