Family News, Books, Irene,

Yesterday we heard the news from family in England that Granddaughter, Beth, got 10 A*s and one A in her GCSE’s. What is particularly phenomenal about this is that she has taken them a year early. We are both thrilled to bits with these marks although with her it seems to be par for the course. I just felt I had to do some bragging about it in my blog. She is actually planning to go into the theatrical world which seems a little bit of a waste to me.
I finally finished A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin yesterday, I did enjoy it but I didn’t like the continual switching of characters every time a new chapter started. Another thing I am not keen on, every time he introduces sympathetic characters, he ends up bumping them off. Someone pointed out that he has too many main characters, I guess this is the problem although when he kills them off, that deletes that segment. A chapter or two we won’t have to worry about in future books, however many he ends up writing in this series. His books are available on Kindle by the way.

I am now reading another book which was recommended to me by someone on line and I am damned if I can remember who that was. It is The Golden Key a collaboration by three authors, Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliott, not sure if I have read any of their work before. Its actually an old book (1996) although the copy I have looks absolutely new and is not a paperback. I haven’t yet got very far, but what I have read is good.

Irene is causing lots of worries along the east coast of both the States and Canada. During a golf game in New Jersey which Matt was watching, they were talking about plans for Saturday or Sunday when the hurricane would arrive. All our friends in NC are battening down the hatches, and the outer islands are being evacuated. It is being described as a monster storm, particularly as it is over 500 miles wide. If you are out that far, high winds and rain will be about it, for you, but closer to the eye it could be very nasty in some areas. It is being touted as a category 4 in the near future. On GMA yesterday they were advising people not to try and take hurricane pix in cities and towns because of the dangers from flying debris. Even taking pix on beaches you could get caught in storm surge. Matt nearly was once. The swirling water came up the beach and surrounded him, luckily there were steps he could hang on to til the water retreated and that wasn’t even a hurricane just a major wind storm. We are hoping the rental cottage will be OK of course.

This morning there was a report of a rogue wave in Florida which swept 8 people from a dock/pier area. This wave was tied in with Irene. As they pointed out on GMA, today the hurricane is off land so there won’t be a lot of pictures about it, but tomorrow it is expected to hit land at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and the tides are morning and evening this weekend, just when the storm is expected to hit causing a surge. New York city is also evacuating low areas in the expectation of a storm surge too.
This looks like a good lunch.

Turkey, Corn and Sun-Dried Tomato Wraps

From Eating Well: July/August 2011
Fresh corn kernels, tomatoes and lettuce fill these hearty turkey wraps. This wrap is great for picnics or when you need to have dinner on the run. Add some crumbled feta or shredded Cheddar for another layer of flavour. Serve with carrot sticks, sliced bell pepper or other crunchy vegetables plus your favourite creamy dressing.
4 servings  Ingredients

• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh (see Tip) or frozen (thawed)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped soft sun-dried tomatoes (see Shopping Tip)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 8 thin slices low-sodium deli turkey (about 8 ounces)
• 4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
• 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce

Preparation

1. Combine corn, tomato, sun-dried tomatoes, oil and vinegar in a medium bowl.
2. Divide turkey among tortillas. Top with equal portions of the corn salad and lettuce. Roll up. Serve the wraps cut in half, if desired.

Nutrition

Per serving :321 Calories; 12 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 35 mg Cholesterol; 35 g Carbohydrates; 19 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 682 mg Sodium; 325 mg Potassium
2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Tip: To remove corn kernels from the cob, stand an ear of corn on one end and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife. One ear will yield about 1/2 cup kernels.
• Shopping Tip: Look for soft sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) in the produce section of most supermarkets. If you can only find dry (and hard) sun-dried tomatoes, soak them in boiling water for about 20 minutes before using.

Have a great day.

Market, Vacation, Health Matters and Book.

I finally got my rear end in gear on Saturday and went to Kitchener’s Farmer’s Market. One of the main reasons was to see if we could find more flat beans, we did, got $8. We also got some corn and local blueberries (Matt enjoys those.  I went to the lamb butcher, Charles’ Meats but I hadn’t called ahead so he had no lamb’s kidneys, pity, however I did get some stewing lamb to make a hotpot later. We also bought a piece of Brie for supper. The market always has a huge selection of fresh vegetables, but for some reason we forget to go there. We have some friends who live close by and go every Saturday. There were not many stalls which sold flat beans; after we had bought a load I saw one stall with small quantities of them. As I was buying them a woman, Portuguese I think, asked me if they were good, I then proceeded to tell her how to French cut them, not that I had a knife, but I tried to demonstrate. I wonder if she had a clue what I was talking about. She bought a basket anyway, so maybe she did get it. There is a much bigger Farmer’s Market at St. Jacobs which really isn’t that far, but the market is so huge and parking usually means a very long walk before you get to the market so I can’t cope with it any more. For what I want, the local one is fine.

You know, I had my vascular angioplasty on June 15 and here we are, two months later, and I still have trouble with oedema. I am not only getting fed up with it, but I am a bit concerned about driving down to North Carolina next month, sitting in the car for hours has a tendency to cause swelling anyway.

