Panic Over

The panic being over for a while at least, I can write a bit more of my blog. We spent several hours in Emergency whilst Matt had a battery of tests for his 2 TIAs (miniature strokes) last night and then this morning just after we got up, he had another one. Technically he is supposed to go back to the hospital, but by the time he had thrown on some clothes, it had gone away again. Having spent all that time and done all those tests plus another battery of tests he went through over the last 6 weeks with a cardiologist, added to all the tests from last year, we are getting a little ticked off with the whole business as they seem totally unable to find anything wrong. It also seems a tad pointless to go into Emergency in a rush when by the time he gets there, the whole episode is over. In case you are wondering TIA means transient ischemic attack.

Whilst we were in Emergency last night, they had several very rowdy patients, one woman was shouting and swearing constantly, she will have a sore throat today I think. I assume she finally was "put to sleep" whatever was wrong with her. At one point we heard her boyfriend shout "she's my girl, leave her alone". Matt surmised they had been drinking (holiday weekend) and were both blitzed out of their minds.
Which reminds me, happy Canada Day to all Canadians far and wide, today is the holiday although officially Canada Day is July 1. We missed any fireworks outside our window last night, maybe we will see more tonight.

For a recipe, I came across this typically North American Salad so thought I would share it with you.

Corn, Arugula & Tomato Salad Source: © EatingWell Magazine 6 servings, 1 cup each

Fresh corn and tomatoes make an especially attractive and delicious summer salad. Sweet corn balances the peppery arugula and tart tomatoes.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar 3 tablespoons minced shallots 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt Freshly ground pepper to taste 6 cups loosely packed arugula (about 6 ounces) 2 cups corn kernels (about 4 ears) 1 1/2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved

RECIPE METHOD

Combine vinegar and shallots in a large bowl and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes.

Whisk oil into the vinegar mixture until blended. Season with salt and pepper. Add arugula and toss to coat. Arrange the arugula on serving plates. Add corn and tomatoes to the bowl, toss to coat with the dressing that remains, then spoon the mixture over the arugula and serve.

Have a great day.

Celtic Thunder

Dinner went well. The new chicken dish was delicious, I can thoroughly recommend it. They lent us a DVD and I lent them Celtic Thunder. If you haven't seen this group, we think they are fantastic. There are five of them four from Ireland and one from Scotland I think. They range from about 14 to 45 in age and are quite a sexy bunch of men with wonderful singing voices. That line about asking them questions won't work here, but there is a website you can visit to do so if you wish this is the biography page. We have seen their performance twice on WNED which is the Buffalo Public Broadcasting system, the second time I decided to buy the DVD. I have never really been a fan of Puppy Love until I saw young Damon sing it. Another singer in the group, Keith Harkin, writes and sings the most complicated songs which are very enjoyable. The other three are excellent performers with wonderful voices. If you get a chance to hear or see them, do take it.

I am sorry I won't be writing more today and no recipe. Matt has had 3 TIAs in the last 12 hours. Spent 4 hours in hospital last night and then he had another this morning. They still can't find anything wrong. A funny whilst in Emergency a girl came to take blood samples and on her uniform it said Blood Collection Team with a drop of blood, I said "What are you, a Vampire". Not the first time she had heard it of course.

Bill, Bears and Bullwhipple

So Bill Gates is, to all intents and purposes, retiring, he wants to concentrate on charitable work. With $58 billion I guess he doesn't have to worry too much about his pensions. I am not sure though why the primary target for his charity is outside his home in underdeveloped countries when there are so many deserving poor in the States. People tend to think of the US as a wealthy country, but when you get idiots spending billions on wars, it doesn't help those who are sleeping on the streets, or schools which have to close down due to lack of funds. Whilst looking for this picture I saw a heading "the man who made it cool to be a geek" which I thought quite funny, I should be such a geek. I remember the first Windows, I hated it, I much preferred DOS. Windows was full of silly doors and windows which you had to click on to get anywhere, I resisted using it for a long time. Yes, it does just show you how far I go back.

There were some interesting pictures of polar bears on Good Morning America today. There is a new video clip which you can find here in fact if you check on the right, there is more than one video clip about them. The man who was making the film said they are very playful and would try and play tag with him whilst he was filming them. It is such a shame that because of global warming we are losing this wonderful bear. In the clip they say there used to be 1,200 bears in the Churchill, Manitoba area, now it is in the 900s. In fact they said they feel like historians recording scenes our descendants will never be able to witness. I often feel sorry that I won't be around to see some of the things of the future, space travel and the like, but when I hear about the loss of such wonderful creatures, I am not so sorry after all.

I've said it before and no doubt I will say it again, I do not understand American politics. Now Obama and Hillary Clinton are running mates. Having spent months and millions battling one another, they have now come together "for the good of the party". Hah! I personally will just be glad when November comes and the election is over and done with, then we can have a bit of peace for a while until they start campaigning again, which, I assure you, doesn't take long. You might wonder, if you don't live here, why I complain so much, unfortunately a lot of our news comes from the States so we see all this campaigning all flaming year or however long it is. Why they can't hold an election like Canada or the UK and get it all over and done with in a few weeks, I'm damned if I know. Now we get pictures of them being all palsy walsy with big toothy grins on their faces. Grrrrr.

Last night I was exploring our son-in-law's website (see link to Mike's Wildlife Art on this page) and he has a lot of new pictures posted, including some painted in quite a different way from his normal paintings which are usually very detailed. It is interesting to read what he has to say as well as to see his latest "looser" paintings. We love Mike's artwork but we are somewhat biased I know. He makes, what to me are, very mundane birds, look like something really special. I know he spends hours at the weekends and on vacations observing birds, sketching them in situ and taking pictures. So do click on the link and at least have a look at "What's New".

As I mentioned, we have friends joining us for dinner tonight and as I have also told you, we are doing the Asparagus Phyllo Bundles, the Greek Chicken with Capers and Raisins in Feta Sauce I posted the other day, followed by Minted Chocolate Freeze. We will be serving a Pinot Grigio - I think the one from Malivoire which we visited a couple of months ago.

Minted Chocolate Freeze
	1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs 1/4 cup sugar or Splenda 1/3 cup margarine, melted 1 1 oz square unsweetened chocolate, melted 1 8 oz pkg Philadelphia cream cheese 3/4 cup brown sugar, packed or Brown Splenda 1/4 tsp peppermint extract 1 6 oz pkg semi-sweet chocolate pieces, melted 2 eggs, separated 1 cup heavy cream, whipped 1/2 cup chopped pecans Combine crumbs & sugar; stir in margarine & chocolate. Press onto bottom of 9" square pan; chill. Combine softened cream cheese, 1/2 cup sugar, & peppermint extract, mixing until well blended. Stir in chocolate & egg yolks. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually beat in remaining 1/4 cup sugar; fold in whipped cream & nuts. Freeze. Makes 8 to 10 servings. Servings: 8 Source: Recitopia UK

Have a great day.

Addendum

OK, I'm slow. I have just discovered that there is a web site, provided by Google/Blogger, which has all the pictures I have ever posted on my blog. There are over 800 of them. I am quite astounded. I am also thinking I don't need to keep them on my PC - I wonder if it's safe to remove them. Hmmmm. Mind you all the pictures on Blogger are muddled up, I don't think I can be bothered to sort them all out, not 800 odd. On my PC I have at least got them sorted into Blog and Food albums.

Carpet, Books and Asparagus

We now have a nice clean carpet, I must admit it came up a lot better than I imagined. They tried to sell me Scotchguarding (kind of mark proofing) as well, but as its not actually my carpet even though I live with it, I decided I didn't want to spend the money. They accidentally blew a fuse for the kitchen light and I could not, for the life of me, remember where we kept spare fuses. Matt was out shopping so I had to call him and ask - felt an idiot. No comments please. One of the guys also offered to help us move furniture if we ever wanted to get new carpet. Left me his phone number. Nice of him. One of the young men was in the kitchen getting water and saw my jar of pickled bell peppers. He asked me about them and was quite interested. Maybe I have a convert.

For a change, we have nothing special to do today which means by the end of it I will probably be climbing walls. This is one of the disadvantages of being retired. I love to read of course, but that doesn't hold me 24 hours a day unless it is an exceptional book - oh, just reminded myself I have an Elizabeth Moon inter-library loan to collect. It's The Legacy of Gird, a book about Paksenarrion (I think that's how its spelt). Checking the library pages I see one of my requests is still 24 of 48 holds. A very popular book. It is the latest by J.D. Robb in her Death series. Strangers in Death. Just discovered it is number 26, I had no idea I had read 25 of them. I enjoy them, especially the characters.

I am actually reading an ebook on my Palm Zire at the moment, it is called The Meq by Steve Cash. Its pretty interesting - the premise is about a race who stop aging at 12 but who live virtually forever barring accidents etc. I We shall see. Otherwise they have to keep moving because obviously people will notice if they stay 12 yrs old for ever. I am only a short distance into the story at the moment but there is some ceremony they can partake of which allows them to become adults and have children, but I gather (I don't know yet) that it then makes you mortal. The story begins in the late 1800's and I gather goes up to relatively modern times.

We need 16 asparagus spears for our Phyllo Bundles tomorrow night, so we might have to go to Barrie's Asparagus farm earlier than planned. Whenever we do go, it will be our last visit this year. I am weeping and wailing. I suppose even I couldn't eat asparagus every day for a year or so. I suppose I will just have to make do with strawberries for a while!! Then peaches I presume, maybe a nectarine or two. Its a hard life.

This recipe from the Ontario Asparagus Growers' Marketing Board sounds very much like a Quiche by any other name. Mind you, I like quiche and I like asparagus, so where could I go wrong.

Mediterranean Asparagus Tart

1	frozen 9-inch (23 cm) deep-dish pie shell
3	eggs, well beaten
1 lb (500 g)	Ontario asparagus
1/2 cup (125 mL)	crumbled feta cheese
1 cup (250 mL)	canned 2% evaporated milk
3 tbsp (50 mL)	chopped fresh Ontario dill
1/2 tsp (2 mL)	grated lemon rind
1/4 tsp (1 mL)	salt

Line pie shell with double layer of foil; bake in 450º F (230º C) oven for 8 minutes. Remove foil and brush with some of the beatn eggs; bake 5 to 7 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Break tough ends from asparagus; steam or cook stalk in large skillet of boiling water for 2 minutes or just until tender-crisp. Rinse under cold running water; drain and pat dry with towel. Cut off 3-inch (8 cm) tips; slice remaining stalks into 1/4-inch (6 mm) pieces and spring 1 cup (250 mL) into baked crust. Sprinkle cheese on top. Arrange asparagus tips pointing outward in spoke-like fashion in shell. Whisk together egg, milk, dill, lemon rind, salt and peper; pour over asparagus. Bake in 375º F (190º C) oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until puffy and set. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Yield: Serves 6

Recipe Courtesy of Foodland Ontario

Have a great day.

