Monday, October 13, 2014

Email Ads, Turkey Meal, Ebola.

Vapor PensThis morning (Sunday) I received an email with specials including a deal on Vapor Pens. I had no idea what a vapor pen was so I googled, they are for dispensing  marijuana. I cannot believe such things are being offered to the general public. I read they are for getting high secretly!!!! I am absolutely staggered to receive such an offer in my inbox. Since I first wrote this I have had this offer at least half a dozen times.

Although we ate our turkey meal on Saturday, Thanksgiving in ThanksgivingCanada is actually today, Monday 13th October. This morning there will be a parade down King Street – main street in town – and then I understand a hockey game this afternoon. We drive past the arena on our way to bowling but hopefully the crowds will not affect us at the times we go and return. This picture shows my plate for dinner. We had roasted carrots, Mediterranean Snow Peas, roast potatoes, turkey with mushroom gravy and bread sauce. I was a bit disappointed in the carrots, they tasted OK, but the recipe was not much good especially as far as the time given, I had to cook them a heck of a lot longer and ended up giving them time in the microwave. They tasted OK in the end but were not the prettiest item by any manner of means. I wasn’t planning on desert, but in the end I took out some chocolate cups, crumbled chocolate chip cookies into them, poured a little coffee and a little brandy on them and topped it off with a dollop of cream. It was good. No pix of course, didn’t think of it. Sunday night we had cold turkey and probably have enough for a couple more meals.

ebola_virusI did a questionnaire about ebola on Sunday and have found lots of information about the disease. I feel a little less scared of it now. It can only be passed through body fluids (same as AIDS) – it’s not airborne or anything like that. Hearing that one of the medical staff in a Texas hospital had caught it made me somewhat nervous of the possibility of a widespread problem, but reading this article or answering the questions, assuaged my fears somewhat. Now I have just read an article about the Texas event and it turns out that she was properly covered the whole time and that they have another suspected patient in the same hospital. A Spanish nurse in Madrid has caught Ebola after treating a priest who returned with the disease.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in Canada.


It seems like everybody likes cupcakes so I thought these would be a good recipe to share.

Apple Cupcakes With Cinnamon-Marshmallow Frosting


Apple Cupcakes With Cinnamon-Marshmallow Frosting
WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com
Shredded apple replaces some of the oil and keeps the cake moist in these cinnamon-spiked cupcakes. There is a generous amount of fluffy marshmallow frosting to mound or pipe on top for a festive look. Be sure to frost them right after you make the frosting—it stiffens as it stands and becomes more difficult to spread.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups apples, shredded peeled
1/2 cup dried apples, diced
3 tablespoons brown sugar, packed light, plus 3/4 cup, divided
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
1/3 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup nonfat buttermilk
1 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup water
4 teaspoons dried egg whites, reconstituted according to package directions; equivalent to 2 egg whites
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for garnish

Instructions
  1. To prepare cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 12 (1/2-cup) muffin cups with cupcake liners or coat with cooking spray.
  2. Combine shredded and dried apples in a bowl with 3 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Set aside. Beat oil and the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Beat in eggs one at a time until combined. Add vanilla, increase speed to high and beat for 1 minute.
  3. Whisk whole-wheat flour, cake flour, baking soda, salt and the remaining 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon in a medium bowl.
  4. With the mixer on low speed, alternately add the dry ingredients and buttermilk to the batter, starting and ending with dry ingredients and scraping the sides of the bowl as needed, until just combined. Stir in the reserved apple mixture until just combined. Divide the batter among the prepared muffin cups. (The cups will be full.)
  5. Bake the cupcakes until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cake comes out clean, 20 to 22 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before frosting.
  6. To prepare frosting: Bring 2 inches of water to a simmer in the bottom of a double boiler. Combine 1 cup brown sugar and 1/4 cup water in the top of the double boiler. Heat over the simmering water, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, 2 to 3 minutes. Add reconstituted egg whites, cream of tartar and pinch of salt. Beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture is glossy and thick, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the top pan from the heat and continue beating for 1 minute more to cool. Add vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and beat on low just to combine. Spread or pipe the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle cinnamon on top, if desired.
Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

14 comments:

  1. I've only seen those vape pens for tobacco as an alternative to cigarets. The ebola thing is messed up and only a matter of time b/f it becomes a huge problem. Personally I think they shouldn't allow anyone into the USA from Africa, esp. the countries with the most ebola issues.

    Your feast looks good! Ours is next month and falls on my 50th birthday!!!

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    1. I said the same about not letting anyone in, but Matt said you couldn't just leave them to die in Africa.

      Used to love Thanksgiving in the States.

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  2. Happy Thanksgiving! We are celebrating Columbus Day here.
    Your meal looks tasty. Although couldn't do the carrots. One vegetable that I will only eat raw.

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    1. Thanks Alex. Happy Columbus Day.

      Have a friend who won't eat carrots in any shape or form. He was fed too many as a child.

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  3. Happy Thanksgiving.

    Isn't it amazing it's legal to sell marijuana devices but not legal to buy or sell the stuff to put in it? (In most states anyway.)

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    1. Thanks Diane. I'm not sure how legal it is here. Not really taken much notice but yes, it is incredible.

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  4. I've never even heard of marijuana pens and I live in the state of legal pot. Then again, I don't smoke, so... wrong demographic?

    Those cupcakes look amazing. Will definitely try those. The wife and I have actually been looking for a good gooey white frosting that we can use to make into ghost toppers for a cupcake. Like this.

    Ghost cupcakes

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    1. I guess you don't have to be a smoker!!

      I posted some ghosts a while back.

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  5. When I cook roast carrot or potatoes I always put them in the microwave for 7 minutes first to soften them up otherwise I can never get them to cook on time. I was shocked when I found out the nurse in Texas had contracted it. It made me worry about how easily it must be to catch. They said at first she followed strict protocol and now they're saying she didn't.

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    1. Well I was following a recipe, but that's a good idea. Roast potatoes we par boil before roasting them.

      I don't think they really know how she contracted it but it is scary especially if she did follow protocol because it is only supposed to be catching from bodily fluids. Maybe they are wrong.

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  6. Hi Jo - I love roasted carrots ... and any veg ... Ebola is another story altogether ... it will be interesting to see how it develops and how it's stopped .. if ever?!

    Glad you had a happy Thanksgiving - your plate looks delicious ... it's one celebration we don't do here .. though there are opportunities - but I love Guy Fawkes day ..

    Cheers Hilary

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    Replies
    1. It was a Jamie Oliver recipe I was trying. As for Ebola, I hope it is stopped, but it won't be yet awhile I think.

      I guess the Harvest Festival in church is the nearest in the UK. I used to love Guy Fawkes too. As a kid roasting taties which we ate half raw and half burned. When I got older I hosted dinner parties that night.

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