Dementia, Asparagus, Cleaning, Superintendent.

As I was explaining to Ivy of The Happy Whisk yesterday, in the comments section, one of the reasons I am writing about Matt and his Alzheimer's it to let others know just what it is like. I didn't know before it happened to me and I am ashamed now that when someone pointed out to me that a woman had a husband with Alzheimer's my reaction was "poor woman" and that was it. As I said to Ivy, I beg you, if you know someone in a similar situation, please reach out to them. Dementia is a very lonely disease for the caregiver as well as being frustrating, upsetting, and productive of many tears, it doesn't matter if the caregiver is male or female. It is also something that produces a terrific load of guilt because you believe you should be more patient, more understanding, kinder, you name it. In fact, in my experience, the patient themselves doesn't suffer nearly as much, basically because they don't know what is going on. The Alzheimer Society has a leaflet called Ambiguous Loss and Grief in Dementia. Meaning, that whilst you are still sharing a home with your spouse, you have actually lost that person you loved to dementia even though they are physically still with you.

Of course Covid-19 hasn't helped, being cut off from anyone else and being deprived of all association and assistance is a pretty dreadful position to be in. I said to one of the spouses I know, I would enjoy a real conversation, she agreed with me wholeheartedly. Thank God for the internet, it does help. What it would have been like in former years I dread to think. There is a group on Facebook for caregivers as well as other groups which I personally have not yet been in touch with. That's another thing, I don't have a lot of time. Over the years, I have been given a lot of leaflets and literature about what some group  or another does, particularly the health groups locally, but I don't have time to read all this stuff.

Some of my friends might be asparagussed out, but I certainly am not and I went over to the farm today, taking Matt with me, if I left him that long he would probably start to worry. and he tends to forget he can phone me. When I got there, they had made yet another arrangement which was OK for those who can walk, next time I will take a short cut. However, they had pre-packed the asparagus so you could just take as many bags as you wanted. Of course the walk carried you through their back rooms so you could see all the things they also sell. However, by the time I had staggered up the stairs, struggled to pick up four bags and walked the rest of the way, I wasn't remotely interested in anything else. One good thing driving there, most of  the main road is now newly paved and is a joy to drive on. For supper tonight, I decided Matt wasn't getting enough greens so I cooked asparagus. I was informed he didn't like these green beans. He liked them a few days ago!!

I am delighted to report that my neighbour who does some cleaning, has agreed to come and clean for me, not sure how permanent this is, but at least I know she will be good from reports I have heard. She is obviously being paid for her services and will start on Monday so I can tell the woman who is currently doing some cleaning for me as a volunteer that she doesn't have to come over any more. She has done a wonderful job helping me for the last few weeks and I am very grateful.

On the way back into the building this afternoon, I bumped into our superintendent. We had a longish chat about Covid-19 and I asked him if we had any more cases in the building, he said not that he had heard of but said the one person who did inform him, did so by accident. We discussed privacy as opposed to warning the rest of us and his comment was, common sense is not a flower that grows in everyone's garden. I thought it was a wonderful expression.

Anyway, here is yet another "green bean" recipe. If you too are asparagussed out, sorry, this goes on til around July 1 because I have never yet been asparagussed out.

Spicy Thai Asparagus Soup

2 Tbs (30 mL) canola oil
2  tbs green curry paste
1 can 400 mL coconut milk
1 ¼ lbs asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch lengths
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs (15 mL) lemon juice


1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add curry paste; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add coconut milk and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice

2. Heat oil in large saucepan set over medium heat; add asparagus, onion, garlic and lemon zest. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Add coconut milk mixture.  Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.

4. Tips: Serve garnished with blanched asparagus spear pieces. You can also puree this soup for an added creamy elegant touch. After cooking through to end of step #3, transfer soup, in batches, to blender. Blend until very smooth. Garnish as you would above and with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt. You can also use an immersion blender.

Servings: 4

Source: Food Network

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Super, Bowling Banquet.

Well we have a new superintendent and wife. How long t hey will last, none of us can guess. From all we hear, the realtor doesn't pay the supers enough which is partly why they quit. This is a 9 floor building with a lot of apartments. That makes it a lot of work to keep clean without anything else going wrong.

Went to the bowling banquet. Done By Dawn did an excellent job as usual - she does a super beef dish and this year we had roast chicken. She also makes a great salad with Brussels sprouts and cranberries in it, amongst \other things. I went back for seconds of that. Also had blueberry pie which she makes with a cream cheese base and a shortbread crust. Deeeelicious. We "won" $5 each for our bowling last year before I ended up in hospital. Better than nothing. We then bowled a couple of games and Matt actually bowled this time. He was chuffed because he beat me. I certainly wasn't bowling very well. I really don't know if we should join the summer league or not. Matt won't get his rear end in gear and move down to the bowling area until the previous bowler has sat down, this takes a long time, at his speed, and therefore makes the whole team late. He doesn't see it. But I know people we are bowling with aren't too happy about being delayed so long. If I can't get him to move himself, we can't join teams. Just the pair of us, it doesn't matter of course.

Picked up our groceries on the way home and got a free Cinco de Mayo gift with a can of Rotel tomatoes which included all kinds of other veg (mild unfortunately) and a packet of flavourings to be mixed with avocado to make guacamole. All for eating with Nachos. Guess what, we don't eat nachos at home but there were some recipes and I have some ideas what to do with the goodies.

