Need recipes with lots of calories

[Isabelle Prescott]

I'm looking for tasty high calorie recipes to share with someone who has colon cancer and little appetite. Thanks.

[Gifted Gourmet]

from Columbia University Medical Center .. good luck on this lifesaving mission! Hope something here might help.

[Marlene]

I have two threads going about feeding, cooking for and getting the cancer patient re engaged in the kitchen.

Bringing food to hospitals

handicapped cooking

People gave me lots of great ideas in those two threads. Good luck!

[tejon]

The very favorite of my ex boyfriend, post bone marrow transplant, was a super rich version of flan. Easy to eat, not too sweet, cool (so it didn't feed nausea), and comfortable, familiar flavors.

Edited September 15, 2005 by tejon (log)

[lesanglierrouge]

Let me begin by saying it is a great honor replying to this thread.

Duck confit potato hash with prosciutto, fried egg and scallion

For the confit:

2 duck leg and thigh pieces

2-3 cups rendered duck fat (can be purchased from many specialty poultry markets or you can render your own)

1 bay leave

a few parsley stems

1 small onion, rough chopped

1 carrot, rough chopped

1 celery stalk, rough chopped

1 clove garlic, whole

sea salt (very course)

black peppercorns

For the potato hash:

4 medium Idaho potatoes, peeled, small dice

1 medium onion, small dice

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 cup prosciutto, small dice

1/2 cup scallion, chopped

butter

eggs for frying

The day before preparing, cure the duck legs. Sprinkle the course sea salt all over the duck (add a little bit more than you would if you were just seasoning because it will be rinsed later). Weight down the duck with a plate or sheet pan and refigerate overnite. The next day thoroughly rinse and pat dry the cured duck.

In a smallish sauce pan add your rendered duck fat and all other duck confit ingredients- do not salt! Cook at a low temperature for 3 hours or until duck meat pulls away from the bone. Remove duck and let drain on a clean towel. Strain the fat and reserve. When duck has cooled, pull meat from bone, being sure to remove smaller bones, skin and connective tissue. Don't worry about break up the meat, it will saute better that way.

Blanch your potatoes in salted boiling water and drain thoroughly. Add some butter to a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add onions and saute until somewhat soft. Add some of the reserved duck fat, prosciutto, garlic and potatoes. Crank the heat. Tossing the saute constantly, add more fat as needed to prevent sticking (we're talking about a lot of fat). When the potatoes begin to brown, taste and adjust seasoning accordingly. When they are nicely browned add duck confit and scallion. Toss several times and kill heat. The hash can be kept warm in the oven until service.

Fry your eggs to your taste in some of the duck fat(I reccomend over-easy, so the yolk runs over the hash mmmm....).

Serve a fried egg over the hash.

Edited September 15, 2005 by lesanglierrouge (log)

[rooftop1000]

I give you....Daves BBQ Shrimp...cant get much richer than this in a main course

http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1069.html

[Shalmanese]

What about Homer's Space-Age Out-of-This-World Moon Waffles

* Ingredients

+ One bag caramel cubes

+ Waffle mix

+ One bottle Liquid Smoke

+ One stick butter

* Directions

+ Empty bag of caramels onto waffle iron.

+ Add generous portion of waffle batter.

+ Add one bottle of Liquid Smoke.

+ Cook until burnt.

+ Wrap waffle around a stick of butter.

+ Serve on a toothpick.

[Susan in FL]

Isabelle, I hope you don't mind my asking... and if you do mind, please just don't answer and I'll understand... Is the person undergoing treatment or just comfort measures? I was wondering at what point he/she is in the disease process because it could make a big difference in what kind of food/recipe we suggest besides high-calorie.

[jsolomon]

To assist his appetite if nausea is an issue, things like candied ginger or ginger tea are quite effective and suppressing the nausea without the side-effects of other anti-emetics. Suppressing nausea can sometimes be just as effective in assisting calorie intake.

Best of luck!

[peppyre]

When my dad was undergoing radiation treatment, we had to do everything we could to keep his caloric intake up. My dad has an insane metabolism (that didn't inherit) and is a skinny-minny to begin with. Since his treatment was on his neck, it meant serious mouth sores and eating anything that he needed to chew became near impossible. That and losing all his taste buds meant he never wanted to eat. As he said "Everything tastes like dirt!" I made lots of pasta with cream sauce, real cream, lots of butter, and then a little more butter. Lots of oatmeal with sugar and cream. Basically, all foods that we eat in moderation, that's what he ate all the time. We all became proficient in soup making. He would buy a chicken, roast it, then throw it in the stock pot and boil it for at least a day. Tortellini soup was a big hit with him. Creamed soups, again with cream and butter, were very good too.

I wish you all the best.

[annanstee]

When I was first learning to cook, my Italian friend Natalie taught me how to make what I call Heart Attack Pasta

Cube Bacon and cook in skillet ( I use the equivelant of two slices per person)

Add crumbled sweet italian sausage.

