New Canadian $10 Bill, Barrie's, A/C, Fireworks,

I was just handed a new $10 bill, the picture is of Viola Desmond. In the first place the bill is vertical which I had never seen before and in the second I had never heard of Viola Desmond. Turns out she was a black Canadian in the Maritime Provinces. She was a business woman and had founded her own cosmetic school for black women. Her car broke down and whilst it was being repaired, she went to the movies. The rest is history.

As I said, I decided to go to Barrie's for one more lot of asparagus. So, we set off at about 2 and it was a beautiful day, 30°C, so thank goodness for A/C. A nice drive with a lot of trees in their nice fresh greenery. Especially the last bit where the farm is. They had some nice local strawberries too so I got some. We ate them for supper, they were delicious. Tomorrow night I am planning to cook the two huge Portabellas they sent from the grocery store. I said 4 small or 2 large and boy did I ever get large. Biggest I have seen in years. Ladydog is coming at lunchtime so we will be eating Subs and I figured we could therefore have the mushrooms at supper as well as the store strawberries which will not be nearly as good as those we have had the last two days.

Talking about A/C in the car, reminds me of when we first went down to the States for a  trip. Many years ago, the temps were up in the 30°s and at that time we didn't have air conditioning. I remember stopping at one rest stop where they had cantaloupe in a cooler. Delicious and refreshing. I think that was the same year we ended up driving through New Jersey on the turnpike and it was a choice between keeping the windows closed and sweltering or opening them and smelling all fumes from the trucks surrounding us.

Right now, whilst I am writing this, there are fireworks going off all around. I guess there are no big organised fireworks today so people have been doing their best at home. Fireworks cost a lot of money and I think a fair amount of money has been going up in smoke during the last half hour or so. There are some which are really pretty. Like a sparkler but in the air. There are, of course, lots of loud bangs.

I posted this a couple of years ago and still haven't tried it. Looks so good too.

Bread Bowl Lazy Quiche

1 8-9 inch  round sourdough boule, top sliced off and hollowed out, leaving about 1/2 inch of bread.
6 eggs
1 1/4 cup whole milk
3/4 cup half and half
1 1/2 cups filling (I like chopped spinach, onion and cubed ham)
Salt and pepper
8 oz of cheese slices (I use smoked gouda, Havarti, or muenster because they mould well and don’t crack)

1. Heat your oven to 375°F. Place your round of hollowed bread on a cooking sheet. Line the bread bowl with the slices of cheese, overlapping slightly. I do the sides first by draping the cheese down the side and onto the bottom, and then cover the bottom to seal the whole thing in.

2. Sprinkle your fillings evenly over the bottom. Mix the milk, half and half and eggs well, seasoning with salt and pepper to your taste. If your fillings or cheese are salty, go lighter on the salt. Pour the seasoned custard over the fillings then bake 30-40 minutes until the top is browned, and there is just the barest jiggle in the middle when you tap the baking sheet.

3. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Serve hot, warm or room temperature.

 Source: Extra Crispy

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Sleepless but not in Seattle, Delivery, Hair, Fireworks, Chinese,

I don't understand why some nights one just cannot get to sleep. Happened to me Saturday night and I was still tossing around at 3 a.m. with the result that I was really tired on Sunday. Luckily I had already arranged for Chinese food to be delivered for supper on Sunday so I could relax a bit. I used the same restaurant as our gift came from a couple of weeks or so ago. I am really looking forward to the day Mandarin opens again.

Talking of opening, I am now worrying about our hairdresser, I wonder if she will be able to re-open when this is all over. Hers is a fairly small and also fairly new business. Just the sort of business that is going under right now. I have managed to cut my hair reasonably well, well I ain't going nowhere!! Matt, however, will NOT let me cut his, I don't know why, he never would let me cut it, so it's not something new.

Of course, tomorrow, Monday, is Victoria Day (Queen Victoria) so some people were letting off fireworks on Saturday night. Not sure if they were doing so in Victoria Park which is where they often have big displays, but we could certainly hear the local ones. Didn't hear any fireworks Sunday night, mind you it has been dull and cloudy all day.

