Good Bye, Good Dog

We can't quite believe it. We've had our final walk with Ava.

The medication prescribed for Ava helped her a great deal. However, the damage done to the disks in her spine caught up with her, and she was finding it very difficult to walk. 

We've taken the hardest decision, and went with tears in our eyes to visit the vet. She took one look at us and knew why we were here. I put on a pretense of wanting her opinion. The vet, Louisa,  was very kind and listened to my description of Ava's deterioration. I then asked for her opinion. She replied that in our position, she would put the dog to sleep. Technically, that's when we made the decision, but we knew the day before that Ava would not be coming home with us.  

Ava was given a sedative, and we sat around her telling her what a good dog she was, and that we loved her. Then Louisa gave Ava the final injection, and she slowly stopped. There was one spasm, and it looks so much like Ava was snuggling into C for one last hug. 

A friend said, "Better a week too early than a day too late."  If we'd left it any later, I don't think Ava would have been able to walk. It would have been very distressing for her. 

A terrible decision to make, but ultimately the right one.

Breaded Chicken Breasts in Orange Sauce

Ingredients

2 cups of gluten-free died bread crumbs

2 oranges

2 tsp of garlic powder

2 tsp dried mixed herbs

pinch of black pepper

1 egg, beaten

5 chicken breasts

oil for frying

2 Tsp lemon juice

1 Tsp gluten-free flour

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 180C.

Zest the orange into a flat dish with the breadcrumbs. Add the garlic powder, herbs, and pepper. Mix well.

In a separate dish, beat the egg.

Heat oil in an oven-safe skillet.

Dip each chicken breast in egg, and then in the breadcrumb mixture. Then add to the skillet. Fry on a medium high heat until golden brown. Then cook in the oven for 20 minutes, until the chicken has been cooked.

To make the orange sauce, juice, and strain the oranges. Add to a saucepan and bring to a simmer. Mix the lemon juice and flour into a slurry, and add to the orange juice. Stir until the sauce thicken. Adjust seasoning.

Notes

Serve the chicken with mashed potatoes, vegetables, and the orange sauce. Add lemon or orange slices, and fresh herbs to garnish.

Stilton and Walnut Scones

Ingredients

225g gluten-free SR flour (I used Dove Farm Gluten-Free)

50g butter

100g Stilton cheese

50g walnuts

1 egg

milk (the egg and milk together make 150ml)

1Tsp wholegrain mustard

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 220C.

Rub the butter into the flour. Cube the Stilton, and chop the walnuts. Add to the bowl. Break the egg into a jug, beat it and then top up to the 150ml mark with milk. Add the wholegrain mustard.

Mix the milk/egg mixture into the flour. Line a muffin tin with silicon or paper case. Evenly divide the mixture between 12 cases. Bake for about 10 -12 minutes.

Ava- Update

On Saturday, Ava was prescribed two forms of medication for pain. We were warned the gabapentin might make her sleepy.  And it most certainly made her sleepy. She did not want to get up for her night time walk. She wouldn't even get up to have a wee in the garden.

We've decided to only use one medication for a little while so she can get used to it. Then we can add in the other one when it becomes necessary. This will be less of a shock to her system.

A mattress has been moved down into the dining room. Ava and I are sleeping there now. She was delighted not to have to climb the stairs to get to her bed.

Chicken Piccata

This is an incredibly tasty recipe. We are not fond of capers, so leave them out. But the lemon, garlic and butter sauce packs such a punch it stands without the capers.

Ingredients

4 chicken fillets

1 tsp dried Italian seasoning

1 tsp garlic powder

½ tsp ground black pepper

2 Tsp olive oil 

3 Tsp butter

2 Tsp lemon juice

(3 Tsp capers)

1 lemon, sliced into wheels

chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Method
Preheat oven to 200C.

Season the chicken thighs generously on both sides with pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning. 

Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the skillet. Cook for 5 minutes. Flip and cook for a further 5 minutes. Add the butter, lemon juice and sliced lemon.

Transfer to the oven, and cook for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven, and scrape up and mix in any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Plate the chicken and pour the sauce over top. Garnish with fresh parsley. 

Notes

This is wonderful served with steamed veggies and rice.

Ava's Diagnosis

 

Ava has been with us for just over a five years. She is now 13 and a half years old, which is a good age for a large dog. However, she's been finding it harder and harder to stand up from lying down, and her ability to walk safely on laminate floors has plummeted.  'Bambi on ice' is a good description.

We've been to visit the vet today, and mentioned her problems. Whilst the vet was examining Ava she found a lump on an anal glad. The vet became serious, and explained she had found a tumour, and that it was most like cancer. This was most definitely not the news we were expecting to hear.

The vet has recommended palliative care for Ava. This is based on her age, and hip/spine problems. We agree. We don't want Ava to be put through CT scans, surgery, chemo therapy, etc. She is an old lady, and we want the rest of life is good, and with as little pain as possible.

