What's For Dinner?

Tonight it was my turn to cook dinner, but when I checked the refrigerator there wasn't much to work with... one long, skinny Japanese eggplant, half a bunch of green onions, some almond milk, a scrape of margarine, a dozen eggs, and a doorful of assorted condiments. In the freezer I found most of a loaf of good whole grain bakery bread, assorted shredded cheeses, a stick of butter, and partial bags of frozen peas and corn.

I mulled over what I could make. All of a sudden I wondered if French toast could be savory instead of sweet. Turns out the internet told me it could. But what could substitute for the traditional maple syrup poured over traditional French toast? After a little more internet research I decided on a roasted eggplant and tomato pureed dip (which required swinging through the grocery store for tomatoes and flat leaf parsley).

The dip could be held more easily, so I started there. Japanese eggplant has very thin skin that doesn't need to be peeled, so I chopped it, along with 4 large plum tomatoes, all of the green onions, and 3 large cloves of garlic. I tossed the vegetables with a couple of 'glugs' of olive oil, added kosher salt/fresh ground pepper, and baked it at 425 degrees for 35 minutes. When the vegetables were done I let everything cool, then dumped it in the food processor, along with a large handful of flat leaf parsley, and pulsed until most of the chunks were broken up.

Dip

Forty-five minutes before it was time to eat it was French toast time. I combined 4 large eggs with a 3/4 cup of almond milk, a couple of minced garlic cloves, a handful of chopped parsley, a shake of onion powder, and salt/pepper. I put a couple of tablespoons of frozen butter in a baking pan and put the pan into the oven while it preheated to 400 degrees.

I soaked the bread slices in the custard mixture, placed them in the hot baking pan, then baked for 15 minutes/turned over and baked an additional 10 minutes.

Savory French toast

While the French toast was baking I nuked some frozen corn. Hubby Tony assembled the meal and set the table. 

My unusual recipe idea turned out to be pretty good, and since I made enough for four servings there is also enough for tomorrow night. I didn't write anything down, so even if I tried to recreate the dishes again they wouldn't be exactly the same, and that's okay with me.

Answer And Explanation

Hubby Tony and I walk most every day. For some reason, today that familiar exercise made the top of my left foot hurt. The sandals I was wearing, which are always comfortable, felt too tight across the top of my foot. I stopped mid-walk to loosen the strap, which helped a little bit, but by the end I was limping.

As one does in this internet age I came home and asked Dr. Google what the problem might be. She gave me several common causes to my query "top of foot pain when walking", along with a simple description of each.

Wikimedia

The one that most closely matched my symptoms was Extensor Tendinitis, which I learned could affect the tendons on the top of your feet or the back of your hands. Symptoms of the condition included pain (along a tendon or an area around it) that got worse with use, stiffness, swelling, and discoloration around a tendon.When I took a good look at the top of my foot I was surprised to see it was puffy, and there was a bruise in the sore area. No wonder I was having issues!

There were several possible causes. The first was shoes that were too tight, or shoelaces tied too tightly. Aha! I found the issue!

Figuring that a first step would be to try to alleviate the problem myself. The treatment section called for rest (by avoiding or reducing the activity that caused the issue), removing direct pressure from the top of my feet from my footwear, elevating and icing the area with a cold pack, and using an over-the counter NSAID, I took that to mean that tonight I had permission to sit on the couch with the footrest raised and a gel ice pad on the sore area. Things already feel better.

Five years ago today: Tech Inept

If You Can't Laugh At Yourself...

This afternoon our church had their annual Sausage Supper, rebranded this year as the Fall Festival. The event has been going on for decades, but over the years the menu has been revamped to include fried chicken and hot dogs. This year the menu was overhauled again to include an additional protein choice (tacos with chorizo sausage) prepared by the Latino community and modified sides (store-bought potato salad and potato chips instead of mashed potatoes, gravy, and green beans).

Once again the temperature for the day was forecast to be well above average. I had volunteered to work a shift in the kitchen, which is a traditionally a very hot place, so this morning I put on a tee shirt that had a church logo large enough to cover most of the front.

I had a couple of errands to run. The first was a stop at the grocery store just up the street to get cash from the ATM. When I got close to the door I saw people standing there wearing yellow aprons, a sign that a chapter of a fraternal group Hubby Tony belongs to was doing their annual charity donation drive.

I walked up to the door and one of the collectors greeted me by saying "and here's someone representing [church name]". I was confused, because I didn't know the person. I started to ask how they knew me, then I looked down and saw the logo on my shirt 🤣.

