Victoria St. Market, Books, Cooking, Charity,

One thing I need to do today is go to Victoria St. Market and get some ostrich chicken thighs. Well they are huge with lots of meat on them. Two of them is plenty for Matt and I for a meal. Have to get a few bananas too.

Well, I have run out of books by Susan Gourley Kelley. I have read every one she has written and enjoyed all of them. I especially enjoyed her Futhark Chronicles series. Yes, I have other books to read, but I have really got lost in her stories.

Just started Warriors of Altaii which is a book by Robert Jordan which he wrote many a long year ago and has just been re-issued  although I am not too sure it was ever in print before. I have only read his Wheel of Time series which was a wonderful series of stories. Pity he died before he finished them although Brandon Sanderson finished them for him. Apparently Jordan had written extensive notes as to how the ending should go.

Looking for something else, I found some chili in the freezer, had it for supper. It was good, I had forgotten. I really should use up stuff in the freezer instead of keep cooking. II do so enjoy using my Instant Pot though although I won't be using it tomorrow as I plan to cook the salmon recipe I posted yesterday. Fish on Fridays, no idea why I started that, we aren't Catholics after all.

It turns out that the two appliances I no longer need can be placed in the charity box downstairs which goes to Cerebral Palsy. Which is what I shall do.

There may not be a blog on Saturday. Taking a break.

Kevin Lynch comes up with some great recipes. This one is no exception. I think it could well be cooked in the Instant Pot. I will have to figure it out.

Beef Rendang

An easy to make authentic Indonesia/Malaysia beef curry that just melts in your mouth!

10 dried chilies, soaked in hot water until tender
5 shallots (or 1 small onion), diced
2 Tbs galangal, grated
2 Tbs ginger, grated
4 Tbs garlic, minced or grated
2 Tbs lemongrass, chopped
1 Tbs oil
1 lb beef, cut into bite sized cubes
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
3 star anise
3 cardamom pods
1 stalk lemongrass, pounded
1 (14oz) can coconut milk
1 tsp tamarind paste (or concentrate)
2 large kaffir lime leaves (sliced)
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes, toasted
1 Tbs palm sugar (aka coconut sugar) (or brown sugar or sugar)
salt to taste

1. Process the chilies, shallots, galangal, ginger, garlic, and lemongrass in a food processor until it forms a paste.

2. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan and brown the beef on all sides.

3. Add the paste from step 1, along with the cinnamon, cloves, star anise, cardamom, and lemongrass and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

4. Add the coconut milk and tamarind, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the beef is fall apart tender, about 1-2 hours.

5. Add the kaffir lime leaves, coconut and palm sugar and cook another minute before seasoning with salt to taste.

6. Remove the cinnamon stick, cloves, star anise, cardamon and lemongrass stalk and enjoy!

Servings: 4

Author: Kevin Lynch
Source: Closet Cooking

Author Notes
Use short ribs, chuck, or other stewing beef.

Use about 3 stalks lemongrass, the white tender part only.

Slow Cooker: Optionally implement steps 1-3 before throwing everything into the slow cooker and cooking on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 2-4 hours

Have a great day
 

Wheel of Time, Saturday Recipe

I just found out that one of my favourite series of books, Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan and finished by Brandon Sanderson, is being made for TV by Sony. I love these books and will look forward to seeing what they do with them.

Some of you don't drink I know and there is a tip for a non alcoholic drink at the end of this recipe. However, as rhubarb is "in" in some areas and soon to be available from the farm here, I thought this was appropriate.

Rhubarb Daiquiri
This syrup isn’t just for cocktails. Feel free to stir an ounce into club soda for easy drinking.

MAKES 1

½ cup sugar
1½ cups coarsely grated rhubarb, divided
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch of kosher salt
1¾ ounces white rum
¾ ounce fresh lime juice

Preparation

Bring sugar and ½ cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat, add ½ cup rhubarb, and simmer until fruit starts to fall apart and mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in remaining 1 cup rhubarb. Let sit 30 minutes.

Strain rhubarb syrup through a fine-mesh sieve into an airtight container, pressing on solids (makes about 1 cup). Stir in lemon juice and salt. Cover and chill until cold, at least 30 minutes.

To make 1 daiquiri, combine rum, lime juice, and 1 oz. rhubarb simple syrup in a cocktail shaker. Fill with ice and shake until the outside of the shaker is frosty, about 20 seconds. Strain into a coupe glass.

