It's Raining, It's Pouring...

The last day of November and apparently that little feeling about the clouds in the sky yesterday
has come to fruition. It's raining outside!

I was delighted. My condominium complex takes on a whole new air when everything is wet and
shiny and clean. The greenery glistens with droplets of water; the noise from the nearby
freeway is dimmed. The air is fresh and the ground almost looks like a reflective pond.
Not slippery at all, though, and the rain today was not heavy enough to cause a torrent of water that
runs riverlike down the courtyard(s) to the parking area. Perfect!

I left home for my doctor's appointment around 11 am, all smug that I had actually had the foresight to

change my windshield
wipers one day before it started to rain. I bet if I had waited until today, they
would have cost twice as much.

As I pulled out of my parking space, a fleeting thought crossed my mind. What if they charged
me for the new windshield wipers yesterday but had not installed them?

But that worry was for naught. As you can see, I could see. Lots and lots of freeway traffic.

"Take two Advil and call me in the morning." That's what - in essence - Dr. Sisto told me today when I

visited him. That is, after he picked himself off of the floor when he realized who I was. I haven't seen

him in a few years and I look a little bit different. We go way back, by the way. He picked up my case when Dr.

Blazina - his mentor and partner - died some 20 years ago.

In a nutshell, I may or may not have substantively damaged my knee during one of the falls last week.

It's definitely not broken and that's great news. The thought that I might have fractured it has actually

crossed my mind. There's a lot of swelling, especially under the knee cap. The question was whether I would get

an MRI right away or give it another week or two to try and heal. "Your knees are so ultra sensitive." was

his comment. "With all the surgeries that you've had and based on the x-rays, I don't even know how you're

standing, let alone walking without assistance. You're not my average patient." I hope not.

I made the call. As much as I love MRIs (and I do, I really do! They stick you in that tube and nobody

bothers you for 45 minutes...), I'd like to talk to my Podiatrist first. If there is something really wrong

with the knee - and it's still possible that I tore something, I wonder if it might be in the realm of

possibility for both men to coordinate surgeries and do them under the same anesthesia. After all, it's all on

the same leg.

Meanwhile, alternate ice and heat (just what I've been doing all along), take drugs, and carry on.
And so I came home and did. Sat down at my beading "office..."

And made startling progress on the seashell necklace. I bet I can have it done by the end of the
weekend.

It's Raining,It's Pouring

The last day of November and apparently that little feeling about the clouds in the sky yesterday has come to fruition. It's raining outside!


I was delighted. My condominium complex takes on a whole new air when everything is wet and shiny and clean. The greenery glistens with droplets of water; the noise from the nearby freeway is dimmed. The air is fresh and the ground almost looks like a reflective pond. Not slippery at all, though, and the rain today was not heavy enough to cause a torrent of water that runs riverlike down the courtyard(s) to the parking area. Perfect!


I left home for my doctor's appointment around 11 am, all smug that I had actually had the foresight to change my windshield wipers one day before it started to rain. I bet if I had waited until today, they would have cost twice as much.


As I pulled out of my parking space, a fleeting thought crossed my mind. What if they charged me for the new windshield wipers yesterday but had not installed them?


But that worry was for naught. As you can see, I could see. Lots and lots of freeway traffic.
"Take two Advil and call me in the morning." That's what - in essence - Dr. Sisto told me today when I visited him. That is, after he picked himself off of the floor when he realized who I was. I haven't seen him in a few years and I look a little bit different. We go way back, by the way. He picked up my case when Dr. Blazina - his mentor and partner - died some 20 years ago.
In a nutshell, I may or may not have substantively damaged my knee during one of the falls last week. It's definitely not broken and that's great news. The thought that I might have fractured it has actually crossed my mind. There's a lot of swelling, especially under the knee cap. The question was whether I would get an MRI right away or give it another week or two to try and heal. "Your knees are so ultra sensitive." was his comment. "With all the surgeries that you've had and based on the x-rays, I don't even know how you're standing, let alone walking without assistance. You're not my average patient." I hope not.
I made the call. As much as I love MRIs (and I do, I really do! They stick you in that tube and nobody bothers you for 45 minutes...), I'd like to talk to my Podiatrist first. If there is something really wrong with the knee - and it's still possible that I tore something, I wonder if it might be in the realm of possibility for both men to coordinate surgeries and do them under the same anesthesia. After all, it's all on the same leg.
Meanwhile, alternate ice and heat (just what I've been doing all along), take drugs, and carry on. And so I came home and did. Sat down at my beading "office..."


