Hydro Poles, Kindle, Nutrition, Religion. John Nash.

Here’s an odd one, I heard on the radio that hydro (electric) poles are being stolen. I think so far the total sis 8. They are worth about $700 each apparently. Who on earth would steal them and why would they want them? For my no-Canadian readers, electricity is referred to as hydro here. I have told the story of my confusion about this when we first came here, we had a thunderstorm and then after it, the robins were singing themselves stupid and we were listening to them with our neighbours out in the front yard. One of them went indoors and came out saying the hydro was off, was ours, so I went indoors and turned on a tap which was running fine so I went out and told them.

I have, of course, been playing with my Kindle and am somewhat disappointed to discover I cannot borrow books from my library although other systems can do so. My friends who have Sony readers borrow library books all the time. The librarian suggests I get in touch with Amazon. I have been able to transfer many of my existing ebook library to the Kindle so I have now something like 100 books on it but I have read all these books before. I certainly cannot afford to shell out lots of cash to buy books from Amazon. The odd one now and again I guess. It turns out that Kindle will be launching a library access feature in the near future but only for American libraries at the start. I wonder how long this will take to get to Canada?

Michelle from Smothered in Butter (see link this page) was thrilled to discover she had been chosen for blog of the month by the Jamie Oliver Food Revolution team. She is the spearhead for our local ‘conversation on restoring family nutrition’. This is such an important item and I am glad Jamie Oliver’s team are supporting us, maybe we could get Jamie to come to this area, wouldn’t that be great.

Friday afternoon, late, we finally got our car back. Apart from a major financial deal, it was something of an ordeal for Matt. The guy who owns the garage where the repairs were done, turned out to be a Jehovah’s Witness so Matt was bombarded with religion on the day he took the car in and again when he was picked up yesterday. He was also given some booklets to read, all this after he told the guy he was an atheist. I don’t care what you believe, but don’t bend my ear about it please, especially not in a business situation. Now all I have to do is pay off the credit card.

Friday night we watched A Beautiful Mind, I thought I had seen it before, I hadn’t – what a great movie – it was about Dr. John Nash who was a Nobel prize winner for a mathematical theory he developed as a very young man and which has revolutionised finance all over the world and been used in other applications. Russell Crowe did an excellent job playing the part, one of the best things I have seen him do. If you have never seen it, I highly recommend it.

Eating Well is now saying chillies are not only good for taste but also the capsaicin is good for weight loss. If so, try this recipe they give.

Red Chile-Spiked Chocolate Mousse

From EatingWell: September/October 2010

Hot chile peppers may do more for you than add heat to your next meal. Studies show that capsaicin—a pungent compound in hot chiles—increases your calorie burn by boosting your metabolism. It may also stimulate brain chemicals that help us feel less hungry.

The idea of chile with chocolate still surprises most people, but the duo pairs beautifully in many chocolate desserts. In this silky, luxurious mousse the chile adds a light but bright accent.

8 servings, about 1/2 cup each Active Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 2 hours 35 minutes (includes chilling time)

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
• 4 tablespoons water, divided
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons mild-to-medium New Mexican red chile powder, plus more for garnish
• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup low-fat milk
• 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 8 teaspoons dried egg whites (see Note), reconstituted according to package directions (equivalent to 4 egg whites)
• 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Preparation

1. Sprinkle gelatin over 2 tablespoons water in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Combine cocoa, granulated sugar, chile powder, espresso powder and salt in a large saucepan. Whisk in egg, then milk. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking constantly, until steaming and just beginning to thicken, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and immediately whisk in the softened gelatin, chocolate and vanilla. Stir until the chocolate is melted and fully incorporated.
3. Beat egg whites, brown sugar and cream of tartar in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on high speed just until firm peaks form.
4. Stir one-fourth of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold in the remaining egg whites until fully incorporated. Spoon the mousse into 8 dessert glasses or cups.
5. Chill the mousse until set, at least 2 hours. Sprinkle with chile powder, if desired.

Nutrition

Per serving :158 Calories; 4 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 1 g Mono; 28 mg Cholesterol; 30 g Carbohydrates; 5 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 97 mg Sodium; 245 mg Potassium

2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 2 carbohydrates (other), 1 fat

Tips & Notes

• Note: Pasteurized dried egg whites are a wise choice in recipes that call for uncooked egg whites. Look for brands like Just Whites in the baking or natural-foods section of most supermarkets

Have a great weekend

Il Volo, Heat,

I mentioned this group of young men a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday their CD Il Volo arrived and we played it immediately. They really are an incredible trio of kids, yes kids, two at 16 one at 17. Here is the link to the video which was sent to me and where I first discovered them http://tinyurl.com/3jr9xqm

As usual, spring zipped by without even being noticed and the last couple of days we have had high temps and lots of humidity. It was 31°C today and that is warm I promise you (well unless you are some of my Australian friends). We actually had to pop into our garage because the a/c wasn’t doing its job properly and we turned on the a/c in the apartment as well. I heard one woman say she loved this weather and could take it all year, not me mama. I like some warmth but when we get the high humidity as well, no thank you. At least its going to be cooler for the rest of the week.

Today I had to get up at the crack of dawn to go have my diabetic bloodwork done. I cannot eat until after, so I like to go as soon as they open. Wednesday is generally shopping day too. So, busy morning.

I watched a movie again, on TV, which I had seen not too long ago, I enjoyed it. It was called A Good Year and starred Albert Finney and Russell Crowe. It is an excellent movie if you get the chance to see it, mostly set in the South of France on a French vineyard or winery about a guy who is described as an English Prick, who finally turns into Mr. Nice Guy after all. What fascinated me, both times, was the visitation of scorpions into the house, I had no idea scorpions lived in the South of France, I have since Googled and found that they do although their venom is not terribly potent I understand. I have visited several places in southern France and had never heard of them nor, thankfully, ever come across any. They mentioned lavender, I was not quite sure if the lavender was supposed to keep them away or attract them. I think the former.

Quinoa is becoming more and more popular lately, must confess though, that I have never tried it. Here is a recipe using it so now is my opportunity.

Cold Quinoa Salad with Chicken and Feta

By The Nourished Kitchen WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

A nutrient-dense, filling winter salad, quinoa combines with faintly bitter radicchio, chicken and salty feta cheese.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked quinoa, chilled 1 small head radicchio, chopped 1 cup cooked chicken, cut in bite-sized pieces 1/2 cup cubed feta cheese 1 small red onion, chopped fine 2 tbsp pine nuts 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley Olive oil and vinegar dressing, to serve

Instructions

Toss cooked quinoa, chopped radicchio, cooked chicken, cubed feta cheese, chopped red onion, pine nuts and parsley together until all ingredients are well distributed.

Dress the salad with olive oil and red wine vinegar

Total Servings: 4

Have a great day