Eggs, Garlic, TV and Bowling.

Years ago I watched one of my favourite chefs, Jacques Pepin, giving demonstrations of various cooking techniques. One I have always remembered and used, was how to hard boil eggs. You start by pricking a hole in the thicker end of the egg. Place it in cold water, bring it to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes, then chill in cold water. I have never had a problem since I started using this technique. Matt doesn’t quite follow the same method so often ends up with a cracked shell or two. Jacques Pepin used to join Julia Child on her programmes quite frequently. I have been hunting for the video about techniques for a long while but never been able to find it. If anyone happens to know about it, post a comment please.

Saturday morning I spent peeling garlic, 4 large cloves, what a pain, but once its done it means I have peeled garlic available for a good long time, I have written before that I put it in a Mason jar with a piece of paper towel on top to absorb the moisture and then screw the lid on tight. In the fridge this lasts me several months and is a joy especially if you are in a hurry. It wasn’t until I looked it up I realised the last lot had been peeled on March 14, 2011 and the jar is even fuller this time. Its amazing that the garlic seems as fresh at the end as when we first peel it.

The new season of Downton Abbey started last night, I love the show, I think it is extremely well done and enjoyed every minute of the 2 hour season premiere. This second season takes place during the First World War, starting in 1917, the action, not the war. I was staggered at one scene that there was a report of someone being shot for cowardice. I didn’t remember that such things were done. How dreadful for the family. Also, two of the Abbey’s staff were given white feathers signifying cowardice because they were not at the front. People were so cruel, yes I guess people are so cruel.

Matt went to the Hi-Lo Doubles bowling tournament yesterday morning, I was supposed to bowl in it too, but was unable to which teed me off I can tell you. Apparently he didn’t bowl that well, nor did his partner. Pity. I was in this tournament once before and I did get through, I was annoyed I wasn’t allowed to be in it for a couple of years, this year I was permitted and then to have to back out because of being unwell. Grrrrr.

When I first tried grits I didn’t think too much of them, however, they have gradually grown on me so that when I saw this recipe I was immediately interested. My favourite is actually shrimp and grits, but this sounds good.

Goat Cheese Grits with Fresh Corn

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Take grits upscale by adding fresh corn, goat cheese and chives.

Servings: 6

Recipe Ingredients:

1. 3 cups water
2. 1/2 teaspoon salt
3. 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
4. 3/4 cup quick grits, (not instant; see Tips)
5. 1 cup fresh corn kernels, (about 1 large ear; see Tips) or frozen
6. 3/4 cup cup crumbled goat cheese, (3 ounces), divided
7. 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh chives, or scallion greens

Recipe Steps:

1. Bring water, salt and pepper to a boil in a large saucepan. Slowly pour in grits, stirring constantly. Stir in corn; return to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in half the goat cheese and let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in chives (or scallions). Serve each portion sprinkled with some of the remaining cheese.

Recipe Nutrition:

Per serving: 156 calories; 5 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono ); 11 mg cholesterol; 23 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 5 g protein; 1 g fiber; 277 mg sodium; 124 mg potassium.

Have a great day

Lunch, Storms, Tournament,

For our lunch on Tuesday we had the mushroom recipe I posted on Monday, Mushroom Cheese Toasties, they were very  good. We changed things a bit, it says half a muffin per person, insufficient in our opinion so we had a whole muffin each, plus we used extra cheese. Other than that, we both enjoyed them.

Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but I think Katya is veering north. I do hope she continues to do so. Damn, Later I found she had veered south again, so much for that. I am watching this storm like a hawk. Have you seen all the pictures of the flooding caused by Irene, particularly in the northern States. One picture was of a historic covered bridge being destroyed, the rivers backed up when the storm hit and they now feeling the results. I feel so sorry for people, I know what its like to be flooded. Homes being badly damaged and in some even recommended being caught in their homes by the floods. I said 1 billion dollars damage, they are now quoting $7 billion. As usual there were idiots who ignored warnings and surfed on the waves and then had to be rescued. That kind of thing really tees me off.

