Pedophiles,

Saturday night, we watched a programme on TVO, TV Ontario. They are a public broadcasting station and basically have no advertising. The film, called Chosen, was about three men who were at a private boarding school, Caldicotte, in the UK during the late 60s and early 70s. These three very brave men were talking about the sexual abuse they suffered whilst at a this school and described what happened to them. One of the abusers was the headmaster, Peter Wright, and there was another teacher also, Martin Carson. The programme was horrifying and it turns out that none of the abused young men wanted their parents to know about it and this is why they didn't say anything until their parents were deceased, often because they didn't want their parents to realise they had sent their children into danger. This meant that the courts figured it was all too long after the event and basically did nothing about it whatsoever. How absolutely dreadful. Children in boarding schools are very much in the power of their teachers and if their teachers are abusive there is not much they can do. I attended two boarding schools and nothing, but nothing, of this kind occurred - to my

knowledge anyway - but I can understand how it could happen and how the kids (around 11 yrs. old) could get involved in such dreadful goings on. One thing mentioned was how the parents and teachers became friends. I remember at one school I attended my parents used to drink in the local pub with the headmistress.  Even today, some 30 odd years after the event (whenever the movie was made) these men were obviously very emotionally involved and had been emotionally damaged by these pedophiles. There was a statistic saying 3 children in every 20 - in Britain - are abused. This, of course does not just mean only in boarding schools. One wonders about the statistics in other countries.

Talking about this to Matt on Sunday morning, he maintained if it had happened to him he would have run a mile, but he is thinking with an adult brain, not as a child. As the three men in the documentary said, they were groomed. First of all they were all in the school rugby team and the headmaster was very involved with rugger. He knew a lot about it. I'm not sure whether he coached the team or not, but this was a way of getting these kids involved with the teachers in question so that they wanted the approval of these men and would basically do anything to get it. And so it went on.

Looking for pictures of the school, I came across this article about another pedophile from Caldicott who was about to be sentenced so lay down in front of an oncoming train. This article talks about a ring of pedophiles and that the abuse had been going on for half a century.As the suicide took place in 2014 it would appear they gradually have been catching up with these men. One of them, Martin Carson, who had been fired, was later found working at another school and eventually was given 2 years in prison but did not finish his sentence as he was released for good behaviour.

This recipe is from the New York Times and looked interesting to me. I should warn you that this is a pretty high calorie meal.

Rum and Chili Roasted Chicken Thighs With Pineapple

 Melissa Clark

• Yield3 to 4 servings

Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times

This dish, inspired by jerk chicken, uses amber rum to moisten the rub. The resulting dish is complex, mouth tingling but not searing, and softened by the golden cubes of succulent roasted pineapple. It's not quite recognizable as a jerk, but it is no less pleasing.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 scallions, trimmed and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons safflower or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons rum, preferably dark or amber
• 1 tablespoon thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 Scotch bonnet or habanero chili pepper, seeded and chopped
• ½ teaspoon ground allspice
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 6 chicken thighs, rinsed and patted very dry
• ¾ pound pineapple pieces, diced into 1/4-inch chunks or very roughly chopped
• Lemon wedges, for serving

Preparation

1. In a blender or food processor, combine lemon juice and salt, and blend for 5 seconds to dissolve salt. Add scallions, garlic, oil, rum, thyme, brown sugar, chili pepper and spices, and blend until mixture forms a paste.
2. Rub chili paste all over chicken pieces. If you have time, let marinate for up to 45 minutes at room temperature, or up to 24 hours in refrigerator.
3. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put chicken in a large baking pan and scatter pineapple around it in one layer. Roast until chicken is cooked through (juices will run clear when pricked with a fork), about 25 minutes.
4. Broil chicken and pineapple until chicken skin is crisp and dark brown all over and pineapple is singed in places.
5. Serve chicken and pineapple coated with pan drippings, with lemon wedges.

Have a great day
 

Saturday Recipe

A friend asked me to post my recipe for Marinara Sauce. I actually don't have one per se. I just chuck stuff in a pan as needed. However, I searched for something like mine and found this one. It basically has to be pretty simple although this one doesn't call for onions, but you can add them if you like. If you search you will find hot peppers of some kind added to many, originally this was not done, but if you want a spicy finish, obviously you can amend as required. This recipe came from the Italian Chef and is basically the same as I make and then freeze in portion sizes.

