A/C, Pavlova, Avon, Internet,

For those of you who are interested, we got the estimates for the air conditioner on Friday. It would cost us $600 odd (plus 13% tax) for replacement parts with no guarantee that the compressor wouldn't conk out soon after. The other option is a new unit which will cost $1,600 including tax. We opted for the replacement. The other one lasted us 16 years so doesn't owe us anything. They are going to have the devil of a job removing it mind you, it was really driven in there 16 years ago. If this unit lasts 16 years too we will be quids in. Always assuming we last 16 years ourselves of course.


This is my second version of my strawberry Pavlova. This one is loaded with macerated strawberries and I think will be much better.

It wasn't until I came to post this picture that I realised I hadn't posted a blog for Saturday. By the time I did, it was basically too late and so it is now Monday's blog.

Today, I met my new Avon lady and she and I came to a similar agreement that I had with a previous representative, so I am back to selling Avon, I hope!!!

Is it Mercury Retrograde or something? Last week the air conditioner and this week my internet. After chatting with the tech support people they decided it must be the modem. I hate to think how many modems I have had. They must be very unreliable. However, I got my new one and plugged it in and am back in business. Funny how many times I thought "I'll look it up on the internet" only to realise I couldn't.

Monday lunch will see the last of my fresh asparagus so now I will be miserable until next year.

I have a feeling I may have posted this recipe before, but it is one that really appeals to me.

Caramelized Pear on Warm Brie

1 green onion

2 tsp (10 mL) butter
1 pear, diced
pinch each salt and cinnamon
1/4 cup (50 mL) pear juice or apple juice
3 Tbs (50 mL) chopped pecans
1 Tbs (15 mL) SPLENDA® Brand Brown Sugar Blend
1 tsp (5 mL) chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp (5 mL) cider vinegar
1 round (200 g) Brie cheese

1. Thinly slice green onion, keeping white and green parts separate.

2. In nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium heat; fry pear, white part of onion, salt and cinnamon for 5 minutes or until pear is softened.

3. Add pear juice, pecans, SPLENDA® Brown Sugar Blend, thyme and vinegar; boil, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until no liquid remains.

4. Place Brie on ovenproof serving dish; top with pear mixture. Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 10 minutes or until cheese is softened. Let stand for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with green part of onion.

Servings: 8

Source: Splenda

Have a great day

Internet, Speech, Movie

A quickie as it's late and I only just got internet back.

I was absolutely gobsmacked about Melania Trump's speech which was a plagiarism of Michelle Obama's speech. Who was stupid enough to make that big a gaffe? Makes them look such fools.

Just watched A Fistful of Dollars. Enjoyed it years ago but watching it with Matt he will not shut up with his criticisms. He should have been a continuity person, he notices absolutely every error and totally spoils my enjoyment. Grrr. I tell him to shut up but although he does for a few minutes, something sets him off again. Matt is totally unable to suspend disbelief and just enjoy something. I managed to shut my ears for most of the movie though.

Right, I'm off to bed. Sorry no recipe.

Have a great day

SciFi or Not? Snowstorm.

I often wonder how sci fi writers come up with some of the things they do, in particular the ones who’s ideas come to fruition. Isaac Asimov, who was one of the greatest writers of sci fi at one time was a particular example. I always remember his Multivac; a big  AI computer which contained all the information known to man and could be accessed by anyone with hand held devices which everyone had. Read Internet for Multivac and what have you got? Incredible forecasting. He even wrote, in an anthology I read, about items he had written in his early years which had come to pass in his own lifetime. Asimov was a scientist as is Catharine Asaro who also writes sci fi, her Skolean Empire books are excellent reads. Must admit I don’t really understand all the science in her books, but I assume she knows what she’s talking about. Then there is Peter F. Hamilton who’s stories envisage habitats in space, some of which were asteroids mined for their minerals and then converted for human living. There are already companies investigating the possibilities of mining asteroids. I am still waiting for computers to become Artificial Intelligences. Watson, which they used on Jeopardy last year, is probably the nearest so far. I have written along these lines before, but its a subject I find fascinating.

I used to have friends who figured aliens had been visiting earth every so often over the centuries and that’s why inventions occurred which were really “out of time”. Not sure if the inventor was supposed to be the alien or that he was given the ideas by an alien. Maybe the same could apply to sci fi authors. No, if you are a writer, you wouldn’t necessarily know an idea had been ‘fed’ to you.

