Thursday

I am getting a little tired of this. I have now lost my tooth and beginning to feel the pain from the extraction, however, I also have a cough. Bought some cough medicine yesterday and I think the cough has become worse since. Wonder what else can go wrong. I had Ensure for lunch and plan on coldish scrambled eggs for supper. I just ate a mashed banana, not bad actually. I have some jello puddings too which I guess are OK.

Figured out what was wrong with my stuffed peppers, apart from the possibility of the peppers being overripe, I also hadn't followed the recipe and used too much meat to rice. Duuh. Did the recipe once and then figured I didn't need to read it again.

I have my baby (desktop) back again, but it is already gone 11, been updating everything I could and more to do tomorrow so, sorry, once again no recipe. Will try and get everything up to scratch tomorrow. I don't seem to have any medical appointments at all - something must have gone wrong. We make up for it on Monday and Tuesday though. Ah well, a brief break.

Have a great day

Health, Lumpia

I am still pretty tired so am not up to blogging too much at the moment. Matt, although he denies it, has been asleep for most of the day although we both had a good night's sleep last night.

A friend asked if my transfusion had made any difference. Not as far as I am aware, I felt pretty good before and I don't feel much different except for my Peripheral Arterial Disease which has got nothing to do with anaemia.

I have an appointment at the hospital Internal Medicine Dept. on Tuesday so they can start figuring out why I am anaemic.  So will write when I can but it may be somewhat intermittent in the next few days.

Many years ago we had a mobile home on a park in North Carolina, before we bought our own property. Made many friends and had lots of fun. One girl, renting a mobile home there, was Filipino - I regret I don't remember her name, I know she had a Marine Corps boyfriend which was how she came to be in the country. That aside, she would cook Lumpia at the drop of a hat and I would devour them with little or no encouragement. I just came across this recipe so had to share it with you. Although there are similarities, they are not the same as Chinese Egg Rolls.

Lumpia (Filipino Spring Rolls)

Lumpia are Filipino fried spring rolls filled with ground pork and mixed vegetables. This lumpia

recipe is authentic and yields the crispiest lumpia ever.

1 package Lumpia wrappers (Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers meant for frying can be used) (25 sheets)
2 lbs ground pork
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 inch ginger, peeled and minced
2 Tbs soy sauce
2 eggs, lightly beaten
3 dashes ground black pepper
6 oz cabbage, thinly sliced

1. Using a serrated knife, cut the square lumpia wrappers in half so that you have two stacks of rectangular wrappers. Place a damp paper towel over the wrappers to keep them from drying out as you work.

2. Combine the pork, cabbage, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, eggs, and black pepper in a large bowl. Using your hands, or a rubber spatula, mix the filling well so that the seasonings are evenly distributed.

3. Place one of the rectangular wrappers vertically on your work surface with the short edge facing you. Place a heaping teaspoon of the filling on the wrapper about half an inch from the edge closest to you. Grasp the bottom edge of the wrapper and roll it up and over the filling, continuing to roll until 2 inches of wrapper remain.

4. Dip two fingers into a bowl of water, then moisten the last 2 inches of wrapper with your fingers. Finish rolling the lumpia, then rest it on its seam. Continue rolling with the rest of the filling and lumpia wrappers.

5. At this point, you can freeze your rolled lumpia if you wish by placing them in freezer bags and then into your freezer.

6. To cook the lumpia, fill a large frying pan with about 1/2-inch of vegetable oil. Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Gently place the lumpia into the hot oil and fry until golden brown on all sides, 3 to 5 minutes total (if frying frozen lumpia, it will take 1 to 2 minutes longer).

7. Place the fried lumpia on paper towels and serve immediately with sweet and sour sauce (bottled from the store is fine).

Yield: 50 spring rolls

Tips
You can also add finely minced raw shrimp to the pork mixture if you’d like. Also, instead of ground pork, you can use ground beef or ground turkey.

For the vegetables, you can also use Napa Cabbage and add some chopped scallions to the pork mixture.

You can use Chinese or Vietnamese spring roll wrappers (for deep-frying) if you can’t find lumpia wrappers.

Source: Rasa Malaysia

Have a great day

Car Troubles, Medical, Red Lobster,

With everything that is happening, or has been happening, I decided Mercury must be in Retrograde. Sure enough it is, until tomorrow. March 5 - 28. Having told you about the accident, took the car in this morning and it turns out that the Emergency Brake Cable - which I had to use when they were jacking up the car - was seized so needed a new cable. Then, when they took the donut wheel off they found one of the bolts had been cross threaded when my helpers had put the wheel back so that snapped when they tried to undo it. There are a list of small problems which happened, I thought there might be, so we haven't got the car back and when we do the bill will break us!!!

Then the cardiologist called, he is worried about my lungs and wants to be sure there isn't a blood clot, or something, so I have to go in for an exam at the hospital tomorrow, at 8:30. Who gets up so early. So, I have been trying to get a ride. The ones I have been using are all booked up, a friend who lives locally is not home today, and so on and so on. My husband is extremely upset about this new test, I think he believes it is more serious than it is and I can't reassure him.  Still got another day of Mercury Retrograde, help. Apparently one is supposed to take a step back and analyse things during Mercury Retrograde, not blame it for the bad things which happen. Funny how the bad things happen then you realise what the dates are. I had never heard of it before JoJo mentioned it.

Finally, late afternoon, I called the garage and they said they were just about to call me. They sent a cab to pick us up and when I came to pay the bill, it was about $200 less than they had told me, however, the cable for the emergency brake which had been delivered was the wrong side, left instead of right, or vice versa, so for the moment I haven't got an emergency brake. However, as Tuesday was the first time I had ever used it, I am not too worried. As the garage guy said, just don't park on a steep hill, I asked him where there was such a thing round here!! I am to take the car back when I can bearing in mind my hospital visit tomorrow. We went straight from the garage to the Red Lobster and gorged ourselves. It really is a good restaurant, the food is excellent and the staff are too. On the way in I used the electronic buttons to open the doors, the first doors didn't open so I mentioned it to the hostesss. On the way out, they told me the buttons worked OK now and then the next thing we knew, the manager was opening the doors for us anyway and we were discussing electronic door openers.  Marvellous place.

