Noodles, No Bowling, Marijuana, Walking.

Now and again I have a Noodle Bowl for lunch and this week I tried a new type for which I had to provide my own bowl. Nong Shim Kimchi. They were delicious and I will certainly be buying them again. Not sure how healthy they are, but for an occasional treat..... I'm not sure this is quite the right package but having thrown mine away I have nothing to compare with. However, I have had Nong Shim noodles before so I knew they would be good. I often wonder if there is some Asian in me somewhere because I am so fond of these noodles. I would like to do one of those ancestry tests. Too expensive at the moment, but I do know one thing I was told by the hospital years ago, I have a double length colon which is unusual for Westerners and quite usual for Indians and other Asians from that part of the world. Makes me wonder.

I was deprived of bowling today, boo hoo. I seem to have a bit of a bad knee plus I had very little sleep last night as, for some reason, I kept getting leg cramps and having to get up and drink some tonic, the quinine usually helps although it wasn't doing a lot for me last night. I got so sick of tonic water I almost wanted to throw up. So for something easy we are having what I call Leftover Chicken and Ham although it originally started with Turkey and was a recipe by Paul Hollywood of Great British Bakeshow fame. As I have said, I buy a rotisserie chicken and make this dish, without the pastry that Paul did. It really is delicious and freezes really well. I think I will have to be making more soon.

I heard from the Cannabis lab who said I could fax them the doctor's referral so I did. My friend said it took 2 weeks to even hear from her lab so I guess I am lucky. You then, apparently, have to complete a very extensive questionnaire which they use to take into consideration as to whether you should be allowed the Marijuana.

Matt just did 6 laps along the corridor outside our apartment so things are looking up. He still will not do the exercises without prompting. I call it prompting, he probably thinks of it as nagging LOL.

Although I am not working any more, I am always looking for different breakfasts and for those of you who do eat breakfast I am sure these will appeal. I like the idea of doing them beforehand as I often find myself thinking about what to cook myself in the mornings.

Microwave Breakfast Sandwiches

You’re running out the door, slightly late for work, with a thermos dripping with coffee and a half-unwrapped granola bar in your mouth. If this sounds like just another day in the life, you need these make-ahead egg sandwiches in your life. Take less than an hour one night or weekend to make a batch (or 5) and be prepared with a real breakfast for days.

Crack a whole carton of eggs into a bowl and beat them with salt, pepper, and a splash of milk if you
like. If you have some on hand, toss in chopped parsley or chives. Pour the eggs into a well-greased baking dish or muffin tin and bake them until just firm. Meanwhile, cook a mess of bacon, sausage or ham and set the meat aside. When the eggs are cooked, lay them onto a toast a bunch of English muffin with slice of cheese and a couple pieces of the cooked meat. Stack the sandwiches a container, then tuck them into the freezer. When you’re ready to eat, pull out a sandwich, wrap it in a damp paper towel, then tightly in parchment paper, and pop it in the microwave. In just about 2 minutes you’ll be out the door, sandwich in hand.

6 large eggs
½ cup whole milk
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
1 lb cooked bacon or breakfast sausage, or 8 ounces leftover roasted veggies
4 oz shredded sharp Cheddar, Swiss, or mozzarella (about 1 cup)
Cooking spray
6 English muffins, split and toasted

Yield: 6 sandwiches


Author: Rebecca Firkser
Source: Extra Crispy



Have a great day
 

Carols, Beer, Marijuana,

Why do some singers/choirs make Christmas carols sound like dirges? I am just listening to Oh Come All Ye Faithful on the radio and it sounds more appropriate for a funeral than for the joyful season Christmas is supposed to be. Carols are supposed to be happy and sung in praise of the birth of Jesus. You can save the dirges til Easter.

Today beer can be sold in grocery stores. The law prohibiting it has been in force since 1927. At the moment it is not in every store nor is it all makes of beer available but presumably this will change as time goes by. It was also made mandatory that some of the sales will be of craft beers which is a good thing locally as there is a craft brewery in the town. Not being a beer drinker, it doesn't  make much difference to me, but Matt drinks a beer now and then although as he generally buys what he wants when he is in the liquor store, I guess it won't make much difference to him either. Maybe once they sell wine in the grocery store, that will make a difference too us. I also heard something about selling medical marijuana in the liquor store. How ridiculous. That should be in the drug store if anywhere. They were talking about it on TV and saying it would help to get rid of the "gangs". I don't think so, the big money is in hard drugs. That too won't make any difference to us.

'Tis the season - I love Brie anyway. I especially like it with fruit or fruit flavours. Also, this seems pretty easy.


