Liberation, Bowling, Monitor, Cards.

As I was just reminded by Marilyn of French Marilyn's blog (see link his page) today is the 65th anniversary of the liberation of Paris. There are so many people today who don't even know what this means any more, mostly because they are too young and it was only a brief incident in their history lesson at school. I didn't realise the French marked this anniversary every year and I am glad that they do. They also put wreaths on all the plaques marking those who were shot in the streets of Paris fighting for Liberty. Although it was the Americans who rolled into Paris, there were many nations who fought the war and helped pave the way for this liberation, not least the Canadians who's part is very little recognised. I read an article from a British newspaper the other day about the Canadian's part in all the wars both then and since and how little their sacrifice has been recognised by the rest of the world. We went bowling again yesterday, there were 5 of us this time. If the summer had gone on much longer, we might have ended up with our own league. The other three were there just for fun but we wanted to record our games ahead in case we couldn't play a league game at any time during the winter season. We already have bowl aheads for our vacation period so this was an extra. Both Matt and I bowled really well and for us, got good scores. Matt's highest yesterday was a 244 and I bowled a 200 (I did last week as well, 204) but all three of my games were excellent although Matt did have one weak game in the middle. It feels so great when you bowl well, the same in any sport I guess. I must have really put my all into it as I feel a bit stiff this morning especially around the chest muscles. Talking of chest muscles, I finally get rid of this stupid heart monitor tomorrow - I will be so pleased, it has been nothing but a nuisance to me. I suppose I shouldn't complain, at least two people have told me about the monitor they had which had to hang round your neck. I think that would have been even more of a nuisance. Tonight we are going to play cribbage at a friend's home and I hope this will be a regular thing. We used to play cards a lot with them when we both had places in NC, but we haven't played back in Canada much at all. No idea why. This picture, by the way, is of a perfect crib hand, 29 points, I have never had one unfortunately, Matt has nearly had it with a 28 a couple of times but I never did get near it. Well of course you don't know how to count it if you can't score a cribbage hand!!! The score you can never get in crib is 19 so if you hear someone say that, it means they have an empty hand. I have now finished the first two books of the Enduring Flame Trilogy The Phoenix Unchained and The Phoenix Endangered. I was then very upset to find out that the third book doesn't even get released til next month. Waaah, I want to read it now, I mean now. As you will see from this cover, this series involved dragons and those of you who have been with me for a while, know how much I love dragons. Although in this last book they seem to have carelessly lost one of them. I have a sneaking suspicion they won't find it again until right at the end of the third book too. 'Sall due to magic doncha know. The following recipe came from yet another ezine I get regularly. I am actually not a devotee of pulled pork as served in the Southern States although it is a very popular item. I prefer my pork in slices not shreds so whenever we did a barbecued pig, we carved off the meat. Nothing wrong with the flavour though. Barbecued-Pork Burritos with Chopped Salad Source: Quick from Scratch - One Dish Meals by Permission of Food and Wine The pulled pork popular in the South takes hours, even days to prepare; starting with digging a pit. Our barbecued pork has a similar flavor, but takes just minutes to make. INGREDIENTS 2 1/2 tablespoons wine vinegar 1/4 tablespoon dried thyme 1 1/4 teaspoons salt Fresh-ground black pepper 1/4 cup olive oil 1 pound pork tenderloin 2 tablespoons cooking oil 1 cup bottled barbecue sauce 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin 6 ounces cheddar or Monterey jack cheese, shredded (about 1 1/2 cups) 4 9-inch flour tortillas 1/2 head romaine lettuce, chopped (about 2 cups) 3 tomatoes, diced 2 green bell peppers, diced 1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and diced DIRECTIONS In a medium bowl, whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons of the vinegar, the thyme, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Add the olive oil slowly, whisking. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the pork into 1/4-inch slices, and then cut the slices into 1/4-inch strips. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the cooking oil over high heat. Add half the pork, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and sauté until cooked through and just beginning to brown, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon cooking oil and cook the rest of the pork, seasoning it with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Return all the pork to the pan. Stir in the barbecue sauce, cumin, the remaining 1 tablespoon vinegar, and two thirds (about 1 cup) of the cheese. Spread some of the pork mixture in a line just below the center of each tortilla. Roll up the burritos and put them seam-side down in a small baking dish. Bake for 10 minutes, sprinkle with the remaining cheese, and bake until the cheese melts and the filling is hot, about 2 minutes longer. Meanwhile, put the lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumber into the bowl and toss.Put the salad on plates and top with the burritos. Have a great day.

