A New Journey begins today, 1/30/23

 Twelve years ago today, I had my second hernia surgery.  It was supposed to be the last one I'd ever need.  And of course, I had complications.  I wasn't released from my surgeon's care until the following July, and in between spent another few days in the hospital, and also had what should have been another surgery in my doctors office to remove dead skin.  He was hacking away on me and I didn't feel a thing.  He said after it was over that I should have been in the hospital for the procedure.  But I digress a bit....

My hernia returned sometime in June of 2012.  And it has grown since.  I consulted three surgeons in Nashville before I moved to Indiana.  None of them would do another surgery.  I decided to try a specialist in Indianapolis a year ago.  He does nothing but hernia surgerys, and is reported to be one of the best in the country.  He said I would need to lose some weight because I didn't have the "skin" on the inside to pull together to hold it all in.  He suggested Bariatric Surgery.  His suggestion took me totally by surprise, but after much thought and discussion with my family, and my boys, they encouraged me to give it a try,  My surgeons appointment was November 9th, 2022 if I remember right, and I have been doing the work to get approved for gastric surgery since.

So next week, December 6th, I am scheduled for gastric sleeve surgery.  Once I lose enough weight, I will be undergoing what I hope will be my final hernia surgery.

I have hesitated saying anything on social media about it.  Twenty years ago (dang has it been 20 years???) I was fairly successful living a Low Carb lifestyle.  I learned how to cook healthy, colorful, tasty food, and enjoyed the process a lot!  But like most of those I know who fell off the low carb bandwagon, I gained my weight back.  I usually say "life got in the way" but really, I got in my own way.  

So I am putting this story out there, on my blog that has been all about my fun in the kitchen, and hoping no one in my low carb world is terribly disappointed in me.  I hope that my friends will be around and support me in my next chapter.  I am both excited and petrified at the same time.  I don't have a very good history of "easy" surgeries.  And I have been very hesitant about even sharing all of this on social media, but I've told several people in my "real" life.  So I feel supported, and I feel loved, and I GOT THIS!!!

Peace and love to all of you.  And "God forbid" should anything happen, know each and every one of you have been an important part of a life well lived.

Ain't No Pasta-Pasta Salad

 Last week I bought some pasta salad at a local grocery store.  It was gross.  And I know I need to stay away from all things carby....like pasta... so I started thinking about it and came up with this.  All ingredients except the herbs were bought at Aldi's, and I have enough left over for a nice veggie soup.

I've kind of lost my way in the Low Carb World in the last couple of years, and I need to get back to it.  This new recipe should help, and maybe it will spur my creativity on!

Ain't No Pasta-Pasta Salad

Ingredients  

1 med zucchini sliced and halved or quartered

1 med yellow squash sliced and halved or quartered

1 med red onion diced

4 ounces fresh mushrooms capped, and slice the caps (retain the stems for soup!)

4 ounces sliced black olives

1/2 cup diced peppers (I used 1 each of yellow, orange and red sweet mini peppers) seeded and sliced

4ounces hard salami. (I used mini rounds cut in half, but any size is fine if you cut into bite sized pieces) Or you could use pepperoni, or both!

8 ounces of mozzerella balls sliced in half (if you can find the mini balls, use them whole)

4 to 5 ounces cherry tomatoes, or any other small tomatoes, cut into bite sized pieces.

4 to 6 ounces bottle of Italian Dressing or other vinaigarette (I used 3 cheese vinaigarette from Aldi's)

Optional for serving:

1 tablespoon crumbled feta cheese

sprinkling of chives

basil

Steps

Now here is where it gets really complicated.....

1. Mix it all together and stir. Refrigerate over night to marry the flavors.

That's it!

Notes

Serve on a bed of lettuce if desired. You could add any fresh summer veggies you want. Some people like cucumbers in a salad like this, but cuc's and I don't get along very well unless you make a pickle out of them. 

