Guest Post, Turkey Anyone, Bowling

Actually, I was going to be lazy and not post anything today but then I remembered I am guest posting at The Really Real Housewives of America again so I hope you will visit me there. I have chosen a recipe I am planning to make this week because I saw it made on The Great British Bake Show which I thought sounded delicious. The recipe has a crust to make it into a pie, but as the author said himself, it would make a good dish without the pastry. Paul Hollywood called it Leftover Turkey and Ham Pie.

I sure have plenty of turkey left, as I said yesterday, I ended up with a 17 pounder having ordered a smaller bird. There were only 4 of us and one was such a very small eater. Today we had a delicious turkey soup for supper full of meat and veggies. Yummy. Thank the Lord for still having our balcony though, it has been very useful as a fridge these last few days.

We went bowling today and when we got there it was quiet with not a soul but the proprietor. A

couple of our friends turned up and then all kinds of people until the place was pretty full. I hadn't thought of it but, of course, the alley does feel it when the leagues take winter breaks. It's a lot of customers to lose for a couple of weeks. I bowled moderately well, somebody who shall remain nameless, beat me twice but I managed to retaliate on the third game. I wish we could both of us bowl so well on a league day. Our league will not start again until the second week of January although Matt and I will be there twice a week as usual. Funny, the proprietor was telling us about their family party the previous day and how one of his dogs actually managed to pick up a bowling ball (3.5 lbs roughly) in his mouth and carry it off the bowling area. However, he couldn't put it down so the daughter had to help the dog by forcing his mouth further open. The dog is a setter. I couldn't believe it, nor could they I gather. That's my ball. 3 lb 10 oz or thereabouts).

Funny, the year has almost ended and I suddenly realised I hadn't done our rent cheques for 2017. Unfortunately we cannot persuade the landlords to do bank transfers for the rent. A little backward. So today I had to get 'em done in a hurry.

Any mistakes, apologies, I am tired and was just off to bed.

So all for now, for a recipe go visit The Really Real Housewives of America. Told you I was being lazy.


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

Discounts, Murder, Charity, Trapple and Turkey.

Today we are going for our 50% off lunch at the Mandarin Chinese restaurant. Only available for people over 65 which we have to prove. They always give seniors a discount but this is particularly good. Maybe I’m wising up, Tuesday’s, seniors get 20% discount at the local pharmacy so yesterday we went to get some goodies. For some unknown reason, unknown to me anyway, the government pays for my glucometer (to read my blood sugar) it also pays for the strips (well some of them, insurance pays for the rest) but it will not pay anything for the lancets  (the things you prick yourself with) so I finally figured if I have got to pay for them, I will get a discount, which I did. I actually saved $7 on stuff from the  pharmacy yesterday. I am suitably pleased and will most certainly remember to do such shopping again. Our supermarket has a pharmacy dept. and we often just pick up toothpaste, etc. etc. when shopping, they don’t give us a discount so I won’t be doing that again.

I bet all the female realtors will be thinking twice and taking precautions after the murder of one of their number this week.  They are saying ensure someone knows where you are, the husband in this case did know where she was but it didn’t help.

Just seen a news report on Bill Gates. Apparently he gives the equivalent of $4 million a day to charity. He and his wife have just given a huge sum to help with the current ebola crisis. He and his wife have given away so much to charity. I think he is still the richest man in the world. I wouldn’t mind if he let me have some chump change!! Our rent just went up $20 a month, oy vey!!

I finally managed to get hold of the missing piece from our fruit fly trap (Trapple) so hopefully it will now start working. If it doesn’t I have things to fall back on. I also found a source for turkey breasts which I much prefer for the two of us. We really don’t need a whole bird. Will know what I can get later today.

I often put apple in salads, but this is a different way of doing it. From WebMD.

Roasted Apple and Cheddar Salad

EatingWell.com

Roasted apples and Cheddar cheese turn an ordinary mixed green salad into something extra-special. You can use pears for this recipe as well.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons red-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons apple juice
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 2  apples, preferably Fuji, peeled and cut into wedges
• 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1 tablespoon
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped
• 3 cups baby spinach, or torn spinach leaves
• 3 cups Boston lettuce, torn
• 3 cups curly endive, torn
• 2/3 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
• freshly ground pepper, to taste
  

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. To prepare dressing: Whisk vinegar, apple juice, 1 tablespoon oil, honey, mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. To roast apples & prepare salad: Toss apples with 2 teaspoons oil and thyme in a medium bowl; spread evenly on a baking sheet. Roast, turning once or twice, until the apples are soft and golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Discard fresh thyme, if using. Let cool.
4. While the apples are roasting, toast walnuts in a small baking pan until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Let cool.
5. Just before serving, combine spinach, lettuce and endive in a large bowl; toss gently to mix. Divide the greens among 6 plates, drizzle with dressing and top with cheese, roasted apples and walnuts. Serve immediately.

