Mandarin, Exercise Classes,

I did go to Mandarin today and gorged myself on dumplings, and 1,000 yr old egg. That was served in a Chinese soup spoon and seemed to be mostly tofu to me! But boy were there some good dumplings. I also tried spicy chocolate ice cream which was about as spicy as milk, but it was good chocolate ice cream. I bought Matt some egg rolls and chicken balls to have for supper. The restaurant have said he can have a rain cheque and book when he is OK again. I think there were more dumplings this year than I ever remember in previous years. I also had some of my favourite kelp salad and of course I started with Hot and Sour Soup.

 I am not sure when the New Years Dumpling festival ends, but I will have to make sure I go back before the end. These pix are only 3 of the many they had on offer today.

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I go to exercise classes. I bumped into another English woman who lives in the building, I have known her casually for a while. I didn't really know she lost her husband a year ago. She was sitting in the lobby and said she did so for a change of scene. She was obviously lonely. I suggested she come to classes with me and I am pleased to say she has agreed to come tomorrow. I think she will enjoy it even if she can't do a lot. Many can't at the beginning and end up doing a lot more than they expect, after a while. Not only that there is the camaraderie of the women who participate. We have quite a bit of  fun as well as doing ourselves some good. Maybe I should email our instructor and warn him there is another Limey coming to class. I think I might go bowling after class and I think Matt might come with me!! Not to bowl but just to accompany me. I checked with the alley about my status after missing Monday. I had bowl aheads in the system so apparently only dropped one point on my average. Unfortunately that means there are two of us at the same average. Gotta do something about that. However, I learned my team took 7 out of 9 points which is good.

After being at the Mandarin, I went shopping and tried to be more controlled and shop thinking of what we needed and not what I/we wanted. I did pretty well. Spent less than I expected. I heard this advice on TV a week ago - a woman was saving a lot on groceries by buying what she needed and not what she wanted. I fell by the wayside buying myself a couple of artichokes, I do enjoy them and they are not always available. I didn't buy one thing I needed and then realised I had enough points I wouldn't have to pay for it anyway. Duuh.

I used to love salad sandwiches but mine were not as ornate as this one. Sounds pretty good though.

Green Goddess Crunch Sandwich

Think of this as a salad sandwiched between two slices of bread.

¼ cup finely chopped chives
¼ cup mayonnaise
¼ cup tarragon
¼ cup whole-milk Greek yogurt
1 lemon, halved
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
½ head of butter or Bibb lettuce (about 2 ounces), large leaves torn
¼ English hothouse cucumber, thinly sliced
1 avocado, thinly sliced
4 slices grainy bread
8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced ¼ inch thick
2 cups sprouts (such as broccoli sprouts or alfalfa)

1. Place chives, mayonnaise, tarragon, and yogurt in a blender. Add zest and juice of 1 lemon half, then add 2 Tbsp. oil; season with salt and pepper. Purée until smooth.

2. Squeeze juice from remaining lemon half over lettuce and cucumbers in a medium bowl. Drizzle with oil; season with salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

3. Divide and smash avocado between 2 slices of bread; season with salt and pepper. Arrange lettuce and cucumbers over. Top with mozzarella and sprouts. Spread remaining 2 slices of bread with ¼ cup green goddess dressing and close sandwiches.

Servings: 2

Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day
 

Election, As We Know It, Earthquakes, Exercise Class

I had to leave the room on Wednesday evening because the news programme Matt was watching was all about the upcoming debate. Save me please. I cannot believe this is an election more like a fight between school children.

I am currently proofing As We Know It, the book by Carrie Butler. I haven't got too far yet, but it is quite a story. Based on a disaster which could happen, its background is an earthquake. I think most of us are pretty scared by quakes although I have a cousin in the San Francisco who has been thrown out of bed by earthquakes and seems relatively unconcerned. Maybe if you live in that area, or any other prone to such possible disasters, you live in a state of denial. I have gone through two mild tremors since I have lived in Canada and I wasn't happy about that. Having lived the first 37 years of my life in England I assumed it was a safe area. I was horrified to discover that in fact there have been earthquakes in England, one of which destroyed the Lincoln Cathedral. Way before my time, but....  I assume nowhere is really safe.

