Girls Only Award, World Wildlife, CPAP

Viveka at My Guilty Pleasures was kind enough to give me the Sisterhood Award which I am very delighted with. It was Viveka who added the flowery frame to the badge. Thanks very much.

Rules for the Sisterhood Award:
Provide a link and thank the blogger who nominated you
Nominate 10-12 blogs that you find a joy to read
Provide links to these nominated blogs and kindly let the recipients know that they have been nominated
Include the award logo within your blog post for the award
So, here goes girls, hope you will accept the award.

Jenn at Scribbles from Jenn
Hilary Melton Butcher at Positive Letters
L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick
Sia McKye at Sia McKye Over Coffee
Tina at Life is Good
Elise Fallson at Elise Fallson
Cindy Dwyer at A Reason to Write
Zoe Byrd at rewritten
Lucy Adams at Lucy Adams
Laura Marcella at Wavy Lines

I am having a lot of problems with the programme I use for writing blogs, Windows Live Writer. It keeps seizing up on me. I have asked a question on a forum, lets see what kind of answer I get.

World Wildlife Fund send me regular newsletters and this morning’s included a link to some absolutely fabulous pictures including those of a Panda in it’s habitat. I thought you might enjoy these pictures as I did so I am linking you to them.
I thought this one was particularly cute with the Panda sleeping on a sloping hillside. So many animals are on the endangered list these days, not least of which are the rhinos which are being slaughtered by the hundreds for their horns which in fact have no medical properties at all, but there are still a vast number of Asians who believe rhino horn to have health benefits.

I picked up my CPAP machine today, because I am tech savvy she gave me one with all kinds of features on it. Not only can I use it for breathing at night, I can set an alarm on it. It has a USB on the side which I can use on my computer to allow the Sleep Management company to make adjustments on my machine. Gonna take a bit of getting used to I think. The machine itself is totally quiet but I have to add distilled water to use it so that may make a noise. We then spent the afternoon checking on sources of distilled water, bought a gallon (4 litres) from them at $3 but she told me I could get it cheaper, turns out I can buy the same from my supermarket for less than $2. I also have to wipe the mask of my face piece every day and I now have a box of non alcoholic baby wipes. There are instructions galore for cleaning everything regularly. I cannot imagine travelling with all this, especially if you had to fly. I have started with a nose mask, but if necessary I might have to change to a full mask. Apparently our insurance covers extra masks if needed, one needs a full mask if one has a cold or something. All great fun.


Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
1 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 small melon (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 oz fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted* see Note

1 Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Chop the prosciutto into 1/4-inch pieces.
3 Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. In a medium bowl, toss together the asparagus and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side until crisp-tender.
4 In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the melon and mozzarella cheese and toss until all ingredients are combined.
5 Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the melon and burrata cheese on top of the asparagus. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle the prosciutto and pine nuts on top and serve.

Servings: 4

Author: Giada De Laurentiis
Author Notes
To toast pine nuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly browned.

Have a great weekend and to my American readers, Happy Memorial Day.