Storm, Eating Out,

Monday night we had the oddest storm. It was lashing rain and flashing lightning but there wasn't one rumble of thunder. A totally silent storm. In the morning everything appeared dry but the greenery was so fresh looking. 

Tuesday night we decided to go out to supper. I just did not feel like cooking. I wanted to go to the Boa Nova Radizio and was very disappointed to find it was closed down. What a pity. It was a Portuguese/Brazilian restaurant where they served the meat on skewers (used to be swords once upon a time). We had been there several times. Sue H. if you read this, you will remember you and I went there once. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Even took Matt there for his birthday one time with a couple of other friends. So I was very disappointed. In the end we decided to go to Golf's Steak House which is a favourite restaurant of some friends of ours. They do a very good steak there so... made a booking on line, didn't know we could do that. We had tomato beef vegetable soup with garlic bread, salad bar, and then kebabs with fillet and vegetables - the meat had been marinated and was very tasty. We

both finished up with dessert  I had carrot cake, surprise, surprise, Matt had a chocolate swirl cheese cake. I drank a glass of Valpolicella, Matt usually refrains as he is driving. When we left there were all kinds of girls in pretty dresses running around the parking lot, figured it out as a prom, it was. All of the dresses were short and bouffant like a ballerina's. One somewhat buxom girl would have done much better wearing a different design. In something svelte she would have looked good. Most of the young men seemed to be wearing the same shirts in shades of lilac although one went as far as deep mauve. So, we have finally spent Matt's birthday money from his kids.

This sounds like a soup I will be trying. Love pea soups but never thought of combining with asparagus. I think I would leave out the potato.

Asparagus, Pea and Herb Soup

By: GreedyRosie

• Serves: 4

Description

A quick and easy soup recipe to celebrate the native asparagus season. I wanted to make a recipe that didn't include cream - there are a lot of those about!

Ingredients

Half a pound of Asparagus, chopped into inch pieces
1 onion, chopped
1 stick of Celery, chopped
1 small potato, peeled and diced small
1 handful of frozen peas
1.8 litres of vegetable stock
1 large bunch of parsley, chopped
1 small bunch of mint, chopped
1 splash of olive oil

Preparation

Heat the olive oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Sweat off the onion and the celery until soft, and then add the potatoes and the stock. Bring the stock to the boil and then simmer for 20 minutes or so. Add the peas and the asparagus and cook until the asparagus is tender. Add the herbs and turn the heat off. When cool enough, blend until smooth and then bring back to simmering point. Serve. 

Have a great day
 

Fox, Boa Nova.

Why am I posting a picture of a fox? No special reason really, I just saw it in a World Wildlife Fund email requesting donations and I liked it so I borrowed it. I support WWF wholeheartedly although not as much financially as I used to. I already have a number of plush animals from donations I made and have often done memorial donations too. However, rent increases and pensions don’t so can’t do much financially any more. I do like the picture though. Before I grew up, I used to think fox hunting was wonderful with all those splendid horses and wonderful riders in pink (that’s what they call the red coats, hunting pink, no real known reason although there is a legend about a tailor called Pink) then I began to learn more about animals and their preservation and realised I do NOT like fox hunting although they are still a splendid sight. Wish they could chase something else though.

We went to the Boa Nova as planned, accompanied by a friend, her hubby had gone away forgetting the occasion. Pity, we had a good evening. But I was full to bursting by the time we left. Everything was delicious as usual and I over ate at the buffet of starters first, they had some delicious mussels and some gorgeous fava beans, very Portuguese. One disappointment, they didn’t have any lamb although there were lots of other meats to eat. I chickened out before the others did. I had extra pineapple though, that is especially delicious.

This recipe appealed to me although sounds as though it could be very hot and spicy.

