Diary of a Total Knee Replacement V

Ahh Food!
one of the best things about a Knee Replacement! Friends and family are kind and generous enough to bring you meals as you recover.

Just when The Husband and I thought we might start clucking at one another like chickens, a dear friend dropped this dish off for dinner. Our mouths watered for days afterward. She combined it with lightly steamed broccoli and not one, but two desserts: A Lemonade Ice Box Pie and a Chocolate Cake iced with Chocolate Ganache. When I called her afterward for the main dish recipe, she told me that it was Pioneer Woman's Shrimp Scampi. Pioneer Woman labels it an easy 16-minute meal! Wow! The recipe is getting even better! The link for this dish is below.

Pioneer Woman's Shrimp Scampi.
Divine. Need I say more.

You can find the recipe for this easy to prepare dish at the Pioneer Woman's website:
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/04/16-minute-meal-shrimp-scampi/

The Lemonade Ice Box Pie this same friend brought was light and delicious! You won't believe how easy this recipe is!

Photo courtesy of allrecipe.com

Lemonade Ice Box Pie
1 Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crust
1/2 cup of cold water
1/3 cup Country Time Lemonade Drink Mix
2 cups of softened vanilla ice cream (My friend used Edy's)
1 8 ounce tub of Cool Cool Whip, thawed

Dissolve the 1/3 cup of Country Time Lemonade Drink Mix in the 1/2 cup of cold water. Pour into a large bowl. Add the two cups of softened vanilla ice cream. Stir together well. Fold the whipped topping into the mixture and spoon this into the Honey Maid Graham Cracker Crust. Freeze for about 4 hours for a ready-to-serve delicious pie. If you like a creamier pie, let sit out of the freezer a few minutes before slicing.

I really like this pie. Nothing fancy, but flavorful and easy to make. All I can say is that this pie did not last long around our house.

Some of our other dinner-time favorites have included:
Marinated Grilled Pork Tenderloin
  This was delivered the day we came home from the hospital with a package of frozen ready to cook biscuits. The Husband pulled some sides together for a perfect and easy supper and then we ate it throughout the week sliced thin on sandwiches.
Homemade Tomato Tart
   A quiche-like dish with a melt-in-your-mouth crust and lots of gooey cheese, topped with Roma tomatoes, served alongside steamed asparagus and focacia bread. This was a nice vegetable meal that combined lots of color and taste.
Homemade Chicken Pot Pie
   Chock full of vegetables and chopped chicken in a sherry based sauce, this was a pleaser as one of our adult children who was at the house decided he just had to eat with us, as well. It was not only filling and very satisfying, but it heated up well the next day for a leftover lunch.
Jambalaya
   You should probably check to make sure about the level of spice that the patient enjoys, but the nice thing about this easy dish is that it can be either hot or mild. One friend who brought it to me makes it with Zataran's Brown Rice recipe to which she adds sausage, peppers, onions, and leftover chicken or barbecue. Sometimes people hesitate to bring a spicy dish, but I always look forward to something that will jolt my palate.
Macaroni and Cheese Main Dish
  This is totally Southern comfort food to me. I really don't need much else except a green vegetable, and I am happy camper. The Daughter and I bought some gourmet frozen macaroni at the East Nashville Farmer's Market a few days before my surgery. I stuck it in the freezer for a weekend night. It was perfect.
Spaghetti
   In my book spaghetti constitutes another comfort food. The friend who brought it this time is a bit of a gourmand so her spaghetti is not just standard fare. While it is packed with fresh vegetables, her spaghetti's distinctive flavor comes from the use of sausage rather than the more traditional ground beef. Ummm delicious.

This is the second time that I have been the beneficiary of a Care Calendar, and it has been wonderful! I highly recommend it. Once you get over the initial embarrassment that you even need a Care Calendar, relax, sit back, and enjoy the experience. There is no pressure for your friends: they simply look over the list of needs on the specific dates and then decide for themselves whether or not they can participate!

Finally, here are a couple of additional things I learned from my Care Calendar experience that might be helpful for others.
 1. Label your food clearly. Not just the temperature to reheat or cook, but what the dish is and the ingredients used. It is also helpful to know whether the dish can be frozen or refrozen.The Husband and I ate something that while delicious, remains a mystery to this day!
2. Do what I call "The Stop and Drop" when delivering food. Just park your car and leave it running. Despite what anybody says to the contrary, run the dish inside, give the instructions to the family member or leave your food on the kitchen counter. On your way out wave hello to the patient and make a quick exit. I totally appreciated the folks who understood how important it is not to linger.  People who have undergone major surgery are often in a fog or might not be dressed to receive visitors!