About Us, Social Worker, Watch, Busy Again.

My friend Liz Seckman has a book which she asked me to mention on my blog. It is my pleasure to do so. I have already read this and thoroughly enjoyed it. Liz is a great romance writer.

Hayden Matthews isn’t looking for love—she’s trying to get as far from it as possible. She's already wasted eight years in a failed marriage and is ready for a good life. A peaceful life. One where she can raise her daughter to be strong, independent, and happy. But to make that happen, she must fix her own life first. Cam Vorelli has loved Hayden since he was in grade school. Always in the friend-zone, he stood on the sidelines, his heart breaking, as she said I do to the wrong man. A man he knew didn’t deserve her, who could never love her as he did. But what could he say? She was marrying into his family. Cam would never break a holy vow much less be disloyal to his kin. Until he sees the bruises on Hayden. Abuse is a game changer. Leaving a husband like Tag, who has a hot temper, a badge, and a gun is tricky. When Hayden calls Cam for help, she isn’t trying to lure him into any romantic webs. She needs someone she can trust and knowing her soon-to-be ex fears his former NFL cousin is a bonus. When Cam comes to her rescue, he isn’t doing it to win her love. He does it because it’s the right thing to do. But if she starts to feel the same for him…couldn’t it be fate?

Elizabeth is a multi-published author of books for people who are believers in happily-ever- after, true love, and stories with a bit of fun and twists with their plots. The mother of four young men, she tackles laundry daily and is the keeper of the kitchen. She lives along the shores of the Ohio River in West Virginia, but dreams daily of the beach.

Facebook/ Blog/ Website

Kobo: FREE

https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/about-us-a-second-chance-novel

Smashwords FREE

https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/1004700

Amazon: 99 cents 

https://tinyurl.com/u6xcrob

Much to my surprise, I got a call from the Social Worker this morning. She said she was in the building and could she come up and see us in a while. I said yes, of course, I thought she had already closed the file on us. She came, we chatted, I sold her on Instant Pots (I really should get a commission) and Cloth Plate warmers, and told her not much had changed from her last visit except I seem to have twisted my knee. Don't think it was at bowling, I would have remembered. I could hardly walk this morning. Think it is a little better now. Just realised that book title could apply to Matt and I anyway. Finally she said she would close our file, which, as I said, I thought she had already done, and off she went.

I haven't yet got my watch working exactly. Not sure it will notify me if I have a phone call or not. Tried phoning myself a couple of times but my watch didn't react. Have done a couple of things so need to phone myself again. Later - whoopee I have finally got my watch to vibrate and tell me when my phone is ringing. I've also just discovered that it will register when I go to sleep but I have to tap it and tell it when I awake. Demanding little so and sos aren't they? 

Tomorrow we start busy again, Cleaner and shopping in the morning, doctor's in the afternoon then Thursday I have an ultrasound at 9 a.m. on my vascular problems.

I was in the mood for a great soup tonight but a) I didn't have this recipe and b) I wouldn't have had the asiago cheese. Oh well, later. We had Pot Stickers instead. Haven't eaten them in a while, they were good.


Asiago Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Soup

A creamy roasted garlic cauliflower soup with plenty of asiago cheese and a crunchy popped quinoa

and chia seed topping!

1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 Tbs oil
salt and pepper to taste
2-4 heads garlic
2 tsp oil
1 Tbs oil
1 onion, diced
2 tsp thyme, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
1 Tbs white miso paste (optional)
1/2 cup asiago, grated
1 Tbs lemon juice
For the crunchy topping:
1 Tbs quinoa (raw)
2 Tbs panko breadcrumbs
1/2 Tbs white sesame seeds
1/2 Tbs black sesame seeds
1/2 Tbs chia seeds
1/4 cup asiago, grated
salt and pepper to taste
2 tsp lemon zest
2 Tbs parsley, choppe

1. Toss the cauliflower in the oil, salt and pepper and arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.

2. Cut the top 1/4 off the heads of garlic, drizzle the oil on top, wrap in foil and place on the baking sheet along with the cauliflower.

3. Roast in a preheated 425F/220C oven until the cauliflower is tender and lightly golden brown to a little charred, about 20-30 minutes, mixing the cauliflower half way through.

4. Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes.

5. Add the thyme and cook until fragrant, about a minute.

6. Add the broth, roasted cauliflower and garlic, squeezed from the skins, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes before pureeing with a stick blender, in a blender or in a food processor.

7. Mix in the miso and asiago and heat until the cheese melts into the soup, about a minute, before adding the lemon juice.

8. For the crunchy topping:

9. Heat the quinoa in a pan over medium heat until the quinoa starts popping, and then slows down until there is more than a second between pops, mixing continuously to prevent burning.

