Lobola, Books, Watson.

A South African airline, Kulula, are going to give Katherine Middleton a herd of cows because of an African tradition of giving Lobola which is explained in the article http://tinyurl.com/4ppy3q4 This is a very innovative airline, they apparently have all kinds of marketing ideas, not least of which is a sign underneath the cockpit window which says “pilot sits here”. The picture of a herd of cows being driven up Pall Mall to Buckingham Palace is absolutely delightful, I will be interested to see what happens.

I have just re-read Glenda Larke’s book The Last Stormlord as a prelude to getting the third book in the trilogy some time in August – we are promised. I had forgotten what a powerful book it is and how very enjoyable. It is the story of a country which is water deprived and where they rely on stormlords who can take water from the sea and turn it into rain falling over the hills, filling the waiting cisterns. I have just started the second book, Stormlord Rising which should then enable me to remember everything by the time I get the last of the series. The second cover picture is the Australian version, which I have, but the cover was changed for the UK and US markets. Dunno why, this cover depicts something which happens in the story and is much more pertinent than so many covers designed for stories. I get the feeling that this designer actually read the book which I don’t think is true of many cover designers. One of my pet peeves.

Something discussed on Good Morning America today, the fact that Facebook sparked off the revolution in Egypt. I hadn’t registered that before although I do remember that their government tried to ban Facebook. Really, the power of the internet, in one way or another is absolutely incredible. The power of computers too, last night we watched Jeopardy, as we always do, however, for the first three days this week, two of Jeopardy’s top players are competing against Watson, a super computer, an incredible piece of machinery which is represented by an avatar. After last night, when they played the first round, Watson was tied with Brad Rutter at $5,000 while Ken Jennings who has beaten Watson before, was lying third with $2,000. Even Matt, who thinks nothing of computers, watched the programme. Read more at http://tinyurl.com/4zhnzsc As I said to Matt, I would love to get hold of that computer, what one couldn’t do! They were careful to point out that, for the game, Watson has no connection to the internet.

Lasagna is a staple dish in North America, everybody, but everybody makes it over here, this is a slightly different way of preparing and presenting such a favourite dish.

Lasagna Spirals

Source: Food.com

Serves 12.

12 lasagna noodles, slightly undercooked

2 large eggs

2 1/4 cups chopped fresh spinach, stems removed

2 cups ricotta cheese

3/4 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil

4 cups pasta sauce

1 cup grated part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions

Beat eggs with fork in large bowl.

Add next 5 ingredients. Stir well.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups (875 mL) filling.

Spread 1/3 cup (75 mL) filling on 1 lasagna noodle and roll up, jelly roll-style, from short end.

Repeat with remaining filling and noodles.

Spread 1 cup pasta sauce evenly in greased 9 x 13 inch (22 x 33 cm) pan.

Arrange spirals, seam-side down, in single layer on top of sauce.

Spoon remaining pasta sauce onto spirals.

Cover with foil and bake in 350ºF (175ºC) oven for about 40 minutes until heated through.

Discard foil.

Sprinkle second amount of mozzarella cheese over top.

Bake, uncovered, for about 15 minutes until cheese is melted.

Have a great day

Spring, 20/20, Earth Hour, Avon Plant a Tree.

For those of us in North America, the clocks go forward tonight. Just another reminder although I am sure the radio and TV will do the job efficiently. Unfortunately, the US changed the time of year they did this and many of my technology gadgets are unaware of that change so they do it again at the time at which they were preset so that I have to reverse it all having already set them by hand earlier. Its a nuisance, but what can you do? Luckily it doesn't make a whole heap of difference to us except when we want to phone the kids, we have to remember the difference is less than usual for a while. Kids, they are in their 40s!!!!

Tonight we have friends coming for dinner and one of them asked me what we were eating and because I wouldn't tell her, she figured she could get the information on here. No way, I know they read my blog and so I keep mum.

Apparently the American courts have decided definitively that vaccinations do NOT cause autism in children. I bet there will be a large amount of people who will not believe this even though scientific research has proved this point. It must be devastating to have autistic children or other problems with your offspring. There was a programme on 20/20 about kids who become really violent through no fault of their own, they are suffering from childhood Schizophrenia and ABC is following the stories of three families with such children. I didn't watch it, too distressing, but Matt did and I saw one scene where the child was begging to be taken to hospital because she feels safer there and knows she won't hurt anyone or anything as in the family dogs. What little I did see was really dreadful for the kids and for the families. They have managed to find medications for some of these children but not yet all of them. It appears different kids react to different drugs. You can read more about this and see videos at http://abcnews.go.com/2020/.

Glenda Larke just announced that her latest book Stormlord Rising has reached No. 4 on the bestsellers list. I haven't read it yet, a friend is sending it to me from Oz, but judging by the first book, it doesn't surprise me at all. Reports say the second book is even better than the first. My nails are bitten up to the elbows with waiting to read this novel. One of the things Glenda is particularly praised for is her world building skills and certainly one can imagine the world of these latest books of hers she paints them so vividly. I was talking to her on Skype the other day and she casually dropped a scene she was working on in the third book involving ziggers. If you don't know what ziggers are, read The Last Stormlord which is the first book in the trilogy.

