Happy Thanksgiving!

WooHoo! Here comes Thanksgiving! The air is cooler where we live and I am looking forward to this holiday more than I ever have before!

We will gather at my in-laws' home this year since my mother-in-law has Alzheimer's disease and holiday gatherings are a little less confusing for her when her surroundings are familiar. The in-laws' live about 75 miles from us so my sister-in-law and I prepare as much of the food as possible ahead of time.  I am always looking for recipes that hold up well even if they are prepared ahead of time and travel well.

This year, I tried a recipe for mashed potatoes that are prepared and cooked in a slow cooker. I know...the humble mashed potatoes. But this recipe for mashed potatoes (while sinfully rich) are absolutely heavenly!! I made a big batch and put some leftover mashed potatoes in smaller serving containers to put away in the freezer for future meals. I decided to share the recipe with anyone that might want to try a little different spin on this comfort food. So here it is:

Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes

5 lbs of potatoes (red or Yukon cut into chunks work well)
1 T minced garlic (optional)
3 cubes of chicken bouillon
8oz sour cream (reduced or fat free can be substituted)
8 oz cream cheese (reduced or fat free can be substituted)
1/2 cup butter
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot of lightly salted boiling water, cook the potatoes, garlic, and bouillon until potatoes are tender but firm, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving water. In a bowl, mash potatoes with sour cream and cream cheese, adding reserved water as needed to attain desired consistency.

 Transfer the potato mixture to a slow cooker, cover, and cook on Low for 2 to 3 hours. Just before serving, stir in butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. 8 servings

Crock Pot Mashed Potatoes

 I have used one of the portions that I had in the freezer last night and I have to say that it was just as delicious as ever!

Drew has been busy with Thanksgiving preparations too. This pie looks better than any apple pie I ever made and thanks to the "pie instructor", this pie will taste better than any apple pie I've ever tasted!! Pastry chef in the making!  His instructor is Geoff who was a pastry chef! Kudos to Geoff for being so patient! Drew very proudly showed me the wheat sheaf decoration on the pie crust.

Finishing Touch to the Apple Pie

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Mai

The Big C Word

I have spent very little time writing lately because I had not been feeling very well. However, I am getting better everyday and wanted to share what I learned from my recent health experience.

As a post menopausal grandmother, I have enjoyed very good health with no major issues. I had gained some weight over the years (post menopausal curse!) and of course I felt those little aches and pains that seem to come after a day in the garden (my medicine cabinet is  well stocked with Aleve and Tylenol for this reason).

I started feeling a little less energetic and had felt "bloated" from time to time. Nothing major. After Labor Day weekend, I leaned across my kitchen counter to reach for a flower vase on the window sill and felt something "not quite right" in the left side of my abdomen that was pressing against the counter. I felt a firm spot there and decided I better find out what it is even if I had no pain. Probably a fibroid? My appointment was set up for October 8.

By the third week in September, I had gained about 10 lbs and felt bloated most of the time but still did not have any pain. I took an antacid for the first time in my life to relieve the bloating! But other than clothes that were tighter, there was no major discomfort.

That all changed during the last weekend in September when I woke up on Sunday morning with a sharp pain in my lower right abdomen that would not go away. I thought that it might be an appendicitis attack and knew that ignoring this could be a terrible mistake. I went to a walk in clinic and was sent for a CT scan right away.

The good news was that I was not having an appendicitis attack. The bad news was that I had a large tumor that seemed to have wrapped itself around my right ovary. This tumor was pushing everything else in there over to the left which was the reason I felt something on my left side. I went to my OB GYN on Monday. It was confirmed that I needed to consider a total hysterectomy but I should see a specialist first and on Wednesday I had an appointment with an OB GYN Oncologist. The "oncologist" part had me a little anxious...

Surgery was scheduled for the following Wednesday. During the week between my appointment with the OB GYN Oncologist and the surgery date I had gained another 10 lbs although I had been unable to eat very much. I never thought I would look forward to surgery but at this point, I was counting down the hours to get this tumor out before it crushed me from the inside out!

I had a total abdominal hysterectomy that went very well. I think what made me feel the worst was knowing that while I was in recovery, my husband and daughter had to hear my surgeon tell them that while the surgery went extremely well, they found ovarian cancer in my right ovary. The big "C" word. The good news is that it was contained. Of course, everything else that was removed was sent off for complete pathological tests No cancer was found. I was officially in remission and would not even need chemo therapy.

I felt that I needed to share this because I believe this experience was a message to me that I have things to do yet.

One of them is to help spread the word that ovarian cancer symptoms are so very subtle. By the time most women are diagnosed with ovarian cancer, it has usually gone beyond stage 1A. Very few women that are diagnosed with ovarian cancer are fortunate enough to get a good prognosis...I was one of the very lucky ones. I believe that it is only through God's grace that I was diagnosed and my treatment resulted in such a good prognosis.

 
There are no diagnostic methods available that are accurate and pap smears do not detect it. Symptoms are very vague and subtle. Please take some time to go to the following link and learn about ovarian cancer. Another organization with lots of information is the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition. Please tell your daughters, mothers, girlfriends and all the other women in your lives!

May we all have many more years of being with our families (especially those grandchildren)!

Sláinte! (Health!)
Mai

Ovarian Cancer Awareness Ribbon

This post has been linked to the Grand Social linky on Grandma's Briefs.