Bouquets, Victoria and Abdul, Paddington 2, Skin Cancer Procedure,

Sunday morning on GMA they were talking about THE wedding and flowers etc. and I suddenly thought "why do women carry bouquets". I Googled and according to legend, during the 15th century, people took their yearly baths in May and would generally get married in June. Just to be safe, brides carried bouquets to mask the smell of body odor. ... Another old and popular custom for carrying a bouquet, was to ward off evil spirits. I know the tradition of the white wedding dress started with Queen Victoria. 

Talking of Victoria, we watched Victoria and Abdul the other day. What an interesting story - I Googled again and apparently the royal household endeavoured to remove all trace of the relationship once Victoria died and it wasn't until 100 years later that the story surfaced. Things have changed mightily, but I can imagine how horrified they were at the time. Not only was Abdul supposed to be a servant, but he was 'dark skinned' too. They were pretty upset about her relationship with John Brown, but at least he was a white man. It seems Queen Victoria was ahead of her time. I might say Judi Dench is absolutely marvellous as Queen Victoria, both in Mrs. Brown and Victoria and Abdul. Much to my surprise, Matt watched it right through and didn't disappear to bed half way through.

I got my copy of Paddington 2 on Friday. Haven't yet had a chance to watch it. But if it is as good as the first movie I will enjoy it.

No, I'm not back in full swing yet. Matt has a skin cancer procedure on Thursday so that will take up some of my time. He has had to stop taking his blood thinners for a few days which always makes me feel nervous. 

Still no sign of asparagus yet. I am suffering I tell you, suffering!!!

I am not familiar with farro although it seems to be cropping up in a lot of recipes lately. This one looked particularly appealing.

Spring Vegetable Grain Bowl

This dish is all about clean flavors and distinct textures. Farro provides satisfying chew, while the raw shaved veggies soften slightly in the vinaigrette to become perfectly crisp-tender. To blanch the peas, cook in boiling water for 1 minute or until crisp-tender, then dunk in an ice bath for 1 minute to stop

the cooking. A mandoline or vegetable peeler makes quick work of thinly slicing vegetables.

1 1/2 cups uncooked farro
3 cups water
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs sherry vinegar or white wine vinegar
1/2 cup roughly chopped beet greens or arugula
1/4 cup blanched English peas
2 baby carrots, thinly sliced
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 celery stalk, thinly sliced
1 small red beet, peeled and thinly sliced
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Combine farro, 3 cups water, and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a small saucepan over medium-low; cook, covered, 25 minutes or until farro becomes tender. Place farro in a strainer; drain well.

2. Place hot farro in a large bowl. Add remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, oil, vinegar, greens, peas, carrots, onion, celery, and beet; stir gently to combine. Top evenly with cheese and parsley

Servings: 5

Source: Cooking Light

Have a great day