Language,PSWs, Lunch, Supper, Eye,

I have heard it said that English is a difficult language. Boy is it ever. Talking the other day one of the spouses used the word gerontology - I wasn't 100 % sure what it meant or how it differed from geriatric. I just googled. There really isn't a whole heap of difference although technically gerontology is the study of old age and geriatric is basically old age itself. Seems to me hospitals don't need two different departments. I get a regular newsletter from the Alzheimer Society and this morning they gave tips for coping and they were straight out of the Chinese philosophy of mindfulness which I learned all about when I did T'ai Chi regularly. Wish I still did. I keep meaning to take it up again but things keep getting in the way.

So today they sent me a PSW at 11 a.m. when, of course, Matt was already dressed and, as I told them, would not undress for them. I felt a tad sorry for her, but... She tidied the beds and took down the bit of recycling I had. Tomorrow, the PSW is coming at 10 and said he would try and make it earlier. I have, in fact, agreed  to have a PSW at 7 a.m. after all. Better than 11 although we are not normally more than just falling out of bed at that time, particularly Matt. I guess we will see how it works.

ladydog picked up the lunch I had ordered. It was pretty good Thai/Viet food. Although I don't think Matt was unduly impressed. Not sure why. We two enjoyed ours. They were extremely generous with their rice mind you. There is enough food for my lunch tomorrow and I used the rice for our Devilled Kidneys tonight. I have decided that Devilled Kidneys are no longer hot/spicy enough for me, I guess we are so used to eating all these very spicy foods these days, a recipe which was, originally invented in Victorian days as far as I know, maybe even before that, is no longer spicy enough for our tastes. Not that most of you care anyway LOL. I have decided to order some sriracha seasoning to spice things up a tad in the future.

Just to add to my woes, I seem to be having trouble with my eye. I just gave it a rinse with eye wash, hopefully that will fix it. Where does one go for treatment for this these days? If necessary that is.

Asian Asparagus Salad

1 1/2 lb young fresh asparagus
4 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp Sugar
2 tsp sesame oil

1. Cut asparagus into 1 1/2 inch lengths of the tender portions only. Should be 3 cups. The recipe book suggests a method of cutting the stalks on a slant, then rolling the spear a quarter turn and slice it again on a slant and therefore you get interesting shapes of the cut ends. Have a large pot of water boiling and blanch boil the asparagus for 1 minute. Then either run them under cold water of plunge into ice bath. This will set the color. Then place them on a towel and dry them.

2. In a small bowl mix the dressing ingredients until the sugar is all dissolved. Then mix the asparagus with the dressing and chill in a refrigerator for 2 hours and serve as a vegetable part of a meal.

Servings: 4

Source: WW Recipes

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Language, Florence,

Had to contact Toshiba yesterday and as usual ended up with someone who's first language was not English. It is frustrating, most of them know the words to say but they are frequently incomprehensible - their employers should give them a course on the spoken language. I am having the same trouble with my shopping orders. They call me and say they haven't got such and such is this OK to replace. I have to fight to understand what they are saying. More important for technicians of course. Most of these people know what they are talking about, but I don't know what they are saying.

Just heard from a friend in North Carolina who lives near the coast. She says it is terrible where she lives, although she went north during the storm, she lives in a mobile home and has been told the park was flooded so she doesn't know if there is any water damage to her mobile home. Another friend posted pix on Facebook and his yard is littered with trees which came down, none on the home apparently. Looks worse than anything we were involved in although as I often say, we lost 19 trees to hurricanes during the time we lived there. Heard indirectly that another friend "who rode it out" is OK and lost a couple of big trees. He used to have pecan trees, not sure if he still does. I remember one storm when the nuts were all blown off his trees and ended up miles away. They weren't ripe either.

I love recipes from Giada de Laurentiis. She is a cook I really admire. If you decide to try this, do buy the real Mascarpone. There are many versions which are not from Italy and which carry preservatives. These preservatives tend to sweeten the cheese which is not good for a savoury meal. The real thing is more expensive of course, but it is a much better product.

