Bowling, Medical Marijuana, Rip Tides,

We did go bowling today and I am delighted to report that I bowled well and maintained my average. I was rather surprised as I wasn't feeling 100%.  Not only that our team took all 7 points too. We were in 2nd place when we started, won't know until Thursday where we stand now.

Was talking to a team member who's wife is on medical marijuana. By the sound of it, I won't get any on Monday when I go, I have to have it mailed to me? Seems somewhat odd. So it could take yet another week before I get it.

Just heard a headline about someone drowning in a rip tide at Emerald Isle, NC.  That was almost our back yard when we lived in NC. They had formed human chains pulling people out of the rip currents. I remember being caught in a rip current myself once, on the island of Malta. Very frightening. I learned then that one should always try and swim across and not against. But I didn't know at the time and was very lucky a chain managed to save both me and my friend. Neither my husband of the time nor my friend's wife could swim anyway and it took them a bit to realise we were in trouble.

I have had a bit of a craving for ice cream lately and I have, in the past, made ice cream with frozen bananas, but this sounds a pretty good version.

Dairy-Free Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Ice Cream

Ice cream equals summer. But for those that can’t enjoy dairy versions, there’s an extremely healthy solution to satisfy your ice cream cravings.
This vegan peanut butter chocolate chip ice cream uses frozen bananas as its base, creating the smooth and creamy texture of regular ice cream, just without the cream (and calories!). You’ll think

you’ve died and gone to heaven after you try this.

Ingredients (1 serving):
2 sliced and frozen bananas
2 Tbs natural peanut butter
3 Tbs raw cacao nibs
pinch sea salt
Drizzle of agave (or maple syrup), optional

1. Place frozen banana slices in a food processor and run the machine until it resembles a crumb like consistency.

2. Add peanut butter, cacao nibs, sea salt and agave, and whiz a little longer until you get a soft-serve ice cream consistency.

3. Tip: You can add many other things to this frozen banana ice cream base. Try candied nuts, almond butter or another favourite nut butter, cinnamon, frozen blueberries, chopped dates, candied ginger… The options are endless.

Author: Lauren Toyota and John Diemer

Have a great day
 

Fireworks, Bowling, Cleaner, Medical Marijuana,

I know at least one person who did not like the fireworks on the 4th. Apparently someone (a neighbour?) chucked fireworks in the garbage and set their house on fire. Amazing how stupid people can be. I was surprised to read recently that more accidents are caused by sparklers. I thought those were supposed to be pretty harmless, obviously not.

Bowling was not a success today, both of us were hurting and neither of us were bowling worth a damn. I was getting 190s on Wednesday and 128 on Thursday!!! It started to rain later in the afternoon not much, but I wondered if it was the pressure change which was making us hurt more.

Our cleaner came today, another client had requested a swap. She showed me pix of herself in an obstacle race. Oh to be that fit. She is considerably younger than I am of course. She was proud she had kept up with a group of friends who were all somewhat younger than her. If it had been me I would have been proud to keep up with a 90 yr. old. My cleaner also took away the kaput toaster oven for me to get rid of it. Nice of her. Don't tell her I said that mind you. I have finally got round to making an appointment with the cannabis lab next week. Gotta do something about this pain.

Friday I am thinking of doing the filling for my egg rolls which I plan to have on Saturday. Will have to see how it goes. This is a long recipe but there are lots of options and advice plus I am not sure I will bother with the sauce, never have it in the restaurant. Of course I won't be frying them in the accepted sense of the word but doing them in the air fryer.

Spring Rolls! (aka Egg Rolls)

Homemade spring rolls are nothing like the ones at suburban Chinese takeout joints with unidentifiable mushy fillings and overly greasy. These are delicately crispy and golden, just like they should be, and you will actually be able to taste the filling. ?? Watch the VIDEO below for the

wrapping technique. Fry them for the best results, or bake them (Note 5). Also see Note 7 for explanation of terminology differences re: Egg Rolls and Spring Rolls! Feel free to sub the Filling ingredients with similar vegetables.

