Spies, Dogs, Them Green Things, Jeopardy,

Well, not only have I got ladydog keeping an eye on me through my blog, it appears that the Physiotherapist (the one who isn't a doctor!!) is keeping an eye on us through this blog too. Actually we had a good laugh about it today. He was teasing me about the artichokes. His pronouncement is that Matt is doing a lot better. I thought so too. Since stopping those pills, he is stronger and not shaking and doesn't jump with pain when the therapist touches the side of his thighs. He has now given him some leg strengthening exercises as well which are very similar to the ones we did in exercise class (wonder when they will start again) and he said I should do them alongside Matt. He ran Matt through them and was pleased by how well he managed.

Earlier Kathy had come in with the shopping and brought some more artichokes. She also brought Oates, her puppy in training. Cute little dog, she got on with everyone. She is a lab and actually quite small for a labrador  At one year old, she may grow a bit more I guess. She is already extremely obedient. Matt loved her. If he could have Zoey and Oates with him all the time he would be a happy man. She got some water in the bowl I use for Zoey and for my salad!!! Ladydog is not the only one.

Once everyone had gone I finished putting away the groceries. Turned out I had received 8 artichokes! Guess that was it for last week's order and I got them all. I might say the PC Express people had told me there were no artichokes!!! Maybe they don't know what they are. I decided to cook some and thought to myself that when I used to cook them in a pan they were in the water, so that is what I did this time, as an experiment, no trivet, just salted water and 3 chokes. They came out fine. So, if anyone else is planning to cook them in an Instant Pot, all you do is put them in your pot, upside down,  with a cup of salted water, stalks cut off and included, cook them for 15 minutes and then do a quick release. The time does depend on the size of the artichokes of course, but this is for the larger ones. Of course, if you want to, you can put all kinds of garlic and herbs in with them, but I don't think it's necessary.

My favourite programme, Jeopardy, is replaying the very first episodes from many years ago. Alex Trebek then sounds like any other Game Host. I guess he mellows during the years. The one they showed tonight, every contestant ended with 0 dollars. Apparently that didn't happen again for 30 years.

By the way, I have noticed I have been making a few errors in my blogs lately. My apologies, please put it down to tiredness and I will try not to do it any more, some hopes.

Looking at this recipe it could certainly be adapted for the Instant Pot. I must try it out.

Pork Marbella

We took the classic, beloved Chicken Marbella recipe from The Silver Palate Cookbook and made it weeknight-friendly by using quick-cooking pork tenderloin instead. The meat is marinated and then

cooked in those same delicious juices, which get turned into a luscious sweet-and-sour pan sauce.

2 1-lb. pork tenderloins
2 tsp kosher salt
1 cup dry white wine
½ cup pitted prunes, torn in half
? cup (packed) light brown sugar
¼ cup capers, plus 1 Tbsp. caper brine
¼ cup pitted Spanish green olives
¼ cup red wine vinegar
4 garlic cloves, peeled, smashed
2 bay leaves
1 Tbs dried oregano
¼ cup plus 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs unsalted butter
¼ cup chopped parsley

1. Season pork with salt. Let sit 15 minutes while you prepare the marinade.

2. Combine wine, prunes, brown sugar, capers and brine, olives, vinegar, garlic, bay leaves, oregano, and ¼ cup oil in a large resealable plastic bag. Add pork, seal tightly, pressing as much air out of bag as possible, and turn to coat. Chill at least 2 hours or up to overnight.

3. Place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°. Remove pork from marinade and pat dry; reserve marinade. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high. Cook pork, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over, 6–8 minutes.

4. Remove pan from heat and let cool 1 minute. Pour reserved marinade over pork. Transfer pan to oven and bake, basting pork once with its sauce halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of tenderloin registers 145°, 22–26 minutes, depending on thickness.

5. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes. Return pan to medium-high heat. Add butter and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until slightly reduced, 3–5 minutes. Stir in parsley.

6. Slice tenderloin crosswise against the grain. Transfer to a platter and spoon pan sauce over.

Servings: 4

Source: Bon Appétit



Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Laboratory, Lunch, Supper, Jeopardy, Honey,

One thing at  least, Matt had to have blood work done today an, unlike the doctor, the lab is a 15 minute walk, if you can walk that is, so a kick and a spit by car. There is a doctor there, I just wish I could get on to his books. No go though.

Later, ladydog picked us up and we went to lunch at Red Lobster which I now have been told that someone calls Dead Mobster. Unjust. I always enjoy my food there. I thought today's was very good, It is lobsterfest at the moment so of course I had a dish with lobster, two kinds of shrimp and scallops. Yummy. Matt had his usual tilapia and ladydog had pasta with a lobster and shrimp sauce.  Matt and I ordered Chocolate Wave Cakes to go and the ice cream they serve with it to eat there. Matt's dessert was free of course. I have to wait til September to get my free dessert.

I had planned to have macaroni cheese cooked in the Instant Pot tonight. Haven't had it for a while. Much to my horror, only a small spoonful of macaroni left. In the end I took two chicken breasts out of the freezer and did a dump and go recipe in the Instant Pot. Finally, when I went to release the pressure, the pin was already down. I opened the lid with trepidation but no steam eventually I realised the frozen chicken had stuck to the inner pot. Never happened before. So I had to set it cooking again. In the end, it turned out just fine. However, I have made a note to myself never to let the frozen chicken sit on the bottom before I add the rest of the ingredients. I don't know if it showed BURN or not, the sauce was bubbling but the chicken was by no means cooked. Live and learn.

Funny, watching Jeopardy tonight, I managed to answer a question which stumped the contestants, it was Panama Canal. I knew it because ladydog did the trip last year and I had checked out the actual route through the canal out of interest. Clever me. Well I thought I was clever anyway.

Matt loves cheesecake - me I'm not so keen. He would probably enjoy this one. I notice it says honey will keep up to a month, I was always given to understand that honey would never go off. Mind you, I always buy it at the farm. Decided to check my facts:

Shelf life for commercial honey has been established at around two years. Honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries! However, honey is susceptible to physical and chemical changes during storage; it tends to darken and lose its aroma and flavor or crystallize.