Waterfalls

This morning New York City turned on four waterfalls built alongside the river. If you go to the GMA website you can see the pictures. However, these pictures appear to have been taken before this morning, we saw the film on TV and they are really just a bunch of scaffolding with water pouring down. Very uninteresting to look at, not a bit beautiful which is what they are meant to be. Surely they could have done something with the scaffolding to make it look prettier somehow. In this picture you don't really see the scaffolding, but one certainly saw it on TV. The water is pumped up from the river and they have a dam in front so that fish can't get caught up in the pumped water.

Another story on GMA today was about an illegal migrant worker who used to pick tomatoes as a young Mexican and is, today, one of the top brain surgeons at John's Hopkins an eminent hospital in the States. There is a programme about it tonight I gather. That is quite a change in status for him, achieved over some 20 years I gather. If you would like to read the article it is here and maybe the programme on TV will be worth watching tonight.

Right now, I am waiting for carpet cleaners to come. Our living/dining room is showing all kinds of marks we didn't make. It isn't our carpet of course and in some respects I resent having to have it cleaned, I would actually like to get new carpet, but I don't think that is very likely. Even if the landlords agreed to it, we would have to move all the furniture ourselves and that is next to impossible. We need some strong young men to do it for us. Ru, do you want to come to Canada? We have four grandsons who could help, but they are in the UK as well. Even if we could move everything, where the heck do you put it all. We have moved a lot now, but still have a sofa, two armchairs, a dining table and the TV console and stereo set with all our CDs, and we have quite a few of those let me tell you. It nearly killed me moving what we did move.

We went to a local store on our way home yesterday and bought some sausages, they have the best. The store is predominantly European and they have some great food in there, including stuffed pickled bell peppers. They are stuffed with sauerkraut and absolutely delicious. Where Matt used to work years ago, there was a cook who gave him a case of these pickles because we loved them so much, but she would never give us the recipe. Funnily enough I was looking for a picture of these (I took my own in the end) and found a couple of recipes for these pickles, however, these days I don't think I would bother, just buy them, they are very good.

Yet another recipe from the Ontario Asparagus Growers' Marketing Board, they do have some good ones. I would like to think some of you are trying these out. They are really worth it. By minced sushi ginger, I am assuming they mean the thinly sliced pickled ginger always served with sushi. Delicious stuff, I often buy it anyway.

Ginger Asparagus Salad

1 lb	Ontario asparagus, trimmed
1/3 cup	unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tbsp	granulated sugar
3 cloves	garlic, minced
3 tbsp	minced sushi ginger
2 tbsp	sesame oil
2 tbsp	canola oil
1 tbsp	soy sauce
3 tbsp	finely chopped fresh coriander
2 oz	mesclun salad mix
1	small head radicchio, separated
1 tbsp	sesame seeds, toasted

Steam or simmer asparagus until tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes. Place in colander and refresh under cold running water; drain well and pat dry with paper towels. (Asparagus may be cooked several hours in advance.) Arrange in shallow dish large enough to hold it in single layer. In small bowl, whisk together vinegar and sugar until sugar dissolves. Add garlic and ginger; combine well. Slowly whisk in sesame and canola oils and soy sauce; whisk in coriander. (Dressing may be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 3 days.) Pour over the asparagus and turn gently to coat well. Line serving platter with mesclun; arrange radicchio leaves round edge. Pile asparagus over top. Drizzle with any dressing left in dish. Sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve within 30 minutes or asparagus will discolour.

Yield: Serves 4

Have a great day.

Cooking Day, More Asparagus

I got both my pesto and my tomato soup made. As I just replied to someone in comments for yesterday, the recipe didn't make a lot of pesto, so I may make some more when the basil plants have recovered from yesterday's depredations. I took two cups of leaves off for the pesto, plus another dozen or so for the tomato soup, so they are somewhat denuded at the moment. I also made a shrimp gumbo for supper and have some gumbo sauce in the freezer too. Can't add the shrimp until we are ready to eat it otherwise it will become quite nasty and rubbery. I really needed to use the okra we bought as I had forgotten to put it in a Green Bag and it was beginning to look a little tired. Except for gumbo we don't eat okra very much although a friend in the States cooked us some once and it was delicious. The starch can make it quite slimy if you don't cook it properly. The first time I ever ate it was in the Mediterranean, South of France I think, we enjoyed it in a sort of tomato stew and I remember my mother cooked some shortly after. You can also use filé to thicken gumbo which is powdered sassafras leaves. I only ever tried it once and it didn't seem very successful. I peel the shrimp as Matt is allergic to shrimp if he gets "stuck" by a leg or a feeler or something, very convenient, he is not allergic to eating them mind you.

These days for soups, I tend to use Campbell's chicken stocks. At one time I always used to make my own, boiling up chickens and then defatting the stock in the fridge and using the chicken meat for curries or something, but now Campbell's have come out with their packets of stock, I don't bother as they are, let's face it, very convenient. In the States I used to have two fridges which made it much easier to put things like a huge pot stock in one whilst it chilled and still have room for all one's usual fridge items in the other. These packets can be stored in a corner of any old cupboard until you are ready to use them. They contain 2 cups of stock - unless you buy the smaller size which I think is probably 1 cup - and I usually keep a couple in the kitchen.

We also had strawberries and cream for supper last night; after the gumbo, which is served over rice, made us feel very full. Delicious though. Not doing my dieting much good so I should knock it off. Well the cream anyway.

Anyway, time we had another asparagus recipe from the Ontario Asparagus Grower's Marketing Board. Only a few more days and the season will be over for another year. This one is done in a parcel, if you have never tried cooking this way, it is very good and keeps the oven nice and clean as well as all the juices in the parcel. The picture is not of the recipe but shows a piece of salmon cooked in a parcel.

Asparagus Dinner Parcels

1 lb and a bit	white fish fillets(sole, orange roughy, haddock)
4 tsp	lemon juice
16	medium Ontario asparagus spears, trimmed to 6 inches
1	medium tomato, seeded and chopped
2	green onions sliced
2 tbsp	chopped fresh dill, cilantro or tarragon (or 2 tsp. dried dill weed or tarragon)
	salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400ºF (200ºC). Cut four 12 x 13-inch rectangles of parchment paper (foil may be substituted if cooking in a conventional oven). Fold in half lengthwise and crease. Open each one. Arrange fish fillets on one side of each rectangle. Drizzle evenly with lemon juice. Place four asparagus spears on top of each fillet. Sprinkle tomato, onion and herbs evenly over asparagus. Season with salt and pepper. Fold other half of paper over. Seal completely by making a double 1/2 inch fold on all cut edges. Place parcels on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven about 10 minutes or until fish flakes and asparagus is tender-crisp. (If using parchment paper you can microwave on full power 9 to 10 minutes. Allow to stand 5 minutes). Serve on individual plates.

Yield: Serves 4

NOTE: Recipe Courtesy of Foodland Ontario

Have a great day.

Busy Day

Today I plan to make my Basil Pesto and Tomato Soup which will mostly end up in the freezer. Our Basil plants are looking healthy enough to attack now, I need two cups of leaves for the Pesto. I shall also be making a shrimp gumbo for supper, so I will be doing a lot of cooking. I might make some asparagus soup for the freezer too, depending on how the time goes.

We went to Barrie's Asparagus farm yesterday and he tells me they are planning to open an additional business selling jars of homemade asparagus soup. This year they are getting a catering company to do it for them, but the plans are to have an additional building in which to make it themselves and then to market it at the same time as selling the fresh asparagus. I haven't tried Tim Barrie's mom's soup yet, but I plan to do so, Tim assures me it is very good. If you are interested in the recipe, it is on Tim's blog 1st Canadian Solar Farm, the link is on this page. It is apparently so good that they had some available but which wasn't labelled or priced and it sold before they could do that. Maybe I should have got a bigger bag of asparagus.

Having finished The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon which I found an excellent book although I was a little disappointed at the end, Elizabeth Moon assured me she was too, I have now started Havenstar by Glenda Noramly, that is Glenda Larke by another name. Glenda's blog is also linked on this page. The book is apparently out of print, but a very kind friend sent it to me from the UK and I am already enjoying it. Its a fascinating world and I can see why so many people are encouraging her to write more stories set in the same world.

I am enjoying reading the blogs of a number of authors and talking to them about their worlds and their works. It fascinates me that they really are not sure where their characters are going, the characters apparently tend to take on a life of their own. I am learning why I never managed to become an author myself.

This weekend we are having friends over for dinner again, so we have found a chicken recipe we think we will do. In case you wonder, we will be doing the Asparagus Phyllo Bundles to start, well, its the last weekend of the availability of Barrie's Asparagus after all!!

Greek Chicken with Capers and Raisins in Feta Sauce

4 four ounce Skinless boneless chicken breasts 2 tbs All purpose flour 1 tsp dried oregano 1 tbs olive oil 1 cup Thinly sliced onions 3 garlic cloves minced 1 1/2 Cups Chicken broth, bouillon 1/3 cup golden raisins 2 tbs lemon juice 2 tbs capers 1 oz feta cheese (crumbled) 4 thin lemon slices 1 Flatten chicken breasts. Combine flour and oregano and dredge chicken pieces in it 2 Heat oil in a nonstick pan. Med. high heat. Add chicken, cook 5 mins each side, remove from pan and keep warm. 3 Add onion and garlic to pan, sauté 2 mins. Sitr in broth, raisins and lemon juice. Cook 3 mins scraping pan to loosen browned bits. 4 Return chicken to pan. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 10 mins or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and keep warm. 5 Add capers and cheese to pan, stirring with a whisk. Top each chicken breast with 1/4 C sauce and 1 lemon slice. Servings: 4 Recipe Source Cooking Light July/Aug 1999

Have a great day.

