My life - My right calf (and not a baby cow)

Hi - I haven't written in a long time.  This injury has really thrown me for a loop on a level I never expected.  Hold on and I'll let you into my little world......

As you saw from my previous post, I have a lovely boot.  I tore my right calf muscle doing absolutely nothing. The day after we came back (did you see the pictures from our trip?  Forever memories), I was sitting on our couch when I jumped up to close a gate into the kitchen.  It was then that it felt like a softball had smashed into my right calf.  I took myself to the doctor (my husband was leaving to travel).  My doctor said that I tore my calf and I was lucky it didn't tear any lower, or it would have also taken my achilles with it (ensuring surgery). I tried to go to work a few days later, but after an hour of standing I was in extreme pain.  I had to leave.  I hate nothing more than letting people down and leaving good people hanging - and that is what happened when I had to leave work for an unknown amount of time. I love the people I work with and I love my customers....and I had to leave them. Horrible feeling for me.....both my heart and leg hurt.

Stay off my leg.....yeah right.  HAHA - right - No pun intended!!  Luckily, I do crack myself up.

Anyways....I have a list of things I want to get done with this unexpected time.  This included some gardening.  I know, I know, keep of my leg, but the boot does help with gardening.  When I push on the spade with the boot, it does give me some extra depth in my dig.  Here is some of what I have been doing....

 These are two pots I planted.... oregano, mint, basil, dill and thyme.

Here is a raised vegetable bed I planted.  I always wanted a vegetable garden.  Here are tomatoes, brussel sprouts, peppers, okra and eggplant.

But, I have paid the price and I have trouble admitting it.  My leg has been very sore....I just have trouble staying in one spot and having people do things for me.  You know, I am the one who does for others.  I am SO grateful for my friends and family and doing for and with them is my way of showing my gratitude. And not being able to do.....or having to stop myself from doing has been very hard for me.  It makes me very sad to just sit here and not be at work and not be fully able.  But what I do I have to be sad about.....really.  I mean really! A torn calf with will heal?!?!

So here my friend is the hardest challenge for me. I am SO blessed and this is NOTHING in the big scheme of life, but it is SO difficult for me to keep it all in perspective. I knew that perspective is extremely important.......I must have needed a reminder about that.  Keep things in perspective!  Message heard......loud and clear!!!!!!!

My Life - My Torn Calf

My boot.........I call it "Iron Man"

Dinner - Grilled steak, onions and mushrooms

Made our first home cooked meal since we have been back....grilled marinated skirt steak, grilled sweet onion and grilled portabella mushrooms.  Really simple and really tasty.  I took a throw away cup and put in it olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper.  Then brought out a silicone brush.  I brushed each piece of meat with just the oil (by not stirring up the cup) and then stirred it up and spread it on the shrooms and onions before putting it on the grill.

Looks so good - doesn't it??!!??

My life - Paris

On our trip, we also went to Paris.  We took the Eurostar.  It takes less time to get from London to Paris than it does to get from my house to Madison, WI.  I am SOOO jealous!!  I wish we could travel this easily.

We asked the concierge at the hotel to set us up for dinner.  Since we were travelling on Sunday, it made supper time somewhat tricky because quite a few places are closed on Sundays. He set us up at L'Aidoise (The Blackboard).  It was right behind our hotel.  Great service. Small place. Reservations needed FOR SURE.  We saw quite a few people turned away.  The menu was set....you had 5 choices in each category.....starter, entry, and dessert.  Very reasonable price as well.

 These were shittake and foi gras raviolis.  Such thin raviolis....that the insides were so tasty.

 These were crab bites with spicy avocado.  Not so spicy, but very light crab cakes and I would have never thought to combine them with guacamole.

 I am not sure what this was....inside the flaky roll here was ground lamb meat, but in that was a sausage like thing that bust open when I cut it open.  Not sure what it was....I think there was tripe in there....all I know is that there was A LOT of flavor, just not sure when it was.

 Here was my dish cut open.....the lady (a couple was from Ohio) next to me asked what I was eating.  I told her I wasn't sure.  She said she couldn't eat anything she didn't know what it was.  All  I know is that it was tasty.  Enough for me.....

 This was some kind of caramel and custard dessert.  My husband said it was delicious, but the liquid caramel on the bottom, not so good.

Chocolate mousse....I had to have it in Paris.  So light and tasty.  Not too rich.  Just right.

We got a "package" that included the hotel and Eurostar tickets.  The hotel was the St. James.  It was amazing - right on the Rue de Rivoli, right across from the Louvre, right by the Sienne, Champ de Elysee.  Incredible - and since we were there for such a short time, short travel time was imperative.  These are views from our hotel room.

Looking to the left

Looking to the right

We ate breakfast at the hotel.  It was just ok.....nothing really to show for it.  Oh well.....

But we did have something I must try to recreate.....at a tea place, I had a Mojitea....get it.....green tea, Perrier, mint and limes.  So fresh tasting.  I am going to grow some mint this summer, so I will try to make this cool drink.

