It's All Greek to Me

I am writing tonight tucked up in my new Sunbeam Electric Throw! I will be wearing this everywhere until spring. Now I just need to find an extension cord long enough. It is cold here with a capital C and we are not expected to make it out of the teens all week. I am trying to figure out of I need to leave the house before Friday night for Keely's skiing at the Double H Ranch.

We had a wonderful day today. We celebrated the 2nd birthday of a very special little boy at the Children's Museum at Saratoga.  It is such a great space. So many different activities for the children to do. Keely spent quite a bit of time in the Cafe. She loved cooking, taking orders, handing out checks. She was a regular Flo and just need a "kiss my grits". (I bet that just aged me! Ok 41, I am 41.) She also really liked the fire truck.  My nieces Joy and Elise loved it too!

My Mommy is in town for two weeks. I am very excited to be spending time with her.  That is another one of those silver linings about losing my job last year.  I get to see my mom all day when she is in town.

Dinner tonight was Chicken Gyro Burgers with Tzatziki sauce. I love Gyros! They are my fair food of choice.  In fact, it is what I get everyday I am at the fair. No matter how many days I go. I think the cold has me craving summer.  To me nothing says summer like a day at the fair. This is sort of an amalgam of all the Gyro and Tzatziki recipes I have tried over the years and now it is my own.

Chicken Gyro Burgers with Tzatziki sauce

1 package of Perdue Ground Chicken Patties  (4 4oz patties)
4 pita pockets
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp sweet paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp plus 1 tbsp garlic powder (or one clove finely chopped garlic)
2 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup finely diced cucumber
1 tomato
remaining cucumber sliced thin
olive oil

Spoon Greek yogurt into a bowl.  Add lemon juice, cucumber and 1 tbsp of garlic powder or fresh garlic if you prefer. Mix to combine and place in refrigerator to chill until ready to use.

In a small bowl combine cumin, paprika, oregano, Seasoned Salt and 1/2 tsp of garlic powder.  Generously apply seasoning mixture to both sides of chicken patties.  In a flat skillet heat olive oil (just enough to keep chicken patties from sticking. Cook patties over medium high heat 5 minutes per side (or until cooked through if you have chosen to make your own patties)

Remove chicken patties from heat.  Split pita to create pocket. Insert chicken patty, cucumber slices, diced tomato and tzatziki sauce.

Notes:

1. I cut my burger into thin strips and assembled my "burger" like a taco on top of the pita then folded the entire thing in half.  
2. You can also mix the spice blend with ground chicken and 1 egg to form your own patties.  If you make your own patties please note that cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your burger.  As a rule poultry needs to be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees.   
3. Finally, if you choose, brown ground chicken and spice blend as you would taco meat.  I like to do this and toast pita triangles to make Gyro Nachos. It is nice with a little feta cheese and black olives.  

To Ski Or Not To Ski

We got a call last night from the Double H Ranch, "Would Keely like to ski tomorrow?" It only took me one second to say YES!

If you had told me 9 years ago my daughter would be skiing I would have told you you were crazy, but here we are all these years later and she is starting her second season zipping down the slopes.

My daughter, or "the Beauty" as I like to call her, has cerebral palsy. She also is non-verbal, microcephalic, and has Reynaud's Phenomenon. She also has periodic seizures. We had a birth event when she was born. The hardest thing I ever had to do was walk out of the hospital without my baby. It was seven days before we could bring her home.  I did not let anyone hold her or put her down that entire first day home.

In her nine and a half years here she has taught me firstly, I can not plan every moment of my life.  Our lives are one large game of wait and see. She has taught me the joy of small things.  Most importantly, she has taught me that miracles DO happen.  According to the professionals and specialists we have seen, the Beauty should have never opened her eyes. I myself have never seen her brain MRI but I know my girl is truly an angel here on earth. She brings light and laughter to everyone she encounters.

Today she swims, bowls, and plays soccer.  She loves Angry Birds and Bad Piggies, uses an iPad with a speech app to give herself a voice...and she SKIS! The look of pure joy as she comes down the mountain is one that I wish I could bottle and sell, I would be a millionaire! 

We are very fortunate to live near Lake Luzerne, NY.  It is the home to the Double H Ranch, part of the Serious Fun Camps network founded by Paul Newman.  They have a summer program that Keely attended for the first time in 2012 and an adaptive winter sports program of which this is our second year participating. All of these services are offered at no cost to the parents of the attendees.

So today my Beauty skied, she will have at least 5 more sessions this winter.  Tomorrow...who knows? I guess we will just have to wait and see.