I can’t forget the muscle twitching in my left hip/butt cheek; the excessive yawning after 5pm; the headache that I wake up with almost everyday; the weird patch of bumps on my back between my shoulder blades; and, the hiccups that randomly appear and don’t want to go away.  Not to mention the almost daily stiff neck in the morning; the pain in my back from the massage chair at the nail salon yesterday (felt so good at the time, but I’m paying for it today); and, everything itching in spite of the daily applied lotions.

Fun, fun, fun…

I haven’t actually been taking a break.  More like I’ve been flaring non-stop for months.  Seems that meds + full-time employment + a 10 hour commute/week don’t = comfort or productivity or anything positive other than a paycheck when one has Fibromyalgia.

Today brought:

• Achey hips, legs, shoulders, arms and lower back
• Mild headache
• Chills
• Pain in hands and feet
• Inability to focus visually
• An all-day nap
• Tingling and numbness in hands, fingers and toes
• Lack of appetite
• Irritability
• Pain when walking after getting up from sitting or laying

This is just from today.  Mostly these experiences are an everyday occurrence, but not as pronounced as they were today.

I am positively exhausted.  FMS is so frustrating…  My pain isn’t as manageable as I had hoped it would be.  My symptoms come and go, but mostly they stay for weeks at a time.  I lose days.  I can’t function at home.  I fight every day to function at work.  My commute is stressful, and having to get up before the sun does causes me anxiety.

It is so hard to keep a work schedule that I can’t keep a home schedule.  My poor husband is frustrated to see me having to go through this and he feels helpless because there’s nothing that he can do to make me feel better.  This adds more stress and anxiety to my days.

I don’t know what to do to better my quality of life.  I wish that I had the energy to work it out…

I have a web site:  K.Liz Designs.

My site has been neglected for quite some time, and I haven’t really done much to add to it over the last year and a half or so.  I got into a funk with my fibromyalgia and haven’t been able to knit for far too long.

So, the other day I decided that I was going to update my site to coincide with the changing times of going green and recycling and doing away with using plastic shopping bags.

I am quite proud of the way my site turned out, and the changes that I’ve made to my available items.  I can’t wait to get the yarn so that I can make some samples.  I have no idea how any of the products will turn out, and I’m a bit nervous about it, but I am hopeful that the plans that I have in my head, and the stitches that I picked out for the items, will come together just as I envision them to.

The yarns that I’ve chosen to enable K.Liz Designs to go green for you are made from high quality organic, recycled and 100% natural fibers.

In addition to the Summer Scarf and Market Hobo that I will be creating in the next few weeks, I plan to add other items that can be used regularly both personally and around the home.  All of the items on my site will make wonderful gifts too!

I can’t wait to get started helping the world GO GREEN!

Mia had never been to the beach until yesterday.  It was supposed to be an ugly day…scattered rain throughout the island…but, around 2pm I decided that we were going anyway.  And, go we did…across the island to Kailua Beach.  There are many beaches here that don’t allow dogs, but the list (Dog Beaches) provided by the Hawaiian Humane Society makes it easy to locate a convenient beach that does.

So, off to Kailua we went.  We took the sort of scenic route up and down the Pali  instead of staying on the highway.  It’s so beautiful on that side of the island.  It’s lush and green and I just get lost in the intracacies of the mountain range and the colors of the ocean…hmmmmm…

We made it to the beach without incident, which is always a good thing!  And, while Mia is our Freak Doggy Dog, she was much better behaved than I initially expected her to be.  There was just so much to take in.  So many things to see and smell that she hadn’t experienced before.  Although the air was cool, it smelled sweet and salty…like kettle corn…but not.  It was so inviting.  Everytime I go to the beach, everything in my life just disappears.  It’s just me and the sand and the waves slapping the beach.  It’s so amazing.