PCs, Dutch Dinner Party, NC Fish Story.

Grr, just had trouble booting up. I haven't turned my PC off overnight in months although I reboot it every day, because it was giving me problems. Thought I would try it out last night and went to bed leaving it off. Big mistake, took me forever to get it to boot up this morning. I don't really understand why. It gives me a "no signal" message all the time. Then eventually it gets tired and gives in to me.

Saturday night we went to friends for dinner and had a great evening. Being Dutch she promised we would have a Dutch meal. Our main dish was liver which is not normally one of my favourites, but this was delicious. It didn't taste too "livery" at all if you know what I mean. We had a delicious Belgian Endive casserole which is also a Dutch recipe; I have asked for copies of both. The dessert was a little like carrot cake but wasn't, it was good, too good maybe. We had taken a bottle of Apricot Bols as that is a Dutch liqueur and we sat around the table til midnight discussing everything and anything. We have arranged to have a party on September 13th to celebrate the birthday's of three of us, mine in particular as I hit the big 70. You should worry ru!

I thought of another Carolina fish story this weekend. Matt and a friend went out fishing on the Carolina Princess which is a large boat which takes dozens of fishermen on board. If you are lucky and hit them when they aren't too, too busy, it can be quite fun. Anyway, when the two guys returned they had a stack of fish including some Trigger Fish which was a new one to us. Matt helped the friend with skinning and filleting and they had a heck of a job with the trigger fish and really worked hard at it. Matt was no weakling and he really had to fight to skin these things. We learned later that in fact to skin Trigger Fish you start from the other end. Also that the skin is so tough you can lay it directly on the barbecue coals to cook your fish. However, we didn't know this at the time and because it was such hard work, Matt decided to throw our Trigger Fish away and so he buried them in the back yard. Later, the friend and his wife got us to cook the fish for the four of us and it was absolutely delicious. White, firm wonderfully flavoured fish. I have never forgiven Matt for throwing ours away. Even though he went out on the Carolina Princess again he never caught any more.

We have to go get some more asparagus today and then there will only be one more trip I am thinking, a week tomorrow is Canada Day which is the day they close. Do you hear my tears. In the meantime, having spoken about liver, and not having the recipe for the dish we ate this weekend, I leave you with a Portuguese liver recipe which I like very much. Even if you don't like liver, I can highly recommend it, you can't taste the liverishness (new word) at all.

Iscas
Marinated Liver with Red-Wine Sauce
Foods of the World by Time Life
Serves 4

1/4 pint dry red wine (UK pint or about 5 fl. oz)
1 1/2 tbs red wine vinegar
1 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 bay leaf, crumbled
1/2 tsp salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. calf's or beef liver, cut into 1/8 in. thick slices
2 1/2 tbs olive oil
3 rashers bacon, coarsely chopped
2 tbs finely chopped parsley

Put the wine, vinegar, garlic, bay leaf, salt and a few grindings of pepper into a glass, enamelled or stainless steel bowl. Add the liver, turning the slices about with a spoon until they are evenly coated. Marinate at room temperature for about 2 hours.

Heat the olive oil over a moderate heat in a large, heavy frying pan until a light haze forms above it. Add the bacon and cook, stirring frequently, until golden brown and crisp. Drain on a double thickness of kitchen paper. Remove the liver slices from the marinade and pat them dry with paper towel. Reserve the marinade. Heat the remaining bacon fat in the pan until it splutters. Add the liver and cook the slices about 2 mins on each side, regulating the heat so they brown quickly and evenly without burning. Remove the liver to a heated dish. Quickly pour the reserved marinade into the pan and boil it uncovered over a high heat until it has reduced to about half, meanwhile scraping in any browned bits clinging to the bottom and sides of the pan. Taste for seasoning. Scatter the bacon pieces over the liver, pour the sauce over it and sprinkle with parsley. Serve at once.

Have a great day.

North Carolina and its Seafood

Talking of gatherings we had in North Carolina, there was one occasion when for some reason everyone brought clams - one person went out and raked up some in the Sound, another person bought some and someone else gave us some. We ended up with something like 1,200 clams that weekend. The group of us ate them every which way, in chowders, raw, steamed, fried and so on. From that weekend on, Matt has never eaten another clam. It even put him off oysters which he used to love. I still ate clams all kinds of ways, except raw, it never put me off. A friend used to do clam bakes in a special steamer and the guys would go off shore at her place and rake up enough clams for supper.

Another time, we had what the locals would describe as a 'mess of blues', in other words a lot of bluefish caught in local waters. Matt cut them in strips, rolled them in seasoned flour and deep fried them. They were delicious. I'm not sure Matt ever got any though, everyone was eating them as fast as he could cook them. Another time when we had been out on the boat and gone to one of the islands where there were some guys fishing and catching bluefish as fast as they could throw their bait in the water. They gave us a cooler full of the fish which was really nice of them. For some reason, although Matt and a friend stood right next to them, they didn't catch any fish at all and these guys were still pulling them out as fast as they could. We took them home and kidded another friend that we had caught them. Matt actually told her hubby the truth, but to the day she died, she never knew we hadn't caught them ourselves. She was a fishing fool herself. Our boat was called Wake's Own (our last name being Wake) which was a play on words as everywhere you would see posts saying No Wake Zone. A boat joke.

As you can see, our lot of our fun came from eating parties of one kind or another, of course there was usually plenty of liquid refreshment of one kind or another. After the clam party, Matt was in the yard cleaning up the next morning, in those days everyone smoked, and there were usually cigarette buts and maybe a few cans, plastic glasses and bottles to clear up. He then went in and took a shower got dressed and went outside again. He kept smelling a nasty odour and finally realised it was his shorts from where the clam juices had run onto them through the picnic table the night before. They could almost walk on their own. We didn't have a washer and dryer in our mobile home so a friend used to do it for us. There was great laughter about those shorts I can tell you.

We had lots of wonderful friends in North Carolina, and lots of good memories of being with them.

The following is a recipe for clam chowder which is very similar to the one I used to make, of course I used fresh clams, not canned. The best chowder I ever ate was made by an Indian friend of a friend of ours, it was wonderful, it included some spiciness too, but I never did get the recipe unfortunately. There is also a Manhattan Clam Chowder which involves tomatoes, but the one mostly made in NC was the New England Clam Chowder.

Clam Chowder

Food Network.

• 1 x can baby clams
• 1 x small potato
• 1/2 small onion
• 2 tbsp chopped celery
• 1 x clove garlic
• 2 tsp butter
• 300ml 2% milk
• 200ml 35% cream
  

1. Peel and cube potato in small pieces.
2. Fine dice onions.
3. In a pot saute onions ,celery, garlic and potato With a little butter. Add cream and milk.
4. Open can of baby clams and reserve liquid.
5. Boil soup till potatoes are almost tender add clam juice.
6. Once potatoes are tender add clams and season remove from heat and serve.

Strawberries and North Carolina

When we got to the store yesterday, they were selling local strawberries - they looked pretty good so I bought some. We ate them for supper last night. They needed sweetening, I added Splenda to mine and we opened a pot of Double Devon Cream. It is not quite as good as the clotted cream served in the south west of England, but it is a good substitute. We both thoroughly enjoyed our dessert making thorough pigs of ourselves. Delicious. To counter the cream I just ate plain broiled chicken for supper. Not too many points at all. What did I have as a vegetable? Asparagus of course!! I haven't yet turned green, but I might well before the end of the season.

I have often mentioned North Carolina in my blog, a place we have a soft spot for. We first 'discovered' NC in the 70s when we drove south with our travel trailer (caravan in England) and visited Plymouth, Mass and Maryland and then headed further south. We used to have a big book which listed all the camp sites and their facilities, big as a telephone directory for a city. We found a campsite which sounded good and was near the coast, called Pender Park. It was located between Jacksonville, NC and Morehead City, NC and our camp site was right next to the pool so we thought we were well situated. I was irritated that we had been travelling that day, it was my birthday. I must confess when we had our first quick look at Morehead City my reaction was "what a dump". But I wasn't at my best that day for health reasons too. Within a day or two we were very taken with the area and a friend we made on the campsite (he lived in a mobile home there) told us all kinds of places to go for swimming, fishing, eating and so on.

Actually, it was quite funny the way we met Al, he came down in his car and parked by us. Said "how's the pool?", we said "great" he went and had a swim then came back and said "it's freezing", Matt replied "have a beer" and that was the beginning of a long friendship. We spent a few days there and then headed back north again stopping at various campsites on the way. This was in September and we were staggered to find that once the kids have gone back to school people start closing things down. We went on one campsite in Virginia which would have been gorgeous, but they hadn't cleaned the toilet/shower facilities and they had closed the pool because it was the end of the summer. The fact that the temps were in the high 80s had nothing to do with it. The scenery is pretty impressive in Virginia and we were camping in the hills.

When we got home, we wrote to Al but never heard back. Two years later we decided to go look him up again. We ended up on exactly the same site, next to the swimming pool (the connections were still loose) and when we knocked on his door, there he was. He had told us there was a mobile home for sale two years before and we had decided 'no', but this time we wanted to buy and buy we did. An old mobile which was right next door to Al's. We had to re-carpet and put in new curtains, beds, furniture, etc. but it was ours. Al did a lot of the work for us and we came down again in October and did all the buying of furniture and beds and so on. That all took place in 1980 and we continued to visit regularly for the next 8 years. We also used to lease the trailer to friends for their vacations. Al would mow the lot for us to keep the place clean and tidy. We had some really good times there and made some wonderful friends. With the result, when we decided to retire, early, we bought some land and a much bigger double wide mobile home to live in. They are called mobile homes, by the way, because they can be moved although it necessitates putting wheels back on them and a big truck to haul them around.

It was on the Pender Park campground that we were first introduced to a Carolina pig pickin' as a friend and neighbour across the road had a pig cooker and used to cook a pig quite often. Then once we lived down there for a while, Matt started doing pigs for himself. They have an annual tournament in nearby Newport for the best cooked pig, you can buy a plate of 'barbecue' once the judging is over. Unfortunately they shred the pork and we prefer to literally "pick" the pork off our pigs and eat chunks or slices of meat.

The first October we went back to the trailer, we found all kinds of joke signs, Furniture for Sale, Matt's Dog House, a big Sprite advertising clock (actually very useful as a yard light, we kept it for years) and lots of other stuff. The site owners took it all seriously and said we couldn't advertise on the site!!! Quite funny really.