Poblano and Skirt Steak Fajitas

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

This variation on fajitas pairs fresh poblanos with steak and scallions. Skirt steak has fabulous flavour but tends to be chewy, so slice it thinly across the grain.
Ingredients

• 2 ripe avocados, pitted
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons lime juice, divided, plus lime wedges for garnish
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 2 bunches scallions, trimmed
• 3  poblano peppers, (see Note)
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon ground ancho chile, (see Note)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1-1 1/4 pounds skirt steak, trimmed
• Hot sauce, for serving
  
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed (see Tip)
  

Instructions

1. Preheat grill to high.
2. Mash avocados in a medium bowl with a fork. Stir in cilantro, 2 tablespoons lime juice, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
3. Brush scallions and poblanos with 2 teaspoons oil. Combine ancho chile, cumin, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Rub both sides of steak with the remaining 1 teaspoon oil and the spice mixture.
4. Oil the grill rack (see Tip). Grill the poblanos, turning often, until softened and charred, 8 to 12 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and cover with a plate or plastic wrap to trap the heat. Grill the scallions, turning frequently, until softened and lightly charred, 2 to 4 minutes. Grill the steak 2 to 3 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer the steak to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest.
5. Meanwhile, slice the scallions into 1-inch pieces and transfer to a serving dish. Peel as much skin as possible from the peppers, discard the stems and seeds, and slice into 1/2-inch-wide strips; transfer to the serving dish. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1/4 teaspoon salt to the vegetables and toss to combine. Slice the steak very thinly, then chop into small pieces. Serve the steak and vegetables with the guacamole, lime wedges, hot sauce and tortillas.

Tip
Note: Poblano peppers can be fiery or relatively mild; there’s no way to tell until you taste them. Ancho chile peppers, one of the most popular dried chiles used in Mexico, are dried poblano peppers. They have a mild, sweet, spicy flavor. Ground ancho chile pepper can be found in the specialty-spice section of large supermarkets, or substitute ground chili powder plus a pinch of cayenne. Tips: To heat tortillas: Wrap in foil and bake at 300°F until steaming, about 10 minutes or wrap tortillas in barely damp paper towels and microwave on High for 30 to 45 seconds. To oil the grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray before placing it on the grill.

Have a great day

Grouse, Anniversary, Vincenzo’s.

Well after all my grousing yesterday, I do feel better today. What an odd word grouse is, do Grouse grouse? I just did some Googling and Wiki tells me the grouse with which I am familiar is the Red Grouse which is considered a game bird and as every Britisher of my age group knows, is hunted from August 12th or The Glorious Twelfth. I have never eaten a grouse and understand it is a similar bird to the Ptarmigan and the only thing I know about that is that in The Clan of the Cave Bear, it was a favourite of their Mog Ur when cooked stuffed with its own eggs. I imagine Red Grouse are very good eating from all I have heard and the amount which are shot each year. However, I still haven’t found a connection between the bird and grousing or complaining.

Today the old man and I celebrate 41 years of wedded bliss, or something, and have decided to go to the Boa Nova Rodizio Grill which calls itself a Portuguese restaurant with a Brazilian twist; in Kitchener. You know; where they bring the skewers of fire roasted meats to your table and carve off what you require. Delicious. There is an hors d’oeuvres bar and then when you are ready you eat the barbecued meats and if you wish you can finish with barbecued pineapple. I just realised today that in fact the pineapple isn’t considered dessert and they have desserts as well. They gave Matt a cheesecake with a candle for his birthday some years ago, so I guess I should have known. Our anniversary is yet another of those celebrations where I drink fizz, or wines made by the methode champenoise. Sparkling wine anyway.

This is getting like being on vacation because Thursday we will be eating at the Red Lobster prior to our first Travel League outing this season. Now where can we go Friday? I gained a few pounds whilst away so I actually have to work at losing them again. Restaurants don’t help.

Think I mentioned I brought back some Kimchi from NC. Meant to get more. Matt doesn’t like it but I adore it. I guess I could make my own, but don’t really have room in an apartment for storage of such things. I decided to call my favourite deli store, Vincenzo’s and lo and behold, they have it. Not only that, I thought I would ask about horseradish and they assure me they have one which brings tears to the eyes. They are a good place to shop so I believe them and will try it out. Now we have a different bowling alley, we don’t pass them each week so have to make a special trip.

This recipe comes from Kevin at Closet Cooking who is also a fan of Kimchi and does make his own. Actually, re-reading it, maybe I will have a go at making my own. Not sure if I can get gochugaru, maybe I should check in Vincenzo’s for that too.

