Snow, Groundhog Day, Groundhogs, Palindrome,

The snow is snowing
But the wind ain't blowing
Everywhere is white
It's a beautiful sight.

The groundhogs in Canada are very confused about their predictions this year, however, the lead prediction is that we will get an early spring. The weather man on Good Morning America said the groundhogs are only 40% right which lead to lots of joking about science vs the animals. The picture is of our local Wiarton Willie, I believe he hasn't yet made his prediction for today. They have a ceremony later on. It has been snowing all night and is still doing so which will give a good depth but won't do the roads much good. Hope I can go bowling tomorrow afternoon.

It might be of interest that they always have a white groundhog for Wiarton Willie and have to search for one whenever the current animal dies. I don't know the life expectancy of a groundhog but don't suppose it is very long. Google: In the wild, groundhogs can live up to six years with two or three being average. In captivity, groundhogs reportedly live up to 14 years. I guess they are pretty well looked after in captivity. This picture certainly shows a pretty fat groundhog.

The snow stopped around noon and that which had landed on hard surfaces such as roads and railings seems to have disappeared very quickly.

I never thought of it until ladydog came up with a Palindrome on Facebook. Today, Sunday, is 02.02.2020 - whoever thought of that is a clever bugger LOL. Of course, by the time you read this it will be all passed.

I am glad the Superbowl is over, I kept receiving recipes to serve specifically for Superbowl parties. I once went to a party for the occasion which was about the only time I understood what was going on because our host was explaining it. That was the extent of my interest in the game.

This is a somewhat different way of serving cauliflower which can be such a bland vegetable. Trust Kevin Lynch to come up with something.

Roast Head of Cauliflower in Creamy Mushroom Sauce

A whole roasted head of cauliflower topped with a creamy mushroom sauce that is just packed with flavour and nice and healthy!
Looking for a tasty side dish for a special dinner? I’ve got you covered with this roast head of

cauliflower in creamy mushroom sauce which really presents well when you place the whole head of cauliflower on the table and then slice into it to serve! Roasting cauliflower really brings out its flavour and it works just as well roasting the entire head of cauliflower as it does with roasting the florets! Once you have roasted your cauliflower you can dress it up in any number of ways and my favourite way is to top it with a creamy mushroom sauce that is just bursting with flavour! You can easily whip up the mushroom sauce while the cauliflower is roasting and when it’s done you are ready to enjoy! This roast head of cauliflower in creamy mushroom sauce is the perfect side dish for any meal!

For the creamy mushroom sauce:
2 Tbs butter
1 small onion, diced
8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tsp thyme, chopped
1/4 cup dry white wine (or broth)
1/4 cup vegetable broth or chicken broth
1/2 cup cream
1/2 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated
1 Tbs white miso paste (optional)
salt and pepper to taste
For the roast head of cauliflower:
1 large head of cauliflower
1 Tbs oil
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup gruyere, shredded (optional)

1. For the creamy mushroom sauce:

2. Melt the butter in a pan over medium heat, add the onions and mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms release their liquids and it’s absorbed, about 10 minutes.

3. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for a minute.

4. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.

5. Add the broth and cream, bring to a boil and simmer to thicken, about 2-4 minutes, before mixing in the cheese and miso and removing from the heat.

6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

7. For the roast head of cauliflower:

8. Brush the cauliflower with the oil, season with salt and pepper and roast in a preheated 450F/230C oven on a baking pan until tender, about 50-75 minutes.

9. Pour the mushroom sauce on top, sprinkle with cheese, return to the oven and broil until the cheese has melted, about 3-5 minutes.

10. Slice and enjoy topped with the mushroom sauce!

Author: Kevin Lynch
Source: Closet Cooking



Have a great day
 

Sports, Dinner,

I am so glad the Superbowl is over. I am sick to death of emails chock full of game day recipes. I have no interest in the game, I will not be hosting or going to any kind of party so recipes are no use to me whatsoever apart from the fact a lot of them are for stuff I would never eat anyway. I did go to a Superbowl party once, many years ago in NC and I enjoyed it. I still don't know what was happening and who was playing whom, but the company was good and some of the food wasn't bad either.

No idea where the picture for the Portuguese Pork Stew I posted on Saturday came from but mine didn't look anything like it, nor would it have done no matter what. If you are interested, I changed the picture. I was actually a bit disappointed with it. The Bok Choy was good though.

