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Okay. The week has been . . . eventful.
Saturday the 18: delivered Emma to SF so she could attend the occult coming of age of her fictive cousin and catch up on the antic career of her other fictive cousin. Spent Sunday in the company of another fictive cousin and Rosemary (my father's best friend). Returned Emma and me to home. I don't remember Monday or Tuesday. Wednesday, Gloria. Thursday: to Cupertino for in-laws' Thanksgiving. Then to Oakland for brother's Thanksgiving. Friday: errands, errands, errands. Saturday: back to SF for step-mother's Thanksgiving and the one-year anniversary of her stroke and an attempt to do the notary public thing to transfer the annuity to my step-mother. That was all exciting. Sunday: the nice fellow's Thanksgiving.
This morning, 5:45 a.m.: Emma's in hideous pain, rolling on the floor, vomiting. I dither briefly, thinking I should dope her with vicodin, give her a relaxing bath, put her back to bed. But we went to the emergency room where they took her very seriously and give her morphine and do a bunch of tests.
She's got gallstones.
She's going to have her second major surgery (not including the wisdom teeth) before she is twenty. No, there's apparently not another effective therapy.
We've made an appointment with the general surgeon recommended by our primary doctor -- "a kind soul, an experienced old doctor, perfect for you" -- he had said there were six surgeons he had to choose from but he thought Emma would rather have this one than "a cowboy surgeon."
We did get her fabric for her class project and we did get the letter notarized. And she is being all brave now. Her friends are amazing.
So, anyway.
Culinary discoveries of the week:
-- if you grate a quarter-inch slice of horseradish into a two-egg aiolli, it has to sit for at least four hours in the refrigerator, and then it will be wonderful.
-- red cabbage cooked in the method "a la Catalana" (with raisins, pine nuts, and red wine) is not good. Spinach and chard are, though.
-- the method I found for cornstarch-based Turkish Delight has two serious problems in it -- the proportions as given wind up with too sweet a product, and the material can't be brought to the called-for temperature with that method without scorching -- but when removed from the fire before it's supposed to be, it's okay. There's a really complicated one with pectin, and a less complicated one with gelatin which is still more complicated than the cornstarch one.
-- two-buck-chuck syrup: take your leftover cheap chardonnay and boil it down with say a quarter of the volume in sugar (I think I had a third and it was a little too much sugar) until it's maybe a quarter of the volume you started with and the color of dark sherry or bright port. Add it to fruit things like you would brandy or something. It tastes amazing.
-- the best kind of cauliflower is the orange kind.
-- another thing to do with fruit -- pears, anyway -- is to poach them in orange juice, sugar, the usual spices, and merlot. Add only enough merlot to briughten the color of the orange juice, which will be dulled by the cinnamon and nutmeg (I think the cloves darkens but does not dull orange juice).
Saturday the 18: delivered Emma to SF so she could attend the occult coming of age of her fictive cousin and catch up on the antic career of her other fictive cousin. Spent Sunday in the company of another fictive cousin and Rosemary (my father's best friend). Returned Emma and me to home. I don't remember Monday or Tuesday. Wednesday, Gloria. Thursday: to Cupertino for in-laws' Thanksgiving. Then to Oakland for brother's Thanksgiving. Friday: errands, errands, errands. Saturday: back to SF for step-mother's Thanksgiving and the one-year anniversary of her stroke and an attempt to do the notary public thing to transfer the annuity to my step-mother. That was all exciting. Sunday: the nice fellow's Thanksgiving.
This morning, 5:45 a.m.: Emma's in hideous pain, rolling on the floor, vomiting. I dither briefly, thinking I should dope her with vicodin, give her a relaxing bath, put her back to bed. But we went to the emergency room where they took her very seriously and give her morphine and do a bunch of tests.
She's got gallstones.
She's going to have her second major surgery (not including the wisdom teeth) before she is twenty. No, there's apparently not another effective therapy.
We've made an appointment with the general surgeon recommended by our primary doctor -- "a kind soul, an experienced old doctor, perfect for you" -- he had said there were six surgeons he had to choose from but he thought Emma would rather have this one than "a cowboy surgeon."
We did get her fabric for her class project and we did get the letter notarized. And she is being all brave now. Her friends are amazing.
So, anyway.
Culinary discoveries of the week:
-- if you grate a quarter-inch slice of horseradish into a two-egg aiolli, it has to sit for at least four hours in the refrigerator, and then it will be wonderful.
-- red cabbage cooked in the method "a la Catalana" (with raisins, pine nuts, and red wine) is not good. Spinach and chard are, though.
-- the method I found for cornstarch-based Turkish Delight has two serious problems in it -- the proportions as given wind up with too sweet a product, and the material can't be brought to the called-for temperature with that method without scorching -- but when removed from the fire before it's supposed to be, it's okay. There's a really complicated one with pectin, and a less complicated one with gelatin which is still more complicated than the cornstarch one.
-- two-buck-chuck syrup: take your leftover cheap chardonnay and boil it down with say a quarter of the volume in sugar (I think I had a third and it was a little too much sugar) until it's maybe a quarter of the volume you started with and the color of dark sherry or bright port. Add it to fruit things like you would brandy or something. It tastes amazing.
-- the best kind of cauliflower is the orange kind.
-- another thing to do with fruit -- pears, anyway -- is to poach them in orange juice, sugar, the usual spices, and merlot. Add only enough merlot to briughten the color of the orange juice, which will be dulled by the cinnamon and nutmeg (I think the cloves darkens but does not dull orange juice).
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