Update on Me & My Lung

Wanted to let everyone know that I am still here in the hospital! That I am scheduled to have my "Open Lung Biopsy" tomorrow (10-27-2008). My surgeon has informed us of the pros and cons dealing with this surgery. So here is a hoping and praying that we are prepared for what may come!

But on a serious note....the Dr. did say the possibility exists that I may loose the upper lobe of my right lung. Or the diseased part of it. He really is not for sure how much untill he gets in there and has a look see. As to my reaction, all I can say is "There are others who have it worse than me!" "And that whatever happens is meant to be."

All I do know is that I am alright and still have a lot on my mind. And my mind on a lot! Plus would like to "Thank You All" for the many wonderful prayers, positive energy, and good thoughts that you are sending my way. As well as to my family also.

Take care and blessings to you all......... Nana Net

Here Is What Is Happening....

Hi all. First I am truly sorry for not being able to do "Tastier Tuesdays," this past week. Now will I be able to this week. See today is the first day I have been able to use a computer since the debut of my "Swiss Steak" recipe.

Plus I am n ot sure when I will be able to use one again for a very long period of time. The reason for this is that I am in the hospital.........This is my 8th day and there looks like no definite date as to when I will be going home either. What started out as so called "Flu-Bug symptoms" on Tuesday, October 14, 2008, turned into something much worse we discovered. That finally on that Friday, the 17th, my Doctor decided to send me to the ER, who then admitted me into the hospital. So here I am still today.

The only thing we know so far is that after being in "Isolation" for 7 days, I am no longer contagious, nor was I ever! That I do not have pneumona, nor the flu. Nor have I had for the last 24 hours anymore of the 102 -104 degree temperatures! The broncoscopy thingy the Dr. did came back negative. Although the other folks would have liked more tissue samples than what they got! Still I will take the good news anyday!

Now as to why I am still here. Well, seems that I still do have this mass in my right lung. And that yes it did go from being 3cm in size to 6cm in size in just 3 days. Though by all Medical Doctors who have seen me all agree it is not cancer. They do want to perform another procedure on me! And it is one that I am very familiar with. It is an "Open Lung Biopsy." That we will be talking to the Pulmonary Cardiologist about everything Friday sometime as to the when, whats and hows of it all.

Till then just know that I honestly did not abandon you all, nor my blog. I have just been out of touch with the world the last week is all. And once we get everything settled back down I will post those recipes. Plus it will be more than one at a time. At least till I catch them up! Just know that my energy is very low to nothing now . But it will be back soon..... So enjoy your weekend everyone. Plus take care and let someone somewhere know you love them!

Blessings,
Nana Net

Tastier Tuesdays' Recipe 1

Welcome All...

That starting today and every Tuesday you will find a new and different recipe! Now these will be ones that are either my own, my families, or ones that I have been given or come across throughout my lifetime. Now what kind will they be you ask? Well, you will have to check back on Tuesdays to find out! I will let you know though....expect anything and everything.

So let us get this started now with the first recipe!

Swiss Steak & Gravy

INGREDIENTS:

4 to 5 lbs - Eye of Round Steak
1 - Can Hunts Diced Tomatoes (14.5 oz)
1 - Large Sized Onion
Oil
3 to 4 cups - Flour
Meat Tenderizer
Garlic Salt
Seasoning Salt
Pepper
Water

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat your oven to 325°. Next you get a large sized bowl and put your Flour in it. Take your onion and chop it up and put it over to the side. Then take a very large frying pan/skillet and add enough oil to it to lightly brown the meat. Then cut the burner on to medium heat. Okay, take your Eye of Round Steak and rinse it off with water. Then sprinkle both sides of it with the Meat Tenderizer, Garlic Salt, Seasoning Salt, and Pepper.





Now we will take the Eye of Round Steak (one piece at a time) and lightly flour both sides by rolling it or patting it in the bowl of flour. Then putting it into the frying pan. Be sure to lightly brown both sides. Once this is done put them into the baking dish or your roasting pan. Now drain off 3/4 of your grease. The other 1/4 you will add 2 to 3 Tbsp. of flour to (for gravy) and stir untill all of the lumps of flour are gone. Now add about 1 1/2 cups of water. Making sure to keep stirring the whole time. Keep adding water as needed so that the gravy does not thicken! You should end up with a frying pan full of gravy by now!