But, we’re talking about Mia’s first visit to the beach…

She was all excited about being in a new place.  She wasn’t sure which way to go, so she went every-which-way and pulled me with her.  I finally won the tug-o-war contest and managed to get her onto the sand.  The minute her big moose fee hit that soft white sand, she just couldn’t help herself.  She tried to run (being attached to a leash attached to me made that a little difficult) and we played along the water line.  Mia wasn’t exactly sure what to think about the water.  Normally she won’t even walk in the grass if it’s wet, so I wasn’t sure what to expect.

I eased her in, playing closer and closer to the water, and eventually dragged her into it.  Once Mia figured out that it was fun and it was ok to be in the water at the shorebreak, everything changed.  She loved it.  When the water would start to roll in, I would run toward it, taking her with me, and she would bounce over the lines and poke her nose at the bubbles.  It was so great to see her playful and happy with the ocean!  I only wish that I had taken my good camera with me.  As it was I had my cell phone and was able to snap a couple cute pics.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a way to transfer them to the computer right now.

We only stayed at the beach for a couple hours.  Aside from getting there a little late in the day (and having to deal with rush hour traffic on the way home), I didn’t want to push the envelope with Mia and the water.  We’re going to the North Shore today.  The more The Moose gets out, the better behaved she’ll be.

She was the hit of Kailua Beach yesterday, attracting young children who were really intrigued by her.  There were even some tourists who asked to take her picture.  I was so very proud of my big baby girl!

I LOVE St. Patrick’s Day!  I love to show my Irish pride by wearing green (and dressing up my dogs too), and cooking corned beef & cabbage!  Yum!!!  Back in the day I was all about going out after work and getting schnockered on green beer, but I like to think that I’ve matured and thus no longer add the schnockering to my St. Patty’s Day festivities.  My fibromyalgia meds also dictate that I don’t drink alcohol.

This year, I donned a bright green shirt which went quite well with my red hair and pale, freckled, Irish complexion.  For the doggies…Dante wore a lucky horseshoe collar; Izzie wore the shamrock collar; and, Vinnie got to wear the “Luck ‘O The Irish” Doggie T…My Irish-Italian Greyhounds.  But, what’s the point in dressing up if no one is going to see you?!  So out we went.  I took the Littles to the brand new Petco in their Irish attire.  They were the talk of the store.

And then it was time to start cookin’!  Corned beef, cabbage, carrots, potatoes, and Irish soda bread.  How much easier could it be to make a whole meal?!  Just two years ago I found an amazing recipe for homemade Irish soda bread.  I think that it was on Epicurious.com.  This recipe is quite simple to make and only takes a few minutes to prepare.  I’ve found that starting the bread when you start boiling the corned beef (if you make your corned beef on in a pot on the stove) works out quite well time-wise.

IRISH SODA BREAD

• ½ cup white sugar
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ¾ tsp. salt
• 3 cups raisins
• 1 tbsp. caraway seeds
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1¼ cup buttermilk
• 1 cup sour cream

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°
2. Grease a 9″ round cake pan.
3. In a mixing bowl, combine flour (reserve 1 tbsp.), sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, raisins, and caraway seeds.
4. In a small bowl, blend eggs, buttermilk, and sour cream.
5. Stir liquid mixture into flour mixture just until flour is moistened.
6. Knead dough in bowl, about 10 to 12 strokes.  Dough will be very sticky.
7. Place dough in the prepared pan and pat down.
8. Dust with reserved flour.
9. Bake in a preheated 350° oven for 65 to 75 minutes.
10. When bread begins to rise in the middle, cut a 4″ x ¾” deep slit in top of bread.
11. Let cool and turn bread onto wire rack.

Pretty simple, huh?!  Personally, I can do without caraway seeds, so I leave those out of the mix.  And, instead of using a round cake pan, I use a spring-form pan.  Just remember, regardless of what kind of pan you use, coat the inside of your pan with a thin film of Crisco shortening and then shake some flour around in the pan.  This will help the bread release after baking.  (click the photos to enlarge)

The next day, if you still have some soda bread left:  cut a couple slices; pop them in the toaster; spread your favorite buttery spread; sprinkle with a bit of cinnamon; sprinkle with a bit of sugar; and, you have your very own homemade cinnamon raisin toast!

