Hot today! Ouch! Recipe for gluten free fried walleye!

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Yesterday morning around 9 am our power went out.  Of course, it was one of the year’s hottest days, hovering in the 90’s.  Mostly, we stayed indoors moving our big fan from room to room in a futile attempt to stay cool.  We didn’t complain.  No AC.  Humid.  Sticky.


Our house, uncharacteristically untidy with bits of fresh cut grass everywhere after a house full of adult kids and grandchildren last week and all day Saturday, well into the evening. 

My plan for Sunday was to vacuum, sweep and clean in the comfort of air conditioning.  I work quickly.  I could be done in two hours including a few loads of my favorite task, laundry.  

Cleaning up after an early breakfast of sausage, eggs and delicious gluten free coconut flour pancakes, I started the dishwasher, the washer and the dryer. While watching the taped version of Sunday Morning, (check out the link if you missed it), we settled into our comfy chairs while we contemplated what items to post for sale on eBay.  Poof!  The power went out.

Jess’s Gluten Free Coconut Flour Pancakes
(Better than regular pancakes. Low carb. Doesn’t spike insulin). Use sugar free syrup and real butter if following a low carb diet. 35 carb grams for entire recipe that serves 4-6)8 eggs
½ cup coconut oil or melted butter
½ cup unsweetened coconut milk (may need more for consistency)
4 tsp. sweetener or four packets of sugar free
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup coconut flour (No need to sift. Stir well)
1 tsp baking powder (I use GF, aluminum free)

Blend together eggs, oil, coconut milk, sugar, and salt. Combine coconut flour and baking powder and thoroughly mix into batter. Heat 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in a skillet. Spoon batter onto hot skillet making pancakes about 2.5 to 3 inches in diameter. Batter will be thick but will flatten out when cooking. Makes about 8 pancakes.

We each held our breath while we waited for it to come back on, looking back and forth at one another, afraid to speak. After a long silence, we popped out of our comfy chairs running around the house to notice the state of our affairs.

The washer, dryer and dishwasher stopped mid-cycle.  (BTW, an ant just ran up my leg.  I am hot and sticky a half hour after a cool shower and now ants are crawling on me as they would on a dropped cherry Popsicle in the dewy grass on a steamy day)! Do we open the windows or try to retain the cool air? We kept them closed.

Within an hour, a long enough wait, Tom left to load up four of the five gallon gas cans to fill the wired-to-the-house generator we had purchased years ago. Minutes later he returned to fire it up, much to our mutual relief.  The house powered up, the dishwasher resumed its cycle while the washer and dryer awaited my commands but…not AC.  

NO AC!  We were having company for dinner at 5 PM.  Gluten free almond flour battered fresh caught walleye cooked in coconut oil on the hot stove (BTW, the stove started working again yesterday morning!  Go figure). The hot stove and no AC!  Twenty-four dollars worth of fresh walleye in the refrigerator and no AC!  

Determined to continue as planned, we went about our day.  Tom read the newspaper, moved his multiple lake-water pumped sprinklers around the yard every few hours, paying special attention to my flowers that were not looking well on this hot day.

I scurried around the house doing my tasks, occasionally stopping to stand in front of the oversized oscillating fan which we hauled from room to room as we worked.

Strangely, I didn’t think much about leaving in three months. I didn’t attend to the little piles of papers, bins of clothes and stacks of myriad accouterments that I usually mull over on the weekends. My only thoughts were the two new items I posted on eBay; a variable speed band saw and a pontoon boat cover; and the preparation of the walleye for the company for dinner in the hot kitchen.

The GF fried walleye, the salad with homemade ranch dressing, the fresh green beans, the raw sugar snap peas with dip and the sauteed GF bread cheese was the perfect dinner, enjoyed by all while the fan whirred back and forth between us.

