That Darned Knee! And Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies - A New-to-Me Recipe

I haven't been posting regularly the past couple of weeks because we've had yet ANOTHER setback with The Knee That Won't Cooperate.  

After the first replacement, infection, debridement, wound vac, once-a-day IV antibiotics (administered by yours truly, about five minutes each time), removal of the knee implant, installation of an antimicrobial spacer, twice-a-day IV antibiotics (again, administered by yours truly, taking about 1 1/2 hours each time), and finally a new replacement, more infection was discovered three weeks ago.  So, out came the nice new implant and another spacer took its place.  

Now I'm giving yet another IV antibiotic, this time by the old-fashioned drip method, three times a day, over four hours each time, which means I have to do something with the IV every four hours, around the clock.  Can you imagine being hooked up to an IV bag twelve hours a day?  UGH.  I don't know whether I'd have the patience.

Anyway, it's getting really, really OLD.

And on top of that, my tomato plants are PRODUCING, so I'm also trying to fit in canning sessions.  I have a couple dozen of the monster tomatoes waiting for me on the kitchen counter, and a bunch more staring at me from the garden through the back windows.  The plants look more and more disreputable, and the tomatoes look more and more red, ripe, and HUGE every day.

But for something different, I decided to try a new cookie recipe.  After all, cookies are pretty quick and easy, and these just sounded interesting.  That Man has been scarfing them down, so I guess that's a pretty good endorsement!

Cranberry White Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/8 c (1 c plus 2 T) all-purpose flour

1/2 t salt

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 c refrigerated butter, diced

1/4 c granulated sugar

1/2 c dark brown sugar

1 large egg, room temperature

1/2 t vanilla extract

1 1/2 c (7-oz bag) Decas Farms Julienne Cut Baking Cranberries

1 c white chocolate chips (the original recipe called for 1/2 c, but, hey, chocolate!)

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray cookie sheets or line with parchment paper.

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking soda and set aside.

In a separate bowl, cream the butter, then add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy.  Add the egg and vanilla and beat well.  Slowly add the flour mixture and blend.  Stir in the cranberries and white chocolate chips.

Drop by rounded teaspoons onto cookie sheets, leaving about an inch between them.  Bake 10 to 12 minutes.  Allow to cool on the cookies sheets before removing.

The Knee That Went Bad and Easy Black Bean Soup (A New-to-Me Recipe)

That Person With the Infected Knee Replacement has kept me super busy lately, so I've been semi-absent from this blog.  After several months of being hooked up to a wound vac, and the knee becoming more and more painful, the decision was made:  the replacement would have to come out.  So a couple of weeks ago, the surgeon removed the old prosthesis and put in a concrete spacer.

Yes, that's what I said - CONCRETE.

This spacer is impregnated with antimicrobial stuff to fight what's left of the "indolent" infection.  (Indolent:  sounds like lazy bacteria!)  It also has no joint, so it doesn't act like a "real" knee replacement.  It squeaks and creaks and pops (sometimes REALLY loud).  It's not cemented in, so it moves around some.  You should see the kneecap travel when it pops.  Eeeeeewww!

The spacer is painful, and That Person can't put much weight on it, so a full-leg brace and a walker are required for trips down the hall.  Going upstairs is doable, but coming back down is a real issue, so That Person sleeps, eats, and does exercises in the living room recliner.  I do a lot of fetch-and-carry work.

So I'm back into full-time caregiving mode.  Back to giving intravenous medicine again, this time twice a day instead of once, and it takes nearly two hours each time to administer instead of fifteen minutes.

But lucky you!  I'm back, yet AGAIN, and with another recipe.

I opened The Magic Box and found a package of chorizo sausage.  What to do with it?  In my copy of The America's Test Kitchen Quick Family Cookbook (the one with the orange cover) I found a recipe for Easy Black Bean Soup.  I make a lot of soups because I like them, they're easy to make, and the leftovers heat up well.  Remember, I'm all about leftovers - make once, eat twice (or more).  Good for the current meal prep trend, too.

Although I thought it was really good, I'm sorry to say this soup was NOT a hit with the rest of the household.  I'll admit it is not the prettiest dish to look at.  Not much color.  Well, black beans - duh!  Anyway, if you like beans and sausage, you'll probably like this one!

You can see there's not a lot of color
here, other than the red bell peppers.

EASY BLACK BEAN SOUP

1 T canola oil
1 onion, chopped
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
6 garlic cloves, minced
6 oz cooked chorizo sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1/4" thick
4 15-oz cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 15-oz cans chicken broth
1 T fresh minced oregano (or 1 t dried)
1/2 t ground cumin
1/2 t chili powder
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste
1/2 c minced fresh cilantro

In a 4-quart dutch oven, combine the oil, onion, bell peppers, garlic, and chorizo and cook over medium-high heat until the vegetables are softened and lightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.  Add the remaining ingredients except the cilantro.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer 20-30 minutes.  Season to taste and serve.