Books, Movie, This ‘n That.

Not sure what started me looking but I was checking out some books of which I have a few and would love to have the rest. They are children’s books by an English author, Violet Needham. Stories I loved such as The House of the Paladin and The Woods of Windri. I think I actually read most of them as a child, but don’t have more than about 4 of them. I couldn’t believe the prices, on Amazon. In most cases they are second hand books and yet they are asking $40 or $50. I checked Amazon.UK and they too are asking high prices with the exception of one used paperback which is going for a penny. Wonder what’s wrong with it? I just looked at Amazon Canada and they too are charging fantastic, to me, prices. Maybe I should be selling, not buying! Just checked on another children’s favourite, The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Gouge and I can buy that for a penny. I had my original copy of that book for many years, I coloured the pictures and read it from cover to cover a million times. Somewhere along the way, I lost it which was very sad to me. I bought a new copy, but it wasn’t the same as my original book.

Just watched My Fair Lady, hadn’t seen it in a number of years. Rex Harrison is brilliant. I did enjoy Audrey Hepburn too, but just discovered a few things tonight, not least of which, her voice, singing at least,was dubbed. Apparently Warner Bros. didn’t think Julie Andrews, who created the role on stage, had a film presence so wouldn’t hire her for the movie. The movie won all kinds of awards except for Audrey Hepburn who lost out to Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins. No screen presence eh? Of course I ended up in tears at the end, I always do. I have never seen the play Pygmalion from which My Fair Lady was adapted, but from what I have been reading, I am not sure there is a love interest between Henry Higgins and Eliza Doolittle.

Friday bowling turned out pretty good for me and once again I hadn’t planned on going. I am not looking forward to my angioplasty on the 30th, but if it will stop my legs hurting and let me walk again, well more than a few footsteps, I shall be more than pleased. It was damned cold today and on the way home we had spots of rain. They have been talking snow, no sign of it yet, but we shall see.

Got our first Christmas card on Friday. The friend who sent it is local, but she is swanning around Australia at the moment and won’t be back til almost Christmas so I guess she mailed them early or got someone to mail them for her. Probably her sister. She posted on FB that they were going to the Barrier Reef today which made Matt green with envy, that’s a place where he has always wanted to dive. Not likely to happen now though, even if we got to Australia I don’t think either of us are fit enough. Cousteau made it through late in life, but he was diving all the time. Matt hasn’t been in the water for many years now although he continues to exercise with small weights.

I love Pecan Pie. I don’t make a lot of pies, but that I have made a few times. This recipe is apparently the French version.

Pecan Tart

Source: Le Cordon Bleu Home Collection - Tarts & Pastries

Serves 8

This French version of the classic Southern pecan pie uses a rich, sweet pastry baked in the distinctive tart pan. The filling, however, remains the same - simply superb - especially when served with whipped cream.
INGREDIENTS

3/4 quantity Sweet Pastry Dough

For Filling:

2 eggs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2/3 cup light corn syrup

2/3 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar

1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pinch of salt

Other necessary recipes: Sweet Pastry Dough

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 325° F. Roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thick and line a 1-inch deep, 9-inch fluted tart pan with removable bottom.

FOR FILLING: Beat the eggs in a bowl. Add the salt, butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and vanilla and mix until well combined.

Sprinkle the pecans over the base of the pastry shell, then pour in the filling. Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the filling has just set. If the filling puffs up too much, reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees F.

Leave in the pan for 5 minutes, or until cool enough to handle. Remove to a wire rack and cool completely.

CHEF'S TIP: The pecans can be left whole or use almost any nut, such as walnuts, hazelnuts or macadamias.

Have a great weekend

It was Luverly

My friend picked me up at 10:30 and we headed off to the theatre at Grand Bend, Ontario. We made one slight mistake, we were looking for Highway 83 and it turned out it was marked as 20 at the beginning although there was a signpost to Grand Bend. Very confusing. However, we got there OK in plenty of time to have our picnic although disappointingly the sun wasn't shining and it was quite windy. The sun came out later before we went into the theatre, so we sat at another picnic table and enjoyed it for a while. As you can see from the map it is close to the shores of Lake Huron, hence the wind. It is a delightful area and a delightful theatre. Well, in fact there are two theatres. One much smaller one which is described as "intimate". Basically I think it is a big barn which has been converted.

It was not Rex Harrison of course, but the production was excellent. It turned out my friend had never seen either the show or the movie before so it was a new story for her. The singing was very good and the acting complemented it. I was impressed with the handling of the scenery and the ease with which they turned from a street at Covent Garden to a bachelor English Gentleman's study. The accents weren't bad either. I did hear "here, here" instead of "'ere, 'ere" but generally the cockney wasn't glaringly awful as it often can be when played by non Brits. I was somewhat surprised at the singing of Professor Higgins, then remembered of course, Rex Harrison was no singer. I worked it out later that the first time I saw My Fair Lady was in London about 45 years ago, give or take a year. That was Julie Andrews in the part; subsequently Audrey Hepburn played it in the movie. I am not sure why they chose an American actress for the role in the movie. Be that as it may, we both thoroughly enjoyed the show yesterday and being a sentimental idiot, I cried at the end. The audience gave the cast a standing ovation.

The drive to Grand Bend is through some wonderful farmland; it makes one appreciate the countryside which, unfortunately, we don't often see. It fascinates me to see the horses grazing in the fields with masks on their faces to protect their eyes from flies. Never saw that when I lived in England, don't know if they have adopted it since. We first came across these fly masks when we visited a local stable where there is also a very nice restaurant called the Troika. You can sit at the table dining and watch horses being worked and trained in the indoor ring through a large window forming one wall of the dining room. We've only been there once, not sure why, we had a very good meal there.

