Friday: You came so unexpectedly - wan't it just Tuesday?

Friday, you tricky little dog you, how did you come so fast?

Well, today was good, full and that curry never did get made.

I saw a friend for lunch and caught up on things.

I read here and there; did laundry; dishes; took lightrail home,

talked to my dear friend C who I have known for 20 years 

and that was so nice, esp as she sees me, including the humour in my life

and her laugh is one of my favourite things to hear. 

(And she reads my blog, I actually don't have many friends who 

have known me so long who do!)

And then I made lemon crinkle cookies.... recipe here! on my 

All the Ribbons blog!

I will, DV, update this recipe tomorrow as I have not tried them yet,

since they had egg and today was a fast day so... tomorrow breakfast, you are just

around the corner...

I hope tomorrow to wax lyrically about them, perhaps gushing a bit...

how can I not, it's a lemon crinkle cookie after all... 

I ordered flowers for Uncle Hank to be delivered.

My Mom was able to go the funeral home this afternoon

and my Aunt H. hoped to go tonight 

and this made us so happy, esp. since we can't be there. 

His funeral is tomorrow... 

I am really really glad for family.

I am really sad that being over 40 means losing those who you love

who are 2 generations up from you, like Uncle Hank. 

Tomorrow, my Husband and I will eat leftover beef stroganoff,

ironically the first time my Husband will have it as we had

pizza (semi-homemade) on Monday and he wanted to get those 

leftovers gone before anything new, so tomorrow,

we will have beef stroganoff and biscuits that I made

the day we lost Uncle Hank. 

Somehow it is fitting.   

I am thinking of doing a second cream sauce (I have milk that needs to be used up 

and the egg noodles, fully predictably, ate up a bunch of the sauce,

though the wonderful taste is still in full force).  

But I want perfection so... I hope to do this, I want it to be my best.

I remember when +Patrick died and I made all the desserts for his mercy meal

and somehow making this meal I made on Tuesday

for my Husband and I to be nourished by

in light of such loss,

seems like the best way I an honour Uncle Hank,

outside of my, our, commitment to Christ, which is the ultimate honouring. 

Thank you Thursday for the NYC bagel, donuts + books

First a big thank you for Elizabeth who sent me this wonderful book 

that I am already paging through and thinking,

I want to try making that...or ... who would have thought! or, hmmm, what

would that look like today? or what is patna rice? 

I owe you a letter and hope to write it soon!

It is amazing how God brings just the person,

just the thing, to bring cheer in a week that was harder than some.

I guess you can all tell how much food and reading about food means to me.

I just finished My Berlin Kitchen and found it a really interesting read,

and I must admit to putting paper tabs for recipes to look into... 

***

So, I was really dragging earlier today; had not slept super well and it 

was oddly hot in our place even though it's not as hot outside.

I did make it on time to the dentist,

grabbing a kombucha at Trader Joes, a NYC bagel with PB before the dentist 

(they have mouthwash which I used), a doughnut plant doughnut

(I am hoping my friend J. is reading this post as she is planning on going there

this weekend and I wanted to point out that there is scaffolding above the place

so it's a bit harder to see but fully still there and cute... there was so many choices!) 

and I ended up going to a small NYPL library... it was super small... 

but I found 2 YA books that look of interest (so many new books don't appeal to me 

sadly... or perhaps not sadly as I would not want them too, but you know what I mean)... 

but it was nice to have a seat, find a book that drew me in 

and that Mr Husband left work early (5 PM leaving is early for him) and we met up

in NYC and walked to the PATH train together and went home and 

saved cab fare (it's a good 30+ minute walk home from the PATH or a 10 minute cab ride) 

by having us go home at the same time... :) 

***

So I had the delicious beef stroganoff for lunch with a biscuit,

that was when my day started getting better, 

as before I felt like I was tired, as if struggling through molasses...

and the dentist was happy with my teeth (yay for that!)...

***

We talked over plum torte and ice cream, and on the way home as well,

so we had caught up on each other's days and then watched a Waltons

and then even had time for reading, since Mr Husband got home earlier, 

so so nice and he read through some comic books that he is vetting for our

now 8 year old nephew... and having a lot of fun... 

Cleo was finally with us again

(she has been hanging out in our hall bathroom with tile floor,

we think it was much cooler for her in the heat that even

with central AC was still impacting us) 

My Husband had already gone to bed and right after I took this picture,

she tried to go on his chair.  Oh No You Don't Cleo!

