Fireworks, Victoria Day, Anaesthetist, Shopping Help,

Saturday, I heard a loud bang and wondered what the hell it was, later I heard another and thought it was a shot. thought about calling the cops. Later, I realised, it is a holiday weekend, Victoria Day. Fireworks!!! As I write this at 10:30 on Saturday night, they have been banging away for ages and that is the private ones, not the organised displays. Sunday it is raining now although it has been dull but warm all day. So much for firework displays if there are any tonight. I thought people would get a grin out of my Sparkling Wine picture on Sunday indicating all was well and I would be drinking fizz as usual. Not sure people "got it". Monday is actually Victoria Day.

Tuesday I have to phone the anaesthetist about Matt's upcoming hospital visit. Need to schedule a

visit with him/her. Then I have to book rides for both days plus I have a ride booked at 11:45 to get my groceries. First time I have been able to get grocery assistance. It's getting it upstairs which is the problem. Yes, we have a small shopping trolley, but that full and handling a cane as well is hard on my legs in particular. Ours, which we have had around 18 years, only has two wheels. I just saw the price they are today, this one is $76. That is horrendous. I was thinking about getting a new one. Just changed my mind.

Just came across this - forgotten I had it. Never tried Knorr packet sauces, but anything else of theirs is good so I should get some. Hopefully one can split the packet up or freeze the rest.

Roasted Salmon and Asparagus with Hollandaise Sauce

4 Tbs (60 mL) oil, divided
8 salmon fillets (about
2 lbs/ 1 kg)
2 lbs (1 kg) asparagus, trimmed
1 package Knorr® Hollandaise Classic Sauce Mix

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C). Coat 2 rimmed baking sheets each with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil.

2. Arrange salmon on 1 prepared pan and asparagus on the other. Drizzle asparagus with 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil and toss to coat; brush salmon with remaining 1 Tbsp (15 mL) oil and season, if desired, with salt and black pepper.

3. Roast 12 minutes or until fish flakes with a fork and asparagus are crisp-tender.

4. Meanwhile, prepare Knorr® Hollandaise Classic Sauce Mix according to package directions.

5. To serve, arrange asparagus on platter; top with salmon and drizzle with sauce.

Servings: 8

Tips
TIP: For a zesty twist to your Hollandaise Sauce, stir in 1 Tbsp. (15 mL) Dijon or whole grain mustard.

TIP: The salmon and asparagus are also delicious grilled instead of roasted

Source: Knorr

Have a great day
 

Rochester, England, The Wedding, Asparagus, Victoria Day,

On Friday Susan Flett Swiderski  at I Think Therefore I Yam posted a blog about trees which was fascinating and reminded me of the 150 yr old Catalpa Tree outside Rochester Cathedral in Kent, England where I used to live. This is an Indian Bean Tree which is rare in England and is said to be one of the oldest. In fact the site where I found this picture has lots of photos of places in Rochester such as the castle and the cathedral itself along with other historical places. It is a very old town and simply full of history. The Bull Inn is where King Henry VIII met Anne of Cleaves and said he would divorce her, she was too ugly! Charles Dickens lived outside the town (his house is now a school and I went there) and a lot of the houses in Rochester were featured in his books. In fact, Satis House where Miss Havisham lived, in Great Expectations, was actually Restoration House in Rochester. I remember attending a Dickens night there, many years ago, when Dame Sybil Thorndike read excerpts from Dickens' books and we celebrated with salmon and champagne. A beautiful house and a delightful evening.

I have, of course, seen pictures of THE wedding. I was very disappointed in Harry's uniform, the Blues and Royals, it was so very plain and dull looking, helped when he put on his cap. Considering the estimated price, Meghan's dress was beautiful but I wouldn't have thought worth quite that kind of money. As a friend commented, one could surely have found it 'off the rack'. Not the train of course. One wonders who actually pays for things like that? Poor Matt, who wasn't vaguely interested, could not see his favourite morning show because it was all wedding. Sunday morning he, like most men, paid attention to the gorgeous Jaguar in which they drove off.