Tuscan Bean Soup, Bloody Monitor, Snuggies,

On Tuesday I published a recipe for Tuscan Bean Soup, I made it yesterday, I made one change, I added stock not water. It was delicious. Not only that, its good for you. So I can highly recommend you try it. This stupid monitor I'm wearing seems to be playing up. From about 6 p.m. yesterday it started ringing every hour (sounds like a quick ring from a cell phone) I didn't hear it too much in bed last night, but Matt did. Funny he can sleep through lights not noise, noise doesn't generally worry me but I can't put up with light. Of course there is no-one to answer my questions at that time of day so I am eagerly waiting for 9:00 a.m. to make a phone call. I guess at $2,500 it isn't worth chucking it out of the window LOL. Today we are going bowling with a friend again. We will be at Towne Bowl once more. Then Monday we will be going back to Waterloo Lanes which is our regular alley. I don't know if you have Infomercials in your part of the world, but we get lots of them over here. One particular one is for a Snuggy or is it Snuggie? Anyway, I had wondered whether they were any good and have been assured that they are, by a friend in Australia. She seems to love hers. This morning on GMA's review of Snuggies for dogs, the reviewer gave the dog version an A+. I am not sure what the dog's comment was? I could be wrong, but dogs have fur which generally does the job quite well. I remember when we first came to Canada with our German Shepherd (Alsatian) Brandy, she started growing thicker fur in November before winter had even started. I still haven't figured how her metabolism knew to grow thicker fur for a Canadian winter. Suffice to say, she did not need a Snuggie. Our next dog was Canadian born, had husky in her mixture and had very thick fur. She loved snow. Here is a calorie conscious dessert from Eating Well. It does sound delicious and as I have friends coming to dinner this weekend I just might try it. Cherries with Ricotta & Toasted Almonds Warm cherries topped with luscious ricotta cheese and toasted almonds makes for a rich-tasting—yet calorie-conscious—treat. Makes 1 serving ¾ cup frozen pitted cherries 2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta 1 tablespoon toasted slivered almonds Heat cherries in the microwave on High until warm, 1 to 2 minutes. Top the cherries with ricotta and almonds. Healthy Heart Variation: To reduce saturated fat even further, use nonfat ricotta in place of the reduced-fat ricotta. Have a great day.

Monitor, Runaway Daughter, Fruits.

