Spinach

How, oh how do I like SPINACH. Yes, it's full of iron and vitamins, especially Vitamin K. For this reason I'm not supposed to have it very often. I discovered this when my Coumadin dosage had to be doubled...too much clotting was going on.

I like

SPINACH SALAD WITH HOT BACON DRESSING

1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch or flour
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 eggs beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup vinegar
1/2 pound bacon
bacon drippings

Salad ingredients:

1 pound spinach (washed and cut)
1/2 pound mushrooms, sliced
8 hard boiled eggs, sliced

1. Mix sugar, salt, cornstarch and mustard in a blender. add beaten eggs and mix again. Add milk and vinegar. Pour mixture into a saucepan and cook until thickened.
2. Fry bacon and add crumbled pieces to dressing. To enhance taste add bacon drippings.
3. Wash spinach to remove all sand. Spin dry. Garnish spinach with mushrooms and sliced eggs. Serve with hot dressing.

SPINACH SQUARES

1 cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
2 cups fresh spinach or 1 package frozen spinach
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 onion, chopped

1. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a large bowl. Add eggs. milk and butter and mix well.
2. If using fresh spinach cook, drain and chop. If using frozen spinach, thaw and drain.
3. Add spinach, cheese and onion to flour and egg mixture. Spread into a greased 9" x 13" pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool 10-15 minutes or long enough to cut into squares. Serve warm.



I also like SPINACH DIP

Just use the recipe on the box of Knorr Vegetable Soup.

Walk, walk, walk and walk some more

That's just what the therapist said. That's just what the doctor said. That's just what my daughters said. So I walk, walk, walk. Every morning at 6 o'clock Schnicklefritz turns on my overhead light. I grumble a bit and then swing my legs out of bed and stumble to my "new in progress bathroom." JJ has made the doorway wider and installed a new door. Next the glass shower doors are coming off and then new waterproof wall siding will be applied. Already I have a new ventilating fan, bright light and night light.

I've just come back from my westerly walk this morning. I shed a few tears because my lower back is all crunched up and doesn't uncrunch until about 10 o'clock. I take a few pain pills and launch out with my handy dandy seated walker. We walked into the walkway of the next door apartment complex. It's interesting to see how other folks live. They have lots of huge boulders, scattered desert friendly plants and a dry creek bed. Maybe tomorrow I'll do both westerly and easterly walks. Yesterday I did easterly and northerly. Maybe in a week or two I can try the southerly route. There's a hill involved there.

My daughters have been so helpful in ferrying me around. Schnickle takes me grocery shopping every Saturday and drops me off at the doctor's office. Ladybug picks me up there and took me to Henry's for sprouts. Chuggy came and took me to sushi lunch and to Michael's and Smart and Final yesterday.

I'm feeling stronger every day. I'm able to keep my blood pressure in the normal range, but my sugar level seems to be all over the map. Pasta and bananas seem to make it spike. I'll give them up because I don't want to HAVE to use insulin. Even though the visiting nurse gave lessons to me and Chuggy and Schnickle and the grapefruit, I still don't want to do it. Coffee has dripped and I'm ready for my first cuppa.