Birthday Dinner, Senior's Day, Cooking.

As you know, we planned to go for dinner at the Red Lobster. They had endless shrimp so I decided

to try that. I didn't even manage a second helping. Unusual for me, I figured I could have lasted a bit longer. I didn't even finish my Chocolate Wave Cake but brought some home. I very much enjoyed the food though. My BF bought me a present of a bottle of Champagne. It wasn't until I got home that I realised she had bought me French Champagne. I am not familiar with this particular champagne, Nicolas Feuillatte but the bottle is covered in gold with white flowers. Very pretty.

Saturday, I decided to make Steak Diane, kind of rounding off the birthday week. Mind you, I have discovered that Mandarin is doing a senior's day where everything is 50% off, might be pretty crowded mind you. Trouble with that is that it takes place on a Monday and as that is a bowling day, probably wouldn't have time for lunch.

Discussing with friends about cooking at home as opposed to eating out, it seems that for most people time is the biggest problem. Apparently, even in France where, once, every housewife could prepare gourmet meals, the younger women are no longer learning to cook at all. Of course you can buy very good frozen meals these days, but it appears that people would rather opt for fast food such as tacos, burgers or pizzas, which is both expensive and not very healthy. Then, of course, if you have a hungry family to feed when you come home from work, this puts extra strain on everything. Of course there is nothing to stop your kids helping you, especially if they are older, they can certainly peel things or chop things. Someone to do prep work is always helpful. Your family has to remember, they are not helping you, they live there so they should do part of the work in maintaining the family and home.

I love tomatoes done this way so obviously I had to select it. We always buy grape tomatoes but I have no doubt they would work the same.

Slow-Cooked Cherry Tomatoes with Coriander and Rosemary

1 ½ lb ripe cherry tomatoes
½ head of garlic
2 sprigs rosemary
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¾ tsp coriander seeds
¾ tsp kosher salt
1 Tbs red wine vinegar

1. Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Toss tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, oil, coriander seeds, and salt in a shallow 2-qt. baking dish to combine.

2. Turn garlic cut side down, then roast tomatoes, tossing 2 or 3 times, until golden brown and very tender, 40–50 minutes. Let cool slightly, then add vinegar and toss to coat.

Servings: 6

Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day

Bubbly Waste, Cruise Ship, Bowling,

I heard something yesterday that upset me. They launched a new cruise ship in Monaco with a 7 gallon bottle of champagne (called a Primat). Probably the real expensive stuff too. What a waste!!! 27 bottles of lovely champagne. I may never get over it. Mind you this cruise ship has a suite which you can rent for $10,000 a night, so wasting a few bottles of champers probably doesn't mean much to them. There is an even bigger bottle I have just discovered, a Melchizedek which I see is 40 bottles of bubbly. If you are interested in all the names and the origins, you can follow the link above.

The ship mentioned above is the Seven Seas Explorer which is touted as the most luxurious cruise ship around and from what I saw last night, it certainly seems to be extremely luxurious. They have marble floors so had to figure out the stability and counteract the weight. Not that I have that kind of money, but I would be a bit nervous about sailing on her.

Bowling on Thursday of course, both pretty mediocre although Matt won the first two games then something happened and I had a turkey and ended up with 197. Would have been a 200 game if I hadn't messed up the last frame, grrr. I haven't had a turkey in a long while. These days they are few and far between for both of us although Matt did have one last Monday. Mine, of course, doesn't count - need to get it during league play. Some hopes.

Sorry no blog yesterday got involved with a book.

Oh dear, Mr. Trump's ban has been defeated. Poor Donald..

A nice easy flavoursome chicken recipe.

Chicken Piccata with Capers

Enjoy this restaurant favorite at home with a glass of white wine and fresh garden salad. This Italian chicken piccata recipe is sure to please your entire family.

4 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs capers
2 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 cups hot cooked spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked)
2 Tbs chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

1. Place each breast half between 2 sheets of heavy-duty plastic wrap; pound to 1/2-inch thickness using a meat mallet or small heavy skillet. Place flour in a shallow dish, and dredge chicken in flour.

