Coffee Pot, Exercises, VSM,

Serve a slice of summer with a tomato and cucumber salad. The vinaigrette is made with salty soy sauce, but before serving, sprinkle a pinch of flaky sea salt to add texture to the fresh tomatoes.

Well, that's never happened before. When I got up this morning, I made a pot of coffee. I had been meaning to clean the coffee maker for a few days so once the potful was made, I started the cleaning routine. I added 6 cups of vinegar mixed with water as directed. Set it going and nothing happened. The machine kept making explosive noises but no liquid came through. Eventually I topped it up with more vinegar and let it sit for a bit, I then turned it back on and the same thing happened. I kept on like this for a while letting it sit and then turning it back on. Sometimes the explosive noises were a bit scary. I started this at around 8:30 this morning. It finally ran right through, I then ran another mix of water an vinegar through it and now, at almost 3 in the afternoon, I am running clean water through the system. I guess it was thoroughly clogged, but I have never known a coffee pot to do that before. Especially as it had made a pot of coffee earlier. I will make sure to clean it sooner next time. I was beginning to worry it wouldn't clean at all at one point. Mind you, coffee pots get a lot of use round here. Matt doesn't drink coffee but I drink nothing else during the day. Decaf of course otherwise I guess I would be totally wired!!

Can't remember if I mentioned it, but I typed a list of the exercises and now I am not called to come and help any more. Makes a difference, I can get on with stuff whilst the PSWs are with Matt. Including trying to clean the coffee pot. Of course I have to do the exercises at night, Matt doesn't remember what to do and would always skip them anyway.

I want to go to Victoria St. Market but don't want to deal with the road works. Guess I will have to brave it as I am out of Italian sausages and flank steak. The sausages, in particular, I use for a favourite Instant Pot dish. I try not to cook them too often, but I do enjoy them. Matt wouldn't know how often I feed him with them luckily. Reminds me, have to print the recipe again as I gave the other one away.

I love tomatoes and I thought this salad would be delicious.

Sesame, Tomato, and Cucumber Salad

1 lb tomatoes, thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 cup thinly sliced English cucumber
1 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs rice vinegar
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp granulated sugar
2 medium scallions, dark green parts only, thinly sliced
1 medium serrano or jalapeno chile, thinly sliced crosswise
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 tsp flaky sea salt (such as Maldon)
1/4 tsp black pepper

Arrange tomato and cucumber slices on a platter. Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, olive oil, and sugar in a small bowl until sugar dissolves. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of dressing over tomatoes and cucumbers, and top with scallions, chile, and sesame seeds. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with remaining dressing.

Servings: 6

Source: SOUTHERN LIVING

Have a great weekend, stay well, stay safe.
 

Yesterday, Book, Cleaner, Hair, VSM, Credit Cards,

Not sure what was the matter with me last night, bit headachey, bit shaky, just didn't feel too good at all, however, Monday morning I am feeling OK and just awaiting my new cleaner. I do hope she works out. I keep seeing things which haven't been dusted in forever. Matt has called me 3 times already this morning. He had a bad night again last night at bedtime but I think I overdosed him. Whatever, he dropped into a sound sleep. I was the one who had trouble sleeping last night. He keeps telling me he will be OK if I leave him whilst I go into hospital, like hell he will!!

I am reading a book by Josephine Cox called Let it Shine. It's a pretty good story - it was one of the books given to me by another English woman at the bowling alley. Only just got round to reading it. According to the info in the book, she has written a lot of books so I must check them out. This one is written in the early 30's and set in Northern England. Fairly close to where I was born. Takes place in a "working" town. I have now finished it and enjoyed every minute.

Today is looking pretty good. I was pleased with the way this Karen (coincidence) cleaned for me. Unfortunately she won't be back for 3 weeks as she is going on a vacation with family for a week. But that's OK, it doesn't get overly dirty in that time. Then our hairdresser phoned and we are going in tomorrow afternoon to get our locks shorn (or ears lowered).

