Authentic Italian food: Pollo Cacciatore con Polenta

I believe I have access to some of the most authentic Italian food in all of Italy! What a gift! My landlords are 77 and 83 respectively, and as such the style of Italian food they make I believe to be more pure than the food of some of the younger Italians or even many of the local restaurants. Their knowledge and experiences go back farther than others, and they tell me of the origins and stories related to their dishes.

Yesterday my landlords invited me over to lunch. An invitation is not really necessary, as they live upstairs we see them almost daily and if I were to pop over for a visit, they would force food on me regardless of my predetermined presence or not. If you have ever seen the tv show “Everybody Loves Raymond”, the matriarch Marie is Italian and often forces food on visitors. Every Italian stereotype along this line I have found to be true. I will go upstairs to give them the rent, ask a question, or simply to say hello and they will ask if I would like food. On Thursday I replied, “Oh, thank you very much, but we [Adam and I] have just eaten our lunch.” Marcellina frowned, “Oh no! no!” (They get very loud and excited) She pulled out a chair and commanded, “Sit down.” “Bread? Cheese? Wine? Pasta?” I kid you not. And this occurs just about every visit. Ever present on the Italian table is a bowl of bread and cheese, likely next to an oversized bottle of wine (The Italians drink wine like it was water and there was a constant need to stay hydrated. No one would raise an eyebrow to wine consumed before noon).

Despite not needing an invitation, they asked me to come over on Saturday for a special lunch and not to eat breakfast so I would be sure to be hungry. An Italian breakfast consists of coffee and biscotti, so if we are ever invited over to lunch, the landlord is sure to remind us to skip “American breakfast” because we won’t be having a light lunch.

I learn so much about Italian food each time I am with them. Having a little one also adds a new dynamic as they teach me about customary foods for Italian little ones, but that would be a significant tangent from this post, which is about my lunch of Chicken and Polenta!

Here is a short video I took, because it is far more interesting than me writing it all out. I missed the beginning when she turned over the pot and dumped it out. Note the large wine bottle on the table, and the special board used for the polenta. 

If you have never had Polenta, it is cornmeal boiled into porridge; as such, it tastes rather like cornbread but with a mushier consistency. As you heard in the video, it is never eaten alone. Usually the sauce of the main dish is poured over it. A comment I found particularly interesting from Albano, mentioned as we were consuming the dish, was that they now add things to the Polenta to try and “fix” it because: “The corn now is not as good as it was 60 years ago…”, he said. He listed several things that they often add to it in an attempt to “fix” it, like olive oil and milk, but he insisted that it was still not as good as it used to be. His comment, due to the number of years mentioned, made me pause to think. Roughly 2.5 of my lifetimes ago, he remembers how the corn tasted, and it was better. A time like that seems so far out of my reach, and I am disappointed that modern food has degraded as it has. 

Below is a picture of the entire dish. My landlords raised the chicken and then butchered it themselves. Aside from the rare purchase of beef or fish, they never buy their own meat as they raise chickens and turkeys themselves.

Chicken Cacciatore with Polenta. It was delicious and I had three helpings.  

In Italian, Cacciatore means “hunter”. So if you ever see a dish that says “alla cacciatore”, it means it is served “hunter style”, with tomatoes, onions, and other vegetables and herbs. 

And the relatives among my readership are likely asking, where my little one was throughout all of this? He napped in one of the guest bedrooms as we ate.

I have a picture where I put him in focus, and this one where the nob and key are in focus. I liked this one best.

I hope you enjoyed this food post! You got to hear some Italian, learn about their cuisine, and see pictures of the food and experiences we are having here (such an amazing opportunity!). I am only sorry I couldn’t find a way for you to also taste it. You’ll just have to come visit for that one ;)

Backposting: Good news for my health!

I apologize, for it has been approximately 1.5 months since I last posted. So… not a single time yet this year have I posted :S It has really been a lovely break though, and I am ready to get back into the blogging groove. Although I write this post mid-February, it pertains to January so I have it “published” under a January date above.

            In early January I went in for a CT scan. The previous scan I took was done at an Italian hospital however during my doctor appointment with the head surgeon, she informed me that over Christmas they received all the necessary machines to perform CT scans there on the base. Due to my past experiences with tests on base, I was rather disappointed that I wouldn’t get to go off base and have it performed by Italians. All number of thoughts ran through my head, none were terribly optimistic. “Oh dear, I’m going to be the guinea pig for their new machine…” was the main one I recall.