Do Ahead: 

Rhubarb syrup can be made 1 week ahead. Keep chilled.Recipe by Lily Mirabelle Freedman

Have a great day
 

Surgeon. St. Paddy's, Mistborn, ebooks,

I finally got an appointment to see the orthopaedic surgeon on March 17th. St. Paddy's Day. My hip is not bothering me nearly so much, but still hurting enough to screw up my bowling in a big way. At least, that is my excuse for my terrible scores lately. Actually March 17 is quite a prominent date in our family. It was my anniversary with my first husband (53 years ago), and it is Matt's youngest's birthday as well as her husband's.

A major storm is being forecast for this area for Tuesday. It seems to have already started as it was snowing/sleeting on the way home from bowling. We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon but if the weather is bad, we will not be going.

I have just started Brandon Sanderson's latest Mistborn story, The Bands of Mourning. He certainly hops around from book to book. Also means we have to wait a long time for sequels. That argues in favour of not reading a series until it's finished. Who knows what's going to happen. Like the Wheel of Time author, Robert Jordan, dying before he had finished his very long series. He had also been writing some offshoot stories but I guess those tales will never be told now. Such a pity. One gets some authors who write one book and that is all they ever do and others who are incredibly prolific but don't necessarily get their ideas all written. The Stormlight series by Brandon is a case in point, it is taking forever between books and could well end up as one of those which doesn't get completed. Not only that, remembering what happened before is not the easiest thing for the reader either. If one owns the books I guess it is easy to re-read, but if I owned every book I read I would be a pauper. Even Kindle books are getting expensive especially from well known authors. I tend to think it is a rip off to charge so much for electronic books just because you have a "name". Many of my friends, including ones reading  this blog, tend to average between $2 and $5 for their books. All I can say is, thank heavens for libraries.

This looks an interesting recipe from the New York Times. Everyone seems to like meatballs and these have a good tasting sauce on them.


North African Meatballs

 DAVID TANIS
Time1 hour 15 minutes
Yield4 to 6 servings, about 36 meatballs

In France, meatballs are called boulettes, and by far the favorite versions are the spice-scented North African type. Most of the neighborhood Tunisian and Moroccan restaurants in Paris offer them, served as an appetizer or a side, or in a fragrant main-course tagine with couscous.

This recipe is an amalgam of several that I found on my bookshelf, among them one called boulettes

tangéroises in an old French cookbook. Since I like things a bit spicier, my boulettes are more like Tunisian ones, in which hot pepper is more assertive.

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SAFFRON TOMATO SAUCE
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 and 1/2 cups finely diced onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 inch piece cinnamon stick
Large pinch saffron, crumbled
Salt and pepper
3 cups chicken broth, vegetable broth or water

FOR THE MEATBALLS
1 and 1/2 cups cubed day-old firm white bread
1 cup milk
1 pound ground beef or lamb
1 large egg, beaten
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, minced
⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons paprika
¼ teaspoon cayenne
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cumin
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
3 tablespoons finely chopped scallion
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Olive oil or vegetable oil

FOR THE COUSCOUS (OPTIONAL)
1 cup giant couscous, m’hamsa, or medium couscous
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup golden raisins, soaked in hot water to soften, then drained
Salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon


PREPARATION

Make the sauce: Heat oil over medium-high heat in a wide, heavy bottomed saucepan. Add onion and cook without browning until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, tomato paste, cinnamon and saffron, and stir well to incorporate. Season generously with salt and pepper, and allow to sizzle for 1 minute more. Add broth and simmer gently for 5 minutes. May be made several hours in advance, up to a day.
Make the meatballs: Put bread cubes and milk in a small bowl. Leave bread to soak until softened, about 5 minutes, then squeeze dry.
In a mixing bowl, put squeezed-out bread, ground meat and egg. Add salt, pepper, garlic, nutmeg, ginger, turmeric, paprika, cayenne, cloves, coriander and cumin. Mix well with hands to distribute seasoning. Add 2 tablespoons each of parsley, cilantro and scallion, and knead for a minute. May be prepared several hours in advance, up to a day.
With hands, roll mixture into small round balls about the size of a quarter. Dust balls lightly with flour. Heat a few tablespoons of oil, or a quarter-inch depth, over medium-high heat and fry meatballs until barely browned, about 2 minutes per side. Drain and blot on paper towel. Simmer meatballs in saffron-tomato sauce, covered, over medium heat for about 20 minutes, until tender.
Meanwhile, make the couscous, if desired: Cook according to package directions, fluff gently and stir in butter and raisins. Season with salt and cinnamon, and toss well.
Garnish meatballs with remaining parsley, cilantro and scallion. Serve with couscous and roasted tomatoes if desired.




Have a great day

The Sparrow, Authors, 8th Blogiversary, Bowling.