Today we are heading to Chatham, Kent, Ontario, for a bowling tournament on Thursday. In the end we decided to stay down there for the night, I booked at a Howard Johnson’s (known as Ho Jo’s) in Ridegetown about 20 minutes away from Chatham, which is a lot better than 2 1/2 hrs. from home. They have a fairly reasonable restaurant, well I haven’t eaten in one for a year or two, but they always were pretty good. Once upon a time they were noted for their fried clam strips, but they don’t do those any more, certainly not in Canada. Pity, I used to love them. Not sure if there will be a blog on Thursday, so don’t hold your breath. Wish us luck though.

Another recipe in the little booklet sent to me by Mushrooms Canada is this ragout below. I see the original comes from Mushroom Growers in Australia.

Mushroom, Tomato and Basil Ragout

This recipe is Immune System Approved!

Serve a green salad and crusty bread with this one-pot vegetarian dish - perfect for a fast meal or as a side dish with grilled meat or fish. Orzo is tiny rice shaped pasta.
Ingredients

1 leek

2 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb. small fresh mushrooms, halved

1 can Italian flavoured tomatoes*

1 cup water

2/3 cup Orzo pasta

1/2 cup Fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Method

Slice off and discard the dark green tops and roots of leek. Cut in half lengthwise and rinse under water to remove any grit; thinly slice. In a large, deep skillet or saucepan heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 3-4 minutes or until the leek begins to soften. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring frequently, for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, breaking up with a spoon, water and orzo. Bring to boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 -15 minutes or until the orzo is tender and it has thickened. Remove from heat and stir in the basil. Pass the cheese to sprinkle on top if desired. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Makes 4 main course servings

* Substitute stewed tomatoes or Herb and Spice flavoured tomatoes for the Italian flavoured tomatoes and add 1tbsp dried Italian seasoning with the tomatoes.

Nutritional Information
Per Serving
Calories: 237
Sodium: 266 mg
Protein: 7.4 g
Fat: 8.0 g
Carbohydrates: 36.8 g
Dietary Fibre: 5.4 g

Recipe adapted from the Australian Mushroom Growers' Association.

Have a great day

Me, Bowling, The Royals, Mountain Goat

If medical stuff makes you sick, ignore this first bit. 

I saw the vascular surgeon yesterday who said that the CT scan had shown even more blockages than the ultrasound. It appears I have a piece of plaque right behind my belly button area, at the junction of the two iliac veins. What is currently planned is that I will be going in for an angiogram and angioplasty combined, some time in January, to place stents in that area. Later, I may well have to proceed to proper vascular surgery and have my leg veins by-passed. What staggers me is that I can go home the same day after the angioplasty. In 2004 I had to stay in overnight.

I had a phone call yesterday to say I had won the in- house tournament and would I be able to go to the next round in Hamilton in February. I assured them that I would – ops permitting of course. I had 85 pins over average last week, however, last year there were lots of people with 200 plus and one person with 300 or more pins over average!!! However, it is fun to do and we get a night in a hotel on the Association.

Of course there has been lots on the news about William and Kate. I loved the brief interview with Prince Charles who said he was happy about the engagement “they have been practising long enough”!!! Some people seem surprised that she has the sapphire ring which was Princess Diana’s engagement ring, but to me that is a natural progression. many families pass down their jewellery to their descendants. It is a very large sapphire, surrounded by diamonds. Doesn’t leave a lot of room for a wedding ring does it? Now of course everyone is waiting for the wedding news.

I absolutely had to share this picture with you. This is from the current November edition of the National Geographic and the photo was taken by Joel Sartore. The goat, in this instance, is after a salt lick, but look at his position on the rocks. Most of us – even with climbing tackle – couldn’t manage this easily, how the hell do they. Do click on the picture and enlarge it, it really is an incredible sight, plus a fantastic piece of photography. But how the hell that goat gets where it is is a complete mystery to me.

Here is another bean recipe which will make up for the sinful dessert from yesterday.

