Who would have thought that only three weeks after my mastectomy, I’d be up and about, doing all my usual things, almost as good as new? (Almost.) The human body is as amazing as it is disgusting.
I’m very grateful for this stretch of time after recovering from surgery and before chemo starts where things feel normal again. Where we can have a barbecue with our neighbors on the porch just like old times and the ribs taste just as sweet, if not sweeter, thanks to Neighbor Husband’s secret recipe and his way with a grill.
And I managed to fry up the hush puppies only five minutes late, and even though I broke the corn and cayenne mayonnaise twice, it did finally come together with a third yolk and a whisk.
And the coleslaw didn’t suck.
And the neighbors brought the best grilled beans on the planet.
And there was blueberry cobbler left over from the night before, so nobody had to worry about making dessert.
It felt good to be cooking again. Really good. Worthy of fireworks, even.
Best. Meal. Ever.
Posted by: Husband | July 06, 2009 at 10:30 PM
How can I follow that comment? :) Nice.
So glad for you Tammy, for everything, and of course to be cooking again. Looks like a great holiday.
Posted by: Melissa | July 06, 2009 at 11:51 PM
I know it sounds cliche, but sometimes good food and good friends really is the best medicine.
How do I get invited to next year's celebration? That cobbler has me drooling.
Posted by: Amy | July 07, 2009 at 07:24 AM
i want that hush puppy recipe! yummy yum yum yum
Posted by: sarah | July 07, 2009 at 08:18 AM
Oh that food looks fabulous! Especially the beans which I always have trouble with. They are usually either too hard or mush!
I'm so glad you had a nice 4th Tammy, you deserve it.
Posted by: giovanna | July 07, 2009 at 10:49 AM
It looks and sounds fantastic and probably tasted even better. Glad to hear you are feeling better.
Posted by: Suzanne | July 07, 2009 at 11:17 AM
This is a happy post. It sounds idyllic. I have nothing funny to say about it. I'm so very happy for you.
Posted by: NurseJen | July 07, 2009 at 07:59 PM
Adorable cobbler star!
Posted by: Mary | July 07, 2009 at 08:08 PM
That all looks awesome! SO I guess by secret recipe you mean, we wont be getting our grubby paws on it?
Posted by: Katie | July 07, 2009 at 10:34 PM
That's great! So happy to hear it.
Posted by: Kalyn | July 07, 2009 at 11:35 PM
I'm glad you're back to normalcy. It'll only be temporarily interrupted later. The food looks fantastic. Those ribs are almost enough to make me un-vegetarian but I still have delicious cole slaw...
Posted by: melch | July 08, 2009 at 12:30 AM
China is stupid about blogging sites (really, why can't I submit an application to the government swearing that all I want to do is read my food blogs?), so I haven't been able to follow your last few updates.
I'm glad to hear that surgery went well, and that your appetite is back. Yay for cooking!
Secret recipe... no chance of seeing it on the blog, is there? :)
Posted by: adele | July 08, 2009 at 10:44 AM
Hooray for normal!
And blueberry cobbler, yum. Didn't take you for a cutesy star-shaped biscuit girl. OK, I'm just jealous that I didn't have any cobbler on the fourth.
Posted by: andrea | July 08, 2009 at 01:58 PM
It's a bit like Thanksgiving rolled in with the 4th. A fab meal on so many levels.
Posted by: Annemarie | July 08, 2009 at 04:47 PM
Thanks guys. Andrea, that's as cutesy as it gets! Sarah, I'll get the hush puppy recipe up soon. As for the ribs, I think there's a rule that says I have to be able to duplicate a recipe before I can post about it, and so far, I can't keep my grill at that low of a temperature without letting the fire go out. Maybe next year?
Posted by: Tammy | July 11, 2009 at 03:21 PM
I love your blog and I've only lurked so far but I wanted to let you know that I just had a double mastectomy--I did chemo first and I really think the surgery was the harder of the two. The anti-nausea drugs they have are really good and it definitely wasn't the nightmare I anticipated. Best of luck.
Posted by: Betsy | July 12, 2009 at 04:33 AM
Hi Tammy,
I disappear for a few months (you know, renovating a house, planning a wedding and popping out a baby doesn't leave much time for blogging) and when I come back this was not quite what I expected! 'Stage 1' are good words though. Hope you are recovering well from the operation and the chemo won't be too hard on you. Don't know what you'll do after, but a friend of mine in NY opted for an inflatable boob after her treatment - I am already imagining the hilarious posts you would write about that...
Inne xoxo
Posted by: Inne | July 15, 2009 at 11:57 AM