Spam, Storm, Charging, Bowling,

Sunday morning, checking my email, I had dozens of spam emails from a friend's blog. I had a heck of a time getting rid of them. Eventually I went to Rogers home page, checked the mail there and deleted them. Then went back to my mail server and managed to get rid of the damned things. Is it fun for the spammer to do this? I don't see the point except for the sheer aggravation for everyone who receives them.

Just before lunch we had a humdinger of a storm. Almost went black as night and we got a total deluge. The patio door even got very wet and that doesn't happen often. The hydro went off and the air conditioner did. I thought it had blown a fuse (turned out it was just the breaker). I had my phone on charge and a little while after the storm had receded into the distance I heard it beeping at me. Didn't have a chance to go check it but when I did, there was a tornado warning. Bit bloody late. The first beep certainly came well after the storm had gone. At least it is considerably cooler now.

Talking of charging, I once swore I wouldn't have a watch I had to charge and now, of course, I have one. It needed charging as well this morning. Caught it before it completely ran out of charge, otherwise it is a real fiddle to deal with.

Cant remember if I told you the bowling alley is going to be open on Wednesday. Friend tells me they have cut the place in half. I understood him to mean every other lane has been closed off. I have a phone appointment with our Urologist on Wed. afternoon so unless I can change it, I can't go. Matt is talking about coming with me. He would never get up the stairs any more. Thinking about it, not sure I will be able to either. Ve shall see.

If I had a bug enough air fryer, I am sure I could do these in it, but I don't have a suitably small dish that would work. Pity.

Caramelized Balsamic Onions

As these onion halves cook, the balsamic mixture becomes syrupy and caramelizes the onions, giving

them a bronzed caramel color and a luscious, rich flavor

2 Tbs butter, melted
1 Tbs olive oil
? cup balsamic vinegar -- (or cider vinegar)
2 Tbs dry white wine, reduced-sodium chicken broth or water
1 Tbs sugar
¼ tsp salt
? tsp ground black pepper
4 medium yellow onions (about 1 1/2 lbs total)
Fresh thyme leaves (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Combine butter and olive oil in 3-quart rectangular baking dish. Whisk in vinegar, wine (or broth or water), sugar, salt and pepper. Set aside. Peel off papery outer layers of onions, but do not cut off either end. Cut onions in half from stem through root end. Place onions in dish, cut-sides up. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil. Using tongs, carefully turn onions over to cut-sides down. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes longer or until onions are tender and balsamic mixture is thickened and caramelized. Serve cut-sides up. If desired, sprinkle with fresh thyme.

Source: Diabetic Living Magazine

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Spam, Farm, Bank, Accident, Emma,

I didn't think that could happen that when I had the comments on moderation, someone could get a spam comment through. Oh well, just have to stay vigilant.

Wasn't sure if I would get asparagus today or not. In the end, I was OK for asparagus but a friend wanted rhubarb and they hadn't got any. The weather was too cool I guess. At least I have  my asparagus and have made beginnings on pickling and canning some of my goodies. It was actually quite a pleasant day today, sunny but not too warm. I had to wait a while before I knew I could go to the farm but eventually off I went with Matt riding along with me. Nice to get out, beautiful countryside, even beautiful avenues to ride though close to home, at this time of the year, the trees are now in full leaf but it is all young and green and absolutely gorgeous. We are lucky to live on the outskirts of town in an area which has been built fairly carefully to conserve the gorgeous trees.

Tomorrow Matt gets his second PSW visit, from a woman this time, she phoned and is also doing an assessment to see just what we need. 24/7 help perhaps?

Before we went to the farm, I went into the bank to sort out my problems with Visa. I was the last customer allowed in today. Discussed what was going on and the woman said she would investigate, see what was going on and phone me. There has been some kind of screw up somewhere. I am supposed to be a co-signer but they have me as a secondary card, i.e. Matt is the primary card holder and they want to talk to him every time I call them. He doesn't have a clue what it's all about. Once I left - in something of a hurry to go to the farm, I backed into a vehicle and realised it was the SUV of a woman who used to be our foot nurse. (I didn't know where she was and had no time  She has changed her phone number and have only just got her cell phone so will call her and confess. It felt very gentle so hopefully no damage.

Just watched the new version of Emma by Jane Austin. Had a lot of trouble understanding them, but I enjoyed it just the same.

