Good News for Bees, Music from Yesteryear,

Great news from the David Suzuki Foundation today This afternoon the Ontario government formally posted North America’s first regulations to reduce bee-killing neonic pesticides! The new restrictions take effect on July 1, 2015. It's not the total answer but a very good beginning. Science clearly shows that neonics kill honeybees and are wreaking havoc with wild bees, butterflies, birds and worms. We’ll continue to push for bans of toxic pesticides, like neonics, that poison our water, contaminate our fields and harm countless species that pollinate our food and gardens.But for now, let’s savour an early victory for the bees.

Many years ago we were cruising the Mediterranean with my parents, on their yacht (they lived on board). We were mostly spending time off the coast of Southern France and would frequently anchor off shore. We could hear this song drifting across the water to us. Called Popcorn, it was everywhere that year. The other day I happened to mention it to one of my friends at exercise class. She had never heard of it. Then on Monday I heard it on the radio, I have never heard them play it before. I have a recording of course, it was so popular at the time I bought the 45. A small record for those of you too young to remember. Something of a coincidence.




As you may remember, Giada de Laurentis is one of my favourite TV chefs, this is one of her recipes.

Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto

1 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 small melon (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 oz fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted* see Cook's Note

1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350° F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Chop the prosciutto into 1/4-inch pieces.

3. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. In a medium bowl, toss together the asparagus and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side until crisp-tender.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the melon and mozzarella cheese and toss until all ingredients are combined.

5. Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the melon and burrata cheese on top of the asparagus. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle the prosciutto and pine nuts on top and serve.

Servings: 4

Author: Giada De Laurentiis

Author Notes
To toast pine nuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly browned.

Have a great day
 

Saturday Recipe

When I saw this recipe I couldn’t resist sharing it although of course the season for fresh Canadian asparagus has been over for a couple of weeks now.

Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

 
This salad is a new twist on the classic combo of melon and prosciutto. Grilled asparagus keeps a slight crunch and also has a smoky char to it that pairs with the creaminess and subtle flavor of mozzarella and the fruitiness of melon. To top it off: crumbled prosciutto. I’ve always loved the salty tang of prosciutto, but since I started baking thin slices of it to make brittle, crispy chips, my love has become a full-blown obsession; they just seem to make everything taste better.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 1 pound asparagus, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 1/4 small melon (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded, and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 4 ounces fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

 

directions

• 1 Place an oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
  
• 2 Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes, until crispy. Drain the prosciutto on paper towels and set aside to cool. Chop the prosciutto into 1/4-inch pieces.
  
• 3 Meanwhile, heat a small, heavy skillet over medium-low heat. Add the pine nuts to the hot skillet and stir them until they become fragrant and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool.
  
• 4 Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill.
  
• 5 In a medium bowl, toss together the asparagus and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes on each side until crisp-tender.
  
• 6 In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper. Add the melon and mozzarella cheese. Toss to coat.
  
• 7 Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Spoon the melon and mozzarella cheese on top of the asparagus. Drizzle any remaining dressing from the bowl over the top. Sprinkle with the prosciutto and pine nuts and serve.

Source: Giada De Laurentiis

Have a great weekend

Girls Only Award, World Wildlife, CPAP

Viveka at My Guilty Pleasures was kind enough to give me the Sisterhood Award which I am very delighted with. It was Viveka who added the flowery frame to the badge. Thanks very much.

Rules for the Sisterhood Award:
Provide a link and thank the blogger who nominated you
Nominate 10-12 blogs that you find a joy to read
Provide links to these nominated blogs and kindly let the recipients know that they have been nominated
Include the award logo within your blog post for the award
So, here goes girls, hope you will accept the award.

Jenn at Scribbles from Jenn
Hilary Melton Butcher at Positive Letters
L. Diane Wolfe at Spunk on a Stick
Sia McKye at Sia McKye Over Coffee
Tina at Life is Good
Elise Fallson at Elise Fallson
Cindy Dwyer at A Reason to Write
Zoe Byrd at rewritten
Lucy Adams at Lucy Adams
Laura Marcella at Wavy Lines

I am having a lot of problems with the programme I use for writing blogs, Windows Live Writer. It keeps seizing up on me. I have asked a question on a forum, lets see what kind of answer I get.