Farmer's Cheesecake with Strawberries

For this elegant, no-bake cheesecake, Nicolaus Balla ferments his own farmer’s cheese (a kind of

cottage cheese). Ricotta mixed with cream cheese makes a delicious substitute for the filling, which is incredibly light, delicately sweet and wonderful inside the crumbly graham cracker crust

CRUST
5 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs sugar
1 1/4 cups packed graham cracker crumbs (10 to 12 whole crackers)
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of cinnamon
FILLING
1 lb fresh ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1/2 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
3 Tbs agave nectar
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of ground ginger
TOPPINGS
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 cup honey

1. Make the crust

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar over moderately low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the salt, ginger and cinnamon. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch fluted tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

2. Make the filling

In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the ricotta with the cream cheese, agave nectar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and ginger just until smooth. Using a spatula, spread the filling in the chilled crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings

In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature, stirring once or twice, until the berries are juicy and slightly softened, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings

In a small saucepan, toast the caraway seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar and lightly crush the seeds. Return the caraway seeds to the saucepan and add the honey. Warm the honey over moderately low heat for 10 minutes. Strain the honey into a bowl, discarding the seeds; let cool.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings

Cut the cheesecake into wedges, top with the strawberries and caraway honey and serve.

Servings: 8

Author: Nicolaus Balla
Source: Food and Wine

Author Notes
The cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. The honey can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Have a great day

My week - Grousing, Jeopardy,

Monday morning Matt decided he wanted to go into hospital so I called the ambulance. They examined him and said in fact his BP was low and his heart beat was too rapid so he should go in. So off we went. The place was crowded and very noisy of course. There was one woman, whom I suspect also had dementia, and she was constantly rocking and saying ow, ow, ow, the whole time. She was driving everyone crazy but I am sure she must have been hurting. Anyway, the upshot was Matt decided to come home He gets agitated waiting anyway. So, took a cab home and shelled out $25 - what a waste of money. In fact a friend happened to see us get out of the taxi and reminded me we can sign up with Grand River Transit and get cheap bus fares and discounted taxi fares. I have taken steps to do so. Actually we were members once before, or I was, but never had occasion to use the service. No, can't use Uber because I don't  have a cell phone on which I can download apps.

Wednesday evening Matt's legs were so bad he couldn't stand and his arms seemed to weak to lift him up. I eventually got him into bed and thought maybe I would get him in to hospital again although he does become very anxious when waiting. However, turned out to be unnecessary.  I phoned ladydog and told her what was happening. She was planning to visit with Zoey on Thursday and eventually did so bringing lunch and dog together with dog treats. It really does help Matt. He loves the dog and enjoys giving her treats.

A lot of Matt's problem is, he won't exercise. It seems to me, not being an expert, that because he won't his legs are getting worse and worse. The LHIN (health network) are sending a therapist but that is fine whilst he is present, but basically they say, do these exercises, here's a sheet with them on, and then disappear for a couple of weeks. Pretty useless in this case. We'll see what happens.

Meanwhile, yours truly has been doing very little except cook, learn Spanish and be a caregiver. Not much of a start to a New Year. You will gather I am feeling a bit sorry for myself. However, this being a kind of diary, it gets included. It was nice to see ladydog and we yakked for quite a while. - Matt and the dog had a nap. I asked her to pick up some bananas and forgot that I need to out tomorrow anyway. Probably after exercise class. It's two weeks since I last went to the class. There were none Christmas week.

I watched the interview with Alex Trebek this evening too. Mostly about how the programme is made more than Alex himself. I missed the interview with Lisa La Flamme. Maybe I can find it on You Tube. I am really looking forward to next week to see the Greatest of All Time Jeopardy with the three millionaires. I didn't realise until ladydog told me, it's at 8. Then tonight I discovered the programme with be an hour long anyway.

I had a piece of flank steak left over so decided to do a curry with it. This is the recipe I used. Tasted pretty good. I left out the sweet potato as I didn't have one. I found a Leftover Beef Stroganoff but didn't have all the ingredients. Ladydog has some lamb leftover and is planning to curry that too.

Leftover Roast Beef Curry

2 Tbs olive oil
2 onions (red or white), diced finely
4 cloves garlic
2 cm ginger
½ - 1 tsp chilli flakes or to taste
2 tsp cumin ground
2 tsp coriander ground
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp paprika
2 tsp garam masala
2 Tbs tomato puree
1 small sweet potato (roughly 250g / 9oz), chopped into 1cm / ½ inch cubes (ish!)
1 red pepper chopped into 1cm / ½ inch chunks (ish!)
1 tin coconut milk
Salt and pepper to taste
21 oz leftover beef chopped into bitesize pieces (or 2 x 300g steaks – see notes)
Juice of half a lime plus extra for garnish
2 Tbs fresh coriander/cilantro plus extra for garnish
Rice and / or naans to serve

1. Place the onions and olive oil in a wide, deep saucepan or frying pan and cook gently over a low heat for 5 minutes or until soft, but not brown. Stir occasionally.

2. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes and all the spices and cook for 1 minute – add a splash of water if it gets too dry.

3. Add the tomato puree and stir to combine, then add the sweet potato, red pepper, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes until the sweet potato is soft.

4. Add the beef and cook for a further 3-5 minutes until the beef is piping hot all the way through (but don’t overcook!)

5. Add the juice of half a lime and the coriander leaves and stir.

6. Serve with rice and/or naans and use the extra limes and coriander as garnish.

7. Notes

8. To make this with steak, heat a griddle or frying pan until smoking hot. Meanwhile lightly coat the steak with oil. Place the steak on the hot pan and cook for 1 minute each side. Lower the heat and cook the steak for 1-2 minutes each side, depending on thickness.

