Passed, Blog Search, Food.

I have passed my Basic Training in Lumosity and even got a certificate for it. I am now on to a speed training session. Woo hoo. Not sure how many different segments there are, they listed them, I didn't count. A couple of the exercises games I have problems with, my eyes are not as good as they should be, but I did pass them so that is the main thing. I have been doing these every day, they say I am improving, don't see a lot myself yet. Maybe I should do more each day. Well I'm damned, I have just discovered the blog search function at the top of this blog, just shows how wide awake I am. In my defense I don't often spend a lot of time on the final blog page, but mainly on the Compose page. When I am on the final page its usually to check up if anyone is reading my blog. I love my little Feedjit map - its fun to click on the dots and see where in the world they come from. I finally got my pesto done yesterday and it is presently in the ice cube trays so later I can pack it and store it for a long while. It does keep very well. Our basil plants weren't as healthy as they looked, probably because the poor things aren't getting enough sun. Nor are we. At this rate we are going to arrive in North Carolina looking like a couple of ghosts. *g*. I usually manage to get some colour by the end of the summer, but at this rate it won't be much. England has had more hot weather than us this year. Would you believe I was rabbitting on about getting fresh local strawberries while still available, we found some nice ripe ones and some cream and then I forgot them last night!!! Another thing, much to my surprise, I found Heirloom tomatoes in our local grocery store (Zehrs) and they were a whole lot cheaper than in David's at $1.82 a pound, David's had them at $4 something. Looking for a picture I found a quote of $40 a lb. I can't believe that. They certainly have a good flavour and are some of the best tomatoes I have had in a while. I didn't realise they came in so many colours. I bought yellow, orange and red for my Heirloom Tomato Tart. I got an Eating Well ezine this week which included several recipes for starters, I thought the following sounded pretty good and with almonds and olives, pretty healthy too. Green Olive & Almond Spread Makes 1/2 cup, for 6 appetizer servings ½ cup pitted briny green olives ¼ cup Marcona almonds or other almonds, toasted (see Ingredient Note and Kitchen Tip) 1 teaspoon fresh tarragon or ½ teaspoon dried 1 teaspoon lemon juice 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil Combine olives, almonds, tarragon and lemon juice in a food processor. Pulse until roughly chopped. Add oil in a steady stream and process just until the oil is absorbed. (Alternatively, finely chop the olives, almonds and tarragon by hand and combine with lemon juice and oil in a medium bowl.) The spread should have a coarse but easily spoonable texture. Let stand for about 30 minutes for the flavor to develop. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Ingredient note: Spanish Marcona almonds have recently become more popular and more available. They're a little flatter than ordinary almonds, with a richer flavor. Always skinned, most Marcona almonds have already been sautéed in oil and lightly salted when you get them. Kitchen Tip: To toast almonds, spread on a baking sheet and bake at 350°F, stirring once, until fragrant, 7 to 9 minutes. My tip: You can also spread them in a nonstick pan with no oil and sauté them gently until golden. Have a great day.