Filling:
1 Tbs oil
2 garlic cloves , finely chopped or minced
13 oz pork mince (ground pork), or chicken or turkey
6 dried shiitake mushrooms soaked in boiling water OR 8 fresh (Note 1)
1 1/2 cups shredded carrot (1 large or 2 small)
1 1/2 cups (heaped) bean sprouts
1 1/2 cups (packed) shredded green cabbage (any type is fine)
1 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
1 1/2 Tbs Oyster Sauce
2 tsp soy sauce (light or all purpose is best, dark is also ok)

Spring Rolls:
15-20 spring roll wrappers, defrosted (21.5 cm / 8” squares) OR 35 - 40 small spring roll wrappers (Note 2), or Egg Roll wrappers to make Egg Rolls (Note 6)
2 tsp cornflour (for sealing rolls)
1 Tbs water (for sealing rolls)
Oil for frying (I use vegetable) OR oil spray for baking (I use canola)
Sweet and Sour Sauce (makes ~ 2/3 cup):
2 tsp cornflour/ cornstarch
2 Tbs water
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar (adjust to taste)
2 Tbs tomato ketchup
2 tsp soy sauce

1. FILLING:

2. Heat oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add garlic, stir quickly, then add pork. Cook, breaking it up as you go, until it turns white.

3. Add carrot, bean sprouts, cabbage and mushrooms. Cook for 3 minutes or until vegetables are wilted. Add cornflour, soy sauce and Oyster sauce, cook for 1 minute until the liquid is gone. The Filling should not be watery, it should be kind of sticky (watery filling = soggy spring rolls = ?? ).

4. Cool Filling (super speedy: spread on tray, refrigerate 5 minutes). (Hot filling = spring rolls burst open = ?? )

5. SPRING ROLL:

6. Mix cornflour and water in a small bowl (for sealing the rolls).

7. Carefully peel off one spring roll wrapper, keep the others covered under a damp tea towel.

8. Place the wrapper with the SMOOTH SIDE DOWN (Note 3) in a diamond position. Place a very heaped dessert spoon of filling on the bottom. Roll up halfway, fold sides in, then finish rolling. Use cornflour sludge to seal. They should be about 5" long, 1" wide once wrapped.

9. Pour enough oil in a wok or large saucepan (Note 4) so it is double the height of the spring rolls. Heat on medium high until hot - stick a bamboo chopstick or wooden spoon handle in, if rapid bubbles appear, then it's hot enough.

10. Carefully place spring rolls in the oil (about 4 - 5 at a time) and cook, turning occasionally, until deep golden - around 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

11. Repeat with remaining spring rolls. Serve while hot with Sweet and Sour Sauce!

12. BAKING option:

13. Place spring rolls on a rack and place the rack on a tray. Spray very generously with oil all over (use canola or other natural oil). Bake at 200C/400F (standard) or 180C/350F (fan / convection) for 20 to 25 minutes until golden and crispy - no need to turn.

14. SWEET and SOUR SAUCE:

15. Combine ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to simmer, stirring regularly, then simmer until it thickens to taste (about 3 - 5 minutes).

16. Recipe Notes

17. Shitaake Mushrooms: Soak dried mushrooms in plenty of boiled water for 20 minutes or until rehydrated (don’t do this step if using fresh mushrooms). Drain, squeeze excess water out of the mushrooms (like they are a sponge), then finely chop.

18. Dried Shitaake mushrooms are available at Asian grocery stores and in the Asian section of some supermarkets. They are whole dried mushrooms and, like porcini mushrooms, the mushroom flavour is more intense so it brings a great savouriness (“umami”) to anything it is added to.

19. If you make this with fresh mushrooms instead, finely chop them and add them before the carrot to give them a head start on the cooking, to ensure all the moisture inside cooks out (because wet filling = spring rolls burst open).

20. You can get spring roll wrappers at the supermarkets. Frozen section, Spring roll wrappers are made of wheat. You can also make this with rice paper spring roll wrappers (that are used to make things like Vietnamese Rice Paper Rolls) but will need to be soaked first before wrapping, and the spring roll will come out crispy with a bubbly surface and kind of see through.

21. Look closely at the wrapper and you’ll notice one side is slightly rough, one side is smoother. You want the smooth side on the outside of the spring roll – looks prettier. Not a deal killer. ??

22. Because of the shape of woks, the oil usage is more efficient than using a saucepan or skillet. i.e. With a wok, there is more surface area with less oil usage.

