Tag: chicken

When life robs you of what you love to do and an unusual but delicious chicken enchilada recipe

by Pam Harris, "blind" writer

Oh, my, here I go with another Elvis theme, but I didn’t want to share my sketches or bad paintings, so here it is. I started this project in 2006 when my sister-in-law and I visited the quilt museum in Paducah, Kentucky. The quilts there were true works of art, and one of the winners was a Beatles quilt. She gave me the idea of making an Elvis quilt, so that’s how it began. As time went on, I got lazy and just bought some fabric withElvis to fill in the squares. I did not do the actual quilting–I just drew the patterns and pieced the quilt together and paid someone else to do the quilting.

It is not a work of art, but it was fun, and if you know anything about Elvis, you will recognize the symbolism in the squares. The gold records, the teddy bear, the Bible (the black book), and so on.

People who enjoy arts and crafts have a need to create. They see the world differently, and probably they are people who feel deeply and who contemplate life a little differently. They (we) get craft ideas from the most random places. Anything–even a blade of grass–can generate an idea.

Just as sports fans are the competitive types who thrive on watching game after game after game and never seem to tire of it, we artsy folks either stick with a particular creative outlet or jump on the trend bandwagons to try. new things.

Me, it all started with coloring and sketching at a very young age. I used to draw, color, and cut out my own paper dolls. I created my own comic books and magazines. Then, at the age of ten, I began to learn to sew, using Mom’s old treadle sewing machine. One of my favorite classes in high school was home ec, and the sewing continued as well as learning how to cook, another skill Mom taught me at a young age.

The college years brought cross-stitch and macramé into my life. I made things for myself and others, and Mom loved the purses and towel rods I gave her. A cake decorating class (thank you, Nancy, for telling me about that and doing that with me) taught me skills I still know today. The sketching continued and expanded to oil painting, acrylics, and even watercolors.

Vision loss has robbed me of the ability to sew, do cross-stitch, even sketch like I’d like to do. But I’ve discovered the round looms on which to make toboggans (caps), so I do that. I do abstract water colors, fit only for me to see because they’re not good, although my precious granddaughters seem to think my Nemo water colors are pretty cool. The innocence of childhood, right?

When I was teaching Spanish, I taught the students to made god’s eyes, using dowel rods and yarn, and it hit me yesterday that I could do that despite my vision issues, so I went on the Walmart website and ordered the 8-inch dowel rod pack. I don’t know what I’ll do with them when I finish them, but the process will be fun.

My point in all this? Sometimes life robs you of things you enjoy, and you have to search for ways to continue. We’ve all heard about Beethoven’s hearing loss and how he composed masterful pieces, but most of us are not a genius in what we do. But that doesn’t mean we can’t explore other ways to enjoy what we love.

Sure, I’d love to be able to sew again. I’d love to be able to sketch as I used to do. That was and is my first love. Sure, it makes me wistful and even teary at times. But I keep doing what I can while I can. If there’s anything vision loss has taught me, it is that you can never count on the future. All you can do is count on today.

But, hey, even totally blind people can read this blog? How? There are accessibility features on phones and computers that read things aloud to them. Even totally blind people can cook. Really! Just watch some videos sometime. And the recipe I’m about to share–well, even if you think you can’t cook, you can do this!

Chicken Enchiladas (from my husband’s aunt Martha)

5 to 6 chicken breasts

One 8 oz. block cream cheese, softened

One small onion, chopped

One can green chiles

6 or 7 soft flour tortillas, taco or fajita size

1/4 stick butter

16 oz. whipping cream

8 to 10 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Boil chicken until tender, probably 15 minutes. Drain and allow to cool.

Sauté onion in butter (I’m sure this could be optional, you could leave out the onion if you wanted) and add onion and green chiles to softened cream cheese. Mix well. I use a hand mixer for this step, but if the cream cheese is soft enough, you could use just a spoon. Shred chicken and add to mixture. Fill each tortilla with the mixture, fold, and place fold size down in a sprayed 9 x 13 glass dish. Pour whipping cream to cover well. Top with shredded cheese and bake in pre-heated oven at 350 for 30 minutes.

Some people don’t want to be independent…and a crockpot chicken and dressing recipe

by Pam Harris, "blind" writer

Sedona, Arizona. Nothing to do with my blog today, but maybe I can make a connection. We’ll see. I may figure it out while I’m writing.

As you know, one of my missions in life these days is to inform and educate people about vision loss. If I were to have a mission statement, it would read something like this: To educate the general public, caregivers, and those new to vision loss about ways to live as independently as possible and to provide encouragement and emotional support to those dealing with a new normal.

That’s why I wrote the book Learning to Live with Vision Loss. That’s why I share my story and spread the word about the aids, devices, and technology I use to do as many things as I can. And that is why my retina specialist sometimes contacts me about someone he’d like for me to talk to about these things.