Marinara Sauce Recipe

Prep time: 5 min | Cook time: 25 min | Total time: 30 min

Serves 6

1/4 cup of extra-virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic sliced in half
1 35 oz can of imported Italian tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
3 leaves of basil, washed, patted dry and chopped

1. Place garlic and olive oil in large sauce pan.
2. Turn heat to medium and cook until garlic is soft and lightly browned.
3. Crush the tomatoes and add with their juices.
4. Fill empty tomato can 1/4 of the way with water and add to the tomatoes. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer and cook until thickened approximately 20 to 25 minutes. Add chopped basil at very end, stir in and cook for 1 minute more.

Have a great day
 

Bowling, Clouds.

I didn't blog for Thursday so thought I would post today. We went bowling on Wednesday afternoon although at one point it was touch and go. I took things very gently and much to Matt's annoyance, I bowled pretty high scores. I beat him in all three games. I tended to feel a bit better as the afternoon wore on. Then Thursday afternoon we went again and the situation changed, Matt beat me. I bowled like a woman with no arms. Terrible. On Wednesday I wore an Icy Hot patch, Thursday I didn't and I think that was a mistake. Then, much to my disgust, I discover that we can't bowl at all next week because they are resurfacing the lanes. I know it has to be done on an annual basis so guess we have to grin and bear it.

This bit of information came to me from How to Geek - They might look fluffy and ethereal but clouds are quite heavy; the average cumulus cloud (the big white cotton-candy-like ones you see on nice days) weigh 1.1 million pounds. What I want to know is how do they weigh clouds?

Having just had Fettucine Alfredo, I guess I have pasta on my mind. This looked so good to me. I make marinara sauce and freeze it in portion sizes.

Stuffed Shells with Spinach and Ricotta

(makes 4 servings)

Ingredients

• 16 jumbo pasta shells


• 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil


• 2 teaspoons garlic, minced


• 4 cups fresh spinach leaves, roughly chopped and packed tightly when measuring


• 12 ounces skim-milk ricotta cheese


• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese


• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese


• 1 large egg, lightly beaten


• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon of dried basil)


• 1 teaspoon salt


• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper


• 1 1/4 cups marinara sauce (click here for a homemade sauce recipe, which we used with our baked ziti recipe, or use store-bought sauce)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.


2. Heat a large pot of water until boiling, add a big pinch of salt to the water, and then add the pasta shells. Cook the pasta shells according to the packageís directions, until the shells are al dente.


3. Drain the pasta shells and set them aside.


4. Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and let it cook for a minute, until it starts to get a little bit brown, and then add the spinach. While the spinach is cooking, stir it occasionally for about four minutes, or until the leaves start to wilt ñ- the leaves should still be bright green. The entire batch of spinach should reduce in size by half.


5. Remove the spinach from the heat and let it cool.


6. Grab a mixing bowl and combine the spinach, cheeses, egg, basil, salt, and pepper until everything is evenly blended.


7. Lightly grease the bottom of an 8×8-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Then, pour 1/2 cup of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the dish (spread it evenly).


8. Get the shells and spinach/cheese mixture. Stuff each shell with a heaping spoonful or two of the spinach/cheese mixture (make sure each one is nice and full!), and then place each shell in the baking dish on top of the sauce.


9. Cover the shells with the remaining sauce and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes, remove the foil, and then continue baking for about 10 or 15 more minutes (until the top starts to get golden brown and the sauce starts bubbling).


10. If desired, sprinkle with more Parmesan cheese and extra slivers of fresh basil for garnish.


11. Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Fork Knife Swoon

Have a great day
 

Being Brief.

Thanks for bearing with my moans yesterday and thanks for all the comments and suggestions. I am delighted to say that today, Tuesday, things are much better and hopefully they will be even more so tomorrow. I am determined to bowl if I possibly can. We will see what happens.

Otherwise, I haven't much to say at the moment.

I had a fruit pizza many years ago and was told how to make it, but it was at a party so never really knew how to do it. I had since forgotten about it until today when I came across this recipe. The presentation is from both Kraft Kitchens and Reynolds Wrap.

