Our Friday, Saturday Recipe

Thursday we heard on the news that gas prices were going to increase by 7 cents a litre. We stopped at our usual gas bar where they were charging about 89 cents and filled up (bit under half full when we started) Friday, we were told by the driver of our ride that the prices had gone up to over $1 as reported but by the mid afternoon, they were already coming down again.

This time our ride included a woman whom we stopped to pick up. She was  going to the same hospital for the same thing (ultra sound) at the same time. We had to wait for her to come out as she went in after us. Can't complain for a $6.91 ride where we don't have to walk about in the cold. I am so glad we decided to use this service. Mind you, I have an appointment a fair distance away next week, I will be driving to that one. The one time we went before we could park close to the door in the wheelchair spot (I have a plate).

This is different.

Carrot Cake Cookies with Pineapple

Recipe By:BakingObsession123

"A delicious, moist cookie for anyone who loves carrot cake."

Ingredients

• Cookie Dough:
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 1/2 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• Frosting:
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1 tablespoon softened butter
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 tablespoon juice from canned pineapple

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 4 cookie sheets.
2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a mixing bowl; set aside.
3. To make the cookie dough, beat 1/2 cup butter, shortening, white sugar, and brown sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Add 1 egg and allow to blend into the butter mixture before adding the second egg and the vanilla. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the crushed pineapple, carrot, raisins, and chopped walnuts, mixing just enough to evenly combine. Drop onto the prepared baking sheets by the heaping teaspoonful, allowing 2 inches of space between the cookies.
4. Bake in the preheated oven until the edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 1 minute before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.
5. To make the frosting, beat the cream cheese and 1 tablespoon of butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until smooth. Add the confectioners' sugar and pineapple juice. Beat until no lumps remain. Spread the frosting on the cooled cookies, and allow to dry completely before storing.

Have a great weekend
 

Our Tuesday

Phew, busy day. After dropping off the monitor we stopped for gas on the way to the restaurant and paid $1.24 a litre, expensive, then I was totally annoyed that when we came back a few hours later, the same gas bar was charging $1.18 (I'm rounding up).i.e. 6 cents less. Grrr.

Had a very enjoyable lunch with our friend whom we haven't seen for a while. Then dropped into Costco and bought some chicken breasts and pork loins. I really like the meat there. I just wish I could pay with my Visa. Apparently these days they will accept Master Card but we don't have one and are unlikely to get one. One credit card is enough thank you. Talking of that, we get cash back every November. The cashback disappeared last Friday from our information on line and should have been deposited into our account.  No sign of it to date. I phoned them and they said it was on my next statement but I would not see it on line because I wasn't paperless (still get statements 'cos Matt can't use a computer). He said I would see it on the statement next week. What nonsense. If it didn't show up on line, my online accounts would be inaccurate. Another Grrrr.

After Costco I realised I had forgotten the shopping list so we had to go home and get it. Another grrrr. Although it did mean I could put the meat in the fridge. Headed to the grocers and bought up the store. I discovered they were now selling Kinchi so, of course I had to buy some to try. Hope it's good.  Didn't mention that I had some kelp salad at lunch (had it once before) and I loved it. Wondered if I could buy it round here and discovered I could at a Vietnamese store which I have been to a few times in the past. It really is delicious. Of course I don't know what is in the salad at the Mandarin. Looking on line, looks like it might be cooked and then dressed with a sweet and spicy sauce.  From what I am reading Kelp is the new Kale. Must say I like it better. Will have to look up some recipes.

Having been told that Eastern foods and spices are enabling them to fight off any kind of dementia problems, I am endeavouring to add more things like turmeric and cumin to the foods we eat. This soup fits the bill. I used to boil chickens like this to make stock anyway using the meat from the chicken to turn it into something else. I have always loved Chicken Noodle Soups. They don't say how many scallions but I would think 4 or 5 would suffice.

Turmeric-Ginger Chicken Soup

Chicken noodle soup never gets old. If you don’t have udon for this recipe, use rice noodles or regular old spaghetti. A small knob of fresh turmeric can replace the dried type.