9. Remove the steak from the pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then chop into bitesize pieces.

10. Make the curry as above and then add the steak pieces to the curry instead of the leftover roast beef.

Servings: 4

Author: Eb Gargano


Have a great day
 

Lunch. Grocery, Nap, Friday Dinner, Jeopardy, Urologist,

Got to the Red Lobster at lunchtime and walked in to see a face peering at us from one of the window slots and the hostess saying people were waiting for us. I didn't recognise my friend's son at first and was rejecting him as the person we were lunching with. Haven't seen him in 3 or more years. Enjoyed lunch and it was nice to see our friend, haven't seen her in a while either and as she is moving, won't be seeing too much of her in the future. Although, as I said yesterday, maybe we will go to Stratford one of these days. I told her son not to be a stranger now she was moving.

I had placed a small order at the grocery store with things I forgot or didn't realise I needed. You can post a small order so long as it is valued at $30 or more. Popped in to collect that and then whizzed on home. Meant to do some other errands but missed out.

Spent the afternoon fast asleep. Well I was up fairly late last night. Had the remains of our Butter Chicken for supper. Tomorrow I am planning the Gingered Shrimp and Snow Peas which I haven't tried yet. Of course, having been asleep this means I will have to do my Spanish lessons tonight again, what a fool.

Been watching the Jeopardy Tournament of Champions, we are now down to the last two shows. James Holzhauer is a finalist as is the girl who supposedly beat him. Jeopardy James is doing very well in the first half of the match, got my fingers crossed for him.

Just realised we have an appointment with the urologist. No idea whether its for me or for Matt. Guess we will find out. Odd, I normally write it down. Maybe its for both of us.

This looked so good in the picture I couldn't help but post it. Maybe I will try it one of these days or make a simpler version. I do enjoy pork tenderloin.

Stuffed Pork Tenderloins with Bacon and Apple-Riesling Sauce

Debra Whiting, the chef and co-owner of Red Newt Winery Bistro in New York's Finger Lakes, loves

the fresh goat cheese from the local Lively Run Dairy so much that she always works it into her dinner menu. Here, she mixes the cheese with apple, sausage and greens, then stuffs it inside a bacon-wrapped pork tenderloin.

PORK
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup minced onion
1/4 lb pork breakfast sausage, casings removed
1 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and cut into 1/3-inch dice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp chopped thyme
1/2 tsp chopped sage
1/2 cup finely chopped collard greens (2 large leaves, stemmed)
4 oz fresh goat cheese, at room temperature
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
2 1-pound pork tenderloins
6 slices of bacon

SAUCE
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Granny Smith apple—peeled, cored and cut into 1/3-inch dice
3/4 cup apple cider
1/2 cup dry Riesling
1/4 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/2 tsp chopped sage
1/2 tsp chopped thyme
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. In a large skillet, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion and cook over moderate heat until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Add the apple, garlic, thyme and sage and cook until the apple just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the collard greens and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl and let cool to room temperature. Mix in the goat cheese and season the stuffing with salt and pepper.

2. Light a grill. Using a long, thin knife and beginning at a thick end, cut a 1-inch-wide pocket through the center of each pork tenderloin; use the handle of a wooden spoon to widen the pocket if necessary. Fill the pork tenderloins with the stuffing, poking it in with the wooden spoon. Season the tenderloins with salt and pepper and wrap the bacon strips securely around them; try to cover any exposed stuffing with the bacon.

3. Grill the pork tenderloins over moderately high heat, turning four times, until browned on every side, about 25 minutes, or the internal temperature reaches 140°. Transfer the pork tenderloins to a cutting board, cover tightly with foil and let rest for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. In a medium saucepan, heat the oil. Add the garlic and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the apple, cider, Riesling, chicken stock, sage and thyme and simmer until the apple softens, about 7 minutes. Transfer the contents of the saucepan to a blender and puree until smooth. Strain the sauce back into the saucepan and boil until it coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Yield: 4

Author: Debra Whiting
Source: Food and Wine



Have a great day
 

Alzheimer's Society, Groceries, Instant Pot Conversion, Jeopardy,

I had a marvellous morning at the Alzheimer's Society TEACH session today. I met four people who also have spouses suffering from the disease and found I was not the only one. I was also not the only bad tempered witch with a b in front and I felt a whole lot better leaving the course. It is a tragic situation to be in, you basically lose your spouse and the person you married before they have left you physically. We are all learning to cope with what is going on in our marriages. We are all upset with the basic loss of our partners. Although one is aware that this is so, meeting others in the same sinking boat is actually a joyous experience. I am not the only one. I am sure the others felt the same. ladydog was my saviour today by spending the time with Matt but he has since informed me, in no uncertain terms that he does not need a babysitter. Actually, he does. One never knows what may happen. Today he wouldn't talk to me when I got back because he said he didn't know where I was. I told him that I had informed him several times and apparently ladydog did so as well but, of course, he doesn't remember us doing so.

I also picked up my groceries on the way home and ladydog helped me bring them upstairs. Nice of her. She is a godsend of a friend.

After lunch I realised I hadn't received the chicken thighs I had ordered (turns out they only had packets which were out of date tomorrow. In fact it wouldn't have mattered, they would either have been frozen straight away, or cooked tonight).  Anyway, I went to Victoria St. Market and got some

there. They were huge. I think they were ostrich thighs, not chicken. Anyway, I cooked the Miracle Mango Salsa Chicken which I posted yesterday, and it turned out very well. I started browning the thighs in the Instant Pot but decided it was taking too long so put the remainder in a fry pan and browned them that way. I then deglazed the pot with a little wine. Added the rice and water together with the Mango Salsa, stirred everything, put in the browned chicken and set it for 10 minutes. I did a 10 minute natural release and worried if it would all work. Turned out brilliantly and I have enough left for two nights more I think with such huge chicken thighs. It was delicious.

We were a tad late, but I made it to Jeopardy, there is another excellent champion named Jason Zuffranieri who is up at the $300 thousand level. He is much more unassuming than James Holzhaur  but seems to be doing just as well. I am certainly rooting for him. Turns out Alex Trebek, the host, is not doing too well with his cancer and has to go for more chemo. The show will not be the same without him.

