Still Vegatating

I have been so so drowsy today...I realized about a half hour ago that I had no cafe this morning. I had tea, to see if I really want coffee in the mornings. So far the answer is a rousing YES. So I just had a cup of coffee. I am not galvanized into action, but am not quite as sleepy as I was.

It's Halloween, and many children of the Tijuana persuasion will be here this evening.  You would not believe how beautifully costumed they are.  They're just adorable. Many mamas and dads are there with the kids, with their sacks, too.  Big babies, they are.  And last year I even had a granny.  I thought it was awfully funny.  I hope they don't eat all that candy they'll get. If they are smart, they'll take it to their spider holes, bag it up, and sell it off bit by bit, under which circumstances it will be better for everybody.  I was sitting on the sofa trying to read last night,and finally realized that the horrible chemical distracting odor I'd been smelling was coming from a bag of bubble gum treats that was sitting there next to me.  Horrible stuff.

I am still struggling along with the all-veggie meal plans. Today I fell off the wagon. I felt the need for some protein so had water-pack tuna with my raw cabbage salad.  It was pretty good.  But then later I had a teeny Snickers and 2 mini Tootsie Rolls.  Tell me, was there a relation between the eating of tuna and the craving for Snickers? Probably.

So I made a little sandwich of the rest of the tuna in one slice of brown bread, and just had that with my cup of coffee. Might as well be hung for a whole fish as a fin....It was a quite tiny amount, all in all.

Last night I made a wonderful dish of vegetable matter.  I sprayed a pan with grapeseed oil, disapproved of by Dr. McDougall of course, and then I sauteed gently: 2 c. mushrooms, cut thick, 4 cups chard cut in strips, and five or six green onions cut into thin pieces...they cooked and made their own juice, and were just delicious.  A winning combo.

I will have the last of that tonight, and I am going to have to be careful of making too much.  My grandmother would have described this diet in terms, not of fiber, but of "bulk" and "roughage."  Roughage it is, and it's very filling.  But vegetable cook-ups and stews do not bear with too much overheating the next day.  One service as a leftover, and that's that for me. It becomes too much like ensilage if it lingers in the refrigerator too long, and that is no good.  Tonight I don't think I'll have anything more since I had that half of verboten sandwich.  It's all too filling.

Well, tomorrow we take Mr. Taterton to the doctor to get bawled out about his blood sugars.  He blames me for what he eats, of course.  It is all too hard for someone who has never wanted to give a thought about what he ate or drank--except whether it piqued his fancy or not.  I have tried to feed him better. He won't eat it. But he is going to get a big helping of that vegetable dish up there again tonight, under the guise of a side dish for his hamburger.  YAZZYBEL

I Have the Feeling That Something's Missing

And that Something is a Someone--my longlost cousin Stuart.

Somehow I had the impression that this was the weekend on which he was making his visit to us--all was ready. At ten this morning, I thought I'd call to see when he was going to drive in from the airport. To my surprise, he answered from his home office in Connecticut.  Whoa.  He's coming next weekend, not this one.

I will freeze the roast uncooked...I will freeze the cake I made if I can't think of a way to give it away...and we will eat the frijoles, as they were already started and probably would not freeze well.  Well, if I refry them they will be fine. We'll see.

To fill in the great big hole in my (expected) weekend, I'll put in some more pictures of the work done by Filiberto and Cesar. These pictures will be boring, because tile floors in progress can only be boring..but that' s all I have to fill the space. YAZZYBEL

See?  Told ya. 

A Lot of Trouble but Worth It

 

Hi, everybody!

Up there we have Cesar and Filiberto.  They were the cheerful, polite, tireless workers who were here to put in new tile floors in our two tiny bathrooms, and our front porch.  It was a pleasure to have them around. Cesar was the boss, who frequently was telling Filiberto how to do the tasks correctly.  Filiberto did as he was told.  They were both very nice.  Cesar was here on Monday and nearly killed himself working so hard alone. So wisely he brought Filiberto along the next day, and still they barely finished by sunset, and both worked very hard all day long. I never really saw either of them take a break or rest at all. They said they brought their lunch, but if so I never saw them eat. They had big bottles of water which they slugged down from time to time.  It was pleasant and funny to hear them talk, to hear them talk on their cells to their wives, to hear their music which was playing noticeably but very very quietly out in front where they were cutting and placing tiles.