1 3 ½–4-pound chicken
2 medium onions, unpeeled, quartered
2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise
1 4-inch piece ginger, unpeeled, thinly sliced
3 dried bay leaves
1 Tbs ground turmeric
2 tsp black peppercorns
2 tsp coriander seeds
Kosher salt
12 oz carrots (about 4 medium), peeled, cut into ½-inch pieces on a diagonal
8 oz dried udon noodles
scallions, very thinly sliced
Chili oil (for serving)

1. Place chicken, onions, garlic, ginger, bay leaves, turmeric, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and several pinches of salt in a large pot. Pour in cold water to cover and bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat and gently simmer until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breast registers 155°, 30–35 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate and let cool slightly; keep stock simmering. Remove skin from chicken; discard. Pull meat from bones and shred into bite-size pieces; set aside. Return bones and carcass to stock. Increase heat and bring stock to a boil; cook until reduced by about one-third, 15–20 minutes. Season with more salt if needed.

2. Strain stock into a large saucepan; discard solids. Add carrots, bring to a simmer, and cook until carrots are tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente; drain and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.

4. Divide noodles among bowls. Add shredded chicken meat to stock and cook just until heated through; season stock with more salt if needed. Ladle over noodles. Top soup with scallions and drizzle with chili oil.

Servings: 4

Author: Claire Saffitz
Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day
 

Gas, Prosecco Cocktails.

When we were out and about on Tuesday we were comparing gas prices. They were mainly running about 96 ¢ a litre (give or take a penny or two) which is the lowest we have seen it for very a long time. However, I read some headlines saying the government stood to lose $13 billion a year because of the plunge in oil prices. Seems we have been right, they have been overtaxing gas as everyone has been saying for a long time. However, that is one hell of a loss for the government and I wonder what benefits of ours they will cut or tax further. They could, of course, stop sending soldiers out of the country to attack ISIS and others. I think that would save us a buck or two. They could also redirect some of the largesse being given to foreign countries back into Canada to help those that need it here, there are lots of them. These ideas seem to be very much the song sung by several other countries, the States and the UK to start with. It doesn’t seem to me that whoever you vote for, the people who finally get in do the same thing the previous bunch did. The picture shows the prices just a week or two ago.

I was talking about Brazil nuts yesterday. A friend from Oz, Pinky Poinker mentioned the benefits of selenium in these nuts but also stated that one can overdose. I Googled it and found this article about it which, if you like Brazil nuts, you should read.

This is a link to recipes for 10 Prosecco cocktails, it is from BBC Good Food. I am not sure if we can get Prosecco here but if not we can certainly make them with champagne or any sparking wine. Prosecco is somewhat softer than champagne I understand. There is a wine here in Canada which I think could be used for these. I cannot for the life of me remember what it’s called. It was a Trius brand by Hillebrand. A Canadian winery.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Serves 4 (serving size: 1 cup)

from Cooking Light

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chopped red potato (about 1 pound)
1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring onion mixture constantly. Add potato, milk, broth, and 1/2 cup water to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese and ground red pepper; cook 2 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Top each serving evenly with 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped green onions.

Have a great day

Bowling, Ebola, Gas Prices.

I was delighted how well I bowled again yesterday. I just wish Matt could have bowled as well. He had some good frames but wasn’t able to turn them into really good scores. Last year I nearly got to an average of 160 and would really like to achieve that this winter.

It appears that in the Texas hospital where the two nurses caught Ebola had given no training to anyone to deal with this and from pictures it turns out that the nurses necks were uncovered!! I hope hospitals will be given training ASAP because you just never know who is going to land on your doorstep.

Passing our regular gas bar on the way to bowling we saw the price was $1.12 per litre. That’s the lowest we’ve seen in a very long time. However, in the headlines they are saying falling gas prices are hurting Alberta. Much of their gas is sold to the States anyway, although I heard a report the other day that the States were now producing as much gas as the middle east. 

