Duo Lingo, IP Recipe.

Can't remember if I mentioned that Jan made me aware of a site called Duolingo where she was learning Spanish. I thought I would try brushing mine off as I think I have forgotten a large amount of it. Maybe I will brush up my French afterwards - when you don't use these languages much, you get somewhat rusty.

I cooked cauliflower in the basket I bought for my Instant Pot. I found a recipe which said for tender cook it for 2 minutes. Matt ate a few very crisp pieces and said it was raw. So next time I tried 3 minutes, better but I think 4 will do the trick. The person who wrote the recipe must have a very odd idea of tender cauliflower.

So having realised I hadn't got enough soy sauce for the recipe I posted the other day and being too busy to go and get some, I hunted around for a good sauce to use on the sirloin steak. I give you the original sauce I found, but I added some mushrooms to the shallots - turned out to be delicious. I didn't drain off the mushrooms and shallots either, I liked them left in although I guess if I were trying to impress someone I wouldn't. Don't do much impressing chefs any more though LOL. Of course we finished off our meal with Chocolate Wave Cake. Only trouble is, being my birthday meal, I had to cook it!!

Red wine jus

Create a red wine jus to serve alongside beef dishes. A classic French sauce made with red wine, port

and shallots, it's an ideal topping for steak

2 tsp olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
175 ml port
175 ml red wine
1 rosemary sprig
1 bay leaf
800 ml beef stock
2 Tbs butter
pinch sugar

1. Put the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and fry the shallots until golden and caramelised, about 10 mins.

2. Add the port, wine and herbs and simmer for 10 mins, or until reduced by half.

3. Pour in the stock and continue to cook until reduced by half again, then strain, discarding the shallots and herbs.

4. Transfer the sauce into a new pan and bring to the boil. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter, then season to taste.

Source: BBC Good Food

Have a great day
 

Mr. Peanut, Quizzy Tests

Last night I took a pic of balloons passing by, not a great picture, Matt would have got a better one, but he had no film. Anyway, there were several balloons, 5 altogether, including a Mr. Peanut one which we have never seen before. If you click on it, you can see a bigger picture. We don't usually see so many balloons at once, especially since the episode of one catching fire, but maybe people have decided to risk it or its not so immediate or something. Satima (see Satima's Blogspot) got me going on a couple of quizzes today, so I did the Mythology test and this was my result.

Frey

Frey was, just like his twin sister Freya, a member of the Vanir family and thus a God of fertility and love. Along with Odin and Thor he was one of the most popular Norse Gods, and received many offerings. He was said to have control of the weather, both rain and sunshine, thus the fertility of the earth. Prayers were also offered to Frey for a good future, peace and prosperity.

Frey is described as being handsome, powerful, merciful and kind. Fitting considered he was - let’s be frank - the God of sex. His cult included songs and actions which shocked contemporary and later Christians, who condemned them as indecent, which they of course were not to the participants in the cult themselves.

Frey lived in Alfheim, "Elf-home", a name which indicates a possible connection between Vanir and Elves. His servant was the Goddess Beyla, who was all about bees and dairy. Not to far off, I think, as "Milk and Honey" and the things that Frey stands for are equally sweet.

The Fifteen Gods

These are the 15 categories of this test. If you score above average in …all or none of the four variables: Dagda. … Erudite: Thoth. … Sensual: Frey. … Martial: Mars. … Saturnine: Mictlantecuhtli. … Erudite & Sensual: Amun. … Erudite & Martial: Odin. … Erudite & Saturnine: Anubis. … Sensual & Martial: Zeus. … Sensual & Saturnine: Cernunnos. … Martial & Saturnine: Loki. … Erudite, Sensual & Martial: Lug. … Erudite, Sensual & Saturnine: Coyote. … Erudite, Martial & Saturnine: Hades. … Sensual, Martial & Saturnine: Pan.

TakeThe Mythological God Test at HelloQuizzy

so then I did the literary character test

King Arthur

The great King, whose quest would see success only while he remained above his human imperfections. Unfortunately, that would not last.

I have always been interested in the Arthurian legends. As I wrote, I recently read the Camulod Chronicles by Jack Whyte which were some of the best books on the legends I have ever read.

Tonight I am cooking the turkey breast and we are planning to have Indian Style Cauliflower with it. We have eaten this before and its delicious. It goes well with poultry too.

Indian Style Cauliflower

Source: Live Longer Cookbook, Reader's Digest

1 large onion quartered and sliced

1/2 C chicken stock

2 Tbs chutney or apricot preserves

2 tsp Dijon mustard

3/4 tsp dried basil, crumbled

3/4 tsp each ground ginger and cumin

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp each ground cinnamon and curry powder

1 medium sized head of cauliflower, cored and broken into florets

1 C frozen gren peas

1 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbs water

2 Tbs white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

6 drops hot red pepper sauce

In a 10 inch nonstick skillet, combine the onion, stock, chutney, mustard, basil, ginger, cumin, salt, cinnamon and curry powder. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered for 6 minutes. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 5 minutes over moderately low heat. Add the peas, cover and cook 4 to 5 minutes more or until the cauliflower is crisp tender. Stir in the cornstarch mixture, vinegar and red pepper sauce and cook for 1 minute or until the sauce has thickened. Serve hot or at room temperature. Serves 4 to 6.

Have a great day.