Thanksgiving and Elections, TV,

I must say I will be glad when Thanksgiving in the US is over. I am sick of all the Thanksgiving sides and desserts in the recipes I am getting. I didn't know there were so many ways to cook Brussels Sprouts, not to mention roasted asparagus (way out of season of course, unless you live in Ecuador or Chile). There there are Pecan Pumpkin Pies, never liked Pumpkin pie anyway, shh don't tell anyone. Of course talking of things "going on forever" we are also having to put up with American Electioneering with which we are being pounded every day from one source or another. Sadly a lot of our TV comes from the States. I have never understood why they can't have their elections over in a few weeks like Canada or the UK. Not that I have ever understood US elections anyway. I was talking to a woman from Philadelphia the other day, she doesn't really understand them either!!

Oops, it is already 11 - got engrossed watching The Chaperone with the lead part being played by Elizabeth McGovern who played Her Ladyship in Downton Abbey. It was an excellent play and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Based on fact apparently. So anyway, I am running late.

Roasted Filet of Beef with Whole-Grain Mustard and Herb Crust

If ever there is a time of year to treat your family to a whole beef tenderloin, Christmas is it. Don't be

intimidated by the size of the roast or the precise cooking times. A fillet of beef is easy to cook as long as you have a meat thermometer handy. Be sure to let the meat rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing to allow the juices and flavors to set.

1/4 cup whole-grain mustard
3 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs dried savory, finely crumbled
1 Tbs dried thyme, finely crumbled
1 whole filet of beef (7 to 8 lb. untrimmed or 5 to 6 lb. trimmed)
Vegetable oil for sautéing
Coarse salt
Freshly ground black pepper

1. In a small bowl, mix together the mustard, olive oil, savory, and thyme.

2. Trim the meat of all excess fat and silverskin. Cut the filet in half to make two equal pieces about 7 inches long. You’ll have one piece with the broad double-pieced butt portion and a thinner piece that tapers to a small tip. Tuck the tapered tip under and tie with twine to fashion two equally thick roasts. Tie each roast at 2-inch intervals.

3. Heat the oven to 450 degrees F. Heat a heavy-duty roasting pan or large Dutch oven or skillet over medium-high heat. Pour in enough vegetable oil to just cover the bottom of the pan. Pat the filets dry, salt them generously, and lay them in the pan; cook without disturbing them until the bottoms are a rich brown. Turn the beef and sear the other sides. It will take about 4 min. per side (there are three or four sides per roast) to get a good sear.

4. When the filets are seared, transfer them to a cutting board, brush them with the mustard and herb mix, and then generously grind fresh pepper over them. Put a rack in the roasting pan, lay the meat on the rack, and roast until the internal temperature reaches 120 degrees F for medium rare, about 20 min. (Check after 15 min.; roasting time will vary depending on searing time.) Remove the filets from the oven and let them rest in the warm spot for at least 15 min. before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Servings: 10

Source: Fine Cooking

Have a great day
 

Koi and Goldfish, Mandarin, Thanksgiving, Air Fryer,

I never knew until this morning that goldfish were actually carp and I believe koi are too. I was reading a fascinating article about a scientist who had a goldfish as a kid. She touched him and realised his skin was scaly so she added lotion to the water!! The Mandarin has a koi pond in the lobby area - very appropriate for a Chinese restaurant - and sometimes I like to watch them. It is quite a big pond in fact.


This photo of Mandarin Restaurant is courtesy of TripAdvisor and is from another Mandarin, but the pond is very similar and stretches under the entry way coming out the other side. I assume, but don't know, they have professional people to come and maintain it.

At one time I wanted a koi pond, used to know someone who had one on their property and the fish survived even in winter which is surprising. Mind  you this was in North Carolina. Don't think it would work in Canada. We were supposed to be joining our friends there for lunch next week, but they were in a car accident on Friday so are out of commission for a while. Not badly hurt I gather, thank goodness, but the car was totalled.

Today is, of course, is Thanksgiving in Canada. We did our celebration, just the two of us, on Saturday by eating our Easy Carve Stuffed Turkey Breast. I do miss being able to buy turkey breasts cheaply, which I could in North Carolina, but as we don't travel any more, I am out of luck. However, the one I cooked was quite enjoyable and I have another waiting for Christmas. We had a nice Pinot Grigio with it - made a change as we normally drink a red wine on a Saturday. I miss the good times we used to have in NC when I would cook a turkey and all the trimmings and have a whole bunch of friends to dinner. Nowadays entertaining is somewhat beyond me any more.

My friend Ivy, The Happy Whisk, just posted a new video on iTunes in which she was cooking Hungarian hot peppers in her air fryer. Not sure about the heat (spiciness) of what she cooked, think she is tougher than I am, but it did make me think of roasting regular bell peppers. I love roasted peppers pickled but had never thought about doing them this way, thanks Ivy. Must order me some peppers from the grocery store. I don't use my air fryer for as many different things as I could because I am so busy playing with the Instant Pot.

This is a stew I liked the sound of although I might have to change the meat source as Matt isn't too fond of bones of any kind. In fact it could, of course, be done in the Instant Pot.

Asian Beef Stew

This brothy stew is succulent and soothing, but sisters Jasmine and Melissa Hemsley invigorate it

with fish sauce, Asian spices and lemon juice. “We both just love sour flavors,” says Jasmine Hemsley. “It’s our Filipino mum’s influence.”

