Sylvia's Palomilla Steak

My neighbor, Sylvia, knocked on the door yesterday with four hot, crunchy but tender Pallomilla steaks wrapped in foil. They smelled and tasted delicious. I had the last one this morning as a sandwich on toasted bread with sliced tomato. I suspect the steaks were by way of payment for a ride to the grocery store earlier in the day. I will accept food from Sylvia any time.

Palomilla steaks are thinly sliced sirloin that can only be found at certain Cuban butcher shops. In Tampa, there are several of those. I don't have Sylvia's recipe, but I know it involves lime juice and garlic marinade, and a dredge in spicy bread crumbs. Breaded steak in any form is at the top of my favorite list.

I wish I would have taken pictures of my steaks which were beautiful but you will just have to use your imagination. Thanks, Sylvia! Here is a link to Pipos Cuban restaurant here in Tampa. They serve lots of authentic Cuban food including Palimillo steaks, breaded or unbreaded.

Waffle House Craving

Sometimes it hits me in the middle of the night. A craving for Waffle House hash browns -- scattered, smothered, covered, chunked, diced, peppered, capped and topped. That means shredded hash brown potatoes spread out on the grill with onions, cheese, diced ham, diced tomatoes, jalapeno peppers, mushrooms and topped with chili. I also love the waffles which have the taste and aroma of vanilla in a way I have never been able to duplicate at home.

On our first road trip to my husband's hometown in Michigan, I introduced him to Waffle House. He immediately loved it. Now we go occasionally to satisfy the craving. Incomparable! Click on the picture to see a larger image.

Keto Diet for Seizures

Out little girl, not quite 5 years old, has been diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis Complex. Here is a definition from the TSC Alliance website: Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder that causes tumors to form in many different organs, primarily in the brain, eyes, heart, kidney, skin and lungs.
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Mia has some benign growths in her brain that cause her to have seizures. The seizures are under control for the moment, but the future is very uncertain. We have discoverd that a ketogenic diet has been proven to be effective in controlling seizures so we are working hard to change our habits.

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I'm sure I will bake again someday. Actually I will be baking cupcakes today for my other granddaughter's birthday at the park, but a ketogenic diet is based on an extremely low carbohydrate, high fat diet (think Atkins with more fat and less protein). We are learning. Our first step is to eliminate processed sugar and grains from Mia's diet as much as possible and to up the fat content. Bacon and eggs and a piece of fruit for breakfast and tuna salad and tomato for lunch are examples from menus I have seen. Mia's mom has never liked vegetables, but we are trying. It is a hard diet to follow and needs medical oversight but it can have amazing success in controlling seizures that are hard to control in any other way. BTW, I am not an expert on any ot this. Still in shock, actually. So if I have said anything incorrectly, please excuse me.

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P.S. At least I can still cook my favorite beef stew with veggies and just leave the potatoes off of Mia's plate. I see turkey and gravy and green beans on her plate at Thanksgiving, but what else??? What do I do about her cousin's birthday party coming up with a menu of pizza and cup cakes?