Pork Milanese with Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce

Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce

2/3 cup Mascarpone cheese

3 Tbs mayonnaise
¼ cup whole milk
¼ cup capers, drained and chopped
1 lemon, zested
1 Tbs fresh chopped flat-leaf parsley
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Pork Milanese

¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ tsp salt, plus more for seasoning
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more for seasoning
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup seasoned Italian bread crumbs
3 Tbs vegetable oil
6 thin-cut pork chops

Creamy Caper and Lemon Sauce

Combine the mascarpone and mayonnaise in a medium bowl. Slowly add the milk, stirring as you go, until all the milk is incorporated. Add the remaining ingredients. Stir to combine. Set aside.

Pork Milanese

Combine the flour and the 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in a shallow dish and stir together. Crack the eggs into another shallow dish and beat until combined. In a third shallow bowl, place the breadcrumbs. Season the pork with salt and pepper. Dip the pork, 1at a time first in the flour, then the eggs, then the bread crumbs. Warm the vegetable in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot place the breaded pork in the pan. Cook until golden and cooked through, about 4 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer the pork to a serving platter and serve with the sauce alongside.

Yield: 6 - 8

Author: Giada De Laurentiis

Have a great day
 

Language, Bowling,

Talk about mixed up, I noticed yesterday, in one reply I used both American and British/Canadian spelling. I noticed typos too but the less said about those the better! It is difficult for us in Canada because we read a lot of both types of spelling and, I certainly, get confused as to how some words are spelled. There is a store here, called Canadian Tire, when we first arrived here 40 some years ago, I mentioned the store to English friends, in writing, and they laughed because I was spelling Tire the American way and not the English way, tyre. Of course that is the name of the store anyway. Not only that, things are called differently by use, like leash for a dog which in North Carolina and the UK was usually a lead.

League bowling today and not only did I not bowl well, I ended up losing a point in my average. Matt bowled pretty well though and gained a point, the one I lost maybe, LOL. Not only that, the team we bowled against included the woman who is my "rival". We had a few laughs out of it. She added insult to injury by having a 200 game. The highest I got was a 161 which was pretty pathetic. I guess I can kiss my ladies' high average goodbye. One of our team is not a very good bowler but astounded us by getting several strikes and spares today.

Enchiladas and such are not normally my choice of eating, but this recipe appealed to me, mind you I think it might be a lot spicier than I am used to.

Adobo Chicken and Kale Enchiladas

Put out your favorite toppings for these quick and healthy layered enchiladas. We like cilantro, sour cream, guacamole and jalapeños.

1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
8 cups chopped kale
¼ cup water
2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken
1 tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp ground pepper
1 10 oz can red enchilada sauce (1 ¼ cups)
¼ cup sour cream
2-3 tbs minced chipotles in adobo
12 corn tortillas
¾ cup diced white onion, divided
1 ½ cups shredded Mexican blend cheese, divided

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Heat oil in a large cast-iron skillet (12-inch) over medium-high heat. Add kale and water; cook, stirring, until bright green and wilted, about 2 minutes. Stir in chicken, cumin, salt and pepper; cook for 1 minute more. Transfer to a large bowl. Combine enchilada sauce, sour cream and chipotles to taste in a small bowl. Spread ½ cup of the mixture in the pan. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping them to cover the bottom. Top with half the chicken mixture, ¼ cup onion and ½ cup cheese. Layer on half the remaining sauce, 4 tortillas, the remaining chicken, ¼ cup onion and ½ cup cheese. Top with the remaining tortillas, sauce and cheese. Bake the enchiladas until bubbling, 12 to 15 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining ¼ cup onion before serving

Servings: 5

Source: EatingWell Magazine

Have a great day
 

Language, Bowling,

Funny I just heard a guy on the radio singing something about "you'd best go back to where you came" I don't think he even used "from" and it occurred to me that lyricists should return to the use of 'whence'.  For example - go back from whence you came. Old fashioned word to most people these days and probably never been used on this side of the pond at all. It is a fact that language has deteriorated considerably in my lifetime and these days the use of cell phones and abbreviations has made the language deteriorate even further. I think if I were to return in 50 years or so, I wouldn't be able to understand what people were talking about at all. Maybe I should have chosen a picture of Roget's Thesaurus instead?