2 Tbs coconut oil
5 lbs English-cut short ribs
Sea salt Pepper
1 red onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 Tbs finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
3 whole star anise pods
3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch pieces
3 Tbs Asian fish sauce
1 14.5-ounce can crushed tomatoes in juice
2 cups beef stock or broth
4 cups stemmed curly spinach (4 ounces)
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
Chopped cilantro, for garnish

In a large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the coconut oil. Season the ribs with salt and pepper. Working in 2 batches, brown the ribs over moderately high heat, turning, 4 to 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the ribs to a large plate. Add the onion, garlic and ginger to the casserole and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes. Stir in the five-spice powder, then add the star anise, carrots, celery and fish sauce and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, stock and short ribs to the casserole and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, turning the ribs every hour, until they are very tender, about 2 1/2 hours.

Discard the star anise. Stir the spinach and lemon juice into the casserole and season with salt and pepper. Divide the stew among serving bowls and garnish with cilantro.

Servings: 4

Author: MELISSA HEMSLEY and JASMINE HEMSLEY
Source: Food & Wine





Have a great day
 

Spanish, Bowling, Thanksgiving, Nothing Like A Dame,

I have kind of got into the habit of doing my Spanish in the morning which works out much better, although I won't be able to on Wednesday as that is my last TEACH session at the ALZ Society. I will miss it. A  very helpful course and I hope they will have others in the future. Although I have been imposing on ladydog  to keep Matt company - and clean the silver LOL. Mind you I think if Zoey (the dog) was there I don't think Matt would notice anything else.

Monday is bowling and I don't know if Matt will bowl or not - he was talking about trying yesterday, but that was yesterday. Keep your fingers crossed for me that I can bowl as well as I did last week.

I can't believe it is our Thanksgiving next Monday. Seems only a short while ago since we were celebrating it last time. I cannot remember, for the life of me, if we bowl that day or not. Will have to check. Mind you I cook on the Saturday anyway.

Watched a super documentary last night, Nothing Like a Dame with Judi Dench, Joan Plowright, Maggie Smith and Eileen Atkins. All have been awarded honours by the Royal  and therefore should be addressed as Dame Judi, etc. It was absolutely hilarious, especially between Maggie Smith and Judi Dench. One of the funniest things I have seen in years. It was brilliant. I didn't know Joan Plowright was married to Sir Lawrence Olivier either which made her both Lady Joan and Dame Joan. Lots of jokes about their ages and Maggie Smith told Judi Dench that she MUST get hearing aids.

When I saw this recipe, I couldn't resist it. Looked so delicious. In my case I would probably use Scotch whisky instead of Bourbon but otherwise, yum. Actually rum would also be good I think. Depending on your diet considerations, I might whisk up some cream, rather than milk, as a  topper. (And I wonder why I am gaining weight?)

Bourbon Hot Cocoa

Chocolate and bourbon? Say no more. Make this delicious hot chocolate recipe from scratch on a

cold winter day.

½ cup bittersweet chocolate pieces
¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
4 cups fat-free milk
2 Tbs honey
½ cup (4 oz.) bourbon
Ground cinnamon (optional)

1. In a medium saucepan stir together chocolate pieces and cocoa powder. Whisk in 3½ cups of the milk and the honey. Cook over medium heat just until boiling and chocolate pieces are melted, whisking constantly. Stir in bourbon. For frothy topper, pour the remaining ½ cup milk into a medium bowl. Microwave 20 to 30 seconds or just until warm. Beat with whisk until frothy. Serve cocoa with frothy topper and, if desired, sprinkle with cinnamon or additional cocoa powder.

Servings: 6

Source: Diabetic Living Magazine

Have a great day

Missing Blog, Thanksgiving,

Sorry no blog yesterday, was a bit under the weather. Still am, not bowling today.  My IBS is playing me up.

By the way, on Tuesday I got the results from my Ultra Sound and, just as I thought, I am suffering from venous deficiency, i.e. not enough blood getting to my legs. The study compared to an ultra sound I had in 2017. One of the things mentioned on the results is dyslipidemia. Never heard of it so Googled. Reading to the bottom it says:

You could have dyslipidemia and never know it. Like high blood pressure, high cholesterol doesn’t have obvious symptoms. It’s often discovered during a routine blood test.

However, dyslipidemia can lead to cardiovascular disease, which can be symptomatic. High LDL cholesterol levels are associated with coronary artery disease (CAD), which is blockage in the arteries of your heart, and peripheral artery disease (PAD), which is blockage in the arteries of your legs. CAD can lead to chest pain and eventually a heart attack. The main symptom of PAD is leg pain when walking. I  have been putting up with pain in my legs for a few years now and nobody knew this before!!!

On the advice of the Manager of the Click and Collect Department at my grocery, I have decided to try a stuffed breast of turkey for our Thanksgiving Dinner. It apparently takes 2 1/2 to 3 hrs to cook and will be a reasonable size for Matt and I. The picture looks good of course. I hope it will turn out to be as good as it looks. We will be having our dinner on Saturday. I have been toying with the idea of getting more pre-prepared meals to save me spending so long in the kitchen when it hurts. However, from the above, maybe I won't be doing that anyway.

I thought this sounded a very unusual recipe. Chorizo is certainly available round here. We have a strong Portuguese contingent in the next town. They look absolutely delicious. I first 'met' chorizo in Spain where my parents lived for a few years.

Chorizo Stuffed Bell Peppers

6 bell peppers, tops cut off and seeded
1 lb chorizo sausage
1 stalk celery, minced
1 carrot, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
chopped fresh parsley
chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup uncooked long grain rice
1/2 cup water
1/3 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1/3 cup shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can tomato soup

1. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Place peppers in boiling water, and cook 5 minutes. Remove, and set aside to cool.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

3. In a large skillet, cook chorizo until almost brown. Drain fat. Stir in celery, carrots, onions, and garlic. Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, basil, rice, and water. Cover, and simmer until rice is cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, and mix in Monterey Jack, Cheddar, and Mozzarella cheeses.

