I’ve been all over the place lately. Something happened last week that threw my world upside down, literally. First, let me start by saying for 43 years, I was a very healthy person. Yes, I got colds and flus like everyone else, but on the whole, besides getting my tonsils out in grade 3, mono in grade 11, having children, and the occasional UTI, the only major health diagnosis in my life was finding out I have hypothyroidism and now I take a pill every day to correct that, no biggie!
Since I have been diagnosed with MS, three years ago, I have had more medical issues than I have ever had in my entire life, combined!
With that being said, here’s what happened last week… As I have previously said, we got a new bed! I have to say the actual mattress has done wonders for my hips which were totally stuck in my memory foam divot, but it is a few inches shorter than our previous bed. So, Ninja bought me risers to put under the bed to lift it up! Last Tuesday was a rainy day and Ninja was home from work so we decided to put the risers on the bed. I’m not exactly sure what happened, but we think that all of standing up and down must have done something to my ear because I experienced, vertigo.
Up until this point in my life Vertigo was just an ok song from U2. Yes I have had some dizzy spells lately, especially when I stand up, but this was different and what happened next was unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before. I felt like I was in Willy Wonka‘s Chocolate Factory in that tunnel that’s black-and-white and spinning, yeah. I couldn’t find balance. The whole world was upside down, including my stomach. I spent the rest of the day dry heaving, vomiting, and just plain nauseous as my head floated away into a spinning universe of blackness. It was awful.
I recorded a video, but I was too embarrassed to put it out there. I was vulnerable, in pain, and scared. The next day I was still feeling like this, so I posted my video. Within minutes, I had friends, people I barely know, family and friends I hadn’t spoken to in years reach out with advice, well wishes, and comforting stories of their own experiences with vertigo. It was amazing! Within a day I had links and YouTube videos showing us the Epley maneuver. At first, I just thought I was appeasing everybody by trying the maneuver, I didn’t feel like there was anything in my ear. Usually my left ear feels numb and like there’s water in it, this time it just felt normal so obviously there wasn’t water or crystals stuck anywhere in any tubes, duh lol I’m so stupid. The first time we did, the maneuver, it didn’t work, but then a very good friend suggested we do it quicker and… Instant relief! Instant! It felt like something trickled out of my ear, nothing did though, and then the world righted itself, and everything became balanced again. Thankfully right before the time change which threw me off balance again. UGH!!!! Lol.
Last week I had my biannual DMT. A 4-5 hour infusion that suppresses my immune system in hopes of stopping the MS from progressing. It leaves me fatigued and feeling like I have the flu, tired and achy. Throw my period on top of that and it was an interesting week lol.
All of this to say, thank you! Thank you to my community for not judging me, helping me, and for being there. As someone that has always been blessed with good health, these last few years have really shaken my confidence and left me pretty rattled but to hear other people have similar stories made me feel seen and like I’m not alone. And that means the world to me. Thank you.
We love pasta. We eat pasta usually once or twice a week but we always switch it up so we don’t get bored. That’s the great thing about pasta, change the sauce, change the protein, and you have infinite possibilities! These three pasta dishes all have one thing in common, they’re all comforting AF. Any of these dishes would make a great dinner for you and your family or for any guests you may have over during the holiday season!
This Braised Steak Ragu with Pasta was very similar to braised short ribs I have made in the past but we used steak instead. The meat was fall apart deliciousness but we all found the dish a bit sweet, due to the BBQ sauce and A1. To be honest we make a lot of that stuff ourselves so when we use bottled BBQ sauce or ketchup in a recipe, we all taste the sugar. My Kids have no idea just how good they have it lol.
We opened a bottle of bubbly and we couldn’t let it go to waste lol so we made this super easy and very tasty Pasta with Champagne Cream Sauce. This would make a great NY Eve dinner. It was a beautiful colour, tasted amazing and was crazy easy to prepare. Cheers!
From now on if anyone asks me what my dinner would be if I were on death row, I will say, Pasta Norcina aka creamy pasta with sausage. Oh. My. This dish is way too easy to be this freaking good! We used gemelli pasta, which is my new favourite pasta shape, it has the perfect consistency, the perfect chew and the sauce hugs its curves just like your favourite LBD. So good!
Braised Steak Ragu with Pasta
4
servings8-24
hours20
minutes3 1/2
hoursIngredients
2 thick steaks
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon dried parsley
¼ cup Al steak sauce
1 cup red wine, separated
4 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup BBQ sauce
1 cup beef stock
1 can diced herb tomatoes
salt and pepper, to taste
1 package pasta
Garnish: freshly-grated parmesan cheese
Directions
Add the steaks, garlic powder, salt, pepper, onion powder, smoked paprika, dried parsley, Al steak sauce, 1/2 cup red wine together in a large ziplock and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or overnight. Once ready to use, remove from the fridge and let sit at room temperature for 30-45 minutes.
In a Dutch oven, over medium-high heat, add the butter and let it melt. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant. Place both steaks flat on the surface of the skillet and allow the side to sear until slightly charred, about 4-5 minutes. Flip the steaks unto their opposite sides and sear for another 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a bowl, add together the BBQ sauce, 1/2 cup red wine, beef stock, and season with salt + black pepper, mixing everything together.
