Rhubarb, Bowling, Shrove Tuesday

I finally answered a question I was asking last May/June - yes cooked rhubarb does freeze well. I froze several helpings last year and kept forgetting about it. I finally ate some on Sunday and it was just as delicious as when I cooked it fresh. Asparagus doesn't freeze so well unless you have a commercial type freezing apparatus. It is OK but that's all I can say for it. In the States you can buy frozen asparagus which is good. For some reason I have never seen it round here.

Bowling didn't go too well for our team, only won 2 points. However, personally, I bowled pretty well for all three games even though I started the first frame of the second game with three gutter balls. I don't ever remember doing that before and I certainly hope I don't do it again.

Today being Shrove Tuesday otherwise known as Pancake Day in England I thought a pancake recipe would be suitable. These are English pancakes or what most North Americans would call crêpes. I am making this for supper tonight.This is a typical recipe where they say how quick is to make it. The fact that you first need two cooked chicken breasts you also need to have spicy tomato sauce ready made too. Then, no doubt, it would only take half an hour to get this on the table.

Panchiladas

What happens when you cross pancakes with enchiladas? Well, you get panchiladas of course! This delicious hybrid pancake is the perfect treat for dinner. Each pancake is packed with pieces of tender chicken, soft roasted peppers and a rich tomato sauce with a kick of spice thanks to the jalapeno

peppers. Top with grated cheese and bake in the oven for 15 mins until golden.

½ basic pancake mix
2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
1-2 tbs jalapeno peppers, sliced
2 roasted red peppers, chopped
200 g spicy tomato sauce
75 g grated Cheddar
chopped coriander, to serve

1. Make the pancake batter to step 1. Heat the oil, divide the mix in half and cook to the end of step 2. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the shredded chicken, jalapeno and roasted peppers and tomato sauce.

3. Once cooled, divide the chicken filling between the crepes and roll up. Put in an ovenproof dish, top with grated cheese and bake for 8-10 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Serve scattered with coriander.

Servings: 2

Source: GoodtoKnow

Author Notes
Swap the chicken for other meats like shredded lamb or pork pieces

Have a great day 

Book, Shopping, Bowling.

I never realised it was so difficult to take a picture of a book. I received my copy of The Fall of the Dagger from Glenda Larke a couple of days ago and wanted to write about it. I was useless at taking a picture though so borrowed one. This is the last of Glenda's current trilogy which has been another terrific read from this author. I get to help her with Beta reading and proofing which is why she is kind enough to send me a copy of the book. Glenda creates the most fascinating worlds and peoples them with characters who are charismatic but you can still identify with. There is always magic. Every book or series she has written has it's own form of magic. Beats me how she can think up these different forms but they are all great. This particular series concerns a background of spice trading in foreign lands and incredibly evil sorcerers in the home lands. All good reading material. The trilogy starts with The Lascar's Dagger, then The Dagger's Path and now The Fall of the Dagger.

Couldn't go shopping on Wed. our normal day (or Matt's normal day at 7 a.m.) had to take the car in,

but he went on Thursday. He was back by 7:30 a.m. turned out that all the computers had crashed in the store. Not just our store, but all the Loblaw owned stores in the area. The computers came back on at 10 so we went back. You notice I said we. Matt dragged me with him because he figured there were things he wouldn't find. We ended up spending $152 which actually cost us $42 because I used our accumulated points. I have done this many times now. I think it is a wonderful system. They call them loyalty points. I always try to make sure that the things we buy each week are on the points special list. Doesn't always work unfortunately, but mostly it does. I know in the end I am paying for it, but it would probably cost me the same at other stores and I would not get the quality and satisfaction I get from Zehrs.

We got home at 11 and then had to rush around to put stuff away, make lunch and get to the bowling alley although really and truly there is no set time for us on a Thursday but we like to get there around 12:30. Matt beat me in all three games but I had a consistent score all through and they were not too, too bad. Next Wednesday is our Summer League start so I am hoping my scores will improve.

I finally got round to cooking my rhubarb on Thursday evening. I had some for dessert. Matt will not eat it. I just cook it simply for me using Splenda and - although I forgot - maybe some ginger.