Monday afternoon I am planning to visit Barrie's Asparagus Farm as I was unimpressed with the asparagus I bought close to home. I am also collecting some bags for friends plus some rhubarb for one friend. I have just posted my grocery order today (Sunday) and am now wondering if I should have ordered some Phyllo. I can add to my order up to an hour before my chosen time slot.

By the way, this is Victoria Day weekend, Monday is the actual holiday, Queen Victoria's birthday was on May 24th - unfortunately this is the second night we have had fireworks. No doubt the official fireworks are Sunday night but I am sure there will still be fireworks tomorrow as well.

Asparagus and Salmon Spring Rolls

These spring rolls are filled with smoked salmon, tender-crisp asparagus and plenty of fresh herbs. Spring rolls look impressive when you put them out for a party, but they are actually easy to make. To

simplify the process, lay out all the ingredients you need to make the rolls near your work surface before you begin.

24 thick 12 rolls asparagus, or 36 thin, about 2 pounds
2 3- to 4-ounce smoked wild salmon
12 8-inch rice-paper wrappers
1 ripe avocado, cut into 24 slices
1 cup carrot, shredded
1/2 cup basil, chopped fresh
1/2 cup mint, chopped fresh
1/3 cup soy sauce, reduced-sodium
2 Tbs orange juice
2 Tbs lemon juice
2 Tbs mirin
1/4 tsp red pepper, crushed, or more to taste

1. To prepare spring rolls: Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a large skillet. Trim asparagus spears to no longer than 6 inches; add to the boiling water. Partially cover and cook the asparagus until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Drain; refresh under cold water. Cut each spear in half lengthwise. Cut salmon slices into 12 strips no longer than 6 inches each.

2. Soak one wrapper at a time in a shallow dish of very hot water until softened, about 30 seconds. Lift out, let excess water drip off and lay on a clean, dry cutting board.

3. Center a strip of smoked salmon in the bottom third of the wrapper, leaving a 1-inch border on either side. Arrange 4 thick (or 6 thin) asparagus spear halves (overlapping as necessary) over the salmon. Top the asparagus with 2 avocado slices, 1 tablespoon shredded carrot and about 2 teaspoons each basil and mint. Fold the wrapper over the filling and roll into a tight cylinder, folding in the sides as you go. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling. Cut each finished roll in half.

4. To prepare dipping sauce: Whisk soy sauce, orange juice, lemon juice, mirin and crushed red pepper in a small serving bowl. Serve the rolls with the sauce.

Yield: 12 rolls

Source: EatingWell.com

Have a great day
 

Steam Cleaner, Victoria Day, Queen Elizabeth II,

Some of you remember that about a year ago I bought an electronic steamer especially for the bed bugs but they didn't seem to appreciate it. Therefore it has sat in a cupboard until I finally got round to trying the window cleaning attachment yesterday. Woo, it works really well. I am ashamed at the dirt which poured off them. We have enormous windows in our dining/living area and they are a *itch to clean. Not any more. Matt had to do the very top I couldn't quite reach and he threatened me if I stood on anything. Silly, I have excellent balance thanks to both T'ai Chi and exercise classes. Haven't done them all but it won't take long now. Now I have to investigate some of the other attachments.

Today is a holiday in Canada, Victoria Day which is usually known as May 24th weekend. In fact

someone the other day, a born and bred Canadian, didn't even know it was Victoria Day. I heard a snippet on the radio as to why we celebrate Queen Victoria's birthday. Apparently she was very much involved in the development of Canada and was one of the main proponents of Confederation. So whilst she was alive they celebrated her birthday and once she died, a particular date - May 24th - was designated as a remembrance of her life in perpetuity. I chose a picture of young Victoria rather than the rather horrid pictures of her as a miserable old woman which are the ones usually shown. Mind you I notice that quite a few shots of Queen Elizabeth show her as looking grumpy although I understand she isn't. Maybe it's just as old women they had/have lots of aches and pains - something I know about. As I sit typing this I am listening to fireworks which are being let off in honour of the day. Tomorrow, Monday night, will probably be much louder.

