The Daily Soak-- Chinese Herbs

I have so much time on my hands ( ha ha) and all I want to do is get back into the kitchen. But Dominant Hand is still out of commission. Drag...

Instead, I've become BFFs with the History Channel 2. It provides the perfect break from my culinary frustration, not to mention a perfect pairing for my daily tendon soaks. Instead of soaking and watching the Cooking Channel's Chefs-- David Rocco island-hopping in Sardinia, or Chuck, happily hoisting a giant iron skillet around his awesome Vancouver restaurant; I can learn about black holes and imagine that somewhere, in a parallel universe, I am cooking-- in my own awesome kitchen, on an island, on my own show...

Soon.

Until then I will watch science shows and relax with my hand-crafted tendon soak made by Mr. Rad-- Acupuncture Joe.

The Chinese herbal ingredients are new to me and really exciting, much like trying a new cuisine. Large pieces of bark and peel and branchy fibrous herbs are steeped in a gallon of water and used warm, as an anti-inflammatory soak or compress. Extraordinary stuff.

A steaming bath of AJ tendon soak and a portal to my alternate universe-- I'll be on my way!

Acupuncture-- Just What The Doctor Should Order

This business of healing is exhausting. My trip to the doctor revealed yet another possible diagnosis-- carpool tunnel, or whatever it is. Seriously, I haven't car-pooled in ages... Upsetting.

But I'll tell you one thing, it's been a long car ride. After seeing three of the nation's best hand specialists, all of whom had horrible bedside manners, I felt completely wasted. They hardly gave me a diagnosis, let alone new my first name. Being a patient at the prestigious UCLA hospital should make someone feel better, not worse.

By a huge contrast my acupuncturist, Joe, actually knows my full name and takes the time, and then some, to treat my car-pool problem. Imagine that, a practitioner who treats you like a person; a patient; and goes to great lengths to heal your body. And it's working. With every treatment the results are astounding, and with help from Dr. Joe I'll be back to the work-stove before Summer.

But until then I am still in the 'waiting room'. So I do what I do best-- crank up the oven and cook. A little digging in the fridge and I found some sweet, baby yams, shredded parmesan and farmers market walnuts-- the perfect feel better snack.

Roasted Baby Yams with Walnuts and Parm

Crank the oven to 400' and wash your yams clean. Rub them with grapeseed or olive oil and prick with a sharp knife. Season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for twenty minutes, until soft, and the natural sugar from the yam has caramelized and broke through the skin. And don't forget to roast a few walnut pieces in the same roasting pan for five minutes, until golden. Slice open the yams and dress with walnuts and a shards of parmesan.