Car Repair, Bowling, Movies. Surgeon.

Wednesday morning Matt took the car in for service. I had been telling him for months that there was a rattle in the back when he drove away from me having dropped me at the door in the garage and headed to park. He had tried winding the windows down and couldn't hear anything so he said there was nothing. When he left for the service I phoned them and told them about the rattle. It turns out there is a problem with one of the wheels which basically doesn't turn so they gave us an estimate which also includes replacing the tires which are getting pretty bare. Another large bill to be paid. Oh well, that's cars I guess especially older cars. Matt says it's cheaper than buying one which is true, but.... mind you it's been a very good car, and basically still is.

After lunch we went bowling for the second time this week. Because their Wednesday league is so huge, we had to bowl downstairs. Much to my surprised they had quite a few drop ins. However, at one point we had the whole alley to ourselves. I had a reasonable score, and then a good score with a final reasonable one again. Matt however, thrashed me in the last game getting a turkey and lots of strikes and spares. The owner and I were busy at the end talking about winter league teams and such for next week. I have been calling everyone to check that they are planning to return. When we were home later on, I called a couple more people and one of them called me back. We have friends who's name is Anderson. Bill and I used to work together but unfortunately he died of cancer a year or two back. You can imagine how startled I was to see Bill Anderson on the call display. Turned out that one of the bowlers, Jane Anderson, had been married to a Bill who was also 3 years deceased. An English couple too, they emigrated a few years after we did.

In the evening we watched a movie I had borrowed from the library, The Bucket List. I had seen it before but thought Matt would enjoy it again, in fact we both enjoyed it very much. Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. The latter is a particular favourite of Matt's anyway, especially since his fantastic line "You can't handle the truth" from A Few Good Men. Mostly Matt enjoys all the parts Jack Nicholson plays. We both also like Morgan Freeman too, I especially liked him in Driving Miss Daisy. I have just received a couple of old movies I decided to buy, not watched them yet though. The Green Mile and The Shawshank Redemption (Morgan Freeman again) I am awaiting another one and right now cannot remember what it was. Amazon had them on special for a few dollars so I grabbed them. I'm seriously thinking about buying this one, I enjoyed it so much for the second time.

The reason we couldn't bowl on Thursday as we normally do is because I am finally getting to see the vascular surgeon about my blocked carotid artery. I didn't realise I had been waiting so long, but I actually had the ultrasound on June 18th. My collapse, fainting spell, or whatever must have been about a week before that.

This from the New York Times this week. Sounds good although we don't have a barbecue of course, too dangerous in an apartment building.

Grilled Baby Back Ribs With Spicy Peanut Shake

John Willoughby And Chris Schlesinger

• Yield 6 appetizer servings, 3 to 4 entree servings

Marinating, it’s said, not only adds flavor and moisture that will stay with the food through the rigors of the grilling process, but also tenderizes whatever you’re about to put over the coals. There’s only one problem with this comforting culinary scenario: It’s mostly not true. These ribs are grilled naked, save for some salt and pepper. Afterward, they are cut into individual ribs and tossed with hoisin sauce, soy sauce, orange juice and ginger and sprinkled with a spicy peanut shake. You get the ease of last-minute preparation and brighter, clearer, more direct flavors and you can show off a bit for your guest as you mix and toss at the last minute.

Ingredients

• ⅔ cup dry-roasted peanuts, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon roasted sesame oil
• 1 ½ teaspoons chile powder
• ¼ cup thinly sliced scallions
• 2 racks of baby back ribs, about 2 1/4 pounds each
• Salt and pepper to taste
• ⅓ cup hoisin sauce
• ¼ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup orange juice (freshly squeezed is best)
• 2 tablespoons minced ginger
• Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Make the shake: Combine the peanuts, sesame oil and chile powder in a small bowl and mix well, then put in a sauté pan over medium-low heat and toast, tossing occasionally, until light brown and very fragrant, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat. When the mixture has cooled to room temperature, stir in the scallions and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, build a fire in your grill; when the coals are all covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium low (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for about 7 seconds), you’re ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium low.)
3. Sprinkle the ribs generously with salt and pepper, put them on the grill directly over the coals, and cook until a peek inside shows that the meat no longer has any pink at the center, about 10 to 12 minutes per side.
4. While the ribs are grilling, prepare all the remaining ingredients but keep in separate containers.
5. Take the racks of ribs off the grill, cut them into individual ribs, and put them in a large bowl. Add the hoisin, soy, orange juice and ginger one after another and toss with spirit. Lay the ribs out on a platter, sprinkle with the spicy peanut shake and serve.