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

Friday, Cooking, Oktoberfest.

I decided to make some soup for this evening. I ended up with beans (black and white) with spinach and tomatoes and chucked in a handful of basil. Obviously onions, garlic and chicken bouillon were in the mix. It tastes very good. Maybe not totally appropriate for the weather, but…. Matt says if it’s too warm we can turn on the air, true I guess. We certainly have been getting some lovely weather. Later: The soup was very good. Now have some in the freezer.

Whilst waiting for the soup to cook I looked at my email and found a flyer from Zehrs, our local grocery

store. Lo and behold, beef rib roasts at half price. I couldn’t go out so Matt went down and got a couple of nice looking roasts which we double wrapped and put in the freezer. Just what I need for my new horseradish. Won't be eating either of them for a while though, turkey first.

The dicky bird (turkey breast) is out and defrosting  I always cook it in an oven bag - so much easier. I have never cooked a whole turkey in an oven bag, but done a few turkey breasts and they turn out very well. Maybe not as brown as if cooked the regular way. I guess I could unbag it and brown it off in the oven for a while, but I have never bothered. Under normal circumstances we would have roast potatoes, but I don’t really want to bust my diet that much and Matt is just as happy with a baked potato with butter in it. We make our roast potatoes by parboiling peeled potatoes, draining them, and then cooking them in the oven in hot fat. If you scratch the potatoes with a fork before roasting, they come out extra crispy.
For those of you seriously thinking about making bread sauce, there is a better description of how to make it in this blog.
Our radio is blaring out polkas today, it’s the beginning of Oktoberfest and they “tapped the keg” in downtown Kitchener this afternoon. This music will be played a lot during the next week and Matt hates it so he is going to be out of luck. Something we have always avoided. Neither of us is good with crowds. I have mentioned before that this is the biggest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Munich. Many Germans settled in this area which gave impetus to the occasion at the beginning.

I thought this pudding looked delicious and it will certainly be on my menu in the near future. I found it at Cooking.com

Buttermilk Puddings with Mango Sauce

Source: Dessert - The Grand Finale
Serves 2

INGREDIENTS
Puddings
1/4 cup plus 3 tablespoons heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
1/6 oz gelatine
1 tablespoon water
1/2 vanilla bean
1 cup buttermilk
Mango Sauce
1 mango, peeled and pitted
1 tablespoon confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS
Puddings:
Combine 1/4 cup of the cream with the sugar in a saucepan and bring to the boiling point. Remove from heat.
Dissolve the gelatine in the water. Stir into the cream mixture and mix well. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the buttermilk. Split the vanilla bean and scrape the seeds into the pudding. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Whip the remaining 3 tablespoons of the cream and fold into the mixture. Pour into 2 lightly oiled 1-cup metal moulds. Fill each mould right to the top. Wrap with plastic; refrigerate for 2 hours.
Mango Sauce:
Place the mango flesh and sugar in a food processor. Puree. Strain through a sieve. Unmould each pudding and serve with Mango Sauce.

Have a great holiday weekend – well it is for Canadians. I should say Gemütlichkeit.

Family News, Books, Irene,

Yesterday we heard the news from family in England that Granddaughter, Beth, got 10 A*s and one A in her GCSE’s. What is particularly phenomenal about this is that she has taken them a year early. We are both thrilled to bits with these marks although with her it seems to be par for the course. I just felt I had to do some bragging about it in my blog. She is actually planning to go into the theatrical world which seems a little bit of a waste to me.
I finally finished A Dance with Dragons by George R.R. Martin yesterday, I did enjoy it but I didn’t like the continual switching of characters every time a new chapter started. Another thing I am not keen on, every time he introduces sympathetic characters, he ends up bumping them off. Someone pointed out that he has too many main characters, I guess this is the problem although when he kills them off, that deletes that segment. A chapter or two we won’t have to worry about in future books, however many he ends up writing in this series. His books are available on Kindle by the way.

