Nuts, Pakistan Shooting, Shopping,

Matt picked me up a few chestnuts the other day and I have been experimenting with them in the microwave. I have finally got it down to cutting the tops (cutting crosses is not only difficult but doesn’t work particularly well) and then cooking them in a little water in a covered dish for 2 1/2 minutes. However, they are not the best tasting chestnuts I have ever eaten. Luckily I have now figured out how to peel them without messing up and breaking my nails etc. I have ordered a couple of packets of Brazil nuts for Matt as a stocking stuffer I guess. One doesn’t see them around much any more, I believe they got a disease only can’t find anything about that online. In fact I now find all kinds of places I can order them on line but they don’t have them in our local grocery store.

Horrifying news out of Pakistan today, 141 people killed in the school by the Taliban, most of them were kids. What a dreadful thing to do, as I said to Matt they (the Taliban) are human too, they presumably have kids of their own, how could they do such a thing. I am not posting pictures but there are videos and pictures on this website. Along with the rest of the reasoning world, I am desperately sorry for the families of the slain.

I went to my local jeweller this afternoon (Tuesday) because I wanted to ensure the stones in one of my rings were OK. They cleaned it for me at the same time. They also told me to use Windex, a toothbrush and then warm water. Never heard of using Windex before. I used to use Liquid Ajax but that is unavailable any more, here anyway. Now I use rubbing alcohol. I like the Windex idea better though. We went to the jeweller after we had been to the Meat Market and bought a piece of pork for Boxing Day (Dec. 26 for those who don’t have Boxing Day). I managed to find a piece of leg or ham, as they say in the south, which still has the skin on so I can score the skin and cook it up really crispy. Yum. We also went to the liquor store to stock up on beer, wine and champagne to cover us to the end of the year. Expensive afternoon. I would like to be able to buy some really good ham, but that only comes in huge pieces too so it really isn’t worth it for the two of us. Traditionally, in my home anyway, we used to have slices of cold ham with Coleman’s mustard and champagne on both Christmas and Boxing Day morning. We bought a smaller piece of ham last year but it wasn’t nearly as good. A decent ham should have the fat on too which improves the taste. No I don’t eat the fat usually, but for Christmas I do, it’s delicious.

Some of you will remember I was contacted by a long lost friend who’s mother was my mother’s long time friend. Today I received a card from her which also contained a photo of me at 12 years old. I haven’t seen this picture in years but I do remember it very well. Matt could not tell it was me. For some reason he was fixated on the teeth in the photo!! Apart from anything else it’s over 60 years ago since it was taken and my teeth were as young as the rest of me. I think I got it a bit too light when I scanned it. Will have to try again later.

This seemed like a nice pudding for this time of year. This from Food.com.

Gingerbread Pudding Cake

By MacChef

 From Bon Appetite, this pudding and cake hybrid oozes and intense, sticky syrup that is great with a big dollop of whipped cream. Fantastic for the holidays! 

 

Ingredients:

Servings 8

• • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons beaten eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 1 1/2 cups hot water
  • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

  Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x8 inch glass baking dish. Whisk flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt in medium bowl.
     
  2. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in egg. Stir molasses and 1/2 cup water in a 1 cup glass measuring cup.
     
  3. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, butter mixture and molasses mixture together beating to blend. Repeat until all separate mixtures are now one and transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top.
     
  4. Stir 1 1/2 cups hot water and melted butter in 2 cup glass measuring cup. Carefully pour over top of batter (don't worry, there will be lots of liquid on the top). Bake until gingerbread is cracked on top, about 45 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
     

Have a great day

Bowling, Cleaners. Tailor and Chestnuts.

Not a good day for bowling for me, a pretty good day for Matt and our one friend who came today. The other friend couldn’t make it, having furnace trouble. I have been telling him they should move into an apartment, so I got another dig in about this assuring him we were nice and warm and hadn’t spent a couple of days without heat. He wants to move into an apartment, but I think his wife is not so keen on the idea. Whilst we were bowling one of the owners showed us a thumb hole ball. I had neither seen nor heard of such a thing. The one he showed us was for a customer, but he had two in their downstairs alley and brought them up for us to try. All three of us did, but after playing with them for several frames, we all decided we much preferred our own balls. What we couldn’t understand was why the customer had ordered two balls, one with a thumb hole and one without. We all thought the thumb hole edging threw the ball off.

