Disappointed with Air Fryer Eggplant

Ever since we got our air fryer last year we have been using it for a lot of things - including eggplant. The first recipe was really good, but you needed breadcrumbs and egg batter to make it. Then we tried smaller pieces of it but the first time they were overcooked and the second time it was better, but still not as good as the first recipe. Then we found another recipe that seemed simple enough. It called for one half inch rounds but only a bit of oil and oregano and garlic salt/powder. The eggplant was too large and the rounds too big. Perhaps the temperature needed to be higher and the slices thinner. I think I put too much oil and they didn’t crisp up enough. So this week we got two smaller eggplants and gave it another go. I was really looking forward to it too. So the smaller eggplants were cut in quarter inch rounds and left to dry out for thirty minutes. I tried spray olive oil instead of brushing it on, and added organo and garlic salt. Because there were too many pieces both the small and large air fryers were used. For whatever reason they still didn’t turn out right. They weren’t crispy enough and just didn’t seem cooked through. After all of the time and effort it took to make these things it was quite disappointing. The first recipe was the best, but it was also the messiest and you needed egg batter and bread crumbs. I guess that is the secret to a better outcome. 

Frozen Farmers Sorbet Listeria Recall

Since my husband was diagnosed with a weird irritation issue, he can no longer eat a lot of the things he loved. That list includes tomatoes, wine, spicy food, chocolate, apples, oranges, strawberries and ice cream - essentially anything acidic. At least he can still eat sugar - so candies and cookies and cake are still on the table. So we thought we would try a new brand of sorbet - the Frozen Farmer watermelon sorbet. We got it a couple of weeks ago and he has

had a couple spoon fulls. He didn’t care for it so much and hasn’t really had any more. Then yesterday we received a phone call from the neighborhood Giant grocery store informing us that this sorbet was being recalled because a sample somewhere showed listeria. Considering that we have been dealing with a lot of irritating and annoying health issues lately this was the last thing we needed. So my husband looked up the ramifications of eating this sorbet and potential consequences. It didn’t sound very good but luckily there have not been many, if any, real cases reported. It’s nice that we are informed of the issues, but it’s just another thing to worry about. Hopefully we won’t be affected. Apparently the problem can arise several weeks after the fact. We are hanging on to this pint of sorbet as proof in the event of a problem. That’s what we get for exploring other options. Sometimes it’s just not worth it. 

Care Package for the Grandson

Our grandson is doing an internship this summer in our northern Virginia neighborhood. But he is staying in a basement rowhouse apartment in our - and his - old neighborhood on Capitol Hill. He has to go in to the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and works from home the rest of the week. He’s not a metro type guy so he drives his truck in to work. In order to avoid rush hour traffic on the way home - and of course to stop for a visit with us - he has stopped in twice so we can go out for dinner. It gives us an excuse to go out to a restaurant rather than stay home, and a chance to catch up in the world of an almost twenty one year old. The last time we came back home for some nice cream after dinner. This time my husband and I made up a care package filled with every piece of fruit we usually enjoy as well as other chocolate, cookie and candy treats. The package included a pear, apple, nectarine, banana, orange, cherries, grapes, and chunks of watermelon and melon. I put it all in a plastic bag with a glacier ice gel refrigerant (the kind sent to preserve our eyedrop medications in the summer heat) that comes in handy. Our grandson has such a busy schedule it’s so nice that he makes time to see his old grandparents though we always insist we can be his last option if he has better things to do. It’s a great opportunity to talk without his parents around - just to get an even better idea of what he’s all about. He is rarely anywhere near here in the summer months so it’s a nice chance to see him. And it’s nice to know he is staying in a familiar place with his old neighbors and friends. Now I need to think of something for the next time! 

