Thank you to so many who’ve written asking if I am okay. I am okay. It does seem like I fell off the Earth and there’s a bit of a reason.
My friends know I got the flu, then I got bronchitis and nearly got over that and got a cold and then another bout of bronchitis. I hadn’t had a cold in more than 5 years so it seemed like I was never going to breathe without coughing again. I finally felt well enough to get my hair cut. I was looking a bit like with wicked witch of the west (I DO have black hair peppered with a bit of gray) but I also *felt* witchy.
I love getting my hair done. I sat in the chair and the cutting began. Then she said those words you don’t ever want to hear.
“Did you know you have a nasty mole on the top of your head? You really need to get this checked out because it wasn’t there before an it’s more than tiny.”
Who can see the top of their head? Not me!
Panic set in as cancer is the one big fear I have. I can put up with spiders and even cockroaches but cancer – often just the word – increases my stress level. I went home and called my GP and thankfully, there was an appointment the following day. I love my GP. She doesn’t pull any punches and scolds me from the time I walk into her office but I know where I stand.
“Maureen, this looks nasty and it needs to come out urgently,” wasn’t great news. “I could take it out but the head bleeds like a stuck pig and I’d prefer you to see a dermatologist. It will be expensive but it’s important,” she said.
Sort of full-on panic. In ten minutes I had myself imagining a sink-hole size owie in my head and then chemotherapy and radiation and nobody would love me any more because I looked so funny. (Yes, my middle name can often be drama queen).
I took my referral papers and waited the long weekend to find out when I could get this thing taken off. Now my husband is the polar opposite of me where things like this are concerned. His motto is and always has been, “She’ll be right.” Everything will always come out just the way it should and there’s never anything to worry about. Complaining to him about a mole on my head was a complete waste of time.
“Why are you worrying, it might be nothing at all,” he said about a million times. He could have fed my fear with things like, “Have you written your will?” or “Where do you want to be buried?” No, everything would be fine and he wouldn’t hear any other scenario. What a waste of time when I needed him to join in my hysteria.
Monday morning finally arrived and by 9:30am the dermatologist’s office called and said Wednesday morning at 9:10am was the time but they doubted they’d have time to do the minor surgery. John’s family was arriving in a few minutes to see the olds and I had a lot to do to prepare for their arrival so thankfully, the time passed quickly.
The radiologist was wonderful. He checked me over for moles and asked where I grew up because other than my forearms and face, I had no sun damage at all. Thank you, state of Maine.
He then said the magic words, “This needs to come off and be analyzed, Maureen, can I do it now?” Yes! I didn’t care what it cost at that moment, those words were music to this old girl’s ears. The family would just have to wait for me for the big picnic.
Apparently the trick is to inject the anesthetic and then wait. and wait. That limits the amount of bleeding. Finally 2 hours after arriving, the slicing began.
I’m still wearing a bandage for a hat but the good news is, John was right. Nothing to worry about at all. It was a blue naevus mole and completely benign. Yes, I have had to listen to I told you so until I want to put my fist in his mouth. I have kept both my mouth and my fists quiet but it’s tough, man, it’s tough.
So I’m back to normal. I cooked Massaman lamb curry for the family that I learned about at The Golden Pig Thai curry paste class. I’ll post the curry paste recipe here and the curry next. Trust me, this looks like a lot of work and honestly, it probably is but my goodness, it’s SO worth it. This doesn’t taste anything like what you get in a jar.
- 5 whole cloves
- 1 tablespoon coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds
- 1 star anise
- 2 cm piece of cassia bark (can use cinnamon)
- 4 cardamom pods
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg (fresh is best but jarred is okay)
- ½ teaspoon ground mace
- 8-12 dried red chillies, deseeded and soaked in water until soft.
- 1 Tablespoon rice bran oil (or whatever you have)
- 4 golden shallots sliced thinly
- 6 cloves garlic sliced thinly
- 2 tablespoons galangal, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons lemongrass finely chopped (bash lemongrass with the pestle and remove the hard stem and outer leaves, then chop finely)
- 3 coriander roots (cilantro), washed, scraped and chopped
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- Remove the seeds from the chillies and soak in boiling water until soft. Then finely chop.