I have ordered a cab to pick us up at 8 a.m. tomorrow. I gather I have to go to nuclear imaging. I went there last November. So, gotta go to bed early as I/we have to get up early.

I, of course, love lamb and thought this sounded like an interesting recipe.

Spiced Lamb Kebabs with Fresh Herbs

For the one-year anniversary of her company, Diaspora Co., Sana Javeri Kadri and her supporters prepared a turmeric-spiced banquet. You can buy her ruddy, flavorful ground turmeric online at diasporaco.com. In this recipe, aromatic lamb and creamy chickpeas soften into a crispy, moist patty once cooked. Look for chana dal and asafoetida at local Indian grocers or online.“These pan-fried lamb and chickpea patties are an ode to my Gujarati Muslim heritage on my father’s side,” Javeri

Kadri says. They’re stuffed with onions and herbs, then cooked and served with big scoops of fresh green chutney and yogurt. To make them ahead of time, prepare the kebabs through step 4, then freeze for up to 1 month, thawing fully before proceeding. You can find chana dal and asafoetida powder in Indian markets or online.

1 lb ground lamb
1 cup dried chana dal (split chickpeas)
1 cup water
3 Tbs ghee, divided
1 tsp finely grated garlic (about 1 large garlic clove)
1 tsp finely grated peeled fresh ginger (from 1 [1/2-inch] piece)
1 tsp ancho chile powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp asafoetida powder
1 Tbs kosher salt, divided
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
2 serrano chiles, stemmed and finely chopped
2/3 cup packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
1/3 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Plain whole-milk yogurt
Spicy Green Chutney

1. Stir together lamb, chana dal, and 1 cup water in a 6-quart programmable electric pressure cooker (such as an Instant Pot). Close and lock lid. Turn steam release handle to “Sealing” position. Press “Manual,” select “High Pressure,” and program 8 minutes pressure-cooking time. When cooking time and time for float valve to drop are complete, turn pressure cooker off. Carefully open using the natural pressure release.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon ghee in a small saucepan over low. Add garlic, ginger, chile powder, coriander, cumin seeds, turmeric, and asafoetida powder; stir with a spatula to combine. Cook until fragrant, about 20 seconds; transfer mixture to a food processor. Add cooked lamb mixture and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; process until texture is mostly smooth, about 2 minutes, stopping to stir and scrape down sides as needed. Transfer mixture to a large bowl, and cover with plastic wrap until ready to use.

3. Stir together onion, chiles, mint, cilantro, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a medium bowl.

4. Shape lamb mixture into 16 (3-inch-wide) patties (about 3 tablespoons each). Make a 2-inch-wide, 1/2-inch-deep circular indentation in center of each patty. Place 1 heaping teaspoon onion mixture in center of each patty. Press lamb mixture together, sealing filling inside, and shape into a ball. Flatten slightly into a 3/4-inch-thick patty. Place patties on a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill at least 30 minutes or up to 1 day. (Alternatively, freeze patties on a baking sheet. Transfer frozen patties to ziplock plastic freezer bags, and freeze up to 1 month. Let thaw completely in refrigerator before cooking.)

5. Working in 3 batches, add 2 teaspoons ghee to a large nonstick skillet. Heat over high until bubbling but not smoking. Add 6 patties, and cook until fully browned on one side, 2 minutes to 2 minutes and 30 seconds. Flip and cook until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter lined with paper towels to drain slightly. Serve with yogurt and green chutney

Servings: 8

Source: Food and Wine

Have a great day
 

Aches and Pains, Bowling,

Not a great day for me, spent a lot of time standing in the kitchen and that is not the best thing in the world for my back and/or legs. However, we did end up with Tomato Soup in the freezer and  Moroccan Stuffed Peppers for supper with some left for the weekend. It is a favourite recipe of ours and not really difficult to do.

Being unable to bowl yesterday, we ended up playing 3 games today. There were still a lot of kids but most of them were downstairs because there is a league playing upstairs. I was quite chuffed with the way I bowled (in case you wonder, I had taken some Tylenol 3 for a little relief). One of the guys from the league said I had a wicked ball. I agreed and said it was so wicked it didn't go where I wanted it to. Matt did not have a good day, he is still very much one of the walking wounded. One bowling friend asked me how I was, I complained about my back and she said hers had been playing her up all week. Maybe it's the weather.

Tomorrow Matt has to go for an assessment to see if he can get his driving license back. They took it away after he went into the hospital the second time in December when he was totally confused and maybe having a panic attack or something. We'll see.

I like the look of  this recipe but was not sure about obtaining Thai Sweet Chili Sauce so I found a recipe. which seems pretty easy to use.

Broiled Salmon with Thai Sweet Chili Glaze

1-1/2 lbs (or four 6-ounce pieces) salmon, skin on or off
6 Tbs Thai Sweet Chili Sauce (best quality, such as Mae Ploy or Thai Kitchen)
3 Tbs soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
1 Tbs peeled and finely grated fresh ginger
2 scallions, green parts only, finely sliced

1. Set the oven rack 5-6 inches from the top and preheat the broiler.

2. Make the marinade by combining the sweet chili sauce, soy sauce and ginger in a shallow baking dish. Spoon 1/4 cup of the marinade into a small dish and set aside (this will be the sauce for the cooked fish). Add the salmon fillets, skin side up, to the remaining marinade and marinate for 1 hour in refrigerator.

3. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the salmon fillets to the prepared baking sheet, skin side down, and drizzle a bit of the marinade over top. Go easy -- you don't want it to pool too much on the baking sheet because it will burn in the oven. Broil the salmon for 6-10 minutes, or until browned in spots and almost opaque in the center. Transfer the salmon to a serving platter and pour the reserved sauce over top. Garnish with scallions and serve.

Servings: 4

Author: Jennifer Segal
Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day and a great weekend.
 

