Young Frankenstein & Truva

I watched Young Frankenstein, the movie, for the first time in the 10th grade in our Intro to Theater class. A lover of Mel Brooks, this became a classic in my repertoire of movies I often quote. While the movie does drag out a bit, I definitely think you discover more jokes and nuances the more you watch it. Knowing that Young Frankenstein is one of my all-time favorites, my boyfriend got us tickets to watch the musical (also a Mel Brooks production) at the Fabulous Fox Theater.

If you have never been to the Fox, it is a magical theater built at the turn of the 1900's in a Middle Eastern style. Everything is lavish, right down to the shooting stars that cross the domed ceiling. The show aside, the theater is an experience all by itself. Naturally, I was quite excited to return to the Fox for a viewing of a great musical. The show itself was truly spectacular. It was fast paced, funny, and embellished on a few of the jokes in the movie by making them into songs. Even if you are not a musical lover (as I am not a musical lover), you will enjoy this show.

After a great theater experience, Nick and I drove a few miles over to Truva for a late lunch/early dinner. Truva opened up near-ish to Georgia State in what used to be Steak and Ale. It is a restaurant filled with Turkish cuisine and, at night, music and belly dancers. We arrived at about 4:45pm. Despite it not being filled to the seams with patrons and gorgeous women belly dancers, the atmosphere was not lacking. There is nothing reminiscent of old-world Turkish bars; Truva's decor is a modern lounge with open seating and relaxing feel.

Truva's menu is replete with choices of appetizers and entree's without being overwhelming. Truva cooks everything in olive oil. The staff was very sensitive to my food needs, and the waiter and manager made doubly sure I was well taken care of. For an appetizer, Nick and I split a Mediterranean salad. Although it was an appetizer, it was big enough for both of us to split. Nick and I each chose a lamb dish, paired with a glass of malbec. I had the chops, served with spinach and potatoes. The lamb was cooked perfectly to my specification of medium, and the side dishes were perfect as well. The food is definitely worth the price and worth a few more visits. The next time we go, we will go a bit later to enjoy the night scene with friends.

Spark People

Everyone seems to have New Year's resolutions to get in shape, eat better, etc., etc., etc. Most people don't actually keep their resolutions; therefore, I don't make an resolutions. I am a very goal oriented person, so I do set small, achievable goals. I know that eating GF means I eat healthier than most Americans, but it occurred to me I am not sure how healthy my daily intake of healthy things is. One of my friends who is making a lifestyle change to change her shape has been on SparkPeople.com. I decided to join. It's free, and you don't have to get annoying emails. What you can do is track your fitness and nutrition. You can use meal plans (I don't use them, since they aren't catered to the GF crowd), or choose what foods you want where. It's so easy and kinda fun. It takes a whopping 5 minutes out of my day. So here's to 2010 and finding new ways to challenge myself as a healthy person.

What I Do at Work

The best part of being a rehabilitation nurse is celebrating the small steps our patients make every day. Today, the best thing was having the occupational therapist hook up one of our tetraplegic patients into a mobile arm support so he can feed himself. (See photo at left- note this is NOT my patient, just a google image hit.)

After breaking his neck, my patient suffered a spinal cord injury. Now not all of the muscles in his arms work, and his fingers do not move. Although he can move his arms, he does not have the capability of getting the fork into the food and the food to his mouth without help. The mobile arm support allows him to move his arm in a robotic-looking support system suspended on the back of his wheelchair, so that he can eat without much assistance.

Can you imagine having people feed you, bathe you, dress you, and do just about everything else for you all the time? While you are recovering from a spinal cord injury, that is exactly what happens for a many people, like my patient. After a 3 weeks of this dependence, my patient took a huge step today. The first time I saw a big smile across his face was on his third bite, when the OT asked him "Doesn't this beat the heck out of having someone feed you?" He fed himself all three meals today. I asked him if his arm was tired, and my patient told me it was, as he put another bit of food in his mouth. I am so proud of him, because I know what he accomplished today was not easy.