- Toast all the spices, one at a time in a fry pan until fragrant and then grind in a mortar and
- pestle.
- In a medium sized frying pan, fry the shallots in the oil until they start to take on some colour.
- Add the garlic, galangal, lemongrass and coriander roots and continue to cook until the garlic turns golden brown. Add a little water if things brown too quickly. You will need to stir it more or less continuously. It took me 10 minutes.
- Combine the chillies, spices, cooked mixture and salt in the mortar and pestle and pound to
- make a finely textured brownish red paste.
- Place in a container and use to make Massaman curry.
Sorry for such a long post.
This is so different to me. I have never made anything like this. I really need to experiment and branch out 🙂
Oh dear Im like you sometimes so I understand you.
Anyway Im so happy you are ok:)
And this platevlook absolutely delicious!
SO glad to hear u r ok now. Oh dear what a terrible time u have had. The paste looks good:)
Oh my goodness Maureen! I am so sorry you have been going through all of this and delighted to hear all the biopsy was negative. I hope your bronchitis is on the mend and sending you a virtual hug. I massaman curry that is just the thing your bronchitis needs is a bit of spice to open up those bronchis. Take care of yourself.
Damn deliicilous and pretty kickin spicy curry, superb!
Yowza! So glad to hear that you’ve survived the ordeal! A few more grey hairs have probably been earned…
Oh. I am so sorry you’ve been through so many stressful things lately. Good you are fine now, and back on track.
Oh, I am really sorry that you’ve been through so many stressful things lately. I am glad you are fine now and back on track.
I was just thinking about you this morning and wondered if I had missed new posts. I am so glad it turned out to be nothing – but you are not alone. Cancer is my biggest fear. My mother had breast cancer and that fear has followed me for more than 25 years. It’s not that I’m afraid of being disfigured, which I would probably be upset about, it’s getting cancer that scares me. Sooooo glad you’re on the mend!!! Have a great weekend.
This dish looks conforting, just the kind of meal you need when going through stressful situations! Really glad to hear the mole was nothing more than ugly 😉 xo
Hi Maureen, thanks goodness your all right, I have to admit I am also a nervous Nellie and my husband is always the calm stoic one, opposites attract. Anyway, what a perfect dish to celebrate good health and family!!
I just went through something similar, although mine is the opposite in that I grew up in Australia and have moved to Seattle. Luckily it was also benign… but 2 months later, it has begun to grow back, so I think I need to go and give the dermatologist some more money. Ugh. I’m glad that you’re feeling better!
Can I ask why you need to toast all the spices individually, rather than in one big batch? Is it that the amount of spices wouldn’t toast properly at one go, or more that the individual flavours wouldn’t be as strong if they were toasted simultaneously? Cheers, and keep well!
The simple answer is, I don’t know. I suspect it’s because each spice will take a different amount of time. Perhaps coriander takes less time than cumin or a star anise takes a bit longer. Just a guess though. It’s what I was taught at the Thai class by the expert. 🙂
I’m so glad you are ok! =)
Your meal looks delicious!
Im so glad you are OK! =)
Your dish looks delicious!
I’ve been wondering where you’ve been! Glad things are OK, but what a scare! And kudos for being so prompt to get that tended to — you really don’t want to take these too casually. At least IMO. Anyway, super curry paste — thanks.
Gosh Maureen, how traumatic, I’m so glad you are alright. Perfect dish to get over it with; Massaman has always been my favourite curry!
Krissie x – http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com.au
Thank God everything is all right. – what a scare!!
That curry paste sounds incredible and those photos are beautiful!
Phew! That sure would have scared me as well. I am really glad that you are ok, Maureen. And that big bandage is a war wound. Be sure to show it your hubby when he says I told you so 😉
Oh, what a horrible few weeks Maureen – as my father used to say ‘It never rains, but it pours!’ Pleased to hear that things are on the mend and that nasty mole was nothing more than a bad looking thing! This curry paste looks great and I have some lemongrass in the fridge which I could not resist at the vegie shop the other day – guess what we will be having for dinner tonight and it is so worth making your own curry pastes.