I ordered a Chinese meal for us from the same restaurant as our gift meal was sent. It was very enjoyable and I have a few noodles left for lunch. I have one complaint, I ordered spicy and what I got had a touch, but only a touch, of spicy but didn't qualify for that designation.

This is a new recipe from Kevin Lynch. He lives in Toronto, I wonder where he is buying his asparagus?

Orange Sesame Roast Asparagus

1 lb asparagus, trimmed
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs oil
1/4 cup orange sesame ginger vinaigrette
1 Tbs toasted sesame seeds

1. Toss the asparagus in the oil, salt and pepper, lay in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 400F/200C oven until they start to caramelize, about 15-20 minutes, mixing half way through.

2. Toss the asparagus in the dressing and sesame seeds and enjoy!

Servings: 4

Author: Kevin Lynch
Source: Closet Cooking


Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

British Pubs, Fireworks, Pavlova, Asparagus, Movie,

As an expat Brit, I was interested in this bit of trivia. The number of pubs in Britain peaked at 40,840 in 2002 and steadily decreased to 22,840 by 2018.  Particularly as the pub  was a mecca for us Brits at one time but appears not to be any more. It may be because drinking and driving has largely been wiped out. Matt and I never drink in restaurants any more but do our drinking at home. Mind you many pubs in the  UK are in walking distance of their patrons, maybe those are the ones which have survived. I would like to see a similar statistic on the fish and chip shops which were once a great staple of the British diet but which, I understand, have given way to Indian take outs.

As I sit here typing, I can hear fireworks popping off all around. Poor animals. Second night in a row too. Not only I am sorry for the dogs and cats etc. but for all the other wild animals who must be frightened to death by the noise. Yes, I know they are pretty, and I  used to enjoy them as much as the next person, but having seen at least one of my dogs terrified of the noise, it made me stop and think.

I made my first Pavlova of the summer this year. Strawberries. I prefer them with raspberries but local ones are not around yet. This picture is from 2005. I didn't realise I had been making them that long even if I cheat and don't make the meringue these days.

Went to the asparagus farm on Saturday and got my very last batch for this year. I have a stack of it frozen plus the pickled asparagus which I canned. Don't suppose it will last me mind you. A  year is a heck of a long time. Next thing is fresh corn. I have to buy it at the store as it isn't worth driving a long way for a couple of ears. Matt is not into corn unfortunately. Now ladydog and her husband are nutty about it.

I just watched The Big Heat, a 1953 movie. Funny to see Lee Marvin looking so young. I recognised Gloria Grahame too and couldn't think where from but traced it to Ado Annie in Oklahoma. She said some words in both movies which caused me to recognise her at the beginning. I enjoyed the movie - Glenn Ford was the lead.

I love Endive. I am not sure why it is known as Belgian Endive, but however it is known, it is great served like this.

Stuffed Belgian Endive

6 oz (150 g) goat cheese
3 Tbs (45 ml) milk
1 scallion (green and white part), finely chopped
2 Tbs (30 ml) finely chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped walnuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 large heads Belgian endive (French endive, witloof) leaves separated

Combine the goat cheese, milk, scallion, parsley, garlic, and walnuts in a bowl and beat with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Spoon or pipe the cheese mixture onto the individual endive leaves.

Serves 4 to 6 as a first course, 8 to 12 as an hors d'oeuvre.

Source: WW Recipes

Have a great day
 

Fireworks, Victoria Day, Anaesthetist, Shopping Help,

Saturday, I heard a loud bang and wondered what the hell it was, later I heard another and thought it was a shot. thought about calling the cops. Later, I realised, it is a holiday weekend, Victoria Day. Fireworks!!! As I write this at 10:30 on Saturday night, they have been banging away for ages and that is the private ones, not the organised displays. Sunday it is raining now although it has been dull but warm all day. So much for firework displays if there are any tonight. I thought people would get a grin out of my Sparkling Wine picture on Sunday indicating all was well and I would be drinking fizz as usual. Not sure people "got it". Monday is actually Victoria Day.

