Snow, Dentist, Stove.

We've been having a drop of winter here lately although not as bad as south of us apparently. Thank goodness. It really hasn't been that bad a winter this year, but it is dragging along. As I keep saying though, the worst snow storm I ever remember was in April.

Not a lot to write about right now, Dentist at 9 a.m. this morning and I am not sure what they will be doing but hoping it will not stop me bowling this afternoon.

One thing I did manage to recalibrate my stove and tested it today. It came out at exactly the right temperature. So now I am happy.

This looked really interesting, I love swordfish anyway so I thought this would be good.

Coconut-Crusted Swordfish with Kumquat Sauce

This coconut-crusted swordfish is served with a delightfully tart sauce made with kumquats—tiny citrus fruit that you can eat whole, including the skins and seeds. For an extra hint of coconut flavor,

sear the fish steak in coconut oil. Serve with brown rice and glazed carrots.

2 swordfish or mahi-mahi steaks (8-10 ounces each)
¾ tsp salt, divided
¼ tsp pepper
½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
½ cup orange juice ¼ teaspoon cornstarch
1 Tbs canola oil or coconut oil plus 2 teaspoons, divided
½ cup sliced kumquats, seeded if desired
¼ cup finely chopped shallot ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste
Preparation

1. Cut each fish steak in half horizontally so you have 4 thin steaks. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Place coconut in a shallow dish and dredge the fish in it. Mix orange juice and cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the fish until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil to keep warm. Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil, kumquats, shallot, crushed red pepper and the remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the kumquats start to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the orange juice mixture and let simmer for 1 minute. Serve the sauce over the fish.

Source: EatingWell

Author Notes If you can't find kumquats, try using orange or clementine segments.


Have a great day
 

Stove, Royal Nova Scotia Tattoo, Bowling,

I finally figured out how to calibrate the stove. You have to press two buttons at once and I was having trouble giving equal pressure to both and obviously then it didn't work. However, you can only increase it by half a degree at a time. Bit stupid!! Pain in the rear end too. This is not quite the same but the two buttons on the left, top and bottom, are the one's you have to depress.  Later I talked to the guy who was coming to fix it. I told him the stove was no longer under warranty. He said was I going to pay - $80 odd. I said no way. Talked to him about calibrating. According to him I should be able to do so much more easily, oh well. He said the easiest way to do it was just to up the temperature when I was cooking.

We've been watching the Royal Nova Scotia Tattoo 2016 tonight, dedicated to Her Majesty's 90th.  I remember being taken to the Royal Edinburgh Tattoo in London when I was in my late teens and thoroughly enjoying it. The Scotia one very much celebrates their roots in Scotland and Ireland. Couple of things brought tears to my eyes. A lot about the first world war too. What a waste of time war is. Especially that one. There was a letter from someone's grandfather describing how over 700 Nova Scotians went over the wall and in 30 minutes, only abut 100 staggered back. Why don't we learn?
birthday which actually occurs in April, 21st as I recall because my cousin's birthday is on the same date. I was staying with his family the first time the anthem was played for her that day and they were saying it was for them (he had a twin). I wasn't very old, but I wasn't that young!!

Nearly forgot, I bowled up a storm today, how very unusual for a league day. Only trouble was, the team we were playing against also bowled up a storm in the first game. They beat us by 4 points. Grrr.

We love stuffed Belgian Endive and here is a new, to me, recipe. Very easy to do.

Stuffed Belgian Endive

6 oz (150 g) goat cheese
3 Tbs (45 ml) milk
1 scallion (green and white part), finely chopped
2 Tbs (30 ml) finely chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) chopped walnuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 large heads Belgian endive (French endive, witloof) leaves separated

1. Combine the goat cheese, milk, scallion, parsley, garlic, and walnuts in a bowl and beat with a spoon until smooth and creamy. Spoon or pipe the cheese mixture onto the individual endive leaves.

 Author Notes Serves 4 to 6 as a first course, 8 to 12 as an hors d'oeuvre.

Source: WW Recipes

Have a great day
 

DST, Time, Stove.

Now there's odd. I got up about my usual time on Sunday to find Matt all teed because he had missed his morning TV. Neither of us realised the clocks went forward this weekend. Yes, I had seen it on the internet but I thought it was for England because we had already done ours. Of course we hadn't but it doesn't seem like several months ago when we last changed our clocks and were groaning about how useless it all is these days. Obviously when one is retarded retired it doesn't make much difference although we would be late for bowling on Monday. Mind you I would have been late for my champers on Sunday morning, very serious. LOL.

It seems my perception of time is somewhat skewed these days. I was trying to adjust the thermostat

on our stove - following the instructions in the book - because some things have not been cooking properly. I couldn't seem to achieve what the book said I should, so I phone GE. The girl wanted to know how long we had had the stove, I said it was delivered last year. I looked back in this blog the next day and it appears to have been delivered in April 2014. I can't believe we have been using the damned thing for 2  years. They told me it was under warranty, but I don't think so now bearing in mind how long it has been here. One thing it didn't cook properly was the turkey. However, the white meat was enough cooked that we could eat it. I put a thermometer in the oven when I set it for 425°F the other day and when it pinged, the thermometer read about 350°F. I didn't occur to me before that it was the stove, thought it was my fault. It doesn't fit in our kitchen either, it has to stand a good 2 inches out from the back wall. The stove is OK, it's the back panel which won't fit.

I was looking for a recipe for Baby Bok Choy and all the ones I could find at first included Soy Sauce. As I already had Soy Sauce in my main dish, I didn't want more. I finally came across this one. Matt didn't think much of it, I thoroughly enjoyed it. A very simple dish to prepare and tasty in my opinion.

Baby Bok Choy With Garlic

Not sure where I found this baby bok choy recipe, it's either from Gourmet or Bon Appetit. It's quick, delicious, and compliments any Asian stir-fry

1/8 cup unsalted butter
5 tsp minced garlic (or to taste)
12 -14 baby bok choy (washed thoroughly)
1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over moderate heat.

2. Add minced garlic and saute about 2-3 minutes until barely golden/brown.

3. Add bok choy and chicken broth and simmer until bok choy is tender, turning occasionally, about 8 minutes.

4. Season with salt and pepper.

5. Use a slotted spoon to serve.

Servings: 4

Source: Crabzilla

Have a great day