Avocado Asparagus Wontons

McCormick

Looking for a twist on the avocado egg roll? Go the seasonal route this spring with baked (not fried)

Avocado Asparagus Wontons. Asparagus and avocado become fast friends when seasoned with Italian herbs and stuffed inside traditional wonton wrappers. Dunk finished wontons into a perfectly paired soy-citrus sauce and devour.

For the Dipping Sauce, bring all ingredients to boil in small saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Set aside.


For the Wontons, preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add asparagus, bell pepper and spices; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Remove from heat. Gently stir in avocado.


To form wontons, place wrapper on clean work surface. Brush lightly with oil and flip over. Spoon 2 to 3 teaspoons vegetable filling in center of wrapper. Bring up the corners of the wrapper, pinching together to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Place wontons in single layer on wire rack in baking pan sprayed with no stick cooking spray.


Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, turning halfway through baking time. Serve wontons with dipping sauce.

Cooking tip

Steamed Wontons: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add 12 of the wontons; cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Gradually add 1/4 cup water; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until filling is cooked through and water has evaporated. Remove wontons to serving platter; keep warm. Wipe skillet dry. Repeat 2 more batches with additional oil, wontons and water.




Have a great day
 

Alarm Testing, Rhubarb, Honey.

Matt and I are being driven mad today, the alarms are being tested and they ring every few minutes. We have nowhere particular to go today so we are putting up with it but I am at the point of screaming. We go through this every year, I think, but this year it seems particularly aggravating for some reason. We have a bell right outside our apartment which doesn’t help of course. I'd not long finished writing this and they stopped, about 2 hours earlier than estimated. Hurrah.

I finally cooked my rhubarb, not the best I have ever seen but I have no doubt it will taste just fine. I used Splenda to sweeten not wanting to turn it into a high calorie dessert. I have enough for two servings. I got some for a friend, hope hers is OK as well.

Spring has left us, it is cold and windy today. Matt has gone from shorts yesterday to long pants today and said he actually needed a coat when he went out this morning.

I just read an interesting article about crystallised honey. It is one way to tell that you have got the really good stuff from a local apiary rather than processed stuff which doesn’t have such a good taste and nor is it as pure and good for you. You can de-crystallise it by standing the jar in warm water, but if you do this too often you end up with a tasteless product. I actually love the crystallised form anyway. It is much easier to handle and I don’t have to watch for honey drips when I spoon it from the jar onto my toast. Just might add a little to my rhubarb too.

I actually don’t like roasted asparagus as much as steamed or boiled although certain dishes it works better. This one looks pretty good so I thought I would share it. Some of you may remember I have been making baby kale smoothies. I was wondering how kale compared with asparagus and I find that the main difference is in the Vitamin A component. Otherwise they are very similar in nutritional value.
 
Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen
 
Yield:4 servings

Ingredients
Asparagus:
1 pound medium asparagus
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce: 1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Spread the spears in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roll to coat thoroughly. Roast the asparagus until lightly browned and tender, about 10 minutes, giving the pan a good shake about halfway through.
Meanwhile, put the egg yolk, lemon juice, and cayenne in a blender. Pulse a couple times to combine.
Put the butter in a small microwave proof bowl and heat in a microwave until just melted. With the blender running, gradually add the melted butter into the egg to make a smooth frothy sauce. If the sauce is really thick blend in a teaspoon of lukewarm water to loosen it up. Season with the salt and serve immediately or keep warm in a small heat-proof bowl set over hot (but not simmering) water until ready to serve.
Spread the roasted asparagus on a serving platter. Grind a generous amount of pepper over the top.
Cook's Note: This recipe can be easily doubled. If you double the recipe, be sure to place the stems on the baking sheet so that the tips are pointed toward the center, and the bottoms are pointed out, toward the edges of the pan. Since the tips are thinner than the stems, they tend to cook faster. However, when roasting, items at the edges of the pan cooked more quickly than those in the center. Taking the time to lace them this way helps the asparagus cook evenly.

Have a great day

Rhubarb, More Reminiscing, Military thefts.

