TCK

Glacier Park, Montanta

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My mother recalls our train trip to Glacier Park:

We recently rode the train—the Empire Builder—from Minneapolis to Glacier Park in Montana for a week with our daughter and grandson—in coach, no less!  Now, many people our age would take a sleeper or roomette, but I guess we just wanted to prove we could still “rough it” and save money!  We weren’t the only ones of our age group, many passengers in coach were also “older”.

We got on the train about l0:30 pm, were given seats and pillows, instructions about bathrooms (downstairs!), dining car (2 cars ahead), lounge and snack bar (l car back), dining hours, and anything else pertinent to our next 24 hours aboard.  All these instructions were given by a charming car attendant—a woman in her late 40’s probably, very professional and efficient, all the while being very friendly and helpful.

The train rolled quietly out of Minneapolis at 11:30 pm, almost on schedule, full of sleepy people.

The seats were roomy—much more so than on an airplane–, but it still was a challenge to find the right angle for head, body and feet.  We took a small travel blanket and pillow, and I had an extra sweater with my winter jacket, Bill his warm jacket, so we managed to keep warm in the air-conditioning.  One woman sitting near us a stuffed shoulder-pillow and an old fashioned tied-comforter, yet!—she looked totally cozy.  The man across the aisle was over 6 feet tall and seemed to exactly fit into his seat with comfort for he softly snored the whole night through.  During the night we made several trips down the stairs to the bathrooms hoping to alleviate blood clots and keep our muscles mobile, more or less.  With the pleasant rumbling of the wheels on the tracks and the often blowing of the whistle, we soon dropped off for a fair night’s sleep.

The sights began with an early dawn over North Dakota—the never-ending sky of a million hues of pink, and the flat, treeless land with wheat, barley, mustard and flax fields intermixed with range country and rolling hills as we entered Montana.  The dining car announced that it was open for breakfast, so we made our way there, enjoying both a good hot breakfast and the passing countryside.

The whole train was smoke-free, so at some stops it was announced that time would be long enough for stretching one’s legs and taking a smoke, if desired.  We stopped at only a few places in Montana—Havre, Shelby, Cutback—and then we were seeing the wall of mountains tipped with snow.  By this time it was evening and the train was a couple of hours late getting into East Glacier, but it still was daylight and the view of the beautiful, nearly l00 year old, Glacier Park Inn, a short walk from the station, with the background of these gorgeous mountains just at dusk was miraculous.

Traveling by train again after many years was a great experience for all of us and a great way to see the countryside and we survived!

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Food Friday: Dahl Soup

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When I was little I lived in Burma and had an Indian nanny.  She was a Catholic and her name was Mary.  She spoiled me.  One of my favorite foods was dahl soup. I could eat it every day.  When the rest of the family was eating something I didn’t like, she make me dahl soup.  I have no idea what her recipe was but here is mine.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dahl Soup

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, diced

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Put a tablespoon of oil into a pot and add onion and garlic

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cut up half a potato, skinned and add to the pot (or you can use a carrot)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the onion is soft add

4 cups broth

1.5 cups dahl (lentils)

Add 1 tsp diced fresh ginger

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cumin

 

Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Allow to cool a bit and pour soup into a blender or use a hand blender until smooth

Return to the pot and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper to taste

If it is too thick, add some water

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add some chicken if you like

Enjoy!

 

 

Food Friday – Leftover Enchiladas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ok, I know what you are thinking.  Mexican again?  Well, no, not really.  Although the original concept is Mexican, this recipe is about as American as you can get.  At a stretch it could be Tex-Mex.  It is homemade fast food.  Quick and easy.  It is a great way to use turkey leftovers but you can use chicken if you are all out of turkey.

Leftover Turkey Enchiladas

1.5 cups shredded or chopped cooked turkey

1 cup picante sauce

1 (3-oz) packet cream cheese, cubed

1/2 cup sliced green onions

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/4 tsp oregano

1.5 cups shredded cheese (monterey jack and/or cheddar)

8 flour tortillas

Lightly grease a 7×12 inch baking dish.  Combine turkey, 1/4 cup picante sauce, cream cheese, green onion, cumin and oregano in skillet.  Place over low heat until cheese is melted, stirring occasionally.  Add another 1/2 cup shredded cheese to melt.

