cooking without burning the house down
 

howdydave and firehorse will be upset by this but it works for me.

i have just discovered microwave mac and cheese.

microwave a couple of eggs, throw them in, and there is a meal. and i haven't started any fires.

It may not be the healiest way to cook,but it is the safest,if your at risk
for causing fires.

Wishing you a sz free life

Riva

Hi Annie,
I have had a similar situation a few years back. I had a brain tumor removed and my short term memory was very, very bad afterwards. I used a small kitchen timer when I cooked anything. This was to remind me not to go off from the kitchen for too long with something cooking. It really helped me. I became very good friends with the microwave and frozen dinners. Still, today, I have a system of checks and re-checks I go through when I am cooking. (I even go through the house at night before I go to bed and check the stove, all doors, TV, etc. to make sure all are off and locked!) Best wishes, and please try a timer that has a loud ring or buzz, Dodi

I can relate to this thread because, several years ago, I was heating up
some leftovers for lunch (in the microwave) and the next thing I know,
I was in my bedroom and I couldn't remember leaving the kitchen!

My forehead was sore and so was my chest, but I didn't know why.
When I walked back into the kitchen, the table was knocked sideways.
Instead of being like this: _ it was like this: /. That's when I realized
I'd had a seizure. It must have happened as soon as I closed the door
to the microwave, because, when I opened it, the bowl was still there.

Now, just try to picture this: I had a grand mal seizure, fell on top of
the kitchen table, got up, and walked into my bedroom. I don't remember
any of this! If I had been cooking something on the stove, I could have
burned the house down!

Between epilepsy and my spinal problems, that's why I tend to use a lot
of frozen microwave dishes, because I never know what's going to happen
and I don't want to take any chances.JMO

Braindrain, A few years ago I was walking downstairs but I don't remember going up. I bet I ran up & I bet I know why. (I remember I was ironing right beforhand) but when I got down I saw the iron just hanging off the side of the ironing board (thankfully it wasn't on the rug burning a hole). But it did burn a hole in my leg & thats why I ran I assume.Though you don't know whats what, the shock of that feeling makes you do something or other. It's weird though, I got a 3rd degree burn where it looks like the iron was held & 3 little 2nd degree burns cuz it looks like I sprayed the steam (did I try to stream iron my leg?) :confused:

Hey Annie-

I do not blame you for being careful. I had my second GTC while curling my hair, ended up with 2-3rd degree burns on my ear (while in the CP part) and 2nd degree burns on my neck when I fell on top of of the curling iron. I was lucky that I was living with a roommate at the time who came running when she heard me fall.

Then there was the topamax incident. I started on this medication on a Saturday when my husband was travelling (first mistake). I also started at too high of a dose, listened to the resident who wrote the script (second mistake). I had put a frozen pizza in the oven...was all I was able to do...very confused and dizzy. When the timer went off, I went to the kitchen and grabbed an oven mitt and then proceded to reach in the oven with the ungloved hand! :eek: I saw what I was doing as if I was looking at another person...very weird. So yeah...I get the burn thing.

If you are ever upgrading your oven, GE has a nice feature on their ovens now...a timer that shuts off the oven. :cool: So I can put my pizza or whatever in the oven at 350 and if I use the feature, it will shut it off after whatever time I set. The trick is to get a feel for the oven though so that some things don't undercook. :o

Another cool thing out there is the Avantium "oven". It looks and acts like a microwave but cooks more like an oven. So your meat turns out better (not rubbery like in the microwave) and even baking potatoes in it isn't bad. Maybe you could put this on your Christmas list?

Stay safe.

Hugs-
Stacy

Microwave RISOTTO... quick, easy, cheap and safe

Cook rice in microwave with vegies and soup (you can use packet soup and water, or tinned, or whatever). You can add an egg or some grated cheese towards the end of cooking, meat or whatever else too. And yes, if you get the quantities right, it really does turn out like risotto.


PS You can cook ordinary pasta in the microwave, too... dont limit yourself to mac and cheese :)

Howdy Annie!

I never burned the house down --

only myself (twice!) :eek:

Next thing ya' know you'll be getting one of those frying plates
that you can heat in the microwave.