World Wildlife Fund send me regular newsletters and this morning’s included a link to some absolutely fabulous pictures including those of a Panda in it’s habitat. I thought you might enjoy these pictures as I did so I am linking you to them.
I thought this one was particularly cute with the Panda sleeping on a sloping hillside. So many animals are on the endangered list these days, not least of which are the rhinos which are being slaughtered by the hundreds for their horns which in fact have no medical properties at all, but there are still a vast number of Asians who believe rhino horn to have health benefits.

I picked up my CPAP machine today, because I am tech savvy she gave me one with all kinds of features on it. Not only can I use it for breathing at night, I can set an alarm on it. It has a USB on the side which I can use on my computer to allow the Sleep Management company to make adjustments on my machine. Gonna take a bit of getting used to I think. The machine itself is totally quiet but I have to add distilled water to use it so that may make a noise. We then spent the afternoon checking on sources of distilled water, bought a gallon (4 litres) from them at $3 but she told me I could get it cheaper, turns out I can buy the same from my supermarket for less than $2. I also have to wipe the mask of my face piece every day and I now have a box of non alcoholic baby wipes. There are instructions galore for cleaning everything regularly. I cannot imagine travelling with all this, especially if you had to fly. I have started with a nose mask, but if necessary I might have to change to a full mask. Apparently our insurance covers extra masks if needed, one needs a full mask if one has a cold or something. All great fun.


Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
1 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 small melon (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 oz fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted* see Note

1 Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Chop the prosciutto into 1/4-inch pieces.
3 Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. In a medium bowl, toss together the asparagus and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side until crisp-tender.
4 In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the melon and mozzarella cheese and toss until all ingredients are combined.
5 Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the melon and burrata cheese on top of the asparagus. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle the prosciutto and pine nuts on top and serve.

Servings: 4

Author: Giada De Laurentiis
Author Notes
To toast pine nuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly browned.

Have a great weekend and to my American readers, Happy Memorial Day.

Freezing Asparagus, Doctors, Monster Sunspot, Monster Waves.

A friend asked me if one could freeze asparagus, I figured the answer had to be yes because it is possible to buy packs of frozen asparagus, not that I have ever seen them round here. Anyway, having Googled, I found this information from the Asparagus Growers of Ontario. I think the health information is particularly interesting too. I knew about rutin as Tim Barrie was telling me about it a week or so ago. I don’t know whether I will bother to freeze any, I eat it too quickly but maybe it would be good to have once the season is over. I have certainly eaten, and enjoyed frozen asparagus in the past.

Freezing: Prepare the asparagus as you would for cooking, then blanch. Group the stalks in small bundles. Bring large pot of water to boil. Drop the asparagus bundles into boiling water. After the water returns to boil, boil for one minute. Quickly lift out the stalks and immerse them into cold water. Leave for two minutes. Drain well, pat dry and package the asparagus in freezer bags. Seal and date package. Freeze immediately. Asparagus may be stored one year at -18 deg.C.

Asparagus is...

• Low in calories; just 20 calories per serving (8 medium spears)
• Fat and cholesterol free
• An excellent source of folacin
• A leading source of glutahione
• A good source of protein
• A significant source of thiamin and vitamin B6
• One of the richest sources of rutin, a drug which strengthens capillary walls.

Asparagus is the leading natural source for two of nutrients that prevent disease and promote a healthy body: folacin and glutathione.

Finally, after 6 months, I am going to see the shoulder expert and surgeon. I still have some pain although not as much as in Dec/Jan. We are living at the doctors these days, either I have an appointment or Matt does. Tomorrow he has the fracture clinic so we will be able to see what, if anything, can be done about his back. He wasn’t very happy having to watch everyone at the bowling alley and not being able to play himself. I would have been the same. Tuesday next week I have my echocardiogram which I had to cancel before. Also to talk to the head of the clinical trials that I mentioned yesterday. I still have to read the 30 pages of consent – I will probably do that at the weekend.