I have just discovered Avon is launching a campaign to plant trees in rainforest areas - they are donating $1,000,000 to this campaign and are asking their customers to donate $1 as well. Which reminds me, I have been meaning to mention that it is Earth Hour on Saturday March 27 between 8:30 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. when millions of us will be turning off our lights - I hope you will be amongst these conservationists. Every little bit we can do to raise awareness of the plight of the earth we have been ruining for centuries is worth the effort. I recently saw a comment on TV about oceans, the scientist said the oceans have been managing themselves for thousands of years before we came along, we don't need to manage the oceans, we need to manage ourselves. What a very true statement.

Here is a delicious sounding recipe from the kitchens of Martha Stewart. For cannellini beans, read navy beans or white beans.

Farfalle with Arugula and White Beans Source: Everyday Food: Fresh Flavor Fast - From the Kitchens of Martha Stewart Living Yield: Serves 4 Quickly wilted arugula, canned beans, and toasted walnuts add heft to this vegetarian main course. Try spinach in place of arugula and pine nuts instead of walnuts.

RECIPE INGREDIENTS Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 12 ounces farfalle 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces 4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1 pound baby arugula 1 can (15 1/2 ounces) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1/3 cup walnut pieces, toasted for garnish DIRECTIONS Bring a pot of water to a boil; add a generous amount of salt. Cook pasta until al dente according to package instructions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta. Add 1 tablespoon butter and the garlic to the pot; cook over medium heat, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add arugula; toss just until wilted. Add beans, pasta, and remaining 3 tablespoons butter; season with salt and pepper. Heat, tossing, until butter is melted and beans and pasta are warmed through, about 1 minute. Add enough reserved pasta water to create a thin sauce to coat pasta. To serve, divide among shallow bowls, and garnish with walnuts.

Have a great day

Shaggy Dog Story, Killer Orca,

Delightful story last night on the NBC Olympics programme. Mary Carillo, a reporter, had spent time in northern Manitoba and amongst other things she went 'mushing' however, one of the dogs on her sled team was blind. Apparently the dog, Isabelle, had started to go blind some years ago; many friends said the owners should shoot her; they tried to make a pet of her but she was just wasting away, pining. Finally Isabelle showed them in no uncertain terms that all she wanted to do was run. The other dogs give her the direction, but the rest of it is all Isabelle. She has now been pulling a sled as a blind dog for 5 years. There is a video about this story at http://www.nbc.com/news-sports/today-show/sightless-sled-dog-dashes-on/

Now, not a nice story, an Orca, otherwise known as killer whales, called Tillikum, lived up to its nickname yesterday and according to audience members, grabbed a trainer off the deck and ended up causing her death. This particular whale has been involved in three incidents over the last 20 years or so, this latest, in front of a crowd. The picture shows Dawn Brancheau who was an experienced trainer and fully aware of the dangers of her job. The story is here: http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/02/24/killer-whale.html. It must have been a pretty horrifying experience for those who saw it. As pointed out, these are still wild animals no matter how much training they are given - if they see something to grab and either play with or kill for food, they revert to that behaviour very easily. We saw pictures on TV the other night of Orcas beaching themselves using the waves to catch seal pups and then floating off again on the outgoing waves. Same type of behaviour. This tragedy occurred at the Shamu Stadium in Sea World. I have been there, glad I wasn't there when this happened. This morning they are saying that Dawn had a pony tail and the whale grabbed it when it brushed his rostrum (nose/beak) and pulled her in shaking her violently and pulling her under water.

Update - As of last night we had 15 Olympic medals, 7 of which are golds. Way to go Canada.

Today we are off to the My Thai restaurant in Waterloo to have lunch with our Travel League bowling group and then bowling afterwards. Always a fun day. Tomorrow we are supposed to leave for Hamilton after lunch and there is a storm brewing in the South. Please keep it there.

I had an email this morning from Amazon.uk offering me Glenda Larke's new book for £5.99 which is £2 off. Not a bad deal. If you would like to read the book, you could order it from them although presumably Amazon.com and Amazon.ca will have it available soon if not now. Books always used to be cheaper in the UK, I am not sure whether this still applies, but you still have to pay shipping. I think this is a wonderful book and it has had rave reviews from all kinds of places including well known authors. It was shortlisted for the Aurealis awards and is on other award lists too. I personally am waiting impatiently for the second book which is due out in Australia next month. One thing I noticed at Amazon.uk, they call it the Stormlord Trilogy, Glenda calls it The Watergivers Trilogy.

Salmon is quite plentiful in this part of Canada if not particularly cheap. However, we both like fish and it is very good for you. here is a recipe I thought looked particularly good. You know, writing this blog and finding new recipes has improved our variety of food greatly. I hope it has done so for you too.