This is a recipe I am very fond of. As I frequently mention, if you buy asparagus from the farm, freshly picked, you do NOT need to trim the spears.

Asparagus and Endive Salad

1 lb fresh asparagus , trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1 Tbs Juice, orange, fresh
2 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs small shallots , minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 oz Belgian endive, fresh, head , cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips (2 heads)

1. Place 1/2 inch of water at the bottom of a 12 inch pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in asparagus and cook until tender yet crisp, about 2 minutes. Place in strainer, rinse under cold water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the orange peel, orange juice, vinegar, oil, shallots, sugar, salt, mustard, and pepper until well combined.

3. Add the asparagus and endive to the bowl with the dressing. Mix well to evenly coat and serve.

Servings: 4

Source: dLife

Author Notes: Light and elegant salad combining asparagus and endive in a homemade orange Dijon vinaigrette.

Try using a sugar substitute instead of regular sugar.

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Spam Comments. Alzheimer Group, Movie, Weather,

Sorry everyone, but it looks like I have to go back to Comment Moderation and stay there. I got even more Spam after I had put the Moderation back on. What do these idiots gain from this?

Had a good long chat with the Alzheimer Spouses group today. None of my original Alz. friends were there, I need to contact them to see if things are OK.

We, well I, just watched a movie called Sister Kenney with Rosalind Russell. It was absolutely fascinating. A true story about Sister Elizabeth Kenney who was an Australian Nurse and who, almost accidentally discovered how to treat Infant Paralysis or Polio as it was later known. Originally she was a "bush" nurse, i.e. working very much on her own in places without medical services. She was called to a child in severe pain, she cabled a doctor who said they knew little about it and told her to use her judgement. She did and ended up helping 6 children to become mobile once more. One doctor believed her, however, the head orthopedic doctor said the children hadn't had Polio. It eventually took her 35 years to convince the Australians, the English and the North Americans that her treatment was valid. Basically, they had to believe her because of all the children who were walking without braces or any kind of supports. Wonderful story. Wonderful woman.

Hopefully I will be able to get a few asparagus spears at the end of the week. The weather is slightly warmer and the little trees (see the picture above) outside my bedroom window are finally blossoming.

I finally got round to getting out the lamb's kidneys that I had in the freezer. Discovered I had enough for two meals in fact. I have been putting it off because I hate having to cut them in half and then remove the core. It is such a fiddly job. However, I did today and we both thoroughly enjoyed our Devilled Kidneys.

Devilled Kidneys

2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs prepared English mustard (Coleman's or Keen's in Canada)
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs tomato purée
pinch of cayenne pepper
salt and ground black pepper
2 Tbs butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
8 lamb's kidneys, skinned, halved and cored
1 Tbs chopped fresh parsley to garnish

1. Mix the first 6 ingredients together (including salt and pepper) to make a sauce.

2. Melt the butter in a frying pan, add the chopped shallot and cook stirring occasionally, until it is softened but not coloured.

3. Stir the kidney halves into the shallots in the pan and cook  over medium high heat for about 3 mins on each side.

4. Pour the sauce over the kidneys and quickly stir so that they become evenly coated. Serve immediately sprinkled with fresh parsley.

Servings: 4

Note: To remove the cores from the kidneys use sharp kitchen scissors rather than a knife. Much easier.

Source: The Ultimate Hot and Spicy Cookbook

Author Notes
"Devilled" dishes are always hot and spicy. If you have time, mix the spicy ingredients together in advance to give the flavours time to mingle.

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Spam, Saturday, Sewing, Shopping, Instant Pot,

I was thinking of taking off the Comment Moderation 'cos I find it a nuisance, but I got yet another entry from the guy with the penis problem. Grrr. So comment moderation will stay on for a while yet.

Saturday I had a delightful morning, it started with doing the laundry first thing, then I figured I should take the recycling down. Met a friend who told me there had been a bunch of people in the lobby who had not been keeping social distance so the lobby seating area was now cordoned off with police type tape. What idiots some people are. This now means that people like me, for instance, have nowhere to sit when they are waiting to be picked up or something.  I guess the rest of the day was just boring, as usual.

Hey, I also sewed the seam on my pants so I will not moon anyone any more. Just as well I don't go commando.

