Very good.

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I was wrong, in my assumption.  The bone-in roast took less time to cook.  Odd, in the oven, if memory serves, it works just the opposite?  Or... did I just make a mistake in comparing via memory?  Who knows.  Then again, maybe I just lost track of time tonight?

It isn't mush, still pretty good.  But definitely done.  So I added everything back into the pool, and will eat in a half hour.  Well, the twenty minutes left of an half hour warming.  Uhm, hungry.  Quite looking forward to  a nice slab of pork roast, a potato or both, some rutabaga, carrots, and onion.  Well, and some of the juice.  I should make gravy but... I won't.  Or... maybe?  Do I have a small saucepan?  I do... a bit of cream, thickener, and butter would get that done well, quickly.  Maybe?  No... I'll do it for my next meal, though.  Just... a bit tired, from this long cook, and else, through the night.  Bleh.  Next time.  I'll even add sweet peas.  Yes I will, to the gravy.

When did I go down?

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Not too awfully long after the last post.  I got my shoes and socks off?  Shoes off.  Was going to take my socks off.  Got one of my shirts off.  Was trying to figure out how to get more off.  Though it would be easier upstairs, if I didn't think I could sleep.  Got up there, got my trousers off.

Then, sat, to get my socks off.  A group, both a compression sock under, and a knee high thick wool hunting sock over.  Added compression, and some warmth.  What a struggle.  Got those off, finally, after serious work.  My legs are swollen, badly, though just in the lower areas, not up above the knee.

A new brew?

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Not really a brew.  A bit more beef froth, half of one of the cauliflower heads broken down to somewhat larger bites, and the rutabaga sliced as apples... and sampled.  Turnips are good, fresh.  Rutabaga are just a bit sweeter.  One is closer to a neutral potato taste, without that dusty flavor.  The other is closer to an apple, just not quite as sweet.  Even with a bit of that crunch I miss.

Set to go, on high, in the crockpot, with the liquid from the previous 'brew' cooking poured in as well.  I'm giving it two hours.  Then will test. If things seem reasonable, I'll add the meat and any other veggies back into the pool.  I am hoping that the cauliflower will make a solid potato replacement.  Cauliflower can be a bit solid, in my gut.  But I have been mostly eating it raw, or just slightly cooked.... blanched really.  I'd like to see what a longer cook time will do.  Mash and butter, have with beef, or pork, or else.

Chislic?

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Had to look that up.  Oh, yes, sounds very good.  I made a beef form of it, with the leftovers of my last steak.  My problem?  I chopped the dices too small.  So, they were a bit overdone.  Not horrible, but... just... not as good as it could have been.  Like?  Yes, yes I like.  Lamb, beef, pork... deep fried, or solidly seared, cubes, I'd say closer to half to full inch squares, or half by inch bits, I'll... be working on sizing, and how to fry it better.

I am burned out on steak, as whole cuts.  But could still eat it this way.  Lamb would be fine, too.  If that is pretty pricey.  Pork as well.  With beans?  In a soup?  With lettuce in keto tortillas?  Lots of ways you could do that.  A simple salad, with these added as the crunchy salty bits.  Oh, yes, I think so.  Sort of... excited.

Sure takes a while.

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It smells like roast in here.  Of course.  At about two and a half hours in, I checked it.  I mean, it could be called done.  By how I usually do things, this would be called done.  Overdone, really.  And, yet, that isn't how pot roast is down.  My way, to date, has been to take a chuck and turn it into something between a prime rib and a ribeye steak.  It has a lot more bite to it, my way.

Do I even like pot roast?  I'll... find out.  Though I will go to the less done side of things?  Will see.  Hoping to have the pulled beef sort of texture, without it having no structure whatever.  I'm not sure if that is possible.  I really do want to have pulled beef, for tacos, taco salads, and such.  Burger is... just... off, lately.  I think they have started filling it with the bone slurry they pull from the carcass.  Or is it just that they store burger, or the meat they grind it into, too long, sometimes?  I just can't be sure.  Just that burger isn't very good lately.  It seems... off... too squishy.

A rough plan.

