Royal Birthday, Gold Leaf.

This weekend, in London, they celebrated the Queen’s official birthday by the annual trooping of the colour which is a mustering and parade of the guards, originally part of the preparations for war. Once upon a time she would ride to the event but now, at 88, she travels in a carriage. Beside her in the carriage is Prince Phillip. I was astounded to see him wearing a bearskin hat I didn’t remember ever seeing him wear one before, however, I found this picture from 1981 where he was definitely wearing one so we assume he is the commanding officer of the Household Guards. In fact, it turns out that both Prince Charles and Prince William were similarly dressed. In this picture the queen is riding Burmese, her favourite 19 yr. old horse and in fact it was taken on the day she was shot at, which I certainly knew nothing about. Once again her Majesty was on her way to Horse Guards Parade to attend the trooping of the colour in her honour. The ceremony is truly impressive to watch although I have only ever seen it on TV. I was also interested to be reminded that she always rode side saddle to these events.

Reading the latest post by Hilary Melton-Butcher she mentioned books of gold leaf. I hadn’t thought about it in years, but I used to have one, the pages were very thin and the gold leaf itself was basically not a lot more than paint in it’s thickness. I have no idea where I got this book of gold leaf from, but we moved into a brand new house in Hoo, Kent, England and I decided to call it Borogroves from the story of Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. It wasn’t until very much later that I realised it should be Borogoves (only one r). Anyway, somewhere we had obtained a wooden sign with the house name and by dint of using clear nail polish, each letter acquired a coat of gold leaf.  I had the rest of the book for many years but I have no idea what eventually happened to it. I have to say I was actually rather disappointed, didn’t look like much at all when the name was finished. Hilary even included a link for purchasing a similar book. Doesn’t look like much does it? Nor did my sign. It’s £6.95 for a book of 5 leaves.

This is a recipe we tried on Saturday. It was good but we decided it needed more seasoning, i.e. lemon, salt and pepper. Matt figured out he would use half as much again (he was the one who cooked it). We didn't have the Swiss Chard but French cut green beans. On Sunday we ate the remainder cold and the flavours had developed somewhat.

Tuscan Pork Kebabs

Coming in at under 200 calories per serving, these colourful grilled pork kebabs are perfect for a light weeknight dinner.
Cooking Light AUGUST 2009

• Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 kebabs)

Ingredients

• 4 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 16 (1-inch) pieces red bell pepper
• 16 (1-inch) pieces yellow bell pepper
• Cooking spray

Preparation

1. Prepare grill to medium-high heat.
2. Combine olive oil, grated lemon rind, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic in a large bowl, stirring well. Add pork; marinate at room temperature 15 minutes, tossing occasionally.
3. Thread pork and bell peppers alternately onto each of 8 (8-inch) skewers. Place skewers on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 10 minutes or until pork is done, turning occasionally.
Sautéed chard: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and swirl to coat. Add 8 cups chopped stemmed Swiss chard, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, and 1/8 teaspoon salt; sauté for 5 minutes or until chard wilts.

Have a great day