I am now reading another book which was recommended to me by someone on line and I am damned if I can remember who that was. It is The Golden Key a collaboration by three authors, Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson and Kate Elliott, not sure if I have read any of their work before. Its actually an old book (1996) although the copy I have looks absolutely new and is not a paperback. I haven’t yet got very far, but what I have read is good.

Irene is causing lots of worries along the east coast of both the States and Canada. During a golf game in New Jersey which Matt was watching, they were talking about plans for Saturday or Sunday when the hurricane would arrive. All our friends in NC are battening down the hatches, and the outer islands are being evacuated. It is being described as a monster storm, particularly as it is over 500 miles wide. If you are out that far, high winds and rain will be about it, for you, but closer to the eye it could be very nasty in some areas. It is being touted as a category 4 in the near future. On GMA yesterday they were advising people not to try and take hurricane pix in cities and towns because of the dangers from flying debris. Even taking pix on beaches you could get caught in storm surge. Matt nearly was once. The swirling water came up the beach and surrounded him, luckily there were steps he could hang on to til the water retreated and that wasn’t even a hurricane just a major wind storm. We are hoping the rental cottage will be OK of course.

This morning there was a report of a rogue wave in Florida which swept 8 people from a dock/pier area. This wave was tied in with Irene. As they pointed out on GMA, today the hurricane is off land so there won’t be a lot of pictures about it, but tomorrow it is expected to hit land at Cape Hatteras, North Carolina and the tides are morning and evening this weekend, just when the storm is expected to hit causing a surge. New York city is also evacuating low areas in the expectation of a storm surge too.
This looks like a good lunch.

Turkey, Corn and Sun-Dried Tomato Wraps

From Eating Well: July/August 2011
Fresh corn kernels, tomatoes and lettuce fill these hearty turkey wraps. This wrap is great for picnics or when you need to have dinner on the run. Add some crumbled feta or shredded Cheddar for another layer of flavour. Serve with carrot sticks, sliced bell pepper or other crunchy vegetables plus your favourite creamy dressing.
4 servings  Ingredients

• 1 cup corn kernels, fresh (see Tip) or frozen (thawed)
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomato
• 1/4 cup chopped soft sun-dried tomatoes (see Shopping Tip)
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar or cider vinegar
• 8 thin slices low-sodium deli turkey (about 8 ounces)
• 4 8-inch whole-wheat tortillas
• 2 cups chopped romaine lettuce

Preparation

1. Combine corn, tomato, sun-dried tomatoes, oil and vinegar in a medium bowl.
2. Divide turkey among tortillas. Top with equal portions of the corn salad and lettuce. Roll up. Serve the wraps cut in half, if desired.

Nutrition

Per serving :321 Calories; 12 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 35 mg Cholesterol; 35 g Carbohydrates; 19 g Protein; 4 g Fiber; 682 mg Sodium; 325 mg Potassium
2 Carbohydrate Serving
Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 2 fat

Tips & Notes

• Tip: To remove corn kernels from the cob, stand an ear of corn on one end and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife. One ear will yield about 1/2 cup kernels.
• Shopping Tip: Look for soft sun-dried tomatoes (not oil-packed) in the produce section of most supermarkets. If you can only find dry (and hard) sun-dried tomatoes, soak them in boiling water for about 20 minutes before using.

Have a great day.

Easter and Eating, TV Viewing, Bunnies.

The discussion on whether to eat turkey or lamb for our Easter dinner ended up with us choosing turkey. The gumbo last night was very good, made more so by the oysters although they didn’t seem to have a lot of flavour not compared with oysters fresh from the sea. They were huge though, I don’t think I have ever had to cut an oyster in half before. I didn’t like oysters for many years although both my parents would woof them down on the half shell. Then I moved to North Carolina and learned to eat them steamed – wonderful – I could knock off a bushel in very short order. Matt even built a small outdoor fire for steaming them. In case you don’t know, we used to put them on a metal sheet over the fire and cover them with a piece of wet sacking. Once they started opening they were done. I then had a table with lots of paper towel and some Tabasco plus an oyster knife in case they weren’t fully open. I was then in heaven. Matt would rescue a few and take them indoors and cook them with wine and shallots; he no longer eats shellfish very much after we pigged out, with friends, on 1,800 clams which we ate every which way you could think of including chowder. Matt never really touched shellfish after that, not even when we went to a clam bake.

