Japan, Election, Dinner

Some of the main headlines seem to be about the reactor in Japan at the moment. There has been lots of criticism on TV about the Japanese handling of the crisis – it is said they should have called in teams of experts from around the world. I dunno, but I would think under the circumstance, like a quake and a tsunami, its not that easy to cope. But yes, I agree, they should have asked for help. Still should I guess.

Our election is definite now, the speculation is that it will be May 2. Stephen Harper is talking to the Governor General right now to get permission to dissolve parliament and begin an election. This will be the 41st election, doesn’t seem like many, I wonder how many elections Britain has had. Canada is, after all, a very young country.

We have friends coming for dinner tomorrow night and I am making Bobotie which I made a couple of years ago. I happened to have some ground lamb in the freezer. There aren’t a lot of our friends we can invite to partake of lamb – having said that, we actually have three couples we can invite for lamb so that’s a fairly high proportion.

Oh, I am still feeling like crap by the way, I am having trouble sleeping, my chest rattles so much it keeps me awake. I am not used to this stuff any more, so I don’t suffer quietly.

I love Vidalia onions although we don’t often see them round here. One of the delights of travelling dahn sahth. Georgia is where they mostly come from although sweet onions are grown elsewhere and we can buy sweet onions all the time. I found this recipe on Cooking.com, no picture unfortunately.

Vidalia Onion Casserole

Source: Preserving Fruits and Vegetables

Makes 3 cups

This recipe freezes well and can be enjoyed all year round. INGREDIENTS

5-6 large Vidalia (sweet salad) onions

1/3 cup butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon mustard powder

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1 cup milk

1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese

1 cup bread crumbs

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Thinly slice onions to equal 4-5 cups. In a large skillet, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter. Add the onions and sauté until soft, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat.

In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of the remaining butter and stir in the flour, mustard, and pepper. (This is called a "roux".)

Slowly stir in the milk and cheese. Cook until thickened. Line the baking dishes with aluminum foil, if desired. Spoon alternate layers of the onions and sauce into the baking dishes.

Sprinkle the top with the bread crumbs and dot with the remaining butter. Either bake and serve, or, cover and freeze.

DO-AHEAD TIPS: If you are making the casserole to go right into the freezer, line the baking dish with foil. Freeze until the food is hard, then remove the baking dish, wrap the food, label, and freeze. To serve, remove the foil (if used), and return the food to the dish in which it was frozen. Thaw in the refrigerator. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees.

PREPARATION TIPS: The Vidalia (sweet salad) onion season is short and they don't last long in cold storage. This onion casserole recipe makes Vidalias available all year long.

Remove frozen dishes from the freezer the day before they are required and transfer to the refrigerator to thaw.

Have a great weekend