            My husband was set to have the morning off so he could watch our little one, however the afternoon before my test he texted me to say that they told him they needed him the next morning and he couldn’t watch the munchkin during my tests. (Ah the military… they will take any plans you make and crumple them up. My friend’s husband was told that he needed to deploy THE NEXT MORNING and that it would only be for two weeks. He was gone for six months and his poor wife had only hours to prepare for his departure. I digress…) I hopped on facebook and scrolled through the list of friends and pondered whom I should beg to take my child last minute. As it would happen, a recently made friend of mine had just messaged me to say that she had been praying for me and would love to watch our little one if I ever needed. I chuckled and replied back asking her if the next morning worked, and it turns out she was free! (How fantastic is that!? A friend, whom had never messaged me before, offered to watch my LO the same hour my hubby texted saying he could not. I am sure God orchestrated this!  A potentially very stressful situation was avoided. Yay!)

            The day I was scheduled to do my CT scan, Tuesday, Jan 14^th, I arrived at radiology and checked in. I met the two techs who were to perform and they were great guys who were very excited to be here in Italy. It turns out that they were transferred from North Dakota JUST for the sake of this machine. Getting assigned to Italy was like a dream come true. I was happy for them.

            They walked me out to the machine. The machine is supposed to be deployable, so it was located in a trailer outside of the hospital itself. We exited the building in the pouring rain, and walked along the small covered walkway to the trailer. The floor panels were uneven and he directed me on what to do. “You can change over there,” he said, pointing to a corner with a large see-through folding partition screen covering it. Really now? What was the point of the screen if it was see through!? Thanks… Then he said I could go and lay on the table that went through the machine. “I don’t have to drink anything first?” I asked, recalling the nasty concoction that was dubiously measured the last time I did this procedure. He insisted not. The whole thing took much longer than it did the first time around, and I was relieved when it was done and I could leave.  

            One of the techs escorted me out and said that they were just reading my file (oh is that why I laid there for eons? hah) and was fascinated with what we were doing and curious to know how successful the holistic treatments had been. “We’re about to find out!” I said.

            I asked the surgeon when the results would get back to me, as the Italian results had taken weeks. She looked through her schedule and saw that the head radiologist would be in the day of my tests. “I can have him read them that day and then call me. We can know the results the same day as your test.” Oh my goodness, that was exciting and nerve wracking! I told her to feel free to give me a call when she knew, ESPECIALLY if it were good news!

            As I left my testing appointment my friend messaged me to let me know that Adam had fallen asleep on her and she was loving it, so I shouldn’t rush back. Hallelujah! I instead went home and took a detox bath. I drew a hot bath and poured in various essential oils as well as Epsom salts and ground ginger. I then soaked for 40 minutes while I munched my salad and read my Bible. It was peaceful and amazing!

            Sadly, I didn’t receive a call from the surgeon that day. Nor the next day… By Thursday I was starting to feel grumbly and wonder if I ought to call them. I knew I was the most severe case they had there, likely the only cancer patient, as cancer patients were typically sent to the states for chemo and procedures our small base hospital couldn’t accommodate; why was it taking so long to read the results!? Then the depressing feeling of, “It must be bad news”, started to cross my mind. I had told her she was free to call me, and that I would especially appreciate it if it were good news to know as soon as possible.

            Friday morning her receptionist called and said that she wanted to make an appointment with me to “discuss” the results. My heart sank. Discuss? She wasn’t going to call me and say hey, things have improved, keep up all the hard work! Then it must be bad. We made an appointment for the following week.

            I spent the weekend feeling rather lost. No improvement? What now? Five months of intense holistic treatments, hours a day spent doing various things and my meager vegetable only diet along with fervent prayers and now it was worse? My hubby and I discussed what to do and he stated that his desire was not for me to do any chemo or radiation. I was along the same line of thinking. If this were the end, then this was the end. We both knew orthodox treatments were not for me.