PHILADELPHIA Fruit Pizza

• 1 pkg. (16.5 oz.) refrigerated sliceable sugar cookies, sliced
• 1 pkg (8 oz) Philadelphia cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups assorted fresh fruit (kiwi and strawberry slices, red and black raspberries, drained canned mandarin oranges)  
• 1/4 cup apricot preserves, pressed through sieve to remove lumps
•  1 Tbs water
• 
  
• Heat oven to 375°F.
• Line 12-inch pizza pan with Reynolds Wrap® Aluminum Foil; spray with cooking spray. Arrange cookie dough slices in single layer in prepared pan; press together to completely cover bottom of pan. Bake 14 min.; cool completely.
• Invert onto plate; carefully remove foil. Turn crust over; place on plate.
• Beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla with mixer until blended; spread onto crust. Top with fruit.
• Mix preserves and water; brush onto fruit. Refrigerate 2 hours.                               

Have a great day
 

Tale of Woe, TV Shows.

Well, here I am again after all with a tale of woe. Approximately 3 a.m. I went to the bathroom. I was

just sitting there when suddenly I experienced pain all round my hips, like a ring of pain. With great difficulty I managed to stand and then to make my way back to bed. Then I couldn't really lie down properly or anything. Eventually I woke Matt and he got me some pain killers. Sitting on the side of the bed I realised that was the most comfortable spot so ended up, with the aid of a cane and Matt, making my way into the living room and sitting in my recliner. I realised that was the place to stay and I have virtually been there ever since. The pain is improving slightly all the time. But, oh boy!!! I am walking much better now and basically my most discomfort is standing up or sitting down. I toyed with the idea of going to the hospital, but as I seem to be improving I don't think I will as the idea of sitting forever in my present level of discomfort, waiting to be seen, does not appeal. Wish I was just teed off about my blood sugar levels as I was yesterday. I haven't even had a shower today as we figured stepping in and out of the bath and then moving around in said bath would not be the best move on my part. So I shall just sit here longer and feel sorry for myself.

I was concerned that after I was settled in my chair last night, I would not be able to make Matt hear me if I needed him so he took the cell phone back to bed with him and I kept the house phone beside me. Didn't need it as it turned out. Let's hope I can bowl on Wednesday.

Before all this happened, Matt decided to watch Singing in the Rain. I wasn't going to but ended up doing so. It really is a very good movie. Tonight it's Simon and Garfunkel in Central Park.

This recipe was shared on Facebook today and I thought it looked delicious as well as extremely easy. It is a Cooking Light recipe and I have made many of their recipes over the years.


Cheesy Cauliflower Biscuits

The Recipe:

• 1 cauliflower head, leaves removed
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/3 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 2 eggs
• 2 egg whites
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Step 1: Make Mashed CauliflowerPreheat the oven to 400°F. Steam cauliflower for about 10-12 minutes or until very tender, then transfer to a food processor. Add minced garlic and pulse several times until smooth and creamy.

Step 2: MixTransfer mashed cauliflower into a large mixing bowl. Add in two whole eggs, cheddar cheese, Nonfat Greek yogurt, salt and pepper and mix together.

In a separate bowl, beat egg whites until stiff. Then, slowly fold the egg whites into the cauliflower mixture.

Step 3: BakeCoat a mini muffin pan with cooking spray of your choice. Then fill the cups to the top with the cauliflower mixture. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from the pan, and set on a cooling rack.

Makes: 24 small Biscuits. Serving size: 2 Biscuits

CALORIES 51; FAT 2.5g (sat 1.3g, mono 0.8g, poly 0.2g); PROTEIN 4.4g; CARB 3.2g; FIBER1.0g; CHOL 36mg; IRON 0.4mg; SODIUM 227.5mg; CALC 56mg

Have a great day
 

My Friday, Nasa Video, Dinner Party

Sorry about no blog on Saturday. It slipped my mind completely on Friday as I was busy thinking about lunch which then turned in to dinner as my friend's husband's boss told him he had to work Saturday morning. Then there was a stage version of Driving Miss Daisy with Angela Lansbury and James Earle Jones, on TV. Excellent, really well done, and following that a programme about Wallis Simpson which, it turned out, I had seen before, but it was still interesting. It all happened just before I first saw the light of day. Then my blood sugars decided to be very low 3.9 Cdn version 70.2 to the US and I was having trouble getting it back up to the right level to go to bed. So, blogging was the last thing on my mind. I am getting a bit fed up with all these low blood sugars I am experiencing. Not only that, having to eat honey, or anything at all, isn't doing my weight much good either. Guess I will have to talk to the doc about it.