Cheesy Creamy Spaghetti Squash Casserole

Spaghetti Squash has become my very favorite low carb veggie. It is so versatile.  I use it for a lot of my special recipes, such as Aunt Fran's Favorite Casserole or Hayden's Hash Brown Casserole.  It has become a more popular veggie and you can usually find it in any grocery store these days.  Very easy to cook and it freezes really well for grab and go cooking.  Depending on the moisture content of the squash, you may have to really squeeze out the liquid when it thaws out.  But usually there isn't a bunch of extra liquid when it's fresh cooked.  I think I've tried every method of cooking SS, from microwaving, to the oven, to the crock pot.  My favorite way is in the Power Air Fryer Oven.  I simply fix it the way I describe below.  But if you don't have an Air Fryer, you can always microwave it, or cook it in the oven.

This recipe reminds me of good old Mac & Cheese.  Warm and comforting.  And the cheese sauce can be used in a huge variety of ways. Over veggies, eggs, toast (LC of course).  And you can mix up your cheeses too.

Cheesy Creamy SS Casserole pictured with
Keto Instant Pot BBQ Ribs

1 8 oz block of cream cheese-room temperature

about 1 cup of Heavy Cream, Almond Milk, or half and half

2 cups shredded cheese of your choice (I like cheddar)

2 tsp dried onion bits, or 2-3 tablespoons of grated fresh onion

1/2 tsp yellow mustard powder

1/2 tsp white pepper to taste

1/2 tsp salt to taste

1/2 tsp garlic powder (Opt)

3 to 5 cups of cooked Spaghetti Squash About 1 large-ish squash (see how to prepare below)

Instructions:

1. put cream in a heavy stock pot on the stove over a low burner
2. once it's fairly warm, add the room temperature cream cheese and use a whisk to break it up a little bit.
3. allow it all to warm but not boil.  Slowly heating is best.
4. Add all the seasonings and whisk.
5. Add the shredded cheese and gently whisk till it's melted.
6. Pour over cooked Spaghetti Squash and onions in a casserole dish and mix.  Bake till browned and bubbly, about 35 minutes at 350  You may have more cheese sauce than you want, so it can be saved and gently reheated for veggies or eggs, etc.  All depends on how much SS you end up with and how saucy you want them to be.

To Cook Spaghetti Squash:


Cut squash in half, either length wise, for shorter strands, of cross wise for longer strands.  Using a large spoon, dig out all the seeds and membrane from the middle. (save the seeds for planting or roasting if you want to)  I use the cross ways cut and cook in my air fryer on 370 for 20-25 minutes.  Or you can bake it in the oven at 350 for 30 to 45 minutes.  Just until a fork sinks into the meat of it easily.  Let it cool a little bit (unless you like burning your hands) and use a fork to pull out the strands.

Thanksgiving Turkey and Un-Dressing

Tis that time of year again!  and I've been playing in the kitchen making some low carb sides.  Here is one I did over the weekend that was really good.  Turkey and Un-Dressing.

It starts with a good cornbread.  This recipe is my go-to for cornbread.

It is on the internet everywhere called Green Onion Corn Bread. But for this, I don't use the green onion.  In fact, not sure I've ever made it with the green onion.

this is the regular amount ingredients, but this makes a very thin cornbread when you use an 8 x 8 pan.  So I always double the recipe.

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1-2 green onions, chopped (not necessary)
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted then cooled slightly
• 1/4 cup sour cream

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes, or until it is browning around the edges.  Will take a bit longer if you double the recipe.  When I bake this in a regular oven, it tends to not brown on top.  So I would hit it with a bit of broiler to brown it.  Now that I have a Power Air Fryer Oven, the top browns a little too well!  So I suggest covering it with foil for the first half of the cook time.  To bake this in the PAFO I used the "cake" preset button and added about 10 minutes to it.  I think the temperature is 320.  I need to double check that.

Now, if you can keep your fingers out of the corn bread, it's time to dry it out for the un-dressing.  I used the dehydrate setting on the PAFO and let it dry out for 4 hours.  All I did was crumble it onto parchment paper on the racks.  You could cube it, if you wanted to, for croutons.