Pinky Poinker recommended a book to me when I was rabbiting on about Stranger in a Strange Land called The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell. I duly borrowed it from the library only to realise I had already read it as well as the sequel. The name didn't ring a bell at all but it was a very good story and I am sure I blogged about it. However, if I did, I can't find it using the search bar on my blog. I have so many books on my plate, as it were, at the moment, I don't want to read it again but I do remember quite a bit about the story and recall it was about space exploration and the very odd things which happened to the explorers when they got to another planet. As I recall, the principal character was a Roman Catholic Priest, in fact the expedition was organised by a Jesuit order because the SETI programme (searching for Terrestrials) had picked up music from a specific planet, Rakhat, close to Alpha Centauri. If you like sci fi books, you will certainly enjoy this one. Now I want to read it again, but it will have to wait.

Right now I am reading a Brandon Sanderson novel - Shadows of Self - which is part of the Mistborn series which I read a while back. Another very good read. The only trouble with Sanderson, he spends a lot of time lecturing and teaching and not enough time writing, IMHOP anyway.  A bit like George R.R. Martin who's books I gave up on long before the series came on TV. I got fed up with him bumping off his characters anyway. I watched a few of the TV shows on DVD and wasn't all that keen. People are probably throwing up their hands in horror.

Don't think I have mentioned that last month I completed 8 years of blogging. I started in October 2007. At the beginning I blogged every day but eventually cut out Sundays and then made Saturday into just a recipe day. So October 26 is my blogiversary. I must remember that in future.

Now I have to remember to psyche myself up - it's Thursday so that's how I have to bowl. I wonder if it will work. Wish me luck.

I was looking for something different to do with broccoli the other day and came across this recipe. I didn't actually try it at the time, but I think this sounds a very nice change for broccoli.

Mediterranean Roasted Broccoli and Tomatoes

Eating Well

This dish of roasted broccoli and tomatoes is tossed with bright Mediterranean ingredients just before serving.

4 servings, about 1 cup each |

Ingredients

• 12 ounces broccoli crowns, trimmed and cut into bite-size florets (about 4 cups)
• 1 cup grape tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 10 pitted black olives, sliced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons capers, rinsed (optional)
• 
  

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Toss broccoli, tomatoes, oil, garlic and salt in a large bowl until evenly coated. Spread in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the broccoli begins to brown, 10 to 13 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, combine lemon zest and juice, olives, oregano and capers (if using) in a large bowl. Add the roasted vegetables; stir to combine. Serve warm.

Have a great day
 

Words of Radiance, Puppies.

I wrote about this ginormous book on July 1 and on July 14 I finally finished reading it. It was fairly slow going, I found I needed to keep stopping, I think, in order to absorb what I had read maybe. It is an excellent book but way too big. You can get an e version from Amazon for about a quarter of the hard book price. However, one would miss out on the drawings, at least that is my assumption. I must say I now would like to read it again and I just might end up getting the e version of both The Way of Kings and the Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson. As I said before, the book weighed over 3 lbs and was about 3 1/4 inches thick. Very heavy to read but I am glad I read the book the first time rather than a Kindle version first. I now discover that there are supposed to be 10 books in the series, horrors. I have a nasty feeling I may not be here to read the end. If it takes anything like as long as some other books I have read, The Wheel of Time Series or Earth’s Children for instance. I haven’t said much about the story, I am not too sure how much I have taken in anyway. The concept is excellent but there is a hell of a lot to push into my poor little brain and I am no reviewer. It did jump around a bit especially at the end when the climactic scenes are unfolding and one jumps from one protagonist to another.  Like I said, I would like to read both books again and may well do so either by borrowing from the library again or by purchasing Kindle versions.

I had kind of determined not to blog until I had finished the book and possibly not til the end of July. My blogging may still be intermittent for the next couple of weeks. In the two weeks following this one we will not be bowling as they are doing renovations so we might do a bit of travelling around. Ve shall see. A friend has invited us over to lunch and as she is due to get a new puppy we might wait until she has it at home. She is replacing her Australian Sheepdog with another one and has been posting pictures of the puppies on Facebook, absolutely adorable. I had to include the second picture, tickled me. I think my friend will likely go for the brown and white. I loved the dark brown one but I can’t have a puppy sadly.

This sounded a good summer recipe from Food and Wine.

Avocado-and-Shrimp Salad with Red Goddess Dressing

Contributed by Jonathan Waxman

SERVINGS: 4 to 6

Chef Jonathan Waxman makes his tangy goddess dressing red instead of the classic green, using red bell peppers for color and flavour.