Add the steak, chopped carrots, diced tomatoes, and BBQ sauce to the Dutch oven, stirring everything together.
Add the Dutch oven to the preheated oven, cooking everything for 2/12 to 3 hours, stirring slightly every 30 minutes to ensure that meat isn't sticking to pot or burning. NOTE: If the sauce drys out too quickly, add an additional 1 cup of beef stock and stir to combine.
Cook pasta according to packaging.
Once the steaks have become extremely tender along with the veggies, remove everything from the oven, "shred" the meat apart using two forks until they resemble "pull-pork", serve atop cooked pasta and garnish with grated parmesan.
Pasta with Champagne Cream Sauce
4
servings5
minutes30
minutesIngredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup champagne or prosecco
28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated
1 package pasta, dried or fresh
Directions
Start a pot of water to boil for the pasta.
Add the olive oil to a large, deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute longer.
Stir in the tomato paste and then the flour, cooking for 1-2 minutes, then deglaze the pan with the champagne. Whisk to prevent any lumps from forming and let the champagne reduce for 1 minute. Pour in the crushed tomatoes and stir until smooth. Season the sauce with salt, oregano and red pepper flakes. Bring the sauce to a simmer and let cook for 15 minutes, uncovered, stirring often.
Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan cheese into the sauce and then let simmer over low heat while you cook the pasta.
Drain the pasta when done and add it right to the sauce, tossing gently to coat. Serve with fresh torn or sliced basil on top and grated parmesan cheese.
Pasta Norcina
4
servings10
minutes25
minutesIngredients
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
1¼ pounds cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
1¼ cups white wine
1â…“ cups heavy cream
1 package pasta
1 cup baby spinach
2-4 tablespoons butter, cubed
½ cup Parmesan cheese
Garnish: pinch nutmeg, grated and Parmesan cheese, grated
Directions
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown the sausage in oil, breaking it into bite-sized pieces. Once the sausage has browned, remove it from the pan and set it aside.
Reduce the heat to medium, add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the mushrooms, salt and pepper to the pan and scrape up any brown bits. Spread the mushrooms out and let the mushrooms cook until almost all liquid that they release has evaporated, stirring occasionally.
Pour the wine into the pan and scrape up any brown bits. Increase the heat to medium-high and simmer for about 5 to 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and add heavy cream and reserved sausage to the mushrooms. Cook until thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. Then, turn off the heat.
Cook pasta for 2 minutes less than the package directions. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water.
Turn the sauce back on to medium-low after the pasta has been cooking for about 5 minutes.
Transfer the cooked pasta and the baby spinach to the pan and toss well, allowing the pasta to finish cooking in the sauce and the spinach to wilt. Add pasta water for additional moisture, about ½ cup at a time if needed.
Remove the pan from the heat. Then gently stir in the butter, Parmesan cheese, a small pinch of nutmeg and a large pinch of freshly ground black pepper until well-combined. Sprinkle with a bit more grated cheese.
Check out How Was Your Week, Honey? Episode #444 Vertigo. This week, we get together to discuss: pod prep, dress shopping, anxiety, new bed, vertigo, threading, learner’s permit, SOW, Dad bands, and catching up on old shows.Â
Thank you to Sew Can Do and to Homemade on a Weekend for featuring my Fall Soup post and my Alchemy of Secrets review at their Hello November Craftastic Monday Link Party and What Did You Read This Month Link Party last week.
Infusion week! HBear had a big week planting trees, speaking at the Remembrance Day Service, working, she got her L (still has no interest in driving but at least the option is available now if/when she changes her mind), wood chopping for her Grad fundraiser, and she had her first eyebrow threading experience 😆.
8 thoughts on “Vertigo & Comforting Winter Pastas”
These recipes look delicious! I am so glad you were able to find help and get relief from that vertigo. That sounded awful.
Thank you so much! I am so grateful to my community for not judging but just helping. See you next week 🙂
Oh my word, that braised steak pasta is calling me by name, Delicious indeed
Thank you for linking to SSPS 386. See you again on Monday
It was a stunning (and tasty) dish, even with my abysmal photography skills lol. Thanks for stopping by 🙂
As a vegetarian, I was naturally drawn to the champagne cream sauce. That looks so good!
Glad the Epley maneuver helped you. A family member ended up in hospital a few weeks ago, but it was a painless infection that messed her up. Three days in hospital, but it took almost three weeks before she really felt better. Being dizzy and feeling sick is so scary!
It really is! Hopefully my story will help someone else that is overcome with vertigo because it truly is awful! We like to eat meat free at least once a week, the champagne pasta would be a great vegetarian dinner! Thanks for stopping by😊
Kristin, I’m glad to hear you found relief from those dizzy spells. I hope you’ve been feeling better. Your winter pastas look delicious! Thank you for being part of the Crazy Little Lovebirds link party. We really appreciate you! We hope you’ll join us again tomorrow. 🙂
Thank you! I have been feeling WAY better, thankfully! See you next week 🙂