Dearth of Cow Chips, Isaac Flooding,

Now here’s a new story for you. Apparently the extreme lack of rain this summer has caused a shortage of cow chips – or what I would call cow pats. This has become something of a problem for the cow chip throwers of Wisconsin. They hold an annual Wisconsin State Cow Chip Throw with some 300 throwers and 40,000 spectators. I quote “The hot, dry summer — which has caused crop, water level and other problems across the nation — caused the grass to brown and cattle to stay near their barn for food and to keep cool. That means the manure in the pasture wasn't able to dry and flatten in the sun.” The report says once they are dried, they don’t really stink any more. I can verify that, we used to collect mushrooms in a similar type of field, very early in the morning, before it was light, and once in a while one mistook cow chips for mushrooms. Yeah, really. Oh, apparently there is a world championship throw in Oklahoma. Do read the article, there are even details on what makes a good throwing cow chip plus the record distances they have been thrown.

There is a lot of bad flooding in Florida caused by Hurricane Isaac, people are being evacuated from their homes and haven’t even had time to grab shoes the waters came upon them in such a rush. People are sitting on their roofs or in their attics. Matt was watching TV this morning and there was a deer swimming along, we tend to forget the wild animals in such disasters. Even pets are not given much priority. This flooding reminds me of Hurricane Floyd which caused such flooding disaster in North Carolina some years ago. Pretty devastating to have your whole house flooded, bad enough to get a couple of foot of water rushing through the ground floor, been there, done that. Not funny.

Going on vacation is all very well, but trying to work out all my delivery problems for Avon and what date I should do which, is not the easiest thing in the world. I intend to bowl this afternoon too, I don’t know how that is going to work out for me with one thing and another.

I came across an article saying Eggs are Better for Us - specifically they were saying British eggs although maybe all eggs are much improved. They contain more Vitamin D and selenium for a start. Reading the article, I do wonder if this does apply to North American eggs. Its interesting though. I guess one needs to check with the egg marketing board to see what they have to say about it. Will see what I can find out.

This recipe came from Splenda and I thought it sounded a good one.

Poached Salmon with Papaya Avocado Salsa

4 servings

Ingredients

1 papaya or mango, peeled, seeded and diced

1 avocado, pitted, peeled and chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon juice

2 tsp (10 mL) SPLENDA^® No Calorie Sweetener, Granulated

2 tsp (10 mL) thinly sliced hot red pepper rounds (optional)

Pinch each salt and pepper

2 cups (500 mL) vegetable stock

4 salmon fillets (5 oz/140 g each)

Directions

In bowl, combine papaya, avocado, green onion, lemon juice, SPLENDA^® Granulated, hot pepper (if using), salt and pepper. Set aside.

In shallow Dutch oven or skillet large enough to hold fish in single layer, bring 4 cups (1 L) water and vegetable stock to boil; reduce heat to simmer. Add salmon; cover and barely simmer for 10 minutes or until fish flakes easily when tested.

Transfer fish to plates; spoon salsa over top.

Have a great day

Lost Snake, Egg Report, New Book, Guy Fawkes.

An article caught my eye yesterday, there is a 3 ft. long King Snake loose in a Toronto apartment building. Somebody lost their pet. In fact it is not a venomous snake, but even so, if you read the article http://tinyurl.com/22t6upn I too would be stupid enough to worry about using the toilet. I would think there should be a ban on keeping reptiles in an apartment block. The law does not permit landlords to ban pets so I suppose this comes under the same heading.

There is a new report out in Canada which says eggs are not as good for you as has been previously said and they are loaded with cholesterol. In the article http://tinyurl.com/25zbaof they are compared with a double down, but as I haven’t a clue what this is, its not a very valid comparison for me. I tend to eat around 2 or 3 eggs a week so I don’t think I am at major risk, but the report says you should not eat an egg a day.