Having a Hallowe’en party? How about this for your table? By the way, I am going to be sharing this on my local radio station next Tuesday.

Black Widow Goat Cheese Log

Food and Wine - Contributed by Grace Parisi

• SERVINGS: 12 servings
• 
  

Sautéed shallots and feta cheese flavour this simple spread, which is a delicious hors d'oeuvre at any time of year. Here, it's formed into a spooky spider.

1. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2. 4 very large shallots, thinly sliced (2 cups)
3. 10 ounces fresh goat cheese, softened
4. 4 ounces cream cheese, softened
5. 6 ounces Greek feta cheese, at room temperature
6. Black sesame seeds, for garnish
7. 1 piquillo pepper, for garnish
8. 6-inch painted twigs, for spider legs
9. Crackers, flat breads and bread sticks

1. In a medium skillet, melt the butter. Add the shallots and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Scrape the shallots into a food processor and let cool. Add the goat cheese, cream cheese and feta and puree until smooth. Scrape the cheese into a bowl and refrigerate until chilled, about 30 minutes.
2. Shape one third of the cheese mixture into a ball and roll in black sesame seeds to coat; shape the remaining two-thirds into a larger ball and coat with black sesame seeds. On a serving board, press the balls together to form the head and body of a spider. Cut the piquillo pepper into 2 small triangles and place them on the body in an hourglass shape. Serve with crackers, flat breads or bread sticks.

Make Ahead The unformed cheese mixture can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Have a great day’'

Gas Prices, Losing It

Hooray, gas prices have been dropping all over the continent lately. This surprises me as the summer season of travel is about to get under way, but I heard one report say that people just aren’t buying as much gas any more. Not surprising, particularly in view of the gas guzzlers so many people drive. SUVs seem to be the most popular vehicle around these days. I’m glad we only have a small, if somewhat old, car. Mind you, I don’t see how we could get a newer car, Matt would never cope with all this computerised stuff. He is definitely not into computers and electronics generally. I don’t actually know what kind of computerised dashboards are out there, I have never even sat in such an up to date vehicle. Going back to gas prices, I just saw a report that in the States they could drop by $3 a gallon by the fall. Usually Canadian prices follow. Alberta has its own gas, but it doesn’t make it any cheaper for the rest of us probably because they sell it all to the States anyway.

OK where were you Alex, I was expecting you for dinner. The fondue went down very well, our friends thoroughly enjoyed as did Matt and I. The meatballs were delicious as was the fillet and the shrimp, not everything was consumed by any manner of means. Soup maybe?

So, sorry, now I am tired and will be posting this. Talk to you on Monday.

A friend has been posting pictures of her mom on Facebook as she has recently lost 120 lbs. through Losing It for Canada, which weight loss has also cured her diabetes. Needless to say I am looking into it.

For those of you who don’t live on this continent and get to see our TV chefs, Mario Batali is of Italian descent (father was Italian) and many of his recipes have an Italian background. He is an expert on Italian cuisine. His signature is always wearing shorts and orange crocs. Being the asparagus freak that I am, when I saw this one yesterday, my eyes popped open. Very unusual sauce. This will have me rushing to the kitchen as soon as I can. I saw a heading ‘more asparagus recipes’ too so I will be hunting them up.

Grilled Asparagus with Pepper Zabaglione

Contributed by Mario Batali
SERVINGS:6

Mario Batali chars his asparagus on the grill, then serves it with a superrich zabaglione sauce spiked with black pepper.

