Hello all,
I decided to make this blog post about my daughter, Rhiannon. Below I have posted a flyer please scan the QR code to enter the website for Rhiannon’s story and background on what happened to her. Her whole story has been posted online. Please visit the site!
Southern Banana Pudding Recipe just like my mother and grandmother use to make it.
Ingredients
3 – cups of Milk
1/4 – cup of All Purpose Flour
1/2 – cup of Sugar
3 – Eggs, separated
1 – teaspoon of Vanilla Extract
1 – box of Vanilla Wafers
4-6 – ripe Bananas, sliced
Meringue
1/8 – teaspoon of Cream of Tartar for the Meringue, if needed
1/4 – cup of Sugar for the Meringue, if needed
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Separate 3 eggs, set the whites aside for later use in the meringue.
Add 3 cups of milk to a medium saucepan. Place over LOW heat on your stovetop.
Slowly add flour, whisking continually to avoid lumps.
Slowly stir in 1/2 cup of sugar, whisking continually until fully dissolved.
Use a fork and break up the egg yolks.
Slowly add the egg yolks to the saucepan, whisking continually to avoid making scrambled eggs. It’s very important to stay with the cooking process at this point. Keep stirring.
Increase the heat gradually up to about medium as you constantly whisk the pudding mixture.
Using a candy thermometer, bring the mixture up to 170 degrees. Continue to stir it constantly as it thickens. When it reaches 170 degrees, remove from heat but continue to stir.
Add the teaspoon of Vanilla Extract and continue to stir off and on as it cools down. The mixture must cool down before you begin to assemble the banana pudding.
When fairly cool, spread a light layer of the pudding in a casserole dish.
Add a layer of Vanilla Wafers. Reserve about 5 or 6 wafers for topping later.
Add a layer of sliced bananas.
Add a layer of pudding mixture, spreading it out to the edges of the dish.
Repeat the layer process as needed, ending with a layer of the pudding mixture on top.
Crumble the 5 or 6 reserved wafers and sprinkle on top. If not adding the meringue, bake this at 350 degrees for about 10-15 minutes. Let cool and serve. Hopefully you’ll try the meringue.
Meringue:
Place the room temperature egg whites in a glass or metal mixing bowl.
Using a mixer or whisk, beat the egg whites until they appear frothy in texture.
Add about 1/8th teaspoon of Cream of Tartar.
Increase mixer speed and beat until the egg whites form soft peaks.
Add the sugar. Continue to whip, increasing speed as needed until the egg whites thicken and form firm peaks. Do not over work the egg whites as it will cause them to lose volume.
Use a spatula and gently spread the meringue over the pudding mixture.
Gently dab the spatula up and down in the meringue to form small swirls and peaks.
Place the dish in the preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Watch it carefully so the egg white meringue doesn’t burn. It just needs to be slightly toasted and browned.
Remove from oven, let cool, refrigerate until cold then serve.
Enjoy!
Link to recipe: http://www.tasteofsouthern.com/southern-banana-pudding-recipe/
I have found this YouTube channel that has been a big help for Rhiannon and I. The YouTube channel is called Living Able. She provides great tips and advice for how to live as a paraplegic.
The website Facing Disability is another resource that I visit frequently to help cope with our car accident disabling my daughter. This website is specifically for families facing spinal cord injuries. Visit the resource section of this website for valuable support services.
Facing Disability website also offers videos by family relationship and level of injury. These video of other parents telling their stories are very helpful to me as I travel through this journey with my daughter. The videos have each member of the families answering questions about how they cope with spinal cord injuries.
Link to the parent videos of paraplegic children: http://www.facingdisability.com/spinal-cord-injury-stories/find/parent/paraplegic
This article on Southern Living gives “101 Best Classic Comfort Food Classics” with plenty of great recipes. One on this list that I love to prepare for my family would have to be the Company Pot Roast with Creamy Mushroom Grits. I have posted the recipe below.
Ingredients
6 medium leeks
4 thick bacon slices $
1 (4- to 4 1/2-lb.) boneless chuck roast, trimmed
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons olive oil $
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 cup dry red wine $
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 pound carrots, cut into 4-inch sticks $
1 pound parsnips, cut into 4-inch sticks
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
Creamy Mushroom Grits
Garnish: fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs
Preparation
1. Remove and discard root ends and dark green tops of leeks. Cut a slit lengthwise, and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to remove grit and sand. Place leeks in a lightly greased 5- to 6-qt. slow cooker.
2. Cook bacon in a large skillet over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon, and drain on paper towels, reserving 3 Tbsp. hot drippings in skillet. Crumble bacon.
3. Sprinkle roast with pepper and salt. Add olive oil to hot drippings in skillet. Place roast in skillet, and cook over medium-high heat 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Transfer roast to slow cooker, reserving 1 Tbsp. drippings in skillet.