Because I am expecting to have surgery later on, I thought I would do some bowl-aheads for when and if I couldn't play. I don't remember the recovery period. So, much to my surprise, I bowled better today than I have for a long time. In fact it would be good for my team if I stayed away and those games were used LOL.

Sri Lankan sounds a bit different so I thought this would be something to try.

Sri Lankan vegetable curry with brown rice

Warm cinnamon, root ginger and smoked paprika go together wonderfully in this tasty Sri Lankan vegetable curry. If you want to add a bit of fish, try cod or sea bass fillets. Fearne's inspiration for this charming dish came from a holiday: "Many moons ago, before Rex and Honey came along, Jesse and I went on a far-flung adventure to Sri Lanka. It is such a vibrant country where the people smile from

the heart and the food is made with love. On the entire trip, there wasn’t a dish I didn’t love. This curry is inspired by the flavours we encountered and the warmth their food provides. I love adding fish to this curry as it adds an extra boost of protein and makes it even more hearty."

1 ½ Tbs coconut or sunflower oil
10 fresh curry leaves (optional)
1 onion, finely chopped
5 cm piece of root ginger, peeled and finely grated
5 cloves garlic, crushed ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ Tbs mild curry powder
½ tsp chilli powder (optional)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 400 ml cans full-fat coconut milk
2 carrots, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into bite-sized chunks
200 g skinless and boneless cod or sea bass fillets, cut into bitesized pieces (optional)
Sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 spring onion, finely sliced, to serve
Cooked brown rice, to serve

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add the curry leaves (if using) and fry for 2–3 minutes until the leaves begin to crisp up and brown.

2. Add the onion and ginger and sauté gently for 5 minutes, until the onion has softened, then add the garlic and fry for a further minute until aromatic.

3. Add the spices, tomatoes, half a teaspoon of salt and a good grind of black pepper. Fry for a further 2 minutes until aromatic, then add the coconut milk, carrots and green pepper.

4. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 20–25 minutes until the vegetables are cooked through and the sauce has reduced down a little.

5. If you are using fish, add it to the curry for the last 5 minutes of cooking time, until just cooked through.

6. Serve with the spring onion scattered over the top and rice alongside.

Servings: 6

Author Notes
You could use chicken instead of fish in this lovely curry if you prefer, simply brown off in a pan before you start making the curry and simmer in the sauce until cooked through

Source: Fearne Cotton
GoodtoKnow

Have a great day
 

Medical Update, Language,

I finally phone the orthopaedic surgeon and it turns out he is retiring this year and is booked right through until then. Damn. I had a lot of faith in him as he had done both Matt's replacements as well as mine. However, his secretary, who knows me very well, recommended a new young surgeon who has moved into the area. So I phoned my family doctor, unable to get through, so I then faxed them but haven't heard anything in return. Not only that, I saw my doc on Thursday evening, but the secretary at the surgeon's office said she had not had a referral. I am beginning to think that going back to the group in the next town would be a good idea as getting a response is so difficult. Mind you, my hip has been heaps better anyway although my back has been worrying me and nothing is underway for that. Now I need to concentrate on hip and lower back exercises if I don't want to end up as a cripple.

I know, some things I spell the English way and some the American way. Most of the time I no longer know the difference unless, like now, a word is underlined by the system as I type (referring to orthopaedic). Sorry, doesn't look right to me without the dipthong. If I go to England they think I sound Canadian (or more likely American, we don't know the difference in sound) but in Canada they think I sound English. Unless you come here as a very young child I don't think you ever lose your original accent. I don't think I have ever heard a Scot who didn't sound like a Scot. In my young days we were always told that the right way to speak was as heard on the BBC. However, that doesn't apply any more as no matter where you come from in the UK you are not expected to change they way you speak to be on the radio. With the result that all kinds of grammatical mistakes are creeping into the English language, and maybe creeping is understating it.

