tangy flavor

Few years back, I am lying in a pale blue hospital gown with the hand outstretched towards the gentleman who is sedating me. Very pleasant experience, from what I remember. It was my very first anesthesia and the thing that made it so special was the feeling I experienced in days to come. Dreams I had in those few days after the intervention were the most vivid and amazing and I felt extremely happy for no reason right after I woke up. That lasted for some time and of course, the most special of it all was the fact that at the time all was fine.

  

On a beautiful April morning my alarm clock woke me at 6:20. I went to the kitchen and drank a glass of water. Later that same day I walked into a hospital. This time I was lying naked, covered with green hospital sheets with both hands outstretched. There was nothing unusual at the time, I was extremely cold and my feet and hands were dark purple colored. Nurse stuck a needle in my hand already and a mask with the oxygen was above me. Very soon trough my bloodstream I felt.. I felt nothing except pain when I finally woke up. I was still cold. A very friendly lady tucked me with few extra blankets. The one at the top was dark blue with white stripes. I like stripes. I woke up again in the middle of the night with the worst nausea. I did not remember of having any dreams and I was a bit disappointed in anesthesiologist for the choice he had made. I didn’t talk about my feelings the morning after but nausea, the annoying fellow was still with me. 

Today, Thursday, April 28, 2016, I am at home. It’s surprisingly cold outside. When I open the window light breeze from the north blows in. I am still fairly motionless and many eating restrictions still apply. Right now I got the urge for a big slice of cake. I am not hungry, this is a signal from inside that all is fine. Happily I have a stash of dried lemon slices which bring flavor to this unflavored period. I usually pop two slices in water bottle I use daily. Lemon slices rehydrate and fragrance the water in a very gentle way leaving their tangy flavor in it. What I also like is to put few slices in a soup while it’s cooking. Chicken soup with carrots (chicken breasts cooked with carrots and potatoes and bay leave) and dried lemon slices. Delicious!

Dried lemon slices

Use organic fruits, if possible. Wash the lemons thoroughly especially if you are using waxed ones from the supermarket. After you wash them, dry them thoroughly.

Slice lemons thinly and uniformly using a sharp knife.

Lay out slices on the baking trays covered in parchment paper.

Place in the pre-heated oven, 80^oC. Cook until they are totally dried out. Flip them over every hour or so, so they dry evenly. It took mine about 2,5 hours (but I cut them very, very thinly). When they are done, turn the oven off, and let them sit overnight in the oven.

After drying they will slightly change the color, they become a bit darker.  

Remove them from the oven, and store in an airtight container (glass jar).

'But above all I am besotted by dogs.'

Questions we ask in many phases of our lives are connected to love. If we are lucky enough we ask parents in very early stages of our lives how much they love us. The answer much or very much is usually not satisfying as in our small heads we need exact, measurable answer. We need to know exactly in grams or in kilometers how much is much or very much. To the Moon and back was and still is one of my favorite answers.
Two years ago four legged, furry companion who we named Ito joined our so called human community. She changed our daily routine in the best imaginable way. She jumps up on all four legs and very often walks on two. We met on a street and saw each other few more times until one Saturday morning we walked home together. My mother has a theory that she ran away from the circus.
Ito is very charming and funny. Each morning around seven she jumps into bed and starts talking. She has different voices but the morning one tells she is ready to go out and sniff a day. Ito thought us to think less and observe more and to go usually where she drags us. It makes me happy when she runs madly from one room to the other and smiles with her pinkish tong out, when she wags with her palm tree like tail or when she rolls on the floor. Ito likes body lotions, soaps, creams and used paper tissues. Once, she grabbed a soap and we waited in fear for bubbles to replace barking. She is the only person whose snoring makes me calm.
I love her unconditionally and I know she feels the same about food.  

homemade tree ingredients cookies

one big banana

two heaped table spoons of peanut butter

about 2 cups of oats flour (uncooked oats blended in a food processor or blender) 

In a bowl mash the banana with a fork and add peanut butter and beat until you have smooth mixture. Keep adding the flour to create the dough. Don't use all the flour at once, keep adding in batches so you end up with the dough that is not sticky but combined and ready to be rolled out. 

Flour the surface and roll the dough out. Cut the dough into desired shapes and place cookies on parchment paper.

Bake cookies in the preheated oven (180 degrees Celsius) for 15 minutes.

Recipe adopted from homemade peanut butter banana dog treats.