52Frames Portrait Photo Trending

I belong to the 52Frames photo challenge. Every week we need to submit an image that corresponds to the specific subject matter. This week was “portrait” - preferably of a stranger. So I created a composite of my husband looking both forward and to the side superimposed on the only photo we have of his father - someone I never met and is technically a stranger. Although I have never been and probably never will be in the top three out of 2500 to 3000 in mages submitted every week, there are trending photos that switch out throughout the week on the website. Since someone told me about the trending photos I have been checking the website at least daily to see if my photo trends. Since I was told about it my photos have been trending every week since. I’m not sure how the photos are selected but it is such a treat to see that they do. And this week in particular because the image of the father and son at the same ripe old age optical illusion means something special. And the comments written about it are very heartwarming. It has brought back a lot of memories for my husband. I am sorry that I never had a chance to meet him, but I do feel like I know him. At least we have one photo of him. And it was a passport picture. Thanks for trending my photo 52Frames - regardless of the criteria! 

Too Salty for Me!

Those were the days - eating French fries and fried chicken and fish and chips without even thinking about it! Since I’ve been on blood pressure medication since my early thirties - if not younger than that - I don’t eat a lot of salt. I never add it to food. But whenever we go out to eat invariably there will be salt in it. That’s why we rarely go out to eat anymore and have gotten out of the habit since the pandemic. And if we do go out, it’s usually for brunch. Otherwise it’s once a week for pickup. Our favorite pick up is Moby Dicks’s which is Persian food and relatively healthy. We decided to try Matchbox pickup last Sunday for dinner. We used to go there when we lived on Capitol Hill but have never tried the new place here in our neighborhood. And we ordered everything that we shouldn’t have - fish and chips, crispy chicken cobb salad, miniature burgers and onion rings, cream of crab soup, and chicken pesto pizza because my husband can’t eat tomatoes anymore. It all looked so good and nicely packaged. But when I started to eat it I was overwhelmed by the taste of salt! The only item that was reasonable to eat was the pizza. I felt like a sinner eating all of that salt. My husband on the other hand loved it. He doesn’t have blood pressure concerns. I don’t think we will be going back any time soon. The brunch menu looks like it could be more promising but I’m not sure that it’s worth it. At least at home I can control the salt intake. It’s always a crap shoot when you go out. 

52Frames Portrait of a Stranger Weekly Photo Challenge

The subject this week for the 52Frames photo challenge was “portrait -of a stranger” - except this time the stranger part was optional for those folks who get very anxious talking to strangers. I did make a feeble attempt to meet a stranger, but wasn’t in the mood because it’s been much too hot! And I wanted to try a technique that I learned from a fellow framer so this would be a great opportunity. I took a front and side image of my husband and spliced them together. It created an interesting optical illusion. But there was something missing. Then I remembered that we had one photo of my husband’s father. So I took a photo of it and tried to create an image blending the front, side and whole. It was interesting to see the father and son shown at about the same age - usually you see father and son at a young age. This portrait captured the father and son at an old age. When I showed it to my husband he was taken aback - because he wasn’t expecting it. So I knew I did a good job. I never met my husband’s father because he lived on the other side of the world and passed away before we had a chance to visit the family. So technically he is a stranger. I really enjoyed working on this project. After all, a single photograph is rarely enough for me. I like to create another level and appreciate all of the new techniques I’ve learned since becoming a member of the weekly challenge almost four years ago. I’ll be interested to see the comments this week! 

Beavis and Butthead Return

Every so often I get a text message from a guy I used to work with in the Midwest. Anytime we go back for a visit my husband and I always have lunch with him - which unfortunately hasn’t happened since 2019 and the pandemic. He has even stayed with us in DC when he had some work to do for Marquette University. It’s always nice to stay in touch with folks that we knew back in the day. Last week I got a text from him about Beavis and Butthead returning for a new series next month. That may seem strange, but I love Beavis and Butthead! So much so that I even had a remote control that mimicked those horrible voices. I brought it in to work and we had a ball with it. We even watched Beavis and Butthead Do America in DC before we moved to Capitol Hill. Anyway, upon further investigation I realized that the cartoon already has two new seasons that started in 2022 and 2023, and the reminder he sent was actually for season three that will begin on Comedy Central. But the first two seasons are already available on Paramount+ now. So I was really excited to find the show on the TV app that we already have. As you know nothing is the same the second time around and that is the case for this too. It’s hard to believe that it’s been thirty years since the first show. There are too many ads but it does have its quirky moments. I’m sure we will continue to watch an episode here and there. The humor is really quite moronic and disgusting but there is just something about it. 

