My 5-FU pump is now a heat pump!

Day two  of being tethered to the portable 5-FU infusion pump. I've found it's easier for me to wear it like a  handbag across my chest than around my waist. The strap  rubbed across my collar bone, though,  making it sore, so Mr. G cut a foam strip and taped it to the strap which takes the pressure off. I haven't felt as much fatigue today, but did  take a nap this afternoon and have been pacing myself.

The one really uncomfortable thing has been heat building up in my face-I had forgotten  that from last time.  It felt as though I was running a fever and  slowly heating from the inside out, although the temperature reading I took was perfectly normal, maybe even a little low. The heat finally manifested itself this afternoon just before supper  when my face and neck  turned  bright red as though I'd been out in the sun too long.  It felt like  I had just opened the door to a very hot oven and stuck my face inside! Maybe this is how chemo brain  happens-  so much heat builds up inside your head that your brain cells begin to boil! I kid you not- it got THAT hot! Needless to say, I decided NOT to cook anything for supper that required heating in the oven! Besides, I needed something  that could be put together quickly so  there would be plenty of time  to eat and then watch the Democratic debate tonight.

I opted to do a redux of  a Pollan cookbook recipe from a couple of weeks ago: Creamy spinach pasta alfredo with crispy pancetta. I had bought diced pancetta so didn't need to cut that, but I  was able to  use my brand new chef's knife to chop the spinach and mince the garlic- worked like a charm, and was very comfortable to use, just as the  description said.
The  pasta  turned out very nicely, was  a one-dish meal (except for the extra pot to  cook the  pasta, as Mr. G pointed out to me after he'd washed the dishes).  I also used a spoon form the new utensil set I bought with the chef's knife. The long handle on the spoons allows you to  stir   without  getting steam burns,  an important  consideration for clumsy cooks, and unlike my  long handled spoon with the metal handle,  the  handle stays cool to the touch. Here's a pic of the  new utensil set- $4.95 for the  set- a bargain , I thought.

And here's a pic of the pasta, ready to serve.  It went together  quite quickly and we  had time to eat in a  leisurely fashion before   time for the debate.

The pump comes off tomorrow.  The time should run out early since I was hooked up a few hours earlier than usual.  Maybe Mr. G will be able to unhook me  and still have time to get in a little fly fishing tomorrow.  The weather is supposed to be a little warmer and the power company will be turning the generators off   at the trout stream   mid-morning. Some fresh trout for supper tomorrow would be a good thing, I think! 

Gorgonzola, Gorgonzola, three cheers for the green, white and blue

I  love blue cheese, except maybe for Limburger, which is a little too smelly, even for my taste. But Stilton, Roquefort, Danish blue, Gorgonzola-- I love them.  Especially Gorgonzola. Last week I had some that needed to be used up, along with some Mascarpone and a package of  Prosciutto.   So I combined them with some linguine, spinach, garlic and herbs and made something  quite  tasty and satisfying.

 I   had  about 4 oz. of  fresh baby spinach from Owl's Hollow Farm, a  hydroponic farm  near Gadsden, Alabama. Even though the spinach is young and tender, I still like to stem it, because I don't like stems in my spinach.  It's an extra step, but I find it a worthwhile one. I love adding Mascarpone to dishes like this for the creaminess it imparts.  I began by stemming, rinsing and drying the spinach, then  putting the water on to boil for the linguine.   You could use another pasta such as penne, fusilli, cavatappi, etc. but I had linguine on hand, so that's what I used. Here's the recipe. Let me know if you try it and enjoy it or have any suggestions for improvement.

1/4  lb. pasta
4-6 oz.  fresh baby spinach, stemmed, rinsed and dried
3 oz. pkg thinly sliced Prosciutto, cut into strips
1/4 lb crumbled Gorgonzola
1/2 Tbsp  minced garlic
1/2 Tbsp  dried basil
1/2 Tbsp dried oregano
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 oz. Mascarpone cheese
salt & pepper to taste
  Cook pasta until al dente according to  directions on package.  While pasta is cooking, heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a heavy skillet.  Add prosciutto, garlic,  basil and oregano, stirring to combine and cook over medium high heat until  lightly browned, about  two minutes. Remove from heat and add spinach,  tossing to combine. The heat will wilt the spinach. Drain cooked  pasta and return to  pot. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil,  prosciutto spinach mixture from skillet, Mascarpone and Gorgonzola.  Toss until  well combined and cheeses are melted.  Add  salt and pepper to taste and serve. 

If you, too, are a fan of Gorgonzola you might enjoy listening to this old Leslie Sarony Gorgonzola song from the 1920s:

Cooking Under Pressure

For years, I'd read  and heard about using a pressure cooker to can foods and speed  up the cooking process but had always been afraid to  try it myself.  I had visions of  explosions of green beans and  beef stew splattering the ceilings and  blowing out the  kitchen windows! I had a water bath canner for making pickles and jams and for canning tomatoes and saw no need for a dangerous  pressure canner with its dire warnings about seals and gaskets, valves and pressure settings. One Christmas, Mr. G  even bought me a lovely All American pressure canner with dials and valves but  no intimidating gasket, with the idea that I  could can  green beans and other veggies from the  garden and farmer's market and  put up  jars of chicken stock. I was unconvinced.  That canner has   been sitting, unused,  in its box on a shelf in the basement for several years now.

But then a  year or so ago, I read about  electric pressure cookers, and for some reason, they, with their friendly  digital displays and blinking lights, didn't scare me as much.  So  I bought one, and , with instruction/recipe booklet in hand,  made  one of the  tenderest,  most delicious beef pot roasts we have ever eaten! And in  less than an hour, from start to finish, WITHOUT blowing up the house!. I was hooked! Since then I've cooked soups, stews, chowders,  short ribs, pork chops, chicken with dumplings and many other dishes and have plans  to try out  many other recipes, including cheesecakes and other desserts.

My latest "meal under pressure"  was Sausages with Onions and Peppers, adapted from the Cuisinart  recipe booklet that came with the cooker. This calls for the following ingredients for  4 servings:
 4-6 oz.  Bucatini Pasta or other pasta, cooked according to  directions on package.
1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1-19 oz. package of Italian sausages,  each cut into three sections (I used Johnsonville Mild  Italian sausages)
2  small to medium green bell peppers and 1 red bell pepper, seeded and  sliced into rings.
 1 large sweet onion,  cut into vertical slices
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/2 Tbsp Italian herb blend
1/2 cup  organic chicken broth or stock
salt & pepper to taste

Cook pasta according to directions on package.

Add olive oil to cooking pot of pressure cooker. Select browning and when  oil is hot, add sausages, being careful not to overcrowd.  If necessary, cook sausages in batches and remove to a plate as each batch is browned. Cook until brown on all sides, about 3-5 minutes.

Add peppers, onions, garlic and Italian seasoning  to pot and stir for 2-3 minutes.

 Stir in chicken stock and cook for   one minute. Return the sausages and any accumulated juices back to the pot and stir gently to mix  in with the other ingredients.

 Cover with the lid and lock the lid in place.  Cook at high pressure for 4 minutes.

 Use  quick pressure release to release pressure and remove lid carefully, allowing steam to disperse.  Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep warm with lid off until ready to serve.

Serve over  pasta.  Enjoy!