Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Stargate, Eyes, The Moon,

I am reading a book by Karen Miller called Do No Harm. It is a Stargate novel. I knew nothing about Stargate so last night I watched two episodes. Not very long because although they lasted an hour I think most of that was taken up by ads. I do enjoy stations which don’t have any advertising. Anyway, I am now au fait with just what its all about and can carry on reading my book and enjoy it. I have read several of Karen Miller’s books, some of which she writes as K.E. Mills. Matt saw a few minutes of it and decided to go to bed *g*.

Yesterday afternoon, because my doctor insisted, I went to see an opthalmologist. I could not convince her that my optometrist was doing a good job checking my eyes for diabetes. It turned out OK of course. However, I was not best pleased with them because no-one told me I needed a driver, nor that I needed dark glasses. I have had drops in my eyes before to dilate the pupils, but these were so strong they had to give me anaesthetic drops first. I finally got a third set of drops to enable a glaucoma check. This resulted in me being unable to open my eyes properly for some 2-3 hours and even by bedtime my eyes were still somewhat blurry. Of course I did have a driver, Matt was with me, but what on earth would have happened if he had not been there, I cannot imagine.

MoonLanding It turns out I was not quite right yesterday, it wasn’t the anniversary of landing on the moon, but of stepping out onto the moon, the day when Neil Armstrong made the historic statement “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. I actually found a very good site http://tinyurl.com/2csctvx which is intended for kids, and includes explanations and pictures including this one which I borrowed to show the historic event.

Today, yet another delicious looking recipe from Eating Well. It doesn’t specify, but I think those are Heirloom tomatoes in the picture. Delicious tasting. A friend said all the Heirloom tomatoes she had been growing had been eaten by critters.

Tomato-Corn Pie

From EatingWell: July/August 2010

Tomatoes and corn have a natural affinity for one another: the slight acidity of tomatoes balances the sweetness of the corn. Here they partner in a delicious quiche-like pie. The dough is very forgiving and bakes up into a sturdy shell that’s great for just about any savory pie or tart. Perfect for a summer brunch or try it with a tossed salad for a light supper.

Makes 8 servings

CrustTomato Corn Pie

  • 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Note)
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 5 tablespoons cold water
Filling
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 cup low-fat milk
  • 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
  • 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear; see Tip) or frozen
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preparation
  1. To prepare crust: Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, add oil and water and gradually stir them in to form a soft dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
  3. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, preferably deep-dish, and press into the bottom and up the sides. Trim any overhanging crust. Line the dough with a piece of foil or parchment paper large enough to lift out easily; fill evenly with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil or paper and weights. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.
  4. To prepare filling: Whisk eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Sprinkle half the cheese over the crust, then layer half the tomatoes evenly over the cheese. Sprinkle with corn, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Layer the remaining tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour the egg mixture over the top.
  5. Bake the pie until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.
Nutrition

Per serving : 258 Calories; 14 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 9 g Mono; 88 mg Cholesterol; 24 g Carbohydrates; 8 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 379 mg Sodium; 217 mg Potassium

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1/2 lean meat, 2 fat

Tips & Notes
  • Ingredient note: Look for whole-wheat pastry flour in large supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Store it in the freezer.
  • To remove corn kernels from the cob, stand an ear of corn on one end and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife.

Have a great day

Jo

4 comments:

  1. There are so many anniversaries these days that no wonder one gets the dates and the number of years wrong.

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  2. Very true Marilyn, I normally can't remember such anniversaries even if I remember the event. Lots of people can remember the date they first met their spouse or dates of things along the way. I can't, I don't even remember what year I stopped smoking although I do remember the date, le 14Juillet.

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  3. Jo, I'm reading, or rather re-reading, Jerzy Kosinski's "The Painted Bird", published in 1965. It is a novel of most powerful phrase. You may like it, so do try to read up about it on the Web.

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  4. I'll look out for it Marilyn. Thanks.

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