blog name change

So if you know me then you know I used to be a cratfter plagued by ADD with too many projects and not enough time to complete them . A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with a neuroendocrine tumor on my pancreas and had a major surgery to remove it along with numerous other parts of my digestive system. During my recovery I couldn't sit at the sewing machine and sew and I couldn't eat much either.I ended up passing my time watching food network and pbs and obsessing over food . One of the after effects of the Whipple procedure( the name of the surgery)is that with a compromised pancreas some people can develop diabetes. I was instructed to watch my sugar intake closely. Around the same time my daughter had surgery for ovarian cancer and also developed an allergy to food coloring. On the advice of my nutritionist I purged all products containing high fructose corn syrup from my pantry . At the same time, all artificially colored products also got the boot . I've always been a pretty healthy eater , so it wasn't too big of a loss but I was amazed at how HFCS made it's way into so many processed foods. I had to find substitutes for a few favorite condiments ( Heinz ketchup and Hersey syrup )and I started making many other products like baked goods, salad dressings, and marinades from scratch. It's not something I could do if I was working full time, it takes time and planning, but it's worth it.

Saltygal shop update

Well we are days away from "early summer" when I predicted Saltygal would reopen on the web. I don't think I will reopen anytime soon. I am almost fully recovered from my surgery and able to stand and sew, but right now, I just have no interest, and that's not the way to run a business. Lately what's interested me, is food and the garden.
I've always been an avid gardener, but last summer I injured my foot, then knee and it kept me out of the garden almost all season. That was a good news bad news situation . Good, because most of the garden was established enough to get by in spite of my neglect. The bad news was that some didn't survive and left gaping holes where weeds took over. There is plenty of work for me in the garden this season. What a joy to return to the earth and compost , birds and butterflies. I hope to have my garden certified as a wildlife habitat this year .
The other interest which has been taking up much of my time lately is food. Before my surgery I had read about some possible side effects following a Whipple procedure. The most frightening to me was a loss of taste and appetite. I spent the weeks before my surgery treating myself to a long list of favorite foods . For the first month of my recovery, while taking the heavy painkillers I couldn't concentrate enough to read much so I watched TV, mainly the food network and PBS cooking shows. What torture! Eating wasn't easy in the beginning , well eating was OK digesting was a different story. I had to eat small meals to keep the pressure off all the internal stitches , but I has lost my sense of taste and would eat and get full but have no satisfaction. I kept making progressively spicier foods trying to get the flavor, to no avail. I thought this was a side effect of my particular surgery but apparently it happens to many people after any type of surgery under general anesthesia. Now my taste buds are starting to awaken , but Naomi who is only 3 weeks post op is going through the same thing. Spicy spicy spicy , that's all I'm cooking and eating these days.
In our household we celebrate birthdays with food, I make the dinner and cake of choice for the birthday boy or girl.This year I was sick for Naomi's birthday. I promised her I'd make it up as soon as I was able to. This coming Tuesday she's having her friends and coworkers over for a dinner of Dim Sum.It's sort of a re birtday after her surgery. I have been cooking since Saturday. I have enjoyed it so much. Today is a big day, I'll be making potstickers and mushroom bo (buns) I am made the dough and fillings yesterday, so today it's an assembly line of rolling and filling and tucking and pleating . I'm trying to remember to take pictures , so I can post more pictures. I'm pretty sure that unless the sewing bug bites me again this blog will be more about food and less about crafts .