Snacks, Sliders and Deb of Borg

I did find an excellent use for the bounty of my unruly basil window hedge. I made a marinara sauce a la David Rocco with canned tomatoes and some tomatoes, garlic and onions that I roasted. I used the basil laced sauce on a pizza. This recipe was from America's Test Kitchen and is more like a Focaccia than a pizza. It was super easy, at any rate. I ate mine with caramelized onions in addition to fresh mozzarella cheese. Jon had his without. It was quite tasty, and there was enough for an afternoon snack the next day. I'd never planned to make my own pizza, but I find that I like very few that are available for delivery since having them in the south of France (I was told by Mario Batali himself that the region used to belong to Italy. And there seems to be an awful lot of Italians and their fabulous food there.). I've had a wide range of results making my own dough including the dough that tried to eat my fridge. This dough is the easiest though I still prefer the more troublesome recipes when I'm in the mood for battle. The pizza was all the more tasty having been made with my own basil infused oil and with that final sprinkling of shredded basil on top.
Special Snacks

I decided to give myself a pre-chemo treat and try a seafood recipe I saw on one of Paula Deen's shows. This was a scallop slider. It was made like a crab cake and eaten on a slider bun with a spicy mayo. Now, I do love a good crab cake (heavy on the crab and light on the cake) and I have made many kinds over the years. These shooters were very, very simple and the result was just amazing. They were delicately flavorful. They had a great texture and the mayo didn't overwhelm the taste of the shooter itself. Of course, the other part of the treat was a bit of was a little bit of bubbly. Alas, I will be vino free for the duration of the treatments. Don't be bummed for me. I'm enjoying a lot of healthy, tasty things during treatments. Among them, the Lassi. I'm gong very, very light on the spices and using mangoes or strawberries for flavor. This helps me with nutrients and keeping the old plumbing balanced. And I'm having the first of many batches of soup. This one – chicken noodle! Dull choice? No, it was quite tasty. One of the most intriguing prohibitions during treatment may result in some elaborate desserts. I am to avoid cold drinks and food. Frozen treats are thus out of the question. What to do when one has a jones for vanilla or chocolate ice cream (yes, my favorites are that mundane). Well, first there is cocoa (regular or white chocolate) or home made vanilla or chocolate pudding which are fine at room temperature. But then there is also homemade mousse!! Again in chocolate or white chocolate. And for a real jolt of vanilla yumminess, there is crème brûlée, baby! All I need is a blow torch!

Deb of Borg

Deb of Borg, that's what Jon's taken to calling me. He's also gotten good at dodging flying objects I throw toward his head. I have a number of tubes attached to my person at present. For about 48 hours, I had a little machine attached to me as well. There was much in the way of clicking and whirring in my wake during that time. The tubes ate the PICC line that runs from mu upper arm to just at my heart (by far the most gruesome thing that has happened to me in this entire ordeal was putting that PICC line in. Oh, all that long line in the photo on the link is what got threaded through my veins. Unpleasant. But, I must say, the nurse was excellent – as are all of those managing my care. The other tube has been in my abdomen since the surgery in April. That's gotten old, but there isn't anything to be done about it for a while.

Round One

The first round was okay. Jon and I watched Toy Story2 on my portable DVD player. That was a hoot and a half. I was surprised that we were served a nice boxed lunch – though I wouldn't have picked tuna salad for one with an iffy appetite and potential nausea issues. Still, it was a nice thought. I figure we can run through the vast list of films we've missed in the past year during the treatments. So far, I'm side effect free save for fatigue. That's astonishing when it hits. I'll be quite fine and typing something, then I'm waking up from a really deep and sudden nap. That will make timing my walks very interesting. The heavier side effects turn up later in the treatments – if I'm going to get them at all. Though I whine about the number of trips I'll be making to the hospital in the next months (and it is a whole lot of trips per week), I can't complain. I am really healthy compared to the other patients I see there. And even the weakest ones move with a determination that I admire. If they can buck up and get it done in that state, I've got nothing to complain about. The only bit of news that I found daunting is that the number of rounds is three times longer than I'd thought. The assumption was an error on my part. I think I read somewhere that the minimum number was four rounds and decided that was what would happen. Not so. I'll be going the full twelve rounds. Still, I should be quite fit by the time the Cannes Market rolls around. By then, I'll really need some proper pizza.

My thanks again for all of the cards, notes, calls and other well wishes. I really appreciate those and the prayers. And thanks for thinking of Jon as well. He's got an awful lot on his plate with me. Caregiving is never easy and he needs support as well.

Part two of the blog with the writing updates and details on the new website are coming in a few hours.

Stay tuned!