I am generally interested in salmon recipes and I like the sound of this one.

Salmon Cakes with Olives, Lemon and Dill

Studded with briny olives, bright lemon zest and a touch of dill, this healthy, easy salmon cake recipe is perfect for dinner and for freezing. Whether you serve the salmon cakes on a bun like a burger with lettuce and tomato or paired with a mixed green salad, try a dollop of reduced-fat mayo mixed with

lemon juice on top.

4 scallions, quartered
1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
3 Tbs coarsely chopped fresh dill, or thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 lbs wild salmon, (see Tip), skinned and cut into 2-inch chunks
4 tsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
zest of 2 lemons

1. Place scallions, olives and dill (or thyme) in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a large bowl. Stir in lemon zest, salt and pepper.

2. Working in 3 or 4 batches, pulse salmon just 2 or 3 times to finely chop, but not puree. Add the chopped salmon to the bowl; gently mix until combined. (Alternatively, finely chop salmon, scallions, olives and herbs by hand before combining with lemon zest, salt and pepper.) Divide the mixture into 8 patties, about 3 inches in diameter and 3/4 inch thick. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes (or up to 2 hours) before cooking.

3. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add 4 salmon cakes and cook until browned on both sides and just cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes total. Repeat with the remaining oil and salmon cakes.

4. TIPS

5. Wild-caught salmon from the Pacific (Alaska and Washington) is considered the best choice for the environment because it is more sustainably fished and has a more stable population. Farmed salmon, including Atlantic, should be avoided, as it endangers the wild salmon population.

Source: EatingWell.com

Have a great day
 

SuperBowl. Bowling. Pest Control. Dermatology.

I know nothing about the Superbowl and am glad it's over although I guess it will be talked about for a while. I used to occasionally watch the ads but understand from several people that they weren't worth the trouble either. Having lived in the Carolinas I kind of wanted them to win but... Not that much. I got a description of football from A Beer for the Shower. They called it a hand egg being carried around by sports teams. Good one guys.

The sport in which I do take an interest, bowling, went pretty well today. My average increased a tiny bit, but at least that meant I had reasonable scores today. One of our team was bowling like a demon for two of her games. She was really racking up the scores. We had a few moments silence for one of the league members who recently died, somewhat unexpectedly too.

Bit of an upset this morning, I called the pest control people and told them I was not impressed. They called the super's wife who said they had told her I was not to call them any more and it was all to be handled through the super or building management. Now we don't know if they are coming Wednesday or Thursday. If they come Wed. we will be here and not ready to leave. This may be the realtor's business but the realtor is not having to live with these conditions. I read an article given to me today saying bed bugs are living fossils. I would like to ensure they are no longer living fossils. If I won the lottery I would walk out of here and leave everything behind. Being pensioners, we are stuck with it.

Tuesday morning we have to go to the dermatologist again. Think there might be more skin cancer. If

only we had known, as youngsters, what we know about sun today. Even now, getting Matt to use sun screen is almost impossible. One benefit of the trip (it's in the next town) is that at the bottom of the building is a British Store which sells great Cornish Pasties so, guess what we will be having for supper tonight? These are meat and vegetable pies as made in Cornwall, England. Actually, in some parts of Cornwall, they call them oggies!

Having discovered this recipe today I think I might be making it soon. Marsala does give a delicious flavour to stews.

Marsala Chicken Stew

This Marsala chicken stew recipe gets its richness from plenty of mushrooms and onions. Make it a meal: Soak up all the saucy goodness with whole-wheat egg noodles and serve with a green salad.

Ingredients

Prep: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour

• 2   tablespoons
  extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1   pound
  boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1/4   teaspoon
  salt, divided
• 1/4   teaspoon
  freshly ground pepper, divided, plus more to taste
• 1   pound
  mushrooms, sliced
• 3  
  medium onions, chopped
• 3   tablespoons
  all-purpose flour
• 2   cloves
  garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2   cup
  Marsala, (see Tip)
• 1 1/2   cups
  reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1   tablespoon
  balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Add half the chicken and season with 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is browned on all sides and no longer pink in the center, 5 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with another 1 1/2 teaspoons oil, the remaining chicken and 1/8 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Add another 1 1/2 teaspoons oil to the pot. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they begin to soften and give off liquid, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and onions. Cook, stirring and reducing heat as necessary to keep them from burning, until the onions soften and start to turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes.
3. Add flour and garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in Marsala and cook, stirring, for 1 minute more. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook, stirring often, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and the reserved chicken, along with any juice. Return to a simmer. Season with additional pepper, if desired.