Cosmetic Surgery, Health Dangers, Weather, New Building,

Having arisen at what felt like before the crack of dawn this morning and got the shopping done, it easier early in the morning I must admit, I wanted to fall asleep after lunch but didn't dare in case we missed Matt's appointment. Could have set an alarm I suppose.

So, then I goofed, I thought Matt's appointment was at 3, nope, 3:30 so we sat there like a couple of

strays waiting. Finally, got to see Dr. Ma who examined the two basel cells on his face, beside his nose and closer to the eye. She told us of the possible problems. I hate it when doctors do that, I know they have to but I still hate it. He is booked into Cambridge Memorial hospital (next town) for May 3. Seems odd to me that they are affiliated with Cambridge Hospital rather than Waterloo/Wellington which is closer to them. Some of  you may remember that this is Matt's third episode of skin cancer in Canada and the second time Dr. Ma has treated him. Previously it was Dr. Chesney but she was on pregnancy leave the second time Matt needed treatment. He once had treatment when we were in North Carolina too.

If only, when we were young, we had known just how dangerous the sun could be, but we just didn't  at that time and so we lay out in the sun browning burning our skin for hours on end. There are so many people who still do so and I'm sorry, I think they are idiots because now we do know how harmful this can be. Smoking is the same, today we know the dangers and people still begin smoking despite all the warnings. I even knew someone who's husband smoked and got throat cancer and then she started smoking!!

Another thing we goofed on, we both wore fairly light coats and then were unable to get into the Surgery parking lot and so had a bit of a walk to get there. It was blowing a gale and starting to snow. We were both freezing. Then the surgery wasn't particularly warm. Getting back to the car we got even colder and we had the heater really blasting once it started to pump warm air. I was going to stop and do a couple of errands but decided I did NOT want to get out of the car again. We park underground of course.

The surgery is right next to where the Waterloo bowling alley used to be. It is now a block of apartments with what looks like a very interesting restaurant at street level. That is a recent addition apparently. It is called the Loloan and is so new, they don't have a website built yet. The apartments are really luxurious and, no doubt, cost a bomb to rent.

When I saw this recipe, I couldn't resist it. I have, however, included the web site address as there are a number of pictures showing one how to assemble it.

Great Canadian Toque Cake

This winter, let’s embrace the cold (and even celebrate it) with this chilly-weather inspired cake. Ultra-Canadian both inside and out, this maple and nutmeg flavoured dessert reminds us of bundling up for snowy winter days spent tobogganing or skating on the local rink.

To create this super cute cake, simply carve a small layer cake into the domed shape before using a few decorative piping techniques to mimic different knit patterns with buttercream icing. Pop a pom-

pom on top, and add a few marzipan maple leaves for extra Canadian flair!

This gorgeous cake is a perfect, whimsical showstopper for any party this season.

Maple Nutmeg Cake
2 1/2 cups cake flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup pure maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
Red gel food coloring (optional)

Maple Buttercream
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 to 4 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 to 2 Tbs milk

Assembly
2 oz marzipan (or fondant)
Red gel food coloring

Maple Nutmeg Cake

Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour 3 6-inch round cake pans. Set aside.

In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Set aside.

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. Add in the sugar and mix on medium until light and fluffy. Add in the maple and vanilla. Mix until combined.

With the mixer on medium-low speed, add in the eggs 1 at a time. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

With the mixer on low, add in 1/2 the dry ingredients. Once combined, stream in the buttermilk. Add in the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not over mix.

 Remove 1/3 of the batter and mix in the red gel food coloring until desired shade is achieved. Mix the remaining plain batter by hand until smooth.

 Place the red batter in one of the prepared cakes pans. Evenly divide the remaining batter between the other 2 pans. Bake for 24 to 26 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cakes comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 10 to 20 minutes before removing the cakes from their pans.

Maple Buttercream

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter until smooth. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add in the sugar and maple syrup and mix until combined. Once combined, turn the mixer up to medium-high and beat until fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add more sugar and/or milk until desired consistency is reached.

Red Buttercream

 Make 1/2 the frosting used for our Red Rose Cupcakes.

Assembly

Once the cakes are cool, trim the tops of the red layer and 1 of the white layers. Place the trimmed white layer on a cake board or serving dish. Spread on about 1/2 cup of buttercream with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Top with the red layer and repeat with the last white layer (dome side up, if present).

Using a long, serrated knife, trim and carve the cake into a domed shape. Save the cake scraps and set aside.

Once the cake has been carved into the shape of a toque, crumb coat the cake with a thin layer of buttercream all over.

Fill 2 piping bags fitted with decorative piping tips with the red and maple buttercream. Stating from the bottom, pipe rows of the maple buttercream 1/3 of the way up (or until the red cake layer appears). Pipe red buttercream where the red cake layer is. Continue on to pipe maple buttercream over the top layer of cake.

For the pom-pom on top, gather a portion of the scraps and roll/form into a large cake ball. Place on top of the cake and pipe on red buttercream using a grass piping tip.

Tint the marzipan with red gel food coloring. Roll out to about 1/8 to 1/4 inch and cut out maple leaves using a small cookie cutter. Place on the cake as desired.

 For the maple buttercream (white) piping details, use a small rose tip (104) to pipe roses of small, interlocking V’s to create the woven pattern. Reverse the direction of the piping every-other row.

 For the red buttercream piping details, use a small star tip (18) to pipe ropes (spirals) of buttercream. Use a grass tip to cover the pom-pom on top.

Servings  6 to 10

Author: Tessa Huff
Source: Food Network
Web Page: http://www.foodnetwork.ca/shows/great-canadian-cookbook/blog/get-cozy-with-the-great-canadian-toque-cake/

Have a great day
 

Health, Costco, No Bowling. Kew on a Plate, 150 Years,

Monday morning went to the doctor mainly for refills but also had blood test results for diabetes and it turns out Matt's hemoglobin is low and they are sending him for a colonoscopy. Poor Matt. We then dropped the prescriptions in at the drug store and headed on to Costco. Bought a ton of meat but was disappointed they didn't have any fillet steaks. Bought pork fillets though, we enjoy those. The trouble with all this stuff is packing it away. You can't just shove it in the freezer you have to separate into portion sizes which is a pain in the rear end. I finally got my lamb chops anyway. I plan to have them on Saturday, don't the look yummy? Many North Americans don't seem to like lamb unfortunately which is a great pity. I refrained from looking at a lot of things I might have wanted to buy, spent enough as it was. However, I am set up in the freezer for a while now.

