Travel League, Bananas. Watch, Supper.

It occurred to me, over the weekend, that I had completely forgotten that on Thursday, being the last Thursday of the month, the Travel League were meeting for lunch and then going bowling. Mind you, by the time I had plowed my way home after my ultra sound with all the blowing snow, etc. I don't think we would have bothered anyway. Just wasn't worth it on such a lousy day.

This morning, needing bananas, I went to Victoria St. Market and was horrified to find them closed. Can't believe it. Didn't think they ever closed. They are normally open on Sunday so they must have been doing inventory or something. No idea. However, went to the nearest convenience store and picked up 3 there. I need them for cramps so Matt goes without for a couple of days unless I can pick up some more tomorrow.

A friend just sent me some pictures of POTUS - his head on a child's body. Quite funny, but somebody commented they wanted to hunt the people who did this!!

I was trying to find out if my smart watch will automatically change to summer time next weekend. Can't definitely say, but apparently other watches do so I assume mine will. Hope so. I am surprised how many steps I walk in a day, many more than I would have guessed, but no way as many as I ought but then I can't walk far without pain anyway, so I will never complete the recommended amount of steps.

I frequently use a recipe for my Instant Pot from Urvashi at Two Sleevers for Butter Chicken which ladydog put me on to. It is absolutely delicious but we always end up with a lot of sauce so, tonight, being brilliant (so modest) I made a dish which my dad used to make a lot called Kedgeree. Basically rice and smoked haddock with lots of butter. Tonight I used my leftover sauce and it was, as I thought, delicious. Hm, I had never really gone through his recipes, I have seen lots of delicious chicken recipes I have got to try. Tell you what happens.

This is the original recipe from my dad.

Kedgeree

Per Person

1/2 cup cooked rice

1 fillet smoked haddock - cooked (in milk)

1 hard cooked egg

butter

In a non stick pan add butter to the cooked rice and stir til well incorporated. I like lots of butter, but these days try not to add as much because of health considerations. Then flake the haddock and add to the pan, mixing rice and fish together. Plate the fish. Meanwhile slice the hard cooked egg and remove the yolk. Decorate the rice with sliced egg white and sieve the yolk grated over the top. Serve immediately. It looks very pretty with the sieved egg yolk.

Instead of the butter, I added the sauce from the butter chicken. It was great. Of course you have to have the Instant Pot to a) cook the butter chicken and b) cook the rice, unless, of course, you have a rice cooker.

Have a great day
 

Travel League, Doctor's,

Would you believe back at the Red Lobster once more only for lunch with the travel league today. I was a bit surprised to see the same waitress we had on Tuesday evening. Matt and I both had Seafood Stuffed Mushrooms - very hot and very cheesy (bit like that pizza soup yesterday). Also had a side Caesar salad, Matt didn't want one. I had decided not to bowl with the group but just Matt and I on our own as he is pretty slow and I have my leg problems and can only manage 2 games. I actually bowled pretty well today, Matt didn't bowl too badly either. Funnily enough my legs were not giving me nearly the bother they usually do. Hmmm!! We left early and went to pick up my few extra groceries and some booze, run out of Fizz, that's serious.

Came home and neither of us were very hungry, I had eaten a donut at the bowling alley and Matt had eaten 2 although he said he didn't want one!! So we just had some asparagus soup, home made of course. Having bought some more inexpensive shrimp, I want to see if I can find a copy cat Dragon Shrimp online. It really is a good dish.

I wasn't sure we would make lunch today as Matt had to go to the doctor this morning because a waxed ear which he couldn't shift. As it turned out, nor could the nurse, so we need to work on it I guess. Tickled me, the Cannabis Clinic I was originally sent to, not by current doctor, is just across the road from the doctor's offices but, whilst waiting, I was reading notices and they refer people to an entirely different clinic.

Another pretty simple recipe which I liked the look of.

Juicy Pan-Seared Pork Chops with Citrus Dressing

4 ½-inch-thick bone-in pork chops (about 2 pounds), patted dry with paper towels
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 tsp sugar, divided
2 Tbs plus ¼ cup olive oil
1 lemon, zest finely grated (about 1 teaspoon), plus 2 tablespoons fresh juice
1 garlic clove, finely grated
1 Tbs Dijon mustard
1 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp ground cumin
½ bunch cilantro leaves with tender stems, chopped

1. Season pork chops generously on one side with salt and pepper. Turn and season other side generously, then sprinkle evenly with ½ tsp. sugar.

2. Heat 2 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Carefully add chops sugared side down and cook, gently shaking skillet occasionally but not disturbing pork, until underside is caramelized and chops are deeply browned all over, about 5 minutes. Turn chops and reduce heat to low. Cook just until second side is opaque, about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat and let chops rest 10 minutes in skillet (the cooking will carry over and finish the chops while they rest).

