Superman, Dryer, Elections.

I read an article which says Superman is giving up his US citizenship because he wants to be a crime fighter for the world and not to be seen as being from the US. It was almost a serious article!!

Sunday morning I went to use my hair dryer and when I switched it on, nothing. I was somewhat teed off so later in the day, once my hair had dried itself, I had to go out and buy a new one. Actually its quite a nice little machine with a handle which folds flat, convenient for travelling. Bit like this one only blue. I tried it out, boy does it ever blast one’s hair. It is a Bella ionic dryer which is supposed to be good for the hair.

This morning I ache, my back aches and my neck/shoulders ache. Sitting almost continuously for around 14 hours at the polling station. I am not sure I will ever the job again, I am not fit enough. Pity because I enjoyed doing it once again. But oh the pain when I got home. Our station had an excellent turnout, we were busy all day with long lines first thing after the polls opened. People do get a bit upset if they don’t understand the rules though. They have been sent through the mail and broadcast on both radio and TV to explain how you have to prove your identity and yet people still come in with insufficient proof of who they are and whether they live in the district. Then they get mad and blame us. It was rather fun to see all the people from our building. Later that night, the results were through and we ended up with a Conservative majority government which is the first time we have had a majority for a while although the Conservatives have been the major party for a while, just not with a majority. The big surprise was that the NDP became the opposition and the Liberals were badly defeated, their leader didn’t even get re-elected although I noticed that Justin Trudeau did get elected. I feel sorry for him in a way, everyone is expecting him to be the man his father, Pierre Trudeau, was. A lot of pressure for him.

Of course the main headlines in the US are about the death of Osama bin Laden and the fact that the Americans are on high alert for retaliation from Al Qaeda, I think this will be put off for a while, and they will attack when no-one is thinking about it. The American government is also pondering on whether to publish a picture of bin Laden’s corpse to prove that he has been killed except the picture is somewhat gruesome apparently. Terrible when a country won’t believe its government, something wrong there somewhere!!!

Here’s an interesting recipe from Mushrooms Canada. A somewhat different take on pizza.

Shiitake Mushroom and Steak Flatbread on Shiitake Crust

This recipe was created by Elizabeth Nyland of Guilty Kitchen

2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms, stems removed
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/3 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable shortening
3/4-1 cup water
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
1 large leek, sliced thinly into half moons
200 g fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced and woody,
stems removed
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/3 cup white wine
kosher salt to taste
fresh cracked black pepper to taste
1/4 cup heavy cream (or half and half)
1/2 lb. hanger steak (or any good quality steak such
as, filet, strip, ribeye, etc.)
1 tsp olive oil
200 g Gruyere cheese, grated fine
3 oz fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
1 tbsp butter

1. Pulverize dried shiitake mushrooms in the bowl of a food processor until it takes on a bread crumb like
consistency.
2. In a large bowl mix flour, salt and pulverized mushrooms.
3. Cut in shortening until a fine crumb like texture forms.
4. Pour in 3/4 cup water and if more is needed at a bit at a time. Knead dough until stickiness is gone and
dough is slightly elastic. Let rest 30 minutes covered in bowl.
5. In a large sauté pan, melt 2 tbsp of butter on medium heat. Add in rosemary, garlic, leeks and fresh shiitake
mushrooms. Sauté until mushrooms are softened.
6. Add Dijon salt and pepper and white wine. Continue to sauté until wine reduces by half and all vegetables are
thoroughly cooked through.
7. Stir in cream, cook for 2 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside.
8. Rub steak with 1 tsp of oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear in a sauté pan on high heat (or on the grill)
for 2 minutes per side. Just long enough to brown the outside leaving the interior very rare.
9. Allow steak to cool for 10 minutes and slice as thin as possible against the grain. Set aside.
10. On a lightly floured surface roll out dough to desired shape and about 1/4" thick. Roll up edges to make a
crust and pinch down to seal.
11. Bake on a baking sheet in a 450°F oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.
12. When down, spread 1 tbsp butter over the crust, top with chopped spinach, leek mixture, steak and grated
Gruyere.
13. Return to 450°F oven for another 10-15 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden.
14. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before slicing.heat and let cool.

Have a great day