Thread: Cooking For Mom

On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:57:31 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
wrote:

> No
> wonder she lost so much weight in the last 9 years.
> I think I may have solved that problem -- she keeps
> telling me the food I make is really good.

You're a good son.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

It's been a few weeks since I started making some
meals for my mom, and I think I'm seeing some
improvement. The week before I started she made
some comment about her body is breaking down, but
last week she said she thought she was in pretty
good health. I'm hoping to see some improvement
in her problems with memory and equilibrium, but
it's way too early for that.

I switched to Kikkoman to make the food closer
to what she had back in Hawaii. I've settled into
sort of a routine, alternating chicken and pork
with the occasional shrimp. I begin the day before,
by peeling and slicing a piece of ginger about
6 inches long and adding that along with about
a dozen star anise heads to about 10 oz. of soy
sauce. I soak them overnight in the fridge.

Then, I fish out the ginger and anise and use that
as a marinade for about 2 pounds of meat. For
chicken, I get boneless thighs, trim off the fat,
and marinate for 2 hours. I used to marinate
chicken for 1 hour, but 2 seems better. For pork,
I get boneless pork leg, remove any silverskin
and tendon, and marinate at least 2 hours, but
I've been lengthening this time.

After trimming the pork, I have variable sized
pieces. I think that's okay -- some small pieces
will get over-marinated while there's usually one
big piece that will be under-marinated in the
center. In the future, I'll cut the big piece
in half to reduce the thickness. I think having
a variety of levels of marination is better than
everything marinated to the same degree.

I've tried other ingrediants in the marinade,
like a sliced onion, but I don't find their flavor
detectable in the final product. I have tried
sesame oil, and that seems to work, but if I add
it at all, it usually goes in the pot right at the
end of cooking everything.

As I recall, mom would always cut the meat into
strips before marination and only marinate for
an hour. I don't do that, again because I want
a variety of levels. When I cut up the big piece
I get that variety in each strip.

I stir-fry in the big cast iron pot I use for most
of my cooking. Two pounds of chicken or pork is
too much for one batch, but about right for three.
I don't want the meat strips to completely cover
the bottom of the pot or overlap each other. They
have to fry separately to become properly fried,
otherwise it's more like steaming them.

I fry the meat with a few whole dried chili peppers.
Mom knows not to eat those. I can't say I really
notice much difference when I forget them.

I haven't timed it, but it only seems to take a
few minutes to fry a batch. I use high heat the
whole time. I do allow the pot to recover a little
between batches, but the first batch gets the best
fry, because if I let the pot get as hot for the
second and third batches the fond would burn and
smoke.

When the third batch is done frying, I dump the
vegetables in and heat them up, stirring constantly.
When they're hot, I return the first two batches
of meat to the pot and keep stirring until I think
the whole thing is done.

I use two or three vegetables, always at least one
for texture -- bamboo shoot, water chestnuts, or
gobo -- and one for nutrition -- Napa cabbage, baby
choy sum, gai-lan, or long beans. Everything is cut
small, matchstick strips for bamboo shoots and gobo,
1/4-inch thick stem slices for baby choy sum and
gai-lan, and inch-long segments for long beans. I
only use the midribs of the Napa cabbage, which I
cut crosswise into narrow strips.

When the vegetables seem properly cooked, I turn off
the heat and sometimes cover the pot to let it steam
for a few minutes, but usually I immediately scoop
the food into the Glasslock container I bought for
the purpose. A 1000 ml container holds nearly a
whole pot of food. I'm surprised mom eats the whole
thing in about 2 days -- I weigh about twice what
she does and I don't eat that much meat. But that's
good. The whole point is that I was afraid she was
eating too little and that might be related to some
of her problems. I surmised that might be because
her food just wasn't that attractive anymore, and
the way to reverse that is to make food better than
what she was eating. I was a bit shocked to discover
she way frying up Spam and eating that over rice. No
wonder she lost so much weight in the last 9 years.
I think I may have solved that problem -- she keeps
telling me the food I make is really good.