3. Meanwhile, whisk lemon zest and juice, garlic, mustard, oregano, cumin, and remaining ½ tsp. sugar in a medium bowl. Slowly whisk in remaining ¼ cup oil until emulsified. Fold in cilantro and season with salt and lots of pepper.

4. Spoon half of dressing onto a platter. Transfer chops to platter, then whisk any juices that have accumulated in skillet into remaining dressing. Spoon dressing over top of pork. Swipe pork through dressing as you eat.

Servings: 4

Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day
 

Taking a Break, This 'n That,

I'm going to be taking it easy for a day or two. So there may not be many posts from me for a bit.

One thing, I have broken down, I hate what I think of as coulottes and what are called Capri pants here, but I saw some in the Avon catalogue so thought I would order them. We shall see, I have them but haven't yet tried them on.!!

Today, Thursday, we are going on the Travel League bowling. That means lunch at the Red Lobster and bowling at the alley where we normally bowl - Matt and I have not been doing the travelling this year.

I thought this rice looked delicious.

Mexican Rice

A quick and easy Mexican style red rice that is the perfect side!

1 Tbs oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 jalapeno pepper, finely diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp cumin, toasted and ground (optional)
1 cup long grained rice
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth or water)
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes (I like fire roasted)
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tbs cilantro, chopped (optional)
1 Tbs lime juice (optional)

1. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the onio and cook until tender, about 3-5 miutes before adding the jalpen, garlic, and cumin and cooking until fragrant, about a minute.

2. Add the rice, mix in the broth, tomatoes, salt and pepper, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is tender, about 17-20 minutes.

3. Mix in the cilantro and lime juice and enjoy!

Servings: 4

Tips
Option: Replace the oil with bacon grease or lard.

Option: Omit the jalapeno pepper or replace it with, or add 1/2 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne to taste. (I like chipotle chili powder for the extra smokiness.)

Option: Replace the canned tomatoes with 1 cup diced fresh tomatoes!

Option: Add frozen peas, and/or diced carrots, corn, etc!

Author: Kevin Lynch
Source: Closet Kitchen

Have a great day
 

Travel League, Creepy Crawlies,

Sorry I was missing in action yesterday, not really sure why. It was a Travel League day and we

joined the group at the Red Lobster for lunch. I had a Caesar Salad with shrimp which was pretty good. Then to the bowling alley and once we got going it was fun if not terribly great scores. The second game we played was Bowling Bingo which I enjoy but Matt doesn't. He isn't alone. I am not sure why because I think it is fun. You get a bingo card up on the computer and you have to try and get all the scores on the card, be it strikes, spares, 2s or so on. The card we had yesterday had three of each requirement - never counted but about 25 squares. It is on a timer so you usually have to move it to play the game.

The other day I learned a new word and I don't think I mentioned it. (I hope I am not boiling my cabbages twice). Once in a while I feel as if there is something crawling over my skin. Just like a bunch of ants or something. I thought maybe it was psychological because we have ants again at the moment (although I think they are beginning to disappear) and I wondered if this was a "condition" so I Googled, and lo and behold it is called formication after the Latin word formica for ant. It is, apparently related to diabetic nerve pain although not exclusive to diabetics. Pins and needles is also related. I notice, checking for the link, Wiki says "not to be confused with fornication" LOL. I haven't checked, but I wonder why the material they used on kitchen counters, etc. is called formica? No, not my hand!!!

I keep looking up recipes for shrimp in the fond hope that I will find some decent shrimp one of these days. One of the problems of being so far from an ocean.

Indian Shrimp Curry (Jhinga Kari)

Although many traditional Indian dishes are fiery hot by Western standards, they can all be tamed to suit palates accustomed to milder fare. This dish is an example of how the spiciness can be adjusted

to the taste of the cook.

1 lb (450 g) jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 Tbs (15 ml) cider vinegar
1 tsp (5 ml) salt
4 Tbs (60 ml) vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 Tbs (15 ml) finely chopped ginger
2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 tsp (5 ml) turmeric
1/2 tsp (2 ml) ground cumin
Cayenne pepper to taste (optional)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cups (250 ml) unsweetened coconut milk
Chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) for garnish

1. Combine the shrimp, vinegar, and salt in a bowl and marinate at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat until it is very hot. Saute the onion, ginger, and garlic until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the turmeric, cumin, cayenne, and pepper and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add the shrimp along with the marinade and cook, stirring frequently, until the shrimp are pink, about 1 minute. Add the coconut milk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer covered for until the shrimp are firm, about 3 minutes. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro.