Talking of going away, it occurred to me the other day that, at our age, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to carry our living wills with us – just in case. You never know do you? A friend’s husband went out for a walk and collapsed on the sidewalk. If that happened when one was away, who’s to say the remaining partner could authorise treatment or lack of it. Not very cheerful thoughts, but necessary ones. Part of those vicissitudes a friend said I write about.

I mentioned, the other day, that I was reading A Dance With Dragons by George R.R. Martin, his fifth book in his Song of Ice and Fire series. I have to say, I am having trouble with it. Every chapter deals with a different character so you are just beginning to get interested in one when you switch to another. I am finding it difficult to get into the story and to maintain sufficient interest in the book. I guess I will persevere but I am certainly find it difficult. Maybe its just me, others may like it much better, I don’t know.

We cooked this for supper last night. We changed a few things, we used regular pork chops, only one apple, one onion and 1/4 cup of raisins. Also, we didn’t have any white wine open so didn’t bother with that ingredient. However, it was delicious just the same and definitely a keeper.

Braised Pork Shoulder Chops with Caramelized Onions, Apples and Raisins

Courtesy of : Elizabeth Manville

Yield : 2

Ingredients

2x8 ounce pork, shoulder chops

1 tablespoon canola oil

2 apples, sliced

2 onions, sliced, thinly

1/2 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup white wine, chardonnay

2 cups chicken stock

salt and pepper

Directions

1. Heat oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Season the pork chops and sear both sides until nicely caramelized. Remove the chops to another dish and in the same pan, sauté the onions until caramelized.
2. Deglaze with the wine, bringing to a boil and scraping up any brown bits that have accumulated. Reduce heat to simmer.
3. Return the pork chops to the pan, sliced apples, raisins, and chicken stock and simmer, covered until pork is tender, about 1 hour.
4. Remove the pork chops and strain the liquid into a clean pot, reserving the fruit. Reduce braising liquid until 2/3 of original volume. Season and serve with the pork, apples, onions and raisins.

Have a great day

Spam, Bear Problems, Books.

On Saturday I got two emails, Dearest in Christ, and Beloved in the Lord. Really!!! Whoever sends these, do they honestly think any intelligent person is going to respond to such stuff. Especially as the body of the emails is usually badly written with lots of mistakes. Most of such emails get filtered out, but occasionally some get through.

Bears seem to be having a hard time of it lately, there have been many reports of bears in peoples back yards, even a picture of one swimming in a pool and playing with a tennis ball. Funny to see, not funny if its your pool. There have been reports of mother bears attacking to protect their cubs and then the story in Norway of a polar bear attacking a bunch of kids and mauling several plus killing one. In the latter case the ice caps are melting and this is driving them elsewhere to seek food. Bears in North America are having problems because of the extreme heat not forgetting habitat destruction. Also if you are going to be hiking where bears live, you are risking attack. I feel very sorry for the bears, and am not sure what can be done to prevent these bear/human interactions.

Now I am reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin book 5 of his Song of Ice and Fire series. Considering the last book came out in 2006 its not surprising I am having a few problems with it. I haven’t read too many chapters yet, and there is a cast of characters at the end of the book so maybe I can sort it all out. I have decided there should be a law that all authors have to write a full book or series right through to the end before they are allowed to publish it. 5 years is way too long since the last book and there is yet another to come. Not only that, this book runs parallel to the last book, A Feast of Crows, it  isn’t exactly a sequel. Odd. I am awaiting another book which has been a long time coming, the sequel in the Jean M. Auel series which started with The Clan of the Cave Bear, a great book, her subsequent books have not been as good. Her last novel was 2002.

Having decided I like quinoa (kinwa) this recipe appeals to me.

Quinoa Taco Salad

By The Gluten Free Goddess
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

My vegan quinoa taco salad is sans tomatoes. And bean-free. No customary black beans here. But if you love black beans with a white hot passion, add 'em in. You can also add crumbled goat cheese on top, if you desire.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa cooked in two cups water
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Juice from 2 juicy limes
Sea salt, to taste
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
1 half small red or purple onion, diced fine
1 small yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced fine
1 cup roasted corn kernels (I used frozen, roasted on a cookie sheet for 6-7 minutes, then cooled)
1 large head of crisp romaine lettuce, washed, dried, sliced crosswise
Gluten-free tortilla chips
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, diced

Instructions

Cook the quinoa per package instructions. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork. Scoop the quinoa into a bowl.

Drizzle the cooked quinoa with extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Squeeze on fresh lime juice and toss again. Season the mixture with sea salt, to taste.

Add in the fresh chopped cilantro, diced red onion, diced yellow pepper, and roasted corn kernels. Stir lightly to distribute. Taste test for seasoning adjustments.

Line four salad bowls or plates with the fresh romaine. Spoon the quinoa salad on the center of the lettuce. Add the diced avocado to each plate. Tuck in a few tortilla chips around the edges.

Serve with an extra lime wedge.

More Options:

Add a cup of chilled, drained black beans, if you like your taco salad super hearty.

Add sliced red or yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, if you desire.

Sprinkle with the cheese of your choice.

Serve with your favourite salsa on the side.

Total Servings: 4

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 240
Carbohydrates: 41.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Fat: 4.4g
Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
Fibre: 5.4g
Sodium: 24 mg
Protein: 6.7 g

Have a great day