Train Crash, Ground Cherries, Tardigrade.

That train crash in Spain is pretty horrific. Have you seen the video of it actually crashing? You can see the train is speeding as it comes round the bend. I wonder if it was purpose or whether something happened. The thought of heart attacks comes to mind although these days they have dead man fail safes on trains I believe. At the moment the death toll is 78 with over 140 injured, some critically so they are expecting the death toll to increase. If you want to see the video of the crash, go HERE.

I just learned something new. Wednesday, at bowling, someone was talking about ground cherries and ground cherry pie. I had never heard of them and they didn’t really know what they were. So of course I googled. It appears they are a husk tomato similar to tomatillos which I have never eaten anyway and a lot of people like to eat them straight off the bush but you can make a cream pie of the fruit. They are, in fact, slightly smaller than tomatillos and as far as I can tell, not the same colour. I just found a lovely sounding recipe for Ground Cherry Chutney at EatBoutique. Now I wonder if they sell Ground Cherries anywhere round here.

Look at this, it’s a genuine photo from National Geographic which at first I thought couldn’t be real.
Germany—A color-enhanced electron microscope photo reveals a half-millimeter-long tardigrade in moss. Called water bears, these eight-legged, alien-looking invertebrates can survive extreme pressure, radiation, and temperatures—and years without food. What a peculiar critter. Wikipedia says: Tardigrades are small, water-dwelling, segmented micro-animals with eight legs. Tardigrades are notable for being one of the most complex of all known polyextremophiles. Apparently they have recently found that these can survive in space. The are really weird but fascinating.

Just cruising the web and I came across the following recipe which is one we will try, probably tonight. For some reason we frequently eat fish on Fridays although we have never been Roman Catholics. We had some of our frozen mahi mahi the other day and found it pretty tasteless, so this would be even though the recipe calls for cod.

Roasted Cod with Warm Tomato-Olive-Caper Tapenade

From EatingWell:  October/November 2005, The EatingWell Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook (2006)

The Mediterranean flavours of a warm tomato tapenade will brighten all kinds of white fish as well as chicken. Make It a Meal: Orzo and sautéed spinach will round out this meal.

4 servings

Ingredients

• 1 pound cod fillet (see Tip)
• 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
• 1/4 cup chopped cured olives
• 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Rub cod with 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle with pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and roast until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet.
3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 20 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add olives and capers; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds more. Stir in oregano and vinegar; remove from heat. Spoon the tapenade over the cod to serve.

Nutrition

Per serving : 151 Calories; 8 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 6 g Mono; 45 mg Cholesterol; 4 g Carbohydrates; 15 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 602 mg Sodium; 335 mg Potassium
0 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 1.5 fat (mono)

Tips & Notes

• Tip: Overfishing and trawling have drastically reduced the number of cod in the U.S. and Canadian Atlantic Ocean and destroyed its sea floor. For sustainably fished cod, choose U.S. Pacific cod or Atlantic cod from Iceland and the northeast Arctic. For more information, visit Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch at seafoodwatch.org.

Have a great day

Tournament, Ontario Roads,

Sorry no post yesterday, but as I said, we went off to Oshawa for my bowling tournament. I thought we weren't going to get there at one point. About half an hour into the journey we were in stop and go traffic with more stop than anything. We still don't know if there was an accident although suspect that may have been the problem. The traffic was flowing fine on the other side of the median. I was getting anxious figuring we wouldn't even get to Toronto, let alone Oshawa. Eventually we came to the toll road, 407, and had been dithering about taking it, we decided to do so - never used it before - a surprising amount of traffic but boy did we move along well, seemed we reached the end in no time whatsoever. It will cost us about $19 but it was worth it. They figure out who owes what with cameras. That surprises me because I have seen lots of license plates which are indecipherable by human eye when you are right behind them, let alone by cameras. We were both surprised by the speeds of the vehicles. The speed limit is 100 Kms an hour and even a cop vehicle passed us going a lot faster than that. Matt set our cruise control at 110 Kms and we were being overtaken as though we were standing still. I was curious as to when the road was begun because when we went to the States in 1988 it wasn't there. Turns out it was started by a private contractor in 1999 and isn't finished even now, there are plans to extend it to Orono wherever that is! I looked it up on the map and I am still not much wiser. The picture shows all the electronic equipment which is used to photograph license plates or presumably ping responders in those vehicles which have them. If people are regular users of 407 they do have transponders installed. We finally got to the bowling alley about 10 minutes late but thankfully I still had lots of time to register and get myself sorted out. The other bowler who was my partner was already there with his girlfriend; they had stayed in Oshawa over night and said the accomodation was terrible. I had wanted to do the same, maybe just as well we didn't. My first game was good, over my average, my second game was bad, way below and my third game was excellent, a 222. In the middle of bowling I realised I had lost my 300 pin which I was given a week or two ago, that upset me. Luckily someone had handed it in but the back was missing. Later I found the back but someone had trodden on it. Not that it is irreplacable (in fact I have another back on it already), I was just glad to get the pin itself returned. Once we had finished bowling we all trooped into the dining area for lunch. We started eating a tad earlier than expected, we had salad, turkey with all the trimmings and pie. Not too bad, not gourmet either my biggest criticism was the mixed veg which were like mush, I didn't have potato but Matt said the mashed potato was some of the best he had ever had away from home. Then they gave out the prizes. We figured that after the prizes available at my last tournament (6 trips for 2 to the sun plus luggage), the digital camera, kitchen scales, hors d'oeuvres trays and cookie jars were somewhat meagre. However, I was thrilled to win 2nd prize in my group and got some kitchen scales (they are actually better than I presently have) and a timer. I had a pins over average of 61 which wasn't bad at all. Particularly after the way I bowled on Monday. Our trip home, once we found our way onto the 401, was pretty quick and uneventful. The 401 is supposed to be the busiest road in North America, it certainly lives up to its reputation. Traffic is constant and continuous. However, we were before the rush hour so it wasn't as busy as in the morning.