We used to party hearty when we got down there and one time, we didn't get off the camp site for three or four days with people bringing stuff (we had already bought liquor and beer on the way in) and we didn't get any groceries to speak of. One day everyone brought a load of scallops and Matt made Scallops Parisiennes for a bunch of people. Bay Scallops were pretty inexpensive at the time. Later I used to buy a gallon for $8 which I would split into portion sizes and freeze. The picture is actually Coquilles St. Jacques, but it is very similar in final appearance.

Scallops Parisiennes

We have had this recipe for years, I have no idea what the source was.

Serves: 6

1 glass dry white wine
1/4 Pt water
pinch of salt
1 sprig parsley
Bayleaf
6 peppercorns
few slices of carrot and celery
1 lb scallops
1-1/2 oz butter
1 green onion
1/4 lb mushrooms
1 oz flour
1/4 pt milk
1 tbs browned breadcrumbs
a little melted butter

Put wine, 1/4 pt water, salt, parsley, bayleaf, peppercorns, carrots and celery into a pan. Bring to a boil. Add scallops and poach for two mins. Take out scallops. Reserve the liquor.

Melt butter in a pan, add the green onion, finely sliced, and the mushrooms cut into quarters. Cover and cook for about 5 mins. Draw aside and add the flour and the strained liquor from the scallops. Stir until boiling, simmer a few mins, add the milk by degrees, then reduce to a creamy consistency. Stir in the scallops.

Fill cocottes. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and a little melted butter and brown quickly under the broiler. It is recommended that real butter be used.

Serves 2 as a main course, 6 as hors d'oeuvres

Have a great day

Symbols, Weight, Books and Asparagus

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I have noticed, since I have been writing this blog, that many people don't know how to form certain signs and symbols or to show accents on letters. This can easily be rectified by downloading a free programme called AllChars which can be found here. I use it a lot - a couple of symbols I can remember, but mostly I have to look it up every time and it is very useful. You can leave the programme in your toolbar or "put it away" until next time you need it.

I have been on a Plateau with my weight for the last 6 or 7 weeks. It was getting very frustrating, however, I persevered and today I am delighted to report I have dropped another 2 lbs. Its odd because my clothes are definitely looser and yet nothing was shifting on the scales. So if you too are on a diet, hang in there. I have been recording all my food intake at Weight Watchers Online and today something has shifted. I hope and pray that I won't stop again now, but its possible. Asparagus is supposed to be a good food for helping to lose weight. There is somebody out there who sells asparagus pills. Strawberries too of course, but I haven't had any yet, maybe I will pick some up today when we go shopping. Oh damn, I can't have cream, well not lashings of it like I prefer.

I have just finished reading Island of Exiles by I.J. Parker which describes itself as a mystery of 11th Century Japan featuring Sugawara Akitada. I heard about the book from someone on Recipe du Jour which is one of the cookery ezines I receive. I understand there are other stories about the same person: a small time government official who is good at investigating. It wasn't fast paced, but I enjoyed it. Akitada is a good man if not the most brilliant detective in the world. I will certainly look for some of the other stories about him. Of course my favourite book about Japan is still Shogun written by James Clavell. I have read that so many times and find something new every time I do so.

I have also recently finished The Seventh Scroll by Wilbur Smith. The story is good, but I still find Wilbur Smith hard going. Not the kind of book I cannot put down. Last night I started a new Elizabeth Moon book, The Speed of Dark, which is about autism but in the future. There seems to have been a lot about autism lately, at least two different reports on TV plus someone recommending this book to me, which I already had, the first TV report was basically autistic people saying "we like who we are, leave us the hell alone". In the book, I gather, it involves an agonising decision by the main character as to whether to go through an operation to reverse his autism or not. He is pretty functional in his world, he can drive, communicate reasonably well, has a job which a non autistic person couldn't do, lives independently, why should he change when he is happy. Apparently Elizabeth Moon has an autistic son so she obviously has a good knowledge of what she is writing about.

I have been meaning to mention, whilst raving about asparagus as I have been lately, the Green Bags that I have been using to preserve those spears I buy. They are Debbie Meyer Green Bags and are sold on the internet at this site. I am very impressed with them, the other day I came across some mushrooms which I had bought a couple of weeks or so ago and forgotten I had, they were still in excellent condition and you know how mushrooms can spoil. I keep all my vegetables in these Green Bags, they are placed in them straight from the store each week. The biggest problem I have with these bags, you rinse them after each usage (you can use them up to 20 times) but in an apartment, setting them out to dry is a nuisance.

Here is yet another asparagus recipe for you from the Ontario Asparagus Growers' Marketing Board. I am really enjoying experimenting with these recipes. This one looks pretty good doesn't it?

Asparagus Strudel

12 oz (375 g)	Ontario asparagus, trimmed
1 tbsp (15 mL)	canola oil
2	shallots, finely chopped
2	cloves garlic, minced
3 oz (90 g)	Swiss cheese, shredded
1/4 cup (50 mL)	sour cream
	salt and pepper
1/4 cup (50 mL)	dry bread crumbs
1 tbsp (15 mL)	freshly grated Parmesan cheese
6 sheets	phyllo pastry
1/2 cup (125 mL)	unsalted butter, melted
Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
2	large roasted red peppers, seeded and peeled
1 tbsp (15 mL)	chopped fresh basil

Strudel:
Cut asparagus into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) pieces; steam or simmer just until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain and pat dry. Place in large bowl. Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat; cook shallots and garlic until softened, about 3 minutes. Cool slightly. Add to bowl. Add cheese, sour cream and salt and pepper to taste to bowl; mix well. In small bowl, combine bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese; set aside. Preheat oven to 350º F (180º C). Lightly grease baking sheet. Place one sheet of phyllo on clean work surface with long side closest to you, keeping remaining sheets covered with waxed paper and damp tea towel. Brush with melted butter; sprinkle with about 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the bread crumb mixture. Cover with another sheet of phyllo, butter and bread crumbs. Top with third sheet of phyllo; butter sheet. Cut in half crosswise to make 2 stacks. Place one-quarter of the filling along one short end of stack, leaving about 1 inch (2.5 cm) uncovered at each end. Roll phyllo up and over filling to completely enclose it. Fold long ends over toward filling; continue rolling strudel. Brush all over with butter. Transfer to prepared baking sheet; brush with butter. Repeat with remaining stack. Make 2 more strudels with remaining ingredients. (The strudels may be prepared to this point and frozen for up to 1 month; bake frozen.) Bake strudels for 30 to 35 minutes or until filling is heated through and pastry is golden brown.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
In food processor or blender, combine red peppers, basil and 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the vinegar; process until smooth. Taste and add more vinegar if desired. Pour into small saucepan and bring to simmer over low heat. Serve under or beside strudels.

Yield: Serves 4

Have a great day.

More Asparagus followed by Strawberries

Last night we tried Asparagus in Bed and were both somewhat disappointed. I didn't like the prosciutto with it and Matt said the dish was generally not as good as it appeared from reading the recipe. However, Hrugaar tells me the dish Asparagus and Tomato Bake that I posted on June 13, was good so I will try that next. One thing I learned from the Asparagus in Bed recipe was how to "hold" poached eggs in water until I wanted to use them in the dish. I had never tried this before. I thought the combination of eggs, Parmesan and asparagus was very good but found the prosciutto made it too salt, for my taste anyway.

Now strawberries are becoming available locally, unfortunately I don't find strawberries over here to be anything like the one's we used to get in the Europe years ago. They are not as sweet. The best berries we ever tasted in North America were those we bought at a particular farm in North Carolina, just outside Morehead City. Now they were sweet. I don't think I will be posting lots of recipes for strawberries because basically I like mine 'au naturel' with good cream. I frequently serve them with the Double Devon cream which can be bought in glass jars here. Of course we usually have to sweeten them. The classic dish in North America is Strawberry Shortcake; shh, don't tell anyone, I hate it. Our new Superintendent's wife was telling me, yesterday, she likes strawberry and rhubarb pie which I have never eaten, but the season is so short, I like mine just plain. Rather like lobster, I get it so rarely, I don't want to "muck about" with it. I wanted to try a berry farm which is a fair distance from us, but Matt is beginning to complain about the gas costs to get there. We have been spending a fair bit on gas to get to Tim Barrie's for asparagus and the berry farm I found is even further away.

If you read the comments, Hrugaar said they spend £40 to fill up a small car with gasoline, well, being a Limey he said petrol as I would have done til I emigrated. That, my friends, is close to $90 and that is for, what I have no doubt, is a 4 cyl. vehicle. We are complaining bitterly over here, but Europeans are saying its about time we caught up with them. I do hope you read Elizabeth Moon's letter to her congressman, I feel she really hits the nail on the head. This morning the Americans are talking about offshore drilling in areas which have previously been protected. I don't want to go back to a horse and buggy, but that's really where we should be headed. I commented to Matt, the other day, that I bet the Mennonites and Amish are laughing at our gasoline problems. Let's face it, with a horse, its grass and oats in one end and fertilizer out of the other. Very economical. Yes I know, you need stabling and field space etc. but once you have all that, you don't have to keep buying it. Wherever the expression originated, the oil producers have certainly got us over a barrel at the moment. I know I am oversimplifying, but it is certainly something to think about.

We have to do our bowling on Friday this week as our regular Monday league game is cancelled as the bowling alley will be filled with youngsters. We could just bank our scores for a previous game, but its more fun to actually bowl them. We have a couple of dinner parties coming up, one at a friend's and another one here. I am thinking of doing the Phyllo Bundles again as we enjoyed them so much last time. I need to check our guests like asparagus, surprisingly there are people who don't. As you can imagine, I can't understand that.

I was just thinking about a recipe when I remembered there is one recipe made with strawberries, which I love, Strawberries Romanoff. Here is a recipe from the internet with a little bit of history:

Strawberries Romanoff

Epicurious.com

When he was the chef at the Carlton Hotel in London, Escoffier created Strawberries Americaine Style — strawberries in orange liqueur, blended into whipped cream and softened ice cream. Little did he know that it would one day be the star dessert of every posh dining spot in California. "Prince" Mike Romanoff "borrowed" the recipe and gave it a new moniker. Soon it was the hottest item on the West Coast. The L.A. Biltmore called it "Strawberries Biltmore." The Palace Hotel in San Francisco served it with anisette and maraschino.