Have a great day
 

Snow, Cosby, Movies.

About a month ago I posted a picture from my bedroom window of the park in fall, this picture is the park yesterday morning. You can’t tell but it was actually snowing when I took the picture.




Over the weekend we have been hearing a lot of accusations about Bill Cosby and rape or sexual molestation. I really don’t believe it because people in his profession get women throwing themselves at them so why the devil would he need to rape anyone. I think this woman is after money or notoriety.

Yesterday I was talking about a possible movie about the sci fi author Isaac Asmimov. He was also a scientist in his own right. Then I heard on Good Morning America that there are two more interesting movies in the works. One about Stephen Hawking the fantastic theoretical physicist and cosmologist called The Theory of Everything which is a look at the relationship between he and his wife, and another about Alan Turing who is considered the father of computers. This one is called The Imitation Game. Based on the real life story of legendary cryptanalyst Alan Turing, the film portrays the nail-biting race against time by Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers at Britain's top-secret Government Code and Cypher School at Bletchley Park, during the darkest days of World War II.  (IMDb).

This is what we had for supper on Saturday night, first time I have made this particular recipe and it was very good. A lot of people don’t like Gordon Ramsey because of his TV programmes and use of strong language. Matt derides him as a soccer player (which he once was) not a chef, no matter what, he comes up with some fabulous recipes and I use several of them. He runs successful restaurants in the UK and I wish I could eat there. Not my picture by the way, much as I enjoy French Fries, I rarely eat them.

Peppered Steak with Shallot Sauce

Source: Gordon Ramsey
Author Notes
 
A good steak doesn't want too much messing about with, so follow this easy recipe and enjoys yours with a rich shallot sauce.

Servings: 4

25 g  butter
4 shallots, finely sliced
4 Tbs Cognac
200 ml  red wine
200 ml  beef stock from 1/2 stock cube, hot
Oil, for frying
2 Tbs crushed black peppercorns
4 rump or sirloin steaks

1. Melt the butter in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 2-3 minutes, to soften. Pour in the Cognac, boil for 1 minute, then add the wine. Increase the heat and boil for a few minutes to reduce by half.
2. Meanwhile, make up the stock and pour in. Boil until reduced by half again. Stir in the butter, season to taste, and leave over a low heat.
3. Meanwhile, brush a griddle or frying pan with a little oil and place over a high heat. Press the peppercorns all over the steaks. Place in the hot pan and cook for 2-5 minutes each side, depending how you like them cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside for 2 minutes to rest.
4. Divide between plates. Pour over the sauce and serve with thin-cut oven chips and grilled vine tomatoes.

Have a great day

Canadian Currency, Movies and Oscars.

Monday at 12:10 a.m. I stayed up til midnight. The big surprise winning film was The Hurt Locker, I think everyone expected Avatar to win. Sandra Bullock won best actress and Jeff Bridges for best actor.

My apologies for the lack of blog on Saturday. Matt has been having a few health problems and has been put on Warfarin or Cumoden which has to be monitored carefully. Also, I mentioned last time it happened, I think, that he had these really severe shakes involving his whole body. We thought they had gone away, but they started up again on Thursday which is why we ended up in Emergency (8 hours this time) in the end they decided there really wasn't a lot they could do for him but they did agree that it wasn't an Anxiety attack which had been posited as the cause for these major tremors. He got two more attacks of these tremors on Friday. The hospital are referring him to the neurologist he saw before. Whilst in the hospital they did a urine test which showed traces of blood (the Warfarin) then on Friday afternoon he got a lot more than traces so Saturday morning we hi tailed it to the family doc (no appointments on Saturdays) and sat there a couple of hours. She is referring him to the cardiologist he has been seeing. Docs to the right of us surgeons to the left of us!!!!

