Game of Thrones, Bowling, More on Fruit Flies.

Back to Game of Thrones, because I started watching,  I have been remembering the books and I remember I was getting a tad fed up with them by the time I read the latest one. I have some episodes here right now, in fact I have had the DVD for 3 or 4 days, and I really can’t be bothered to watch it. Pity because I do like the guy playing Tyrion, but the rest of it leaves me cold. Even though it’s a long time since I read the books I have already spotted a few things which did not happen or happened in a different way. I don’t want to see “the red wedding” or the confinement of one of the dragons in a pit (hope that isn’t a spoiler). So I will go back to my current book, thanks.

Yesterday was our league bowling of course. I started off brilliantly, tailed off but ended with a good score in the first game, reasonable in the second and pathetic in the third. Still I beat Matt so it was a punishment because he said someone paying me compliments must want their eyes examined. Not very nice was it? This morning we have to be up fairly early for blood work. Luckily these days we can book an appointment. Used to be we had to get to the lab at about 6:30 a.m. so not to be at the end of the queue. Absolutely wonderful on a winter’s day.

As you will have gathered, I made a mess of our fruit fly trap with the result that one of the perishers is flying round me right now. I got in touch with the company that makes them, they called me back but I wasn’t here so they are supposed to be calling again. Talking to the hardware store, they don’t appear to sell the sticky trap on its own. Maybe I should try the soapy water with vinegar recommended to me in yesterday’s comments. I just came across this recipe for catching the stupid things on Garden Therapy.

Materials:

• small glass bowl
• wine or juice
• dish soap
• plastic wrap
• bamboo skewer

Directions:
1. Fill a small glass bowl with some wine or a little juice and a piece of the fruit that the flies are so in love with. Just a plain syrup will not work as well. Fruit flies are looking for some yummy rotting fruit so they can lay their eggs in it so use rotting fruit to lure them into your trap.

I also appear to have found a source of turkey breasts. Won’t know til Wednesday.
Although this is not a very colourful soup, I thought it looked good. It came from WebMD

Chicken and White Bean Soup

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Once again, rotisserie chickens can really relieve the dinner-rush pressure-especially in this Italian-inspired soup that cries out for a piece of crusty bread and a glass of red wine.

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2  leeks, white and light green parts only, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 2 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups water
• 1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1 2-pound roasted chicken, skin discarded, meat removed from bones and shredded (4 cups)

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add leeks and cook, stirring often, until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in sage and continue cooking until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth and water, increase heat to high, cover and bring to a boil. 
2. Add beans and chicken and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve hot

Have a great day

Game of Thrones, Blogfest, Conserving the Seas.

Well, it turns out our son-in-law was right and I had somehow got hold of the wrong DVD for the series. Having discussed it with the librarian, I ended up getting the right DVD and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am now waiting for the next one. I’m not sure where in the series the one I did watch came, but it was obviously well on from the beginning. I am told some of the scenes I was looking for were certainly included. Once again, I am lauding the series. I absolutely love the music and must try and get a copy of it.

The Underrated Treasures Blogfest was fun yesterday. I was surprised at the people who did know my choice of movie, The Song of Bernadette. It is such an old film, I thought nobody would ever have heard of it. Other people had some very interesting books and films as well as bands and TV shows to recommend, some of which are no longer being aired. Thanks Alex J. Cavenaugh for hosting this blogfest.

As many of you know, I am very keen on conservation and was very disturbed to read the blog by Hilary Melton-Butcher yesterday - Sustainable Fishing and Marine Conservation Reserves ... The figures she quoted were horrifying. Although I
am aware of the damage we are doing to the waters of the world, I tend to concentrate a lot on land and animals when I talk of conservation, but, of course if we don’t protect the seas of the world we will end up in all kinds of trouble. Sustainable fishing must be implemented everywhere not just in a few countries. We are denuding the sea beds making it impossible for fish that used to live somewhere to continue to do so. The Monterey Bay Aquarium is very active on this side of the world in helping with marine conservation. They regularly publish a list of fish which are OK to be eaten because they are sustainable. A useful resource. They have done a lot to help sea otters and recently are nursing a pup which was found abandoned on the beach.

The following recipe I found through following a recipe on Yummly. It turns out to be from Smitten Kitchen and I thought it looked really good. It is a Russian recipe but as it’s made with apple I thought it would be a good recipe for Rosh Hashanah perhaps.