Tuesday I have to phone the anaesthetist about Matt's upcoming hospital visit. Need to schedule a

visit with him/her. Then I have to book rides for both days plus I have a ride booked at 11:45 to get my groceries. First time I have been able to get grocery assistance. It's getting it upstairs which is the problem. Yes, we have a small shopping trolley, but that full and handling a cane as well is hard on my legs in particular. Ours, which we have had around 18 years, only has two wheels. I just saw the price they are today, this one is $76. That is horrendous. I was thinking about getting a new one. Just changed my mind.

Just came across this - forgotten I had it. Never tried Knorr packet sauces, but anything else of theirs is good so I should get some. Hopefully one can split the packet up or freeze the rest.

Roasted Salmon and Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

4 Tbs (60 mL) oil, divided
8 salmon fillets (about
2 lbs/ 1 kg)
2 lbs (1 kg) asparagus, trimmed
1 package Knorr® Hollandaise Classic Sauce Mix

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets each with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil.

2. Arrange salmon on 1 prepared pan and asparagus on the other. Drizzle asparagus with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil and toss to coat; brush salmon with remaining 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil and season, if desired, with salt and black pepper.

3. Roast 12 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork and asparagus are crisp-tender.

4. Meanwhile, prepare Knorr® Hollandaise Classic Sauce Mix according to package directions.

5. To serve, arrange asparagus on platter; top with salmon and drizzle with sauce.

Servings: 8

Tips
TIP: For a zesty twist to your Hollandaise Sauce, stir in 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Dijon or whole grain mustard.

TIP: The salmon and asparagus are also delicious grilled instead of roasted

Source: Knorr

Have a great day
 

Fireworks, Bowling, Cleaner, Medical Marijuana,

I know at least one person who did not like the fireworks on the 4th. Apparently someone (a neighbour?) chucked fireworks in the garbage and set their house on fire. Amazing how stupid people can be. I was surprised to read recently that more accidents are caused by sparklers. I thought those were supposed to be pretty harmless, obviously not.

Bowling was not a success today, both of us were hurting and neither of us were bowling worth a damn. I was getting 190s on Wednesday and 128 on Thursday!!! It started to rain later in the afternoon not much, but I wondered if it was the pressure change which was making us hurt more.

Our cleaner came today, another client had requested a swap. She showed me pix of herself in an obstacle race. Oh to be that fit. She is considerably younger than I am of course. She was proud she had kept up with a group of friends who were all somewhat younger than her. If it had been me I would have been proud to keep up with a 90 yr. old. My cleaner also took away the kaput toaster oven for me to get rid of it. Nice of her. Don't tell her I said that mind you. I have finally got round to making an appointment with the cannabis lab next week. Gotta do something about this pain.

Friday I am thinking of doing the filling for my egg rolls which I plan to have on Saturday. Will have to see how it goes. This is a long recipe but there are lots of options and advice plus I am not sure I will bother with the sauce, never have it in the restaurant. Of course I won't be frying them in the accepted sense of the word but doing them in the air fryer.

Spring Rolls! (aka Egg Rolls)

Homemade spring rolls are nothing like the ones at suburban Chinese takeout joints with unidentifiable mushy fillings and overly greasy. These are delicately crispy and golden, just like they should be, and you will actually be able to taste the filling. ?? Watch the VIDEO below for the

wrapping technique. Fry them for the best results, or bake them (Note 5). Also see Note 7 for explanation of terminology differences re: Egg Rolls and Spring Rolls! Feel free to sub the Filling ingredients with similar vegetables.