Scientists have discovered a monster sunspot on the sun this week, it is about 60,000 miles across. It is named AR1476 and is expected to generate a number of solar flares. The sun has become more active lately having been fairly quiet for a number of years. This sunspot can be seen by amateur astronomers with reasonably good equipment although they warn of the dangers of looking directly at the sun without filters; you could seriously damage your eyes.

Caught some video on TV last night about surfing a giant wave – they said 78 ft. or the size of a 7 storey building. The only thing I can find, recent, is a report in the Mail Online showing Garrett McNamara surfing a 90 ft. wave off Portugal where there is a deep water canyon. That is one hell of a monster wave and I think anyone trying that is nuts. Takes me back to the movie we watched the other night, Patrick Swayze in Point Break. His character would have gone nuts for such a wave. Me I would be running the other way, if I could run that is. Look how tiny the guy is in the picture. The videos are even more impressive. I am not very brave in water, Matt who was totally happy in water says he never saw the point of it. Fascinating to watch though. Living vicariously I guess. Must say I had never heard of this deep water canyon off Nazare, Portugal, but having Googled it I find the area is not that far from where my friend lives. It is south of Porto where port comes from. I wonder if you can see the waves from the coast?

I tend to believe that everything Giada de Laurentis cooks is worth noting and this one was no exception. I have never heard of burrata cheese, but it sounds delicious.

Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

Author: Giada De Laurentis

2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
1 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 small melon (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 oz fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted* see Cook's Note

1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Chop the prosciutto into 1/4-inch pieces.

3. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. In a medium bowl, toss together the asparagus and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side until crisp-tender.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the melon and mozzarella cheese and toss until all ingredients are combined.

5. Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the melon and burrata cheese on top of the asparagus. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle the prosciutto and pine nuts on top and serve.

Servings: 4

Author Notes
To toast pine nuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly browned.

Have a great day

Heart, General Ramblings.

Yesterday, my friend Marilyn of French Marilyn’s blog wrote a fascinating and informative article on a new artificial heart perfected by a Frenchman, Prof Alain Carpentier and holds out hope for the rest of the world with ailing hearts. To read Marilyn’s blog go to http://tinyurl.com/5ty3cl7. Marilyn always does lots of research and has all the details up to date. I think this is fantastic news and I hope she is right and the Professor does get a Nobel prize, I think he and his team deserve it.

Hey, I bowled really well yesterday, I was so pleased. Some of the best games I have had in a long time. If only I can bowl that well in the September tournament!!! This morning I have my 3 monthly diabetic appointment with the doctor and then we have to go to the asparagus farm, just for a change. To quote Matt “you’ve run out of bloody asparagus”. Er, yes. Well it only lasts for a few weeks every year!!! I like asparagus, what can I say? The stuff which is available for the rest of the year is pretty punky, the fresh stuff is luscious, delicious, can’t think of any more superlatives right now.

I finally ate my pears, by the way, but didn’t think too much of them, they had very little taste. Wrong time of year really I suppose. Although most foods are available all year round these days, you cannot guarantee the flavour if they are not really in season. I personally don’t think things have the flavour they used to anyway, too much forcing stuff to get it to market and picking or delivering way before things are really ripe. Economical for the supplier, not good for the consumer.

I posted this recipe last year, I had forgotten about it and maybe you had too. I think, if I can find some decent melon, I will have to try it this year.

Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad

2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto
1 lb asparagus, trimmed
2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 small melon (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
4 oz fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted* see Cook's Note

1. Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Chop the prosciutto into 1/4-inch pieces.

3. Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. In a medium bowl, toss together the asparagus and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side until crisp-tender.

4. In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the melon and mozzarella cheese and toss until all ingredients are combined.

5. Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the melon and burrata cheese on top of the asparagus. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle the prosciutto and pine nuts on top and serve.

Servings: 4

Author: Giada De Laurentiis

Author Notes
To toast pine nuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly browned.

