Yesterday I downloaded Eye of the Storm which picks up storm info from the internet. Seems to be a good programme. I can see storms all over the world; however, I have narrowed it down to those which concern me, particularly in the Atlantic. I used to have a great little hurricane tracking programme in which you could put the co-ordinates of the storm as they were broadcast as well as plot the co-ordinates of where you lived. However, it is no longer viable software sadly. This Eye of the Storm is great and you can enter a city in which you are interested. I have added Morehead City, NC as being the best point for us. I downloaded it to my laptop as that is where it will be the most use to me.
On the Dr. Oz programme last night, he was talking about Celiac Disease. It is something I am a bit familiar with as I know one person who has it, and another person was Jody who used to write the Silly Yak (say it) blog a year or two ago. It turns out that a lot of doctors mis-diagnose the problem and frequently say its IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome. So, if you do have IBS maybe you should get some testing done to make certain you don’t have Celiac Disease instead. Celiac Disease is an intolerance for gluten which can appear in many products in a somewhat hidden form; 1/8 of a teaspoonful can make you ill. It is, of course, in many obvious products such as bread and pastas and some grains. However, it is possible to obtain substitutes which are gluten free – as a side effect, it is possible to lose weight on a gluten free diet.
The North Carolinians are anxiously keeping an eye on Hurricane Earl which went from a 4 to a 3 and back to a 4 yesterday and which was hitting the coast of the Carolinas last night with lots of rough water – and people were swimming in it of course. This morning Sam Champion of GMA is broadcasting from Atlantic Beach (quite close to where we lived or will be vacationing) and standing in the water to talk to the cameras, it actually doesn’t look that rough. However, the storm is not quite there yet. It looks as though the eye will pass them by, but it is such a big storm (400 miles across) that the outer wall will cause a lot of problems as it passes by. The rest of the east coast is bracing for high winds and it is expected it will impact Canada later on.
I had bought some leeks to braise as a vegetable and was looking for something slightly different to do with them. This is what I came up with. They were good.
Braised Leeks with Lemon
Gourmet February 1995
Can be prepared in 45 minutes or less.
Ingredients
4 small or medium leeks, tough outer leaves discarded and leeks trimmed to about 7 inches long and cut lengthwise into quarters or eighths
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
Preparation
In a shallow dish soak leeks in cold water to cover 15 minutes, rubbing occasionally to remove any grit. In a heavy skillet melt butter over moderate heat. lift leeks out of the water and with water still clinging to them add to skillet. Cook leeks, stirring occasionally, five minutes and add broth and zest. Braise leeks, covered, 5 minutes, or until very tender, and season with salt and pepper.
have a great day.
Leeks are usually put into soup here. The leek therefore has a reputation of being a dull vegetable. I can't remember when last I'd bought or eaten a leek. Been more of a carrot and French runner bean woman.
ReplyDeleteYou are lucky to get Runner Beans, they are not seen very often here, I do so wish we could get them more often, they are my favourites. Usually known as flat beans on this side of the pond.
ReplyDeleteI make leek and potato soup a lot too, or just leek on its own. I sure don't think of it as a dull veggie at all.