This shopping business is getting more and more difficult. I had to post an order today to be sure to get it on April 14. I could only get the time in the afternoon. Do you know what you want to buy in the store 12 days ahead? There are some items I know I will want, but others, right now I have too much orange juice for instance.

Forgot to tell you about my beloved Instant Pot exploding on me the other day. It had just come to pressure - I was cooking snow peas which you don't give any cooking time - and I was just about to release the pressure when it did it all on it's own. What a mess. Frightened me. However, I have decided that I had not put the sealing ring back properly. I will be extremely careful in future. I was a bit scared to use it but I am back to wielding it with aplomb once more.

I did discover I could boil potatoes in the Instant Pot. Never thought of it before because we don't eat all that many potatoes and I tend to air fry them anyway. However, I wanted to try a recipe I found, so I steamed the potatoes and then boiled the pasta in the Pot. The recipe calls for using some pasta water which I did, but earlier than said and put the pan lid on to soften up the cabbage by creating steam. I also added some Habanero Cheese too. I cut the potato in chunks too. It turned out to be surprisingly good.

Pasta and Potatoes with Cabbage (Pizzoccheri)

1/2 lb red potatoes
8 oz dry, shaped pasta (preferably buckwheat or whole wheat)
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 small- to medium-sized (or 2 baby heads) green cabbage, cored and shredded
1 Tbs butter
1/2 cup grated Grana Padano cheese (or Parmesan)
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with cool water. Add a teaspoon of salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are tender. Scoop them out with a slotted spoon and leave the pot of water on the stove. (Alternatively, you can use leftover cooked potatoes in this recipe.)

2. Add water to the pot, if necessary, and bring it back to a boil. Stir in the pasta and cook until the pasta is al dente. Scoop out about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside, then drain the pasta.

3. Meanwhile, heat a very large, wide pan with the olive oil and garlic and cook until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the cabbage and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until cabbage is softened.

4. Transfer the potatoes and pasta to the pan of cabbage along with the 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water. Stir in the butter and cheese, toss to combine thoroughly, and taste. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Toss again, and serve

Servings: 4

Source: kitchn

Have a great day - stay safe - stay well - stay home.
 

Spam. Errands and Phone Calls, Zoey, Stuffed Peppers,

I am a little tired of Spam. I used to like it out of a can, but not out of the Internet. Actually, talking of canned Spam I actually saw a recipe for it the other day in a kind of sushi arrangement. I was somewhat surprised. You notice I didn't share it with you either. I would probably still like it, but it is not the healthiest of processed, canned, meats even if I do like the taste. So, I'm sorry, but have had to go back to moderating the comments again.

Wednesday turned out to be another busy morning. First of all I had coffee with an Alzheimer friend where we discussed our spouses for an hour, then I went to Walmart to cancel the stupid coffee pot that it took them so long to deliver. They really messed up there, took them a whole week, took Amazon less than a day. Thought it was a bit daft, but they got the box from the back and then had to open it. To verify it they said. Still, what do I care so long as my money appears back on my credit card. Talking of which, my card won't tap or work in a gas pump any more so, having dropped in at the liquor store (going there rather a lot these days) I went to the bank and told them about my card. Eventually they said I had to phone the number on the back - I had done that and been referred to the branch. Finally went back home but knew, by then, that I couldn't have my lunch and make it to exercises. Pity, but lunch is important to me. I finally got through to the credit card branch and then they had to speak to Matt who is the primary card holder. They asked the questions and I prompted him with the answers. Stupid but....Having sorted that all out I realised they should have a copy of the power of attorney. So phoned them back, they say they haven't, my bank is supposed to have forwarded them a copy. This was a year or two back and I'm damned sure the bank did so. Anyway I phoned my bank, and for the third time got the "more than usual phone calls, sorry for the delay, your call is important to us" blurb. Every call I had made to the various branches today I had received that message and had to hang on. Why don't they do a call back like some other businesses?

I simply have to get on with our taxes too. Just don't seem to have the energy somehow. I think I have all the paperwork I need. Yaaaaawn. Not much happening tomorrow so hopefully....

I watched an absolutely fascinating programme called Whale Detective where a couple were out in a kayak (I think) and a humpback whale breached and landed on top of them. They were, luckily, able to survive but the guy spent a long time researching which whale had jumped on them. He eventually identified it. That in itself is incredible. I have always wanted to whale watch, but not that closely.  If you get a chance, do watch the programme.