Wednesday was exercise class which for some reason I didn't want to go to, however, I am glad I did. Feels much better after. Not many of us there though, unusual. On Good Morning America they showed exercise classes anyone could do, not they couldn't, some of them were on the ground. A lot of us oldsters have difficulty getting on the ground and even more difficulty getting up.

I may have mentioned that I love carrot cake! Couldn't resist this  recipe.

BA’s Best Carrot Cake

This is the only carrot cake recipe you’ll ever need. This is part of BA's Best, a collection of our essential recipes.

Cake
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
½ cup golden raisins (optional)
3 Tbs dark rum (optional)
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 lb carrots, peeled, coarsely grated
1 cup buttermilk, room temperature
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp freshly grated nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
¾ tsp baking soda
4 large eggs, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup vegetable oil

Frosting And Assembly
12 oz cream cheese, room temperature
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
Generous pinch of kosher salt
4 cups powdered sugar
Candied Carrot Coins (optional)

1. Cake

2. Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat two 9"-diameter cake pans with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment paper rounds; lightly coat rounds with nonstick spray. If using raisins and rum, heat together in a small saucepan over low just until warm, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit until liquid is absorbed and raisins are plump, 15–20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, toast walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes; let cool. Combine carrots and buttermilk in a medium bowl.

4. Whisk flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat eggs, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla extract until pale and thick, about 4 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually stream in oil. Add dry ingredients in 3 additions, alternating with carrot mixture in 2 additions, beginning and ending with dry ingredients; mix until smooth. Fold in raisins, if using, and walnuts with a rubber spatula. Scrape batter into prepared pans.

5. Bake cakes, rotating pans halfway through, until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 35–45 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack and let cakes cool 10 minutes. Run a knife around sides of cakes and invert onto wire rack; remove parchment. Let cool completely.

6. Frosting And Assembly

7. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl until smooth, about 1 minute. Beat in vanilla extract and salt. Reduce speed to low and gradually mix in powdered sugar. Increase speed to high and beat frosting until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.

8. Place 1 cake, domed side down, on a platter. Spread ¾ cup frosting evenly over top. Place remaining cake, domed side down, on top. Spread top and sides with 1¼ cups frosting and chill 30 minutes to let frosting set. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides, swirling decoratively. Top with Candied Carrot Coins, if desired.

Servings: 12

Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day
 

Snow, Exercises. Social Media.

Whatever it did on Tuesday night in the end, it has been snowing most of the day today, Wednesday. I think the streets were not too bad but as I never poked my nose out of doors, I don’t know. Matt was out at 7 a.m. when he goes shopping but it wasn’t doing much at that time. I don’t think there’s enough of the stuff to give us a white Christmas. Not yet anyway. I seem to think we had a green Christmas last year although the remainder of the winter made up for that lapse. By the end of it everyone was complaining. Had to post my favourite snow rabbit pic.

Went for my in house exercises again, my legs were hurting even though we ere sitting down for some of the time. One lady keeps on about being 93 and I keep wanting to say “I bowl with people your age”. I was told I was a youngster by one of the women who is 85. To her, I guess I am. We have been collecting for a present for the regular instructor and I am told we have $40. They are talking about a box of chocolates, that’s going to be one hell of a box full.

My mother had a close friend (best friend maybe) for many years from her early days in Birmingham, England. I remember Aunty Nella very well from when I was a child and remember the Shirley Temple dress and the Snow White Cloak that was provided for me, I think my mother bought the dress and Nella gave me the gorgeous blue cloak. At the time she had a son called Richard and we were very good friends too. Eventually everyone moved away in one direction or another, I sent Christmas cards for many years, but didn’t get any responses. Then, tonight, (Wednesday) I got a Facebook friend request from her daughter, Rosemary. Not quite sure how she knew me although she has a photo of me at 12 and a video of my first wedding. But the latter was 52 years ago. Unfortunately both our mothers are no longer with us although Nella didn’t die til 2007 at 96 years old, a very good age. I was sorry to hear that Richard, too, had died of colon cancer. I think this is a picture of Richard and I. Rosemary is going to send me a copy of the pic she has, once she has got someone to upload it for her. It turns out she is 10 years younger than I. Isn't social media wonderful.