On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:47:10 -0700, sf wrote:

> On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:57:31 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>
>> No
>> wonder she lost so much weight in the last 9 years.
>> I think I may have solved that problem -- she keeps
>> telling me the food I make is really good.
>
> You're a good son.

i was thinking the same thing.

your pal,
blake

On Sun, 31 Jul 2011 11:26:17 -0400, blake murphy
<[email protected]> wrote:

>On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 21:47:10 -0700, sf wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 30 Jul 2011 20:57:31 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> No
>>> wonder she lost so much weight in the last 9 years.
>>> I think I may have solved that problem -- she keeps
>>> telling me the food I make is really good.
>>
>> You're a good son.
>
>i was thinking the same thing.
>
>your pal,
>blake

And I was thinking the same too. It does sound like the food you are
making is yummy and sounds so much like food in Hawaii. You are a
great son. Lucky Mom!

aloha,
Cea

wonderful, Lee
"Mark Thorson" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]..
> It's been a few weeks since I started making some
> meals for my mom, and I think I'm seeing some
> improvement. The week before I started she made
> some comment about her body is breaking down, but
> last week she said she thought she was in pretty
> good health. I'm hoping to see some improvement
> in her problems with memory and equilibrium, but
> it's way too early for that.
>
> I switched to Kikkoman to make the food closer
> to what she had back in Hawaii. I've settled into
> sort of a routine, alternating chicken and pork
> with the occasional shrimp. I begin the day before,
> by peeling and slicing a piece of ginger about
> 6 inches long and adding that along with about
> a dozen star anise heads to about 10 oz. of soy
> sauce. I soak them overnight in the fridge.
>
> Then, I fish out the ginger and anise and use that
> as a marinade for about 2 pounds of meat. For
> chicken, I get boneless thighs, trim off the fat,
> and marinate for 2 hours. I used to marinate
> chicken for 1 hour, but 2 seems better. For pork,
> I get boneless pork leg, remove any silverskin
> and tendon, and marinate at least 2 hours, but
> I've been lengthening this time.
>
> After trimming the pork, I have variable sized
> pieces. I think that's okay -- some small pieces
> will get over-marinated while there's usually one
> big piece that will be under-marinated in the
> center. In the future, I'll cut the big piece
> in half to reduce the thickness. I think having
> a variety of levels of marination is better than
> everything marinated to the same degree.
>
> I've tried other ingrediants in the marinade,
> like a sliced onion, but I don't find their flavor
> detectable in the final product. I have tried
> sesame oil, and that seems to work, but if I add
> it at all, it usually goes in the pot right at the
> end of cooking everything.
>
> As I recall, mom would always cut the meat into
> strips before marination and only marinate for
> an hour. I don't do that, again because I want
> a variety of levels. When I cut up the big piece
> I get that variety in each strip.
>
> I stir-fry in the big cast iron pot I use for most
> of my cooking. Two pounds of chicken or pork is
> too much for one batch, but about right for three.
> I don't want the meat strips to completely cover
> the bottom of the pot or overlap each other. They
> have to fry separately to become properly fried,
> otherwise it's more like steaming them.
>
> I fry the meat with a few whole dried chili peppers.
> Mom knows not to eat those. I can't say I really
> notice much difference when I forget them.
>
> I haven't timed it, but it only seems to take a
> few minutes to fry a batch. I use high heat the
> whole time. I do allow the pot to recover a little
> between batches, but the first batch gets the best
> fry, because if I let the pot get as hot for the
> second and third batches the fond would burn and
> smoke.
>
> When the third batch is done frying, I dump the
> vegetables in and heat them up, stirring constantly.
> When they're hot, I return the first two batches
> of meat to the pot and keep stirring until I think
> the whole thing is done.
>
> I use two or three vegetables, always at least one
> for texture -- bamboo shoot, water chestnuts, or
> gobo -- and one for nutrition -- Napa cabbage, baby
> choy sum, gai-lan, or long beans. Everything is cut
> small, matchstick strips for bamboo shoots and gobo,
> 1/4-inch thick stem slices for baby choy sum and
> gai-lan, and inch-long segments for long beans. I
> only use the midribs of the Napa cabbage, which I
> cut crosswise into narrow strips.
>
> When the vegetables seem properly cooked, I turn off
> the heat and sometimes cover the pot to let it steam
> for a few minutes, but usually I immediately scoop
> the food into the Glasslock container I bought for
> the purpose. A 1000 ml container holds nearly a
> whole pot of food. I'm surprised mom eats the whole
> thing in about 2 days -- I weigh about twice what
> she does and I don't eat that much meat. But that's
> good. The whole point is that I was afraid she was
> eating too little and that might be related to some
> of her problems. I surmised that might be because
> her food just wasn't that attractive anymore, and
> the way to reverse that is to make food better than
> what she was eating. I was a bit shocked to discover
> she way frying up Spam and eating that over rice. No
> wonder she lost so much weight in the last 9 years.
> I think I may have solved that problem -- she keeps
> telling me the food I make is really good.

On 7/30/2011 10:57 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:
>
>
> . I surmised that might be because
> her food just wasn't that attractive anymore, and
> the way to reverse that is to make food better than
> what she was eating. I was a bit shocked to discover
> she way frying up Spam and eating that over rice. No
> wonder she lost so much weight in the last 9 years.
> I think I may have solved that problem -- she keeps
> telling me the food I make is really good.