Chiles

I actually had a not-so-exhausting day at work today. And I found out that I am working Thursday, not tomorrow. *whoa!* These two lovely things and having my roomie let out the barkers allowed me to go out to dinner with the girls after work.

When I started working at Shepherd, there was a core group of nurses. Through various circumstances- unit changes, parenthood, injuries- we have been spread out. Every few months we all come together as a group for a meal, a beverage, and a good time. Tonight the meet-up spot was Chiles. I've eaten there before, but I cannot for the life of me remember what the outcome was. Tonight was a clean plate.

Chile's has an allergen menu- fish, shellfish, dairy, peanuts, nuts, wheat/gluten, and soy. I eat GF and SF (soy-free), as I react to both. The soy-free menu was some slim pickin's. While I was surprised that Chiles has a GF/SF salad dressing, the rest was not wildly impressive. The only protein choice was a plain steak, and the choice of side items were naked veggies, naked corn, corn kernels, or mandarin oranges. Although the combo of steak + corn kernels + oranges seemed a little odd, the meal was good. My steak was cooked perfectly (I love a medium steak) and the sides were okay. If you are a Celiac out with friends, or in a chain-restaurant pinch, it's just fine. Otherwise, it won't really be my first choice for a place to grab a bite.

...but I am very glad for the safety of an allergen menu!

The New Nest

I have a friend who can remember the exact day that just about everything in her life happened. It's not just that she remembers she graduated from 8th grade on a Friday. No, she remembers the first time she made a spearmint lifesaver to the day, day of the week, month, year, and (often) the hour. I love to pick her brain for things that we were involved in together.

While I might not be quite as accurate as my friend, I can remember moments down to every scent, sensation, snapshot. I remember meeting Melissa for the first time- we were walking into the first day of chemistry class in college. This weekend was her housewarming. My how much we've grown up! Making new memories of christening Melissa's new nest required some GF treats.


New Nest Cupcakes
Ingredients
* cupcakes of your choosing (try any mix or your favorite recipe. I used Whole Foods chocolate cake mix, using rice milk instead of buttermilk for a lighter fluffier cupcake.)
* Simple Frosting at room temperature (see below)
* shaved baker's coconut
* M&M's or other chocolate egg-shaped goodies

1. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the coconut shavings evenly in a thin layer across a baking sheet. Once the oven has pre-heated, place the baking sheet in for about 5 minutes. The coconut should turn out to be a golden brown. Check the coconut frequently to make sure it doesn't burn- it can turn quickly!

2. Put a thin to medium-small width layer of icing over the top of the cupcake. Using an icing bag makes the process easier. Roll the cupcake in the coconut. If needed, you can add another line of frosting around the edge and roll it in the coconut again to build up sides of the nest.

3. Add a few "eggs" into the nest. Enjoy!


Simple Icing
Ingredients * 1 stick room temperature butter
* 3-4 cups GF confectioner's sugar
* 2 tbs-1/4 cup rice milk (or your milk of choice)
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* electric mixer

1. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until creamy, about 2-3 minutes.

2. Turn down the mixer to a low speed, and titrate (gradually add) the first 3 cups of sugar until the desired consistency is reached.

3. When the frosting is fluffy, add the vanilla. If you find your frosting is too stiff or un-creamy, add the milk, starting 1 tbsp at a time. Be sure to blend the liquid thoroughly before adding more milk or sugar!

Weekday Football

It's 4th quarter of the Georgia Tech VS Iowa game. Teams studying tapes over winter break? Check. Fans prepped with appropriately colored gear and witty signs? Check. Perfect playing conditions provided by Miami's eternally warm weather? X! It's 48 degrees in Miami. I guess that beats either state's weather- it's 28 degrees here and even colder in Iowa. While I'm routing my boys on from the comfort of a fleece bathrobe and my couch, they and the oranges are trying to stay warm in Florida.