4. Place peppers upright on a baking sheet. Stuff each pepper with the chorizo mixture. Sprinkle extra cheese on top.

5. In a small bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to give the soup the consistency of gravy. Pour generously over peppers. Cover with foil.

6. Bake in preheated oven about 30 minutes.

Servings: 6

Source: AllRecipes
Author: MALAPSO

Author Notes
Aluminum foil helps keep food moist, ensures it cooks evenly, keeps leftovers fresh, and makes clean-up easy.

Have a great day
 

Cold, Medical, Junk Food, Thanksgiving,

It's cold. After all the fantastically warm weather we have had for months, it suddenly seems like winter. Maybe not quite that bad but what a contrast to the weather we have been having. Not only that, I am having to dress up warmly indoors as the heat is not yet turned on in the building. I can't remember when they do turn it on, I am guessing October 1, or today, but I don't know. I am also wondering if there is a new Superintendent yet. I have seen the previous assistant, I thought he had quit but obviously not.

Matt had bad back spasms on Saturday which apparently caused some kind of panic attack and I ended up calling the ambulance. They gave him pain meds and a muscle relaxant and I brought him home again. He has a scrip for a muscle relaxant but I am not sure he really needs it. Looking at the scrip I see they have our old doctor listed, but we changed and I did tell them when I was there but far be it for someone to think if I had changed, Matt would have done too. I have emailed them but I guess I should phone and make sure.

Sunday morning I watched Dr. Jennifer Ashton on GMA talking about dieting and junk food. Apparently it has been discovered that people actually have withdrawal symptoms on days 2-5 (I think) when cutting out junk food. They are just as addicted as people with drug or alcohol addictions. As she said, junk food is calorie rich and nutrient poor. Her advice, eat from the farm and not from the factory. I thought that was an excellent motto to adopt.

Canadian Thanksgiving is a week today, October 8. Many people will be stuffing themselves on turkey and ham and other goodies. I thought this would be an appropriate recipe for the feast. I am not yet sure what, if anything, I will cook specially for Thanksgiving.

Maple Pecan Pie

I used the recipe for the pecan pie filling that I found on Joy of Baking as a start and

replaced the corn syrup with maple syrup.

1 1/2 cups pecans
1 cup brown sugar
2/3 cup maple syrup (or golden syrup)
1 Tbs bourbon (optional)
1/4 cup unsalted butter
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1 pie crust, chilling in the fridge until used

1. Bake the pecans in a preheated 350F/180C until nicely toasted, about 8-12 minutes.

2. Heat the sugar, syrup, bourbon and butter in a large saucepan until it boils, stirring constantly.

3. Remove from heat and let cool.

4. Beat in the eggs, cream, vanilla and salt.

5. Spread the pecans over the bottom of the pie crust.

6. Pour the liquid mixture into the pie crust.

7. Bake in a preheated 350F/180C until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40-50 minutes.

Servings: 6

Author: Kevin Lynch
Source: Closet Cooking

Have a great day
 

Brilliant Book, Thanksgiving Day, Bowling,

I almost forgot this blog because I am reading the most absorbing book. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon. It is an incredible story written from the perspective of an autistic boy of 15 years  who is also a savant, and is, in my mind, the most incredible piece of writing. It has been made into a play and is running in a Toronto theatre at the moment. I want everyone to read it. Mark Haddon has done a lot of work with autistic kids so he understands how they think. I could really believe that this book had been written by someone with autism. Brilliant. I am having trouble putting it down. The book was published in the States in 2003. It is set in the UK.

Some of the stuff happening today, US Thanksgiving, is ridiculous. On GMA this morning they were suggesting alternate desserts and also saying you could cook a turkey breast if you like. What I wondered was, how were you going to obtain a turkey breast on Thanksgiving Day unless you had grocery stores open near you!!! Or suddenly change what dessert you were going to prepare assuming you had those ingredients in your kitchen. Helpful hints on cooking the bird itself would be useful, but not changing your menu on THE day.

While many of you were slogging away in the kitchen, we, of course, went bowling. One 200 game one mediocre game, a little over my average. Matt had a bad day I'm afraid. It really is a weird game, how can you throw lots of Strikes and Spares in one game and then have trouble finding the middle in the next.

This sounded like a pretty good recipe to me and made me wish I had some turkey.

Grilled Turkey and Brie Sandwich with Cranberry Chutney

A grilled, roast turkey sandwich with cranberry chutney and ooey gooey melted brie.

2 slices bread
1 serving roast turkey, sliced
2 Tbs cranberry sauce or cranberry chutney
4 oz brie, sliced
1 Tbs butter, room temperature

1. Assemble the sandwich and grill over medium heat until golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 2-4 minutes per side.

Servings: 1

Author: Kevin Lynch
Source: Closet Kitchen

Have a great day
 

Bowling, Thanksgiving,

I have to do some boasting. When we went bowling today, I checked out the team status which was 6th. Bit better than last week. Something sent me back later to check on various other statistics. For the first time in my life (well as far as I remember) I have the highest female average, the highest single and the second highest triple. Matt had the highest single score. Normally I never look for my name in such stats so I don't really know why I did today. I bowled pretty well today except for my second game which was not good. I wonder how long I can keep these high scores.

As our Saturday night special cum Thanksgiving meal, I have decided to do Steak au Poivre and having posted the Parmesan roast potatoes yesterday, I bought some potatoes to roast today. Probably do baby bok choy too.

This is a very traditional recipe, however, these days it is often made with the addition of cream to the pan at the end rather than butter.

