Home cooking

No food photos

Posted by Gary

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Dear Reader,

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. I’ve been doing well. Life is generally good.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

There’s nothing really to report this week. I caught an Uber to work on Monday because I needed to be there to complete some tasks I couldn’t do from home. It was good to see people and be in another environment.

On Monday, it was pouring rain. To avoid getting my cast wet, I applied a thick ziplock bag and then a heavy-duty rubbish bag to my leg and secured them with rubber bands.

Extensor Hallucis Longus repair Plastic protection

My eldest daughter visited me on the weekend to help with a few tasks in the flat. There have been some things I needed help with.

Having Kathleen visit and help when I came home from the hospital was amazing. She is amazing.

Having one of my daughters visit me was fantastic. I am looking forward to the time when I can fly again to see my daughters and parents.

What have I been watching?

Reacher (season 2)

I’m a fan of the Reacher audiobooks. My father and one of my brothers read the books in paperback form.

The television adaption of the books has been good. Television and movie adaptions are rarely faithful to the book versions. Reacher season 2 was good because it introduced the members of Reacher’s unit, the 110th.

The season has eight episodes, and Amazon Prime released them one at a time.  

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

I continue to alternate between the two series, one episode at a time.

Recipe — Air fryer steak

I had planned on lamb chops because my daughter loves lamb. I tried twice to have the supermarket deliver lamb chops. Each time, the lamb chops failed to materialise.

Instead, I resorted to thinly sliced scotch fillet steaks. I use the air fryer because it’s safer when I can’t bear weight on my left leg. Even with a high stool to sit on, it’s awkward, and I’d prefer to be safe rather than sorry.

Equipment

  • Air fryer

Ingredients

  • Thinly sliced scotch fillet steak
  • Lettuce leaves
  • Avocado
  • Olives
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Vinegar

Instructions

  1. Cook the steaks on a rack for 9 minutes at 180 °C.
  2. Allow the steak to rest before serving.
  3. Make a simple salad with lettuce leaves, avocado, olives, extra virgin olive oil, vinegar, and salt.
  4. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the meat will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the leg and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  5. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, meat and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  6. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  7. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this meal won’t be suitable.
  8. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  9. Eat with whatever implements you prefer.

Thoughts on the meal

This meal was nothing special. When I visit Brisbane next, I will cook something special for my daughter and her partner, as well as the rest of my daughters and my parents.

Final thoughts

  • Have you watched the Reacher series on TV? What did you think?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Fake spam

Posted by Gary

If you’re not seeing new posts each week, I suggest refreshing your browser and clearing your browser’s browser cache regularly.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

I hope you’ve had a good week.

How is the foot?

What’s happened this week?

There’s nothing really to report this week. I’m using crutches to get around. The kitchen stool which Kathleen got me makes a big difference in the kitchen. I am so grateful for Kathleen in my life.

Unlike the situation associated with the straight leg brace for the knee, I can bend my knee and sit without excess discomfort. It means I can work at my dining table. I can still take part in virtual meetings.

While it is convenient to work from home, my upstairs neighbours are undertaking renovations. For days, there has been the constant noise of power tools and hammering.

What have I been watching?

Star Trek Deep Space Nine and Star Trek Voyager

I continue to alternate between the two series, one episode at a time.

There is a DS9 episode named “Move Along Home”. Many regard it as one of the worst Star Trek experiences ever produced. It is pretty weak, but it’s still Star Trek, so I watched it.

In VOY, there is an episode named “Threshold”, which is regarded similarly. It’s still Star Trek, so I watched it.

What have I been listening to?

No such thing as a fish

Now that my favourite host, Anna, has returned from maternity leave, I’ve restarted listening to this comedy podcast.

To help overcome the problem of getting to sleep with tinnitus, I’ve been listening to older episodes and falling asleep to the podcast.

Recipe — Fake Spam

This post isn’t a recipe but a description. I’m unable to get out and buy groceries, so I rely on supermarket delivery.

I always mark “no substitution” to avoid receiving products I don’t want. This process doesn’t always work.

I added classic Spam to my list and received Plumrose spiced ham. The tins look very similar, and for all I know, the Plumrose and Spam production lines may be the same. That said, when I opened the bag and saw this, I was disappointed.

My first thought was how my spam-loving siblings across the South Pacific and Southeast Asia would react to an error like this.