Spoon 1/3 cup turkey mixture down the center of each tortilla, roll up and place seam-side down in the baking dish.  Spoon remaining 3/4 cup picante sauce evenly over the top of the enchiladas, cover with remaining cheese.  Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until hot.

Gallbladder? I Don’t Need No Stinkin’ Gallbladder!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It all started about midnight Monday. I couldn’t sleep. The pain started on the right and moved around and then settled in the upper right abdominal. I decided to take some aspirin. Bad idea. That was when the vomiting started.

About 2 pm on Tuesday I decided to do some serious Internet investigating. You have probably gathered by now that doctors are a last resort. I really don’t like to go to the doctor. So I was reading about kidney stones, gastritis, and then I came across gallbladders. That was when it got interesting. It sounded like it could be very bad if not treated.

Okay, so I called the nurse. She said I should probably see the doctor. The doctor was fully booked so they sent me to urgent care. At this point I was in a lot of pain. The kind where you can’t sit still because it is too much to handle. I had stopped vomiting because I already ejected everything possible and then some.

I did not eat anything from Monday evening on. I stopped liquids Tuesday afternoon.

5:30 pm Tuesday – Urgent care gave me morphine and an anti nausea drug and had me start drinking barium for the CT scan. The morphine knocked me out. I was all spacey but not feeling any pain. I managed to keep down the barium and survived my CT scan. This took 4 hours.

The verdict – I had one gallstone and some “sludge” in there with it. Apparently this was not good. The gallbladder had to come out. At midnight I was on my way to the hospital.

2 am – Tucked into my hospital bed with a saline drip and an antibiotic drip hooked up. More morphine. My mouth felt like the Sahara desert. I could not muster a drop of saliva.

There were no operating rooms available the next day but they were hoping to squeeze me in someplace. I slept the whole day…between morphine doses. Unfortunately the morphine gave me a horrible headache. Or maybe it was because I hadn’t eaten in two days. Anyway, more pain. I was miserable.

At 8 pm on Wednesday the call came for the operating room. My anesthesiologist liked my nail polish. Not sure how it happened but somehow they slipped me something and four hours later I was returned to my hospital bed, gallbladder- free.

My gallbladder was in really bad shape. They said it must have been deteriorating for quite some time and I was a really tough person to put up with it so long. I started thinking about it. I had been having aches and pains for a long time. I thought it was just part of getting old or maybe I needed a new bed. I was thinking I might mention it to the doctor next time I went because it never seemed to get any better. But it was tolerable.

The major revelation was I felt so much better after that darn thing came out I couldn’t believe it. I mean right away. I felt good.

I have to put in a plug for all the caretakers involved from the surgeon to the cleaning lady. I had amazing, attentive, involved care. I could go on about all the great people I met. Truly wonderful people. I hear lots of comments and complaints about The American Healthcare System. I know it has its problems. But wait till you get sick! You might change your mind.

Of course I have good insurance and don’t know yet what my cost will be but for now I am basking in the afterglow!

A few interesting facts I learned about gallbladders:

It is a small thing right under the liver
It stores bile produced by the liver
After eating, the gallbladder squeezes bile into the small intestine where it helps digest fat
Once removed, your body needs to figure out other ways to digest the fat
Usually it can, but the diet needs to be low fat at least until it figures it out

Isn’t science interesting?

Food Friday: Budin Azteca

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Today we land in Mexico.  One of my favorite food places.  This is a layered casserole that is really worth the effort.  Vegetarians can leave the chicken out.  For a variation, use pork instead of chicken.

Budin Azteca  (Aztec Casserole)

2 tablespoons oil

½ cup chopped onion  (125g)

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heat up a pan with the oil and cook onion and garlic until transparent.  Watch it so you don’t burn the garlic.

Add:

3 cups tomato puree (750g)

1.5 tsp salt

Cook until heated through

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To another pan add:

1 tbsp butter

3 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels

2 small zucchini (courgettes) chopped

Cook a 2-3 minutes and add:

1/3 cup water

Cover and cook on low heat for 5-7 minutes until the zucchini is tender.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Prepare and cut into strips:

2 chiles poblanos (roasted, pealed, membranes removed)

If you don’t want to go through the roasting and peeling process, you could buy tinned whole green chiles and use them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You will also need:

1 cup cooked shredded chicken

1 cup grated manchego, muenster, monterey jack or white cheddar cheese

1 cup (250ml) thick cream (crème fraiche)

corn tortillas – warmed

Assembly:

Oil a large baking dish.