I heard an interesting snippet on the radio and checked it out that the firs time rhubarb came to this side of the world was in 1770 and it was shipped by Benjamin Franklin to a friend, John Bartram. Having read that you might well say, so….? It goes back to an internet cookery group to which I belong and which was once very active. When we first started getting together we found most of us like rhubarb which we thought was something of a coincidence, we had many other things in common too of course, not least of which was cooking and preparing food. The leaves, as shown here, are not edible and in fact are poisonous. The part which is so good to eat are the red stems with which you can do so many things – all kinds of desserts, jams, jellies, marmalades, drinks to name a few and all thanks to Benjamin Franklin.

In our home we have the local radio on all the time, unless we have the TV or CDs playing. The other morning I heard Andy Williams singing Happy Heart and Barry White with a song I didn’t know, this started making me think. When Matt and I were ‘courting’, for want of a better word, we used to dance to Andy Williams music a lot. Then after we were married we used to visit my parents in Alicante, Spain where they were living at the time; They often took us to a bar called the Don Quixote which was run by a couple of gays. It was a great place to hang out. They played Love’s Theme by Barry White and Matt was nuts about it, consequently we ended up with several LPs by his Love Unlimited Orchestra. One of my favourites was Baby Blues. I liked his music intros, but I didn’t enjoy it when he sang all the way through. He had a very sexy voice. CDs hadn’t been invented at that time of course. Sadly the Don Quixote fizzled out due to aids – people were scared to death to go there any more, it was when we first knew about it and no-one understood how it was transmitted or really anything about the illness. Pity, we spent many happy hours there, they served good food as well.

Another snippet on the news, the Canadian Military have lost a serious amount of equipment from that which was being shipped home from Afghanistan. They have opened 10 containers which were full of rocks and sand to emulate the weight of the missing equipment. Security has fallen down badly here. We are assured there were no munitions, only things like tires, tools and tents.

I have always loved Goulash (gulyás) and often used to make it with venison when we were lucky enough to get some. However, I haven’t made it in a while and when I saw this healthier version it appealed to me. We used to call caraway seeds bird toenails.

Hungarian Beef Goulash

From EatingWell: January/February 2008

This streamlined goulash skips the step of browning the beef, and instead coats it in a spice crust to give it a rich mahogany hue. This saucy dish is a natural served over whole-wheat egg noodles. Or, for something different, try prepared potato gnocchi or spaetzle.

8 servings, about 1 cup each

Ingredients

2 pounds beef stew meat, (such as chuck), trimmed and cubed

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1 1/2-2 tablespoons sweet or hot paprika, (or a mixture of the two), preferably Hungarian (see Ingredient Note)

1/4 teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 large or 2 medium onions, chopped

1 small red bell pepper, chopped

1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes

1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium beef broth

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

1. Place beef in a 4-quart or larger slow cooker. Crush caraway seeds with the bottom of a saucepan. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in paprika, salt and pepper. Sprinkle the beef with the spice mixture and toss to coat well. Top with onion and bell pepper.
2. Combine tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce and garlic in a medium saucepan; bring to a simmer. Pour over the beef and vegetables. Place bay leaves on top. Cover and cook until the beef is very tender, 4 to 4 1/2 hours on high or 7 to 7 1/2 hours on low.
3. Discard the bay leaves; skim or blot any visible fat from the surface of the stew. Add the cornstarch mixture to the stew and cook on high, stirring 2 or 3 times, until slightly thickened, 10 to 15 minutes. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Nutrition

Per serving :180 Calories; 5 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 48 mg Cholesterol; 6 g Carbohydrates; 25 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 250 mg Sodium; 298 mg Potassium

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 2 days or freeze for up to 4 months. | Prep ahead: Trim beef and coat with spice mixture. Prepare vegetables. Combine tomatoes, broth, Worcestershire sauce and garlic. Refrigerate in separate covered containers for up to 1 day.

Ingredient Note: Paprika specifically labeled as “Hungarian” is worth seeking out for this dish because it delivers a fuller, richer flavor than regular or Spanish paprika. Find it at specialty-foods store or online at HungarianDeli.com and penzeys.com.

Have a great day

Saturday's Paper

In Saturday's local paper, I discovered a few things. Apparently asparagus cannot be grown in the same spot for more than 25 years and then the land has to lie fallow for 20 years. Tim Barrie, of Barrie's Asparagus farm, is proposing to lease one of his fields for solar energy panels for the next 20 years. Pretty clever.