Tip

Tip: Marsala, a fortified wine from Sicily, is a flavorful addition to many sauces. Don’t use the “cooking Marsala” sold in many supermarkets—it can be surprisingly high in sodium. Instead, purchase Marsala that’s sold with other fortified wines in your wine or liquor store. An opened bottle can be stored in a cool, dry place for months.

This recipe comes from Web MD.

Have a great day
 

Exchange, Purple Tomatoes.

I mentioned the exchange rate between the US and Canada. Today I cashed a cheque for $40 US and got $43.40. Fine when it’s coming in, but not so good when it’s going out. Unless something drastic happens I don’t think we will be vacationing in the States this year. The trouble is, it’s dollars to dollars so one notices it, when we lived in Europe, we just bought francs, marks or guilders without thinking about it. Of course it’s all euro today so no exchange other than travelling from Great Britain. Good day for me, not only did I get a cheque for $40 but I got paid for my stamps so that was another $40. Wish I could find some more misprinted stamps.

Here’s a new one, a genetically modified tomato which is purple because it has been modified to contain cancer fighting anthocyanins similar to blueberries which is what turns them purple. These have been grown in Leamington, Ontario, which isn’t very far from here. One of my main questions, what do they taste like? I find most of the tomatoes available in stores today are pretty tasteless and hardly worth the effort. The last time we had tomatoes we really thought tasted good was from a particular farm in Bogue, North Carolina from who we used to buy them by the bushel load.

OK, so here’s another recipe for the Superbowl on Sunday. Thinking of you again Tina Downey. Once more potato, this time skins which I personally love. It’s a fairly easy Kraft recipe.

Super Skins

Save the baked potatoes out of their skins for another day. These loaded potato halves are skins only—filled with CHEEZ WHIZ, bacon bits and sour cream.
24 servings

What You Need

6 baking potatoes (2 lb.), baked
2 Tbsp.  oil
1 jar  (15 oz.) CHEEZ WHIZ Cheese Dip
1/4 cup  OSCAR MAYER Real Bacon Bits
1/2 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
2 green onions, sliced

Make It

HEAT oven to 375°F.
CUT potatoes lengthwise in half; scoop out centers, leaving 1/4-inch-thick shells. (Reserve centers for another use.) Cut shells crosswise in half.
PLACE shells, skin-sides down, on baking sheet; brush insides of shells lightly with oil. Bake 15 min. or until golden brown.
MICROWAVE CHEEZ WHIZ in microwaveable bowl on HIGH 3 min., stirring after 1-1/2 min. Spoon into potato shells; top with remaining ingredients.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Size-Wise
Savour every bite of this warm appetizer. Each serving, 1 potato skin, goes a long way on flavour.
Shortcut
Prepare as directed, substituting frozen waffle fries or french fries for the baked potato shells. Bake fries as directed on package. Place on serving plate. Serve topped with remaining ingredients.
Substitute
To prepare using VELVEETA® instead of the CHEEZ WHIZ, cut 1/2 lb. (8 oz.) VELVEETA into 1/2-inch cubes; place in microwaveable bowl. Microwave on HIGH 3 min. or until melted, stirring after 1-1/2 min. Pour into potato shells, then top with remaining ingredients as directed.

Have a great day

Bloody Snow, Superbowl.

Now that’s friendship. On Saturday evening it started to snow really heavily around 4. Our friends were due to arrive at 5:30, they drove through appalling conditions to get here, for a start their wipers kept icing up so they had to stop and fix them, and all just because they knew we had been cooking for them. Really and truly, as they said themselves, they shouldn’t have come in that weather. Looking out of our window we couldn’t see the trees in the park most of the time. This snow storm came out of the blue, no-one forecast it, they said light snow, ha!!! We ended up with about 3 inches on our balcony wall and that usually means a lot of snow, especially as the fall didn’t last much longer than a couple of hours. However, they did arrive and we had a delightful evening. Their journey home was not as bad, they told us, for one thing it had stopped snowing by then, but they had to spend half an hour shovelling their drive in order to get the car into the garage. Think I would have left it out and done the shovelling the next day.

