OKAY,OKAY, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE PIGS FEET?

Too many inquisitive minds.........wondering what Bob did with the pigs feet.  Well, first of all he decided not to make beans with them as he was reminiscing once again.......about a time when he was young, sitting in a bar somewhere......eating pickled pigs feet..........So, of course.........he wanted to make pickled pigs feet.  Now, for those of you that know Bob......he doesn't use recipes, he won't even take my advice......he just wings it.  Even tho I printed several recipes for him off the internet.  So, for two days......I smelled these things cooking in vinegar and spices, then he chilled them and the big moment came........tasting them! I will have to admit......I was a bit surprised......the flavor was delightful but they were completely full of gelled fat........I just couldn't do it.  AND the truth be known neither could he......he said he was throwing them out on garbage day.  So the pigs feet are behind us and we move on.
Once again have an abundance of basil.  Not only do we enjoy eating it but it makes a beautiful potted plant.  So, I made pesto........which I am sure you all know how to make, basil, olive oil, garlic, pine nuts and Parmesan cheese.......but I made just a delightful lunch snack I thought I would share........
Flour tortilla spread with pesto, thin sliced tomato, fresh morzzella
cheese and dotted with prosciutto.......throw under the broiler to melt cheese.......slice and eat.......enjoy!

PAINFUL EXPERIENCE AND TOMATO SAUCE

Okay, I just had the most painful experience.........taking Bob to the grocery store with me!! I had a list of only about 8 items and knew I could be in and out in just a few minutes as I don't tarry in the grocery store.  BUT, Oh, No........first of all, he insists on pushing the cart.  He is up and down every isle, picking things up and reading all the ingredients, comparing prices and most of the time this is on an item........we don't even use!  Then he stops and talks to the man stocking shelves and then he is so excited to spot the butcher, the poor soul.  He is just ready to explode with questions and comments about meat.  Now, while Bob is doing his visiting and inspecting........I am running back and forth to the cart that he is leaning on, with the items on my list. At last we arrive at the check out........I start unloading the cart and find the strangest items....... salt pork, garlic spread (I only use fresh) Hamburger Helper (never used in my entire life) canned tamales and pigs feet! (he says to make beans with) At this point in time, believe me........I just humored him and checked out before he started a conversation with the check out person. This will be his last trip to the grocery store with me.  He can go alone but not with me.
So today I am suddenly overwhelmed with tomatoes!  I have ONE plant and have had at least a bushel of tomatoes from it and more to come!! I can't bear to let them go to waste so made 4 pints of spaghetti sauce to freeze for this winter. First I cut up tomatoes to fill a large pot and simmered til all the tomatoes were soft.  Then ran them through a sieve to remove the peelings and seeds.........to the juice I added about 6 or 8 cloves of garlic, chopped rosemary, chopped basil and chopped thyme and dried oregano,salt and a couple shots of cayenne.  Simmered for about an hour then stirred in one can of tomato paste to thicken and that was it! Set for the winter.

REMINISCING AND SPAM

So Bob and I always have coffee on our patio in the morning. Bob gets up really early......5:00am......and I am at least an hour later. When I joined him on the patio this morning he had the map of Wyoming out and was reminiscing about all of his travels and experiences in our home state. He got so excited telling me stories, that, incidently I had heard many times before, he got louder and louder. I was looking around at the neighbors homes wondering if they were enjoying the stories as much as we were! It seems, reminiscing goes hand and hand with aging........we love to tell the stories of when we were so happy...........and so young.
Well, it is the 75 year anniversary of SPAM.  Spam has been a staple for 75 years in most everyones homes. As a mother of four, I always had Spam on hand for an emergency dinner or lunch. It was never a favorite of mine but a real big favorite of Bob. I know that it is the  state food of Hawaii and the Hawaiians have a jillion ways to prepare it.  Baked in pineapple like a ham, fried, chopped up in all kinds of dishes...Chinese, Mexican, Italian.......it is an amazing food.
So today, I will celebrate Spam.........I am barbequing it on the barbeque along with fresh corn on the cob.  I will peel back the husks, remove the silk, tie the husks back up around the ear and soak in water then put on the bbq on a low flame. This seems to give the corn a "green corn" flavor. I so enjoy my fresh corn on the cob! AND Spam..........long live SPAM!

AM I SICK?

I remember when I was young and would be visiting with an elderly person and the first and only subject they wanted to talk about was their health. I thought, "When I grow old, I will never talk about my health to anyone."  Well, that little thought went right down the drain.......as we get older it seems to be the primary conversation of all of us. I remember my Grandmother telling me about her bunion........."What the hell is a bunion?" I thought with an absolute straight face, "could it be brain cancer.......that poor soul!"  No, it turned out to be a bump on my Grandmothers toe which she loved to show me at each visit. I can remember walking into her home and she would be sitting there with her false teeth out and that foot with the bunion positioned proudly on the foot stool for all to see.  I shuddered........now, sadly, I can relate.........sigh. Each morning I carefully take my pills, thyroid, blood pressure, hormone, blood thinner and my omeprazole......to keep all of these pills from burning a hole in my stomach........what a joke........how did I get here?! Well, this will be my one and only blog on health. I guess we each have our own plight as far as health and we each would like to relate all our stories.........I just hope I can carry on for a few more years.......I think about Willie Nelson, he has partied hardy all of his life.  Drank whiskey and smoked pot through it all and look at him......still out there performing at 80!  I guess this suggests we can be vegans, we can be on all kinds of health kicks but its in your genes folks.  Long live Willie!

