Builders, Pavlovas, Ballet,

Interesting, the builders worked all day on Saturday, not sure what time they actually clocked on and off, but I guess they are as concerned with finishing the balconies as we are to see them finished. Today they were attaching new rods to the original rods of the balcony flooring. Makes it a lot stronger I presume. Although I watched when they did the balconies across from us, I didn't realise about the small fiddly bits they were doing.

We are really enjoying these Pavlovas whilst the summer fruits are so good. Small problem today, I didn't whip the cream quite enough so it ran down the side a bit. Not serious. Still tasted delicious.

Watched a programme about Ballet Boys on Saturday night/ Basically about some young Norwegian men who were training to dance and one of them was finally invited to the Royal Ballet company in London. I had no idea just what these young men had to go through during their training. One is aware that ballerinas have a lot of pain through dancing on their points, but the comment made was "pain was part of dancing".if that is so, why on earth do they want to do it. I must admit I love to watch male ballet dancers - especially the really good ones who seem to almost fly when they do their leaps. I was lucky enough to see some wonderful dancers at Sadlers Wells in London many years ago including Margot Fonteyn who was one of the top ballerinas in her day. I don't remember the names of all the others I saw which is a shame, but they were so wonderful. The young Norwegian who was accepted by the Royal Ballet had to pay €40,000 a year for his tuition. A lot of money. My only complaint about the programme was the subtitles which one is so busy reading, you miss a lot of what is happening.

Saturday morning I did my first half hour exercise with Miranda Esmonde-White - the one designed to reduce pain. Difficult to watch TV and do the exercises at the same time, but not impossible.

I saw this recipe on Sunday morning and thought it looked delicious. It does include a few ingredients I don't have but that can easily be remedied. I have metal and bamboo skewers and would probably use the metal ones.

Sambal Chicken Skewers

Kebabs get a bad rap. (Decades of alternating zucchini coins and cherry tomatoes can do that.) But this Asian take, with a spicy, sticky glaze, makes for a very convincing comeback

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1/2 cup (packed) light brown sugar
1/2 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1/3 cup hot chili paste (such as sambal oelek)
1/4 cup fish sauce (such as nam pla or nuoc nam)
1/4 cup Sriracha
2 tsp finely grated peeled ginger
1 1/2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1 1/2-inch–2-inch pieces
Special Equipment
8 bamboo skewers soaked in water at least 1 hour

1. Prepare grill for medium-high heat. Whisk brown sugar, vinegar, chili paste, fish sauce, Sriracha, and ginger in a large bowl. Add chicken and toss to coat. Remove chicken and thread 4 or 5 pieces onto each skewer.

2. Transfer leftover marinade to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until reduced by half (about 1 cup), 7–10 minutes.

3. Grill chicken, turning and basting often with reduced marinade, until cooked through, 8–10 minutes

Servings: 4

Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day
 

Mandarin, Shopping, Bowling,

So having had my fill of Chinese goodies, I headed to the dessert section at the Mandarin and, lo and behold, they had chocolate dipped bacon. It was supposed to have been all over yesterday as it was the end of July. Needless to say, I took full advantage of it. This is a photo of my plate at the restaurant. You will notice that a small area of the bacon isn't covered, unlike the recipe below. Makes it easier to pick up. That is a mini Nanaimo bar as well. I hadn't meant to eat too much dessert, but..... Denise Hammond of My Life in Retirement sent me a link to a recipe for chocolate dipped bacon. In this case they use both dark and white chocolate. I've just noticed it says 12 servings and yield one dozen, i.e. one piece each, I don't think so.  I sure ate more than that at lunchtime LOL

Of course Tuesday afternoon is our 'buy out the local grocery store day', you think I'm kidding? I bought yet another Pavlova shell as well as the cream but decided to leave the berries til later in the week. Last week the raspberries were somewhat worse for wear when I went to use them and I ended up with quite a few mildewy ones even though they were refrigerated. Strawberries are not so susceptible but raspberries are although, funnily enough, the week before we had no problem. I know, we have gone nutty on Pavlovas, but they are delicious and make a nice dessert for Saturday night, makes a change from what we normally have.