I’ve been making corned beef and cabbage for many years, and just recently figured out the best way to cook the potatoes, carrots, and cabbage.  You’d think I would have figured it out sooner, but apparently I’m a slow learner.  The key is a stock/pasta pot.  Once you are done boiling your corned beef and have transferred it to the roasting pan in the oven (don’t forget to add a bit of water to the bottom of the pan so the corned beef doesn’t dry out, and make sure that the fat-side is up and coated liberally with brown sugar!!!), strain the fat from the corned beef water and transfer to the stock pot.  Now, layer your veggies!  Potatoes (russet…peeled and quartered) go in first.  Then, carrots (I like to use baby carrots).  Finally, add your washed & quartered cabbage.  The way that this works is so simple…the potatoes boil in the bulk of the liquid; the carrots boil also, but won’t get mushy; and, the cabbage will steam because most of it is on top of the liquid.  You’ll only cook the veggies for about 20 minutes.  If you like, you can transfer them to the roasting pan with the corned beef for a few minutes and sprinkle with a bit of brown sugar for more flavor.

I hope that you had very happy and safe St. Patrick’s Day!

Yummy!  Easy!  Healthy!!!  A definite must try!!!

Makes 4 Servings

Time:  30 Minutes

This currylike dish has a wonderful sauce, spiked with mint (you can also use cilantro), and made bright yellow with the addition of turmeric.

1. 2 tablespoons peanut or vegetable oil (I used Canola Oil)
2. 1 large onion, chopped
3. 1 large red or yellow bell pepper, stemmed, peeled if desired, seeded and chopped (I used a peeled red bell pepper)
4. 2 cloves garlic, smashed
5. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
6. 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint or cilantro leaves or 2 teaspoons dried mint
7. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
8. 1 teaspoon ground cumin
9. 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
10. 1/2 cup dried unsweetened shredded or grated coconut
11. Juice of one lemon
12. 1 cup shrimp, chicken, beef, or vegetable stock, or water (I used organic chicken broth)
13. 1 to 1-1/2 pounds shrimp, in the 20 to 30 per pound range, peeled, rinsed, dried, and cut into halves or thirds
14. Minced fresh mint, cilantro, or parsley leaves for garnish

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet for 2 minutes.  Add the onion and red pepper and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring, 2 or 3 minutes more.  Turn off the heat and let cool for a few minutes.

Place the mixture in a blender or food processor with the mint, cayenne, cumin, turmeric, coconut, lemon juice, and enough stock or water to make a thick liquid when blended.  Blend until smooth.

Return to the pan, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat to low.  Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.  Add the shrimp and cook until pink, 3 to 5 minutes.  Garnish and serve immediately, with white rice.

I made this for dinner last night.  Wowza!!!  I had never used leeks in cooking before, and found that they are wonderful!  Leeks are very mild and add great flavor.  Instead of the butter, I used extra virgin olive oil, which made this dish very light.  We aren’t big bread people around here, so I topped thin spaghetti with the chicken and sauce.    Even my extremely picky husband went back for seconds!!!

I am going to try the Chicken in Ginger Sauce this weekend!

Makes 4 servings

Time:  30 minutes

A more-or-less traditional Provençal preparation, one that must be served with good bread, or at least a spoon for the sauce.

1. 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter or olive oil
2. 2 leeks, washed well and diced, including some of the green part
3. 1/2 cup dry white wine
4. 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock, or water
5. 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or tarragon leaves, or a good pinch dried thyme or tarragon
6. 4 boneless, skinless chicken cutlets (2 breasts), 1 to 1-1/2 pounds, rinsed and patted dry with paper towels, and cut into 1 to 1-1/2 chunks
7. 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
8. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
9. Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish

Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter or oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add the leeks and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the wine, stock or water, and herb; bring to a boil and let bubble for a minute or two.

Add the chicken, turn the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the meat is barely cooked through, 5 or 6 minutes.  Remove the chicken with a slotted spoon and keep warm.