As far as other meals, we grabbed things here or there.  Gelato, biscuits (cookies).  One special place we went to was Angelina's.  It had the old world Paris feeling to it.  There was a line to get in, but it went quickly.

 This was my vanilla eclair.  It was very light with a delicious light filling. On top, there was white chocolate with vanilla beans seeds.

I am not sure what this was called, but it was great.  See the shine stuff?  It was a hard, caramel shell in this light pastry, with wonderful whipped cream on top.  Very special.

Here are some more pictures from Paris.

The Louvre

Michaelangelo's Slave.  See the movement, the angles??  Power and beauty.

Caravaggio - Death of the Virgin - 1605.  He is my favorite artist.  Can you see the intense light drawing your eye to the main subject?  This was not done before.  Prior to him, artwork was equally lit - less dramatic lighting.

 Very typical French cafe. When daughter looked at this picture, she thought it was interesting that no one faced each other, they just faced the street.

We stood on the Sienne and watched the sun go down and the Tower light up.  This is my forever memory of Paris.

This trip was better than ever our honeymoon because we have been through so much together and and grown so much alone and as a couple.  Standing on the Sienne crying with his arm around me, watching the sun go down and the Tower light up....memories I will never forget.

My life - London

I got away with my husband!!  Thanks to our village of friends and family it is all possible.  It was the best trip of my life - I am SO grateful to my husband for suggesting we do this.  I was very hesitant....it took a lot of planning and effort from SO many to make it happen.  But with the recent loss of our dear friend, I have been reminded how short life is and planning to do things in the future are not definite.  We must live dreams now.  We must.

I am going to just share some sights and some meals we had in London.  We were in London for 5 days and then Paris for 2 days, 1 night.  I will put those in a separate entry.  We stayed in the Wimbledon area of London, with our co-worker and his wonderful family (Hi Simon Family!!!).  They were SO generous and kind.  We felt right at home in their home - this ability is a special gift.

We all went to high tea at Canizaro Manor in Wimbledon, London.  What a treat!!!  Scones, finger sandwiches and sweets.  The sandwiches included ham and tomato (sliced super thin), cucumber and cream cheese and smoked salmon.  All delicate yet filling.  Then for the scones....much lighter than scones at home.  And it had raisins in it also.  They were warm and served with clotted cream (kind of like butter) and strawberry jam.  WOW!!!!  And the desserts included greek yogurt in a thin glass topped with charred meringue, eclairs, and little chocolate cakes with strawberry mouse.

We had dinner at the Simon's house. We taught them how to make sushi. And Loretta put out some antipasti - grilled, marinated artichokes, various olives, and something that I thought I would never try, but LOVED - sweet peppers stuffed with goat cheese.  Ok, confession here - I usually HATE peppers but these were tangy and sweet, kind of like a tomato.  I must find these at home!!

They enjoyed learning how to make sushi. It turned out delicious.  Such a easy and fun thing to do at home!  Everyone should try it!

Another night Loretta make supper....and it was SO simple and delicious.  She is from an Italian family - and this supper was (to me) the quintessential Italian meal.

Grilled steak on a bed of lettuce with olives, tomatoes and shaved pieces of cheese.....how simple and absolutely delicious!!  She served with the potatoes and green beans (see them on the top of the picture?)

I did some research on Time Out London website and set up reservations to one of the top "gastropubs" and to one of the top Indian restaurants.

First of all the gastropub.  Gastropubs are the English culinary world's response to the common thought that all English food is bland and gross.  They are local pubs with high end food. We went to Harwood Arms - and let me tell you.....it was TRULY amazing!!!

 This was the bread they put on the table.  The darker bread was a soda bread they made there.  It was so amazing that we bought a loaf to bring back to the Simons.  The other bread was a potato bread.  The bread was served in a little sack.  And you can see the pat of butter served on a piece of slate.

 This is what my husband ordered.  It was garlic soup with bacon cream, crisps, and mushrooms on bread.  This soup was one of the best soups I have ever had.  I am going to write them and see if they would share the recipe with me.  And you can see in the next picture of tiny these crisps were. So delicate and crunchy!! All  dishes are served on plank of natural wood.  So pretty and simple.

 This dish was rabbit shoulder with St. George mushrooms with tarragon mustard.  WOW!

 This was my dish.  It was a special of the day.....here is the exact description from the chalkboard = Grilled haunch of Berkshire Roe Deer with tarragon mustard, crispy garlic potatoes and field mushrooms.  There are two pieces of meat here - the "sirloin" was on the left with the mushrooms on it and the cube was shredded venison rolled in breadcrumbs and fried, a little green salad and the potatoes.  The potatoes were first parboiled, then fried then roasted.  What looks so simple was really more complicated that I ever thought.

This was the dessert special of the day = Mint Ice Cream with Harwood Arms Boubon Biscuits.  See the chocolate cream between the biscuits.  Putting the biscuit and the ice cream in your mouth at the same time was oral nirvana.

I am going to jump from food to sights.  Don't worry....I'll get back to the food......

This was the beautiful rainbow we were greeted with when we got to the Simon's house.

