Other Skills That Are Helping My Recovery...

I have been keeping myself busy with my yarn and other crafts doing with my Grandkids (Gkids)...

I had an extended stay with my son and his family to regain my health due to a slight water issue with my heart...that was taken care of with rest and water pills...

The best part was all the time I got to spend with my Gkids.... they loved to learn to cook... my eight year old Gdaughter makes perfect omelettes.. if you do not Cook you would not appreciate the complexity it takes to make and flip eggs... Many people take years to learn... it took her one miss and 8 perfect ones in one day!!!... I'm so proud of how well they cook... My 9 year old can completely set up and grill on his own... and the 10 year old is great with noodle type dishes... My Son had them making Raviolis just before I came home on Sunday... I had him cooking with me since he was 2.... he loved making his own baby raviolis... {of course I saved extra dough just in case any hit the floor ;)... he always gave my mom the ones he made...}

Holding the egg in your hand...crack the egg on flat surface...put thumbs in the crack and pull to the sides...

After you crack your eggs... poke the yolks... 

this makes it easier to  whip your eggs evenly...

Pour into a preheated pan...

As you cook the eggs... Gentle pull away from the sides while tilting the pan to allow the raw eggs to fill the space you have just created...

This is when you will add fillings on half of the eggs before flipping...

Flip and let the cheese melt..flip one more time and you are ready to serve!...{see her little feet :-) }

I am on Pinterest...

 

 

Hi I just wanted to update this page a bit...

 

 

I am not sure how to get to my comments on this page... when I figure it out I will respond as soon as possible...

 

I am much better at Pinterest and I Add this symbol {} when I add a comment... I will answer there if you comment and I will give suggestions if you like...

 

I will be receiving help loading pictures and recipes soon as well... this blog spot is a bit challenging for me right now...

 

Blessings everyone and I will add something at least once a week from now on...

 

thanks for understanding...

 

Mary Byers {Disabledironchef mjb}

 

These are a few common foods and Techniques that I have used to help with pain and Memory...

 

I would rather use natural ways as much as possible in my health care...

 

 Dr. Mary Newport had a video (YouTube) out about her husband's decline do to Alzheimer's... I have involuntary body movements along with memory issues... so I wanted to learn more.... she was studying the effects of coconut oil on her husband... his Alzheimer's disease was fairly advanced... to me.... he seemed to have greater cognitive skills after taking daily doses of coconut oil...so I started adding it to my diet... I'm not telling people to do this... but since I have been using it for the last year and half... I have noticed that my speech (terrible stutter) hard time making the words in my head come out of my mouth... has become more fluent... my tremors have decreased a great deal.. numbers have slowly been coming back to me.... example... I know it is the year 2016 without being told over and over... I still can not remember the month and date.... but baby steps...

 

I use Ginger Root and  Turmeric Root to help with the inflammation in my joints.... I drink coffee with 3 whole cloves to help with the migraines... coconut oil in hopes that it will continue to help with memory....

 

#Garlic #Tea Recipe:

  

In a large saucepan... bring 3 cups of water... 3 cloves of #Garlic (cut in half) to a boil... Turn off the heat when the water boils, and add 1/2 cup of #Raw Honey and 1/2 cup of fresh #Lemon juice (*ReaLemon works fine... it was noted somewhere I read that an actual lemon has better health benefits) lemon juice... Strain... Sip 1/2 cup of warm tea... 3x times a day... Refrigerate remainder in a mason jar to prevent smell in fridge... *Garlic is great for intestine healing... anti fungal... many more qualities...  

  

 

#Natural Homemade Cough Suppressant

• 2 thick slices of fresh #Pineapple...  *#Peel Pineapple... keep core intact (about two good cups)1 Tbsp. *#Raw Honey...
• 1/2 tsp #Cayenne Pepper... (omit or reduce for children)...
• A thumb sized piece of fresh #Ginger, peeled and sliced or rough chopped... put in a good blender... strain or drink as is for more fiber...
•  

#Rosemary and Garlic Tea
 

1 sprig of Rosemary... 4 cloves of fresh garlic... 1 rinsed Star Anise...

(I Put into a coffee press)... add boiling water and seep for 15 minutes... strain...

 

 

 

Someone mentioned that my writing was pretty good... they... however... are not seeing me on the computer speaking and it is writing... the frustration of not finding the right words the first time...I write a general statement and then go back and look at it... I re-read it and replace as many simple words with more interesting words... Books and reading were my passion after my art... I was that... word snob... that always had to have a well stated sentence... now I'm relying on how it sounds to me after reading it... and not if I am using correct grammar... 

Strolling down a different avenue of healing...

 

 

I am sorry for the delay in my posts... I have had a bit of a set back... My body has not been cooperating for these few weeks...