I love leeks and frequently use them instead of onions or even as well as. I also like to braise them. This recipe caught my eye, it is, supposedly a French recipe

CHARRED LEEKS WITH ORANGE SHERRY VINAIGRETTE


by Michael Anthony

Whole leeks roasted in the oven reveal a deep, soulful side of their character. They're charred on the outside and soft and tender on the inside, and we'll finish them with a vinaigrette and fresh

cilantro to keep things bright.

LEEKS
3 Leeks
3 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and pepper

VINAIGRETTE
1 C Orange juice
Pinch of crushed red pepper
1 Clove garlic, smashed
3 tbsp Sherry vinegar
3 tbsp Olive oil

Salt and pepper
Chopped cilantro, for garnish
Orange segments, for garnish

For the leeks: 

Heat oven to 375 F. Trim the root ends, then remove the green tops and any tough, damaged outer fronds. Cut the leeks in half lengthwise and rinse in cool water to remove the sandy soil they grow in. Pat dry and place on a roasting pan cut side up. Drizzle olive oil over the leeks, season with salt and pepper and roast until tender, 15-20 minutes.

For the vinaigrette: 

In a saucepan, add orange juice, red pepper flakes, and garlic. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer until liquid is reduced by half, 5 minutes. Finish making the vinaigrette by removing the garlic from the reduced orange juice and whisking in vinegar, then olive oil. 

Assemble the dish: 

Arrange the leeks on a serving platter, drizzle several tablespoons of the vinaigrette (reserving the rest for another use), and garnish with cilantro and orange segments. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Have a great day

Almonds, Bowling, Chicken in Foil.

Churchill nailed it when he said "two nations divided by a common language". I posted a recipe for salmon last week which called for slivered almonds so I used slivered almonds and they burned. I then ran out and asked Matt to get me some more when he shopped. I got slivered almonds but to me they were chopped. I checked it out and what I call slivered almonds are actually what North Americans call sliced almonds so maybe this is why the almonds got burned. I now will have to remember what name to use. The one's on the left are American slivered, and on the right American sliced or what I mean when I say slivered. After all this, I still need some sliced almonds anyway. I keep nuts in the freezer. They last forever.

Whoopee, I actually had a really good game on Wednesday bowling league for a change. So often it I only bow well on Thursdays lately. But today I did well. Our team is still in 3rd place though. We don't seem to be able to pull up any higher.

Wednesday night I kind of amalgamated a bunch of recipes I have been getting lately. The idea was cooking in foil which always appeals, less cleanup. What I did was peel and slice a large carrot, sprinkling it over the bottom of each piece of foil, then some sliced onion, and some tiny peas. Everything was seasoned. I also added the zest of a lemon to the packets. I then took a chicken breast for each of us which I slathered with a mixture of Dijon mustard, olive oil and salt covering both sides. After that I placed lemon slices on top of the chicken and closed up the packets. I cooked them in a 375°F oven for 25 minutes. Not long enough. I think 35 would have been better. I had to microwave them to finish them off as the chicken was quite pink. However, the end result was delicious. Me being me, I forgot to take a picture. This kind of looks similar.

I could make a mess of these brownies right now. I have really gone overboard for the salted chocolate salted caramel stuff going the rounds at the moment, I think it is delicious. There are a lot more recipes where this came from.

