Civic Holiday, Diabetes, Joint Pain Lies.

Sitting in the hospital on Friday being given my radioactive injection, the nurse (I think she was a nurse, how do you know these days?) says they are super busy because of the holiday. Holiday? What holiday? It turns out that Monday is Civic Holiday and we knew nothing about it. That’s what comes of being retired, you don’t pay a lot of attention to such things; we usually know when a holiday weekend is upon us. Not this time though.

If you don’t have diabetes, this won’t mean much to you, but I read yesterday that there is a possibility that Botox proteins may hold a solution for curing diabetes. This would be absolutely wonderful. I don’t pretend to fully understand the science as explained in the article on dLife, but I do understand the possibility of a cure - particularly for those who’s sugars are not under control and who are at risk for so many side effects. The first time I realised you could lose a limb through diabetes was the first time I sat up and took notice and I didn’t even have the disease in those days. The picture shows blood sugar testing which I do every morning, some people do it several times a day and others neglect to do it at all, not a good thing to neglect either.

In the medical field, I read another article posted on Facebook by a friend, which emphasised natural cures for joint pain, and pointed out that so many of these cures have been around for a thousand years or more. It also pointed out that as we get older we accept stiffness and pain as part of our existence and unless we fill ourselves up with the painkillers which are prescribed by physicians, we end up as virtual cripples. The article was in RealPharmacy.com and I found it very interesting. The main thrust was that our doctors lie to us. Not sure about lying, I know mine continues to point out that I am old. Considering I recently saw video of a woman of 86 doing gymnastic routines I am beginning to realise its all balderdash to put it politely.

Yesterday I did receive a recipe from Cooking.com which appealed to me. It contains alcohol but possibly you could substitute something like ginger ale, I don’t know if you can poach in ginger ale but I don’t see why not.

Peaches Poached in Wine

Source: Casual Cuisines of the World - Pizzeria

One of the wonders of summer, peaches are showcased in this easy dessert. The amount of sugar added to the poaching liquid will depend upon the wine's relative dryness; the liquid should be just sweet enough to heighten the natural sweetness of the peaches. To dress up the dish, top each serving with a dollop of mascarpone.

INGREDIENTS
6 yellow- or white-fleshed peaches
1 bottle fruity white wine or red wine or Champagne
1/3-2/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

DIRECTIONS
Bring a saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil. One at a time, dip each peach into the boiling water for 5 seconds. Lift out with a slotted spoon and, using a sharp paring knife, peel the peaches. Halve each fruit along the natural line and remove the pits.

In a saucepan large enough to hold all the peaches in a single layer, combine the wine, 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla bean. Place over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add more sugar as needed to achieve a pleasant sweetness. Bring to a simmer, add the peaches and simmer until barely tender, 2-5 minutes, depending upon their ripeness.

Transfer the peaches and their cooking liquid to a deep glass bowl (the peaches should be completely covered by the liquid) and let cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 days or for up to 3 days.

TO SERVE: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peach halves to large wineglasses, placing 2 halves in each glass. Half-fill each glass with the poaching liquid and serve.

Have a great weekend.