Jess’s Gluten Free Fried Walleye

2 lbs prepared firm fish filets (walleye, tilapia, cod)

2 cups almond flour, breaking up lumps by hand in large bowl

3e eggs beaten½

cup unsweetened coconut milk, mixed with beaten eggs½

tsp salt½

tsp pepper½

tsp garlic powder½

tsp onion powder

1 cup coconut oil
1 cup olive oil
Begin to heat both types of oil in large non-stick pan
on medium high heat.  Beat eggs, salt and coconut milk in large bowl suitable for dipping filets. Mix remaining  seasoning with almond flour. Set bowl of eggs and milk next to the bowl of almond flour with seasonings.
Dip filets, one at a time in flour mixture, then eggs mixture, then back into flour mixture, patting gently with fingers to ensure fish is covered in flour. 
Place the filets in preheated oil and fry for about 3 minutes, making sure bottom isn’t sticking lifting with a metal spatula.  Do not overload the pan with filets.  Cook in a few batches.
Turn carefully when brown on one side using spatula, not tongs (tongs will tear off coating).  Cook another 3 minutes or longer to brown and cook fully.
Place cooked filets on parchment paper to drain.  Continue process until all filets are cooked.  Since batter flakes into oil while cooking, which slows the cooking process, occasionally spoon off bits and pieces with a slotted spoon or small strainer, keeping  oil as clean as possible.
Serve with favorite sugar free low carb tartar sauce or other sugar free low carb dipping sauce.

Bed was another story. A hot, fitful night of tossing covers, turning over and over, awakening us both many times throughout the night. 

This morning the repair person from our gas company’s appliance warranty plan is coming to fix the stove. Ha! The stove now works but I didn’t cancel yesterday after the stove started working when the power went out and the AC quit.

Our AC is under warranty. Sure, the stove repair person may not know how to fix the air conditioner. We could get lucky. However, with a captive audience, I will try to convince him to get someone here that can fix it TODAY!!!

I can’t tell if this is resourceful or conniving. Whichever it is, it’s going to be over 100 today. Too hot to handle!

Aaahhhh!!! The stove repair guy just called to let me know he’s on his way. I tentatively asked him if he also works on AC. He said, “YES!” Yeah!

One hour later:  It’s back on!  We have AC.  He said all of the components that start up the unit were destroyed when the power went out.  He had the parts on hand and.. it’s already cooling down in here.  

As for the stove, I confessed. I told him that we got the stove to work as long as we unplug the battery charger and room freshener from one of the GFI outlets in the kitchen.  (There obviously is an electrical issue which we will address later.  For now, we unplugged the two items).  

He was thrilled the stove worked. He said he had to go help other customer’s who’s AC is out, in this 100 degree weather.  As he walked out the door he turned, smiled and said, “No worry about the stove, I have other “fish to fry.” 

Hahaha.

Tested for resourcefulness?…Recipe for easy to make coconut shrimp plus gluten free version…

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Yesterday morning our eight year old Viking range quit working. It blew the circuit breaker when I turned on the downdraft. Most likely, it’s an electrical issue.  

With an appliance repair plan in place with Centerpoint Energy, I couldn’t call quickly enough.  With the outrageous heat these past few weeks, they were swamped with air conditioning repairs.  The next available time slot was Monday, July 16.  Oh no!  

“What do you mean I won’t have a *&*$%*#@ stove!  How will I cook?  Eight more days?

Friday evening, we heard from two separate couples, dear old friends, we hadn’t seen in a while. Ironically, both of these couples had stumbled across our blog and were inspired to touch base. 

When the first couple called, we invited them for dinner last night, subsequently turning down the second couple who had invited us for dinner only minutes after we invited the first couple.  We love visiting with friends.  We’ve been busy. They’ve been busy.  Life happens.

Smiling, in anticipation of a fun evening, I wandered off to the kitchen to make Tom and I our usual low carb, sugar free, gluten free, grain free and starch free breakfast: eggs, sausage and coconut flour pancakes with Walden Farms sugar free syrup.  

I turned on the Viking stove top with the 24 inch griddle on which I usually make this entire breakfast and on which I would be cooking the dinner for old friends later in the evening.  I turned on the griddle I got power, then a switch short circuited and there was no power.  