2. Heat butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken, and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm. Add white wine, 1/4 cup lemon juice, capers, and garlic to pan; scrape pan to loosen browned bits. Cook for 2 minutes or until slightly thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve chicken over pasta. Top with sauce; sprinkle with parsley.

Servings: 4

Tips
Wine note: When a recipe calls for wine as an ingredient, it's nice to find a bottle that is delicious enough to drink but affordable enough to toss a little in the skillet. Mani Masianco 2005 ($15), an Italian blend of pinot grigio and verduzzo, fills the bill. It's aromatic, with apple, lemon, and floral notes. It also has the necessary acidity to greet the potent acid of the capers.

Source: Cooking Light

Have a great day

Conference Call, Saturday Dinner, Champagne, RRHA

That was pretty amazing. On Saturday a few cyber friends got together on Google Hangouts and spoke to one another. Our coverage was from Canada (me) to Mexico (Father Dragon) stopping at Virginia and North Carolina and Texas on the way. The Ninja Captain was there too  - he has a nice voice but still don't know what he looks like LOL. I always love getting in touch with cyber friends. We may never be able to meet face to face but this is the next best thing. Before this I had never heard of Google Hangouts which I was having trouble with. For some reason my web cam wouldn't work on my desktop but in the end it worked with my laptop although there was nowhere to attach it. Even tried my tablet. I was either getting a picture and no sound or sound but no picture. Of course, modern laptops have cameras built in, but mine doesn't as it is anything but modern. Still works though.

Off the cuff I invited a friend over for dinner on Saturday night. Usually I know in advance what I am

cooking for Saturday but have been humming and hawing all week. In the end I decided to do the Korean Bulgogi Beef again. We enjoyed it and I have enough flank steak for 3 or more of us so that worked out OK. Turned out well and our friend enjoyed it although she doesn't really eat enough to keep a bird alive. Maybe I should copy her. Help keep my weight down.

I have come across an article through a friend in Facebook. According to research in the UK if you drink 3 glasses of champagne a day it really helps prevent the onset of dementia or Alzheimer's. I drink champagne every Sunday but I guess I am going to have to increase it!!! I can just imagine what Matt would say about that. They are going to be testing it out on older people. I will have to go back to Britain just to get in on the study. Unless they wish to extend it to Canada.

Oops, it turns out I am guest posting on the Really Real Housewives of America this week instead of later in the month. I feel a bit bogus because I haven't been a real housewife in a long time. I have someone who comes in to clean for me these days. At least vacuuming and dusting. I just cannot manage that stuff any more. Actually, I have had a cleaner most of my life. I always remember in my 20s I lived in a two room apartment and had a woman come in to clean for me. I used to pay her half a crown an hour, peanuts today, but it was a lot to me then. However, she could afford to fly to America to see her kids, I could hardly afford to go to the local restaurant. Struck me as funny all those many years ago. My mother had a cleaner most of her married life except a period when my father was broke and we couldn't afford it. Then she worked like stink However, eventually things changed and she had a cleaner once again. I had one cleaning lady who used to come to me once we had divorced and I couldn't afford her any more and she would just come to have coffee with me and do a bit of cleaning. She was such a wonderful woman. Years later her husband said she loved me very much, I loved her too.

We both love Brie. This is a slightly different version of Baked Brie.

Herbed Baked Brie

Big group? Go for the show-stopping giant baked brie recipe. Smaller party (or can’t find the large

size)? Smaller wheels are perfect, and the cook time is the same.

1 2.2-pound wheel of brie (or 8-ounce rounds)
6 sprigs rosemary
6 sprigs thyme
2 Tbs olive oil
Cranberry-Pear Mostarda, Thyme-Roasted Walnuts, sliced pear, crackers, and sliced baguette (for serving)

1. Place brie on a plate and freeze until very firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Cut off top rind of brie with a sharp knife (it’s okay if you can’t get the rind off in one piece; brie will smooth out as it bakes).

3. Toss rosemary, thyme, and oil on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet until coated. Spread herbs evenly on parchment. Place brie in the center so that it covers about half of the herbs. Bake until cheese is melted, 15–20 minutes. Remove from oven and let rest to firm up slightly, about 5 minutes (if you skip this step, you risk spilling molten cheese all over your cutting board).