Do that sorta' thing and you miss out on telling all of the stories about
your mysterious past and how you got all those scars and skin grafs (just like Doctor Dogbody*!) :cool:

* See:
Doctor Dogbody's Leg
By: James N. Hall
ISBN: 0805058311

(You can open a can of cream of anything soup, dilute it a bit & put it on about anything in a microwave safe dish/pan & it is great!)

Have you tried that new hamburger helper mac n cheese
Its not to bad tossit in water and then micro

Hugs

your body is not your home?

actually i was talking about a woman whose name i absolutely cannot remember. think lindy still e mails her, lindy where are you when i need you. this was a couple of forums back, when we had the big group, before the meltdown.

anyway, she had a GM while cooking (probably pea soup) and things caught on fire. when the firemen came she was in status and being very weird, and she wound up getting arrested for resisting arrest.

later on she fell in love, remarried, and when last heard from was living happily ever after, although not seizure free. hope her new husband is doing the cooking.

riva, dodi, gina, you understand.

curling irons scare me, too much possibility there. at least howdy dave doesn't have to worry about curling his hair.

no hope of anything that costs money. i am living on SSI and just barely making it. another nice thing about microwave mac and cheese is that i can afford it.

the biggest problem with it, and with a lot of the suggestions here, is that they are very high in salt. i have big problems with too much salt. canned or packaged soup is a no no. well actually packaged mac and cheese is too, but i have to eat something.

i am on a program that is to keep seniors in their homes instead of nursing homes, and they send me 14 frozen microwave meals a month. not too bad tho of course too high in sodium. also i have found cold roasted chickens in the supermarket work well, since they are already cooked you can't start a fire.

and of course i could not survive without my local thai food delivery. i used to live in thai town in hollywood and got majorly spoiled by the food up there. not nearly so good in long beach, but even poor thai food is pretty good.

how many of you are cooking for families and how many for themselves alone?

Packet, yes. Tinned, depends which sort you buy (at least here in Australia)... I'm a label reader. And (needless to say) that risotto recipe also works with the homemade soup your brother's partner brought you in exchange for babysitting duty (or whatever)... yup, such things have been know to happen in my house ;)

One more idea: cook some fav recipes in bulk when there's someone else around (or, better still WITH them... more fun :)). Freeze for later microwaving. Makes sure house DOESNT burn down (and you dont either)... also means there's something ready cooked when you dont have time/energy are short.

Howdy Annie!

Nope! Just a temporary residence.

If you want to use a microwave, how about some

Corned Beef Hash

In a big, microwave safe bowl with a cover mix:

• A bunch of diced potatoes
• A tin of corned beef
• Chopped onion
• Chopped green pepper
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Paprika (I prefer Indian paprika)
• Anything else that you like to put into your hash

Cover and cook on high for 5 minutes

Mix in 1 or 2 eggs

Cover and cook another 5 minutes.

If you are wary of the stove, how about the oven?

Meatloaf,
Casseroles,
Lasagna,
etc.

there is no low sodium soup in my area. used to be campbells had an excellent low sodium line, but no more.

there isn't anyone available to cook with, so while this would be a good idea for someone with family it does not work for me.

i live alone in a senior building full of people in worse shape than i am and have no one to help me. i am very independent and manage pretty well. last year i added some additional health problems that really slowed me down.

i not only burn pans, i leave out ingredients, add extra stuff, do all sorts of weird things. i average an absence seizure every ten minutes. short, but inconvenient. can really mess up cooking.

so what i need is very simple stuff that i can't mess up or set the house on fire with.

howdy howdydave!

how long do you have to reside someplace before it becomes a home?



this actually sounds possible, tho i would want to use something less salty than corned beef. at least no matter what i do wrong it sounds like it won't blow up. wonder what ground turkey would do. do you cook the potatoes first? or use canned?

Howdy annie!

I dice some fresh potatoes (don't even skin 'em),
rinse 'em and stick them right into the bowl.

That's why it takes 10 minutes in the microwave.

When it comes to cooking, never be afraid to experiment!
Although there will be a few kitchen disasters, there will
also be some outstanding successes.

The key to being a good cook is knowing what spices to use.
I learned that a long time ago from a book titled:

The Impoverished Student's Cook Book

Howdy!

If you happen to own a Crockpot, here are 365 recipes (at the time of posting) for you:

http://www.recipe-source.com/cgi-bin...tring=crockpot

Recipe-source.com is my favorite online cookbook!

