Back to calorie counting

Calories

Going to start with a daily calorie count of 1800 and start dropping it down to 1500 

3 strips bacon                                      135

scrambled eggs                                    100

cheddar cheese                                    100

coffee with creamer                                 30

bowl of zuppa toscana soup                 446

margarita                                               400

chips                                                      480

Total                                                1690

Tuesday, Sept 29

Two breakfast tortillas with chorizo, spinach, onion, and cheese                       530

Coffee with cream                                                                                                  30

Cottage cheese mixed with yogurt, granola, and walnuts                                    420 

Margaritas and triscuits and cheese (Presidential debate tonight--got slammed)  Horrible godawful thing in the White House just sucks the life out of me

Wednesday, Sept. 30

1.5 breakfast tortillas (same as yesterday) and coffee                                                 400 cal

cottage cheese mixed with vanilla yogurt, cranberries, pecans, and granola              300

I must set goals

 Saturday: 10:30

Wandering aimlessly, as usual.  I must set goals.  I must do better.  I say the same things all of the time but never change. 

Today:

Wash face (done)

Brush hair (done)

Put on make-up (👍)

Wear a bra (yes)

Change shorts and shirt (yes)

Read

Play Solitaire or Word Scrambler (yes)

Cook breakfast and lunch (breakfast is done--two egg omelet with spinach, ham, onion, and cheese)

Take some pics

Sweep and mom the kitchen

Try to move around more

Try to take a walk

Try to eat and drink less

The Silence

 Surprisingly, to me, I haven't heard the ghost of Molly's nails going down the hallway, nor the sound of her rabies tag jingling as she would shake herself off when she woke up. I thought I would hear that over and over again. I hear the silence. I see the empty bed. We have gotten rid of many things, but we still have not parted with her huge crate at the end of our bed nor her bed with the UK (University of Kentucky) blanket on it that has been in the living room for 13 years. I can't do it yet.

A poem that speaks to me today

The Soul Selects Her Own Society
by Emily Dickinson

The soul selects her own society,
Then shuts the door;
On her divine majority
Obtrude no more.

Unmoved, she notes the chariot's pausing
At her low gate;
Unmoved, an emperor is kneeling
Upon her mat.

I've known her from an ample nation
Choose one;
Then close the valves of her attention
Like stone.

It's All Me

I have been informed that I am the source of most of my problems and probably will continue to be as long as I keep seeing myself in the role of victim. 

Well, okay.  I guess I will continue to be the problem in situations.  That can help everyone else feel good about themselves as no one I am ever in conflict does anything wrong.  It's all me.  Yep.  I am my biggest problem.  I have very few redeeming qualities because my negative ones cancel out the good.  Yep.   That's me.

Goals

I must go back to posting daily goals.  I do very little these days other than lie in bed and play solitaire.

Water indoor plants
Wash face
Brush teeth
Get dressed
Make tacos
Make pico de gallo
Clean kitchen
Wash some blankets
Go to Lowe's (????)
Dust some furniture
Read
Consider making something (start on Christmas stockings?)
Go get some milk and tequila (I know that sounds strange)

Move around more. Lie around less.  Please.

Au Gratin potatoes

Au Gratin Potatoes With Ham

8 medium red potatoes, washed and scrubbed
1-2 cups chicken stock
I don't know how much ham. Just use leftover ham or just ham you bought to do something with, yep. I would say I used about 1/2 pound to a pound of some ham I had in the fridge. I chopped it into about 1-2 inch pieces
1 large yellow onion, cut into slices or diced--depends on what you like
Fresh thyme, washed and chopped--about 1 tablespoon or dried Italian herbs
1 cup organic fat-free milk
1 cup Half & Half
4 tablespoons butter
kosher salt
pepper
olive oil
1 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese
1-2 cups grated Monterey jack cheese
Additional 2 tablespoons of butter

Ok. Let me just say that I don't measure anything. You just have to play with this. But, here is what I did, and these taste better than any au gratin potatoes I've ever eaten.

Preheat oven to 350.

After you wash and scrub your potatoes, slice them very thinly. I cooked mine in chicken stock and water & a little kosher salt at a boil for probably ten minutes just to soften them a bit and infuse some flavor. I then drained them and let them cool a bit in a colander. While they were cooling, I melted 2 tbsp of butter and one tbsp of olive oil and cooked the onions until they were getting soft. I then added the ham and cooked until I felt like they were cooked enough. :) About 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a 13 x 9 x 2 or slightly smaller casserole dish, rub a stick of butter all over the dish. Or, you can use that spray thing for buttering dishes, but I didn't have it and don't use it much.

While potatoes are cooling, make a white sauce. I used 4 tbsp of butter and 4 tbsp of flour. Melt the butter at medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until well blended. (I'm struggling here to do this. I take it for granted that everyone knows how to make a white or bechamel sauce and I worry that I am preaching to the choir or something). Slowly add the milk and the Half & Half. I did not have cream but would have used it if I had any in my fridge. I didn't warm the milk or half & half, but usually, it is suggested that you do that to keep it from curdling or something. Keep stirring until it starts to thicken. If it gets too thick, add more milk. Season with kosher salt and pepper. I don't know how much. I just put a few pinches of kosher salt in and use the peppercorn grinder, stir it up, let it cook a few more minutes and taste. If it's not salty or peppered enough, I add more. If you like the taste and consistency, that is great. Turn it down to low or remove it from the burner. That all depends on how quickly you layer the casserole.

So, start layering your dish. Here is how it goes. It's real easy. 1/3 of the potatoes topped with a third of your ham and onion stuff you sauteed in oil and butter, pour about a third of your white sauce over that, and then put a third of your grated cheeses over that. Do another layer the exact same way. Do a final layer the same way. I add a little more grated sharp cheddar to the top. Cover with foil and bake for 45-50 minutes. Uncover and cook another 20 minutes or until the top is starting to brown and is bubbling. I didn't put chopped parsley on top, but that would be great. Chopped cooked bacon would be, too. I just did what I just typed in that I did. Geez. That was exhaustive work typing it all in. Enjoy! I forgot to mention the thyme. Just sprinkle some on each layer. Or omit if thyme is not a favorite.