Strawberries Romanoff

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

2 pints strawberries, washed and stemmed
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or Cointreau
1 pint vanilla ice cream
1 cup heavy cream

1. Slice the strawberries. In a large bowl, toss three-quarters of them with the sugar and orange liqueur. Refrigerate at least 1 hour to macerate.

2. Put the ice cream in the refrigerator to soften.

3. Put the cream and half the macerated strawberries in a cold mixing bowl. With an electric mixer, whip to soft peaks, about 12 minutes. Fold in the ice cream.

4. Distribute the cream among 6 chilled bowls. Mix the plain sliced berries with the remaining macerated berries and place on top of the cream.

Have a great day.

Gasoline Problems

If you want to read an excellent letter to a politician, do read Elizabeth Moon's Moonscape today, I very much endorse everything she writes, not that I am involved in any way with American politics.

If you couldn't get the link to work, it should be OK now.

Doctors

I don't know about doctors, it makes you wonder sometimes. Matt and I both had to have bloodwork done this morning. We walk into the clinic at 7:00 a.m. and the first thing they tell us, Matt has to stay for about 2 hours plus his tests will cost us around $55. No-one told him anything about this. When I finally go in to have mine done, they say "no urine sample required" I always have a urinalysis which means the doctor forgot to tick it. She screwed up on my last blood tests for diabetes too and missed out most of the stuff I normally have. I came home to have my breakfast and will have to pick Matt up later. Poor Matt stuck there for two hours.

We went to get some asparagus yesterday, after bowling, I had to live a whole day without any!! Tim Barrie tells me he has a recipe for pickled asparagus on his blog (see this page) so I must check it out. I was talking to him about tinned or canned asparagus - he doesn't have a high opinion of it either and says its mostly the stems they can't sell fresh. Turns out Tim isn't too keen on tomatoes, however, considering the tomatoes we get round here these days, I am not that surprised. Tonight I am finally going to try Asparagus in Bed which I posted on Saturday. I just checked Tim's recipe for pickled asparagus, its really easy. His mom's soup sounds pretty good too.

This is just a short blog today as I have to go out again. Plus I'm out of eggs for supper tonight.

Nearly forgot, those of you who were interested in the fly masks for horses. I phoned a local stable and they assured me that the horses can see very well through the masks. Once I thought about it, I figured they would have to be.

Here is another recipe from the Ontario Asparagus Grower's Marketing web page. I have always loved Aioli sauce, here is a lemon version.

Grilled Asparagus with Lemon Aioli

1	head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
pinch	saffron (optional)
2 to 3 tbsp	freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp	finely grated lemon zest
1 cup	mayonnaise
	salt and pepper
1 lb	Ontario asparagus, trimmed
2 tbsp	extra-virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tbsp	balsamic vinegar
	salt and pepper

Lemon Aioli: In a small saucepan, cover garlic with water; bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover and cook until very soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Drain and pat dry. If using, stir saffron into lemon juice; set aside to dissolve, about 5 minutes. In food processor, process garlic and lemon zest; to form puree. Add mayonnaise and lemon juice mixture; process until well blended. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Grilled Asparagus: Preheat barbecue or grill on high for about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-high. Place asparagus in shallow pan; add oil and toss to coat well. Grill until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Brush with vinegar; season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with Lemon Aioli as a dip or as a drizzle.

Yield: 4 to 8 servings

Have a great day.

France and Italy

Twice on Saturday I was reminded of French butter which to me is one of the most wonderful foods. It has a taste which is uniquely its own. When we were on our cruise, after the ship had re-supplied at Martinique, we were getting French butter for our meals, it was wonderful. Midday meals in France with tureens of delightful French soups, lots of crusty bread and French butter which we always had to ask for as - in those days - the French would not butter their bread for soup. Oh the memories. Maybe that is where I learned my passion for making soup as I did love their 'potages'. I have friends in France and I am so envious of their access to wonderful food and great cuisine. Of course French cuisine wasn't that marvellous until Catherine de Medici married the French king and introduced Italian cooks into the court of France.

I get very upset that so many people think Italian cuisine is all about pizza and pasta. I have already posted a recipe for Vitello Tonato, not a piece of pasta in sight. Artichokes Ricca was another. Plus I find that pizzas over here carry too many things on them which makes it difficult to know what ingredients you are actually tasting. A lot of the great foods of Europe, particularly in France and Italy, are simple foods with simple flavours so you can enjoy what you are eating. Food should be something savoured, not stuffed in the mouth in order to get on with the next item of the day. I have met several people who shovelled food into their mouths so fast, I wonder why they bothered to eat anything more than bean cake which is nutritious but hasn't much flavour. To me one of the most delightful ways of spending an evening is at table with good friends and excellent food, savouring each mouthful. While I am on food peeves, I get so annoyed when people refer to Parmesan cheese as Parmigiano even when its spelled Parmesan. Are you speaking Italian? Well do so. If not say it in English. Its just a form of showing off.

I have a new link on my page today, Finding and Lo(o)sing, do check it out. Hrugaar is an author and has had three books published.

Hope all you dads had a good Father's Day yesterday, Matt spent a lot of it either on Skype with one daughter, or on the phone with the other.

The following recipe for Steak Pizzaiola, one of my favourites, includes Marinara sauce. Please don't buy it pre-prepared. Its easy to make. In fact I make a batch and freeze it in small quantities so I have some whenever I need it. If you click on the link below it will take you to a marinara recipe which will taste so much better if its home made.

Steak Pizzaiola

The Italian Chef's Recipes

For all of you steak lovers out there, here is an excellent alternative to a plaingrilled or broiled steak. If you do not wish to add the mushrooms and peppers, it is delicious just with the marinara sauce alone. Serves 4 4 boneless Shell Steaks 1/4 cup olive oil 1 large green pepper and 1 large red pepper sliced and seeds removed 1 pound of mushrooms sliced 4 cups Marinara Sauce 1 cup of chicken or beef stock salt & pepper to taste
1.		Either on grill or in broiler, cook steaks until rare.
2.		While steaks are cooking heat olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat.
3.		Add peppers, and mushrooms and sauté for 2-3 minutes.
4.		Drain oil and place steaks in pan season with salt and pepper.
5.		Add marinara sauce and stock and simmer for 5-6 minutes.
6.		Remove steaks to serving plates, cook sauce for 2 more minutes to reduce then pour sauce over steaks and serve.

Have a great day.

It was Luverly

My friend picked me up at 10:30 and we headed off to the theatre at Grand Bend, Ontario. We made one slight mistake, we were looking for Highway 83 and it turned out it was marked as 20 at the beginning although there was a signpost to Grand Bend. Very confusing. However, we got there OK in plenty of time to have our picnic although disappointingly the sun wasn't shining and it was quite windy. The sun came out later before we went into the theatre, so we sat at another picnic table and enjoyed it for a while. As you can see from the map it is close to the shores of Lake Huron, hence the wind. It is a delightful area and a delightful theatre. Well, in fact there are two theatres. One much smaller one which is described as "intimate". Basically I think it is a big barn which has been converted.

It was not Rex Harrison of course, but the production was excellent. It turned out my friend had never seen either the show or the movie before so it was a new story for her. The singing was very good and the acting complemented it. I was impressed with the handling of the scenery and the ease with which they turned from a street at Covent Garden to a bachelor English Gentleman's study. The accents weren't bad either. I did hear "here, here" instead of "'ere, 'ere" but generally the cockney wasn't glaringly awful as it often can be when played by non Brits. I was somewhat surprised at the singing of Professor Higgins, then remembered of course, Rex Harrison was no singer. I worked it out later that the first time I saw My Fair Lady was in London about 45 years ago, give or take a year. That was Julie Andrews in the part; subsequently Audrey Hepburn played it in the movie. I am not sure why they chose an American actress for the role in the movie. Be that as it may, we both thoroughly enjoyed the show yesterday and being a sentimental idiot, I cried at the end. The audience gave the cast a standing ovation.

The drive to Grand Bend is through some wonderful farmland; it makes one appreciate the countryside which, unfortunately, we don't often see. It fascinates me to see the horses grazing in the fields with masks on their faces to protect their eyes from flies. Never saw that when I lived in England, don't know if they have adopted it since. We first came across these fly masks when we visited a local stable where there is also a very nice restaurant called the Troika. You can sit at the table dining and watch horses being worked and trained in the indoor ring through a large window forming one wall of the dining room. We've only been there once, not sure why, we had a very good meal there.

Everywhere you look on the roads we took, are vast fields of green pasture and lots of farm buildings in reds, whites and greens. There appears to be a lot of livestock in that area, horses and cows. It is just the kind of area I would like to live in - no wait a minute, what about the winter? Nah, don't think so after all. We drove through New Hamburg which is known locally for its excellent restaurant, The Waterlot, then through Shakespeare, a charming little town; after that Stratford, on Avon of course, where the Shakesperean festival is held every summer. Another attractive town. They have other shows as well as Shakespeare; for instance I know they are staging The Musicman this summer (you know, 76 Trombones!) amongst others.

We got back home about 6:30 or shortly after by which time I was beginning to be ready for supper. I was tired too, had a power cut at about 6:23 a.m. (I'd just checked the alarm clock) yesterday morning so I got up anyway, yaaaawn. It is almost a 2 hour drive to Grand Bend and we were very lucky with the weather as it was trying to rain all day, but never quite made it.

Here's another recipe from the Ontario Asparagus Growers' Marketing Board, Asparagus in Bed, which is just where I wanted to be when I got home last night.

Asparagus in Bed

1 lb	Ontario asparagus, trimmed
8	eggs
1 tbsp	vinegar
2 tbsp	unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp	fresh lemon juice
8 slices	prosciutto
	freshly grated pepper
1/2 cup	freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450º F (230º C). Steam or simmer asparagus just until tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes; drain well. Fill large skillet with water. Add vinegar and bring to simmer over medium heat. Slip eggs, one at a time, into simmering water; cook until whites are firm and yolks are just set. Remove eggs with slotted spoon and carefully blot dry with paper towel. (Eggs may be poached several hours in advance; transfer to bowl and cover with cold water. Drain well before proceeding.) Divide butter among 4 gratin dishes. Divide asparagus among dishes; drizzle with lemon juice. Drape proscuitto over top. Arrange 2 eggs on top of each prosciutto. Season with pepper to taste. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes or just until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Have a great day.