And made startling progress on the seashell necklace. I bet I can have it done by the end of the weekend.

Preparing for Winger

The song says "It never rains in Southern California..." and based on the past couple
of years, I'd almost believe it. The key word being almost. I've lived here during
El Nino years when it rained an inch an hour and was freezing cold to boot. But for the
past several years, we've experienced drought.

Last year my car's windshield wipers started to fray. "I should get them replaced." I thought,
while doing nothing. Inertia often overtakes me when dealing with matters of car. That's why I've
let the very loud rhythmic squeek from the left front of the vehicle go undiagnosed for a long, long
time too.

Because there was virtually no need to actually replace the wipers - the only minor drizzle happening
in my area overnight - I never got 'round to it. Forgot all about them. And was actually surprised
when we had a mild rain a few weeks ago which resulted in the rubber of the blades coming off in
strips and the horrific sound of metal scraping against windshield resulting in a coat of greasy
mud that only can be because I don't get my car washed regularly and live about 100 feet
away from a major freeway.

So I decided at that moment that it was probably time to get the issue addressed, but dawdled
for a few more weeks. In that time, there had been several predictions of rain, but none came
true. Nothing pressing to get me to build momentum and prepare.

This morning, as I was letting my dogs inside from their morning outing, I surveyed my garden.
Roses in bloom, basil blooming too. Lemons - all three of them - starting to ripen on my tree.
My spices are growing like crazy and I will need to start using them regularly. I reflected
on what I hear from friends living in other parts of the country. About frost and gasp!
snow on the ground already. About bundling up and doggie water bowl warmers and tomato season
being over. And appreciated what I have by luck of geography. Come January, I will need to cut
the roses back to the stem because that's what you do in California to keep them from running wild and also
make them healthier the next year. But my plants - save the mint that goes dormant - will
continue to grow and thrive all winter long.

As I was thinking these thoughts, it suddenly occured to me that I'm cold. It's not cold
by the standards of other parts of the country, but it was in the 60s and that's good enough
for me. Yesterday, I actually got to wear one of my hand-knit vests. It's all what you're used
to, I guess. Then I looked up at the sky.

GASP! There are CLOUDS up there. We don't get clouds where I live. It gets
much colder than downtown Los Angeles in the winter, and is much hotter in the summer. But unless
we're having a rainstorm, we never see clouds. We never have fog here either, or frost although we
do get occasional winter freezes. And at the moment I surveyed Cosmos's sky behaving in a way
that I find unacceptable, I knew... knew beyond all doubt. It was time. I really needed
to get my windshield wipers replaced.

I headed over to Reseda Discount Tire where they could give me an oil change as well as address
the wiper issue. They were very kind, even though the bathroom was absolutely disgusting with dirt
and the waiting area was not much better. They've helped me in the past with rapid tire purchases
and replacements, enabling me to not miss my exercise class even though I only discovered the flat
as I was about to leave. So I figured I'd ask them about the squeek too,and held my breath imagining
what they were going to come back with. $400 repair to fix it? $500? $600? They also announced that they

would check my brakes as a courtesy. My inner me screamed "nooooo" because I knew that they
were going to find something and my number was going to be up. And 20 minutes later, they called
me to the desk.

"The oil is changed." announced Al. "We have also replaced your wiper blades and your air
filter. Your brakes are fine." I started to relax, and then he said, "Now, about that squeek."

I tensed, expecting the worst. "It's the central cap." he said.

'Huh? What's a central cap?' I thought, and asked him.

"Your hub cap is loose. Left front tire. You could replace it, but why do it? It's not hurting
anything and to get a new one will be a lot of money. Just leave it alone." And because I
must have looked absolutely insane with disbelief and relief, he took me to my car and demonstrated.

"Another car repair place might have come up with all sorts of reasons for the squeek and charged you
a lot of money for nothing. But we are honest here. We would like you to come back again." And
I will. I have made two transactions with them... one for tires and one for basic maintenance. They
are in my neighborhood and are very accomodating. And they have done well by me.

---

If you like this post, you can read more about my past adventures at www.laurarsilverman.com. Thank you for stopping by.

Preparing for Winter

The song says "It never rains in Southern California..." and based on the past couple of years, I'd almost believe it. The key word being almost. I've lived here during El Nino years when it rained an inch an hour and was freezing cold to boot. But for the past several years, we've experienced drought.

Last year my car's windshield wipers started to fray. "I should get them replaced." I thought, while doing nothing. Inertia often overtakes me when dealing with matters of car. That's why I've let the very loud rhythmic squeek from the left front of the vehicle go undiagnosed for a long, long time too.

Because there was virtually no need to actually replace the wipers - the only minor drizzle happening in my area overnight - I never got 'round to it. Forgot all about them. And was actually surprised when we had a mild rain a few weeks ago which resulted in the rubber of the blades coming off in strips and the horrific sound of metal scraping against windshield resulting in a coat of greasy mud that only can be because I don't get my car washed regularly and live about 100 feet away from a major freeway.

So I decided at that moment that it was probably time to get the issue addressed, but dawdled for a few more weeks. In that time, there had been several predictions of rain, but none came true. Nothing pressing to get me to build momentum and prepare.


This morning, as I was letting my dogs inside from their morning outing, I surveyed my garden. Roses in bloom, basil blooming too. Lemons - all three of them - starting to ripen on my tree. My spices are growing like crazy and I will need to start using them regularly. I reflected on what I hear from friends living in other parts of the country. About frost and gasp! snow on the ground already. About bundling up and doggie water bowl warmers and tomato season being over. And appreciated what I have by luck of geography. Come January, I will need to cut the roses back to the stem because that's what you do in California to keep them from running wild and also make them healthier the next year. But my plants - save the mint that goes dormant - will continue to grow and thrive all winter long.

As I was thinking these thoughts, it suddenly occured to me that I'm cold. It's not cold by the standards of other parts of the country, but it was in the 60s and that's good enough for me. Yesterday, I actually got to wear one of my hand-knit vests. It's all what you're used to, I guess. Then I looked up at the sky.


GASP! There are CLOUDS up there. We don't get clouds where I live. It gets much colder than downtown Los Angeles in the winter, and is much hotter in the summer. But unless we're having a rainstorm, we never see clouds. We never have fog here either, or frost although we do get occasional winter freezes. And at the moment I surveyed Cosmos's sky behaving in a way that I find unacceptable, I knew... knew beyond all doubt. It was time. I really needed to get my windshield wipers replaced.

I headed over to Reseda Discount Tire where they could give me an oil change as well as address the wiper issue. They were very kind, even though the bathroom was absolutely disgusting with dirt and the waiting area was not much better. They've helped me in the past with rapid tire purchases and replacements, enabling me to not miss my exercise class even though I only discovered the flat as I was about to leave. So I figured I'd ask them about the squeek too,and held my breath imagining what they were going to come back with. $400 repair to fix it? $500? $600? They also announced that they would check my brakes as a courtesy. My inner me screamed "nooooo" because I knew that they were going to find something and my number was going to be up. And 20 minutes later, they called me to the desk.

"The oil is changed." announced Al. "We have also replaced your wiper blades and your air filter. Your brakes are fine." I started to relax, and then he said, "Now, about that squeek."

I tensed, expecting the worst. "It's the central cap." he said.

'Huh? What's a central cap?' I thought, and asked him.

"Your hub cap is loose. Left front tire. You could replace it, but why do it? It's not hurting anything and to get a new one will be a lot of money. Just leave it alone." And because I must have looked absolutely insane with disbelief and relief, he took me to my car and demonstrated.

"Another car repair place might have come up with all sorts of reasons for the squeek and charged you a lot of money for nothing. But we are honest here. We would like you to come back again." And I will. I have made two transactions with them... one for tires and one for basic maintenance. They are in my neighborhood and are very accomodating. And they have done well by me.

Skeleton Out of My Closet

I absolutely adore everything about the Stitch Cafe (www.stitchcafe.com) It's well stocked, lovely to look at, and the people who own-run it have that extra little something that is so alluring. You know that you've stumbled into something really special when in the middle of the day on Wednesday, it's packed full of people (mostly women) of all ages, sitting round the table or on the sofa under the window, knitting away while engaged in friendly banter.

There is a separate building where they hold Artisan Workshops on all different sorts of crafts. That's where I participate in my ongoing Wednesday class taught by the immensely talented Shelly Neimerow. More on today's China Painting Class later.

There is one part of the visit, though, that I absolutely dread. Love, but dread all at the same time. And that is paying for my class. Not because it's expensive or anything because it's actually very reasonable. But there is a bowl of candy by the cash register. It is always well stocked. Well stocked with some of my favorite junk candies in the world!

Ok, I admit it. Even after losing and maintaining a 207
pound weight loss for a year-and-a-half (http://weightloss.LauraRSilverman.com), I am a food-acholic. You'd think after all this time, I'd have it more under control and in a sense, I do. I rarely bring any junk food into my home. I'm pretty good about ordering healthy meals when I dine out, asking the restaurant to eliminate fats and oils. But put me in front of a cookie, cake, or candy in a bowl and I turn into a Hoover Vaccum.

I start salivating several miles before I reach Stitch Cafe. I wonder what is on tap for the day. Hershey Kisses? Twix Bars? Nestle Crunch? My whole body goes a-quiver at the thought of the candy. And each week prior to today, I exclaim to whoever is helping me at the register, "You kill me!" as I take two to four pieces which are devoured either right there or during the brief walk to the back room. The candy is always gone by the time I reach Shelly.

This is a bad thing for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I guess I still have that hide it mentality, even as it is misapplied. I don't know why, but I am intensely uncomfortable about eating in front of Shelly. Probably because she is pretty-much perfect and what I would like to be if only it were possible. But also, in weeks past, she has brought in goodies of her own and because I might have devoured a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup between the main store and the workshop, I am not free to partake in her offerings. And I'd like to, if for no other reason than it denotes a social quality that I have yet to develop.

Food is bonding. I have a tough time bonding with anyone, and an even harder time asking for help when I need it. And when circumstances become so extreme that help is offered; even pushed upon me because I clearly can't go alone, I'm uncomfortable about accepting it and can't even look the people who are getting me by in the eye. So I figure it's probably important that I develop the skills necessary to bypass that bowl of candy if only for the symbolic nature of the act. Also for the ability to eat with the class.

So today before even leaving home, I decided that I was not going to eat candy. Prepared myself for the feat. And even took a Benefit Bar (basically candy itself although sold by my Weight Maintenance Group and purportedly more healthy) along with me to eat instead. And amazingly, when I had made the decision in advance that I absolutely was not going to take a piece, I didn't! I did snap a bunch of pictures of it, but that is non-caloric so it doesn't count.

And in the end, after not eating the candy, and feeling pretty good about it, I didn't even eat the Benefit Bar until hours later.

*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*

We're getting very close to the end of the China Painting unit. Shelly has decided to continue coming to Stitch Cafe on Wednesdays until the holidays overtake her. Yippee! I was afraid that it was going to end next week, but it may go for a couple more. We have agreed that we will resume Freeform Peyote Classes so that she can teach me more techniques.

In the meantime, we applied what I think is the end of the normal paint to the two pieces. Shelly took them home and will fire them, then next week, we'll be painting on gold paste and some kind of opalesence. A final firing, and they will be done.

Here is the trivit I have been working on...




...and my mug.

I can hardly believe that this is my work although I freely admit that I would never have been able to do it without Shelly looking over my shoulder. And what has she been working on in the meantime?

Her own cabechons which will be represented in Tucson at the Bead & Gem Show that is coming up. Her talent is enormous, and her work is available. I wish her web site was operating so that I could direct you there. But if you're curious to see it or would like information on the pieces that you've seen pictured in my blog, you can email her at azreds.art@gmail.com

*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*

Welcome to my blog. This is the first time I've published to blogspot. If you like what you read, you can see more of my pieces at my own web site at www.LauraRSilverman.com. I will be switching my blogging activity wholly to blogspot in the near future, but have been journaling my life over there for some months now.

