A few weeks ago I started trying to watch a series about the Bronte sisters. Don't remember what it was called, but it was heavily flavoured with Yorkshire accents and I had trouble understanding it. Saturday night I started watching a new show, The Coroner, also flavoured with English accents, albeit less strong, but I still had trouble hearing/understanding everything they said. I know I have been away from the UK for over 40 years, but even so, if I have trouble understanding what's going on, what must it be like for someone who has never been to England? Realism is all very well, but.... If you are going to sell these programmes abroad, it seems to me that the audiences should be able to understand what the heck is going on.
Saturday was a cooking day for me. I wanted to make Leftover Chicken and Ham Casserole, we really enjoy that. Also I was marinading flank steak for Korean Beef Bulgogi for supper plus making yet another Pavolva, with raspberries this time. I looked up macerating for the berries and found that it is not just done with sugar but one can also use Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, or a liquor. I decided to use a drop of brandy which I couldn't taste. Not enough I guess. Didn't really fancy Balsamic, mine is not the best quality which can be used for ice cream apparently. I did think of Port but opted for the brandy. I must say we are enjoying these Pavolvas and it is a superb summer dessert. I was wondering what fruit one could use in the winter although these days strawberries are available from somewhere or other all year. Not sure what they taste like but they could be macerated of course to make them taste better. For all I know, the meringue shells may not be available in the winter anyway. I discovered, by the way, that they come from Scotland. Surprising. I have also found out through Denise of My Life in Retirement, that Amazon do the individual ones, and that they come from the UK. Probably Scotland as well.
I just discovered one can order from my grocery store online and then pick up the order. I tried looking at it but talk about slow. Plus, they talk about waiving the pickup fee for the first time, but don't say what the pickup fee is. Might play with it some more tomorrow but I think it is too cumbersome.
This should be a pretty easy dish to prepare and not take much effort in the summer heat.
Easy Skillet Chicken and Broccoli Divan
1 Tbs (15 mL) butter or margarine
3 cups (750 mL) hot cooked broccoli florets
2 cups (500 mL) cubed, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
1 can CAMPBELL’S® Condensed Low Fat Cream of Broccoli Soup
1/3 cup (80 mL) low fat (1%) milk
1/2 cup (125 mL) light Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tbs (30 mL) toasted dry bread crumbs (optional)
1. In 10-inch (25 cm) skillet,melt butter over medium-high heat; cook broccoli and chicken,stirring,for 3 minutes. Combine soup with milk; pour over broccoli and chicken. Bring to simmer.
2. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle cheese over chicken mixture. Remove from heat,cover and let stand for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs if desired.
Servings: 4
Tips
From the variety of readily available salad greens,such as romaine,leaf lettuce and spinach,and wholesome multigrain breads,it is easy to round out meals with very little prep time.
Source: Campbell's Soups
Have a great day
Saturday was a cooking day for me. I wanted to make Leftover Chicken and Ham Casserole, we really enjoy that. Also I was marinading flank steak for Korean Beef Bulgogi for supper plus making yet another Pavolva, with raspberries this time. I looked up macerating for the berries and found that it is not just done with sugar but one can also use Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, or a liquor. I decided to use a drop of brandy which I couldn't taste. Not enough I guess. Didn't really fancy Balsamic, mine is not the best quality which can be used for ice cream apparently. I did think of Port but opted for the brandy. I must say we are enjoying these Pavolvas and it is a superb summer dessert. I was wondering what fruit one could use in the winter although these days strawberries are available from somewhere or other all year. Not sure what they taste like but they could be macerated of course to make them taste better. For all I know, the meringue shells may not be available in the winter anyway. I discovered, by the way, that they come from Scotland. Surprising. I have also found out through Denise of My Life in Retirement, that Amazon do the individual ones, and that they come from the UK. Probably Scotland as well.I just discovered one can order from my grocery store online and then pick up the order. I tried looking at it but talk about slow. Plus, they talk about waiving the pickup fee for the first time, but don't say what the pickup fee is. Might play with it some more tomorrow but I think it is too cumbersome.
This should be a pretty easy dish to prepare and not take much effort in the summer heat.