I understand Matt's favourite dog, Zoey, went to the groomers today and is all proud of herself. We will see her on Friday. Look forward to it.

We had stuffed peppers tonight which I previous cooked in the Instant Pot, once again so easy, and froze. Delicious. Have two more.

I thought this looked pretty good

Caramel Chicken

Vietnamese-style caramel chicken on skillet with sticky, sweet, savory, and mildly spicy caramel

sauce. This chicken is so good with steamed rice.

1 lb chicken thighs with skin, deboned
2 Tbs oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 jalapeno, sliced
Marinade:
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs fish sauce
black pepper
Caramel Sauce:
1 Tbs fish sauce
3 Tbs water
1/2 Tbs sugar
3 tsp rice vinegar or apple cider vinegar

1. Marinate the chicken with the Marinade ingredients for 10 minutes. Mix all the ingredients in the Caramel Sauce in a bowl, set aside.

2. Heat up a skillet (cast-iron preferred) on medium to high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Pan-fry the chicken (skin side up) until the bottom turns slightly crispy and brown. Repeat the same for the skin, until the skin becomes slightly charred. Transfer the chicken out.

3. Add the remaining oil into the skillet and add the garlic. Add the chicken into the pan and follow by the Caramel Sauce mixture.

4. Lower the heat to simmer and continue to cook until the caramel sauce reduces and becomes amber in color. Make sure you turn the chicken a couple of times during cooking.

5. Add jalapeno and continue to cook for about 1 minute. Dish out and serve immediately with steamed rice.

Servings: 4


Author: Bee
Source: Rasa Malaysia

Have a great day

Email, Urologist and Shopping, Spam,

I mentioned that my email programme had gone kaput on Monday so today, Tuesday, I phone my ISP in the morning and ended up with a difficult to understand technician who, in the end, assured me that they could do nothing with my Live Mail as it was a Microsoft programme. I ended up almost slamming my phone down on him. I have had assistance from them for similar problems many times.

My legs were still bothering me and Matt's appointment was immediately after lunch so I was in two minds whether to phone and cancel but in the end didn't. It's the walking across the garage which gets me. I'm pleased the urologist said all was well and we were there about 5 minutes. On the way back I stopped at a strange LCBO (liquor store) and found them to be extremely helpful. We also had a bit of a laugh about Scottish names on whiskies. The guy who carried it out to the car for me was saying he had had hip replacements (too young I thought) and that the last time he had gone in on Friday and was out on Saturday. If that is the case, it would be great for me and leaving Matt.

After we get home, I got a phone call from  my contact at the Alzheimer society asking if I had emailed her asking for a favour, I assured her I hadn't, then a friend in the building asking me if I had emailed her - no I hadn't - apparently the email asked if she could do me a favor too (I spell it favour which made ladydog realise it wasn't from me). I assured her I hadn't sent it. I then started getting emails from friends asking me the same thing. Plus friends on Facebook were discussing it too. One friend in NC asked what he could do for me. Of course I was having to read these emails on the ISP website. So I finally phoned the ISP again and this time got someone who helped me fix the problem except she riled me because she treated me like a newcomer to computers. I said "I'm not a 6 yr old" and then thought, if I was, I could probably run rings round her and everyone else on technical matters. Anyway, it got fixed and then when I went online after Jeopardy I found I was still having a couple of problems. Grrr.

When Kevin Lynch comes up with recipes, he comes up with some very good ones. This sounds absolutely mouth watering. Actually, today he came up with two that really pushed my buttons.

Bacon Wrapped, Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Pork Tenderloin in a Creamy Dijon Goat Cheese Sauce

Juicy pork tenderloin wrapped in crispy bacon and stuffed with a tasty mixture of mushrooms and

spinach all smothered in a creamy goat cheese and French’s Dijon mustard sauce.

For the filling:
1 Tbs butter
1 Tbs oil
1 small onion, diced
12 oz mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp thyme, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
10 oz spinach, coarsely chopped

For the tenderloin:
1 (1 pound) pork tenderloin, trimmed of fat
12 strips bacon

For the sauce:
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
1 1/2 cup milk
6 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1 Tbs lemon juice
1 Tbs French’s Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

1. For the filling:

2. Melt the butter and heat the oil in a pan over medium-high heat, add the onion and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms have released their liquids and the liquid has evaporated, about 10-15 minutes, before adding the garlic and thyme, cooking until fragrant, about a minute, and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

3. Add the spinach, let it wilt, use the water released from the spinach to deglaze the pan and continue cooking until the water has evaporated, about 3-5 minutes, before setting aside.

