Sunday I was up and about early, and decided I was fine again and I'd get out early for a longer walk. But I had to cut it back a bit when Hippolyta suddenly started hurting up a storm.
I had forgotten that, of course, when you're in a vax aftermath, your least resistant part will feel it. Hip healing is still in progress, and I forgot to allow for it. Home again, heating pad, and a surprise hour's sleep helped a lot.
In other dull news, I now have a massive red swelling around the vax injection site, quite impressive, so I guess that proves something. So that's today's organ recital complete.
Anyway I did get the promised curried black beans and rice done. The original recipe is for red kidney beans which I didn't have, but the black beans are dark red, so they looked fine.
As you see, quite a cast of characters, but simple cooking all the same. Most of the spices need one teaspoon, no complicated measuring.
And it includes a handful of spinach wilting at the end. This was really good. Spicy enough to finish up despite not having been so hungry earlier.
There's enough for three more meals after this one. This isn't exactly like the Whitsunday food of my youth, usually posh tea with cakes and fancy bits, after processions at church. Sunday was Whit. I wonder if Manchester still has the Whit Walks, religious processions through the streets. But I digress.
If you like Yeung Man Cooking as I do, but don't have many spices, you may need to invest in some. They last ages - those people insisting spices are no good at all, ew, after three months, are probably in the spice trade.
I use them much longer, and if you need to use a bit more to get the effect as they fade, that's fine. I just don't think we need spend energy getting worried about spices.
About the apricot sauce, I'm going to use the rest of the apricots to make more. They're just a couple of days underripe, better for cooking than raw, and they're wonderful in a sauce or sort of preserve thing.
Today, breakfast was apricot stuff on toast, which decided me to make more stuff. The apricot season is short, either underripe or past it before you know it, so I may order more to cook and freeze. Gary may be a beneficiary, ages since I gave him his favorite, jam, any jam.
Happy day everyone, I was planning an afternoon on the deck, the rain having moved on. Reading, birdwatching, who am I kidding, sleeping.
A deck sighting, probably from last year's scattered seeds, a lone poppy among the lemon balm. About ten minutes into deck time it started to rain.
Fluffy (Esmeralda Flufferina) sez. As if she ever banded together with anyone, but she thinks humans should.
I keep all of my spices far longer than three months and they're fine.
ReplyDeleteIt's a sales pitch, I think. Mine are fine, too.
DeleteI was told to use an ice pack on the vaccination spot. That might help.
ReplyDeleteYour poor hip. Recovery is one step forward two steps back sometimes.
I hope the pain levels drop soon
Hippolyta was fine again in no time. Just a momentary blip.
DeleteYou always spark my interest in things I’m unaware of and I find myself reading and learning. The Manchester and Salford Ecumenical Whit Walk took place 26 May! Sorry about Hippolyta. That wouldn’t have dawned on me.
ReplyDeleteI was at uni there and used to hear about the Whit Walk, but the academic year was over before then, so I never saw it.
DeleteClearly, the vaccination is acting!
ReplyDeleteYes, I get the full effect!
DeleteEsmeralda is very pretty. I'm sorry about the pain, but it's good you move and good you know when it's time to stop.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
It was just a passing thing, all fine again now. Esmeralda is an Internet kitty but she's like my late great Annabelle so I couldn't resist her
DeleteThat curry looks good. Sorry you had a reaction but better than the alternative.
ReplyDeleteI agree, the shot is much better than the illness, however big the reaction.
DeleteHopefully, that is just a little step backwards in what will be a good week.
ReplyDeleteYes, and I think that's right. Much better today. Thank you. Also good luck with your own surgery today. Let's hope that finally fixes the problem.
DeleteI add a lot of spice to food these days. A recent chilli recipe must have had ten different spices…quite good. It awakened the tired taste buds! Not too hot though.
ReplyDeleteI love spices, and yes, it's not always about heat. It's about depth and interest of flavor.
DeleteIs this the first time you've had a big(ger) reaction to the vac? I'm wondering if it's a different compound. I've got a booster scheduled for Tuesday, thanks to your pointing out the 6-month recommendation. Up til now I've only done annual, after the initial 2 doses back in the beginning, but this time it will be 8 months.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you're going for it. I always have a big reaction, but I never had a shot after joint replacement, so the hip reaction was a surprise. I think it's not the vax, it's the patient this time.
DeleteOh, and my feeling about the life expectancy of spices is based on the 17th c spice cabinets/boxes with tiny drawers and a LOCK seen in many a town historical society display here in New England. Something tells me no one was discarding spices of any age whatsoever.