Steak au Poivre

2 thick-cut well-marbled fillet steaks, about 1 pound total weight, and 1 1/2 inches thick
2 Tbs mixed whole peppercorns, including black, white, green, Szechuan and Jamaican (whole allspice)
1 tsp Salt
1 Tbs vegetable oil
butter

Pan sauce
2 Tbs minced shallots
2 Tbs cognac (or bourbon or red wine)
½ cup flavorful dark stock
1 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
Garnish
Chopped parsley
Watercress

1. Crush the peppercorns using the bottom of a heavy skillet.

2. Sprinkle salt to taste on the top and bottom of the steaks; then press each side into the cracked peppercorns, encrusting the steaks lightly or heavily, as you prefer.

3. Heat the oil and the butter in a heavy sauté or frying pan over high heat. When the pan is quite hot, lay the peppered steaks in. Fry for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the undersides are well seared. Turn the meat and cook the second side for about a minute. Press with a finger to test for the slight springiness that indicates rare. Cook to desired doneness and remove to a warm platter.

4. Making the pan sauce

5. Add the shallots to the pan and sauté briefly, stirring with a spoon to scrape up the drippings. Lean away from the stove (averting your face) and pour the cognac into the pan; tilt the edge of the pan slightly, over the burner flame, to ignite the alcohol. The cognac will flame for a few seconds as the alcohol burns off; cook for a few moments more and then add the stock. Bring the liquid back to the boil, and cook about 1 minute to thicken the sauce, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning. Finally, add the soft butter, swirling the pan until it melts and incorporates with the juices.

6. When blended, pour the sauce over the steaks. Sprinkle liberally with chopped parsley and garnish each plate with sprigs of parsley or watercress.

Servings: 2

Author: Julia Child and Jacques Pépin
Source: Leite's Culinaria

Have a great day
 

Thanksgiving, Snow, Railings, Supers,

Hoping you all had a great Thanksgiving yesterday and you are not feeling too stuffed and uncomfortable today. I miss the fun we used to have when we lived in North Carolina, but things change. Here, of course, we bowled again. I guess eventually I will get back my game. Although I did beat Matt in the last game by one point LOL. I didn't bowl as badly as I did on Monday, but.....

Here we have finally had a few snow falls but nothing very much considering the reports we have been hearing on the news of really tremendous storms in some place in the States.  I've heard reports ofblizzards and really heavy falls of snow. Odd, we are supposed to be the snowy country. The construction workers have all disappeared now, they have left some materials here fenced off. One thing I don't understand, they have taken over a bay in the underground garage, filled it with the walls and panels and then totally boarded up the area. Can't even see inside. Those panels are damned heavy, who did they think was going to steal them? I am talking about the railings in this picture before they put the panels on. The panels are heavy too. I have been told they will be starting again in March - weather permitting I assume. March can be pretty bad round here.

Just heard today that our Superintendent and his wife are leaving on Wednesday. Unfortunately she had made herself very unpopular with a lot of people round here. I wonder what the new people will be like. It is a pretty hard job with 120 (I believe) apartments and lots of work. She told me that if we (the exercise class) wanted to we could decorate a tree for the party room. I wonder if anyone will want to?

After Thanksgiving probably the last thing many of you need is a new cake recipe. However, I just found this one and thought it looked delicious.

Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich)

This buttery brioche cake is named ‘Bee Sting' because it's glazed with honey right before baking

1/4 cup whole milk
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbs honey
1-1/2 tsp active dry yeast
2 large eggs lightly beaten
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 Tbs granulated sugar
1/2 tsp Salt
1 cup bread flour
2 Tbs bread flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
2 Tbs sliced almonds
1 large egg
2 Tbs cornstarch
1-1/3 cups whole milk divided
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbs water
1/2 Tbs unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch Salt
1/2 cup heavy cream

1. In a small saucepan (or a small cup if you want to use the microwave), combine milk and 1 tablespoon honey and heat until it registers between 110 degrees F to 115 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer. Pour the mixture into bowl of an electric mixer and sprinkle over yeast. Let mixture stand for 10 minutes, until yeast is creamy.

2. Transfer bowl to mixer stand and attach paddle attachment. While mixing at low speed, gradually add eggs, all-purpose flour, sugar, and salt, and mix until blended. Gradually add all but 2 tablespoons of bread flour. Mix at medium speed until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Dough should not stick to sides of bowl; if it does, add some of all of remaining 2 tablespoons of bread flour until dough cleans sides of bowl. Add butter 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing at medium speed until it is blended into dough. (Dough will be very soft.) Transfer dough to a work surface and knead by hand a few times to ensure that butter is completely incorporated into dough. Shape dough into a ball and transfer it to a medium buttered bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside in a warm place for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until it has doubled in volume.

3. Punch dough down to deflate it, and knead it a few times. Return dough to bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or up to 12 hours). Dough should have doubled in volume. If it hasn't, let it stand at room temperature until it has.

4. Butter bottom and sides of a 9" spring-form pan. Shape dough into a ball and arrange it, smooth side up, in center of pan. Flatten ball gently with your palm until it covers bottom of pan. Cover pan and let dough rise until it is puffed, about 1 hour. Position a rack in center of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F about 20 minutes before dough is ready.

5. In a small saucepan, heat remaining 1/3 cup honey just until warm. Brush honey over top of dough, then sprinkle with almonds. Bake cake for 30 to 35 minutes, until it is a lovely golden brown and a toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan, set on a wire rack, for 15 minutes. Remove cake from pan and cool cake on the wire rack completely.