Kimchi

Ingredients:
1 medium napa cabbage (about 2-3 pounds)
1/2 cup salt
1 bunch green onions (sliced into 1 inch pieces)
4 cloves garlic (chopped)
1 inch ginger (grated)
1 cup gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
2 tablespoons fish sauce (or soy sauce for a vegetarian version)

Directions:
1. Cut the napa cabbage in half, remove the core and slice the cabbage into 1 inch wide strips.
2. Place a layer of cabbage into a large bowl and sprinkle some salt onto the cabbage. Repeat until all of the cabbage is in the bowl and salted.
3. Let the cabbage sit in the salt for a few hours.
4. Rinse the salt from the cabbage.
5. Mix the cabbage, green onions, garlic, ginger, gochugaru and fish sauce in the large bowl.
6. Place the cabbage mixture into a sealable container, leave a couple of inches at the top.
7. Seal the container and let ferment at room temperature for 2-3 days.
8. Place the container in the fridge and let ferment for a couple more days.

Have a great day

Travel League, Restaurants, Earthquake.

Yesterday, I mentioned that our Travel League was taking place on Thursday, we will be bowling “just along the road” from us at Towne Bowl and we are meeting at The Crock and Block on King Street. We have never been there although the restaurant has been in existence forever. I decided to look them up and found their lunch menu here http://tinyurl.com/4tba7gn which doesn’t look too bad. I also found some criticisms and some praises on line, so I am not sure what we will end up with. We were talking restaurants with our team captain on Monday and I was telling her about Boa Nova where I took Matt for his birthday last year (the Portuguese/Brazilian restaurant). She had never heard of it, I recommended it. Wouldn’t mind going back there again.

I am a little bit concerned about the earthquake in New Zealand as I know my cousin was intending to be in NZ at some point in time, but whether she was Going to be in the Christchurch area or not, I don’t know. It was quite a bad one with 65 people dead, and at least 100 people thought to be trapped. A 6.3 magnitude earthquake. It occurs to me, we have enough trouble with nature without us humans causing all the trouble such as is happening in the middle east at the moment. Our Prime Minister, Stephen Harper, was condemning the Libyan government yesterday and calling for them to cease firing on their nationals.

Now here’s something really different for breakfast.

Ham, Gruyere and Spinach Bread Pudding

Source: © EatingWell Magazine

Active Time:  30 Minutes

Total Time:  1 Hour 45 Minutes
6 servings

High-quality smoked ham is worth the cost. It infuses the pudding with a smoky flavor that complements the spinach, peppers, rosemary and Gruyere.
Make Ahead Tip: Prepare the pudding through Step 3; refrigerate overnight. Let stand at room temperature while the oven preheats. Bake as directed in Step 4.
INGREDIENTS

For Custard:

4 large egg whites

4 large eggs

1 cup skim milk

For Seasonings:

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

For Bread & filling:

4 cups whole-grain bread, crusts removed if desired, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1/2 pound, 4-6 slices)

5 cups chopped spinach, wilted (see Tip)

1/2 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers

1 cup diced ham steak (5 ounces)

For Topping:

3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Tip: To wilt greens, rinse greens thoroughly in cool water. Transfer them to a large microwave-safe bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and punch several holes in the wrap. Microwave on high until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Squeeze out any excess moisture from the greens before adding them to the recipe.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Coat an 11-by-7-inch glass baking dish or a 2-quart casserole with cooking spray.

To prepare custard: Whisk egg whites, eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Add mustard, pepper and rosemary: whisk to combine.

Toss bread, spinach, roasted red peppers and ham in a large bowl. Add the custard and toss well to coat. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and push down to compact. Cover with foil.

Bake until the custard has set, 40 to 45 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with cheese and continue baking until the pudding is puffed and golden on top, 15 to 20 minutes more. Transfer to a wire rack and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before serving.

Have a great day

Birthday Dinner, TIAs, Abby's Sailing.

Boa Nova Rodizio turned out to be a very good venue for Matt's birthday dinner. We stuffed ourselves on delicious grilled meats followed by grilled pineapple. Then when Matt was way too full, they brought him a piece of cheesecake with a candle in it. Didn't stop him eating it though. Matt and I drank a red wine from the Douro region of Portugal, sorry I have forgotten the name of it, but it was good. Last time I went to Boa Nova the buffet part of the meal was not very good, this time it was much better, I think it may be something to do with the day of the week. I had some mussels which were delicious as well as several other items off the cold table. Matt, being unsure what to expect, said he wished he had had more salad items as he didn't realise the rest of the meal was all meats. It was funny, he didn't even know where he was going when we parked across the road from the restaurant. It wasn't that lit up from the outside, so I think he was a tad puzzled.