The second thing I learned was that rhubarb originally came from China and Tibet, I didn't know that, nor did I know that the Chinese actually used it as a laxative. No wonder!!!!! Was it they who discovered the leaves are poisonous and the stalks edible? I did know rhubarb is actually a vegetable, not a fruit.

The third thing, apparently cigarettes have now to be hidden in stores which is a bit hard on small businesses who are having to install cupboards without "see through" fronts. I don't believe that will actually make a difference to whether people/kids smoke or not. If their peers do, they probably will, despite laws prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors. In fact the more laws against it, the more attractive it becomes. America found this out during prohibition. I am very relieved I quit some 16 or so years ago. Matt quit way before I did but he wasn't really as heavy a smoker.

Isn't the internet wonderful. I was just thinking about it this morning. I make new friends all the time, with my cooking group I have a number of good friends, I met quite a few of them face to face when I went to England a few years ago, and now I am making friends through blogs. I wish I were rich enough to go visit everyone, especially in Australia and South Africa, but unless we win the lottery, that will never happen I'm afraid. We keep buying lotter tickets in hopes. What's the saying, "hope springs eternal in the human breast".

Did you watch Startrek? Well the Klingons eat rhubarb too - here is a bread recipe containing rhubarb. By the amount of copies of the recipe which can be found on the internet, it must be pretty popular, or we have a lot of Klingons here.

Aaktay (Klingon Steamed Bread)
Serves: 2

Source: RecitopiaUK

1 c White cornmeal
1 c Whole wheat flour
1/2 c All-bran cereal
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Ginger
3/4 tsp. Salt
1 1/2 tsp. Baking soda
1/2 c Walnuts, chopped
1/2 c Dates, chopped
2/3 c Powdered skim milk
1 1/2 c Buttermilk
1/2 c Honey
1/2 Orange; unpeeled
1 c Rhubarb; chopped
Margarine or butter; to grease cans
2 x 37 oz empty cans

Instructions: Mix together in a bowl all the dry ingredients including dates and walnuts (leave out only the buttermilk, honey, orange half and rhubarb). Put the buttermilk and the honey in the blender. Wash an orange, cut off any price or brand marks and cut it in half. Cut the orange half into chunks and add it to the blender, being sure that you have removed all the seeds. Run the blender until the orange chunks are chopped into little bits. Now add the buttermilk mixture, along with the rhubarb chunks, to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Pour immediately into greased cans, filling each can no more than two-thirds full. Cover the filled cans with aluminium foil, and secure the foil with a rubber bands. Place them in a large pot, on some kind of a rack so they are not touching the bottom of the pot. Pour in hot water until the bottom 2 inches of the cans are covered. Bring to a boil and keep the water boiling gently for about 1 1/2 hours.

The pot should be covered and there should be a little steam escaping at all times. Check the pot occasionally to make sure that there is enough water left.

At the end of 1 1/2 hours, check with a skewer, right through the foil. If it does not come out clean, cook for another half hour and recheck. When the loaves are done, take the "hot" cans out of the pot. When you are ready to serve, uncover a mould, shake the loaf out onto a breadboard and slice it. Serve warm with butter or cream cheese.

Have a great day.

Spelling Bee, Vacations, The Lady Chablis

Have you ever watched the International Spelling Bee? We did yesterday, we have watched it before, it takes several hours of TV (for the kids to get to the finals it takes a lot more than several hours) they are on during the day and then the final dozen are on prime time in the evening. It really is great to watch these kids, they are really clever and some can be quite funny. One youngster asked if she could have an easier word, she spelled the one she was given correctly anyway. Then in the evening, one youngster thought he heard "numbnut" it was quite funny, the whole audience was laughing, he eventually realised it was numnah and he was relieved - when interviewed he said numbnut could have several different spellings, it can? What is numnah you ask? Its the padding under a saddle for a horse. He, 13 yr old Sameer Mishra from Indiana, ended up being the winner last night. The rest of the group were absolutely brilliant though and it was so sad when they missed a word, especially one young man who obviously knew the word, but "got lost" whilst he was spelling it. These kids know such a lot about language and the derivations - they eat dictionaries in their sleep. I've always been good at spelling but I'm not a patch on these kids.