BTW: If you don't already have a crockpot, get the kind
that allows you to remove the porcelin from the heating
element for easy washing!

I'm a big fan of baked beans too!
(Not only "Boston Baked" beans.)

Baked beans can be done either with a beanpot
(in the oven) or in a crockpot.

hum. i do have a crockpot somewhere. haven't used it since i moved five years ago. maybe i will look for it and see what i can do.

i have always been a lousy cook. can't blame the seizures entirely, my mother couldn't cook either. i have always been very good at knitting and sewing and crocheting and all that sort of stuff, but cooking has always been a complete mystery to me.

nothing i cook is ever as good as a frozen dinner. sigh.

howdy howdydave

i wish you would put all this cooking stuff up on your webpage. i use the newspaper stuff and the html links, think how useful i would find your cooking links.

Howdy Annie!

I put a few links in the "Useful Sites" Sticky-thread.

Of course... you need to be of the right mind-set to appreciate
the link to The U.S. Dry Bean Council.

BTW: If you are afraid of beans causing flatulence, just add about a
teaspoon of baking soda to the water when you soak your dry beans...

Presto -- gas-free beans!

of course i misread that and went to your mystery links page.

you also have to be of the right mindset to deal with your mystery links page. but it isn't any different from surfing with graphics turned off and trying to use a page where the links are all graphics.

I dun'no...

I got a "Weird Site" award for my Mystery Links page without
even submitting it! :eek:

Annie - I also live alone (and do a fair bit of jumbling recipes, on a bad day). In my life, "someone else to cook with" = friend I bring over. I mostly pay for ingredients (figure that's fair)... we cook together. Depending on what sort of day I'm having, I might do my share to help with the cooking, do less than my share, get confused and make trouble, or crash on the couch seizing and/or exhausted. After the cooking (actually, during AND after :)) we usually share lunch... friend can take some of the food home for HER freezer, too.

(I've got a few of those barter-type arrangements going on).

I'm actually thinking about trying the LGI epilepsy diet... so will need help with managing that!


PS Dave... where IS your page? Anything that gets a wierd site award without trying has GOT to be worth a look :D

Annie,
Is there a service in L.A similar to what I have here? It is a service that delivers meals to people who need it (elderly, handicapped, homebound, etc.) for a very small monthly stipend. They bring one prepared meal, (meat & veggie) and have in a bag enough snacks, fruit, etc for the whole day. On the weekends, (Friday) they leave enough snacks and sandwiches to get one through the weekend. (I know, doesn't sound terrific, but at least you would have some food that has been prepared without causing injury, or fire) ((I live in Lexington, KY, so if we have a service like this here, I am almost positive a place as progressive as L.A would have even better services))

Crock Pot sounds great, although be careful of burns if you happen to seize while pouring or moving the pot. You could even freeze any extras and pop into microwave for re-heat.

Do you have any weekly group meetings that you attend? You may be able to work out a plan, such as Dave suggested, on preparing meals with someone else, and splitting cost while sharing great recipes and hopefully great time with someone else.

I wish you the very best. You have gotten alot of very good advice from others here, Dodi

I buy prepared food from the health food dept when its on sale.
Its healthy and can be baked, zapped in microwave or fried on the stove.
Or I make a pot luck salad (whatever is in the fridge salad) with vinegrette
and your set to go.

Riva

Howdy Purple Girl!

Only the ??Mystery Links?? page got a
Weird Award! That's why I put the award on that
page instead of on my Site Awards page
with all of the others.

The rest of my site is a good place to go when you
have nothing to do and a lot of time to do it.

I have now added a link to my site in my signature.

BTW: It's: http://www.howdydave.com

Go figure! :rolleyes:

Sit and be fit Exercises for Annie
 

I do know that L.A. is no way near S.F., but I have seen some of these exercises . I don't know squat about the Geography of California. ( this is obvious) --The host of the PBS program is an RN accompanied by a physical therapist.who explains every move. They seem to present a seated and standing version of all the exercises. Here's the schedule in California. Hope this helps Annie and someone else.


KRCB *Cotati * Friday * 1:30 PM

*KLCS *Los Angeles * Monday - Friday * 5:30 AM

*KCSM *San Mateo **Monday - Friday * 11:00 AM
* Sunday * 6:30 AM

This PBS show's website is http://www.sitandbefit.com


Linnie
Atlanta,GA
"Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself"