Heat Wave, Bowling, Dreaming, Beaches.

Phew it was a hot one yesterday. It reached 33°F here, which, in itself, is not exceptionally hot, but the humidity pushed it up til it felt like 41°F. A friend who works in Toronto said 44°F there. As usual there were lots of warnings out but you still saw TV pictures of people playing tennis and sunbathing in the parks or on beaches. I bet there are a lot of sunburns today. Something a lot of people don’t seem to grasp; you don’t start off white and then lie in the sun for hours. Matt and I sunbathe for about 1/2 an hour at a time until we have built up a tan. There was also a power outage in parts of Ontario yesterday, I felt so sorry for those who did not have their air conditioning. I think I would die. Reports always say how much worse it is for old people in such heat and humidity too. I wonder if retirement homes have back up generators, I was thinking that our apartment building should have.

Of course we were bowling for part of the afternoon and I was told that the pins don’t fall as easily in the heat as they do in the cold. Obviously the alley has air conditioning, but I guess its not on for most of the time, only when there are players in house. That might excuse my summer bowling, not my fault, the pins won’t fall. It is a fact that I kept getting 13s yesterday, meaning that the corner pin just would not fall. Very frustrating. If you are not familiar with 5 pin, the middle pin is worth 5 points, the two on either side of it are worth 3 and the corner pins are worth 2 points. So if you bowl and get them all down except one corner pin, that’s 13. You then have to make a difficult shot and knock down that corner pin. Not easy I assure you. Don’t forget, our bowling balls are not the big monsters of 10 pin either, but small enough to hold in your hand – as in the picture of my ball.

Just watching a bit of TV and there was an Orkin pest control ad which broke my dream. Not quite sure how it started, but everywhere was running with baby cockroaches. What a delightful thing to dream about. Of all the bugs I have ever encountered, cockroaches have got to be the worst.

BP announced yesterday that they have now spent $3 Billion on the Gulf clean up, that’s a billion a month. A lot of money considering the problem isn’t fixed yet. Apparently the beaches aren’t bad down there although thousands of people have stayed away. We saw lots of pictures of people thoroughly enjoying themselves there and on being interviewed said the oil had been no problem. However, the tourist industry is hurting badly in that area. Plus seeing oiled, dying pelicans on the beach can’t be much fun.

Partly because of the heat and partly because we were still full from Sunday lunch, we just had salad sandwiches for supper last night together with a small amount of Brie and crackers. I make the sandwiches the way I have always done, buttering the bread, not slathering it with mayonnaise. I layer lettuce, onion, cucumber and tomato adding salt and pepper on each layer and then cover with the top layer of bread, pushing down firmly. Its refreshing and delicious and does NOT need anything else.

Eating Well have been putting out some low fact frozen treats and the following is one I particularly liked the sound of. Once again this calls for an ice cream maker, but it could be done by hand although it would, of course, take a lot longer.

Brown Sugar & Toasted Almond Ice Cream

From EatingWell: July/August 2010

In a world of designer ice creams, sometimes the simplest can be the best. The full-bodied flavors of brown sugar combined with nutty toasted almonds are all it takes to give this easy-to-make frozen treat a sophisticated distinction. The alcohol in the base mixture acts like an “anti-freeze,” reducing the icy texture sometimes associated with lower-fat ice cream. For a little extra indulgence, try topping a scoop with some crumbled gingersnaps.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin

1 tablespoon water

2 1/2 cups low-fat milk, divided

3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 large egg yolks

1 12-ounce can nonfat evaporated milk

1 tablespoon vodka or rum

1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted (see Tip) and cooled

Preparation

1. Sprinkle gelatin over water in a small bowl; let stand, stirring once or twice, while you make the base for the ice cream.
2. Pour 1 1/2 cups milk into a large saucepan. Whisk in brown sugar and cinnamon. Heat over medium heat, whisking often, until steaming. Whisk egg yolks and evaporated milk in a medium bowl until combined. Whisking constantly, gradually add the hot milk mixture to the egg mixture until blended. Return the mixture to the pan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the back of the spoon is lightly coated, 3 to 5 minutes. Do not bring to a boil or the custard will curdle.
3. Strain the custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a clean large bowl (preferably stainless-steel). Add the softened gelatin and whisk until melted. Whisk in the remaining 1 cup milk and vodka (or rum). Cover and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours or overnight.
4. Whisk the ice cream mixture and pour into the canister of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to manufacturer’s directions. During the last 5 minutes of freezing, add almonds. If desired, place the ice cream in the freezer to firm up before serving.