Equipment

  • Air fryer or oven

Ingredients

  • Fake spam

Instructions

  1. Peel back the tab on the tin to open it and discard the sheet of metal attached to the tab.
  2. Invert the tin and slam it down on the cutting board.
  3. If you slam it hard enough, the vacuum holding the meat in the tin is overcome and the meat slides out. In my mind it’s like a coup contrecoup head injury. If you’re not familiar with the term coup contrecoup, look it up in a search engine. The consistency of the fake spam (and spam for that matter) is similar to a mammalian brain.
  4. Slice off a good wodge of fake spam and lay it on a baking sheet lined with baking paper.
  5. Cook in an air fryer for between 10 and 15 minutes at about 180 °C.
  6. Wait for the fake spam to cool a little and then plunge a fork through it and take small bites while holding the fork. Be careful, it will be hot and the mucosa and epithelium of the hard palate are delicate and sensitive.
  7. Don’t forget, always give thanks to the Lord.
Plumrose Spiced Ham

Thoughts on the meal

I split the tin into three portions and had some for lunch over three days.

Not surprisingly, this Plumrose spiced ham tastes similar to Spam.

I think I’ll look at the prices of each and choose the cheaper version whenever I’m craving Spam/Spiced ham.

When I’m more mobile, I’ll probably do things like dice the meat and fry it and add it to scrambled eggs or an omelette. Other serving suggestions include frying slices with eggs in butter.

Prior to my low carbohydrate healthy fat way of eating, I’d happily use Spam in meals like fried rice. I expect the Plumrose spiced ham would perform just as well.

I wonder if Hawaiian spam-lovers would use Plumrose spiced ham to make “spam” musabi.

Final thoughts

  • Have you eaten Plumrose spiced ham? What did you think?

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Extensor hallucis longus tendon

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

No, this is not a Chinese beef tendon stew recipe.

Thanks, Kathleen, for writing a guest post last week to cover my absence due to injury. What I’m more thankful for and love about Kathleen is that she dropped everything and flew to Canberra to help me. Thank you, Love

The injury

The Wednesday after Christmas, I was packing an old heavy food processor. As I was lifting it, a blade fell from the bowl and penetrated the medial dorsum of my left foot, lacerating the overlying skin and severing my extensor hallucis longus tendon. The bleeding was impressive. I got to the Canberra Hospital Emergency Department via an Uber. Did you know that kitchen paper towels and rubber bands work to staunch venous blood? I will buy a proper first aid kit.

Extensor Hallucis Longus repair Staunching venous blood loss using paper towel and rubber bands.

After about six hours in the ED and being seen by an advanced practice nurse who had a cautious examination, an orthopædic registrar confirmed my suspicion about my EHL tendon. I was admitted to an orthopædic ward, put in a back slab, and had intravenous cephazolin started (in orthopædic doses).

The admitting registrar put me on an emergency surgical list, and the repair occurred on Thursday morning. The surgeon’s incision widened the skin laceration to explore the wound. After the trainee cleaned the wound and repaired the tendon, another back slab was applied. I’ve finished the oral cephalexin. The discharging resident prescribed cephalexin for me to prevent post-operative infection. He prescribed rivaroxaban for 42 days to avoid deep vein thrombosis.

This is the plaster of Paris back slab. The big toe has a dressing because the surgeons attempted to insert a K-wire to fix the position of the toe, but they couldn’t get it to stay in a good position.

My experience in the Canberra Hospital Emergency Department, Orthopædic ward, and Operating theatres has been excellent both times this year. All the personnel have been A1.

Yesterday, I attended the outpatient clinic and was fitted with a fibreglass cast. I’ll wear this for the next four weeks. Then, a CAM boot for six weeks. The first six weeks are non-weight-bearing on the foot.

Purple fibreglass cast

I’ve elected not to share an intraoperative photograph. I was sent the photograph while I was in the recovery ward. It depicts the operative field with the wound widened and opened along with both ends of the tendon exposed ready for repair.

That’s two surgical procedures in four months, and I’ll be in some orthopædic support until April. I’m hoping everything heals.

What am I eating?

This injury is more difficult to live with compared with a fractured patella plus its ruptured retinaculum.

With the knee, I was in a straight leg brace and could bear weight on the leg. The tendon repair requires six weeks of not bearing weight through the foot.

I can cook simple meals but must be careful with every step to ensure I am steady and safe.

I’m getting essential food products delivered from my local supermarket.

The main items are butter, avocado, beef, lamb, and eggs (BABLE).

My choice of beef and lamb are thinly sliced scotch fillet steaks and lamb chops, respectively.

I’m scrambling eggs in butter for breakfast. Eating leftover meat for lunch, and then cooking meat in an air fryer for tea.