For a change I thought I would share a fish recipe from Eating Well. They suggest spinach with this dish. I would use asparagus at the moment - naturally *g*. Roasted Cod with Warm Tomato-Olive-Caper Tapenade From EatingWell: October/November 2005, The EatingWell Healthy in a Hurry Cookbook (2006) The Mediterranean flavors of a warm tomato tapenade will brighten all kinds of white fish as well as chicken. Make It a Meal: Orzo and sauteed spinach will round out this meal. 4 servings Ingredients •1 pound cod fillet, (see Ingredient note) •3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided •1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper •1 tablespoon minced shallot •1 cup halved cherry tomatoes •1/4 cup chopped cured olives •1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped •1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano •1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Preparation 1.Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. 2.Rub cod with 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle with pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and roast until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. 3.Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 20 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add olives and capers; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds more. Stir in oregano and vinegar; remove from heat. Spoon the tapenade over the cod to serve.

Tips & Notes •Ingredient Note: Cod: Overfishing and trawling have drastically reduced the number of cod in the Atlantic Ocean and destroyed its sea floor. A better choice is Pacific cod (aka Alaska cod); it is more sustainably fished and has a larger, more stable population, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp. Have a good day.

Migrations and Movie.

Glenda Larke (Tropic Temper see link this page) drew attention to an article about dragonfly migrations which is quite something to read. I thought the Monarch butterfly did a long trip, but the dragonflies beat them into a cocked hat this is the article Glenda was talking about. Ruby throated humming birds do quite a migration trip too from Canada to Mexico and Panama spending a fair amount of time over the Gulf of Mexico. Another migration story is eels from the British coasts which migrate to the Sargasso Sea to breed; a trip of between 5 and 6,000 km. One wonders why these critters travel so far? There are many which return to the spawning grounds of their parents, salmon are a well known example. But to travel so far especially when they are so apparently fragile as dragonflies and butterflies are. Or tiny little birds like the hummer which also flies a long way over open water. We used to spend hours in the Carolinas watching them at our feeders. They are an aggressive little bird and very territorial "this is my feeder, move". We used to have a feeder hanging in our kitchen window and it was absolutely fascinating to see them. Friends were visiting one time and a hurricane was blowing up, the feeder was swinging quite wildly and the hummers were still feeding, the comment by one of our friends was "brave little sods". Well he was a Limey too. Watched a great movie last night, not famous and no-one well known in it - The Waking of Ned Devine - about a small Irish village - population 52 - where a couple of old guys realised someone there had won the lottery, they spend a fortune trying to find out who it is. They finally discover it was Ned Devine, only trouble is he has died of the shock. Then the main character had a dream that Ned wanted everyone in the village to share the winnings, so they had to con the Lotto Man that one of them was really Ned Devine. It was pretty funny and we really enjoyed it. There's a lovely scene where the two main protagonists are having a dip at the beach, skinny dipping that is, and the Lotto man stops by asking for directions. One hides behind the rocks and the other goes to show the Lotto man where Ned's cottage is and takes him all round the countryside to delay him, whilst his friend, unable to dress in a hurry, grabs their motor bike and rides stark naked back to Ned's home in order to pretend he is Ned. The shenanigans which went on were very funny. I did have a bit of trouble with the Irish accents, I am a bit out of practise. If you get a chance to see it, do - its good. In the middle of it all there is a wake for Ned himself and a eulogy is about to be delivered when the Lotto man arrives for a second visit and turns up at the church so they have to pretend to eulogise someone else. Got my medications changed by the way, so hopefully no more migraines. Here is another fish recipe from Eating Well. We don't buy cod a lot here but we used to in the UK where it was delicious and really fresh. I love Tapenade too. The reference to Monterey Bay is useful to follow up, they will tell you what fish is best to buy and which is from sustainable resources. You can even get a pocket card to carry with you. Roasted Cod with Warm Tomato-Olive-Caper Tapenade Makes 4 servings Ingredients 1 pound cod fillet (see Ingredient note) 3 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper 1 tablespoon minced shallot 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes ¼ cup chopped cured olives 1 tablespoon capers, rinsed and chopped 1 ½ teaspoons chopped fresh oregano 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar 1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. 2. Rub cod with 2 teaspoons oil. Sprinkle with pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet. Transfer to the oven and roast until the fish flakes easily with a fork, 15 to 20 minutes, depending on the thickness of the fillet. 3. Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 teaspoon oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and cook, stirring, until beginning to soften, about 20 seconds. Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, until softened, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add olives and capers; cook, stirring, for 30 seconds more. Stir in oregano and vinegar; remove from heat. Spoon the tapenade over the cod to serve. Ingredient Note: Cod: Overfishing and trawling have drastically reduced the number of cod in the Atlantic Ocean and destroyed its sea floor. A better choice is Pacific cod (aka Alaska cod); it is more sustainably fished and has a larger, more stable population, according to Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch (www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp). Have a great weekend.