Jeopardy, Medical, Cleaners, Misc.

Well how about that? I just learned on Jeopardy that the photo imaging format known as GIF should be pronounced jif with a soft g, not gif with a hard g. Jeopardy is my all time favourite programme and I move heaven and earth not to miss it. I have tried out for it a couple of times but even suppose I were to get through, I could never afford all the expenses involved with taking further tests and then getting out to California. Once in California, presumably you have to pay for your own hotel as well. I often wonder if the third place prize of $1,000 covers all one’s costs. However, although I think I do fairly well, I often cannot bring an answer to mind quickly enough to ring in. I suspect it would be even more difficult when you are actually there.

Matt has a medical appointment at 9 a.m. today so he did his early morning shop on Tuesday. At least it’s local at St. Mary’s Hospital, ($10 parking) however, on Thursday I have an echocardiogram at 9:20 a.m. at our doctor’s which is in the next town. At least we should be back in time to bowl which I didn’t want to miss. I don’t like having this test, I usually end up sore afterwards. A specialist I used to see on a regular basis insisted on them once in a while and now our doctor is doing the same. I am assuming it is the same guy, he seems to be a travelling technician. Talking medical, I saw our Superintendent yesterday, he is looking pretty healthy and is walking with a walker but seems to be managing OK. He is involved in what’s happening in the building which maybe is too soon. I was surprised he is on Plavix (a mild blood thinner) and an aspirin. I would have thought they would put him on something stronger.

My cleaning problems are now over and our new Mrs. Mops are coming in on the 20th. Our previous cleaner has definitely decided she can’t cope so I have no idea what she is going to do, mortgages still have to be paid etc. etc. Only thing we could do was continue to employ her, but if she doesn’t want to do that, not much else we can do.

Just realised it was my father’s birthday. He’d have been 105 today. Oddly enough both of Matt’s parents were born in the same years as mine. i.e. 1908 for our fathers, 1913 for our mothers. None of them are with us and haven’t been for some time now.

I thought this was a wonderful idea, I always like using place cards for dinners I give for friends. So how about these.

Gingerbread Placecard Tags

Courtesy of: Anna Olson

serves Makes about 2 dozen


Ditch the paper and make these amazing edible placecard tags for your next dinner party! 

Ingredients
Cookies
¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
6 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup fancy molasses
1 large egg at room temperature
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
Royal Icing
1 ½ tablespoons meringue powder
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons warm water

Directions

Cookies
1. Beat the butter, brown sugar and molasses together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition.
2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Add this to the butter mixture and stir until blended. Shape the dough into 2 disks, wrap and chill for about an hour up to 2 days (the dough will still be soft, even once chilled).
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2-3 baking trays with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first disk of dough until just over 1/8-inch thick. Use a knife or pasty roller to cut out rectangles about the size of a standard business card (3-x-2 inches) and smaller rectangle strips, about 2-inches long by ½-inch wide. Lift them carefully to the prepared trays, leaving about ½-inch between them. Any scraps can be stored chilled and then re-rolled until it has all been used.
4. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes until you see them brown a little just around the edges. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the tray before removing to cool completely.
Royal Icing
1. For the royal icing, beat the meringue powder, icing sugar and warm water with an electric mixer until peaks form (approximately 10-12 minutes).
2. To assemble, spoon the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe names and designs on the larger rectangular pieces. To have the placecard tags sit facing your guests, adhere the narrow strips onto the back of the tags using the royal icing. Allow the placecard tags to dry for 2 hours.
3. The cookies will keep up to a week in an airtight container.

Have a great day