REM Sleep, Shellfish, Asparagus.

I phoned the Sleep Management Group and asked them about the lack of dreams. Apparently I was wrong, you can have dreams when you are not soundly asleep. You can also have them whilst in REM sleep (in case you don’t know, that is Rapid Eyelid Movement) but not remembering them doesn’t mean you are not getting your REM sleep. The best way to determine this, apparently, is by the level of tiredness each day. They also informed me that it does take a while for the level to noticeably decrease. In my case the pressure was turned up to 10 on the 22nd so I may not yet be feeling the benefit, or, of course, I may need it even higher. The results of the last sleepover at the sleep clinic will determine this I believe, but we won’t get those until some time in July. It is a tad confusing as the Sleep Management Group are not the same as the sleep clinic. I might say, I still seem to need a nap in the afternoon unless I am bowling.

Talking to a friend the other day and discussing he and his wife coming to dinner and I was astounded that he doesn’t like lobster or shrimp but yet he does like fish. Now I personally would sell my soul for lobster as most people are aware. Second comes King crab and third shrimp. I love scampi too, but they are not really available in this part of the world. There is a rock shrimp which I tasted in North Carolina once and I think it is the same thing, but am not totally sure. Over here you will come across a recipe, Shrimp Scampi, but basically all that is is shrimp cooked in garlic butter, nothing to do with scampi at all. The top pic is a scampi I think they are a bit bigger than the average shrimp too.

I have been toying with the idea of canning some asparagus before the week is up. I have a recipe from the farm for a pickled asparagus which is canned. I buy their jars sometimes, but its not the cheapest way to go. This is the recipe posted by Barrie’s:

Pickled Asparagus

BY gus | POSTED November 28, 2012

Using 5 lbs of Ontario asparagus, wash well and soak in ice water while you are preparing the 6 pint jars. Place 1/2 clove of garlic, 1 tsp dill seed, 1 tsp mustard seed, and 6 peppercorns in the bottom of each jar. Place asparagus, tips up in jar. Don’t waste tender ends. Can them also for bite size treats. Bring 8 cups water, 2-1/2 cups white vinegar, 3 tbsp pickling salt, 1/2 cup white sugar to a boil and pour over asparagus. Process in hot bath for 5 to 6 minutes.

Only problem is I don’t have a proper hot water bath although I have a huge stockpot which I am sure could be used. The picture, by the way, is the farm’s new mascot GUS. You can buy mugs and T shirts with this logo on.

The other day I posted a recipe for asparagus and almond soup. Yesterday I made my own version of it. This is immediately after adding the ground almonds. I guess I am not a very good photographer, the soup should, and does, look green, honestly Alex. However, it tastes delicious.

Asparagus and Almond Soup

1 lb asparagus (if shop bought you will need more because you cannot use the ends)
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 small onion, chopped
1/2 cup ground almonds.
Toasted almonds for garnish

Wash the asparagus and chop into pieces. Put in a pan with the chicken broth and the onion. Cook til tender. Blend. Add the ground almonds. and cook a few minutes longer.
To serve ladle into soup bowls and sprinkle with a few toasted almonds.

To do toasted almonds, put them in a dry nonstick pan and sauté until they begin to colour slightly.

Have a great day

Menopause, Dreams, Lost Pigeon

A Daft Scots Lass was talking about perimenopausal symptoms on her blog yesterday. I do so sympathise with her. These are not funny, neither for the woman experiencing them nor for the people living with them. I see there are all kinds of treatments offered these days which guarantee that you will sail through the whole experience with ease. I think if I were at that age I would be inclined to try them. Anything for help. These symptoms can come at any age, I have known people start menopause in their 30s, and some of the symptoms can carry on for many years. I still have hot flashes at my age. Some of the worst problems are the emotional ones and these varying emotions many husbands have trouble coping with. I think this is often when men start looking around elsewhere. Nature was not very kind to us females; in order to procreate the species we have to put up with a lot of hassle all our lives.

Back to my all consuming CPAP machine, I realised over the weekend that I don’t recall having had any dreams since I started using the machine. I hope that doesn’t mean I am not getting any REM sleep as that would be really serious. It may, of course, just be that I am not recalling them, but all my life I have had vivid dreams and have often thought, if I could remember enough when I wake, I probably could write a book.

In May I wrote about a racing pigeon fetching $400,000 now there is a story of a racing pigeon, from Nanaimo, Japan having ended up on Vancouver Island. At least it wasn’t the one which fetched so much money the other day as that one went to China. Somebody cracked that the pigeon must have been using Apple maps. Nevertheless, the pigeon had to have flown some 8,000 kilometers.

I have hesitated to use this recipe because of the quail eggs. I certainly have no idea if I can obtain them in my area, but I assume they are obtainable in some places in North America. Nor am I quite sure what British wasabi is, but see no reason why one can’t use regular wasabi. I then Googled it and have linked it in the recipe.

Asparagus with Peppered Soft Boiled Quails’ Eggs, Watercress and British Wasabi Dressing.
Marcus Bean – British Asparagus

"I love this as it’s one of the first asparagus dishes I put on the menu at the pub. We use wild asparagus from a local stream across the field from the pub, soft poached Shropshire quails’ eggs and some punchy wasabi. It’s a firm favourite on our menu during the season because it’s a great combination of flavours."

Serves: 2

You'll need:

8 stems of asparagus (4 per person)
2 quails’ eggs
2 tbsp of freshly cracked black pepper
1 tsp of freshly grated British wasabi
1 tsp honey
50ml of olive oil
1 tsp white wine vinegar
½ tsp of Dijon mustard
100g fresh watercress

What to do:

1
To cook the asparagus place in a steamer until just cooked then place in ice water to stop cooking and allow the asparagus to keep that lovely green colour. Put a small pan of water on the hob, bring to the boil then add your quails’ eggs and cook for 2 minutes 15 seconds then put into ice water for 5 minutes, After 5 minutes peel the eggs in the water for ease.
2
For the dressing mix the olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey, mustard and fresh wasabi until combined, then set aside.
3
Once the quail eggs are peeled, grab your freshly cracked black pepper and roll the eggs in it until the white is covered. Put your watercress in a bowl, slice your asparagus into 3 pieces per stem, now drizzle the watercress and asparagus with the wasabi dressing and then lightly season. Very carefully slice your quail eggs in half, then add them to the plate with the asparagus and watercress.

Have a great day