I had started letters to Adam, one for each year of his life to open on his birthdays, and some for special occasions like graduations and his wedding. I had scattered drafts, so I restarted with new energy thinking that this was it, this was my last opportunity to tell him all I wanted him to know as he went along his life. It was exhausting and depressing to think that he could spend all 24 hours of the day with me (literally, as he even sleeps in our bed!) and never leave my side for a year straight, but he would have no recollection of me should I die. Who of you readers out there recall anything before the age of one? I don’t think I recall anything before the age of three… I had to tell him all of whom I was and how much I loved him and hope that he would know me just a little bit and how special he is in these few letters I planned to leave him.

            I had also started various letters to my DH, and also drafted a letter to “Her”. Yes, I pulled a card from “Safe Haven” and decided to draft “Her” a letter. My DH would remarry someday; at least, I should hope he would. Everyone needs a somebody, and Adam would need a mother, even if it didn’t get to be me. I wanted to tell her how thankful I was for her, and how I had been praying for her since I knew of the possibility that someone else might finish the job I started with my DH.

            With these thoughts and activities in mind, Monday night before my appointment was a rather somber one. My DH wouldn’t be going with me, as the military seems to be ever short handed lately, and I wasn’t so sure I wanted to go to my appointment either! I wasn’t sure I wanted to hear how bad it was; perhaps I would be better off blissfully ignorant.

            I went to the appointment though, and as the surgeon came out to retrieve me from the waiting hall, I noticed there was a cast on her right arm. “Oh my, what happened?!” I asked her. She began to tell me of the fall she took off her porch and how she had been out of the office and unable to perform surgeries and as such she was reorganizing the schedules or sending people to Italian hospitals etc etc. As she talked, a spark of hope flared up within me. “She’s been gone!? Maybe that is why she didn’t call me!?”

            And folks guess what, SHE DID HAVE GOOD NEWS FOR ME! I had also had blood drawn a few weeks back and those results were also in. Hooray! The blood tests were for my thyroglobulin levels. She explained that since I had Metastasized Papillary Thyroid Cancer, that the cancer that had spread to other locations would contain bits of thyroid tissue. Since they removed my thyroid, there should be very low levels of thyroglobulin. If there were a spike/increase in levels, that would be bad since I HAVE NO THYROID. That would indicate that thyroid tissue in other locations (so, cancer) was acting up and spreading. The tests showed that my levels were low. YES!

            Then on to the CT scan. She said the spot previously seen on my lungs 5 months prior, could not be found on the CT scan from last week (Praise the Lord!). So there was the good news. However, she said that the swollen lymph nodes in my neck were still there (which I knew, as I could feel them) and that the mass in my chest had not changed in size. It had neither grown, nor shrunk, so the condition was deemed “stable”. This was not an option I had considered, stable? I had figured everything would either have gotten better, or worse, and had not considered what I would do if things were precisely the same.

            However, the other results were good news and certainly improvement. The doc said that the results could mean one of two things: 1) that what we have been doing is working and has kept the cancer from growing/spreading and possibly reducing, as in the case of my lung. or 2) that it's possible I don't have cancer and the mass is actually a cluster of swollen lymph nodes. Lymph nodes are known to be in that region, but the only way to be absolutely sure would be to go in, break the breastbone and surgically remove them, which is not an option we wanted to do... They could also do a biopsy on the lymph nodes in my neck, but biopsies can often lead to more questions than answers, and the last time I got a biopsy the results were inconclusive and surgery was “recommended” in order to get more information. I decided that a biopsy would not be a very beneficial course of action.

She mentioned that in the case of the mass, perhaps it was a misdiagnosis, and I had something else coincidentally at the same time. I don’t know, either way I’m claiming divine healing! I had been praying that I didn’t have cancer, so even if whatever is there isn’t gone, if it’s not cancer then technically my prayers are still answered.

            Needless to say, I was elated and felt rather silly at how quickly I had lost hope over the weekend. She asked what we wanted to do now. This was an excellent question... what now? We had seen much improvement, but not a budge in other areas. Several other factors come into play as well. Military members cycle through quickly, and she is due to be reassigned this coming April. The head surgeon is wonderful! She is sweet and personable while still professional. We have had a lengthy discussion on how she is a woman of faith and a believer of miracles and fully supports a patient’s right to choose, and she told me she would help me in any way she could on this journey, and she has. We did our own thing for months and when I came back and asked for tests, she ordered them and read them. She evaluates and gives her feedback on the courses/treatments we attempt and always offers to talk/meet with us and to offer whatever help she can.