Took three pairs of pants to the tailor after bowling. Two to be taken in and one, the pantsuit pants, to be shortened. Gonna cost me about $50 in total, but cheaper than buying new pants, particularly as I am planning to lose more weight. Although I am not doing too well this week. Thursday afternoon I bought a few chestnuts as I was hungry for them. Cooked a few in the microwave (having found a method on line) and ate them. One of the things I loved in Portugal was that you could buy roasted chestnuts in the streets. They used to do that in England but I hadn’t seen it in years.

Thursday morning we were visited by two women who are offering to clean for us. They were a little more expensive, but from everything they said, I think they will do a really good job. I told them I would call them and when they had gone, Matt and I discussed it. We decided a definite yes so eventually we called them back and hired them. They actually asked for more money, but when I said it was too rich for our blood, they dropped to something we felt capable of sustaining. So that is a problem off our shoulders.

I thought I had posted this recipe before, but on checking it appeared I hadn’t. I have made this a couple of times because it’s so easy. The second time I made it in the slow cooker although because I wasn’t expecting to do that I ended up with too much liquid, if you want to use a slow cooker, don’t use the water and certainly cut down the tomato juice from the canned tomatoes. Actually, I didn’t use the water when I made it in a skillet. The ingredients also call for tomato sauce, I don’t keep that in cans and usually make my own but didn’t have any, so I subbed with tomato ketchup. Tastes fine.


Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls

Actually serves 6 to 8


1 1/2 to 2 lbs lean ground beef or turkey
1 Tbs oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small cabbage, chopped
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp sea salt

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and onion and cook, stirring, until ground beef is no longer pink and onion is tender. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.

Have a great day

Christmas Brunch and Christmas Day

I often mention that on Christmas morning we have sliced ham with Colman’s mustard and champagne cocktails. We always have Colman’s mustard in the house, but if you don’t, it can be obtained from Amazon.com. When you buy a ham, (Costco’s do a good one) check it is already cooked and then serve it cold, do not cook it again, if it isn’t a spiral sliced ham, get a really sharp knife and carve it very thinly and then just add a small amount of mustard as you eat it. The mustard is very spicy (hot to the tongue) and you really don’t need much, but it improves the taste tremendously. I gave the recipe for Champagne Cocktails on October 6, 2011, but just in case, here it is again :

In a glass put:
1/2 shot of brandy
1 cube or 1 tsp sugar
Twist of orange peel (no pith) and a couple of drops of Angostura Bitters. 
Fill up with champagne.

 
Drink with caution. They are pretty lethal. Of course there a dozens of recipes for champagne cocktails but this is what we always serve on Christmas morning for brunch. My family tradition was always just champagne, but Matt is not that keen on straight champagne so he changed the tradition to cocktails.

If you are cooking a turkey that day, I suggest you have everything well in hand before you start sipping on these. As we are going out for Christmas Dinner to a local restaurant, I won’t have to worry although I will miss a few traditional items that they don’t serve, bread sauce and chestnut stuffing being a couple of them. I have to buy some chestnuts, I have had a craving for a week or two now they are so delicious roasted even if not made into turkey stuffing.

I bowled pretty well yesterday so figure you must all have had your fingers crossed for me, thanks. Our second game was “I beat my average” for which we get a small prize at the end of the year, I didn’t beat it I smashed it, LOL.

The following recipe we served as a Starter on Saturday night and it was enjoyed by all concerned, it is so easy to do and very tasty to say the least. There was enough left for us to have some on Sunday as well.

Artichoke Bruschetta

By An American in Spain on November 02, 2004

Photo by erinj

Yield: 8 tapa servings

About This Recipe

"A really great tapa that will get you many compliments. Really simple to make. The original recipe was by Roxanne. I have served this at many of my "Wine and Tapa" parties and was always pleased by the response."

Ingredients

1 (6 1/2 ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 medium tomato, seeds removed and diced

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese or 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

2 garlic cloves, crushed

5 tablespoons mayonnaise (the real thing please)

1 French baguettes, cut into 1/3 inch thick slices

Directions

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Place the bread slices on a baking sheet and toast lightly under the broiler.
3. In a medium bowl, mix marinated artichoke hearts, Romano or Parmesan cheese, red onion, crushed garlic, diced tomato and mayonnaise.
4. Top the lightly toasted French baguette slices with equal amounts of the artichoke heart mixture being careful to spread the mixture over the entire surface.
5. The edges of the bread will tend to burn if not covered by the artichoke mixture.
6. Arrange slices in a single layer on the baking sheet.
7. Broil in the preheated oven 2 minutes, or until toppings are bubbly and lightly browned.

Have a great day