Turn the heat to high and cook the sauce rapidly, stirring occasionally, until just about 3/4 cup remains; this will take 5 to 10 minutes.  Lower the heat to medium-low, add the lemon juice, then stir in the remaining butter or oil a bit at a time.  If you are using oil, add it gradually, stirring vigorously with the back of a spoon as you do so.

Season with salt and pepper and return the chicken chunks to the sauce to heat through.  Garnish and serve immediately.

Chicken in Ginger Sauce: Best over white rice.  Use peanut or vegetable oil.  Substitute 1 teaspoon mince garlic and 3 tablespoons peeled and minced fresh ginger for the leeks and cook only 2 or 3 minutes.  Reduce the wine to 1/4 cup and omit the herb; add 1/4 cup soy sauce after you have reduced the wine and stock.  You need not reduce this sauce; simply adjust the seasoning after the chicken is cooked through and serve.  Omit the lemon juice and garnish with mince cilantro instead of parsley.

HOLY MOLY!!!  This dish is to die for!!!  The heck with Ruth’s Chris and Morton’s!!!  Save your money and make this at home!!!  Yes, I am serious!

I used red cooking wine and dried herbs, and it was amazing.  I can’t imagine how much better it would have been with a good red wine.  We bought the steak at Costco…a whole filet, and I cut the steaks myself.  We had two steaks left over, and the second night was even better than the first.  Just make more sauce and reheat the steaks in it.  WOW!!!

Makes 4 servings

Time:  15 minutes

Few elegant, impressive dishes are as fast as this one.  If you use tenderloin, you’ll really need the sauce because the meat is so lean.  If you use sirloin or rib-eye, the peppercorns and butter alone will be delicious (although the sauce won’t hurt).  For extra flavor, coat the steaks with the peppercorns an hour or so before cooking and let them sit at room temperature.

Decent red wine makes a difference here; zinfandel, for example, has a spicy fruitiness that complements the tarragon and shallots nicely.  Use a skillet that will fit the steaks comfortably, without either crowding them (which will cause them to steam rather than brown) or leaving too much room, which will allow the butter to burn.

This recipe is easily varied; use any spice rub, or ground Szechwan peppercorns, in place of the black peppercorns.

1. 4 tenderloin steaks (filet mignon or “tournedos”), 4 to 6 ounces each, or use sirloin strip or rib-eye
2. Freshly ground black pepper, or a mixture of black pepper and crushed allspice berries
3. 3 tablespoons butter (preferred) or olive oil
4. 1 tablespoon minced shallots
5. 3/4 cup zinfandel or other good red wine
6. 2 sprigs fresh tarragon or 1/4 teaspoon dried tarragon, plus fresh sprigs for garnish (optional)
7. Salt to taste

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes; turn the oven to 200*F.

Sprinkle steaks liberally with pepper.  For genuine steak au poivre, coarsely grind 1 tablespoon of pepper and press into the meat.  About 1 part ground allspice berries to 3 parts pepper lends an interesting dimension.

Put 2 tablespoons of the butter into the skillet; when the foam subsides, turn the heat to medium-high and put in the steaks.  Cook the steaks for about 3 minutes per side for rare meat, a bit longer if you like it medium to well done.  Undercook them a bit as they will continue to cook in the oven.

Remove the steaks to an ovenproof platter and place the platter in the oven.  Over medium heat, add the remaining butter to the pan, along with the shallots.  Stir until the shallots soften, about 1 minute.

Add the wine and the tarragon, raise the heat to high, and let most of the liquid bubble away.  Pour any juices that have accumulated around the steaks into the sauce and add salt to taste.  Spoon the sauce over the steaks and serve, garnished with additional tarragon if you like.

I can’t even begin to tell you how incredible and simple this recipe is!!!  You are just going to have to try it for yourself.  I promise that you won’t be disappointed.  Oh, and to all you novice chefs out there, don’t be afraid of the whole chicken!!  I am very much not into cooking whole birds, and this was easier than easy!