The truth is, though, some people I’ve talked with don’t share my need for independence. Some are perfectly content with allowing others to do things for them. Some are intimidated by the technology. Some can’t afford the devices. And some are in the valley of depression and don’t want to accept what is happening to them.

I understand all of that. Well, sort of. Technology can be frustrating. Spending money on a device that will likely only last five or six years makes me pause and wonder if the expense is worth it. And I definitely get the valley of depression. After over five years, I still fall into it at times. But I climb out much more quickly than before.

But I do not want to be dependent on anyone else any more than I absolutely have to. I have to depend on others to drive me places, and oh, how I hate that. I hate it for many reasons. One is the limitation of not being able to go and do whenever I want to go and do. I miss running errands. Yes, I truly do. I hate not being able to go places to help others when I want.

“But you have a husband,” you say. “He can drive you where you want to go.”

Yes, he can. But he has his own interests and his own activities. He is not always around, and even if he were, I’m not the type to expect him to go whenever I want to go. His life is busier than mine, and I just cannot be that person who demands. He would do it, I know. But I’m too independent. I’m the kind of person who would never ask someone to go with me to an event I know they wouldn’t enjoy. Knowing they are not enjoying it would dampen my enjoyment, you know?

Back to the independence thing. I’m not talking about people being happy alone. That’s great if you can live like that. If I lived alone, I would still need social connections. I would need to go to church, to social activities, to see friends and family. No, what I mean about independence is doing things for myself instead of expecting others to do them.

That is what my book is about. If you have been diagnosed with the beginnings of glaucoma or AMD or RP or diabetic retinopathy, I encourage you to start learning now about what you may need to know in the future. Did you know that, on average, most people diagnosed with dry AMD are legally blind within ten years, according to my research? Remember, on average. Did you know that 1/3 of the patients seen by my retina specialist have diabetic retinopathy? Did you know glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness?

So what does this blog have to do with the photo I posted of Sedona. Well, it just hit me. I was there in 2013, but my son took this photo this week and sent it to me. Here’s the connection: If I ever go back, which I would love to do, I won’t be able to see the beauty of the area as I was able to do in 2013. But thanks to technology, I can see this photo on my large-screen iPad and enjoy its beauty once more.

Technology has changed our lives, not all of it for the better, but for those of us with vision loss, it is a game-changer. Please, if you’re relying on others to do everything for you, reconsider. Sure, they’re happy to help you. But their lives would be easier if they didn’t have to do as much. If you’re a caregiver for someone with vision loss, learn for them, research for them, encourage them to try new things. What will happen to them if something happens to you? They need to be able to fend for themselves, even if they are forced to go to an assisted living facility. Knowledge is power. Give it to them.

I know people who are completely blind (remember, most people labeled “blind” actually have some sight–only ten to 15 percent have no sight at all) who work full-time, live alone, travel alone, navigate large cities alone, and live very full lives. It took training and perseverance, but they overcame. A video you might appreciate on YouTube is Blind Architect 60 Minutes. It’s about 13 minutes long. Watch it. That guy is amazing.

And now for the crockpot chicken and dressing recipe that has absolutely nothing to do with this post except even people with vision loss can cook! Yes, completely blind people can cook. Research it (go to Hadley Helps or YouTube) to find out how. Hadley is a GREAT resource.

Crockpot chicken and dressing recipe

Four or five chicken breasts

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of celery soup

28 oz. chicken broth

four eggs, boiled and cut into chunks

1/2 onion, chopped

olive oil

canola oil (or more olive oil if preferred)

1 tablespoon sage seasoning

3 cups self-rising cornmeal, white or yellow (not Jiffy mix)

1/2 cup or more of milk

one raw egg

Instructions:

Make cornbread by preheating oven to 425 and pouring enough oil (canola or olive) in the bottom of a skillet. Place skillet in oven to heat while mixing with a spoon the corn meal, raw egg, and milk. Add milk if needed to create a mixture that can be stirred with a spoon while retaining thickness.

Remove skillet from oven, pour in cornbread mixture, and bake in oven for 20 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.

Place chicken breasts in casserole dish or baking pan and bake for 25 minutes at 350 or until internal temperature is 160.

Sauté chopped onion in just enough olive oil for about seven minutes.

Once cornbread is cooled, crumble into large crockpot. Chop the boiled eggs and add. Add cooked onions. Add cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, chicken broth, and sage. Stir well, cover, and cook on high for one hour.

Cut cooked chicken breasts into strips or chunks and add to crockpot mixture. Stir in, then set crockpot to low. Cook for two more hours.

This makes enough to feed at least a dozen. Great for potlucks and family get-togethers!