Gold Plated Car, Olympic Skating.

Its nice to know that in these days of rising prices, shortage of jobs and money, there is someone who is not feeling the pinch Here is a picture of a white gold car made for an Arab billionaire. I guess the word recession hasn't impinged on their consciousness in Abu Dhabi and if they want a Mercedes Benz in white gold, they go out and buy it. To see the rest of the pictures http://www.caradvice.com.au/19864/gold-for-mercedes-benz/ - it doesn't actually say who's car it is, it may well be the same billionaire who had a car covered in diamonds a couple of years ago. I guess if you have the cash, why not? The fact that people in Haiti are suffering doesn't appear to have any impact on that part of the world, which I understand has made no contribution to the relief of the island at all.

Yesterday I spent a lot of time glued to the TV watching a Canadian girl, Maëlle Ricker win the snowboard cross event - a second gold for Canada at home. In the evening we watched the men's short programme in skating and were disappointed in Canadian Patrick Chen's performance, he had been touted as a possible medaller. However, the performances by both the Russian, Evgeny Plushenko and the American, Evan Lysacek were wonderful to watch. The Japanese, Daisuke Takahashi, also gave an excellent performance. I don't know who I will root for during the freeskate programme, although we hope Patrick Chen can pull out all stops. I think of all the performances I enjoyed Evan Lysacek's the most, it was absolutely beautiful and he is a joy to watch. As you can see from this picture, he is so long legged, a very tall young man. I am also rooting for Plushenko - the come back kid - so I don't know who I want to win the most. There were quite a few stumbles by other well known skaters and there are more young skaters for whom this was a first time Olympic performance and who will probably be on the podium in future years. I always wanted to skate, but was too old when I started to try and learn. I can remember, as a kid, playing The Skater's Waltz and gliding (as I thought) across the carpet as though I were skating. My parents met on a skating rink, but they were living in Birmingham which is a city, ice rinks in Britain are (or were) few and far between when I was a youngster. I remember we did have a well known skater, who's family lived close by and who had to go to London in order to practice so spent most of her life living with her grandmother so that she could be near the rink. That's one thing we are not short of in Canada, skating rinks.

I've always enjoyed stuffed peppers and I thought this one sounded a very good version. I shall be off to buy the ingredients - well maybe tomorrow which is our normal shopping day.

Smoky Stuffed Peppers Source: © Eating Well Magazine 6 servings Turkey sausage and smoked cheese give a flavorful boost to this versatile, somewhat retro dinner. We've speeded it up by microwave-blanching the peppers and using instant brown rice. If possible, choose peppers that will stand upright. Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days. INGREDIENTS 6 large bell peppers, tops cut off, seeded 12 ounces hot Italian turkey sausage links, removed from casings 1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth 4 plum tomatoes, chopped 2 cups instant brown rice 1 cup chopped fresh basil 1 cup finely shredded smoked cheese, such as mozzarella, Cheddar or Gouda, divided DIRECTIONS Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler. Place peppers cut-side down in a large microwave-safe dish. Fill the dish with 1/2 inch of water, cover and microwave on High until the peppers are just softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain the water and transfer the peppers to a roasting pan. Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, breaking it up into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, tomatoes and rice; increase heat to high and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the rice is softened but still moist, 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, until the rice absorbs the remaining liquid, about 5 minutes. Stir basil and half the cheese into the rice mixture. Divide the filling among the peppers, then top with the remaining cheese. Broil until the cheese is melted, 2 to 3minutes. Have a great day