Heinlein, Skin Cancer Op, Books Galore.

I have just read, what I think, is a fabulous book. It is Robert A. Heilein's Stranger in a Strange Land. What a fantastic story. I cannot think why I have never read it before nor anything else written by this author. Something I will be correcting. Stranger is about a baby being born to humans who had just landed on Mars. It was subsequently reared by Martians (the crew of the space ship having perished) and learned to be and think like one of them. In later years another space ship landed on Mars and when they returned they brought the young man with them. Valentine Michael Smith was the young man. His development on earth and his subsequent life are what the story is about and it is a fantastic story. He makes it his mission to teach how to achieve peace and happiness. The book was written and published in the '60s so I was amused that some of the characters smoked. These days you rarely read of anyone doing so. When it was first published, the books was drastically cut to decrease the costs of publishing I believe. This version has all the original wording, written by Robert Heinlein, restored. I cannot recommend it enough. I now have to check out his other books.

Matt now has a black eye from his latest skin cancer operation. He was allowed to shower on Saturday (op was Thursday) and then Saturday night he discovered his forehead was bloody although there was no apparent actual bleeding. Been OK since though. Tuesday he goes to get the stitches removed but I am wondering if they will do it so soon. I gather this was a much deeper excision than before.

I am suffering from a plethora of books at the moment. I order books from the library when I hear

about them. Very often they are books (or movies) a lot of other people want to read too so it often takes a while to get them. However, I ended up with the book above, and suddenly 4 other books came available together with a movie - The Avengers: Age of Ultron, which The Ninja Captain, Alex J. Cavenaugh, recommended months ago. Not only that, I have an ebook which a friend has asked me to proof read for him. I do have a couple of weeks to do that and one of my library books is on a list with 18 others waiting to read it.

Oh dear, I have chosen a noodle dish yet again. But I do love noodles

Spicy Ginger Pork Noodles With Bok Choy

Melissa Clark - New York Times

• Yield 4 servings

Spicy, brawny and full of ginger and garlic, these pork noodles are a play on dumplings, but easier to make at home. If you don’t have the black vinegar to sprinkle on top of the sliced ginger, you can simply leave it out. Or try substituting balsamic, which is a bit sweeter, but has similar caramel notes to play off the ginger’s pungency.

Ingredients

• 12 ounces baby bok choy (3 or 4 small heads)
• 1 ounce ginger root (1 fat 2-inch-thick knob)
• Kosher salt
• 8 ounces rice noodles, not too thin
• 2 tablespoons peanut or safflower oil
• 1 pound lean ground pork
• ¼ cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• ½ cup thinly sliced scallions
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 fresh Thai or habanero chile, seeded if desired, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons sesame oil, more for drizzling
• Cilantro or torn basil, for serving
• Black vinegar, for serving

Preparation

1. Trim bok choy and separate dark green tops from white stems; leave tops whole and thinly slice stems. Peel ginger and finely chop half of it. Slice remaining ginger into thin matchsticks.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package instructions. Drain and run under cool water; drain again.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon peanut oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add pork and cook, breaking up with a fork, until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Season with salt, 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar. Use a slotted spoon to transfer meat to a bowl.
4. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to skillet. Stir in half the scallions, the finely chopped ginger, the garlic and the chile. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add bok choy stems and a pinch of salt. Cook until bok choy is almost tender, about 2 minutes. Toss in leaves and return pork to skillet.
5. Toss noodles, remaining 1/4 cup soy sauce and 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar into the pan. Cook until just warmed through.
6. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with remaining scallions, sesame seeds, sesame oil and herbs. In a small bowl, combine ginger matchsticks with just enough black vinegar to cover. Serve ginger mixture alongside noodles as a garnish. 

Have a great day