10. Mix in the breadcrumbs, seeds, asiago and toast for a minute or two.

11. Mix in the lemon zest and parsley before serving as garnish on the soup.

Servings: 4

Tips
Option: Start by cooking bacon in the pan until crispy before setting aside and continuing on with step 4 using the bacon grease instead of oil to cook the onions in.

Option: Add 1 cup heavy cream, milk or almond milk, etc. to make it creamier.

Option: Add 1/4 cup tahini to the soup to make it extra creamy.

Author: Kevin Lynch
Source: Closet Cooking

Have a great day
 

News, Quiet Week, Busy Week, Social Worker,

I just heard a report on the radio that they had arrested a trio of "boys", 14 16 17 I think, for bank robbery and rape??? What on earth. Apart from anything else I  thought youngsters of 14 didn't even think about girls. What kind of kids are we bringing up that they can commit such crimes, not to mention those who have committed murder - there's got to be something visibly wrong surely. Or do the adults around them just not care?

I have kind of been praying for a quiet week and this one has been exactly that. Next week things are going nutty again. I have an ultra sound and visits with doctors as I said plus we are supposed to be joining the Bowling Travel League. Not sure if we will make that as it's the same day as the ultra sound. It's either feast or famine.

Had a call from the Social Worker - she can't do much for me at the moment so she is closing my file. I know they are really busy these people, but you'd kind of think they would keep our files open at least. Not as though we are suddenly all better. Matt, of course, never will be.

One upon a time, any French housewife worth her salt would know how to cook a cassoulet. It's even mentioned in the film Gigi. Sadly I am told French girls are not learning how to cook and are becoming like the women of other countries. I remember visiting France and you could go into any small hole in the wall restaurant in any town or village and be assured of obtaining an excellent meal. I wonder how much of that is true any more. The French families I lived with all cooked wonderful meals. Memories. Alas, I have never tried making a cassoulet myself. One day perhaps. Here it is not as easy to obtain duck fat and duck leg confit although I can obtain something similar in my grocery store so I bet I can get such things either in Victoria St. Market or another deli store which I haven't been to in a while but which certainly sells everything.

Toulouse-Style Cassoulet

Although there are innumerable versions of cassoulet, most are based on a stew of white beans and

various forms of pork. The dish gets its name from the pot it's traditionally baked in, the cassole (see Note), which is often shaped like a wide inverted cone to ensure the greatest amount of luscious crust. This version includes duck confit and the French garlic sausages that are a specialty of Toulouse.

2 fresh ham hocks
1 lb boneless pork shoulder, cut into
1 1/2-inch cubes
6 oz fresh pork skin with 1/4 inch of fat attached
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 lbs dried Tarbais or cannellini beans, picked over and rinsed
2 oz salt pork, skin removed
1/3 cup duck fat (see Note)
3 small carrots, thinly sliced
2 medium onions, diced
1 5-ounce piece of pancetta
1 5-ounce piece of prosciutto
1 head of garlic, unpeeled, plus
4 small garlic cloves, peeled
1 large plum tomato, chopped
2 quarts plus two cups chicken broth
Bouquet garni: 4 parsley sprigs, 3 small celery ribs, 2 thyme sprigs and 1 bay leaf, tied with string
6 duck confit legs (see Note)
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 lb French-style fresh pork sausages, such as saucisses de Toulouse, pricked with a fork
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs

1. Put the ham hocks, pork shoulder cubes and skin in a large dish; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In a bowl, cover the beans with 3 inches of water and soak overnight.

2. The next day, in a medium saucepan, cover the salt pork and the seasoned skin with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer over moderate heat until the skin is supple, about 30 minutes. Drain and cool. Refrigerate the salt pork. Cut the pork skin into 5 long pieces, roll each piece into a bundle and tie with string.

3. Dry the ham hocks and pork shoulder cubes with a paper towel. In a very large, enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the duck fat. Add half of the pork cubes and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned all over; transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pork cubes. Add the ham hocks to the casserole and brown them lightly. Add the carrots and onions and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are golden, about 7 minutes. Add the pancetta and brown it lightly. Add the prosciutto, the head of garlic and the tomato and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add 2 quarts of the broth, the bouquet garni, pork skin bundles and the browned pork and its juices and bring to a boil. Cover the casserole and gently simmer the ragout over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.

4. Drain the beans. In a large saucepan, cover the beans with water and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Simmer the beans for 3 minutes, then drain. Add the beans to the ragout and simmer until the beans are just tender, about 2 hours. Let the ragout cool, then refrigerate overnight.