Servings: 4

Source: World Wide Recipes

Have a great day
 

Travel League, Movie, Canadian Thanksgiving,

Today is the first of our Travel League bowling meets. Lunch at the Red Lobster and then bowling at our home bowling alley. We have decided only to participate on the months when the bowling is in a local alley. Victoria or our usual alley, Towne. We are not going to the out of town ones at all.

Finally I got Guardians of the Galaxy 2 from the library. Not Matt's cuppa tea so I will probably watch it on my laptop. For some reason when I play movies on our DVD player we have to turn up the sound drastically to be able to hear anything at all. I really am not sure why.

Wednesday afternoon I went to exercise class and didn't have a twitch in my rear end although in the morning it was pretty painful. We will see what happens. I said to our instructor I had a PITA and she said, oh no, your husband? It was quite funny at the time.

When we went shopping on Tuesday afternoon, they had a deal going on frozen turkeys. I suddenly realised why. Canadian Thanksgiving is on October 9. I had completely forgotten. I am not sure what I will do, probably  buy a turkey breast just for the two of us. I came across this side dish which is recommended for Thanksgiving.

Company Cabbage

This is especially pretty prepared with Savoy cabbage! Be sure not to overcook the greens so they

don’t turn mushy

2 tsp (10 mL) chicken bouillon
4 cups (1 L) coarsely shredded green or Savoy cabbage
½ cup (125 mL) shredded carrots
¼ cup (60 mL) chopped celery root or celery
¼ cup (60 mL) sliced green onions or chopped shallots
½ tsp (2 mL) dried dillweed (or 1 ½ tsp/7 mL fresh)
3 Tbs (45 mL) chopped pecans
1 Tbs (15 mL) melted butter
½ tsp (2 mL) prepared mustard
1/4 tsp (0.5 mL) pepper

1. In large saucepan, heat 1/2 cup/75 mL water over medium-high; add chicken bouillon, stirring until dissolved. Add cabbage, carrots, celery root, green onions and dillweed, stirring to combine. Cook, covered, for about 5 minutes, stirring slightly, until tender.

2. Stir together pecans, butter, mustard and pepper. Pour over cabbage mixture; tossing to combine.

Servings: 6

Source: Great Canadian Cookbook

Have a great day
 

Shopping, Turkey, Dry Aging,

Busy day, went shopping first of all and spent a lot of money, some of which was for Christmas. Actually, although my bill totalled over $200, I had 50,000 points so got $50 knocked off the bill and then earned 26,000 more points. I love this point system. I have been looking at turkeys and was talking to a local market about fresh ones, they are somewhat expensive, but when I looked at the ones in the grocery store today, they were not cheap either and one had a choice of a Butterball which has synthetic basting in it, or a two stuffing turkey which could be stuffed with who knows what. So when I got home I ordered the more expensive fresh turkey. I had never been on the website for the market store, called Victoria Street Market, and when I did I was amazed to find that they do dry aged  meats. We have been buying the odd thing from them for a while, particularly sausages, but now I am going to try their beef. It will be expensive, but better than Matt throwing stuff away because he says it's too tough. The picture shows their dry aging room which is visible from the store.

I have been searching for a Carrot Cake recipe for ever. It was first published in the LCBO (lquor board) magazine Food and Drink but I didn't know when. I did know I had blogged about it once many years ago. I even asked the LCBO if they could find the recipe. However, I was looking for straight carrot cake - it turned out the title was actually Honey Butter Carrot Cake with Toasted Pecans and Citrus Cream Cheese Icing. which explains why I couldn't find it. The picture of the cake was on the cover of that issue of Food and Drink but the picture they have that I can find online, only shows a slice of the cake. I am hoping they can provide me with the cover picture.

When we got home, the bug man had been for the ants. Couldn't see anything. Eventually I found

little bubbles of something all round the apartment. Clear liquid but obviously thicker than water. Not touched it though. Hope it works. Not my hand, but I wanted to show you how tiny these things are. I am not even sure the ones in the picture aren't bigger than ours. I gather they are sugar ants, but, in that case, why the heck are they in the bathroom?

After lunch I was too knackered to go to exercise class so we hung around until it was time to go get my CPAP machine replaced. That didn't take very long at all. The rest of the afternoon we just relaxed. Forgot, picked up The Santa Clause, one of my favourite Christmas movies. Watched it in the evening and Matt said he couldn't understand why I liked it so much. Not sure whether he is a Scrooge or a Grinch. Tomorrow we are joining the Travel League for lunch and then bowling. First time for a while. Not joined them for a couple of months.

Being Christmas time I thought a nice easy dessert might be useful. I love Tiramisu and this looks like a pretty good substitute.

