Mandarin, Tanzanite.

Not a lot to say today. I satisfied my craving for Hot and Sour Soup on Tuesday. Plus had lots of good eats at the Mandarin restaurant. I expect that will be the last visit this year. I also bought some for takeaway which I will probably have for lunch tomorrow. Matt isn't really interested in it so just bought enough for me.

One thing, I was looking at a ring on Amazon.ca for Matt to buy me for Christmas. I went right through the process up to the end when I discovered they wanted $40 for shipping and handling!

What? one tiny little ring to be shipped in Canada to a Canadian address. Nuts to that.  Pity. However there are two jewellers locally going out of business so maybe we will go see what they have. I have gone nuts about Tanzanite and really want a ring. Mind you, the ones I would really like are considerably outside my price range, running into the thousands. I seem to remember this particular one which I showed the other day was up in the high $4 - $5,000s, The one I was looking at was at a very reduced price, although I couldn't tell just how small it was. I would possibly have been disappointed I guess.

As I said, I have never made cookies. So I thought maybe I would have a look at some recipes and see how hard, or easy, it would be for me to do. I came across this one from Kevin's Closet Cooking. I have left in all the details.

Pecan Pie Cookies

Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 25 minutes Servings: 12

All of the flavours of pecan pie in cookie form!

ingredients

1 pie crust
1/2 cup pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt

directions

1. Roll the pie crust out, cut out 2-3 inch circles (re-rolling the leftover dough as needed), fold up the edges about 1/4 inch and fill with the mixture of the pecans, butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, eggs and salt.
2. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking pan and bake in a preheated 400F/200C oven until the filling has just set, about 8-10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

Option: Top with drizzled chocolate!

Nutrition Facts: Calories 188, Fat 10g (Saturated 3g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 36mg, Sodium 144mg, Carbs 21g (Fiber 0.8g, Sugars 11g), Protein 2g

Have a great day
 

Tight Clothes, Christmas Eve Bowling. Tanzanite.

I have been thinking a lot lately about women who are obese or simply overweight and insist on wearing clothes which are tight or too small. I don't understand it. Don't they ever look in the mirror? Don't they have any one at home who would tell them? It seems to apply to all ages too, not just the older ones. Do they young ones think they look sexy in tight clothes even though they have rolls of fat and jutting out rear ends? I would like to gather them all together and give them a lecture. I have had weight problems all my life and I have never, and would never, wear tight clothes. There was one time when I could have done so I guess and at that time mini dresses were all the rage. I did wear those. But I was NOT overweight. I just Googled for pictures and saw some really gross ones. I suppose this is not exclusive to women, men do the same, but I see more women on a regular basis at both bowling and exercise classes I suppose and it just horrifies me. I was also just reminded about swimwear. Particularly when we went to the Dominican and saw gigantic women in bikinis or men in tiny little swim suits which you could hardly see because of the rolls of fat. Then again, why do people let themselves get that fat in the first place. Many will try and convince you it's glandular. In fact I am told that it is a very rare disorder to have. Maybe I'm lucky that the only thing I pig out on, these days, is asparagus and then only in the spring. Not that I couldn't pig out regularly on various foods but I am not tempted to do so any more (I don't think I ever was actually). It is actually not that difficult to lose weight, the difficulty comes in keeping it off and, believe you me, it is very difficult.

Thursday bowling I did well as usual, so did Matt although he did very well on Monday too this week. I talked to some friends who bowl on Thursday's too and we have decided to have a little party together on Christmas Eve. This means that I too will have to provide some treats and I don't make cookies. I guess I will be buying. I have never made cookies in my life, as far as I remember. Too easy to pick up and stuff in one's mouth maybe. I sure am not going to start now. One woman said veggies and dip. Maybe I could do a fruit platter. Hmmm.

I have just discovered, well I had heard of it before, the gem Tanzanite. Didn't know much about it, but lately I have had a few ads come through by email. This was a picture in today's. I want, I want. I won't get though, too expensive. Isn't it beautiful?

This is what I am planning for supper.

Braised Paprika Chicken

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Sweet Hungarian paprika gives this creamy braised chicken the best flavor. This is a good “pantry dish” since you should have the basics on hand and only need to purchase the chicken. You may vary the recipe by using cubed veal shoulder instead of chicken and mushrooms instead of peppers. Serve with whole-wheat orzo flavored with minced parsley or dill.

Ingredients

• 3-3 1/2 pounds bone-in chicken pieces, (thighs, drumsticks and/or breasts), skin removed, trimmed
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 4 cups finely diced onions
• 1 pinch sugar
• 1 cup diced red bell pepper
• 1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons finely minced fresh parsley, dill and/or chives

Instructions

Step 1

Pat chicken pieces dry with paper towels and season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper.

Step 2

Heat oil and butter in a large heavy casserole or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and sprinkle with sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are very soft and light brown, 10 to 15 minutes.

Step 3

Stir in bell peppers, tomato paste, paprika and crushed red pepper. Add the chicken and stir it gently into the onion mixture. Sprinkle with marjoram and add broth. Cover the pot with a tight-fitting lid and simmer over medium-low heat until the chicken is very tender, about 50 minutes.

Step 4

Just before the chicken is done, whisk sour cream, flour and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth.

Step 5

When the chicken is done, remove it to a plate. Stir the sour cream mixture into the sauce; return to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce coats the spoon. Reduce heat to low, return the chicken to the sauce and reheat, about 1 minute. Serve garnished with parsley, dill and/or chives, if desired.

Have a great day