Bean Bolognese

From EatingWell:  December 2006

Fiber-rich beans stand in for the beef and pork in this surprisingly rich-tasting vegetarian take on pasta Bolognese. Without the meat, the dish has only a third of the fat and 80 percent less saturated fat. To make the perfect meal, serve with a peppery arugula salad and warm, crusty Italian bread.

4 servings

Ingredients

1 14-ounce can salad beans, (see Shopping Tip) or other beans, rinsed, divided

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/4 cup chopped celery

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 bay leaf

1/2 cup white wine

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, divided

8 ounces whole-wheat fettuccine

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation

1. Put a large pot of water on to boil. Mash 1/2 cup beans in a small bowl with a fork.
2. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and salt; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and bay leaf; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add wine; increase heat to high and boil until most of the liquid evaporates, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomatoes and their juices, 2 tablespoons parsley and the mashed beans. Bring to a lively simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 6 minutes. Add the remaining whole beans; cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes more.
3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in the boiling water until just tender, about 9 minutes or according to package directions. Drain.
4. Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Discard the bay leaf and top the pasta with the sauce; sprinkle with Parmesan and the remaining parsley.

Shopping tip: A can of salad beans, a mixture of chickpeas, kidney and pinto beans, adds depth and variety to this recipe. Look for it in the natural-foods section of larger supermarkets or natural-foods stores. If you can't find it, substitute a can of your favorite beans.

Have a great day

Insurance, Tournament Day,

For those of you who don't live in Canada, (not sure if they are in the US, probably) we have an insurance outfit here called Greypower. If you are above a certain age (and unfortunately we are) they offer better rates for good drivers. Our current insurance agent was increasing our premiums so I finally decided to try Greypower and was pleased to find out they will be able to save us money on our current rate, let alone on the new increased rate. Plus they can save us money on our contents insurance and we have, in fact, slightly better coverage anyway. This was achieved in the break between bowling and the banquet.

Now for the bowling, we had a really fun morning, we didn't actually win you understand, but had a good try at it. I was particularly pleased with my own scores, I bowled 96 pins over average, so I certainly didn't shame myself. Actually the three winning teams all came from the same house in New Hamburg so the proprietor, who was on one of the teams, was feeling really chuffed. This is our team, we all had team shirts with one exception. You get these by entering tournaments to represent your house. I actually have two shirts because we decided to buy them and then later I got one free for taking part in a tournament. We decided to go to lunch so ended up at Howl at the Moon, my suggestion, didn't realise it got so busy on a Thursday, Mexican Thursday, the noise was pretty bad in there, but the food was pretty good as usual. Afterwards we dispersed to our homes agreeing to meet later for the banquet.

We weren't expecting very much from the banquet, but it turned out we were wrong. We encounted a traffic jam (in Canada???) so arrived a bit late. It was being held in a Moose Lodge. When we got there we were given a ticket for a free drink. We then joined our friends; the tables were beautifully laid out with pots of miniature roses as decorations, attractive napkins, and little gifts of notepads as well as a card with a tea packet inside. An ad, but a nice touch. The food wasn't bad at all although they had cooked the beef to death as so often happens in these places. The chicken was good however. What was also nice, it was served to our tables unlike our last banquet in Oshawa where we had to line up and it was very badly organised. Then there were a load of speeches followed by a group called the Graceliners. I wasn't sure what to expect, but they were great. A group of 6 seniors ranging in ages, came down the aisle between the tables, all dressed in black Elvis costumes with black wigs on and dark glasses dancing and miming to Elvis music. They then went up on the stage and danced to several numbers. I tried to take pix but they were moving so the pix aren't very good. You can get a bit of an idea of what they were like. Their costumes were black but with lots of coloured additions. Some of their figures left quite a bit to be desired, but it didn't matter a bit, they were fun and great to watch. Their leader spoke to us and said she had thought by doing this she would lose weight!! Apparently they have gone to a number of different places in the States to perform, mostly for charity groups, and they have performed in other countries too. Later they came down off the stage and were introducing themselves and talking about their ages. One of them is 75 and asked if there were 75 yr. olds in the audience, Matt put his hand up, amongst others, so the 75 yr. old came over to give him a hug. I said I charged for that. Later she asked me how much she owed me, I said I would send my bill!! All good fun. As a group I was most impressed with them. Eventually it was all over and we had to go home. One of the best bowling banquets I have been to. Next year the Senior Summer Games will be held in Fergus. I am not sure if Fergus have a bowling alley so I don't know where that will take place. In the midst of all this, I was doing my Avon. To my horror, when I got round to sorting out my delivery I discovered I was missing two big orders. On research I found that I had sent the order in from my laptop and it had completely missed these two orders. Lesson, don't use laptop for Avon next time or at least until I find out what or why.