I am glad the job is done. Is it perfect? No.  Is it fine by me? Yes.  If anything went wrong with the job it was the fault of Home Depot, not the workers! It was great to have them about for a couple of days, and it is wonderful to have real, clean, hard bathroom floors at last. YAZZYBEL

McDougall-ish Ideas but the Dishes are Mine

Good morning; here is a picture of a delicious dish that would be loved by skinny bitches and bastards, McDougall-ites, and in fact any and all vegans.

Nothing is in this dish except vegetables.  I bought a huge eggplant and peeled it. I cut it in circles, put three circles together, cut them in small strips, thence into small cubes.  I sauteed them in a very tiny amount of olive oil,which Dr McD would not like but everybody else would.  Then I added cubed or sliced onions, garlic, red or green bell pepper, a tiny slice of a red serrano minced so tiny you wouldn't believe it, and I sauteed everything gently, and then I added one can of tomato sauce (saltless), and a small cubed red tomato. And some black olives.  You can also add a bit of water (not too much; eggplants are watery) and leave it all to simmer. Oh yes, you may add herbs of your choice. And a little salt and pepper.  It's amazing how little salt you need once you get out of the habit of salting thoughtlessly.This dish is sometimes called eggplant caviar, and it can be eaten cold on crackers or bread, or all by itself with a spoon. Or heated in a bowl as a comfort food.

Now, the sandwich above is the one that I wrote about in the last posting.  Is it not pretty?  And it is so delicious.  Sandwiches do not have to have meat or cheese in them to be very satisfying to the taste buds.

I ask  you also to look at the plate. I take these plates out every fall of the year.  I wish I lived where there were oak trees and acorns all over the place. Of course, up in the mountains near San Diego, there are lots of wonderful oak trees.  Many of them have been lost to bugs or burning over the last few years. Let us say a prayer of thanks for their existence on this earth.
They are so beautiful; the leaves are beautiful, the acorns are fascinating...I draw a lot of oak trees as we go on our drives up and down the coast of California.

The name of that set of plates is "October Days," and the maker is Homer Laughlin.  America used to turn out a lot of beautiful, simple, utilitarian things.  I just love my autumn dishes.  And the foods on them too. YAZZYBEL

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A Delicious Sandwich and a Casserole

I made a delicious sandwich for lunch today.  Inspired by the McDougall Diet, I have been experimenting with making whole meals without any animal products. As much as possible.

Today, I cut into small thin strips:
about 6 thin thin onion rings
a few tablespoonfuls of thin slices of red and green peppers...
And mixed these into a dressing made from 1 teaspoon mayonnaise, 2 t. chile sauce, and about 1/4 teaspoon mustard.
I spread the above on one slice of whole wheat bread.  Then I took one slice from a huge ripe tomato, which covered the dressing completely.
On the facing slice of bread I cut up and mashed one half ripe avocado.  Added salt and pepper. Put together and cut in two. 
That was one tasty sandwich.  Almost too juicy, but the dressing on one side and the avocado on the other kept the tomato slice under control.  Really satisfying.

The only non McDougall element was the t. of mayo. Well, and the s and p.

Dr McDougall doesn't want you to have any meat whatsoever, nor eggs, milk, butter. Nor sugar. Nor salt and (presumably) pepper.  It is hard for the average American to follow such a regimen.  But, with application and strictness, one can make a diet that will be far less full of fat and extraneous meat products than the average.  I figure, try to make the meals meatless and saltless and sugarless as Dr McD wants. Then, every few days, a breakout towards the hamburger or chicken leg can probably be tolerable in the scheme of health. 

I also made a smoothie of pineapple, cucumber, and orange juice.  Very good. You can definitely taste the cucumber. I like cucumbers, so that's OK with me. And I made a great "scalloped" potato casserole night before last.

Not Scalloped Potatoes

one potato, peeled and thinly sliced
green peppers, sliced medium thin into sticks
onion, sliced medium thin into rings or cubes

Using spray oil, lightly spray a glass baking dish.
Add a layer of potatoes.
A layer of  peppers and onions.
Salt and pepper.
Another layer of potatoes.
Another layer of peppers and onions.
Spray of oil.
Salt and pepper.
Add skim milk to tops of potatoes.

