So, back to achalasia. It started with simple things. I would have problems eating a sandwich at night before bed. I would choke on hot dogs. Things weren't difficult to get down but they had a bad habit of coming back up again. It wasn't constant but it was getting worse. Saw the doctor and had my throat scoped. It came back clean and I was advised to see a speech therapist. In my head I knew that that wasn't where I needed to go, that we hadn't found the cause and I got stubborn which leads to stupid. I didn't go back to the doctor until my next yearly check up. The only smart thing that I did was to get fed up with losing weight and throwing up so that I put myself on a liquid/pureed food diet. This trip to the doctor got a new test, the barium swallow which showed the achalasia as if it was from a text book. Now I wait for the next step. I will need specialist and possible surgery but at least I know what I am in for and I am already eating better than I have in a long time. I still crave all the foods that I have been able to eat in the past but at least I can eat something. So next a recipe that I found that is quite tasty and can be done as an side dish for people who aren't on a specialized diet.  

Crab Fondue
 2 cups milk
 2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 3/4 cups breadcrumbs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/4 teaspoon minced garlic
 1 tablespoon minced onion
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
6 1/2 ounces canned or fresh crab meat
5 large eggs, separated
1 cup shredded cheese, cheddar or gruyere

Heat milk. Add the next eight ingredients after pureeing them together. Beat egg yolks and stir into the mixture. Stir and cook over low heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Add cheese and mix well. Beat egg whites until they stand in soft, stiff peaks and fold into the mixture. Turn into a 1 1/2 quart casserole, having only the bottom buttered. Place in a pan of hot water. Bake in a preheated slow oven (325 degrees F.) for 1 1/2 hours or until the center is firm. Serve with a tomato sauce.

 From The Spice Cookbook Avanelle Day and Lillie Stuckey, David White Company, NY, 1964.