Ouch!

Not been posting much lately, though I am more happy regarding the results of my condition after recent months, other things happen, one of my legs has decided to play up. What I can do? It can happen so suddenly and without warning and you wonder why. At best all it means is that I need plenty of rest...As long as it doesn't drop off :-)
Each and every day is different. Sleeping is so difficult and trying to get comfortable and pain killers are not always the answer. And you try to do without. Well I do.

Fortunately I have no reason to go out(and the weather is set to be poor for most of this week)so I can just about manage that! But the sun is shining as I write this.

So I will relax and listen to my radio programmes and think about what to enjoy food wise...and see what I can post about on here...

Easy As Pie...

I did get around to making that fish pie I kept saying that I would...my first.

But I ended up doing a different and easier recipe than planned. Initially, I was worried that the fish may not cook and I would find it still raw. I need not have panicked. It came out fine.

Why was it easy? I chose fish with little if any bones and avoided adding a sauce this time.

So here is the recipe...it's not mine but I equally cannot see how you can claim any recipe exclusively.

Choose a selection of fish(I chose hake, salmon and cod)

Cut it into suitable sized chunks. Place in an oven proof dish.

Add a selection of vegetables(I slightly boiled some of my to be sure they would not remain hard)I added leeks, swede, carrot, celery, broccoli, some grated cheese, garlic, herbs.

I topped it with mashed potato.

Placed it in the oven for 35-40 minutes at 200 degrees...

The potato turned a golden brown but inside remained hot and did not dry out.

And it was a success.

I will do it again but with this basic recipe you van change it every time depending on what you add. But you know what's inside and can decide whether to add salt and pepper etc...

Salt...

There is too much salt in many prepared foods but our bodies do need some to run correctly. I have never eaten a lot of salt and with my medical condition I probably would do myself more harm than good to eat too much but I do remember being told that even I can eat some(within reason)

If you live in a hot country people are often told to take salt tablets but it appears that the main reason is that when you sweat you lose various minerals out of the body.

If I have any, I like it on chips and potatoes. Otherwise, I cannot really think of anything else that stands out. Like sugar on cereals or in tea or coffee to some extent you get used to the taste of something and you find initially giving it up is difficult and food can taste bland but in time you do manage without and find yourself wondering why you added it in the first place.

Because I eat so little salt I can make a container last ages...I have bought Saxa salt for years but now I often just buy the supermarket's own brand. Some months ago I bought some sea salt but that if transferred to a salt cellar just seemed to get moist and was very difficult to shake onto food.

The other day I saw some fine sea salt under the Saxa brand in a container and purchased it.

It is almost four times the price of table salt(and maybe four times smaller)but I gave it a try. You seem to need less and it doesn't stick to food the same as table salt does. I think it also contains some extra minerals.

Though fine I think it is slightly coarser than the first type that I tried and if left in it's little container I think it is unlikely to become damp.

So the first impression is positive.

Salt

Salt Tablets

Michael Jackson Is Dead...RIP!

What can you say? He means something to many people. And to many who are untouched by his music or celebrity, they will have to acknowledge his place in the history of pop music.

There will be many stories in the media for days, weeks, months and they will rehash the bad with the good.

He was a genius, vulnerable, troubled and much more. The worry is that it will turn into hysteria.

And it doesn't help when I hear people(radio presenters)who weeks ago ridiculed him, now doing what they feel that they have to and is expected of them and trying to sound sincere and say all the right things...there will, I'm afraid so much hypocrisy.

The only thing is that Michael is out of any suffering that he may've been experiencing.

I tuned into 3AW in Australia(being on dial up, I don't listen online and forget that I have access to media around the world)and I thought they handled the story more balanced than what BBC Radio 5 News was putting out. But that very much depends on the presenter rather than the actual news feeds.

Another person in the music world who has died young in a long line, where do you stop? Another who leaves us wondering what he might've done but the body of work he has done to date will continue to be played.

What Is A Bargain...

I don't know whether this changes as you get older but yesterday I had a mini shopping trip and did all I could to avoid spending a lot and going to the large supermarket on the town...