Afterwards, we took a car trip to the beach. The humans had hot food (it is January!) and Ava had ice cream. She was delighted with this. We then had a walk along the promenade, said hello to puppies, and received cuddles from other humans. 

Large Gift Bags

 

A good few years ago, a faux silk duvet was placed in the dryer. It did not go well. The faux silk melted in a few places, and resulted in crunchy, brittle fabric. It was no longer suitable for use as a duvet cover.

However, I still loved the fabric. Instead of tossing it out, I chopped it up and made it into gift bags. These bags have been used again, and again. Birthdays, Christmases, other gift giving times, these bags have been use.

Over the years I have made more fabric gift bags. This Christmas, I was so very smug. I'd managed to make enough gift bags for all bar two Christmas gifts. And, today, I added to their number. These bags are big enough to contain a chunky sweater, a dressing gown, a large jigsaw.

Stilton and Broccoli Soup

Ingredients 

2 tbsp oil 

1 onion, finely chopped 

2 large potatoes, diced 

1 knob butter

2l stock

1kg frozen broccoli

450g Stilton

Method

Into  large soup pan, add the oil, and cook the onion until soft. Then add the potato. and  knob of butter. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the broccoli and stock. Bring to the boil. Then lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Cut the Stilton into chunks, and add to the soup pan.

Using a blender,  blitz until smooth. 

Notes

This soup freezes beautifully.

Carrot and Ginger Soup

Ingredients

4 Tsp olive oil

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

0.5 tsp ground turmeric

2 large onions, cut into chunks

8 large carrots, cut to chunks

4 parsnips, cut into chunks

1 Tsp chopped garlic

2 Tsp shredded ginger

2 litres vegetable stock

1 tsp dijon mustard

2 Tsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Method

Heat the oven to 220C.

In a large bowl, mix together the oil, coriander, cumin, and turmeric  Add the onion, parsnips and carrots. Mix well. Spread over a heavy baking sheet, then roast for 30 mins. Add the garlic and ginger. Cook for 5 more minutes.

Put the veggies, stock, mustard and lemon juice into a blender and process until smooth. This will need to be done in batches. 

Bring the soup to a simmer, and check seasoning.

Notes

This soup freezes beautifully. 

It is wonderful with croutons, or a sprinkling of mixed seeds.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Curry

Ingredients
2 Tsp oil

1 large onion, finely chopped
3 cloves of garlic

1Tsp ginger, grated

700g sweet potato, cubed

1.5 Tsp curry powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

400g coconut milk

200ml vegetable stock

300g cherry tomatoes

400g black beans

300g green beans

Method

Heat the oven to 200C.

Heat the oil, and par- cook the onion and sweet potato. The idea is to get a bit of colour onto the veggies.  Add the chopped garlic and ginger. Then add the coconut milk, stock, curry powder, lemon zest  and cinnamon. Transfer into an oven-proof dish and cook for 30 minutes.

Add the green beans and black beans, stir, and top with the tomatoes. Cook for another 20 minutes.

Serve with rice.

Notes

The original recipe used lemongrass instead of lemon zest, but I really don't like lemongrass. It also called for 400ml of stock, but this made the dish very, very runny.  

We are not a fan of HOT, so I cut the curry powder down from 3 Tsps to 2. Next time I make it, I'm going to try 1 and a half.

Update - eating curry on a regular basis increases ones tolerance for curry powder. We're back up to 2 tablespoons.

Mini Dauphinoise

 

Ingredients

800 g potatoes thinly sliced

4 tbsp double cream

4 tbsp grated fresh parmesan

cooking/olive oil spray

2 garlic cloves crushed/minced

Method

Pre heat oven to 200c.

Grease a 12 hole muffin tin with olive oil/cooking spray.

Add cream, parmesan, and garlic to potatoes and mix, making sure slices are well coated. Add salt and pepper to taste. Divide potato mixture evenly between muffin tin holes.

Bake for 50 mins or until potato is cooked through and the tops are crisp.

Chicken and Spinach Pasta

Ingredients

500g pasta
500g cooked chicken strips
2 x 480g jars Dolmio Carbonara Pasta Bake sauce
300g frozen spinach
100g grated cheese

Method
Pre-heat oven to 200C.

Cook the pasta. Defrost the chicken strips and heat them through in a large saucepan. Add the two jars of sauce, and bring to a simmer. Crumble the frozen spinach leaves. Add the pasta and spinach to the sauce. Mix well.

Place the saucy pasta in a large glass baking dish (35x25cm). Top with grated cheese. Bake for 25-ish minutes until hot and the cheese has melted and become golden brown.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients
200g (7 oz) margarine, cold

125g soft light brown sugar
100g caster sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
250g plain flour (Dove Farm gluten-free)
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp sodium bicarbonate
200g dark chocolate chips
1 Tbsp non-dairy milk

Method

Preheat the oven to 180C.