4. For the tenderloin:

5. Cut the tenderloin lengthwise almost all of the way through leaving about 1/2 an inch, before opening it and pounding it with a kitchen mallet until it is evenly thin, about 1/2 inch.

6. Spread the filling over the tenderloin leaving 1/2 inch around the edges and roll it up lengthwise before wrapping it with bacon. Tip: Spread the bacon out over parchment paper with the edges overlapping a bit, place the rolled up tenderloin on it and use the parchment paper to help easily roll the bacon around the tenderloin.

7. Place the tenderloin on a rack on a baking sheet with the seam down and bake in a preheated 400°F/200°C oven until it reaches 145°F-160°F depending on how well done you want it, about 40 minutes. If the bacon is not perfectly crispy, broil for a few minutes until it is.

8. Remove from oven, cover in foil and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving topped with the sauce.

9. For the sauce:

10. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat until frothing, mix in the flour and cook until lightly golden brown before adding the milk and cooking until it thickens.

11. Add the goat cheese and cook until it melts before mixing in the lemon juice, mustard and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Servings: 6

Author: Kevin Lynch
Source: Closet Cooking

Have a great day
 

Spam, Cold, Shrimp Creole,

See I had a bunch of spam comments in the last few blogs. Why do they bother? Mind you although I deleted a couple, I couldn't be bothered to delete them all, maybe later.

Complaining of the cold as I was, yesterday, I snuggled up with a hot water bottle which did the trick. Today I have been quite warm, mind you it was one of those days when the winter sun was pouring through our windows.

Friday I made Shrimp Creole, in a regular pan though. I have now figured out how to do it in the Instant Pot so that will be how I do it in future. Mind you, the one I made was delicious. I have figured I can never do rice for the two of us because I only cook half a cup in 3/4 cup water. I could be wrong, but don't think I could cook something so little in the Instapot. Might try a spaghetti plus sauce some time next week, watching You Tube videos has given me some insight.

Saturday doing a roast. No, in the regular oven. We like our beef rare - so you can slap on a bandaid and send it back in the field. I don't think I could get it that rare except in the oven. Only trouble is, I didn't think to get some Yorkshire Puddings from the grocery store so I might have to make them from scratch. Not done that in many a long year. Just made me think of Toad in the Hole, another thing I haven't made in a long time. I don't know if this was a product of the war years when we couldn't get much although I wouldn't think we could have got sausages either.

Toad in the Hole

8 links pork sausage
1 Tbs vegetable oil
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).

2. Pour the oil into the bottom of a baking dish, and arrange the sausages over it in a single layer. Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.

3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, eggs, and half of the milk until smooth. Gradually mix in the rest of the milk until a smooth batter is achieved. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Remove the sausages from the oven, and ladle the batter over them until the sausages are 3/4 covered. Return to the oven, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the center is risen and browned. Don't worry if the underside seems slightly soft, as this is normal.

Author: stablespy

Have a great weekend
 

Mountains, Elephants in London, Spam,

The current Windows 10 Lock Screen shows snow topped mountains. Looking at the picture, it occurred to me that I have never seen real mountains. Or if I did I was too young to remember. I should put that on my bucket list, they are so majestic. Although, unlike the two fellers in The Bucket List (Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson,  I can't afford to go see the Himalayas and even if I could, I no longer have the ability to climb them. That is one of my favourite films by the way. Matt's too.  Also those actors are two of my favourites.. I thought they were wonderful in this movie. The Rockies are probably more in my reach these days. I started thinking about this some more and remembered that I had seen the fjords of Norway and Norway has mountains. I don't remember seeing them although  the fjords are extremely high. Same in, what was, Yugoslavia. Fjords and what I would describe as high hills

If my typing appears weird, it's the Lyrica. I am getting to be a bit zombie like, if this continues I will be stopping them.

