401, Cleaner, Bananas, Book, Noodles Asparagus,

David Gascoigne, on Travels with Birds, posted some pictures on his blog from his recent trip to Long Point which is on Lake Erie, (famous for birding) showing the 401 which is one of the busiest, if not the busiest in Canada, it is usually bumper to bumper and absolutely appalling to travel on if you want to get somewhere in a hurry. When David drove on it a few days ago, it was totally empty. He said there were a few trucks travelling on it. I couldn't believe his pictures of the totally empty road. As I said to him, it reminded me of the main route running north and south in Portugal which is a fabulous road to drive on. Very few cars from one end to the other and the surface is perfect.

Well, my neighbour who was considering cleaning my house for me phoned today and said she was not going to do so at the moment. She would contact me again when this virus business was over. So, I guess I will have a dirty house now. I can't physically manage to clean. I am hoping Matt and I can re-make the beds between after washing the sheets. If it's too hard, we might end up with dirty beds too.

I got into trouble with ladydog today, I was planning to go to the store to get some bananas and she said under no circumstances was I to go out and I was treating this whole thing with a British stiff upper lip. She arranged for me to get some bananas today and more in a couple of days. Thanks ma'am. Ought I to salute to indicate my compliance. Actually at one point we had a damned good laugh about it all. But I did appreciate her organising it for me and her niece for making sure I got them. I worry about it because every time I don't eat bananas, I end up with worse cramps than I get with them. There is nothing wrong with my potassium levels, but I still get cramps very easily.

I didn't know I had so many bossy friends: in the comments yesterday I had people telling me not to go out. However, I just told ladydog I will be going to the asparagus farm come hell or high water. In fact, the farmer, Tim Barrie, is already selling stuff under quarantine conditions and other than that I wouldn't be seeing anyone

A very good friend of mine, David Powers-King, just released a book today and I have just bought it as it is right up my street, a dragon story.

"A princess. A dragon. Their quest.

Terrible things happen whenever Princess Celesia falls in love—she blacks out and attacks her suitors, which makes an alliance with a more powerful nation impossible. Believing that she’s cursed, Celesia is given two choices: marry without love, or be responsible for her kingdom’s demise. Instead, she sneaks off in search of a remedy.

She doesn’t make it far when she encounters a dragon who bears a curse of his own—he is a prince, desperate to reclaim his humanity before the dragon takes over. He's heard of a stone that can lift both of their curses, but neither of them can find it alone, and they’re not the only ones after it. An evil alchemist is intent on using it to steal the land’s magic and dominate the realm. Only together, with the help of an even greater magic, can Celesia and the dragon stop this evil, or be bound forever by their curses."

Another thing I didn't get in my grocery order was spicy oriental noodles. I probably shouldn't eat them but.......... I have them at lunchtime now and again, So, nothing loath, I Googled it and this was the recipe I found. I made them for my lunch today, doesn't take long, didn't have sriracha so used a very hot Tabasco I have, can't remember what pepper it uses right now. I need to look up one that has a soup with it although I did enjoy this. Also I cut back on the amount of sauce because it's only for me. Have enough for tomorrow too. By the way, I cooked the spaghetti in the Instant Pot. Just shove it in and forget it til it's done.

20 Minute Spicy Thai Noodle Bowls

These 20 minute Thai noodle bowls are so easy to whip up! They're packed full of sweet and spicy

Thai flavor!

¼ cup vegetable or canola oil
1 ½ tsp sesame oil
5 Tbs soy sauce
2 tsp rice vinegar
½ tsp Sriracha (more to taste)*
¼ cup peanut butter
2 Tbs honey
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green onion, minced
½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 carrot, julienned
? cup cilantro, chopped
½ cup dry roasted peanuts (I used Planters), chopped and whole
¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbs sesame seeds

1. Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, combine the vegetable oil, sesame oil, soy sauce, rice vinegar, Sriracha, peanut butter, honey, minced garlic and minced green onion. Whisk vigorously until smooth.

2. Drain the noodles and return to the same large pot. Add the sauce, red bell pepper, carrot, cilantro, peanuts, crushed red pepper flakes and sesame seeds. Toss until combined, serve and garnish as desired.