Place a thin layer of vegetables on the bottom

Cover with warmed tortillas (5-6)

 

 

 

 

 

Add about half the tomato sauce to cover

Top that with half the remaining vegetables

 

 

 

 

 

Then half the chiles

Half cup cream

half the chicken

 

 

 

 

 

and half the cheese

Repeat the layers finishing with the cheese on top.

Bake in 375 degree F oven for 20-25 minutes until cheese is melted (might be a little longer)

Serve with avocado and salad.

 

 

Poppy Day

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I went to a British grade school in Mexico City.  We wore a uniform.  It was a grey skirt, shorts or trousers for the boys, white sox, black shoes, a white shirt, a green tie (both girls and boys) and a green blazer with the crest of the school sewn on the upper left hand pocket. My brother used to get into trouble because his badge kept getting ripped and he would take it off.  That crest had to be on there.  I learned to tie my own tie at 7 years old.  Some kids wore clip-ons but most of us tied our own.

In November my first year, kids started showing up with red paper poppies pinned to the lapel of their blazers.  I had never heard of Poppy Day but I loved the color added to the otherwise mundane clothing.  I bought one and wore it even though I didn’t understand why. I looked forward to it every year. That splash of red.

When I was working at the British Embassy in Moscow, I saw people wearing poppies on their lapels and it took me right back to school in Mexico. I had forgotten all about those red paper poppies.

Recently I have been watching the BBC to give me a more worldly perspective on the news. And lately they are wearing poppies. I have poppies on the brain.

It was the 11th month, 11th day, 11th hour when hostilities ended.   It was the end of the First World War, the war to end all wars. Poppies bloomed all across the fields where the battles were fought and lives were lost. A sea of red.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

                        Lieutenant Coronel John McCrae, 1919

Also known as Remembrance Day, Armistice Day, Veteran’s Day, it is honored around the world in different ways.

In the USA poppies are assembled by disabled and needy veterans in Veteran Hospitals.   The poppies are given in exchange for contributions.  The contributions provide financial assistance in maintaining these veterans’ rehabilitation and service facilities as well as the Verterans’ of Foreign War National Home for orphans and widows of the nation’s veterans.  They aren’t as common here as they are in Britain but you can find them.  Wear your poppy proudly!

It wasnt easy, but I VOTED!

I voted but it wasn’t easy.  I left my house at 6:30 thinking I would get there early.  It took me 20 minutes to find a parking place.  As I walked to the polling station, a Middle Eastern man asked me in broken English,  “This way to the President?”  I answered, “Yes!  This way!”

I waited in line for about 15 minutes outside in the cold.  Behind me were a couple who spoke loud Italian the whole time we were in line.  Two people ahead of me was the exact same Indian guy who had been ahead of me four years ago.  I guess we were on the same schedule.  I could hear many different languages being spoken and all kinds of people were in line.  Black, White, Brown, old, thin, fat, young, disabled, happy, pensive.  Once I got inside the building, I thought to myself, this isn’t too bad.  The line went down to the end of the hallway and back.  I figured about half an hour.

When I reach the first turn, I saw another long hallway with people lined up all the way down and back.  When I reached the end of that hallway, there was another one.  I figured there were about 500 people in front of me and probably more behind me.  It took me two and a half hours to vote.

Nobody complained.  People were calm and quiet.  They joked about the line.  They greeted neighbors they new.  They smiled.  Some had their children with them.  One family brought their first time 18 year old voter with them.  People said things like, I can wait in line once every four years, no problem. It is worth it.

I hope my guy wins!  We will know soon enough.

Food Friday – Ginger

 

 

 

 

This time of year we, in the West, think of ginger in terms of Christmas and the Holiday season.  Gingerbread houses, gingerbread men, ginger snaps and other delicious sweets.  Ginger originally came from South Asia but is now used all over the world.  It’s medicinal properties include easing:  nausea, throat and nose congestions from colds, migraine and cramps, muscle and joint pain, and can even act as an aphrodisiac. In Burma they use it in a salad called gyin-thot, in Jamaica they make ginger beer.

