Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Doctor's Appointment and Sausage Rolls on Monday

I had a doctor's appointment first thing, this morning.  My appointment was at 8:00 a.m. (time the clinic officially opens) and I was told be be there at 7:45 a.m. (they always want you to arrive 15 minutes early).  I left the house just before 6:45 a.m., in anticipation of Monday morning commute traffic.  But, traffic was fairly light this morning, and I was at the clinic by 7:20 a.m.!  The parking lot attendant informed me that the clinic was still closed and I said it was OK, I'll wait.  They opened the doors at 7:30 a.m., so it was not such a long wait.  I was the first patient of the day!  I was checked in and weighed, etc.  There was a short wait and then, I was seen by the doctor.

I was there to get the medical authorization for my dental work, but today, my blood pressure was higher than it has been in over 6 months!  They checked three times and while it came down a digit each time, it was still too high.  The doctor adjusted the dosage of one of my medications and said to come back for a follow up visit in two weeks.  He will not sign the authorization form until the pressure goes down and that makes sense, of course.  On the positive side, the lab test results had come in from Friday's blood tests and everything was very good, he said.  So that's good news.

I put gas to the car on my way home and then, daughter and I went to the pharmacy to pick up my new medication and a few things daughter needed.  I received another $8 Extra Care Bucks! 

Then, we went to the grocery store to buy some bananas and three more packages of coffee for her.  I received two more coupons for the coffee, but they are valid till early July, so I might wait until then to buy more coffee (hopefully, there will be another good sale by then).  Daughter said she had enough coffee for awhile and didn't want to buy more and have them turn rancid before she could use them.  The bananas came to $1.51 for just over 2 lbs. ($.69/lb).  The coffee was $5.99 minus $1.50 coupon = $4.49, each.  My total came to $14.98.

After we came home, I cooked mung beans for brunch.  I had put them to soak, last night and all I needed to do was boil them for about 15-20 minutes this morning.  I ate my share with a spicy onion relish; daughter ate hers with sugar.

I also called the dentist's office and updated them about the medical authorization, so they know that it will take at least another two weeks before I can get the doctor's sign-off.

In the afternoon, I took a nap on the sofa.

In the evening, daughter went out to see a movie and participate in another escape room adventure with a few of her friends.

And I made a batch of sausage rolls:

Sausage Rolls

The recipe is something I clipped from a magazine (probably the British Better Homes and Garden) sometime in the early 1970s, probably in 1972, but definitely before 1973, which is when I left Sri Lanka:


My Recipe Book
Of course, the recipe gives directions for making puff pastry from scratch, but I used frozen puff pastry squares, instead:

Frozen Puff Pastry Squares

And I used a package of sausage meat instead of the sausages called for in the recipe, and added a little prepared mustard for flavor; sometimes, I use some of my homemade tomato chutney instead:



Sausage Meat, Mustard, Beaten Egg

Since there were eight puff pastry squares, I just divided the sausage meat into eight pieces, dabbed some mustard onto each piece of sausage and rolled it up in the pastry square, sealing the edge with some of the beaten egg.  Then, cut each rolled up pastry in half, arranged them on a foil covered baking sheet (for easy clean up) and brushed each roll with the beaten egg wash:


Ready to go in the oven
I baked them for 20 minutes in a preheated oven at 400F (I checked them after 15 minutes, but baked them for 5 additional minutes to make sure the sausage meat was cooked through).

 
Straight out of the oven

I cooled them on a wire rack and had two for my dinner!  The rest are stored in a container in the fridge.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Good blood test results
- A new doctor who seems very thorough and caring
- Medical insurance
- New medicines
- Old recipes


Monday's To Do List:
- Put gas to the car - DONE
- Doctor's appointment - DONE
- Pharmacy - DONE
- Grocery store - DONE
- Take the trash cans to the curb - DONE
- Buy cat litter - NOT DONE (went to the pharmacy and grocery store, instead)

Tuesday's To Do List:
- Bring trash cans in
- Drive daughter to her focus group/workshop (and come back)
- Pick up daughter from her focus group/workshop (and come back)
- Fertilize the vegetable seedlings and water them
- Do some weeding

How was your Monday?  Do you have a favorite sausage rolls recipe?

22 comments:

  1. Those sausage rolls look good. We often put cranberries in ours, although I don't eat them anymore. I'm pleased your blood test results have come back OK and fingers crossed your medication will help with your blood pressure. X

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    1. Thanks, Jules. Cranberries in the sausage rolls sounds interesting. Would they be fresh cranberries or dried? Mixed in with the sausage, I presume? I've read that some people put onions and breadcrumbs, as well, but I just used the sausage meat as it was.

      I've gone back to checking the blood pressure daily and keeping a record to take back to the doctor. It was quite reasonable when I checked this morning, at home, so I am wondering if just going to the doctor's had anything to do with it being high.

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    2. Fresh cranberries Bless. X

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  2. Is your tooth still hurting? Two weeks seems like a big (but necessary) delay with tooth pain.

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    1. No, fortunately, the antibiotics took care of the toothache! I am hoping that it won't flare-up again, between now and when I can actually make a dental appointment. Otherwise, two weeks would have felt like an eternity!

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  3. Oh my, those sausage rolls look good. I have never used puff pastry, ever. I guess I always imagined that it was finicky to work with. You make it sound so easy. It would make up a lot of quick and yummy freezer meals.