Filling:
1 Tbs oil
2 garlic cloves , finely chopped or minced
13 oz pork mince (ground pork), or chicken or turkey
6 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in boiling water OR 8 fresh (Note 1)
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot (1 large or 2 small)
1 1/2 cups (heaped) bean sprouts
1 1/2 cups (packed) shredded green cabbage (any type is fine)
1 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
1 1/2 Tbs Oyster Sauce
2 tsp soy sauce (light or all purpose is best, dark is also ok)

Spring Rolls:
15-20 spring roll wrappers, defrosted (21.5 cm / 8” squares) OR 35 - 40 small spring roll wrappers (Note 2), or Egg Roll wrappers to make Egg Rolls (Note 6)
2 tsp cornflour (for sealing rolls)
1 Tbs water (for sealing rolls)
Oil for frying (I use vegetable) OR oil spray for baking (I use canola)
Sweet and Sour Sauce (makes ~ 2/3 cup):
2 tsp cornflour/ cornstarch
2 Tbs water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar (adjust to taste)
2 Tbs tomato ketchup
2 tsp soy sauce

1. FILLING:

2. Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add garlic, stir quickly, then add pork. Cook, breaking it up as you go, until it turns white.

3. Add carrot, bean sprouts, cabbage and mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add cornflour, soy sauce and Oyster sauce, cook for 1 minute until the liquid is gone. The Filling should not be watery, it should be kind of sticky (watery filling = soggy spring rolls = ?? ).

4. Cool Filling (super speedy: spread on tray, refrigerate 5 minutes). (Hot filling = spring rolls burst open = ?? )

5. SPRING ROLL:

6. Mix cornflour and water in a small bowl (for sealing the rolls).

7. Carefully peel off one spring roll wrapper, keep the others covered under a damp tea towel.

8. Place the wrapper with the SMOOTH SIDE DOWN (Note 3) in a diamond position. Place a very heaped dessert spoon of filling on the bottom. Roll up halfway, fold sides in, then finish rolling. Use cornflour sludge to seal. They should be about 5" long, 1" wide once wrapped.

9. Pour enough oil in a wok or large saucepan (Note 4) so it is double the height of the spring rolls. Heat on medium high until hot - stick a bamboo chopstick or wooden spoon handle in, if rapid bubbles appear, then it's hot enough.

10. Carefully place spring rolls in the oil (about 4 - 5 at a time) and cook, turning occasionally, until deep golden - around 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

11. Repeat with remaining spring rolls. Serve while hot with Sweet and Sour Sauce!

12. BAKING option:

13. Place spring rolls on a rack and place the rack on a tray. Spray very generously with oil all over (use canola or other natural oil). Bake at 200C/400F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan / convection) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and crispy - no need to turn.

14. SWEET and SOUR SAUCE:

15. Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer, stirring regularly, then simmer until it thickens to taste (about 3 - 5 minutes).

16. Recipe Notes

17. Shitaake Mushrooms: Soak dried mushrooms in plenty of boiled water for 20 minutes or until rehydrated (don’t do this step if using fresh mushrooms). Drain, squeeze excess water out of the mushrooms (like they are a sponge), then finely chop.

18. Dried Shitaake mushrooms are available at Asian grocery stores and in the Asian section of some supermarkets. They are whole dried mushrooms and, like porcini mushrooms, the mushroom flavour is more intense so it brings a great savouriness (“umami”) to anything it is added to.

19. If you make this with fresh mushrooms instead, finely chop them and add them before the carrot to give them a head start on the cooking, to ensure all the moisture inside cooks out (because wet filling = spring rolls burst open).

20. You can get spring roll wrappers at the supermarkets. Frozen section, Spring roll wrappers are made of wheat. You can also make this with rice paper spring roll wrappers (that are used to make things like Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls) but will need to be soaked first before wrapping, and the spring roll will come out crispy with a bubbly surface and kind of see through.

21. Look closely at the wrapper and you’ll notice one side is slightly rough, one side is smoother. You want the smooth side on the outside of the spring roll – looks prettier. Not a deal killer. ??

22. Because of the shape of woks, the oil usage is more efficient than using a saucepan or skillet. i.e. With a wok, there is more surface area with less oil usage.