Well, it seems BP have had some success with their latest effort in capping the gusher. I don't think anyone is quite sure how successful this has been though. They are definitely predicting the oil will travel up the Atlantic coast and maybe find its way to Europe. Means the beaches won't be very nice for our vacation I guess. Probably will affect the shrimping too which means we won't be able to get any - always assuming the price hasn't jumped sky high anyway. Talking of shellfish, Emeril Lagasse was on Good Morning America today doing a lobster roll. I watched and thought, what a waste of good (and expensive) lobster. I wouldn't mind doing the recipe with shrimp though which he also suggested.

However, asparagus is still around, so here is another recipe for you. I imagine this won't be a favourite as so many people in North America don't like lamb, I'm not sure everyone who says that has actually tasted it. However, Matt and I both love lamb so here is the recipe.

Lamb and Asparagus

AsparagusRecipes.net

1 chopped red onion.

3 x garlic cloves crushed. ½ cup of dry white wine. 3 cups of steamed sliced asparagus. 1 ½ lb boneless lamb chopped into small cubes. Salt to taste. Freshly-ground black pepper to taste.

Heat a large frying pan and add ½ of the wine. Bring to the boil and add the onion and garlic, cook until softened. Add the lamb and cook for about 6 minutes. Add the rest of the wine and the asparagus. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, until lamb is tender. Add pepper and salt to taste.

Have a great day

Movies, Bowling, Tar Balls,

Been seeing a few old movies lately, the other day it was The Man In The Iron Mask with Leonardo di Caprio as the king. Its not a bad movie but I am not sure how closely it ties in with the original story. di Caprio plays a suitably nasty little bugger as the original king and a suitably nice young man as the missing twin. Then last night it was Four Weddings and a Funeral. I know we saw it before, but didn't remember much about it. Hugh Grant was very young when he played the part. It is generally a frothy little tale of young bachelors. We enjoyed watching it although there was another movie that I thought I would like to see, maybe another time.

Monday is, of course, our summer league bowling and we were allocated to our new teams for the first time. It is all done by our averages and as I bowled so very badly last week, I was placed on a team with the top bowler in the group, only he didn't turn up yesterday. I was a tad concerned as that is unusual for him to not turn up and not tell anyone why. We also got our banquet ticket for our tournament in June in yesterday's meal. This year they have given us a paper bracelet to wear (for the tournament or the banquet?) plus a map of where the banquet is being held.

Do you use Facebook? I know many people do these days, we have been having fun changing the language. You can get UK or US English, or Pirate!! The pirate version calls me a saucy wench and uses lots of other standard piratical terms. It is quite funny. I haven't seen 'shiver me timbers' yet, but no doubt it will crop up eventually.

Finally the weather seems to be improving with expected high temps later in the week. We had such a lousy summer last year, I hope we will get a better one this year.

I was dismayed to hear they have been finding tar balls on the beaches in the Florida Keys, they are being tested for origin. I wonder how they can tell? The assumption is that its from the Mexican Gulf of course, but ...... It seems to me that when we go down to North Carolina for our vacation, shrimp will not be something we come back home with this year. Matt heard that BP are paying the local fishermen although some of them are helping with the clean up anyway.

Here's a somewhat different recipe for Asparagus. I came across a recipe yesterday using canned asparagus, when fresh is so plentiful, I don't know how anyone could even consider using canned.

Asparagus Onion Casserole

AsparagusRecipes.net

1 lb of fresh asparagus. 1 medium onion, sliced.

5 tablespoons of butter.

2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.

