Rain, Murder,

The Canadian Open Golf Tournament was virtually rained off this weekend, there were pictures of them squeegeeing the greens with gallons of water on them, they finally managed to finish it on Monday although there had been talk of it running into Tuesday. We have had so much rain lately. Yesterday afternoon we couldn't see the park for rain it was coming down so heavily and the water pouring off the balconies sounded like hundreds of taps had been left running. Where, oh where, is summer??? Actually, we went bowling and when we came out of the alley it was sunny - we thought about sitting out when we got home, joke - that was when the rain started lashing down. A headline in our local paper this morning "Police: Texas woman accused of killing newborn son ate part of his brain, chewed off toes" a horrifying story. Read here unless real life gruesome would upset you. We can't imagine how any mother could do what this one did to her child although she says "the Devil made her do it". She will, no doubt, end up in a sanitorium rather than receiving any kind of prison sentence, she is clearly mentally unbalanced. Matt always finds it difficult to understand mothers killing their own children because he figures the bond between them is normally so strong. There is a video link on this page to a kayaker, Taylor Bradt, who plunged over the Palousie Falls in Washington State. There is also a link to an article about him. In our opinion he is totally nuts, the falls are close to 200 ft. high and he expected to be hurt when he got to the bottom. Why, pray tell, would you do something you expected to be hurt by?? In fact he was lucky and all that happened was he sprained his wrist. In the picture you can just see his kayak - I wonder who took the video for him. The inset is of him being interviewed by GMA and demonstrating something from a kayak. I have mentioned Carbonite before, I use them as a backup system and they are, in my opinion, absolutely fantastic. The programme just runs in the background whilst you are using your computer. I have had occasion to restore my PC a couple of times and I have found it very successful. I highly recommend them. I have just renewed my subscription as I would hate to be without it. This recipe, which I found in my email from Cooking.com comes from Eating Well who's recipes I always enjoy. We cook a lot of them. This sounds an excellent way to do chicken and will be on my list for the next week's meals. Asian Chicken Salad Source: © EatingWell Magazine 6 servings, 2 cups each Crunchy vegetables and tender chicken breasts tossed in a tangy vinaigrette make a refreshing main-dish salad. If you poach the chicken yourself, reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking liquid to make the dressing. Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the dressing (Step 1) for up to 2 days. INGREDIENTS For the Dressing: 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce 3 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar 1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil 1 1/2 teaspoons chile-garlic sauce (see Ingredient notes) 3 tablespoons canola oil 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tablespoon tahini paste 3/4 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth or reserved chicken-poaching liquid For the Salad: 2 tablespoons sesame seeds 8 cups shredded napa cabbage (1 small head; see Ingredient notes) 1 1/2 cups grated carrots (2-3 medium) 5 radishes, sliced (about 1 cup) 1/2 cup chopped scallions 3 1/2 cups shredded skinless cooked chicken (about 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast) (see Tip) To poach chicken: Combine two 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth, 2 chopped scallions, 2 slivers fresh ginger and 2 cloves garlic in a large skillet; bring to a simmer. Add 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast and cook over medium heat until no longer pink inside, 10 to 15 minutes. The flavorful poaching liquid will keep, tightly covered, in the refrigerator for up to 2 days or in the freezer for up to 6 months. Ingredient Note: Chile-garlic sauce is a spicy blend of chiles, garlic and other seasonings; it is found in the Asian section of the market. Napa cabbage has an elongated head and is pale green in color with tender, tapered white ribs. Its tightly packed, crinkled leaves have a crisp texture. Discard the cone-shaped core. One small head yields about 8 cups shredded. FOR THE DRESSING: Combine soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil and chile-garlic sauce in a glass measuring cup; stir to blend. Heat canola oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ginger and garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce mixture to the pan; bring to a simmer. Whisk in tahini and broth (or poaching liquid); cook until reduced slightly, 3 to 4 minutes. Let cool. FOR THE SALAD: Heat a small dry skillet over medium-low heat. Add sesame seeds and cook, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a small plate to cool. Combine cabbage, carrots, radishes, scallions and chicken in a large shallow bowl. Stir dressing to recombine and drizzle over the salad; toss to coat. Sprinkle the sesame seeds on top. Have a great day.