He Wants PIE, Damn It!

My grandfather (91) had a stroke about 3 weeks ago and he is going
downhill pretty fast. It's hard to see such a strong and vital man
declining so rapidly :-( He has always been a HUGE inspiration in our
lives -- the one man who has ALWAYS been there for us, no matter what.
He took all his kids, grandkids and even great-grandkids all skiing and
camping right up into his 70s. He always bought American. He always
did the right thing. He and my grandmother were married for 69 years
until she died in 2002. Since then, he's had TWO girlfriends (and the
first one is still trying to get him back -- he's quite a catch :-).
He's had 3-4 hip operations and was recuperating from the last one when
he had the stroke. He insisted on using his walker whenever possible
because his motto has always been "Use it or LOSE it", and he's lived up
to that! Fortunately, we have a large extended family, so he has lots
of visitors and people to spell each other to help care for him.

The stroke has affected his swallowing, so he can only have thickened
liquids and mushy food in tiny spoonfuls, and he chokes some even on
that, resulting in pneumonia from food getting into his lungs. His
right side and his short term memory is affected, too.

My son and I visited him yesterday. We were trying to feed him a really
unappetizing dinner and it was quite a chore to get him to eat much. He
was hungry and WANTED food, but didn't like what he was getting.
Throughout the visit he kept asking for apple pie or if there was
anything better than what we were giving him. We DID manage to get him
some appleSAUCE, which he liked for a little while. He's diabetic, but
they were giving him mashed potatoes, strawberry-banana milkshake and
some kind of custard (not to mention insulin). It occurred to me this
morning that maybe I could make him some of Myra's low-carb cheesecake
(sans crust). He could have something pie-like, and it would be sugar
free and mushy and I would know what all the ingredients are (my son was
toying with the idea of getting a sugar-free piece of pie from a
restaurant, and I had warned him about sugar alcohols and their effect
on digestive systems). If Grandpa likes it, I could leave some at my
mom's place, which is only a couple of blocks from the hospital.

I hope this works out and he likes it. As my son said, it really sucks
when you're at a point in life where you're in your last days and you
should really be SAVORING whatever food you can get, only to have to be
limited to crappy hospital food, and pureed, at that.

--
Saffire
205/137/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

"Saffire" wrote in message
.. .
My grandfather (91) had a stroke about 3 weeks ago and he is going
downhill pretty fast. It's hard to see such a strong and vital man
declining so rapidly :-( He has always been a HUGE inspiration in our
lives -- the one man who has ALWAYS been there for us, no matter what.
He took all his kids, grandkids and even great-grandkids all skiing and
camping right up into his 70s. He always bought American. He always
did the right thing. He and my grandmother were married for 69 years
until she died in 2002. Since then, he's had TWO girlfriends (and the
first one is still trying to get him back -- he's quite a catch :-).
He's had 3-4 hip operations and was recuperating from the last one when
he had the stroke. He insisted on using his walker whenever possible
because his motto has always been "Use it or LOSE it", and he's lived up
to that! Fortunately, we have a large extended family, so he has lots
of visitors and people to spell each other to help care for him.

The stroke has affected his swallowing, so he can only have thickened
liquids and mushy food in tiny spoonfuls, and he chokes some even on
that, resulting in pneumonia from food getting into his lungs. His
right side and his short term memory is affected, too.

My son and I visited him yesterday. We were trying to feed him a really
unappetizing dinner and it was quite a chore to get him to eat much. He
was hungry and WANTED food, but didn't like what he was getting.
Throughout the visit he kept asking for apple pie or if there was
anything better than what we were giving him. We DID manage to get him
some appleSAUCE, which he liked for a little while. He's diabetic, but
they were giving him mashed potatoes, strawberry-banana milkshake and
some kind of custard (not to mention insulin). It occurred to me this
morning that maybe I could make him some of Myra's low-carb cheesecake
(sans crust). He could have something pie-like, and it would be sugar
free and mushy and I would know what all the ingredients are (my son was
toying with the idea of getting a sugar-free piece of pie from a
restaurant, and I had warned him about sugar alcohols and their effect
on digestive systems). If Grandpa likes it, I could leave some at my
mom's place, which is only a couple of blocks from the hospital.

I hope this works out and he likes it. As my son said, it really sucks
when you're at a point in life where you're in your last days and you
should really be SAVORING whatever food you can get, only to have to be
limited to crappy hospital food, and pureed, at that.

--
Saffire
205/137/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

That's a wonderful idea, Thaffy! I know that you will make it work for your
grandfather! He's quite a lucky guy!

Saffire wrote:

He's diabetic, but
they were giving him mashed potatoes, strawberry-banana milkshake and
some kind of custard (not to mention insulin). It occurred to me this
morning that maybe I could make him some of Myra's low-carb cheesecake
(sans crust).

