New York, Raising Kids, Medical Finance.

There is a lot of angst in New York at the moment, permission has been given to build a huge mosque and Islamic centre just 600 feet from the site of the 9/11 bombing. Not only that, but the Greek Orthodox church which was damaged in the fall of the twin towers, is having trouble getting permission to rebuild. If I were a New Yorker, I think I would be upset about this too. It was also pointed out the mosque would have to raise the money for the building and although they have promised strict oversight of contributors, you know there are going to be some who slip through the cracks.

Another item on GMA this morning was about children being raised by their grandparents and the fact that the grandparents don’t have the same values as the parents. I am afraid I would be inclined to say “if you don’t like the way I raise your kids, raise them yourself”. I think its an imposition to dump your kids on your parents in the first place.

By the way, if you are interested, you can now see Chelsea Clinton’s wedding photo album on line. Personally I can’t wait. I have just heard that the first wedding dance was choreographed – I can’t believe it. I hear the cake was 4 ft tall and weighed 500 lbs. It was a vegan cake, not sure what that comprises but it was also gluten free. Pity they don’t give a recipe.

Melody Hobson, the money adviser on GMA, was giving tips on how to get discount medical services although she advised that cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean good and to check with your family practitioner. It is incredible to me, having lived in countries with socialised medicine, that you have to shop around for the cheapest medical services in the States – things are still financially extremely difficult there for the average Joe and medical services are not inexpensive at the best of times. The one good thing they do have, is the ability to obtain an operation quickly, whereas we have to wait a fair while even to see a specialist unless it is an emergency of course.

A friend, who lived in Cyprus, used to talk about halloumi cheese and how, in her opinion, the only way to eat it was cooked. I have never tried it, but I think I will give this recipe a go as it sounds pretty good to me.

Halloumi Kebabs

1/2 lb. halloumi cheese

1 yellow pepper, deseeded
1 red onion
8 fresh white or crimini mushrooms   
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
juice of 1 lime

1 clove of garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the cheese, pepper and onion into even-sized pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) square.

2. In a large bowl, mix the oil, coriander, lime, garlic and plenty of ground black pepper. Stir in the cheese, pepper, onion and mushrooms and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 mins or overnight if preferred.
3. When you're ready to barbecue the kebabs, thread the cheese and vegetables onto skewers.

4. Place the kebabs over the hot coals, turning occasionally until charred at the edges – about 10 minutes. Brush with leftover marinade juices as you turn them.

5. Serve with rocket salad.

Makes 2 Servings.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 151

Fat: 6g

Recipe Courtesy of the Mushroom Bureau