As there is no bowling and the alley is closed anyway, we basically sat and twiddled our thumbs for the rest of the day. Although we will still be bowling twice a week we miss it being spread out as it is in the winter. The weather hasn't been up to much either. We sat and finished our wine from supper out on the balcony on Saturday evening, it was very pleasant but since then it has been cloudy with some rain.

Monday night we get to see another episode of Kew on a Plate which I mentioned last week. Looking forward to it.

Did you know Canada is celebrating 150 years this year? Not sure of all the planned festivities but there will be many.

Now here's a recipe I'm not sure I would enjoy. It looks gorgeous in the picture though.

Fresh Cherry and Asparagus Salad

Ingredients

6 cups spring mix lettuce
16 asparagus spears, touch ends removed
1 cup of sweet cherries, pitted and sliced in half
1 cup whole walnuts
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Cooking spray
1/2 Cup sour cream
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 Tbs poppy seeds
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Heat non-stick pan over medium heat and spray with cooking spray, add the asparagus spears and whole walnuts. Cook tossing occasionally until asparagus is starting to brown, 5- 7 minutes. Remove from heat

In a small jar, whisk together the sour cream, brown sugar, lemon juice, poppy seeds and salt

In a large bowl toss together the cooked asparagus and walnuts, cherries, and feta cheese with the spring mix lettuce. Top with the dressing.

Have a great day

Health, Gingerbread Cake, Saturday Recipe

Thanks for the good wishes everyone. Had a bit of a scary time on Thursday. Got back from a pretty successful afternoon's bowling and almost the minute of stepping into the apartment I started to feel unwell. I finally decided I might be having a heart attack so better to be safe than sorry I called an ambulance. Ended up with the fire dept. first and then the ambulance. Just as an example when I heard the siren and then the engine hoot, I choked up just for a second or so. Anyway, everyone took my blood pressure (we'd taken it anyway) and I had taken aspirin. Took a low dose then the dispatcher told me to take another and chew it. I did, horrid. They tested my sugars too which I had also done, took what I think was an ecg and everything showed fine. They said I could have a blood test at the hospital to be sure but I declined as everything appeared OK. Very pleasant and helpful bunch although one of the people from the fire department seemed to think I was a 6 yr old, she asked me my name and responded 'what a pretty name', then later they asked me to smile and she said 'what a pretty smile'!!! Anyway, for the rest of the evening I didn't feel too good but knew I wasn't having a heart attack so that was OK. Had a sleep which helped. Whilst the paramedics were here, I couldn't stop shaking. Partly because I was cold I think. Eventually covered myself up with a blanket and Matt did me a hot pad. Went to bed early. So that's why I wrote my last blog.

I just came across this incredible picture of a gingerbread castle which I had to share with you - the article gives details and shows the items individually but this picture alone impressed me. Isn't it a fantastic creation?

And then look at this - oh to be so clever.

I thought these looked absolutely delicious for those of you who are prepared to take the time and make the effort I think they will be well worth it.

Caramel “Falafel”

Pastry genius Dominique Ansel improves on the ethereal cream puff with a crunchy coating of chocolaty panko and a salted caramel filling. When it's fried, it looks like a golden falafel.

CHOUX
1/4 cup whole milk
5 1/2 Tbs unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1 tsp granulated sugar
1 tsp kosher salt
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
1 large egg beaten with
1 large egg yolk
FILLING
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
2/3 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp fleur de sel
COATING
1 cup panko
1 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1 large egg beaten with
1 large egg yolk
Grapeseed or canola oil, for frying
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

1. Make the choux Preheat the oven to 375°. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a medium saucepan, combine 1/3 cup of water with the milk, butter, granulated sugar and kosher salt and bring to a boil over moderate heat. When the butter melts, add the flour all at once and beat with a wooden spoon until a tight dough pulls away from the side of the pan, about 2 minutes.

3. Scrape the dough into a medium bowl. Using a wooden spoon, beat in the eggs one at a time until smooth. The dough should be glossy and fall slowly from the spoon in thick ribbons. Scoop the dough into a pastry bag fitted with a 1/2-inch plain tip. Pipe 1 1/2-inch mounds onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them 1 inch apart. Brush the mounds with the beaten egg. Bake the choux for about 30 minutes, until browned and puffed; rotate the sheet halfway through baking. Let cool completely.

4. Meanwhile, make the filling In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, corn syrup and brown sugar and bring just to a boil, stirring. Keep warm over very low heat.

5. In another medium saucepan, cook 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar over high heat, without stirring, until it starts to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar, letting it start to caramelize before adding more. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until a deep amber caramel forms, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the warm cream mixture.

6. Bring the caramel to a boil over high heat and cook, whisking occasionally, until it reaches 228° on a candy thermometer, about 12 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the fleur de sel. Let cool completely. Transfer to a pastry bag fitted with a 1/4-inch plain tip. Refrigerate until just chilled, about 45 minutes.

7. Insert the piping tip in the bottom of each choux and pipe in the caramel filling.

8. Make the coating In a medium bowl, whisk the panko with the cocoa powder. Brush each choux with some of the beaten egg, then dredge in the panko and return to the baking sheet. Freeze overnight.

9. In a large saucepan, heat 3 inches of oil to 350°. In batches, fry the choux over moderate heat, turning, until browned and crisp, about 4 minutes per batch. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the falafel to paper towels to drain. Let stand for 10 minutes, then dust with confectioners’ sugar and serve

Servings: 20

Source: Food and Wine

Have a great day
 

Health, Bowling, Parcels,

Matt did a PSA test a week ago and today went to see the specialist. Apparently his readings are slightly up so he has to do it all again in 3 months. Bit of a concern.

