Spam, Farm, Bank, Accident, Emma,

I didn't think that could happen that when I had the comments on moderation, someone could get a spam comment through. Oh well, just have to stay vigilant.

Wasn't sure if I would get asparagus today or not. In the end, I was OK for asparagus but a friend wanted rhubarb and they hadn't got any. The weather was too cool I guess. At least I have  my asparagus and have made beginnings on pickling and canning some of my goodies. It was actually quite a pleasant day today, sunny but not too warm. I had to wait a while before I knew I could go to the farm but eventually off I went with Matt riding along with me. Nice to get out, beautiful countryside, even beautiful avenues to ride though close to home, at this time of the year, the trees are now in full leaf but it is all young and green and absolutely gorgeous. We are lucky to live on the outskirts of town in an area which has been built fairly carefully to conserve the gorgeous trees.

Tomorrow Matt gets his second PSW visit, from a woman this time, she phoned and is also doing an assessment to see just what we need. 24/7 help perhaps?

Before we went to the farm, I went into the bank to sort out my problems with Visa. I was the last customer allowed in today. Discussed what was going on and the woman said she would investigate, see what was going on and phone me. There has been some kind of screw up somewhere. I am supposed to be a co-signer but they have me as a secondary card, i.e. Matt is the primary card holder and they want to talk to him every time I call them. He doesn't have a clue what it's all about. Once I left - in something of a hurry to go to the farm, I backed into a vehicle and realised it was the SUV of a woman who used to be our foot nurse. (I didn't know where she was and had no time  She has changed her phone number and have only just got her cell phone so will call her and confess. It felt very gentle so hopefully no damage.

Just watched the new version of Emma by Jane Austin. Had a lot of trouble understanding them, but I enjoyed it just the same.

This is a recipe I am very fond of. As I frequently mention, if you buy asparagus from the farm, freshly picked, you do NOT need to trim the spears.

Asparagus and Endive Salad

1 lb fresh asparagus , trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1 Tbs Juice, orange, fresh
2 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs small shallots , minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 oz Belgian endive, fresh, head , cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips (2 heads)

1. Place 1/2 inch of water at the bottom of a 12 inch pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in asparagus and cook until tender yet crisp, about 2 minutes. Place in strainer, rinse under cold water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the orange peel, orange juice, vinegar, oil, shallots, sugar, salt, mustard, and pepper until well combined.

3. Add the asparagus and endive to the bowl with the dressing. Mix well to evenly coat and serve.

Servings: 4

Source: dLife

Author Notes: Light and elegant salad combining asparagus and endive in a homemade orange Dijon vinaigrette.

Try using a sugar substitute instead of regular sugar.

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Oops, Bowling, Air Fryer again,

I backed into someone's car in the parking lot at the bowling alley. I was in a bit of a tizzy at the time and I didn't think it was much so didn't stop. However, having looked at the back of our car which was unmarked, I figured I had better phone the bowling alley and let them know it was me. The woman who owned the car phoned me later and said she would get an estimate. She did so, came to our building and showed me the estimate and the damage. I would have called it minor but not the garage apparently. They wanted $800 including a rental. I said I wanted a second opinion and she said she would talk to her husband. I then phoned my insurance company for advice. Basically they said all she had to do, because we have No Fault insurance here, was to contact her insurance company who would take care of everything and then get in touch with my people. And, as this is my first accident, I have accident forgiveness which means it will not affect our premium although that only works once. Matt was seething.

Pity, rather ruined a good afternoon bowling as I pushed my average up by 4 points and as a team we had won two games before we left.  Our team was standing alone in second place!!!

I had planned to air fry chicken breast for supper and so, in the middle of all this hoo ha with the car, it was getting late so I kind of rushed around and threw everything together. Surprisingly it worked. I had some broccoli which I cooked with it and followed with Strawberries and Cream. Having eaten, and enjoyed it, I can now think of all kinds of other flavourings one could use. But talk about quick and easy.

Basic Chicken

2-4 chicken breasts
2 tbs all purpose flour (I used that much for only 2 breasts)
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
melted butter or cooking oil (I used olive oil) butter might have tasted pretty good, but no time to melt it)

Preheat the air fryer to 400°F. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl (I used a plastic bag). Lightly brush the chicken with the melted butter or cooking oil and roll in the mixture of flour and spices. Cook for 8 - 10 minutes, turn them over and cook for an additional 8-10 minutes.


Have a great day
 

Accident, Bowling, Thor: Ragnarok

Our cleaner arrived this morning visibly upset. Turned out that she had had very little sleep and that her daughter had run into the back of another car, totalling the cleaner's car. She was driving a rental this morning. I didn't realise at first, daughter is a learner and mother was along for the practice. Not sure how that works in Canada never been a learner over here. Apparently the police took their own sweet time coming, nobody hurt, so they had to sit there with cars almost swiping them for a couple of hours. She finally called them again and said how dangerous it was where they were. Then they came. An accident is bad enough without extra hassle.

Bowling today, didn't bowl too badly - nor did Matt. However, we were against a team with several top notch players, talk about loaded, so we didn't win a single point.

I just watched a DVD of Thor, Ragnarok. What a long movie, I was getting a tad tired of it in some places. Seemed to go on forever. I did enjoy it though but think they could have shortened it somewhat. I don't think I will be watching it again before I return it to the library.

Being flush with asparagus at the moment, I have been looking at recipes. I must say, I had completely forgotten this one. I do agree with the comment at the end about using asparagus as much as possible while it is in season.