Sunday morning my blogging friend Helen Venn at Imagine Me posted a link to a fascinating video from NASA. It is about aerosols (man made and natural) and how they are polluting the atmosphere. The video itself is quite beautiful but when you read about what is happening it is, to say the least, somewhat scary. It shows how the effects of these aerosols spread throughout the whole globe. Do take a look.

My luncheon which turned into dinner ended up being successful - everyone apparently enjoyed their

meal which was Kung Pau Chicken and rice followed by Strawberry Cloud which is a simple recipe I got from a friend in NC many years ago and haven't made for a long time. Basically you make a strawberry jello and when it is almost set you stir in strawberries. When it is completely set, you fold in a carton of Cool Whip. I discovered that in fact the Cool Whip shouldn't go in too long before you plan to eat it as it does break down eventually. However, it didn't break down much  before we ate. As usual I forgot to take a picture so I found this one which looks very similar. Not that I like the pink in a yellow bowl.

I am not sure I will be posting every day this week for various reasons, so I will see you when I see you. Sorry about that. Need a break.

Have a great day
 

Polar Bears, Blog Links

Had to show these pictures of polar bears romping in Fireweed. They look so cuddly don't they? Not that I recommend it you understand. These were captured by a Canadian photographer, Dennis Fast, and taken in Churchill, Manitoba.

I've been thinking recently about links in blogging. I often use them when I am referring to an article or something and I know many other do so. However, most often, I haven't time to follow them which made me wonder, how many of you do actually click on links in a blog? Sometimes I really want to follow them because it's something of particular interest, then I tend to forget to go back. Is that just me or do others find the same thing when they are reading blogs?

Despite having lived in North America for the last 40 years, I have never had a grilled cheese sandwich which I would consider a North American staple. Here is a recipe I came across today which I thought sounded delicious. Maybe I will make it in the near future.

Tomato, Prosciutto and Gruyère Sandwiches

Food & Wine, Contributed by Daniel Humm

• Servings: 4

Daniel Humm's broiled open-face cheese sandwiches make a terrific snack or a decadent lunch. They

evoke classic Swiss fondue because they combine bubbling hot Gruyère with white wine and kirsch, a cherry-flavored spirit.

Ingredients

1. Four 1-inch-thick slices of white bread
2. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3. 1 garlic clove
4. 1 teaspoon dry white wine
5. 1/2 teaspoon kirsch (optional)
6. 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
7. 1 beefsteak tomato, peeled and thinly sliced
8. Salt
9. 1/2 pound Gruyère cheese, thinly sliced
10. Freshly ground pepper
11. Sweet paprika

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Brush the bread slices on both sides with the olive oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Toast for 10 to 15 minutes, turning once, until golden and crisp but still soft inside. Rub the toast on one side with the garlic. In a small bowl, combine the white wine and kirsch and sprinkle lightly over the garlic-rubbed sides of the toast. Top with the prosciutto and tomato and season lightly with salt. Top with the cheese.
2. Preheat the broiler. Broil the sandwiches as close to the heat as possible for about 3 minutes, shifting the pan occasionally, until the cheese is bubbling. Sprinkle with pepper and paprika and serve hot.

Have a great day
 

Shopping, Female Security Officers.

Because I wanted a few somewhat unusual items in the grocery store on Wednesday, I got up before the crack of dawn to accompany my husband to the supermarket. He is right, there isn't a soul in the store and you can move about quite freely. It took the pair of us a lot less time than it normally takes him on his own. However, there is no way you would get me to do that on a regular basis. He chooses to do it, he can keep it. I actually thought later that on our way back from bowling, I could have dropped into the store then and got the extras. Duuh. Our store has an underground parking lot which we mostly use, it's so convenient. No matter the weather we can drive from our underground parking to their underground parking. I was actually a bit teed yesterday having to walk from the outside parking to the dentist because it was spitting with rain and the forecast was for a storm (didn't happen). Not precisely a short walk for me either. Am I spoilt or what?

