13 August 2010

A Sauce for Stress

We hope Mother Jan will soon be back to her normal form.

I don’t usually reprint old recipes of mine OR spend much of a blog post linking to another blog. But some weeks are a little crazy—and this has been a crazy week for me!

As we were getting ready to move my mother out of Daffodil Cottage a few days ago she fell and hurt her back. Add to that injury the stress of selling a house and a minor infection, and we have ended up with one sick mother.

Yesterday the doctor suggested it might be time to move her into a wheelchair. (Mother Jan was understandably NOT very excited about this idea. Her gait improved almost immediately!)

A couple of things are getting us through this stressful time. First, we never lose our sense of humor. Even when Jan is a little out of things (as she has been a lot in the past few days) she finds time to laugh.

Second, we have family around. My young nephew Michael in particular is a joy. He has just started his own blog, My World by Michael. It is officially hosted by me since apparently 10 year olds aren’t allowed to have blogs.

Michael’s current post, “Swimming in the Dam at Singing Brook Farm,” is charming. It reminds me of my own recent post comparing our country surroundings to The Trip to Bountiful.

He dwells on the experience of plunging into our cold dam water, on the sights and sounds of nature, and on the cuteness and doggyness of our cockapoo, Truffle.

Check out his post. It’s short and very sweet!

Meanwhile, here is a short and sweet recipe from my Pudding Hollow Cookbook.

When we called the doctor to ask for advice about my mother, one of the first things he suggested was that she eat plenty of ice cream to help her bones heal. Michael immediately volunteered to help.

We tried to keep things healthy by consuming frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. And then we ruined the whole healthy idea by covering the yogurt with this sauce. It made everyone smile, however, even our invalid.

Merry Lion Hot Fudge Sauce

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 tablespoon sweet butter
5 ounces evaporated milk (a small can)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Combine the sugar and cocoa in a saucepan and heat them until they are warm to the touch. (This is the only tricky part of the recipe; make sure you stir them, or they'll burn!)

When they're hot but not melting, add the butter and the evaporated milk. Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for 1 minute.

Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. You're ready to have a sundae party! Serves 8.

Michael can make a toy out of just about anything.

10 comments:

  1. If it makes you feel any better, my grandmother broke her hip at age 86 and the very suggestion that she would be in a wheelchair got her up and working on walking again – which she did! So don’t count Mom Jan down and out. Thank you for sharing Michael’s adorable blog – what fun to see life through a 10 year-old’s eyes. I’ll be following it regularly . And don’t forget to eat real ice cream once in a while. Healthy is fine, but an occasional indulgence is good for the soul….

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  2. I wish your family all the best, I know how messy things can get when you’re moving. Tell your mother that I will gladly eat ice cream right along with her here in North Carolina (I’m pregnant so it’s kind of required for me too.) The sauce sounds wonderful…

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  3. A good chocolate sauce always bears repeating! Here are wishes that Jan recovers soon and your stress level reduces dramatically very soon. Thanks for the link to Michael's blog. A terrific first post, I can almost feel how cold that water is myself!

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  4. Tinky! Only you could make such lemonade... I mean chocolate sauce. Thinking of you (and of the dam, though not sure if this weekend would still work for you? Tomorrow slightly possible...) Also can't wait to read Michael's blog.

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  5. Tinky, my mom will turn 90 in a couple of months. Much of what you are facing, I am also facing. Only I haven't yet convinced Shorty she needs to sell her house. That topic is very touchy. Hope Jan heals quickly and keeps that sense of humor. Well, have to jump over to Michael's blog. The hot fudge sauce looks wonderful. Will be thinking of you.

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  6. Hi Tinky - please tell your Mum I hope she gets better soon - and to enjoy eating her ice cream ...... as a child I frequently had tonsillitis and was given ice cream to soothe my throat! I'm not even going to think about that recipe - I'm worried about fitting into my winter clothes! love, Anne

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  7. Thank you all for the support and the cheer. Betsy and Grad, it's grand to hear from sisters in caretaking. Abbey, congratulations; don't forget to eat that ice cream. Donna and Jill, Michael and I both appreciate your enthusiasm. And Frayed, think how much less scary winter clothes are than summer ones. XOXOX

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  8. Hi Tinky,

    I hope your Mom is better and recovered from the accident and the move. Her Daffodil cottage must have been a lovely place to live. It looks beautiful in the photos. And, your nephew's blog is charming. Good health and good eating to you and your family.

    Adelaide

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  9. Adelaide, thank you! It was a lovely place to live, but so is Massachusetts--and we hope the Virginia apartment will be, too. Love and color help! And my mother is DEFINITELY on the mend......

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  10. Your mother is so darn cute. That picture makes me smile every time I look at it.

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