Thank you for taking the time to stop by.

Skeleton Out of my Closet

I absolutely adore everything about the Stitch Cafe. It's well stocked, lovely to look at, and the people who own-run it have that extra little something that is so alluring. You know that you've stumbled into something really special when in the middle of the day on Wednesday, it's packed full of people (mostly women) of all ages, sitting round the table or on the sofa under the window, knitting away while engaged in friendly banter.
There is a separate building where they hold Artisan Workshops on all different sorts of crafts. That's where I participate in my ongoing Wednesday class taught by the immensely talented Shelly Neimerow. More on today's China Painting Class later.

There is one part of the visit, though, that I absolutely dread. Love, but dread all at the same time. And that is paying for my class. Not because it's expensive or anything because it's actually very reasonable. But there is a bowl of candy by the cash register. It is always well stocked. Well stocked with some of my favorite junk candies in the world!


Ok, I admit it. Even after losing and maintaining a 207 pound weight loss for a year-and-a-half, I am a food-acholic. You'd think after all this time, I'd have it more under control and in a sense, I do. I rarely bring any junk food into my home. I'm pretty good about ordering healthy meals when I dine out, asking the restaurant to eliminate fats and oils. But put me in front of a cookie, cake, or candy in a bowl and I turn into a Hoover Vaccum.


I start salivating several miles before I reach Stitch Cafe. I wonder what is on tap for the day. Hershey Kisses? Twix Bars? Nestle Crunch? My whole body goes a-quiver at the thought of the candy. And each week prior to today, I exclaim to whoever is helping me at the register, "You kill me!" as I take two to four pieces which are devoured either right there or during the brief walk to the back room. The candy is always gone by the time I reach Shelly.

This is a bad thing for a couple of reasons. First and foremost, I guess I still have that hide it mentality, even as it is misapplied. I don't know why, but I am intensely uncomfortable about eating in front of Shelly. Probably because she is pretty-much perfect and what I would like to be if only it were possible. But also, in weeks past, she has brought in goodies of her own and because I might have devoured a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup between the main store and the workshop, I am not free to partake in her offerings. And I'd like to, if for no other reason than it denotes a social quality that I have yet to develop.

Food is bonding. I have a tough time bonding with anyone, and an even harder time asking for help when I need it. And when circumstances become so extreme that help is offered; even pushed upon me because I clearly can't go alone, I'm uncomfortable about accepting it and can't even look the people who are getting me by in the eye. So I figure it's probably important that I develop the skills necessary to bypass that bowl of candy if only for the symbolic nature of the act. Also for the ability to eat with the class.

So today before even leaving home, I decided that I was not going to eat candy. Prepared myself for the feat. And even took a Benefit Bar (basically candy itself although sold by my Weight Maintenance Group and purportedly more healthy) along with me to eat instead. And amazingly, when I had made the decision in advance that I absolutely was not going to take a piece, I didn't! I did snap a bunch of pictures of it, but that is non-caloric so it doesn't count.




And in the end, after not eating the candy, and feeling pretty good about it, I didn't even eat the Benefit Bar until hours later.

*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*

We're getting very close to the end of the China Painting unit. Shelly has decided to continue coming to Stitch Cafe on Wednesdays until the holidays overtake her. Yippee! I was afraid that it was going to end next week, but it may go for a couple more. We have agreed that we will resume Freeform Peyote Classes so that she can teach me more techniques.

In the meantime, we applied what I think is the end of the normal paint to the two pieces. Shelly took them home and will fire them, then next week, we'll be painting on gold paste and some kind of opalesence. A final firing, and they will be done.

Here is the trivit I have been working on...


...and my mug.







I can hardly believe that this is my work although I freely admit that I would never have been able to do it without Shelly looking over my shoulder. And what has she been working on in the meantime?


Her own cabechons which will be represented in Tucson at the Bead & Gem Show that is coming up. Her talent is enormous, and her work is available. I wish her web site was operating so that I could direct you there. But if you're curious to see it or would like information on the pieces that you've seen pictured in my blog, you can e-mail her directly.

The Saga of Salted Cod

It's been weeks now since the first time I saw it in Whole Foods Market. Salted Cod.


