Thursday, December 18, 2014

Gas, Prosecco Cocktails.

When we were out and about on Tuesday we were comparing gas prices. They were mainly running about 96 ¢ a litre (give or take a Old Gas Pricespenny or two) which is the lowest we have seen it for very a long time. However, I read some headlines saying the government stood to lose $13 billion a year because of the plunge in oil prices. Seems we have been right, they have been overtaxing gas as everyone has been saying for a long time. However, that is one hell of a loss for the government and I wonder what benefits of ours they will cut or tax further. They could, of course, stop sending soldiers out of the country to attack ISIS and others. I think that would save us a buck or two. They could also redirect some of the largesse being given to foreign countries back into Canada to help those that need it here, there are lots of them. These ideas seem to be very much the song sung by several other countries, the States and the UK to start with. It doesn’t seem to me that whoever you vote for, the people who finally get in do the same thing the previous bunch did. The picture shows the prices just a week or two ago.

I was talking about Brazil nuts yesterday. A friend from Oz, Pinky Poinker mentioned the benefits of selenium in these nuts but also stated that one can overdose. I Googled it and found this article about it which, if you like Brazil nuts, you should read.

This is a link to recipes for 10 Prosecco cocktails, it is from BBC Good Food. I am not sure if we prosecco-maincan get Prosecco here but if not we can certainly make them with champagne or any sparking wine. Prosecco is somewhat softer than champagne I understand. There is a wine here in Canada which I think could be used for these. I cannot for the life of me remember what it’s called. It was a Trius brand by Hillebrand. A Canadian winery.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup Recipe

Serves 4 (serving size: 1 cup)
from Cooking Light

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chopped red potato (about 1 pound)
1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring onion mixture constantly. Add potato, milk, broth, and 1/2 cup water to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese and ground red pepper; cook 2 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Top each serving evenly with 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped green onions.

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

10 comments:

  1. Low gas here too, and also the fuel to heat our house has kicked down.

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    1. That's good for us, but one wonders what the government reaction will be.

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  2. Gas prices are going down here in the USA too. Russell was paying over $4/gallon for diesel a couple of years ago and spending $1500 or more a week on fuel alone, so he's finally getting some relief from that. I have a grocery store card that gives you points towards gasoline as participating stations so I've gotten to fuel up a few times at just $2.47 a gallon. I haven't seen a price that low since about 2004.

    Do you have to use reduced fat cheese in that soup? The stuff is so wretched and dry. I would probably double the recipe because 1 cup of soup for a serving size won't cut it. Not unless I have a sub sandwich on the side. :)

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    1. That's a lot of money isn't it?

      No, of course you don't have to use low fat cheese and I wouldn't. I would use 1 1/2 cups for a serving size with, maybe, a crusty bun. However, a cup of that soup is 225 calories. Depends on which meal you are using it for, as to what you would add. We often just have a serving of soup for supper. That's how come I lost weight.

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  3. We're at almost $2.40 a gallon, which is awesome. Big oil might be losing, but consumers will have more money to spend on the economy now that they aren't dumping it all into their fuel tank.

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    1. We always found the price of gas in NC to be one of the lowest on our trip down. I agree that one would have more money, but what worries me is whether the government will start saying they haven't enough for pensions. Sort of thing they do.

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  4. NC yesterday was at $2.41... and falling. SC is below $2.00. I'm waiting to see if ours will drop more - hopefully. Interesting about the Brazil nuts. I'm not a fan but I might take a look at Cashews!!
    Love any kind of soup, but I have to use my NY cheddar.(smile)

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    1. Below $2 is very good.

      Matt particularly likes Brazils. I like most nuts but find almonds a bit hard to chew these days.

      Sure, regular cheese for certain, even if it does push up the calorie count.

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  5. Okay, there are 3.8 (roughly) litres in a gallon and at the moment we pay about $1.40 a litre for petrol. That's terrible. That's why I bought a tiny economical little car.

    I read the article you linked and I was surprised at how much higher Brazil nuts are in selenium than I thought. I can't eat almonds either without breaking a tooth. Macadamias are my favourite nuts followed by cashews. I guess it's a case of everything in moderation.

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    1. I'm not sure how your dollar compares to ours but that looks like a lot of money per litre. As I said we are paying 95¢ (today).

      Yes, I was surprised about the Brazils. I like Macadamias but they are not cheap round here.

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