Have a great day

Breast Milk, Wedding Dress, Hispanic Judge, Hispanic Movie

Interesting article on GMA this morning about a father, Tim Browne, in England drinking his daughter's breast milk in order to help cure his cancer. I hasten to add she fed the baby first and then saved the rest for her father. This is unproved as a cure or even as an assist for cancer, but the father swears it made him better even if he wasn't totally cured. There may have been a placebo effect of course because he believed in it strongly enough. If you would like to read the article click here where there is also a video clip. Apparently Tim Browne did not like the taste, but when his wife put it on cornflakes and mixed it with regular cow's milk, it was OK. A doctor interviewed on the programme said she thought the curative benefits were unlikely for adults although a mother does pass all kinds of curative benefits to the child and breast fed children have less incidences of cancer amongst other things. I was surprised to find out there are breast milk banks in the States, I am assuming for those babies who's mother's can't feed them for one reason or another. Planning to get married in the near future? They had a segment on wedding dresses. I personally have always thought paying thousands of dollars for a dress you are going to wear for a few hours is ridiculous. A dressmaker made my dress and I think it cost me £20 at the time. Becky Worley spent a fair bit of time visiting all kinds of thrift stores looking at dresses and found lots of wonderful bargains. $3,000 dresses for less than $300 or even dresses for $20. Many had not been properly cleaned although most stains can be removed by proper cleaning, it is worth reading the article if you or someone you know is looking for a dress click here its certainly what I would do. A number of years ago a friend of mine did just that, in this case it was a dress to be married in rather than a white wedding dress, but she bought a designer dress from a thrift store which cost her pennies on the dollar and looked absolutely wonderful. I must admit I am not a good dress shopper and the few times I have ever ventured into a thrift store, I am overwhelmed by the "stuff" and have never managed to find anything in my size anyway. There is a lot of criticism this morning regarding Obama's choice of a new Federal appeals judge Sonya Sotomayer because she is Hispanic in origin. In other words a minority. If being black makes you an African American, does being Hispanic make you a Spanish American? That is something that really annoys me, surely if you are born in the US of A you are American and that's it. I know Whoopi Goldberg agrees with me. Anyway, a lot of people are very unhappy about Sotomayor's appointment apparently. I wonder how long that will take to die down. I don't pretend to know a lot about it, but it seems to me that it just shows what minority groups can do if they pursue their education and don't drop out of school. Talking of which, we saw the movie Stand and Deliver last night, an old film, but it was about a teacher, Jaime Escalante, who first persuaded them to stay in class, and then taught his barrio students, all with Hispanic names, calculus and got every single one of them through their exams. Unfortunately, the examination board accused the kids of cheating and finally they all took another test and got through with flying colours a second time. In subsequent years he got dozens of students through, more and more each year. I could have used a teacher like that, I can't add 2 and 2 let alone do calculus. Actually I did have a teacher like that who began to get through to my non mathematical brain and then for financial reasons I had to leave the school. Great pity for me. Yesterday afternoon Matt was watching, as so often, Giada di Laurentiis and her new show Giada at Home. He called me when he discovered she was going to do the following dish. I promptly got the recipe and here it is. Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad 2 oz thinly sliced prosciutto 1 lb asparagus, trimmed 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus 2 tablespoons Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper 2 Tbs fresh lemon juice 1/4 small melon (about 12 ounces), peeled, seeded and cut into 3/4-inch cubes 4 oz fresh mozzarella or burrata cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 2 Tbs pine nuts, toasted* * 1 Place an oven rack in the center of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2 Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the prosciutto in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 14 minutes until crispy. Drain on paper towels. Chop the prosciutto into 1/4-inch pieces. 3 Place a grill pan over medium-high heat or preheat a gas or charcoal grill. In a medium bowl, toss together the asparagus and 2 teaspoons olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill for 2 to 3 minutes each side until crisp-tender. 4 In a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the melon and mozzarella cheese and toss until all ingredients are combined. 5 Arrange the asparagus on a platter. Using a slotted spoon, spoon the melon and burrata cheese on top of the asparagus. Drizzle any remaining vinaigrette over the top. Sprinkle the prosciutto and pine nuts on top and serve. Servings: 4 ** To toast pine nuts, arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 8 to 12 minutes until lightly browned. Have a great day.