That's a terrific solution. Ethnic cooking is often
very satisfying to older people who grew up with it
but they can decide it's too much trouble to make for
themselves.

Will she eat fruit in addition to the cooked dishes
you are making for her?

You are an exemplary son.

gloria p

Polly Esther wrote in rec.food.cooking:


> Your success warms my heart. I'm so glad that you honor your Moma by
> trying and succeeding is even grander. A gold star to you and a
> special 15 points to your score. Good, good for you and
> congratulations. You do us proud. Now. I notice that your mom was
> frying Spam. I'll risk the ire of the uppity here but there are ways
> to cook Spam that are pretty good. Really. We've done lots of
> disaster survival and cramped budget when Spam was simply what there
> was. Tomorrow morning before I put the biscuits in the oven, I'll
> thinly slice Spam (paper thin, less than 1/8") and let it bake for
> about 10 minutes. Then I'll turn it and let it bake with the
> biscuits. Certainly it is not as wonderful as a pricey ham or fine
> bacon but it is good stuff. When I clear the table, the Spam platter
> is always empty. Polly

I agree Polly, Mark's done well. Also, nothing wrong with spam in the
right spot!

When Don goes fishing, I often make him this for him and the rest of
the boat.

Canned biscuits, enough for 3 each.
Sliced thin spam
Russian dressing or catalina spicy red dressing
A few drops of tobasco
eggs- beaten then cooked in butter and bacon fat, cut to fit

Sometimes it's ham or sausage but the spam works very well for a fast
meal for guys while fishing.


--

"gloria.p" wrote:
>
> Will she eat fruit in addition to the cooked dishes
> you are making for her?

Yes, and I keep an eye open for good mangos,
papayas, and pineapple, but her blood sugar
is high (the doctor termed it "pre-diabetic")
so I've cut back on that since I started making
meals.

When I give her a pineapple, I always cut it up
because that's the hard part of dealing with
a pineapple. I notice that the card on Dole
pineapples no longer gives instructions on how
to do the spiral cut to remove the eyes. I guess
that's just too much work for today's generation.
When I cut up papayas or pineapples, I always
give mom the bottom half which is extra sweet.

> You are an exemplary son.

Nah, I just want to keep her alive. I'll be
executor of her will, and I don't want to have
to deal with that any time soon.

On Jul 31, 12:57*am, Mark Thorson <nos...@sonic.net> wrote:
> It's been a few weeks since I started making some
> meals for my mom, and I think I'm seeing some
> improvement. *The week before I started she made
> some comment about her body is breaking down, but
> last week she said she thought she was in pretty
> good health. *I'm hoping to see some improvement
> in her problems with memory and equilibrium, but
> it's way too early for that.
>
> I switched to Kikkoman to make the food closer
> to what she had back in Hawaii. *I've settled into
> sort of a routine, alternating chicken and pork
> with the occasional shrimp. *I begin the day before,
> by peeling and slicing a piece of ginger about
> 6 inches long and adding that along with about
> a dozen star anise heads to about 10 oz. of soy
> sauce. *I soak them overnight in the fridge.
>
> Then, I fish out the ginger and anise and use that
> as a marinade for about 2 pounds of meat. *For
> chicken, I get boneless thighs, trim off the fat,
> and marinate for 2 hours. *I used to marinate
> chicken for 1 hour, but 2 seems better. *For pork,
> I get boneless pork leg, remove any silverskin
> and tendon, and marinate at least 2 hours, but
> I've been lengthening this time.
>
> After trimming the pork, I have variable sized
> pieces. *I think that's okay -- some small pieces
> will get over-marinated while there's usually one
> big piece that will be under-marinated in the
> center. *In the future, I'll cut the big piece
> in half to reduce the thickness. *I think having
> a variety of levels of marination is better than
> everything marinated to the same degree.
>
> I've tried other ingrediants in the marinade,
> like a sliced onion, but I don't find their flavor
> detectable in the final product. *I have tried
> sesame oil, and that seems to work, but if I add
> it at all, it usually goes in the pot right at the
> end of cooking everything.
>
> As I recall, mom would always cut the meat into
> strips before marination and only marinate for
> an hour. *I don't do that, again because I want
> a variety of levels. *When I cut up the big piece
> I get that variety in each strip.
>
> I stir-fry in the big cast iron pot I use for most
> of my cooking. *Two pounds of chicken or pork is
> too much for one batch, but about right for three.
> I don't want the meat strips to completely cover
> the bottom of the pot or overlap each other. *They
> have to fry separately to become properly fried,
> otherwise it's more like steaming them.
>
> I fry the meat with a few whole dried chili peppers.
> Mom knows not to eat those. *I can't say I really
> notice much difference when I forget them.
>
> I haven't timed it, but it only seems to take a
> few minutes to fry a batch. *I use high heat the
> whole time. *I do allow the pot to recover a little
> between batches, but the first batch gets the best
> fry, because if I let the pot get as hot for the
> second and third batches the fond would burn and
> smoke.
>
> When the third batch is done frying, I dump the
> vegetables in and heat them up, stirring constantly.
> When they're hot, I return the first two batches
> of meat to the pot and keep stirring until I think
> the whole thing is done.
>
> I use two or three vegetables, always at least one
> for texture -- bamboo shoot, water chestnuts, or
> gobo -- and one for nutrition -- Napa cabbage, baby
> choy sum, gai-lan, or long beans. *Everything is cut
> small, matchstick strips for bamboo shoots and gobo,
> 1/4-inch thick stem slices for baby choy sum and
> gai-lan, and inch-long segments for long beans. *I
> only use the midribs of the Napa cabbage, which I
> cut crosswise into narrow strips.
>
> When the vegetables seem properly cooked, I turn off
> the heat and sometimes cover the pot to let it steam
> for a few minutes, but usually I immediately scoop
> the food into the Glasslock container I bought for
> the purpose. *A 1000 ml container holds nearly a
> whole pot of food. *I'm surprised mom eats the whole
> thing in about 2 days -- I weigh about twice what
> she does and I don't eat that much meat. *But that's
> good. *The whole point is that I was afraid she was
> eating too little and that might be related to some
> of her problems. *I surmised that might be because
> her food just wasn't that attractive anymore, and
> the way to reverse that is to make food better than
> what she was eating. *I was a bit shocked to discover
> she way frying up Spam and eating that over rice. *No
> wonder she lost so much weight in the last 9 years.
> I think I may have solved that problem -- she keeps
> telling me the food I make is really good.

