BLOG: The art of cooking with multiple sclerosis

[ActiveMSers]

I’ve long preached the importance of pursuing your active passions with multiple sclerosis, but “active” can mean different things to different people. To some it might mean swimming up the Nile dodging crocodiles and hippos; to others it means just doing what you love to do, at least when it takes more effort than lifting your right arm to down a beer. (Or for you southpaws, your left arm.)

One of my personal passions is cooking—I am an unabashed foodie—yet for the past two years I’ve deftly avoided hosting dinner parties. Too much work and stress, I reasoned. But lately I’d been more Balsa Wood Chef than Iron Chef, even though I regularly cook up a storm for Laura. (Literally. The kitchen post-Dave always looks like a typhoon of feral cats roared through.) But after being the dinner guest one too many times at the homes of friends, I realized it was time to throw down and chef it up. So this past weekend I decided to cook an over-the-top, use-every-dish-and-glass-in-the-house six-course extravaganza for eight. When I do something, I do it right. What the hell was I thinking?

http://activemsers.blogspot.com/2011...sclerosis.html

[Penguin]

As I read your menu, I thought, day before, day before 'Tis the way to do it, I do less cooking for guests now because I get so ruddy hot near the oven. When I do I make things I can prep the day before, followed by home-made ice cream to avoid that antisocial sweaty host look
I need to find a way to reinstate my annual barbie - being from a family of greedy types I was pretty proud of it, would spend a couple of days marinating and chopping beforehand, but was just too fatigued this summer....maybe I'll do the prep bit still but delegate the cooking and hostessing stuff on the day, shouldn't be too hard, I have lots of brothers and men love fire...there must be a way

[ActiveMSers]

Penguin, it was almost all done ahead. I couldn't have done it any other way. And ice cream is always a good go-to dessert. Mmmm. I thought about making it, but no ice cream maker.

Hope you can get out and grill this summer. And yes, delegate, delegate! I'm a master of telling other folks in the kitchen what to do. Well, actually it's more what they are doing wrong, ha.

[Penguin]

Ah, well, I always did advance cooking for visitors, even before this MS business started, mainly because contrary to popular stereotype, I cannot cook, talk to guests and drink wine at the same time...multitasking is for people who don't care enough to do it properly!
I don't have an ice cream maker, but can give you a very simple recipe that makes awesome ice cream without a machine, but it's only for those with no worries about uncooked eggs. My chap loves it, goes through it like no-one's business, but he is a fell runner, so I reckon he needs the energy

[AMFADVENTURES]

...multitasking is for people who don't care enough to do it properly!

Well said Penguin, I may need to borrow that sometime.

I like to cook too. Coincidentally I grilled a batch of salmon the other day and had quite a bit leftover. DW insisted I make a salmon chowder that she likes with the leftovers. I was looking up the basic recipe and reading Penguin's posts so thought I'd just go ahead and post my version of the recipe. I consider it reasonably MS friendly.

Prep time is about 1 hour including rest breaks.

2 tablespoons butter
2 slices thick cut bacon
1 medium onion diced
2 ribs celery with greens diced
4 sprigs fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
2 tablespoons flour
1 pint half-and-half
2 cups chicken stock
1potato diced or shredded
8 oz. Cooked salmon coarsely broken up
2 oz. Smoked salmon coarsely broken up

In a Dutch oven over medium high heat melt butter. Add bacon cook long enough to render some fat. Add onion, celery and thyme sprigs, and season with salt and pepper and cook 5 minutes. Add flour and cook a minute more.
Add half-and-half and chicken stock and bring to a bubble, then stir in potatoes and salmon. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until potatoes are cooked and soup has thickened. Serve with sour dough bread, a bottle of hot sauce for seasoning and your favorite wine, it’s a hearty dish and goes well with a Cabernet (IMHO).

[Stella]

I'm coming round for dinner!

[AMFADVENTURES]

I'm coming round for dinner!

Stella,
You are welcome at my house anytime. Bring your bike, we'll work up an appetite before dinner!
Larry

[Penguin]

Any recipe that starts with butter, onions and bacon is a winner in my book - that smell makes me happy!