Wouldn't it be Luverly, Bowen Therapy

This afternoon I shall be at Huron Country Playhouse singing along with The Rain in Spain and Wouldn't it be Lurverly. Yes, My Fair Lady. I am going with a friend to the matinée at 2:00 p.m. but we are leaving early, 10:30 in order to have a picnic lunch outside the theatre and maybe a wander around their store. Hopefully the weather is going to be kind to us. If you want to read more about it go here and listen to what they have to say too. Although I have seen My fair lady both on the stage and on the big screen, I find the Drayton Entertainment Group put on great productions throughout South Western Ontario so am looking forward to the afternoon. Huron Country Playhouse is roughly two hours from home, situated in Grand Bend, Ontario. I am scheduled to go to four more performances this summer, another one in Grand Bend, one in Drayton itself and two in St. Jacobs which is closer to home.

I am green with envy at the moment, Glenda Larke who is an author and blogger of Tropic Temper (see link this page) is in Lake Como, Italy and posting some wonderful pictures plus having the time of her life. I asked her to mention the food and she has done so. Wednesday I was eating fish, so, apparently was she.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know I have been raving, off and on, about the benefits of the Bowen Therapy which, locally, can be obtained at Let It Heal well, Matt being a stubborn person, didn't really believe me wholeheartedly despite seeing the difference between me walking with a cane and then not doing so. He has a back condition known as Fascet Syndrome which means that the spine is curved the wrong way at one spot. Lately, it has been giving him a lot of pain, so, I finally persuaded him to go to Let It Heal. He has had three treatments, the first session didn't do anything apparently, the second treatment he had one good day, the third treatment he notices he is improving daily and yesterday, went playing golf. It takes three treatments to really know if Bowen Therapy is helping you or not, so if you try it, don't just give up if it doesn't work straight away.

I just found this recipe on the Ontario Asparagus Growers' Marketing Board Page and thought it sounded really good. I will be trying it over the weekend. Of course if you are in the States, be careful about what kind of tomatoes you buy. Vine tomatoes appear to be the best for you. I am assuming canned tomatoes are OK but don't know. Such a shame to be forced to use them at this time of year when fresh tomatoes are available in some parts of the country.

Asparagus & Tomato Bake

1 to 1-1/2lb	fresh Ontario asparagus
4 tbsp	butter
5 medium	fresh or drained canned tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp	minced onion
3 tbsp	chopped celery
2 tbsp	fresh bread crumbs
2 tbsp	freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 tbsp	minced fresh basil OR 1/2 - 1 tsp dried basil
1 to 3 tbsp	granulated sugar
1/2 tsp	salt
1/4 tsp	freshly ground pepper

Melt butter in 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Trim and cut asparagus into 2-inch pieces; sprinkle over bottom of pan or leave spears whole and arrange in a single layer in pan. Top with tomatoes, onion, celery, bread crumbs and cheese. Season with basil and sugar (amount used will depend on acidity of tomatoes). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and bake 45 minutes at 350º F or until asparagus is tender. Transfer with slotted spoon to serving dish.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Have a great day. I know I will.

A Fish Tale and On Being Blonde.

Last night we had Tilapia for supper - have you tried it? We enjoy its delicate flavour. We generally prepare it by dipping it in egg and then Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs) then sautéeing in a little butter. This is a relatively new fish on North American markets although they have been eaten on the African continent for years. It is part of the cichlid family and as I said to Matt last night, I would have been embarassed to eat it some years ago when we had an aquarium full of cichlids. Admittedly ours weren't edible, or at least none of them were big enough to be eaten and we just had them for their beauty. I believe they are farm raised these days, the same as Basa fish which were originally from the Mekong Delta and which, today, are also farm raised. I can recommend them both as not being what some people call "fishy" fish.

This is a little game on World Wildlife this morning, I thought it might amuse you:


I'm Jo and I'm a Bluefin Tuna. This picture is a swordfish and that was what Matt turned out to be. He reminded me that Swordfish eat Bluefin Tuna!!

I was thinking about Yugoslavia which reminded me that just before we went there, I bought a blonde wig which I wore frequently whilst there. At this distance in time, I am surprised because it was pretty warm there. Several years later I became blonde anyway and stayed that way for years. No, I don't think I had any more fun. The picture is me as a blonde just before we came to Canada.

I came across this recipe last night and remembered everywhere we went in what used to be called Yugoslavia, we would come across Rajnici on the menu. They were always served on a bed of chopped onions and is their version of kebabs. Another food I always loved was Cevapcici which are like little skinless sausages, also served on beds of chopped onions. I gave the recipe for them in one of my earlier blogs last October I think.

Rajnici

1 lb boneless veal cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
1 lb boneless pork cut into 1 ½ inch cubes
salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs vegetable oil
5 oz thinly sliced onions
15 small bayleaves, broken in half
2 tbs finely chopped onions

Pat the veal and pork cubes dry with paper towels, sprinkle them with salt and a few grindings of black pepper, and mix well with the oil and onions in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 3 hours, stirring them every now and then. Remove the cubes to a plate and reserve the marinade for later use.

To prepare for cooking arrange the cubes alternately on skewers with half a bay leaf separating each pair of cubes. Broil them under a preheated broiler, 4 to 6 inches from the flame, or barbecue for 10 minutes each side - with either method, baste them with marinade whilst cooking. Again, you can serve on the skewers or off. Sprinkle with the finely chopped onion. This serves 4 to 6 people.

Have a great day.

Reprieve, Soups,

I went to Barrie's Asparagus Farm yesterday, I didn't have enough to make the Asparagus Vichysoisse, and discovered they no longer close around Father's Day but around Canada Day which is July 1. Hip hip hooray, another couple of weeks of one of my favourite foods. OK I know, some of you are probably bored with me raving about asparagus, but as Tim Barrie said, its only a few short weeks in a year. If you go on Tim's Blog, Canada's First Solar Farm linked on this page, Tim has posted his Mom's recipe for asparagus soup which looks pretty good too, I will have to give it a try.

I made the Asparagus Vichysoisse (June 4 blog) yesterday and it was very good although I think I might prefer it warm. I love the regular Vichysoisse which is leeks and potatoes and is perfect cold, but I think the Asparagus Vichysoisse might be more enjoyable heated. Makes lots - says enough for 8 but not the way we eat. I cheated, I used cream instead of skim milk as I happened to have some left from Saturday, but I think it would be just as good with the skim, besides being better for me. I need to make a batch of soup for freezing too, most asparagus soup recipes call for garnishing with the tips, but that doesn't work if you are going to freeze the end product. I also have to make some Basil Pesto and some Tomato Soup for the freezer. Our basil plants are too new for that yet, so I shall have to wait a while.

Tim's blog site also has a world oil usage counter, the figures are absolutely incredible, I know we use a lot of oil, but it doesn't really register unless you see that counter clocking up barrels like counting grains of salt.

I had an email this morning telling me that the next book in the dragon series about Temeraire by Naomi Novik was due out in the US in July. If you haven't read any of the Temeraire series and you like dragons, I can recommend them. It starts with the supposition that everyone had fighting dragons during the Napoleonic wars. One of the books is called His Majesty's Dragon and on the right there is a flight of His Majesty's dragons. On Naomi Novik's website there is an excerpt from the latest book. I will try and read that later in the day. She also lists her tour dates for the year. No mention of the Dragon Convention in Atlanta though.

A friend who reads this blog reminded me that I mentioned I was going for a CT Scan a couple of weeks ago. You will be glad to know the result was clear. My husband assures me that means I have no brain in there either.

I happened to mention one of my favourite dishes to someone the other day, so I thought I would post a recipe for it. It is a classic Italian dish and as it is cold, is wonderful for a summer meal. The first time I ever ate this dish it was prepared by a very good friend of ours at his restaurant on the occasion of the christening of his daughter, who is my Goddaughter. It may sound an odd combination, but I promise you it works.

Vitello Tonnato

By Kyle Phillips, About.com

It takes a while to make but is well worth it. To serve 6-8 you will need:

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 pounds(1 k) boned veal, cut from the rump.
• 3/4 pound (320 g) tuna packed in oil
• 3 eggs
• 6 salted anchovies (the canned variety, sold by delicatessens)
• A handful of pickled capers
• 1/2 cup (approx.) olive oil
• 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
• A bottle of dry white wine
• The juice of a lemon
• A rib of celery, thinly sliced crosswise
• A few leaves of sage
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 cloves (some people omit these)
• Salt
• A few more perfect capers, some lemon slices, and sprigs of parsley for garnishing

Preparation:

Put the meat in a bowl with the bay leaves, cloves, sage and celery, and pour the wine over it. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 24 hours, turning the meat occasionally. The next day place the meat in a Dutch oven. Strain the wine and add it to the meat, then add enough water to cover. Lightly salt the pot and simmer the meat for an hour. In the meantime, wash, scale and bone the anchovies. When the hour is up add them to the pot and continue boiling for another half hour; the liquid should be reduced by half.

Hard boil the eggs, run them under cold water, peel them, and extract the yolks (you can discard or fill the whites as you prefer). Rinse, squeeze dry, and mince the capers.

When the meat is fork-tender remove it from the pot and strain the broth into a bowl. Transfer the fish filets to a clean strainer and press them through it, together with the tuna and the yolks, into another bowl. Stir in the minced capers, the vinegar, the lemon juice and the olive oil, and then dilute the sauce to your taste with some of the reserved broth.

When the veal has cooled slice it finely and lay the slices out on one or more platters (you want just one layer). Spread the sauce over the meat, garnish the platters with the lemon slices, capers and parsley. Cover them with plastic wrap and chill them in the refrigerator before serving.

Have a great day.

Tomatoes, Supper and Food for the Brain

This morning I phoned the Produce Manager in our local supermarket, Zehrs. She assures me that all the salmonella problems are in American produced tomatoes, and all the tomatoes in Zehrs are Canadian hothouse grown (they sure couldn't have grown them in the fields yet awhile). So, Matthew, stop worrying about my daily intake of the red fruits - love apples as they were once called. The picture of the sliced tomatoes makes me feel hungry. I have had a love affair with tomatoes for as long as I can remember. Their round, rich lusciousness is one of the greatest foods to tantalise your taste buds. Just think of how many dishes, from simple to gourmet, include tomatoes. Because I cannot seem to find really good ones these days, we buy them ahead of time so that by the time I am ready to eat one they are good and ripe. I eat tomatoes most days and this generally seems to work pretty well. I never, but never, put tomatoes in the fridge.

