And my family elsewhere in the south appears to be okay too. I’ve got an older relative in Huntsville, AL, but remembered that the sister of a dear friend lives there, and she’ll check on him in person tomorrow.
I will admit that I’m tired of hunkering down, backtracking around flooded roads, and revising the hail damage report for my insurance company, but what we’ve had here is nothing compared to Alabama. I hope that all of my blogging friends are weathering the storms safely too.
Posted in life | Tagged life, weather | 23 Comments »
Since my long run on March 6, I’ve been recovering and trying to get caught up on life. Unfortunately, I did have a Lyme relapse, but it was manageable–and a sign that it’s just not time to stop fighting. I also, however, received a gift that has taken a bit of my time, another microscopic form of life that’s much nicer than Lyme spirochetes. I got a preview of the gift, a.k.a. my new pets, a week before the race when this showed up in my office mailbox:
Sourdough Bread
Isn’t it gorgeous? It’s a huge half-loaf of homemade sourdough bread. You see, I had to attend a weekend conference back in February, but out of that loss of my weekend I got to talk with a colleague (a lot) on four long plane flights. We discovered that his wife and I share a love of baking. First came the bread. Then not quite two weeks ago I got the holy grail: her sourdough starter, now almost a quarter of a century old. Sourdough starter saves you from buying little packages of yeast, some with chemicals added. You can use it to make baked goods with all organic ingredients. Sourdough starter really is magic.
My benefactor sent with the starter her own sourdough recipe. It looked good (and I know it tasted good, because we’d gotten the first gift!) but used handmade proofing baskets and a 24-hour rising period. The starter also (apparently) needed to be fed once a day. Well, you know me. I can’t stand to throw stuff out, so I determined to test refrigerating the starter to delay feeding (which definitely works) and reduce how much starter I had and to use the starter in other ways. Since I got the starter, I’ve made several loaves of whole-grain bread, pancakes, and even pumpkin-chocolate chip muffins. Yes, the recipes will all follow, and I promise to post them with alternatives for making them without sourdough starter.
The votes are in! Whole-wheat sourdough and whole-wheat bread are now posted here. Next up will be pumpkin-chocolate chip bread!
Do you bake with sourdough? Did you create your own starter, or did you receive it as a gift? How long have you kept a sourdough starter going?
Copyright 2011 Ozarkhomesteader.
Posted in appetizer, Arkansas, baking, bread, breakfast, Cooking And Baking, Food, frugal living, garlic, health, history, organic food, recipes, whole grains | Tagged baking, bread, Food, recipes, vegetarian | 20 Comments »
Regular readers may remember that I claimed at a December party that I was going to run the 10k (6.2 miles) at the Little Rock Marathon in March this year; then I discovered that there is no 10k. My old, pre-Lyme disease self could have easily done the next race down, the 5 k, so instead I opted for the half marathon: 13.1 miles. I am a woman who has fought Lyme for the better part of a decade. I am most definitely middle-aged now, by any actuarial charts. I am on the chubby side, thanks to inactivity during my fight with Lyme. I got a positive diagnosis for the infection when it was thoroughly embedded in my system from muscles to heart to brain six years ago, on March 4, 2005. I started long-term high doses of antibiotics six years ago from today, on March 7, 2005. I’m ready to say goodbye to Lyme.
Yesterday I completed the half marathon, running and walking, in a little over three hours. I know I was close to the back of the pack, but my goal time was to finish in four hours, and I beat my anticipated time per mile by about 4 1/2 minutes and my total time by almost an hour. Mr. Homesteader kindly walked to various points around the course to cheer me on. I first realized I was doing better than my goal when I hit the 5-mile mark at 9:10. I’d hoped to be there by 9:15 or 9:20. I knew I was doing okay when I crossed the 10k mark. I had planned on stopping running then but kept alternating running and walking. When I hit the 8.5 mark where a friend was serving water, I was more than 20 minutes ahead, despite a bathroom stop with a long delay at a portapotty long about mile 7. I really started to hurt as I got close to the governor’s mansion–my twisted ankle, my pinched nerves in my feet–so I pulled out my Ipod, up until then just used for my clock, and I inserted one earbud and listened to Harry Potter and his introduction to Quidditch. That was enough to distract me, and within a mile I’d pulled the earbud back out and was enjoying the cheerers again. Then we hit Chester Street. There at Chester and 7th is Vino’s legendary pizza. The aroma of pizza and faint scent of beer reached my nostrils. I almost stopped. I kept going, though, although by that point I was now down to running two minutes out of every ten.