Nutrition

Per serving : 209 Calories; 6 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 84 mg Cholesterol; 31 g Carbohydrates; 9 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 92 mg Sodium; 338 mg Potassium

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 fat-free milk, 1 1/2 carbohydrate (other), 1 fat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Prepare through Step 3 up to 1 day ahead. After freezing, store ice cream in an airtight container for up to 1 week. For the best texture, let soften slightly before serving. Equipment: Ice cream maker

• Tip: To toast chopped nuts, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Have a great day

Dreams, Curry and Meatloaves

I arose in a foul temper this morning, all because of a dream. Ridiculous isn't it? However, I dreamt a family of 4 were taking Matt and I over, house and home and there appeared to be nothing I could do about it. A very frustrating, aggravating dream. I am glad I didn't dream it tonight as they say:

"Saturday's dream on Sunday told, is sure to come true be it never so old"

I suppose the people who interpret dreams could tell me something about this dream, the fear of being overcome by something I couldn't resist, perhaps? Maybe its something to do with all the bad financial news at the moment. That is something I am certainly helpless to combat. My mood is beginning to dissipate, thankfully. The financial crisis is very depressing though, every time you switch on the radio or TV there is something about it, if only on how to feed a family of 8 for $10. There have been so many meatloaf recipes posted. I am not greatly fond of meatloaf at the best of times and to be compelled to eat it a lot because of financial woes would be terrible. We haven't sunk that low yet, I hope. Maybe that's what my dream was about, being overtaken by meatloaf. Don't get me wrong, we do make meatloaf now and again, but it is only now and again. Actually there is a recipe we used to make more often, Tarragon Turkey Loaf, I will have to see if I can find it and share it with you. One of the problems with meatloaf is quantity. If I make one loaf it is too much for us, so I freeze it. By the time we get to eat the remainder its pretty horrid, I think. North Americans have meatloaf sandwiches, I'm sorry this does not appeal!!! Yesterday I made up a batch of all purpose curry sauce, separated it into three lots and put chicken in two. We had chicken curry with rice, pappadums and chutney for supper, I now have another chicken curry in the freezer and some sauce to which I can add shrimp at a later date. I have some Gumbo sauce which just needs shrimp (crab and oysters too if I come across any). I do like to have such things in the freezer so we can grab them for a quick meal when we are in a hurry. I don't pass on my recipe as it isn't very authentic, good, but not authentic. I do keep a decent curry powder in my cupboard as well as Garam Masala which is much the same. Plus I have two chutneys on hand, Mangoe and Bombay Duck which is very spicy. I love Bombay Duck but we can no longer get them in Canada and I believe they have stopped importing them into the UK too for health reasons. Its dried fish for goodness sake, how can it be that unhealthy? Matt hated it anyway and couldn't stand the smell of it being prepared. I loved it. OK I have found the recipe from Reader's Digest's Great Recipes for Good Health. Our book has been used so much, most of the pages are loose. As meatloaves go, this isn't bad. Tarragon Turkey Loaf Serves 4 2 tsp unsalted margarine 1 medium-size yellow onion, chopped fine 1 large stalk celery, chopped fine 1 lb. ground turkey 1/3 cup chopped parsley 1/4 Cup fine dry breadcrumbs 1/4 cup skim milk 1 large egg white 1/2 tsp dried tarragon, crumbled 1/4 tsp each black pepper and nutmeg Nonstick cooking spray For the Mushroom Sauce 2 tsp unsalted margarine 1 vup mushrooms 2 tbs flour 1 cup low sodium chicken broth 1/8 tsp each ground nutmeg, salt, black pepper and dried tarragon, crumbled. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a heavy 7 inch nonstick skillet or medium sized saucepan, melt the margarine over moderate heat; add the onion and celery and cook, uncovered, until the onion is soft - about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the turkey, parsley, bread crumbs, milk, egg white, tarragon, pepper and nutmeg. Add the onion and celery, and mix well. Lightly coat a 7 ½"x3 ¾"x2" loaf pan with the cooking spray. Press the turkey mixture into the pan and bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until lightly browned and firm to the touch. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes. Using two spatulas, transfer the loaf to a heated dinner platter. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. In the same skillet or saucepan, melt the margarine over moderate heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 3-5 minutes stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and blend in the flour, chicken broth, nutmeg, salt, pepper and tarragon; return to the heat and cook about 5 minutes, stirring, until thick. Ladle some sauce over the loaf and serve the rest at the table. If you are not too worried about weight, you can substitute butter for margarine etc. Actually, there is no caloric difference between butter and margarine, fat is fat. Have a great weekend.