1. 1 roasted red bell pepper, chopped
2. 1 shallot, minced
3. 1 garlic clove, minced
4. 1 teaspoon minced jalapeño
5. 3 tablespoons plain yogurt
6. 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
7. 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
8. 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
9. Kosher salt
10. 1 head of lettuce, torn into large pieces
11. 1/4 cup cilantro leaves
12. 1 teaspoon fresh lime juice
13. 2 Hass avocados, cut into wedges
14. 1 pound cooked shrimp

1. In a blender, combine the roasted pepper, shallot, garlic, jalapeño, yogurt, vinegar and lemon juice and puree until smooth. Scrape the puree into a medium bowl and whisk in 1/4 cup of the olive oil. Season with salt.
2. In a large bowl, toss the lettuce with the cilantro leaves, lime juice and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil; season with salt. Arrange the dressed lettuce, avocado wedges and shrimp on plates and drizzle with some of the dressing. Serve the remaining Red Goddess dressing on the side.

Make Ahead The dressing can be refrigerated overnight.

Have a great day

Air Show, Books.

We live close to a small airport, they cannot handle jumbo jets or anything, but they do fly small planes to the Caribbean and business people all round the continent. This weekend (it’s Canada Day on Tuesday) they have had an air show. We don’t go as a) we don’t do crowds and b) I can’t stand for any length of time. However, the Canadian Snowbirds were present and we got some of the benefit of their performance. Couple of times they came really, really close and the noise was tremendous and it amused me that when this happened I ducked. Totally automatic reflex. Couldn’t stop myself. I wondered if it was normal or shades of 9/11. Didn’t see much of their performance of course, but certainly saw them formation flying past our windows. The planes looked really pretty glinting in the sunlight.

Been doing a lot of reading lately I started with Juliet Marillier’s Sevenwaters books which took place in old Ireland and were loosely based on Irish legends. I then discovered that one of my favourite authors Mercedes Lackey had a series about the Elemental Masters which for some reason I had missed. I have now read two of those and have another on order. Of course some of these books I have been waiting for forever and they are all coming in at once. I am now reading Elizabeth Moon’s Crown of Renewal which is the last of her Paladin’s Legacy series but there have been several offshoots from these books so there may be more. My two favourite books of Elizabeth Moon’s are stand alones, Remnant Population and The Speed of Dark. Then I had an email from the library telling me that Brandon Sanderson’s Words of Radiance was ready for pick up. This is the second book in his Stormlight Archive series. The first book The Way of Kings was published in 2010 so been waiting a long time. Admittedly he finished the Wheel of Time series and did a wonderful job, but he has written other things in those 4 years too. I hope I can remember everything that happened in the first book.

I thought this salad which I found on Food and Wine sounded good but then realised it was using chicken instead of seafood. Obviously you can make it with seafood if you like and I probably would. Not sure if I would use rice or orzo, I have both and orzo cooks more quickly.

Paella Salad

Contributed by Quick From Scratch Soups and Salads

• SERVINGS: 4

We've based this salad very loosely on paella, the Spanish rice dish—and you can actually make it with rice if you like. Our choice, though, is orzo, the tiny rice-shaped pasta. The cooking instructions are the same whichever you choose.

1. 3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2. 1 onion, chopped
3. 1 green bell pepper, chopped
4. 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
5. 6 ounces dried chorizo or other firm spicy sausage such as pepperoni, quartered lengthwise and sliced thin crosswise
6. 1/4 teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes
7. 1 teaspoon paprika
8. 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3), cut into 1/2-inch cubes
9. 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
10. 1/2 pound orzo (about 1 cup)
11. 2 tablespoons lemon juice
12. 1 tomato, diced
13. 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. In a large frying pan, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to moderately high. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Stir in the red-pepper flakes, paprika, chicken, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the black pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the chicken is almost done, about 3 minutes. Cover the pan and remove from the heat. Steam the chicken for 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large glass or stainless-steel bowl to cool.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the orzo until done, about 12 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.
4. Add the drained orzo to the chicken mixture. Toss with the lemon juice, the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt, the tomato, and the parsley.

Suggested Pairing

Paella's Iberian roots lead us to Spain for a red Ribera del Duero. The name, literally translated as the "slopes along the Duero River," describes an area that is now the source of some of Spain's greatest red wines. Ribera del Duero's wild-cherry, herb, and spice flavours will be superb with this salad.

Have a great day

NOVA. Steelheart.

Just watched an incredible NOVA series and right now am unable to find the exact programme online. There was a discussion about Hagfish (horrible looking things) which produce a disgusting slime as a self defense. It has been discovered this slime contains fibres which are excessively strong so scientists are working on producing these fibres synthetically. Then there were various robots which have been designed using animal movements to enable the robots to work more efficiently. One robot was designed based on the working of an elephant’s trunk another looked like an overlarge dog and can be used to cross terrain which is impossible for current vehicles. Another robot which is more humanoid in shape which can be used in places where humans couldn’t go. Yet more, tiny robots which can think individually but work in a swarm. One use for them was shown with them assisting in searching collapsed buildings for victims. Tomorrow I will try and search for the whole programme.