What a relief that the dermatologist was johnny on the spot about removing and testing the mole. And then … the great news.
It sounds like with the bronchitis, flu and cold you’ve been dealt some pretty miserable blows but hopefully, that will be it for a good long time.
Glad to see the newest recipe post. I’ve really enjoyed mussaman curry but I use Maesri curry paste and, let me tell you, just opening up a can is a breeze compared to toasting and grinding everything from scratch. It gives me more time to go on binges with my Peach Melba posts. Today, I added sugar syrup to my home made limoncello and, though it’s a bit cloudy … I hope that the taste makes up for its looks. And that it’s a good use of the last of my dad’s homemade moonshine.
Hi Maureen, pleased all is ok with you. You have had a lot of illness and stress recently maybe John needs to take you to a Pacific Island for a couple of weeks for total pampering. You mention soaking the chillies for the paste but there aint no chillies shown in the ingredients?
LOL I moved them around and forgot to paste them back in. 8-12 dried red chillies! deseeded and soaked in hot water til soft, then chopped finely before adding to the mortar and whacking the hell out of them with the pestle. 🙂
Thanks Maureen
Wow what a stressful journey you have been on! I am so glad to hear everything has turned out okay in the end. Though I did smile at your story as my fella is like you and would tail spin into panic whereas I am like your fella calm and collected and terribly logical about things and at times this really winds my fella up!!! I totally agree that homemade curry is far superior to the stuff in a jar and this sounds lovely.
WHEW!!!! I’m so glad it was benign…but also glad you got it checked out in a timely fashion. That darned sun and the damage it can cause is very scary! I’m glad you’re back to cooking up your usual deliciousness! xo
You’ve had a really rough trot Maureen, so glad to hear that the mole was nothing… hope your cough has gone too! It was so lovely to have lunch with you two the other day xo
I LOVED having lunch with you and Peter. The venue at Berardo’s on the Beach wasn’t too bad either! Can’t wait for you to visit again. (Cough’s not gone but better)
Oh dear! I am son glad the mole was benign. Your Thai dish looks wonderful!
I read each of your words while holding my breath until I read the good results of your dermatology procedure. Scary! I’m so glad that you’re OK and recovering. What a summer you’ve had Maureen! And you’ve returned with an awesome recipe. I love Massaman Curry so very much and am scared to prepare it as it is so foreign to me. I’m saving it for a day when I can take the time and do it right. I’m also going to the link about the Thai class that you took to learn more.
Thanks for returning to all of us and for prodding me gently along to try and learn something new in the kitchen!
Hugs,
Roz
Oh Maureen, I am so happy to hear the good news. The “C” word is the most dreaded word and it would send me into a panic if it was mentioned when I go to see the doc. The curry dish should clear up all that’s ailing you. Take care.
I am so sorry Maureen that I havent spoken to you in a while. You have gone through so much!. Forgive me for being such a bad friend. I knoew that you must be busy but I didnt expect such a dramaticly awful scenario. making Masaman from scatch is a bit of a mission but as you say it is incredibly unbelieveably delicious
Life is busy for everyone right now and I know I could have reached out and you’d have been there. 🙂 When I get scared I cocoon. xxoo
G’day and oh my goodness Maureen, what a stressful (understatement) ordeal!
I am very glad it had a positive outcome and having survived cancer twice, lots of positive thoughts and vibes talking to the body always helps the immune system!
Right now I think I could go for some of your Massaman Curry!
Cheers! Joanne
Boy, you have really been through the ringer! It is good to get these things handled promptly. One thing that I am very bad about! Take care and eat curry. This looks superb!
That was a little scary for you and I am happy it turned out well!
Oh my gosh, that must have been awful for you! But I am so relieved to hear it was benign!
You deserve a double dose of this delicious curry paste in your meal!
Take care my friend 😀
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Great to hear you are both well and at peace :). Well enough to make a fantastic and flavourful dish!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
O Maureen what a story!! I would have completely freaked out too… Tom has lots of moles on his body which need to be checked out and your story just convinced me I need to push him a little harder on going to the doc… Thanks for that.. It might also be nothing but they do need to be checked…!
