Recipes

[VaBelle35]

@RespectLife  I've talked to friends who have parents in medicare facilities.  My friends have to do most of the work and you have to be there all the time to make sure things are done.

We are lucky that he has long term care insurance as part of his pension package.  We are in the final stages of getting a determination from them.  If it's approved, it should pay about 95% of the cost, depending on what the final cost is at the new assisted living place.  They haven't determined his care level yet.  I believe it runs for 3 years or 5 years, but I left the plan summary at my mother's.  It's a good plan.  

Once we get a determination, they will also tell us if any of the time he spent in a facility up to this point counts toward his 90 day waiting period.  I hope at least the Sunrise part is in there.  Then they cover going forward.

That will make my mother happy because the money is just pouring out right now.

[ChiliPepper]

[ChiliPepper]

 

Easy Gumbo 

YIELDS: 4
PREP TIME:  20 MINS
TOTAL TIME: 1 HOUR 20 MINS

INGREDIENTS:

4 tbsp. butter
1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 small yellow onion
1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
2 celery ribs, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. andouille sausage, sliced into 1/2" pieces
1 tbsp. cajun seasoning (without salt)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 (15-oz.) can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
4 c. low-sodium chicken broth
1 lb. medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
3 green onions, sliced
cooked white rice, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

In a large, deep skillet over medium-low heat, melt butter, then add flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until dark caramel colored, about 10 minutes.

Add onions, peppers, and celery, and stir until softened, about 5 minutes more.

Stir in garlic and sausage, then season with Cajun seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Stir in bay leaf, diced tomatoes, and chicken broth and bring to a boil.

Reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour.

In the last 10 minutes of cooking, add shrimp. Once shrimp is pink and cooked through, taste and adjust seasonings.

Stir in green onions, reserving some for
garnish.

Serve spooned on top of white rice.

Storage Guidelines:

Since there is seafood, we do not recommend refrigerating gumbo for more than 2 days. You can also freeze the gumbo for up to 6 months.

Note that the cooked rice can be stored separately in the fridge for up to 2 days, and frozen separately for up to 1 month.

Nutrition (per serving): 460 calories, 38 g protein, 21 g carbohydrates, 3 g fiber, 6 g sugar, 25 g fat, 12 g saturated fat, 1799 mg sodium

[tiny 2]

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@VaBelle35 wrote:

@RespectLife  I've talked to friends who have parents in medicare facilities.  My friends have to do most of the work and you have to be there all the time to make sure things are done.

We are lucky that he has long term care insurance as part of his pension package.  We are in the final stages of getting a determination from them.  If it's approved, it should pay about 95% of the cost, depending on what the final cost is at the new assisted living place.  They haven't determined his care level yet.  I believe it runs for 3 years or 5 years, but I left the plan summary at my mother's.  It's a good plan.  

Once we get a determination, they will also tell us if any of the time he spent in a facility up to this point counts toward his 90 day waiting period.  I hope at least the Sunrise part is in there.  Then they cover going forward.

That will make my mother happy because the money is just pouring out right now.

---

@VaBelle35, You have certainly done so much work to help your folks. I love the nightstands and all the special touches for your mom.

I have gone through this now a few times and have a couple of suggestions.  Once everything is in place and a structured routine is established, try to make surprise visits to the facility when they are not expecting you. They have a tendency to make everything look great when they know you have a scheduled visit. We had a real nightmare of a situation with my MIL that resulted in having to move her.

Keep an eye on the management. Sometimes when management(administrator) changes a great facility can become really terrible in terms of care and this can happen very quickly.

I wish the best for you all.

[VaBelle35]

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@RespectLife wrote:

Oh yes!!!

My IP is the easiest and best way to make hard cooked eggs.

Oh gosh, I could never get those buggers to peel after boiling no matter what trick/method I tried!

Put eggs in IP on the rack

Pour in 1 cup water
Set manual time for 5 mins only
Natural release for 5 mins, then release all the rest of the pressure
5 mins in ice bath

I make them all the time now

---

OR.....

LOL

[VaBelle35]

I'm catching up on old posts and can't resist responding to some.  LOL

[VaBelle35]

Thanks for the tips @tiny 2 It confirms my thoughts on those matters.

I asked all the people I met there when I went for my two long visits, how long they had been there.  And my mother always asks the aides that question.  But it's more nosey than anything else.  LOL

The executive director has been there 12 years and the PT people for 6 I think they said.  I never finished my conversation with the chef so I still have to find out how long he's been there.  I think the activities director is new to the facility but not new to the company.  I think they move around somewhat.  The sales person was moving to a Maryland facility and the day I was there was her last day there.  But she had been with the company for 10 years I think she said.

When I have gone to NY, one of the things I do is the sneak attack visit.  My brother has a set schedule just because he has to work, but I'm on vacation when I go, so we go at all crazy hours.  One day we were going to my nephew's house for a cook out, so I said to my mother we are going to go before and then we're going to go on the way home, just to change it up and see their reaction when they see us back for the second time on the same day.

[RespectLife]

Oh I hope it counts @VaBelle35 

My mom did have insurance, but that waiting period was hard!

I have never written such BIG    checks in my life!

[RespectLife]

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@VaBelle35 wrote:

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@RespectLife wrote:

Oh yes!!!

My IP is the easiest and best way to make hard cooked eggs.

Oh gosh, I could never get those buggers to peel after boiling no matter what trick/method I tried!

Put eggs in IP on the rack

Pour in 1 cup water
Set manual time for 5 mins only
Natural release for 5 mins, then release all the rest of the pressure
5 mins in ice bath

I make them all the time now

---

OR.....

LOL

---

I have never seen those @VaBelle35 

I gotta look!!!

[RespectLife]

@ChiliPepper 

You don't happen to have a pot of that gumbo cooking in your office, do ya?

I can be there before noon!

Thanks for posting the recipe!  I keep saying I am going to make gumbo.....