Today I finished Brandon Sanderson’s Steelheart, I gather there will be sequels. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and can highly recommend it for a fast paced action series. The premise is that somehow certain people obtain super powers and super hatefulness as well. They (Epics as they are called) are all violent and appear to kill at the drop of a hat. Most humans have given up fighting them and just hope they will ignore them too. Life is hard everywhere. However, there is one rebel group and the book is about their fight together with one young man who’s father was killed by Steelheart 10 years ago.

Here’s some more Mummies for Hallowe’en. This was from BBC Good Food.

Sausage mummy dippers

Makes 12
Cut croissant dough into strips and roll around chipolatas for these spooky bandaged mummies. Serve with your favourite dip.

Ingredients

• oil, for greasing
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp ketchup
• 2 tsp French's yellow mustard, plus a little extra to decorate
• 12 chipolatas
• tube of 6 ready-to-roll croissant (look in the chiller cabinets near the pastry in the supermarkets)

Method

1. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and brush 2 baking trays with a little oil. Mix the honey, ketchup and mustard together in a bowl, then brush over the chipolata sausages.
2. Unroll the croissant dough and divide into 3 rectangles. Pinch together the diagonal perforated seams, then cut into long thin strips – you should get about 16 per rectangle.
3. Wind the little croissant strips around the chipolatas, leaving a little gap at one end to make a slit for the eyes. Place on baking trays and bake for 20 mins. Cool a little, then, using the mustard, dot a pair of little yellow eyes on to each mummy. Serve warm with your favourite dip.

Have a great day

Phone Call, Current Book.

3:30 a.m. I was awoken by a phone call. I have to turn off the CPAP machine, remove my mask and walk round the bed to get to the phone all the time worrying what else had happened bearing in mind the bad news we had got the previous day. Turned out it was a wrong number and I got a very half hearted ‘sorry’ – at 3:30 in the morning!!! Checking the area code it was an Ontario number so she knew what time it was. I was not best pleased.

I am currently reading Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson. Not very far into it but the action never stops, excellent story so far. I have never read anything by him that I didn’t enjoy. He seems to be involved in so many new books, travelling and signing all those he has recently published and giving seminars on writing. A very busy man.  Another favourite author, Glenda Larke, has recently announced that her Mirage Makers trilogy is now available as ebooks. I already own print copies of these books but I might still indulge as one day I will probably have to part with my books. Downsizing. I am not quite sure where these ebooks are as I have been unable to find them on Amazon.com. Great books though.

This recipe is from the LCBO’s (Liquor Control Board of Ontario) Food and Drink magazine. They have some wonderful recipes. I love Bouillabaisse although I haven’t had the dish for many years now, nor made i,t as I don’t have access to sufficient varieties of good fresh fish.


Bouillabaisse with Garlic Croutons 

HOLIDAY 2008
BY JENNIFER MACKENZIE

There are many opinions on what makes the perfect bouillabaisse and they’re all correct! This version is light and flavourful and can be made in stages to simplify preparations for entertaining. Be sure to use the freshest seafood you can get and adapt with other types of fish and shellfish as you desire.

Broth
1 lb (500 g) jumbo shrimp with shells
2 tbsp (25 mL) olive oil
3 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp (25 mL) tomato paste
2 bay leaves
Pinch saffron threads
8 cups (2 L) water
1 cup (250 mL) dry white wine
2 tsp (10 mL) salt

Soup
3 tbsp (45 mL) olive oil
2 leeks, white and light green part only, chopped
2 carrots, diced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
9 small new potatoes, cut into thin wedges
1 clove garlic, minced
12 slices baguette
½ cup (125 mL) dry white wine
1 lb (500 g) skinless firm white fish, cut into chunks
18 mussels
Juice of ½ lemon
Chopped fresh parsley or chives