4. Add garlic to hot drippings, and sauté 30 seconds. Add brown sugar, stirring until sugar melts. Add wine and balsamic vinegar, and cook 2 minutes, stirring to loosen particles from bottom of skillet. Pour mixture over roast, and top with carrots and parsnips.
5. Cover and cook on LOW 8 to 10 hours or until meat shreds easily with a fork.
6. Transfer roast to a cutting board; cut into large chunks, removing any large pieces of fat. Transfer roast and vegetables to a platter, and keep warm.
7. Skim fat from juices in slow cooker, and transfer juices to a 2-qt. saucepan. Add broth, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir together cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. water in a small bowl until smooth; add to pan, stirring until blended. Boil 1 minute. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve gravy with roast and vegetables over Creamy Mushroom Grits. Top with crumbled bacon.
Direct Recipe: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/company-pot-roast-50400000131974/
The Better Health Channel has a very helpful article about spinal cord injury – paraplegia. Below is a summary of the article provide by the website:
Summary
Paraplegia and quadriplegia are conditions which result from damage to the spinal cord from an accident or other trauma. Support can help people with spinal cord injuries achieve many things. Health problems for people with spinal cord injuries may include urinary tract infections, kidney stones and pressure sores. Autonomic hyperreflexia or autonomic dysreflexia may also develop.
I find that the more research I do about the subject of paraplegia the more I am able to help my daughter, Rhiannon, more and more.
Link to the article: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Paraplegia_(spinal_cord_injury)?open
I am a southern woman and I love a good homemade recipe. My favorite recipe would have to be this one from Taste of Southern.
Homemade Southern Style Chicken and Dumplings
Ingredients
1 Whole Chicken, 4-5lb average
2 cups of Flour
4 teaspoons Chicken base or granules, for broth
½ teaspoon Black Pepper or to taste
Salt, to taste, if needed
Water
Instructions
Remove neck, gizzards and any other parts that might be inside the bird.
Rinse the bird, inside and outside, under cool running water.
Cut the chicken into pieces
Place cut chicken in a large stock pot, cover with about 6 inches of water.
Place on Medium-High heat and let come to a boil.
Boil chicken about 45-55 minutes or until done.
Remove chicken from water, place pieces in a pan to cool. Do not discard the water in the pot.
Turn the heat off under the pot while the chicken is cooling.
Allow chicken to cool enough to handle and remove chicken from bones.
Skim as much fat as possible that has surfaced in the stock pot. Discard the fat.
Remove ¾ cup of broth from the pot and set aside. You’ll need it to make the dough.
Place the bones back in the pot and add water to cover about 2 inches.
Let simmer on Medium-Low heat while you make the pastry dough.
In a medium bowl, add flour and one teaspoon of salt. Sift together.
Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the ¾ cup of the chicken broth.
Mix together until you have a slightly moist dough ball.
Generously flour your table, countertop or large cutting board.
Using a rolling pin, roll the dough out to about ¼ inch thick.
Use a pizza cutter or sharp knife and cut the dough into strips about 1 inch wide.
Cut each strip into sections about 2 inches long.
Let the dough pieces rest for about 30 minutes to dry out some.
Remove the chicken bones from the stock pot.
If needed, add enough water to equal about one gallon of liquid in the pot.
Add chicken base or granules as needed to create a good tasting broth.
Bring the chicken stock to a low boil and drop pieces of dough, one by one, into the stock.
Try not to drop dough pieces on top of each other and DO NOT STIR.
Add the shredded pieces of chicken to the pot.
Add Black Pepper to taste.
Test the pastry before adding any additional salt. Add salt if needed and stir gently.
Simmer for about 15 minutes until dough pieces are fully cooked and tender.
Serve warm and enjoy.
Link for the original recipe: http://www.tasteofsouthern.com/chicken-pastry-recipe-made-from-scratch/
Hello all,
I decided to make my first blog post about my daughter, Rhiannon, and the accident that changed our lives. One day Rhiannon, her two children, and I were on our way to a night out for dinner. I lost control of the car and Rhiannon was ejected from the vehicle. She was in a coma and was paralyzed from the neck down. As I watched my daughter lay in that hospital bed with all the tubes and wires coming from her body all I could do was blame myself. She has overcome so many obstacles, and Rhiannon is now a paraplegic. I still blame myself to this day. I can’t believe that I was so careless to let that happen to my only child. All of her life I have worked so hard to protect her and raise her the best I can. Now look what I have done. I now dedicate each day to helping my daughter and her children the best ways I know how. We try to keep life as normal as possible like it was prior to the accident. I have made this blog to help others in our situation.
Thank you for your love and kindness,
Ms. Minnie
Ms. Minnie's Blog 