hippiechick wrote: 
I posted two recipes below...looking for opinions/suggestions.

 kysmet wrote: 
What's your dilemma?

 Hey!  Anyone wanna help me with my recipe dilemma, damn it?!?!?

 hippiechick wrote: 
Of the bacon?

Pictures were taken. She has 'em and will doubtless post 'em at some point.

 Antigone wrote: 
s'okay.  I had my monthly allowance of BACON this morning.

 Antigone wrote: 
No picture???

 Antigone wrote: 

 oldslabsides wrote: 
E2E and I had bacon at lunch/breakfast yesterday ... she said we shouldn't tell you!  

 kysmet wrote: 

 oldslabsides wrote: 

 kysmet wrote: 
where's the beef?

 kysmet wrote:
I just found this recipe, which sounds like it may be a better option with wasabi added, which someone did who reviewed it.  It got 4 out of 4 forks via 71 reviews.  I think the wasabi would be a good touch with the sesame ginger salmon.

Cauliflower Purée

1/2 lb cauliflower florets, chopped (2 2/3 cups)

1 garlic clove, smashed

1/3 cup chicken broth (I would substitute veggie broth)

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons heavy cream

1 teaspoon unsalted butter

Simmer cauliflower, garlic, broth, and salt in a small saucepan, covered, until cauliflower is very tender, about 10 minutes. Purée mixture with cream and butter in a food processor until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), or mash with a potato masher or a fork.

I'm cooking dinner for a friend tomorrow night and am planning on making sesame ginger salmon.  Not sure this dish would go with it.  If not, and suggestions on what I could substitute for the horseradish.  Also, I have Italian breadcrumbs and club crackers on hand and would rather not have to buy saltines because I would never eat the rest of them.

Cauliflower Cheddar Gratin with Horseradish Crumbs

3 lb cauliflower (1 large head), cut into 1 1/2- to 2-inch florets

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups whole milk

6 oz sharp Cheddar, coarsely grated (2 cups)

1/2 cup finely chopped scallion greens

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

20 (2-inch) square saltine crackers

2 tablespoons drained bottled horseradish

Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter a 2-quart shallow baking dish.

Cook cauliflower in a 5- to 6-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain cauliflower well in a colander and transfer to baking dish.

While cauliflower cooks, melt 2 tablespoons butter in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat and whisk in flour. Cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a slow stream, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking frequently. Reduce heat and simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 8 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheese, scallion greens, salt, and pepper, whisking until cheese is melted. Pour cheese sauce over cauliflower and stir gently to combine.

Coarsely crumble crackers into a bowl. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a small saucepan, then remove from heat and stir in horseradish. Pour over crumbs and toss to coat.

Sprinkle crumb topping evenly over cauliflower.

Bake gratin until topping is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

 hippiechick wrote:
  Anytime...

 cc_rider wrote: 
Thanks!

 hippiechick wrote: 
Area of a circle is Pi times radius-squared, or Pi X R^2 or Pi X (D^2)/4

Which is 254.47 square feet.

Hello...I am a math idiot, could someone please tell me the square foot area of a circle 9' in radius?

Thanks a lot for your thoughts and input, Dave, Romeo, OTD, Meower and Edieraye!!

Isolated systolic hypertension is certainly what it looks like and I hope they find a cause for it. We'll certainly ask about a renal stenosis and the diabetes made my wife's ears perk up as there is a history of it in that side of the family. If they found a cause for the polyneuropathy as well, well, that would be Christmas. She is really very debilitated by it physically but still so very fit mentally. We are visiting her at the weekend so I will find out exactly what medication she is taking to suppress the convulsions. As far as my wife knows, the epilepsy has not been isolated.

I am anyway very suspicious of this medication. She had a bout of convulsions over 10 years ago but hasn't had one since, no doubt because of the medication, but wouldn't it be about time to start scaling back the medication? She has had it checked out by two different specialist clinics so I guess they know what they are doing but I can't help thinking the polyneuropathy is a side effect of her epileptic treatment.

Thanks again for your input. I am fully aware of the huge gulf between people like me doing uneducated internet research and the amassed knowledge and expertise of trained professionals, but it never hurts to know as much as you can, at least a bit!

 NoEnzLefttoSplit wrote: 
I'm no expert on the subject, bit I can relate an experience that may give her doctors somewhere to look.  Eight or nine years ago, My blood pressure soared to something like 235/150.  My GP started me on a BP medicine and suggested that finding the cause for the problem was like looking for a needle in a haystack. In most cases, the cause is never discovered, but in those where a cause is found, it's usually a stenosis (narrowing or constriction) in one of the renal arteries.  When a kidney is not receiving enough blood, it has a way of signaling the brain to "turn up the juice."  After several negative scans over a period of years by the local medicos (now I know why they have trouble finding the cause ), the vascular specialists at Stanford Medical Center found the stenosis in the right renal artery and placed a stent in it two or three of years ago.  My blood pressure returned to normal in just a few days, and I was able to quit the medication.

I'm thinking that the fainting may be related indirectly to the high blood pressure, but more directly to reduced blood supply through the carotid or vertebral arteries due to additional stenoses in those areas.  Yep, personal experience with that, also.

and for your mother in law.

 meower wrote: 

ditto