1. To make broth, peel shells and tails from shrimp and devein, if necessary; set shells aside. Cover and refrigerate shrimp for soup.
2. In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat; sauté celery, carrots and onions for about 10 minutes or until onions are soft and lightly browned. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add reserved shrimp shells; cook, stirring, for about 2 minutes or until pink. Stir in tomato paste. Add bay leaves, saffron, water and wine; bring just to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour, or until volume is slightly reduced and flavour is fully developed. Strain through sieve, reserving broth; discard solids. Stir in salt. (Broth can be cooled, covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 1 month.)
3. To make soup, heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add leeks, carrots, ¼ tsp (1 mL) salt and pepper to taste; sauté for about 10 minutes or until softened. Stir in potatoes and broth. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Keep hot.
4. About 10 minutes before serving, preheat broiler. Combine 1 tbsp (15 mL) of the remaining oil and minced garlic in a bowl. Lightly brush over both sides of each baguette slice. Place on a baking sheet and broil, turning once, or until lightly toasted. Set aside.
5. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, heat remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp, in batches, and sauté just until pink and slightly curled. Transfer to a warm dish; set aside.
6. Add 1 cup (250 mL) of the soup and wine to pan and bring to a simmer. Add fish and poach for about 5 minutes or just until firm. Use a slotted spoon to transfer fish to the dish with the shrimp. Add mussels to the pan, cover and cook, shaking pan occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes or until mussels are opened. Discard any that do not open.
7. To serve, divide shrimp and fish evenly among warmed shallow serving bowls. Stir liquid left in skillet into the soup. Add lemon juice and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle soup over seafood and float croutons on top. Garnish with mussels and sprinkle with parsley.
Serves 6

Have a great day.

Asparagus, Wallpaper, Book, Vandals.

Thursday afternoon saw us off to the asparagus farm again. I had used up all I bought last time, can’t go a day without asparagus, the season is so short. I told one of the servers that I had run out, she said “good” I queried, she said “that means you’ve been eating it”, I’m sorry, what else would I be doing with it? Seemed a rather odd comment to make. I have been making the asparagus and endive salad quite a bit, lovely on a summer evening with a touch of orange in the flavour.

I have changed my wallpaper again on my laptop, I couldn’t resist this little critter, a Fénec or soul of the desert, actually a desert fox. Isn’t he cute?

So my owl has disappeared. The picture is courtesy of National Geographic again. I would love to have this little fox he’s adorable.

I am currently reading a Brandon Sanderson novel, he is one of my favourite authors, called The Rithmatist. Not only am I reading the novel, I am busy learning how to do what Rithmatists do. Every chapter has a drawing with explanations of what they mean. Rithmatists draw magic ‘things’ with chalk on the ground, well anywhere with a flat surface, but mostly on the ground, for defense or attack. Their bugaboos are chalklings, nasty two dimensional figures drawn in chalk and given commands to attack. Quite nasty, well actually some of them can be quite nice if there isn’t a duel or a war going on. One character likes to draw friendly unicorns. I gather though, that whatever you choose to draw can be either good or bad depending on the situation and what the artist wants.

Popped over to see some friends, partly to deliver Avon, they were not very happy campers as someone, kids on presumes, but…. had vandalised their front yard tipping things over and breaking them, throwing plant pots and feeders around, etc.etc. The husband likes to build stuff and being a Dutchman he has a home made windmill standing in the front, that was fairly well smashed although he has managed to repair it fairly well. This happened at 4 a.m. if you please. I’d throw them around if I got hold of the perpetrators, well I couldn’t but maybe I would set Father Dragon on to them..

This recipe was published by The Guardian, an English newspaper. I thought it looked good and sounded better. It will be on my table any time soon.

Ribboned asparagus salad with avocado dressing

This salad is a true celebration of spring. Fresh asparagus in season tastes even better raw than cooked. It's full of flavour, colour and juice. Shave the stalks as thin as you can and mix a few simple salad ingredients and a creamy dressing.

Serves 4
 
800g asparagus
1 cucumber
16 cherry tomatoes
100g flat-leaf parsley
20g parmesan, freshly grated
For the dressing
3 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
½ ripe avocado, stone removed
Salt and black pepper

1 Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus. Using a vegetable peeler and starting from the bottom end of the asparagus, shave upwards to create thin ribbons. Place all the ribbons in a large serving bowl.
2 Slice the cucumber lengthways and cut into bite-size pieces. Cut the tomatoes in half and coarsely chop the parsley. Add these to the bowl.
3 Place the dressing ingredients in a blender and blitz until creamy. Add a dash of oil or water if necessary. Dress and toss the salad so it's evenly coated.
4 Top with parmesan shavings, then serve.

After reading a post by Arlee Bird, I don’t like to say Have a Great Day. How about wishing you all the best? I’d forgotten it was the weekend, have a wonderful weekend.

Wheel of Time and Other Books,

I am impatient. I am certainly impatient about receiving a book I have been waiting for for some 20 years. I was on a waiting list at the library for the final book in the Wheel of Time Series which is called A Memory of Light. I went from 12 to 7 and seem to have been stuck there; sod it I thought, and have ended up sending for it from Amazon.ca. I have been waiting too long for this book. Some years ago, Robert Jordan reported that he was sick, but he assured us, his readers, that he would be able to complete the series. Luckily, despite the sadness of Jordan’s death, Brandon Sanderson seems to have been able to finish the series which, apparently, was largely outlined by Robert Jordan in the first place. I think Brandon Sanderson has done a great job with the two books I’ve read.
I really don’t know why authors enter into something so huge, George R. R. Martin has done much the same thing. I no longer remember what the hell his books were about. I guess I need to re-read from the beginning. The first book was great, but somewhere along the way, he lost the brilliance and his later books have not been nearly as good, IMHOP. Another author like this is Jean M. Auel. Her first book. The Clan of the Cave Bear was absolutely brilliant, but after that her stories degenerated. They tried to make a movie of the first book but it was very badly done, I believe Jean Auel sued the film company. I think Robert Jordan sustained his narratives very well, but then he popped his clogs before he finished.