Brie and Cranberry Bites from The Hot Plate

Amanda Riva - Food Network

Ingredients

¼ cup all purpose flour, for dusting
1 package (17 ¼ ounces) frozen puff pastry, thawed
½ pound (225 grams) Brie cheese, cut into ¾ – inch cubes
1 cup prepared cranberry sauce
Rosemary Sprigs, for garnish (optional)
salt and pepper

Instructions
1. Heat the oven to 400°F.
2. Sprinkle a clean work surface with a little flour. Unfold the puff pastry on the floured surface. Roll out pastry sheet into a 11 x 16-inch rectangle. Cut the pastry sheet into 24 (3-inch) squares. Press the puff pastry squares into the cups of a mini muffin tin.
3. Drop a piece of Brie into the bottom of each puff pastry cup. Top with a spoonful of cranberry sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Bake for 15 minutes until puff pastry is golden. Cool for 5 minutes before serving with fresh rosemary (if using).

Have a great day
 

Marijuana, Poppies and Terrorists.

I watched a documentary on The Nature of Things last night in which they provided overwhelming evidence that marijuana causes schizophrenia in a large number of users. If I were a user, that would stop me cold. They had all kinds of patients, their families and their doctors all talking about it. Research has been done in several countries which has conclusively proved the connection. I have always been anti pot, Mary Jane, cannabis, or whatever you want to call it, and this confirms my opinions. Drugs of any kind are dangerous, even those prescribed by your doctor have all kinds of side effects which are monitored and controlled but obviously so called recreational drugs are not monitored.

Talking of drugs, British Columbia have just found a poppy field which is ready to be harvested. They are now wondering how many more there are that they haven’t found yet. The pictures of the field showed it to be absolutely huge, I don’t know how much product you can get from one field mind you. Possibly not a lot. In my opinion people who use drugs need their heads examined.

Canada has just arrested three suspected Islamic terrorists on our soil. Now the other Islamis are worried about retribution and retaliation from the general population. A taxi driver in Toronto was slashed with a knife this week because he stated his religion was Islam. They have arrested the young man who did it and are puzzled as he has been involved in meetings promotion religious tolerance. Its not so much the religion as the militant branch of it which terrifies people and how, generally, do you know who is militant and who is not?

I have been having computer problems again this week, for various reasons I had to make a couple of changes and now my laptop will no longer talk to my desktop or vice versa. Its supposed to be a very simple set up, really? I have tried everything I can think of, and I am in email touch with the young man who built my new PC,  but haven’t solved the problem so far. I have a new thing to try today, so will do that later. I have been sharing the printer for a couple of weeks now, but no more.

I love shrimp, I love white beans, what’s not to like in this low cal healthy recipe?

Grilled Shrimp Skewers over White Bean Salad

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/grilled_shrimp_bean_salad.html

From EatingWell:  July/August 2010

Fresh herbs make all the difference in this light, summery bean salad that in turn makes an aromatic bed for the easy grilled shrimp. The shrimp and salad are wonderful together but you could also make them separately. Consider skewering and grilling scallops as another delicious option.

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/3 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons packed fresh oregano, minced

2 tablespoons packed fresh sage, minced

2 tablespoons minced fresh chives

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 15-ounce cans cannellini beans, rinsed

12 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1 cup finely diced celery

24 raw shrimp (21-25 per pound; see Note), peeled and deveined

Preparation

1. Combine lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, oregano, sage, chives, pepper and salt in a large bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the dressing in a small bowl. Add beans, tomatoes and celery to the large bowl; toss well.
2. Preheat grill to medium-high or place a grill pan over medium-high heat until hot.
3. Thread shrimp onto 6 skewers. (If using a grill pan, you don’t need to skewer the shrimp.)
4. Oil the grill rack (see Tip) or the grill pan. Grill the shrimp until pink and firm, turning once, about 4 minutes total. Serve the shrimp on the white bean salad, drizzled with the reserved dressing.

Nutrition

Per serving : 239 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 6 g Mono; 115 mg Cholesterol; 22 g Carbohydrates; 22 g Protein; 8 g Fiber; 575 mg Sodium; 298 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

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

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate the salad and shrimp separately for up to 1 day. | Equipment: Six 8- to 10-inch skewers

• Note: Both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp can damage the surrounding ecosystems when not managed properly. Look for shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as Wild American Shrimp or Marine Stewardship Council. If you can’t find certified shrimp, choose wild-caught shrimp from North America—it’s more likely to be sustainably caught. Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, “21-25 count” means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as “large” or “extra large,” are not standardized. In recipes calling for a specific count, order by the count (or number) per pound to be sure you’re getting the size you want.
• Tip: To oil a grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.)