23. FRYING vs BAKING: they look very similar! Frying makes spring rolls that are more delicate, crispy and flaky as they should be. With baking, the wrapper is still very crispy, but it is not quite the same delicate flaky texture. Also with baking, the wrapper flavour is slightly more dominant. Tip for baking is to SPRAY VERY WELL with oil!! If you don't use a rack, then turn the spring rolls at about 15 minutes.

24. MAKE AHEAD / FREEZING: Freeze before cooking them cook from frozen. Best to serve freshly cooked so don't try to store cooked ones. ??

25. EGG ROLLS vs SPRING ROLLS: Egg Rolls are an American-Chinese dish, they are not found in Asia. Fundamentally, they are the same - flaky, crispy pastry enclosed around a filling. Use Spring Roll Wrappers to make spring rolls, and Egg Roll Wrappers to make egg rolls (and make them larger, if you want).

26. Egg Rolls are typically larger than spring rolls found in Asia and the rest of the world (no surprises there! ??) The pastry for spring rolls tends to be thinner and a bit more see through, so it's got a more delicate flaky wrapper. The wrappers for egg rolls are typically thicker and therefore oilier. BUT having said that, I have ordered Egg Rolls numerous times in the US and they were spring rolls.

27. I prefer Spring Rolls. The wrapper is more delicate, flakier and doesn't absorb as much oil - an all round better eating experience! Plus they are a good size - I find that most Egg Rolls are too large i.e. too much filling, falls out too easily.


Yield: 15 - 20

Author: Nagi



Have a great day
 

4th July, Fireworks, Canada

Right now it is Monday night and there have been no fireworks whatsoever. We heard quite a few last night but I didn't think it was nearly enough for the two big areas that have displays which are basically on either side of us although we can't really see the fireworks from our windows. There are lots of other fireworks let off in the area which we can see however. In recently years I have become anti fireworks because of the fear they cause in animals and I am not just talking about domestic pets but all the wild animals in the area. Squirrels and birds to name a few and I wouldn't mind betting there are one or two foxes around here too. Plus a number of other wild animals I am not clever enough to name. In the States you will be having your own banging Tuesday night. I wish you all a Happy day. I was wrong, there are some fireworks now, it is gone 11 p.m.

We will kind of be celebrating too because we are meeting a friend at the Mandarin. In fact for the whole month of July they are celebrating our 150th birthday by serving what they consider typical Canadian foods including the dreaded Poutine - sorry but it does NOT appeal to me. However, the bacon dipped in chocolate does appeal to me. There will also be salmon cooked with Maple syrup to name another food they are serving. There are others, but I don't remember them all right now. I will say, they do a very good salmon at the Mandarin, I often have it even if I don't think it is very Oriental.

We watched an interesting programme tonight about being Canadian and how others perceive us. It was quite funny in places, but it is true many people south of the border haven't a clue about the country at all.  We are the second biggest country in the world for a start. They say we are very polite, I don't think that's very true personally, but what do I know, I am only an import even though I have been here for 42 years. They were asking non Canadians the name of our capital city and some gave Province names.

Gotta do a Maple Salmon recipe now don't I?

Maple Salmon

"This is the best and most delicious salmon recipe, and very easy to prepare. I love maple in everything and put this together one night. My husband totally loved it; he did not like salmon that much until he had this."

1/4 cup maple syrup
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp garlic salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 lb salmon

1. In a small bowl, mix the maple syrup, soy sauce, garlic, garlic salt, and pepper.

2. Place salmon in a shallow glass baking dish, and coat with the maple syrup mixture. Cover the dish, and marinate salmon in the refrigerator 30 minutes, turning once.

3. Preheat oven to 400°F (200° C).

4. Place the baking dish in the preheated oven, and bake salmon uncovered 20 minutes, or until easily flaked with a fork.