Rather than sit around dozing all afternoon, I suggested we went bowling, so we did. Walking to the car Matt's hip gave way and he was in agony for a while. Had to lend him my cane. He wanted to go on to the alley though so we did. He started throwing strikes all over the place and decided he should always play crippled, I assured him if he kept bowling like this, I would ensure he was really crippled LOL. His first game was really good, but the other two weren't. None of mine were much good. Oh well. Bowling again tomorrow of course (Thursday). His hip is fine now by the way.

On the way home, went to the Post Office to collect a parcel. Got home and there was another delivery card for another parcel. Ordered Matt a new shaver and me a CD of Pentatonix (I posted their version of Allelujah about a week ago). The Album is called That's Christmas to Me. Looking forward to getting it.

I posted a recipe for a Sausage Casserole earlier this week. I made that this evening for supper. The only thing I didn't use was the potatoes, I didn't think they were necessary with the beans. It was delicious and we both enjoyed it. I can highly recommend it. I only used 4 sausages so basically ended up with enough for two meals for us.

People frequently say they don't like Brussels Sprouts. I came across this recipe today which I thought may help as this vegetable is so very good for you. Of course the way you cook them in the first place makes a difference. As I said a few days ago, I now use distilled water to cook mine. I don't have a steamer anyway.

Brown Butter and Dill Brussels Sprouts

When you brown butter, as in this recipe, the flavor intensifies so adding just a little to Brussels sprouts still makes a big impact.

1 lb Brussels sprouts, trimmed and quartered
1 Tbs unsalted butter
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs slivered almonds, toasted (see Tip)
1 Tbs white-wine vinegar
1 Tbs chopped fresh dill, or 1 teaspoon dried
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan fitted with a steamer basket. Add Brussels sprouts, cover and steam until tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Cook, swirling often, until the butter turns a nutty brown, 1 to 3 minutes. Stir in oil and scrape into a large bowl with a rubber spatula. Add the Brussels sprouts, almonds, vinegar, dill, salt and pepper and toss to combine.

Servings: 4

Tips
To toast slivered almonds, place in a small dry skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Source: WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Have a great day
 

Coward Punch, Health, Lamb Stew,

People have queried coward punches. Apparently they are similar to sucker punches but likely to happen to people who are totally innocent of anything. The coward punch is just an unexpected attack and totally unprovoked. My Australian blogging friend, Pinky Poinker, who started me off on this tack has a petition running at the moment and his hoping to get enough signatures to make a difference. If you live in Australia, maybe you could go to her site and sign this petition. Wednesday saw the funeral of a young person, Cole Miller, 18, who had been coward punched. A very tragic waste of a young life. Pinky herself is the mother of 5 kids, 4 boys if I remember correctly, all of whom are in the age group where this could happen. Not only that she is a teacher so has seen the Soft Fall used in playgrounds and such. There is a radio broadcast too which she is hoping will draw attention to her petition. I found another petition in Australia and suggested she could link up.

I had a very quiet day on Wednesday not doing much of anything. Sometimes my hip was killing me

and other times I didn't know it was there. Anyway, this evening I go see the doc, I am just hoping the walk from the parking lot to the doctor's door will be clear as I am hobbling along with a cane. I could just do with a fall. They say they do have a wheel chair in the office, but Matt is not really up to going and getting it and then pushing me into the office and they certainly didn't offer to help. However, I am sure you are beginning to get bored with my ailments. So I will shut up for now.

According to the weather forecast we were supposed to have a lot of snow on Wednesday, we didn't, and more snow on Thursday, we shall see. We can't really complain it was so spring like up to the end of last year but we knew we would get it eventually.

When we were last at one of the stores here, Central Fresh Market, we bought some frozen lamb chops. We ate some and were extremely disappointed as they were as tough as old boots. However, I have taken a tip out of Ivy at Happy Whisk's book and am going to turn them into a spicy stew tomorrow. I will chuck them and some neck of lamb that I have, into the crockpot with some veg and a few spices and hope to come up with something tasty. Normally we buy our lamb chops in Costco and they are usually excellent.

These looked interesting so I thought I would share. Their main attribute of course is chocolate. They are, apparently, a Mexican sweet. Of course you could use real cream instead of the Cool Whip.

Chocolate Churros

Kraft

Churros with double the chocolate: in the batter and in the sauce. Make a batch for your next fiesta.

Servings 15 servings, 2 churros each

1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, divided
2 Tbs powdered sugar
1 cup water
2 Tbs granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup butter
3/4 cup flour
3 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 cups oil
1 pkg (4 oz) semi sweet chocolate chips
4 oz. (1/2 of 8-oz. tub) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping (Do not thaw.)

Mix 2 Tbsp. cocoa powder and powdered sugar in shallow bowl until blended.

Bring water, granulated sugar, salt and butter to boil in medium saucepan on medium-high heat. Add flour and remaining cocoa powder; cook and stir on low heat 1 min. or until mixture pulls away from side of pan. Remove from heat. Add eggs; beat until blended. Stir in vanilla. Spoon into pastry bag fitted with large star tip.

Heat oil in deep fryer to 350ºF. Pipe dough, in batches, into 4-inch strips into hot oil. Cook 3 min. or until each churro is golden brown on both sides, turning after 1 min. Remove from oil with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Add warm churros, 1 at a time, to powdered sugar mixture; toss to evenly coat.

Microwave semi-sweet chocolate and COOL WHIP in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 2 min. or until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after each minute. Serve with warm churros.

Variation For cinnamon-sugar coated churros, coat the warm churros with a mixture of 3/4 cup granulated sugar and 1/2 tsp. Mexican cinnamon instead of the cocoa powder mixture. How to Pipe the Churros Dough When piping the dough, use kitchen shears to cut the dough into the desired-length strips

Have a great day

Health Report, New Restaurant.