This super steep escalator was at one of the many Tube stops in London.  What an amazing system!! 

This was a food spot in Camden.  What a funky place.  It was booth after booth of stuff of sale.  A lot of the booths had the exact same stuff.....tshirts, jewlery, bags.  See the seats in the background.  Those were the seats and back wheels of scooters.  They were all set into long tables along the locks.

I love this giant horse head.  To understand the proportion - look at the person walking by it on the left.  This too was in the Camden Lock area - in the horse stable market.

This was taken at the British Museum.  It is the Rosetta Stone.  It is incredible to see something you have learned about  just right in front of you.

Yes, I walked up and down these stairs.  It was in one of the Tube stops.  Instead of waiting for a "lift" (elevator) we took these stairs.  As you can imagine, going up these was very tough.  I ending up walking with a bunch of ladies, laughing and huffing our way to the top.  PHEW!!!

Ok.....back to food......

We went to Moti Mahal 45 Great Queen Street, WC2B 5AA.  Here are the descriptions from the menu - with my own comments added.

This is what our meal started with.  On this wooden platter, there was lettuce, whole tomatoes, onions, and lemons.  Also there was a little bottle of olive oil and curry powder and course sea salt and pepper.  It was AMAZING.  You just put what you wanted on your plate and it was incredible.

DAL MAKHANI ~ Delhi

Black lentils slow cooked overnight on charcoal

This black lentil speciality is slow cooked for several hours, on charcoal.  

Creamy and earthy, this dal is a delicious accompaniment to tandoori dishes

This was the best dal we have ever had!!  Deep and rich.

MURGH MAKHANI ~ Moti Mahal, Delhi              

Chicken tikka simmered in a creamy tomato sauce

This butter chicken recipe was created by a chef at the first Moti Mahal restaurant 

in New Delhi. Here, we faithfully recreate our namesake’s recipe

This was fantastic - so many flavors in one bowl.

GUCCHI AUR KHUMBI KOFTEY ~ Lucknow

Wild Mushroom ‘Kofta’ and stuffed morels in a yoghurt saffron sauce

The Nawabs of Lucknow used to throw full moon parties adding  class to the evening with music and 

the delicate tinkle of trinkets  from the dancing girls feet  and exotic food- Originating from Lucknow, 

this dish of morels is a rare and expensive delicacy and royal  cooks use to spend hours deliberating 

the composition of this curry

This was some strange and wonderful!  See that piece of what looks like tin foil.  It was silver and you ate it with the dish. Creamy with the texture of the morel mushrooms.  I have never ate something like this, but I would again!!

 Here's a mushroom close up!!  I wish I could eat this right now.....

BHALLA PAPDI CHAAT ~ Old Delhi

Crisp fried pastry and lentil dumplings with creamy yoghurt, tamarind and mint chutney

A tea time favourite for all North Indians, this dish finds its roots in the Gallis ‘streets’ of Old Delhi

This one surprised me the most....it was a cold dish.  And the yogurt was sweet.  I can't even tell you every taste in it.....it was SO complex and different.


WOW......I think this all summarizes our London experience pretty well.  Lots of wonderful walking and lots of wonderful people in such a great place.  Memories of a lifetime.......

My Life - Brisket = My Nemisis

My husband's aunt read about my brisket issue.  She sent me this recipe and I thought I would share it with you.  It was from my husband's grandma, Mimi.


So here is Mimi's recipe as sent to me by his Aunt Elaine -

3-5 lb brisket with some fat on it (this is what tenderizes the meat)
2-3 onions sliced
Lemon pepper seasoning
Garlic powder
Lowry's seasoned salt
1/2 cup red wine (optional, but tasty)
Tight fitting covered pan

Slice onions into bottom of pan. Season heavily with above. Season both sides of meat HEAVILY. Place fat side  down. And place in preheated 350* oven for 20 minutes uncovered. Turn meat over so fat side is  up. 20 more minutes uncovered. Gently pour wine over and around meat, cover, turn temp to 325*. Bake for two hours or so. If you want to put in carrots and potatoes do it at this point. Season vegetables lightly, and baste with pan juices. Recover and bake another hour or hour and a half. Voila! Let cool slightly and slice across the grain.

Long slow cooking is key. Check the moisture while cooking. Don't let it go dry. Add water by half cupfuls. But if lid fits properly, this won't be problem.

Moisture comes from the bed of onions, retained in meat by layer of fat which also has a tenderizing effect. Trim away fat when you serve.


OK....so I know I haven't tasted this yet, but Mimi was never wrong and neither is Aunt Elaine, so this must be delicious. I vow to try this recipe sometime.  Just not right now.  My delicate foodie ego can't handle another brisket disaster.

Dinner - Soup

Here is the soup I made with the broth from the fondue.  WOW....amazing!!!  I browned italian sausage, cut up zucchini and carrots.  I also added a can of diced tomatoes and frozen lima beans.  I also added chicken stock to dilute the fondue broth.  It was SOOOOOO tasty!!  I had some extra steak and chicken from the fondue that I put into the soup.