6. In a small bowl, whisk together egg and cornstarch. Whisk in 1/3 cup of milk until smooth; set aside.

7. Place remaining 1 cup milk in a small, microwavable cup and microwave at high speed until scalding, about 1 1/2 to 3 minutes.

8. Meanwhile, in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine sugar with water and place over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to high and cook, without stirring and occasionally brushing down the sides of pan with a wet pastry brush, until syrup caramelizes and turns a golden amber color. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully add the hot milk (the mixture will bubble up). Return the pan to low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until any hardened caramel has dissolved and mixture is smooth.

9. Whisk about 1/4 cup of hot caramel mixture into egg and cornstarch mixture. Return entire mixture to saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, whisking constantly, until custard comes to a boil. Continue to boil, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Remove pan from heat, scrape bottom of pan with a spatula, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in butter until melted. Quickly strain custard through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Whisk in vanilla extract and salt. Set the bowl containing caramel mixture in a large mixing bowl filled one-third of way with ice water (be careful that water doesn't splash into caramel mixture). Stir custard mixture frequently until it is slightly chilled, about 15 minutes. Cover surface of custard with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to assemble and serve cake.

10. Assemble cake: Using a long, serrated knife, cut cake in half horizontally to form two layers.

11. Remove caramel custard from refrigerator and beat vigorously with a rubber spatula until smooth. In bowl of an electric mixer, using whisk attachment, beat 1/2 cup heavy cream at high speed until it forms medium-stiff peaks. Gently fold whipped cream into caramel custard. Spread caramel cream over bottom layer of cake (it will be a thick layer). Top with other cake layer. Sprinkle top of cake very lightly with confectioners' sugar and serve immediately or refrigerate for up to an hour before serving.

Servings: 10

Source: German Foods

Have a great day
 

Hurricane Matthew, Cooking, Thanksgiving and Oktoberfest, Wifi

Seems like Matthew is wreaking havoc in the Caribbean - heading for Cuba at the moment. The trouble with the islands, they don't really have anywhere to run to which makes them even more frightening. At least on the mainland you can head inland and hopefully avoid it altogether - OK your home might get damaged, but so long as everyone is alive, homes can be rebuilt. We were so lucky when we lived in North Carolina, a lot of hurricanes came our way and even though we weren't there, when we returned we still had a home to return to. A friend who had a house right on the Sound got flooded several times over the year not to mention the ruin of her carefully tended garden. She told me to come clean up my mess one time after Hurricane Josephine, now doubt she would want my husband to do the same LOL The picture shows the storm as of the morning, Tuesday.

Tuesday morning I decided to make the recipe I posted on Monday for Spiced Beef in Red Wine only problem was, it turned out to be a warm afternoon and really rather too hot for a beef stew. However, we ate it anyway and it was delicious. I also have 3 more meals in the freezer for when it is a bit cooler. It really is sweatsville this afternoon/evening. Talking to our new neighbours and they asked what the delicious smell was. Asked a friend if she would like to come over for Thanksgiving this weekend but her son should be returning from his Greek trip so she declined. Being Thanksgiving round here, also means Oktoberfest which will start on Friday with the tapping of the keg. We have never been involved in this although it is supposed to be one of the biggest outside Germany. OK for younger people, guess we are a tad past it these days. I'll stay home and drink my bubbly LOL.

I am expecting a call from our ISP technician this morning. I am having terrific trouble with my wifi. The PC works fine on cable, but the laptop is wifi and the connection drops and comes back all day long. It drives me bonkers. It may require swapping out my modem I gather.

This looks like a delicious soup and should appeal to my vegan friends too.

Cream of Cashew Pea Soup

Cashews lend body, creaminess, and richness to this pea soup and also make it vegan; sub almonds if

you prefer.

¼ cup olive oil
2 large onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 cups raw cashews
2 Tbs raw or light brown sugar
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
2 lbs frozen sugar snap or green peas, thawed
1 Tbs malt vinegar
Thinly sliced scallions and crushed potato chips (for serving

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-low. Add onions, celery, and garlic and cook, stirring often and adding a splash or so of water if the bottom of pan gets too brown, until golden brown, 30–40 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add cashews, sugar, red pepper flakes, and 3 cups water and bring mixture to a simmer. Cook until vegetables are very soft and losing their structure, 10–15 minutes.

2. Blend one-third of sugar snap peas with one-third of vegetable mixture in a blender, adding some cooking liquid from vegetable mixture as needed to thin, until very smooth, about 2 minutes. Press purée through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium saucepan; discard solids. Working in 2 batches, repeat with remaining peas and vegetable mixture, adding water as needed if you run out of cooking liquid. If soup is still very thick, thin with water until you get a velvety, pourable consistency. (You should have about 7 cups soup.)

3. Stir vinegar into soup; season with more salt and pepper and warm over medium-low until heated through.

4. Serve soup topped with scallions and potato chips.

5. Do Ahead: Soup can be made 2 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat over medium-low, thinning with water as needed until pourable.

Servings: 6

Author: Brooks Headley
Source: Bon Appétit


Have a great day
 

At the Crossroads, Thanksgiving.

Sadly, all that lovely snow has disappeared except for a few patches here and there. As we have a longish drive to go bowling with the Travel League today I am not sorry.  We get to have lunch at the restaurant which actually calls itself "At The Crossroads". I hadn't realised that before. It is a Mennonite run restaurant and extremely popular locally. It is also where I buy mince meat tarts for Christmas. It always astounds me how little I liked mincemeat when I was a kid and nowadays I love it. The tarts made by the restaurant are absolutely delicious especially if served with a large dollop of cream and especially again if the cream is Double Devon English cream. I have no doubt I will be eating a slice with my lunch today anyway.