I have made Pavlovas in the past, but this one sounds absolutely wonderful. I would have to leave out the grapefruit because of pills unfortunately, I love grapefruit. I have left the time in as I don’t want anyone caught out by not realising there is such a long cooling time.

Ambrosia Pavlova

Contributed by Ben Mims to Food & Wine

• ACTIVE: 30 MIN
• TOTAL TIME: 1 HR 30 MIN Plus 4 hours cooling
• SERVINGS: 8

Here, F&W’s Ben Mims transforms the classic ambrosia salad recipes from his childhood into an incredibly delicate dessert topped with an orange-infused coconut milk whipped cream.
 

Pineapple Curd

1. 1/4 cup sugar
2. 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3. Grated zest of 1 lemon
4. 1 large egg yolk
5. 1/4 cup fresh pineapple juice
6. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Meringue

1. 1/4 cup cornstarch
2. 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
3. 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
4. 1 teaspoon kosher salt
5. 2 cups sugar
6. 8 large egg whites, at room temperature
7. 1 cup very finely ground pistachios, toasted and cooled

Topping

1. 1/4 cup sugar
2. Grated zest of 2 oranges
3. 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
4. 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
5. 1 cup cold heavy cream
6. 1 orange, peeled of its pith and cut into segments
7. 1 grapefruit, peeled of its pith and cut into segments
8. 1/2 cup candied cherries in syrup, such as Amarena Fabbri
9. Large dried coconut shavings, julienned lime zest and chopped pistachios, for serving

1. MAKE THE PINEAPPLE CURD In a small saucepan, whisk together the sugar, salt, lemon zest, and egg yolk until smooth. Add the pineapple juice and butter and stir until smooth. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly. Once it begins to simmer, continue to cook and stir the curd until it is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
2. MAKE THE MERINGUE Heat the oven to 350°. In a small bowl, stir together the cornstarch, vinegar, vanilla, and salt until a thick paste forms. Put the sugar and egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and mix on low speed until smooth. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until soft peaks form. Add the cornstarch paste to the beating egg whites and continue to beat until very stiff and glossy peaks form, about 5 minutes. Add the pistachios and, using a rubber spatula, very gently fold until evenly incorporated.
3. Trace a 9-inch circle onto a sheet of parchment paper. Flip the sheet over and transfer it to a baking sheet; spray lightly with baking spray. Pile the meringue in the center of the circle and, using an offset spatula or small rubber spatula, form it into a 9-inch disk, smoothing the top and sides. Transfer to the oven and immediately lower the oven temperature to 215°. Bake until the meringue is dried on the outside and looks set, about 1 1/2 hours. Without opening the door, turn the oven off and let the meringue sit inside until completely cooled, at least 4 hours. (The cooling process allows the meringue to dry and cool slowly enough so that it doesn’t collapse on itself.) Once cooled, gently tip the meringue onto its side and peel away the parchment paper. Carefully place the meringue on a flat cake stand or serving platter.
4. WHEN READY TO SERVE, MAKE THE WHIPPED CREAM In a food processor, combine the sugar, orange zest, salt, and coconut milk in a food processor and process until the sugar is dissolved and the zest heavily perfumes the coconut milk. Pour into a large bowl, add the cream, and whisk until stiff peaks form. Pile the whipped cream onto the center of the meringue and gently nudge it to the edge of the meringue, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch border.
5. Arrange the orange and grapefruit segments on the cream and then drizzle with some of the pineapple curd. Dot the top with cherries, coconut, lime zest, and more chopped pistachios and serve immediately.

Have a great day.