We went to vote yesterday afternoon although I was busy cooking but decided to go and get it done with. We can then relax for the rest of the weekend. I mentioned the US voting ads at the banqueting the other night and our friends hadn’t seen them, which means, I guess, that they don’t watch any of the US channels. In particular we enjoy watching Jeopardy in the evening and that is an American Channel, as is Good Morning America of course.

Tomorrow I can start eating my chocolate rabbit. As you saw from the picture, we have two. Matt bought one in dark chocolate but I prefer milk chocolate, yes I know its not as good for me, but still – rather than take it back he decided he would eat it himself. Maybe that was the plan all along. I have a serious problem though, do I start with the ears or the rear end or even another part? I have discussed it with a friend on Facebook. You must have seen the cartoon, it comes out every year. I do love those Lindt chocolate bunnies, they make excellent chocolate – Matt is nuts about Swiss chocolate, with good reason. As I have mentioned before though, one doesn’t find much in the way of really nice Easter Eggs as we used to have in England. I do miss those.

Here is something which, to me, is very unusual, from Eating Well. It is a healthy food and I would imagine could be served either as a starter or a main course for lunch.

Parmesan Spinach Cakes

From EatingWell:  September/October 2008

If you like spinach-cheese pie, try these simple but elegant-looking little spinach cakes.

4 servings, 2 spinach cakes each

Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh spinach, (see Note)
• 1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese, or low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/2 cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Pulse spinach in three batches in a food processor until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium bowl. Add ricotta (or cottage cheese), Parmesan, eggs, garlic, salt and pepper; stir to combine.
3. Coat 8 cups of the muffin pan with cooking spray. Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups (they will be very full).
4. Bake the spinach cakes until set, about 20 minutes. Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes. Loosen the edges with a knife and turn out onto a clean cutting board or large plate. Serve warm, sprinkled with more Parmesan, if desired.

Nutrition

Per serving : 141 Calories; 8 g Fat; 4 g Sat; 3 g Mono; 123 mg Cholesterol; 6 g Carbohydrates; 13 g Protein; 2 g Fiber; 456 mg Sodium; 560 mg Potassium

Tips & Notes

Note: Baby spinach is immature or young spinach—it's harvested earlier than large-leaved mature spinach. We like the sturdy texture of mature spinach in cooked dishes and serve tender, mild-flavored baby spinach raw or lightly wilted. Baby and mature spinach can be used interchangeably in these recipes (yields may vary slightly); be sure to remove the tough stems from mature spinach before using.

• Weights & Measures
• 10 ounces trimmed mature spinach=about 10 cups raw
• 10 ounces baby spinach=about 8 cups raw

Happy Easter

Turkey

I don't usually blog on Sundays as you know, but I had to tell you that the turkey turned out beautifully. Brining it really made a difference. I have eaten brined meats before, but that was the first time I had actually done it and the meat was so moist and delicious. In case you wonder, it doesn't cause the meat to be salty, in fact I am not sure how it works really, but work it does. I had to go look it up, for what Wikipedia has to say click here to read all about it. In fact I didn't follow the rest of the recipe. I cooked it in a Reynolds roasting bag which I think is a great way to cook a turkey and leaves little or no mess. The cauliflower was good but it wasn't the best thing to have as the sauce mixed with the gravy. I had forgotten there was so much sauce with that recipe. The wine was good too. Happy Thanksgiving to all Canadians. Have a great weekend.

