Wheel of Time, Dragon Capsule, Giant Icicle.

Saturday night I finished A Memory of Light. After 20 after 20 years I finally know how it all pans out. I honestly wondered if I would ever read the ending. The original author, Robert Jordan, is supposed to have left a lot of notes and even written scenes which helped Brandon Sanderson finish the last three books. Since I finished I have been feeling a bit sad about some things, a little disappointed about others and thinking I am not sure I liked the finale although I don’t know any other way it could have been resolved. It has certainly been a wonderful series and has ranged far and wide over the world of Wheel of Time, I am impressed with the scope of the work and its incredible consistency. I think there are possibilities of continuation although whether that was intended or not I don’t know as the original author is no longer with us. I know I would like to know hat happened to ….. Of course, now I am sad that the tale has ended and am certainly planning to re-read the last three books as I have only read them once and there is such a vast amount of story to absorb. In fact if one was to re-read these books several times, I think it would be possible to enjoy them just as much as the first time. I was impressed also, I only found one typo.

Just saw a news item about a capsule, known as Dragon, which is being used to ferry supplies to the space station. NASA is paying a private company, SpaceX, one billion dollars for a contract to run a dozen such capsules up to the station. I would have thought it cheaper for NASA to run such capsules itself. This particular run had a few problems apparently but finally arrived a day late. It will stay with the station for a month and then splash down on earth at the end of March. The article details some of the supplies on board including fresh fruit which I would imagine would be invaluable to the crew.

You remember I wrote, on Feb. 26, about a giant icicle in Saskatoon, well now the authorities have made up their minds and are taking it down. There is a video of the firemen attacking it. It really was an enormous chunk of ice and I must admit I had never thought of it falling off in chunks and doing damage. When you see the firemen working on it, you realise just hwat a large chunk of ice it really is. Apparently there is a whole twitter page devoted to it.


Being a chocoholic I couldn’t resist this recipe and the addition of candied ginger certainly doesn’t hurt.

Dark-Chocolate Pudding with Candied Ginger

Contributed by Jean-Georges Vongerichten
SERVINGS:8
"For me, ginger should be everywhere," says Jean-Georges Vongerichten. "It's as good in marinades and vinaigrettes as it is in dessert." Here, candied ginger garnishes dark-chocolate pudding.

1. 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
2. 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3. 5 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 1 quart half-and-half
6. One 3.5-ounce bar bittersweet chocolate, chopped
7. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8. Lightly sweetened whipped cream and sliced candied ginger, for serving

In a medium bowl, sift together the sugar, cocoa powder, cornstarch and salt. In a large saucepan, add the half-and-half and whisk in the cocoa-powder mixture. Cook over moderate heat, whisking, until the pudding starts to bubble and thicken, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the bittersweet chocolate and vanilla. Pour the pudding into 6-ounce ramekins and let cool, then cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour. Top each pudding with whipped cream and candied ginger and serve.

Have a great day