Brownie Tiramisu

Coffee, raspberries and sweet cream cheese take brownies to an even yummier level in this easy-to-

make tiramisu.

6 brownie squares (2-1/4 inch)
1/4 cup brewed strong MAXWELL HOUSE Coffee, cooled
4 oz (1/2 of 8-oz. pkg.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1-1/2 cups milk
1 pkg. (3.4 oz.) JELL-O Vanilla Flavor Instant Pudding
1 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, divided

1. Cut brownies into bite-size pieces; place in 6 dessert dishes. Drizzle with coffee.

2. Beat cream cheese with mixer until creamy. Gradually beat in milk. Add dry pudding mix; beat on low speed 2 min. Add 1/2 cup COOL WHIP; mix well. Spoon over brownies.

3. Top with remaining COOL WHIP, berries and grated chocolate.

Servings: 6

Source: Kraft

Have a great day

Travel League, Thanksgiving,

Tonight (Thursday) I'm too tired to write much at all. Bowling really took it out of me today. Went to lunch at the Red Lobster which was enjoyable. Saw friends we hadn't seen since the end of the Winter season last April. Then on to the bowling alley. The bowling seemed to go on and on and on and by the end of it I was totally whacked. We didn't get out of the alley until about 4. It was quite funny, I was using my cane to get up to the alley then propping it up while I hobbled around throwing balls then picking it up again. The women on my team started bringing me my cane when I had finished each time. Nice of them but it became a joke too and if the woman who followed me forgot I pretended to be teed off and complained about the poor service. That part was fun. My bowling was, of course, lousy. I am still not able to bowl properly of course. Things are better but I am not back to normal by any means.

Got home and it was almost time to fix supper. I had done a few preparations in the morning and also make a whole batch of tomato sauce for the freezer. After supper whilst waiting for Jeopardy I tried to have a zizz but was too keyed up to do so. Ah well.

Last day of September, unbelievable really, the year seems to have been shooting by. Another week and it is Thanksgiving in Canada.

Here's a quick soup with some interesting sounding dumplings. A more complicated tomato soup than the one I usually make, but it sounds good.

Tomato Soup with Parmesan Dumplings

 Looking for the perfect quick and easy tomato soup recipe? Here it is, a delicious tomato soup that

can be made in under 30 minutes, but, don't let the speed fool you. This quick bowl of comfort not only offers up depth of flavor, but also is elegantly topped with Parmesan dumplings to make it a perfect entertaining first course.

Ingredients

Tomato Soup

2 tbsp butter
1 large white onion, chopped
1 tbsp shallots, chopped
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 small carrots, peeled and chopped
2 small celery stalks, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, chopped
3 sun-dried tomatoes, not oil-packed, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp kosher salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Dash cayenne pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1 (28oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained

Parmesan Dumplings

1/3 cup flour
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
2 tsp chopped fresh basil
¼ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp kosher salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp vegetable oil

Thinly sliced fresh basil, for garnish

Directions

1) For the soup, in a large saucepan, heat butter over medium heat. Add onion, shallot and garlic, cooking 4-5 minutes until tender. Add carrots, celery, red pepper, sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste, lime juice, sugar, salt, pepper and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4-5 minutes to soften vegetables. Add chicken broth and diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and simmer 20 minutes. Remove from heat and either puree directly in soup pot using a handheld blender or place half of the tomato soup mixture in a countertop blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining tomato soup. Return all of the soup to the saucepan. Reheat when ready to serve.

2) For the Parmesan dumplings, combine flour, Parmesan, basil, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. In a small bowl, lightly whisk together the egg and vegetable oil. Stir egg mixture into flour mixture with a wooden spoon until combined. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Using ½ tsp measuring spoon, drop slightly rounded dough into boiling water. Cook 4 minutes and remove with a slotted spoon. Rinse with cold water and drain well. Serve with soup. Garnish soup with sliced basil
Yield: 25 dumplings

Serves 6

Have a great day
 

Kitchen Tool, Travel League

Well, well, well, a couple of years ago I bought a mango splitter from Avon but for some reason I haven't bought any mangoes since. I really didn't believe it was going to work. However, Tuesday I bought a couple of golden mangoes and Wednesday afternoon I decided to try it. Damn me it works like a charm. Split the mango beautifully not leaving too much on the seed at all. Mind you there's not a heck of a lot of flesh on a golden mango anyway.

Today we have our Travel League bowling which, being the first of the season takes place at Towne Bowl where we bowl normally. We will be lunching with many of the bowlers at The Red Lobster. Hopefully I will be able to bowl but I don't want to hold anyone up so we will see. I did go to exercise class on Wednesday and remained sitting for the whole class. However, I managed to achieve a surprising amount.