Came across and email from World Wild Life Fund - Ahead of the London Conference on Illegal Wildlife Trade later this week, we're making some noise with a life-size elephant travelling around London. Although normally found on the plains of Africa, we've released this majestic elephant hologram as part of our Stop Wildlife Trafficking campaign, which is supported by players of People's Postcode Lottery. I would think this would really make you Stop and Think. Look at the size of that thing. There is a London  Double Decker Bus in the background.

I have been spammed lately and I was thinking, what is the point of sending silly, meaningless messages to someone's blog. Seems daft to me.

I thought this looked good, I don't use my slow cooker nearly enough, it is rather large. I wonder what they use to make this look shiny, olive oil sprinkled over top perhaps?

Slow cooker Spanish chicken

1 Spanish onion halved and sliced
12 large bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
225 g pack chorizo picante, thickly sliced
3 pack pack fmixed colour peppers, cut into chunks
150 g (drained weight) pitted Spanish pimento stuffed green olives
300 ml dry white wine (serve the rest of the bottle with the meal)
300 ml chicken stock
1 Tbs tomato purée

1. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan. Fry 1 sliced Spanish onion for about 5 mins until golden.

2. Tip into the slow cooker pot (we used a 6.5-litre model), then fry 12 large bone-in skinless chicken thighs and 225g thickly sliced chorizo picante in the same pan until starting to colour – you will need to do this in two batches.

3. Add to the slow cooker with 3 mixed colour peppers, cut into chunks and 150g pitted Spanish pimento stuffed green olives.

4. Tip 300ml dry white wine, 300ml chicken stock and 1 tbsp tomato purée into the pan.

5. Scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom, then tip into the slow cooker, cover and cook on Low for 6 hrs.

Servings: Source: BBC Good Food.



Have a great day
 

No, Really? Our Trip, Henri II Paw de Deux.

You know I’m really worried, there is a poor man stuck at the airport (which airport?) who is carrying a large sum of money for me but has lost my address. What on earth is he going to do. Meanwhile there are a number of banks, many in Nigeria, but one or two from England or other places, who are anxious to send me my multi million dollar inheritances. Not only that, there are my friends in Christ who also want to send me millions of dollars to do something or other. Whilst I am waiting for all this money to arrive, I can buy penis enlarging products which I guess I would have to pass on to my husband as they are no use to me. I could also pass on the addresses of the various chicks looking for love unless I decided to change my orientation of course. Hadn’t thought of that. Really and truly, is there anyone out there stupid enough to fall for all this stuff? I hope not, but then they keep on so I suppose some of it must be successful. Luckily most of this goes to my spam folder, but I check it periodically to make sure something which isn’t spam hasn’t gone there by mistake.

Today is Labour Day in Canada, Labor Day in the States. To us, its just another day. But if you are having a day off, I hope the weekend has been good to you. We are now in countdown mode as we leave on Friday for our two week visit to North Carolina. At our ages,  “how many pills do I need to last” is one of our primary concerns. It is one of the joys of aging. I think I have already told you that the only thing golden about the Golden Years is your pee. The medical world hasn’t yet come up with a way to make these years pain free. Pumping pain pills isn’t really the best idea.

This year I have booked The Red Roof Inn for our stops on the way and on the return,  never stayed there before. I have checked them in the bed bug registry too, all clear. Excellent web site. Their central booking number always sticks with me, 1-800-THE ROOF. Don’t know if they have a restaurant attached. I went to look and ended up reading reviews of this hotel which were somewhat negative which makes me wonder if I have made a mistake booking the place. I have emailed their customer service for information. I have since read more reviews which were favourable, so hopefully it will be OK. There seems to be a continental breakfast but no restaurant. However we already know of two, a Perkins at Best Western and an excellent Chinese restaurant right next door to Motel 8 where we stayed last year. They couldn’t take us this year which, considering how early I booked, was a surprise.

I just came across this cat video which is apparently a winner. I love it. If you are a cat person, I am sure you will too. Henri II Paw de Deux. It won the first cat video festival.

How odd, Sunday Matt had to go for an MRI which they said would take two hours, it ended up only taking one. Wonder why? It was of his brain (after all the TRIs) so maybe they didn’t find one LOL. His specialist will get the pix but we won’t be here.

This is the flank steak recipe we used on Saturday night, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Matt thought the meat was rather tough, being flank steak, it is tougher than other meats of course.

