Dentist, Bowling, Nexen Pipeline Oil Leak.

I ca't remember if I mentioned that I broke a tooth last weekend. I wasn't going to do much about it but then it started to be somewhat sensitive. Our dentist was in the next town so I decided to try and get in to one close by, I did, and they gave me an appointment that morning (Thursday) when they built up my tooth and filled it again as well. Gentle as you can possibly imagine. I was delighted. Of course things have changed a lot in my lifetime. I had been put off, scared, by dentists since I was a teenager and went to a dentist who did 5 fillings at one time without injections, plus he was more interested in my developing figure than in dentistry. Thank God we have health insurance though, the cost was over $385 but I ended up paying $100. That was quite enough thank you very much. Because of my fear of dentistry over the years, I need several things done so I will be going back in a couple of weeks for some estimates. Maybe can't afford it all anyway. We shall see. Wish my teeth looked half as good as those in the picture.

After that we dashed home for lunch and because I was told not to eat for a couple of  hours, I drank some Glucerna which I had left over from when I was so ill a few months ago. Then off to the bowling alley. What a waste of time and money that was. We both bowled appallingly. Just in case, for supper we had some Tuna done Matt's Way so I didn't really have to do much chewing. Not a very exciting day but quite scary enough for me being so petrified of dentistry.

Oh dear, just spotted a headline talking about a leak of 5 million litres of emulsion from a Nexen pipeline in the Alberta oilsands. That is going to put the cat among a lot of pigeons I'm thinking. There has been a lot of fuss about the oilsands in recent years and this won't help calm the issue down. This picture shows the area where the spill has taken place. I haven't read the article properly, getting on for my bed time. But if  you want to follow the link you may do so.

If you live near the sea, this should be a good recipe for you. When we lived in the Carolinas, it would have been great for us too. Makes me hungry just reading it. I love cooking al Cartoccio.

Grilled Shellfish and Vegetables al Cartoccio

Contributed by Cesare Casella

Serves: 4

Cartoccio means “paper” in Italian, which refers to the wrapping used to make packets for grilling. Here, foil packets preserve every drop of the delicious seafood juices for sopping up with crusty

bread.

Ingredients

1. 1 bunch Broccolini
2. 8 fat asparagus spears
3. 8 small carrots with some stem attached
4. 8 large red radishes with some stem attached, halved lengthwise
5. 4 medium tomatoes, halved crosswise
6. 1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges through the root end
7. Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
8. Salt
9. 16 small oysters, such as Wellfleet, scrubbed
10. 16 littleneck clams, scrubbed
11. 24 large mussels, scrubbed
12. 4 large basil sprigs
13. Warm crusty bread, for serving

1. Light a grill. In a large bowl, toss all of the vegetables with olive oil and season with salt. Pull out the Broccolini and grill over moderately high heat until lightly charred, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a large plate. Pull out the asparagus and carrots and grill for about 1 minute, until lightly charred; transfer to the plate. Grill the radishes, tomatoes and onion wedges, cut sides down, until lightly charred, about 2 minutes. Add to the other vegetables.
2. Tear off eight 16-by-18-inch pieces of heavy-duty foil. Layer the sheets in pairs. Divide the oysters, clams and mussels among the four pairs of foil and drizzle with olive oil. Arrange the vegetables over the shellfish and drizzle with more olive oil. Add a pinch of salt, a basil sprig and 1 tablespoon of water to each. Fold the foil tightly into neat rectangular packets.
3. Arrange the packets on the grill. Cover and cook over moderately high heat, rotating once or twice, until the packets are puffed and sizzling, about 25 minutes. Serve right away with bread.

Have a great day