Many of you will be aware that I went to see the vascular surgeon this afternoon, Thursday,  He has operated on my veins a couple of times before, however, this time he said that although my carotid artery was blocked 70% it was fairly stable and unless I had a stroke or a TIA (mini stroke) he didn't feel it was necessary to operate. He said there was only a 2% likelihood of this happening and if he operated it would only reduce that to 1% so he proposed not doing anything at this time. He figured the fact that I am already on blood thinners was sufficient treatment for now. We discussed my collapse in the elevator early in the summer, but he didn't think it was really connected. So that's good, no operation in my future.

I wanted to have a break from cooking, and anyway, I have a birthday coming up, so we were going to go out for dinner.  I then ended up with a headache so didn't feel much like doing either. However, I remembered a restaurant which had opened just down the road from us so we decided to go and try it. I't name is A & A Grill Restaurant. It isn't a grill though. It turns out the young men who run it are from Afghanistan and at the moment they offer three Indian dishes, three Afghani and three Western (someone had fish and chips they looked good). Matt was grumpy but as he has eaten biriyani's before, I got him to choose a Chicken Biriyani which came with a small side salad. I opted to try something different though and chose a dish they had listed as Man Tuu. It was well presented although simple, and absolutely delicious. It was served with Dahl and a yogurt sauce. So of course I had to Google it. This is what I found. There are a number of pictures showing how to make the dumplings, etc. Matt ate every bit of his meal so I guess, grumpy or no, he enjoyed it. I will be back, he, perforce, will have to come back with me. LOL. I am really thrilled to have found this little place, it is very plain inside and a bit lacking in atmosphere. Once upon a time it was an Italian restaurant, Ennio's, They did so well they moved to the other side of town, I think.

Afghan Mantu Recipe (Beef Dumplings)

What is Afghan Mantu? A Brief Background and History

Afghan mantu is one of the most popular dishes from Afghanistan. It is a meat (usually beef or lamb) stuffed dumpling that is steamed in a multilayer steamer. Mantu is served on special occasions and often during large gatherings. In Afghanistan, cooked mantu is often sold at markets and busy streets, much like hotdog stands. Mantu can be served as both a main or side dish.

Afghan mantu dates back to the time of the Turkic and Mongol horsemen of Central Asia. It is believed that the horsemen carried frozen mantu during the cold winters while traveling long distances and then boiled them over camp fires for supper.

Afghan mantu is served with chaka (which consists of drained yogurt, minced garlic, lemon, salt) and a variety of sauces and toppings, including ground meat, mixed vegetable, chickpea, or even just cooked onions. The recipe below will show you how to make Afghan mantu served with Chaka and a mixed vegetable sauce. Enjoy!

Preparation and Cook Time

Prep time: 35 min

Cook time: 40 min

Ready in: 1 hour 15 min

Yields: Around four servings, depending on appetite

Ingredients for the Mantu

• 2 cups ground beef or lamb
• 2/3 cup onions, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• Vegetable oil
• Salt to taste
• 1 package of egg roll or wonton wraps

Ingredients for the Mixed Vegetable Sauce

• 2 cups frozen vegetable mix
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon of turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon of cumin
• Vegetable or olive oil
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

Cooking Mantu—Tips

Before you start preparing and making/cooking your Mantu, keep these helpful hints below in mind:

• Keeping your onions raw. You may find other mantu recipes that instruct you to cook the onions with the beef. But if you keep the chopped onions raw and simply mix it with the raw beef/lamb mixture, you'll get a much moister and more flavorful mantu resulting from the onions cooking with the meat, melding the flavors together during this process. In fact, the traditional mantu recipe calls for the raw ground meat and chopped onion mixture to be placed directly onto the steamer without any precooking. Now, however, since we have concerns of e-coli and other bacteria in our meat, we cook the meat at least halfway through before steaming it.
• Meat proportions. If you want to make more or less dumplings, remember that for the meat mixture, the ratio of onion to meat should be approximately 1/3 of the meat. Make sure you adjust your spices accordingly, as well.

Mantu Cooking Instructions

1. Heat pan over a medium heat and add the garlic, ground beef, coriander, and some salt. Cook until the meat is half-way cooked for about 15 to 20 minutes. Add a few dashes of black pepper to taste and then remove from heat.
2. Mix in the cup of raw chopped onions with the meat and let it cool down to room temperature.
3. Cut egg roll wraps into 4" diameter circles or squares. Place approximately one tablespoon of the cooled ground meat and onion mixture onto each wrap. To make the wraps stick together easily, wet the edges with water (you may use your fingers or a basting brush). Fold over first two opposite ends of the egg roll wrap, followed by other two ends to enclose dumplings. Press the edges tightly to seal together. Continue doing this with the remaining wraps.
4. Take the racks out of the steamer dish. Add water to the dish, cover, and bring to boil. Grease the bottom of the steamer racks with oil to prevent sticking and place the dumplings on top, leaving some room in between each dumpling so they don't stick together. Once the water has come to a boil, place the racks filled with dumplings back on to the steamer dish. Cover lid and steam for approximately 40 minutes.
5. While the dumplings are steaming, prepare the vegetable sauce mixture.

Vegetable Sauce Cooking Instructions

1. Heat the oil over a medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for about 5-6 minutes, or until soft and somewhat translucent. Add garlic, turmeric, and cumin to sauté for two additional minutes.
2. Add tomato paste and salt, and heat for one minute.
3. Add frozen vegetable mix and stir/cook for 8-10 minutes.
4. Add a pinch of black pepper to taste. (Optional)

Yogurt Mixture

Ingredients

• 1 cup strained Greek yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoon of lime or lemon juice
• Salt to taste

Instructions

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Serving Instructions

1. Now that the dumplings have cooked, add a thin layer of the yogurt mixture to a large serving plate.
2. Place the steamed dumplings on top.
3. Pour some more of the yogurt mixture on top of the dumplings and coat everything with the the vegetable sauce.
4. Garnish with dried mint and a little bit of cayenne pepper.

Noshe-Jaan!