I am not sure about this story, female security officers refused to search a B.C. man, Robert Hart, at the Terrace,
BC, airport. This made him miss his plane apparently. Matt was disgusted and figured the women should be fired for not doing their job. There are many female prison officers in Canada and they do their jobs when required. It turned out the passenger had a hip replacement which caused the metal detector to beep. Funny that, Matt has 2 new hips and a knee, I have a new hip and yet I don't think we've ever caused the detector to beep. As a side, I saw another article where they are working on hip replacements which don't cause the detectors to beep.

I might try this for supper on Thursday night. I have never heard of cavatappi, I googled it, but I think I might use fresh fettucine.

Cavatappi with Bacon and Summer Vegetables

A light and flavorful pasta toss, accented with crumbled bacon, is a quick and easy dinner solution for any night of the week. Use whatever veggies you have on hand to add to the colorful dish. Serve with a mixed greens salad.

• Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 2 cups pasta mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Ingredients

• 8 ounces uncooked cavatappi
• 4 slices center-cut bacon, chopped
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup prechopped onion
• 1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic
• 1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 2 ears)
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided
• 1/4 cup small fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. While pasta cooks, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 5 minutes or until crisp. Remove bacon from pan with a slotted spoon, reserving drippings in pan; add oil to drippings. Add onion and garlic to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add zucchini; cook 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in corn and tomatoes; cook 5 minutes or until tomatoes burst, stirring occasionally. Add pasta to tomato mixture; toss. Cook 1 minute or until thoroughly heated, stirring frequently. Remove from heat. Add 1/4 cup cheese, basil, salt, and pepper; toss to combine. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Mixed greens salad: Combine 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon orange juice, 2 teaspoons honey, 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Whisk in 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Toss with 6 cups mixed salad greens.

Have a great day
 

Dentist, Cleaning Silver and Bowling

Not what I call and exciting day. Some of it I have spent with my mouth wide open being poked an prodded by a dentist and then a lot of it I spent cleaning silver. I wash and used the cleaner, Matt dries and polishes. We both have to sit down periodically because of pain in the back. It's the standing in one spot that does it. Growing old sucks, but then I don't think much of the alternative either.

Tomorrow we go bowling although there is no longer a summer league. The winter league starts in September but we like to continue bowling twice a week. Good for us doncher know!

I hope this blog is OK. Something weird has been happening to the formatting. but when I see the preview it looks fine.

Tomorrow is shopping day and I will be going with Matt at 7 a.m. (horrors) to make sure I have everything I require for my guests who are coming on Saturday for lunch.

Having cleaned out our freezer on Monday, I came across some stewing lamb, new it was there, but decided I had better do something with it before it became unusable. This recipe talks of red cabbage, I pickled mine some time ago. This is a classic dish from England although I must admit I haven't made it in years.

Lancashire hotpot with braised red cabbage

BBC Food

Serve with braised salsify.

Ingredients

For the lamb stock

• 1 large carrot, cut into 3 pieces
• 1 onion, cut into quarters
• 2 cloves garlic
• sprig rosemary
• sprig thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• pinch rock salt
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 2 litres/3½ pints water

For the lamb

• 1 middle neck of lamb with bones, about 1kg/2¼lb
• plain flour, for dusting
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
• 2 carrots, thinly sliced
• 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 1 tbsp chopped rosemary
• 3 Maris Piper potatoes, very thinly sliced
• unsalted butter

For the braised red cabbage

• 1 small red cabbage, cored and sliced
• 1 red onion, finely chopped
• 150g/5½oz unsalted butter
• 200ml/7fl oz red wine vinegar
• 50g/2oz clear honey
• 100g/3½oz demerara sugar
• 1 bay leaf
• sprig thyme
• salt

Preparation method

1. Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
2. First make the stock. Remove the meat from the middle neck of lamb and set aside. Chop the bones and put them in a roasting tray. Roast until lightly browned.
3. Meanwhile, cook the carrot, onion and garlic in a little olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed stockpot until lightly browned. Add the herbs and salt, then stir in the tomato purée and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the roasted bones and cover with the water. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for one hour, skimming off any fat or scum regularly. Pass the liquid through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Return to the heat and reduce until you have 1 litre/1¾ pints of stock.
4. Turn the oven down to 150C/300F/Gas 2.
5. To make the hot pot, cut the lamb into 2cm/1in thick slices. Dust them with flour. Heat the oil in a pan and quickly fry until lightly coloured on both sides. Remove and set aside.
6. In the same oil, quickly fry the onion, carrots and garlic until lightly browned.
7. Layer the lamb, onion and carrots in a heavy casserole dish, filling it to 1cm/½in from the top. Season each layer with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and the herbs, spooning liberal amounts of stock between each layer.
8. Arrange the potatoes neatly all over the top of the dish. Dot a few small knobs of butter on the potatoes, cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook in the oven for 1½ hours. Remove the lid and cook for a further 45 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, make the red cabbage. Mix together all of the ingredients. Put into a roasting tray and cover with foil. Place in the oven and cook for about 1½ hours, stirring regularly, until most of the liquid has evaporated.
10. Serve the hot pot from the casserole onto warm plates with the cabbage.