Plantar Fasciitis is Painful

More than a month ago I started to have pain in both of my feet - especially after sitting and then getting up. Finally I googled “why do my heels hurt when I start walking” and plantar fasciitis came up. I have no idea how it started or why. After a while the right heel became “normal” but the left heel feels like a knife stuck in it whenever I stand. We still walk for two miles every day because it is “okay” once you get going. I belong to Hinge health through our health insurance company and have been doing PT exercises for lower back pain for over a year - following a tailored program via the app. They also have PT’s available to message and request guidance. So I contacted my assigned PT and asked if she could recommend a program specific to this issue. She did update my existing program to include three levels of exercise for plantar fasciitis, and sent a link for some additional information. She also suggested using an iced water bottle for foot massage and wearing a splint at night. She has also checked in asking about progress. It seems like this is going to take a long time. I haven’t been to a doctor yet because I don’t want to see a doctor and will continue this approach to see if it may finally make a difference. I probably need to get another pair of walking shoes since they haven’t been changed for over a year.  I’m glad I have this option and I hope that it helps. I Could say there has been small improvement or I am just getting used to it. I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens. Thank goodness it is only one foot. 

Caring for a Garden in an Office Building

We live in a condo and our unit faces an office building. On the second floor there is an outdoor patio - where I have occasionally seen a person sit at the table - and a surrounding garden space that has a few trees planted in it that match the surrounding elements. Yesterday many bags of dirt suddenly appeared. Shortly thereafter a large crew of about ten people arrived and started working on planting additional shrubs and plants and flowers. It took most of the day. Because it is an office building I’m not sure how easy it was to get the tools, equipment and plants up there? And I’m not sure there is even a water spout to attach a hose. Between the office building and our condo we have the same landscaping crew attending to the gardening needs. But I have never seen anyone doing anything on the second floor area. It’s in a strange place. In the end the garden looked nice enough. I guess we will see over time how long it will last. We used to have gardens in our Midwest home and our little patio on Capitol Hill. Now we just have a few window boxes with coco liners that I haven’t even planted this summer. It’s really hard to keep the flowers going with a western hot exposure. My husband has a miniature rose plant that he attends to. I hope it all works out well across the street. It was at least entertaining to watch the crew put it all together. 

52Frames Trending Abstract Photo

I’m so thrilled to say that my photo was trending again on the 52Frames website! Ever since someone mentioned that a photo of mine was trending a few weeks ago I have been checking the site ever since - and to my surprise - my photos have appeared every week since then. It’s impressive because there are over 2500 submissions each week from all over the world. This week’s subject was “abstract” and I was really happy with my entry. It looks so much different than any of the others. I do spend a lot of time editing because it’s fun to do and I use procreate to help me along. So it’s not “just” a photo taken with a bit of editing. It’s actually a composite project using many layers and thinking through all of the options. I use Procreate to paint all of my custom pet portrait commissions and discovered the program works well for editing photos too. It’s all self taught and I am learning new things - by mistake - every week. I don’t think any of my photos would ever become top three for the week. Occasionally they get selected as a top 52 and sometimes they are noted on the instagram feed. I see it as a fun project to work on every week and my husband is such a great critic and makes the process all the more meaningful. So I want to thank 52Frames for showcasing my little part of the world. I’m not sure how these images are selected. I’m just happy to see the streak continue!