Everywhere you look on the roads we took, are vast fields of green pasture and lots of farm buildings in reds, whites and greens. There appears to be a lot of livestock in that area, horses and cows. It is just the kind of area I would like to live in - no wait a minute, what about the winter? Nah, don't think so after all. We drove through New Hamburg which is known locally for its excellent restaurant, The Waterlot, then through Shakespeare, a charming little town; after that Stratford, on Avon of course, where the Shakesperean festival is held every summer. Another attractive town. They have other shows as well as Shakespeare; for instance I know they are staging The Musicman this summer (you know, 76 Trombones!) amongst others.

We got back home about 6:30 or shortly after by which time I was beginning to be ready for supper. I was tired too, had a power cut at about 6:23 a.m. (I'd just checked the alarm clock) yesterday morning so I got up anyway, yaaaawn. It is almost a 2 hour drive to Grand Bend and we were very lucky with the weather as it was trying to rain all day, but never quite made it.

Here's another recipe from the Ontario Asparagus Growers' Marketing Board, Asparagus in Bed, which is just where I wanted to be when I got home last night.

Asparagus in Bed

1 lb	Ontario asparagus, trimmed
8	eggs
1 tbsp	vinegar
2 tbsp	unsalted butter, melted
2 tbsp	fresh lemon juice
8 slices	prosciutto
	freshly grated pepper
1/2 cup	freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 450º F (230º C). Steam or simmer asparagus just until tender-crisp, 3 to 5 minutes; drain well. Fill large skillet with water. Add vinegar and bring to simmer over medium heat. Slip eggs, one at a time, into simmering water; cook until whites are firm and yolks are just set. Remove eggs with slotted spoon and carefully blot dry with paper towel. (Eggs may be poached several hours in advance; transfer to bowl and cover with cold water. Drain well before proceeding.) Divide butter among 4 gratin dishes. Divide asparagus among dishes; drizzle with lemon juice. Drape proscuitto over top. Arrange 2 eggs on top of each prosciutto. Season with pepper to taste. Sprinkle cheese over top. Bake for 3 to 4 minutes or just until cheese melts. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Have a great day.

Wouldn't it be Luverly, Bowen Therapy

This afternoon I shall be at Huron Country Playhouse singing along with The Rain in Spain and Wouldn't it be Lurverly. Yes, My Fair Lady. I am going with a friend to the matinée at 2:00 p.m. but we are leaving early, 10:30 in order to have a picnic lunch outside the theatre and maybe a wander around their store. Hopefully the weather is going to be kind to us. If you want to read more about it go here and listen to what they have to say too. Although I have seen My fair lady both on the stage and on the big screen, I find the Drayton Entertainment Group put on great productions throughout South Western Ontario so am looking forward to the afternoon. Huron Country Playhouse is roughly two hours from home, situated in Grand Bend, Ontario. I am scheduled to go to four more performances this summer, another one in Grand Bend, one in Drayton itself and two in St. Jacobs which is closer to home.

I am green with envy at the moment, Glenda Larke who is an author and blogger of Tropic Temper (see link this page) is in Lake Como, Italy and posting some wonderful pictures plus having the time of her life. I asked her to mention the food and she has done so. Wednesday I was eating fish, so, apparently was she.

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know I have been raving, off and on, about the benefits of the Bowen Therapy which, locally, can be obtained at Let It Heal well, Matt being a stubborn person, didn't really believe me wholeheartedly despite seeing the difference between me walking with a cane and then not doing so. He has a back condition known as Fascet Syndrome which means that the spine is curved the wrong way at one spot. Lately, it has been giving him a lot of pain, so, I finally persuaded him to go to Let It Heal. He has had three treatments, the first session didn't do anything apparently, the second treatment he had one good day, the third treatment he notices he is improving daily and yesterday, went playing golf. It takes three treatments to really know if Bowen Therapy is helping you or not, so if you try it, don't just give up if it doesn't work straight away.

I just found this recipe on the Ontario Asparagus Growers' Marketing Board Page and thought it sounded really good. I will be trying it over the weekend. Of course if you are in the States, be careful about what kind of tomatoes you buy. Vine tomatoes appear to be the best for you. I am assuming canned tomatoes are OK but don't know. Such a shame to be forced to use them at this time of year when fresh tomatoes are available in some parts of the country.

Asparagus & Tomato Bake

1 to 1-1/2lb	fresh Ontario asparagus
4 tbsp	butter
5 medium	fresh or drained canned tomatoes, diced
3 tbsp	minced onion
3 tbsp	chopped celery
2 tbsp	fresh bread crumbs
2 tbsp	freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1-1/2 tbsp	minced fresh basil OR 1/2 - 1 tsp dried basil
1 to 3 tbsp	granulated sugar
1/2 tsp	salt
1/4 tsp	freshly ground pepper

Melt butter in 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Trim and cut asparagus into 2-inch pieces; sprinkle over bottom of pan or leave spears whole and arrange in a single layer in pan. Top with tomatoes, onion, celery, bread crumbs and cheese. Season with basil and sugar (amount used will depend on acidity of tomatoes). Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and bake 45 minutes at 350º F or until asparagus is tender. Transfer with slotted spoon to serving dish.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

Have a great day. I know I will.