I was asked to post a bit more than just about food.... The reason for me was cooking has helped my find coping memories... Food has helped with my recovery because it was the longest memory I have.... I have met new people and a few new tricks ... but they don't stick as well unless I can attach them to a past memory... I am trying to get into photography again to stimulate my artist side... hopefully the more my mind reaches... the more that will come back...

 

One of the things they have me do to access the part of brain that stores numbers and dates... they have me play a card game on the computer called Hearts... having two key reasons... It forces my brain to see numbers... colors... shapes... put them in some logical order... but has a feature that blocks out numbers or shapes that can not be played... this also keeps me from getting frustrated by too many choices... It also helps me to keep trying even when I lose... a lot.. hahaha

Today was a milestone of sorts... with minimal assistance I got on a city bus... rode for 35 minutes and got off at a stop where someone was waiting... I know to many this sounds very basic... but for me... it was a terrifying yet huge accomplishment all wrapped in one...  Of course my trip was a straight shot and I didn't have to get off of the bus (or transfer to another one).... it adds to the feeling of independence that I am striving for....

Monday... I get a scooter... since I really can't see much for peripheral vision... this is going to be a challenge... there are bike paths I can access to get to general places... after I have been accompanied on the trails a few more times... If I get gutsy... I will post a pic or two of my adventures....

 

Blessings to all of you out there that have to live through similar situations... I am going to start a Facebook page with this site because I am more familiar with the format and I can answer question easier...

 

I was told you could comment on here but people tend to IM me on fb...

 

 

Where do You get your cooking inspirations!..

Mine come from but are not limited too... the many talented people in my Life who shared their secrets with me... talented people I watch on food shows... blogs... web pages... YouTube... and the skills I see on Pinterest... If I have made them and they are as good as I think they might be... I will share with you... that way at least one of us did the hit and miss part before you spend money for supplies...

Chef Madhur Jaffrey is one of them... I found her spice blends so wonderful... of course you can find some wonderful time saving *pre-blended spices*...

She uses a cast iron skillet (cast iron allows for high even heat... If you ever wanted the ultimate home kitchen pot... it would be a ceramic Dutch oven... work great on top of the stove or in the oven) bake  to bring the spices alive... If you do not have cast iron... a heavy pan works fine... as you are just heating on a dry skillet...

when whole spices are heated... they release a wonderful intensified and inviting flavor... first you are captured by the aroma... then thrilled by the magic it does to your cooking...

This spice combination of spices is southern...

Dry Spices

 2T coriander seeds... 1 t black peppercorns... 1/4 t fenugreek seeds (you do not ever use to much of this...only a little)... they will not take long to toast up... as the coriander start to turn a little brown you will smell the aroma and crackling sound... pour onto a paper towel and let cool slightly... then add them into a coffee grinder or spice grinder until they become a fine powder...

now you are ready for the additional dry spices that make it rock...
2 parts paprika and 1 part cayenne pepper together will replace the nice med-heat peppers from their country ( I live by a wonderful Indian Market that sells everything... so I grind them)... Turmeric
*I love to grind and toast my own spices because the oils release such an aromatic that truly enhances the foods taste*

Wet Paste

1/2 red pepper...  5 shallots... 1 inch of ginger... 5 cloves garlic... into a blender with just enough water to blend... so add 1TBS and another TBS if needed... scrap down and add 8 chopped raw cashew nuts... spice mixture

These are approximate measurements as most cooks that have been cooking for years... tend to just dump their ingredient's into a pan... well... that is what it looks like to most people... the truth is we have our measurements down to a bit of science... we predict how much to use by how it looks in our hand... the diameter of the pan... or the size of our pinch... two finger pinch... three finger pinch.. etc... I suggest that you do as my sister-in-law did...she captured the amount of spices I was adding and then measured it to tell how much my pinch is... you can do that as well and get to know the amount of your pinch ;-)...

As you keep exploring your new found talent for cooking... you will find yourself doing this in no time!..

It has to be made sour... so they use *Tamarind... it comes in a brick and you break off a piece as needed... you add water and let it sit over night... the next day pour out into a strainer or sieve.. and squeeze out the pulp.. making sure to scrape the bottom of strainer... that's where the good stuff lives!

med-high heat for pan... eat raw dark brown mustard seeds pungent and bitter... but toasted in oil they become sweet and nutty... curry leaves for aroma... add the paste... keep stirring to brown paste... it is done when the oil separates from the paste...  1 3/4 cups water... 1 tsp salt... 1 TBS Tamarind... simmer vigorously for 5 min... then use coarse sieve to strain... push out
Basmati rice.. long and fine... expanding both in length and width.. was rice 5 -6 times... then add enough water to cover by 1 inch.. soak about 30 min... then drain in strainer and let drip until needed...
2 T in pan corn or sesame oil... 2 in. cinnamon stick... 3 green cardamom pods... 1 shallot cut into fine slivers... let it brown... add rice and gently sauté it... add 1 cup of chopped dill... salt... 2 2/3 cup chicken stock (for every 1 cup raw rice... 1 1/3 cup of liquid)... you need to have a tight fitting lid... she put aluminum over pot first... the pushed the pot lid down on top of it... put in 325f oven for 25-30 min..


wash~ soaking~ sauté

I'm hoping to get more Indian (India) recipes from my friend Rose on here soon...