Yesterday I had an email from Brandon Sanderson talking about the new book Towers of Midnight which is the penultimate book in the Wheel of Time series written by Robert Jordan who unfortunately died before he could complete the series. There has already been one new book The Gathering Storm, written by Brandon and this is the second; one more to go. I am guessing that will take at least another year before it is published. Brandon has been busy writing a major novel of his own, the first of which is already out and which I have blogged about before The Way of Kings

Oops, I nearly forgot, this is the day when the English remember Guy Fawkes who tried to blow up the houses of parliament.

Remember, remember the 5th of November

Gunpowder, treason and plot

I see no reason why gunpowder treason

Should ever be forgot

Guy Fawkes is (or was) burned in effigy all over England with large bonfires and lots of fireworks. A pretty ghoulish practice when you come down to it. However, it was always a fun evening. We used to cook potatoes around the fire which usually ended up burnt on one side and raw on the other. Only way to eat 'em! Sausages too, but we were more careful with those.

French Onion Soup is very popular in Canada and is served in many restaurants. Here, Eating Well have made it into a full meal by adding chickpeas. There are actually quite a few extra ingredients compared to the classic recipe.

Quick French Onion Soup

From EatingWell: May/June 2008

French onion soup is a favorite but it usually isn't substantial enough to make a complete meal. We've solved this problem by adding fiber-rich chickpeas to a broth flavored with sherry and three kinds of onions. Of course, we didn't forget the gooey topping, we've just made it a little lighter and a lot easier to prepare at home—simply top toasted whole-wheat bread with cheese and pour the soup on to melt it.

6 servings,

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 large sweet onions, sliced

2 cups chopped spring onions, or leeks, whites and light green parts only

2 tablespoons chopped garlic

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried

1/4 cup dry sherry, (see Ingredient Note)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

3 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium beef broth

1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed

1/4 cup minced fresh chives, or scallions

6 slices whole-wheat country bread

1 cup shredded Gruyère, or fontina cheese

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sweet onions and stir to coat. Cover, reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring often, until softened and starting to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Add spring onions (or leeks), garlic and thyme and cook, uncovered, stirring often, until starting to soften, 3 to 4 minutes.
2. Stir in sherry and pepper; increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in broth and chickpeas and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in chives (or scallions).
3. Meanwhile, toast bread and divide it among 6 bowls; top with cheese. Ladle the soup over the bread and cheese and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Per serving : 374 Calories; 10 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 4 g Mono; 20 mg Cholesterol; 48 g Carbohydrates; 18 g Protein; 6 g Fiber; 591 mg Sodium; 555 mg Potassium

3 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 starch, 2 vegetable, 1 medium-fat meat, 1/2 fat

Tips & Notes

Ingredient note: Sherry is a type of fortified wine originally from southern Spain. Don't use the “cooking sherry” sold in many supermarkets—it can be surprisingly high in sodium. Instead, purchase dry sherry that's sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store.

Jamie's Fowl Dinner, MJ, Valdemar.