Salted Caramel Brownies

Take indulgent, fudgy chocolate brownies to the next level with a layer of salted caramel running through the centre of each bite


BBC Good Food Show

Makes 16 larger or 32 bite-sized brownies

Ingredients

200g (7 oz) unsalted butter, plus a little extra for greasing
100g (3 1/2 oz) chocolate, 70% cocoa solids
100g (3 1/2 oz) chocolate, 50% cocoa solids
397g (14 oz) can Carnation caramel
1 tsp flaky sea salt, plus a little extra for the top
200g (7 oz) golden caster sugar (just regular sugar for us)
4 medium eggs, at room temperature
130g (4 1/2 oz) plain flour
50g (1.8 oz) cocoa powder

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease then line a 23cm square tray/bake tin with baking parchment. Melt the butter in a medium pan, break in all the chocolate, then remove the pan from the
heat and wait for the cubes to melt.
2. In a small bowl, mix 175g of the caramel with 1 tsp sea salt – it will loosen up. Put the rest of the caramel in a large bowl with the sugar and eggs, and beat with an electric hand mixer or balloon whisk until even.
3. Whisk in the chocolate and butter. In another bowl, combine the flour, cocoa and a good pinch of table salt, then sift this on top of the chocolate mix. Beat briefly until smooth.


Have a great day
 

This and That and a No Fly Zone. TV Thursday.

I went on about not eating specific foods on St. Patrick’s Day, but funnily enough, I seriously contemplated having corned beef and cabbage for dinner. Its not a bad meal, if I had had any corned beef handy I might have cooked it. I didn’t however. For those in the UK, we are not talking about the stuff in a tin, but salted beef brisket.

I always thought I had a pretty good knowledge of the English language but came across a word in Matt’s crossword yesterday “oppugn” – to oppose, contradict or call into question. Anyone else ever heard of it before?

The other day I printed up my blog book from July – Dec 2010. Matt has been reading it and he takes great delight in pointing out my typos. Once upon a time he used to read what I wrote before it was published, but for one reason or another, that no longer happens. Guess I should make sure he does read them first and then you wouldn’t have to put up with any mistakes, hopefully. One thing that does puzzle me, most of the pictures come out a regular size, not too big, but my signature when printed from the blog books, becomes comparatively huge, I have no idea why.

I don’t know about where you live, but gas prices are jumping up and down at the pumps here. Barrel prices have been doing much the same, obviously, and will continue to do so until the crisis in the Middle East is settled. The UN have decreed a ‘no fly’ zone over Libya which will certainly help the rebels and hopefully prevent civilian casualties, however, the UN have granted permission for a lot more interference from the rest of the world so there is no telling what is going to happen. There was a report at home saying that all prices have jumped 4% which is the highest increase for many years, this spirals because people, particularly pensioners, will need more money to live and I don’t see us (pensioners) getting it.

Last night we watched a couple of interesting programmes, one about the Ring of Fire (as it is known) in the Pacific which obviously includes Japan. I had seen this particular programme before but they showed it again because of what has just happened. I had forgotten that Japan is sitting at the conjunction of four tectonic plates and this is why it is so very prone to earthquakes. They virtually predicted this current disaster although they missed out on the nuclear problems.

The second programme (on the Doc Zone)) was about the Irish Potato Famine which I learnt about in history and more or less forgot. I hadn’t a clue about what had happened and how a potato blight had caused millions of Irish people to starve and they were given no help at all, in fact some of the landlords, if not all, were only too happy to get rid of a lot of the peasantry. At least a million died at the time. The story continued to cover the exodus of these starving people in an attempt to start a new life in Canada. Life on board ship was appalling and one particular ship ran aground on ice off the Newfoundland coast. The Captain skipped with his crew in the lifeboat having nailed down the hatches which, luckily, one or two of the other crew men ripped off again. Although many were lost, particularly children, quite a number were eventually rescued by another ship. Unfortunately the captain was never caught and punished for his crimes. A lot of this was the fault of the British so we should hang our heads in shame.

I had never eaten raw spinach until I came to Canada, I don’t know if people eat it in the UK today, probably, it is 35 odd years ago. Anyway, I learnt to like it very quickly and when I saw this recipe from Eating Well, I thought good, a new salad for me. I never know what you are supposed to do with the yolks in many of these recipes. I think I would just add 4 complete hard boiled eggs, although I suppose the salad may be healthier with only one yolk apiece. Seems a waste to throw out 6 yolks, don’t you think?