Apple Sharlotka

Adapted from Alex’s mother, who adapted it from her mother, and
so on…

Butter or nonstick spray, for greasing pan
6 large, tart apples, such as Granny Smiths
3 large eggs
1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (125 grams) all-purpose flour
Ground cinnamon, to finish
Powdered sugar, also to finish

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. Butter the paper and the sides of the pan. Peel, halve and core your apples, then chop them into medium-sized chunks. (I cut each half into four “strips” then sliced them fairly thinly — about 1/4-inch — in the other direction.) Pile the cut apples directly in the prepared pan. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, using an electric mixer or whisk, beat eggs with sugar until thick and ribbons form on the surface of the beaten eggs. Beat in vanilla, then stir in flour with a spoon until just combined. The batter will be very thick.
Pour over apples in pan, using a spoon or spatula to spread the batter so that it covers all exposed apples. (Updated to clarify: Spread the batter and press it down into the apple pile. The top of the batter should end up level with the top of the apples.) Bake in preheated oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a tester comes out free of batter. Cool in pan for 10 minutes on rack, then flip out onto another rack, peel off the parchment paper, and flip it back onto a serving platter. Dust lightly with ground cinnamon.
Serve warm or cooled, dusted with powdered sugar. Alex’s family eats it plain, but imagine it would be delicious with a dollop of barely sweetened whipped or sour cream.

Have a great day

Game of Thrones, Portuguese Confection.

Well, last night I watched episodes 3 and 4. What a waste of time. In the first place they had wiped out large chunks of the story between 2 and 3 which I think was a mistake. Having read the books I remembered some of what had happened in this period, but by no means all, if anyone hadn’t read the books, I have no idea how they would have kept up with the story. I found half the time I had no idea who people were and how they had got there in the first place. For instance, Daenerys Targaryen in the previous episodes had a husband and a brother, the series does not explain what happened to them. That is just one glaring example. I still like the actor playing Tyrian Lannister, but how he, the despised dwarf, suddenly becomes the King’s Hand is beyond me. Nor do I have a clue about what else is going on. So, I will not bother to watch any more. However, I still think the books were very good and would recommend them. Although I am not sure George R.R. Martin has yet finished the series. Checking it, he hasn’t. There are two more books planned and he says he doesn’t know when the sixth book will be finished. I am not even going to try reading them again until it’s all completed. He also says he plans to kill off a lot more characters!!! If you are enjoying it, good luck.

As usual we bowled Thursday afternoon, Matt had a good day, I had a mediocre day. A Portuguese friend was in bowling ahead as she is heading off to Portugal next week for a few weeks vacation, lucky her. She has promised to bring us some ovos moles again. They are a Portuguese specialty and absolutely delicious. They are made with a thin pastry filled with an egg concoction. If you are interested in the recipe, click on the link above. Not something I personally am ever likely to make despite my liking them so much. When we were in Portugal it staggered me the fantastic egg desserts they made.

I was never a particular friend of grits until I tried Shrimp and Grits which is a big favourite in the south. Here is a different take on that recipe.

Spicy Shrimp and Grits

Cooking Light

Crank up the heat (in your weeknight meal, that is!) and serve a spicy version of this Southern favourite.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup grits, about 1 1/2 cups shrimp mixture, and 1 tablespoon green onions)

Ingredients

 

• 3 cups 1% low-fat milk
• 1 cup water
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 1 cup uncooked quick-cooking grits
• 1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese
• 4 slices applewood-smoked bacon
• 1 pound peeled, deveined large shrimp
• 1 cup thinly vertically sliced white onion
• 2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce or chopped chipotle chile, canned in adobo sauce
• 1/8 teaspoon ground or crushed red pepper
• 1/4 cup green onion strips

Preparation

1. 1. Combine milk, water, butter, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer; gradually add grits, stirring constantly with a whisk. Reduce heat to medium; cook 4 minutes or until thick, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.
2. 2. While grits cook, cook bacon in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from pan, reserving 2 teaspoons drippings; crumble bacon. Add shrimp to drippings in pan; cook 2 minutes on each side or until done. Remove shrimp from pan. Add white onion to pan; sauté 1 minute. Stir in bacon, tomatoes, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/8 teaspoon black pepper; sauté 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp, pepper sauce, and red pepper; cook 1 minute or until shrimp are heated. Serve over grits; sprinkle with green onions.

Have a great day

Game of Thrones, Ostend.

Although I had read most of the books (although I don’t think I am current with them) of A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin, I hadn’t watched any of the HBO series, Game of Thrones, on TV. Somehow it didn’t appeal. However, several of my friends said I should watch it and told me how good it was so I borrowed the first two episodes from the local library and watched them on Sunday night. I thoroughly enjoyed them, particularly the character of Tyrian Lannister played by Peter Dinklage who, I think, is brilliant. I have the next two episodes on the way later today. They only give me a week to watch them so I don’t want to order too many DVDs at once just in case. I think once Martin had bumped off most of the Stark family from Winterfell, Tyrion was my favourite character anyway. They stuck pretty well to the books but I did notice a few discrepancies which, considering how many years it is since I read the books, is quite surprising.  Also the events which occurred in different books have been aligned in the same episodes. I’m not quite sure what the timelines would have been originally. Still, all in all, it is very good and I would recommend the programme if you have never watched it.

