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Coyote Pack

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At 6:30 this morning, just as I was getting ready to go for my walk, Brindy sprinted for the front porch and I heard coyotes howling. Not somewhere off in the distance, as often happens, but really close. Here’s our view of the practice range from earlier in the year:

And here’s the view this morning:

There are at least 7 coyotes in this picture and there might have been a couple more out of the picture. This is why when I walk Brindy by myself, I stick to the main roads. Of course, that road in the background, behind the first row of trees, IS the main road. We went for a very short walk this morning!

Myrna’s Eye Surgery Update

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Mom had the last couple of stitches taken out yesterday afternoon and the eye is feeling great.

This whole process started when we switched to a new eye doctor. We weren’t thrilled with our previous ophthalmologist to begin with. Then Covid restrictions hit and they wouldn’t allow me to go in with her during her visit. As most of you know, even with her hearing aids, mom doesn’t always hear well and I like to be with her when she’s given instructions or information. Mom’s takeaway from the visit was that he said “Well, I hope you don’t go blind”. I was just a bit incensed when I heard this and we started looking for a new doctor.

Went to the new doc at the end of October. What a difference! The facilities, the waiting room, and, especially, the staff were a huge improvement. Most importantly, the doc informed mom that she was not going blind and would not be going blind during her life time. Yes, she does have some macular degeneration, but nothing to worry about at her age. What a relief!

In addition to giving her the good news about not going blind, the doctor also asked her if she had any trouble with her left eye feeling irritated. Her answer was “Yes, it constantly feels like there’s an eyelash in it”. Turns out this is exactly what was wrong: her lower eyelid was turning inward and, thus, the lashes were rubbing against her eye.

We scheduled surgery for the problem and mom came through it like the trooper she is. Her relief from the rubbing was immediate. The first day after surgery was painful for her, mostly because we couldn’t find anything light enough to put on the incision to ice it down. Everything we tried was too awkward or too heavy. Then I finally hit on the idea of freezing a damp handkerchief; that worked wonderfully.

Mom had some of the stitches taken out about 10 days after the surgery. The rest got taken out yesterday. She had quite a shiner, but almost all the bruising is now gone and her eye feels waaaaaay better. Just shows you what a difference the right professional can make.

Holiday Decorating

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Mom and I love decorating for the holidays.

First, the unboxing; we have 5 bins of small stuff and half a closet of large items:

Every year we wonder where we will put everything and every year we realize we have room for way more!

This year’s count breaks down as follows:

  • 12 Santas
  • 3 Mrs. Claus
  • 7 Snowmen
  • 6 Trees
  • 2 Nativity Sets
  • 1 Wise Men Set
  • 9 Animals
  • 6 Nutcrackers
  • 2 Strings of Lights
  • 12 Miscellaneous

And if we get to have anyone over we will be breaking out the Holiday silverware, plates, glasses, platters, etc., etc., etc.!

New Flooring Down!

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If anything, things here have gotten even more hectic here. There have been days when I haven’t even touched my computer to even check for emails. Turns out that putting down new flooring throughout the whole house causes just a bit of disruption!

It would have been an even bigger mess if we had had to take up the old travertine floor. Luckily, the new vinyl could be laid right over the stone. It took five days and the flooring crew finished up at 8:30 pm on Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Here are some pictures:

The house now looks much warmer and bigger. Mom and I are both very pleased.

The Last Update on the Kitchen Remodel

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Things have been very hectic around here the last couple of weeks. But the good news is that the kitchen remodel is done!

Can you spot one big difference between the picture above and this one?

That’s right; it’s a new dishwasher. The old one which the warranty company took forever to “fix” (for the second time), crapped out after three wash loads. I was incredibly lucky that a local store had one unit in stock of the dishwasher I wanted. Ordered it Monday; got it installed today!

That completes the kitchen work. However, I do have about 90 boxes of flooring sitting in my front hallway. That install starts tomorrow. Crossing my fingers that it is done by Thanksgiving.

This Weekend’s Cooking

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Friday night I tried a recipe I’ve been eyeing for some time: Now that I’ve made it, it’s definitely a keeper. Not sure where I got the recipe from, but here it is:

Chicken with Currant Glaze

  • 1/2 cup fresh currants (or dried)
  • 1-3/4 cups water
  • 1-1/2 cups currant jelly (I used about 1 cup)
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with
  • enough water to make a smooth paste)
  • 1-1/2 teaspoons ground allspice
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Salt
  • Pepper
  • 4 whole chicken breasts, halved and boned ( I used boneless, skinless thighs)
  • 1/4 cup oil

Plump currants, if dried, in 1 cup water for 5 minutes. Drain water from currants.

Combine remaining ingredients except chicken and oil in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Brown chicken in oil. Place chicken in an uncovered 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Pour 3 tablespoons of sauce over each chicken breast. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or to desired doneness. Place on a platter and spoon over remaining sauce. Serve immediately.

I served the chicken with a dish I tweaked from Food and Wine. Here’s the original:

Jeweled Rice Pilaf With Carrots

  • 1/2 cup sliced almonds
  • 1 pound carrots, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt
  • Pepper
  • 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
  • 2 1/2 ounces angel hair pasta, broken into 2-inch pieces (1 cup)
  • 2 cups basmati rice
  • Pinch of saffron threads
  • One 3-inch cinnamon stick
  • 3 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
  • 1/2 cup chopped pitted Picholine olives
  • 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Preheat the oven to 450°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the carrots with tablespoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast the carrots until golden and tender, about 15 minutes. While the carrots are cooking, toast the almonds until golden, 3 to 4 minutes; let cool.

Meanwhile, in a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add the leeks and angel hair pasta, season with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until golden, about 5 minutes. Stir in the rice, saffron and cinnamon stick and cook, stirring, until the rice is golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth and bring to a simmer.

Cover the rice and cook over low heat until all of the broth has been absorbed, about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.

Fluff the rice and stir in the carrots, toasted almonds, lemon juice, olives and parsley. Transfer the rice to a bowl and serve with lemon wedges.

I made a few changes:

  • Slivered almonds instead of sliced
  • No leeks, , as I was serving to someone who can’t eat them
  • Fideo noodles as they are already short and thin
  • I left off the last three ingredients and put in a cup of currants to go with the chicken dish

Lastly, since it was Halloween, after all, I tried my hand at making meringues:

Meringue Ghosts (from Sunset Magazine)

  • 3 large egg whites
  • 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 16 to 24 miniature semisweet chocolate chips or pieces semisweet chocolate

Line 2 baking sheets (each 14 by 17 in.) with cooking parchment, or butter sheets and dust with flour.

In a deep bowl, with a mixer at high speed, whip egg whites and cream of tartar to a thick foam. Continuing to beat, add sugar, 1 tablespoon every 30 seconds, then whip until meringue holds very stiff peaks.

Beat in vanilla. If using cooking parchment, smear a little meringue on the underside of each corner to make it stick to baking sheets.

Spoon meringue into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip (or spoon into a gallon-size heavy plastic food bag, then cut off 1 corner to make a 1/2-inch-wide opening). Pipe meringue onto baking sheets into ghostly shapes about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, 2 to 4 inches wide, and 4 to 6 inches long, spacing about 2 inches apart. To make eyes (noses and mouths, if desired) press chocolate chips lightly into meringue.

Bake in a 200° oven until meringues begin to turn pale gold and are firm to touch, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours (1 to 1 1/4 hours in a convection oven); switch pan positions halfway through baking. Turn off heat and leave meringues in closed oven for 1 hour.

Slide a spatula under meringues to release.