There is more and more talk of people taking their vacations closer to home this year, the price of gas is getting horrendous, especially for people with big gas guzzling vehicles. Mind you our 6 cyl. car is considered a gas guzzler by European standards. I don't know who are the biggest consumers, the private sector or the business sector, but if the private sector is cutting down drastically it might make the oil companies and oil producers sit up and take notice and hopefully reduce their charges. Have you ever heard of an oil company not making a profit? We were talking Portugal earlier on, but we are having something of a re-think now. If you'd all click on the ads on this page, maybe I could go away, *g*. Hotels and other tourist places are trying to attract business - I suggested maybe we could go back to Savannah, a town we are very fond of, but of course it would cost us a fortune to drive there compared with what we used to pay.

We love Savannah which, considering it is a city, is somewhat surprising for us. It is a gorgeous place though, with lots of interesting things to see and do. Just to sit in busy Market Square sipping a glass of wine and watching the world go by is a fascinating passtime. If you ever read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, there are lots of characters just like that, the first time we went there, I was told, by a local, Savannah wasn't anything like the book, we thought it was. The character called The Lady Chablis exists anyway and she/he is making a fortune these days. If and when The Lady Chablis performs at the nightclub Club One in Savannah, the queues (line-ups) stretch for miles. That was the real Lady Chablis in the movie, if you saw it. Then there is Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons, where we ate before the country had ever heard of her, I understand you can't get near the place any more, we didn't even try last time. How often have you had a waitress sing a rendition, beautifully I might add, from Porgy and Bess? We did at The Lady and Sons.

Last night, for supper, we had my father's version of Kedgeree. I used to make it with lashings of butter, but have cut that down in this day and age of watching what we eat. Its made with smoked haddock (a rarity round here) and rice mixed with butter and served with hard boiled eggs which have been sliced. I take out the yolk and spread the rings on the rice, then grate the yolk over the top. Delicious. All of the pictures I can find show the eggs just quartered, or chopped up, but the way I do it is much better in my opinion. I've posted this before, but it is a dish Matt and I both enjoy if we can get hold of some reasonable smoked haddock. Nigella Larson makes it with salmon, but that doesn't sound the same somehow.

Name: Rhubarb and Kirsch Clafouti
Source: RecitopiaUK
Serves: 6

Batter
400 ml/¾ pt milk, warmed
3 eggs
45 ml/3tbsp caster sugar
45 ml/3tbsp plain flour
30-45 ml/2-3tbsp butter, melted

450 g/1lb rhubarb, sliced thumb thickness and macerated in kirsch and sugar for at least an hour.
30 ml/2tbsp kirsch
30 ml/2tbsp sugar

Instructions: Preheat oven temperature to 190C/375F/gas 5.
2. Whisk all batter ingredients together.
3. Place macerated rhubarb into a buttered ovenproof serving dish
30 cm x 23 cm/12 in x 9 in. Pour over the batter. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.
4. When cooked, remove from the oven, dust with icing (confectioner's) sugar and serve immediately.

Have a great day

Paddington Bear, Balloons,

There are celebrations in the UK at the moment because Paddington Bear is 50 years old. Michael Bond, the author, has written a new book to mark the occasion and apparently was interviewed this morning on British TV. Quite an achievement to make a bear so famous. I knew Michael Bond had written a series of detective stories about Monsieur Pamplemousse, but recently learned he has written a number of other things too including a children's series which was on TV quite a few years ago. There was a big brouhaha when Paddington recently appeared on TV eating a Marmite sandwich instead of his usual marmalade. I thought it was a great ad, but I hadn't bought into the Paddington mystique I suppose. Lots of people were outraged to see him eating Marmite. Don't know what Marmite is? I know its not readily available in the States although it can certainly be bought in Canada. It is actually a yeast extract, but it tastes like a beef extract and is generally spread on bread. There are different versions, for instance in Australia there is a similar product called Vegemite which they swear is better. However, Paddington's choice is normally marmalade, I am not sure where he would have acquired a taste for that, coming from deepest, darkest Peru. When he first came to London I suppose. Anyway, Happy Birthday Paddington.