I had to take another pair of slippers up to UPS (not far from here) to send them back. Matt said they pinched. I think, if he had worn them, they would have stretched, but could I convince him, no way. Then I went to Victoria St. Market to get some sausages. All I went for, now the sausages are apparently expensive because my bill was quite high. I bought some flank steak, couple of large tomatoes, etc.etc. It is a dangerous store to go into. The young butcher (not the one I know) obviously knew me because he said my lamb's kidneys would be in on Wednesday. Then I went to check out and much to my horror, couldn't find either of the two credit cards. Panic stations. Paid with my Debit card (annoying) and went to the car whereupon I searched my bag from top to bottom. Gave up and went home. When I got into my computer room I searched my card holder again and finally found them in a totally different spot!! Weird of me. No  idea why I put them there, but at least I found them. I didn't think I could possibly have lost both cards at once. I think I would have been embarrassed to call Visa again.

I'm ahead of myself today, I have done some Spanish and written most of this blog, maybe I can get an early night for a change. I have never made this recipe, much as I would like to, I have never been able to justify buying a lobster to make it.

Asparagus and Lobster Crêpes with Fines Herbes Hollandaise Sauce

1 lb asparagus, ends trimmed
Cooked meat of 1 large lobster, or 2 lobster tails (about 1 1/2 lbs lobster before cooking)
sprinkling of salt plus 1/2 tsp.
Fines Herbes Hollandaise
2 Tbs white wine vinegar
1/4 cup water
3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened and cubed
2 Tbs lemon juice
white pepper to taste
1 Tbs fresh tarragon, finely chopped
1 Tbs fresh chives, finely chopped
1 Tbs fresh chervil, finely chopped.

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

2. In a large pot, steam or boil asparagus until just tender, about 10 mins, cool under cold water, drain and set aside.

3. Coarsely chop cooked lobster, set aside

4. Prepare crêpes.

5. Divide the asparagus into 8 separate bundles. Place a bundle in each of 8 crêpes, sprinkle with salt and roll to enclose. Place asparagus in a glass baking dish, top with lobster and cover with foil. Just before serving, and no sooner, place in heated oven for 15 mins to warm through.

6. In a small saucepan over medium high heat reduce (boil) vinegar, water and 1/2 tsp salt until approximately 3 tbs remains, remove from heat.

7. Lower heat to medium-low, add yolks to pan and return to heat, whisking constantly until foamy and lightly thickened. Make sure not to scramble eggs; if the eggs begin to cook too quickly pull off the heat and whisk vigorously to cool slightly before continuing.

8. Begin to whisk butter into pan 1 cube at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated, whisk in lemon juice, white pepper and fresh herbs. Use immediately.

9. Place two asparagus crêpes on each plate and top each with some of the warmed lobster. Spoon hollandaise overtop, serve immediately

Servings: 4

Source: Food and Drink Spring 2010

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Family, Visitors, VSM, Supper, Final Jeopardy, Celtic Thunder

Friday afternoon we heard that Matt has a new great granddaughter, Cassandra Serenity (Cassie for short) who, according to her granddad, was a chunky monkey at 8 lbs. Wish we were there (the UK). Matt, of course, doesn't really register the news. Her grandparents are on their way to see the baby and have promised pictures.

Today Zoey and ladydog brought subs for lunch and Matt had a great time spoiling the dog. She is such a beautiful animal and looks great after her recent beauty treatment. ladydog was about ready to leave and double checked with me about shopping at Victoria St. Market and I suddenly remembered I had ordered some kippers which should be in today. They were, so I went with her and found the kippers to be as expensive as the bananas were. Got some huge Argentinian shrimp, amongst other things and then I forgot to get some ostrich thighs. Not urgent, but as I was there!!

I opened the shrimp and used some of them for supper with the Butter Chicken sauce. Forgot to mention I tried some of that sauce in my scrambled egg this morning, it was good. With the shrimp I did some snow peas in a recipe I found on the back of the packet. Basically you put the snow peas in a foil packet, add 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms, some chopped up green onions (I used chopped sweet onion) 2 tbs butter, some dill, (I used tarragon) and some salt. Wrap them up and put on a cookie tray in a 450°F oven for 5 - 10 minutes. I chose 8 minutes and found them a bit too crispy. Tasted good though but I will definitely cook a bit longer next time.

Forgot to mention, I was patting myself on the back tonight because the Final Jeopardy question was about waterbirds. Black-footed and black-browed are 2 species of this seabird whose name was influenced by the Latin word for “white”. The answer was Albatross. And I didn't even go to see David Gascoigne's talk about water birds LOL.

Now I've got to share a poem I wrote many years ago and which was published by The International Library of Poetry in a book called Dances in Moonlight. 2,000.