Yesterday I had a heart monitor installed on me, just two sticky points and wires leading to the monitor. I am supposed to wear it for 2 weeks. Yuk. It really isn't necessary, I haven't had any problems with my heart, but now I think my doc has decided to cover all bases or something. What really got me was I had to sign that if I lost the thing, I would pay $2,500 replacement. I can't believe the gadget is worth that much money. I had to be shown what to do of course, I have to make a phone call if I have an episode. You should hear the noise it makes, it then 'talks' to the phone, once I have established a connection, by making even more noises. I suspect I won't have to do this at all, I can't stand the noise it makes if I have to set it going so I really hope I won't have to. Although this story is happening in the States, not Canada, it is very much what I was talking about a week or so ago. A young Muslim girl has converted to Christianity and has had to flee her home because her dad would probably kill her: an honour killing. The article and a video can be read here. The whole concept is - to me - pretty horrible, but for these fathers to "get away" with their crimes for religious reasons when they are living in the Western World is totally wrong. Murder should be punished, I don't give a damn why you do it. The only mitigating circumstance I believe is worth consideration is when there is a seriously abusive relationship. An interesting segment this morning was about pesticides on fruit and vegetables and how important washing is, they recommend using vinegar in the wash too. To read the article and see the video clip click here. I always wash apples or tomatoes and peel peaches for instance, but I am not careful enough about other things, I rarely remember to wash bell peppers. A lot of times they are cooked, but not always. The article says some experts say causing people to worry about pesticides is scare tactics, but I am not sure I want to eat them anyway. Be careful what you wish for - I mentioned in a group I belong to that I love lobster and I love chocolate but hadn't thought of a way to combine them. A friend sent me this recipe. I'm sorry, I will not be trying it. However, one of you might be sufficiently adventurous. Needless to say I couldn't find a picture, I wonder why? Chocolate Lobster AllRecipes.com Submitted By: Jacqueline Servings: 2 "The chocolate on your lobster will melt in your mouth like butter. Although it sounds weird, honestly, this is the best recipe ever! This is great with steamed lobster also." Ingredients: 1 medium (1 1/2 pound) fresh lobster 4 (1 ounce) squares semisweet chocolate, chopped 1/2 cup milk 1 tablespoon butter Directions: 1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Split the lobster down the back shell, remove the vein from the lobster's tail, and the sac that is behind the eyes. Insert a long skewer into the tail to keep from curling. 2. Broil the lobster about 5 inches from the heat for about 5 minutes on each side, or until the meat is opaque. Remove skewer from tail. 3. While the lobster is cooking, make the chocolate sauce. In a small glass bowl, combine the chocolate, milk, and butter. Microwave on high, stirring every 15 to 20 seconds until melted and smooth. Pour chocolate sauce over lobster, and serve. Have a great day.

Medical Stuff, Asparagus,

I have been having a lot of migraine like auras lately, with my eyes going all swimmy if you understand what I mean, although I don't really get a headache. Its a bit of a worry when driving. So now I have to go for a CT Scan tomorrow at 9:40 in the morning. Horrors, I will have to get up early and will not be able to write my blog. In the afternoon I get new glasses. Busy day. At least it will prove I do have a brain which some people tend to doubt now and then.

We are doing well medically as Matt is going through a bunch of tests at the moment where he has to wear heart monitors for most of 24 hours once a week for about a month. All as a result of possible TIAs (minor strokes) of which he has had three. He has to take these gadgets back at 7:45 in the morning (the office is 10 miles away) so he has to really get up early, I shouldn't complain should I?

On a happier note, yesterday we went to my favourite asparagus farm, Barrie's, and loaded up on the green stuff. I also got myself some more rhubarb - just enough for me. We saw someone picking that yesterday and they don't use a machine like they do for the asparagus. I guess with only one acre of rhubarb they don't need one. I must talk to them about using a machine on the asparagus as I am curious. I grew asparagus in my garden in England (centuries ago) and you could only pick it for so long and then it had to be left to grow ferns some of which were male and some female. They would then cross pollinate. I therefore didn't cut every stalk, but how can you tell a machine to miss some stalks and not others. The fern is actually very pretty and some of it carried quite large red berries. I used to cheat and pick some of it for my flower arrangements. In those days I used to do very elaborate arrangements for my living room. Now I cheat at that too and have silk flowers.

Here is a very simple recipe from Paula Deen of TV fame. We went to her restaurant, Lady and Sons in Savannah and actually met her, years before she became known on TV here.

Asparagus Phyllo Bundles
Paula Deen

For one roll:
Phyllo - 1/2 sheet for 2 asparagus
2 stalks asparagus
Parmesan, grated

Brush phyllo with butter, sprinkle with Parmesan, place 2 asparagus in middle and roll. Place in baking dish, sprinkle more Parmesan and put in oven 375 F for 15 mins.

Have a great day.