Our Wednesday, Travel League.

What an exhausting day we had yesterday, we had to be at training for Matt at 9 a.m. then we dashed back after a 2 1/2 hr. session and had a fairly quick lunch then headed off for my doctor’s appointment in Cambridge (next town) having told her, my doctor, my sad tale of woe, she sent me off for X-rays so, as I only really know a lab in Kitchener, we came home and first went to the lab for Matt’s blood test (they close at 3) and then on to get my X-rays. All done by about 3:30. I was now worrying because we didn’t have the cell phone and I had promised to visit a friend as it was her birthday. Finally got to call her from home and apologize for not dropping by. We had a quick, and early supper and off to another elections training session. We have now decided to swap jobs and Matt will be the Information Assistant (meeter and greeter) and I will be the Revision Assistant. Caused a bit of confusion, but we sorted it out in the end. Finally got home about 9 to collapse in heaps.

For those of you who might be taking part in the Provincial elections, by the way, you do NOT have to show photo i.d. this year – I think that’s ridiculous, but who am I?

Re the doctor, I had a bad fall a week or two ago and may have given myself spinal stenosis because I fell on my coccyx jarring my spine badly. I have major pain in my neck, back and shoulders. Keep your fingers crossed for me.

Today its lunch at Benny’s in Waterloo and then the first bowling for our Travel League. This one takes place at our home bowling alley.

I am really annoyed with Amazon.com, we just bought their Kindle and now they have introduced a much better version as well as a cheaper version. Grrr. If you are interested, go to this page and you will find all their new Kindles  including the Kindle Fire which is apparently intended to compete with the iPad.

Carrot Cake

Source: © EatingWell Magazine

16 servings (by who’s count?)

An old favorite with an updated nutritional profile, but still as moist and delicious as ever.
INGREDIENTS

For the Cake:

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour (see Ingredient note)

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 large eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup nonfat buttermilk

1/2 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 20-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained, juice reserved

2 cups grated carrots (4-6 medium)

1/4 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

For the Frosting:

2 tablespoons coconut chips or flaked coconut

12 ounces reduced-fat cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Ingredient Note:
Whole-wheat pastry flour is milled from soft wheat. It contains less gluten than regular whole-wheat flour and helps ensure a tender result in delicate baked goods while providing the nutritional benefits of whole grains. Available in large supermarkets and in natural-foods stores. Store in the freezer.

DIRECTIONS

To prepare cake: Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Toast walnuts in a small baking pan in the oven until fragrant, 5 to 10 minutes.

Whisk flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Whisk eggs, sugar, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and 1/4 cup of the reserved pineapple juice in a large bowl until blended. Stir in pineapple, carrots and coconut. Add the dry ingredients and mix with a rubber spatula just until blended. Stir in the nuts. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly.

Bake the cake until the top springs back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 45 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare frosting & finish cake: Place coconut in a small baking pan and toast in the oven at 300 degrees F, stirring several times, until light golden, 5 to 10 minutes.

Beat cream cheese, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Spread the frosting over the cooled cake. Sprinkle with the coconut.

Have a great day

Prison Lunch, Training, Bowling.

Well, here’s a new one, trust the Brits. There is a restaurant called The Clink. So what, you may say, the what is that it is inside an actual prison in Surrey, England, the chefs, staff and waiters are all prisoners. It says a Category B prison, not sure what that is, but presumably a pretty minimum security place. So I Googled, I quote

• Category B prisoners are those who do not require maximum security, but for whom escape needs to be made very difficult

For more information, especially if you live in the UK, go to http://www.theclinkcharity.com/ Do read the menus, they look delicious and feature things we can’t get in Canada which makes me want to try it out. I do hope the staff keep a good eye on what actually goes into the food.

My training went well yesterday, there are a couple of changes to things we did last time, but nothing major. They are now quite concerned about accessibility in polling stations principally because one wheelchair bound guy in Québec complained to them because he had a lot of difficulty, next time he used the same polling station which had the same access problems for him so he decided to sue them. Why on earth didn’t they take notice the first time? Very shortsighted. A few extremely dumb questions were asked during the training session and they not only vote, they run the stations.

Today we are having our last Travel League get together for the winter Bowling League. We are going to try a different restaurant which was recommended to me, its called Benny’s. I know nothing about it or what the food is like. Tomorrow we will find out. The Thai restaurant we had been going to was not popular with the whole group so although several of us really enjoyed it, we have to sacrifice to the will of the majority. If I don’t think too much of Benny’s, I will be back at the Thai restaurant next year.

Just for fun, I decided to include this recipe from BBC Food, I actually can’t imagine anyone making them unless they have lots of time and love to bake. Still, if you want to make something special to celebrate the Royal Wedding – here you are.

