Congee, RIP, Stampede Accidents.

Having made myself (actually I got Matt to make it for me) some congee for my supper after my dental visit, I had intended to try it for breakfast, but Matt beat me to it and made our usual cereals. So, I had some for lunch, I sprinkled it with a bit of Worcestershire sauce and some drops of Tabasco and ate it with smoked salmon. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Having been researching the internet with regard to congee, I have all kinds of things I want to try with it. To make the congee, we boiled 3/4 cup basmati rice, in 9 cups of water and 1 tsp salt. It cooked steadily for an hour to 1 1/2 hours. I added it to soup on Thursday night, by Friday morning it was an almost solid pudding or porridge. You can water it down if you want to make it liquid again, and then add all kinds of things like pork, ginger, chicken, scallions, etc. etc. The options are very varied. We have some coconut milk left over, I am thinking of mixing it with the congee for breakfast tomorrow. If one’s ability to eat is restricted, it is wonderful stuff, also I understand, excellent invalid food. I am a congee convert.

Just caught a headline about the death of Oscar winning film producer Richard Zanuck. He was 77. He produced Driving Miss Daisy amongst other films to his record. That was a wonderful movie. Ernest Borgnine also died last Sunday, never did see a lot about it in the news. I always liked him. I just realised he was 95, that’s a very good age. I first remember hearing about him when he took the part in Marty in 1955.

A lot of animal rights activists are upset at the deaths of three horses during the chuck wagon races at the Calgary Stampede. The Stampede seems to have had some bad luck over the years, not so long ago a lot of horses got killed in the Stampede itself. Activists are trying to get rodeos banned completely, whether they will ever achieve that or not, who knows? Horses love to race and man is going to race them one way or another.


I forgot to mention that on Monday L. Diane Wolfe of www.spunkonastick.net is guest posting on my blog. I hope you will enjoy her post.

This sounds absolutely delicious. I haven’t tried looking for this hot bean paste, but we have a good supermarket and an Asian store in the vicinity.

Firecracker Chicken Thighs

Cooking.com
Makes 6 servings


Available in Asian markets and some supermarkets, hot bean paste gives a tingling spiciness to this dish. To toast the sesame seeds, place them in a shallow pan and bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 7-10 minutes, or 'til golden.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS


1 1/2 - 2 pounds chicken thighs
2-3 tablespoons hot bean paste
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds, crushed
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
4 large cloves garlic, minced (1 tablespoon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

DIRECTIONS
Remove skin from chicken thighs. Score meat on both sides by making shallow diagonal cuts about 1 inch apart.

In a large mixing bowl stir together bean paste, soy sauce, sesame seeds, sesame oil, sugar, green onions, garlic, salt, and pepper. Pour into a plastic bag; add chicken thighs. Seal bag; turn bag to coat chicken. Marinate in the refrigerator for 4-24 hours, turning bag occasionally. Remove chicken, scraping off excess marinade. Reserve marinade.

Place chicken on the grill rack of an uncovered grill. Grill directly over medium coals for 15 minutes. Turn chicken over and grill for 10-15 minutes more. Baste both sides with reserved marinade and grill for 5 minutes more, or till chicken is tender and no pink remains, turning once. Discard any remaining marinade.

Have a great weekend