Then I hit the lipstick stop. It’s famous as the only one on marathon courses. I don’t wear lipstick in my day-to-day life, much less when I’m sweating. I thought one of the volunteers there was going to block my way until I convinced her that I really did not want lipstick. By then I knew I was within a quarter mile of the finish line. And when a fellow runner/walker I’d had the opportunity to chat with on the course several times told me it would be easy to run the rest of the way in (thanks, Zora!), I did. Only I really ran it, and she jogged, so she is not in this picture. That’s me, in the black fleece. I’m crossing the line. I’m not really that wide; I had my gloves and headband stuffed in the pockets of my oversized pullover.
In retrospect, knowing what I know now about how close I was to breaking three hours, I wish I’d run just a little more and somehow avoided the potty stop. Maybe next year?
Thanks to all of my readers who provided so much encouragement and who have patiently waited as I traded adding recipes here for miles to my shoes. I should know soon if I’ve succeeded in really, finally beating Lyme.
P.S. Mr. Homesteader took me to Vino’s after I’d showered and changed at the hotel. Other runners were in there wearing their medals, all from the marathon relay. I wish I’d worn my half-marathon medal in! They all looked a lot younger than me, and I was so happy to know I’d run (and walked) further. :-)
Posted in Arkansas, health, life | Tagged half marathon, health, life, Lyme disease, marathon, sports | 19 Comments »
My “track”:
Look closely; it’s there! Yes, I ran yesterday. Actually, I ran until the snow got too deep and I had to walk. I got in 30 laps, until I looked like the Abominable Snowman.
My running buddy:
In fact, she shows up from the neighbors’ house, runs circles around me, begs to be petted, and then races off to chase deer, cats, birds . . . and then she catches back up with me and does it all over again.
The creek in snow:
Cold frames seems a particularly appropriate name today:
I’m not sure there’s still something growing under all that snow!
Is it delivery?
No, of course it isn’t delivery. We can’t get delivery here in normal weather, much less when there’s almost a foot of snow on the ground. If you missed the recipe earlier, it’s here.
So, the NWS claims we got 9-12 inches of snow. Our thermometer read 1 degree F above zero this morning. How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?
Posted in animals, Arkansas, cold frames, Food, gardening, health, life, pizza, whole grains, wildlife, winter gardening | Tagged Food, health, life, photograpy, winter | 19 Comments »
Buffalo Shrimp
Got a big pigskin party coming up? Would you like something other than traditional wings? How about crunchy, spicy buffalo shrimp? These are so quick and easy that you can make enough to feed a crowd! A delicate tempura-type coating encases the tender, spicy shrimp. Try them piled on a plate to pass, or serve them on a bed of crunchy salad greens with celery and homemade blue cheese dressing.
Ingredients for two servings (1/4 pound each)
Peel and clean the shrimp. I like to cut along the back of the shrimp from head end first with kitchen scissors and then slide off the peel and remove the “vein” all at once. Pile the shrimp in a glass bowl and add everything except the corn starch and oil. Marinate the shrimp for at least an hour.
Drain the shrimp, not bothering to make them really dry. We want some of that spicy goodness to cling to them! Dredge the shrimp in the corn starch, taking care to keep the corn starch as dry as possible.
Buffalo Shrimp
Set the shrimp aside for a few minutes and then heat your oil to about 350-375 degrees F. I actually use a wok for small batches of this recipe, but a deep Dutch oven would work well if you’re feeding a crowd. Fry the shrimp, a few at a time, for a couple of minutes until both sides are golden. Be careful; shrimp always cook quickly! Drain carefully as you remove the shrimp and sprinkle lightly with salt if you want.