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The roast has been seared.  The mirepoix has been fried and put in, along with beef broth.  Set to high.  A timer has been set for three and a half hours.  Most likely, it will take four to five hours, maybe six, for the meat?  Will find out.  Depends on who you listen to, who to believe, the size of the meat (really, the volume of ingredients), altitude, and... just random reasons for sometimes no reason?  I think so.

Still, in it went, thawed, seared, with broth, and aromatics.  With the edible vegetables ready to go in, in a bit.  And an onion to be halved and added.  I'll probably add the veggies at the first alarm.  After pulling the meat, to set aside, then straining the juices.  Then adding it all back into the pool, save of course the aromatics for broth flavor.  Might nibble some of that, if it isn't total mush?  Will see.  Chef's treats.  Oh, I'll add a pack of mushrooms, too.  Oh yes I will, though probably closer to when it seems near done.  Mushrooms don't take long.

Well, will see.

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A bit of investigating.  But... I already know how to cook these things.

I pulled the veggies, peeled the turnips, portioned the carrots, loosely cut a few of the celery ends and a few stalks from the last of that pack.  I could slice the carrots.  They are baby, though, so not really worried.  Besides, I'll be checking the veggies, per.  So pulling them when they are roughly ready.

Have you ever been on a roller coaster?

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A really bumpy fast one?  Perhaps right after you have eaten too much, and of the wrong stuff?  Even if you don't get sick, you... really want to throw up, if nothing else in the hope that your stomach and body will settle for it?  Well, that's been what life has been like for the last few weeks.  Months?  A... while now.

I can still work.  Sometimes.  Eat, too.  Some things.  Sleeping more, lately.  Not sure that helps?  Though I think it does.  I sleep through the worst of it, rather than trying to push through.  A nap this morning, feeling slightly better.  Could have slept more, but Sassy started gagging, to wake me up.  Bleh.

A start.

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The dump trucks had not been by, so there is that.  Medicine taken, then some time later, bp checked.  It is 174/115 with a pulse of 78.  The waterpill, only one, carvedilol, potassium, minerals, super b vitamin, and daily vitamins, taken.  Not taken are losartan and an extra waterpill.  Though I am adding herbal tea blends which are supposed to act as diuretics.  I have three types, and one last one on the way.  So I can mix and match.  The problem with medicine?  Taking one medicine, that acts in one way, over and over, leads to problems.

While medicine can get a standard reaction on a standard dose, it also wears out whatever system it is working on, action on, plus stresses other organs, like kidneys and the liver.  They really should mix things up from time to time.  Depending on the ability to tolerate.  My problem is I don't tolerate many medicines well.  So changing, for example, heart medicine... isn't doable.  Most of them nearly put me into a coma.  I will fall off them, if nothing else.  Even do, sometimes, with carvedilol.  But it's the one I can generally tolerate to some degree.  However, the waterpills, I think they should alter those.  Six months to a year on one, then on a different that might act differently.  Stronger?  Fewer.  Weaker?  More.  But... they don't think like that.  If you are dying, don't change it.  If it's killing you, stop it all?  Poor choices, but it seems how they do things.

Steak.

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Baked, at 350, for fifteen minutes.  Just to... get it up to temp.  Then, five minutes on medium high, to high... flipped and the heat turned to a medium low for three minutes... in a thicker pan that holds the heat.  Pulled it, set it for five minutes, then started in.  Very good.  Not as absolutely rare as I like it, but for pan frying, this is as good as I can cook a steak.  The limit being that it is a a new york strip, and the fat on some of them (including partially on this one) is off.  I was able to cut the outside eighth of an inch off, and the fat under that was good.  I... love the fat, save on new york strips.  At least I didn't have to cut it all off.  Rancid, or something.

I ate half of it.  The rest is for tomorrow.  Very good though.

As good the second time.

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Chicken is so particular.  You can't over, or under, cook it.  Or it really shows, tastes wrong.  It has to be pretty fresh, but also cleaned and processed very quickly, and frozen fast.  It is highly subject to freezer burn, and acquiring other, off, flavors in the refrigerator.

