So...whats for dinner?

Hi everyone!  We got home around 4:00, all is good, my son and daughter came back with me and Joe is still here.  Rick is on his way home from work and is picking up dinner.  He's funny about not wanting to eat the same things two days in a row.  So we won't be having chili.  He wants fried chicken.  I wonder how well that will go down as a Taxol topper. I'm anticipating indigestion but maybe I'll get lucky.

I'll get some pictures out later!

 Debbie - the center always has packaged foods and a few fresh sandwiches, along with an assortment of beverages.  Today's banquet was compliments of our family's "minister of fun."

Fresh fruit and eclairs

DD with the baguettes, assortment of French cheeses and adding to the French bistro theme

My "movie star' look...what do you think?  Sleeping Beauty or Jaclyn Smith?  Maybe if I stay incognito I can just enjoy the food and nurse Lisa won't recognize me.

On the left is Summer, the aide who greeted me every time, took my vitals and made sure I was comfy.  On the right is my chemo nurse, Lisa.  She was with me during every single treatment and was absolutely wonderful.  She explained everything, every single time.  No assumptions.  If I asked a question, she got an answer. 

Here I am, one last time!

And it's a wrap! Note that the wig had to go, it was a bit irritating towards the end of the session.

And we are on the way, with Pomp and Circumstance playing on DD's phone.  On the right is my son, Joe. 

And now, {{{BIG HUGS}}} to all of you for showering me with your love and support during this part of my journey.  I have looked forward to reading this thread every single day, and the emotional support here is beyond anything I could have imagined!

Luv to my BC sisters,

Michelle

Congratualtions Michelle on this milestone of you BC journey. I'm glad your famly turned it into the celebration that it should be. We'll have to have a toast at Pickety Place in your honor. I'm driving up to Joyce's and hitching a ride with you guys. I can't wait to meet everyone. And the picture with the sunglasses - I'm thinking Jackie O

I'm really enjoying this thread. I don't cook much. It's not that I can't, I just don't. Baking is more my specialty. I live alone, so I'd only be cooking for one and I just don't seem to have the energy at the end of the day. Debbie, your cornish hen dinner was making my mouth water. My mother would make them, stuffed with her sausage stuffing, as a special treat. They were like mini Thanksgiving turkeys.

When I do cook, it's usually for a special occasion. Being Italian, my go to special occasion meal is manicotti (from scratch) and gravy. Sauce to you non Italians - we call it gravy because it has a meat base. I make homemade braciole, just like mama's, and add country style pork ribs and sausage. I made it for a friend a few months ago to celelbrate her 50th birthday. It was a momentous occasion. She is a 20 year stage IV Hodgkin's survivor and a pioneer patient of  the stem cell transplant. Dessert was from scratch banana cream pie - her favorite. I made them again, in July,  for my brother's 60th birtday party, but I cheated and used a homemade marinara sauce from a local italian pasta store.

Sue - we'll all be thinking about you today as you get your first TX.  Be sure to drink, drink, drink!  Whatever tastes good to you, it doesn't matter.  And don't forget juicy fruits and veggies count, too.  I have been drinking about 96 ounces a day and I swear that helped fight off some side effects and nausea.  Remember, there is a pill for every SE except hair loss and fatigue.  So don't suffer needlessly with anything.  If you have questions, don't hesitate to PM me.

Hugs,

Michelle

Carrie, that is a crime that you lost your job.  I am so angry about it.  It really sux.  I think a better one is out there for you though.

Michelle, congrats on finishing chemo. That looks like a great party you hosted.  Glad everyone enjoyed it.

Sue, thinking of you today.  Hope everything goes well.  I just finished in the end of July.  You will get through it.  Best of luck on minimal SE's.

you look great bald too luvrving.

here is a place to order FREE sourdough bread starter.. i like this guy

http://carlsfriends.net/

but he died in 2000 at a ripe age.

Thanks everyone for your kind words! 

I managed to go clothes shopping for an hour near the chemo clinic, then I got my Neulasta shot and then spent about 30 minutes in the grocery store. 

DH is working late but he'll come home to one of our favorite pasta concoctions - sweet Italian sausage (normally I use hot but can't do that right now) with onions, peppers, mushrooms and zucchini, spiced up with garlic, basil and parsley.  Think stirfry - keep the veggies a bit crispy.  I add a jar or can of spaghetti sauce (current favorite is Hunt's Garlic and Herb) then add in about 12 ounces of cooked penne.  Bertucci's served a dish like this many years ago and I recreated it to our tastes.  The whole thing takes about 30 minutes.  And it's very yummy!

Michelle

I don't know what is for dinner yet, but I just walked in from work and there was a package of oreos on the counter. It took about 10 seconds to eat 5 of them with a glass of milk. I will have to kill my husband now for bringing them in the house. I was doing so well!

