Diving in the Gulf, Viagra for Women, Soups,

I tried very hard to "share" a video clip with you this morning which came from Good Morning America but it wouldn't work properly.. It shows Sam Champion and Philippe Cousteau Jr., grandson of the well known Jacques Cousteau, diving in hazmat suits into the Gulf of Mexico. Phillipe describes what they found as a nightmare. They came up out of the water covered in oily, sticky substances and had to be washed off. Do go see the video, it is worth watching http://abcnews.go.com/gma- I didn't actually get up early enough this morning to see it on TV, but Matt told me about it and then I watched it on my laptop. BP are about to try a new effort which they don't give a very high chance it is called Top Kill and they will be pouring a mix of concrete and cement on top of the leak. You know the word leak isn't accurate, spill is certainly not correct, it is an oil gusher. If we weren't so dependent on oil, I guess this would never have happened. They were talking this morning about a "Viagara for Women" but according the the consulting doctor, Dr. Marie Savard, this has not been tested long enough and although not yet released, shouldn't be so for a while. The pill is designed to stimulate a woman's libido, but in tests it made a 2% difference. Not a lot. But they have no idea what the long term effects could be. It sure won't be on the market tomorrow anyway, they are only just starting to look at the pill. Yesterday I went on my weekly trip to Barrie Bros. Asparagus Farm. Tim Barrie was handing out tasters of both their crackers and their new salsa which I thought was delicious and promptly bought some. Quite a large jar for $5.50 - we actually made some bruschetta with it for supper last night along with some asparagus soup. It was good. Although the temps are a bit high at the moment for a warm soup. Talking of soup, I copied a chilled orange soup from World Wide Recipes this morning, I thought it sounded great. I love chilled soups, the first one I ever tried was Vichysoisse which is the definitive cold soup, and have never looked back. One thing I do is keep cans of consommé in the fridge so I can have jellied consommé whenever I wish, to me it is absolutely delicious although I served it to one friend who promptly took it to the microwave!!! One can also serve it as a warm soup too and improve it by adding a splash of sherry. But at this time of year when the temps are beginning to soar, I find a cold soup to be deliciously refreshing. Last year I tried Asparagus Vichysoisse which I'm afraid I found disappointing. Another favourite is Gazpacho which I had temporarily forgotten. Here is a recipe for Gazpacho which emphasises how cold it should be, in fact when the Spanish peasants made this, fridges and such were not available and it was left out under a tree whilst the people were working in the fields. If you serve this too cold, you will lose all the wonderful flavours. North Americans tend to refrigerate everything, including tomatoes, and the flavour of these ingredients completely disappears. The first time I ever ate this soup, in Malta oddly enough, we were served small chips of ice to add as a garnish if desired. Traditional Gazpacho Andaluz Spanish cold tomato soup which is the perfect starter to a Summer meal. Gazpacho is easy to make and although ingredients may vary according to region, this is the basic Andalusian Gazpacho recipe. Ingredients (for 4 people): 1 Kilo tomatoes (preferable plum tomatoes) 1/2 small onion (60 grams) 1 small green pepper 1 small cucumber (the small chubby Spanish type) 1 small cup of olive oil 2 desert spoons of vinager 200 grams of bread from the day before, soaked in water Small portions of diced tomatoes, red and green peppers, cucumber, onion and bread or croutons to sprinkle on top. Steps: 1: Put the tomatoes, onion, pepper, cucumber, vinager, oil and bread into a liquidizer. If you want to dilute it, add a glass of water. Tip: if you want to go for a tangy garlic taste, add a small amount of fresh garlic to the mixture before liquidizing. 2: Put the mixture into a bowl, add salt and pepper and leave the gazpacho to chill for at least an hour. If you want to eat it straight away, you can put some ice cubes in to cool it down. Gazpacho is a Summer dish which is meant to hydrate and cool down your body. So the colder the better!! 3: Serve the gazpacho en soup bowls, with the portions of diced tomatoes, pepper, cucumber, onion, croutons etc on the table, so that everyone can add them to their bowl as they prefer. Tip: you can also sprinkle diced serrano ham or hard boiled egg. Use quality ingredients: Spain produces excellent fruit, vegetables and salad foods, so try and buy good quality ones. Go to the local market instead of your nearest supermarket, where you can get the freshest (and cheapest) produce. If it isn't Summer and you can't get plum tomatoes, go for the ripest and juciest ones available. Tips/Secrets: Make sure you have enough time to put it in the fridge so that you can serve your gazpacho really chilled. Use quality produce. Vary the ingredients according to your personal taste. Gazpacho makes a delicious starter to a meal. Have a great day