Cancellation,

After all that, the procedure has been cancelled. My haemoglobin is too low and St. Mary's wouldn't do the catheterisation with such low numbers (70). I was instructed to go to my family doc ASAP so managed to get in at 11:10 this morning. Lucky. I then have to go back to the cardiologist on Tuesday. Needless to say, I know all about it now, thanks to Google. One is supposed to eat lots of cruciferous vegetables, that includes kale, broccoli etc. and does not, much to my disgust, include asparagus. It is possible that I will be put on an iron supplement or increased thyroid medication. Guess I shouldn't guess should I?

My friend is a little bit relieved because they are calling for freezing rain tomorrow and her trip from home to here is 1 1/2 hrs. not funny in that kind of weather. However, as far as I am concerned it is something of a nuisance. Wasn't going to write a blog for today but here I am after all.

Had to at least post this recipe, looks delicious.

Salmon En Croute

Salmon

1 salmon filet, about 1-1/2 pounds/750 g

1 lb(s) asparagus, trimmed

¼ cup crème fraîche

3 to 4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

Zest of 1 lemon

1 lb(s) sheet puff pastry (2 sheets)

Salt and pepper

Glaze

1 egg, lightly beaten

Salmon

1. Skin and bone the salmon and set aside. Heat the oven to 450°F\230°C.

2. Cut the tips off the asparagus, and poach in boiling salted water until tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well, refresh in ice-cold water, then drain again, leaving to sit so that all the water comes off. Purée and stir through the cream, dill, and lemon zest, to blend. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

3. Lay the puff on a damp baking sheet with the long edge facing you. Lay the salmon on the pastry, like a picture in its frame. Season with salt and pepper. Lay the raw stems of asparagus on top of the salmon, like pencils. Spread the purée mixture over top.

4. Brush the margins with the egg wash. Lay the top pastry over the salmon and press the edges to seal, like a giant ravioli. Trim the edges, leaving a 1-inch/2.5 cm border. Press with the tines of a fork, then, with the dull edge of a knife, scallop the edges. Make two or three slits in the top to allow steam to escape. Brush all over with the egg-wash glaze and bake until puffed up and golden brown, about 20 minutes.

5. Remove from the oven and let cool five minutes before slicing to serve. This dish is also good at room temperature.

Glaze

Have a great day

Cancellation, Paddington Bear, Dangerous Chocolate.

Matt has his driving license interview tomorrow morning, Wednesday. When they take an hour and a half to find out it you can drive or not – now he is 80. They ask you questions to establish your cognitive abilities. According to friends they are so simple as to be almost insulting. I might go with him as they are turning off the water once again and there will probably be no heat as our heating system is water based. So I went to the movies and when I returned they had phoned to say his interview/class was cancelled and postponed until the end of April? No reason given, we are somewhat puzzled. They have to send him another extension of his license to cover the period.

The movie, Paddington. What can I say, I absolutely loved it. Beautifully made, and, my friend agreed, we never once thought of Paddington as anything other than a bear. It was hilarious, sad, adventurous. Absolutely wonderful. I will certainly be buying the DVD when it comes out. I understand from another friend the cinematography is excellent, I have no idea. The beginning, in Deepest Darkest Peru, surprised me, I was not expecting it and thoroughly enjoyed it. My friend commented about the eyes and the facial expressions they achieved, I mean, just look at this picture. You could fall for this bear. In this second picture can’t you just see him thinking “uh oh”. If you haven’t seen it, do go. I know you will enjoy it.

After the movie we went over to the Lindt Store – I was telling the Beer for the Shower guys about it. When we walked in they gave us both a Lindor Ball, yum, I love those things. Then I asked about one that was available only at Christmas apparently but they gave me a similar one to try. I think I could have tried one Lindor Ball of every flavour in the store. I bought Matt a box of deep dark chocolates. It turned out the boxes of 13 balls were on sale for $6 a box if you bought two. Nothing loath, I bought two. One box for me of course, of mixed balls. On Matt’s box the assistant taped a red heart (chocolate inside of course) for Valentine’s. I managed to get a couple of pictures before my camera decided to give up the ghost on me. (Batteries!!). This is a somewhat fuzzy one of the loose Lindor balls. Dozens and dozens of them.  I could have made myself really sick there I think. My friend said she would be delighted to bring me to this store whenever I wanted. Dangerous.

Now here’s another recipe you could use for that Valentine’s dinner and probably somewhat easier than the one yesterday. I got this from the Dragon Knight, Jeff Hargett, of Strands of Pattern who plans to try it out. He got it from Recipe Palace. I wonder if these would fit into my diet plan? I am not big on cooked apples, but these do look good.

APPLE PIE TACOS! 

These little guys will send your taste buds soaring! 

INGREDIENTS:
4 Apples peeled and sliced
½ C Sugar
2 tsp Cinnamon
½ tsp Nutmeg
½ C Water
Tortilla's (flour) 6" size
Oil (for frying tortillas)
1/2 c sugar-cinnamon mixture
Whipped cream

DIRECTIONS:
Place apples, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and water in a sauce pan. Stir until well blended and cover and cook on medium stirring frequently for 10 minutes or until apples are semi soft. If needed, thicken sauce using 1 Tbl of cornstarch to 3-4 Tbl of water. Mix into sauce and stir until thickened. Heat oil on medium heat in a skillet and holding the tortilla folded in half, place the bottom of tortilla in the oil for a few seconds. Then lay it on one side until browned and then place other side down until browned. Remove from oil and Sprinkle browned tortilla with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Fill taco shells with apple pie filling and top with whipped cream, and sprinkle a little more of sugar-cinnamon mixture on top.

Have a great day