We watched a Jamie Oliver programme on Sunday night called Jamie's Fowl Dinners. A large number of people were sitting at dining tables and Jamie had a kitchen to one side. He also had other set ups in the area together with a number of experts from the field of egg and chicken production. One of the first things they did was to give each table a bunch of baby chickens which the diners had to sort by sex (light ones were males) which chickens (you know, those pretty little fluffy things) they proceeded to deprive of oxygen so, much to the horror of some people there, they died in front of the audience - male chickens are considered useless in the egg producing industry although their carcasses are used for other things. From there he went on to show all kinds of other horrid things which happen both in the production of eggs and in the production of chickens. Eventually he cooked a meal using free range products and battery products and the consensus of opinion was the free range tasted so much better. Many of us know what happens but you don't think about it, Jamie made everyone in the room think twice about the mistreatment of chickens and what is done to ensure we have cheap food. One woman did say she wouldn't change because of the difference in cost; she figured a lot of people couldn't afford to change. If you would like to read more Jamie's Fowl Dinners gives you all the information you need. I must say I have a lot of admiration for Jamie Oliver and his hard hitting programmes whether it be teaching the British how to cook, school kids how to eat, or making us really aware of the food on our plates. Poor Matt, he is totally fed up with coverage of Michael Jackson and his memorial service. Ever since MJ died, there has been intensive coverage in every form of media. Enough is enough surely. I am more interested in what is being said, but even I am getting tired of all the speculation. Did you watch the service? I certainly didn't, if you did miss it, it is on the GMA page here. This morning on TV they had a doctor whom I head say "as far as I know I am not the father of his (MJ's) children" - now what? I didn't see the whole report but the speculation is, apparently, that MJ is not the father of his kids. I have started a re-reading session on Mercedes Lackey's Heralds of Valdemar series. It is a long time since I read them and reading a bunch of short stories the other day, stimulated me to read the rest. I have just read Arrows of the Queen which I have as an ebook, from the library I got Exile's Honor which I am currently reading as well as Exile's Valor and I have purchased The Herald Mage Trilogy through Amazon.ca to keep me going. I was pretty staggered, I ordered the Trilogy books over the weekend and I already have one of them. I have always liked the name Mercedes since I read The Count of Monte Cristo. That was the name of his love before he was sent to prison. I enjoy cooking things in packets whether they be parchment or foil. It is a nice clean method and also keeps in the juices and flavours of whatever you are preparing. I often cook salmon this way, and here is an Eating Well recipe for cooking chicken. Chicken with Whole-Grain Mustard & Zucchini in Packets Makes 4 servings 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (1 ¼-1 ½ pounds), trimmed and tenders removed (see Tip) 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced 2 sweet banana peppers or cubanelle peppers, cut into 1-inch pieces 2 shallots, thinly sliced 1 ½ cups halved grape or cherry tomatoes 4 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried ½ teaspoon salt ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1. Preheat oven to 400°F (or see Grill Variation, below). 2. To prepare packets, start with four 20- to 24-inch-long pieces of parchment paper or foil. Fold in half crosswise. With the parchment or foil folded, draw half a heart shape on one side as you would if you were making a Valentine. Use scissors to cut out the heart shape. Open up the heart. 3. Place a chicken breast on one side of each open heart fairly close to the crease and leaving at least a 1-inch boarder around the edges for folding and spread with mustard. 4. Toss zucchini, peppers, shallots, tomatoes, oil, thyme, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Place about 1 1/4 cups of the vegetable mixture on top of each piece of chicken. 5. Close the packet to cover the ingredients. Starting at the top, seal the packet by folding the edges together in a series of small, tight folds. Twist the tip of the packet and tuck it underneath to help keep the packet closed. Place the packets on a large rimmed baking sheet (packets may overlap slightly). Bake until the vegetables are tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, about 25 minutes. (Carefully open one package to check for doneness, be cautious of the steam.) Let the packets rest unopened for 5 minutes before serving. Equipment: Parchment paper or foil Tip: Chicken tenders are the virtually fat-free strips of rib meat typically found attached to the underside of chicken breasts. They can also be purchased separately. Four 1-ounce tenders will yield a 3-ounce cooked portion. Tenders are perfect for quick stir-fries, chicken satay or kid-friendly breaded "chicken fingers." Grill Variation: Cooking in packets is great for the grill, but it's not safe to put parchment paper over an open flame, so use foil. To prepare packets for grilling, start with eight 20- to 24-inch-long pieces of foil. Layer two sheets for each of four packets (the double layers will help protect the contents from burning). Arrange the ingredients on one half of each double layer. Fold the foil over the ingredients and tightly seal the packets by crimping and folding the edges together. Grill over medium heat for 14 to 16 minutes, rotating the packets to another spot on the grill about halfway through to ensure even cooking. Have a great day.