It gave us an opportunity to roast a leg of lamb, quite a large one, as there are not so many people we can share it with. Funnily enough having mentioned it at bowling on Friday, we found at least two people in our small Friday group, who did like lamb. Our friends tried mint sauce, which they were unfamiliar with, she liked it, he did not, he joined with Matt in that, he has never like it.

As I just said on another blog, with lots of snow around, once upon a time we would have been out there cross country skiing. We both used to love doing that and it made the winter so much fun and so short. Alas no longer possible for either of us.

Not that I am interested in the Superbowl, but I see the Green Bay Packers beat the Pittsburg Steelers. The Cheeseheads won. I haven’t read a report, but I wonder how many made it to Texas to see the game. The weather was so bad down there and they had lots of cancelled flights. I missed anything about the Superbowl ads which is the only part of the game in which I take an interest, ah well.

For Saturday I tried a new way, to me, of doing green beans, pretty simple, but it improved the taste terrifically. I think the stock helped without anything else. I also saw similar recipes which added lemon juice or soy sauce, I didn’t try either.

Green Beans Almondine

Green beans

Chicken stock

Butter

Sliced almonds

Basically top and tail the beans, then snap into bite sized pieces.  Cook the beans in chicken stock until they are tender. Drain and toss in butter and sprinkle with sliced almonds.

Have a great day

Movie, Unrest and the Superbowl.

Sadly, I have finished watching Pride and Prejudice, I am not sure if I saw this version before, think I might have done, I certainly enjoyed Colin Firth as Mr. Darcy and loved Jennifer Ehle as Miss Elizabeth Bennett. Alison Steadman was good as Mrs. Bennett, I wanted to throttle her several times. In fact I can’t remember thinking any of the cast as not portraying their characters very well. I did not want it to end, and am even more decided I shall purchase a DVD of this movie.

Egypt is up in flames at the moment. I normally think of them as a relatively passive country, but not right now. Not funny if you happen to be touring when things like this happen. Like Mexico and their drug wars, I wouldn’t go near the place although incredibly, lots of tourists are still pouring into the country. Do they think they are exempt from bullets, I wonder?

I see the Superbowl is scheduled for February 6. I watched one game once, we went to a friends’ house for a party and watched most of the game. The friend explained to me what was going on as I have no idea about football (American that is) and I actually quite enjoyed the game. Those same friends are Green Bay Packer fans so will no doubt be glued to the TV this year. If you are a Packer fan, you wear a cheese hat as shown in the picture. The Packers are from Wisconsin which is the dairy state. I like this picture, she has a cheese bra on as well. Amazing what people will do for sports. Like those people who paint their bodies to match team colours and then attend the game on a cold day without a shirt on, brrrrr.

Sadly, by the way, Matt’s cortisone shot doesn’t seem to have worked.

I love soups, and this one is a recipe from the kitchens of Jenny Craig (the diet company) given to Good Morning America by their spokeswoman, Valerie Bertinelli. I looked into Jenny Craig, but it costs more per week than we spend for two of us. I found this on Good Morning America’s site.

Valerie Bertinelli's Tuscan Style Soup

The Actress Shares One of Her Favorite Low-Calorie Recipes

Servings: 4

Tuscan Style Soup satisfies with 63 calories, 2 grams of fat and 300 milligrams of sodium. The recipe is courtesy of Jenny Craig, of which Valerie Bertinelli is a spokeswoman. For more of her favorite dishes visit www.jennycraig.com.

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup eggplant, peeled and cubed 1 cup water 1 can whole tomatoes, no salt added, undrained and chopped (14 1/2-ounce) 1 can sliced mushrooms, drained (OR 1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced) 1 clove garlic, minced 1 small summer (yellow) squash, coarsely chopped 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, dried 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 12 oz can chicken broth, reduced sodium 8 tbsp Pecorino Romano cheese, freshly grated

Directions

Combine the first 10 ingredients in a large saucepan, stirring well.

Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat, and simmer 25 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

To serve, ladle soup into individual bowls; sprinkle 2 tbsp of Pecorino Romano cheese.

Have a great weekend

Snow, The Superbowl.

Well, as it turned out, Washington, D.C. didn't get a record snow fall, they got 60 cm which was enough to paralyse them mind you. Philadelphia won out this time, they got about 72 cm. According to a friend who lives in Philly, they are supposed to get yet more snow on Wednesday. Isn't it odd when British Columbia are having to ship in snow for the Olympic Games. I bet they would have given their eye teeth for all the snow that fell in the east on Saturday. The picture was taken in Washington and gives you an idea how much they got.