Have a great day
 

Cleaners, More Health Problems,

Once again, we have a clean home. The cleaners turned up just before 10 on Wednesday morning and appeared to be a very nice young couple. They worked well, basically didn’t stop and did a very good job. We were very pleased and have arranged for them to come back. I am so relieved as I can no longer cope and Matt certainly couldn’t do the whole place. Mind you, I was never “brung up” to do housework anyway – my mother always had a cleaner for most of her married life. Couple of times when they couldn’t afford it but I guess she was better at this domestic stuff  than I am. Only thing I was ever good at was cooking.

We are doing well between us. It now turns out that Matt has a bleeding problem and I got him in to the doctors the minute I found out. She is sending him for a colonoscopy and he has to stop his blood thinners (which I don’t like one bit after all the TIAs he had). I still have dizzy spells which I think is a hangover from the antibiotics – they were strong ones. So we are doing very well, the pair of us.

I thought this cocktail looked particularly refreshing. It is intended for St. Patrick’s Day so if you celebrate, here is a drink for you. Sounds as though it might be quite lethal.

Spring 2014

Spring 2014 Cocktail

About the Spring 2014 Cocktail

This cocktail combines spring flavors like lemon thyme, verjus and sugar snap peas.

 

Ingredients in the Spring 2014 Cocktail

• 3 Sugar snap pea pods
• 1.5 oz Krogstad Aquavit
• .25 oz Pernod Absinthe
• .75 oz Manzanilla sherry
• .75 oz Lime juice
• .75 oz Lemon Thyme Syrup*
• 5 dashes Verjus
• 1 pinch Maldon salt or other sea salt

Garnish: Lemon thyme
Glass: Coupe
 

How to make the Spring 2014 Cocktail

In a shaker, muddle the pea pods. Add the remaining ingredients and fill with ice. Shake, and double-strain into a large coupe glass. Garnish with a sprig of lemon thyme resting across the rim.
*Lemon Thyme Syrup

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cups Sugar
• 8 oz Water
• 1 handful of Fresh lemon thyme
• Peel of 1 lemon

PREPARATION:
Add the sugar and water to a saucepan over medium heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon thyme and lemon peel, and bring to a low boil. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Strain before using.

Have a great day

Health, Cleaning.

Hooray, yesterday I took my last antibiotics and hopefully this bout with sepsis is now all over. I go to check up with the doctor this morning, but hope that’s it. This has been a pretty nasty run and one I don’t want to experience again. Oddly enough it turned out that a close friend of mine in South Africa also had a major kidney infection this last week or so. I still feel somewhat weak, it takes a lot out of you, but at least I am interested in food again and can go back to living my normal life.

I think I have also solved my cleaning problems, we have a couple coming in on Wednesday morning and hopefully they will suit us and vice versa. Please keep your fingers crossed for me. I like the idea of a couple as it means they are not in your home for nearly as long.

Last night was the final episode of this season’s Downton Abbey but as I had already seen it, I won’t be watching. I am surprised they release the DVDs before the season has ended. My friend has all of them, I don’t think I would want to see the lot again. Not yet awhile anyway, maybe in a few years’ time.

We have a favourite London Broil recipe which we picked up in the States many years ago. However, this one sounded interesting. In my part of Canada London Broil is not the same thing as it was in North Carolina where we used to buy a 2 to 3lb. slab of meat to marinate and then barbecue. It can be a chunk of inside round or even sirloin steak which is much more tender.

London Broil With Cherry-Balsamic Sauce

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com


London broil is a thicker cut of steak that benefits from the tenderizing effects of a marinade. Ours does its job and then doubles as a sauce when simmered with some shallots. Use any steak leftovers on top of a salad or in a sandwich with fresh spinach leaves.

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup dry red wine
• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons cherry preserves
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds London broil, trimmed (see Ingredient note)
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons butter

Instructions

Step 1

Whisk wine, vinegar, cherry preserves, garlic, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Place meat in a shallow glass dish. Pour the marinade over the meat and turn to coat. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator, turning several times, for at least 20 minutes or up to 8 hours.

Step 2

Remove the meat from the marinade. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan; add shallot and set aside. Brush a ridged grill pan (see Tip) or heavy skillet with oil; heat over medium-high heat. Add the meat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes per side for medium-rare, depending on thickness, or until it reaches desired doneness. (It may appear that the meat is burning but don't worry, it will form a pleasant crust.) Transfer the meat to a cutting board; let rest for 5 minutes.

Step 3

While the meat is cooking, bring the marinade to a boil; cook over medium-high heat for 5 to 7 minutes, or until it is reduced to about 1/2 cup. Remove from the heat; add butter and whisk until melted.

Step 4

Slice the meat thinly against the grain. Add any juices on the cutting board to the sauce. Serve the meat with the sauce.

Tips

Ingredient note: London broil is a thicker cut of steak that benefits from the tenderizing effects of a marinade.
Tip: A ridged grill pan is great for indoor grilling, but you can use the broiler or, if weather permits, cook the steak on an outdoor grill.

Have a great day

Family Pictures, Health.

How about that, I have very few pix of me or my family when I was a little girl. Sunday I received one of my mother and I – from Australia no less – a cousin I have recently met on line who is dealing with my family history now the previous cousin, who was dealing with it, is deceased.

I don’t know how old I was, 4 or 5 perhaps. My mother’s Marcel Wave makes me smile. They were very fashionable once upon a time. Amazing that cousins have pix of  me/us that I don’t have. There was one of my father too.



Haven’t a clue where it was taken but it was obviously a sunny day. Looks a bit like a beer mug in his hand. There were a couple of pix of his siblings too. My mother changed when she was older, my father never did.

This pic was taken when they lived in Malta, late 60’s I think.



The pic of my mother was taken in the living room on their boat and the one of my father in my dining room – probably in the early 60s.




Having been nagged to death by friends, I went to see a doctor on Saturday about my bruise which I was told was probably bleeding. The doc said nothing to worry about it was proceeding normally (which is what I had thought personally). When I accused my friends of nagging they assured me it was only because they cared. Thanks so much for caring I do appreciate it. She does want me to have some blood work done. Not sure why. I have to go for my regular diabetes clinic on Tuesday and it says don’t exercise when you get blood taken so can’t do it on Monday because of bowling. Anyway, no big rush I don’t think. I finally decided bowling doesn’t classify as strenuous exercise so made an appointment for Monday morning. I have been going on about my leg bruise but I have several others, one on my arm, one on my side, another on my hip and Saturday discovered my big toe was bruised under the nail.