Well, my Instant Pot Version of the Miracle Mango Salsa Chicken is my recipe today.

Have a great day
 

Family Stories, Pianist,

I was just reading a funny family story in an ezine and thought of one from my family. Before they were married, my father picked my mother up from her home and took her back to his flat (sorry apartment) whilst he changed to go out. He was hungry so suggested she make them a bacon sandwich whilst he changed. He came back to find her in tears because she didn't know how to make a bacon sandwich. This is especially funny to  my family as my mother became the greatest cook I have ever known and could cook anything you care to name although she couldn't pronounce half the names of what she cooked. I wish I could cook half as well as she did.

As most of you know, I am a devotee of Jeopardy and although they are featuring reruns at the moment, I am still there with my nose to the screen from 7:30 on. There was a Double Jeopardy category presented by a well known pianist but he was not well known to me I'm afraid and I would love to get a DVD of him playing, from what Alex Trebek said, he watched him playing a Beethoven concert which was wonderful. I thought that would be something we would enjoy if it is on DVD, but I don't know the name of the pianist. Yes, I know there are lots of good pianists but this one appealed to me.

We enjoyed our lunch at Mandarin today and it was nice to see our friends whom we haven't seen for a while. He has just had a cataract operation and wasn't wearing glasses. He looked like a different person, amazing what glasses do for a face isn't it? We  then went for groceries and back home. I can't remember if I mentioned how dusty the car was although I hadn't long ago had it washed. However,  today might have fixed the dust, it really chucked it down once or twice. Of course I should maybe have been out there with a cloth and, as our friend commented, now I needed a dryer.

I thought this looked rather yummy.

Leftover Pasta Frittata with Quick Radicchio Salad

Frittata

2 slices prosciutto or thick sliced bacon
5 eggs
1/3 cup sour cream or Greek yogurt
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
2 Tbs olive oil
4 cups leftover cooked spaghetti or other long pasta
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
Basil leaves

Radicchio Salad

1 head radicchio, torn
1 Tbs olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375°F.

2. Cook prosciutto or bacon in a 10-inch heatproof skillet or cast-iron pan over medium heat, turning once, until crisp. Set aside. Wipe pan clean.

3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs with sour cream, and salt and pepper until blended. Toss in pasta and 1/3 cup of the cheese.

4. In same pan, heat 2 Tbsp of the olive oil over medium, add pasta mixture and cook without stirring, about 3 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup cheese. Transfer to oven.

5. Cook until puffed and slightly jiggly, about 5 minutes. For a crispy browned top, broil 2-3 minutes. Top with tomatoes and basil, and serve with bacon/prosciutto (or chop in pieces to scatter on top).

6. Tear radicchio and toss with olive oil and balsamic vinegar (if desired), garnish with shaved Parmesan.

7. Tip: Radicchio lettuce is slightly bitter and lends itself easily to a good olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese for the quickest and elegant weeknight salad.

Servings: 4

Tips
The centre will look slightly loose, puffed and jiggly, the hot pan will continue to cook the frittata with residual heat called carryover cooking.

Source: Food Network

Have a great day

Thursday, Jeopardy, Lunch,

Busy day, went out early and having weakened about Hot Cross Buns (I was going to make some) went and picked some up at the bakers together with calling at the lab for some equipment. then on to the grocery where I ended up with a very snippy young woman - I misheard her on the phone and she got somewhat ratty. After that the liquor store and then back home for lunch. I was expecting a couple of deliveries in the afternoon and they arrived so that was Good Thursday for us.

We have been following the young man on Jeopardy, James Holzhauer, a programme I rarely fail to watch, he is doing incredibly well and is knocking down records all the time. I learned today that he has Japanese in his background Not sure I would have guessed it. His knowledge is incredible and his gambling is unprecedented.  He has set one record for the highest single win in one game $110,914. Many years ago now, Ken Jennings was on the show for 74 consecutive games. His current winnings stand at nearly $700,000 in 10 games. I feel sorry for the people who compete against him, they really don't have a chance.

ladydog is joining us today fresh from her trip dahn sahth and we are going to Red Lobster for lunch. Haven't been out for a while. Actually, probably going there again next week with the Travel Bowling League. Not sure if we will end up bowling though.

I came across this recipe today and thought it was so pretty I couldn't resist sharing it. I probably would never make it, but what an impression it would make if you were entertaining. I think it is quite beautiful.

RAINBOW ROSE VEGGIE TART

1 roll puff pastry
15 oz ricotta cheese
2 eggs
3 oz parmesan cheese
1 pinch nutmeg
1 pinch salt
2 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs oregano
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 large multi-colored carrots
2 zucchini

1. Unfold a puff pastry sheet over a tart pan. Place parchment paper or foil in the center and weight it down with beans or pie weight.

2. Bake the tart base in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15-20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment paper. Let it cool.

3. In a bowl, add the eggs, ricotta, grated parmesan cheese, grated nutmeg and pinch of salt. Add the mozzarella and oregano. Mix everything up until smooth.

4. Slice strips of zucchini and carrots length-wise using a potato peeler or a mandolin. Place the slices in a bowl and cook in the microwave for 1 minute. This step will soften the slices and make them much easier to roll.

5. Spread the cheese mixture on top of the tart base.

6. Take one slice of a vegetable and roll it up very tightly—this will form the core of the rose. Take another slice and keep rolling. With around 2-3 slices you should obtain a decent-size rose bud. Place the bud in the center of the tart, pushing it down into the cheese. Keep rolling roses of different colors and place them one next to the other in a spiral formation.

7. Brush olive oil on top of the vegetables and bake the tart at 375 degrees F for 50 minutes.

Servings: 12

Source: Genius Kitchen

Have a great day
 

Hespeler Library, Trivia, Jeopardy.