So what bargains did I find? I never thought that I would say this...400 Typhoo Teabags for £2.99 and this will not happen for much longer and is only prolonging the inevitable, a shop in town had managed to put on the shelves some of the traditional light bulbs that are being phased out in favour of the energy saving type which are still unpopular with many and are supposed to make the reading of books and newspapers difficult. Considering that it costs 99p for six bulbs(and you can buy 5 new energy bulbs for 50p)you can see what is happening. Unfortunately, it's still the shape of the new bulbs that doesn't help making them difficult to use in existing lampshades and fittings.

I have heard how in many countries people are stocking up on the traditional bulbs and if I see anymore I will be doing so too.

Chicken, Carrots And Fish...

For various reasons cooking chicken in an oven can mean that it can be a little tough for those who are missing a few teeth and the other night when I tried a repeat of one of my first successes a Broccoli and Chicken bake, when you buy professionally made pies etc...the chicken is usually softer in texture and more moist.

How is that?

The answer would appear to be and I found out by chance the answer and verified it on the net that you poach your chicken breasts. You get a saucepan large enough to take the amount of chicken you have...cover them in boiling water approx half to inch over the chicken breasts and simmer for approx 25 minutes...you know they are cooked when they have no runny juices and you can skewer the meat etc...

Then you can eat the chicken as it is or slice it into pieces and add it to salads, pies and other dishes.

A health programme on the BBC World Service and by coincidence various newspapers are also carrying the story that carrots may be better for you than at first thought(though for years we have been told just how good they are for your health)especially in the fight to ward off cancer. The answer is cook your carrots whole and avoid cutting them. I would say that advice/news is reasonably obvious as the goodness will leach into the water they are being cooked in. As always when cooking most things on the hob...use the minimum of water required and cook for the minimum possible amount of time. A cancer charity seems to suggest cooking whole or otherwise makes little or no difference.

Tonight, I am hoping to try(and there are so many)a recipe and make my own fish pie...roughly containing hake, cod and/or salmon but you could choose just about any combination, various vegetables, cheese and mashed potato, I hope that it comes out ok.

Cooking carrots whole

Fish Pie

Hello...Is There Anybody There?

I am happy in general with my health care in the UK and I could not afford private health care(even if I wanted)and I know the problems this raises in many countries so my little gripe here is nothing in comparison.

I think that I have mentioned this before but today was by far the worst.

I could probably officially complain but as I get on well with my Dr's and all the staff at the local surgery, all that may do is sour a good relationship.

I'm not saying that everyone is financially poor, that all older people are confused and so on but to get an appointment by phone is a problem.

A few years ago...you phoned the local surgery and if the line was busy, you put the phone down and called again until you got through but at least if the line was engaged, you were not charged, only when you talked to a person at the other end did it cost you anything.

Then the surgery(and many others have)introduced a centralised computerised number that puts you through to the surgery, you are informed that it is a busy time and they ask you(if your call is not important to call back later otherwise to hang on)your call is acknowledged and you are told every so often how many calls are ahead of you. It is still cheaper to stay on the line and wait your turn.

Unfortunately, today and maybe this is a new idea...you could make the initial call and be passed to the surgery but instead of then waiting for an answer there was an automatic message saying to call back and you were cut off immediately. So you had to redial and every time you reconnect, you are charged and as that initial connection can cost approx 25p for any part of of the first two or three minutes if you are using a mobile phone and slightly less on a land line, it can become quite expensive.

It took approx twenty phone calls to get through and finally wait my turn and in the end I was running two phone lines until one connected and kept me online and did not disconnect. I had to because in the time I redialed, someone else could be nipping in ahead of me.

The appointment was thankfully available and made very quickly once you reached the person answering the phone so it is not their fault but I suspect it took approx ten to fifteen minutes to get an answer and cost approx £3-£4.

I would phone later in the day but when you know that the Dr you wish to see is only on for morning surgery and it starts early and you have to phone in on the day at 8am you have no choice.

You are unable to phone days in advance so you are always caught in the queue and will always have to phone at this early hour.