Servings: 4

Author: STARFLOWER
Source: Allrecipes Magazine

Have a great day
 

Spring, Victoria Day, Fireworks,

I think spring has finally sprung. The sunlight was more visible than it appears in the picture.

Today is a holiday here. Victoria Day or often called May 24th weekend although it doesn't always fall on the 24th. On Saturday morning we received a notice saying the workers were going to start on the balconies (about time) on Tuesday and we should stay off the balconies and keep our windows closed during their working hours. That could prove to be a bit of a pain and might necessitate using air conditioners when not really necessary if it gets warm and apartments do tend to warm up faster than a house would.  I suppose the reasoning is the dust so then I wonder will the air conditioner bring in the dust anyway. Never ending problem it seems.

We have had a quiet weekend, holidays don't mean a lot when you are retired I'm afraid.  On Sunday our cleaners came to pick up my treadmill which, encouraged by Matt, I had given them. Bit of a monster but they got it out of the apartment without too much problem. As I am typing this, by the way, it is Sunday night and the fireworks have been going on for some time. I think they held the official ones in the parks  However we have heard fireworks on both Friday and Saturday and will probably hear more tomorrow. I have said before, I feel so very sorry for the animals, both wild and domesticated. I have jumped a couple of times myself because bangers have been let off close to us.When I was younger I used to enjoy fireworks with unfettered pleasure, but nowadays I no longer feel that way. I do agree, they can be beautiful to watch but our pleasure means fear for many animals and birds.

I have never tried this recipe, not sure if I can get sole round here anywhere, but I have never seen it. I imagine flounder would do just as well.

SOLE WITH ASPARAGUS

1 lb Asparagus
1 lb Sole fillets (4 pieces approximately the same size)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Grated lemon or lime peel
4 Tbs Lemon or lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/8 tsp Black pepper
1 Tbs Chives, finely chopped
1 tsp Your favorite mildly flavored mustard

1. Cut asparagus into 3 inch lengths. Cook in 2-quart saucepan in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, drain. Set aside.

2. Season the skin side of the sole fillets with salt and lemon or lime peel.

3. Place asparagus spears at one end of each fillet.

4. Roll up fillets with asparagus spears inside and secure with plain round toothpicks.

5. Place in a 2-quart oven-save casserole dish liberally sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

6. In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients and pour over fish.

7. Bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

8. Baste fish every 7 minutes.

Servings: 4

Source: Produce for Better Health

Have a great day
 

Rabbiting On, Fireworks.

Matt actually had two pretty good games at bowling on Thursday, the first game wasn't much good, but he made up for it afterwards. Meanwhile I didn't bowl so good. It really is an up and down game. You can knock 'em dead one minute and fall flat on your rear end the next. Would you guess our bowling days are our two favourite days of the week? If we could afford it I think we would bowl most days although I would miss my exercise classes which are fun and where I get to chat with friends who live in the same building. Most of the are a lot older than me which makes me feel good.

I started using a different Avon cream this morning which is supposed to be a new and extra good cream for sun tan protection plus moisturizing and reducing wrinkles. I got Matt to take a picture of my face so I can see if it is doing anything in a week or two. The close ups he took are absolutely horrid. I was quite sure I didn't have that many wrinkles, was I wrong. I guess when I look in the mirror I am wearing rose coloured glasses or something. Quite a shock. Mind you when people say I don't look my age, how old do people my age look? And no, I am not sharing the pictures with you. The one on this page is quite good enough LOL. It is relatively recent.

Several bloggers have been complaining about fireworks lately. In the news today there are stories of at least two top athletes who have damaged their hands so badly with fireworks that they may not be able to fulfill their contracts. Don't people know how dangerous they are apart from the nuisance factor? I remember many years ago, in England, a guy who was in charge of letting of fireworks at the yacht club, ended up being chased by a rocket. We all though it was funny at the time, but if it had hit him, he could have been badly injured.

This is a unusual recipe which appealed to me. It says for 24 but I am thinking the recipe can be suitably reduced. The marinade wouldn't need to be reduced of course.

