Uncategorized – Page 8 – in thriver words

Another Appetizer

There’s a party in my neighborhood this week and the hostess has requested another appetizer. I don’t want to take the skewers I took to the last neighborhood party, so I’ve been looking at lists hoping for a spark of inspiration.

two stuffed mushrooms on plate with fork

I’d usually peruse my pantry and fridge and build a dish around things I have available. Because of this year’s travel, I’m not stocked with as many options as usual. And I can’t really plan around the garden because I was late getting it started. The only thing currently plentiful is blackberries.

I considered blackberry something, but I kept ending up in the dessert category or back at skewers. Next, I did what most of us do – a search. The screen showed me link after link to lists of appetizers. You’d think I’d have too many options.

While there are plenty I could choose, there’s so much crossover that the lists are filled with things I’m pretty sure someone else will bring – deviled eggs, meatballs, stuffed mushrooms, spinach dip. I’d like to do something different.

There’s no pressure, I just prefer to play with something different. On the other hand, I understand there’s something comforting in being able to count on Kim to bring potato salad and Stephen dessert bars. A much-loved specialty adds to the happy anticipation before the event and the feeling of cohesive community.

Perhaps I should hit somewhere in the middle and take a variation on a familiar theme. My most repeated party appetizer is stuffed mushrooms. My favorite recipe fills them with fresh garlic, GF breadcrumbs, mozzarella, Parmesan, parsley, salt, pepper, and butter. I could change the filling to pecans, cheddar, hot sauce, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, and mayo or to

breakfast sausage, fire roasted sweet red pepper, onion, sour cream, Parmesan, Romano, and mozzarella.

You could hit the same balance with your favorite potluck appetizer. If you prefer to contribute coleslaw, change it up with lime cilantro coleslaw or broccoli slaw. If you usually take potato salad, try Caesar potato salad, German potato salad, or corn and potato salad. Meatball variations could include barbecue or Swedish.

Using variations on a theme is appealing from the preparation side as well. There’s a pleasant sweet spot that’s easily found when working with trusted ingredients. Using them in new ways keeps kitchen work from becoming a drudgery.

Last year, I had a large cucumber crop, so I played with them a lot. Building on that experience, I believe I’ll try deviled cucumbers for this week’s party. I love cucumbers when it’s hot and this week is hot!

If you’d like to follow my lead, don’t spend tons of time reviewing lists, reading unfamiliar recipes, guessing how much time a dish will take, and searching for ingredients, start with the tried and true and go from there. Pairing familiar comfort with exciting change can take your dish from just another appetizer to something that can entice family, friends, and neighbors to attend the party!

Have fun!

Deliver Comfort

Food delivery services make it easier than ever to deliver comfort. In tough times of illness or loss, joyous times of birth, and busy times of family visits, it can be a great relief to have a meal that just shows up ready to eat and tailored to your specific diet.

With members scattered, it’s easy to forget that we can provide that sort of comfort to physically distant family and friends. You may think of services like GRUBHUB, DoorDash, and Uber Eats as useful for having a restaurant meal delivered to your doorstep, but they can also be used to send comfort across the city or country.

When I send food to someone who needs a break, there are a few things I keep in mind. First, I don’t want them to have to put in a lot of effort. With that in mind, I ask as few questions as possible.

The way that might work is I call or send a text that says, I want to send you a meal. I’m thinking I’ll DoorDash you a seasonal chopped salad and curry chicken salad summer roll from Goop Kitchen or something else if you prefer. You choose the time.

This usually results in the recipient letting me know what they’d rather have. But since I started the thought process, they only have to edit my ideas rather than come up with something. I usually have a second restaurant and main dish chosen in case the situation calls for it.

The initial conversation is a great time to move to my 2^nd concern – making certain I have any allergies or other restrictions (including likes and dislikes) properly noted. Once that’s done, I move on to a third consideration – maximizing the dollars spent.

If you’re paying a delivery fee, it makes sense to buy more, not less. I buy enough for at least two meals and sometimes three. Using the list of restrictions as a guide, I add items to whatever the recipient has chosen.

If they choose a salad and soup, I’ll add a sandwich or quinoa bowl. If they want a BBQ brisket plate, but mentioned they can’t decide between that and a stuffed potato, I’ll order both.

I also review the kids’ menu. The options are often only slightly smaller than an adult version, but the price can be significantly cheaper.

When buying for a whole family, I look at restaurants that offer a family style or catering menu. I also consider boxes of croissants, muffins, sausage rolls, petit fours, or loaves of banana or pumpkin bread – snacks that can easily fill in gaps between meals or be served to visitors who stop by.

Most delivery services have expanded to deliver from pharmacies and convenience stores. In lieu of food, I may send a few household staples – tissues, toilet paper, paper towels, soap, glasses cleaning wipes, disinfecting wipes, disposable razors, travel size shampoo, toothpaste, lotion, or makeup remover wipes. Buying travel size means it’s okay if the brand is not their favorite. It’s something to tide them over if they run out when things seem overwhelming.

Pharmacies also have chips, sodas, flavored water, ice cream, sewing essentials, batteries, magazines, baby wipes, diapers, trash bags, coffee, tea, peanut butter, laundry items, pain reliever, band-aids, and games. If there are children in the house, modeling clay, puzzles, art supplies, and bubbles are great choices.

When a friend with two young children came to town for his dad’s funeral, I put together a basket of art supplies and left it on my porch along with a pack-n-play for them to use. I had all the items on hand. It was a small gesture, but greatly appreciated. And that’s the point.