Talking of Queens, I watched The Queen at 90 last night which had been recommended to me. Enjoyed it but I could hardly understand Prince William a lot of the time, his diction is terrible for a future king. Harry has a pretty bad speaking voice too. I know the royals are trying to be more like commoners, but that is going too far. The other couple talking about the Queen were Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex, the Queen's youngest son, and his wife the Countess of Wessex. There were lots of shots of the Queen laughing in that programme. I like this one of the Queen and the Duke.

I haven't actually tried this recipe, not sure why, I have had it for a while and with the fresh asparagus I get, it should be really good. I think I am going to make it for lunch today.

Shaved Raw Asparagus with Parmesan Dressing

2 lbs large asparagus
1 cup coarsely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (3 ounces)
3 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 Tbs warm water
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Using a vegetable peeler, shave the asparagus into long, thin strips and transfer to a large bowl.

2. In a small bowl, mix the Parmigiano-Reggiano with the lemon juice, water and olive oil. Add to the asparagus and toss to coat. Season the salad with salt and pepper and serve at once.

Servings: 6

Author: Mark Ladner
Source: Food and Wine

Author Notes
Asparagus often makes wine taste vegetal. To counter that, chef Mark Ladner of Manhattan's Del Posto mixes shaved spears with a supremely wine-friendly ingredient: Parmesan.

Have a great day

Spring, Victoria Day, Fireworks,

I think spring has finally sprung. The sunlight was more visible than it appears in the picture.

Today is a holiday here. Victoria Day or often called May 24th weekend although it doesn't always fall on the 24th. On Saturday morning we received a notice saying the workers were going to start on the balconies (about time) on Tuesday and we should stay off the balconies and keep our windows closed during their working hours. That could prove to be a bit of a pain and might necessitate using air conditioners when not really necessary if it gets warm and apartments do tend to warm up faster than a house would.  I suppose the reasoning is the dust so then I wonder will the air conditioner bring in the dust anyway. Never ending problem it seems.

We have had a quiet weekend, holidays don't mean a lot when you are retired I'm afraid.  On Sunday our cleaners came to pick up my treadmill which, encouraged by Matt, I had given them. Bit of a monster but they got it out of the apartment without too much problem. As I am typing this, by the way, it is Sunday night and the fireworks have been going on for some time. I think they held the official ones in the parks  However we have heard fireworks on both Friday and Saturday and will probably hear more tomorrow. I have said before, I feel so very sorry for the animals, both wild and domesticated. I have jumped a couple of times myself because bangers have been let off close to us.When I was younger I used to enjoy fireworks with unfettered pleasure, but nowadays I no longer feel that way. I do agree, they can be beautiful to watch but our pleasure means fear for many animals and birds.

I have never tried this recipe, not sure if I can get sole round here anywhere, but I have never seen it. I imagine flounder would do just as well.

SOLE WITH ASPARAGUS

1 lb Asparagus
1 lb Sole fillets (4 pieces approximately the same size)
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Grated lemon or lime peel
4 Tbs Lemon or lime juice, freshly squeezed
1/8 tsp Black pepper
1 Tbs Chives, finely chopped
1 tsp Your favorite mildly flavored mustard

1. Cut asparagus into 3 inch lengths. Cook in 2-quart saucepan in lightly salted water for 5 minutes, drain. Set aside.

2. Season the skin side of the sole fillets with salt and lemon or lime peel.

3. Place asparagus spears at one end of each fillet.

4. Roll up fillets with asparagus spears inside and secure with plain round toothpicks.

5. Place in a 2-quart oven-save casserole dish liberally sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.

6. In a small bowl combine remaining ingredients and pour over fish.

7. Bake in a 400 degree oven for approximately 15 to 20 minutes or until fish flakes easily.

8. Baste fish every 7 minutes.

Servings: 4

Source: Produce for Better Health

Have a great day
 

Victoria Day, Anteater Puzzle.