In case you get the wrong impression, I don’t only read well established authors, for a start I read many books through Kindle which I usually get for free, but if I find them any good, I usually end up buying the sequels. Right now I am reading Children of the Rock, a duology by Susan Sizemore, Moons’ Dreaming and Moons‘ Dancing which I am enjoying. Then there are Alex J. Cavenaugh’s books, Cassa Star and Cassa Fire with Cassa Storm in the works. Great stories. Stephen Tremp has a trilogy out too – Breakthrough. All of which are excellent reads.

I am in shock, I have just seen the final episode of Season 3 of Downton Abbey which ended up with the accidental death of one of the principle characters. I can’t believe they did that to us, the audience. Now we have to wait a year before finding out how things go on.

We love lamb, but many people don’t enjoy it. This recipe suggests you can use beef if you wish.

Caribbean Grilled Lamb Skewers With Long Beans

By The Food Gal
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

12 servings
Ingredients

• 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup lime juice, fresh
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest, grated
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon cumin seed
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2  jalapeno peppers, minced
• 3 pounds boneless lamb loin, or well-trimmed leg, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1 pound long beans, tips removed, left long or cut into 3-inch segments; or substitute green beans
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
• 12  wooden skewers, soak in a pan of water for at least 20 minutes (we have metal skewers so can skip this part)
• Kosher salt
  
• freshly ground black pepper
  

Instructions

1. To prepare the lamb marinade, whisk together ½ cup of olive oil, lime juice, lemon zest, garlic, cumin, chili powder, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, cayenne, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and jalapenos in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust salt, pepper, cayenne, and lime juice.
2. Put lamb cubes and marinade into a large glass baking dish and toss, rubbing marinade all over lamb. Thread 4 to 5 pieces of lamb onto each skewer. Place skewers into baking dish, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 and up to 4 hours.
3. While lamb marinates, preheat a grill or broiler to medium-hot and prepare beans. Sauté beans in remaining ¼ cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until they are tender and begin to blister. Stir in butter, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. When butter just begins to brown, transfer beans to a warm serving platter and drape with foil.
4. Grill lamb, turning skewers every few minutes, until medium rare (internal temperature of 130 degrees), about 6 minutes. (Alternately, skewers can be broiled until medium rare.) Transfer skewers to a plate and let stand for 5 minutes.
5. To serve, place long beans to the side, and lay skewers across them.

Have a great day.

Hallowe’en Comments, Authors and Cons.

People have been commenting on Hallowe’en and what the kids were like the other night, which made me think about when we first came to Canada, 37 years ago last month, just before Hallowe’en. We knew little or nothing about it but did pick up the fact that kids would come to the door for treats. We bought a bunch of candies and having no idea how many kids would turn up, ran out very quickly, we had a few apples on hand and gave those out (were told that was a no no later) and then Matt would go to the door and say sorry to the callers but we had just arrived in Canada and didn’t know much about it. We were both much impressed when a tiny tot turned round and said something like “that’s alright and welcome to Canada, I hope you enjoy it”. Out of the mouths of babes….. As for the apples, apparently some charming people had been known to insert razor blades into apples before giving them out with the result that apples were always suspect. Its unbelievable what some people will do.

Oh woe is me, Brandon Sanderson, one of my very favourite authors, is going to be at book signing in Markham, Ontario this weekend. Sadly there is no way I could drive all the way there just for a book signing. He is also going to be at the World Fantasy Convention too. I had never even heard that that was taking place, I would have given my eye teeth to go to that but it is somewhat expensive and is also sold out. Oh well, unless my fairy godmother pops down the chimney (not that we have one) I guess I am out of luck. Excuse me while I cry in my beer; coffee actually. He looks so young to have written as much as he has. He has completed the Wheel of Time series, the last book comes out in January although I have just discovered a prologue on Amazon.com By Grace and Banners Fallen which I purchased for my Kindle. I have another book of his waiting for me at the library, The Emperor’s Soul. I have suddenly got a lot of stuff to read all at once.

Here is a somewhat unusual recipe from Mushrooms Canada, we occasionally have vegetable stuffed mushrooms, but this is a new one on me.

