The Isles of Glory, Syria, Bowling.

Not a whole hell of a lot happening in our lives at the moment. I have just finished proofreading The Aware by Glenda Larke which is the first book of The Isles of Glory. Amazing, I had read it before some years ago and I was surprised how much I had forgotten. It’s a great story and now Glenda is offering it as an ebook. I bought the ebook a short while ago, but found there were a few errors or typos in it and at my request she sent me the book in PDF form to proof. Hopefully Amazon.com will accept the update at which time my ebook will get updated. I am not sure whether the Look Inside will work from my blog. I like this cover although the girl doesn’t look much like the one in the story, do they ever? Glenda has also sent me the next book to proof so I will be starting that right away. It’s called Gilfeather. Even Glenda said when she read through it she didn’t remember writing some of the book. There is one scene which stands out in my mind and which I will never forget. It was when…… no, no spoilers.

I don’t understand this Syrian business. Everyone is upset because they used chemical weapons against their own people. Now the US is planning to bomb Syria and kill a few more of their people for them. At least, that’s how it seems to me.

We will, of course, be bowling this afternoon. Only one more of these ‘friendly’ sessions and then we disappear to the States and the winter league starts on the 9th without us. I got myself a few US dollars today, we don’t take many as we find it more convenient to use Visa all the time, but there are some things for which you can’t use Visa.

I am one of those odd people who don’t like cobblers, especially not if they are made with apple, but even I found this one looked appealing.

Double Corn-Blueberry Cobbler

From EatingWell:  May/June 2011
The hallmark of a cobbler is a biscuit topping baked right on top of the fruit. Here blueberries (or blackberries) and corn make a fun match. The sunny cornmeal batter comes together quickly and looks gorgeous on top of the deep-dark fruit filling. We like the rustic texture of medium- or coarse-ground cornmeal, but any type works.


8 servings

Ingredients

Filling

• 4 cups blueberries or blackberries (about 1 1/4 pounds), fresh or frozen
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon white whole-wheat flour (see Note)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Topping

• 1 cup white whole-wheat flour
• 3/4 cup cornmeal, preferably medium- or coarse-ground
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1/4 cup canola oil
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1/2 cup corn kernels, fresh, frozen (thawed) or canned (well-drained)

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
2. To prepare filling: Combine berries, 1/4 cup sugar, 1 tablespoon flour, lemon zest and lemon juice in a large bowl. (If using frozen fruit, let stand for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, to thaw the fruit before transferring to the baking dish.) Transfer to a 9-inch shallow glass or ceramic baking dish.
3. To prepare topping: Whisk 1 cup flour, cornmeal, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl until well blended. Whisk egg yolk, buttermilk, oil and 3 tablespoons sugar in a small bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir to blend. Fold in corn.
4. Evenly spoon the batter on top of the berry mixture; the fruit will be almost completely covered with batter. Place the baking dish on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake until the berries are bubbly, the topping is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the topping comes out clean, 35 to 50 minutes. Let cool for about 20 minutes before serving.

• 1. Note: White whole-wheat flour, made from a special variety of white wheat, is light in color and flavor but has the same nutritional properties as regular whole-wheat flour. It is available at large ­supermarkets and natural-foods stores and online at bobsredmill.com or kingarthurflour.com. Store it in the freezer.

Have a great day

Tournament, Dawn Chorus

By the time I got home yesterday afternoon, I was knackered, worn out, aching all over, you name it, that was me. I will never, but never try bowling 6 games in one day again. My scores in the afternoon made it look as though I had never bowled in my life before. In the morning, we came first, but there were still 5 more teams to play before we knew the true results, in fact we ended up second and the other team beat us by 7 points. Yay us. We are patting ourselves on the back. This now means we have to bowl in Chatham, Kent (yes in Ontario) at 10 a.m. on September 1. However, we have been asked for $42 each which includes the price of a banquet. Sorry, I am not hanging around in Chatham all afternoon just to attend the banquet (food usually isn’t that much good anyway at these things).

After all that exercise yesterday, I was up at 5 a.m. this morning with cramps in my feet. Ouch. At such times I drink a glass of tonic water which works wonders due to the quinine in tonic. I was sitting in the living room with the patio door open, and I could hear the dawn chorus. Long time since last I heard that. There must have been thousands of birds twittering, we do have a lot of trees outside our windows after all, and I wondered what makes them all twitter at that time of the morning, one never hears so many at any other time of the day. It lead me to start thinking about book 2 of Glenda Larke’s Isles of Glory trilogy, Gilfeather, with all the birds featured in it - until the magic ends – a very evocative scene that has definitely stayed with me. This is the cover from Australia. I think the Australians do a much better job on book covers than anywhere else. This trilogy is the only one of Glenda’s which I don’t own. I must remedy that.