Have a great day

 

Arctic Research, Drones, Defrosting and Polishing.

Interesting article about researchers with the University of Victoria's Ocean Networks Canada  having established an underwater observation post in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut which is allowing them to study how the warming trend is affecting underwater life. They oringinally tinstalled the platform in 2012 on the sea floor, six metres below the surface about 40 metres offshore but have now made it bigger and better. The platform apparently collects information in real time which gives them a lot of information about the waters and marine life in the area. If you go to the article, there are some fascinating photos of the things they have observed from their platform as well as shots of the divers involved in the research. Matt would have loved to take part in such a scheme when he was younger. He was very involved in scuba diving. It's how we met in fact.

Yesterday I was writing about the usefulness of drones in researching information on Beluga Whales.

Today there is a report of a stray drone grounding 8 helicopters and 5 skimmers being used to fight the fires in British Columbia. The officials are absolutely furious, with reason. But that upswing in popularity, a lack of public-awareness campaigns and skimpy enforcement efforts have put the unmanned aircraft on a collision course with their manned counterparts. I understand that the people who were evacuated in Oliver which I wrote about yesterday, have mostly been allowed to return to their homes. They have been telling home owners not to use drones, if they have them, because they are hampering the firefighting efforts.

One thing we achieved on Monday was to defrost the freezer. It didn't take as long as I thought it would. It's a pain though. When we lived in NC we had the freezer in the shed so all we did was to turn it off and open the door. The water could run away through the shed flooring. Nowadays we end up with a pile of soggy towels to be washed. Tuesday I am planning silver cleaning all being well. Been putting it off too long and it is beginning to look a very funny colour, like brown. Have to go to the dentist, yet again, first thing and then nothing to do for the rest of the day.

For supper on Monday night, we had a simple devilled eggs and salad. I have my own recipe for devilled eggs. They are supposed to be hot as the devil and so many I find are extremely bland. Although I shared this recipe once before, decided to do so again. Coleman's Mustard (or Keene's) is very hot, so use it gently. I in fact use a whole 2 tsps. but then we like it really hot/spicy. If it doesn't burn when you eat it, you haven't really devilled your eggs.


My Devilled Eggs

As a supper dish

4 eggs, hard boiled
2-3 tsp Hellman's mayonnaise
1-2 tsp (or to taste) Coleman's mustard powder
1 tsp white wine vinegar
6-8 drops Texas Pete or Tabasco (or to taste)
Salt and pepper
Paprika

Peel eggs and cut in half taking out the yolks and putting in a small bowl. Mash with a fork. Add mayonnaise and continue to stir then add all the other ingredients individually. Mashing in with each addition. Then put the resulting mixture back into the egg whites and sprinkle with paprika. This is very much a matter of taste.

Servings: 2

Have a great day
 

Drones to Study Belugas, BC Wildfires, Movie.

There has been a lot in the news about Drones and their nuisance and even danger value. This is a positive use of drones which I found interesting. Scientists are using them to study Beluga Whales in the North West Territories which enables them to do so without disturbing the local population. The study — underway in Paulatuk, N.W.T. a small community on the Arctic coast — combines technologies in new ways to collect data about the whales, avoiding methods like tagging and aerial surveys which hunters in the predominantly Inuvialuit community consider disruptive. Beluga are an important part of the local diet. The idea being to discover if they can make an in depth study without using the tried and true methods of yesterday. This year a section of Darnley Bay is being turned into a Marine Protected Area which will give some protection to many species including polar bears and arctic char who are among the many that come to feed once the ice melts every year.