Five years ago today: This Day In History.....Live From New York

The Calendar Says Fall, But The Thermometer Disagrees

October is more than a quarter of the way over. At this time of year, the highs in the St. Louis area are supposed to be somewhere between 68-72°F. Instead, today the high temperature might blow past the record of 89°F (which was set in 1938).

Yesterday I was at Aldi and noticed they had bagged peaches on sale. I thought that was kind of weird, because I associate peaches with summer, but the price was right and a bag came home with me. This morning I added one of them to my lunch bag. When I ate it hours later I realized that a peach was the perfect fruit for the summer-like day.

Pixnio

Taking Baby Steps

Foster Cat Tilapia came to live with us one week ago. Hubby Tony and I quickly learned she is very skittish. Her favorite place to hang out is under the bed, where she spends most of her time, but last night sometime about midnight when I got up to use the bathroom Tilapia was curled up at the bottom of the mattress. She followed me into the bathroom and rubbed against my legs (a cat's way of showing affection) while I was sitting on the toilet, but as soon as I started walking back to bed she ran away. Hubby Tony said the same thing happened to him later in the night.

Today Tilapia came out from her hidey hole for several short visits, but always skedaddled as soon as she perceived she was noticed. Tonight I was sitting on the couch when I heard a commotion behind me. Soon I saw the cat coming around the corner. I sat very quietly while she walked over the fireplace hearth and jumped up on the cedar chest to look out the open window.

Once again, as soon as she saw I was looking at her Tilapia left the room. This time, though, she staged herself in the entrance to the living room, where she could see what was going on and still have an easy exit to her safe place.

Five years ago: No Nuking Now

Bright And Shiny Panes

As soon as temperature cooled off we opened the windows so the fresh air could come in, which made me aware that the windows were dirty and could use some attention.

I try to do window washing twice a year-in the spring after the furnace gets turned off and in the fall when the air conditioner is no longer needed. No matter what the season, after months of being exposed to the elements the outside of the glass is a mess of rain spots, caked-on dirt, and the random bird dropping. The interior surface collects fingerprints, condensation, and dust.

On Sunday, instead of recycling the newspaper I put it aside to use for drying the glass panes. The condo windows face west and southwest, so cleaning them a good job for the morning before the sun hits the glass. After breakfast I assembled my supplies and got to work.

The windows in the condo tilt in for cleaning, which makes it way easier than at the previous house where I had to hang out of the upper-story ones to clean the outside, but I could tell I was still getting a good core workout stretching across the pane to get the crud from the corners and edges. Usually I use my right hand to apply the vinegar solution and my left hand to dry it off, but today my left shoulder wasn't having all the extra work and I was forced to swap back and forth between hands. When the job was done my hands were covered in newspaper ink, and after washing the ink off I had to use a rag to get black smudges off the white window frames.

Ewwww!

All the work was worth it, though. This afternoon, it was a joy to see the sun streaming through shiny panes.

Five years ago today: Always Something Interesting Online

Seeing What There Is To See

This weekend was the first one that really felt like early Fall. There was nothing on the calendar for today, so after breakfast Hubby Tony and I decided to picked a new-to-us neighborhood to walk in.

Our route ended up being a large square. After parking the car at a municipal rec center we headed east until the street ended, then turned south until that road dumped into a major one. We headed west until turning north on the road that would return us to the car. Most of the route had sidewalks except for the last road, but that had a barely used parking lane that felt safe to walk in. I saw some interesting things along the way.

The first one was a house adorned with giant inflatable octopus tentacles bursting out of the windows.

Not too much farther down the road I saw a sign with an inspirational quote from Pope Francis. I hope a lot of people slow down enough to read and ponder on it.

The next thing was a mail box and pole that was completely covered with tiles. (Out of courtesy, I covered up the address).

Back at the community rec center this giant rabbit statue was sitting outside of the aquatic center. I was hot and tired, or I would have taken the opportunity to get a photo taken peeking out of the hole in the center.

In the afternoon I went outside to pull some weeds in the retaining wall across the street from the condo building, then wandered over to the one-street subdivision that's being built next to ours. Most of the land is green and manicured, but in between the two developments there's a small strip that's a melange of weeds. There I found some coreopsis that escaped someone's garden and made itself at home in nature.

On the way back home I noticed small starter trees planted in front of ones that had been there for decades. Some day a long time from now the area will be lush and shady.