Bake in medium hot oven (remember I have no calibration so have to guess) about an hour until done. If they are getting too brown on top, turn the oven down.  When vegetables are done, remove and set on table or top of stove.  They are delicious, filling, and satisfying.

That's a way you can cook without meat. I never thought I'd be able to do it for any length of time. Aside from beans and rice and tortillas.  But with a salad, and some good fruit for dessert (and maybe a cookie)...that is a good supper.  Of course I am not supposed to use milk. Don't know what that casserole would be with water instead of milk...OK. Better than nothing for sure. YAZZYBEL

Yes, It's Been a Long Time

Well, I have no excuses.

Inconveniences, yes. Excuses, no.

This will be quick. Or short. Or both.

Up at five, sleepy yet after going to the bathroom. Back to bed prepared to snooze till seven.

Lights on!  My spouse up and maundering about in the bedroom!  "Why, may I ask?" 

"I thought you were up," sez he.  "No, I am not," sez I from the depths of the comfy warm puffers.

Lights continue on...hubby off in the living room where the roar of the TV can shortly be heard. So I said, the heck with it, and got up.  He got up to await the opening of the market and the price of Apple. 

"But it's only five thirty," sez I.  Continued application of attention to CNBC was my only response.

So here I sit at the computer with burnt-out eyes, feeling disagreeable.

This is as good a time as any to give the Kitty Blanko report.  Should I say, Kitty Blanca?  Still not absolutely sure, but the pendulum seems to be swinging that way. Astute peeking skills have been applied, and I think he's a female. Pretty sure.

Kitty Blanko's injured eye looks better, more like a regular eyeball, but I think he's blind in that eye. He has showed up here twice with a fluourescent green shoestring tied about his neck, and I have made Theo remove it each time.  Someone is trying to restrict his movements (KB's) or is giving us a signal that KB belongs to someone else.  I need to send them the signal that if a cat is yours, it's your responsibility to give it food.  Well, it is a long day ahead, I hope.

The dr. wants to make me take Lovastatin.  I am conflicted.  Lots of irritants today. Grouchily yours, YAZZYBEL

Churchless Sunday!

Yes, it was a churchless Sunday.

I was reared to go to church whether I would or no, so I miss it when I do not go.  But have spent years entire not going...so it must be old age that really impels me to go now.

Today there was a "run" in the park, and when there is a run, parking is impossible because people come from near and far to take all the parking places at six a.m.

Theodore and I went out to eat breakfast at a nice restaurant in Chula Vista because I forgot to buy bacon yesterday when we went shopping.  He's gotta have his bacon.

The restaurant is the Trattoria Italianissimo, right on Third Avenue.  It is a beautiful, tastefully decorated restaurant. It started off about a year ago with high ideas and high prices. A year of suffering has brought about changes.  All restaurants are trying to lower prices now and to serve less food.  The great thing about this restaurant is that it serves real food.  And the food was served by a waiter dressed in black pants and white shirt just as if it were evening...And there was a blindingly clean and white tablecloth on the table. Thank goodness I spilled not one crumb for once.

We sat in a bright window table.  We had coffee, and Theo had bacon and eggs. Plus toast and butter. And a tiny thin circle of orange slice and a tiny sprig of parsley on the plate.  I had lemon-ricotta pancakes with butter (sparsely spread by me) and the tiny thin circle of orange and tiny sprig of parsley. Over my pancakes was sprinkled a dusting of grated lemon peel and a thin dusting of powdered sugar.  Another plate came with dish of whipped butter, dish of raspberry jam, and unidentified bottle of syrup.  I ate 2 of 3 pancakes, plus the slices of orange and sprigs of parsley from my dish and Theo's. And raspberry jam.  My, how delicious it was.  The whole thing including generous tip was $25.00, and well worth it.  In a lower genre restaurant the meal would have been closer to $15.00 plus tip, bringing it up close to $20.00 anyway. And no delicious home potatoes to bring home, and no white tablecloth and good waiter. So...bring it on.

YAZZYBEL