I'm not sure exactly what fascinates me so much about it. I do love fish, but that love is counterbalanced by the fact that I've never been a big fan of salt. I don't know... it's weird stuff, that salt cod. It's just out in an open basket, no packaging at all. It's hard as a rock and stiff as a board. It looks just awful. But yet, I can't get it off of my mind.

So last Friday in my regular weekly Weight Maintenance Group's between-meeting's check in with Lucy, I asked her about it. What do you do with it? How do you prepare it? And to my surprise, she had no answer. The only time she's never had an answer before this was when there wasn't even a question. She just had never sampled a pluot. The class quickly put that right by bringing her one. So I thought there wasn't a thing that she didn't know about food. I was wrong. She suggested that I go to the internet for recipes.

The same day that I got her response, I also received my December issue of "O" Magazine. I'm not sure exactly how I feel about it. Norman Kolpas - my teacher at the UCLA Extension Writing Class that I took a while back - said that it was the Rolls Royce of magazines, so I subscribed to it. It seems to me, though, that the writers (indeed the general tone of the magazine) is self-indulgent and a little bit - gasp! - holier than thou. At least in my opinion. But it still has enough interesting information within to keep me occupied and although it doesn't make as good a coffee table publication as, say, Smithsonian, I'm not embarassed to let it be seen.
But back to topic. I received my"O". I did as I always do... go right to the food section first. And what do I find there but a recipe for salted cod! Whipped Salt Cod with Cavier on Steamed Potatoes. Page 311. "It's a message." I thought. "Buy!" So I did. I stopped by Whole Foods right before my Weight Maintenance Group and bought a filet.

Then I went to class. And what should today's lecture be about? The evils of salt! Well, it's not exactly evil according to Lucy. But to stay healthy and to keep your blood pressure normalized, for every mg of salt you consume, you should take in a mg of potassium. We discussed various foods that contain potassium. Surprisingly, bananas are not the greatest source for it which is a good thing because I hate bananas! The reason everyone thinks that they are is because of a good advertising campaign. One of the very best sources of potassium apparently is Butternut Squash. ( Yes, Claudia, I knew you'd like that. That's why I mentioned it!) One cup of baked Butternut Squash contains over 1100 mgs of potassium for a very low caloric cost.

Lucy went around the room and had everyone commit to buying something new off of the list. The truth is that I already buy pretty much everything that was there (with the exception of bananas) and stated so. But I assured her and the class that it was ok. I was balancing my intake of potassium by trying salt cod this week.
I would have ended the story here, but there is a quick post script. When I got back to my car, I immediately noticed a very pungent smell. Kind of like mildew. Kind of like the smell of salt cod left to warm in the sun. I'm not sure exactly what - if anything - I'm going to do about it. I like the stinky french cheeses, and I'm still curious about salt cod. I'll probably still give it a whirl, but on a day when I know nobody will have to smell me after I eat it.

Amazing Chicken Soup

It started out a clear and sunny day, but by mid afternoon, it was cold (by Los Angeles standards - shut up!), and cloudy. Perfect weather to make soup.


Ingredients:
4 Cups chicken broth
1/4 pound small white onions, quartered
2 Cups peeled, diced yam or sweet potato (I used a purple yam for soup in the pic... made the broth purple)
3/4 to 1 Teasponn crumbled sage
1/4 Teaspoon pepper
2 medium carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 cup diced celery
3 cups cooked chicken, in bite sized pieces

1. In large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, yam, sage, and pepper. Cook until the yam is just tender, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the carrots, brocoli, and celery. Cook until the carrots and broccoli are tender; about 5 minutes longer.

3. Stir in chicken until heated through.

Bon Appetit!

S'Long old Friend

All I wanted to do was make Stuffed Bell Peppers. Not so much to ask, I didn't think. I even used a base of ground turkey in keeping with the season! Add a cup of Cous Cous, Sun Dried Tomatoes, a couple of eggs, herbs right from my garden (as well as my spice cabinet), and then chop up a bunch of vegetables to round the mixture out.

I went about my business as normal. Gathered up the veggies, made the meat base, and cut the tougher items like onions and carrots into large chunks before putting them into the assembled Food Processor. Pushed the button. And stood back to watch. But to my horror, the blades whirred as normal for a couple of seconds then, even as the motor screamed more loudly, they stopped moving. Leaving my vegetables much as they were when I put them in.