5. Remove as much of the solidified fat as you can from the surface of the ragout; reserve 1/4 cup of the fat. Let the ragout return to room temperature. Pick out the ham hocks, pancetta and prosciutto. Cut the meats into bite-size pieces; discard the bones, skin and gristle. Pick out the pork skin bundles and the head of garlic and reserve. Discard the bouquet garni.

6. Preheat the oven to 400°. Bring the ragout to a simmer. Cut the blanched salt pork into small pieces. Squeeze the cooked garlic cloves into a food processor. Add the salt pork and the raw garlic cloves and process to a smooth paste. Stir the paste into the ragout and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in all of the cooked and cured meats.

7. Meanwhile, arrange the duck confit legs in a baking dish and roast just until heated through, about 15 minutes. Remove the meat from the bones in large pieces. Cut the skin into strips. Discard the bones.

8. Turn the oven down to 325°. Untie and unroll the pork skin bundles. Line the bottom of a 5- to 6-quart earthenware casserole with the pork skin, fat side down. Using a large slotted spoon, transfer half of the ragout to the earthenware casserole. Top with the duck confit in an even layer, then cover with the rest of the ragout. Add the remaining 2 cups of broth to the cooking liquid in the cast-iron casserole and season lightly with salt and pepper. Pour the liquid over the ragout and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the reserved skimmed fat. Bake the cassoulet for 1 1/2 hours.

9. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium skillet. Add the sausages and cook over moderately high heat until browned all over. Let cool, then cut the sausages into 3-inch pieces.

10. Reduce the oven temperature to 275°. Gently stir in the skin that has formed on the cassoulet. Nestle in the sausages and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of reserved fat. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Bake the cassoulet for 1 hour longer, until it is richly browned on the surface. Transfer to a cloth-lined rack and let rest for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Yield: 10 to 12

Tips
The cassoulet can be prepared through Step 6 up to 3 days ahead. Let cool, then refrigerate. Bring the ragout and beans to room temperature before proceeding.

Author: Paula Wolfert
Source: Food and Wine

Author Notes
The cassole can be ordered from claycoyote.com; duck fat and confit legs from dartagnan.com; Tarbais beans and Toulouse-style sausages from frenchselections.com.

Have a great day
 

Doctor, Visitor, Lunch,

Managed to persuade the doctor's office to get the doc to call us and give us the rundown on Matt's ultrasound and X ray. That saved us the pain and drag of going to their office. Nobody phoned yet though. Now it is bedtime and still nobody phone, guess I may have screwed that all up right royally, but taking Matt such a distance in the first place and then waiting, as one does, to see the doctor, makes him get very agitated. I have to take him for blood work in the morning, maybe I will have time to phone them  before we go out to lunch with ladydog.

Margaret, the Social Worker, called again this morning. Not sure why, just checking up on us or something. I remembered to ask her where she was from, Ghana was the answer. Nice woman. Still having a little trouble understanding her. Says she will phone me in a couple of weeks.

A I mentioned, we have planned, ladydog and I, to take Matt to the Red Lobster tomorrow for a birthday lunch. He received his free dessert coupon this morning. Chocolate Wave Cake in the offing once again.

I thought this might be a meal worth trying. I have an idea they could be adapted to be cooked in the air fryer, not studied it closely yet.

Loaded Cauliflower Bowls

Enjoy these comforting roasted cauliflower bowls topped with cheese, bacon, scallions and sour

cream on their own, or add grilled chicken or shrimp to make it a full meal

6 cups small cauliflower florets
1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
¾ cup shredded extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
½ tsp ground pepper, divided
¼ tsp salt
2 scallions, thinly sliced, divided
4 Tbs sour cream
4 slices cooked bacon, chopped

1. Preheat oven to 425° F.

2. Toss cauliflower and oil together in a large bowl. Transfer to a large rimmed baking sheet; roast until just tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Return to the bowl and stir in 1/2 cup Cheddar, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, salt and half the scallions. Divide the cauliflower mixture among 4 bowls, then top each with sour cream, bacon and the remaining cheese, scallions and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Servings: 4


Source: EatingWell

Have a great day
 

Social Worker, Supper, Saturday Recipe

The social worker, Margaret, came this morning and was a very nice woman. Her family had lived in Newcastle in the UK for a number of years. Her son was born there which makes him a Geordie. Just as well he wasn't brought up there or nobody would be able to understand him. Most of the British cannot understand them. My first husband said he worked with a Geordie for two years and still didn't know what he was talking about. Matt's dad was from that area where they too have a strong regional accent. He had lived down south long enough to lose it in every day speech but could put it on when he wanted to fool you. Margaret herself is, I assume, from the Caribbean Islands, I forgot to ask her. Her knowledge of English was perfect, unfortunately her pronunciation was not. Anyway, after chatting for an hour, it basically seems we slip through the cracks. If Matt needed help with showering, we could get someone in who would also help me with things I need, but he doesn't so we are out of luck. However, when she left, she took my recycling bags down for me and then brought the bags back before she left. Really nice of her. She is coming back again in two weeks.

