Fire Drill, Ear Ad, Covid-19, Hair, Geriatric Dept.

Today, Wednesday, we are supposed to have a fire drill at 1. I phoned down and said we couldn't take part because we couldn't use our walkers. Officially in a fire drill the elevators are locked down. If there really was a fire, we would both have to use canes and I have no idea what would happen because we neither of us could stand for long and I don't think we could sit on the ground unless we fell which could happen of course. If there were a fire, I guess we would go onto our balcony being the safest place for us. Mind you this is the first time we have had a fire drill in the 20 years we have lived here. Periodically they come in to test the fire alarms with the result that they ring off and on  all day which is enough to drive you batty. Couple of times something went wrong and  they started ringing and people were starting to evacuate, well a few were, so I phoned the super and was told the things had a glitch and they were trying to turn them off. Bearing in mind at least once that was in the middle of the night, we weren't too happy.

The drill has now started half an hour early and the alarm is ringing and it is already driving me nuts. I don't know how long they intend to keep it going. Turned out to be for about 15 minutes of brr brr, brr brr, etc. If you hear I have turned into a gibbering idiot you will know why. I wonder how many people actually took part in the fire drill.

I just did my Spanish lesson for the evening. There is an ad floating around, I have seen it in several places including my lesson just now, to do with cleaning one's ears. I do think it is rather revolting to see, if only in passing, and I wish they wouldn't post it. Yuk.

Just had a good chat with ladydog which was nice. We are both feeling the effects of not being able to socialise. She figures we will always have to wear masks in stores and such from now on. I do hope she is wrong. I just watched a programme on TV about Covid-10 and they were talking about a vaccine they have developed which has to be frozen and cannot be transported in a regular cooler. How frustrating. I do hope they figure it out soon. Of course POTUS says we will have a vaccine at the end of the year, I do hope, for once, he is right.

I forgot to mention I chopped a load of hair off my head this morning, think I have to do a bit more chopping as there are still some very long bits. Trouble is standing at the sink is not easy for me to do any more. Once, I used to cut my own hair all the time. A long time ago mind you. So, at least I won't feel I have to wear a hijab.

Got a call from the Geriatric Dept. of the local hospital today too. They thought I might benefit from talking to the resident doctor of that department. Apparently it is going  to be a 90 minute call. The woman who called me today said maybe the doctor could get me some help. I do hope so but I am not all that hopeful I must admit.

This is one of my favourite asparagus recipes. If only I could get the asparagus. Please weather get good and warm. I am missing out.

Crispy Baked Asparagus Fries

1 lb asparagus, trimmed
1/2 cup flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan), grated
salt and pepper to taste
Alternatively used chopped almonds instead of Parmesan

1. Dredge the asparagus in the flour, dip them in the egg and then into a mixture of the panko breadcrumbs, Parmesan, salt and pepper.

2. Place the asparagus on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425°F oven until golden brown, about 7-13 minutes.

Servings: 2

Source: Closet Cooking

Author Notes
Asparagus coated in panko bread crumbs and parmesan and baked until golden brown and crispy.

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

THE Dress, Hair Cutting, Car Repairs.

I must confess I will be really glad when the wedding of William and Catherine takes place, I am tired of all the speculation about her dress. Hey, it’ll be white with a veil and probably a train!!! This morning they were talking about the dresses for Diana and Fergie. They hadn’t taken into account that Diana’s dad was quite a large gentleman so the dress got somewhat crushed on the drive to the church. With Fergie they found out that the carpet in the church had to be carefully vacuumed the previous night to have all the pile lying in the right direction so that her train didn’t get thrown askew. How incredible. The after all the fuss they both got divorced. I do so hope this won’t happen with William and Catherine. Just as a contrast, I thought I would include a picture of the queen’s dress when she got married. I wonder what they do about the “something old, something new, something borrowed and something blue” tradition. I vaguely remember it being mention during Diana’s wedding, but I don’t know what the answers were.

According to GMA today, people are starting to cut their own hair because of the expense of going to a salon, bearing in mind some of the prices they quoted, anything from $45 to $800, I would think so. However, they are making a big hoo haa of it; I cut my own hair for many years, I think its easy. The only reason I don’t do it any more is sheer laziness plus I only pay $15 to get it done. I have a cutter which is a bit like a comb with a razor blade and it works really well.

I am a bit teed off to say the least, I haven’t been bowling for a couple of weeks and was planning to do so today. Matt took the car in for some bodywork on Wednesday and we still haven’t got it back. We may get it at noon, but we may not I guess. Bowling starts at 1.

This recipe came from Cooking.com and as I have been looking for something new to do with chicken, it caught my eye.

Braised Chicken with Scallion Purée

Source: Saveur Magazine

4 servings

INGREDIENTS

2 teaspoon vegetable oil

1 chicken, cut into 4 pieces

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

5 bunches scallions, trimmed and thickly sliced

1/3 cup white wine

3 cups chicken stock

2 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

2 tablespoon heavy cream

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Season chicken with salt and pepper, and cook, skin side down, until golden, about 5 minutes. Turn chicken, add two thirds of the scallions, and brown chicken on other side, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a platter.

Continue to cook scallions until just soft, 1 to 2 minutes more. Add wine, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, and reduce by half. Return chicken to skillet, and add stock and potatoes. Reduce heat to medium low, and braise, partially covered, until chicken is cooked through, about 50 minutes.

Transfer chicken to a platter, and loosely cover with foil. Strain braising liquid into a small bowl. Transfer potatoes and scallions to a medium bowl. Return braising liquid to skillet, and reduce by half over high heat. Add remaining scallions, and cook for 30 seconds. Mash reserved potatoes and scallions with a fork; then stir in heavy cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Put potatoes on a serving platter, arrange chicken over potatoes, and spoon scallions over chicken.