Empanadas

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/empanadas-recipe2.html

This is the link to the best empanada recipe, I use this for a guide for all empanadas I make, play around with the mixture of spices or meats, can use many different things to fill the pastry with.
 Remember to have fun with this and use your imagination ...omit the chicken broth in the pastry and use juice, water, and some cinnamon and brown sugar or ginger as well as fruit.

I make these up and freeze them as they keep in the freezer for 3 months.
Take out of the freezer and deep fry at 350 F  for 2-3 mins each side.
I like mine with hot sauce and Mom likes hers with ceasar salad dressing to dip  in.

Staying Cool

We had a very rainy spring here in Norwood. and now that the summer is upon us I am trying to stay inside and cool. I have spent very little time out of doors this spring/summer so far.

I must be careful due to meds I am on not to be in the sun as I break out in a rash.

Due to thyroid disorder I have spent all winter in -30 celsius temperatures standing outside in a tee-shirt ,
My Mother calls my room" the meat locker" at bedtime in those -30 temps. I had the window wide open a fan in front of the open window blowing directly on me and the ceiling fan above the bed full blast as well the bedroom heat vents blocked off and bathroom door shut so not to freeze pipes.

The poor guy in the basement came upstairs to ask if the furnace was broken as it was 42 degrees celsius in his apartment, I was standing there with sweat dripping off my scalp down my back apologizing profusely and turned on the heat making some joke about the crazy lady upstairs and menopause and thyroid ...thinking to myself I can't stand it now how will I survive the heat on...

I walked into the livingroom to see my significant other and my Mother wearing their winter coats and decided that I must see the doctor about this...again.

I went to the doctor explaining again how hot I have been that I hadn't even worn a coat all winter( I usually hibernate as I am always cold).
I explained that I am going to have to purchase a freezer large enough for me and take the lock off  so I don't get locked in as it would be where I would have to  live to make it through the spring and summer .

The doctor was not my doctor it was the nurse practitioner and she is getting annoyed with me and I am sure she believes I am exaggerating ( as usual I fight with the nurse practitioner about my med changes) she sent me to another doctor as she is tired of me always challenging her ( it is my body and I know it better than someone that spends a mere 5 minutes if that and appointment with me).

Well that I must say was the best move she could have made for me.
The doctor she sent me too immediately added another med  (one the nurse practitioner and my family doctor took me off of 4 years earlier as "studies show it may cause breast cancer")
She put me on this medication for 3 months, the first 3 weeks I noticed a difference (so did my poor family I froze out all winter).
The doctor said I am an anomaly and seem to require this medication along with my thyroid med.

Well I need refill of this medication and of course due to the fact that the doctor I saw was a locum doctor I must see the nurse practitioner again and she must have refused to see me as they sent me to another locum doctor and each time I must explain myself and fight for refills of this medication.
I will continue to fight for what I need.
I need to feel like myself again and if this med makes me feel better and I know the risks I think that it should be my choice whether to take it or not.

I don't think the doctor should choose to not keep me on it and that is where I am right now , finally feeling like my old self and noone wants to keep prescribing the meds I need to continue to feel well.
They don't live in my body and if I choose to take a med that has been known to cause cancer (heck breathing causes cancer these days) then that should be my choice.

What I have been doing for the last 4 years has not been living it has been a cruel existence, the overheating is only a part of what I have gone through not to mention an 80 pound weight gain in 4 months due to ooops a med that is not right for me @!!#!
Losing weight has always been a struggle for me so this is devastating to me.
The doctor gave me 3 months more of the meds and told me that she would not prescribe it to me again that I should try to get off of this med.
I think that it should be my choice to continue or not.

Do you think that the doctor knows best or do you think that you know your body and should be given the choice as to what goes into it or doesn't go into it?

Missing My Daddy And Best Friend Today And Every Day

Loving you and missing you as always Daddy....Laurie xxx....ooo...

Gretchen and Grandma's Weekend

My beautiful granddaughter was here for the weekend and as usual we had a blast, yard sales, bug hunts, cat play, water balloon fights, road trips, tea parties and lots of snuggles.

Gretchen and her Great Nanny at our tea party.


She is my heart.

Eye Infection?

Well I am glad to be back and writing a new post.
I was away bathing my eyes and trying to find out why there is a shortage of Polysporin eye drops since 2011!
I never have had an eye infection before and hope to never have another.

I woke up one morning with right eye all infected, I wasn't sure that I didn't get a bite in the night by a spider but the following morning I realized that my other eye was also infected so it wasn't a spider bite after all.

My sweetie went everywhere looking for polysporin eye drops and found none, the only answer he could get from the drugstores was that it has been on back order for 3 years!
What the heck?
Why is there a shortage?
Does anyone know as I have yet to receive an answer to that question.