Of course, my American friends are all stuffing themselves today on turkey, ham and pumpkin pie. Or pecan of course. I really will have to try pumpkin pie, it is a long while since I tasted it and maybe this time I will like it. Maybe for lunch today. However, I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope you all can find lots of things for which to be thankful.

I can't image anyone is interested in a recipe today so I am not going to offer one. Just hope you all find many blessings today.


Have a great day
 

Thanksgiving, Bowling, Exercise Class,

Today is Thanksgiving, so to all my Canadian friends, I hope you have a happy one. As many of you know, we celebrated on Saturday. Inviting a friend to join us. As a nod to everyone's expectation of having pumpkin pie, which, sorry, we don't like, I served home made Pumpkin Soup as a starter. It was then followed by the turkey breast with Bread Sauce, the Spanish stuffing I mentioned the other day, Brussels Sprouts (I decided to boil them as I usually do) French cut flat or runner beans, mushroom gravy and English roast potatoes. As dessert, I cheated and bought a Tira Misu from the

local grocery store. It was pretty good. No liquor in it, but as our guest was driving, a glass of wine is all she allowed herself. It was an enjoyable evening. I don't know if I have ever mentioned it, but I always use a cooking bag (oven bag) for my turkey breasts. A 4 lb breast took 1 1/2 hrs at 350°F. and no messy roasting pan.

The only problem, for me, is that after I have been in the kitchen for a while, my back starts to kill me and I have to keep taking breaks. Oh the joys of aging. I wanted a picture for this section and came across the above with an article giving some tips on reducing such pain.

Being a Monday today we are bowling in our league, and our team just has to do something about getting off the bottom rung of the ladder. Although, as it was pointed out to me, amassing points is difficult when not all the team is there, or not all bowling as Matt wasn't last Monday. We are not doing frantically well anyway I'm afraid.

I went to our exercise class on Friday for the first time in a while, partly because of all the construction and partly because of Matt's operation. He, by the way, is doing fine and his leg would is healing up beautifully. His head wound you can hardly see any more. Anyway, I was expecting to find it difficult after not doing exercises for so long and my legs were aching a few times. However, unexpectedly, I didn't feel it the next day so I guess I was fitter than I thought.

I love noodles so this is right up my street. Of course, I don't eat them as often as I would like to, my waist line would suffer.

Spicy Pan-Fried Noodles

Melissa Clark: New York Times

• Yield 2 servings

Garlicky, gingery and as spicy as you dare to make it, this Asian-influenced pan-fried noodle dish comes together in minutes. Most of the ingredients are pantry staples, which means you can make it whenever you need a comforting noodle dish that comes with a bite. If you can’t find the Chinese egg noodles (also called Hong Kong-stylenoodles), you can make this with rice noodles or soba. The key is to only boil them until they are halfway done. (They should be pliable but still firm in the center.) They will finish cooking when you pan-fry them.

Ingredients

• 1 cup thinly sliced scallions (about a bunch; use both whites and greens)
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce, more to taste
• 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons rice wine or sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, more as needed
• 6 ounces Chinese (also called Hong Kong) egg noodles, soba noodles or rice noodles
• 2 ½ tablespoons peanut, grapeseed, safflower or vegetable oil, more as needed
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 2 large eggs, beaten with a fork
• 2 cups washed baby spinach or 1/2 cup thawed edamame (optional)
• 1 to 2 teaspoons sriracha or other hot sauce, or to taste
• Juice of 1/2 lime, or to taste
• 1 cup cilantro leaves
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds or chopped roasted peanuts, optional

Preparation

1. In a small bowl, combine the scallions, soy sauce, ginger, rice wine or vinegar, sesame oil and salt. Let stand while you prepare the noodles.
2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook noodles until they are halfway done according to package instructions. (They should still be quite firm.) Drain well and toss with 1/2 tablespoon of the peanut oil to keep them from sticking, and spread them out on a plate or baking sheet.
3. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons of peanut oil. Add the garlic and cook until crisp and golden around the edges, 1 to 2 minutes. Add half the scallion mixture and stir-fry until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add noodles; stir-fry until noodles are hot and lightly coated with sauce, about 30 seconds. Add eggs, spinach or edamame if using, sriracha, and remaining scallion mixture and continue to stir-fry until the eggs are cooked, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice. Garnish with cilantro and sesame seeds or peanuts.

Have a great day
 

Thanksgiving, Travel League, Tiling Progress

Oops, at the foot nurse's on Wednesday, she wished another client Happy Thanksgiving. I thought "oh that's ages away" but it isn't. Canadian Thanksgiving is October 12.  We celebrate a month earlier than they do in the US. Gotta get me a dicky bird to cook etc. etc. Our foot nurse was saying she bought a turkey breast recently because she was hungry for turkey. It cost her over $20. I used to pay around $10 or $11 in North Carolina. I don't know what I will get, probably a breast too as there are only two of us. We have already been booked for Christmas this year too. A friend did so. We are all going to the Waterloo Motor Inn for dinner at 6. The Inn does a fantastic meal; Matt and I have been several times before. Not a lot of fun for just two people though.

I enjoyed my day with the Travel League, all except the bowling that is. We ate at the Red Lobster

and I had coconut shrimp with Piña Colada dip. The dip was a tad sweet, but the shrimp were good. Then we went to the bowling alley. Matt was bowling up a storm and was having the cheek to complain when his scores were not as high as he would have liked. He never seems to remember that the high scores he used to get, were when he was in his 40's and 50's. Meanwhile I was struggling to get over 100. I did manage that and the last game was not too, too shabby. Well compared to the other two anyway. Of course, I have an excuse, we normally take pain killers before we bowl. Matt took his but didn't remind me so I forgot. Not been bowling long before my back was killing me. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. It was a fun afternoon though and the donut was delicious.

