Another Adventure at VA Hospital

Another Adventure at VA Hospital

For the last month I had a bad cough and now I had been having some bad chest pains for a few days so I went to the VA Hospital, which is always an adventure! After an hour's drive we arrived at 8:30 pm. We had never been there at night before and the parking lot was closed. It took us 5 minutes to find the night time parking garage and entrance. Upon entering the hospital we arrived at a set of elevators and had no idea where to go due to no signs. I picked up emergancy phone and got directions. We had to walk about a quarter of a mile through the hospital corridors to get to the emergancy room; this took another 10 minutes.

Then we checked in and we were seen by a triage nurse who asked me some questions then sent me for xrays. After that we were told to wait in the emergancy room lobby. We waited for 3 hours and were finally seen by the doctor. We were lucky, we were called before some of the other patients because I checked in with chest pains. Some people we talked to had already been waiting 6-7 hours to be seen!!!

I appreciate what the VA does for us but they need to improve their system! There were only 5 other people in the emergancy room when we got there, it should not have taken us 3 hours. Even though I checked in with chest pains I was not given an EKG. The doctor said the xrays were fine and told me that pain was due to blood pressure medicine I have been taken. It can cause a chronic cough and chest pains. She told me to stop taking that medicine and she would talk to my regular doctor on Monday to prescribe a new medicine for BP.

Your comments are welcome.

Great Chicken Recipe

Great Chicken Recipe

I didn't know what to blog about today so I figured I share a special recipe that I made last night for dinner. Actually, I never measure anything or use an actual recipe; I cook the way my Italian Grandmother taught me. When I would ask her how she made something she would always reply. "I add a pinch of this, a dash of that and a whole lot of love!"

Chicken Marinated in Greek or Italian Vinergerette Dressing

You can use any type of salad dressing you like. Just pour some dressing in a big bowl and soak chicken breasts or thighs in it, place in refrigerator covered for 2-4 hours and let it marinate. Before you put the chicken in poke some holes in each piece using a fork so the marinate will soak in.

After 2-4 hours place chicken in baking dish and pour the marinate over it so the bottom of dish has a little in it and make sure chicken is thouroughly covered with marinate. Sprinkle some spices on chicken, I always use parsely, basil, garlic salt, thyme and dill weed. Bake in oven at 350 degress 45-60 minutes. Make sure you turn chicken over at least once during the baking. It will come out nice and moist and simply delicious.

I usually make baked potatoes and a vegetable to go with this. Instead of butter on potatoes I pour a little of the marinate over the potatoes after they are baked. HHHHMMMM GOOD!

Let me know if you try this and how you liked it. Please leave a comment.