Calling out to Tom while he was enjoying time in his comfy chair, reading the Saturday paper, he jumped up to help (Oh, good grief! How stereotypical we are)!  He never uses the stove, knows nothing about the stove, but I always call out to him when something doesn’t work. He came running to no avail.  “Call and get an appointment.” he says and,  “we’ll need to cancel dinner.”

Cancel dinner?  Huh?  Call our dear old friends and “un-invite them?”  No way! I told Tom I’d cook the breakfast in the oven. If it turns out, I will figure out how I will make a lovely dinner without a stove.  

You may think, why not use the Weber grill?  Simple answer. We live on a peninsula. When the winds blows our Weber grill often ends up in the lake, the big black lid bobbing along the shoreline. It always seems to float back home.As a result of “its” life experiences, I have little interest in cooking with its banged up body and lid.  We replaced it several times over the years and finally gave up especially now that “THEY” say grilling may not be so healthful.

As for breakfast, I preheated the oven to 400 degrees, baked the sausage and the coconut flour pancakes (used the muffin top pan for perfectly round pancakes) for about 15 minutes, baking the eggs during the last five minutes using the dull side of the Reynold’s nonstick foil (coupon here). Much to our surprise breakfast was perfect! Timing was everything!

Now what’s will we make for dinner for company?  After two days in the kitchen this holiday making food for July 4th, I had little interest in coming up with a complex menu and spending hours preparing a meal. Now that I had no stove, I went rummaging through the freezer to come up with ideas.

Here’s what we decided on preparing without a stove, considering all the ingredients we had on hand:

  • Cauliflower, green onions, bacon and almond salad with homemade sweet and sour ranch dressing (I cooked the bacon in microwave)
  • Marinated pork tenderloins (oven prepared)
  • Grass fed burger patties (oven prepared)
  • Gluten Free Coconut Shrimp with spicy blackberry yogurt dip (deep fryer)

Here’s a photo of the shrimp and the recipe:

Jess’s Coconut Shrimp
Jess’s Coconut Shrimp with Gluten Free Option24 large fresh or frozen shrimp (if frozen, thaw quickly in a bowl of tepid water)
1 cup regular white flour (or for gluten-free diets: 1/2 cup rice flour + 1/2 cup cornstarch)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. Cayenne pepper
2 eggs
2/3 cup ice water, or cold water
1 cup dry shredded unsweetened coconut (baking-type)

2 cups coconut oil or other high-temperature oil for deep-frying

1. Remove shells from shrimp, but leave tails on for easier cooking and eating. Set aside.

2. Make the batter by first mixing the dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, salt, and cayenne pepper.

3. Crack the egg into the flour mixture, then add the water, stirring to break the yolk and form a fairly smooth batter (don’t worry if there are a few small lumps).

4. Spread coconut over a plate or other dry surface, and set beside the bowl of batter.

5. Holding the shrimp by the tail, dip into the batter, then into the coconut. Place on a dry plate or a clean space of your counter near the stove. If you have a helper, you can batter and fry the shrimp in one step, which is much quicker.

6. Pour oil into a frying pan, ensuring it’s at least 1 inch deep. Set over medium-high to high heat. When you see lines of heat snaking across the bottom of the pan, test the temperature by dropping a tiny bit of batter into the oil. If it sizzles and cooks, the oil is ready.

7. Drop as many battered shrimp into the frying pan as possible at one time. Reduce heat to medium. Tip: You’ll want to cook the shrimp quickly, in just 1 or two batches (before any of the loosened shredded coconut has time to burn in the oil).

8. Cook about 20 seconds per side then turn with tongs. Remove from the oil when the shrimp turn a light to medium golden brown. Drain on a clean piece of parchment paper (I find parchment paper works the best, as it doesn’t stick to or tear the batter).

9. Serve hot straight from the pan, or accompany a sugar free sweet and sour dipping sauce.

The deep fryer was an issue. Since we don’t normally deep fry, we only had enough coconut oil on hand to fill it to about 1″ deep. The bottom of the fry baskets were raised 1″ from the bottom resulting in the baskets never touching the oil. The only solution I could see was to cook the shrimp around the edges of the heating element which could result in sticking and uneven cooking. Much to my amazement, they didn’t stick and cooked to a golden brown.

