Update and Recent Cooking Notes
Soldiering on and even cooking a bit, but mostly telling Ernie what to cook.
I’m here, I’m here. A bit quiet because I kind of feel like I’m being pummeled from all sides, phone calls from Carle, phone calls about medical bills, physical therapy appointment, nurse visits, work, what’s for dinner, etc. Just regular old life but it can make your head spin sometimes.
I did get up the back stairs again the other day. I wasn’t quite as successful but still managed to be upright at the end lol, so that’s progress! I feel good about my progress but I’m anxious as I’ll have a couple of appts outside of the house next week. Think good thoughts for me, folks.
Now, in random food notes:
When I was in the hospital for two weeks I ate gluten every day and was just fine. The garlic and onion sadly still bothered me and I tried some mushrooms the other day and that didn’t go well so I still need to stay on my low fodmap diet, but perhaps I can tolerate more gluten than I did? Of course I wish it were the reverse, it’s much easier to avoid gluten than garlic and onion. It’s something though. We shall see.
Who can ever have enough vegetables? Evidently we can’t as Ernie got these at the farmers market this morning and we already got our half share from Sola Gratia on Thursday.
Speaking of cherry tomatoes, (I know we weren’t but, there are some in the picture above so I’m going with that), have you noticed that there is some kind of cherry tomato takeover? You look for new tomato recipes and they’re all cherry tomatoes. I’m not sure how I feel about this. I love cherry tomatoes but am eternally teaam underdog, so I just don’t know.
Ok, some of my food pics are dreadful. We’ve rearranged and I’ve lost access to a lamp. I will work on that.
This recipe turned into a game of telephone as I gave Ernie periodic instructions on the various steps. When he served we realized he’d somehow inverted a step or two but it was so good I rewrote the recipe. I didn’t have za’atar so made my own mixture of sesame seeds, thume and sumac. The zucchini was dark in spot but seemed to pretty much escape the mushy state so many zucchini give their lives to.
Roasted Zucchini and Shrimp With Za’atar Yogurt
adapted from the New York Times
1½ pounds zucchini, halved and sliced into ½-inch-thick half-moons
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1¼ teaspoons fine sea or table salt, more to taste
½ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, more as needed
1½ pounds shelled extra-large shrimp
4 teaspoons za’atar (or mix together thyme, sesame seeds and sumac)
1 lemon, finely zested and juiced
⅔ cup plain whole-milk yogurt
Place rack 6 inches from broiler, and heat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together zucchini, 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes. Spread evenly on a rimmed sheet pan. Roast until the zucchini is nicely browned all over, about 25 minutes, tossing halfway through.
While the zucchini roasts, pat shrimp dry and then toss with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, ½ teaspoon salt, remaining ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes, 4 teaspoons za’atar, lemon zest and yoghurt. Let sit at room temperature while the zucchini roasts. Remove zucchini from oven and turn the broiler to high. Add shrimp to the sheet pan with the zucchini, spreading it out evenly. Broil for 2 to 5 minutes, or until the shrimp just cooks through (watch it carefully so the shrimp don’t overcook). Serve with a dollop of plain yoghurt and fresh herbs if desired.
Another sheetpan night last night. A couple of bratwurst pulled out of the freezer and defrosted. Then roasted at 425 degrees along with some sweet red peppers and slices of fennel, all from Sola Gratia. A drizzle of balsamic vinegar over it all when done kept the sweetness of the peppers from overwhelming the dish. The fennel was delightful.
Salad greens, tomatoes, and crispy salmon.
Fried egg, spicy salad greens, a bit of cheddar.
I’m going to be quiet today. Maybe take a nap, Do my PT stuff, figure out what to have for dinner, conquer the cord situation in our media room and find a way to have a lamp next to me. Small, easily (hopefully) achievable goals. Tomorrow will be a back to work, use your brain kind of day. Just one day of rest first.
Onward.
Love,
Cynthia