23. FRYING vs BAKING: they look very similar! Frying makes spring rolls that are more delicate, crispy and flaky as they should be. With baking, the wrapper is still very crispy, but it is not quite the same delicate flaky texture. Also with baking, the wrapper flavour is slightly more dominant. Tip for baking is to SPRAY VERY WELL with oil!! If you don't use a rack, then turn the spring rolls at about 15 minutes.

24. MAKE AHEAD / FREEZING: Freeze before cooking them cook from frozen. Best to serve freshly cooked so don't try to store cooked ones. ??

25. EGG ROLLS vs SPRING ROLLS: Egg Rolls are an American-Chinese dish, they are not found in Asia. Fundamentally, they are the same - flaky, crispy pastry enclosed around a filling. Use Spring Roll Wrappers to make spring rolls, and Egg Roll Wrappers to make egg rolls (and make them larger, if you want).

26. Egg Rolls are typically larger than spring rolls found in Asia and the rest of the world (no surprises there! ??) The pastry for spring rolls tends to be thinner and a bit more see through, so it's got a more delicate flaky wrapper. The wrappers for egg rolls are typically thicker and therefore oilier. BUT having said that, I have ordered Egg Rolls numerous times in the US and they were spring rolls.

27. I prefer Spring Rolls. The wrapper is more delicate, flakier and doesn't absorb as much oil - an all round better eating experience! Plus they are a good size - I find that most Egg Rolls are too large i.e. too much filling, falls out too easily.


Yield: 15 - 20

Author: Nagi



Have a great day
 

Shopping and Cleaning, Medical Marijuana, Pickles,

Quiet day on Tuesday, shopping enabled us to buy the store once again, or I thought that's what had happened. They actually had some artichokes for a change, not been many available lately. I do love those things. I finally got round to a job I've been putting off, cleaning some silver. Trouble is standing doing a job like that causes my back to remind me it's there. Painfully. I think I mentioned  before that a member of our bowling team has been telling me about his wife being on medical marijuana for pain. I am thinking of asking the doctor about that. Matt hit the roof when we talked about it, he cannot understand any difference between being out there and doing drugs, and taking the drug under medical control. We'll see. Mind you, I gather it's very expensive and if our insurance won't help, I won't be doing it anyway. Apparently you can get it to smoke or like gummies. I think he said the gummies are $25 each.

Forgot to mention - the Mexican pickled vegetables I made the other day - I gave a jar to the guys at the bowling alley. When I mentioned it on Monday, they had put them in the fridge and forgotten to take them home. I hope they remembered on Monday evening. I've really been enjoying these pickles, by the way.

Here's a somewhat different way to cook your eggs. My problem - I don't know if I can buy harissa or whether I will have to make my own or use a substitute. The title attracted my attention and then the picture looks so delicious.

Eggs in Purgatory

We're not entirely certain about the history of this classic recipe's name, but perhaps it has something to do with the spicy kick of the sauce. Our version is a shakshuka-like dish in which fiery harissa paste and heady spices slowly infuse a rich tomato sauce where eggs gently poach. Look for jars of harissa with the Middle Eastern foods in your supermarket; you can substitute a half to full teaspoon of crushed red pepper in a pinch. The cook time for the eggs depends on the specific heat of your slow cooker. We offer a range of 15 to 20 minutes, so start checking at 15 minutes (or a couple

minutes earlier) to ensure the eggs get done to your liking. Serve with warm whole-wheat pita.

1 Tbs olive oil
1 cup chopped yellow onion (from 1 medium onion)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp smoked paprika
1/8 tsp ground cinnamon
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28-oz.) can unsalted crushed tomatoes
2 Tbs harissa
3/4 tsp kosher salt, divided
8 large eggs
1 (5-oz.) pkg. baby spinach
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Heat a large skillet over medium. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion, and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add cumin, coriander, paprika, cinnamon, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until garlic is soft and spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a 5- to 6-quart slow cooker.

2. Stir in crushed tomatoes, harissa, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook on HIGH 20 minutes; reduce heat to LOW, and cook until sauce is fragrant, 7 1/2 to 8 hours (or cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours).

3. One at a time, crack eggs into a ramekin, and slip into tomato sauce. (Do not stir.) Cover and cook on HIGH until whites are set and yolks are runny, about 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle eggs with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Divide spinach evenly among 4 plates; top with sauce and eggs. Sprinkle with cilantro.

Servings: 4

Author: Julia Levy
Source: Cooking Light

Have a great day