Five years ago: Microwave Woes

Welcoming A New Feline Friend

It only took three days for Hubby Tony and I to welcome another foster cat into our condo.

The shelter gave us several options for cats they were looking to place. The first was a young female. Tony and I have had cats for more than 40 years, and by coincidence they've all been male, so I thought a change would be perfect! I didn't realize we were getting another small panther until I saw a photo on the shelter's volunteer Facebook page.

Our new friend

The shelter likes to give special names to family groups. Young mama Tilapia was pregnant when she arrived in mid-June and went to a foster parent who specializes in newborn kittens. At the end of the month she delivered Perch, Catfish, Trout and Carp. After the kittens were weaned Tilapia was spayed, and after recovering moved to the adoption lounge. However, she did not enjoy the noise and hubbub there, and the staff thought she needed a place of her own.

Foster Cat Tilapia was very vocal on the ride home, and curious when we brought her into the condo. Although we had my office set up as a safe room with everything she needed, it didn't take her long to start exploring. I found her hunkered down behind the toilet in the hall bathroom. She didn't like that her hiding place was discovered, so later Tony found her behind the dryer taking a nap.

There's a rule of thumb for bringing cats into a new place--three days to decompress, three weeks to learn the house routines, and three months to feel fully at home. We will let Foster Cat Tilapia move at her own pace and let us know when she feels like a real member of the family.

Five years ago: Destination Unknown

Toodle-oo

At the beginning of the month Hubby Tony and I heard that someone was interested in possibly adopting Foster Cat Smokey Joe. We set up a meet and greet, which went well. However, the adopter took her time completing the paperwork and it wasn't until today that the contract was signed and I received an email that the she would like to pick him up this evening.

It took about an hour for the adopter and her boyfriend to arrive. During that time I packed up a couple of Smokey Joe's favorite toys to send with him. Both Tony and I took turns playing with him. When his new 'parents' arrived they brought a cool-looking backpack cat carrier. We chatted for a little while about some of Smokey Joe's likes and dislikes, took a photo of them sitting on the couch with their new family member, then helped them get the cat in the carrier.

When Smokey Joe was gone I sent an email to the shelter telling them that we were ready for a new foster cat, then sent the same information to the family text group and posted it on Facebook. I can't wait to see what our new foster cat is like.

Bye! Good luck!

Five years ago today: Cup Of Joe

Peppery And Piquant

Hubby Tony and I attended a convention this weekend. After a heavy bar food meal on Friday night, on Saturday we were looking for something light and vegetable-forward for lunch. We ended up at a Chinese restaurant that had a nice variety of options on the menu.

When we walked in shortly after the restaurant opened there was only one other table occupied. It took a bit of time for us to be greeted by an smiling, older Chinese man. When he spoke his English was very broken (which I always take as a sign the food will be authentic). He indicated we could choose any table we wanted.

The menu had both English and Chinese names for the entrees. Tony and I each chose a dish to share. Mine was Hot and Sour Stir-Fried Cabbage (酸辣白菜). Tony ordered a plate of vegetarian dumplings (素馅水饺). The waiter was the same man who greeted us. He took the time to verify that I was sure I wanted a dish without any meat in it, which I considered very thoughtful.

As we waited for our food I could hear the sound of the metal spatula scraping against the side of the wok, a sure sign something was being stir fried. Eventually the waiter brought out both dishes, then made a second trip for smaller plates-two for eating and a third holding a scoop of rice.

My cabbage dish was just what I was craving-perfectly cooked greens in a salty, hot, sour sauce. Instead of tiny red spicy peppers I know to avoid in any dish, this one included rings of brown that I turned out to be slices of mildly-spicy peppers.

Tony and I managed to polish off both dishes. When the waiter came to ask us if we needed anything else I asked him what type of peppers had been in the dish. He seemed quite excited that I asked, but said he didn't know the English name and would check in the kitchen. A couple of minutes later he reappeared, holding a single pepper in one hand and an almost empty commercial sized bag in the other.

The waiter asked if I wanted to take a pepper home. I was honored, but I declined. He insisted I take a photo for reference, then went to get the bill. When he came back with it he also had two Ziploc bags, each holding a couple of tablespoons of the chili in flake form.

Back at home, I used the internet to find out the pepper was an Er Jing Tiao, considered the most common pepper in Sichuan cuisine, which has a low to medium heat combined with subtle sweetness, high fruitiness, and a robust fragrance.

Now all I have to do is come up with a recipe for the gifted flakes.