Makes 4 servings

Time:  About 1 hour

A slightly simplified version of a classic which preserves the most important elements:  A crisp-skinned chicken smacking of butter and herbs.  This recipe is one of the few in which substituting olive oil simply won’t do.

1. 8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter
2. 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill, tarragon, parsley or chervil leaves, or a combination (I used dried dill, tarragon & parsley, and it worked out really well)
3. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
4. 1 whole (3 to 4 pound) chicken, trimmed of excess fat, then rinsed and patted dry with paper towels
5. 1/2 cup dry white wine or water, plus a little more if needed
6. 1 clove of garlic, lightly smashed (optional)
7. Minced fresh herbs for garnish

Preheat the oven to 450*F.

Using a fork, small food processor or blender, or potato masher, mash half the butter together with the herb(s), salt, and pepper.  Loosen the skin of the chicken wherever you can, and spread some of this mixture between the skin and meat, in the chicken cavity, and on top of the breast of the bird.  Sprinkle the outside of the bird with more salt and pepper.

Put the remaining butter in a casserole or roasting pan and place the pan in the oven.  When the butter has melted and its foam subsided, add the wine and the optional garlic.  Place the chicken, breast side down, on a rack in the pan.

After the chicken has roasted for about 20 minutes, spoon some of the butter mixture over it, then turn the bird breast side up.  (If, at any point, the pan juices are beginning to stick to the pan, add a little more liquid.)  Baste again, then again after 7 or 8 minutes; at this point the breast should be beginning to brown (if it hasn’t, roast a few more minutes).  Turn the heat down to 325*F, baste again, and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160* to 165*F.  Total roasting time will be under 1 hour.

Before removing the chicken from the pan, tip the pan to let the juices from the bird’s cavity flow into the pan (if they are red, cook another 5 minutes).  Remove the bird to a platter and let it rest for about 5 minutes before carving.  Garnish with minced herbs and serve with the pan juices.

This recipe is absolutely amazing!!!  It will be a huge hit with your whole family; or, if you are like us and have only two adults in your home, the leftovers make great sandwiches!!!  I made Rice-a-Roni Herb & Butter as our side, and it was a perfect match.

Makes 6 or more servings

Time:  1-1/2 to 2 hours, largely unattended

The basic roast pork.  Serve with very light side dishes; this is the kind of dish that drives you wild and makes you eat more than you want to.  If you want a more garlicky flavor, cut a clove of garlic into tiny slivers and, using a thin-bladed knife, insert them into the roast all over.  You can do this a day or two in advance; if you do, rub the roast all over with salt, too, and keep refrigerated, covered loosely with a towel or piece of waxed paper.

1. Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2. 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
3. 1/4 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
4. 1 tablespoon sugar
5. 1 teaspoon minced garlic
6. 1 – 3 to 4 pound pork loin roast, bone-in, or 1 – 2 to 3 pound boneless roast, or a similar size portion of fresh ham
7. 1-1/2 cups dry white wine or stock, approximately
8. 1 tablespoon butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 450*F.  Mix a liberal amount of salt and pepper together with the rosemary, cayenne, sugar, and garlic, and rub it all over the roast.  Place the meat in a roasting pan (use a rack if the roast is boneless, but don’t bother if the bone is still in) and put in the oven.  Roast, undisturbed, for 15 minutes.

Open the oven and pour about 1/2 cup of wine or stock over the roast; lower the heat to 325*F.  Continue to roast, adding about 1/4 cup of liquid every 15 minutes or so.  If the liquid accumulates on the bottom of the pan, use it to baste; if not, add more.

Start checking the roast after 1-1/4 hours of total cooking time (it’s likely to take about 1-1/2 hours).  When it is done – and instant-read thermometer will register 145* to 150*F – remove it to a warm platter.  Put the roasting pan on the stove over one or two burners set to medium-high.  If there is a great deal of liquid in it, reduce it to about 3/4 cup, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release any brown bits that have accumulated.  If the pan is dry, add 1 cup of liquid and follow the same process.  When the sauce has reduced some, stir in the butter if you like, slice the roast and serve it with the sauce.