Having read Hilary Melton Butcher's blog about the Birmingham Library yesterday, it put me in mind of the Hespeler library which is in a small town  which has been incorported into a bigger town called Cambridge, Cambridge actually is comprised of Hespeler, Galt and Preston. Hespeler is quite small and yet they have this very elaborate library building. I have never been inside but I consider it excessively ornate for such a small area. There are lots more pictures of the building here. Hespeler itself is an older town with lots of gorgeous stone buildings along the riverside. Originally these were mills and factories but are gradually being converted into living areas. We have friends who live in an attractive stone house with a huge back yard which slopes down to the river. Luckily she is a keen gardener. She has also taken photos of a bald eagle sitting in one of their  trees close to the river. I didn't even realise they spread this far.

I don't know if any of you get the How to Geek newsletter. I do every day and they often have interesting bits of trivia. This was the trivia for Tuesday The sound of a whip cracking is a mini sonic boom; the loop traveling along the whip continues to gain speed until it reaches the speed of sound and breaks the sound barrier.

As you may recall we watch Jeopardy every night without fail. People generally know not to call us whilst it's on. Right now we have a 13 day champion, Matt Jackson. He has just passed a 12 day champion, Arthur Chu, He has a couple of others to catch. Of course Ken Jennings was the longest running champion with 74 games. Nobody thinks he will ever be beaten. We shall see.I was stunned to realise Matt Jackson is only 23. He really is a brilliant young man. Ken Jennings was about 30 when he did his long run in 2004. The money shown in the picture is out of date now, Tuesday night he clocked up over $411,000.


I found this recipe on Yummly. It is apparently gluten free and if served with brown rice, it remains so.

Slow Cooker Thai Beef Stew

Cooking and Beer



Yield 8 servings
Ingredients
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 1/2 pound boneless beef roast, cubed and trimmed of fat (prepackaged beef stew meat may be substituted)
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste
• 1 cup bamboo shoots
• 2 cups Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Vanilla Unsweetened
• 1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 4 ounces tomato paste
• 4 ounces Thai red curry paste
• 1 tablespoon fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon tamari
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 2 cups julienned carrots
• fresh cilantro, for garnish
• brown rice, for serving (optional)
• 
  
Instructions
• In a large nonstick skillet, add the coconut oil. Melt over medium-high heat. Add the beef and brown evenly, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat with a slotted spoon and transfer to the bowl of your slow cooker.
• In the same skillet, left over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until tender, about 6 minutes. Stir in the garlic and fresh ginger. Cook for an additional minute. Transfer the mixture to the slow cooker with the beef.
• Stir in the Almond Breeze Almondmilk Coconutmilk Vanilla Unsweetened, bamboo shoots, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, curry paste, fish sauce, tamari and salt. Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.
• When you have about 30 minutes left, stir in the broccoli and carrots.
• When finished, served the Thai beef stew over brown rice or a gluten-free option of your choice. Garnish with fresh cilantro and enjoy!
•  

Have a great day
 

Jeopardy, Rain, Solar Impulse Plane.

I learnt a phrase, which I thought was funny, on Jeopardy last Friday. Restaurant speak “nervous pudding” – Jello. Priceless. I have mentioned this is a programme I rarely, if ever, miss. I tried out for it a couple of times, but then I heard if you do get through, you have to pay for all of the trips to the various qualifying rounds which I would imagine, with hotel fees, etc. would amount to quite a bit of money and then, even if you get to be on the show, you might still only win $1,000 if you are beaten by the others. Not a gamble we could afford to take certainly. Maybe when I was a working girl, but not now.

It’s June. We finally had rain this weekend, I just am not sure we had enough for the farmers, or in fact for all the plants which have been suffering from a lack of water. We have all been feeling sorry for Texas and the dreadful floods, but I heard that they too have been suffering drought conditions in some areas. That to me is almost inconceivable. Some people are suffering weather extremes -  wanting the furnace one day and the air conditioner the next. It seems things are totally screwed up with the weather lately. The rain we got came with full on thunderstorms and loud crashes. Not a lot of lightening though. Saw a couple of flashes maybe. It wasn’t one of those good rains which consistently falls for several hours though, so I am not sure how much good it did. In fact we did have some more on Saturday night and Sunday morning so that will have helped. In the end it rained most of Sunday.

Interesting story on the news about a solar impulse plane which is being flown on trials now. It is presently flying across the Sea of Japan on its way to Hawaii which is the longest leg of it’s journey in an attempt to circumnavigate the world.  The pilot can only take a 20 minute sleep at a time. It has huge wings which carry the solar panels, much bigger than any existing plane, but it weighs less than an SUV. They have to be particularly careful about the weather.

Asparagus and Smoked Chicken Salad With Ginger Dressing

 New York Times.

• Yield 4 servings

Asparagus takes easily to many kinds of seasonings, so after you’ve tired of having it plain with butter or homemade mayonnaise, try this spicy dressing laced with ginger and chiles. Adding smoked chicken is a nice way to make a more substantial first course or light lunch. You can purchase smoked chicken at better butcher shops or online, but equally good is grilled chicken at room temperature, or cold poached chicken. I sometimes substitute lightly smoked ham or smoked slab bacon, simmered until tender.

Ingredients

For the vinaigrette:

• 1 large shallot, finely diced, about 2 tablespoons
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• Salt to taste
• Generous pinch of cayenne
• 1 tablespoon grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• ¼ cup vegetable oil

For the salad:

• 1 pound asparagus
• Salt and pepper
• 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced (optional)
• ½ cup roasted peanuts, crushed
• ¾ pound smoked chicken, sliced
• 1 large lime, halved
• Basil, mint and cilantro leaves, about 1/2 cup total

Preparation

1. To make the vinaigrette, put shallots in a small bowl. Add vinegar, sugar, mustard, salt and cayenne and let steep for 5 minutes. Add ginger and garlic, then whisk in sesame oil and vegetable oil. Taste and adjust seasoning.
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Snap off the tough end of each asparagus spear, then cut each spear into 2-inch lengths. Cut thicker pieces in half lengthwise as necessary so all cut pieces are approximately the same size. Place asparagus pieces into boiling water and cook for 1 minute. Drain and cool under running water. Blot dry.
3. To make the salad, put asparagus in a salad bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Add chile, if using, and crushed peanuts. Dress with half the vinaigrette and toss to coat.
4. Arrange dressed asparagus on a platter or on individual plates. Tear chicken slices into strips and scatter over asparagus. Drizzle a little more vinaigrette over the salad and give it a good squeeze of lime. Garnish with basil, mint and cilantro leaves and serve immediately.

