Advent, Flu Shot, Robin Hood: Men in Tights

Yesterday I enjoyed opening my Advent Calendars which I bought from Jacquie Lawson. I have one on both the desktop and the laptop, the latter being an updated one of last year’s and the one on the desktop is completely new and takes place in London starting with Big Ben which will now keep accurate time (according to my PC clock) for the whole Advent period.

Funny, yesterday afternoon/evening I heard Big Ben and thought it was on the radio, it wasn’t til later I figured it was coming from the Advent Calendar. At 8 p.m. I went to look at it and nothing happened. Boo. There were people out walking dogs and looking in shop windows though, but as it goes dark you can’t see them any more although you can see the lighted buildings. It really is fun, I am looking forward to opening each day as the month progresses.

Bowling again today, at Christmas we will be getting two weeks with none at all. We could bowl, but a lot of people probably wouldn’t want to anyway.

Something I heard on the radio yesterday which I didn’t know; if you have the flu shot, it can reduce your risk of a heart attack up to 50% for the following year. This is, apparently, because flu can attack the respiratory system and cause inflammation which can lead to blood clots in the heart.

Would you believe we watched Robin Hood; Men in Tights last night, I haven’t seen it in years. Originally I thought it was very funny, it was still funny, but very dated now. Mel Brooks is still good for a laugh as Rabbi Tuckerman and there are lots of little snippets which you could miss if you weren’t quick, maybe we did miss some of them. Enjoyed it, but not as much as when it first came out in 1993.

I have, of course, got shrimp in my freezer which I brought back from the Carolinas, and so when I spotted this recipe, naturally, I was interested. I think I would use olive oil rather than canola.

Boiled Shrimp with Spicy Mayonnaise

by Eugenia Bone

SERVINGS: 8
Mustard and white pepper amp up the heat in this homemade mayo for shrimp.

SERVINGS:8
MAKE-AHEAD

Ingredients

Ingredients
2 very fresh organic egg yolks
1 1/2 tablespoons Colman's hot mustard powder
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1 cup canola oil
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon water
2 pounds medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks, mustard powder and lemon juice. Whisking constantly, slowly dribble in the canola oil. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Whisk in the 1 tablespoon of water to thin out the mayonnaise if necessary.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add the shrimp and boil until pink, about 3 minutes. Drain and let cool. Serve the shrimp with the spicy mayonnaise.

Have a great day