So with no eye drops and no chance of getting a doctor appointment within the next few weeks I took it upon myself to try something else.
I soaked my eyes then ensured the cloth went directly into the laundry so not to spread this eye infection.
After soaking my eyes I took some pure virgin coconut oil and put it in my eyes (only one at a time as it blurs your vision, unless you are going to bed then do both eyes at the same time).
The coconut oil is solid but once you touch it the heat from your hands melts it.
*ENSURE YOUR HANDS ARE CLEAN AND DO NOT CONTAMINATE YOUR JAR OF COCONUT OIL BY PUTTING YOUR FINGERS INTO IT.
I USE A Q-TIP TO SCOOP OUT SOME THEN PUT IT IN MY EYE THEN THE OTHER END TO PUT IN THE JAR TO SCOOP OUT ENOUGH FOR THE OTHER EYE.
The coconut oil is very soothing and I did this for 2 days straight and on the third day my eyes were totally clear.

I love coconut oil it is a wonderful item to have in your household.
I keep one can for cooking/baking and one can for firstaid and my skin and hair.
I must say since I have been using coconut oil my eczema has done a disappearing act!

Anyone else use coconut oil for anything other than cooking?

Happy Mother's Day!

                                                                  Mother's Day


Being that it is Mother's Day this Sunday I would like everyone to leave a comment on something your Mother did for you that you appreciated more than she knows/knew.
Thank-you to my Mother for all the wonderful things she did for our family. The one thing she did that I appreciated more than she could ever know was starting a Brownies group in the area we lived in so that my friends and I could join and learn many skills and make new friends and earn our badges. My Mother worked full time and also had a part time job as well as raising us ....Thank-you for taking the time to do this for my friends and I ,Mom. 

I will be spending the day tomorrow with my Mom as she is heading to the city to spend Mother's Day weekend with her Mother<3 nbsp="" span="">
How lucky am I to have my Nanny at my age?
My Nanny will be 93 years old on the 24th of May. 
Nanny is more active than alot of 30 and 40 year olds that I know, probably why she is still with us today.
The picture below is of my Mother hugging her Mother, one of her favourite photos of them together, mine too.
I love you Nanny and Mom, may you both be in my life for many more years to come.

                                                                                      HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

Know that you are appreciated and loved 

Empanadas

Well I have to say I love trying dishes made in different cultures.
This week I tried making beef empanadas and let me tell you the results were fantastic.
They were so good in fact that I plan on spending one day making empanadas to freeze and eat at a later date.
I wasn't sure other than myself that anyone would like them and to everyone's surprise it was a hit and will be a supply in the freezer for anyone that is hungry and not wanting to make a huge meal they can thaw one and either bake or fry it, I prefer frying mine.

Here is the recipe I got off line and if you decide to make this the only thing you will regret is not making more of these tasty morsels.

This recipe and photo were from The Food Network


Empanadas


Total Time:
1 hr 25 min
Prep:
20 min
Inactive:
30 min
Cook:
35 min
Yield:6 to 8 servings
Level:Intermediate

Ingredients
Empanada Dough (see Cook's Note, below):
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 teaspoons sugar
Pinch salt
1/2 cup lard or shortening
1 egg
3/4 cup chicken stock


Empanada Filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon garlic salt
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons vinegar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
Oil or shortening, for frying

Aioli Dip:
1 cup real mayonnaise, such as Kraft
1 tablespoon adobo sauce
Juice of 1/2 lime

Directions

Empanada dough :

For the empanada dough: Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the lard with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.

In a separate bowl, beat the egg and then whisk in the stock. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture and knead until a dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.


Empanada filling:

Meanwhile, for the empanada filling: In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and garlic salt and cook until the beef is cooked completely. Drain the grease and set the beef aside.

In the same pan, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add the tomato paste, vinegar, cumin, chili powder, oregano, seasoned salt, garlic, bell peppers and onions. Cook until softened, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the beef and let them love each other with fire over low heat for about 5 more minutes. The mixture should be moist but not dripping wet. Now you are ready to fill the empanadas.

Lightly flour a work surface and roll out the dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 4-, 5- or 6-inch rounds, depending on how large you prefer. Add some meat filling to each empanada and fold the dough over in half to enclose the filling. Use a fork to press and seal the edges closed. You can refrigerate the uncooked empanadas for up to 3 hours.

Heat the oil in a deep fryer to 350 degrees F. Fry the empanadas until golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes.( Mine took 2 mins. per side.)

For the aioli dip: Mix together the mayonnaise, adobo sauce and lime juice. (The flavour will enhance if it sits in the refrigerator.)