Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Amethysts Again, Surgery.

I bought some lilac nail polish from Avon - it's gel polish but I am not quite sure what is supposed to be special about that. Anyway,
today, Monday, I went to exercise class with purple shorts, purple nails and doing my dripping with amethysts thing again. People seemed to think it was fun to do and complemented me. Oddly enough the weights I use in the class are also purple, didn't think of that until later. Actually this one shown is darker than the one I bought but I can't find a picture of it and I'm too lazy to get up and take a picture. These were the earrings which are my birthday present. Amethysts don't seem to come out that well for me on here. I guess I need proper lighting or something.

I tried phoning the surgeon this afternoon as I have not heard anything about my carotid artery treatment. There was nobody answering the phone so then I called my family doctor, guess what, there was nobody answering the phone, so finally I emailed the surgeon. Maybe I will get some kind of response. I am not a happy camper. Turns out that one of my friends from the exercise class (actually she is also an Avon customer) is waiting for similar surgery and she had an episode last September. This is ridiculous especially as she has 50% blockages in both carotid arteries. It would seem they don't think these problems are as serious as we do. This is one of the drawbacks of our health system, having to wait. Mainly, I believe, because a lot of the doctors decide to head south where their potential earnings are higher with the result that the remaining surgeons are overworked. I would assure you, however, heart problems get seen to instantly.

This recipe from Food & Wine looks great but I don't think I will be making them although I do love dumplings. It's the kind of thing Matt used to make but he basically never cooks any more. There is a slideshow of how to make  them. Slideshow: How to Make Dumplings


Lamb Gyro Dumplings with Tzatziki

In his superdelicious mash-up of cuisines, Chicago chef Mike Sheerin packs a flavorful Greek gyro–inspired lamb filling into dumplings, steams them and serves them with tzatziki.

  1. 1/2 cup Greek yogurt
  2. 1/2 English cucumber, grated on a box grater and squeezed dry
  3. 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  4. 1 tablespoon chopped dill, plus more for garnish
  5. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne
  6. Kosher salt
  7. Pepper
  8. 1 pound ground lamb
  9. 1 tablespoon canola oil
  10. 2 teaspoons onion powder
  11. 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  12. 1 teaspoon dried mint
  13. 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  14. 1 garlic clove, minced
  15. 30 small round gyoza (wonton) wrappers
  1. In a medium bowl, whisk the yogurt with the cucumber, lemon zest, lemon juice, the 1 tablespoon of chopped dill and the cayenne. Season the tzatziki with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until well chilled, about 20 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the lamb with the oil, onion powder, garlic powder, mint, oregano, garlic, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1 teaspoon of pepper and mix well.
  3. On a work surface, brush the rims of 5 gyoza wrappers with water and spoon 1 tablespoon of the filling into the center of each. Fold the wrappers over to form half-moons. Seal the edges, pressing out any air, and crimp decoratively. Transfer the dumplings to a parchment paper–lined baking sheet; keep them covered with a moist paper towel. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
  4. Fill a wok or large skillet with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Working in batches, arrange the dumplings in a double-tiered bamboo steamer lined with parchment paper. Set the steamer over the boiling water, cover and steam the dumplings until the filling is cooked through and firm, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the dumplings to a platter and garnish with chopped dill. Serve with the tzatziki.
Make Ahead
The uncooked dumplings can be frozen on a parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer, then transferred to an airtight container and frozen for up to 1 month. 


Have a great day
 

16 comments:

  1. That is the problem with having to wait and really, I have yet to see a perfect healthcare system. Hope you get this situation resolved SOON!

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  2. Same here with hoping you get some answers from the docs. As for the gel polish, I understand it is difficult to remove. I've never used it.

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    1. I know, it's a pain, will maybe try phoning again today Denise.

      I do hope you are wrong about removing it.

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  3. I love purple too! So does Russell. I hope you get your medical stuff squared away soon. Around here just to see a primary care doctor you have a 2-3 month wait, although you can see the physician's assistant sooner. But with procedures they seem to be better about scheduling things fairly quickly.

    I love those dumplings....out west they call them pot stickers and here Peking ravioli, but I've only seen them in Chinese food. I like the chicken or pork ones.

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  4. I've loved the colour since I was a kid JoJo. My mother said all little girls do and said I would grow out of it. I never did. I phoned the surgeon again and he is off on vacation til Aug 16. Still, I gather they don't consider it serious.

    I have seen them called pot stickers. I love all of them. It's why I love Chinese New Year celebrations they always have lots of dumplings with lots of different fillings.

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  5. It would be a bit disconcerting to call the surgeon and the regular doctor and not get an answer at either place. I hope you do find out some info sooner than later about your treatment; I'm sure having a date when it will happen will put you a bit more at ease.

    betty

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    1. I finally got through to the surgeon's office. I should get an appointment to see him late August. They don't seem too worried.

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  6. I think dripping in amethysts sounds royally perfect for you. You are the queen of the blogs and Dragons.

    I read in an article where our doctors are headed south too. Or some of them. There is a clinic in, I believe Costa Rica (or some beautiful island!) that is luring in our finest surgeons for their clinics. They hope that Americans who are used to no waiting and such, will happily fly to their clinics for top of the line medicine and a vacation.

    The waiting annoys me because they're making you wait and you're so very important to me. I know. I'm completely selfish. I should write them a note- take care of Jo quickly, please- we love her!!

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    1. Thank you ma'am. We used to have the same problem in England with doctors being enticed to the US. Can't blame them wanting to go somewhere warm.

      Thanks for the last paragraph Liz. Gives me the warm fuzzies.

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  7. That's a scary long time to wait. That just wouldn't fly here.
    You could always get purple contact lenses and really freak out your exercise class.

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    1. True Alex, but I couldn't afford it in the US. They don't seem to think it's particularly urgent anyway.

      What a great idea, wonder where I could get them.

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  8. Yes there is the wait and the Dr's are probably on vacation-mine is and so is my hubby's. Thankfully we don't have the huge prices that would make us go bankrupt like in the States. I would never want their useless health care. Oops I think I did a mini rant:) I love purple and I see those earrings really well-so pretty. This recipe sounds great but not one for lamb-can insert another meat:)

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    1. For a family doctor, if ours is on holiday and we really need to see one, we can go to the Cambridge office Birgit. Originally we went to Cambridge all the time until they opened up a Kitchener one. In Cambridge they have lots of doctors all the time. I lived with the US medical system for 12 years. If you put your nose inside a hospital it was $1,000 but they did let you pay over time. If you go to the doctor's office you frequently have to pay $125 or so just for the privilege of seeing him.

      They are pretty, I am really pleased with them. Pity you don't like lamb.

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  9. Love the polish, the color and the earrings! I bet you looked lovely. Drs here are just as bad sometimes. I had a heart attack with three blockages, but was under for too long so they stopped at stenting two, and then the dr got called home for an emergency, said they'd rely on drugs to clear the third blockage. I spent a year thinking I was dying because the drugs, the ones I'm allergic too and couldn't take - did nothing for me. Neither did the doctor, I had to go to a new one to get that blockage stented. I hate, hate, hate doctors - of course if I were rich and they were at my beck and call - different story, right! :)
    Stay well!

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    1. Except my polish is a bit paler Yolanda. Still looks good. God what a horror story. I hope all is good now.

      You stay well too.

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