The Albatross

With wings outstretched
You sail the skies
And, so they say
When a sailor dies
His soul departs
And enters you
To guard o'er ships.
If this be true
Then when you soar
On thermals fine
I pray you guard
This ship of mine.

Later in the evening, found Celtic Thunder was on PBS so we watched that. They finished at 9:30 and Celtic Woman followed. Not so keen so came and did Spanish and this blog. Matt turned them off at 10 anyway. The Celtic Thunder was a compilation of songs from all their DVDs I think, from watching it, might buy it just the same. Amazon.ca have it. It was called Ireland. Matt would sit and watch them for hours I think.

I was looking at soups and saw a small picture at the side of this cake, looked pretty good to me so here it is.

Carrot and Orange Cake with Sour Cream Glaze

There’s something extremely delightful in peeling an orange to reveal the sweet and sour flesh hidden inside the fruit. It begins with the intensely aromatic essential oils that form a little cloud of scent around you. Then there’s the tingling sensation that erupts on your lips when you taste your first slice of fruit. This sensation is called chemesthesis; it plays a big part in the flavor experience of eating.

We deal with the phenomenon of chemesthesis daily: in how we encounter the heat hidden inside a

green or red chile, the warmth of a stick of cinnamon, the cooling sensation evoked by mint and green cardamom. When the nerve endings lining the surface of your mouth and lips come into contact with certain chemicals present inside these ingredients, they get irritated and send signals to the brain, which then tells you what’s happening and how to respond, all in a fraction of a second. Over time our brains evolved to interpret this irritation as a pleasurable experience, compelling us to cook with spices, herbs, and ingredients such as oranges and lemons.

My Carrot-and-Orange Cake with Sour Cream Glaze celebrates the way oranges trigger our senses. Pay attention and notice your own responses as you scrape the zest from the orange. Rub a piece of zest across your lips and feel your nerves dance in response. The feast for the senses doesn’t end there, of course: the bright sweetness of the juicy oranges marries with the rich orange pigment carotene in the sweet spring carrots. Chopped pieces of dried apricots and candied orange peels give each slice of cake of spot of unexpected fruit sweetness, while the pistachios add texture to the soft cake. Serve it with a cup of warm tea or coffee to complete the experience.

CAKE
Baking spray
1 lb carrots, peeled and finely grated (about 4 cups)
3 oz dried apricots, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
2 oz candied orange peels, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
2 oz raw pistachios, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2 cups grapeseed oil or other neutral-tasting oil
2 cups packed dark brown sugar
4 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 Tbs grated orange zest plus
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground green cardamom
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp kosher salt

GLAZE
1/4 cup cream cheese, at room temperature
2 Tbs unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, divided
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 Tbs grated orange zest plus
3 Tbs fresh orange juice, plus more orange zest, for garnish

 Make the cake

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a tube or Bundt cake pan with a generous amount of baking spray. Combine carrots, candied apricots, orange peels, and pistachios in a large bowl. Combine oil, brown sugar, eggs, and orange zest and juice in a high-speed blender or the bowl of a food processor. Pulse on high speed until mixture is emulsified (about 10 pulses). Fold oil mixture into carrot mixture in bowl.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cardamom, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture; add carrot mixture, and fold to incorporate until there are no visible flecks of flour left behind. Spoon mixture into prepared pan; shake pan lightly to even out the batter and release any air bubbles.

Bake in preheated oven 55 minutes to 1 hour, rotating pan on rack halfway through baking time. (The cake is done when a skewer comes out clean when inserted in center of cake and top of cake is firm to the touch and golden brown.) Let cake cool in pan on a wire rack 10 minutes. Invert cake onto wire rack. Let cake cool completely.

 Make the glaze

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until mixture is light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl, and add 3/4 cup powdered sugar. Beat on low speed until mixture is smooth, about 1 minute. Add sour cream and orange zest and juice, and beat on low speed 1 minute. Add remaining 3/4 cup powdered sugar, and beat on low speed until sugar is completely incorporated, about 45 seconds. Scrape sides of bowl, and increase speed to medium-high; whisk until mixture is well combined. Drizzle glaze on cooled cake; garnish with orange zest.

Yield: Makes 1 (9-inch) cake

Author: ANTONIS ACHILLEOS
Source: Food and Wine

Have a great day