This looked and sounded scrumptious. In the original recipe it calls for agave nectar as a sweetener however, as I wasn't familiar with the ingredient I looked it up and from what I read, it isn't a very healthy sweetener as it's preparation entails boiling it which removes all the potential health benefits. I therefore have substituted fresh natural honey instead. You can, of course, make your own decisions.

Sticky Toffee Whole-Wheat Date Cake

This cake is a showstopper that a baker with rudimentary skills could pull off. The topping is a toffee glaze made with brown sugar, agave, butter and sea salt; you pour half of it over the cake while still

hot so that it saturates the cake, giving it a puddinglike consistency, then wait before using the rest as a high-gloss frosting you sprinkle with sea salt. Seemingly complicated, but surprisingly simple.

FOR THE CAKE:
14 Tbs unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks), at room temperature, more for the pan
8 ounces pitted dates, chopped
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
½ cupdried currants
1 cup whole-wheat flour
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp fine sea salt
¾ cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla extract
FOR THE STICKY TOFFEE:
½ cup fresh honey
½ cup packed light brown sugar
¼ tsp fine sea salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Fleur de sel

1. In a small pot, combine dates, lemon juice and 3/4 cup water. Bring mixture to a boil, then simmer gently until dates soften and start to fall apart, about 6 minutes. Add currants to the pot and set aside to cool completely.

2. While date mixture cools, stir together whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger and salt.

3. Using an electric mixer, beat butter and brown sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in vanilla and cooled date mixture, followed by flour mixture.

4. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly and smoothing the surface. Bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean with just a few crumbs clinging to it.

5. Meanwhile, make the sticky toffee: In a small pot (you can use the same one you used for the dates), combine honey, brown sugar and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Once sugar dissolves and bubbles, remove from heat and swirl in butter.

6. When the cake comes out of the oven, spoon half the sticky toffee over it and let cool in the pan on a wire rack. (It will soak into the cake.)

7. When the cake has cooled completely and the remaining sticky toffee has thickened, spread it over the cake with an offset spatula. Sprinkle with fleur de sel and serve. Store, loosely wrapped, at room temperature for up to 2 days.

Servings: 9

Author: Jim Wilson
Source: The New York Times

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

El Papa, Car CD Player. Anniversary, Bowling.

Been watching lots more of the Pope in the US today. What a wonderful man. I had tears in my eyes several times whilst watching him. And yet 3 Catholic Judges are staying away from him tomorrow. JoJo said he was upsetting his own church somewhat, but they needed a good shake up in my opinion. I just hope he stays safe.

We took the CD player in on Tuesday and the store owner has taken it out of the car. He managed to see inside and can see what is stuck. He has kept it to see if he can unstick it. It's one of the the cartridge trays which is giving the problem. We probably won't be doing any more long trips in this car so it probably won't matter if he can't fix it. Nevertheless, I hope he can. He says it will be an intricate operation which doesn't surprise me.

Printed a card for the old man this morning. He hasn't bought me one yet though I know.  After 43 years one gets a bit blasé about it all I suppose. In case you wonder, it was a registrar office or civil wedding. I had a church wedding the first time I got married.

Today, Thursday is our Travel League for bowling Unfortunately at least a couple of good friends can't make it for one reason or another which is a pity especially as it's the first one this season. Lunch at the Red Lobster and then of course donuts during the bowling. I always kid people I only go for the donuts. I have to be really careful only to eat one. I do like donuts. Well I like most food I suppose LOL. You might not have guessed that.

I watched a movie on Tuesday night, bought it on special, and then posted on Facebook " It is inconceivable you would guess what movie I watched". People guessed pretty easily I thought. One friend came back with "You use that word a lot. I do not think it means what you think it means".

I love risotto but along with everyone else, I do not like having to stand around stirring forever as standing, for me, ends up being painful. Here is a fantastic microwave recipe which I haven't tried yet but will be very soon.

10-Minute Risotto Cups

Brit+Co Sarah Jones

Alright, this recipe is amazing for 2 reasons. First, we’re making risotto in the microwave. Second,

we’re making it in 10 minutes. No more standing at the stove and stirring for an hour. This is quite a hack, if we do say so ourselves.

Ingredients:

Basic Recipe
– 2 tablespoons butter
– 1/2 onion, finely chopped
– 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
– 1 cup Arborio rice
– 2 cups broth
– 1/2 cup white wine

Butternut Squash + Sage
– Butternut squash
– Sage leaves
– Parmesan

Mushrooms + Thyme
– Mushrooms
– Thyme
– Parmesan

Bacon + Kale + Mushrooms
– Bacon, cooked and crumbled
– Kale
– Mushrooms
– Parmesan

We’re starting you off with a basic risotto recipe that makes 4 ramekins of risotto. You’ll add your mix-ins midway through the process. All of our risottos start with butter, onion, garlic, Arborio rice, and broth.