Serve with blue cheese dressing, made simply of buttermilk, mayonnaise, and about crumbled blue cheese. Use about 1/3 cup buttermilk, 1/4 cup mayonnaise, and 2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese for about 2/3 cup dressing. If you want to herb it up, try adding snipped chives or even a good quality ranch dressing mix like Simply Organic if you want. (No, they’re not paying me. I just like the product.)
Ingredients per pound of shrimp
Ingredients per four pounds of shrimp
buffalo shrimp salad, awaiting blue cheese dressing
Copyright 2011 Ozarkhomesteader, including photographs.
Posted in appetizer, buttermilk, celery, cheese, chile, dinner, dinner, Food, lettuce, peppers, peppers, recipes, salad, seafood, shrimp | Tagged Food, football, recipes, side dishes | 7 Comments »
A few weeks ago I signed up to run/walk a half marathon in early March. I’m committed to doing the “race,” even if I’m the slowest competitor. Given how out of shape I am, I’m afraid that I may be greeted by people in white coats for a whole different type of commitment! I’m hoping, however, that the race will be an important step on my way to closure of a phase in my life, the time when I can say goodbye to Lyme disease.
Nine years ago, my heath took a nose dive. I had been an extremely active woman, running nine miles three days a week, lifting weights, hiking, and so forth. The plunge began following a fourteen-mile hike through the Ozarks in August of 2002. (I was then just a visitor in what is now my home state.) I spotted what I thought were baby spiders when I sat down for lunch; hours later I discovered hundreds of tiny ticks attached to my skin under my socks and shorts line. I had sprayed for insects that morning, but I did so after I got dressed. The ticks crawled to the first spray-free space of skin, and around every tick was a sign of infection. It was like something out of a horror movie.
Here I’ll short cut the story to say that I immediately knew I needed treatment and sought it as flu-like symptoms began but was unfortunate enough to be referred to an out-of-town walk-in clinic with an idiot doctor who didn’t know the difference between a tick and a chigger. I contacted my home doctor who thought we could wait a week for treatment. Sadly, he was wrong. Within a few weeks of finishing a short course of antibiotics, I started having trouble staying awake. I also had pain and lack of focus, but I didn’t connect the symptoms, and neither did my doctor. I was training for a half marathon, and I beat myself up when I could run less and less each month instead of more and more. Fast forward a couple of years. I’d taken a year’s leave of absence from work and moved to another state and then back to whence I’d come, where both I and my doctor were stumped by my increasingly confusing symptoms, including sleeping nineteen hours a day, signs of early onset Alzheimer’s, and–although I never mentioned this to my doctor–pain. By then too I’d met the man who is now Mr. Homesteader, and he pushed me to keep searching for a solution.
How we figured out that I had Lyme or its close cousin Master’s disease is yet another story in and of itself, one that perhaps belongs on another blog (one about Lyme, which this one is not). In the end, I was fortunate to get connected with Dr. Edwin Masters, who treated me until his death two years ago. Since then, my new primary care doctor in my Ozark community, where I moved five and a half years ago, has picked up where Dr. Masters left off. I was almost dead by the time Dr. Masters started treating me, the first weekend in March in 2005. I’ve been on high doses of antibiotics almost continuously since then, determined to beat the disease. I genuinely hope that my war is ending. The half-marathon I’m doing will be on the sixth anniversary of meeting Dr. Masters and starting my much-too-long climb out of the pit that is neurological Lyme. Run or walk, I don’t care, as long as I reach that finish line.
Now, dear readers, I know that many of you have overcome health adversity and/or taken on physical challenges like running races. Do you have any words of wisdom to carry me through the next five weeks? One tip I have for you is that I keep myself walking (and occasionally jogging, when I feel up to it) by listening to books on tape.
P.S. (from 10 p.m.): Today my “track” (the cleared area of the property) had dried up enough that I felt comfortable running again, without fear of breaking an ankle in the mud. I alternated running and walking for 15 laps–about 3 or 4 miles. I’ve got to get my track measured! It felt pretty good. Maybe I’m really going to pull this off!