    What a lovely long weekend visit with your daughter. And to have it "paid for" by her employer is such a nice bonus. Her boss sounds wonderful.

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    1. Susan, making the puff pastry from scratch takes a little time as one has to let it chill in between each roll-out. But, the frozen puff pastry is very easy to use. Just thaw it a bit and use it! One can roll it out a bit more, but I tend to use it as it is and it works well for me.

      Yes, it was very kind of daughter's supervisor to suggest she took Monday off and made a long weekend out of it! Rather than fly down Tuesday morning for the Tuesday evening workshop and fly back out on Wednesday. There are some very nice people in the world, aren't there?

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  4. SO sorry your b/p was up.. and you could not get your dental release signed. But, proud they caught it and was able to give you meds for it.
    The sausage rolls look fabulous.. Will have to try this one for sure. thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks, Judy. The b/p seems to have gone back down, this morning, after the new medication dosage, yesterday, so I don't know if the pressure went up because I was at the clinic? That happens, sometimes, too. I hope you'll try the sausage rolls, sometime. They are not too hard to make and taste quite good, I think.

      Hope you are feeling better now, Judy. Take care.

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  5. Sounds like a nice day. Hopefully the blood pressure will be better in 2 weeks and you can get the approval to go to the dentist.
    Those sausage rools look fabulous!

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    1. Thanks, Anne. The sausage rolls are a bit of an indulgence, calorie and fat-wise, but, a couple of them with a salad makes a nice meal, I think.

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  6. I feel tired just reading what you accomplish in a day. .........I also have a favourite Sausage roll recipe . I do like a good puttering around my kitchen !

    Enjoy the rest of your daughters visitmand please do let yourself rest 😴
    Siobhan!

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    1. LOL, Siobhan, and here I feel I don't accomplish enough, taking naps instead of going to buy kitty litter, and being on-line instead of weeding the garden or cleaning the house, etc.!

      I do enjoy cooking, but have to be in the mood for it. Other days, scrambling an egg is about all the cooking I feel like doing!

      I have taken today, too, off from work and am relaxing, I promise.

      Is your house remodeling completed yet?

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    2. Thank you for remembering! The builders have left, after recommending we have two of the roofs replaced, costing another £10,000. We are thinking about this. The rest of the work ( new ceilings and walls) are amazing and we are really pleased. Our cottage was built in 1834 and we think that this is the first time the ceilings have been replaced, so long overdue.

      On the plus side, having said to my manager that I am leaving, they have asked if I reduced my hours to 3 days would that persuade me to stay. It might. And spouse has fallen in love with the cottage again, wondering whether we should stay.
      A dilemma but a nice one to have, especially when I see/hear the dreadful news around the world, and remember that these are really first world problems.

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    3. It will be like having a new home once you are done with all the renovations! I'm glad to hear that you've got choices! To retire or work fewer days (obviously, you are a much appreciated and valuable employee!), to sell or stay! I agree, good dilemmas to have! :)

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  7. Always good when you like a new doctor. Will you see this same doctor when you go for a follow up visit in two weeks? Medical insurance coverage has really changed over the years and not all for the good. My coverage now requires a referral by the doctor that has to be approved by the insurance etc. etc. and expect a denial if you don't jump thru all the hoops!

    Very interesting about mung beans and how differently you and your daughter ate them. I'll be over fir a sausage roll.

    Have a good day.

    Sandy

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    1. Yes, insurance does require one to jump through the hoops, doesn't it? I have an HMO, so I need to see the in-network doctors, be referred to specialists by the primary care physician and have those referrals approved by insurance. If I wanted to be able to see any doctor of my choice, I had to choose the PPO type of coverage, but then, I would have had to pay more for the insurance premiums, co-pays, etc.

      Yes, I will be seeing this same doctor on my follow-up appointment in 2 weeks, but I'll probably see the physician assistant when I return for my already-scheduled July visit.

      I'll be expecting you for a sausage roll and a cup of tea, then. Milk, but no sugar in your tea, right? :)

      Hope you, too, have a good day, Sandy. Take care.

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  8. Hope the blood pressure behaves itself with the new medication. Good news about your blood tests though.

    It's years since I've had a homemade sausage roll. Mum used to make them all the time. Then like everything else it just became easier to buy them frozen and ready to pop in the oven. The ones you've made look delicious.

    It must be lovely for your DD to catch up with her friends when she's home. Did they manage to escape again :) xx

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    1. The blood pressure has been responding nicely to the new medication, thank you. I guess a slight adjustment in dosage was needed.

      It didn't take too long to make the sausage rolls because I used frozen puff pastry. I've two more packages of sausage meat, bought on clearance sale. I think I'll buy two more packets of puff pastry and make more rolls. My daughter enjoyed them and I sent what was left (not too many were left!) with her.

      She had a really fun time with her friends. Yes, they escaped again! It was an Egyptian mummy's tomb theme, this time, she said.

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  9. Homemade sausage rolls have recently become a "thing" in our family! I made some a couple of new year's eves ago, to use up some puff pastry that had been in the freezer for ages, and they were a big hit with sister. This Christmas when parents visited I made some more and found out that Mum had been talking about them all day, wondering if I would have made more. Luckily, I had! Knowing that, I made a batch for her birthday this year, and put a candle in the centre one!! :o)

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    1. Oh, I'm sure your Mum enjoyed her birthday sausage rolls! I haven't made any recently.

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