I gather the Superbowl ads weren't as good as they used to be. According to the GMA correspondent the best one was the Snickers ad which featured Betty White. They showed it and I didn't think much of it. The game itself was a surprise apparently with the New Orleans Saints winning - they were not the favourites, but the people of New Orleans celebrated all night we are told. I once went to a Superbowl party and our host explained what was going on in the game to me so in fact I quite enjoyed watching it. However, whatever he explained has more or less gone out of the window and I have no idea what is going on any more. Matt watches American football now and again, he also sometimes watches soccer but says it isn't the same as when he used to play. They didn't use substitutes - if one man was injured you played one man short. His preference these days is golf.

The following looked so good in the picture, I thought I would share it. However, I am not so sure about buying dumplings. They are so easy to make, however, it is obviously quicker to buy ready made and if that is the way you prefer to go, here is a recipe. Zesty Shrimp Dumplings

Kraft Kitchens

Makes: 9 servings, 2 dumplings (32 g) and 1 Tbsp.

What You Need!

2 Tbsp. oil 1 pkg. (270 g) frozen shrimp dumplings (18 pieces)

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro 9 Tbsp. KRAFT SIGNATURE Asian Sesame Dressing

Make It!

HEAT oil in large skillet on medium heat. Add dumplings; cook 5 min., turning occasionally. PLACE on platter; sprinkle with cilantro. SERVE as dippers with dressing. Kraft Kitchens Tips Substitute Prepare using vegetable, chicken or pork dumplings.

Have a great day

Chicken Wings and Superbowl. Hips and Bowen

I haven't had chicken wings for ages and have recently been having a bit of a craving for them. However, in the States the Superbowl is coming up at the end of the month and someone on the radio was talking about snacks for a Superbowl party. She mentioned that 7 chicken wings is equal to 1,000 calories. One thousand calories!!!! I guess I won't be giving in to my craving after all. I once went to a Superbowl party at a friend's home and thoroughly enjoyed it. He was an American football nut and I actually understood what was going on for the first and only time. Actually today's recipe would also be good for a Superbowl party. A warning - I may not be around much for a while. My hip is beginning to give me a lot of pain so I might have to have something done. I don't want to right now as it is in the middle of our bowling season and just having got my own bowling balls, etc. etc. plus tournaments coming up. However, I am going to Let It Heal for some Bowen Therapy and noon today and hopefully it will help. I have a lot of faith in Bowen Therapy which helped me a lot last time I went to them. This pain came on very suddenly after bowling yesterday, I was fine whilst I was actually playing, but about an hour later, ow. Not only that I was playing really badly so I have no consolation whatsoever *g*. Some of you may not know that I already had one hip replaced about 4 years ago. I am not as bionic as Matt who has had two hips and a knee replaced. Hips are basically a doddle, knees are NOT funny however. I always enjoy Bruschetta (pronounced Brusketta by the way) and the Food and Drink magazine has a nice one. Focaccia Bruschetta with Roasted Red Pepper and Bocconcini Warm, substantial nibbles with drinks add to fireside relaxation. Fresh basil is an indulgence as is focaccia and combined they make these toasts memorable. The focaccia pieces should be sliced 3/4 inch thick and about 4 inches long. Topping 3 large sweet red peppers 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil 1 tbs olive oil 1 tsp balsamic vinegar 1 large clove garlic, minced 2 tsp dry leaf oregano 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper 5 oz bocconcini 2 tbs toasted pine nuts Bruschetta 12 to 16 slices focaccia 2 tbs olive oil Roast peppers under broiler, turning frequently until skins are bubbling and blackened in places. Cool; then peel and seed. Slice peppers into strips, place in a bowl. Stir in basil, oil, vinegar, garlic, oregano, salt and pepper,until well mixed Dice cheese; there should be about 1 cup. Stir cheese and pine nuts into red pepper mixture (if making ahead, cover and refrigerate for up to a day). When ready to serve, preheat broiler. Rub focaccia on both cut sides with olive oil. Toast each side 2 to 3 minutes or until browned. Top each slice with some of the pepper mixture, pressing gently to secure atop focaccia. Return to the broiler for 2 to 3 minutes until topping is hot and cheese is melted. Transfer to a warmed serving platter; serve immediately. My note: If you are unfamiliar with bocconcini, they are the small round buffalo mozzarella cheeses. Makes 12 to 16 nibbles. Have a great day.