Union Jack Fondant Fancies Ingredients For the cake 175g/6oz unsalted butter, softened 175g/6oz caster sugar (same as our regular sugar in Canada) 3 free-range eggs, lightly beaten 175g/6oz self-raising flour (all purpose) 1-2 tbsp milk

For the syrup 50g/1¾oz caster sugar 50ml/2fl oz water ¼ tsp lemon essence

For the filling 150g/5½oz icing sugar 75g/2¾oz butter, softened 3-5 tbsp strawberry jam

For the topping 2 tbsp apricot jam, warmed gently, then passed through a sieve 250g/9oz marzipan 450g/1 lb fondant icing sugar red and blue food colouring

Preparation method 1. Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas 5. Grease and line a 20cm/8in square cake tin. 2. Beat together the butter and sugar in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, a little at a time, until well combined. (If the mixture looks like it is curdling add a spoonful of the flour.) Fold in the flour and add a little milk if the mixture looks stiff. 3. Spoon the cake batter into the cake tin and level using the back of a spoon. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until golden-brown and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. 4. Remove the cake from the oven, set aside to cool for 5 minutes, then turn out and allow to cool completely, upside down, on a wire rack. 5. Meanwhile, for the sugar syrup, heat the sugar and water in a saucepan until the sugar has dissolved. Stir in the lemon essence. 6. For the filling, beat the butter in a bowl until soft and smooth, slowly beat in the icing sugar. Continue to beat until fluffy. 7. Very carefully, using the longest knife you have, remove the dark crust from the top of the cake and turn the cake upside down. Then cut the cake in half horizontally. 8. Drizzle or brush the bottom cake layer with the sugar syrup and then spread with the buttercream. Top with the jam and carefully sandwich with the top half of the cake. 9. Wrap the cake in cling film and chill for 2-3 hours, this will make it easier to cut the cake later. 10. Lightly dust the work surface with icing sugar and roll out the marzipan to the same size as the cake. Once the cake is chilled, brush the top of the cake with the sieved apricot jam. Carefully lift the marzipan onto the cake, smooth it flat along the top of the cake and cut off any excess marzipan. Cut the cake into equal 25 x 4cm/1½in squares. 11. Sieve the fondant icing sugar into a small bowl and stir in enough hot water to make a smooth icing thick enough to coat the cakes. Reserving three tablespoons of the icing into two bowls, cover with cling film and set aside. 12. Coat the cake squares with the icing, easing the icing down the sides of the cakes until you have an even coating all over the cakes. Sit the cakes on a cooling rack until the icing is set. 13. Add a few drops of blue food colouring to one of the bowls of icing, mix to a smooth paste and spoon into a piping bag with a very fine nozzle. Repeat with the other bowl of icing using the red food colouring. 14. Use these two colours to pipe the union jack onto the fondant fancies. Be as simple or as intricate as you dare! Carefully remove the cakes from the rack and sit in paper cases.

Have a great day

Interview, Food Revolution, Training.

Yesterday, we listened to our granddaughter being interviewed with a couple of her stage friends. I was impressed with the interview, three youngsters in the 15 yr. age range, with all kinds of confidence speaking on BBC Radio Kent. They were talking about a new show they are due to perform quite soon. I didn’t catch the name of the show, I know her last one was Billy Elliot which is on in Toronto right now.

Last night we watched Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, his second week in LA. I cannot believe the school board will not let him in to the school kitchens in fact they were talking about calling the cops on him if he entered a school premises. Nor is he officially allowed to talk to the kids about their school lunches. What a crock of sh*t. As Jamie said, the Americans fought the Brits to obtain freedom and now the LASU are clamping down on the freedoms of students and parents in LA. Jamie is absolutely furious. He doesn’t do this for profit, he does it because he genuinely believes American school kids need help. There was one school kid, 17, in his class (he was eventually allowed to give a class but not to go into the school cafeteria) her sister got diabetes at 10, both her parents have diabetes, and she is just waiting for the axe to fall. Jamie promised to help where he could. It really is heart breaking to see these kids who need help in all kinds of ways and Jamie is not allowed to help with their school lunches. I do so wish I could assist although presumably by the end of this series of programmes something will have happened, give Jamie his due, he will fight tooth and nail for something he believes in.

Last night we went to the Elections Canada office for Matt to have training on being a Registration Officer. He ended up with a sheaf of paperwork including the forms he has to fill in. I figured it would be a good idea to go along so we can both remember what has to be done. My training is next Wednesday, I am going to be an Information Officer which is the same job I did last time and more or less remember what I had to do.

Well, how frustrating for me, I listened to the recording on BBC Radio Kent, in England, and just before the interview discovered that asparagus is already in the stores there because of the nice weather. I am beginning to receive more and more asparagus recipes as the annual favourite becomes freshly available in different areas. Ours is still not ready sadly.

Easy Creamy Baked Asparagus 

Kraft Kitchens

Serves 4

What You Need

1 lb. fresh asparagus spears, trimmed

1/4 cup KRAFT Peppercorn Ranch Dressing

2 Tbsp. KRAFT Shredded Parmesan Cheese

12 RITZ Crackers, coarsely crushed (about 1/2 cup)

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.

COOK asparagus in simmering water in large skillet 2 to 3 min. or until bright green, but still crisp; drain. Place in shallow baking dish

ADD dressing; toss to coat. Top with cheese and cracker crumbs.