Okay so we take this frying pan of gravy and pour it over our Eye of Round Steak. Being sure to leave at least a 1/4 to 1/2" space at the top of the dish. Here is when you will get the chopped onion and sprinkle it all over. Now open the can of Hunts Diced Tomatoes and spread them over the top of your dish. Once you get finished you can take a spoon and stir the tomatoes and onions in, if you like.

Bake at 325° for 2 to 3 hours. Though the time can vary. So be sure to check on it after 2 hours. The best way to know is that the gravy will start to thicken up! Plus I recommend using your own judgement!

As a side note this can be made using a crock pot or even a slow cooker! Just be sure to set the setting on low if you are not going to be home to check on it!

Well, there you have it... My first recipe! I do hope you like it and give it a try. It is one that my family truly does love to eat! And I never seem to have any leftovers from it. The only thing I must apologize for is the lack of more pictures. ;0( That I dropped my camera and am having it repaired.

I welcome any and all questions and hope my instructions do not confuse you. Plus I welcome all suggestions! Thanks so much for stopping by! Enjoy the day!

Nana Net

Tastier Tuesdays'

Okay everyone I have come up with an idea. Hopefully you all might like it. That by now most of you have read my profile and seen where I do "LOVE" to cook! Well needless to say it got me to thinking. Which in a nutshell means "Watch Out" here we go again. :0) But no not this time. Instead I want to propose to you the following.

That starting next Tuesday, October 14, 2008, I will start listing some of my recipes! These will be ones that I have either made up myself or have had handed down to me from family and friends throughout my lifetime. Now I choosen this day because it is the best time for me to do it on. Plus I figured everyone would be able to either use the recipe during the week or on the weekend!

Of course I will do my upmost best to include pictures to go along with it. As well as my own recommendations of what side dishes to use. Plus if the food can be cooked using the oven, crock pot, or stove-top! And other little tid-bits of info.Also, you would be able to go back and look at other "Tastier Tuesday" recipes you might have missed, cause they all would be under one link!

So please tell me if you would like for me to give this a whirl or not. I just know that "Cooking is great for the soul." And it surely does fill my heart with joy! Plus it truly makes for some great memories to come back into my mind again and again! And for me to make some new ones too!

Okay, I await your responses....

Blessings,

Nana Net

Fall Has Arrived

Fall weather just somehow renews my body. Maybe it is something in the air. I really do not know what it is. Just that I absolutely do love the Fall Season!

It is the time of year when everything starts to change. The leaves on the trees, the temperatures, and even the days seem to get shorter. That there are lots of Fairs, Festivals, Football games, and others things to do and see! For me it is time to get out your decorations for Halloween first. Then next would be the Thanksgiving ones. And after that …well we all know it would be my Christmas Decorations! Now mind you I wait till after each one is over with! Oh yes, how I do love decorating this time of the year. I just wish the stores, etc. would at least let me ENJOY each holiday before shoving the other one down my throat. You know wait before putting out the Christmas décor until at least the week before Thanksgiving and so on!

Still Fall is the time that I love sleeping with my windows wide opened at night. You know to let in that cool, crisp night air. Aww, how refreshing it is! Plus during the day we have such wonderful cool breezes blowing throughout our house. You should see our babies, Sadie Bella and Lucky. Lord they just love to stay outside all of the time now. That Lucky can be found on her backside with all four legs up in the air snoring away! And Sadie Bella not to far away looking at her like “Lord would you please hush!” :0)
These two surely do keep me laughing. Plus watching them chase each other in the yard is surely something to see. Oh my, how I love my babies!

Another thing that comes along during this time of year is cleaning! Yep, got to get them their cobwebs down. Believe me this is a chore that is not done in a day either. Nope, cause there are windows to be cleaned, siding and decks that needs to be pressured washed, on your hands and knees floor scrubbing, furniture moving and rearranging, and lots and lots of other cleaning! It is also when I go start moving my summer clothes to another closet in another room. Then take my fall and winter clothes and move them into my bedroom. Plus go through them all (summer, fall, and winter) and sort out the ones I no longer wear. Then take the ones I am keeping and wash them all. To which once done I either haul them down to the Goodwill store or donate them to a shelter or something. Do any of you do that?

Yes, Fall has arrived and I am so thankful that it has. Tell me is it your favorite time of the year too?