Problem for BC wines in the making. Fast-moving wildfires in the heart of British Columbia's wine

country are threatening prized vineyards and orchards, with scores of residents forced out of their homes. Loss of vineyards will prove to be an economic disaster for BC. It takes many years to establish a good producing vineyard or orchard. This picture is taken in Oliver, BC and we have English friends who used to spend a lot of time staying in the area. Pretty devastating looking picture isn't it?

Sunday night we watched The Day the Earth Stood Still with Michael Rennie. I thought it was another movie, but in many ways it was similar. I just wish humans would be peaceful as requested in this movie and others I have seen. I am not sure if I ever saw this movie before, but I did enjoy it. The thought that our reaction to a space ship landing would be to surround it with armies, guns and tanks, is pretty terrifying. Of course the spaceman got shot by some dumb soldier who was scared. Typical reaction. Oh well. Maybe it will never happen.

This recipe comes from Kevin at Closet Cooking who does come up with some great recipes. I have borrowed this one as I thought it sounded especially good. Kevin suggests serving this with steamed broccoli.

Mongolian Beef

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 20 minutes Servings: 4

Tender stir-fried beef in a tasty sauce.

ingredients

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 pound steak (sirloin or flank), sliced thinly
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon chill sauce such as sambal oelek
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 teaspoon ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/3 cup water or beef broth
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1/4 cup green onion, sliced

directions

1. Heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the beef and saute until just cooked, about 2-4 minutes.
2. Add the mixture of the soy sauce, hoisin sauce, brown sugar, chili sauce, garlic, ginger and the mixture of the cornstarch and water to the pan and cook until it thickens a bit, about a minute.
3. Remove from heat, mix in the sesame oil and serve over white rice or noodles, quinoa, etc. garnished with the green onions.

Option: Add some vegetables to the mix such as broccoli, peas, peppers, etc.

Have a great day
 

Saturday Recipe

Sorry I have not been reading too many blogs as I have been messing with Windows 10. First of all copying everything which I didn't want to lose, just in case. However, I then bit the bullet and I now have 10 on my laptop. So far it doesn't seem a lot different. However, we shall see.

If you are a regular reader, you will have seen me write how much I love dumplings. However, I was talking Chinese dumplings. I had no idea the Tibetans ate them too, however, considering their close association with China, I suppose that just proves how dumb I am. Don't you dare agree.

Tsak Sha Momos (Tibetan Beef Dumplings)

Julia Moskin Times Cooking

 Yield 3 to 4 dozen

Momos are shaped like half-moons or like plump round purses. And although they can be made with store-bought wrappers, most Tibetan households here have a small wooden dowel reserved for rolling out the thin rounds of dough. Back in Tibet, wheat was even scarcer than meat, so momos were treats for special occasions like Losar, the Tibetan New Year celebration.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground or finely chopped beef, about 85% lean
• ½ cup minced onion
• ½ cup minced cilantro stems
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
• About 48 round dumpling or gyoza wrappers (about 3 1/4 inches wide)
• Sepen (see recipe) or other hot sauce or soy sauce, for serving

Preparation

Make the filling:

1. In a bowl, combine the beef, onion, cilantro, ginger, oil, garlic, salt and 2 tablespoons of water. Using your hands or a spoon, mix lightly but well. Set aside, from 30 minutes to 2 hours, to develop the flavors.

Make the dumplings:

1. Lay 6 wrappers out on a work surface. Spoon about 2 teaspoons of filling onto the upper half of each wrapper. With a damp cloth, lightly moisten the edges of each wrapper and fold up and over the filling into a half-moon, gently pressing the edges to seal. To pleat the sealed edges, start at one tip of the half-moon and make small folds in the dough, pressing them flat as you work your way along the edge. There should be space for about 7 folds. Place finished dumplings on a nonstick surface and cover lightly with damp paper towels. Refrigerate if not cooking immediately.
2. When ready to cook, boil water in the bottom of a large steamer. Spray the steamer tray lightly with nonstick spray and gently add the dumplings, making sure they do not touch. Steam in batches for 10 minutes, until the wrappers are slightly translucent, and serve immediately.
3. To eat, spoon a dab of sauce onto a small plate. Pick up a dumpling and bite off one end; do not let the juice spill out. Carefully suck out the juice, then eat the rest in bites, dipping it into the sauce.

Have a great weekend.