I live in the South for many reasons, but mild winters definitely play a big part. I'm really not a big fan of frozen conditions. How does everyone else beat the cold? Here are a few things I remember people telling me over the years about staying warm:
Ryan in WI - high 17 low 1 - swears by wool socks and boots
Tiffany in NJ - high 29 low 22 - hot cocoa, layers and avoiding the outdoors
Isaiah in NH - high 26 low 19 - cuddling with someone nice
Crystal in MA - "layuhs" and scarves
Kim in GA - high 32 low 19 - 2 pairs of socks, a mattress warmer, and hot tea.

If my dogs were participating, they would add they would add snuggle time. Carmen is enduring trips outside with sweaters. My layered, scarf-wearing, tea drinking self would like to add hot soup to the list. The leftovers from the soups I've been making are life-saving for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I'm loving tea. I'm drinking Ghirardelli hot cocoa in rice milk after dinner. I'm thinking chili must be in the cards for this weekend of NFL playoffs. Layered fan gear, warm socks. Maybe instead of (GF) beer we'll drink hot cider or Irish coffee...

Mexican Chicken Soup

It's been a long weekend. On New Year's Day, we picked my sister and her boyfriend up from the airport. After their five day journey in Europe, they planned on staying in Atlanta for the night, fixing brunch, and heading back to Jersey. What really happened was that Tiffany and I (me being the su chef) cooked lunch. And by "lunch" I mean a meal with five different dishes served at around 3:30. We ate a lamb roast with sides of browned rosemary potatoes, green beans, asparagus, and baby bok choy. For dessert, we lounged in front of the end of some action movie with cups of hot cocoa.

I am never sure how Tiffany and I manage to cook for so long in our mother's kitchen. My mother's two bedroom townhouse is adorable, but the kitchen is truly a 1-butt kitchen. We don't always time the preparation of the dishes just right, and cooking seems to be punctuated by other random activities like showering, wii breaks, drama, and grocery store runs. Maybe I should change my statement to I am never sure how Tiffany and I cook so much food together in such a small space in such a short amount of time. Ha.

After returning from Mom's house, Nick and I settled into watching The 7 Year Itch over a bottle of prosecco and a few late night snacks. Today was the last day of the NFL's regular season, so we piled up cooking supplies and headed to a friend's house for the game. After using most of my cooking skills up on Saturday, I thought soup might complement my energy level and warm up the 30-something-degree day outside. I made this recipe after combining it with a few recipes I've tried. I am not sure what makes it "Mexican," but I am sure it has something to do with the cilantro and the warm spices.


Mexican Chicken Soup

* 1 package (around 1 lb) chicken breast
* 2 tablespoons EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
* sea salt
* ground pepper
* 2 average sized onions chopped
* 1-2 stalks of celery, chopped
* 2 carrots if large or 3 carrots if small, chopped
* 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 1 box of GF chicken stock
* 1 (28 ounce) can of crushed tomatoes
* 1-2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced
* 2 tablespoons chili powder
* 2 teaspoons dried oregano
* 1 teaspoon ground cumin
* 1 teaspoon ground coriander seed
* 1/4-1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
* Optional for serving: sliced avocado, corn tortillas, grated cheddar, tortilla chips

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Salt and pepper the chicken breasts to taste, and place on a baking pan, covered with aluminium foil. Bake until cooked through, about 30-35 minutes, while prepping the remaining ingredients. Shred the chicken once it has finished cooking.

3. Heat the EVOO in a saucepan or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots and cook for about 10 minutes, until the onion softens.

4. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds more.

5. Add the chicken stock, tomatoes with puree, jalapeno, chili powder, oregano, cumin, and coriander. Add salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

6. Add the chicken and cilantro. Serve hot.

Immune Support: Emergen-C VS Airborne

Here is what the FAQ's for each product says:

Emergen-C
"DO YOUR PRODUCTS CONTAIN GLUTEN? All Emergen-C products are free of gluten from wheat, oats, rye, and barley."

Airborne
"4. Is Airborne gluten and wheat free?

Airborne is gluten and wheat free. However, we always advise that you consult with your physician, who is more knowledgeable about such things as celiac disease."