Friday, August 11, 2023

Friday, August 11, 2023

Tonight's picture was taken on August 26, 2009. We were home and debating whether to do end of life care at home or at the hospital. A few days after this photo was taken, Mattie made the decision! He wanted to go back to the hospital. We never discussed the terminal diagnosis with Mattie, but I believe he had an intuitive sense that he was dying. Or as much as a 7 year old can comprehend of dying. That day, Mattie was sitting on our couch with a large paper replica of a roach! Mattie knew how much I hated bugs, so this inspired him to love them more. In his hand was a giant fly swatter. He got this swatter at his 7th birthday party held at my friend Christine's home. It was a party to remember and it brought Mattie great happiness. It was the last birthday we celebrated together, and I am happy we had this memorable moment, as it has to last a lifetime. 

Quote of the day: Cooking is like painting or writing a song. Just as there are only so many notes or colors, there are only so many flavors—it’s how you combine them that sets you apart. ~ Wolfgang Puck

I am trying to do more cooking at home. As this is the one time of day we all can be together. Cooking is one thing I have always done throughout my married life. I am not sure if I started off as a good cook when I first got married. I definitely always understood food and LOVED to eat, which helps. However, over time, I think I have learned to master the art of cooking. It is an outlet, a form of creativity and can bring happiness to others. To me eating good food is still a special gift and no matter how exhausted I am, I appreciate it! This morning I went shopping and came home with wild caught Red Snapper. I turned it into a Mediterranean Fish Dish! To me everything goes better with olives!

I have been trying to explore starch dishes, other than potatoes and corn. In the summer months, I really do not serve a lot of potatoes and though I make a lot of corn, I wanted to expand my horizons. So tonight I experimented with gourmet couscous. It is slightly bigger than regular couscous. I added fresh arugula, mint, parsley, cucumbers, tomatoes and a wonderful dressing of lemon, lemon zest, olive oil and Dijon mustard. We shall see how this goes over tonight! I am sure my dad will pick out all the green things he sees and then line his plate with it!