Come On Over

Let me tell you of a place that I now call home. I have lived here for going on almost 22 years. And really never realized the wonders that it held untill the last several years! All I can say is that I wished I had discovered all that it held sooner!

So where is it that I am talking about you ask? Oh my, it is North Carolina. That here is where I will begin my journey of letting you know what I have discovered so far!

In the "Western" part of the state, up close along the Tennessee/North Carolina state line is a town called Bryson City. Here you will find "The Great Smokey Mountains Railroad." It is one that will take you all on a 4 1/2 hour round trip to the Nantahala River Gorge. (http://www.gsmr.com/) Talk about a great ride! One that will allow you to experience first hand some of the most breath-taking views I have ever seen! You may purchase your tickets in advance (which I highly recommend) for either an open-air car or a closed car. For me it is the "Opened" one! Nothing like feeling mother-nature against your face and breathing it all in! Plus if you love to take pictures this is the way to go. Along on this ride I got to see some lovely mountainsides, barns, rivers, lakes, houseboats, and even an old steel bridge which we crossed over! And did I mention "Fontana Dam?" Yep, got to see it too. It is where the movie "The Fugitive" was filmed starring Harrison Ford! That this is one train ride that offers not only this kind of day trip, but several other kinds. Including ones just for the kids! Now as to when is the right time to go.... Personally for me it would be the Fall. Just because this is when the leaves are changing colors. Yet, the spring time is lovely too. You know when everything is blooming! But be careful if you have allergies!!!!

Now of course you have got to spend a few nights around here in order to enjoy everything that the "Western" part of North Carolina has to offer. Your choice of lodging can range from Hotels, Motels, Houses, Beds & Breakfasts, Inns, and Cabins that you can rent. You can find some really great deals by going to this website. It is http://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/north-carolina. Believe me after looking at the places offered here you will be ready to just drop everything and head to these here mountains! And if you own a motorcycle, try your best to ride it here! The roads here were made for them!

Which leads me to some of thoses places that motorcyclists just love to ride! Not only are all of the roads in the "Western" part of North Carolina great for riding your motorcycle. But there are some areas that have specific type roads that seem to have been made with nothing but motorcyle riders in mind. These are for example "The Tail of the Dragon," "The Cherohala Skyway," and "The Blue Ridge Parkway." That the first two are ones my husband and I still have on our "To Do List", left to do! The "Tail of the Dragon" is only 11 miles long, yet has 318 curves in it! WOW, can you just imagine riding on this? And the "Cherohala" is great for its scenic views. Now of course it is 60 miles long and according to it's web-site very remote. As for the "Blue Ridge Parkway" it is one that we ride frequently. There are a lot of gorgeous places where you can stop and have a look see over the side! Or even a picnic lunch. Yet you may even want to go for a hike! I mean you can just ride and ride, but still stop and enjoy all that it has to offer. For more abou these places here are the links to them. http://www.tailofthedragon.com/index.html, http://www.cherohala.com/index.html, http://www.blueridgeparkway.org/.
Hopefully, I may meet you up there one day and we can enjoy a ride together!

As for places to eat, there are a lot of them. But I do love this resturant called "Granny's Kitchen." It is located in Cherokee, right down from Harrah's Casino. Talk about some delicious food at very reasonable prices! You can either order off of the menu or go for the Buffet! We went for the Buffet. There was Fried Chicken, cole slaw, green beans, squash, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, biscuits, okra, macaroni, potato and pasta salad, tomatoes, all the fixings for a fresh salad, roast beef, rice, baked beans, pinto beans, corn bread, and rolls. Plus the various deserts of Cherry and Peach Cobbler, Apple Pie, Banana Pudding, and Ice Cream! There is one desert that everyone must try though.. It is the "Peanut Butter Pie!" Talk about melt in your mouth scrumptious...... Plus there was "Sweet Tea" galore. And before I forget, there is even another location of "Granny's Kitchen in Waynesville, North Carolina! Its' food is just as tasty too!

Well I will stop for now. Thus this will continue with me describing the middle part of my state next. It is known as "The Piedmont Area!" That I just did not want to make this too long to read. Hopefully, you have enjoyed it so far. Please let me know. And if you have questions, I will do my best to answer them.

Thanks for stopping by and do return. Here is wishing you all a fun-filled and enjoyable weekend!

Nana Net