Oom Pah Pah, Thanksgiving, Skype

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. It is also the start of Oktoberfest which is the biggest outside Munich, Germany. They kick off on Friday with tapping the keg and beer will flow for a full week with lots of riotous celebrations and gemutilicheit. Lederhosen and Dirndles will appear all over the place in Kitchener and Waterloo and you won't be able to get a hotel room for love or money. We have never been to Oktoberfest despite the fact that we have been assured that it is loads of fun. I do know that a schnitzel or a beer is cheaper today than it will be next week. I believe the instances of drunk driving have been considerably reduced, but one of the biggest drawbacks is Matt cannot stand oom pah music. However, it is a great crowd pleaser and people really flock in to the community which is, of course, excellent for business in this area. I think, personally, that having an election the day after Thanksgiving and in the middle of Oktoberfest (although it is confined to this area) isn't very clever, but that's how it has been arranged. Thanksgiving itself, of course, means turkeys and hams, pumpkin pies and so on. I have frequently cooked a turkey breast which I have bought in the States. Unfortunately I don't have one any more and turkey breasts aren't reasonably priced here, I don't know why, I can get a 7 lb breast in NC for about $10. For two of us we really don't need the whole bird. However, as I have a "fancy" for turkey cooked at home, I might have to break down and get one. Sliced turkey from the deli just isn't the same thing at all. It occurs to me that if I did cook a turkey this weekend, I would then have some left over for sandwiches when we do our stint at the polling booths on Tuesday. Several times I have mentioned Skype which is an internet telephone system through which you can call people, for free, wherever they are in the world, so long as they too have Skype. I had to re-load the programme recently and have just discovered all kinds of friends who have Skype. Yesterday I talked to Glenda Larke in Malaysia and my cousin in Portugal, today I talked to another friend in South Africa. I think modern technology is wonderful. I don't like canned tuna. Having said that, Matt invented the following recipe which is the only way I will eat it. Tuna Matt's Façon 1 6 oz can Tuna (its best made with Tuna in olive oil) 3 Tbs capers 1 stick celery, finely chopped 1/2 bell pepper finely chopped 1/4 lge onion, finely chopped 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar 1 Tbs mayonnaise (Hellman's or home made) salt and pepper shredded lettuce 1 Pita Bread 2 Mix well. Cut two Pita breads in half, open each half to make a pocket, line with shredded lettuce and fill with mixture. 3 Serve with tossed salad greens Servings: 2 Have a great day.

Books I Have Enjoyed Lately

I just finished reading four stories of The Lost Continent by Catherine Asaro. They were eBooks so I was reading them on my Palm Zire. Fire Opal was the last of the four. I really enjoyed them, so I went hunting on the net to see if she had written any more, she has, so I will have to do something about getting hold of them. I have been reading Catherine Asaro books for a while now, her Skolian Empire series is great, I know I have mentioned them before - I don't own any of the books in the series, but I think I should change that. Catherine Asaro herself is a scientist which always helps with science fiction I think. Isaac Asimov who, in my opinion, was one of the greatest sci fi writers of all time, was a scientist. At one time I owned everything he had written, but having carted a couple of thousand books from England to Canada, then from Canada to the States, I finally decided to thin down my library considerably before we moved back to Canada. It was a very hard decision for me but I figure if I want to re-read a lot of the books I got rid of, I have a very good library service available to me here.

Talking of the library, they have a book ready for me right now which we will pick up later today, it is The River God by Wilbur Smith. Not a new book by any manner of means. It is about ancient Egypt and I have a sneaking suspicion I might have read it years ago, but when a friend mentioned she had just read it I thought I would get hold of it. I have always been fascinated by Ancient Egypt and have certainly read a lot of stories, both fact and fiction, about the area. It might be long enough ago that even if this book has crossed my path in the past, it still may seem pretty fresh to me today.

The creation of this blog was severely interrupted by a Skype call from daughter #2 and family. Do you use Skype? Its a great programme which allows us to make calls to England (and anywhere else) with our vid cam on at both ends so we can see everyone whilst talking to them, also totally free. I occasionally talk to my cousin in Portugal on Skype as well. Our son-in-law (Mike of the wildlife art - see the link on this page) reads my blog so they were all teasing me about my love of asparagus and were horrified to hear I had only one serving left. We got progress reports on all the grandkids who are apparently doing extremely well in all their endeavours. Two are intending to teach and our 12 year old granddaughter seems to be headed for a theatrical career although she says she wants to be a veterinarian. We shall see.

OK, not asparagus or lobster or rhubarb today. I love omelettes too.

Apple & Brie Omelette Eggsite.com

2 tsp butter, divided 10 mL 1/4 Granny smith apple, peeled and thinly sliced 1/4" Ground nutmeg, to taste 1 tsp sugar 5 mL 2 eggs 2 1 Tbs water 15 mL 1 Tbs chopped pecans 15 mL 1 oz Brie cheese (cut into 6 small cubes) 25 g 1 Heat nonstick 8-inch (20 cm) ovenproof skillet* over medium heat. Melt 1 tsp (5 mL) butter in skillet. Sauté apple slices in butter until slightly transparent but not too soft, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle with nutmeg and sugar. Remove from pan and keep warm. 2 Beat together eggs and water. Heat same skillet over medium-high heat. Melt remaining 1 tsp (5 mL) butter in skillet. Pour in egg mixture. As mixture sets at edges, with spatula, gently push cooked portions towards the centre. Tilt and rotate the pan to allow uncooked egg to flow into the empty spaces. When egg is almost set on surface but still looks moist, cover half of the omelette with warm apple mixture and pecans. Slip spatula under the unfilled side and fold the omelette in half. Garnish with Brie cheese. Broil 1 to 2 minutes to melt cheese. Slide onto warm plate and serve immediately. Servings: 1

Have a great day.