This morning I have to go and get my locks shorn, a haircut if you prefer. I hate having it done mainly because of all the hair that ends up down the back of my neck. I always used to cut my own hair, did it for years, but I got lazy and now I pay for it. Its a bit of a nuisance as our Superintendent's wife used to cut our hair, but now they have left, so I have to go back to the hairdresser we used to use. She is very good, but its not so convenient.

Actually, talking of Superintendents, we are awaiting a new one. The assistant was filling in, but now he has broken his hand, so the previous Super who is retired, is helping out. I assume the property management people are looking for someone, but you don't find good Superintendents over night.

We saw our first balloon of the year this morning, in fact, unusually, it went right overhead. Normally they fly past us some distance away, but depends on the wind, obviously. I would have thought it would have been pretty chilly up there this morning, summer came and went one day about a week ago. Funnily enough on GMA this morning they were inteviewing Kent Couch who has been floating around in a lawn chair held up with helium balloons. He is planning to try another trip this summer and wants to go further than last time, 193 miles it was.All it needs is some idiot to take pot shots at him. If you want to read all about him, click here. I gather his wife wasn't too happy with his experiments, not sure I blame her.

Here's another rhubarb recipe for you:


Chocolate Purses with Rhubarb Raspberry Mousse
Serves: 4

Source: RecitopiaUK

Rhubarb-Raspberry Mouse:
1 1/2 c Fresh or frozen rhubarb about 1/2 lb. finely diced
1/3 c Sugar
1 tsp. Unflavoured gelatine
1/4 c Sour cream
1/2 c Fresh raspberries
1/2 c Heavy cream, well chilled

Raspberry Sauce:
2 c Fresh raspberries
5 tbs. Confectioner's sugar

Moulding Chocolate:
7 oz Semisweet chocolate, grated
2 oz Unsweetened chocolate, grated
1/4 c Light corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp. Rum or cognac
Confectioner's sugar, for kneading and rolling

Place a medium mixing bowl and the beaters of your electric mixer in the refrigerator to chill for at least 30 minutes.

Make The Mousse: Combine the rhubarb and sugar in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a simmer over low heat. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the rhubarb is very soft. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor and puree. Transfer the puree to a medium non-reactive mixing bowl and set aside.

Put 2 tablespoons cold water in a small saucepan and sprinkle the gelatine over. Set aside and let soften for 5 minutes. Heat the mixture over low heat, swirling until the gelatine is completely dissolved and no grains remain. Stir the gelatine into the pureed rhubarb and allow to cool. Then fold the sour cream and berries into the puree.

In the chilled bowl, whip the cream with an electric mixer at high speed until it holds soft peaks. Do not over beat. Gently fold the whipped cream into the fruit mixture with a rubber spatula. Cover the mousse and refrigerate until it sets, about 4 hours, or overnight.

Make The Sauce: Combine the raspberries and confectioner's sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over low heat until the berries are soft, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a food processor blender and puree. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a small bowl and discard the seeds. Stir 2 tablespoons of cold water into the sauce to thin. Transfer to a jar and refrigerate.

Prepare The Moulding Chocolate: Put both chocolates in the top of a small double boiler over simmering water. Melt over low heat, stirring constantly with a spatula or wooden spoon until the chocolate is very smooth and shiny. Remove from the heat and add the corn syrup and liquor. Using a wooden spoon, mix the chocolate vigorously (the chocolate will start to "seize"; don't worry, be happy, you're doing just fine) until the chocolate gradually thickens and leaves the sides of the bowl to form a loose, soft mass. The stirring should take no longer than a minute; do not overwork the chocolate or its oils may separate.

Divide the chocolate into 2 equal portions. Place one portion in the centre of an 11 by 16 inch long sheet of plastic wrap on a cool flat surface. Level the chocolate with a spatula. Cover the chocolate with a second sheet of plastic wrap the same size as the first sheet. Using a rolling pin, gently roll the chocolate into a rectangle about 10 by 15 inches and 1/16 inch thick. Leaving the chocolate still covered, set aside at room temperature away from any heat source for 30 to 45 minutes to partially set. Repeat with remaining chocolate. When the chocolate is partially set, it should be no longer wet by still very pliable. If at first it's still too wet to handle, let it sit for about 5 minutes more but do not allow it to harden or it will become difficult to knead.