Blessings


 

This is a special little shout out to Dan and Mikey from the Crochet Crowd...

Dan recently had a heart attack and I express my feelings of gratefulness to them for helping me fight for my recovery... unintentionally it lead to many special messages sent to me in response... I have found that there are many other people that Mikey has inspired... also... that many other people are trying to cope with traumatic brain injury... I hope that my little contribution will help them fight for more.... life... enjoyment... peace of mind that they can come from finding that one spark that makes life worth fighting for....

Blessings to all that sent me such beautiful messages... side note... when I say blessings I'm not trying to conform any one to religion or God... just that to me a blessing is finding something joyful in life and then to celebrate it....

 

Blessings 



#Broccoli ~ #Black-eyed Pea #Omelet with hot sauce...

#High protein breakfast

 

To keep my muscles in shape... I have to eat Protein... so here is a meatless high protein breakfast that you don't have to drink... 

 

This was made in about 15 minutes... including the thaw time for veggies and plating...
I would say this is the recipe... but truthfully this is more of... what do I feel like creating today....and then assembly it... that is... if you do the food prep before hand...
~ Ingredients ~
2 Eggs ~ 1/4 tsp Turmeric ~ Handful of Broccoli ~ 1/2 cup Black-eyed Peas
1/4 cup of chopped onions ~ 1 piece of a Cinnamon Stick ~ 3 Whole Cloves (making sure to count and remove same amount...stick and cloves)
~ 1/4 tsp Minced Garlic ~ Kosher Salt ~ Pepper
~ Hot Sauce.. I used  Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
Cold Pressed Coconut Oil or Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Optional: Protein Powder ~ Milk ~to eggs
Total time: 15 minutes... this includes plating and hot sauce drizzle ;-)

First I used Coconut Oil in a medium-hot pan... Sauté the Onions alone for a bit to soften... then add a pinch of Salt this allows the onions to *sweat*... then add the *Cinnamon stick and Cloves* it will release its oils and when you can smell them... about 5 minutes or less... its time to add the *Black-eyed Peas*... When they have warmed up... reduce to medium heat... add the *Minced Garlic* time along with the Broccoli...

With each stage of veggie cooking... it's time to get the eggs ready..

You will need to whip 2 EGGS and a medium bowl... this will give you the room to get volume in your eggs... by adding 1/4 tsp Turmeric I have increased my natural pain relief benefit... as for adding it for the art of the food... it gives the yolks a wonderful (dark...depending on amount used) yellow color... Add the Salt and Pepper... Optional protein powder is added now as well... At this point you may or may not add a small amount of milk... I did NOT add milk... if you do add the milk... do not add to much milk or the eggs will not hold their shape... also the eggs will become watery... until they are completely *incorporated*... that just means to mix it well... Heat your pan before you make your eggs... by holding your hand over the pan about 2 inches... you can feel the heat from the pan... it's time to the add your oil... I use #Cold Pressed Coconut Oil... but you could also use #Extra Virgin Olive Oil (as Rachel Ray would say "EVOO")... I prefer the heather fats to work with... I have found that... as my eggs are cooking... I can gently pull the eggs from the sides of the pan with a spatula creating an open space in the pan... while I gentle roll the pan... it allows the raw, loose eggs to roll off the top of the cooked egg... allowing them fill that opening I have just created... two benefits happen from this... first... eggs cook faster... second... it creates volume in the omelet...
win - win...

Now its time to Plate!...

I like to fill my omelet while it is in the pan... to do so... I only put filling on one-half of the omelet... In order to flip the egg over the filling... you need to loosen the omelet from the pan... do this by running the spatula around the edge of the pan loosen... this will start to release omelet from the pan... slightly tilt the pan as close to the plate without touching... once the filling side slides onto the plate...gently lift the pan and lay the other half over omelet... then drizzle on the Hot Sauce

Another option to release omelets: 

 

Believe it or not... there are many ways to release an omelet from a pan... When I was stronger...  I liked to slightly tilt my pan with the filling side ready to leave the pan first... with a constant gently pounding motion to my fore-arm it will release quickly and plate beautifully...

 "Never waste food" and "there are no mistakes in cooking...it's just new recipe waiting to happen'...  Grandma Marion