BAKE 10 to 15 min. or until topping is lightly browned and asparagus is heated through.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Make Ahead

Prepare as directed except for baking; cover. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Remove from refrigerator 20 min. before baking. Bake, uncovered, at 350°F for 15 min. or until heated through.

Healthy Living

Save 6-1/2 grams of fat per serving by preparing with KRAFT FREE Ranch Dressing and RITZ Reduced Fat Crackers. You will save 40 calories, too.

Trimming Fresh Asparagus

Asparagus spears snap off naturally where they are tough. Simply bend the spear near the bottom end and it will break off at the right point. Or, remove an inch or so of the "woody" portion off the bottom of the stalks with a sharp knife.

Have a great day

 

Tornadoes, Dating, Elections, Inflation

In the news Monday morning, something like 240 tornados in the States, some of which took place in North Carolina which is not generally known for such weather. Sam Champion, the weather man on GMA, was in Sanford, NC which was badly damaged. We had no idea where that was, so looked it up. It was well away from the coastal areas where we have friends. Not that I don’t heartily sympathise with the people of Sanford, but it is always good to know one’s friends are safe. They really have had some bad storms in the States this last few days causing several deaths. A Lowe’s store was blown to bits but the staff managed to save everyone by hustling them to the back of the store. Another woman was delighted to find her puppies which had recently been born, she has now named them, Tornado, Lucky and Miracle. The storm chasers must have been happy they had lots of places to do their experiments etc.

I have always been leery of dating companies, there seem to be more and more of them advertising on TV every day. This morning a woman came forward on GMA and described how she had a date with a registered sex offender and she was going public because she wanted dating companies to do more about background checks on their clients. I know or have met two or three couples who met through a dating service, but I think I personally would be very reluctant to pursue such a course if I happened to need a new date. Of course if you meet someone out and about the same thing could happen to you I suppose. I have always believed, and advocated to single friends, the best thing to do is to join a club or society which interests you, in my case it was amateur dramatics first and then scuba diving second, and there you will make friends and this can often lead to marriage with someone compatible. The idea of dating total strangers is not a course I would ever pursue. This morning’s story just confirms my reluctance.

By the way, when we left to go bowling yesterday, it was snowing, not much, but it was still snow not rain. Grrrr. We got a little Easter gift from one of our friends at bowling, he always produces little bags of Candies for both Easter and Hallowe’en. A nice idea.

Today I have to have a mammogram and then tonight Matt gets training on his job as a registration officer for the elections on May 2. I thought I would go along and he could come with me for my training session so that we are both capable of helping each other out.

Headline this morning, Canada’s inflation rate has risen to 3.3% the highest since before the recession. It is all powered by the rises in gasoline prices which continue to go higher every day it seems. Gas is still cheaper in the States, but it doesn’t bode well for our vacation in September. Obviously this is going to affect our shopping prices and I don’t suppose anyone is going to give pensioner’s a raise.

Back to WebMD for today’s recipe. The picture made me feel hungry and as this is a healthy food, I might well give it a go some day soon. Doesn’t that picture make you feel hungry? For your information, we often do cook the recipes I give here, I just don’t always remember to mention it.

Chunky Vegetable Pot Pie

By Dana Treat WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

Adapted from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook – The Original Classics

Ingredients

1/2 medium (about 8 ounces) butternut squash, peeled and cut into ¾-inch cubes 1 small head celeriac, cut into ½-inch cubes 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thick 1-inch long matchsticks 1 cup cauliflower florets (from ½ of a cauliflower) 8 ounces Brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed and sliced lengthwise 1 medium beet, trimmed and scrubbed, cut into ½-inch cubes 2 parsnips, peeled and cut into thick 1-inch long matchsticks Olive oil Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 3 garlic cloves, minced 2 medium shallots, minced ½ cup dry white wine 1½ cups light vegetable stock 1 cup plus 2 tbsp. flour 2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon 3 tbsp. unsalted butter 1/2 cup milk 2 tbsp. freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch long matchsticks

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place squash, celeriac, carrots, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, beet and parsnips in a roasting pan. Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil; season with salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, stirring twice during the cooking. Remove; reduce oven to 375°F.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Add just enough olive oil to coat the bottom, then add the garlic and shallots; cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Raise the heat to high, and add the wine. Let the wine reduce by half, about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and simmer over medium-high heat for 5 minutes. Set aside.

Combine 1 cup flour, the baking powder, 2 tsp. tarragon, and a sprinkling of salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse in the butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the milk and Parmesan, process until combined, and set aside.

Transfer vegetables to a large bowl. Add zucchini and the remaining two tablespoons tarragon; toss to combine. Stir in the stock mixture; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a shallow ovenproof glass pie dish; bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and drop heaping tablespoons of the biscuit dough over the vegetables, leaving some of the vegetables exposed. Place the pie dish in the oven and bake until the biscuits are golden, about 25 minutes. Serve hot.

Total Servings: 6

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 291.4 Carbohydrates: 42.3 g Cholesterol: 17.8 mg Fat: 8.0 g Saturated Fat: 4.4 g Fiber: 5.1 g Sodium: 170.8 mg

Have a great day