Easy Skillet Chicken and Broccoli Divan
1 Tbs (15 mL) butter or margarine
3 cups (750 mL) hot cooked broccoli florets
2 cups (500 mL) cubed, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
1 can CAMPBELL’S® Condensed Low Fat Cream of Broccoli Soup
1/3 cup (80 mL) low fat (1%) milk
1/2 cup (125 mL) light Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tbs (30 mL) toasted dry bread crumbs (optional)
1. In 10-inch (25 cm) skillet,melt butter over medium-high heat; cook broccoli and chicken,stirring,for 3 minutes. Combine soup with milk; pour over broccoli and chicken. Bring to simmer.
2. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle cheese over chicken mixture. Remove from heat,cover and let stand for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs if desired.
Servings: 4
Tips
From the variety of readily available salad greens,such as romaine,leaf lettuce and spinach,and wholesome multigrain breads,it is easy to round out meals with very little prep time.
Source: Campbell's Soups
Have a great day
Years ago my son suggested I watch the movie 'The Wind that Shakes the Barley.' It takes place in Ireland in the 1920's. I started watching it and realized it was in a foreign language so I switched on the subtitles. Only then did I realize it was actually English, but the accents were so heavy I could not understand them.
ReplyDeleteMy son uses the click list pick-up and really likes it. Me? I actually want to pick out my own stuff. I just wish they came here and put it away. THAT would be worth paying someone.
Precisely Denise. Taking realism way too far in my opinion.
DeleteI have decided I too would prefer to pick out my own stuff and I agree, someone to put it away would be good.
It sounds like those shows need subtitles.
ReplyDeleteI know a lot of people who order groceries that way, but I don't want anyone else picking out my veggies.
Never thought of that Diane, could have turned them on.
DeleteI wondered how they would do picking out veggies. Decided not to try it.
Usually I have no trouble w/ British accents but the other day we were watching a documentary about Stonehenge and one of the female scientists talked so fast that I didn't understand a single thing she said.
ReplyDeleteIt's the regional accents that seem to throw me these days JoJo and I am British - Canadian too of course.
DeleteI can have trouble with thick accents as well. I usually end up not watching it as a result. I wonder about these desserts and think they would be sweet
ReplyDeleteMe too Birgit.
DeleteWell yes, they are sweet, but isn't that the point?
Yeah, as an American, some of those British shows are lost on me because I just don't understand what they're saying. It's not just the thick accent, but that they speak so fast on top of that.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm a control freak. I don't think I could bear to have someone pick out my food for me. How do I know they'll pick out the biggest produce? The ones that aren't bruised? Oh, what a thing to be paranoid about.
Actually they aren't speaking any faster than anyone else Bryan, it's just that one doesn't understand them. Seen that in many cases of people commenting on other language speakers.
DeleteMatt said much the same thing. They guarantee to pick the best produce!!!
Ha, maybe it just seems like they speak really fast. Kind of like how Spanish speakers seem to talk like a verbal machine gun but then I hear they aren't speaking particularly fast. It's just that I don't understand the words.
DeleteWith that said... Still easier to understand Spanish than some British accents! Or the American southern accent...
That's how it works. You talk about the Southern US accent, I once golfed for more than 4 hours with a man I was told was the colonel. I never understood a single word he said. I just nodded and smiled. If he had said his wife had died the day before I would just have nodded and smiled!!
DeleteI have the same problem with some imported shows. I often ask my daughter what someone said when we're watching together. That chicken and broccoli sounds really good.
ReplyDeleteHow come she knows and you don't Susan?
DeleteI need subtitles with any accent, especially the US. Plus actors seem to mumble too much. I'd love to see a movie about the Bronte sisters.
ReplyDeleteWell of course I am used to the US accents, well mostly, Pinky. I just could not figure out what they were saying in the Bronte sisters programme. Very broad Yorkshire.
DeleteInteresting that the accents cause you and others commenting here difficulty because I don't have that problem.. I used to wonder why American shows used sub-titles when people were speaking what to me perfectly intelligible English but this explains it.
ReplyDeleteI've watched 'The Coroner' and it's the weak attempts at humour - Jane's over the top clumsiness and mother and her boyfriend for example - that bother me more than the accents.
Yeah, but I lived the first 30 odd years in England Helen, I should be able to understand them, but a lot of the time I don't.
DeleteHad too much trouble figuring out what people were saying to take notice of what you said.