I have a fear of who shall replace her. I have read blogs and articles from others who have taken the holistic route, and their doctors turn them out of the office, for legal or personal reasons, and say they don’t want to see them again. This would be particularly bad for me as the base hospital is our ONLY option for medical care while stationed here in Italy. I could easily see someone looking at my records and saying that my situation needed to be reevaluated. I feel the need to get everything figured and sorted out before her departure in April.

So what has changed? We concluded that after Five months of intensive treatments, although it would have been unlikely for the entire mass to have dissipated, we feel that it should have changed/shrunk at least a teeny bit. We had the concern that if we were to keep doing all that we were doing and the results on the mass come back the same, “stable”, that there would be no way to know if it was all that we were doing that was keeping it from growing, or if it was something else entirely. So we have relaxed all of our treatments a bit. I still take my herbal tea every morning, but I am taking fewer supplements, less ozonated water, shorter spans of time spent in electro therapy, and my diet now includes ALL vegetables, as well as all fruits and limited intake of dairy and meat. Refined sugars, wheat, gluten, and anything processed is still completely off limits. I don’t juice as often, but I have been doing spinach smoothies in the mornings (and my little one loves them!)

In addition, we are attempting to figure out what reasons for swollen lymph nodes might pertain to me, and what the mass could be if it is not cancer and is something different. Our theory is that if we find other things I have and treat them, and the lymph nodes go down, then it would indicate that it was not cancer in the mass. As such, I email back and forth with the surgeon and every once in awhile go in for blood tests that might help indicate other conditions I could have that would also result in swollen lymph nodes.

Thank you to everyone out there who has been so diligent with your prayers and support! My family gets so much encouragement and help from everyone and it makes a very positive difference. Thank you <3 We have two months before the head surgeon is scheduled to move and be replaced with someone else, if we could get this figured out by then that would be amazing! Pray for that, if you would. I will do my best to keep you all posted!

P.S.

Also, if anyone has any clever ideas to give a surgeon/doctor as a thank you/going away gift, feel free to message me or post below!  

Brace for impact... 2014 coming in!

Well folks, here we are on the eve of another new year, anticipating the next set of 365 days. We are more than ready. We have chosen our attire to ring in the new year, coincidentally we both opted for our well worn draw string sweats and our favorite pj shirt (mine has Perry the Platypus plastered on it. Oh YEA!). New Years Kiss? We'll be taking that early. About three hours early... so we can have a New Year's snooze. No countdown, no noise makers (other than the occasional snore...), and I am very much looking forward to that!

If I were superstitious, I might think 2013 was an unlucky year and possibly out to get me (don't get me wrong, loads of good things happened too, but also a lot of challenges and difficulties). Whilst drafting my resolutions/goals for the year to come, I looked back to see what took place this year.

Some of the larger occurrences were moving halfway around the world (overseas to a foreign country where we didn't speak the language!), first home with just me and hubby, having our first child, learning about and dealing with his PKU condition, discovering I have cancer, undergoing major surgery, then discovering I still had cancer and it was far more extensive than they first thought which resulted in massive diet and lifestyle changes for us (the status of it's efficacy is still undetermined). These were some of the bigger things, though not all. There were ups and downs, hubby missed his test for promotion, I lost one of my best friends of eight years, but gained many new friends. I have traveled to 8 different countries this year, which were wonderful opportunities that I am quite thankful for, but traveling can also be very tiring. I added everything up and found that I spent over two months staying/sleeping in places other than our home. Looking back at all that's happened this year, the first thought that comes to mind is, man am I exhausted! What an intense year it's been! I wish I could pull a Rip Van Winkle and sleep for the next couple decades, but alas, aside from death I don't think that's a feasible option.

I recall last year at this time, getting the vibe that 2013 was going to be a big year, and that certainly proved true. I am praying for and anticipating a much more peaceful and uneventful year for 2014. Other than successfully ridding myself of cancer, I think I’d be happy if nothing else happened this year.

As far as the blog goes, I noticed that I have 73 published posts. Not bad! That’s an average of 1.4 posts a week. (And I have 24 drafts that never made it to publishing… hm, better luck next year eh?) The blog has also amassed over 15,000 views since I started it in January of this year. Cool.