Begin by adding 1/2 tablespoon of butter to each ramekin and adding a spoonful of onions. Microwave for 1 1/2 minutes on high, stirring after 30 seconds to distribute the melted butter.
(Note: Onions can spark in the microwave. Yes, we know it’s freaky and weird. Don’t worry, they’ll stop sparking once they’re covered with the melted butter, yum).

Next, add a pinch of garlic, 1/4 cup rice, and 1/4 + 2 tablespoons broth. Cover with loosely with plastic wrap and heat in the microwave at 50% power level for 2 minutes. Remove and stir. Add additional broth if necessary. Repeat heating process.

After heating for a total of 4 minutes, it’s time to add your wine. About 1-2 tablespoons per ramekin should do it. At this point you should also add your butternut squash or mushrooms, depending on which recipe you’re making. Cover again with plastic wrap and heat for another 2 minutes at 50%.

Continuing with the Butternut Squash + Sage recipe, add your chopped sage leaves. Heat on 50% power for another minute, then add your Parmesan.

If making the Bacon + Kale + Mushroom recipe, add the chopped bacon and kale. Heat on 50% power for another minute, then add your Parmesan. E perfetto!

If making the Mushroom + Thyme recipe, add your thyme. Heat on 50% power for another minute, then add your Parmesan.

At this point, you should be really impressed with yourself.

The result is as good as the stovetop method but takes about a quarter of the effort.

Have a great day
 

Poor Me, El Papa, Busy Week

So sorry there was no blog for Tuesday. Sunday night I was taken rather ill with a gastric condition and neither of us got much sleep. We did go bowling although it was touch and go for me until the last minute when I decided to risk it. My first game turned out to be great, the second two, I might as well have stayed at home. By the time I did get home, I was drooping and not feeling too good anyway. I ended up going to bed early and a good night's sleep appears to have helped. Hence, no blog. I was supposed to make an important phone call to Father Dragon that evening, but didn't do that either. I didn't do much in the way of visiting other blogs either. I just heated up a couple of Cornish Pasties for supper and that was the extent of my efforts all round.

Actually we have quite a busy week, Tuesday we were supposed to go to the optometrist. I cancelled

that as I was still feeling rough. Wednesday we have our foot nurse and later we are going to visit a company about the CD player from the car. Thursday it is our first Travel League bowling which means lunch at the local Red Lobster and then Friday is our 43rd wedding anniversary. No idea what we are going to do to celebrate that yet. Especially as we are planning to go to the Mandarin on October 1 when they are offering seniors 50% off.

Sitting here typing this, I have just seen the Pope landing in the States. I am not a Roman Catholic but I must say I am very impressed with this current Pope. I do hope nothing happens to him whilst he is in the US. I guess I am a bit like the Queen, I have seen several Popes, lots of US Presidents and lots of Prime Ministers in both Canada and the UK. Of course, she has met them, I have not. Actually I did meet one UK Prime Minister, a couple of times. Edward Heath some time between 1970 and 1974. Once at a yacht club in the UK and once in a yacht club in Malta where my parents lived for a few years.

I love pineapple and I particularly like Grilled Pineapple which they used to serve at our local Brazilian restaurant, you know, the one that closed and about which I was moaning a while back. However, this morning I came across this recipe;

Brazilian Grilled Pineapple

1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 pineapple - peeled, cored, and cut into 6 wedges

1. Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.

2. Whisk brown sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Pour sugar mixture into a large resealable plastic bag. Place pineapple wedges in bag and shake to coat each wedge.

3. Grill pineapple wedges on the preheated grill until heated through, 3 to 5 minutes per side.

Servings: 6


Have a great day
 

Travel League, Medical.

Today is our Travel League and we are having lunch at Angel’s Diner, a restaurant chain (not sure if they are in the States) and then bowling at Victoria Bowl which isn’t that far from us although not as close as Towne Bowl where we normally go. Jim from Towne said say hi to the owner, I assured him I have never met the owner in all the times we have been there. Not a bit like town when we know both the owners, their wives and kids. A very nice family. It is also a very nice bowling alley.

As you know, Matt had a bone scan on Friday. We were told the surgeon would have the results in the afternoon. Wednesday I called the office and was told he hasn’t seen them yet because he has been in the hospital all week and wouldn’t be in the office til Friday. Well, after all he is a surgeon I suppose. I can’t say we are very happy about it though.