Thin-cut scotch fillet steak cooked in the air fryer
Leftover beef short rib meat with smoked cheddar cheese and some butter
Lamb chops and avocado
Lamb chops
Thinly sliced scotch fillet with Jarlsberg cheese, avocado, and butter

The most essential tool for me in my kitchen now is a stool. Kathleen looked on Facebook Marketplace, found two stools for a reasonable price, bought them and went to pick them up for me. I use the stool to hop around the kitchen by placing two hands on the seat, lifting and moving the stool, and then hopping on my right leg. When I get the stool positioned, I can sit. Moving objects involves the refrigerator and the bench tops in small movements. Everything takes a long time to complete.

Cooking and cleaning dishes while seated feels weird.

I’m not shooting photographs (with a proper camera) of anything now and probably won’t until I can start bearing weight on the injured leg. I’ll use the camera app in my smart device to capture images like the ones I’ve included in this post.

Lesson for the future

Wear steel-capped shoes inside.

I put a teatowel on the cast with rubber bands to avoid slipping on the kitchen tiles.

Standing rib roast

Posted by Gary

Dear Reader,

Merry Christmas.

Introduction

This post is about my Christmas lunch.

After getting home from church, I put the roast in the oven.

Recipe — standing rib roast.

I have been enjoying more beef and lamb over the last few months. Between the two, I’m eating more beef. If only beef had lamb fat on it. That would be a perfect combination.

If I was eating with others, I’d suggest seafood for lunch. I’d head out and buy some Moreton Bay bugs, Endeavour prawns, sand crabs, and wild-caught Pacific salmon if they had it. I’m drooling thinking about tearing bite sizes of crustacean or fish flesh, mounting them with soft butter, and sprinkling them with flaky salt.

This Christmas, I’m in Canberra. I thought it would be nice to enjoy a rib roast. It would also provide me with lots of meat to eat during the week.

Equipment

  • Oven
  • Meat thermometer

Ingredients

  • Standing rib roast (three ribs) (1700 grams)
  • Salt (17 grams)
Standing rib roast
Standing rib roast seasoned with salt
Dry-brined standing rib roast

Instructions

  1. One Christmas Eve, season the roast with a liberal amount of salt. I read somewhere it should be about 1% by weight.
  2. Place the joint on a tray and refrigerate uncovered overnight. This is dry brining.
  3. Remove the joint a few hours before cooking. I did this before leaving for church.
  4. Preheat the oven to 120 °C.
  5. Put the roast in the oven on a tray and cook until the internal temperature reaches about 55 to 57 °C.
  6. When the roast gets to that temperature, remove it from the oven and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
  7. Turn up the heat on the oven to maximum and brown the roast.
  8. Remove the roast from the oven.
  9. Carve the roast and transfer the meat to a dinner plate.
  10. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the meat will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the rib and just bite into it. This minimises washing. I cut the bone off and then bluntly dissected the spinalis from the longissimus. I then sliced both muscle bundles.
  11. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, meat and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  12. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  13. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this meal won’t be suitable.
  14. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  15. Eat with whatever implements you prefer. Eating with your fingers is okay, in my opinion.
Standing rib roast resting and relaxing
Standing rib roast resting and relaxing
Standing rib roast resting and relaxing
Standing rib roast resting and relaxing
Rested and relaxed standing rib roast
Rested and relaxed standing rib roast
Standing rib roast dissected into ribs, longissimus, and spinalis muscle bundles
Standing rib roast dissected into ribs, longissimus, and spinalis muscle bundles
Standing rib roast dissected into ribs, longissimus, and spinalis muscle bundles
Christmas lunch roast beef and butter
Christmas lunch roast beef and butter
Christmas lunch roast beef and butter
Christmas lunch roast beef and butter

An alternative style

I know some people prefer to dissect the ribs from the muscle meat before cooking. They will tie the bones and meat together for the cooking phase. Once cooked, it becomes easier to cut the string and carve thin slices of meat. This is great for families and meals with friends.

Because I will eat this roast myself, I don’t need to go to the extra trouble. I prefer slicing between the ribs and then dissecting the bone from the meat.

For the remaining ribs, I’ll remove them and then bluntly dissect the spinalis (deckle or fat cap) from the longissimus dorsi (fillet) and store each muscle bundle separately. I will use the longissimus for lunch meat. The spinalis will be cut into cubes and served cold with King Island smoked cheddar cheese, Outback brand pork rinds, and gobbets of butter.

Recipe — Dessert

Ingredients

  • Blueberries 10 grams.
  • Pure cream (not thickened) 10 mL.