If you and your vender, and their vender, and the producers, all do their part?  You get good first run chicken.  Leftovers are just as tricky.  Heating it too much, too long, and the texture and/or flavor can be really off.  Not enough and it just isn't good.

In digging.

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I found my sous vide equipment.  Never did use it.  Thinking about it.  My only real problem?  I am not sure, at what temperature, plastic begins infusing the food.  Yes, it's... a concern.  Does it infuse food at any temperature?  Is it a time thing?  I just don't know.  But, yes, I do think about it.  With the dishwasher, I may go completely glass, for fridge containers and else.  Washing those things, to now, was simply too much.

Though, while pondering, and considering doing research regarding plastics, what is safer (honestly, if maybe they don't know or would simply lie), various notions about this and that, I found a video about how to optimize the use of the system.  And... an older video about why not.  Just... to add a few other opinions.

More and more.

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I got two more bags of recycling ready and out.  Not a lot, but something.  That's six bags of stuff put out today.  A bit of a start.  Hoping to do at least that much daily.  As well, have success build on success.  Hopefully getting more done per day, per session, over time.  Will... see... now won't we?

As well, I got the burger fried, and a spaghetti sauce going.  Nothing fancy, but it should do.  I sniffed while it was cooking, tasted when it was finished... both hot and when it had cooled.  A bit old, but... not bad, or even freezer burn tasting.  Just... older.  And... it is!  Hopefully, in the sauce, it won't be too rough.  It really wasn't even terribly old, just... a bit old.

It's struggling to warm in here.

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The furnace is up a bit warmer.  The electric heating in here is a touch higher.  I have had a fatted coffee and a tea and chia seed breakfast to help warm me.  Am dressed warmly.  Am using the hand warmers, mostly keeping them in my pockets.  Hmm, though you know?  With my hands warm, and pockets a bit too toasty?  I just put them in my croc's.  With socks on...  Yes, laugh.  I'll take warm and socks over bare and frigid... if it only helps a bit.

Oh, and I almost always wear socks, anymore, for another reason.  When leaving my legs bare, the old wound started coming back.  Got scaly.  Couldn't seem to get that to heal.  Socks... stopped the deterioration, but couldn't fix the problem.  Which is why I used sandpaper on my leg, to remove the scaliness.  Right down to bleeding.

Right.

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That was a lot of cat litter.  But, finally, got the litter boxes emptied, and that out to the bin, then the bin out to the roadside.  About killed me.  I... have gotten weak.  Still, all good.  As well, I reset the best litter boxes.  I am considering keeping all three in play now?  Or just two?  If I keep up on them, they aren't too bad.  Though, perhaps three would just be too much to juggle?  I'm... thinking.

I enjoyed the last of the soup, and coffee.  Water until just a bit ago, then I went in for tea.  I played the game a bit.  But... ran out of steam for even that.  So went to reading, looking, listening.

Brats, and more.

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I did get the chicken brats going.  But, while scrounging, I found beef based 'polish' sausages.  Which are usually, as well, pork.  However, I can't find pork brats or polish sausages that don't have sugar, or soy, or... who knows what all.  Some of it can't honestly be pronounced correctly, because it was meant to be not understood.

Anyway, while beef and chicken sausages aren't as rich?  If they are not contaminated with chemicals, I'll... take that.  Into the oven, allowed to brown well, nearly burn... get a good crisp skin.  Then I added sauerkraut and a bit extra vinegar.

I took a chance.

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Added, to the stew/soup a bit more heat.  Just a few sprinkles.  Too much isn't good.  It doesn't make it too hot, it cancels itself out, becomes chemically tasting rather than hot.  It was already spiced, but just not quite enough.  As well, I added a pat of butter, and then sour cream.  Hoping that wouldn't make it too rich, too hot, too... bleh?  Or such.

It did the trick.  That stew not only thickened a bit, not something necessarily intended, but a good thing.  As well, it added flavor, and life, to the now real stew.  Oh, my.  I love it when a plan works.  I'll go ahead and finish it off, I do believe.

I haven't liked that.

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So, I will try this?  I have been making beef soup, with burger.  Larger patties or meatballs, to date.  It just hasn't been tasty, to me.  The soup was passing, the stew was okay.  So... something new.