Matt is now being put on a new pill, Warfarin (rat poison, LOL) to try and stop these TIAs he keeps having. We are being told he has a slight bulge in his left atrium (one of the top chambers of the heart) and this area is probably producing blood clots which when passing into the rest of the blood system cause these TIAs. The hope is that the Warfarin will help counteract this by thinning his blood even further. He has to take these pills for three days then have a blood test and see the family doctor in order to regulate the dosage. I gather this goes on for a while until they are satisfied. Bit of a pain as our doctor is in the next town. Matt actually went to see a neurologist in the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic and we were absolutely staggered when we met him. He looked pretty young for a start, he had long hair and was dressed in jeans and sneakers. He appeared to be more like a student than a specialist. He was, however, very nice and very efficient. I just wondered what he would wear for casual Fridays!!

The young sailer, Abby, the American girl, is now in Cabo San Lucas working with her team on the needed repairs. What a pity for her that she has to start her voyage all over again once the repairs have been made. Not heard anything from Jessica for a day or two, last time we did so she was sailing along in pretty fair weather although having to head slightly north in order to avoid a storm system. This is a picture from Abby's blog showing her coming into Cabo San Lucas where people have been very helpful to everyone involved in the project. Its amazing to me, when I was 16 I seem to think all I was interested in was boys, not sailing around the world. I never did take to sailing much although I had every opportunity to do so living on a boat.

I am now getting an email from Kraft with recipes using their products. After my success with two recipes I have become more interested. This looked like something we would enjoy so I thought I would share it. Luckily I have metal barbecue skewers so don't need to mess with soaking wooden ones.

Easy Chicken Skewers with Peanut Sauce

Kraft Kitchens

Makes: 4 servings, 2 skewers (144 g) each

1/4 cup KRAFT CATALINA Dressing

3 Tbsp. KRAFT Smooth Peanut Butter

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1 lb. (450 g) boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut lengthwise into strips

2 Tbsp. peanuts, chopped

1 green onion, chopped

Make It! MIX first 3 ingredients in large bowl until well blended. Add chicken; toss to coat. Refrigerate 10 min. HEAT broiler. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Thread chicken onto 8 skewers; place on rack of broiler pan. BROIL, 6 inches from heat, 4 min. on each side or until done. Top with nuts and onions.

Serving Suggestion Serve with hot cooked rice or ramen noodles and a tossed green salad.

How to Soak Wooden Skewers If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 10 min. before using. This will help to prevent them from burning when grilling the skewered food.

Creative Leftovers Turn leftovers into a delicious Asian-inspired salad. Just remove the chicken from skewers, chop and add to mixed greens and shredded carrots tossed with Kraft Signature Asian Sesame Dressing.