4. Strip leaves from uncovered herbs and sprinkle over brie. Using parchment and a wide spatula, carefully slide brie and covered herbs onto a cutting board.

5. Arrange mostarda, walnuts, pear slices, crackers, and baguette slices around cutting board; serve

Source: Bon Appétit

Hope you are enjoying your Labour Day holiday weekend.
 

Champagne, Realms Faire. Road Works.

There is a new report out which says if you drink 3 glasses of champagne daily, it may help to prevent Alzheimer's. I'm all for it. I drink champagne on Sunday morning and it is my favourite beverage. I have two glasses just before lunch and I do get a teeny bit tipsy. So 3 a day I would be flying high. Mind you after a while one would get used to it.  We buy splits of champagne, each small bottle being just the right size for a glass. They cost approximately $10 for 3 small bottles. That means $70 a week or $3,640 a year. Sorry, can't afford that, guess I will just have to risk the disease after all. Not only that, as it turns out, the study has only been carried out with rats. On GMA today (Tuesday) they had lots of volunteers for human testing. I too would volunteer if they need someone round here. Of course the Henkell Trocken we buy for me is not champagne, but a sparkling wine made in the methode champenoise. They are no longer allowed to use the word champagne unless the wine comes from the Champagne region of France. As a final note, Matt is NOT a champagne drinker unless it has been made into a cocktail. The one he likes and makes, you drop a cube of sugar into the glass, a half shot of cognac, a dash of angostura bitters and a sliver of orange peel and then top up the glass with champagne. We used to serve those on Christmas morning together with a really good ham and Colman's English mustard. These days we don't really have friends who don't have families with whom they celebrate.

There are lots of games going on at Realms Faire not just the unicorn one part of which was on this blog yesterday. The first day we had to cheer Alex on because he was fighting War. Each day there is fighting and jousting. I know the jousting is hosted by M. Pax. There are lots of prizes to be won so don't just sit back once you have checked out the unicorns. By the way, I had to get L. Diane Wolf to show me where the unicorns were.

We had to go for our annual eye test today. I have mentioned the roadworks going on in our town right now and the impossibility of getting to places on King St. In fact some businesses have closed because people just won't bother (well we basically don't) because it's so difficult. So, half way to the optometrist, what do we find, no through road and a diversion. I reckon we went a good mile out of our way to get back onto our road. It's absolutely ridiculous. They seem to be doing roadworks all over the town. Tomorrow, Matt has a doc. appointment and we have to go up a different street, then follow the signs which one store has put out all over the place. They are right opposite the office Matt is going to. The store is a very popular grocery store and, these days, is one of the few which still cut meat. I want ground veal and they are the only people that have it. I am going to be ordering a pork roast for Boxing Day too (Dec. 26). That picture is how they used to be. Nowadays the road in front is completely torn up. Has been for months. I have heard of at least two stores which have closed and a MacDonalds.

I remembered a recipe I used to make quite a lot, once upon a time, and it was called Jarret de Boeuf en Daube. I knew exactly which cookbook it was in - only it wasn't. I was astounded and now I don't know which cookbook it came from. It was well before the age of computers. So, I looked it up online. First, I discovered, Jarret de Boeuf meant shin of beef. I didn't know that. Basically that just translates to stewing beef nowadays. Here is one of the recipes I found. This is an absolutely wonderful dish. Burgundy is not readily available round here unfortunately, so I recommend a good, full bodied, red wine if you can't find it. One thing I don't remember in the recipe I used to make, is the addition of tomatoes.

Boeuf En Daube - French Beef Burgundy in the Crock Pot

A delicious and heady combination of good red wine, prime beef, smoked bacon, dried orange, shallots, garlic and cèpes - dried forest mushrooms! A traditional French recipe with a twist - cook it in the crock pot for ease and convenience. Wonderful in the depths of winter, but equally lovely with

crisp salads,crusty bread and baked potatoes during the summer - the addition of orange making it a lighter beef dish than the more usual Beef Daube or Beef Burgundy. An excellent choice for a family reunion or celebration, as it is VERY well behaved! It also freezes well and is a great pie filling idea.

