I know it has been awhile. And a lot has happened since the last time I posted to my blog. I became quite ill last September/October and just now starting to feel a bit like my old self, but still have a long way to go. I went for an eye exam as I usually do every two years as I am really near sighted. My eye doctor told me to see my GP as I had a bleed on the back of my eye and from that moment things sort of snowballed. And I am now trying to get better or at least stable. I have stage 4 kidney failure. And my diet has played a big big part of my recovery. I found a wonderful website that helped me get my life back on track, much better than the dietician that I had who almost killed me with her lack of knowledge of my condition. https://www.davita.com/ I also ended up with a bleeding ulcer that put me into hospital again and I almost died from that visit. So I plan to eat better and watch my diet better so that I don't end up back in hospital, something I never want to experience again. Though it was the steroids I was on that caused the ulcer. Luckily I am now off those horrible things.
Anyway, yesterday I cooked some comfort foods from scratch. I have been finding it hard to stand and cook for any length of time, but I managed with a few breaks yesterday. First off I put in our roast gammon. I covered it with crushed pineapple, star anise and brown sugar. I then filled the pan about 1/2 way up with some cider and put it in the oven to roast.
Next I decided to make my fav Zucchini/courgette recipe. I have an online shop that I can get some American products from and I had bought some Bisquick awhile back. So out came my trusty old Bisquick cookbook....
And I started slicing up my zucchini/courgettes, then the onions, herbs and seasonings... oil, eggs and cheese. Mixed it all up.
And stuck it in the oven to bake while the gammon was roasting.
I love this dish hot, warm or cold the next day.(I have been eating it cold today.) YUM
While all this was cooking I decided to do my version of Baked Beans. I have made them this way for over 30 years and they are my fav too. But when in a hurry it is usually just a tin of beans heated in a saucepan on the cooker/stove. But when I want these this is how I do them. I empty the tin of beans into a glass Pyrex dish with a lid. And per each tin of beans I add...... 1 tsp. mustard, 1 Tablespoon ketchup and about a Tablespoon or more of maple syrup and a good couple of Tablespoons of Brown sugar. Then I add some chopped onion. I love the onion so use a whole one. But you can add less if you like. Then it is into the microwave for 8 minutes at 50% power. Then take the lid off and put into the oven to finish off cooking about 1/2 hour. Mine went in along with the roast gammon.
I like these beans cold the next day too. :)
And to top it all off I made some of my stand by Mac and Cheese by good ole Kraft.
Now this is comfort food. :)
Bisquick Zucchini Appetizers(I eat as a side dish.)
3 cups thinly sliced unpared Zucchini(courgettes)
(about 4 small ones)
1 cup Bisquick baking mix
1/2 cup grated Parmesan Cheese ( I do a mix of parmesan and cheddar cheese)
1/2 cup finely chopped onion
2 tablespoons snipped parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp or more oregano
Dash of Pepper
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, slightly beaten
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease rectangular pan, 13x9x2 inches. Mix all ingredients; spread in pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Cut into rectangles, about 2x1 inch. Refrigerate any remaining appetizers. 4 dozen appetizers...... (I end up with about 12 squares). I did cook mine a bit longer too. You want it to be good and golden brown on top. I also sprinkled a bit of cheese on top before baking.