Have a great day

White or Green, Thai or Greek, Tiger Temple

So there I've been nittering on about a green Christmas for the last couple of days either in the blog or the comments and last night it snowed. Quite a lot of the stuff too. A bit too much, as I was supposed to go for my quarterly blood tests at the crack of dawn this morning and decided, because of the roads, to postpone it. Yes, I could have driven in it, but when it wasn't absolutely necessary, why do so? Matt tells me the weather forecast is more snow for the next couple of days, so maybe it will still be around in a week's time. The snowy tree is outside the apartment building and looks like a Christmas tree to me even without lights. Of course all this snow will delight the kids who toboggan on the slope behind our building. No problem with that, but their parents tend to park in the apartment parking lot and that can be a problem for the tenants. I finally got to Canadian Diabetes again yesterday after not being able to make it for one reason or another in the last two or three weeks. Just seems that everything has cropped up on Tuesdays lately. We (the administrator and I) discussed going to Boa Nova Rodizio one of these days, maybe some time early in the New Year. Matt hasn't been either and I am sure he would enjoy it. We also want to go back to Cameron's for dim sum. It was so good. Apparently the staff at the Kitchener office are being taken out for a Christmas lunch today - pity not the volunteers, especially as they are going for Thai food. I hope the roads have cleared up for them by then. Actually their office is right by a pretty good Greek restaurant The Three Kretans, so they could go there if driving isn't good. Matt just called me in to see something on Good Morning America. It seems that a Buddhist temple in Thailand is rescuing tiger cubs and there were the most gorgeous pictures of cubs running around the temple. However, a lot of the cubs are now grown animals having had cubs of their own and tourists visit to have their pictures taken with the animals. Now there is dissension; is it a conservation place or a zoo. Read here where it talks about re-introducing tigers to the wilderness; socialised animals would not settle in the wild I don't think. The conservationists are not happy about the situation. There is more on the news programmes tonight, I will have to try and catch it. I must say it was cute to see all these cubs trotting around loose in the temple and its grounds. Also to see grown tigers lying on the ground and people cuddling up to them to have their pictures taken. When I got home from working, Matt had been making things in the kitchen and we ended up with mini burgers stuffed with feta and other things, what people are calling sliders these days, not quite sure why. They were pretty good and we have some more for this evening. The recipe originally calls for Mozzarella, but as we didn't have any, he improvised. Hamburgers Stuffed with Mozzarella and Red Peppers Reader's Digest Live Longer Cookbook. Cheeseburger lovers rejoice! Creamy mozzarella oozes from the center of this very special burger, giving you a calcium boost with your protein. Serves 4. 1/4 cup diced roasted red pepper, patted dry 1/4 cup diced, part-skimmed mozzarella cheese (1 oz.) 4 black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped 1 tbs minced fresh basil, or 1 tsp dried 1 tsp balsamic or red wine vinegar 1 lb. lean ground beef 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 tsp each salt and black pepper. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the red pepper, cheese, olives, basil and vinegar. In another medium sized bowl, combine the beef, garlic, salt and black pepper. Using your hands, shape beef mixture into 8 thin patties about 3 1/2 inches in diameter. (It is easier to shape the patties if you wet your hands first.) Spread the cheese mixture on top of 4 patties, dividing the amount equally. Place the 4 remaining patties on top and pinch the edges to seal. preheat the boriler, setting the rack 6 inches from the heat. Arrange the stuffed burgers on a broiler pan and broil for 3 - 4 minutes on each side for medium rare, 4 - 5 minutes for medium or 5 - 6 minutes for well done. Serve on whole wheat English muffins accompanied by carrot and cucumber sticks. Have a great day.

Winter Wonderland, Boa Nova Rodizio

We sure got plenty of snow this weekend, some of the side roads are still white. The park outside our windows was a crystal delight yesterday in the sun, of which we had plenty, it was a beautiful day. Not so today, I am afraid it is dull. No that is not the park, but a picture of a sunny snowy day. We have a busy day today. First we have to go bowling, then we have to do shopping for our dinner on Wednesday (several items we didn't want to get too soon) and finally I am going to dinner with a friend at the Boa Nova Rodizio, a Portuguese restaurant with Brazilian overtones. If you would like to read all about it click here and see their web page. This is a picture of their buffet table, but their specialty is Rodizio where the Gauchos bring the meat to your table on the skewers which held it whilst being cooked on a rotisserie; they carve you as much as you want. I do hope they have some of my favourite Portuguese foods, I will let you know tomorrow. I have heard of this restaurant for some time but never been there before. Matt isn't going, he figures we can have a girl's night out and talk our heads off. (I hear silly heads somewhere there LOL). Tomorrow I have a lot of cooking to do so will have to get cracking to write my blog and do everything else. We are doing this dinner as a tapas, mezzes or finger food meal. Originally because there were more people than we could seat at our dining table. Unfortunately, one of our guests is in hospital with gall stones so won't be with us. Poor woman, that is a miserable thing to have I understand. What a time of year too, just coming up to Christmas! Here is another recipe from Best Ever Christmas. Prawns (Shrimp) with Fresh Herb Dip 1.5 kg cooked medium king prawns (or large shrimp) Fresh herb dip: 30 g butter 2 spring or green onions, chopped 1 tsp sambal oelek* 2 tbs chopped basil 2 tbs chopped parsley 2 tbs chopped mint 1 cup mayonnaise 1/2 thickened cream Peel prawns leaving tails intact, devein. Store in the fridge until required. To make Dip: Melt butter in small pan, add onions and garlic, stir fry over medium heat until soft, cool. Comine in a medium bowl with the remaining ingredients and serve with the prepared prawns. *Sambal oelek is available in specialty deli stores which sell Asian foods. Have a great day.