Last night, for supper, we had broiled salmon steaks and I had, you will be surprised to know, asparagus with it. Just plain with Butter Buds sprinkled. I suddenly remembered this was one of the things I really expected to eat in profusion when I came to Canada. I wonder why it took me so long to find Barrie's Asparagus farm? Not only that, fresh fish was very difficult to obtain when we first arrived here in 1975. Certainly salt water fish was not readily available unless it was frozen in packets.

Yesterday, on Good Morning America, we watched a programme about stimulating the brain. I thought it was pretty good and I pass on the article printed on their website for your interest read here which tells you some of the simple tricks you can employ to make your brain sit up and take notice. Things like cleaning your teeth with your other hand. Learning anything you didn't know before, it doesn't have to be complicated, just new. You don't have to learn Russian or anything like that. Apparently even actions like eating with your eyes closed cause your brain to work a bit harder and be stimulated. I just re-read the article and was surprised that I had missed one or two things. I did change my seat for lunch yesterday, then forgot about it since. I have always been concerned with an aging brain as some of my relatives ended up with senile dementia if not outright Alzheimer's. I have never been totally clear on what the difference is. Be sure I will be trying some of these changes.

Today I am going to try making Asparagus Vichysoisse. I think I have all the necessary ingredients. I published the recipe on June 4. Meanwhile here is another Asparagus recipe for you.

Asparagus Casserole
Serves: 4

Jeanne Jones, Cook It Light

4 slices whole wheat bread, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1 cup steamed asparagus (about 1/2 pound fresh asparagus cut in 1-inch
pieces, trimmed, and steamed 3 minutes)
1 large egg
3 large egg whites
1 cup canned evaporated skim milk
1 cup grated 20 percent fat-reduced Cheddar cheese

1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Place bread cubes in the oven for about 15 minutes or until a golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

2. Spray a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with a non-stick vegetable spray. Arrange toasted bread evenly on the bottom and top with the asparagus.

3. Combine egg, egg whites and milk. Mix well and pour evenly over the bread and asparagus. Top the casserole with the grated cheese and bake at 325° F for 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed and the top is lightly browned.

Have a great day.

Dinner Party

Tonight we have friends coming over for dinner which should be a fun evening. We are doing several recipes which I have posted here before, Asparagus in Phyllo Bundles for hors d'oeuvres, Herbed Orange Pork Tenderloin with Goat Cheese Potato Purée and Spicy Cabbage. Finally for dessert I am doing Mint Chocolate Freeze. I don't have permission to post that recipe, but when I do, I will put it in the blog. I was making it today and it seemed pretty good to me, but then its chocolate, what more can I say. It certainly isn't diet food with cream and eggs, chocolate and nuts, Philly cheese and chocolate Graham cracker crust. I ought to be good and not touch it, but guess what? I made it, I'll eat it.

Yesterday it was so very hot here and is supposed to be hot today as well. Very odd, a few days ago we were almost shivering and now it is up in the high 80's with a humidex of around 100 F. Heat I don't mind, humidity tends to knock me for six. We have even had the air conditioner on.

Oil has shot up again according to the news last night, $11 a barrel. I cannot understand why Canada buys oil outside the country, we have lots of our own, but I don't pretend to be up in economics. I have never seen a poor gas company and from the pictures of diamond cars, I don't think the oil sheiks are suffering too much either. It seems that the oil rich companies are holding us all to ransom at the moment and I cannot figure why we don't do something about it. Alternate fuels are available, but have never come into general use. Luckily we personally don't do much mileage any more, unless we go on vacation, and we are getting reluctant to do that.

There was another asparagus recipe published yesterday by Rachel on her blog Fresh Approach Cooking (see link) which looked pretty good and I will have to try it. Oh dear, Father's Day is fast approaching bringing the end of asparagus season with it.

The following recipe is named after a friend's husband's mother. If there is any concern about raw eggs and salmonella in your area, I suggest you don't make the cake. However, if you do make it, I assure you it is delicious. It would also be a good cake for those with celiac disease, no flour.

Tony's Mother's Chocolate Cake

Servings: 8-10

10 oz caster sugar (most regular sugar in North America is about the same grind as caster sugar)
10 oz unsalted butter
10 oz melted good chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa)
9 egg yolks
5 egg whites

Method - make 24 hours in advance

Cream yolks and sugar for 15 minutes in mixer. Mix butter with melted chocolate and add. Beat egg whites until stiff and fold in.

Bake two thirds of the mixture in a well-greased, push-up square tin, line with greaseproof (wax) paper, at 300F or 150C. for 1 1/2 hrs. Allow to cool.

Pile raw mixture on top. Put in fridge to set and serve the following day.

Have a great day.

I Won, Reading, Dragons and Cryogenics

I won a T-Shirt at Dragonkeeper.com, how about that? I am one of those who rarely wins anything. However, I suggested they re-draw as I am sure there is some youngster out there who would dearly love a Dragonkeeper T-shirt. I quite enjoy the Dragonkeeper Chronicles, well, I will read anything with dragons in. However, they are really written for young people so I feel collecting my winnings wouldn't be very fair. The Chronicles are about a young woman who looks after dragons of all sizes. Not just huge dragons, but quite little ones which live in the magic pockets of her cloak. This one in the picture is called Metta. The stories do tend to emphasize a religious point of view - much more so than the Narnia books do.

I have just started a new Elizabeth Moon book called Generation Warriors. I have had the first book, Sassinak, on my own shelves for a number of years and never realised there was a sequel. Both of them are written with Anne McCaffery who is another of my favourite dragon authors. However, these two books are pure sci fi. Because it is an inter-library loan, I have only a short period in which to read it, so I have temporarily put down my Seventh Scroll in order to read this one. Part of the story is about the Fleet Captain, Sassinak, and her relative Lunzie who has been in cold sleep for 45 years and who is, therefore, technically older than Sassinak but in actual years lived, she is younger. There have been lots of stories about people who are cryogenically stored for periods of time, I would think, if it is ever possible, it will be quite a shock for those who wake up a long time ahead of their previous lives. I know there are already people who are paying to get themselves stored cryogenically, but I cannot imagine we really know how to do it yet. It is one of those things they are working on. An idea from the sci fi writers which the scientists are looking into. The way things are shaping though, I'm not sure I would want to come back in the future.

I think I will just stick to books speculating about the future rather than trying to live it. I'm a tad old to want to be frozen now anyway. Rejuvenation is another popular sci fi ploy, I haven't heard anyone is working on that yet, but you never know. Now I might go for that.

Asparagus season is fast drawing to a close, so here is another recipe before it's all gone for this year.

Asparagus with butter, balsamic and Capers

Source: Olive Magazine
Serves 2.

• 1 bunch asparagus about 250g, woody stems removed (with asparagus from Barrie's you don't have to do this)
• butter
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp capers
• 4 slices sourdough bread , toasted
• a few shavings parmesan
  

1. Steam the asparagus until just tender, about 3-4 minutes. toss with a knob of butter, the balsamic and capers and season well.
2. Pile onto sourdough toast and scatter with a few parmesan shavings.

Have a great day.

Yesteryear Stars, Power Sources, Diamond Cars

Marilyn of French Marilyn's Blog (see link) was talking about Brigitte Bardot a well known (at one time) an actress and a 'sex kitten', although I am not sure she is so well known in North America. Today she is best known for her racial remarks about France and its immigrants, plus her fights for animal rights. However, talking of her made me think of other artists of yesteryear such as Sacha Distel who was a singer and very popular in the 50's, Mireille Mathieu, another singer in the 70's although apparently she is still around and performing well. The reason I get a bit depressed, when I mention some of these people to younger friends and acquaintances, they have no idea who I'm talking about. I am not just referring to French artists either, but those who were once the great icons of Hollywood, or songs and shows of yesteryear. I couldn't believe it when I mentioned Porgy and Bess at work and with one exception, the younger people didn't know what I was talking about. Whilst looking for some information, I came a cross a YouTube video of Sacha Distel and Brigitte Bardot singing You are my Sunshine in French. I believe they were an "item" at one time.

Yesterday we did our weekly trip to Barrie's Asparagus farm and I was chatting to Tim Barrie about his proposed field of solar panels (see Monday June 2) and he tells me he also has a blog about solar power and asparagus. I was telling him about some of my recipes, he has read this blog and two other customers said the recipes sounded interesting - I gave them a card with my blog address on, so hope they will come and find me and look at my recipes. Meanwhile I am waiting for Tim to let me know what his blog address is. There are lots of references on Google to the proposed solar field at his farm. He already has, as I mentioned, solar panels on the roof of his "store" and Tim is very committed to solar power as a clean way of living and generating power. Maybe this apartment block, where I live, should put some solar panels on the roof and then our rent would stay static.

I am very pro wind farms too, I have heard them described as a blot on the landscape. I totally disagree, I think it is fascinating to see them especially when they are turning in the wind. In fact I think they are quite attractive.

The price of gasoline is soaring, maybe this is why, this morning someone sent me an email with pictures of a new Mercedes which is totally covered in diamonds. It was built for Prince Alwaleed of Saudi Arabia and cost $4.8 million. It costs $1,000 if you just want to touch it. If you enlarge the picture you will see that it is totally covered in diamonds, in the pictures I have, even the exhaust pipes which protrude from the rear, are diamond encrusted. I don't object to people spending their money how they wish, but when we are paying for it because of the price of oil, it does rankle somewhat. Can you imagine parking it on the street, someone would want to prise off a few of 'them sparklers', I'd be right there with my screwdriver.

Decisions, decisions, asparagus or rhubarb. Asparagus has won out today:

Asparagus with Hazelnut Sauce
Source: WW Recipes

Note: Hazelnuts are also called Filberts.
Servings: 4

Ingredients:
6 Tbs (90 ml) butter
1/4 cup (60 ml) finely chopped hazelnuts (filberts)
1 tsp (5 ml) tarragon or red wine vinegar
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 lbs (900 g) asparagus, trimmed and steamed until tender

Instructions:
Heat the butter in a small saucepan over moderate heat and saute
the chopped hazelnuts until lightly browned and aromatic, about
5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vinegar, salt, and
pepper. Serve over cooked asparagus. Serves 4 to 6.