Pepper Steaks in Wonton Cups 

 

Author: Michele @ Flavor Mosaic

Serves: 24

Ingredients

Marinade:

• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons Hoisin sauce
• 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoon sherry
• 2 teaspoon cornstarch
• 2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Wonton Cups

• 24 wonton wrappers
• Salt to taste
• cooking spray
• olive oil

Pepper Beef:

• 2 pounds (16 ounces) sirloin steak, sliced
• 2 ½ tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (or 1 teaspoon ground ginger)
• 1 green bell pepper, deseeded and cut into pieces
• 1 red bell pepper, deseeded and cut into pieces
• ½ onion, sliced
• 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• chopped green onions for garnish
• 
  

Instructions

1. Place all the marinade ingredients in a large zipped top plastic bag. Add the steak and marinate about 8 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
2. To make the wonton cups, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray two muffin tin pans with cooking spray. Brush each side of the wonton wrappers with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt. Place one wonton wrapper in each muffin tin. Each wrapper will overlap itself in the muffin tin and stick out over the top. Bake in a preheated oven for about 8 to 10 minutes until golden brown and crisp.
3. To make the pepper steak, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a skillet or wok over medium high heat.
4. Stir-fry the steak until is brown on the outside but pink on the inside. Remove and set aside.
5. Heat the remaining oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat. Cook the garlic and the ginger for about a minute, and then add the green bell pepper, red bell pepper, onion, and black pepper. Stir-fry for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent and both onions and peppers are softened.
6. Transfer the steak back into the wok or skillet. Stir-fry until the steak is cooked through and the center of the meat is no longer pink, about 2 minutes. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Have a great day
 

Splatter Cloth, Book, Fireworks, Movie

For my birthday last year I was given the gift of a microwave splatter cloth which, I might say, is a very handy little item. However, it has a secondary use which was not intended by the makers, it is great for covering an opened wine bottle to ensure those pesky little fruit flies don’t get into it. It is a mesh cloth with little weights round the edges (the red dots). Researching it I discover Amazon.com sell them.

I have now finished Ricochet by Sandra Brown and thoroughly enjoyed it. Its not a new book, not sure where my friend got his copy but I got mine from the library. If you like detective/crime stories this fits the bill. I did guess some of it but not all. There was a pretty good twist at the end. Only trouble its left me with no desire to start anything else at the moment so I am at a loose end. Maybe I’ll go watch a movie.

You know I never thought of this before, but in Canada this last weekend it was Victoria Day when we celebrate our Royal connections by letting off lots of bangers and rockets, etc. Many of us have pets, or had them, who were absolutely terrified of all the bangs and hisses. But apparently nobody thinks of the poor wild animals who may be equally terrified of what is happening. How very inconsiderate we humans are. I even condemn myself for never having thought of it before and I am unaware of anyone else who has. Unfortunately there are a large percentage of people who, even if it was brought to their attention, probably wouldn’t give a damn anyway. Especially those who are lighting fireworks well into the small hours.

Tomorrow night a friend and I are going to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which I have been looking forward to seeing for a while. Dame Judi Dench and Maggie Smith are in the movie and from the clips I have seen it should be a good film, unless, as has happened before, all the best bits were shown in the clips and the rest isn’t much cop. I do hope this isn’t the case. Its about a bunch of people who decide to take the inadequate pensions to a newly refurbished and considerably cheaper hotel in India. I honestly don’t see how a movie with those two ladies in it can possibly fail, I have always loved any performances they have previously given, so here’s hoping. I will obviously tell you all about it. My main post tomorrow will be as a guest post on Blogging A to Z. I hope you will check it out.

I am thinking I will make some potted shrimp this week, haven’t done so in a while, I really like them. I gave the recipe in my P is for Potted on the 18th of April. Matt and I both enjoy it. Unfortunately we can no longer get the little brown shrimp which were plentiful in England and the coasts of the Channel, they added a much better flavour. But regular shrimp work pretty well. I also need to make some more asparagus soup, we are supposed to have frozen it for later, but we have been eating it. Well its good. I need to go buy some more asparagus although I understand that is suffering from lack of rain.