Time to put the Un-Dressing together!

Ingredients for the Dressing

1 cup diced onion (more or less)

1 cup celery stalks sliced (more or less

1 quart chicken broth or stock

1 stick butter

3 or 4 cups diced turkey (or chicken)((the more chicken, the lower the carbs in a portion)

1 tablespoon of poultry seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 small can of diced water chestnuts (Optional but I like the crunch it gives it)

2 hard boiled eggs (optional but it's good! next time I think I'll add more eggs)

double recipe of the cornbread listed above crumbled up, or diced up.

Cook the onion and celery in the butter until it starts to get tender.  Add the broth and cook it a while.

Put the cornbread, turkey, seasonings and water chestnuts (if using) in a big bowl and stir it up.  Pour the hot broth and veggies over it and stir well.  You might need to let it sit a few minute and stir it a few times to get all the liquid to absorb.

Pour it into a prepared pan about 9 x 13.  The one I used in the picture was probably 4 x 7 or 8 but rather deep.  Maybe 3 inches.  And I had a little left over for a "side car".  

I baked it at 320 in the air fryer (350 in a conventional oven) for about 45 minutes.  I would suggest covering it in foil for the first half of the cook so it doesn't over brown the top of it.  Also, if it looks drier than you would want, add more chicken broth.

This could easily be made ahead of time and reheated later.

TIPS!!

you could add the giblets from your turkey to the liquid for more flavor. You just have to cook them longer and then remove before adding to the cornbread mixture.    That might be a southern thing.

Also, if you are serving this along side the Turkey and trimmings, you can leave the turkey out of this.  I thought about browning a half pound of sausage to add to it instead of the turkey.

Hope you try this and let me know how you like it.

Happy Turkey Time!

This blog is not being used as a revenue maker!  I do this for my own pleasure, not to make money.  And it helps me remember how I made something.  LOL

Low Carb NOLA Gumbo

Most good gumbo's start with a roux of flour and some sort of oil.  This recipe leaves that out, but still gives you that hearty thick gumbo.  My friend Sam Paul gave me this recipe and I've made it many times. This is the one recipe I've not tried to change.  And if you know me, you know I can't leave well enough alone and always put my own spin on things.  But this is already perfect as it is.

Making this recipe today, is a "perfect storm".  LOL  Kroger had large shrimp on sale for $5 a pound, which is unheard of in our landlocked Tennessee.  Also, I had just made a fresh batch of chicken stock.  And I had just bought some summer sausage because it was on sale.  The only thing I had to make a trip to the store for was the green pepper, celery and frozen okra.

This recipe calls for frozen shrimp, but I've got this beautiful fresh stuff. The first pound of shrimp that you add is going to pretty much disintegrate. But it adds such great flavor.  Add the last pound of shrimp at the end of the cook.  It stays whole that way.

SO Lets get started!!!  Here is all my ingredients (except the onion) ready to go.   Of course I'm using my Papa Smurf!   I love him so much and I've almost worn him out.  He's getting a little temperamental.

I find it's a lot more fun to cook something if you prep everything ahead of time.  That way you know you have everything, and aren't rushing to try to chop or slice when it should have gone in the pot already.  Makes for a few more dishes to wash, but what do we have dishwashers for??  The picture above shows everything but the onion, cause I almost forgot it!  And there is another pound of shrimp waiting in the fridge.

First you sweat out the veggies, onion, bell pepper and celery. When they start getting soft, add the sliced sausage and let it brown up a bit, and let out some of the yummy fat.

Then add your chicken chunks and when they are about half cooked, add the chicken stock and the 2 bags of okra.  Oh, and the seasoning like it says in the directions.