1. 3 large egg yolks
2. 1 large egg
3. 3 tablespoons vin santo or other lightly sweet dessert wine
4. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
5. 1 tablespoon heavy cream
6. 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
7. Kosher salt
8. 2 pounds large asparagus
9. 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10. 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

1. Light a grill or heat a grill pan. In a heatproof medium bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the egg and vin santo. Set the bowl over a medium saucepan of simmering water and vigorously whisk the eggs over moderate heat until the sauce holds firm peaks, about 5 minutes. Remove the bowl of sauce from the heat.
2. In a small bowl, mix the butter with the heavy cream and pepper. Whisk the cream mixture into the sauce, 1 tablespoon at a time, until incorporated. Season the zabaglione with salt and keep warm.
3. In a large bowl, toss the asparagus with the olive oil and season with salt. Grill the asparagus over moderately high heat, turning occasionally, until charred all over and crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Transfer the asparagus to plates.
4. Set the bowl of sauce over the saucepan of simmering water and whisk over low heat until thick and just heated through, about 1 minute. Spoon the sauce over the asparagus, sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano and serve.

Have a great weekend.

TIA, Oil, Asparagus and Rhubarb,

Matt had another couple of TIAs last night so spent most of the night in the hospital, he was discharged at 5 a.m. when they called me and I went to collect him. With the result neither of us had much sleep. Matt reckons he didn’t have any as there was a child screaming in Emergency from midnight on. One wonders what was wrong with the child, poor soul. I did get a couple of hours but went to bed at 1 a.m. almost fully dressed. As usual they couldn’t find anything wrong with him, however, they are having him in for an ultra sound. He also has to be seen by the Secondary Stroke Clinic and will be getting a batch more tests, trouble is, this is the same old same old. One thing new they have put him on another drug, not sure what it is yet until we have been to the pharmacy.

Gasoline prices this morning were up to $1.40 a litre which, by European standards may not be very high, but for us it is horrendous. Everyone is suffering except the oil companies who are posting profits in the billions and the governments who are raking in lots of taxes. Obviously everyone is pretty fed up with it. I mentioned to Matt that governments should look into it but he was the one who pointed out they are getting lots of taxes so why should they? A prediction has been made by the experts (whoever they are) that prices will peak in June and then start to fall again. Hmpf.

Having picked up my first batch of asparagus yesterday, I toyed with the idea of some fresh rhubarb as well. Barrie Bros. grow it as well. Unfortunately Matt doesn’t like rhubarb so when I get some, I usually just stew it for myself. My friends in the cyber cookery group all enjoy rhubarb and so I sent the email on to them from which I got the recipe below, it looks delicious to me. I did make a stack of asparagus soup though, some of which we ate for supper last night. The fresh asparagus itself was absolutely delicious and I ate that twice – lunch and dinner. Matt thought asparagus soup and asparagus was too much though so didn’t have any.

Rhubarb Sticky Buns

By pies & cakes & cookies ohmy! on April 25, 2006

Photo by Calee

Serves: 12, Yield: 12 sticky buns

About This Recipe

"My aunt used to grow TONS of rhubarb and I wish I had it now, finding it these days isn't always easy. This recipe is very old, and you can use fresh or frozen rhubarb."

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup cold butter (no subs)
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup chopped rhubarb (fresh or frozen, and thawed)

BATTER

• 1/3 cup softened butter or 1/3 cup margarine
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
• 1/2 cup cream

Directions

1. In a bowl, cut butter into brown sugar till crumbly. Stir in rhubarb. Spoon mixture evenly into 12 WELL GREASED muffin cups (I have tried using cupcake papers, and it doesn't work!). Set aside.
2. In a mixer bowl, cream butter or margarine, and sugar. Beat in egg.
3. Combine dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture alternately with cream.
4. Spoon batter over rhubarb filling cups about 3/4 full.
5. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes and invert onto serving tray. Serve warm.

Have a great day

Gasoline, TV, Snow.

Gasoline prices have gone up and are probably going to go up a good bit more if the Egyptian crisis is not soon resolved. If the whole of the Middle East ends up getting involved, we are in for a nasty shock. Mind you, Matt was talking to his oldest daughter yesterday, she has just replaced her car and now has a 6 cylinder which costs her £60 to fill up, that’s roughly equivalent to $95 Canadian. What a lot of money, we have a 6 cyl. and it costs us around $50 to fill the tank which we think is plenty bad enough.