NEW BLOG......ON DREDED "O" WORD

Bob and I lived for 10 years in the Sno Bird capital of the world, Mesa Arizona. This was a haven for old retired folks but for the younger citizens it was hell.  These people thought they were entitled to privledges above and beyond. They crowded in front of you in the bank, grocery store and anywhere there was a line. If you had the bad luck to get behind one in the grocery store........it was a long wait while they pulled out all of their coupons for discounts and made sure they received every penny off of every product they purchased. We thought of them as soooooo cheap.....discounts for everything......the line at the Golden Corral was around the block on discount days. I was young and energetic and absolutely detested these "old" people. I made fun of them at every opportunity. If one of them made the mistake of pulling out in front of me in their car.......I slammed on the horn, flipped them off and then placed my front bumper inches from their back bumper and followed them for blocks hoping to scare them to death!!
I guess somehow........I never dreamed I would be old.........OMG........am I one of these people now?!

PLASTIC KETCHUP LIDS AND GROWING OLDER

My Blog will not let me change the title of my blog from Cooking for Bob to Growing Older with Lynne.......so you will just need to follow this new blog with the old title.....thanks.  I have been thinking about all the little annoying things that are happening to me with "older" age.  I was attempting to open the little plastic flap on the ketchup bottle and it hit me.........does everyone have these problems? A few years ago......just a quick flip with my fingers and it would be open but oh, no, not now.......I almost have to pry it open.......as the fingers, God rest their souls have lost their agility.  They still work but just much slower and much weaker.
Have you ever gone to grab the handle on a drawer and missed the handle in mid air and almost fallen over backward!  That might be eye sight, maybe a little of both. I am lucky enough that I can still reach my toe nails to polish them but somehow can't seem to get the polish on the nails. The other day as I passed a store window and I was walking fast I noticed that my head is way ahead of my feet......which I am smart enough to know will eventually cause a concussion! There is one good thing......that is that I have been loosing the hair under my arms and on my legs......very little shaving.....but the bad part is.......it has all moved to my face!  And lastly.......my hairline.  Bob and I are looking more and more alike.........lots of hair in the back and sides but very little on top! I'll keep you posted as more knots and bumps and purple blots on my arms become more visible.  Happy Aging!

OH, WHAT A DISASTER

I have given this a lot of thought. I loved writing my food blog but was thinking that maybe I need to write a blog about this metamorphosis that I am going through.......growing old.......sigh.  What a change in my life.  First of all I never dreamed I would ever be "old" I thought of myself as "forever young" until I looked in the mirror!  In my stage of life there is change everyday, some good but most of all, different.  My emotions range from profound, exciting, heartbreaking, ridiculous, hysterical and, well, complacent.
The incident that transpired this morning.......sealed it......I feel its important to relate  these experiences that I am going through for my own well being. I hope you can laugh at my life as I do.
I looked at the clock, 6:18 am, when I was awaken to a horrible commotion on our patio. A few weeks ago we hired a contractor to add a metal roof over our little patio. He brought his buddy with him to give us an estimate of the cost.  They were both retired contractors in their 70's but seemed very nice and capable so we hired them. They worked for about 10 days and finished our roof.  Their work looked just great and we were really enjoying our shady patio until it rained!  The rain poured in between the roof and where it connected to the house. Now they were willing to come back and reseal it but now that it had gotten so hot here in Oklahoma, felt like they needed cooler weather before they crawled up on the roof to do the work. Only fair.
In the meantime Bob felt compelled to buy a foam sealer and have it on hand for them. What a joke......he actually stared at the can of sealer for days and just couldn't stand it so this morning decided to try to seal the roof from the underside.  I opened the door to the patio to this little man standing there covered in foam, his clothes, his hair, his glasses.......foam was everywhere! On the cement, the chairs, the side of the house, the table, the door......everywhere!!  It took my breath away, I was speechless.......finally, "What the hell are you doing?"  He sheepishly said, "Well, I was trying to seal the roof and it sort of got away from me."  "SORT of got AWAY from you!"  I had to laugh........and quietly spent the next hour hosing down the patio.......
So this is one of the changes I am writing about........my meticulous husband, that always is so careful and precise about every undertaking.....has changed...........sigh.
I am hoping you will enjoy my "old age" experiences.......as there will be a new one everyday.......I am certain.