Matt has an ultra sound Tuesday and he has to drink a pint of water half an hour before his appointment. Lucky he likes water. I always flavour mine with Crystal Light these days. Then we are having dinner at the Red Lobster with a friend. Have a driver taking us for the ultrasound so it will be a kind of dash to get the car and get to the restaurant.

I might even have some asparagus tomorrow.

Spring Pizza

Asparagus, chives and Fontina cheese top this easy pizza recipe. Serve with baby greens tossed with

vinaigrette and pecans.

3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch asparagus (about 1 pound)
½ cup snipped fresh chives (from 1 bunch), divided
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground pepper
1 lb whole-wheat pizza dough
1 cup shredded fontina or mozzarella cheese

1. Position rack in lower third of oven, place a pizza stone or large pizza pan on the rack and preheat oven to 450°F for at least 15 minutes. Meanwhile, combine 2 tablespoons oil and garlic in a small bowl; set aside. Trim asparagus spears to about 6 inches long; slice any thicker stalks in half lengthwise. Toss in a bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, ¼ cup chives, salt and pepper. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface to about a 14-inch circle. Carefully remove the pizza stone or pan from the oven and set on a heatproof surface, such as your stovetop. Place the dough on the stone or pan and brush with the reserved garlic-oil mixture. Arrange the asparagus in a circular pattern on the dough with the tips facing out. Top with cheese and the remaining chives. Carefully return the stone or pan to the oven and bake the pizza on the lower rack until crispy and golden and the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

Servings: 5

Source: EatingWell

Have a great day
 

Jeopardy, Medical, Cleaners, Misc.

Well how about that? I just learned on Jeopardy that the photo imaging format known as GIF should be pronounced jif with a soft g, not gif with a hard g. Jeopardy is my all time favourite programme and I move heaven and earth not to miss it. I have tried out for it a couple of times but even suppose I were to get through, I could never afford all the expenses involved with taking further tests and then getting out to California. Once in California, presumably you have to pay for your own hotel as well. I often wonder if the third place prize of $1,000 covers all one’s costs. However, although I think I do fairly well, I often cannot bring an answer to mind quickly enough to ring in. I suspect it would be even more difficult when you are actually there.

Matt has a medical appointment at 9 a.m. today so he did his early morning shop on Tuesday. At least it’s local at St. Mary’s Hospital, ($10 parking) however, on Thursday I have an echocardiogram at 9:20 a.m. at our doctor’s which is in the next town. At least we should be back in time to bowl which I didn’t want to miss. I don’t like having this test, I usually end up sore afterwards. A specialist I used to see on a regular basis insisted on them once in a while and now our doctor is doing the same. I am assuming it is the same guy, he seems to be a travelling technician. Talking medical, I saw our Superintendent yesterday, he is looking pretty healthy and is walking with a walker but seems to be managing OK. He is involved in what’s happening in the building which maybe is too soon. I was surprised he is on Plavix (a mild blood thinner) and an aspirin. I would have thought they would put him on something stronger.

My cleaning problems are now over and our new Mrs. Mops are coming in on the 20th. Our previous cleaner has definitely decided she can’t cope so I have no idea what she is going to do, mortgages still have to be paid etc. etc. Only thing we could do was continue to employ her, but if she doesn’t want to do that, not much else we can do.

Just realised it was my father’s birthday. He’d have been 105 today. Oddly enough both of Matt’s parents were born in the same years as mine. i.e. 1908 for our fathers, 1913 for our mothers. None of them are with us and haven’t been for some time now.

I thought this was a wonderful idea, I always like using place cards for dinners I give for friends. So how about these.

Gingerbread Placecard Tags

Courtesy of: Anna Olson

serves Makes about 2 dozen


Ditch the paper and make these amazing edible placecard tags for your next dinner party! 

Ingredients
Cookies
¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
6 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup fancy molasses
1 large egg at room temperature
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
Royal Icing
1 ½ tablespoons meringue powder
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons warm water

Directions

Cookies
1. Beat the butter, brown sugar and molasses together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition.
2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Add this to the butter mixture and stir until blended. Shape the dough into 2 disks, wrap and chill for about an hour up to 2 days (the dough will still be soft, even once chilled).
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2-3 baking trays with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first disk of dough until just over 1/8-inch thick. Use a knife or pasty roller to cut out rectangles about the size of a standard business card (3-x-2 inches) and smaller rectangle strips, about 2-inches long by ½-inch wide. Lift them carefully to the prepared trays, leaving about ½-inch between them. Any scraps can be stored chilled and then re-rolled until it has all been used.
4. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes until you see them brown a little just around the edges. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the tray before removing to cool completely.
Royal Icing
1. For the royal icing, beat the meringue powder, icing sugar and warm water with an electric mixer until peaks form (approximately 10-12 minutes).
2. To assemble, spoon the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe names and designs on the larger rectangular pieces. To have the placecard tags sit facing your guests, adhere the narrow strips onto the back of the tags using the royal icing. Allow the placecard tags to dry for 2 hours.
3. The cookies will keep up to a week in an airtight container.

Have a great day