No need to apologise for such a long post. It wasn’t even that long. I can’t believe the medical catastrophes so far this year, Maureen. I do hope this is the very last of them. What a scare. I’m so pleased it was benign and that all is well but not nice to go through I’m sure. Your curry looks so wonderful – and very comforting after the time you’ve had I’m sure. I do love to make my own curry paste and always use the Spirit House recipes xx
What a worry, Maureen. glad you got it all sorted so quickly and that it had a happy ending.
Wow, you have been through the mill this year, lady, and you still manage to keep your good humour and produce amazing food. I’m off to visit my sister in law in a few weeks s
– she loves curry so I’ll be bringing this recipe with me. I know she’ll have galangal in her house.
Oh Maureen!! I’m SO relieved that it was benign! I knew about the flu but I didn’t know about this. Such good news!!
Wow, that kind of thing makes you grateful for bronchitis. Sort of. Grateful to hear you are right as rain. Thanks for the masaman paste recipe … saved and ready for the curry recipe. 🙂
So sorry you had to go through all that BUT so thankful that you are alright! So thankful!!
This looks amazing, my whole family loves curry!
Interesting that you had to wait 2 hours! And now that I know that you’re ok, I can chuckle about the “head bleeds like a stuck pig” part. I wonder if stuck pigs really bleed bad???? Anyway, I had a little mole scare last year, I was like you, picturing the worst. I love massaman curry and always buy it. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m glad to hear you’re OK and relatively back to normal Maureen. This curry looks and sounds delicious; it’s still too warm to have a curry but I know later fall we will be craving it.
The curry looks amazing, but I am just really happy to know you are ok my friend!! I know how it feels to worry sick for something like this. <3
So glad to hear you are all OK Maureen and creating wonderful dishes again xx
So good to hear that you’re okay!!
What a rough trot you have had – but scares like that have to be seen to straight away. Doesn’t make for a pleasant long weekend though waiting for your appointment I bet.
I know I should make my own curry pastes – one day I will. I’ve just checked the ingredients again and I have everything so maybe I’ll wait til it cools down a little – I really don’t have any excuse now 🙂
not good to hear about your bad run of health maureen! hope you are feeling better. thanks for sharing this curry paste recipe, i’ve never made my own curry from scratch and i definitely am inspired to now!
So glad you’re ok and the mole was benign. Gosh, you’ve been through a lot. The colors in this recipe are beautiful.
The cough, the cold, the flu and bronchitis were bad enough, but then the ordeal with the mole! WOW! You’ve had your fair share of medical problems Maureen. I’ll be sending some good thoughts that it’s all over and life gets back to normal. Isn’t toasting seeds and spice just a wonderful olfactory thing to do? I’d make this curry paste just for the pleasure of toasting up all of those wonderful spices!
I know.. is there anything better that waving your hand over the slowly roasting spices and inhaling that wonderful aroma? I think not. 🙂
Thank goodness everything’s alright Maureen! I sure hope you beat the bug soon too, they do seem to be lingering longer than usual this year.
The curry is delicious sounding indeed. We always make our pastes from scratch, and it certainly makes a huge difference
WOW, you have had a miserable time! And scary too. I’m so happy your okay and getting back to normal as as I’m sure you are too. It’s crazy how everything seems to happen at once.
Love this curry, it looks and sounds AMAZING!
Oh Maureen, I am so glad the dermatology procedure was negative, I have had the same procedure twice now, both negative. You have had a tough time this summer hopefully everything is behind you. I love spicy curry and your dish look great! 🙂
I am glad you are back posting your recipes!
What great news that you had good results come back from the dermatologist. Despite everything that you have had going on these last months, you still manage to keep a sense of humor and a good attitude. I hope that the time in the kitchen continues to be relaxing for you. 🙂
what a superb curry! The Hungry Dad would adore this.
I know the feeling. I had to have an MRI and was behaving EXACTLY the same, my partner was behaving EXCATLY like yours and when it came back clear he said “So, the diagnosis is a hypochondriac?”. On another note – YUM. I love Massaman curry. Bec x
http://www.dancingthroughsunday.com.au
Oh yum!
