Bit of an unplanned lie in this morning.
Yesterday, when I was tidying up and cooking the Chinese meal I made for my brother and Anita, for no particular reason, my right knee (or the area just above it) started to burn very painfully.
After it eased, I am left with what I can only assume is a tendon type pain, hurts when I bend the knee and when I put weight on it. Thing was throbbing in the night, but it's not swollen.
Then, we've been hit by the fiercest of winds, the poor Scots have had it worst, but the rain was beating against the lounge windows with such ferocity this morning, I couldn't hear the telly.
Then OBC rang and asked if I'd been out !
We had a nice meal yesterday. I did spare ribs in the way I have now perfected so they are as good if not better than you get from the take out or in some restaurants.
WIth the price of electricity (and gas) these days, there's no way I am going to slow roast in the oven for three or four hours. Use one of those slow cookers which uses about 40 watts of power an hour (rather than kilowatts like the oven does). Cook your ribs for about two to three hours with no additives, then pour over two thirds of a can of good thick hoi sin sauce (don't use that piss weak bottled stuff).
Cook for another one or two hours, turning the ribs over in the sauce. You can then wrap in foil and refrigerate til needed. Once that time comes, put them in an oven tray and spoon on some of the retained sauce from the can, This will add some glaze to the ribs, then finish them off by reheating them in a medium oven.
The meat will be tender and the flavour of the hoi sin will have permeated all the way through the meat. Utterly delivious and as easy as falling off a log to make.
I also did beef in oyster sauce, thinly slicing some fillet steak, frying that off for a minute or two. Mix the oyster sauce with some chicken stock, it's too salty to use straight from the bottle and for those unfamiliar with this sauce, it does not taste at all of fish.
I put in some thinly chopped baby sweetcorn, bean shoots, spring onion and some water chestnuts (which my brother likes, but I think tastes like raw potato). I do think a little shredded ginger if I'd have had some, would have really made this dish and something I picked up from a Chinese friend, some finely chopped dried orange zest which of course I keep lying around NOT !
I did that old standby, Chinese curry (that bright yellow stuff you make from a packet). Oddly, there is a knack to it, as the powder tends to go lumpy. It needs fried onions and peas in it to make it just like you get from the take away.
Then, egg fried rice which isn't fried at all. It gets its flavour from the use of a little sesame oil in the egg, some fried onions mixed in with the cooked rice, some chicken stock in the water and chopped spring onions and prawns for garnish. The chicken stock really adds depth to the flavour of the rice.
By the time I'd cooked that little lot, my knee, back, neck and just about everything else were giving me hell, but I have a new "friend".
Anita brought me over (on loan) a back cushion, which is not only heated, but vibrates. When you've got it on XXX mode, it sounds like a Lancaster bomber on a raid over Dresden, but does it work !
If it was a bit smaller, I've permanenenly have it down my boxers (it says on the box, it has a wipe clean surface, now I know why) !
Amy my physio had recommended I get a heat pad, but I told her this is the sort of thing I just don't have the money for these days, so I've been using the heat of a nice bath to help.
Now I have the use of this pad, I may have to paraphrase Charlton Heston "you'll have to prize it from my cold dead hand".
Today I'm pottering round, tidying up after yesterday, got to water the chilli plants which are wintering in the spare room. All of this done hobbling round on a very poorly knee.
Only had a light brekky and it's smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast for lunch (thanks to Anita who brought the eggs and the salmon), Yum yum !
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