Remove the plastic wrap from one sheet of chocolate. Generously dust a work surface with confectioner's sugar. Gather the chocolate into a ball. If the chocolate has dried out and cracks or crumbles a little, don't be concerned, the chocolate will soften and come together again after kneading. Knead it briefly, pressing it into the confectioner's sugar as you knead, until soft and no longer sticky. If it feels sticky, knead in a little more confectioner's sugar. The moulding chocolate should feel very soft and smooth.

Divide the chocolate in half and shape each half into a ball. Cover the balls with plastic wrap and set aside. Knead and shape the remaining sheet of chocolate in the same manner, for a total of 4 chocolate balls.

Assemble The Purses: Brush off any chocolate crumbs left on the work surface; the surface should be dry, or the chocolate will stick. Lightly dust the work surface and a rolling pin with confectioner's sugar. Slightly flatten one chocolate ball and gently roll it out into a circle about 9 inches in diameter. As you roll the chocolate, be sure to lift it from time to time and dust the surface underneath with a little more confectioner's sugar to prevent the chocolate from sticking.

Place one quarter (about 1/3 cup) of the mousse in the centre of the chocolate circle. Gather the sides up to enclose the filling. Pinch the purse at the neck to seal in the mousse, allowing the top edges of the purse to fan out. Transfer the purse to a large platter, loosely cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate.

Repeat rolling and filling the remaining balls of chocolate to make 3 more purses. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

To Serve: Place a chocolate purse on each chilled dessert plate and spoon some raspberry sauce around it.

Have a great day.

Prince Caspian, Kung Fu Panda and Rhubarb Soup

I loved it, it was very well done. It is long enough ago that I don't remember where Prince Caspian differed from the book although I had been told it did. Maybe I will read the book again so I can see. My friend also loved it, so I wasn't alone in my impression. It was running in two theatres, I am not sure how busy the other one was, but there were only a handful in ours. I would have thought running it in two at once was not very sensible, except at weekends when the kids are around I suppose. The theatre was also showing Indiana Jones and I suspect that was pretty busy, there were a lot of cars in the parking lot. The four Pevensie kids are beautifully portrayed and Reepicheep, the fighting mouse, was wonderful. I could be wrong, but I do not remember Minotaurs in the book, however, they worked OK in the movie. If you like this kind of movie at all, I can thoroughly recommend it. I wonder if they are going to make films of all of the books, I do hope so. I will certainly be in the front of the line to see them.

There were previews of some of the upcoming movies and I would love to see Kungfu Panda, it looks pretty funny. I will have to watch out for it, I will probably have to find another friend to go with as last night's companion is off to visit family for a while and it will be in theatres on June 6. There were several other previews of movies which are upcoming and which looked as though they would be worth seeing. Don't remember them all now, but if I can find someone to go with me, it is great to see them shown on the big screen. The surround sound is quite impressive too. Matt won't go to the movies because he says the sound is too loud. He is right, but I find you get used to it very quickly.

Here's an unusual rhubarb recipe which I got through Recitopia UK.

Rhubarb Soup
Serves: 4

4 stalks rhubarbs
1 qt water
3 cooked beets
1 cucumber
3 hard boiled eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp dill
salt for taste

Cut up rhubarb and boil in water for about half an hour. Put through sieve and add finely cut beets, finely cut cucumber and hard boiled eggs. Add salt and dill. Put in the refrigerator. Serve cold.

We are off grocery shopping now, this afternoon Matt has another appointment with Let It Heal. Have a great day.

Transportation - Rhubarb

Well Matt just took our car to the 'doctors' for what, apparently, will not be an inexpensive repair. They never are unfortunately. We have a friend who swears his present vehicle will be his last. We don't believe that will last once he is without one for a while. I know in this day and age of fuel prices and ecological concerns, they are looked on somewhat askance, but I would hate to manage without one. I haven't ridden a bike since I was a kid - I tell a lie, I rode one once in a trailer park when I had had a couple. I was actually surprised I stayed on, its one of those things they say you never forget, but I have always been scared of trying again. The trouble is, riding bikes is a summertime passtime here, you couldn't ride one in the winter - too cold, too much snow and ice, etc. I say that, but as I have mentioned before, the Mennonites drive a horse and buggy all though the winter. They must find that excessively cold, at least on the bike you would keep warm pedalling. The buggy shown here is enclosed, but I have seen some that aren't. I am not sure the driver in this one is totally enclosed either, couldn't be really.