Today is Victoria Day in Canada. Canada celebrated Queen Victoria’s birthday long before Confederation and Canadians of the time gathered together on the occasion of her 35th birthday to cheer her. After her death in 1901 it became a law that Victoria Day should be marked. It seems from the history to have got muddled up with Empire Day and subsequent royal birthdays. However, today it is celebrated on the Monday before May 25th as a way to mark the present Queen’s birthday as well as celebrating Empire Day. Must be a bit muddling for Queen Elizabeth II, her actual birthday is April 21, her Canadian birthday is in May and her official birthday in the UK is in June. One bit of history I do recall is that Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of Canada.

Mind you people have been letting off fireworks round here since Friday night although the official displays will be tonight. From our balcony we get quite a good view of quite a lot of the rockets, but the two big displays locally are just out of sight for us.
Odd little story, officials at LEO Zoological Conservation Center in Connecticut, are puzzled at the birth of a baby anteater in an all female pen. The male was removed last August and an anteater needs 6 months gestation period, so the zoo is very puzzled. This is a picture of a baby anteater although not the one in question.

I started reading The Fall of Giants yesterday, what a depressing book, not sure I will be finishing it.

For those of you who are not besotted with asparagus as I am, I thought I would give you a chicken recipe today. I have never seen frozen artichoke hearts round here, so I guess I would us a jar of them. If you are unfamiliar with orzo, it is a pasta which is very small and looks a bit like rice.

Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Sun-dried tomatoes and Romano cheese pack a flavourful punch along with the tantalizing aroma of fresh marjoram in this rustic Italian-inspired dish. Serve with sautéed fresh spinach or steamed broccolini.


Ingredients
8 ounces orzo, preferably whole-wheat
1 cup water
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), divided
1 plum tomato, diced
1 clove garlic, peeled
3 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram, divided
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
2 teaspoons plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4  boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (1-1 1/4 pounds)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon
freshly ground pepper
1 9-ounce package frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1/2 cup finely shredded Romano cheese, divided

Instructions

1. Cook orzo in a large saucepan of boiling water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
2. Meanwhile, place 1 cup water, 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, plum tomato, garlic, 2 teaspoons marjoram, vinegar and 2 teaspoons oil in a blender. Blend until just a few chunks remain.
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden outside and no longer pink in the middle, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
4. Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Measure out 1/2 cup sauce to a small bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes to the pan along with the orzo, artichoke hearts and 6 tablespoons cheese. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Divide among 4 plates.
5. Slice the chicken. Top each portion of pasta with sliced chicken, 2 tablespoons of the reserved tomato sauce and a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and marjoram.

Have a great day

Wallpaper, All Shook Up.

I get an email regularly from National Geographic showing me pictures of the month. Some of these can be used as wallpapers (backgrounds) on one’s computer. The latest one I thought was great so I have done just that, and now it sits on my laptop screen.

It is an Eastern Screech Owl. When I first saw it, I thought it was a carving in a tree.

Friday morning I was sitting in my lounge chair (a rocker/recliner) with my laptop and suddenly felt my chair shaking, I don’t know if the building was shaking or if we had a tremor or what. Matt didn’t feel a thing. Quite scary, jut as if there was a ghost shaking my chair. Maybe this apartment is haunted and I didn’t know it before!! I have no doubt that in the 38 years since the place was built, people have died in this apartment, so maybe there is a revenant here. Turns out it wasn’t my imagination and we did get a quake. 4.8 on the Richter scale. Here’s a link. They say Ottawa to Toronto but we are south east of Toronto so the shock was felt further afield than that. In fact it must have covered a vast area.

I forgot it was Victoria Day on Monday and therefore a holiday weekend. Friday night we were treated to fireworks. The main ones will be on Monday, but it's supposed to rain. What on earth happened to our spring weather, we got a few days and now its disappeared completely.

One of my favourite asparagus dishes is a risotto. I love risotto anyway, but with the asparagus it makes it delicious.