Seems like we are getting that snow storm tomorrow morning with up to 15 cm (almost 6 inches) of snow likely. Quite a bit for this area.

For supper I had some Butter Chicken Sauce left over, so I sauteed some shrimp and snow peas and then poured in the warm sauce. Served over rice, delicious. If you haven't got an Instant Pot yet, you should get one, if only for the Butter Chicken recipe.

I never knew Egg Drop Soup was this easy.

Egg Drop Soup

A super quick and easy Chinese style egg drop soup!

4 cups chicken broth or pork bone broth
4 green onions, sliced
1 inch knob ginger, sliced
1 tsp white peppercorns
2 slices bacon or ham (optional)
1 dried shiitake mushroom (optional)
salt to taste (or soy sauce)
2 Tbs corn starch mixed into 2 tablespoon water
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
4 fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced (optional)

1. Bring the broth, the whites of the green onions, ginger, peppercorns, bacon, and mushroom to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, before straining out the solids and seasoning with salt to taste.

2. Mix the cornstarch and water mixture into the simmering broth until it thickens, about a minute.

3. Swirl the broth in the pot and while it is still swirling, pour a thin stream of the eggs into the broth until it has all been added.

4. Remove from heat, add the sesame oil, the greens of the green onions, and the mushrooms and enjoy!

Servings: 4

Option: Add 2 tablespoons white miso paste!

Tip: Do step one the day before to save time when serving it.

Author: Kevin Lynch
Source: Closet Cooking

Have a great weekend.
 

Shopping, Social Worker, Supper,

This morning I went out to collect my groceries so that our cleaner could bring them upstairs for me. Half way to the store I realised I  had left my cell phone on my desk. Duuuh. When I got to the store, I went to the PC Express desk and luckily one of the staff was there, they aren't always because they are upstairs "picking" orders. I asked if I could use their phone to call home and arranged for our cleaner to meet me in the garage in 15 minutes. Actually worked perfectly. Unpacking I realised I only had one portion of fresh salmon and that I had ordered lentil soup mix instead of a 13 bean mix which they don't have - I have now discovered. So in the afternoon I went back got a refund and some more salmon. Then I went to Victoria St. Market. I particularly wanted sausages. So first I went and picked up some of their fresh cole slaw, so far so good, then I got a dozen Italian sausages, that was OK. Decided I wanted some flank steak too - disaster. I asked the butcher for a flank steak and for him to cut it in half and wrap it separately. I was looking around whilst he was working. He handed me two parcels and I headed to the checkout. That's when I realised, he had given me two whole flank steaks, not one cut in half. However, I decided to got with it. More money than I had anticipated spending, but.. not like I wouldn't use them. When I got home I cut them in half and then froze them all. I have a good recipe for the Instant Pot that I like to do with flank steak.

I had a call from a Social Worker and she is coming to see me/us on Friday to discuss what she can offer me. I am a tad concerned as I had difficulty understanding her on the phone, I couldn't quite place her accent. Certainly wasn't Canadian. Hopefully, face to face, I will be able to understand her.

Having bought sausages, I cooked some in the Instant Pot for supper, one of my favourite dishes with bell peppers. I need to be careful as I am cooking Butter Chicken and Sausage and Peppers a lot, it will get boring if I do it too often. I do so love using my Instant Pot.

My mother used to make fish cakes for breakfast when I was a young 'un so when I saw this recipe for Salmon Patties I thought it sounded good. Can be eaten for any meal of course. I think my mother used cod which used to be pretty inexpensive in those days.

SALMON PATTIES (SALMON CAKES)

1 lb skinless salmon fillet, cut into chunks
1 egg yolk
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
3 dashes cayenne pepper
1 Tbs chopped parsley
1 1/2 Tbs cooking oil
lemon wedges
sweet chili sauce, for dipping

In a food processor, add the salmon, egg yolk, lemon juice, salt, black pepper and cayenne pepper. Blend for 10 seconds or until all ingredients are well combined. DO NOT over blend. Transfer the salmon mixture into a bowl and mix well with the chopped parsley.

Wet both hands with water and shape the salmon mixture into 8 balls. Flatten into patties.

Heat up a skillet with the cooking oil on medium heat. Transfer the salmon patties onto the skillet. Cook 1 minute on each side, uninterrupted, or until the salmon patties are just cooked through. Transfer to a serving platter and serve warm with lemon wedges and sweet chili sauce.

Yield: 8

Author: BEE
Source: RASA MALAYSIA

Have a great day