One can make a very nice baked cup custard made of eggs, milk/cream,
vanilla, a dash of salt, and Splenda. I do it all the time.

2 eggs plus an extra yolk or two, beaten
2 cups milk and/or cream mixture
1/4 cup Splenda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Blend and pour into individual custard cups which are placed in an
ovenproof dish with a rack or dishtowel under them. Add hot water
around the custard cups and bake in a 300-325 F oven for 30 minutes or
more (until a cold knife comes out cleam). Cool and chill.

I have also made this with some unsweetened chocolate melted into the
milk/cream and almond extract. Also with unsweetened coconut. Both of
those tend to separate into layers a bit, but they taste purely yummy.
Your granddad might have trouble with the coconut, but if he likes
chocolate, he might go for the first variation.

Personally, instead of 1/4 cup Splenda I use a little real sugar and the
rest Splenda, but there's no reason why all Splenda wouldn't be fine.

It's not pie, dammit, but it's nice food. ;-)

Priscilla

Priscilla H. Ballou wrote:
:: Saffire wrote:
:::
::: He's diabetic, but
::: they were giving him mashed potatoes, strawberry-banana milkshake
::: and some kind of custard (not to mention insulin). It occurred to
::: me this morning that maybe I could make him some of Myra's low-carb
::: cheesecake (sans crust).
::
:: One can make a very nice baked cup custard made of eggs, milk/cream,
:: vanilla, a dash of salt, and Splenda. I do it all the time.
::
:: 2 eggs plus an extra yolk or two, beaten
:: 2 cups milk and/or cream mixture
:: 1/4 cup Splenda
:: 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
::
:: Blend and pour into individual custard cups which are placed in an
:: ovenproof dish with a rack or dishtowel under them. Add hot water
:: around the custard cups and bake in a 300-325 F oven for 30 minutes
:: or more (until a cold knife comes out cleam). Cool and chill.
::
:: I have also made this with some unsweetened chocolate melted into the
:: milk/cream and almond extract. Also with unsweetened coconut. Both
:: of those tend to separate into layers a bit, but they taste purely
:: yummy. Your granddad might have trouble with the coconut, but if he
:: likes chocolate, he might go for the first variation.
::
:: Personally, instead of 1/4 cup Splenda I use a little real sugar and
:: the rest Splenda, but there's no reason why all Splenda wouldn't be
:: fine.

Can this be made without custard cups? What if you just put it in a pan?

I bet Granddad will enjoy this.

Thaffy?? Oh you two are getting intimate now arent you? Your new
boyfriend has given you a cute petname Saffy?? LOL wink
Laureen
410/300/180

Jim Bard wrote:
"Saffire" wrote in message
.. .
My grandfather (91) had a stroke about 3 weeks ago and he is going
downhill pretty fast. It's hard to see such a strong and vital man
declining so rapidly :-( He has always been a HUGE inspiration in our
lives -- the one man who has ALWAYS been there for us, no matter what.
He took all his kids, grandkids and even great-grandkids all skiing and
camping right up into his 70s. He always bought American. He always
did the right thing. He and my grandmother were married for 69 years
until she died in 2002. Since then, he's had TWO girlfriends (and the
first one is still trying to get him back -- he's quite a catch :-).
He's had 3-4 hip operations and was recuperating from the last one when
he had the stroke. He insisted on using his walker whenever possible
because his motto has always been "Use it or LOSE it", and he's lived up
to that! Fortunately, we have a large extended family, so he has lots
of visitors and people to spell each other to help care for him.

The stroke has affected his swallowing, so he can only have thickened
liquids and mushy food in tiny spoonfuls, and he chokes some even on
that, resulting in pneumonia from food getting into his lungs. His
right side and his short term memory is affected, too.

My son and I visited him yesterday. We were trying to feed him a really
unappetizing dinner and it was quite a chore to get him to eat much. He
was hungry and WANTED food, but didn't like what he was getting.
Throughout the visit he kept asking for apple pie or if there was
anything better than what we were giving him. We DID manage to get him
some appleSAUCE, which he liked for a little while. He's diabetic, but
they were giving him mashed potatoes, strawberry-banana milkshake and
some kind of custard (not to mention insulin). It occurred to me this
morning that maybe I could make him some of Myra's low-carb cheesecake
(sans crust). He could have something pie-like, and it would be sugar
free and mushy and I would know what all the ingredients are (my son was
toying with the idea of getting a sugar-free piece of pie from a
restaurant, and I had warned him about sugar alcohols and their effect
on digestive systems). If Grandpa likes it, I could leave some at my
mom's place, which is only a couple of blocks from the hospital.

I hope this works out and he likes it. As my son said, it really sucks
when you're at a point in life where you're in your last days and you
should really be SAVORING whatever food you can get, only to have to be
limited to crappy hospital food, and pureed, at that.

