Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Medical Stuff, Bowling, Surgical First.

Well, that was scary. I went to a specialist yesterday morning. I have been waiting for about 7 months to see her, one of her people told me the wait is even longer right now and they are looking for another doctor to help with the load, anyway, I had an ecg, no probs, then they put me on a machine which hurt like hell taking blood pressure readings 6 times. I do have blood pressure problems, but the reading after the 6th one was 225/90, way, way too high. Why that should be I don't know, can't have been 'white coat syndrome' not that high. So I have now ended up with extra medication for high blood pressure plus she recommended natural pills, Coenzyme Q10 and Vitamin D which she said would be cheaper at Costco (local warehouse open to the public) I ended up spending over $100 (we added in a few lamb chops) but mostly on flipping pills. That did not include prescriptions. Mind you, now I come to think of it I picked up a bottle of 300 vitamin pills at a good price plus some flax which was an excellent price, but the Coenzyme Q10 was $40 for about 60 pills. We then grabbed a bite to eat at a Subway and just got to the bowling alley at starting time. I was somewhat stressed and thought I would bowl really badly; in fact I had one of my best bowling days for ages - no telling is there? I bowled 120 pins above my average for the three games. Wish I had done that at the tournament in Hamilton the other week. It wouldn't have got me a prize but I would have felt really good. I felt good anyway of course. Matt had two good games too so we were both patting ourselves on the back. I heard a report on Good Morning America yesterday about a man who had transplants of both hands, one including a forearm. Its like science fiction. He lost his hands in a farm accident and this is a big step forward in medical history. You can read the story and watch a video here http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/OnCall/man-double-hand-transplant/story?id=10099179 this picture is of Chris Pollock, the subject of the accident, and his parents after the accident. He is expected to get feeling in his hands in three years. Of course I started thinking of a sci fi story I read many years ago where a man had transplanted hands which had belonged to a murderer and the hands wanted to continue their previous life!!!! Trust me to remember that. Today I have to go to the same doctor for another test, so that's yer lot for my blog today. This is a recipe I found on Cooking.com which is ostensibly a low budget recipe - these days it seems to me flank steak is not too cheap any more. Its makes a delicious meal though. Unfortunately this recipe did not come with a picture so I just found one on the web. Reading through it, it reminds me very much of Matt's recipe for what, in North Carolina, they call a London Broil. I posted that recipe a long time ago, maybe I will again soon. Broiled Flank Steak with Soy-Honey Marinade Source: Cooking for the Week Serves 4 Planning ahead for some good leftovers, we chose an Asian-style marinade for the flank steaks. This weekend dish is a snap for any cook. INGREDIENTS 2 flank steaks (about 3 1/2 pounds total), trimmed of fat Marinade: 1/2 cup low-salt soy sauce 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1/3 cup honey 2 teaspoons ground pepper 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger DIRECTIONS Put the flank steaks in a large, heavy-duty lock-top plastic bag. TO MAKE THE MARINADE: Combine the marinade ingredients in a 2-cup glass measure. Pour out and reserve 1/2 cup of the marinade. Pour the marinade over the flank steaks and seal the bag, pressing out any air (this allows the marinade to fully coat the meat). Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour, or refrigerate for up to 2 hours. Turn the bag over every 15 minutes or so, to fully distribute the marinade. About 20 minutes before serving, preheat the broiler. Remove the flank steaks from the marinade and place them side by side on a broiler pan. Broil the steaks 2 to 3 inches from the heating element for 6 minutes on the first side, then turn, brush with the reserved marinade, and broil 6 minutes longer, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 125 degrees F. (This timing is for medium rare; add a minute to each side if you want the meat more well done.) Set aside one of the flank steaks to cool. Transfer the other flank steak to a carving board. Let rest for 3 minutes, then slice across the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Serve immediately. Cut the reserved steak in half, wrap separately, and refrigerate for up to 5 days. COOK'S NOTE If you love to grill, by all means fire up your grill and cook the flank steaks over hot coals. Grill on one side for 5 minutes, then turn and cook for about 4 minutes on the second side, or until an instant-read thermometer registers 125 degrees F. Have a great day

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