P.P.S. Today I felt miserable, with the kind of bone tiredness and aching that I associate with a mild herx reaction. Still, I knew if I just got off my bohuncus and moved, I’d feel better. I pulled off 25 laps. I alternated running and walking the first 20 and then walked the last 5 to cool down. I also finished “reading” The Defector by Daniel Silva via my Ipod. I’m more a “cozy” kind of mystery/suspense reader, so the bald violence in this book got to me a bit. I’d still recommend it, with the caution about the torture and executions.
P.P.S. Sunday, 2/6/2011–got in 30 laps, 20 doing my half run/half walk and the rest walking. I was slow, but I was determined to make the mileage, because we’ve got more icy and snowy weather on the way, and if it arrives as predicted it will reduce my “track” to a slippery mess for the rest of the week. Thanks for all of the words of encouragement this week. It really has meant more than I can say.
Posted in life | Tagged fitness, heath, life, sports | 28 Comments »
Fried Pumpkin Ravioli
Sometimes I think that nature gives us warm, sweet flavors that keep in storage from fall to winter to balance the chilly days until spring. Winter squash and pumpkin have those comforting flavors, and I can’t resist enjoying them in not only pie but also in soup, bread, and even pasta. Today let’s try pumpkin raviolis two ways: regular and fried. For once, we’re going to short-cut the process by using wonton wrappers instead of homemade pasta dough, meaning you can have these little gems ready in a matter of minutes. Serve them for appetizers, or make a whole bunch for a full meal. The fried raviolis are great to pass at your Super Bowl gathering, or call them pumpkin pasties and serve them up for your next Harry Potter party. No matter how you use them, they’ll be a tasty addition to your table.
Ingredients: makes about two dozen raviolis
Mix together all of the ingredients except the egg roll wrappers. Place an egg roll wrapper on your prep surface. Put about a tablespoon of pumpkin mix slightly off center in the wrapper. Using your finger, wet two adjoining edges of the wrapper. Fold over the dry side of the wrapper, encasing the pumpkin mixture.
Use a fork to gently crimp the dry edges to the wet edges. Set the wrapper aside and repeat steps with more wrappers until you have as many ravioli as you want.
For traditional boiled ravioli, slide raviolis one at a time into rapidly boiling water.
You can cook a few at a time, as long as you’re careful not to crowd the pot. They’ll cook really quickly (in about a minute and a half). Use a perforated spatula to lift raviolis from water one at a time, drain well, and serve tossed with butter, garlic, and parmesan, or make a quick creamy garlic cheese sauce from minced garlic lightly cooked in butter then cooked with cream and finished with a little cheese.
For fried ravioli, follow the same procedure as above, but instead of cooking in boiling water, heat several inches of a neutral oil that can take high heat to about 350 degrees to 375 degrees in a deep fryer or heavy Dutch oven. (If you don’t have a thermometer, you can determine when the oil is ready by pressing the tip of a wooden spoon handle or chop stick directly in the bottom of the pan. When little bubbles emanate from the tip as it’s pressed in, you’re ready to fry.) Slide each ravioli in the hot oil and let it fry on each side until golden brown. The time will be quick–no more than two minutes. Drain each ravioli and set aside to keep warm until you’re ready to serve. Garnish with fresh chopped herbs like basil or sage or just a dusting of good parmesan.
Would you like magically quick, sweet pumpkin pasties instead?
Ingredients: makes about two dozen pumpkin pasties
Follow directions for raviolis, using the fried version. Dust finished pasties with powdered sugar.
Copyright, text and illustrations, 2011 by Ozarkhomesteader.
Posted in acorn squash, appetizer, butternut squash, cheese, Cooking And Baking, dessert, dinner, dinner, Food, garlic, ginger, herbs, Italian, pasta, preserving the harvest, pumpkin, sweet things, winter squash | Tagged dinner, Food, pumpkin pasties, recipes, side dishes, vegetarian | 4 Comments »