Instructions

  1. Pour the cream into a bowl.
  2. Add the blueberries.
  3. Eat with a spoon.
Blueberries and pure pouring cream

Thoughts on the meal

I like roast beef, especially a rib roast. This meal was good. I enjoyed it. It was deeply satisfying.

The pink hue is oxidised myoglobin in the meat juices. It is not blood.

The dessert was a treat.

Final thoughts

  • I hope your Christmas and New Year are filled with peace, joy, and rest.  

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.

Nutrition information

Nutrition information for 300 grams of roasted scotch fillet (ribeye) steak.

  • Calories: 720–864
  • Fat: 40–55 grams (15–20 grams saturated)
  • Protein: 50–55 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 0 grams
  • Cholesterol: 200–250 mg
  • Sodium: 800–1200 mg

Nutrition information for 10 grams of blueberries.

Calories: Around 6–8 calories (very low!)

Macronutrients:

  • Carbohydrates: Approximately 1.4–1.5 grams, mostly from simple sugars like glucose and fructose.
  • Protein: About 0.07–0.1 grams, minimal amount.
  • Fat: Trace amount, less than 0.1 grams.

Additional notes:

  • The glycæmic index (GI) of blueberries is around 53, considered low and unlikely to cause significant blood sugar spikes.

Nutrition information for 10 mL of pure cream.

Calories: 35–38 calories

Macronutrients:

  • Fat: 4–5 grams
  • Saturated fat: 2–2.5 grams
  • Unsaturated fat: 1.5–2 grams
  • Carbohydrates: 0.4–0.5 grams
  • Sugars: 0.3 grams
  • Protein: 0.2–0.3 grams

Additional notes:

Pure cream is high in fat, primarily saturated fat.

Turkey

Posted by Gary

If you’re not seeing new posts each week, I suggest refreshing your browser and clearing your browser’s browser cache regularly.

If you continue having problems, message me via the blog’s contact page.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to Yummy Lummy.

Introduction

I hope you’ve had a good week. After returning from Brisbane, I’ve enjoyed the week at work. As everyone tries to wrap up the calendar year, our diaries are full of meetings.

Recipe — turkey drumstick

I found some turkey legs to try.

Turkey isn’t my favourite meat. I thought I’d give a leg a try rather than breast meat. I assumed dark meat would be tender and juicy.

Originally, I was going to use a water bath, but all the recipes run for between 24 and 36 hours. I know my precision cooker can manage this, but I’d prefer not to use it for longer than a few hours.

I decided to use my pressure cooker, and I chose a cooking time of 25 minutes.

Equipment

  • Pressure cooker

Ingredients

  • Turkey leg (also known as a drumstick)
  • Beef stock
Turkey leg

Instructions

  1. Place the turkey leg and beef stock into the pressure cooker.
  2. Seal the lid and turn it on.
  3. Set a timer for 25 minutes.
  4. At the end of the 25 minutes, turn off the heat and allow the pressure to equalise naturally.
  5. Remove the lid and take the leg out of the cooking vessel.
  6. Strain the cooking liquor and keep in the refrigerator as a mixed species stock.
  7. Preheat the oven to a high temperature.
  8. Pat the surface of the turkey leg with absorbent paper to remove as much moisture as possible.
  9. Put the meat into the oven for a couple of minutes to brown the skin.
  10. You could use a small gas torch to melt butter over the turkey if you have one.
  11. Put the leg onto a dinner plate.
  12. If you’re following a meat-only diet, just the meat will be more than sufficient to satisfy your hunger. You can pick up the leg and just bite into it. This minimises washing.
  13. If you’re low-carbohydrate eating, meat and some plant-based foods like avocado, leafy green leaves, olives, and tomatoes are a good combination.
  14. If you’re not concerned with carbohydrates, fill your boots.
  15. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, this turkey leg won’t be suitable.
  16. Always give thanks to the Lord.
  17. Eat with whatever implements you prefer. Eating with your fingers is okay, in my opinion.
Turkey leg cooked in a pressure cooker
Turkey leg cooked in a pressure cooker served with avocado, butter, and olives

Thoughts on the meal

The leg was tender, and it wasn’t tough or stringy. It was filling.

I have another leg in the freezer. I may cook it in the new year.

Final thoughts

  • Do you like turkey? What is it about turkey meat that you enjoy?
  • I will try to post my Christmas meal on Monday afternoon.

Disclaimer and comments

This post and other posts on this blog are not medical or health advice. I’m sharing my personal experiences from my lived experience. My opinions remain mine.

For health advice, see your regular medical practitioner. For diet advice, consult with appropriately registered professionals.