3. Add more Sriracha if you like spicier noodles!

Yield: 6-8

Source: Life Made Simple

Have a great day
 

Tournament, Ontario Roads,

Sorry no post yesterday, but as I said, we went off to Oshawa for my bowling tournament. I thought we weren't going to get there at one point. About half an hour into the journey we were in stop and go traffic with more stop than anything. We still don't know if there was an accident although suspect that may have been the problem. The traffic was flowing fine on the other side of the median. I was getting anxious figuring we wouldn't even get to Toronto, let alone Oshawa. Eventually we came to the toll road, 407, and had been dithering about taking it, we decided to do so - never used it before - a surprising amount of traffic but boy did we move along well, seemed we reached the end in no time whatsoever. It will cost us about $19 but it was worth it. They figure out who owes what with cameras. That surprises me because I have seen lots of license plates which are indecipherable by human eye when you are right behind them, let alone by cameras. We were both surprised by the speeds of the vehicles. The speed limit is 100 Kms an hour and even a cop vehicle passed us going a lot faster than that. Matt set our cruise control at 110 Kms and we were being overtaken as though we were standing still. I was curious as to when the road was begun because when we went to the States in 1988 it wasn't there. Turns out it was started by a private contractor in 1999 and isn't finished even now, there are plans to extend it to Orono wherever that is! I looked it up on the map and I am still not much wiser. The picture shows all the electronic equipment which is used to photograph license plates or presumably ping responders in those vehicles which have them. If people are regular users of 407 they do have transponders installed. We finally got to the bowling alley about 10 minutes late but thankfully I still had lots of time to register and get myself sorted out. The other bowler who was my partner was already there with his girlfriend; they had stayed in Oshawa over night and said the accomodation was terrible. I had wanted to do the same, maybe just as well we didn't. My first game was good, over my average, my second game was bad, way below and my third game was excellent, a 222. In the middle of bowling I realised I had lost my 300 pin which I was given a week or two ago, that upset me. Luckily someone had handed it in but the back was missing. Later I found the back but someone had trodden on it. Not that it is irreplacable (in fact I have another back on it already), I was just glad to get the pin itself returned. Once we had finished bowling we all trooped into the dining area for lunch. We started eating a tad earlier than expected, we had salad, turkey with all the trimmings and pie. Not too bad, not gourmet either my biggest criticism was the mixed veg which were like mush, I didn't have potato but Matt said the mashed potato was some of the best he had ever had away from home. Then they gave out the prizes. We figured that after the prizes available at my last tournament (6 trips for 2 to the sun plus luggage), the digital camera, kitchen scales, hors d'oeuvres trays and cookie jars were somewhat meagre. However, I was thrilled to win 2nd prize in my group and got some kitchen scales (they are actually better than I presently have) and a timer. I had a pins over average of 61 which wasn't bad at all. Particularly after the way I bowled on Monday. Our trip home, once we found our way onto the 401, was pretty quick and uneventful. The 401 is supposed to be the busiest road in North America, it certainly lives up to its reputation. Traffic is constant and continuous. However, we were before the rush hour so it wasn't as busy as in the morning.

For a change I thought I would share a fish recipe from Eating Well. They suggest spinach with this dish. I would use asparagus at the moment - naturally *g*. Roasted Cod with Warm Tomato-Olive-Caper Tapenade From EatingWell: October/November 2005, The EatingWell Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook (2006) The Mediterranean flavors of a warm tomato tapenade will brighten all kinds of white fish as well as chicken. Make It a Meal: Orzo and sauteed spinach will round out this meal. 4 servings Ingredients •1 pound cod fillet, (see Ingredient note) •3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided •1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper •1 tablespoon minced shallot •1 cup halved cherry tomatoes •1/4 cup chopped cured olives •1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped •1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano •1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation 1.Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. 2.Rub cod with 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle with pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and roast until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. 3.Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 20 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add olives and capers; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds more. Stir in oregano and vinegar; remove from heat. Spoon the tapenade over the cod to serve.

Tips & Notes •Ingredient Note: Cod: Overfishing and trawling have drastically reduced the number of cod in the Atlantic Ocean and destroyed its sea floor. A better choice is Pacific cod (aka Alaska cod); it is more sustainably fished and has a larger, more stable population, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp. Have a good day.