Green pepper, diced


Medium onion diced


Celery, diced (about 3-4 stalks)


2 TBSP butter


Smoked sausage (1 pack Johnsonville)


(3) Chicken breast, cut into chunks


Cajon Seasoning (to taste - I use about 1TBS of Tony's))


Shrimp, frozen (at least one pound)


Chicken stock (Approx. 3 - 16oz containers) I used 48 ounces of home made


Crab boil, liquid (I like this stuff...I use about 2 TBS) Zatarains is really good


Old Bay Seasoning (1/2 TBS)
A couple bay leaves


Tobasco (to taste)


Okra, frozen (2 - 16oz bags) or 3 bags (see my notes)


Shrimp, thawed (1 pound)

Steps

In stock pot, sauté onions, peppers, and celery in butter. After that cooks down a little, add the sausage.


Once it starts rendering fat, add the chicken. Season everything with Tony's seasoning. After the chicken has mostly cooked, add some frozen shrimp, if using. Let that cook for just a few minutes, and then add the chicken broth. To that, add Crab Boil (liquid) and Old Bay seasonings, more Tony's, bay leaves and tobasco.
Once everything is simmering, add two bags of frozen okra. Let this simmer for at least an hour, until the   okra has totally broken down. About 10 minutes prior to serving, add the raw shrimp. You can turn the heat off at this point, as the residual heat will cook the shrimp.


Note:  some people don't want to "see" the okra.  I happen to like it, so I add another bag towards the end, before the last pound of shrimp, and let it cook till done to my liking.


I hope you try this, and let me know how you like it.


Just so you know, I do not blog for profit.  The links in the recipe are only there to show you the product. I make no money off of the links.  I do this for fun and sharing only.

North Carolina Sweet 'n Spicy BBQ Sauce

Hi folks, been a while, huh? I thought I'd share my favorite BBQ Sauce with you My friend Sam Paul shared his original tweaked-for-low-carb recipe that he got from BBQ Brothers, and I tweaked it a bit further. Both are posted below. Sam likes a thinner sauce, and I kinda like it thicker which is why I let it cook for a long time on really low and let it reduce. When you let it reduce, it really concentrates the flavors so you may want to back off on the Red Peppers!! (ask me how I know that?) If you want, you can thicken it more with some Xanthan gum or other LC thickeners. I've done that once when I was in a hurry.
The recipe as I've tweaked it makes just shy of a quart of sauce, depending on how much you reduce it. It lasts quite a while in the fridge.
I have yet to find a Sugar Free BBQ sauce on the shelves of a grocery store thats any good, and I must say I prefer this one over any store bought one I've ever had. Next time I make some, I'll post some pictures.

NORTH CAROLINA BBQ SAUCE (BBQ BROS)

Given to me by Sam Paul, and I changed it up a little bit

Original Recipe:

1-1/2 CUP White Distilled Vinegar
1/2 Cup Sugar (I used White Ideal)
1/2 Cup of Ketchup (I used low-sugar Heinz)
3 TBS Louisiana Hot Sauce
3 TBS Honey (I used SF syrup)
1 TBS Salt
2 tsp of Red Pepper Flakes
2 tsp of Black Pepper
*I add a tblsp of liquid smoke mesquite
Sam’s Notes: Mix all together in sauce pan and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes. This is a somewhat thin sauce, but it's very good! It's my favorite sauce right now.

My Tweaked version:

1 15 ounce can of tomato sauce

10 to 12 ounces white vinegar (I use the tomato sauce can and pour the vinegar in to clean it out, a trick my mom taught me)

½ can of water Using the can from the tomato sauce, about 3/4 cup

½ teaspoon of allspice (to replace some of the flavor in the ketchup I replaced)

¾ cup of SF Sweetener of choice (I’ve used Splenda, Whey Low, and Xylitol with good results)

Splash of Worcestershire sauce (replacing some of the stuff in ketchup again)

1/4 cup of Louisiana Hot Sauce or Hot Sauce of choice

1/4 cup of SF Maple Syrup (or SF brown sugar, or honey)

1 Tablespoons of salt

2 to 3 teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes (depending on the heat you want)

2 to 3 teaspoons Black Pepper

½ teaspoon Xanthan Gum or other thickener of choice. (Optional for thickening)

My Notes: Made my way, it makes about a quart of sauce and lasts quite a while in the fridge. I like to cook it very low and slow for a long time and let it reduce by about 1/3. Makes it nice and thick. And it also makes your house smell like a smoke house! In a good way.