I took the burger I have, added spices, and finely diced onion.  Mixed it well.  Then, started making meatballs.  Since I have found that burger doesn't do well a second heating, I just made enough for one meal, maybe a few for a second meal, to see if this idea works better.

I ended up crashing.

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An hour after that last post, or less, everything began shutting down.  Getting to bed before my body failed became the simple focus of everything I could muster.  Imagine being in a massive building, and the electricity is slowly going out, as fuses/whatnots, break, linearly, and all you can do is run for the doors before being plunged into utter darkness, in a maze you don't/can't know.

A place where even daylight would never reach, for there are no windows.  Opening the doors is a complicated endeavor, if simple.  Just not something that could be done in the dark.  Well, that is what it was like.  My body was failing, quickly.  I ended up crawling into bed, hoping I would make it to the mattresses.

Fantastic.

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Tuna and "rice", a keto version.  Using lime juice I had stored away, lemon?  I'll have to look again.  The lime juice is rather old, wasn't sure... how that would turn out.  Lemon?  Whatever.  One must work with the ground palm heart, rinsing it extremely well, several times.  Then I steamed it, in a spit of water, with some lemon/lime juice, and butter.  Lots of butter.  The tuna was simply griddled on the flattop, five minutes on each side.

I'll tell you, that was absolutely delicious.  The problem is that I am still hungry.  There was plenty there.  That would usually do for my meal.  But the fall season has me against the hunger wall.  On the good side, I have a steak thawed, band burger getting there.  I think I will grill the steak in a bit.  That steak has been excellent, unlike t-bones most recently... or even for the last few years.  I was a bit fearful of buying it, glad I took the risk.  Cost... a lot more than anticipated, but... okay.

Then mother called.  She was having tuna and noodles.  So, we... shared a meal.  Quite nice.  We talked about other foods, including cabbage.  She has always loved cabbage, I used to hate it.  Kids, and their tastes, what can you do.  I told her I was going to cook chicken, perhaps, next time.  And add some of that in, to a stew.  She... wouldn't waste her cabbage on chicken.  *laughs*

Fine.  I told her about steaming burger and cabbage, together.  She almost thought that might sound good, or not.  Maybe she was just being nice.  Hard to tell with mom'o.  I told her my brother and myself had gotten in a bit of spiff.  And that I did call to apologize.  Not her problem, I think, but glad to hear it, too.

All good.  Yes, more steak.  And, maybe, some vegetables on the side.  Trying to eat that up, before I go.  It's... old, out of date, but does just fine.  Green beans?  Corn?  Stewed tomatoes?  I'm thinking green beans and tomatoes.  Carby, a bit, but... it'll do.  With steak as the main course.  Uhmm.... yes.  That would do.  In an hour or two.  Loverly.

Still feeling a bit battered and bruised. as if I had been in an accident, or major multiple enemy fight recently.  A few days to a week ago.  Always took... time... to get better.  Not sure why I am this bruised, battered, and sore.  Sleep has been good.  Food has been plentiful and more carnivore.  Working on keeping water out, if failing a bit in that department, but... working on it.  The wound on my leg is REALLY looking better.  So no infection, probably.  Oh well, I'll... just keep doing my best.

I have told the group that I will do some traveling for them.  Go to a meeting.  It's, generally speaking, for higher level members.  But they can't go, and technically it is mandatory.  But... they put it out, almost on the sly, with almost no notice.  So will have to get who they get.  Which, in this case, is myself and a fellow of some degree or other.

God, Himself, doesn't always gets who He would prefer.  He gets who hear and abide His call, and who He will accept from among those.  So it is with His sons, children in general.  I'll never be among His favored, but as long as I am among those He would claim, it is what I will take.  I'll do my best.

Anyway... on to a bit of gaming.  Oh, finished coffee, so back to tea.  I may make a sip of that.  I want to try a second flush of the oolong, see if that gets too weak, or does okay.  If it is okay, I may even try a third brewing... forth?  I'm curious.  Sometimes teas really do have a very find, slightly different, second, third, fourth, maybe even fifth, steeping.  I love experimenting.  Later.