She is a goof.  I told this to a friend on social media who asked if Cleo

took her medicine today...: 

"I tried something new today… 

I ground up Cleo's pill, it grinds up very easy into a powder 

and I use a small funnel and took and put it into the plastic syringe 

that the vet gave me to use for her liquid medicine. 

 then added milk to the same syringe with the powdered ground medicine in it 

and then basically grabbed her and put it in the side of her mouth 

which made her open her mouth and 

 I was able to put the liquid medicine with powder down her throat in a way 

that wasn't too uncomfortable for her… 

I did the same to night with her liquid medicine and 

I added milk to that as well adding the the milk 1st and the medicine last

 so that the 1st thing into her mouth was the medicine

 and the lasting and her mouth was the milk 

in hopes that it will make it less unpleasant for her! 

So I successfully was able to get the medicine into her today

and I was very pleased about that! We will see if it works again tomorrow!"

I also gave her a little bit of vanilla ice cream, let her lick my plate when I was done

and gave her wet cat food... so while I am giving her medicine, I am also 

doing my best to spoil her and keep her weight up as well... 

I am really hoping I can keep giving her the medicine...

a few years ago she would just foam the liquid medicine out of her mouth

and all pills she would not eat... it was terrible... so I am really hoping 

that this time around she will keep tolerating it... it's too early to know yet if she will...

***

I am home tomorrow but having lunch with a friend... 

I hope to make a curry and cookies....and fold the pile of laundry that is

so high that it is teetering on the verge of spilling over.... 

***

So many I know are struggling... 

I am worried about a friend who I can't name here but is really struggling.

Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy! Lord have mercy!

on all of us! 

Cooking and baking: how to create comfort in a week that is already long and it's only Tuesday

Marian Burros New York Times Plum Torte

(I use this version of the recipe)

I've been making this torte since 2014... 

and still love it! 

I made a delicious comforting soft flavourful easy beef stroganoff and

you are going to love it!

I wrote all about it, including the recipe, on my new 

foodie blog, All the Ribbons! Please go here to read about it! 

I can't wait to have it again on Thursday!

(We fast from meat/dairy Wednesday/Friday)...

Please take a look! 

The title for this blog post is 

LOOK NO FURTHER: PERFECTLY BALANCED, EASY, DELICIOUS BEEF STROGANOFF

I also made the world's best cream biscuits.  

They have the perfect salt balance, not too much, just perfect; they melt in your mouth;

so light, fluffy, a hint of savoury that makes you want to eat another... 

blog title for this one, on my All the Ribbons blog:

YOU WILL NEVER NEED ANOTHER RECIPE FOR CREAM BISCUITS (AND THESE ARE SO EASY AND QUICK TO MAKE!)

 So so good!

Cleo and I made to the vet and back!

Here's what I wrote earlier on social media:

Cleo was a real trooper at the vet! She has liver problems which we knew before and she has jaundice now so it's getting worse… her weight loss was only 4 oz so not as bad as I had feared, but she's losing muscle mass which is why I feel her bones by her shoulder more now…

 I'm going to try to give her medicine but she really dislikes medicine so I don't know if that will work but I'll give it a try!

[and later on:]

Yay!!!! I crushed Cleo's pill and put it in a little bit of melted French vanilla ice cream and she licked the plate clean!!! And I got most of her liquid medication in her too! This is pretty much a miracle!

***

So she is in a progressive liver disease situation.

The medicine can help slow it down, potentially, but there is 

no reversal or cure.

Cleo so far is slowing down but still eating and drinking.

We will take it day by day...

I had the second to last chocolate revel bar from my Mom.

I am going to need to learn to bake these.

And soon.

Leftovers for dinner.  So good.  

 I hope to write the plum torte up later on my new All the Ribbons blog.

***

So Mr Husband's Uncle H is on hospice care now. 

We all think it is just a matter of time, 

but last I heard, his vitals are still good... 

I deeply appreciate your prayers.

***

Tomorrow I am supposed to bring the car in for an oil change.

And I have a phone meeting.

And Mr Husband is home, which means green salad, fruit salad and maybe 

a curry will be made, as I have left over curry paste from the delicious

peanut sauce beef satay I made recently.

And Thursday I am in NYC.

And Friday lunch with a dear friend.

And so it goes. 

***

I am really glad I had a morning of baking the plum torte and 

creating the world's best biscuits + a perfect easy beef stroganoff. 

I have a strong suspicion that both are so good because,

as our waiter at our one super fancy meal on our honeymoon

in Quebec City said:

everything is better with butter.

***

May God bless and help us!

And perhaps you agree, butter, next to great biscuits and cake, 

and not to trump tea, are some of God's blessings to us in this life...