Add a mountain of sliced mushroooms,

Douse with cupfuls of heavy cream

Add fresh or frozen peas at last second

Tons of freshly grated Parm Reg

Serve with fresh fettucini

Edited September 15, 2005 by annanstee (log)

[divalasvegas]

So sorry to hear about this Isabelle. Are there any other issues we should keep in mind, such as lactose intolerance, vegetarian, or adverse reactions to any medications the person is taking? I know, for instance, that the husband of a friend of mine takes Beta-Blockers and can't have grapefruit or grapefruit juice. Blocks the effectiveness of the medication which could be deadly for him.

Anyway, as for calorie dense items:

- Cheesecake and Milkshakes (obvious)

- Spinach/artichoke dip: this is definitely a dish with a lot of iron and vitamins, and the way I make it, has a lot of calories too -- chopped spinach (I used frozen), roughly chopped artichoke hearts, onions and garlic sauteed in butter, cream cheese instead of a roux, tabasco sauce, a squirt or two of lemon juice, salt & pepper. Drain spinach after briefly cooking (leave a couple of tablespoons of water in so it isn't too dry), combine with the rest of the ingredients and layer in a casserole dish with your grated cheese of choice between each layer of spinach (I like parmesan, but I've also used other grated/shredded cheeses), top with a layer of grated cheese with or without bread crumbs and bake at 325-350 for about 1/2 hour to meld the ingredients. Serve with crackers or small party size bread rounds. Forgot to say one box frozen spinach and one small jar of artichoke hearts for each 8 ounces of cream cheese.

- Mashed Potatoes and Gravy. All kinds (homemade, of course). The richest gravy I've ever had was the gravy I made of drippings from a roast goose, dark and very rich........ God that was awesome.

- Meatballs or Meatloaf that incorporates sausage, with lots of homemade sauce and crusty bread.

- Oxtail and Whitebean soup.

- Will he/she eat grits? Makes a great foundation for a multitude of fattening things.

- Chicken and Dumplings.

Hope this helps.

[JayBassin]

Spaghetti alla carbonara: eggs, bacon (pancetta), parmesian, butter, ricotta, herbs. I've also seen it with heavy cream. It's very high in calories and saturated fats, but boy does it ever taste good!

[Ling]

cassoleut

flourless chocolate cakes

creme brulees

sausage stuffing

potatoes dauphinoise (sp?)

peanut butter cookies

shortbread

braised pork belly

Edited September 15, 2005 by Ling (log)

[divalasvegas]

cassoleut

flourless chocolate cakes

creme brulees

sausage stuffing

potatoes dauphinoise (sp?)

peanut butter cookies

shortbread

braised pork belly

←

Bravo Ling! I mean if ANYONE here knows their calorie dense foods, it's you. BTW, I'd like to know (as well as my hips and thighs) can I borrow your metabolism........ just for a few weekends of mindless eating?

[Ling]

My metabolism is failing me...I packed on quite a few pounds in the summer. You're welcome to borrow it, but I think there's a waiting list floating around on Egullet somewhere.

(Oh yeah, and you can serve that flourless chocolate cake with a side of whipped cream, chocolate mousse, and maybe some caramelized hazelnuts. A nice, thick river of chocolate ganache would be nice too!)

[rancho_gordo]

One of my customers wrote this book, One Bite at a Time and I've used it for everyday cooking. It's really a fine book that you should check out.

The great thing is finding menus both the caregiver and the patient can enjoy together.

The author is an avid farmers market fan.

[JAZ]

I made a lot of ice cream for my sister when she needed the calories -- it seemed to be something that was easy to eat and that she liked.

[petite tête de chou]

Roasted beef marrow on toast.

[ludja]

I made a lot of ice cream for my sister when she needed the calories -- it seemed to be something that was easy to eat and that she liked.

←

And along those lines, other custard-based dishes like break pudding, oeufs a la neige, custard pies, puddings.

I looked at a cookbook from the library awhile back which was all based on nut recipes---main dishes with and without meat, sides dishes and desserts. Nuts may be a good way to add nutrition.

Nuts: Recipes from Around the World That Feature Nature's Perfect Ingredient (Hardcover)

by Linda Griffith, Fred Griffith

Edited September 16, 2005 by ludja (log)

[Marlene]

One thing you may find is that the cancer patient is not going to eat a normal sized meal. In fact, sitting down at a table where there's a lot of food on it, has to the potential to overwhelm them. Particularly with everyone else looking on expectantly waiting for the patient to down great globs of food. We of course want them to get well, and we know that food helps the process. But sometimes our expectations are more than the patient can handle and they're as afraid of disappointing us as they are of eating and getting sick.