Gazpacho Summer Soup

Gazpacho Soup served as an appetizer at my son's house last weekend.

Soup that isn't piping hot has never appealed to me.  Call me a soup snob, cause I probably am one.  But I love a challenge in the kitchen so what the heck!  A few weeks ago I was watching Ree Drummond on Food Network, and she made Gazpacho and it peaked my interest.  Produce is so beautiful right now, and Smiley's Farmers Market is right down the road so I decided to brave it!

Here is a link to Ree's recipe, but if you know anything about me, you know I'm not going to follow it but use it as a blue print and do it my way.  I made her recipe the first time and honestly, I didn't like it very much.  The cucumber overpowered the whole dish and kinda made it too rich for me.  I love cucumbers but they don't love me much.  I can have them pickled but if I eat them raw they "come back on me" for days.... but I've figured out the deal with that!!!  From one of the members of my group at I Love Low Carb I learned that the "burp" factor comes from the skin, and by golly I think she's right!  So for my recipe, I peel the cuc's.  But totally not necessary if you don't want too.

Anyway, here is how I did it!

Ingredients
3 good sized tomatoes chunked up for the food processor.  (reserve about 1/2 of a tomato and dice)
1/2 onion chunked up (reserve a bit to dice)
2 stalks of celery chunked up (reserve a bit to dice)
1 large Cucumber, peeled and chunked up (and guess what?? yep, reserve some diced)
1 zucchini chunked up (you get the drift yet????)
2 cloves of garlic (or more if you want)
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/4 cup Olive oil or Avocado oil, your choice
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar (or a bit more, adjust to your taste)
2 tablespoons of "sugar" and yes of course, I used Splenda
1 to 2 tablespoons of a good hot sauce (I like Franks but I'm out so I used about a tsp of tabasco) ((franks is better))
dash of salt and pepper to taste
3 to 4 cups of tomato juice or use this recipe for homemade V8 juice (really inexpensive way to make it)  For today's recipe I got lazy and bought V8 juice but don't tell anybody.

Add your veggies and half of the juice to a large food processor, or process the veggies in batches adding a bit of the tomato juice to each batch, and then dump it all in a big bowl to mix it up.

Since I have a large Kitchen Aid, I dumped all the stuff in it except the reserved diced veggies.  I tasted the mix and adjusted the seasoning.  Process it till it's blended up.  The size you want the veggies to be is purely up to you!  And the thickness of the soup depends on how much juice you add to it.  For this batch I used 3 cups (1 1/2 - 12 ounce cans of V8) but I love a thick soup. Once you have it blended up to your liking and seasoned correctly, add the diced veggies.  But this is totally a personal preference.  You can blend all of it up if you don't want the veggie chunks in it.

Now this soup can be served several ways.  In my first picture, I added a slice or 2 of Avocado and some shrimp. (I made this as an appetizer at my son's house over the weekend).  But if you want it as just a "salad" type side, serve it with a grilled protein.  This would be perfect with a steak off the grill. Tonight I'm smoking chickens for lunch the rest of the week, and this will be our side.

Well, that's about it! But as a last note, I think I'm going to mess with the seasonings to change up the variety.  Some fresh basil out of the garden would be a great addition to this.  Maybe leave out the hot sauce and add some italian seasoning too.  Lots of ideas!

Hope you enjoy this!  As always, please let me know if you try this and if you have any suggestions.

Showing you the size of my maters.

I truly suck at pictures, but you get the drift.

Now, if you are like me, I like a chunky soup.  That's why I reserved some of the veggies to dice up and add after you process the veggies....   Here is what I did.  I think it's about a cup and a half to two cups of diced veggies....

Added the paring knife and spoon for perspective.
I also had some onion reserved but took the pic before I added it.