Have a great day
 

CPAP Service, Jeopardy Champ,

Today I went for my annual service on my CPAP machine and equipment. When they called me originally I said I hadn’t been using it lately because I couldn’t stop my mask leaking air. They told me I probably needed a new cushion. I didn’t have a clue that they didn’t last. After checking the machine over and making sure everything was working fine, she changed the cushion which is the part that fits on your face. Then she tried it out on me with the air and nary a leak anywhere. I will watch for this in future. Thankfully we have insurance though, it was $85. I nearly fell off my chair. I guess I just don’t keep up with the times. I just saw an ad for a National Geographic Atlas for $104.95 which shook me rigid. The CPAP check up was totally free by the way. I decided to let Tina of Life is Good know about this, she has a more efficient CPAP company by the sound of it, and has already had her cushion changed a couple of times. I wish my lot had warned me.

We were both very sorry to see Julia Collins get beaten in her 21st game on Jeopardy Monday night. The guy who beat her kept making a tutting noise when he answered so Matt refused to watch him on Tuesday and was delighted when he got beaten too. I had actually guessed Julia had been beaten because she was interviewed Monday morning on Good Morning America and I didn’t think she would be in New York when the Jeopardy programme is in California. I was so hoping she would match or beat Ken Jennings but it wasn’t to be. She will, of course, be invited back for the Tournament of Champions when she will come up against Arthur Chu who also did very well.

I am trying, by the way, to encourage all my blogging friends to use the bee logo on their blog sites.

The picture on this recipe really caught my eye so I had to get the recipe it looks so good. It doesn't say but I am assuming the cans are in their own juice. It is certainly what I would use.

Fruit Salad With Pudding!

By Laura70 on July 11, 2003


Servings: 15

 

"I get compliments on this fruit salad wherever I take it. It is super easy to make and a great dish to bring to a potluck or family party. Kids love it too. Everyone asks "what's in the sauce"? The secret ingredient is the vanilla pudding mix."

Ingredients

• 1 (29 ounce) can peach slices, undrained
• 1 (20 ounce) can pineapple chunks, undrained
• 1 (3 1/8 ounce) box dry vanilla instant pudding mix
• 1 lb strawberries, stemmed and quartered
• 1 banana, sliced
• 1/2 pint blueberries
• 1 bunch grapes ( I use the red ones)
• 1 -2 tablespoon sugar (optional)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, combine peaches, pineapples, and vanilla pudding mix.
2. This includes the juices from the cans.
3. Mix well until pudding is dissolved.
4. Stir in strawberries, banana, blueberries, grapes, and sugar if desired.
5. Chill.

Have a great day

Jeopardy, Taxes, Melanomas,

As you know, we love to watch Jeopardy. We are particularly enjoying the programme at the moment as there is a Champion, Julia Collins, who has now beaten everyone, other than Ken Jennings (74 games), with the amount of programmes she has won 19 at the time of writing. She has also picked up $410,000 odd in this time frame which the American government will be delighted to tax her on. To me this is totally wrong. Neither Canada nor Britain tax you on winnings, I don’t think the States should either. Of course you know the government will listen to me. Matt and I are both rooting for her.

Chatting to people at the bowling alley and we all agreed that the Canadian government shouldn’t tax pensions. When you think about it, we work all our lives, pay taxes in order to provide some of the money for pensions and then they turn round and tax us again. Meanwhile politicians get pensions which make ours look like chump change, and don’t talk to me about sports people.

I read that skin cancer is on the rise in Canada because people are either too lazy or not sensible enough to use sun tan lotions. Skin cancer melanomas can kill and people are stupid to take the risk. That being said, Matt has had skin cancer and was told never to sunbathe without lotions, guess what, he takes no notice whatsoever. Generally they are saying vanity and a blasé attitude are behind the rise as well as the fact that we bare more skin than previous generations. I am lucky because I use various creams every day which all contain an SPF factor. Also in my opinion a lot of people stay in the sun too long as well. We do tan in short bursts, about half an hour at the beginning and then a bit longer as our tans build up. Not that we ever spend very long any more. Kind of get less interested in sunbathing when you get older, or we did.

Another goodie. Think I would be more generous with the asparagus, but then that’s me.

Asparagus Beef Roll-Ups
Source: dLife
 
Easy to prepare appetizer of roast beef and asparagus rolled in a tortilla with a creamy spread.

Makes 48 pieces

Ingredients
2 tbsp  Cream, whipping, heavy 
2 tbsp  sour cream
3 tsp  horseradish 
1/4 tsp  fresh lemon peel
1/4 tsp  salt
1 pinch black pepper
4 each Tortilla, flour, 6.5"
1/4 lb  sliced roast beef, deli meat, Italian style
4 each asparagus spears

 Directions

1. Using electric beaters, whip cream until soft peaks are formed; gently fold in sour cream, horseradish, lemon peel, salt, and pepper.
2. Spoon 2 teaspoons of cream mixture onto each tortilla and top with 1 slice of beef and the rest of the cream mixture. Arrange 1 asparagus on each tortilla and roll up. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours. Cut into 1/2 inch pieces.

Have a great day

Carpet, Jeopardy.