Marinated Flank Steak

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 lbs flank steak

1. In a medium bowl, mix the oil, soy sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic, and ground black pepper. Place meat in a shallow glass dish. Pour marinade over the steak, turning meat to coat thoroughly. Cover, and refrigerate for 6 hours.

2. Preheat grill for medium-high heat.

3. Oil the grill grate. Place steaks on the grill, and discard the marinade. Grill meat for 5 minutes per side, or to desired doneness.

4. Allow to rest 10 minutes after removing from the grill

Servings: 6

Source
Author: GUYCON

Author Notes
A wonderful flank steak on the grill recipe I invented that friends just love! My girls think this is great, and it doesn't take long to grill. This also works great when sliced and used for fajitas."

Have a great day

Spam, Bear Problems, Books.

On Saturday I got two emails, Dearest in Christ, and Beloved in the Lord. Really!!! Whoever sends these, do they honestly think any intelligent person is going to respond to such stuff. Especially as the body of the emails is usually badly written with lots of mistakes. Most of such emails get filtered out, but occasionally some get through.

Bears seem to be having a hard time of it lately, there have been many reports of bears in peoples back yards, even a picture of one swimming in a pool and playing with a tennis ball. Funny to see, not funny if its your pool. There have been reports of mother bears attacking to protect their cubs and then the story in Norway of a polar bear attacking a bunch of kids and mauling several plus killing one. In the latter case the ice caps are melting and this is driving them elsewhere to seek food. Bears in North America are having problems because of the extreme heat not forgetting habitat destruction. Also if you are going to be hiking where bears live, you are risking attack. I feel very sorry for the bears, and am not sure what can be done to prevent these bear/human interactions.

Now I am reading A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin book 5 of his Song of Ice and Fire series. Considering the last book came out in 2006 its not surprising I am having a few problems with it. I haven’t read too many chapters yet, and there is a cast of characters at the end of the book so maybe I can sort it all out. I have decided there should be a law that all authors have to write a full book or series right through to the end before they are allowed to publish it. 5 years is way too long since the last book and there is yet another to come. Not only that, this book runs parallel to the last book, A Feast of Crows, it  isn’t exactly a sequel. Odd. I am awaiting another book which has been a long time coming, the sequel in the Jean M. Auel series which started with The Clan of the Cave Bear, a great book, her subsequent books have not been as good. Her last novel was 2002.

Having decided I like quinoa (kinwa) this recipe appeals to me.

Quinoa Taco Salad

By The Gluten Free Goddess
WebMD Recipe from Foodily.com

My vegan quinoa taco salad is sans tomatoes. And bean-free. No customary black beans here. But if you love black beans with a white hot passion, add 'em in. You can also add crumbled goat cheese on top, if you desire.

Ingredients

1 cup quinoa cooked in two cups water
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Juice from 2 juicy limes
Sea salt, to taste
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro or parsley
1 half small red or purple onion, diced fine
1 small yellow bell pepper, cored, seeded, diced fine
1 cup roasted corn kernels (I used frozen, roasted on a cookie sheet for 6-7 minutes, then cooled)
1 large head of crisp romaine lettuce, washed, dried, sliced crosswise
Gluten-free tortilla chips
1 large avocado, pitted, peeled, diced

Instructions

Cook the quinoa per package instructions. Fluff the cooked quinoa with a fork. Scoop the quinoa into a bowl.

Drizzle the cooked quinoa with extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat. Squeeze on fresh lime juice and toss again. Season the mixture with sea salt, to taste.

Add in the fresh chopped cilantro, diced red onion, diced yellow pepper, and roasted corn kernels. Stir lightly to distribute. Taste test for seasoning adjustments.

Line four salad bowls or plates with the fresh romaine. Spoon the quinoa salad on the center of the lettuce. Add the diced avocado to each plate. Tuck in a few tortilla chips around the edges.

Serve with an extra lime wedge.

More Options:

Add a cup of chilled, drained black beans, if you like your taco salad super hearty.

Add sliced red or yellow cherry or grape tomatoes, if you desire.

Sprinkle with the cheese of your choice.

Serve with your favourite salsa on the side.

Total Servings: 4

Nutritional Information Per Serving

Calories: 240
Carbohydrates: 41.2g
Cholesterol: 0mg
Fat: 4.4g
Saturated Fat: 0.6 g
Fibre: 5.4g
Sodium: 24 mg
Protein: 6.7 g

Have a great day