Every time we go in and out of the building, there are different areas taped off, bit like the crime scene tape the cops use. They are plastering all over to smooth everything before they lay any tiles. We haven't had any exercise classes all week because of this work going on. The 'party room' is still full of furniture I gather.

So I found a Baked Coconut Shrimp recipe, the one's I had were deep fried which added to their calorie count of course.

Baked Coconut Shrimp

girlbob at Allrecipes

"This crunchy coconut shrimp is baked instead of fried, and so easy! Great for dinner or as an

appetizer. I serve with orange marmalade for dipping."

Ingredients

1 Lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 cup cornstarch
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp Cayenne pepper
2 cups flaked, sweetened coconut
3 egg whites, beaten until foamy.

Preheat an oven to 400°F. Lightly coat a baking sheet with cooking spray.

Rinse and dry shrimp with paper towel. Mix cornstarch, salt and cayenne in a shallow bowl, pour coconut flakes into a separate shallow bowl. Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge it in the cornstarch mixture, then dip it in the egg white and roll it in the coconut, making sure to coat the shrimp well. Place on the prepared baking sheet and repeat with the remaining shrimp.

Bake the shrimp until they are bright pink on the outside and the meat is no longer transparent in the centre and the coconut is browned. 15 to 20 minutes, flipping the shrimp half way through.

Have a great day

Thanksgiving, Exercises, Bowling and Lunch.

Wishing all my American friends a very Happy Thanksgiving and hope you all have a wonderful day.

I am feeling virtuous having just come from my exercise class. We virtually don’t stop moving for 45 minutes (give or take). I do in fact have to sit down occasionally as my hip hurts, but generally they are very easy exercises and designed for older people. These are classes run by Senior Service organisations in Kitchener (government funded I assume) and the same group arranges for things like Meals on Wheels which we don’t need. Or at least not yet, I do hope we never do need them. I have been three times now (4 if you include the time I checked them out and joined in at the end) and I think it is doing me some good. Together with the bowling I only miss out on Tuesdays, OK I could do something at home I know, however, I just discovered one of the class would like to learn T’ai Chi so maybe I can teach her on a Tuesday. That’s me (in the red shirt at the front) doing T’ai Chi or Taijiquan as it’s mostly called  these days, when I was in N.C. The one on the left is my sifu, Rose, who used to tell stories of how some of the people she encountered in N.C. would raise hex signs against her and seemed to think she taught some weird religion or something. Nothing religious about it, philosophical perhaps.

Today we are off on our Travel league to Elmira, Ontario. The forecast says some snow in the evening, I do hope so, I want to go as much for the mincemeat tarts as for the bowling, plus it makes a nice day out as we have lunch first. The Crossroads, where we lunch, has a huge gift store attached with some delightful, but very expensive items. I don’t think I have ever bought anything there, but I love to look at the things they are selling, gorgeous ornaments and nick knacks, or course at this time of the year they have lots of Christmas stuff. I wish I could afford some of their stuff, just as well I can’t I would be broke in no time I think. This picture is only a corner of it.

I thought it was about time we had something with chocolate in it, haven’t done so in a while. So here is an English type pud. As I say, castor sugar is just fine ground and like our regular sugar here. Not sure about golden, probably the addition of some syrup, but I don’t think it will make a difference.

Squidgy Chocolate Pear Pudding

 

Serves 8

This hot, gooey chocolate pud, with dark chocolate and canned pears, can be made ahead and frozen - a perfect no-fuss dinner party dessert

Ingredients

• 200g butter, plus extra for greasing
• 300g golden castor sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 75g plain flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• 410g can pears halves in juice, drained
• 100g plain dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
• 25g flaked almonds (optional)
• cream or ice cream, to serve

Method

1. Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Lightly grease a roughly 20 x 30cm shallow ovenproof dish. Put the butter in a large saucepan and place over a low heat until just melted. Remove the butter from the heat and stir in the sugar until well combined.
2. Whisk the eggs together in a large bowl. Gradually add the eggs to the butter and sugar, beating well with a wooden spoon in between each addition. Sift the flour and cocoa powder on top of the egg mixture, then beat hard with a wooden spoon until thoroughly combined.
3. Pour into the prepared tin or dish and nestle the pears into the chocolate batter. Put the chocolate on a board and cut into chunky pieces roughly 1.5cm with a large knife. Scatter the chocolate pieces over the batter and sprinkle with almonds, if you like. Can be frozen at this stage.
4. Bake in the centre of the oven for 30 mins or until the mixture is crusty on the surface and lightly cooked inside. Do not allow to overcook, as the cake will become spongy rather than gooey in the centre. Serve warm with cream or ice cream

To freeze

Wrap the cooled, unbaked pudding tightly in foil, label and freeze for up to 1 month. To serve, unwrap the pudding and bake from frozen as above in step 4 for 50 mins.

Have a great day

Fly Trap, Turkey Musings,

Every summer we are plagued by fruit flies which seem to go everywhere, they are not just interested in fruit it seems. Happened to talk about it at the bowling group lunch the other day and someone told me there were fruit fly traps. I have tried trapping them without much success. We shot off to the hardware store on Friday and bought ourselves a trap. At the time of writing this there is still at least one of the little perishers around. I do so hope this works. The thing which looks like a shiny red apple, that’s the trap. Last week I had a cantaloupe hanging around and when we went to cut we discovered they had made big inroads into the fruit, luckily we were able to save the bulk of the melon. They seem to get everywhere, the bathrooms too, what possible interest can they have there? Update, two days later, the little beggars are still around. I’ve even seen them sitting and enjoying life on top of the apple. I guess I kind of expected instantaneous.

