30,000 Elephants a Year, This 'n' that,

I have an idea I stated that 3,000 elephants a year are being slaughtered. I goofed. it is 30,000 a year. Soon we will not have any elephants. I corrected my figure after receiving an appeal from the National Geographic. They together with the World Wildlife Fund and others are trying desperately to stop this terrible massacre of elephants, rhinos and other African wildlife. If you can donate to this worthy cause, I beg you to do so. If we lose this wildlife our world will be a poorer place for all of us. Donate today to fund efforts to protect elephants, the critical habitats they need, and threatened wildlife around the world. 
This link will connect you to the National Geographic site. Or you can donate to the World Wildlife Fund.

Having got our new wall unit air conditioner, we had both forgotten that the extract the moisture from the air and drip it outside. This means if you don't use a bucket the balcony below gets dripped on. Mind you, below us the balconies are unusable as they have no walls. Anyway, had to grab our one and only bucket to deal with the dripping. More or less everything which was on the balcony is in our storage area so the bucket we used to use is well tucked away. Will have to move it when they start taking our balcony apart anyway.

Writing this, we are in the middle of one hell of a thunderstorm, one crack of thunder right overhead nearly made me jump out of my skin. Lots and lots of rain.

I was looking for a recipe for scallops. I came across one I liked and then discovered it was for 12 people and didn't look adaptable. Then I came across this one which sounded pretty good. Haven't made it yet, maybe next week.

Seared Scallops with Mustard Vermouth Sauce

20 fresh large scallops, small side muscle removed
3-4 tbsp grape seed oil (or canola)
Sprinkled sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 oz vodka
¼ cup vermouth
¼ cup 35% whipping cream
2 Tbs Dijon mustard
2 green onions, thinly sliced

1. Thoroughly dry the scallops by laying and folding them within a double layer of paper towel.

2. Pre-heat a heavy-duty skillet over high heat then add oil. When it is almost smoking, season the scallops with salt and pepper and sear them briefly, 1-2 minutes per side, so they are golden on the outside, and still tender inside.

3. Remove them from the pan and pour in vodka to de-glaze, allowing it to flame. When flame subsides, add the vermouth, mustard and cream and reduce to a sauce like consistency. Whisk in the green onions serve immediately.


Author: Michael Smith
Source: Food Network

Have a great day