--
Saffire
205/137/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

That's a wonderful idea, Thaffy! I know that you will make it work for your
grandfather! He's quite a lucky guy!

In article .com,
says...
Thaffy?? Oh you two are getting intimate now arent you? Your new
boyfriend has given you a cute petname Saffy?? LOL wink

Well, JIM has given me a cute petname ;-)

--
Saffire
205/137/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

In article , says...
Saffire wrote:

He's diabetic, but
they were giving him mashed potatoes, strawberry-banana milkshake and
some kind of custard (not to mention insulin). It occurred to me this
morning that maybe I could make him some of Myra's low-carb cheesecake
(sans crust).

One can make a very nice baked cup custard made of eggs, milk/cream,
vanilla, a dash of salt, and Splenda. I do it all the time.

Thanks for the recipe! The hospital is already giving him custard,
which he didn't seem to care for. I don't blame him -- I've never liked
custard, myself, for some reason. Don't know why, but I just can't
stand the stuff.

I'll try the cheesecake and, it also occurred to me, my chocolate bars.
They are only hard when they are frozen, but they get quite soft at room
temp and he's always LOVED chocolate. He's always had a sweet tooth,
but has been really been what I would call "fat". He's been overweight
over the last few years, but never hugely so. In any case, he's lost a
significant amount of weight in the last three weeks because it's so
hard for him to eat :-(

--
Saffire
205/137/125
Atkins since 6/14/03
Progress photo: http://photos.yahoo.com/saffire333

Quoting Roger Zoul:
Can this be made without custard cups? What if you just put it in a pan?

This is one of my favorite desserts. You can put berries on top, use
one of the flavored syrups or extracts as sub for the vanilla, etc.
The recipe I use is similar to Priscilla's.

I'd guess that it wouldn't set up in the middle properly and/or would
burn along the edges. Custard cups are easy enough to pick up,
though. Even grocery stores carry them.

Also, note the use of a water bath ("add hot water around the custard
cups"). I usually set my filled custard cups in a glass baking dish,
then add the water around them. As far as I know this is considered
an important step of making custard, but I'm not sure what happens
when you don't.

Quoting Saffi
In article .com,
says...
Thaffy?? Oh you two are getting intimate now arent you? Your new
boyfriend has given you a cute petname Saffy?? LOL wink

Well, JIM has given me a cute petname ;-)

Did you get your tooth fixed yet?

In article ,
Saffire wrote:

My grandfather (91) had a stroke about 3 weeks ago and he is going
downhill pretty fast. It's hard to see such a strong and vital man
declining so rapidly :-( He has always been a HUGE inspiration in our
lives -- the one man who has ALWAYS been there for us, no matter what.
He took all his kids, grandkids and even great-grandkids all skiing and
camping right up into his 70s. He always bought American. He always
did the right thing. He and my grandmother were married for 69 years
until she died in 2002. Since then, he's had TWO girlfriends (and the
first one is still trying to get him back -- he's quite a catch :-).
He's had 3-4 hip operations and was recuperating from the last one when
he had the stroke. He insisted on using his walker whenever possible
because his motto has always been "Use it or LOSE it", and he's lived up
to that! Fortunately, we have a large extended family, so he has lots
of visitors and people to spell each other to help care for him.

The stroke has affected his swallowing, so he can only have thickened
liquids and mushy food in tiny spoonfuls, and he chokes some even on
that, resulting in pneumonia from food getting into his lungs. His
right side and his short term memory is affected, too.

My son and I visited him yesterday. We were trying to feed him a really
unappetizing dinner and it was quite a chore to get him to eat much. He
was hungry and WANTED food, but didn't like what he was getting.
Throughout the visit he kept asking for apple pie or if there was
anything better than what we were giving him. We DID manage to get him
some appleSAUCE, which he liked for a little while. He's diabetic, but
they were giving him mashed potatoes, strawberry-banana milkshake and
some kind of custard (not to mention insulin). It occurred to me this
morning that maybe I could make him some of Myra's low-carb cheesecake
(sans crust). He could have something pie-like, and it would be sugar
free and mushy and I would know what all the ingredients are (my son was
toying with the idea of getting a sugar-free piece of pie from a
restaurant, and I had warned him about sugar alcohols and their effect
on digestive systems). If Grandpa likes it, I could leave some at my
mom's place, which is only a couple of blocks from the hospital.

I hope this works out and he likes it. As my son said, it really sucks
when you're at a point in life where you're in your last days and you
should really be SAVORING whatever food you can get, only to have to be
limited to crappy hospital food, and pureed, at that.

If he is dying, I'd give him any damn thing he wants that you could get
down him easily... sigh

I feel for you! I really do......

Blessings!
--
Om.

"My mother never saw the irony in calling me a son-of-a-bitch." -Jack Nicholson