This recipe looks absolutely delicious. I don’t suppose I will ever make it for just Matt and I. I might get adventurous for dinner guests one day though. On second thoughts, now I have seen the calorie count……. I have added it in tiny figures in case you don’t want to know. I just followed the link below but it turns out it is a place to purchase this Bacon Explosion. I couldn’t find any pictures. I then explored further and found the following link which shows how this should be made. Actually it makes some pretty interesting reading and some of the comments are hilarious.

Bacon Explosion!

By Sharlene~W on February 01, 2009
Food.com


Servings: 8

About This Recipe

"My husband sent me this recipe with a note reading, "You know I HAVE to make this." It is quickly making the internet and tv rounds and I saw it the next day on Good Morning America. It is from the BBQ Addicts website. You can see photos of the process at http://www.bbqaddicts.com/bacon-explosion.html I posted for your Superbowl eating pleasure (but you may not want to see the calorie count)."  (944.9)

Ingredients

• 2 lbs thick cut bacon
• 2 lbs Italian sausage
• 3/4 cup barbecue sauce ( your favourite)
• 3 tablespoons barbecue seasoning ( your favourite rub, recommended Bad Byron's Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen)

Directions

1. To kick off the construction of this pork medley you’ll need to create a 5x5 bacon weave. If the strips you’re using aren’t wide enough to span 5x5 inches, then you may need to use a few extra slices to fill out the pattern. Just make sure your weave is tight and that you end up with a nice square shape to work with.
2. The next step is to add some barbecue seasoning on top of your bacon weave. (BBQ Addict recommends Bad Byron's Butt Rub, Rendezvous Famous Seasoning, or Steven Raichlen's All-Purpose Rub).
3. Now that you’re pork is well seasoned, it’s time to add more pork. Take two pounds of Italian sausage and layer it directly on top of your bacon weave. Be sure to press the sausage to the outer edges of the bacon creating a patty that is the same thickness all the way across. Most grocery stores carry loose sausage, so just pick out one you like.
4. Next up is bacon layer number two. Take the remaining bacon slices and fry them up the same way you would for breakfast. If you like soft bacon, make it soft. If you like crunchy bacon, make it crunchy.
5. Since this is a barbecue recipe, we need to add another layer of barbecue flavour. Take your favourite sauce and drizzle it all over the top of the bacon pieces. (BBQ Addict recommends Burnt Finger BBQ’s homemade competition sauce). Once you’ve sauced the bacon, sprinkle on some more of the barbecue seasoning you used on the bacon weave.
6. Very carefully separate the front edge of the sausage layer from the bacon weave and begin rolling backwards. You want to include all layers EXCEPT the bacon weave in your roll. Try and keep the sausage as tight as possible and be sure to release any air pockets that may have formed. Once the sausage is fully rolled up, pinch together the seams and ends to seal all of the bacon goodness inside.
7. At this point we can start to see the final shape of our Bacon Explosion, but we’re missing one key item. To complete the construction process, roll the sausage forward completely wrapping it in the bacon weave. Make sure it sits with the seam facing downward to help keep it all sealed up.
8. Sprinkle some barbecue seasoning on the outside of the bacon weave, and now it is ready for the smoker. Cook your Bacon Explosion at 225°F in a constant cloud of hickory smoke until your meat thermometer gives an internal temperature reading of 165°F Normally this will take about 1 hour for each inch of thickness, but that could vary depending on how well you maintain your fire and also how many times you open the smoker to take a peek. BBQ Addict recommends 2.5 hours, for a roll 2.5 inches in diameter.
9. Now that the Bacon Explosion is fully cooked, you need to add some finishing flavours. Remember that barbecue sauce you used for inner flavour? You'll be using that same sauce to glaze the cooked bacon weave. Using a basting brush, coat the entire surface with a thin layer of sauce. Sweet sauces are loaded with sugars, so they’ll give your fatty a nice glossy finish. Spicy and vinegar based sauces don’t contain as much, so they won’t set up as well. If you’re dead set on using those sauces, just cut them with a bit of honey and you’ll get the same effect.
10. Slice the Bacon Explosion into quarter to half inch rounds to serve. If your roll was good and tight, you should now see a nice bacon pinwheel pattern throughout the sausage.
11. Obviously pork is best served by itself, but if you feel the need to make this meat monster into a sandwich, BBQ Addict recommends placing a couple Bacon Explosion slices on a warm Pillsbury’s Grands Biscuit.

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

Cooking, Travel League.

Having made the stuffed peppers the other day, I had run out of tomato sauce so took some time on Tuesday afternoon to make up a batch. It’s basically something I do ‘out of my head’ I sauté a bunch of chopped onions, and a few chopped cloves of garlic. Throw in a couple of cans of tomatoes and some chopped peppers, a glass of wine and I also add some herbs and plenty of seasoning. This I can use for spaghetti or anything else that calls for tomato sauce. I basically don’t like the taste of the canned stuff.