We are lucky in the area where we live, there is a pretty good bus service, but even then, in the winter you have to hang around in the cold waiting for one to arrive. Some bus shelters are partially enclosed, but that only helps with the wind, not with the sub zero temps. I hope the picture can give you some idea, it was one of the best I could find. Not all bus stops have them either, so you have to hope you live close to one. When we first came to Canada, there was a service called 'dial-a-bus' which picked you up at your front door, that was great. Before I had a car here, I used to travel on the 'dial-a-bus' to the bus depot down town and then the driver of my regular bus would let me sit in the warmth until it was time to leave for our destination. Then I got a car. For many years we had one each, but these days we have just the one. Very rare that we are not able to travel together especially since I quit my part time job. When we were both working part time it could sometimes be a problem, but it was easy for me to take the occasional cab.

However, without a car, I couldn't go to Barrie's Asparagus Farm, it is quite a drive and probably isn't on a bus route anyway. We went there yesterday and ended my one day's deprivation. Got myself some more rhubarb - I am quite enjoying it and am glad I decided to start this. Apart from all the pounds of Splenda I have to use up *g*. Matt doesn't know what he is missing.

The cookery group I belong to, on the internet at Yahoo Groups, has made something of a specialty of rhubarb recipes, I figured it was time I shared one. I have never made this myself, I would be the only person to eat it and there would be too much, pity, it sounds good doesn't it?:

Cheese Filled Rhubarb Coffee Cake
Source: RecitopiaUK

Fruit Filling:
1 pound fresh rhubarb, approximately 4 cups chopped
2 tablespoons sugar
1 can crushed pineapple in juice, (16 ounces)
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla

Crust:
5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, approximately
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 stick unsalted butter
4 eggs

Cheese Filling:
24 ounces cream cheese, room temp
1/2 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla

Topping:
1 cup unbleached all-purpose Flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 stick unsalted butter, chilled, cut into chunks

For fruit filling: Clean the rhubarb and chop it into 1/2 inch pieces. Put in a bowl, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons sugar, and let sit several hours or overnight, till the rhubarb releases some of its juice.

Place the undrained rhubarb in a heavy saucepan, add the 1/2 cup sugar and undrained pineapple, and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mixture is like thick applesauce. Stir more frequently toward the end of the cooking time, so filling doesn't burn. This will take about 1 hour. Remove from heat and set aside. When cool, stir in vanilla.

For crust: Heat milk and butter, cut in pieces, in a saucepan over medium heat until mixture reaches about 120F. Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, yeast and salt in a bowl. Pour milk mixture over dry ingredients, stirring to mix well. Beat in eggs one at a time, then add an additional 3 1/2 cups of flour, mixing to combine. Turn the dough onto a well floured work surface and knead, adding additional flour as necessary, until dough is smooth and elastic. Place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all surfaces, cover bowl, and set in a warm spot to rise until dough is doubled in bulk, about 2 hours.

For cheese filling: Beat the cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.

For topping: Mix the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Cut in the butter, as you would for pie crust, working it in until mixture is coarse and crumbly.

To assemble: Butter a 12x18x1 inch rimmed baking sheet (a half-sheet pan). Punch dough down, and divide into two pieces. On a large, well floured surface, roll one piece of dough into a 12x18 inch rectangle. Fit into pan. Spread cheese filling on dough in pan to within 1/2 inch of edge, then top evenly with fruit filling. Roll the second piece of dough into a 14x18 inch rectangle, to stretch over filling. Place it on top of the filling, then seal edges, trimming off any extra dough. Brush top crust with melted butter, and sprinkle with topping. Let rise in a warm place for about 15 minutes, while you preheat the oven to 350F.

Bake cake for 45 minutes, or until cake is golden brown and firm to the touch. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes 24 3x3 inch pieces.

Have a great day.