Our guests thoroughly enjoyed the dinner (so they said) and we were thrilled with our resourcefulness; cooking with no stove.

Lesson learned: Wherever we may travel, however basic the appliances or cooking utensils, we will find a way to prevent ourselves from starving and perhaps enjoy some innovation in the process.We are having more company for dinner tonight, our dear friend Sue; salmon, leftover coconut shrimp, steak, salad and veggies. Easy peasy.

After another “oven baked” breakfast this morning, I started gathering items for Tom’s lunch tomorrow. By rote, I poured water in a pan, gently placed six eggs in the pan and turned on the stove. Poof! It started! Go figure.

Whining about wine…

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Built in Sub-Zero wine cooler.

Wine, the magical elixir, its delicate aroma, whether white or red, wafts through our nostrils to luxuriate our senses, our lips gently pursed to accept the first sip, creating the familiar warmth as it slithers down our throats.  

I love wine. Wine doesn’t like me.
As we contemplate our travels, many of which are havens of the finest of wine making; the perfect soil, the perfect weather, the perfect grape and the vast commitment and knowledge of its makers, I am saddened by the fact that wine doesn’t like me. 
Oddly, Tom doesn’t care for wine, preferring Courvoisier, in itself a form of wine, and oddly again, mixed with diet Sprite. What a concoction!  

Wine has represented a certain sense of comfort to me over the years, often saying, “Hey, let’s go grab a glass of wine.” or “Would you like wine with your dinner,” words I have often expressed to create a sense of comfort for the potential consumer of this centuries old tradition.

When we remodeled our kitchen eight years ago, we added a Sub-zero wine cooler, integrating our cabinet design in its installation. At that point, drinking wine had started not liking me. But somehow, I thought, “it” may “change its mind” if I honored “it” with this fine temperature controlled refrigeration system.  
Alas, to no avail.  Wine continued disliking me.
The drawer opened to some of the red wine in our wine cooler

Sadly, wine doesn’t agree with me, a quasi wine aficionado such as myself. I read the reviews, the books, attending classes and numerous wine tastings over the years.  I subscribed to Wine Spectator Magazine and shopped at liquor stores that posted the ratings.  

Over the years, I drank my fair share of wine, mostly red, mostly domestic, with many a homemade meal, never before 5 PM, seldom alone. I cooked with wine; fine sauces, soups and endless pots of roasted meats and vegetables, the aroma filling the air with delicious swirls of scent.
In 1996, I had surgery staying in the hospital for only 48 hours.  Upon returning home, feeling quite well, I looked forward to stopping the pain medication within a few days, thus allowing me to return to my enjoyment of red wine.  
A prized bottle of Layer Cake, a fine Shiraz, hard to find at the time.
A few days later, while preparing a pot of chicken, lentil and roasted root vegetable soup, I opened a bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon and poured it half full into my preferred prefect wine glass; delicate crystal, slender stem, sparkling clean.  

Bringing it to my lips, I drew a breath in anticipation of the familiar liquid.  It didn’t taste right!  Trying again a few minutes later, it still didn’t taste right.  I attributed the peculiar flavor sensation to the fact that only days ago, I had anesthesia for surgery.  Perhaps those drugs were still in my system affecting my taste buds. 

Tossing the glass of wine, I waited to try again several days later, again to be disappointed and confused.  Over the next 16 years, I continued to have a sad relationship with wine. Oddly, that surgery had caused me to lose interest in wine.
Eventually, my taste buds recovered. But I did not. Drinking only one or two glasses of wine, whether white or red, resulted in horrible discomfort during the night with an awful hangover continuing well into the next day. The less often I drank, the worse the scenario.  ine or any other form of alcohol appears to poison me, leaving me weak and shaky for no less than 24 hours.
Last night friends joined us for dinner (Yeah, I know we said no more entertaining guests!) and once again I tried drinking wine, hoping for a different outcome, finishing off a bottle of Pinot Grigio with my guests. It had been a year since my last glass of wine.
After a fitful night of tossing and turning, feeling shaky and queasy, I made a commitment to say “goodbye” to wine as one more item on my list of letting go of favorite things as we begin our journey, as mentioned in this past Sunday’s post.  