1 cup of milk.

3 oz (1 package) of cream cheese.

1 teaspoon of salt.

Pinch of pepper.

½ cup of mild Cheddar cheese, shredded.

1 cup of fresh bread.

Cut the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.In a skillet, sauté the asparagus and onion in 1 tablespoon of butter until crisp/tender. Transfer to an ungreased 1 ½ quart baking dish. In a saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons of butter, add the flour and stir until smooth. Add the milk and cook until thickened and smooth. Add the cream cheese, salt and pepper. Pour over the asparagus and onion.S prinkle with the shredded Cheddar. Melt the remaining butter and toss with the breadcrumbs. Sprinkle over the casserole. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F (175°C) for about 40 minutes or until heated through.

Have a great day

Tillikum the Orca, Weather and Bowling.

Now I am hearing people say something should be done to the Orca Tillikum because he drowned his trainer. Why? He was captured and confined by humans, you can see by his bent dorsal fin that he is not a very happy camper, and we expect him to go against his nature. He saw his trainer lying on the slipway (not a recommended thing for trainers to do) her hair touched his rostrum, he instinctively thinks 'prey' and grabs. That's what Orcas do. Normally with baby seals or something, but the instinct is there and cannot be got rid of. Nor can you, as I heard suggested, just let him go; that has to be done very slowly and carefully as in the case of the whale from the Free Willy movie. Took several years and a lot of money. Obviously they can still get Tillikum to perform, just don't be stupid and lie on the slipway. Oh, and cut your hair. The picture shows Tillicum doing what they call a slideout which is where Dawn was lying down. Sounds like I have no sympathy for the tragic death, I do, but it sounds like she was putting herself in a very vulnerable position and should have known better.

We are still watching the weather and I have everything crossed. Mks typg dffclt. LOL. We got quite a lot of the white stuff over night, but nothing like the east coast. The skies still look as though they have more up there though. Its a 1 1/2 hour drive to Hamilton and we are hoping the ploughs and salters will have done their job. By the way, there may not be a blog tomorrow as I will be bowling in my tournament. I hope you too will have your fingers crossed for me tomorrow morning. The tournament gets under way at 9:30 a.m. We went on our travel league get together yesterday, meeting friends at the My Thai restaurant in Waterloo where I decided to have Pad Thai and Matt asked for barbecued beef salad. When it came, there was no salad as such, just a pile of very spicy beef. We ended up having a doggy bag and bringing it home, Matt found it too hot for him. He filled up on a couple of donuts later at the bowling alley. The travel league always gets donuts.

Well, I'm off for today. All I can really think of is the tournament and whether we will get there and how I will bowl.

I found another quick recipe from Kraft Kitchens for a carrot cake which is one of my favourites. Maybe I will give it a go later. For a dinner party maybe, I guess I really don't need the sugars.

Short Cut Carrot Cake 1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix 2 cups shredded carrots 1 can (14 fl oz/398mL) crushed pineapple in juice, drained 1 cup toasted chopped pecans, divided 2 pkg. (250 g each) Philadelphia Brick Cream Cheese, softened 2 cups icing sugar 3 cups thawed Cool Whip Whipped Topping 1. HEAT oven to 350°F. 2. PREPARE cake batter as directed on package; stir in carrots, pineapple and 3/4 cup nuts. Pour into 2 (8-inch) square pans sprayed with cooking spray. Bake 25 to 30 min. or until toothpick inserted in centres comes out clean. Cool 10 min.; remove cakes from pans to wire racks. Cool completely. 3. BEAT cream cheese and sugar in large bowl with mixer until well blended. Whisk in Cool Whip. 4. STACK cakes on serving plate, spreading 1-1/2 cups cream cheese mixture between layers. Spread top and sides of cake with remaining cream cheese mixture. Sprinkle with remaining nuts. Keep refrigerated. Servings: 18 Tips Substitute yellow cake mix plus 2 tsp. ground cinnamon for the spice cake mix. Extra For a special decorative design, use a toothpick to draw 4 diagonal lines across top of cake; sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup pecans along the lines.

Have a great day