Thursday we enjoyed our bowling and actually bowled reasonably well unless you see the scores out friend go. Told her if she was going to humiliate me like that I wouldn’t want her with us. Funny, she didn’t take any notice of me. We practically had the alley to ourselves again. There were just four people who have been bowling regularly every Thursday for most of the winter season and whom we know quite well. Then there were the carpet people. Turns out they are having new carpet (big carpet tiles) put in as well as new vinyl flooring in another part. I imagine that will set them back a penny or two. No idea when it’s being done but as they are shut every Monday and Tuesday during the summer, maybe it will be done then. I didn’t know there was such a thing as large carpet tiles, it occurred to me that they could do that in our apartment which wouldn’t necessitate moving the furniture very far. Probably too expensive which means, as we can’t move the stuff, it won’t get done whilst we live in this apartment. Oh well, doesn’t look that bad.

We are following Jeopardy’s Battle of the Decades – they have invited champions to compete from different decades with the final prize being one million dollars. Thursday featured Ken Jennings who is famous for having the longest run of any champion – 74 games – and earning some $3 million; he won the round on Thursday with little or no problem.  It is, to me, wonderful to watch such clever people. I enjoy answering some of the questions and am thrilled to bits when I can answer something that they miss. Needless to say it doesn’t often happen. We missed his 74 shows as it took place whilst we were in NC and for some reason we weren’t watching Jeopardy then although we had done so before we left Canada and again when we returned. We did see the programme occasionally but not regularly. The finals will be at the end of next week, right now we are watching the elimination rounds. Watching these champions is fun. They are so confident they are relaxed on TV and can be quite funny. As Alex Trebek, the host said, the last time he was on Jeopardy he was beaten, by a computer named Watson.

I have been neglecting my visits to other blogs this week, my apologies, but health reasons have interfered. Not to mention life which still has to be lived.

This is one of my favourite cocktails but to me, the only way to make it is with champagne, or sparkling wine. I have it as a special treat now and again. To me it is the perfect drink to celebrate Mother’s Day. As I have always understood it, with white wine it is a Kir, with champagne it is a Kir Royale. So cheers.

Kir Royale

By Colleen Graham



If you like berry flavoured cocktails then this classic is a great choice. It is one of the few cocktails that uses the black currant liqueur, Crème de Cassis, which acts as a dark sweetener for your favourite wine. The choice of white wine is something of personal taste; dry wines are preferred, Chablis is a great option. Also, this drink is easy to serve at an open house, business reception, or casual cocktail party.
The Kir became popular in French cafes in the middle of the 19th century and was further popularized by Felix Kir after World War II. The then mayor of Dijon in Burgundy, France, served the drink often to promote his region's fine products (wine and Crème de Cassis). The name Kir has been associated with the drink ever since. There are also many variations of this wine cocktail, each unique but carrying on the Kir tradition.

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Yield: 1 Cocktail 

Ingredients:

• 1/4 ounce Crème de Cassis
• 2 1/4 ounces dry white wine or Champagne

Preparation:

1. Pour the Crème de Cassis into a wine glass or a champagne flute
2. Slowly add the dry white wine or champagne.

Have a great day

Jeopardy, Bowling, Medical,

Amazing, I mentioned Rob Ford yesterday and how he is disgracing Toronto; lo and behold he came up in a category on Jeopardy on Thursday night. That’s notoriety if you like. Talking of Jeopardy, I have been entering their contest every night with the hope of winning a trip. I am not usually very lucky so I don’t suppose it will happen, but you can’t win if you don’t enter.

For me bowling was not very good again, Matt had two excellent games. I did have an excuse though, I appear to have done something to my knee and was having trouble walking so when I bowled I was nervous about hurting myself further, however, as it turned out, the only time I didn’t hurt was whilst I was bowling. Go figure. We were bowling on our own as well so it went very fast.

Thursday morning I saw the gastroenterologist and asked him about a colonoscopy. He told me that colon cancer is the third most deadly. He told me all the pros and cons of the procedure, but he would NOT advise me about it. Guess I should talk to my family doctor and see what she says. I have never had one and don’t really want to, but its a precaution and I don’t know how advisable it is to take this precaution.
We are still getting snow here and it is still extremely cold. Despite this, there was a guy at the alley wearing shorts. Apparently so long as his top is warm, he wears shorts all year. Athletic type I understand. Seems nuts to me in this weather. I don’t even take my coat off at the doctors as I find it too cold.

I found a tourtière in the freezer the other day, I thought we had eaten them all, I make four at a time. So Thursday night we had it for supper. Not sure how long its been in the freezer, but it tasted pretty good. Now I guess I should make some more. I use three meats in mine and our local grocery store doesn’t have ground veal so I have to go elsewhere to get it. Had some homemade asparagus soup the other night and I have now started a countdown until the asparagus season. It is still a long way away. Sigh.

My apologies to those bloggers who haven't seen me lately, as you might gather, I have been running around all over the place this week.

This doesn’t sound like a bad breakfast dish. Bit high in calories for me these days, but it still sounds pretty savoury. It came from Cooking.com

Bacon Fried Rice

Source: Burt Wolf's Menu Cookbook

Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS
1/2 pound bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs, beaten
3 cups cold cooked rice (see Note)
1 teaspoon soy sauce (add more to taste)
1/2 cup coarsely chopped scallions, green part only

DIRECTIONS
In a skillet, fry the bacon until crisp and drain on paper towels.
In a wok or large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add the eggs and cook, stirring, just until firm. Remove from the pan and reserve.
Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the pan and add the rice. Mix well. Add the soy sauce and mix well. Mix the eggs into the rice, breaking them into smaller pieces as you stir. Add the scallions and bacon. Mix again to combine, and serve.
NOTES: The rice should be cooked at least several hours ahead, or the day before, and refrigerated. It should be completely cold to be used for fried rice. This dish can be kept in a casserole in the oven at 140 degrees F. for about 40 minutes without drying out. It makes a good dish to serve with a main course that needs last-minute preparation.

Have a great day

Jeopardy, Medical, Cleaners, Misc.

Well how about that? I just learned on Jeopardy that the photo imaging format known as GIF should be pronounced jif with a soft g, not gif with a hard g. Jeopardy is my all time favourite programme and I move heaven and earth not to miss it. I have tried out for it a couple of times but even suppose I were to get through, I could never afford all the expenses involved with taking further tests and then getting out to California. Once in California, presumably you have to pay for your own hotel as well. I often wonder if the third place prize of $1,000 covers all one’s costs. However, although I think I do fairly well, I often cannot bring an answer to mind quickly enough to ring in. I suspect it would be even more difficult when you are actually there.