He did also buy some fresh fruit and put it in a basket on the dinner table, but did I see this when I walked in???? Of course not.

Aaaacccckkkkk!!!!!!!

Oh... one more thing.....



I agree with joycek.... The picture of Michelle with the sunglasses on bares a definite resemblance to Jackie O... Sleeping beauty.... Jaclyn Smith... Jackie O... No Matter which one you pick, you're in good company.....lol

I failed at copy and paste for my pics, they don't show.

This post turned out a lot longer than I thought it would.

Debbie,  per your request and for anyone else who is interested, here is my family's recipe for braciole and gravy. I believe this is the first time this recipe has ever been written down. It gets passed down through the generations by watching how it's done.

Here's the recipe for my family's braciole. For those of you who aren't familiar with this dish, it is thin piece of beef that is spread with a stuffing, rolled up and tied, then cooked in a tomato sauce. Bracioles are stuffed with all kinds of things hard boiled eggs, bread crumbs, pignolie nuts, figs, pancetta, cheese... My famly recipe is pretty simple. There are no set amounts of anything, you just put the ingredients on in a thin layer.

Ingredients

flank steak, grated romano cheese, flat leaf parsley, fresh garlic, raisins, black pepper, and butcher's twine to tie the braciole

Have your butcher butterfly the flank steak  (cut it in half, almost all the way through and open it like a book - so that is is half as thick and twice as long). If you don't have a butcher who can butterfly it, you can do it yourself with a very sharp knife. Check on line for a video. Cover the meat with plastic wrap and pound it to flatten and thin a bit, especially along the seam in the middle.

Chop the parsley and mince the garlic. Sprinkle a thin layer of grated cheese over the flank steak. Then sprinkle on a thin layer of chopped parsley and  minced garlic. Sprinkle a layer of raisins on top. (Not too thick a layer, there should be a little space between each raisin). Put some black pepper on top. Starting at the narrow end roll up the meat and put it seam side down.

Now you need to tie it. This is a technique my mother never quite mastered.There would be so many little pieces of string, it would take forever to cut it off and get dinner on the table. And, someone always ended up with a piece of string on their plate But, through the wonder of modern technology (you tube) I am able to tie a braciole like a pro. This is the video that taught me how.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RThPiTb3-g 

Once it's tied refrigerate it, so the meat gets firm. I usually make the braciole the day before I make the "gravy."  Heat  a thin layer of oil in a sauce pot and brown the braciole on all sides. Then add the ingredients for your favorite tomato sauce recipe, cover the pot and simmer over a low heat. Stir every so often. The longer you simmer the more tender the meat (couple of hours) Remove the string, slice and serve with the sauce. You'll probably have enough sauce for pasta to accompany the braciole.

My Family's Gravy Recipe

Ingredients 

Meat -  a braciole, 1/2 dozen or so italian sausage (hot, sweet or both), 1 package country style spare ribs

1 onion (chopped roughly). 3-4 cloves of garlic, fresh basil, dried oregano, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, 2 cans of Pastene kitchen ready tomatoes, 1 can of Pastene tomato paste.

Add enough oil to cover the bottom of a large 6 - 8 quart pot and heat. Brown the meats on all sides. When browning the sausages poke holes in them so some of the fat comes out. You'll need to brown the meat in batches. Don't crowd the pan,  keep an eye on it and keep turning it so it doesn't burn. Remove all meat to a platter.

If there is not enough fat from the saugages to cover the bottom of the pan add some oil. Saute the onions, add the garlic cloves and saute until soft. While you're doing this use a spoon to scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Put in the 2 cans of tomatoes and can of paste. Put a little water (inch or two) in each of the cans and swirl to get all the tomato from the sides, add the water to the pot - this is the old family secret part. Put all the meats in the pot (make sure it's submerged under the tomatoes), add 2 or 3 fresh basil leaves, a few pinches of dried oregano, a pinch or two or three  of crushed red pepper (depending on how spicy you like it), salt and pepper to taste. Cover the pot. Let simmer over low heat for at least a couple of hours. Stir every so often to make sure nothing is sticking, add some water if it's getting too thick add more seasoning if you think it needs it.

Because this gravy has pork in it, you will see oil rising to the surface - don't skim it off, just stir it back in. This is my favorite treat - a slice of fresh italian bread dipped in the gravy, right through a puddle of oil into the tomato sauce below - mmmmm mmmmm. Remove the meat to a platter. The pork will have fallen off the bone. Slice the braciole. Serve with your favorite pasta. You can eliminate the pork, use chicken thighs or legs, uncooked chicken or turkey italian sausages, make your favorite meatballs and add them. The different kinds of meats give the gravy a different flavor. As I said this is not an exact recipe. I learned from years of watching, stiring the pot and sneaking slices of bread dipped in gravy. Any questions, I'll try to answer them. Enjoy