Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Strawberry Salad
Friday, April 4, 2014
April is here!
As you can see I haven't posted much recently. The reason for this is due to the fact that once again....I am on my beloved liquid diet! Sooo happy about it too! Not! :/
The surgery I had in November for my esophageal cancer was essentially successful as it removed the cancer, however, there are a few minor complications that still need to be tweaked. My pylorus, which is the muscle that helps to move your food from your stomach to the intestine has tightened up on me into a teeny weenie opening and not allowing my food to pass through. The food thus stays in my stomach and makes me nauseous. Not fun either. My surgeon has to go in my stomach down through the esophagus (which also occasionally needs to be stretched as well) and stretch the pylorus. The time before last I even got botox so my pylorus should be rather good looking lol. It didn't work very long however and I ended up back in the operating room a week ago for another stretch. Along with the stretch comes a liquid diet for a couple weeks.
I am quite eager to get to eating food that doesn't have to be blended! Since last summer was ruined by being in St. Louis to undergo chemo and radiation treatments, I didn't get a chance to do any grilling or enjoying anything really. This summer I have vowed to do lots of grilling and cooking and checking out some new restaurants.
I shall now mosey on to the kitchen and find something liquidy to fill my cantankerous belly!
Until next time!
God Bless!
Brendan's Bacon Double Cheese
My son, Brendan, who is 15, Autistic and an extremely picky eater has inspired this sandwich made just for him! He loves food that is crunchy or on a bun so the few things he likes are hamburgers, cheeseburgers, chicken nuggets and strips, grilled cheese and bacon. Unfortunately he wont touch anything remotely healthy usually so I need to find somewhere to hide some veggies!
This grilled cheese is pretty basic and easy peasy!
2 slices of bread (your preference)
2 slices of cheese (your choice)
Oscar Meyer (or any brand) of real bacon bits.
Butter - I used Parkay butter spray
Butter outsides of bread.
Place one buttered side into heated pan.
Place one piece of cheese on bread followed by bacon bits...as many or little as you like...
Another slice of cheese on top of the bacon and remaining slice of bread!
Cook to your liking and enjoy stand alone or with your favorite soup!
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Recipe - Sauteed French Green Beans
Sauteed French Green Beans
- Open two cans of green beans and try to drain as much of the juice as you can.
- Generously spray the saute pan with the spray olive oil. If you do not have the spray kind, you could use olive oil or butter.
- Add all ingredients to the pan and saute to your likeness.
Friday, February 14, 2014
Oven Fried Ranch Pork Chops
Oven Fried Ranch Pork Chops
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- I used 2 boneless butterflied chops for this recipe, you can use any cut you like. If using butterflied cut each chop into two pieces.
- Put breadcrumbs in a large ziplock bag and crush. I left some chunks in mine for extra crunchy texture.
- Add the packet of ranch dressing to the bread crumbs and mix together well.
- Dip each chop one at a time in the egg mixture and then drop into the zip lock bag. Toss around to coat the chops generously.
- Place each chop on a baking tray or cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes depending on how crunchy you like your chops!
- Enjoy!
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
What to do with those wrinkly ole grape tomatoes!
Don't you hate when you buy grape tomatoes and can't get them all used up before they wrinkle? They may no longer be a candidate for your perfect salad, but don't throw them out just yet! The best remedy for wrinkly maters is to cook them! Once they start to heat up, they will start to plump up. Add them to your favorite dish or enjoy them all by themselves! I like to sautee mine with a little balsamic reduction. Mmmmm!
English Muffin Mini Pizzas
The mini pizzas are super easy and quick to make. Even the kiddos can easily make their own!
TIP: Don't you hate when you bite into a slice of pizza and in one bite you drag off half of the toppings and end up with hot pizza sauce dripping down your chin? Ok, well maybe that only happens to me? Just in case
it does happen, an easy way to remedy it is to cut your toppings up into small bit size pieces. That way when you take a bite of the pizza your teeth won't drag off your toppings! lk]\
Tuesday, January 28, 2014
Romano's Macaroni Grill - South County, St. Louis.
We had been wanting to try out macaroni grill for quite a while and the opportunity finally presented itself! Amanda, Brendan and I were headed over to the South County Center Mall and there sat Macaroni Grill right at the Entrance! The ambiance is perfect for whatever you are out and about for. Whether it's a bite to eat after a long day of shopping, a casual dinner, or a romantic date night with your hunny you will feel right at home here.
They keep the Olive Oil right on your table for you to refill at your convenience if you have soaked up all of that yumminess with the free loaf of bread they bring to your table upon arrival. If you run out of bread they will be more than happy to replenish! Our waitress, who unfortunately I can't remember her name but she was very nice, added some fresh ground black pepper to the oil. If I had thought about it at the time I would have also asked her to grate some cheese into the oil as well!
They had a special on their menu, two appetizers for $9, so Amanda picked the fried mac n cheese and zucchini frites, which is fried zucchini. The mac n cheese bites were amazing! They come with a cheese sauce to dip the yummy squares in which makes them even more delectable. I only was able to eat one because since my surgery my tummy can only hold a small amount of food and I had to save room for my main entree, but it took everything I had not to gobble up more! I really liked the zucchini as well. My only complaint is the description doesn't tell you it is served with arribiata sauce so my mouth wasn't exactly prepared for the heat! I did request some plain red sauce which was quite runny, but better on the buds!
For my entree I chose the eggplant parmesan. It was accompanied by cappelini pasta with marinara sauce. This was soo delicious! The eggplant was well done just how I like it, crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. The sauce was very tasty and paired well with the eggplant and pasta. I would definitely order this again! The portion was huge. With two good size portions of the eggplant, one could share with a friend and be quite satisfied.
For $3 you can add either a field green salad or ceasar to your meal. Amanda and I both opted for the field green salad with ranch dressing. The salad was good, however, I am not very fond of bitter raddichio which was part of the salad. I would order again though!
Amanda went for the Carmella's Chicken, rigatoni pasta topped with grilled chicken, fresh mushrooms, caramelized onions and a creamy marsala wine sauce. I tried a bite of the rigatoni and it too was very good! I would order this for myself, but minus the rooms.
Brendan had the kids chicken strips and fries. I guess they couldn't make an adult entree with chicken strips so he ended up with three strips and a small amount of fries. Luckily he had bread to help fill him up.
We did not order dessert, but maybe next time! Overall I really liked the Macaroni Grill. My only complaint is that the Olive Garden has me spolied with the salad that comes with the meal as opposed to paying extra for it so I wish MRG also offered a complimentary salad.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Pizza Man!
A local Litchfield favorite! My family has been going here for years and it has never disappointed! Love this pizza! My favorite - ham n pineapple, well done!
Saturday, January 18, 2014
I can eat again!
I went to see my surgeon and got the green light to eat normal food again! To celebrate I went to Applebee's and had a steak. It was quite yummy, however I was only able to eat a few bites! It ended up making several meals for me.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
T-Rex Cafe - Orlando, FL
just a warning the dinos start screetching and a loud volcano erupts like every 20 - 30 minutes.
Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville Bar and Grill - Chicago
The Chicago location is actually a bar and grill and is a lot smaller than the Orlando restaurant. When the weather is cooperative, they do have outdoor seating as well.
Crown Candy Kitchen - St. Louis, Mo
www.crowncandykitchen.net
1401 St. Louis Ave
St. Louis, Mo 63106
314-621-9650
20's Hideout - Marion, Illinois
2606 W Main St, Marion, IL