Leftover Turkey is My Bitch

Hell Yes it is. I just wish I had more of it to play with. I really want a turkey sandwich on rye. (Yes. For breakfast. What of it?)

The concept for this started out as a recreation of something tasty I actually got from the employee cafeteria. (Believe it or not, I've actually had TWO tasty somethings from there lately.) I pretty much deviated from their recipe entirely, but their inspiration was good...

1 package sliced mushrooms
1 red pepper
4 cups chicken broth (or something similar)
about 2 cups (give or take) shredded leftover turkey
1 diced medium onion
3 cloves minced garlic
1.5 cups quick cooking barley
about 1/4 cup (if that) fresh parsley
parmesan cheese to taste

Cook the pepper, onion, and mushrooms together till soft and tasty in a dutch oven or other heavy pan. When soft, add the garlic and saute for another 30 seconds till fragrant. Add the broth, bring to a boil and deglaze pan if necessary. Add turkey and barley, reduce heat to simmer, and cook appx 12 minutes. Stir occasionally. Test barley for doneness, if it's not chewy, stir in minced parsley, and serve with a grating of parmesan.


Note: You WILL have extra broth in there at the end of cooking. It will go away eventually- barley is thirsty. I liked the extra liquid at lunch, and it was gone by dinner.

Belated Thanks.

It's the time of year where we all get a bit mushy and mindful, and I'm no exception.

I'm thankful that the trooper that pulled me over only cited me for ONE violation instead of the three that he could have, and that he didn't do anything overtly dicky.

I'm thankful that my dad didn't scream at me for getting ticketed for something that was my own stupid fault, but instead met me at the garage so I could have the problem fixed, and then took me to get some lunch for the first time in years.

I'm thankful that I got to spend some time with my parents, because that doesn't happen often enough anymore.

I'm thankful I have a job, and should have one for years to come.

I'm thankful I can still, for the most part, afford to go to school, even if I'll be paying it off till I retire.

I'm thankful for Tall, Squinty, and Handsome, who constantly surprises me, and encourages me, and makes me feel incredibly special and loved, even on the days when I feel like a giant stressball.

I'm thankful for a roof over my head, and stuff in my pantry, and heat that works most of the time (and blankets when it doesnt).

So.

In the world of Ike Turner type medications, we're up to the following. No more BP meds, and back to good ol' Topamax (Ike never did like competition, right?) in a higher dose. We tried tapering, but after 2 months of once-a-week migraines, that gets a bit old... The nightmares/insomnia are tiring, getting way fatter is frustrating, and not ever being "in the mood" tends to irritate ones fiance. Bye-bye Inderal!

On a happier note, P stopped and bought me coffee on the way in to work today, which was sweet. I was at the doctor's, so I had a nice surprise on the table when I got home. Somehow, Starbucks can make any afternoon a little bit better.

On a less happy note, I don't know if it's stress, medication, or my own brain conspiring against me, but lately things inside the brain de sauce have been rather meh. Stuff I loved to do (i.e. cooking, reading) is a drudgery, the apartment's a godawful mess most of the time, and I long to just curl up in a ball and sleep until 2010. I'd say it's because I've been studying like a madwoman, but frankly, I haven't. Thank Elvis that I retain lectures well, and that's what they test, because if I didn't, I'd be fucked.

I'm just kind of frustrated, because I have the sinking feeling that if I don't nip this now, it's going to be a repeat of a few years ago, and I really, REALLY do not have time to have a meltdown with finals coming up, and the holidays, and everything else going on. I'll give it a week, then I'm calling in the big guns (the ones with the power of the prescription pad).

Now that that cheery business is out of the way. I've got to go figure out how to lose 17 pounds over the effing holidays so I can get back to the disrespectable weight I was before the last round of stupid pills, because I am NOT buying any more damned clothes. Argh.