ReplyDeleteI think those guys knew something about it. Also the sheer expense of replacing spices. Mine are in a cabinet away from light and heat, so I don't have replacement plans. They're not locked but I can see why they used to be.
DeleteThose curried beans look good! Adding spinach is great, both visually and from a nutritional viewpoint.
ReplyDeleteYes the visual counts. It's simple cooking but very good results.
DeleteI hope you are over the vaccination reaction quickly.
ReplyDeleteSeems so wasteful to toss spices after three months. Ridiculous! Made up by the spice merchants for sure--lol!
It's like the shampoo manufacturers insisting you rinse and repeat!
DeleteLOLOL! Yes!
DeleteI'm sure the vaccination caused some inflammation and Hippolyta wasn't having it.
ReplyDeleteOkay. I finally checked out a Yeung Man Cooking video. Is there a place where you can find the recipe he's using? I know he gives measurements and instructions on the videos but I would like to see it written down.
I feel I am missing the obvious here but that is not unusual.
Yes, where you see "more..." and click, you get to his ingredient and procedure list. I use that more than the video
DeleteThank you.
DeleteSpices here have to pass the sniff test. If they don't pass that, then we know it's time to replace them. I've never heard of the 3 month cutoff though - that seems excessive.
ReplyDeleteIt's about food feature writers in search of a problem. I agree, it's obvious when the spices still smell good when you open the container, they're still useful.
DeleteI will be getting out for a walk today, too. It's a lovely day here and I will take my brother for a walk. He's showing signs of dementia and I will help out his wife by getting him out of the house for a while. I hope it helps.
ReplyDeleteThat's a lovely and loving thing to do. And getting outside is very good for him. It's calming and enjoyable.
DeleteSometime in the night, as I fell back asleep from the walk back and forth to pee, I thought of how I liked to eat garlic and oil on subway sandwiches (also called Hoagies, and perhaps really Gyros). And I wondered if my boyfriend could taste/smell the garlic on my breath! That was 60 years ago!
ReplyDeleteThat's a, uh, blast from the past!
DeletePride is still protest. I've long thought that.
ReplyDeleteTrue. And worth remembering.
DeleteI think you deserve a day to be mellow, especially after your long walk and your vax! Chill and enjoy! And I hope by now the reaction is a thing of the past!
ReplyDeleteI think it's definitely done now. Nothing to complain about, how will I manage?
DeleteMeasure? Who measures? (Can you tell I don't bake? :). As for tossing out spices, while mine don't quite go back as far as Quinn's reference of the 17th century, a few might just date back to the 20th century.
ReplyDeleteHappy to hear Hippolyta has calmed down...and that you know the vaccine is doing its job.
Baking is not as precise as the posh bakers would have us think. My own is well received and it's not at all precise. It's about experience, not scales, really.
DeleteThe mantra that the worse the reaction the better you are developing immunity is great unless you are suffering the reaction. I hope you feel better tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteMy immunity must be ironclad at this point. But today is fine, thank you.
DeleteSorry about the vax and hip reactions. Thank goodness both are subsiding. I hope you enjoy the curried beans. They sound delicious.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like that recipe. It's really for red kidney beans but I didn't have any and the black beans worked fine. I'm feeling fine now.
DeleteLord I need to check my glasses or slow down my reading - just couldn't find that puppy promised in the title, and "If you like Yeung Man Cooking as I do, but don't have many spices, you may need to invest in some" - I read that as young men cooking and really, who doesn't like that in your kitchen but I didn't realise that they were available to purchase!!!
ReplyDeleteI think with new glasses you'd get better information but a lot less fun.
DeleteThat meal looks so good. I also have a lone poppy in my garden.
ReplyDeleteThe second edition of that meal, reheated, was also good, no flavor lost since yesterday.
DeleteThere's nothing like a meal that you can get two or three meals out of!
ReplyDeleteThis is true of a lot of my cooking -- multiple helpings. I like to cook but not every day.
DeleteHope you feel better soon Boud. Fun finding that beautiful poppy. Meal looks wonderful. I am a fan of Yeung Man Cooking and have made a few of his dishes.
ReplyDeleteI love his calm attitude. No drama king. I'm fine today, thank you.
DeleteI paid for my 2 mile walk yesterday. I took it easy today. I did not know this about the covid vax. I wonder what will happen to vaccines now that the 17 employees of CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel are out.
ReplyDeleteThey'll be reinstated as soon as all the court cases hit. I didn't realize that of course a vaccine will irritate new surgery if you have the reaction I have. Well, now I know. But I'm glad I did it anyway. Better safe (r) even if achy.
Delete