Loaded Spinach Salad

From EatingWell: March/April 2007, The EatingWell Diet (2007)

Like many spinach salads, this one features lots of chopped-up hard-boiled egg. But since most of the calories in an egg are in the yolk, we use just two whole eggs, plus the whites from six additional eggs. The result is a rich, eggy, satisfying spinach salad that keeps the calories in check.

2 servings, about 4 cups each

Ingredients

• 8 large eggs
• 6 cups baby spinach
• 4 tablespoons Creamy Blue Cheese Dressing, divided (recipe follows)
• 1 8-ounce can beets, rinsed and sliced
• 1 cup carrots, shredded
• 2 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted (see Tip)

Preparation

1. Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook at the lowest simmer for 10 minutes. Pour off the hot water and run cold water over the eggs until they are completely cooled. Peel the eggs, discard 6 of the yolks, chop the remaining yolks and whites.
2. Toss spinach and 2 tablespoons dressing in a large bowl. Divide between 2 plates. Top with chopped eggs, beets, carrots and pecans. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons dressing.

Nutrition

Per serving : 300 Calories; 13 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 6 g Mono; 216 mg Cholesterol; 26 g Carbohydrates; 22 g Protein; 8 g Fiber; 823 mg Sodium; 592 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 4 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1 1/2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Tip: To toast chopped nuts & seeds: Cook in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.

Have a great day

Irish Polar Bears?

Here's an odd report, green polar bears in a Japanese Zoo. Apparently to conserve water, they haven't been changing the water as much as usual and it developed an algae which has turned the polar bear fur to green. They say it doesn't harm the bears who will return to their natural colour around about November. Read the article here and see another picture. They do look rather peculiar don't they? Picture from the Washington Post. As they point out, it is difficult to wash the colour out of the fur. Something that fascinates me with blogging is the comments one does, or does not, receive. Not just mine but on the other blogs I read. Some can go on for ever and frequently end up talking about something which has nothing to do with the original blog. It is all part of the wonder of the internet and making friends with people from all over. Glenda Larke (see link this page) recently wrote about language and the words people knew. This eventually produced more words we were unfamiliar with. She was wondering what readers do when they come across an unfamiliar word, do they immediately look it up or guess the meaning and carry on. I tend to be a "guess the meaning" type of person although if I find it totally incomprehensible, I might look it up straight away. This picture is from avoidinglife.typepad.com Talking of reading, I have had three books on order from the library for weeks and weeks, Monday we go away and I don't take books on vacation so, guess what, they are all ready for me to pick up. If only they could have come in two weeks later. I have just finished reading The Siege of Arrandin which I very much enjoyed. I have discovered a wonderful way to die, you kind of fade away and become part of a magical dragon. Right up my street, 'cos I love dragons. There are two more books in the trilogy so obviously the siege is not yet over. The three books I have from the library are Strangers in Death by J.D. Robb and two more in the series by Katherine Kerr which I have been following. I have been thoroughly enjoying J.D. Robb's books too they are very fast paced cop stories set in the future. The characters build up over the course of the books all centred around one cop, Eve Dallas. Cauliflowers are pretty plentiful at the moment so here is a recipe for a baked one. Baked Cauliflower and Mushrooms Servings: 6 3 cups cauliflowerets (about 1 pound) 1 cup chopped mushrooms (about 4 ounces) 1/2 cup chopped red onion (about 1/2 medium) 1 tablespoon olive or vegetable oil 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 teaspoons cider vinegar 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, (about 1 teaspoon) 1/3 cup chopped green onions, (about 5 medium) Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch square baking dish, with nonstick cooking spray. Mix all ingredients except green onions. Spread evenly in baking dish. Bake uncovered 40 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender and golden brown. Sprinkle with green onions. 6 servings. Have a great day.