This afternoon Matt has an appointment with the Secondary Stroke Clinic at the hospital which, in my opinion, is a waste of time. He has seen them all before, and done all the tests he has to do, before. We know what’s wrong, we know they can’t do anything about it, so why p*ss about. Which is, more or less what I am going to say to them this afternoon. He is taking all the medications they can give him, there is nothing more anyone can do we are told.

One thing I didn’t mention, at the bowling alley in Elmira they had brought in donuts and muffins for people in the morning. I have had these before when we have been there for travel league bowling. They buy them from a local baker and they are marvellous. At the end of the morning they brought in sandwiches – I assume from the same source – and they were absolutely wonderful sandwiches, moist and delicious. I wish we had a baker locally who could produce such results. I could pig out on those muffins, I don’t, but I could, easily.

Here’s something a bit different for a chocolaty food. That is, if you like spicy.

Mayan Chocolate Truffles

By The Nourished Kitchen WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

This recipe for Mayan chocolate truffles calls for chocolate with an 85% cocoa content, bitterly and wonderfully dark; you’ll find that the addition of other flavors such as orange, cinnamon, vanilla, and even chipotle chili powder enhances the complexity of the chocolate’s inherent flavor and aroma. You won’t miss that sugar one bit. Further, these Mayan chocolate truffles are more simplistic and rustic – they require no hand molding; rather, simply chill the chocolate in the refrigerator and cut away at it to form beautifully imperfect bite-sized pieces. Beauty lies in imperfection.

Ingredients

10 ounces chocolate with 85% cocoa content, chopped coarsely Zest of 1 orange 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon chipotle chili powder 1 vanilla bean Dash unrefined sea salt 1 cup full-fat coconut milk 1 tablespoon coconut oil Cocoa powder, for dredging truffles

Instructions

Toss chopped chocolate into a mixing bowl with the zest of one orange, cinnamon, chipotle chili powder, the contents of one vanilla bean, and a dash unrefined sea salt.

Bring coconut milk and coconut oil to a slow simmer in a saucepan over a moderate flame.

Pour coconut milk and oil over the chopped chocolate and seasonings then stir continuously with a wooden spoon until the chocolate is thoroughly melted and the mixture, or ganache, becomes thick, uniform and glossy.

Transfer the mixture to a plate lined with parchment paper, molding into a log as best you can, and allow it to harden in the refrigerator for eight to twelve hours, or overnight.

After the Mayan chocolate has hardened in the refrigerator for eight to twelve hours, remove it, unmold it from the parchment paper and carve it into irregular bite-sized chunks.

Toss the chunks with cocoa powder and serve.

Notes: Unless you live in a very hot climate, these truffles should keep at room temperature indefinitely.

Total Servings: 8

Have a great day

Birds, Birds, Birds. Golden Voice, Technology

I was reminded today about the odd story concerning hundreds of birds dropping dead from the sky in both Louisiana and Arkansas on different days. Plus reports from a woman in Kentucky who found dozens of dead birds in her yard. They are examining the birds to see if they can see why this is happening, but I must admit, my first thoughts were of Glenda Larke’s book Gilfeather where something similar happens. If you haven’t read the book, I won’t tell you what happens.

Another story in the news was that of a homeless man who has a ‘golden voice’. In fact we saw an interview the other day; he used to be on radio as an announcer at one time but fell on hard times through drugs and alcohol, etc. but he is now 2 years clean. His name is Ted Williams and since he was discovered he has been offered all kinds of jobs using his voice. Read the full story here http://tinyurl.com/2wtb6ye where you can also hear him speak.

There was a segment on GMA today talking about cell phone and technology and saying how much more advanced the rest of the world was compared to the US (and by extension Canada). I had already been told cell phones were much cheaper in the UK, it appears that is the case in much of the rest of the world and the apps available are much better. Africa in particular is very advanced in their use of cell phones which did surprise me. In Dubai they have built a complex which uses smart pod cars for transit, these do not have drivers and are considered to be very “green”. Their hi speed internet access is much more widely available and much faster than what is available here.

I thought I would pass on a Kraft healthy recipe today for an easy breakfast. Obviously they are advertising Kraft products, but you can replace with what is available in your area.

Tex-Mex Morning Scramble

Kraft

4 servings

What You Need

2 cups cholesterol-free egg product

1 cup BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN 2% Milkfat Low Fat Cottage Cheese

1 green pepper, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onions

1/2 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Mild Cheddar Cheese

1/2 cup TACO BELL® HOME ORIGINALS® Thick 'N Chunky Salsa

Make It

BEAT egg product and cottage cheese with whisk until well blended; set aside.

COOK vegetables in medium nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium-high heat 2 to 4 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.

ADD egg mixture and Cheddar; cook on medium heat 8 to 10 min. or until egg mixture is set, stirring frequently. Serve topped with salsa.

TACO BELL® and HOME ORIGINALS® are trademarks owned and licensed by Taco Bell Corp.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serving Suggestion

Serve with cantaloupe slices or your favorite fruit.