Jamie Lee
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Posts posted by Jamie Lee
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Hey, baroness..
That brings up an interesting point... instead of, or with, food offerings... what about a "room clean" - bring your bucket, cleaning products - don't say no for an answer, and clean the kitchen, the bath, the living/family room where they receive guests?
You'd have to know the recipients well, and do it with loving tact, but would that be awesome?
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Bruce,
You are one of my thai cooking warrior heros!!!!
If you could only have one thai cookbook, which one would it be?
(And if you were a tree, what tree would you be? - just kidding, channeling my inner Babba Walters!)
Question open to all, please!
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I'm embarrased to admit I was too scared and worried about details (My story is very different from yours)... that I didn't take the time to appreciate pre-treatment well-being and appetite. (Hence this thread!)
If I could do it over, and knowing a bit about your situation (devoted husband and toddler in your life), I'd do this:
1. If I didn't have one, I'd buy a vacuum sealer.
2. Agree with hubby to forget the food budget for now.
3. Different dinner every night - selected from all my favorites. To Hell with calories! To Hell with fat grams and carbs!
4. I'd revel in the gathering of ingredients, finding only the best (Remember #2) and plan for meals that either have warm comfort memories, personal remembrances, or things I just plain love. I'd focus on prep and cooking, too... creating long-lasting memories of the way I relish the way the actual kitchen time feels, how it nourishes me and delights me.
5. I'd never eat the leftovers from these dinners (except for breakfast
), but instead would vacuum pack them in single servings and freeze. They'll be a welcome way to put dinner on the table for the family when you're not feeling so good, and a welcome way to take advantage of the days between treatment when you can eat. Even if the appetite is suffering, and even if you can't eat the quantities you did before, they'll be a comfort.6. I don't bake, but I think you do, so I'd figure how to use "guidelines" to incorporate that love.
7. I'd make a different soup each day (big batches) for lunch. And again vacuum pack the leftovers.
Specifics for me would be:
Dinners:
- Thai seafood curry with jasmine rice - I'd go for it - the best shrimp and lobster!
- Batches of Larb - probably pork
- My sinful but incredible Eggplant Parmesan (made-from-scratch "all-day-simmered") tomato sauce, breaded and fried slices of eggplant, tons of cheese - yum.
- A large pan of gourmet mac-n-cheese. I'd take a trip to the best cheese shop in town and go nuts.
- A standing rib roast, complete with Yorkshire Puddings and a kick ass jus. I wouldn't forget the spiciest horseradish/sourcream sauce...
- A killer roast chicken (or two) served with garlic smashed potatoes and a pan sauce. Skin, bone and dice leftovers for and endless variety of addon meals.
- The one last "going out to a restaurant" meal would be a blow-out at the best sushi place in town. (I've shared that my doc has "forbid" any raw protein until I'm done with treatment. Damn I miss sushi, ceviche, beef/tuna tartar, caesar salad made with raw yolks, etc.!)
Sides:
- Any fresh veggie (leftovers if any for b'fast)
- Great rice (not sure about freezing, leftovers don't last long in my house when I can eat between b'fast (cream, sugar and cinnamon), luncheon rice salads, fried rice, etc.)
Soups:
- Gazpacho
- Creamed carrot/ginger
- Pasta e Faglio or Minestrone
- 10-Bean with ham hock
- Viccychoise (sp) - but not sure how this would freeze.
Malawry - I know every experience with cancer and treatment is different... "Your Mileage May Vary" - there will be (probably) be some bad days, and (inevitably)some good days. Eating, cooking, your family, other simple pleasures (sunrises, the smells of flowers, the smiles of hubby and baby) will still be there through good and bad.
On a last note, I realize this post is concentrated around food, so please, no comments about how family time should trump food time! Malawry asked about food, eGullet is food-centric, and I'm keeping it to those realms.
Malawry - Best of luck - Chin up and hopefully mouth open!
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May i ask..what is the size?
( How many..per pound?)
If they are large enough...split them shell on lengthwise from head to tail.
Place them shell side down on a skillet.
Sprinkle with a bit of olive oil, Herb De Provence, Black Pepper and salt.
Cook until the flesh turns from translucent to almost white ( do not turn or flip).
Add a bit of butter.
Serve with salad.
Or add long pasta..spagetti, fettuccine ot tagliatelle with chopped flat leave parsley!
Oh, they are big enough - They were marked "2-4" - and packed in a kilo box. There are six of them, at least six inches long (not counting antennae or claws).
Thanks, iii_bake - this sounds like the best opportunity yet! (I don't have access to a grill, or I would probably try that as well.
Camera should be here today, I do "before and after" pics!
Thanls a lot!
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I love this topic...
A totally silly thing my brother and I would do is to hide a bit of a "good treat".... then when the other was done eating their treat, we would victoriously brandish the hidden bit "Ah ha! I have some left" then scarf it in the presence of the "without" sibling...
Often the "diss-ed" sibling would pull out ANOTHER hidden bit, and tease the first sibling... "Ah ha"
And on and on... (We learned to stash multiple tidbits..)
It took me years to learn to eat the best parts first, 'cause then you only had the best parts left, when you ate those, you only had the best parts left, and so on and so on..
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If that's not the coolest thing! (Maybe another thread should be started by someone who has used one! It's intriguing for those of us with no smoker, grill or outdoor space...)
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Dividend:
Great blog! KC was the best city I ever lived in - not only because I had a great circle of single pals, not only because of all the WONDERFUL places to nosh, not only because I got into the habit of buying symphony, opera and ballet season tickets (Sunday matinees, leaving plenty of time for my guests to treat me to brunch at any number of awesome places!) not only because of their awesome farmer's market surrounded by "mortar and brick" specialty shops - but all of that, plus living in a condo just off the Plaza! It was good times.
(Moved to a much less desirable locale because of a job offer.
)You're a lucky gal.
(Figlio's, JJ's, Fedora's and especially Grand Street Cafe were some of my favorites. I took clients to Plaza III when they came to town - what's not safe about a good steakhouse in the Midwest for visitors - and spent many an hour in their lounge after dinner enjoying one of their great cigars!) (And yes, I am female, and this was way before Demi and others popularized cigar smoking females!
)J. <--- No longer smokes any substance of any kind.
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Hey, Mark:
I'm an insomniac also! Since you're an American Expat, can you recommend where some of us homelanders will be able to find the foods/ingredients you're going to showcase? (Online, nearline or otherwise!)
I lived in Germany for 1-1/2 years and traveled to Amsterdam regularily - unfortunately, I was a silly college girl and spent more time at the Mad Dog than in fine eating establishments! (The Mad Dog was an infamous hash bar associated with mostly tourists whose "two-for-one hash night" on Thursdays caused many of us college students to cut Thursday afternoon and Friday classes.
We always stayed at a "hotel" called The Hotel California - you didn't rent a room you rented a bed in a room with whomever got there first - guys, girls, all nationalities, all "persuasions"...
Later we discovered renting a bunk in houseboats on the canals - tiny, claustrophobic, cramped, but cheap!
Unfortunately I had yet to discover my true foodie inclinations, and remember only the delicious fries (frites), wonderful waffles and Heineken. (Sound like the diet of a silly college gal spending too much time at the Mad Dog?)
I do also remember wonderful afternoons strolling the canals, musing at the rijksmuseum, renting bikes and going as far away from town as we could manage.
Can't wait to see another side of a wonderful city! A wonderful addition to Chufi's already priceless blogs.
Blog on, and please, don't hold back on photos - of food or picturesque scenery!
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I've been on a massive thai binge lately (thanks to the Thai Cooking at Home thread!)
Tonight, I really wanted yet ANOTHER Larb (!), but was out of everything - some sauces, ground meat, lettuce, every green and herb one would want. I got to be too lazy to do the shopping - I needed to hit the Asian Market (for thai basil, lemongrass, reasonably priced limes, mint, cilantro, fish sauce, dark soy, tamarind, palm sugar - you get it - on and on!)
Instead I had a favorite pantry meal that I hadn't had in a while... PASTA PUTTANESCA!
How wonderful and easy is this to make? Even if I don't have fresh onion, I always have chopped onion (chopped and frozen before they go "off"), garlic, canned San Marzano toms, bits of basil and fresh parsley, capers, anchovies and pasta (although, of course not in that order!)... sliced parm on top, and fresh mozz saved for leftover "reheats"!
I hit it with plenty of red pepper flakes (guess I can't get the "spicy" out of my system) and it rocked!
Pics will come shortly (for future meals, leftovers from this one will become B'Fast!)... I promise!
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I used to get freshwater shrimp -- claws and all, like you describe -- in Indiana. Up here, I see them pretty often, but with just the head.
Anyway, in both cases, they don't take well to boiling -- the texture tends to be a little funny. I saute them, and there's a lot of liquid that cooks off. I've got a pound in the freezer right now that I was thinking of putting in a Savu smoker bag, but we'll see.
Ktepi:
I have read the same on boiling - not recommended by a number of sites. What do you saute them in? What herbs/sauces/spices do you add? Head on? Shell on?
Do tell!
What is a Savu smoker bag?
ETC: Stupid spelling error - why did they put the "R" so close to the "E"?
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If they have claws on, bright blue when raw and are frozen in an Asian grocer they are more then likely farmed fresh water shrimp Macrobrachium rosenbergii. These are appearing everwhere and on several USA TV programs (including Iron Chef America) I have seen them described as "Langoustines", which they aren't and also for sale in Australia as "Scampi" which they also aren't.
Adam, your research is consistent with mine... There are also of lots of "farm raised FW shrimp" hits in the US - in mostly southern states - Tennessee, Alabama, Kentucky, Louisianna, Florida.. and more.
Mine are a "product of Vietnam". Makes sense, production in Vietnam is only preceded by China, India and Thailand.
So now, can you help with prep ideas? Cook head on, or off. Use scissors to trim all those antennae and claws - will they add anything to a stock made with shells/heads? Some websites implore one to de-head them asap, as some enzyme (?) in the head will make the tails mushy...
What's everybody's take on "deveining"? I've read posts where we "fiddlely" Americans make too much ado about ridding our shrimp/prawns of their intestinal tract. Is it different if the shrimp/prawns are wild or farmed? Domestic or imported?
Mine are individually frozen and are definitely "U8s" (Under 8 to a pound), and maybe even larger.
It's all so interesting! TIA for any help! I haven't cooked them yet because I'm out of all staples (garlic, basil(s), certain thai sauces, greens/herbs of every persuasion), and I don't know if I'm up to a grocery/asian market rampage right now.
<--- Yes, I'm a newbie food geek
Thanks for all your experienced input! -
Susan: Thanks for the link to the chinese food pictorials... I'm thinking one of the sauteed dishes with plenty of hot stuff!
The mystery of what I have has been solved! (You can find anything on the Internet!)
They are large, male freshwater shrimps (aka freshwater prawns)!
From Wikipedia:
"There are three different morphotypes of males. The first stage is called "small male" (SM); this smallest stage has short, nearly translucent claws. If conditions allow, small males grow and metamorphose into "orange claws" (OC), which have large orange claws on their second chelipeds, which may have a length of 0.8 to 1.4 their body size. OC males later may transform into the third and final stage, the "blue claw" (BC) males. These have blue claws, and their second chelipeds may become twice as long as their body."
Mine have very long blue chelipeds and claws. I will still post a pic when I get my new camera.
Thanks to everyone for their input!
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I don't think they are Mantis Shrimp. I need to replace my dig camera, will post beauty shot as soon as I do (seems like a good excuse to buy a new camera!
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I just opened a box of "whole" shrimp fron my newly discovered Asian market.
I hoped for the rare, but prized "head on" shrimp... what I got was WHOLE shrimp!
Yes, I'm an idiot.These monsters have anntena(e), heads, tails, shells, and two "arms" with lobster-like claws.
I've got them frozen in individual bags, but how do I clean them, cook them, eat them?
Help?
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Wow, Mottmott,
I'm a bit out of words.
I'm sorry for your loss. I'm also sorry if I inadvertantly caused anyone facing, or anyone who will face, a fear of chemotherapy or any other cancer treatment.
It is indeed, a case by case, one person at a time, decision. My choice is not a "YMMV - Your Mileage May Vary" decision. My choice to start this thread was simply to reminisce about meals lost, not to cause pain or fear.
J.
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On an optimistic note, not everyone suffers during chemo.
You're so right. I watched a best friend stuggle with leukemia 10 years ago, and she had it much tougher than I do. The knowledge about anti-nausea drugs they give you with ("piggyback") the chemo drugs has come a long way.
Sorry if I have come off all "doom and gloom" - I have my good days and my bad days, and IGW (If God's Willing) will have many days - good or bad - to follow!
One day, one bite, one hug - at a time!
J.
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Camerilli's is gone?
Metro Diner is gone?
Wow, what a few years will bring.
Sorry, Joiei, you are obviously well more qualified to answer this question than I. I didn't mean to dismiss Tulsa or the dining scene there.
When I lived there, it seemed everywhere I like got closed... there was a seafood/chowder place in the shopping center near Hillcrest, the Meditterean (sp?) place that closed in Brookside, A good chinese place on 5th Street.
I hope you can offer alternatives to the OP that are better than mine!
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I do remember one gentleman who came in with a sports bottle loaded with lemon water at each treatment.
I'm a "lime water junkie!"
I do understand the community in both the chemo room and the support groups I attend. I don't know where else you'd find such an honest, daring, brave group of people. It's one of the blessings of being sick!
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Hey, Malawry..
You asked for suggestions...
As a "certiified" foodie, I had one more suggestion...
Once you are a chemo or radiation patient, you are now "immunocompromised" (sp)... my docs said I couldn't do sushi, carpaccio, seviche, (although not in that language - she was definitely not a foodie!).. but really, no raw meat or seafood..
If you end up doing radiation as well, (I don't, but had a dear friend battle leukemia including full-body radiation), the restrictions are even tighter. (based on my TOTALLY non -medical recollections, she couldn't even have fresh veggies, or garden, or farmers market goods.)
It will all pass, so don't be afraid... but if I were you I'd scarf sushi right now! I am not making light of your situation, but, I miss sushi so much!
<-- wishing you the best.
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I lived in Tulsa a few years ago, and it's a tough town for dining...
I'd avoid Polo Grill, oft sited as "best fine dining" it left me cold ... Polo Grill
You're are unfortunately going to miss the best middle eastern food, served by the sweetest Pakistani couple aat Halim and Mimi's (Review) but they used to close down from Memorial to Labor day (for their vacation!), and were only open for lunch and a once-a-week early dinner. Great hummus, baba, their signature H & M chicken, gyros and much more. Check, though, maybe they changed their MO and now stay for part or all of the summer.
There's an okay sushi place in Brookside (okay, it's a FANTASTIC sushi place for OK!
) called In the Raw Website It used to be packed, so if it is still so, go early or late.I used to love Cammerelli's (Italian) on Cherry Street, but hear it's gone downhill.
If you can find Ike's - it's another hole-in-the wall Tulsa tradition serving greasy (but yummy) chili served two-ways, three-ways, four-ways.
Last but not least, The Metro Diner Metro Diner is a kitsch-ey but fun retro route 99 diner with good burgers, breakfast all day, biscuits that are great (be sure to ask for REAL butter, or they'll bring you a marg-substitute..)
I wish I could tell you all about my fav places, but most have gone. I wasn't wild about Tulsa, but resent even more the non-adventurous food nature of what seems to be the majority of residents.
Sapulpa is a bit of a dining desert, although if you're looking for something close and easy, there is a Mexican (more Tex-Mex place) on Taft, some locals think Freddie's is "the bomb" Freddie's - good local food if beef is your game and prime isn't the target.
Hope this helps!
BTW: Cherry Street and Brookside are the areas to troll if you want to wing it.
Disclaimer... I haven't live in Tulsa for 5 years so YMMV.
ETA: Can't type
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Okay, sazji, you win so far IMO.... those are precious stories!
Any one want to try to beat Sazji?
I have at least one more, but they're not food related, so they may have to find another website!
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Does the chemo affect your sense of taste? My wife is a cancer survivor, and found that for several days after each treatment, nearly all foods tasted equally bland, only with a nasty metallic overtone like she was eating pennies.
It's strange you should mention the metallic taste - When I get chemo, and they hang the final IV bag with the "nasty" stuff, it takes only seconds for me to get the most intense wave of metallic taste in my mouth - more like sucking nickels than pennies - not that I do either on a regular basis!
It doesn't last all that long, tho.Taste is different, too. The thing I notice the most is that I used to be a bigger chili-head, but now am somewhat wimpy sometimes. Other days, I just can't seem to get my thai food spicy enough.
Another commonality is that I want lime on/in everything - isn't that odd? I think I ask others at the clinic for their experiences, altho they'll probably think I nuts to be so food obsessed!
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Bruce:
How did you do your "thai-style bok choy" - I bought a bag-full at my newly discovered Asian market for $0.51/lb, and while I enjoyed several for dinner steamed/sauteed in a mix of butter and chicken broth, then dressed with oyster and dark soy, I still have 5-6 more to go!
TIA, J
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I should add, that after the conclusion of my embarrassing shopping trip described above, I got to the checkout stand, and the clerk, after ringing up my purchases....
Said something.
Trying to take off on the clues of the moment, I assumed she was asking "Is there anything else?"
So I answered "Nein, danke".
She looked a bit stunned, but just shoved all my goods to the end of the counter and turned to the next purchaser's goods.
Shocked, I tried to mime "Can I get some bags?"
Turns out, you either brought your own or paid 5 Pf (Pfenning, pre-Euro) per bag.
What she had asked was "Do you need bags for this?" And this stupid American answered, "No, thanks"
Edted to fix spelling error
What to bring for friends in crisis?
in Food Traditions & Culture
Posted
Or.. another thought...
Take them to lunch while your pre-arranged and pre-approved (by them) Merry Maids take care of it all.. imagine, clean dishes, floors, linens, bathrooms - not number one on your list in your grief, but soothing all the same.
J.