Here’s a totally new take on French Onion Soup. It sounds delicious and something I just might have a go at for the winter. I’ve left the time in as this might require you to make it over a couple of days if you haven’t time to do it all in one hit. The thing with French Onion Soup, it takes me back to when I was in my late teens, early 20s and we would sail over to Ostend in Belgium where I had a large bunch of friends of my own age. We often ended up in the Kursaal which was both a casino and a night club where we used to dance the night away. Returning home we would often stop in at a late night restaurant for a bowl of delicious French Onion Soup.

French (Canadian) Onion Soup

Contributed by Hugue Dufour

• ACTIVE: 40 MIN
• TOTAL TIME: 5 HRS
• SERVINGS: 10

• •MAKE-AHEAD

Hugue Dufour makes a pork broth for his French onion soup using bacon for smokiness and a pig's foot for richness. Omit the pig's foot for a lighter broth.

1. 2 pounds lean slab bacon, in one piece
2. 1 whole pig's foot or two halves
3. 8 large yellow onions—1 whole, 7 sliced 1/4 inch thick
4. 2 gallons of water
5. 1/4 cup rendered pork fat or vegetable oil
6. Salt
7. 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
8. Two 12-ounce bottles brown ale
9. 6 rosemary sprigs
10. Freshly ground pepper
11. 12 ounces rustic bread, cubed
12. 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
13. 6 garlic cloves, peeled
14. 4 cups shredded Gruyère cheese (about 1/2 pound)

1. In a pot, cover the bacon, pig's foot and whole onion with the water and boil. Simmer over moderately low heat until the foot is tender, 3 1/2 hours. Strain the broth and return to the pot, reserving the bacon and pig's foot.
2. Boil the broth until reduced to 2 quarts, 25 minutes; skim off the fat or refrigerate overnight and then skim off the fat. Remove all the lean meat from the bacon and pig's foot, cut into bite-size pieces and reserve.
3. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat the rendered fat. Add the sliced onions and season with salt. Cover and cook over high heat, stirring, until the onions are wilted, 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook until the onions are very soft, 30 minutes. Uncover and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until the onions are lightly browned, 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the flour until smooth.
4. Return the pot to the burner. Add the strained broth, ale and 4 of the rosemary sprigs and cook over moderately low heat, stirring, until the soup thickens. Simmer the soup for about 15 minutes, until no floury taste remains. Add the reserved meat and season the soup with salt and pepper. Discard the rosemary.
5. Preheat the oven to 350°. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the bread cubes, melted butter, garlic and the remaining 2 rosemary sprigs; season with salt and pepper. Bake for 30 minutes, until the croutons are crisp. Discard the rosemary and garlic.
6. Preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup into heatproof bowls on a baking sheet and top with the croutons and cheese. Broil for about 2 minutes, until bubbling, and serve.

Have a great day,

Bees, Game of Thrones.

I have been carrying a bee preservation sign for a while and came across this one on Facebook. I think it is so important that we do something about this. Not enough people are taking it sufficiently seriously.

Apparently the Queen and Prince Phillip will be visiting the set of Game of Thrones on their upcoming visit to Northern Ireland. I read that the programme has been filmed in all kinds of places, including Malta where I spent a lot of time when my parents lived there. II have never seen the TV production although I have read most of the books. I’ve kind of lost track of where I got to though. It has been taking so long. However, the TV programme has become a big hit throughout the world – I have friends in Australia who say I should watch it without fail. I would have to find a way of seeing the beginning of course. However, I got a bit disillusioned when they killed off the bulk of the Starke family so not too sure I want to see it again. I like Tyrean Lancaster though, I think he is a wonderful character in the books. It is apparently unknown if the Queen is a fan or not.

Here’s a somewhat different recipe from Eating Well.

Tomato Gratin

Active Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 30 Minutes
6 servings


A gratin is any dish topped with cheese or breadcrumbs mixed with butter, then heated until browned—but it needn’t be heavy. This one has plenty of garden-fresh tomatoes and herbs, a touch of full-flavored cheese and a crispy crumb topping.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS
4 slices  whole-grain bread, torn into quarters
1 tablespoon  minced garlic
1 tablespoon  extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup  finely shredded Pecorino Romano or parmesan cheese
4   medium tomatoes, sliced
1/4 cup  chopped fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a shallow 2-quart baking dish with nonstick spray.
Place bread in a food processor and pulse until coarse crumbs form. Add garlic, oil and cheese; pulse to combine. Spread the seasoned breadcrumbs on a baking sheet and bake until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, layer tomato slices in the prepared baking dish, sprinkling each layer with basil, pepper and salt. Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes; sprinkle with the toasted breadcrumbs, and bake for 10 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Have a great day