Saturday, November 29, 2008

Thursday and Friday, Lunch. Mumbai and Bangkok

Yesterday we went for our flu shots so we should be OK for another year. I hope everyone who can has got their shot. For some reason I get a bit of a reaction but Matt doesn't. The nurse told me to take a Tylenol when I got home, so I did. Its still a tad sore though. She also suggested I could give Matt a lump to match mine. She was quite a fun character. We both bowled lousy games yesterday too. Absolutely dreadful the pair of us. Me with my new bowling balls too. We went there before the flu shots and met the very few people who bowl for the Friday Senior League. One of the group was a guy we used to bowl with at our previous alley in Hespeler so we have known him for a while. He was with us on our Travel League last Thursday. The picture, by the way, is my new bowling bag which is actually lavender too, not blue. Well I never said I was a great photographer. I was thinking about lunch at the pub we went to on Thursday, they have a pretty extensive menu including a dish which, I believe, originated in Quebec called Poutine. It is basically chips or French Fries, dolloped with gravy and cheese curds. I, personally, cannot imagine anything more revolting, but it is a very popular dish in Canada. I do NOT like gravy on my fries in the first place. What made me think about it was the Bruschetta we had for lunch had some type of cheese curd on it and I imagined it was the same thing they would use for Poutine. They also had Calamari rings, most places it is too tough, I had one ring and found this to be no exception. Only one place I ever really enjoyed them and that was at an Italian restaurant in North Carolina and they, unfortunately, are no longer there. One of our group decided on fish and chips and chose to have one piece. It was a huge fillet of haddock. A lot of food for lunch. I really don't know why restaurants serve such large portions, I couldn't finish mine and nor could several of the others. Some took doggie bags, I didn't bother. I can't let the morning go by without some comment about both Mumbai and Bangkok. I am so glad the terrorists in Mumbai didn't achieve their ambition to make it like 9/11 but it was certainly bad enough. As for Bangkok, Glenda Larke of Tropic Temper (see link) has a husband stuck at the airport there. I do hope he can get away soon. It really is Black Friday (an expression I only recently picked up on) shoppers stampeding into a Wal-Mart trampled a store employee to death and in a Toys-R-Us store two customers shot each other. What a morning. At least it is all over in Mumbai now although the Taj Mahal hotel will need a lot of money spent on it. Browsing the Best Ever Christmas cookbook again, I decided I like the look of the Lemon and Almond Shortbread Wedges. I like shortbread although I didn't as a youngster. I didn't like mincemeat either in those days, but I do now. Lemon and Almond Shortbread Wedges Makes 12 wedges 250 g butter 1/3 cup caster sugar (North American regular sugar is fine enough) 2 tsp grated lemon rind 1 3/4 cups plain flour 1 3/4 cups rice flour 1/2 cup ground almonds sugar for sprinkling Preheat oven to moderately slow 160 °C. Brush an oven tray with melted butter or oil. Using electric beaters, beat butter, sugar and lemon rind until light and creamy. Add sifted plain and rice flour and almonds. Press together to form a soft dought. Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead 5 minutes. Roll dough into a 23 cm round using a cake tin as a guide, place onto greased tray. Pinch a frill around the end of the round. Use a large knife to score into 12 wedges. Prick evenly with a fork, sprinkle with sugar. Bake for 40 minutes or until lightly golden. Cut again, cool on tray. Store in an airtight container for up to a month. Can be frozen for up to three months. Have a great weekend.

6 comments:

  1. Hi Jo --

    I will be buying shortbread in Ldn next month when I will be visiting.
    As for baking one -- I wouldn't even consider it because I know the end result will be a concrete brick!!

    Poutine's an odd name for that French Fries dish. Sounds nice though.

    Best
    Marilyn

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  2. We can buy good shortbread here too, but some people like to make their own cookies etc. at Christmastime.

    I think Poutine sounds horrid. I like my fries crispy not soggy.

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  3. You are correct about the poutine being from Quebec! I checked the computer. However, I do know that the people from Newfoundland really enjoy that dish also. Would not do for me - too sloppy! Gay

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  4. My sister Anne makes the best shortbread I've ever tasted. Her husband is an archdeacon and every year she makes shortbread by the ton (well, not quite!) for the church fete. People put in their orders weeks in advance. Anne jokes that she's helping to pay her husband's stipend!

    Gee, I'm sorry those nice new bowling balls didn't bring you better luck, Jo:-( I hope you do better next time.

    I have stopped having flu shots - I had them for two years running and both times I came down with a really bad dose of the flu a week later!

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  5. I dunno why I have flu shots either, I have a very sore arm still and I certainly got flu last winter.

    There is a British bakery in the area (well more than one I believe) but the one I know of makes shortbread which is so good it is almost sickly to eat if you know what I mean. A really good cheesecake is like that. You HAVE to stop at one piece.

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