Whilst at the docs, I asked for two scrips for orthotics which we get subsidised by our insurances and was horrified to have to pay $25 a piece for them. I thought all prescriptions were free. The doc said our insurance would pay for this, I wonder?

Apparently Canada is planning to switch to plastic dollar bills next year - that should be interesting. I understand from the article I read that several places, Australia in particular, already have a polymer bank note and we will be buying the polymer from Australia. The article says that the polymer bills will be more difficult to forge. A bit later they say that the mint are not disclosing what the bills will look like so that the forgers won't be able to get a head start on copying??? I gather the main point in favour is the durability of the money. I must admit I hate getting tatty old bills in change and get rid of them as fast as I can.

I was writing this on Sunday morning and everything is Oscar, Oscar, Oscar. There are as many speculations as there are people I think. One of the main choices for best film seems to be Avatar but then others are saying some of the smaller, lesser known movies could win. Precious has had a lot of air time and looks like an interesting film. A friend went to see Avatar, without the 3D, and said it was great. I have got to start going to movies on my own, people keep praising stuff and I don't get to see them til many years later. The favourite for best actor is Jeff Bridges they say. One thing that did suprise me, Barbara Walters, whom I have mentioned a couple of times on this blog, does a star interview every year before the Oscars, this year is apparently her last year. I thought she would go on doing these interviews til the bitter end. She is approaching her 81st year so maybe she feels its time to ease back. Another thing I caught this morning, they were doing an interview with Jeff Bridges and apparently he has made a remake of True Grit which originally was a Big John Wayne movie from 1969 - the one time he won an Oscar. Jeff Bridges is playing the John Wayne part of Rooster Cogburn. I wonder if it will work. Seems a shame to me to remake such a classic but it appears they run out of new ideas or something. Saturday night we watched Maid in New York which was a fun romance with Jennifer Lopez. Unfortunately it was on a TV channel which really saturates the movies with ads. I think we were getting 8 minutes of movie and then 10 minutes of ads. It really does ruin the movie. There are a couple of channels which don't have advertising spoiling their shows, but you can't always find what you want to see.

Got this recipe from Becel which is a very healthy margarine we get in Canada, not sure what you would sub in other countries, but Becel has no trans fats and lots of Omega3 in it. I love scallops too which, compared to the prices I remember in Britain, are relatively inexpensive here, even more so in North Carolina of course.

Thai Scallops with Coriander Ingredients:

Prepared coleslaw , for garnish (optional)

.75 lb 375 g fresh or frozen scallops , about 22 2.5 tsp 12 mL Becel margarine with Olive Oil .25 tsp 1 mL Thai red curry paste Salt to taste Squeeze of lime juice 2 tbsp 30 mL coriander, chopped Preparation: 1.Mound coleslaw on a platter, leaving an indentation in centre. In a small bowl, place some decorative toothpicks. 2.If using frozen scallops, thaw. Pat fresh or thawed scallops dry. In a large wide non-stick frying pan, melt 1 tsp (5 mL) Becel over medium-high heat. When bubbling, add half the scallops. Cook until golden brown on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn then continue to cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and repeat with 1 tsp (5 mL) Becel and remaining scallops. Meanwhile mix remaining 1/2 tsp (2 mL) Becel with Thai curry paste. Return scallops on plate to pan. Add Becel-Thai paste mixture to pan and stir until scallops are coated. Sprinkle with salt. 3.Remove from heat, and place in indentation in coleslaw. Squeeze with lime juice and sprinkle with coriander. 4.Tip: Thai green curry paste also works well in this recipe.

Have a great day