Cranberry Stuffed Mushrooms

by Louisa Clements of Living Lou

Ingredients

12 white button mushrooms

60 g (1/4 cup) fresh cranberries, chopped

15 g (1 tbsp) butter

olive oil for pan

1 medium sausage link

1 clove garlic, chopped

15 g (1 tbsp) white wine

60 g (1/4 cup) goats cheese

60 g (1/4 tsp) dried sage

11 mL (3/4 tsp) maple syrup

salt and pepper to taste

15 g (1 tbsp) parmesan

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Dice 6 of the mushroom stems, discarding the remaining 6.3. In a pan, melt butter over med-low heat. Add cranberries and cook for 3-4 minutes. Add the mushroom stems and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from pan and allow to cool in bowl.
4. In the same pan, turn up the heat to med-high and add a little olive oil to coat the pan. Next, add the garlic and sausage meat. Cook and crumble until sausage is fully cooked.
5. Leaving the sausage meat in the pan, add the white wine, scraping up all the brown bits on the bottom.6. Turn off heat and add the cranberry and mushroom mixture back into the pan. Add in the goats cheese, sage and maple syrup. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow goats cheese to melt then stir together to combine all of the ingredients.
7. Spoon the mixture into the mushrooms and bake in the oven for 15 minutes.8. After the 15 minutes, remove from oven and sprinkle with Parmesan. Return to oven and bake for another 5-7 minutes.

Have a great day

Carpet Cleaners, Alcatraz, Staples, Hungry Rats.

Today we have the carpet cleaners coming. I basically only do the main room which includes our dining room and hall, as its too expensive to have all the rooms done. It really needs cleaning too, I don’t know why it has got particularly dirty this time, but it certainly has.

I picked up the next book in the Alcatraz series, Alcatraz vs. the Scriveners Bones. I have read half of it and I have decided Brandon Sanderson is a nut, albeit a prolific one. Presumably he takes time off from writing his serious books to write these nonsense books. I really like them – they are a lot of fun. The picture on the cover is of the head of a glass dragon (not living) which is used as a means of aerial transport. Can you imagine flying and being able to see the ground, or clouds I guess, beneath you? Would take a bit of getting used to. The dragon’s eyes are where the cockpit is, but of course its not flown in the regular sense but by a kind of telepathy. But then in Book one there were cars that drove themselves. Talking of Brandon Sanderson, I understand the last volume in The Wheel of Time series is now finished. Must be very hard to take up the mantle of another author, but so far he has done it beautifully. I read, on his page, that he has been doing WOT for 5 years now and is both sad and glad that its finished. Luckily Robert Jordan left a lot of notes and scads of written text to help Sanderson get the job done.

We went to the Mandarin with our friends yesterday. As usual a very good meal although my Hot and Sour soup wasn’t quite as warm as it should have been, but everything else I ate was fine, and I certainly ate a lot. We ended up a party of 8 but sitting on a long table, that doesn’t really work very well as one end can’t hear what the other end of the table is saying. Needed a round table like King Arthur, LOL.  However, it was great to meet up with everyone again and I never have a problem with their food. Afterwards, I wanted a couple of things from Staples so went to the one close by, surprise, surprise, its closed down. How very odd. I am puzzled, although it did occur to me that maybe they get more orders on line than in store these days.

One of our friends mentioned an interesting story he had seen on the TV recently, every 48 years rats overrun rice crops leaving none for humans. It turns out that a particular type of bamboo, Melocanna baccifera, blossoms and fruits every 48 years, the fruit is extremely nutritious and the rats gorge on the it, then cease cannibalising their babies and also have an increased birth surge so the large amount of offspring need more food, hence they attack the rice fields. This lasts for about three years until it all goes back to normal. According to the article, it primarily takes place in North East India and you can read all about it at the link. Its interesting reading.

I have always enjoyed Yakitori, but never thought about making it myself, not sure why. Anyway, here is a fairly simple version I found yesterday in Recipe du Jour.

Yakitori
1/4 cup sake (rice wine)
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 24 bite-sized pieces
5 green onions, each cut into 4 (2-inch) pieces
Cooking spray

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil; cook until reduced to 1/4 cup (about 2 1/2 minutes). Remove from heat; cool.
Combine soy sauce mixture and the chicken. Cover and marinate in refrigerator for 1 hour.
Heat a large grill pan over medium-high heat.
Thread 6 chicken cubes and 5 green onion pieces alternately onto each of 4 (10-inch) skewers. Brush kebabs with the soy mixture. Coat pan with cooking spray. Place kebabs in pan, and cook 4 minutes on each side or until the chicken is done. Makes 4 servings.

Have a great day