October 13 is Thanksgiving in Canada and for the first time in years I am going to have to buy and cook a whole turkey. We always brought turkey breasts back from North Carolina, but of course didn’t go this year. I have forgotten how to cook a whole bird, not that I’ve done if very often anyway. For years my mother always cooked them and she did the same when she visited us in Canada which she did every year whilst she was alive. Practically ever since, it has been a turkey breast which is very easy to cook. (Actually thinking more about it, I did cook a few whole turkeys when in NC). Then I have to worry about stuffing, I am not that keen on it although I love chestnut stuffing in the neck. Never heard of chestnut stuffing? I guess I will have to post a recipe. Of course I always make bread sauce which I love too. I have posted a recipe for that I know. I was just thinking about Christmas turkeys of old writing this. We always used to have chipolatas with the turkey too. Bit like baby wieners. Not sure why, it was a Christmas tradition. They appeared on the dish wrapped in bacon, surrounding the turkey. Usually the roast potatoes were there as well. Something which doesn’t seem to be served over here. Our roast potatoes are crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle.

Saturday night I made the Kung Pao Chicken which I posted last week. I made a couple of changes as I didn’t have some things, but it turned out very well and we both enjoyed it. It’s not as colourful in the recipe picture but I didn’t have a red pepper only green and I wasn’t going to make a special journey just for that. Also, I served it over rice, I did think about noodles but chose rice. I don’t know how it compares with that served in a Chinese restaurant because I don’t particularly remember eating it. I will take note in future. This is a lighter version. We drank a bottle of La Vielle Ferme which is a delicious, crisp white wine which we both like very much.

I love Bruschetta (brusketa please) and often make it with tomatoes and garlic, but this one looks good. Any creamy cheese would work, goat cheese comes to mind as I have recently been eating it. This came from Food and Wine.

Ricotta and Roasted Tomato Bruschetta with Pancetta

Contributed by Susan Spungen

SERVINGS: 8

Peak-season tomatoes make all the difference in this simple bruschetta from author Susan Spungen. They’re the perfect accompaniment to a bowl of soup or a large salad, or, to turn them into two-bite hors d’oeuvres, simply cut the bruschetta crosswise into strips.

1. 10 ounces multicolored cherry tomatoes
2. 2 garlic cloves, thickly sliced
3. 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
4. Kosher salt
5. Pepper
6. 4 thin slices of pancetta
7. 32 sage leaves
8. 1 pound fresh ricotta cheese
9. 8 slices of country bread, cut 1/4-inch thick and toasted
10. Flaky sea salt, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a bowl, toss the tomatoes with the garlic and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil; season with kosher salt and pepper. Transfer the tomatoes to one side of a parchment-lined baking sheet and lay the pancetta slices out on the other side. Bake for 25 minutes, until the pancetta is crisp. Transfer the pancetta to paper towels to drain, then crumble.
2. Roast the tomatoes for about 10 more minutes, until bursting and lightly caramelized. Transfer the tomatoes and any rendered fat from the pancetta to a bowl.
3. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil over moderately high heat. Add the sage and fry until bright green and crisp, 30 to 45 seconds. Drain the sage on paper towels; reserve the oil for another use.
4. Spread the ricotta on the toasts and top with the tomatoes and crumbled pancetta. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and pepper and top the toasts with the sage leaves. Serve immediately.

Have a great day

Veggies, Books, Bowling.

I forgot to say I tried cooking some broccoli in distilled water on Wednesday night. It did make a difference, in my opinion it tasted much better than being cooked with softened water. Matt said he couldn’t taste any difference.

I also haven’t talked about the books I have been reading lately. Sia McKye had Teresa Burrell on her blog as a guest recently and I decided to get hold of her first book – The Advocate. I thoroughly enjoyed it so I bought the next one, Advocate’s Betrayal, equally as good so I got the next one which I have just started, it’s called The Advocate’s Conviction. They are quite exciting stories but also have an interesting background in juvenile court describing procedures and detailing many of the crimes against kids. One knows these things happen, but how many of us really know much about these things. The advocate herself is Sabre Orin Brown and she sure gets herself into some sticky situations.

Had a fun afternoon yesterday at bowling. Just the 4 of us but we had some laughs and got some good scores if not in all three games. Talked about Canadian Thanksgiving, the alley will be open on the Monday so bowling will go ahead as usual. Some people may not be there, but we certainly will be. I cook turkey on the Saturday. Thanksgiving for us is on October 14 by the way. The turkey breasts I imported from North Carolina as usual.

Having been talking about broccoli, I found this recipe on Food and Wine which sounds pretty good.

Broccoli, Shiitake and Red Onion Roast

Contributed by Marcia Kiesel
SERVINGS: 6

© Sabra Krock

• VEGETARIAN

1. One 1 1/4-pound head of broccoli
2. 1/2 pound large shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded
3. 1 small red onion, sliced crosswise 1/3 inch thick
4. Extra-virgin olive oil, for brushing
5. Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6. 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Trim and peel the broccoli stems. Cut the broccoli lengthwise into long stalks, with 1 or 2 florets each. Cut any remaining florets into 2-inch pieces. Spread the broccoli on a large, rimmed baking sheet. On another large, rimmed baking sheet, put the shiitake on one side and the onion slices on the other. Generously brush all the vegetables with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes, until just tender and lightly browned. Transfer the broccoli to a platter. Drizzle the balsamic vinegar over the mushrooms and onion rings and stir to coat the vegetables. Top the broccoli with the shiitake and onion and serve.

Have a great day