Matt has a medical appointment at 9 a.m. today so he did his early morning shop on Tuesday. At least it’s local at St. Mary’s Hospital, ($10 parking) however, on Thursday I have an echocardiogram at 9:20 a.m. at our doctor’s which is in the next town. At least we should be back in time to bowl which I didn’t want to miss. I don’t like having this test, I usually end up sore afterwards. A specialist I used to see on a regular basis insisted on them once in a while and now our doctor is doing the same. I am assuming it is the same guy, he seems to be a travelling technician. Talking medical, I saw our Superintendent yesterday, he is looking pretty healthy and is walking with a walker but seems to be managing OK. He is involved in what’s happening in the building which maybe is too soon. I was surprised he is on Plavix (a mild blood thinner) and an aspirin. I would have thought they would put him on something stronger.

My cleaning problems are now over and our new Mrs. Mops are coming in on the 20th. Our previous cleaner has definitely decided she can’t cope so I have no idea what she is going to do, mortgages still have to be paid etc. etc. Only thing we could do was continue to employ her, but if she doesn’t want to do that, not much else we can do.

Just realised it was my father’s birthday. He’d have been 105 today. Oddly enough both of Matt’s parents were born in the same years as mine. i.e. 1908 for our fathers, 1913 for our mothers. None of them are with us and haven’t been for some time now.

I thought this was a wonderful idea, I always like using place cards for dinners I give for friends. So how about these.

Gingerbread Placecard Tags

Courtesy of: Anna Olson

serves Makes about 2 dozen


Ditch the paper and make these amazing edible placecard tags for your next dinner party! 

Ingredients
Cookies
¼ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
6 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup fancy molasses
1 large egg at room temperature
1 1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
⅛ teaspoon salt
Royal Icing
1 ½ tablespoons meringue powder
2 cups icing sugar, sifted
3 tablespoons warm water

Directions

Cookies
1. Beat the butter, brown sugar and molasses together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition.
2. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and allspice. Add this to the butter mixture and stir until blended. Shape the dough into 2 disks, wrap and chill for about an hour up to 2 days (the dough will still be soft, even once chilled).
3. Preheat the oven to 350 F and line 2-3 baking trays with parchment paper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first disk of dough until just over 1/8-inch thick. Use a knife or pasty roller to cut out rectangles about the size of a standard business card (3-x-2 inches) and smaller rectangle strips, about 2-inches long by ½-inch wide. Lift them carefully to the prepared trays, leaving about ½-inch between them. Any scraps can be stored chilled and then re-rolled until it has all been used.
4. Bake the cookies for 15-18 minutes until you see them brown a little just around the edges. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the tray before removing to cool completely.
Royal Icing
1. For the royal icing, beat the meringue powder, icing sugar and warm water with an electric mixer until peaks form (approximately 10-12 minutes).
2. To assemble, spoon the royal icing into a piping bag fitted with a small plain tip. Pipe names and designs on the larger rectangular pieces. To have the placecard tags sit facing your guests, adhere the narrow strips onto the back of the tags using the royal icing. Allow the placecard tags to dry for 2 hours.
3. The cookies will keep up to a week in an airtight container.

Have a great day

Stress Test, Kid’s Jeopardy,

So yesterday I was lucky, maybe you were all crossing your fingers for me, I didn’t have to have the nuclear medicine test when they inject Persantine into your vein and you then become radioactive, I had forgotten that part of it, tickled me when I went to the washroom there was a notice saying “To prevent radioactive contamination please sit down to use the toilet”. I remember now there was a sign when I was there last time, saying they would give you a letter if you were about to fly. I used the treadmill and they reckoned if I hadn’t been using my own regularly I might not have coped with it so they were pleased I had been doing regular stints on mine; not as pleased as I was!! Of course I had a robe on unlike the guy in the picture. I had to wait for about an hour then they took some pictures, that was the worst part because I had to put my arms above my head and my shoulder did not like that at all, finally managed to find a spot where it didn’t hurt so much. Had to stay like it for 6 minutes whilst a camera took shots. As far as I know everything seems OK, They said they would let me know. The cardiologist was a Scot made me think of Lass.

That was yesterday, I have to go back again for something else today, resting pictures I believe. It's all very well, but we are up to $32.50 for parking already. It’ll be another $10 today; makes it damned expensive although I suppose, as we don’t pay for the treatment, I shouldn’t really complain. Tell you one thing, I will be wearing long pants tomorrow, that hospital is freezing. I remember they used to keep hospitals dreadfully hot, now they seem to have gone the other way.

Matt and I faithfully watch Jeopardy every day and this week are watching kids of 10, 11 and 12 perform brilliantly. It's odd to me that things I think they would know, they don’t and things about which I have no clue, they can answer. Jeopardy used to be on in the UK but isn’t any more, I wonder why? Presumably it wasn’t popular but that surprises me. I thought, last night, wouldn’t it be great to have kids from lots of English speaking countries competing against one another, too expensive I suppose.

It occurred to me last night that, had our mothers lived, Matt’s and mine that is, they would have been 100 this year. Mine this month. Not something important, but…

Generally I don’t post recipes which don’t appeal to me. Nothing I received by email yesterday did, so its back to Food and Drink. I think a drink would be appropriate today and as I am a Scotch drinker, I chose a cocktail made with Scotch. I would not pollute a good single malt Scotch, but a blend is fine for cocktails. Scotch whisky does not have an e in whisky, Irish and Bourbon whiskeys do. My parents used to occasionally drink a cocktail similar to this made with gin, they called it Gin Mixed.


Beals Cocktail


By: The Martini Club

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 oz. Scotch, 1/2 oz. sweet red vermouth and 1/2 oz. dry white vermouth.

1. Stir until well-chilled and strain into a cocktail glass.
2. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Have a great day