For the last few weeks I have been watching an excellent series on Public Television called Downton Abbey. I assumed last night would be the final episode and wrap up all the lose ends, I assumed wrong. It turns out that ITV in England, who made the series, is planning more later this year. I thought there might be a book, I thought wrong unfortunately, so I guess  I will just have to possess my soul in patience until they finally come up with the rest of the series. How frustrating though. The story is about a great house, in England of course, and everyone who lives in it from Daisy the kitchen helper (scullery maid?) to Lord Grantham the owner. All of it taking place in 1913/14. In fact the last words of the series last night were an announcement that Britain was at war with Germany. The family is not all sweetness and light by any means and two of the sisters do the most dreadful things to one another, a right pair of b*tches. Then there are a couple of the servants, one who is a thief and another who purposely causes her mistress the fall and lose her baby because she mistakenly thought she was being fired. All good stuff!! Maggie Smith makes a wonderful Dowager Countess.

There is a major storm heading our way and they are talking 30 cm of snow on Tuesday, whether it will miss us as all the snow has so far this winter, we shall see.

A friend who originated in Germany, makes this cheesecake. Another friend was talking about it, she and her husband were stationed in Germany quite a few years ago and she used to make this, but had lost the recipe. In the end, my German friend sent me the link for this recipe which she says is the same as she makes – which is delicious by the way.

Käsekuchen - German Cheesecake

Diana’s Desserts

Servings: 12
Comments:
This wonderful and creamy German Cheesecake is very light and each bite melts in your mouth. It is not too sweet. This is a dessert that always gets many wonderful compliments.

Ingredients:
For the Crust:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
A pinch of salt
2 teaspoons vanilla-sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon rind
1 egg, beaten
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 stick (7 tbsp/3 1/2 oz/100g) butter

For the Filling:
3 egg yolks
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla-sugar
3/4 stick (7 tbsp/3 1/2 oz/100g) butter, very soft and at room temperature
6 oz. heavy cream
17 oz. (500g) Quark - A light yogurt type cream cheese* (see note below for Quark substitutions, if needed)
1 1/2 tbsp. cornstarch
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt

Instructions:
For the Crust:
Sift the flour, stir in the baking powder, salt, vanilla-sugar, lemon peel and sugar, then rub in the butter and knead to a smooth consistency with the egg. Place dough in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 C). You will need a 9 or 9 1/2-inch spring form pan.
Roll out the dough on a well-floured work surface, then form it into a ball again and roll it out a second time. (This dough is the worst behaved of any I have ever had to deal with, but the double rolling helps tame it, and the end result IS worth the hassle). Place dough in bottom of a 9 or 9 1/2-inch spring form pan, pressing it up the sides almost to the top. Set aside.
For the Filling:
Beat the egg yolks with the sugar and vanilla-sugar until pale and foamy. Add the softened butter and beat well, then add the heavy cream and beat again. Add the quark and stir until the mixture is smooth and thoroughly combined.
Whisk the egg whites with the salt until very stiff, then very gently fold in the quark mixture, also adding the sifted cornstarch a little at a time. Pour the filling into the crust shell and gently wobble the pan back and forth until the surface is smooth. Trim the dough, leaving about 1 inch (2 1/2 cm). Bake in preheated 300 degrees F (150 C) oven for 50 to 60 minutes (longer if necessary) until well risen and golden - it resembles a souffle at this point (It will sink in the middle quite dramatically - don't worry, it's supposed to do this). Turn the oven off, and let the cheesecake rest in the oven for 15 minutes; then remove it from the oven, cool for an hour or so at room temperature, and refrigerate for several hours before releasing sides of pan and serving. (I make mine the day before I need it). This cheesecake is very nice served with sliced strawberries, or a raspberry sauce. Keep cheesecake stored in the refrigerator, covered.
*Note:
There are 3 substitutions that can be used for the Quark in this recipe if Quark is not available. One is to use farmer’s cheese, another is to purée cottage cheese in a blender or food processor, and the third is to purée eight parts of ricotta cheese with 1 part of sour cream in a food processor.
Makes 12 servings.

Have a great day