Culinary Derangements

(So... what recipe did you use??)

Today I found myself giving yet another off the cuff lecture on one of my favorite topics: food. It was actually a funny scenario. I was discharging a patient from the hospital that had been cared for by another team. The name immediately sounded familiar, and I rightly assumed the poor patient was a "frequent flier." (A status which unfortunately does not come with free perks!)

I met the patient, found her delightful (if very medically complicated) and proceeded downstairs to write discharge papers. On looking up who was listed as her personal doctor I out it was - me! In a moment I began to recall I had seen quite a bit of paperwork on these many hospital visits... they had all passed my desk. No WONDER the name was familiar.

Heading back upstairs, I found another younger woman relaxing in the room with my patient. I suddenly recognized her as another one of my patients from the clinic whom I had gotten to know very well. Apparently they were "adopted" family and the younger patient had been wondering all morning whether the "Dr. Teresa" that her grandmotherly friend kept referring to (but had never met) was the same one she knew!

So there I was, giving my spiel on fruits and vegetables, and their indubitable benefits for the gastrointestinal tract. I am frequently called upon to give specific examples (name three sources of calcium - no, potassium - how about magnesium??), which calls for quite a mental scramble. Most of the time something reasonbly intelligent comes out.

Had these two avid listeners seen me the night before, however, they would have been more skeptical. My friend Angela and I had plans to make an apple pie with a gluten free crust. The apples were barely a week off the tree (see below!), very much ready for good use. Gluten free baking is not that hard - IF you have all of the ingredients, such as rice flour, tapioca flour, corn starch and xanthum gum. Unfortunately, said tapioca flour was very much missing from my cupboard.

Oh well- how much a difference can it make? We'll add more corn starch.....

You know, all that laughter is very suspicious Angela....

Oh I see....

Funny how the crust won't not roll out right.

Were we supposed to chill the dough first too??

Maybe we can convince ourselves it is a crumble topping....

Sort of??

Well, no, not really....

But it still tastes like apple pie - to be enjoyed in style!

And please don't ask me how much insulin it will take to correct this sugar high - I'm just glad three hours of labor paid off so well. (Next time, we might even review the recipe ahead of time.)

Carpe Diem!!

It is very hard to complain about coming in at 6:30am when greeted with this beauty!

This morning I saw the colors and thought: really, how long would it take to hop on the elevator to the parking garage's 7th floor and take it all in? I timed it - less than 10 minutes. Bonus: no one else is around on the top floor at that hour to wonder why this resident, blue coat, stethescope, brown bag lunch and all was whipping out of her bag not a PDA but a camera.

Although, looking out over the deck - maybe they wouldn't wonder.


Lunch break actually existed today, so another spontaneous 10 minute detour through a different parking deck (that I formerly was unaware existed) lead to this view.... the Illinois River valley with the Cathedral in the foreground.

Many hospital lobbey windows face this direction (east), so I love watching the color and light on the river and steeples. Rarely do I have time to capture it, though!

OSF St. Francis Hospital from the back, the graceful older buildings. As you can see from all the views we are quite up on a hill overlooking the city of Peoria and the valley.... Someday I'll get someone on the top floor open a window and let me capture that prospect!

As long as there are windows, even the longest days have pockets of brightness.