One thing I found helped was making things up in child size portions and freezing them individually. Encourage your patient to eat 5 or 6 times a day in small doses. Their stomachs have usually shrunk significantly because with cancer there is almost always a very sharp drop in weight, so they can't take in as much at once and combine that with the nausea that can happen as a result of treatment. The smaller meals seem easier on the stomachs and even pyschologically for the cancer patient.

A mountain of mashed potatoes may spin the patient into defeatist mode "I can't possibly eat that", and they don't try, whereas an ice cream scoop size speaks to them of managbility.

Ensure sucks as a drink by itself but it is full of nutrients that a cancer patient needs when they can't get food down. Put the ensure into a blender with some ice cream maybe even a little chocolate syrup and blend it up. Maybe add a banana or some strawberries, depending on the flavour of the ensure. It makes it taste better, and they are getting something that should slide down easily and tastes not too bad. (yes, I suppose if you are ambitious, you can make your protein drinks from scratch)

And if there is a lot of physical sickness, make sure they are getting some sort of drink with electrolytes in it, similar to what you give babies when they get dehydrated.

Most importantly, the cancer patient is more susceptible to infection than most. We are coming into the fall season of colds and flus. Have masks on hand because it's impossible to isolate the patient completely from the real world and people get sick. When a cancer patient is ill, they won't eat. We can afford to skip a meal or two. Cancer patients can't. And an infection can be deadly to a cancer patient.

I've learned more than I ever wanted to know about the care and feeding of cancer patients. It's a time that is as draining on the caregiver as it is on the patient. Remind yourself or whoever the caregiver is of the patient, to eat too. And it's always a great idea to have a nice bottle of wine put aside so the care giver can sit down, have a sip and re energize themselves.

[Susan in FL]

One of my customers wrote this book, One Bite at a Time and I've used it for everyday cooking. It's really a fine book that you should check out.

The great thing is finding menus both the caregiver and the patient can enjoy together.

The author is an avid farmers market fan.

←

I am so glad to know about that book. Thanks for mentioning it. Though many of the patients I work with have swallowing problems or other digestive problems that narrow the choices of tolerable foods, there are a significant number who can eat the variety that this book features. I'll suggest this to caregivers.

In her post, Isabelle asked for recipes, so I imagine this book could be just what she is looking for.

I'll probably get the book for myself, too. Fortunately I'm a cancer survivor, and I'm interested in tasty immune-boosting recipes.

I made a lot of ice cream for my sister when she needed the calories -- it seemed to be something that was easy to eat and that she liked.

←

Again referencing my work as a Hospice counselor, I have found that ice cream might be the most popular food among cancer patients. Often it's one of only a few foods they still enjoy. Patients have told me that chemotherapy affected not only their appetite, but their taste buds and so many foods don't taste of anthing to them. I've learned from nurses that in many cases sweet and cold still remains appealling. Besides ice cream, I hear cold fruit requested a lot, and even though it's not high calorie, it might be something that sounds good... especially watermelon.

[Isabelle Prescott]

Thanks to all of you who have replied with such helpful information. I am forwarding it to my friend who's husband is in chemotherapy. He has 2 more treatments in this series. She is most grateful for your help.

[jsolomon]

- Spinach/artichoke dip: this is definitely a dish with a lot of iron and vitamins, and the way I make it, has a lot of calories too -- chopped spinach (I used frozen), roughly chopped artichoke hearts, onions and garlic sauteed in butter, cream cheese instead of a roux, tabasco sauce, a squirt or two of lemon juice, salt & pepper. Drain spinach after briefly cooking (leave a couple of tablespoons of water in so it isn't too dry), combine with the rest of the ingredients and layer in a casserole dish with your grated cheese of choice between each layer of spinach (I like parmesan, but I've also used other grated/shredded cheeses), top with a layer of grated cheese with or without bread crumbs and bake at 325-350 for about 1/2 hour to meld the ingredients.  Serve with crackers or small party size bread rounds.  Forgot to say one box frozen spinach and one small jar of artichoke hearts for each 8 ounces of cream cheese.

←

You can up the nutrition ante of this even more if you sub kale for spinach.

[LoriZig]

I've been thinking about your post all day and am so impressed with everyone's suggestions.

The only additional things I could come up with are rather simple, but I tried to think of things that were comforting and with some decent nutritional value:

- Whole milk yogurt- like Brown Cow, with the layer of cream on top.

- Whole milk yogurt smoothies made with frozen fruit, bananas, peanut butter and honey.

- Homemade macaroni and cheese

- Cubes of cream cheese melted into sauces and soups

- Cooking things in bacon drippings or schmaltz

- Prime rib

- Mashed potatoes with butter, cream, and smoked gouda (rich but the smokiness gives it a little edge)

- Pasta with melted brie and roma tomatoes

- If they love fish, salmon

I don't know if any of this will help, but I wanted to at least try. Best wishes to your friend and to all of you who are helping others.