Perfect weather for this.. its currently raining cats and dogs outside. I wouldnt mind a nice hot bowl of rice and curry!
Oh, my goodness! How scary this was! I’m so sorry I didn’t even realize until it was all over – I’ve been a bit out of the action myself lately (just busy, busy having summer adventures with the kiddos). Such a relief to here everything turned out well, though! So very glad for that! And hey – so glad to be drooling over this fabulous curry paste recipe! I can only imagine how gorgeously, insanely delicious this must be! Pinning ASAP! 😀
Oh, Maureen, I am so happy John was right! The waiting and not knowing are the worst part. I few years back I had a scare after a mammogram came back inconclusive (they had to repeat it twice, and then they sent me to have an ultrasound, with weeks in between and no one offering any words of comfort or explanation – in my case they were only cysts:)
We can dance a happy one together! XOXO
Btw, this curry looks amazing! I have a batch of red curry in my freezer, but I love all varieties:)
oh friend. So glad you are doing better and that you got your hair cut. We women know that is the really important thing right;) LOL! your welcome back dish could not be any more spot on. I love the use of the curry in such a natural way. it looks delicious
trying to leave a comment and it won’t let me? Just saying so glad you are better and this dish looks amazing! I said alot more in my last comment but now i can’t remember all I said so… LOL!
Ok, first of all, I am not getting notifications of new post from you, and this is making me mad. Second, MY middle name is Drama Queen, so that makes us virtual sisters. Third, I AM SOOOOO GLAD you are ok, I was nervous and hyperventilating a little, but part of me knew that with so many funny takes on the text, you HAD to be fine.
Phil would have the same reaction of your hubby. When I had an abnormal mammogram and had to go for a needle biopsy (fancy name for what is indeed a sophisticated form of torture), he tried his best to go the route of “you will be fine”. It was scary, though. Very scary to go through.
heck, I did not even pay attention to your curry paste. See what you did? 😉
Oh my goodness, Maureen – that was some scare! I am so so glad that John was right and it turned out to be nothing – the next time he says he told you so – give him a huge hug – cos the other option would so not have been fun – neither for him nor for your readers!
And speaking as a reader – this paste sounds fabulous! I’ve never made my own – always resorting to the glass jar versions in the store – I’ve never heard of cassia bark before either – now I got something to Google today…
Oh Maureen, I am so glad to hear that it’s nothing and it’s benign and that is a great news! Maybe you should go back and hug your hair stylist — just saying. 🙂
Oh my goodness, Maureen – that was some scare! I am so so glad that John was right and it turned out to be nothing – the next time he says he told you so – give him a huge hug – cos the other option would so not have been fun – neither for him nor for your readers!
And speaking as a reader – this paste sounds fabulous! I’ve never made my own – always resorting to the glass jar versions in the store – I’ve never heard of cassia bark before either – now I got something to Google today..
My goodness, I’m so sorry that you were so sick, Maureen! You must have been so tired of feeling sick. And I’m relieved to hear everything turned out well. Wow my emotions going from worrying to excited in this post! Massaman Curry is my favorite curry! Already saved the recipe and have to try making this at home!
Oh my gosh Maureen I’m so glad you’re alright! As you know I’ve been on vacation and didn’t get a chance to see this until just now but I am so relieved that it all ended well. Take care of yourself and rest up!
Wow I love the sauce of these curries, pour them on rice or a good naan
Oh my goodness!! You really have had a lot going on and I am so glad to hear that all is well! I love how your husband is so optimistic!
I am so very glad it all worked out so well. It’s nice that your friends look out for you like that. The curry looks and sound delicious but it’s still summer here (although the temperatures have fallen somewhat) so I’m not really in the mood for curry…yet.
Consequently mouth watering! That appears to be impressive.
I’m so glad it had such a good outcome for you! In our house, I’m like your husband (everything will work out the way it should, la la la la), and my husband (a retired ER doc) is all too aware of all of the possibilities, and panics. Your curry dish looks a great way to celebrate your good health 🙂
Yep. SO much better to be safe than sorry, and act accordingly. Well done on your braveness. x