Ingredients Nutrition

Servings 8-12  

• 5 lbs prime beef, cubed and trimmed of fat
• 1 lb shallot, peeled
• 4 -6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped finely
• 1 bunch fresh thyme
• 2 -4 bay leaves
• 750 ml Burgundy wine  
• 1 -2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb lardons, Smoked Bacon pieces
• ¹⁄₂ ounce dried cèpes, soaked for 1 hr
• 6 -8 pieces dried orange peel, see method
• 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 -2 tablespoon cornflour (cornstarch), for thickening
• 2 tablespoons cognac
• 2 -4 sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped finely (optional)
• 1 (8 ounce) can chopped tomatoes (optional)

50 All-Time Dinner Favorites

Directions

1. Marinade the beef with the herbs, shallots and garlic over night in the bottle of red wine.
2. Drain and put the wine to one side.
3. In a large skillet or frying pan, sear and brown the beef pieces over a high heat in the olive oil until nutty & brown. Do not overcrowd the pan!
4. Place browned beef into the crock pot or cast iron Casserole Dish.
5. Fry the lardons or chopped bacon pieces until crispy and golden brown. Drain and add to the beef.
6. Brown the shallots and garlic in the bacon fat and add to the beef and bacon.
7. Add all the other ingredients, except the cornflour, to the crock pot including the reserved wine.
8. (Add the tinned tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes at this stage too if you are using them.).
9. Cook on automatic or High for 4 hours and Low for up to 6 hours.
10. (For conventional cooking - pre-heat oven to 175° C or 325° F or gas mark 3 and cook SLOWLY for approximately 4 to 6 hours; check towards the end, the meat should be extemely tender - you MUST not be tempted to cook it quicker, it will be tough!).
11. Towards the end, blend and mix the cornflour with a couple of spoons of the stock in the crock pot and add to the beef, stirring well. It should not be TOO thick but just like a glaze or thickened jus. Add the cognac at this stage as well - stirring into the daube.
12. Serve with Green Beans, Mashed, Steamed or Pureed Potatoes during the colder months OR with a selection of salads, crusty French bread and Pasta during the warmer months. The excess sauce can be used or saved as a fantastic gravy or stock later!
13. THIS IS BETTER MADE 24 HOURS BEFORE EATING!
14. Freezes beautifully - I always make a large batch and then freeze some.
15. NOTE:If you cannot buy sun dried orange peel, make your own, it's VERY easy! Peel some oranges with a swivel head vegetable peeler or parer, be careful not to peel the pith. Spread outside on a rack in the full sun and leave to dry for about 2-4 hours. Weather permitting of course - otherwise dry in an airing cupboard or a very LOW oven overnight.Store in an airtight jar for up to 2 years.
16. If you are really stuck - just grate some fresh orange peel into the daube, it will not have the same intensity as dried peel, but it will work!

Have a great day
 

Homegroups, Social Medicine, The Drink of Kings, NY Resolution.

Homegroup – I’m getting there!!! At least I am back to being able to contact my desktop from my laptop and to use the printer. Vice versa is a different story. I changed my firewall but don’t yet know if I have made a difference. Pain in the butt having lost it in the first place and not  really knowing how or why. Maybe they just don’t want to talk to each other. These computers in this cartoon are a tad ancient, but fit the bill.

One of the major drawbacks with a socialised medical system is the time it takes to get treatment. I have just been given an appointment for an MRI in March – erm, I am in pain now and have been for 5 weeks, and you can’t do anything for another 2 months!!! Come on now. I still don’t know when I am going to see a specialist. I was under the impression that such waits had been speeded up, but obviously I was wrong. But at least I don’t have to pay anything. Funny, the girl who phoned to give me the appointment had to ask questions, in the first place she had added two years to my birthday, don’t need that thanks, then later she asked if I was pregnant, what, at my age, LOL.