A friend in the UK sent me this recipe for a soup she made the other day, I like the sound of it, so thought I would share it. I meant to post this a while ago but never did, don’t know why.

 

Curried Brussels Sprouts Soup [vegan]

By theflexitarian

Curry and Brussels sprouts might sound an odd couple but it works. Garam massala is very fragrant and it blends nicely against the Brussels sprouts flavour. Try it even if Brussels sprouts is not your favourite. You’ll be surprised!
This soup has the same satisfying texture than pea soup. Perfect to ride the cold and wet weather.
Ingredients

• 500g Brussels sprouts [1 lb]
• 300g Savoy Cabbage [11 oz]
• 300g potatoes (peeled and diced) [11 oz]
• 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tsp garam massala
• small bunch fresh coriander
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt & Pepper
• 1.7 litre vegetable stock [UK 3 pints / US 7 cups]

Instructions

• 1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan. Gently fry onion, garlic and garam massala for 5 mins until soft,
• 2. Add Brussels sprouts chopped in half, Savoy cabbage roughly chopped and potatoes. Mix well and fry gently for 5 mins.
• 3. Add vegetable stock. Bring to boil. reduce heat and cook covered for 25mins or so until vegetables are soft.
• 4. Add fresh coriander and liquidise (blend) the soup.
• 5. Season to taste.

• Servings : 6-8

Have a great day

Funnies, Doc, Christmas Monitor.

I mentioned before that we are having quite major work done in our building which was supposed to take 2-3 weeks. Sadly, it is still going on. There are notices all over the place telling us what is happening and the one by the elevator on our floor carries a comment about being overdue and then someone else has written “way past schudel”. My first laugh for the day. My second laugh was the collision outfit in Cambridge who always post funny comments, today’s was “He who gets the last laugh didn’t get it”. I was looking for a laugh type picture and came across this one with all the  flamingos which really made me grin. I couldn’t figure out what they were at first.

Went to see the doc again this morning, had to get up an extra hour early to get through my morning pain problems, pills, icing, etc. then, much to our surprise, we got there and she took me in straight away, I was very pleased. She commented on how lucky we are in this part of the world and that its Christmas every day compared with how some people have to live. She’s right, but I was not in the mood to give a damn. However, it turned out that she had scheduled me to visit a specialist whenever he can find time to see me and she said she would phone him again to try and urge him on. She also is scheduling me for all the tests he is likely to give me so that when I do see him, they have all been done. This made me feel better in my mind if not in my shoulder. For those not living where there is social medicine, one of the principle problems is getting to see a specialist, it often does take time, I guess there aren’t enough of them or something, however, for all these tests and for my eventual appointment I won’t have to pay a cent. That is one of the major benefits of social medicine in as much as everyone can get free medical treatment. Yes, we pay higher taxes, but it makes a hell of a difference when you need a major operation and you don’t have to worry about paying for it.

Then, on the way home, we dropped in at Staples and bought me a new flat screen monitor – my Christmas present. It was actually very reasonably priced and the sales girl assured me that if I wasn’t into gaming or things that needed major screen use, it would be just fine for me. I am delighted with it. What a difference in the resolution. Things I haven’t been able to my see very well look great now. Only trouble is, because of my shoulder problems I can’t sit at my desktop at the moment, hurts too much. Also I have a slight problem with the Windows Live Writer which is where I compose my blog as its not fitting right and my brain isn’t working very well so I can’t for the life of me figure out how to fix it. I emailed my PC guy who reminded me to check the manual and then I remembered that you have to set various buttons on monitors, so long since I had a new one, I had forgotten. Only problem is, at the moment I cannot sit comfortably at my desktop for very long, certainly not long enough. It works well enough for now and I will do my blogs, which is the main problem, on my laptop where I cannot type worth a damn.

Some of you may be planning a party for New Year’s, I thought this would be a quick and easy addition. Spinach again, but it is a tasty ingredient in finger foods. Useful too, you can freeze them and take some out of the freezer when required.

Make-Ahead Spinach Phyllo Roll-Ups

Kraft Kitchens.

30 servings or 5 logs, 6 servings each

What You Need

1 egg, beaten

1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped spinach, thawed, well drained

1 cup ATHENOS Traditional Crumbled Feta Cheese

1 tub (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Garden Vegetable 1/3 Less Fat than Cream Cheese

4 green onions, finely chopped

15 sheets frozen phyllo dough (14x9 inch), thawed

1/3 cup butter, melted

Make It

MIX first 5 ingredients until well blended. Brush 1 phyllo sheet lightly with butter; top with 2 more phyllo sheets, lightly brushing each layer with some of the remaining butter. Place remaining phyllo between sheets of plastic wrap; set aside.

SPREAD 1/5 of the spinach mixture along one short side of phyllo stack. Fold in long sides of phyllo; roll up from one short side to make log. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets and spinach mixture. Brush with remaining butter. Make small cuts in tops of logs at 1-inch intervals. Place in large freezer-weight resealable plastic bags or wrap tightly in plastic wrap.

FREEZE up to 3 months. When ready to bake, remove desired number of logs from freezer. Refrigerate, tightly wrapped, several hours or overnight until thawed. Unwrap, then place on baking sheet. Bake in 375°F oven for 25 min. or until golden brown. Cool 5 min. Transfer to cutting board. Use serrated knife to cut each log into 6 slices.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Storage Know-How

Leftover phyllo sheets can be wrapped tightly and refrozen.

How to Prepare with 18x14-inch Phyllo Sheets

Use a total of 9 phyllo sheets, spreading 1/3 of the filling on each stack of 3 sheets and rolling up each stack to make a total of 3 logs. Freeze and bake as directed. Cut each log into 10 slices to serve.

Variation

Omit butter. Spray phyllo sheets with cooking spay instead of brushing with the melted butter.

Have a great day.