Saturday, October 16, 2010

When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Wear Lingerie..And Make Soup!


When last I checked in, I had had dental implant surgery and two bone grafts, otherwise known as a "sinus lift." If there was any part of my body I wish could get "lifted" believe me, my sinuses would not be in the top ten... or even the bottom ten. However, this is the hand I was dealt and I'm playin' it.
   Last week I was flying high on the meds and still having a lot of pain. I was also not eating very much, though I was pretty good at watching other eat... mostly food that I'd cooked ahead of time.
  Thursday I went to the Maxiliofacial surgeon for a check up and evidently it shouldn't have been hurting the way it was. The antibiotic I'd been given post op wasn't doing the trick and I'd gotten myself an infection. Being the eternal stoic and having had 12 years of convent school, I had just figured it was my lot. The doctor prescribed the big guns... Cipro, and told me I was malnourished, dehydrated and that was the reason I was so lethargic. He told Alan to get some food in me STAT and recommended he buy some Ensure. I don't know if any of you have ever had Ensure before... but let me tell you, one bottle and I was eating. Anything to not have any more Ensure.
  So 48 hours later I believe I'm on the mend. I'm still on painkillers but much less, and less often. I'm also wearing lingerie.
   I know most women have silky lounging pajamas, exotic nighties etc. but that stuff at least in my book, is just "for good" whatever the hell that means. Somehow, no event ever seems good enough. Because if it's really good... I mean what do you need all the fancy stuff for??? And the way I looked at it, if I was gonna start drinking Ensure, I figured I'd better start wearing that lingerie... or else. Like yesterday.
   So I rummaged around in my closet and brought out the Victorian Irish linen nightgown with the antique lace trim, the sexy little rose embroidered number, and my emerald green, real silk, lounging pajamas. The ones that make me look like I just escaped from The Thin Man..or maybe just the Thin Man, who knows. I'm working my inner Nora Charles, and I'm makin' soup baby... I'm Makin' Soup!
"Is that A Loaf of Natures' Pride or Are You Just Glad To See Me?!"
    I started thinking, in my weakened state about just what I wanted to eat in soupy form. Peanut butter was at the top of the list... along with bacon.  What soup recipe did I have in my files that fitted the bill?  The perfect comfort sip for cravers of the pig and the peanut??? African Curried Peanut Soup!!!
   Now unfortunately the making of this soup cannot be shown as it's not pretty... or rather I'm not pretty making it. So I will spare you the graphic details and show you what was going on while I was soup making. Alan took Patsy to the park... enjoy the bucolic beauty of romping and
running and socializing with friends both doggy and human. She had a great old time. Meanwhile
I got my act together. This is a very simple and fast making soup. If you've got  3 carrots and
2 strips of bacon, an onion, arborio rice, chicken broth and some peanut butter in the house, you can make this soup. Fast. Here's what to do.

   Chop 2 strips of bacon or pancetta.
  Put them in a hot pot so that they sizzle and act as the fat for this soup.
 When the bacon is frizzing, toss in 1 onion cut in half and then thinly sliced.
  Cook until the onion is translucent. 
 Meanwhile peel and slice three medium sized carrots.
 When the onion is cooked, add
the carrots and 3 Tbs of regular old  curry powder. This is probably the only recipe I have that calls for regular curry powder, but since a lot of people have it in the house, use it. Don't get fancy. It works perfectly. Stir it all around than add in:
4 cups of chicken broth and 1/3 cup of arborio rice. Now why the Arborio
rice? Well I can't have dairy while I'm taking this medicine, but a lot of people can't digest it anyway, and that's another thing that makes this a great recipe. The secret of adding arborio rice to any soup recipe is that after cooking, the soup is pureed in a processor or with an immersion blender... or as we've called it in our house the rrrrrrrrrerrrrr stick, and the rice causes the soup to taste rich and creamy without a drop of rich, or creamy! Genius, no?
    So the carrots and rice are now in the soup. Bring it all to a boil and then lower the heat a bit and keep it on a bubbly simmer for about 20 to 30  minutes. When everything is nice and tender, add salt to taste, 1 and 1/2 tsp of sugar,  and 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter.
  Puree it all together until you get a nice smooth peanutty soup.
    Now this soup can be made easily without the bacon. Making it a perfect vegan dish. I just added it because I had bacon and was ordered to EAT! How often can we take advantage of those kinds of orders??! Now really!
 
   You can decorate your soup with a bit of crema, or creme fraiche, sour cream or yogurt. Of course mine had none...because of meds.... Ahem.
 MMMMMM..comforting peanut butter, curry, healthy carrots, rice and baaaaaaaacon! Yum! With a nice toasty slice of Natures' Pride 100% Whole Wheat Bread. What's not to like?


I slip into my silk lounging pajamas and sit back in order to watch something intellectual like Paranormal State or...something.


  Meanwhile...to all my blogger friends like Salty Seattle and La Fuji Mama and Bell'alimento who are somewhere out in Pom Wonderful Wonderland aka, Fresno. Have fun ladies! I got so jealous, I had to clean myself up! So there.

11 comments :

  1. I am so glad you are on the mend. An infection in your head can be a scary thing. That soup and the lingerie sound like just the thing to keep up your spirits.

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  2. aww, Patsy is so pretty! that looks like a nice dog park, too. i'll have to remember to share photos of the one we go to one day.

    i'm sorry to hear you had an infection, but glad the doctor caught it. i hope that was the last of it and you'll be back to normal soon. you're still making delicious food though - this soup sounds great! take care!

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  3. I have never in my life owned silk p.j's or anything close. The best I could do were my lucky bass boxer shorts that glow in the dark. Oh yeah and to keep with the theme a t-shirt with bass on it playing instruments that says "Bass a Nova" Sexy no?

    I am glad that you are feeling better toots.

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  4. Very cool post, hope your feeling much better by the time you read this!

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  5. I will eat that even though Im not sick! Get well soon :)

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  6. Glad Ensure did the trick! What a way to recover with that soup.

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  7. Oh I sure hope you are feeling better!! The fact that you had the energy to make the soup says that you are. Sounds wonderful. Your pictures are wonderful, I particularly like the one of you eating the soup with the gorgeous green sleeves showing!! Nicely done! Hang in there...

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  8. Glad your on your way to being better. I think that soup, particularly THIS soup is a great way to start feeling a little closer to 100%. Patsy looks so happy! What a great face!

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  9. @Marisa,
    thanks..I'm thinking of making something with chicken tomorrow...if I can chew it. And Patsy was happy, she was on her way to the dog park!

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  10. Kathy, lovely post! Hope you are feeling better, I have been making tons of warm soups with all the squash and pumpkin I get from my farmer friend. Speedy recovery! And Thanks so much for the Tweet love!

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  11. I'm so happy that you're on the mend! My hubby had to have his sinuses scraped out and that was painful enough so I can't imagine what you're going through with an infection on top of it all!

    The soup does look delicious and it's amazing how that heals all kinds of ills, even ills of the soul.

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