Here is another asparagus recipe, simple to do, delightful to eat. The anchovies just give it a pleasant salty taste which is better than just using salt. Try it, you’ll like it. Just don’t try anchovies on their own, they are not very pleasant to eat like that.

Asparagus with Anchovies and Garlic

4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 Tbs minced garlic
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
2 bunches asparagus, tough ends trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 Tbs water
2 tsp anchovy paste or 1 anchovy fillet, minced

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and crushed red pepper and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Add asparagus, water and anchovy; cook, stirring often, until the asparagus is tender-crisp, 5 to 6 minutes

Servings: 4
Source: Eating Well

Have a great day

Weekend, Movie.

I hope those who were, or still are, celebrating the 4th enjoyed themselves. I heard on the news this morning that they had a stupendous firework show in New York last night and some bar owner charged a couple $1,400 to stand on his roof to watch!!! As someone commented, were free drinks included? Some people really are nuts.

We drove about an hour to Burlington to spend a few hours with friends for lunch. We ate in the back yard and really enjoyed ourselves. The weather was delightful although it did get a bit warm towards the end. We ate chilled pea soup, a kind of antipasto plate, a delicious chicken dish with a decadent cream sauce accompanied by broccoli salad and potato salad. By this time I was so full I couldn’t finish my chicken or my veg. Shame on me. Later on we had a very good and light dessert with raspberries and a kind of pound cake soaked in orange juice. When we got home we were both very full, but as a diabetic one has to eat three meals at least, so I had some cheese and toast later on.

I bought myself a copy of Stardust a few weeks ago and for various reasons, mostly medical, had not got round to playing it. Friday evening I tried, I could neither play it on my laptop nor on my DVD player. I seem to be having a lot of problems with this movie, I have downloaded it from iTunes without success. Maybe I am just not meant to own this movie?

Incredible picture on TV this morning. People watching a parade yesterday and a couple of horses pulling a carriage bolted, no reason given, but they dragged the carriage along with them and it hit several people in the crowd, including several children, and one 60 yr old woman was killed.

My blogs may be a bit sparse this week, Matt has to have a minor operation on Thursday which necessitates him being in the hospital at 8:15 a.m. (yuk as I have to go along to get the car in order to pick him up later). Then I have some involved appointments on Friday.

On Saturday I mentioned I had found this recipe for Pumpkin and Chocolate Chili, obviously I couldn’t resist it, the picture looks delicious, the ingredients sound great and it includes chocolate, what more could you want in a recipe?

Pumpkin and Chocolate Chili

Serves 4

Sample recipe from The Bittersweet World of Chocolate: With 50 delicious Recipes, a New Internationalist Publication. Sold at many Ten Thousand Villages stores. (Photos by Kam & Co, Denmark)

Ingredients:

3 cups (450g) cooked pumpkin

1 onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, sliced

3 Tbsp jalapeño, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 cup (240ml) beer

1 cup (240 ml) stock

8 olives, sliced

1-2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp ground coriander

1 can tomatoes with juice

2 Tbsp cilantro/coriander, chopped

1 Tbsp cocoa

1-2 cans beans, such as pinto, white or kidney, drained

4-6 Tbsp scallions/spring onions, sliced

3 Tbsp cheddar cheese, grated

6 Tbsp sour cream or yogurt

oil

salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. Sauté the onion and when it is translucent, add the bell pepper, jalapeño and garlic; stir for 5 minutes.
2. Next, add the beer, stock, olives, chili powder, coriander, and tomatoes with juice. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. The pumpkin goes in now, together with the cilantro/coriander, cocoa and beans. Stir well to combine the ingredients and season. Cook gently for 5 minutes or until the mix has cooked down and amalgamated.
4. Serve topped with the scallions/spring onion, cheese, and sour cream or yogurt.

Have a great day.