Blackened Salmon Sandwich From EatingWell: April/May 2006,

Blackened salmon is great in a sandwich with a spread of mashed avocado and low-fat mayonnaise plus peppery arugula leaves, cool tomato slices and zesty red onion. We grill our Cajun-style salmon so there is no need for any added cooking oil. Catfish makes an excellent stand-in for the salmon but you'll want to use a grill basket if you have one to keep the fish from breaking apart. 4 servings

Ingredients •1 pound wild salmon fillet, (see Ingredient Note), skinned (see Tip) and cut into 4 portions •2 teaspoons blackening or Cajun seasoning •1 small avocado, pitted •2 tablespoons low-fat mayonnaise •4 crusty whole-wheat rolls, split and toasted •1 cup arugula •2 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced •1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion Preparation 1.Oil grill rack (see Tip); preheat grill to high. 2.Rub salmon on both sides with blackening (or Cajun) seasoning. Grill until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. 3.Mash avocado and mayonnaise in a small bowl. 4.To assemble sandwiches, spread some of the avocado mixture on each roll and top with salmon, arugula, tomato and onion.

Nutrition Per serving : 414 Calories; 14 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 6 g Mono; 65 mg Cholesterol; 43 g Carbohydrates; 33 g Protein; 6 g Fiber; 775 mg Sodium; 756 mg Potassium 2 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving Exchanges: 2 starch, 1 1/2 vegetable, 4 lean meat, 1 fat (mono) Tips & Notes •Ingredient note: Wild-caught salmon from the Pacific (Alaska, California, Washington and Oregon) is considered the best choice for the environment. For more information, visit Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch (mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp). •Tips: To skin a salmon fillet, place salmon on a clean cutting board, skin side down. Starting at the tail end, slip the blade of a long, sharp knife between the fish flesh and the skin, holding the skin down firmly with your other hand. Gently push the blade along at a 30° angle, separating the fillet from the skin without cutting through either. •To oil a grill rack, oil a folded paper towel, hold it with tongs and rub it over the rack. (Do not use cooking spray on a hot grill.) When grilling delicate foods like tofu and fish, it is helpful to spray the food with cooking spray.

Have a great day

Glenda Larke, Chris Cuomo,

One of my favourite authors, Glenda Larke of Tropic Temper, is off to Virginia tomorrow to babysit for her daughter, long trip from Malaysia. I just wish it was later in the year, we will be passing through Virginia on our way to North Carolina and I would love to meet her. Her new book, The Last Stormlord, is off to the printers and will be available in Australia in about 6 weeks, I can't wait. I have loved everything she wrote so far and am confident I will love this next trilogy when I get hold of it. How long before its on the North American market I'm not sure. She also has one book out as Glenda Noramly which I also love. As you know, I am forever quoting stories from Good Morning America, now the news anchor, Chris Cuomo, has his own web page here with stories about his trips and news items he is involved with - you can also find his biography. He encourages you to write to him about AmeriCAN events in particular (Americans doing something special). Plus you can follow him on Twitter. I just discovered he is also on Primetime too, in the evenings. Busy man. Mind you I have never figured out how these people get up so early to do GMA and then appear on other programmes in the evening as they often do. They can't have a whole heck of a lot of home life. Its shopping day today and we have friends coming for dinner on Saturday so I need to get cracking. I still have to make some Basil Pesto (I think Matt is going to allow me to raid our basil plants at last LOL). So I can make the Heirloom Basil and Tomato Tart for a starter maybe. Lots of people seem to be using cedar planks to barbecue their salmon these days, we don't have a barbecue as we live in an apartment, but I did eat planked salmon at a friend's house once, it was very good. Here is a recipe from Food TV. Actually, a friend has an electric barbecue at their place and I am seriously considering we should buy one. Maple Planked Salmon with Grilled Lemon * Courtesy of: Chef at Home * Yield: 4 A recipe is merely words on paper; a guideline, a starting point from which to improvise. It cannot pretend to replace the practiced hand and telling glance of a watchful cook. For that reason feel free to stir your own ideas into this dish. When you cook it once, it becomes yours, so personalize it a bit. Add more of an ingredient you like or less of something you don't like. Try substituting one ingredient for another. Remember words have no flavour; you have to add your own! * 1 cup pure maple syrup * 3 x heaping spoonfuls grainy mustard * 3 x 6 oz salmon fillets * 2 x lemons, cut in half * 2 x cedar planks or untreated cedar shingles, soaked in water overnight Directions: 1. Whisk together the maple syrup and mustard and pour into a zipper bag. Add the salmon filets and seal the bag. Mix it around using your hands to make sure the fish is completely covered in the marinade. Place in refrigerator for a few hours or even overnight. 2. Heat an outdoor grill to high, or build a campfire, and after it has died down a bit carry on. When you are ready to cook, pull the planks from the water and toast one side of them over the open flame for a few moments. Dry the surface and lightly char it then place the salmon on it. Place on a rack over the fire, or onto the preheated barbeque. Cook until the salmon is firm to the touch, and barely cooked through in the centre, approximately 8 to 10 minutes. 3. Meanwhile place lemons, cut side down, onto the rack and grill until warm and juicy. Have a great day.