Now don't get me wrong. It's not like this was a new food processor or anything. Anything but, as a matter of fact. It was a Black & Decker a la Target, purchased over a decade ago. And it was the 2nd cheapest one on the shelf. It's served me well for all those years, in the pursuit of vegetables and puree and pie crust. Cuisinart move aside... I didn't have to spend a lot of money to get a lot of value. so why am I complaining?
For two reasons. First, I was forced to chop my vegetables up by hand, resulting not only in larger vegetables that can actually be identified within the ground turkey,



but also, I cannot live the whole weekend without a Food Processor. After all, I have food to process! So I will need to buy a new one post haste. Like tonight or tomorrow. That means braving the crowds at Target during Thanksgiving Weekend. Not just Oy. Oy vey!

Thanksgiving

Thanks to Elissa, for the picture and belly laugh! Hope everyone's day was memorable in a good way!

Whole Foods

Not all Whole Foods Markets are equal. Until a couple of weeks ago, I thought they were all in small spaces; very expensive without much unique. That's what they're like in the San Fernando Valley. Boutique food at outrageous prices for the Entertainment People to shop at. But at my Weight Maintenance Class - in Santa Monica - they kept talking about things that they were buying at Whole Foods, none of which sounded familiar to me, so since there was one right by St. John's Hospital (where the class is held, yes the St. John's that Elizabeth Taylor stays in), I thought I'd stop by and see if I could hunt out Gnu Bars, etc. What a shock I got when I went in!


First of all, it's huge! As in about the same size as my local regular market. Then, the customer base seemed very affluent and sophisticated, but definitely not actors. Way too much roundness and small children for that. And then the selection of food was like nothing I've seen before.
I admit that I was intrigued by the fact that in their Roast Chicken case, they not only had whole roast chickens, but also whole roast turkeys. Big turkeys. As in enough for a Thanksgiving feat, except that there was no stuffing in the cavity. There was also Baccloa Salted Cod which I have to admit really intrigues me. It's just in a basket, not wrapped up or anything, and out there to grab by the fin or tail. What exactly are you supposed to do with it? I have to admit that I may go back and discuss this topic more thoroughly with the personnel there. I'd ask about it at Slimmons but I'd probably get a cross-eye'd look and some kind of derogatory comment about what I eat. I could ask about it at my maintenance class, but I already know that salt isn't good for me. I don't use a lot in my diet. Yet I remain intrigued by that fish. It was as hard as a rock. Like the salt sucked out all the moisture which it probably did.


Then there was the produce department. Edible flowers in a market? I haven't seen that anywhere except Farmer's Markets.



And the mushrooms! Of course, there were the usual types. Button, Crimini, Portebella. But there were mushrooms there that I had never even heard of let alone seen. So I present to you now, a gallery of mushrooms.
The brown leafy looking stuff at the bottom of the picture? Wood Ear's Mushrooms. $4.99 per pound.


Maitake Mushrooms. $29.99 per pound.


King Oyster Mushrooms. $19.99 per Pound.


Fresh Shitake Mushrooms. $12.99 per pound.


Bluefoot Mushrooms. $39.99 per pound.


Chanterelle Mushrooms. $29.99 per pound.



In the spirit of trying new foods out, I decided that I should try one Chanterelle Mushroom. It was the one that I was most curious about, being that there was an extensive discussion about mushrooms in general and specifically the Changerelle Mushroom in the book that I recently read, Omnivore's Dilema. I decided to try it in a soup that I had also decided to experiment with. Carrot Ginger Soup from Trader Joes.


At 80 calories per cup, the soup was ok. Needed something, so I added Tobasco. The mushroom was excellent! Kind of nutty with a nice texture. But at $29.99 per pound, I won't be buying it again any time soon. Still, it's nice to know.


And that's the extent of my food adventures today. I've finished defrosting Blackberries (also from Trader Joes) in preparation for pie baking in the morning. Then, off to Thanksgivng dinner with a real family and a real celebration. Should be interesting.


Have a very happy Thanksgiving. Blog at ya soon!