With the availability of delivery in a majority of towns and cities, it’s never been easier to offer comfort even when you live far away. You may not hit perfectly with every item, but the gesture will let your friend or family know you care and that you’re more invested than just sending a gift card (an option appropriate for many situations).

You can deliver comfort from the tip of your fingers, watch the driver on a map as they approach the recipient’s home, and know that you’ve done something to ease a burden or celebrate a joy. That’s a great feeling and pretty magical when you think about it.

Take a Stab at It!

Going to a potluck and need a dish– take a stab at it! My neighbor is having a potluck next weekend. I need to take a dish. I have a busy week, so I don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Like many things, the easiest way to approach a task is to examine any existing limiters. There’s no reason to fight them. Factor the limits into your decision making instead. This is what I’m doing by not choosing pimento cheese grit arancini, meatballs, or enchiladas. All of those sound good, but they require more prep time.

Time is not the only limiter to consider. Other possibilities include expense, temperature control options, dietary restrictions, food preferences, compatibility with other flavor profiles, and ingredient availability. When all that apply are taken into consideration, it can be easy to narrow your choices to a few workable options.

Since my neighbor shares my dietary restrictions, I want to stick with gluten-free, low histamine choices. This eliminates popular items like bacon-wrapped dates, stuffed mushrooms, and chocolate dipped strawberries. But deviled eggs, fresh cranberry salsa, and a variety of salads will be safe for both of us.

Walking you through my thought process:

Using the ingredients I have on hand, a salad with fresh mozzarella and basil could work. Caprese salad is my first thought, but tomatoes are problematic. What could I use instead? Oh, also, can I use skewers that were left over from a previous party? Which brings me to, what can I stab that uses mozzarella and basil?

Imagining the skewers on a plate, I’m thinking cantaloupe and honeydew would look springlike and pair well. I could also make a few spicy skewers using honeydew, mozzarella, and hot pepper slices. I might add mint to those. Getting a head start on the 4^th of July, I could branch out and go red, white, and blue with watermelon, mozzarella, and jumbo blueberries.

Thinking about visual impact invites me to consider color and texture along with flavor. And there are limits to presentation that must be considered. Does my dish require a plate, platter, bowl, or a heated pot or pan? Do I have one the appropriate size or can I break contents into two containers? What kind of utensils will I need for serving?

Expanding my vision of a skewer platter makes me wonder whether I should leave room for small pitchers of balsamic glaze or maple syrup? I have some small pitchers. I also have small bowls and spoons. Or I could pre-drizzle. I’ll ponder this for a moment as I rearrange the layouts in my head.

If you need help visualizing attractive food layout, I love the book “This Cheese Plate Will Change Your Life.” It has specific, numbered patterns for each plate as well as a photo. It’s kind of like paint by number using food. Once you’ve seen the many patterns attractive arrangement can follow, it is easier to design similar layouts whenever you want to create an attractive plate.

With all these ideas collected in my head, I sometimes pull out the actual dishes to make sure my food, design, and tools are in sync. Then I’m ready to make a shopping list. I don’t think of it as rigid, but more as a guide.

Because I have a clear picture of my dish and presentation in my head, I can make revisions on the fly. That means I can choose a different melon, berry, or herb. I can buy additional berries or greens to use as garnish. I’m free to play around once I get to the store.

Now that I’ve reached a point at which planning gives way to exploration and fun, I’m in my happy place! It’s your turn to take a stab at it!

Better or Not?

Do we want to be better or not? Maybe the answer is not…if it means any sort of lifestyle change. I don’t believe we can’t be better or do better. I don’t believe that we want to hurt or feel tired and miserable. I don’t believe we want to take fistfuls of drugs with frightful side effects or deadly risks. But I’m beginning to believe that a large portion of us are more than willing to endure those things as long as we don’t have to change anything.

I’d say that’s an indicator we’ve become complacent or maybe even spoiled and lazy, which is a natural tendency when abundance reigns. But given the talk of impending tariffs on drugs, we may need to locate our drive to be better because some treatment could soon be in short supply.

If you have a disease or condition that can improve with lifestyle changes, now is the time to get educated and motivated. Just consider what will happen with your ulcerative colitis if your meds are not available next week. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10574654/ Can you keep your prediabetic blood sugar regulated without metformin or possibly reverse diabetes with diet? https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7400171/ Would reducing inflammation by changing your diet mean less joint pain that you’re currently treating with ibuprofen? https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK597377/

Reducing the amount of medication you need to remain symptom free through lifestyle changes will be worth it if medication availability becomes limited. And diet isn’t the only factor. Physical activity can also be beneficial as can trauma treatment for those who have unresolved trauma and recurring gut issues.

We live in a time when information is at our fingertips. Yes, some websites are being dismantled and others feature less science than conjecture. But with some vetting, it is still possible to find reliable sources that can assist you in following a less, or non, medication plan devised with your doctor should it become necessary. Preparing now will put you in a position to control symptoms without a gap.

No matter how frustrating you may find the state of affairs we’re navigating, using your energy and effort to form and implement an action plan is more beneficial than using it to rant about the ridiculousness of it all. Of course, you can rant while you plan! I do it often.

Hoping for, and staying attached to, the status quo will get you nowhere fast as everything shifts in the healthcare system. It is shifting now and cuts to funding and staff mean it will shift more, and quickly. It is true more than ever that you must be your own best advocate.

Do you want to be better? If so, you may have to change some habits, feel uncomfortable, ask difficult questions, and push back against some family members. Sometimes taking care of yourself requires hard decisions.

We’d all love for life to be easy so we can do what we want, eat what we want, and put out little effort. Sometimes it’s that way for a moment. But the reality is that most of us must do hard things to get the most out of life. That’s how we get better…