Power, Medical, Bowling, Christmas Pudding,

For the last three weeks, we have been watching a programme on Nova called Treasures of the Earth which has been absolutely fascinating. Wednesday night in particular was interesting because it talked about power and how countries are working towards using clean power sources. One of the cleanest is, in fact, nuclear power which of course has a bad rep at the present time. There was a segment on the Japanese work with wind and solar power and how they are managing to store some of the power in huge banks of batteries for those times when there is no wind or sun. I would have included the video, which can be watched at the above link, but not in this area. That seems nuts to me, I could see it on TV last night, why can't I watch it on my PC today? Aha, I found it on YouTube. All of the 3 episodes we have watched are there. Highly recommend them.


Having been to the doctors yesterday I am getting a referral to the vascular surgeon who has treated me before. My legs are getting unduly tired and I believe they are not getting the blood flow they should. I will presumably be given an ultra sound and they will see if I am right. I am blaming this on my inability to bowl lately. Matt slaughtered me again today. We played 4 games and tied in one. All the other games he beat me by quite a margin. Grrrr.

I am a tad concerned because I ordered an English Christmas Pudding from The Rising Dough Bakery where I buy a lot of English stuff. When I ordered it they said October but the puds are still not in. They have assured me they will be here before Christmas. I am beginning to wonder. I should have made my own, but these days I can't stand around in the kitchen like I used to.

I thought this sounded good and easy. It calls for Becel which, as far as I know, is only available in Canada. Obviously, any good oil can be substituted. I didn't even know Becel sold oil. We buy their margarine all the time. It turns out it is a combination of canola and sunflower oils and is full of good qualities.

CREAMY BACON CARBONARA PASTA WITH CHICKEN AND RAPINI

1 lb (450 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
2 Tbs (30 mL) Becel® Oil, divided
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 package Knorr Sidekicks® Creamy Bacon Carbonara Pasta Side Dish
8 oz rapini*, cut into 1-inch/2.5 cm pieces (about 4 cups/1 L) OR 8 oz. (227 g) broccoli florets (about 4 cups/1 L)

1. Season chicken, if desired, with salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon (15 mL) Oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and cook chicken, stirring occasionally, until thoroughly cooked, about 5 minutes; remove and set aside.

2. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon (15 mL) Oil in same skillet over medium heat and cook garlic, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup (250 mL) water and 1 cup (250mL) milk and bring to a boil. Stir in Knorr Sidekicks® Creamy Bacon Carbonara Pasta Side Dish and cook covered according to package directions, adding rapini during the last 5 minutes of cook time

3. Stir in chicken and serve garnished, if desired, with toasted chopped walnuts and grated Parmesan cheese.

Servings: 4

Tips
*Rapini, also called broccoli rabe (or raab), is a cruciferous vegetable (related to broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy and Brussels sprouts). The leaves, buds and stems are all edible. It can have a bitter taste, so, if desired, blanch it before adding to the recipe to remove some of the bitterness.

Each serving of this dish is a good source of calcium and iron.

Source: Knorr

Have a great day