Wednesday of course, we bowl. Fingers crossed for our team please. It appears we will get to play the top team one more time before the season ends. Oh well.

Chocolate Covered Bacon

A hit at state fairs everywhere, make this salty-sweet concoction at home. Some say bacon can't get any better, but we think chocolate makes everything better!

12 thick-sliced bacon strips (about 1 pound)
6 oz white candy coating, coarsely chopped
Optional toppings: chopped dried apple chips, apricots and crystallized ginger, finely chopped pecans and pistachios, toasted coconut, kosher salt, brown sugar, cayenne pepper and coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 Tbs shortening

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Thread bacon strips, weaving back and forth, onto twelve 12-in. soaked wooden skewers. Place on a rack in a large baking pan. Bake until crisp, 20-25 minutes. Drain on paper towels; cool completely.

2. In a microwave, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Brush onto both sides of six bacon strips; sprinkle with toppings as desired. Place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet.

3. In a microwave, melt chocolate chips and shortening; stir until smooth. Brush onto both sides of remaining bacon; decorate as directed.

4. Refrigerate until set. Store in refrigerator

Servings: 12
Yield: 1 dozen.

Source: Taste of Home Test Kitchen

Have a great day

British TV, Pavlovas, Online Grocery,

A few weeks ago I started trying to watch a series about the Bronte sisters. Don't remember what it was called, but it was heavily flavoured with Yorkshire accents and I had trouble understanding it. Saturday night I started watching a new show, The Coroner, also flavoured with English accents, albeit less strong, but I still had trouble hearing/understanding everything they said. I know I have been away from the UK for over 40 years, but even so, if I have trouble understanding what's going on, what must it be like for someone who has never been to England? Realism is all very well, but.... If you are going to sell these programmes abroad, it seems to me that the audiences should be able to understand what the heck is going on.

Saturday was a cooking day for me. I wanted to make Leftover Chicken and Ham Casserole, we really enjoy that. Also I was marinading flank steak for Korean Beef Bulgogi for supper plus making yet another Pavolva, with raspberries this time. I looked up macerating for the berries and found that it is not just done with sugar but one can also use Balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, or a liquor. I decided to use a drop of brandy which I couldn't taste. Not enough I guess. Didn't really fancy Balsamic, mine is not the best quality which can be used for ice cream apparently. I did think of Port but opted for the brandy. I must say we are enjoying these Pavolvas and it is a superb summer dessert. I was wondering what fruit one could use in the winter although these days strawberries are available from somewhere or other all year. Not sure what they taste like but they could be macerated of course to make them taste better. For all I know, the meringue shells may not be available in the winter anyway. I discovered, by the way, that they come from Scotland. Surprising. I have also found out through Denise of My Life in Retirement, that Amazon do the individual ones, and that they come from the UK. Probably Scotland as well.

I just discovered one can order from my grocery store online and then pick up the order. I tried looking at it but talk about slow. Plus, they talk about waiving the pickup fee for the first time, but don't say what the pickup fee is. Might play with it some more tomorrow but I think it is too cumbersome.

This should be a pretty easy dish to prepare and not take much effort in the summer heat.

Easy Skillet Chicken and Broccoli Divan

1 Tbs (15 mL) butter or margarine
3 cups (750 mL) hot cooked broccoli florets
2 cups (500 mL) cubed, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cooked
1 can CAMPBELL’S® Condensed Low Fat Cream of Broccoli Soup
1/3 cup (80 mL) low fat (1%) milk
1/2 cup (125 mL) light Cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tbs (30 mL) toasted dry bread crumbs (optional)

1. In 10-inch (25 cm) skillet,melt butter over medium-high heat; cook broccoli and chicken,stirring,for 3 minutes. Combine soup with milk; pour over broccoli and chicken. Bring to simmer.

2. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes or until heated through. Sprinkle cheese over chicken mixture. Remove from heat,cover and let stand for 2 minutes or until cheese is melted. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs if desired.

Servings: 4

Tips
From the variety of readily available salad greens,such as romaine,leaf lettuce and spinach,and wholesome multigrain breads,it is easy to round out meals with very little prep time.

Source: Campbell's Soups

Have a great day