Around Christmas time, an ezine I read had an interesting series of articles on Champagne. I have always been fond of Champagne as a drink, so were my parents which is where I got it from I guess. Anyway, I decided to do a bit of research and thanks to Wikipedia I found what I wanted to know. It does appear that it was not Dom Perignon who invented champagne, nor did he invent the méthode champenoise which is the way champagne has been made for many years, this was invented by an Englishman, Christopher Merret, around 1662. Dom Perignon did, however, make many improvements to the champagne of his time, which is why he has become so much associated with this wonderful drink. Technically only sparkling wines produced in the Champagne region of France are permitted to be called Champagnes. They even have to use a phrase such as méthode traditionelle to describe the making of their sparkling wines. The article is fascinating if you are interested in the origins of the beverage.

We often watch Wheel of Fortune in the evening prior to watching our favourite programme, Jeopardy. By the way the Jeopardy trials are coming up again, and I am wondering whether to try out once again. A recent competitor tried out for 16 years before making it and went home with $213,000 the other day, but I digress. What I was going to say – Vanna White, the hostess on Wheel of Fortune, said her New Year resolution was to cook a completely new dish every week. I thought what a wonderful idea. Don’t know if I can achieve that, but I might try for it.

This recipe comes from an Eating Well article on foods we should be eating. I am not sure about Japanese Yams, but as it is an American magazine, I assume we can obtain them in this part of the world. Agave nectar I have seen in the stores. Fried sage leaves are delicious

Green Soup with Yams & Sage

From EatingWell: September/October 2011

This kale-and-spinach soup has a beautiful complexity. It’s slightly sweet, with a bright note of lemon and the subtle aromatics of thyme, sage and garlic. Japanese yams are marvellously flavourful; they have a dark purplish skin and are snow-white inside. Ask for them at your farmers’ market or grocery, but if they are unavailable, regular sweet potatoes can be substituted. Recipe by Anna Thomas for Eating Well.

8 servings

Ingredients

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for garnish

2 large onions, chopped

1 teaspoon salt, divided

2 tablespoons plus 4 cups water, divided

4 cloves garlic, sliced

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves or 1/2 teaspoon dried

1 large bunch Tuscan, lacinato or Russian kale

2 medium or 1 very large Japanese yam or regular sweet potato (about 1 1/4 pounds)

14 cups gently packed spinach (about 12 ounces), any tough stems trimmed

8 fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon crumbled dried

4 cups vegetable broth, store-bought or homemade

Pinch of cayenne pepper

Freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more to taste

1 tablespoon agave nectar, or more to taste (optional)

16 fried sage leaves for garnish (see above)

Preparation

1. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, stir in 2 tablespoons water, garlic and thyme and cover. Cook, stirring frequently until the pan cools down, and then occasionally, always covering the pan again, until the onions are greatly reduced and have a deep caramel color, 25 to 35 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, remove tough stems and ribs from kale and coarsely chop the greens. Peel yam (or sweet potato) and dice into 1-inch pieces. Coarsely chop spinach; set aside.
3. Combine the remaining 4 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a soup pot or Dutch oven; add the kale, yam (or sweet potato) and sage. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook for 15 minutes.
4. Stir in the spinach, return to a simmer, cover and cook, stirring once halfway through, for 10 minutes more. When the onions are caramelized, stir a little of the simmering liquid into them; add them to the soup. Add broth; return to a simmer, cover and cook for 5 minutes more.
5. Puree the soup in the pot with an immersion blender until perfectly smooth or in a regular blender in batches (return it to the pot). Stir in cayenne, a few grinds of pepper and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. If the soup is sweet to your taste, add more lemon juice; if it’s too tart, add agave nectar, if desired. Just before serving, whisk the remaining 1 tablespoon oil into the hot soup. Garnish each bowl of soup with a drizzle of oil and 2 fried sage leaves.

Nutrition

Per serving :124 Calories; 6 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 0 mg Cholesterol; 16 g Carbohydrates; 3 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 565 mg Sodium; 365 mg Potassium

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

• To make fried sage leaves: Set a small strainer over a heatproof bowl. Heat about 1/2 inch olive or canola oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add sage leaves; fry just until crisp, 1 to 3 minutes. Drain in the strainer then spread out on a paper towel until ready to use.

Have a great day