It will be difficult to avoid tasting the fine wines of Italy, France, Spain, Portugal and South Africa.  The food, the wine, the ambiance, and the companionship all blend into the utmost of dining pleasure.  The exclusion of the wine, however difficult, will ultimately serve me well.  

Now tell me, how will we gluten free folks resist the bread and pasta in Italy, the croissants in France and the handmade flat breads in Africa.
P.S.  We will be getting a new camera before departure and hopefully learn how to use it. My Android phone doesn’t take good photos and sadly, we are both awful photographers. We will learn!  ny suggestions on a camera?

Medicine from afar? Refill our prescriptions? Annual checkup?

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As a health and fitness buff most of my adult life, I have made every effort to stay healthy by eating good homemade food, exercising regularly and avoiding toxins in every way possible.  

Many of my efforts have failed me and I have been forced to succumb to traditional medicine and take a few prescriptions each day, as does Tom for a variety of conditions.  

Yes, I have tried over these past years to gradually reduce these few medications with the hope of stopping them entirely. For example; days later, my blood pressure sneaks up to a dangerous level, prompting me to begin the tiny dose once again, fearful of the consequences. 

For me, it appears my genetics is the culprit. Otherwise, there is nothing in my lifestyle, that I could discover from my years of research as to why I would be plagued with these few ailments. Its frustrating. 

Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t drink soda. I consume only organic produce and grass fed beef, avoiding all grains, wheat (inspired by Dr. William Davis’ book, Wheat Belly) starches and sugary food.  I haven’t had a sweet treat of any type in almost a year.  
Each day and night I wear a BodyMedia armband to ensure I get in 10,000 steps a day.  It tracks thousands of measurements including how much time I spend sleeping each night which s usualiy about 7.5 hours.  
I have exercised most of my life, regularly, faithfully and with vigor while currently obsessed with HIIT training as recommended by Jonathan Bailor, backed by 1100 medical studies, 10,000 pages of scientific research, endorsed by some of the top medical professionals in the world, many from Harvard Medical School and the Mayo Clinic.  A great read!

We miss doughnuts.  Years ago, on occasion,Tom and I experienced what we called “MD days,” meaning “multiple doughnut days” whereby we’d eat many doughnuts, watch movies and lounge all day. No more.  We haven’t done this in fifteen years.  I can no more imagine, lying in bed all day and eating doughnuts than going to the moon. (Actually, space travel is on my wish list).

A fast food item hasn’t crossed my lips in 25 years!  And what has it got me:
hypertension, thyroid disease, joint and bone problems and borderline diabetes, the bane of my ancestors, most of them inflicted with these conditions, many of whom suffered and died from these conditions!  
Am I sick? No!  But…I am a slave to these few prescriptions.  Am I slim, physically fit, strong and without any memory issues at my age?  Yes. So, I faithfully take those few little pills each morning, hoping for the best, hoping in time that I will discover a way to toss them all away.

Today, I called our prescription medication plan explaining that when we’ll be traveling for no less than 949 days (so far) asking if they can provide us with at least one year’s worth of the prescriptions to take with us when we leave in 5 months and 19 days.  (We’ll figure out something for the remaining period).  The answer was “no.”They will only do what they’ve always done: if the doctor writes a three month prescription, we only get three months of pills at a time!  I asked, “Are you willing to mail our prescriptions to: Kenya, Africa or maybe Marloth Park, Kruger National Park, South Africa?” There again, the answer was “no.” No mailing outside the US.
Will our prescriptions be mailed to Africa? No.

Tomorrow, I have an appointment with the family doctor, a great guy, who will most likely try to help us figure out a solution.  Yes, we will have a mailing a mailing service with our own address where any important mail will arrive and can be scanned and sent to us by email.  

The service will forward packages to us wherever we may be. However, some countries do not welcome prescription drugs entering the country.  We shall see what transpires and post the solution to yet another dilemma.