Suggest that you substitute the onions for shallots either fresh or freeze dried. French shallots are one of the true 'fancy' onion types. For low fat, use fat free yogurt.

Is it OK if I have mine with ridged, salty potato chips? It will be dinner for me. Health? What about it?

Jim

Health? Lucky you.. Spent 3 days on the hospital with BP above 200 over 100, also gained about 20 pound in 3 weeks, as my legs and feet swelled up. No salt for me. Must now go for a kidney biopsy, which I am not looking forward to.

It is always so nice when we find something that works as well or better than the store bought. The onion soup mix is so expensive.
Thanks for sharing this.

Ken, sorry to hear you have been ill. I know, this diabetes thing is the pits sometimes. Good luck to you with your kidneys.
I recently heard that diabetics have a 30% greater chance of having osteoarthritis than those who don't have diabetes... goodness, no wonder this is so hard on us !
I am doing well. Keeping my blood glucose levels down low. Only lost 4 lb. in a month, but it all helps. My BP has been about 125/76. So, doing pretty good there, too. Somedays it is even a little lower. Maked me feel better to know that.
Keep working away on things, Ken. We can't get better if we don't work hard at it.
You want to be able to can up the stuff from your garden.

If my doctor had her wishes, the garden would just die and rot away. Funny you should mention arthritis. I have been suffereing with that for over 2 years now and have to take narcotics to reduce pain. No NSAIDS, and no Advil (Ibuprofens).

Now, back to Onion Dip. Lactose intolerence is something that sour cream cant deal with, but interestingly the yogurt is much safer to use, and doesn't seem to react as badly. I'm growing some Fench shallots out back right now, and they are doing well, except where a digging varmint uprooted a few. Another easy dip is garlic and dill, using the same ingredients as above, but substitute the beef extract for a chicken flavor.

I'm sorry about your health troubles, Ken. Yours too, Linda Lou. Those of us who don't have to live with things like diabetes and lactose intolerance have much to be grateful for.

Jim

Thank you, Jim. I am doing well considering things.
I know keeping as active as possible is supposed to be good for all of us. I would think the garden would be good so you would get exercise, not to mention fresh, healthy foods to eat.
Ken, I take Mobic, but only in the lowest dose. I wish I could take more daily, but at least this is something. I am also allowed to take Tylenol, but no Motrin.

I would like to try growing leeks. We have never done that before. I think they are so good. I also like shallots.
Sorry the critters got to some of yours.

What is Mobic or? Tylenol is fine for me, but anything that affects kidneys is an issue.

This year, I was planning on some salad greens, but because the harvests require me to go down on my knees too much, I decided against it, in favor of broccoli and cukes, stringbeans, and a grape tomato type I loved last year. The tomatoes were the best and sweetest tasting of any I have ever tasted and were 1000% better tasting compared to the cherry types right next to them. I saved seeds from the grape tomatoes and had a 100% germination from the seeds. The plants are now more than a foot tall, just waiting to get outside.
Since before the hospital stay, I had small sore spot on my upper left thigh. Last night, I rubbed across it and felt something very hard. Looked at it in the mirror and saw a black spot there. Grabbed a tissue and pulled it off, and it moved! It was a tick, that had been on me for a few weeks and was really hanging onto my skin and hurting. It left a 1/2 diameter red welt there, thats sore too. I rubbed the area with alcohol and put on Bacitracin. I was also wondering about Lyme disease! Now I have to figure out what to use in the garden that can repel or kill ticks.

Ken, yuck, pulling a tick out is so creepy. They really hold on, even if they're just starting to bite into your skin. I also pulled a tick out of my upper thigh after spending time in the field for work. I think it had taken a ride up on my pants when I changed clothes after work.

Below is a link to my favorite onion dip recipe, from Alton Brown on Good Eats. Not as much preserved food in it (except garlic powder), but it's really delicious. The link is to the site's page for the episode, so you can either read the transcript or link to the recipe at foodnetwork.com.

Melissa

Here is a link that might be useful: Dip Madness on Good Eats

I can vouch for the Alton Brown version! Delicious!

But the one posted above sounds like a quick and easy version when you don't have time to carmelize onions!!!

Deanna

Some company came out with dried roasted garlic in small flakes. I tried it, but it seemed to have a chemical taste. I don't recall the brand, but I didn't use it again.

That tick was almost like yanking a kittens claws off your clothes.The red spot still is sore. MY concern is if it had layed eggs in me, but checking on the INet, they drop off and lay eggs, that hatch and look for more victims. Ticks can live many months without any food to eat. The last time I got one was in the curves of my ear. I felt it and pulled it off, and watched it squirm on the floor. Stepped on it several time with no effect. Grabbed a sharp knife and cut it in half. That did it in.

Ken, if that was a deer tick, as opposed to a dog tick, or if you are not sure which it was, you really should see a doctor and get a prescription for an antibiotic. Lyme disease is a serious matter in our part of the world and many people get infected. Doxycycline is what is normally given. I know because that's what I and my neighbor both were given after being bitten by deer ticks.

If you don't get the antibiotic, at least keep a close watch on the area around the bite. If redness develops in a bullseye pattern, you need treatment. But that's not a foolproof diagnosis. The pattern sometimes doesn't develop even when there is a Lyme infection.

Take care of yourself, Ken.

Jim

There is a bright red spot with no outer ring. The whole spot was about 1/2 inch, with the center being very dark. Its soreness has subsided. I do see my doctors in a few days. The tck was all black as far as I could tell. The deer ticks have orange color on the lower part of their body. Tough little critters though. Right now, with kidney, BP, potassium, heart, diabetes, and who knows what else, I sure don't need to mess up the works with more drugs. My doctor wants me to go on prednisone (UGH!) steroids. I hate that stuff, as it shuts off your immunne system.

My outdoorsy coworker said when he pulls a tick off himself, he saves it in a plastic bag for a few months in case he gets sick. I second getting tested for Lyme disease, as once it takes hold it's much harder to get rid of, and can have lasting effects.

Melissa

I couldnt save the bug, but do have many tests soon for unrelated kidney issues. I bet that tick would be still alive even months later inside a plastic bag!