Asparagus and Shrimp Paté

2 lb (1 kg) shrimp, shelled
½ cup (125 mL) chopped green onions
3 Tbs (45 mL) seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbs (15 mL) chopped garlic
1 Tbs (15 mL) chopped fresh tarragon
2 Tbs (25 mL) chopped parsley
1 egg
1 egg white
½ cup (125 mL) whipping cream
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb (500 g) medium-size asparagus spears, blanched
Garnish
Fresh tarragon
Lemon slices, optional

1. Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC).

2. Combine shrimp, green onions, vinegar, garlic, tarragon and parsley in a food processor. Process until mixture is just combined. While machine is running, add egg, egg white and cream. Stop machine immediately. Mixture should have a little bit of texture left. Season well with salt and pepper.

3. Lay a third of shrimp mixture into a buttered loaf pan. Add a layer of asparagus trimmed to fit pan. If asparagus is too short then add a second piece as well. Add second layer of shrimp mixture and another layer of asparagus. Finish with remaining shrimp mixture.

4. Place loaf pan into a second slightly bigger pan. Fill larger pan with boiling water halfway up loaf pan. Cover loaf pan with a piece of buttered parchment paper and cover tightly with foil.

5. Bake for 55 minutes or until white juices begin to rise and pâté is cooked through in the middle. Cool in pan and pour off any liquid that has gathered. Turn out on to a rectangular plate and decorate with fresh tarragon and lemon slices, if desired.

Servings: 10

Tips
Asparagus, when in season, deserves to be used as much as possible. Combining it with a shrimp purée makes an outstanding pate. To blanch asparagus, toss into a pot of boiling water, bring back to the boil, drain well, and run under cold water.

Author: Lucy Waverman
Source: Food and Drink

Have a great day

Bears, Butterflies and Bowling.

No, I’m not starting the A to Z again.
I have just been reading a National Geographic article about a very rare animal, the Gobi Bear. Apparently there are only two to three dozen left in the Gobi Dessert and scraping out an existence in one of the harshest climates of the world. There is a long article and a video about the animals and talking about the area where they live. They are one of the oldest bears in existence and their lineage can be traced back to the earliest brown bears. They are quite small bears and research teams have been catching them and tagging them as well as placing GPS collars on them. There are also bear feeding stations because the area where they live, which is in Mongolia, has been overused and there is little for them to eat any more. I wish I could help financially, but I am unable to do so. Maybe some of you can.

Also, from the World Wildlife Fund today I had a request for assistance for the Monarch Butterfly who’s numbers have been seriously reduced since 2003. The size of the butterflies indicates the serious reduction in numbers and the area they cover. They also included a packet of seeds to grow a butterfly bush in order to attract them. Needless to say, we have nowhere to plant these so I am giving them to a friend. If she doesn’t plant them at home, she will do so at her son’s farm. I don’t know how big these bushes grow and I gather she hasn’t got that much room. At least she has a yard/garden which is more than we do nowadays.


Thursday we did our usual bowling, just three of us, for a fun afternoon. At least they tell me it’s fun, looking at my scores, I am not so sure about that. On Thursdays there is a women’s  league and we bowl along side them. They had their ‘banquet’ today which they cater themselves, mostly snack type foods. They came and told us we were welcome to dig in. I wasn’t going to but then I saw a couple of chocolaty things, that was my undoing. So, two of us helped ourselves, Matt did not. He is the only one who can afford to eat what he likes, not that our friend is overweight exactly, but she says she wants to lose a few pounds. Monday we had our bowling banquet for the winter league. It was catered by a local company run by a woman who is also a bowler. The food was excellent. It was slices of beef in a casserole which she served with delicious looking mashed potatoes (didn’t have any, but Matt said they were good), mixed vegetables, spinach salad, a jellied salad for those who like that kind of thing (she told me it is very popular in some of the old folks’ homes she caters) and also buns and butter. Afterwards there was a large selection of delicious pies, I had banana cream pie. There was lots of food and many went back for seconds. We then bowled, with distended stomachs plus had a prize giving. Our team won for the highest team single. Only thing we did get. Our summer league gets going on May 14.

I am ashamed to say I had forgotten that one of our number went an absolute purler after Monday’s events. He tripped down some steps into the parking lot. He is an 83 yr. old and bruised himself very badly. I was still in the alley when it happened, but when I came out I could see a small crowd around our car and thought for a minute it was Matt who was in trouble. On checking in with him today, it turns out he is OK but very sore.

After all the goodies I ate at the bowling alley, I could use this fish recipe. Wish I had all the ingredients handy.

Crispy Fish with Lemon-Dill Sauce

Panko is the secret ingredient that makes these crispy, oven-fried fish fillets a family favorite. The lemon-dill sauce is the perfect compliment and great for dipping. For sustainability reasons, be sure to choose Alaskan cod, or substitute halibut or even tilapia.

Cooking Light OCTOBER 2013

• Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 fillet and about 2 tablespoons sauce)
• Hands-on:15 Minutes
• Total:30 Minutes

Ingredients

• 2 large egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 (6-ounce) skinless cod fillets
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 3/8 teaspoon salt
• Cooking spray
• 1/4 cup canola mayonnaise (such as Hellmann's)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill pickle
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh dill
• Lemon wedges

Preparation

1. Preheat broiler to high.
2. Place egg whites in a shallow dish. Combine panko, paprika, onion powder, and garlic powder in a shallow dish. Sprinkle fish evenly with pepper and salt. Dip each fillet in egg white, then dredge in panko mixture; place on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Broil 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.
3. Combine mayonnaise, pickle, lemon juice, and dill. Serve with fish and lemon wedges.

Have a great day