The resolutions/goals were easy to make this year. Most people have goals to eat healthier (can’t get any healthier than I’ve been eating!) or to lose weight (I’ve lost 20 pounds since starting this diet, I’m trying to figure out which vegetable will most help me gain weight!) and I already spend the max amount of time with all the loved ones and friends that I can. My main goals are to get more sleep, spend more time in meditation, and to conquer this cancer. Keeping it simple ;) My hubby and I also came up with goals as a couple, like going on an excursion of some sort every week, which should be fun.

I’m very thankful I made it to see a new year. I pray that I make it to my birthday, then my son’s birthday, and so on and so forth and hopefully next year I’ll still be around to write another scattered post about the following year to come. Thank you everyone for your love, prayers, and support. They helped to brighten our 2013 :) 

A picture from our excursion this morning. Family bike ride! Our LO wasn't too keen on the helmet, and he wouldn't keep the sunglasses on his head... but he definitely enjoys the riding part!

P.S. Ring in the New Year for me? This tired woman is going to bed! 

Buon Natale a tutti!

Buon Natale! (Merry Christmas!) This year was our first Christmas abroad, and it was definitely a different experience to be without immediate family, but there were positives and negatives to that aspect. While we missed our family, being without them gave us the opportunity to figure out what we wanted to do as a family and the traditions we would like to start. We also got to invite other Airmen over who would have nowhere else to go otherwise.

I finished our stockings Christmas Eve! Whew!

Our tree this year, as you can see to the right, is really a garland that we taped to the wall. And yes, I then strung lights through it and hung ornaments onto it. It made it all the way until dessert time on Christmas before the tape decided to fling itself off the wall. One ornament was sacrificed in the process.

I looked into traditional holiday desserts, and found that mince pies, marzipan, and figgy puddings, all seemed to have odd ingredients that might be difficult to find, and were either too complicated or time consuming for my energy levels. Then I found that “Yule Logs” are also considered a traditional dessert, so we decided to give that one a try. It was a success! I was rather concerned as I was making it that it would resemble a turd instead of a log, but one of our friend's was able to guess what it was, so I think that qualifies it as a success. And hubby said it was delicious. Voila! We have now voted in our candidate for yearly traditional dessert. My hubby made a fantastic meal of glazed ham, sautéed green beans, creamy mashed potatoes with chicken gravy, and mango chutney brussel sprouts (who won’t be reprising their Christmas appearance as a vegetable side…) and warm Italian bread rolls. For me, it was another dinner night like any other, and all I ate were the green beans. But I was pleased to watch everyone else enjoy the good food.

Our Yule Log! It was a large flour-less chocolate cake (baked in a cookie sheet) which I rolled with a fluffy chocolate cream filling. I then frosted the outside. All from scratch, and hubby said it was 'delicious' multiple times. Yay!

"Brown paper packages tied up with string, these are a few of my favorite things..."

 For those of you who ‘Pinterest’, (yes, that is a verb, just like ‘google’), you know that wrapping presents in brown paper is a current trend. I decided to join that bandwagon this year (mostly because I didn’t want to spend the money on rolls of wrapping paper), and my hubby and I quite like how it turned out. Hubby and I wrapped our gifts to each other with reused brown paper grocery bags and twine. I would decorate a couple of them with some fake foliage or pine-cone of some sort and it looked great. The presents looked sweet and simple, clean and neat, instead of the overwhelming shiny color onslaught, it was inexpensive and recycled, and made far less mess than the other shredded Christmas papers. This might become a wrapping tradition of ours.

Someone on base picked us as their Secret Santa recipient. What a kindness! Whomever they were, they are very generous and gave Adam a load of gifts, most of which were hand made wooden Italian toys. What a lucky kid! And due to overseas shipping difficulties, not all of our gifts from stateside family made it here on time, so our Christmas has been extended!

Even our Christmas cold seems to have an upside, as it has forced us to stay inside and snuggle. We had a very blessed Christmas and I am so thankful for everything in it. I hope you, dear reader, also had a lovely Christmas. Buon Natale a tutti!

P.S. Below are some pictures of our Little One exploring Christmas decor. Rediscovering Christmas with little ones really helps rekindle the magic and wonder side of Christmas! So fun! And bonus, I got to practice my night photography skills ^_^