Premier Quits, Bowling, Drugs,

As you know, I am not politically minded in any way, but nevertheless I was quite surprised to hear the premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty, had stepped down yesterday. Not a matter of much interest outside Canada in general and Ontario in particular, but it did surprise me, as I said. He has been the Liberal party leader for 16 years and 9 as premier, he said it was time for someone else to step into the job.

Yesterday we bowled once again and Matt had three pretty good games, mine were pretty mediocre. Oh well, it’s a bit of exercise and these days I don’t get much. I tried to find out if and when I am scheduled for vascular surgery but didn’t have much luck, will try again tomorrow.

Today we are going for flu shots. Free by the way. Matt got two letters telling him the doctor was now doing them and I didn’t get one. Need to get themselves sorted at the doctors. I have been having trouble getting pills once mine have run out, the pharmacy faxes the doctor and the doctor faxes back but this all takes forever and often ends with one party swearing they haven’t heard from the other. It is, quite frankly, a pain in the rear end. Especially as I take so many of the damned things. They tend to prescribe a month’s supply instead of 3 months but if I put up with that, with the number of pills I have to take, it would cost me a small fortune even if the government does pay most of the cost for seniors – we have insurance coverage too from Matt’s employment but generally don’t have to use it these days. Whoever pays, the pharmacist has all the information and deductions are made automatically, but even so, what we do have to pay can mount up.

Not a lot happening in my world at the moment and I haven’t had time to read many of the blogs of my friends. Maybe later on today.

I like chicken noodle soup, but this is a new one on me.

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Source: WebMD
8 Servings


The casserole favorite takes two easy comfort ingredients -- chicken and noodles -- and makes a standby dinner recipe of them.

INGREDIENTS
2/3 cup chopped onion
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil or canola oil
1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chopped carrots
3 celery ribs, chopped
1/2 teaspoon dried savory
3 tablespoons butter or stick margarine
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
1 1/2 cups 2 percent milk
1 1/4 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
8 ounces wide egg noodles, cooked and drained

DIRECTIONS
In a large nonstick skillet, sauté onion and garlic in oil until tender. Add chicken; cook and stir until no longer pink. Add the broth, carrots, celery and savory. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth. Gradually add milk. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until melted. Pour over chicken mixture. Add noodles; mix well.
Transfer to a 3-qt. baking dish coated with nonstick cooking spray. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 15-20 minutes or until bubbly.

Have a great day

Medical Stuff, Bowling, Surgical First.

Well, that was scary. I went to a specialist yesterday morning. I have been waiting for about 7 months to see her, one of her people told me the wait is even longer right now and they are looking for another doctor to help with the load, anyway, I had an ecg, no probs, then they put me on a machine which hurt like hell taking blood pressure readings 6 times. I do have blood pressure problems, but the reading after the 6th one was 225/90, way, way too high. Why that should be I don't know, can't have been 'white coat syndrome' not that high. So I have now ended up with extra medication for high blood pressure plus she recommended natural pills, Coenzyme Q10 and Vitamin D which she said would be cheaper at Costco (local warehouse open to the public) I ended up spending over $100 (we added in a few lamb chops) but mostly on flipping pills. That did not include prescriptions. Mind you, now I come to think of it I picked up a bottle of 300 vitamin pills at a good price plus some flax which was an excellent price, but the Coenzyme Q10 was $40 for about 60 pills. We then grabbed a bite to eat at a Subway and just got to the bowling alley at starting time. I was somewhat stressed and thought I would bowl really badly; in fact I had one of my best bowling days for ages - no telling is there? I bowled 120 pins above my average for the three games. Wish I had done that at the tournament in Hamilton the other week. It wouldn't have got me a prize but I would have felt really good. I felt good anyway of course. Matt had two good games too so we were both patting ourselves on the back. I heard a report on Good Morning America yesterday about a man who had transplants of both hands, one including a forearm. Its like science fiction. He lost his hands in a farm accident and this is a big step forward in medical history. You can read the story and watch a video here http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/man-double-hand-transplant/story?id=10099179 this picture is of Chris Pollock, the subject of the accident, and his parents after the accident. He is expected to get feeling in his hands in three years. Of course I started thinking of a sci fi story I read many years ago where a man had transplanted hands which had belonged to a murderer and the hands wanted to continue their previous life!!!! Trust me to remember that. Today I have to go to the same doctor for another test, so that's yer lot for my blog today. This is a recipe I found on Cooking.com which is ostensibly a low budget recipe - these days it seems to me flank steak is not too cheap any more. Its makes a delicious meal though. Unfortunately this recipe did not come with a picture so I just found one on the web. Reading through it, it reminds me very much of Matt's recipe for what, in North Carolina, they call a London Broil. I posted that recipe a long time ago, maybe I will again soon. Broiled Flank Steak with Soy-Honey Marinade Source: Cooking for the Week Serves 4 Planning ahead for some good leftovers, we chose an Asian-style marinade for the flank steaks. This weekend dish is a snap for any cook. INGREDIENTS 2 flank steaks (about 3 1/2 pounds total), trimmed of fat Marinade: 1/2 cup low-salt soy sauce 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1/3 cup honey 2 teaspoons ground pepper 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger DIRECTIONS Put the flank steaks in a large, heavy-duty lock-top plastic bag. TO MAKE THE MARINADE: Combine the marinade ingredients in a 2-cup glass measure. Pour out and reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade. Pour the marinade over the flank steaks and seal the bag, pressing out any air (this allows the marinade to fully coat the meat). Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Turn the bag over every 15 minutes or so, to fully distribute the marinade. About 20 minutes before serving, preheat the broiler. Remove the flank steaks from the marinade and place them side by side on a broiler pan. Broil the steaks 2 to 3 inches from the heating element for 6 minutes on the first side, then turn, brush with the reserved marinade, and broil 6 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 125 degrees F. (This timing is for medium rare; add a minute to each side if you want the meat more well done.) Set aside one of the flank steaks to cool. Transfer the other flank steak to a carving board. Let rest for 3 minutes, then slice across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve immediately. Cut the reserved steak in half, wrap separately, and refrigerate for up to 5 days. COOK'S NOTE If you love to grill, by all means fire up your grill and cook the flank steaks over hot coals. Grill on one side for 5 minutes, then turn and cook for about 4 minutes on the second side, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 125 degrees F. Have a great day