Funeral. Lunch

Whilst at the doctor’s we were watching the funeral for the three Mounties who were shot in Moncton, NB. They were holding it in the local arena as there were thousands there including Mounties from all over the country and other uniformed groups, I was unable to identify them, but it was a very impressive sight. The Prime Minister and the Governor of Canada were there and last, but not least, the families entered. Then the caskets were brought in by a parade of Mounties (Royal Mounted Police) and each casket was borne by a troop of Mounties and draped with a Canadian flag. All that red from their uniforms together with the red flag was quite spectacular. I started to tear up and was glad we were called away before I really dissolved into tears. One of the three who were shot was a dog handler and there was at least one dog in the crowd, I am not sure if it was his dog or not – yes it was, this was his K-9 partner with another officer. There were also a lot of very young babies there which I thought was a bit stupid as the service was expected to take three hours. Quite a lot of young kids too. One part of the arena was a sea of red with all the uniforms.

Matt had a check up visit with his cardiac doc today (everything OK) but we didn’t get out til late and as it was not local we went out for lunch. We went to a restaurant we hadn’t been to for a number of years, Galt View, which is right opposite the hospital in Cambridge and therefore does a huge business. We haven’t been there for a long time though and I realised it had changed hands, about a year ago the waitress told me. The menu was much smaller and somewhat different. I ordered a Reuben and Matt had a BLT. I didn’t like the way they served the Reuben – not as a sandwich exactly, but more like an open faced sandwich. The mustard came in small packets which were impossible to open and when I finally did get one open I ended up with mustard squirting all over me, I was not happy. Anyway, I had to eat with a knife and fork – to me a sandwich should be something you can pick up – and I wasn’t happy. Nothing wrong with the taste, but I wouldn’t order one there again. Actually there was far too much corned beef on it anyway and the bread was too soggy to pick up. Matt’s BLT was fine.

One thing that tickled me was the ubiquitous Heinz Ketchup. Made me think of when we first came to Canada and noticed every table had ketchup on it which was used profusely. I figured Heinz must be delighted with Canadians although I think I remember it being the same in the US. It may well be the same in England these days. Heinz ketchup was certainly available when we left, but you didn’t see it on every table in cafes and restaurants.  Of course you don’t see it on the table in gourmet restaurants.

OK, not asparagus today, saw this and thought it looked good. Me being me of course I wouldn’t use low fat anything. I would also make my own pesto, in fact regular basil pesto keeps well in the freezer, another thing I freeze in ice trays and then wrap and store.

Manicotti with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

WebMD Recipe

If you’re feeding a crowd, double the recipe. Set each manicotti on top of a small pool of red pepper sauce on the dinner plate, or serve them with an ample drizzle of the red pepper sauce on top. If you want to skip roasting the peppers, substitute 1 cup of bottled roasted red peppers for the 2 sweet red peppers.



Ingredients

• 8 large dried manicotti pasta shells or similar
• 2  sweet red peppers
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup 1% milk
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 1/2 cups low-fat or part-skim ricotta cheese
• 3/4 cup chopped spinach, thawed, with excess water gently squeezed out
• 6 tablespoons shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup prepared pesto sauce, found in the frozen pasta section
• 4  green onions, white and part of green, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Coat a 9x13-inch baking dish with canola cooking spray.
2. Boil manicotti shells according to directions on package until tender. Drain, rinse with cold water, and carefully set aside.
3. While manicotti is boiling, turn on the broiler. Cut each red pepper into quarters and remove inside flesh and seeds. Cut each quarter in half to make eight strips total. Lay strips, skin side down, on a nonstick baking sheet (line with foil for easy cleanup, if desired). Brush the tops of pepper strips with olive oil. Broil until the top sides are nicely brown, watching carefully. Flip and broil until brown. Let peppers cool slightly. Preheat oven to 350°F.
4. In a food processor, puree pepper strips with milk, garlic, and pepper to taste. Add salt to taste if desired. Keep sauce at a low simmer in a small, covered, nonstick saucepan while you bake the manicotti.
5. Mix filling ingredients (ricotta, spinach, Parmesan cheese, pesto, green onions, and Italian seasonings) in a bowl with spoon or fork. Stuff shells with the cheese mixture. Arrange in a baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes, then uncover and bake 10 minutes more.
6. Serve one or two manicotti shells per person; decorate each shell with ample red pepper sauce.

Have a great day