Buying Local

I feel well. I realized something about my cold last month. The chemo does affect my throat. I’m not sure which drug but something makes my throat sore and raw. Combine that with the cold and cough and I was pretty miserable last month and the irritation from both just built on one another. I have the raw throat again now but no cold and it really isn’t a problem but there is always the unexpected. Eunice gave me a Jr. Mint today and the strong mint flavor/burn nearly did me in. It was funny after I was able to breathe again. I am taking the Prednisone which makes my hands shake and increases my appetite. And I'm taking the Procarbazine which restricts my diet.

I like Toad in the Hole but I can’t eat it now because of the sausages. Toad in the Hole combines two UK favorites; sausage covered and baked in Yorkshire pudding. It’s a favorite pub food and dinner dish. It is sometimes confused with eggs in a basket, the process of breaking an egg into a slice of bread with a hole in it, and frying the result. Nothing wrong with that but Toad in the Hole uses bangers, which are large pork sausages. The Yorkshire pudding recipe is not an actual pudding, but a baked pudding made from flour, milk, and eggs – basically a popover. This batter then covers the sausages, and the result is a heavily browned, raised crust that surrounds the meat. Many say onion gravy is a must over the top.

So what’s this got to do with buying local or my health? I’ve become a fan of Whole Foods because they have a lot of uncured meat products which allows me to eat things that are on the forbidden list because they are not cured or preserved. Things like uncured ham, corned beef, bacon, hot dogs, etc. with no preservatives are OK. But I haven’t seen sausages until… can you believe it, uncured Bison Cocktail Sausages? So I’m all excited and telling Eunice about this, suggesting we make “Tadpoles in the Hole” when she points out to me she isn’t crazy about Whole Foods because it is a national chain and not a local enterprise. Shouldn’t we be buying from local folks, local groceries, and local co-ops? Man o’ man – I played the cancer card but she had a point.

We went to the Lynden Hills Co-op to refamiliarize ourselves with it. In September they are going to be more conveniently located near us – even more local. They did have a supply of uncured meats but no Bison Cocktail Sausages. Fortunately I’d already bought them at Whole Foods anyway and my trip was mainly to make Eunice happy and open the door to making Tadpoles in the Hole. It was shameless on my part. I buy into the buying local thing and will do it – later. But as I said, I’m taking Prednisone right now.

Eat Good Food, Be Kind, Tell the Truth

Click below for the collection of recipes or for an easy to print copy of a single recipe.

Collection of Recipes

Tadpoles/Toad in the Hole

Onion Gravy

The Friday Update: Just the Facts