Training

Well yesterday we spent an hour in the elections office learning how to be Information Officers. Apparently we have to be at the station at 8:30 in the morning, yuk, ready to stick up posters and whatever our supervisors tell us to do. Then we were told what to do and what to say to people. Don't tell them, but I honestly don't see the point of an Information Officer. Maybe once I have done the job, I will. We ended up with a lot of paperwork to bring home, some of which has to be returned, some does not. We have to wear name badges of course, I did ours on the computer so they look nice and big and legible. We also have to stay at the end of the voting to help tidy up the posters and such that we had previously put up. Matt came away feeling somewhat less than enthusiastic about the whole deal. Being Thursday, our shopping day, we went in the afternoon. I did find a turkey breast, it was fresh, not frozen, so it wasn't cheap, but should be good for Saturday and sandwiches for Tuesday (election day). We were going to buy a fresh loaf on Monday but of course the store will be closed so will have to get one on Sunday. We also bought a bottle of Mouton Cadet Bordeaux (white) to go with it. No pumpkin pie though. Will probably have some ice cream for a dessert. This morning Matt is off for an ultra sound on his aorta. He found out that it is a good thing for older men to have checked as it can swell and burst without any symptoms. Our doctor agreed he should have it checked regularly too. There are so many things you need to keep an eye on as you get older. For those of you who don't know, the aorta is the largest artery in the body. I just found a recipe for brined turkey. If you have never had brined poultry, it is great and comes out really moist. I think I will do this. Best Brined Turkey Breast Source: Betty Crocker You've heard about it, now give it a try. This turkey breast is flavorful, moist and delicious! Makes:8 servings 9 cups hot water 3/4 cup salt 1/2 cup sugar 1 bone-in whole turkey breast (4 to 6 pounds), thawed if frozen 1 onion, cut into eighths 2 fresh rosemary sprigs 4 fresh thyme sprigs 3 dried bay leaves 6 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth (from 32-oz carton) 1. In 6-quart container or stockpot, mix water, salt and sugar; stir until sugar and salt are dissolved. Add turkey. Cover; refrigerate at least 12 hours but no longer than 24 hours. 2. Heat oven to 325ºF. Remove turkey from brine, rinse thoroughly under cool running water and pat dry. 3. Place onion on center of rack in large shallow roasting pan; top with rosemary, thyme and bay leaves. Place turkey, skin side up, over onion and herbs. 4. In small bowl, mix butter and wine. Soak 16-inch square of cheesecloth in butter mixture until completely saturated; cover turkey completely with cheesecloth. Roast 1 hour 30 minutes. 5. Remove cheesecloth. Place onion and herbs in pan with drippings if using drippings to make gravy (or discard). Insert meat thermometer horizontally so tip is in thickest part of turkey and does not touch bone. Turn turkey skin side down. Roast 30 to 60 minutes longer or until thermometer reads 170ºF and juice of turkey is clear when center is cut. Right, I'm off to brine my turkey. Have a great day.

Oom Pah Pah, Thanksgiving, Skype

This weekend is Canadian Thanksgiving. It is also the start of Oktoberfest which is the biggest outside Munich, Germany. They kick off on Friday with tapping the keg and beer will flow for a full week with lots of riotous celebrations and gemutilicheit. Lederhosen and Dirndles will appear all over the place in Kitchener and Waterloo and you won't be able to get a hotel room for love or money. We have never been to Oktoberfest despite the fact that we have been assured that it is loads of fun. I do know that a schnitzel or a beer is cheaper today than it will be next week. I believe the instances of drunk driving have been considerably reduced, but one of the biggest drawbacks is Matt cannot stand oom pah music. However, it is a great crowd pleaser and people really flock in to the community which is, of course, excellent for business in this area. I think, personally, that having an election the day after Thanksgiving and in the middle of Oktoberfest (although it is confined to this area) isn't very clever, but that's how it has been arranged. Thanksgiving itself, of course, means turkeys and hams, pumpkin pies and so on. I have frequently cooked a turkey breast which I have bought in the States. Unfortunately I don't have one any more and turkey breasts aren't reasonably priced here, I don't know why, I can get a 7 lb breast in NC for about $10. For two of us we really don't need the whole bird. However, as I have a "fancy" for turkey cooked at home, I might have to break down and get one. Sliced turkey from the deli just isn't the same thing at all. It occurs to me that if I did cook a turkey this weekend, I would then have some left over for sandwiches when we do our stint at the polling booths on Tuesday. Several times I have mentioned Skype which is an internet telephone system through which you can call people, for free, wherever they are in the world, so long as they too have Skype. I had to re-load the programme recently and have just discovered all kinds of friends who have Skype. Yesterday I talked to Glenda Larke in Malaysia and my cousin in Portugal, today I talked to another friend in South Africa. I think modern technology is wonderful. I don't like canned tuna. Having said that, Matt invented the following recipe which is the only way I will eat it. Tuna Matt's Façon 1 6 oz can Tuna (its best made with Tuna in olive oil) 3 Tbs capers 1 stick celery, finely chopped 1/2 bell pepper finely chopped 1/4 lge onion, finely chopped 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar 1 Tbs mayonnaise (Hellman's or home made) salt and pepper shredded lettuce 1 Pita Bread 2 Mix well. Cut two Pita breads in half, open each half to make a pocket, line with shredded lettuce and fill with mixture. 3 Serve with tossed salad greens Servings: 2 Have a great day.