Have a great day.

Handy Tip, US Politics, Plants, Flowers and Books

I have just picked up a useful tip sent into Recipe du Jour. Many of us must have pulled out the roll of foil by mistake when we are in a hurry to wrap something. The person who sent in this tip said for some reason, she looked at the end of the Reynolds Wrap roll when she was throwing out an empty one and lo and behold there was a tab to be pushed in to lock the roll in place. There is one at both ends. Same thing on Saran Wrap and other cling film products. I went into the kitchen and pushed in all my tabs. I wonder how many of us had ever noticed this before.

I must confess to puzzlement that Obama and Clinton have been battling for months now then because Obama has apparently won, Hillary Clinton is prepared to stand as his running mate?? This seems weird to us. Not that I will ever understand American politics. The most surprising people seem to have backed Obama. Personally I would love to see a woman President, but that is a feminist point of view, not political.

We are finally hoping to get our herbs for the balcony tomorrow. It all depends on time whereas last week it was the weather, unbelievably we were still getting frosts. Let us hope that now June is with us, we will not get any more of those. I usually get a couple of hanging baskets of geraniums too which always look so good and last so well. Matt complains about their smell, but they are so pretty to look at. I was fascinated at the house in Spain where my parents lived to see permanent bushes of geraniums, huge things compared with what we grow every year. The shrubs and plants there always amazed me they were so profuse and lovely.

I also have to replenish my stores of that green stuff, you know, asparagus. I haven't got much longer, around about Father's Day and that's it. Tonight, we tried the Paula Deen recipe I posted on May 21st, Asparagus Phyllo Bundles, they were very good. We were doing a test run for dinner on Saturday. If you haven't tried them, I can highly recommend them. They are so very simple to do. We reckon about two per person as a starter.

I am now reading Wilbur Smith's The Seventh Scroll which is a sequel to The River God which I was reading a few weeks ago. I expected it to be about ancient Egypt, but it takes place in modern day Ethiopia although the story is connected to the previous book.

Here's another asparagus recipe which I didn't know I had. It sounds really good and I think I will be making it before the end of the season.

Asparagus Vichyssoise
Serves: 8

Source: The Healthy Heart Cookbook

2 pounds fresh asparagus spears
1 medium leek
2 cups peeled, diced potato
3 cups water
2 teaspoons chicken-flavored bouillon granules
1-1/4 cups skim milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon hot sauce
Lemon rind strips (optional)

Snap off tough ends of asparagus. Remove scales from stalks with a knife or vegetable peeler, if desired. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces, reserving tips. Cook asparagus tips in a small amount of boiling water 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Drain well, and chill thoroughly.

Cut white part of leek into 1/4-inch-thick slices, and set aside. Reserve green top for another use.
Combine uncooked asparagus pieces, leek slices, potato, water, and bouillon granules in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Place mixture in container of an electric blender or food processor; top with cover, and process until smooth. Pour mixture into a large bowl; stir in milk and next 3 ingredients. Cover and chill thoroughly.

Ladle soup into individual bowls; arrange reserved asparagus tips over each serving. Garnish with lemon rind strips, if desired. Yield: 2 quarts (82 calories and 7% fat per 1-cup serving).

Stardust, Summer Treats, Salmon Imperial

I am presently reading Stardust which I saw as a movie on the plane coming back from England at Christmastime. At first I found the book a bit boring and stilted, but now I am well into it, I am enjoying it. I absolutely loved the movie, particularly the part played by Robert de Niro as a gay pirate. He was brilliant in it. I wrote about the movie in this blog when I got back. It is a lovely story and although a faerie story, not exactly for children. I have come across a few bits and pieces not considered suitable for youngsters although most of them seem to know more swearwords than I do.

Sadly, Father's Day will soon be here, which may be great for fathers, but it heralds the end of asparagus season which will have me in withdrawal for another year. I do sometimes buy the asparagus in the stores, but it just isn't the same.

I guess fresh corn is the next thing to look forward to, although the best corn I have ever tasted was when we were visiting NC a couple of years ago, it was called "How Sweet It Is" and it was wonderful. The only way to eat corn is straight out of the field, unfortunately I don't have that luxury, but to be able to buy fresh local corn is so much better than anything else one can buy. Matt loves frozen corn cooked on the barbecue which caramalizes some of the kernels and does taste great. For some reason it doesn't work quite as well with fresh corn although if you soak it well before you cook it, it helps. We soak the frozen corn as well so which keeps it moist. I first ate barbecued corn in Greece where they had corn perched above the coals on home made barbecues at street corners. Like the chestnut vendors one used to see in London, England and certainly saw in Portugal. Nothing like buying a bag of roast chestnuts in the street. I never did in Portugal as I was always too full as the food was so good there. It brings back memories of Sunday afternoons in England using a chestnut roaster (not sure it wasn't really a bed pan) over an open fire and then burning one's fingers to get at the nut meats. Chestnuts are so much better roasted, but you can boil them which I do when I want to make chestnut stuffing for a turkey. The worst part of cooking chestnuts is making a split or gash in their skins first so they don't burst all over the place.

Our friends came back from North Carolina this weekend and visited yesterday to bring me my Nopalitos (pickled cactus leaves). Apparently it was the end of the strawberry season down there and they actually went picking. I remember one particular strawberry farm where they had the best berries we have had in years. We used to haunt the place the same as I haunt the asparagus farm here. I remember being in France and being given Plougastines for dessert one time with Crème Chantilly. They are little wood strawberries and the sweetest berries you can ever imagine. I remember berries being much sweeter anyway when I lived in the UK. Not sure why, perhaps increased production has tended to grow hardier plants but not necessarily better tasting plants. People tend to prefer perfection in appearance rather than quality of taste. Tomatoes are another case in point. In my personal opinion, the smooth, pretty tomatoes on the vine don't taste of anything. We used to buy tomatoes from a local farm in NC and they were not necessarily pretty but boy did they have a wonderful flavour. We used to pick our own and could get two good 5 gallon buckets for $5. Where I live, I can't seem to get really good tomatoes in season. I even asked at Barrie's Asparagus farm where they bought theirs and they said their supermarket!!! He did say he had tried growing them but not very successfully.

I don't often post a fish recipe, but I thought I would this morning. It can always be served with a nice helping of gently cooked asparagus on the side with a rhubarb dessert to follow. We both love seafood although in Ontario it is very expensive. We are so very far from the sea.

Broiled Salmon Imperial
Serves: 8

Source: Chatelaine

3 lbs fresh salmon steaks or fillets
2 tbs melted butter
2 tbs lemon juice
2 tsp anchovy paste
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tsp dry mustard
1/2 tsp paprika

Place salmon on greased broiler. Combine rest of ingredients. Brush salmon with mixture. Broil 5 inches from heat for 6 mins. Turn salmon and brush with remaining butter sauce. Broil 5 mins or until fish flakes.

Have a great day.

Saturday's Paper

In Saturday's local paper, I discovered a few things. Apparently asparagus cannot be grown in the same spot for more than 25 years and then the land has to lie fallow for 20 years. Tim Barrie, of Barrie's Asparagus farm, is proposing to lease one of his fields for solar energy panels for the next 20 years. Pretty clever.

The second thing I learned was that rhubarb originally came from China and Tibet, I didn't know that, nor did I know that the Chinese actually used it as a laxative. No wonder!!!!! Was it they who discovered the leaves are poisonous and the stalks edible? I did know rhubarb is actually a vegetable, not a fruit.

The third thing, apparently cigarettes have now to be hidden in stores which is a bit hard on small businesses who are having to install cupboards without "see through" fronts. I don't believe that will actually make a difference to whether people/kids smoke or not. If their peers do, they probably will, despite laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors. In fact the more laws against it, the more attractive it becomes. America found this out during prohibition. I am very relieved I quit some 16 or so years ago. Matt quit way before I did but he wasn't really as heavy a smoker.

Isn't the internet wonderful. I was just thinking about it this morning. I make new friends all the time, with my cooking group I have a number of good friends, I met quite a few of them face to face when I went to England a few years ago, and now I am making friends through blogs. I wish I were rich enough to go visit everyone, especially in Australia and South Africa, but unless we win the lottery, that will never happen I'm afraid. We keep buying lotter tickets in hopes. What's the saying, "hope springs eternal in the human breast".

Did you watch Startrek? Well the Klingons eat rhubarb too - here is a bread recipe containing rhubarb. By the amount of copies of the recipe which can be found on the internet, it must be pretty popular, or we have a lot of Klingons here.

Aaktay (Klingon Steamed Bread)
Serves: 2

Source: RecitopiaUK

1 c White cornmeal
1 c Whole wheat flour
1/2 c All-bran cereal
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ginger
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 c Walnuts, chopped
1/2 c Dates, chopped
2/3 c Powdered skim milk
1 1/2 c Buttermilk
1/2 c Honey
1/2 Orange; unpeeled
1 c Rhubarb; chopped
Margarine or butter; to grease cans
2 x 37 oz empty cans

Instructions: Mix together in a bowl all the dry ingredients including dates and walnuts (leave out only the buttermilk, honey, orange half and rhubarb). Put the buttermilk and the honey in the blender. Wash an orange, cut off any price or brand marks and cut it in half. Cut the orange half into chunks and add it to the blender, being sure that you have removed all the seeds. Run the blender until the orange chunks are chopped into little bits. Now add the buttermilk mixture, along with the rhubarb chunks, to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour immediately into greased cans, filling each can no more than two-thirds full. Cover the filled cans with aluminium foil, and secure the foil with a rubber bands. Place them in a large pot, on some kind of a rack so they are not touching the bottom of the pot. Pour in hot water until the bottom 2 inches of the cans are covered. Bring to a boil and keep the water boiling gently for about 1 1/2 hours.

The pot should be covered and there should be a little steam escaping at all times. Check the pot occasionally to make sure that there is enough water left.

At the end of 1 1/2 hours, check with a skewer, right through the foil. If it does not come out clean, cook for another half hour and recheck. When the loaves are done, take the "hot" cans out of the pot. When you are ready to serve, uncover a mould, shake the loaf out onto a breadboard and slice it. Serve warm with butter or cream cheese.

Have a great day.