Stranded Dolphins, Asparagus, Bees.

This is an incredible piece of footage. I had to share it in case you haven’t seen it. I can’t believe some of those people who were just standing about and watching.


As you will have noticed, I am always rabbiting on about asparagus and how much I love it. Not only that, it’s good for you, really good for you. It has been used since ancient times to detoxify the body and today we know there is science behind this ancient practice. If you read this article in National Health Sherpa you will discover that asparagus is a real power house of nutritional benefits. It is full of vitamins and I quote:

"There’s no doubt about it: Asparagus is one of nature’s healthiest vegetables.  Along with potassium, it’s also an excellent source of many other vitamins and minerals necessary for optimal health.”

That’s just part of it, if you check the article there is so much more to be obtained by eating asparagus. It includes antioxidants, it is an anti inflammatory, a cancer prevention ingredient, a good digestive and so on and so on. Plus, IMHOP, it’s delicious.

I have been doing a lot of worrying about bees lately which is why I have the sign on the right.  Bees are such cute little critters, especially bumble bees, and generally putter about gathering nectar from all kinds of sources and pollinating at the same time. One of the things I find somewhat irritating is the confusion in North America between bees and wasps. There is actually a lot of difference, but so many people persist in calling wasps bees. Just saw something on TV where they were talking about bee stings, or yellow jackets. They were wasp stings. One thing with a bee, if it stings you, it leaves its stinger in you and then the poor bee goes off and dies. You should be sure to remove the stinger from the site. The wasp on the other hand goes off to sting again. Personally I like bees, to me they are working really hard pollinating plants and making honey. Without them (they are dying off in droves) we will be in serious trouble. I realise I have addressed this topic four times in my blogging life. Maybe I should address it more often. SAVE THE BEES and save our future. 

 Once upon a time we used to watch Giada di Laurentis’ TV show every day without fail. and I have cooked many of her recipes. This one came from Food and Wine and I thought it was worth sharing. Not only that, it is a fast and simple recipe to prepare. Never tried fried capers, but love capers.

Lemon Spaghetti with Shrimp

Contributed by Giada De Laurentiis

• TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN
• SERVINGS: 6

• •FAST

Fried capers add a crisp, pungent hit to De Laurentiis's lovely seafood pasta. The sauce that coats the spaghetti is a simple mix of olive oil, Parmesan and lemon.

1. Vegetable oil, for frying
2. 1/4 cup capers, rinsed, drained and patted dry
3. 1 pound spaghetti
4. 2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
5. 1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
6. 1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
7. 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
8. 1 pound large shrimp, shelled and deveined
9. Salt
10. Pepper
11. 1/2 cup chopped basil, plus more for garnish

1. In a skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the capers and fry over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned and crisp, 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the capers to paper towels to drain.
2. In a saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the spaghetti until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk 2/3 cup of the olive oil with the grated cheese, lemon zest and lemon juice.
4. In a very large skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil until shimmering. Season the shrimp with salt and pepper, add to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat, turning once, until just opaque, 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate and add the pasta, lemon sauce, half of the reserved pasta water and the 1/2 cup of basil. Cook, tossing, until the pasta and shrimp are coated, 2 minutes, adding more of the pasta water if the spaghetti is dry; transfer to shallow bowls, garnish with basil and the fried capers and serve.

Have a great day