Cream the margarine, sugars and vanilla extract. Sift in the flour, baking powder and sodium bicarbonate. Mix until well combined. Add the milk, and then the chocolate chips.

Roll the dough into balls, and place on the baking tray. Leave lots of space as these cookies will spread during cooking.

Bake for around 10 minutes, or until golden brown. Leave to cool on the baking trays.

Asparagus and Basil Pasta

Ingredients

300g penne

300g asparagus

150g cherry tomatoes

40g pine nuts

4 Tsp olive oil

black pepper

50g basil, plus a few sprigs for garnish

Method

Cook the penne until al dente. Drain. 

Peel the bottom third of the asparagus and cut on the diagonal into about 2cm pieces. Rinse and halve the tomatoes. Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan until golden brown and set aside.

Heat the oil in a pan and gently sauté the asparagus pieces for about 5 minutes. Season. Add a little water. When the asparagus is tender add the tomatoes just until warm, about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the drained penne, the pine nuts, and the basil. Toss to combine.

Transfer to plates and serve garnished with basil leaves.

Back to Decluttering

The time has come to get back to decluttering. I have attacked the dining room. Amongst the haul were 10 fat quarters. All were bought from Joan's, and now they are returning home.

Work in the dining room yielded  around 91 items, and I scoured the house for other items to bring the total up to 100. In a group I belong to, there's a challenge to declutter your pantry. This I did and found an empty jar waiting to be returned to the farmers market, two items way passed their use by dates, and a small bottle of oil. Nope of us were happy with the flavour of the oil, and so it was ditched.

Tofu Tacos

Ingredients

1 Tbsp oil

100g extra firm tofu, drained

3 Tbsp soy sauce

400ml  passata (or can of tomatoes, blended)

1/2 tsp medium curry powder

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 can of red kidney beans (~450g)

Method

Crumble the drained tofu into a bowl.

Mix the soy sauce, passata, curry powder, garlic powder, cumin and black pepper.

Heat the oil in a skillet over a medium high heat. Then add the tofu and cook for about 5 minutes. Whilst this is cooking, drain and rinse the kidney beans. Add the kidney beans, and tomato sauce mixture to the tofu and cook for around 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture will become brown and fragrant.

Serve with tortillas, lettuce, tomato, vegan cheese, and mayo.

Lightly Spiced Chickpeas with Feta

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas (about 450g) 

1tsp garlic granules 

1tsp cumin 

1/2tsp medium curry powder 

1tsp dried coriander 

3Tsp lemon juice 

3Tsp orange juice 

3 Tsp oil 

50g cranberries 

Method

Heat the chickpeas according to the instructions on the can. Whilst that is happening, mix all of the other ingredients in a bowl. Drain the chickpeas and add to the bowl. Mix well, and put in the fridge, for a few hours, preferably overnight.

Serve with a mix of basmati and wild rice, salad leaves, and small cubes of feta. 

Notes

I used vegan feta. For someone who doesn't like hot, spicy foods, it hit the mark rather nicely. For people who like HOT, you'd need to add a shed-load of chilli powder.

February 2022 Review

 

The goals were the same as last month, to lose 3kg, make or remake an item of clothing, and to try a new vegan recipe.  

Three kilos have gone.

The Dancing in Paris wrap skirt has been completed, and a crocheted shawl has been started.

The vegan recipes I've tried this month are:

• Shepherd's Pie
• Pea and Lentil Soup
• Tofu Stir Fry

and an old recipe rediscovered, Banana and Walnut Muffins.

Lemon Curd

Ingredients

300 g granulated or caster sugar
65 g cornflour
1 pinch of salt
235 ml oat milk
115 ml water
235 ml lemon juice
Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
15 g vegan butter

Method

Mix the cornflour with the water, and then into the oat milk.

Into a saucepan, place the sugar, lemon juice, lemon zest, and turmeric powder. Stir in the cornflour-water-oat milk mix. 

Over a medium heat, cook the ingredient, whisking continually. After about 5 minutes, the lemon curd will be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove the saucepan from the heat, and stir in the vegan butter. 

Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally. Then transfer into a sterilised glass jar. Store in the fridge.

Banana and Walnut Muffins

Ingredients
280g plain GF flour

1tsp baking powder

1tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 ripe bananas

110g sugar

90ml oat milk, or water

90ml vegetable oil

60g-80g walnuts

Method

Prepare muffins cases. Preheat oven to 190C.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and sugar. In a separate bowl, mash the bananas, and mix in the oat milk, and oil. Stir the two together until just mixed. Add the chopped walnuts, and give a final stir.

Spoon into the cases. then bake for 20-25 minutes, until the tops are lightly browned.