At the time of writing, they are forecasting that we in this part of Ontario will get 25 cm of snow in the next 24 hours. It has already started snowing, we won’t know, until the end of the day today whether the forecast is accurate. In fact its supposed to snow most of the day so we might not be going bowling this afternoon.

If I make this soup, which sounds delicious, I will use Chinese Cellophane noodles or something similar. Not an Italian pasta. I found the recipe at Cooking.com.

Vietnamese Pork-and-Noodle Soup

Source: Quick from Scratch - Soups and Salads
Serves 4
In many Asian cultures, long noodles symbolize long life. And in the spirit of that tradition, we've left the pasta whole here, to be eaten with chopsticks or even a fork. Of course, if you're feeling reckless, you can go ahead and break the noodles into smaller pieces before cooking them.
   
INGREDIENTS
1/4 pound linguine
1 1/2 tablespoons cooking oil
1 pork tenderloin (about 3/4 pound), cut into 11/2-by-1/2-by-1/2-inch strips
6 scallions including green tops, chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 tomatoes, chopped
3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc mam)*
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups water
1 quart canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1/4 pound bean sprouts
2 tablespoons lime juice (from about 1 lime), plus lime wedges for serving
1 cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded, and cut crosswise into thin slices
1 cup lightly packed mint, basil, or cilantro leaves, or a combination
*Available at Asian markets and most supermarkets

DIRECTIONS
In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the linguine until just done, about 12 minutes. Drain the pasta. Rinse with cold water and drain thoroughly.
Meanwhile, in another large pot, heat the oil over moderate heat. Add the pork, scallions, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
Add the tomatoes, fish sauce, salt, water, and broth. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the pork is just done, about 10 minutes. Stir the cooked linguine, bean sprouts, and lime juice into the soup. Ladle into bowls, top each serving with some of the cucumber and herbs, and serve with the lime wedges.

Have a great day

From the Internet to Mosquitoes

Yesterday, I booked our hotel in Virginia for our one night stop on our travels to North Carolina going and coming back. It is so easy these days to find what accomodations are available where and for how much. Then with just a couple of clicks you can book, get a map and directions and check out anything else you may want to know. This is the pool at the hotel which I don't suppose we will have time to use, but it looks nice doesn't it? I don't understand people who don't use the internet and I know they are legion. People I speak to at bowling, for instance, often say they are too old to learn - poppycock, you are never too old and anyway its not that difficult. Matt is the same, he just doesn't want to learn - mind you as he points out, its just as well as we would both be fighting for the computer although maybe he could make do with my older laptop LOL. Banking online is another thing, paying bills ordering products, there is, as you know, no end to what you can do. Some people question giving one's credit card number on the net, but they don't hesitate to let a waiter disappear with their card. I often go to get our mail and other people comment on whether or not they have received bills in the mail - we rarely get bills in the mail, only on line. On GMA this morning they had a segment about mosquitoes, with a discussion on bug sprays click here and particular emphasis on getting rid of standing water in your yard, anything, but anything, which has collected rainwater should be emptied - if you have a birdbath it should have the water changed regularly. We had one in NC which had a dripper so the water was continuously changed. It also had the advantage of being very attractive to birds and we had them drinking and bathing all the time. All kinds of natural repellents were discussed, however, they have to be applied more often; those containing Deet, although effective, are not recommended. Having written about Kumato the other day, I wrote to the local growers Mastronardi Produce who kindly sent me some information about the fruits and also a couple of recipes. Obviously I had to share the recipes with you. Having written this, they then sent me some recipes for Heirloom tomatoes as well. Sunset Kumato Caprese Salad 4 Sunset® Kumato™ brand tomatoes, sliced 8 oz balsamic vinegar 8 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced 1 cup fresh basil leaves, sliced (chiffonade), with 8 whole leaves reserved for garnish 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil coarse sea salt & fresh cracked black pepper 1 Procedure: In a small saucepan, heat the balsamic vinegar and simmer until reduced to half of its original volume, and it becomes thick and slightly syrup-y. 2 Cool until ready to use. 3 On individual plates, stack the tomato slices alternating with the mozzarella slices, starting and finishing with a tomato. 4 Each plate should have 4 slices of tomato and 3 slices of mozzarella. 5 Sprinkle each tomato/cheese stack with sea salt and cracked pepper, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with basil. 6 Artfully drizzle a stripe of balsamic reduction on the side of the tomato stack and garnish with basil leaves. 7 This salad is remarkably simple, but impressive in its presentation! Dazzle your friends with this dish as a gourmet starter to a meal Servings: 4 Source: Mastronardi Produce (Sunset) Have a great day.