How caring of you. You will be blessed mightily.

Mark Thorson wrote:
> "gloria.p" wrote:
>> Will she eat fruit in addition to the cooked dishes
>> you are making for her?
>
> Yes, and I keep an eye open for good mangos,
> papayas, and pineapple, but her blood sugar
> is high (the doctor termed it "pre-diabetic")
> so I've cut back on that since I started making
> meals.
>
> When I give her a pineapple, I always cut it up
> because that's the hard part of dealing with
> a pineapple. I notice that the card on Dole
> pineapples no longer gives instructions on how
> to do the spiral cut to remove the eyes. I guess
> that's just too much work for today's generation.
> When I cut up papayas or pineapples, I always
> give mom the bottom half which is extra sweet.
>
>> You are an exemplary son.
>
> Nah, I just want to keep her alive. I'll be
> executor of her will, and I don't want to have
> to deal with that any time soon.

Oh, don't sell yourself short, Mark. Good for you! It sounds
like your efforts have been a grand success.

--
Jean B.

On 8/2/2011 10:59 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:
> Nan wrote:
>>
>> How caring of you. You will be blessed mightily.
>
> Nope. I'm an atheist. We go straight to Hell.
> (Unless you're Catholic, in which case we go to
> Limbo, which has been described to me as like
> being trapped in clear Jell-O.)


Interesting. Will there be sliced fruit?

gloria p

Nan wrote:
>
> How caring of you. You will be blessed mightily.

Nope. I'm an atheist. We go straight to Hell.
(Unless you're Catholic, in which case we go to
Limbo, which has been described to me as like
being trapped in clear Jell-O.)

On Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:59:24 -0800, Mark Thorson <[email protected]>
wrote:

> Nan wrote:
> >
> > How caring of you. You will be blessed mightily.
>
> Nope. I'm an atheist. We go straight to Hell.
> (Unless you're Catholic, in which case we go to
> Limbo, which has been described to me as like
> being trapped in clear Jell-O.)

I don't think you'd go to Hell, I think it's Purgatory for you. I'm
not catholic so I don't know for sure, but I see the History channel
has a show about Hell - so maybe you can watch and learn.

--

Today's mighty oak is just yesterday's nut that held its ground.

On 8/3/2011 4:03 AM, sf wrote:

> On Tue, 02 Aug 2011 20:59:24 -0800, Mark Thorson<[email protected]>
> wrote:

>> Nope. I'm an atheist. We go straight to Hell.
>> (Unless you're Catholic, in which case we go to
>> Limbo, which has been described to me as like
>> being trapped in clear Jell-O.)

> I don't think you'd go to Hell, I think it's Purgatory for you. I'm
> not catholic so I don't know for sure, but I see the History channel
> has a show about Hell - so maybe you can watch and learn.

I went to church once with my Catholic ex and the priest did
say that Protestants go to hell. So atheists are a step up,
that works for me.

nancy