We are crossing our fingers for Thursday now, we are due to go on our Travel league bowling to Elmira which is a few miles and out in the country somewhat and guess what, snow is predicted. I hope they are as wrong about that as they were about the freezing rain last Saturday. So do me a favour and cross your fingers for us too. This is a picture of me at the bowling alley last winter. Don’t know why I haven’t posted it before.

Dixie of dcrelief said she hoped I was going to post a recipe for Mincemeat Tarts – the best I can offer is from my old, old cookbook Mrs. Beeton’s Cookery – my copy is about 78 years old. Having made it, you can then put it into a pastry shell (puff pastry is Mrs. Beeton’s recommendation) and bake. I must confess I have never tried to make this myself and if I do want to do anything with mincemeat, I buy a good brand. The original mincemeat did, in fact, have meat in it I understand. When I was a kid, I hated mince tarts or anything with mincemeat. I guess my taste buds grew up. However, as I said, I buy the tarts from the Crossroads restaurant and they are delicious. It being a Mennonite restaurant, I am guessing the mincemeat is homemade. For suet in the States, I am afraid you will have to go to a butcher and request some which you will then have to prepare yourself. A gill,  by the way, is 5 fl. oz.

Mincemeat

1 lb finely chopped suet
1 lb. of currents
1 lbs raisins
1 lb chopped apples
1 lb sugar (it says castor but that is similar to sugar in North America)
1/2 lb sultanas
1/4 lb of shredded mixed candied peel
A lemon
1/2 gill brandy (see above)

small amounts of nutmeg, mace and cinnamon (she actually says half a salt spoon but although I have these, I have never seen anyone on this side of the pond who also has them) probably a quarter teaspoon.
Pare the lemons thinly, simmer the rinds in a little water until perfectly tender, then pound them or rub them through a fine sieve. Mix all the ingredients well together, press into a jar, cover closely and keep in a cool dry place for at least 1 month before using. Makes 4 to 5 lbs. mincemeat.

Have a great day

Book and Bowling.

I’ve  just started a book called Dragon’s Egg (no nothing to do with dragons) by Robert L. Forward, which is pretty scientific and at first I wasn’t sure I was going to continue as there was so much science, but I persevered and am now enjoying it. However there was one bit which said there were 4 black holes in the sun and that it would fail in a few million years but that humanity, having decided there was nothing we could do was ignoring it and hoping it would go away – what a very true statement about our attitude. Think of global warning. The existence of black holes in the sun is fictional by the way. Not that any of us would be around to see what happened. There is a report of a star managing to evade being swallowed by a black hole which has scientists somewhat amazed. They can’t believe it happened and with only minor damage. The picture shows plasma being drawn off a star as it passes a black hole. The book is actually turning out to be a very good one - it is an old book (1980) which has been re-issued.

Bowling yesterday was disastrous to say the least. My average dropped by 3 points. A woman on our team, who is generally not a very good bowler, beat me in all three games. Matt didn’t do that well either. Oh well, having to throw practically every ball due to a lack of strikes and spares means I got lots of exercise.  Thursday we are bowling in the Travel League; we are in New Hamburg this month. Let’s hope we do better, although of course it doesn’t matter that much not like the league scores. The way this little picture works is better than I was bowling most of the time. I could NOT get the head pin.

I like Kraft recipes they are so easy to do.

New Classic Chicken Bake

Boneless chicken breasts are baked to tender, juicy perfection in this delicious new take on the classic chicken bake.

6 servings

What You Need

1 pkg.  (6 oz.) STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix for Chicken
3 Tbsp.  flour
1-1/2 cups  milk
3 cups  fresh broccoli florets
1 cup  KRAFT Shredded Cheddar Cheese
1/2 tsp.  dried thyme leaves
6 small  boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1-1/2 lb.)
1 tsp.  oil

Make It

HEAT oven to 350°F.
PREPARE stuffing as directed on package.
WHISK flour and milk in large microwaveable bowl until blended. Microwave on HIGH 4 min., stirring after 2 min. Add broccoli, cheese and thyme; mix well.
COOK chicken in hot oil in large nonstick skillet on medium-high heat 3 to 5 min. on each side or until browned on both sides. Place in 13x9-inch baking dish; top with vegetable mixture and stuffing.
BAKE 25 to 30 min. or until chicken is done (165ºF).

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serving Suggestion
Serve with a mixed green salad and your favorite fresh fruit to round out the meal.
Substitute
Prepare using your favourite flavour of STOVE TOP Stuffing Mix.

Have a great day