Hold your Breath, Porn,

Matt was telling me yesterday he had seen a segment on GMA about freediving. They were apparently racing in an obstacle course. Having been diving for many years, he used to be an instructor for the British Sub Aqua Club, he was absolutely astounded that today the record for holding one’s breath is 19 minutes and 21 seconds. Peter Colat who is a Swiss freediver holds this record beating David Blane’s record by 19 seconds. It is also a very dangerous thing to do. Here is an article about it http://tinyurl.com/ygxkrqb

Not sure what started me thinking about Lady Chatterley’s Lover yesterday, but that led to thinking about pornography and how standards have changed. When I was a child, that book was banned although one could buy an expurgated copy.  When I did finally get to read the original I was surprised by a sentence spoken by the gardener “that’s where tha shits and that’s where tha pisses”. In those days, one just didn’t talk about that kind of thing (of course I was still virginal and inexperienced). When I think of the things one can read, hear or see on movies and TV or find on the internet, the comparison is staggering. A few years ago a friend commented about a picture of a salt cellar saying it looked like a speculum. I didn’t really know what a speculum looked like and promptly searched on line. Not only did I find out, but found out what else it could be used for other than obstetric and gynecology usage. When I told this story at work they howled with laughter and thought it was the funniest thing they had heard.  I’m still not sure how a salt cellar could look similar. Of course porn pix are so easy to distribute on the internet, once upon a time for such pictures people had to go into shops which sold magazines and hid the porn ones at the back. Then porn videos came along and the first one I ever saw was so badly filmed it was hardly worth watching anyway. I wonder what our Victorian ancestors would have thought about all this, they covered up the legs of pianos  etc. because they were considered somewhat obscene.

I am delighted to say I bowled pretty well yesterday and in one game I actually got 4 strikes in a row, haven’t done that for a long time. Then, when we got home, someone called to see Matt’s golf clubs which we have had for sale on Kijiji for a while and they are now, finally, sold.

I thought this soup looked pretty good and will certainly try it.

Sweet Potato Soup with Ginger

By The Gluten Free Goddess
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

Crank up your slow cooker and simmer this super-easy soup all day long. While you busy yourself with living your life, you can be making an amazing soup that will thrill your family’s taste buds!

Ingredients

1 drizzle of fruity extra virgin olive oil
1 small sweet onion, diced fine
Fresh grated ginger root, to taste
2 lbs. sweet potatoes (I use a mix of small ruby yams and medium orange sweet potatoes), peeled and diced
Fresh water, enough to cover the potatoes (some folks prefer broth, but I like to keep the taste of the sweet potato clean and simple)
Sea salt, to taste
A pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg or cardamom, to taste

Instructions

Ready your slow cookerand turn it on high. Drizzle a touch of olive oil in the bottom of the crock. When the oil is warm stir in the onion and ginger, cover and heat till fragrant (you can skip this small step if you like, it's just something I like to do to infuse the oil and jump-start the flavors). Add the diced sweet potatoes. Cover with fresh water. Add a little salt, to taste. I sprinkle in a small amount of cinnamon and warm spices, too. Cover.

Slow cook on high or low, according to your manufacturer's instructions for potato soup.

When the potatoes are very tender, use an immersion blender to puree the soup.

If the soup is too thick, add more liquid to thin.

Taste test and add more sea salt and pepper, to taste.

This simple soup is so creamy I didn't think it needed any richness added -- but if you would prefer to make it a cream-style soup stir in a cup or so of coconut milk (or non-dairy milk) and taste test. Cover and gently heat through.

This soup reheats well -- we had leftovers the next day -- delicious.

Total Servings: 4

Have a great day