Movie, Health, Cooking,

Having watched the actresses in the documentary yesterday, tonight I watched The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel which stars both Judi Dench and Maggie Smith. The pair are wonderful in this movie as in everything they do. I have this movie and the sequel, but unfortunately Matt doesn't enjoy it. He never did even when he was more "with it".

This was a bowling day but I didn't  make it unfortunately. Wasn't feeling to good this morning, my chest felt like I had strained the muscles by lifting something heavy. Which, I hadn't, I was a tad nervous but eventually it faded away and I felt fine later. I was sorry to miss bowling though.

I decided to cook one of ladydog's favourites, Instant Pot Butter Chicken. I used the huge chicken thighs I bought at Victoria Market and found, unsurprisingly, that one thigh each was more than enough meat, which means we have the same dish available again. I have to go to Victoria St. Market  though, I found I have no sausages and certainly no bananas. Also we have run out of both wine and,  horrors, sparkling wine (champers to me).

Matt often has Yucatan Tilapia at Red Lobster, but this looks an interesting variation.

Yucatán Pork Stew with Ancho Chiles and Lime Juice

Butcher-chef Tia Harrison finds making stew a versatile way to use cuts like pork shoulder, shanks

and belly. Here she cooks the stew with pleasantly bitter ancho chiles.

1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 1/2 lbs trimmed boneless pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 large white onions, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
8 garlic cloves, smashed
1 lb carrots, cut crosswise into 2-inch lengths
3 ancho chiles, seeded and cut into very thin strips with scissors
3 bay leaves
pinch of ground cloves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
6 cups chicken stock
6 plum tomatoes, quartered lengthwise
2 Tbs chopped cilantro
Steamed white rice and sliced jalapeños, for serving

1. In a very large enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the vegetable oil until shimmering. Season the pork with salt and black pepper and add half of it to the casserole. Cook over moderate heat, turning, until browned all over, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pork to a plate. Brown the remaining pork.

2. Return all of the pork to the casserole along with any accumulated juices. Stir in the onions, garlic, carrots, chiles, bay leaves, cloves, lime juice and chicken stock. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Add the tomatoes, nestling them into the liquid. Cover and cook over low heat until the pork is very tender and the carrots are cooked through, about 3 hours. Discard the bay leaves and stir in the cilantro. Serve with rice and sliced jalapeños.

Servings: 8

Tips
The stew can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Reheat before serving

Source: Food & Wine

Have a great day
 

Movies, Gruesome Mail, Fabergé, Plastic Money.

This evening, I am definitely going to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. I am really looking forward to seeing it as I have now heard a number of people say how good it is. Particularly friends from England, it is, they tell me, very English in humour. I just hope the friend who is going with me will appreciate English humour. We can be difficult to understand, we tend to say funny things with straight faces and many times, other nationalities don’t realise we are joking.

Very odd story hit the headlines yesterday, two body parts have been mailed to Ottawa, one, a foot, was mailed to the Conservative Party headquarters and a hand was found at Canada Post Terminal. They are being sent for forensic examination, but what a peculiar thing to do, and how utterly gruesome. The foot was somewhat decomposed and so police are contacting funeral homes to see if any have lost body parts. Its peculiar because for a while unexplained feet were washing up on the west coast and as far as I am aware, that has never been solved either. Maybe there is a manic funeral director on the loose. Apparently the police now have a suspect Luka Rocco Magnotta, whom they think might have filmed the killing. A torso was discovered in Montreal prior to the mail delivery of the limbs.

Being extremely fond of all things Fabergé, I was delighted with the Google Doodle yesterday celebrating Peter Carl Fabergé’s 166th birthday (hope he enjoyed it). We were lucky enough to see some of the eggs and several other items on display at Middleton Place in Charleston, SC, a few years ago. They used to have one egg permanently on loan there, the Spring Flowers Egg, but this particular time, they had a lot more items loaned to them for display. They also sell copies which can be used as pendants, etc. – they are made by Fabergé but not of such precious metals and stones. I have two of them which I love. The picture here doesn’t really do justice to the egg. I have a poster which I was given in S.C. which is a much better picture of the item. This is a House of Fabergé photo. I just had to include the strawberries picture, I think it is so lovely, and so clever too. I wish I were financially in the market to buy such beautiful things. Of course many of the eggs were Easter gifts to or for the Russian royal family. I'm going to miss the Google Doodle tomorrow.

Some of you may remember, I sell Avon. Tonight someone paid me with one of the new plastic $50 bills, to me, it doesn’t look like money at all. I was warned not to put it in the wash as they disintegrate. That is unlikely to happen, but why would plastic disintegrate I wonder. I have since done a bit of Googling and this is a link to an article about polymer money. http://tinyurl.com/brmmr36.

This recipe came from South Beach Diet and I thought it was rather unusual. I must confess I have never heard of chili-garlic sauce, but it seems to be something available in groceries.

Spicy Shrimp and Bok Choy Stir-Fry


Description
Chili-garlic sauce is a common Asian ingredient that brings a tangy-hot flavor to almost any dish. It can be used both for cooking and as a condiment when you want a little extra heat. Look for brands with no added sugar in the Asian section of most large supermarkets.

Makes 4 servings


Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
4 scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced and kept separate
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
2 pounds bok choy, sliced crosswise
2 tablespoons lower-sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons chili-garlic sauce

Instructions
In a large bowl, combine shrimp, scallion whites, and garlic. In a wok or a large nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add shrimp mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, until shrimp turn pink and are cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a large clean bowl.

Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add bok choy, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain any liquid from the skillet and add bok choy to bowl with shrimp.

Return the pan to medium-high heat. Add soy sauce and chili-garlic sauce; stir to combine and bring to a boil. Add shrimp mixture and toss until coated. Cook briefly, just to reheat. Stir in scallion greens and serve warm.

Have a great day