Liver, Lentils, and Vitameatavegamin!

There are many things about "moms" that make them special. They deliver us...care for us...nurse us when we're sick...prepare us for life! So when a "mom" becomes ill, and the roles reverse, it's startling, and difficult to accept. This is what happened when Mama Melisi visited Florida!

For most of her two week stay, everything was fine. But, two days before departure, she came down with severe chills, and a 103 fever.

I was advised to take her to the hospital, where they quickly ran a cat scan. She was diagnosed with "diverticulitis", or an infection in her colon. When the blood work came back, it showed that the infection was serious.

Mama Melisi struggled with that relentless fever - breaking and spiking. Many nights I would stand over her hospital bed snarling, "Out, Damn Fever, Out", until finally the demon retreated. During this time, she also became a human spout...I dare not say from where...causing a total of 20 pounds to be lost!

Along with hospitals, come countless characters, who you get to know very quickly. The Happy Black Vampiress loved to pay Mama Melisi a visit in the wee hours of the night. She sauntered in wearing ruby red lipstick and light blue garb...always a smile on her face as she drew bottles of red stuff that resembled Sutter Home splits!

Then there was the hospital roommate, Jolly Mrs. Claus! After all, it was December, so maybe her shoulder injury came from lifting too many heavy toys! One night, Mama Melisi was making her way to the bathroom. Mrs. Claus happened to be standing in her path, back side to her, wearing that ever too small hospital gown. My mom, being half asleep, thought she was staring at a walking/talking chicken pot pie!

Finally, there was the cafeteria lady who I saw religiously at every meal. We struck a conversation, and I told her about my mom. During the nights I was really worried, she reassured me that Mama Melisi would be ok. With her Creole accent, she closed each night by saying, "I will pway for her"...and I knew the nice stranger would!

I like to think that I helped Mama Melisi by being with her...except the night I sent her falling through the portable commode the first time I rigged it. Or the time I insisted she get a sleeping pill...which was more like a hallucinogen. In the middle of the night, my mother declared that she was "bombed", and by morning could recount hallucinating that she had gone to Thailand for Thai food!

After nine days, Mama Melisi was released from her medical carnival! However, she was too weak to travel back to Jersey. She came to my home, visited my doctor, and was declared anemic...lacking not only in iron and hemoglobin, but also in protein, Vitamin D, folic acid, even cholesterol! You name it, she was deficient in it! Hence...she was placed on a high iron diet.

Not liking red meat, her meals consisted of leafy green spinach, lentils with pastina, and...LIVER! Trying to be supportive, I ate whatever she ate...including the chicken liver! There we were, sitting at opposite ends of the kitchen table, each with sauteed liver in our plates. And then I turned into "Lucy", sampling "Vitameatavegamin" for the first time.

"Hello friends, I'm your Vitameatavegamin Girl. Are you tired, run down, listless? Do you poop out of parties? Now, you can spoon your way to health!" I scooped the chicken liver, held it up and said, "It's so tasty, too" I placed it in my mouth, shuddered in absolute horror, and with a forced smile said, "Just like candy!"

It worked! The next few weeks, her numbers were on the rise, and she was slowly gaining her strength. After a total of seven weeks in Florida, and lots of liver and lentils, Mama Melisi could go home!

I'll never forget her "medical episode"...tucking her in, giving her a spoon of honey for good measure, and kissing her goodnight. Moms aren't supposed to get sick. But if they do, we can only hope that we could do a little bit for them...in return for all they did for us!

This post...the last one of the year...comes late. But it comes as a dedication to all the moms who have been there for us. And it comes, more than ever, with love...From Mama Melisi and Me!

Here it is...her high, iron diet. We give you both recipes...lentil soup and, for those who are brave, chicken liver and caramelized onions. Again, we offer these to you with love!

From Mama Melisi and Me

Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1-8 oz bag of lentils
3 cups of water
1 can chicken broth (low fat low sodium)
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1 chopped onion
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Preparation:

In a 6 qt pot, combine all the ingredients
Simmer the soup with the lid tilted on the pot
Cooking time is approx 1 hour to 1 and 1/2 hours
Check the lentils after 1 hour (They should be soft to the bite)
If not, give more cooking time
Can always add a little extra oil at the end

* Lentil soup has a tendency to be thick. It can be thinned out with chicken broth or water to your liking.

** Also, pasta is usually added to this soup. You can cook small ditalini pasta separately and add as much as you wish to the soup.

Chicken Livers and Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:

1/2 lb chicken liver
1 large onion sliced
salt and pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
olive oil

Preparation:

Take a saute pan and drizzle olive oil over the bottom
Add the sliced onion, and saute until golden
Add the chicken liver, salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar
Cover and saute for about 10 minutes
Stir and continue to cook for 5 more minutes
Check to see if done (Add more time if needed)