ECG, Group Names, techXpert.

Tuesday morning I went for my ecg. I was impressed,the guy hasn't seen me for a year or two and he commented about me losing weight. I don't know how soon I will get any results. I went to exercise class in the afternoon and made a comment about a strange man handling my boobs whilst my husband was in the waiting room. They thought it was funny. It's damned painful too, they have to press so hard for the ultra sound to get through the breast tissue. Tomorrow afternoon I have to go to the same office to my regular diabetic clinic. Glad we now have a medical office close to us instead of in the next town.

A little bit of trivia for you. A group of porcupines is called a prickle. One wonders who comes up with these names, one or two come to mind, a murder of crows, a dazzle of zebras, a parliament of owls and so on. Can you add to the list?

Monday afternoon, Matt had been playing his word game on the computer. I told him it was

suppertime and went to close out his game. I had a warning come up saying something to the effect that as a Rogers customer (which I am) there was a major problem/virus/something and I should immediately call such and such a number. It was backed by a Norton warning page. Apart from anything else, I don't have Norton. However, what I do have is TechXpert from Rogers where I can ask them to take over my PC. I did that immediately. They agreed it wasn't genuine and suggested I needed a thorough clean of my system which they are presently doing. This is free as part of the package I have with them. The number I was asked to call purported to be a Rogers number by the way. So be warned, if anything like this happens to you. Also, when I tried, I couldn't get rid of it. I don't know if rebooting would have done the trick or not. I just left it to them to deal with it. Mind you this cuts into my need to use a computer service when I have a problem, I feel a bit guilty, but after all this is free with my TV/Phone/ISP package. They will ask for my evaluation later, it will be full of praise.

Here's something for my vegan friends. Never having had a churn, if I want home made I have to make it simply and freeze it. I have no doubt one could use Splenda or something in place of the sugar. Ivy, I think this would perhaps be right up your street?

Vegan Roasted Banana Ice Cream

 Melissa Clark New York Times

• YieldAbout 1 1/2 quarts

A combination of coconut milk, homemade cashew milk and cocoa butter gives this dairy-free ice cream its particularly luscious, creamy texture. Ripe bananas, roasted with brown sugar and coconut oil until caramelized and golden, add a deep butterscotch-like note. You’ll need to start this at least one day before you plan to serve it. Or make it up to a week ahead. Chopped bittersweet chocolate makes a fine substitute for the walnuts, or use 1/3 cup of each.

Featured in: Vegan Ice Cream From ‘Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream’. 

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups/200 grams raw, unsalted cashews
• 4 medium bananas, preferably somewhat speckled but not brown, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 6 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons/90 grams extra-virgin coconut oil
• 2 tablespoons/28 grams dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon/5 grams plus a pinch kosher salt
• ¾ cup/150 grams granulated sugar
• ½ cup/80 grams cocoa butter, available at baking supply stores and online
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/266 milliliters coconut milk
• ½ cup/65 grams chopped walnuts, toasted (optional)

Preparation

1. To make the cashew milk, place the cashews in a large bowl and add water to cover by a couple of inches. Soak cashews overnight.
2. In the morning, drain the cashews and place them in a blender with about 1 3/4 cups (375 grams) fresh water. Blend until smooth. If you use a Vitamix, there will be no need to strain – the milk will be perfectly smooth; for other blenders, check the consistency and, if necessary, strain the cashew milk through a fine-mesh strainer. Cashew milk will keep well, covered and refrigerated, for up to 4 days.
3. To roast the bananas, heat the oven to 400 degrees with a rack in the middle. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, toss the bananas, 2 tablespoons/27 grams coconut oil, brown sugar and pinch of salt. Spread on prepared baking sheet until caramelized, about 15 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool completely.
4. Put 1/4 cup water into a small saucepan over medium to low heat. Add sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar has dissolved. Add cocoa butter, remaining 4 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons/63 grams coconut oil and remaining salt. Stir until melted.
5. Pour the sugar mixture into in a food processor (or use a tall 2-quart container and an immersion blender), and add the coconut milk and 1 cup/212 grams cashew milk. Blend until smooth. Add roasted bananas and blend again to combine until very smooth. Cover and refrigerate the ice cream base until chilled, 1 to 2 hours.
6. Freeze in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. In the last minute of churning, add toasted walnuts, if desired, and churn until incorporated. Transfer the ice cream to a storage container and freeze up to 7 days. Alternatively, you can serve it immediately. It will be the consistency of soft-serve.

Have a great day