Here is one of the many ways you can use ginger.  I hope you like it!

 

Ginger Stir Fry

Mix together and set aside:

  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 Tbsp vermouth
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp sugar

Prepare:

  • 1 lb beef sirloin steak, cut into 1/8″ strips
  • 2 tbsp oil
  • 2 large garlic cloves, diced
  • 2 Tbsp fresh ginger, diced
  • 1 green pepper cut into strips (and/or red pepper)
  • 1 cup broccoli cut into small pieces
  • salt and pepper
  • 1/4 cup stock
  • sesame seeds

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the beef to the soy sauce mixture and toss. Heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok.  Add the beef, garlic, and ginger.  Cook until meat is browned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the vegetables and cook over high heat, stirring so they don’t burn. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the stock and cook another minute or two. Serve over rice with sesame seeds sprinkled on top. Don’t forget to cook the rice!

Teen Driver

Commonwealth Seal

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some of you may have read my post a while ago about Learning to Drive.  If not, go ahead, I’ll wait.

If you can’t be bothered, it is about riding around with my son while he is learning to drive.  But it is also about my father and his early driving experiences.  Here is an excerpt:

When I was 14, I was able to get a driver’s license and began to deliver the milk in bottles door to door in Shenandoah each morning as well as to two grocery stores before school. Floyd had taught me to drive our Model T Ford when I was about 10 years old, so I had no trouble getting a driver’s license. The dairy really saved us during the Depression.

My son is not 14 and has no need to deliver milk.  Although any additional income would obviously be welcome.

No, times have changed.  In the Commonwealth of Virginia – yes, it is a commonwealth, not a state, although there is no difference – anyway, in the Commonwealth of Virginia, in order for a minor to get a driver’s license they have to:

  • Pass a multiple choice written test and eye exam.  This gets them their Learner’s Permit.
  • Attend a state-approved driver education program
  • Attend a one hour session with parent or guardian on driving safety.
  • Hold  the Learner’s Permit for 9 months during which time the student must drive a motor vehicle for at least 45 hours, at least 15 of which were after sunset, as certified by his parent or legal guardian.
  • Attend 14 hours of behind the wheel training by a certified official.
  • Pass the on road driving test.
  • This will get them a provisional license which is good for 180 days.
  • They will then get a court summons to go before a Judge for a licensing ceremony.  This usually lasts about 30 minutes, after which they will get their valid driver’s license that will expire when they turn 20.

Whew!  I seriously doubt my father went through any of that.

So we are now waiting for a court date.  And my insurance has tripled.

Yay!

Food Friday: Spicy Pumpkin Pie

 

 

 

 

My grandmother was an awesome cook.  I have mentioned her before when I shared the recipe for Indian Cake.

At some point I want to do a taste test of the Indian Cake recipes and see if there is a difference.  For a Future Friday….

Back to the present.  It is November and that means Thanksgiving is around the corner to those of us in the USA.  It is pumpkin season and pie is on my mind.  My grandmother made her pie with full fat cream and molasses.  I started out with her recipe but modified it a bit because I like my pie spicy!

Here we go.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mother’s Pumpkin Pie

1.5 cup pumpkin (cooked and mashed – I use it out of a can – 425 g., or 15 oz.)

1 tablespoon flour

½ cup brown sugar

5 tablespoons molasses

3 eggs

1/2  tsp ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cloves

¼ tsp allspice

½ tsp salt

1.5 cups cream or evaporated milk (I used half and half since that is what I had on hand)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Beat eggs, add pumpkin, sugar, flour, molasses and seasonings and beat thoroughly.  It will look dark.

Stir in cream. The cream lightens it up and makes it soupy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pour in unbaked 9 inch pie shell.  The shell is the hardest part to make as far as I’m concerned.  I used to be fastidious about it and make perfect little ridges around the edge and cut-outs for the center.  No more.  To heck with Martha Stewart.  My crust is always overworked and a little tough but frankly, I like it better that way.  It’s not beautiful, but it is functional and tastes good!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 350 degrees F.  Pie will be done when a knife inserted comes out clean.  (I check it at 30-40 minutes after reducing temperature.  It will kind of puff up.)

 

Serve with whipped cream, ice cream, or plain.