Balcony Door, Online Shopping, Oiling,

Some time ago, not sure exactly when, but before they did the balconies, I put in a work order about the screen door into our balcony which wouldn't slide properly, didn't keep the bugs out very well either. The Superintendent at the time came up to look and said I needed a new screen. A week or two back I submitted a reminder work order. Guess what, today, Tuesday, they are installing a brand new balcony door and screen. Nice to get some return on one's rent. Now if they could just fix the kitchen floor. I do hope that doesn't take over two years. So we have had the air conditioner going full blast and the doors wide open!!!

I went to the store before they came and picked up my order. I have discovered a new problem, the girl who 'picks' the stuff is tending to think that I have ordered the wrong thing and she is replacing with what I have had before.  Like grape tomatoes, I ordered a smaller box because we had some left and she subbed a larger one. Couple of other things too. Nothing serious but means I have to take them back and change them. When I order smaller things I will have to add notes to the fact that that is what I really want. Still very pleased with the system though.

Bought myself some mineral oil so the next thing I have to do is thoroughly clean my cutting boards and spoons etc. and then oil them and leave them over night.

We are due to get our VCR back today. One of the bowling alley owners had lent us one yesterday and I didn't want to install it without checking on ours. Really nice of him to let us use it though. They really are a wonderful family. Got our own back this afternoon all installed and working.

This is one of our favourite recipes which we have been making every year since I discovered farm fresh asparagus. I freeze it in ice trays and then put into a plastic bag. Keeps very well.

Asparagus Pesto Toasts

1 lb trimmed green asparagus
1 cup toasted walnut halves (I used pecans)
4 cloves garlic, peeled
2 1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup olive oil
2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
Freshly ground pepper

1. Cook asparagus until just tender. Refresh in cold water, then drain and dry well. Place asparagus, walnuts, garlic and salt in food  processor. Process until blended.

2. With motor running, gradually add olive oil, then add cheese and pepper. Blend together and check seasoning. Place in covered bowl.

3. It shows the recipe served on crunchy toasted French or Italian bread with a curl or two of parmesan on top and some asparagus at the side.

4. We freeze this in ice cube trays, then wrap the cubes in pairs (separated by Saran, and put in a bag in the freezer until we need them.

Source: Food & Drink

Have a great day
 

Hurrah Hooray, Bowling, Library,

Woo hoo, hurrah, hip hip hooray, it's open. Our balcony door of course. I checked it out, it was in July they first shut our balcony door which makes it approximately 5 months not being able to get out there. Dunno if we will bother to put the furniture back out until the spring though. After all, we had snow today. Actually I didn't think we would be "released" today because of the snow.

We went bowling as usual of course, I couldn't get going at all today. Hope things change for Monday, I was pretty poor today I can tell you. Matt beat me once, I beat him once and the last one we tied. Unusual.

On the way home had a few errands to run including the library and picking up the last book in the Soldier Son Trilogy. Discovered I had lost my library card but they let me have the book and I promised to have all my info next time. However, once I got home, checked another jacket and it was there so problem solved. So I have a Daniel Silva book I just started and then the last of the trilogy to finish. I noticed the 3D printer wasn't working today, hadn't quite registered that it was working when I saw it before. Gotta figure out when I could use it and what I could use it for.

You would have to be careful of the Mascarpone here. Most of the cheese available has various preservative chemicals in it which adds sweetness to the cheese. However, if you get the real, genuine Italian Mascarpone, it is unadulterated.

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

The nutty flavor of fontina and creaminess of mascarpone create a delicious updated version of mac

and cheese

1 lb uncooked penne
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
3 cups fat-free milk
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
3 (1-ounce) slices white bread
1 Tbs butter
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 Tbs chopped fresh parsley

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.

2. Preheat oven to 350°F

3. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook 10 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add cheeses, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in salt and black pepper. Add cooked pasta, stirring to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

4. Tear bread into several pieces. Place bread in a food processor; process until fine crumbs measure 1 1/2 cups.

5. Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in breadcrumbs until well combined. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley.

Servings: 8

Source: MyRecipes

Have a great day