Asparagus Risotto
WW Points 6


1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed
sea salt
4 cups cooking liquid combined with beef, poultry or vegetable broth
3 Tbs butter
2 Tbs organic extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs minced onion
1 cup Arborio Rice
fresh-cracked black pepper
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

1. Braise asparagus in large pan filled with about 2 inches of water (asparagus should fit in one layer across bottom of pan), covered, about 5 minutes. Remove asparagus (reserve water) and rinse with cool water to prevent further cooking. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces and set spear tips aside to add to dish once it is cooked. Pour cooking water into large pot and add enough beef broth to make 4 cups of liquid. Keep water simmering over low heat, as you'll be adding this to the rice throughout its cooking.

2. In large heavy pot, add 1 tablespoon butter, olive oil and minced onion. Cook onion until nearly translucent over medium-high heat. Add asparagus stalks (not the spear tips) and stir well. Add rice, stirring quickly. Add 1/2 cup simmering broth and cook, stirring constantly, until water is absorbed. Repeat process till rice is tender, about 20 minutes.

3. Final consistency should be creamy and the rice tender but slightly firm at the center. Turn off heat and stir in asparagus spear tips, pepper, 2 TB butter and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Adjust seasonings if necessary. Add a little white wine if desired.

4. Serve immediately

Servings: 4

Have a great weekend.

Holiday Weekends and Barbecues

This weekend is a holiday for Americans, last week it was a holiday for Canadians. For us it was Victoria Day which is often referred to as May 24th weekend which puzzles me as it is the 24th today so why wasn't it celebrated this weekend I wonder? For the Americans it is Memorial Day and a time when many of them remember those passed away in their families as well as members of the armed services killed in wars. Many people also spend their weekend at the barbecue and there have been all kinds of programmes noting that fact in the last week or so. Unfortunately, living in an apartment, we are not allowed to have a barbecue so make do with an indoor/outdoor grill which works very well. In fact friends of ours, who also live in an apartment, have an electric grill on their balcony which they like very much. We have thought of getting one, but haven't done so yet. One problem I perceive is having a power cord running through the balcony doors allowing any bugs to wander inside at will. I do NOT like bugs etc. particularly indoors. Good Morning America had Chef Mario Batali grilling up a storm yesterday, if you would like to see his recipes click here.

We had a phone call yesterday from our friends who are vacationing in North Carolina right now, apparently the weather has been great. In fact, looking at the weather map, the weather has been warm over most of the States but of course a lot of that has spawned tornadoes of which there have been many this last few weeks. The main reason they called was to tell us that the friend we went on a cruise with, is in hospital which is not very nice news. I am beginning to think NC isn't so healthy after all, our friends have been getting pretty sick over the past few years and we don't have too many left there any more.

I see Myanmar has finally agreed to allow some helpers in their country, I wonder how many have died because they didn't agree earlier. China is now talking of deaths up to 80,000 from their earthquake. They too have now asked for extra help but at least they sent in thousands of soldiers when the disaster happened and have allocated billions to rebuild the areas which were hit.

Yesterday I made the asparagus soup I posted and it was delicious. I can highly recommend it, very simple to make and worth the small amount of effort. I will be making more, in fact I may freeze some although the recipe calls for the tips to be kept whole, this won't work too well frozen as they will become a mush.

Tonight we are going to have an M & M Meats' Chateaubriand, they have them on special at the moment so we bought some extra yesterday. I have mentioned them before and they are really very good and good for the money. It will be cooked on our indoor/outdoor grill. I am not sure what we will serve with it, I have about one serving of asparagus left - guess where I will be going tomorrow? Yes, they are open on Sunday. We don't bother with dessert when we are on our own although we frequently have a Ferrero Rocher chocolate each after dinner. Being a Saturday, we will open a nice bottle of wine too, not sure which one. I would like to open one of our Malivoire Pinot Noir, but Matt is saving them for a special occasion???

If you are having a barbecue, this is a good salad to have with it. I have made it several times and we enjoy it very much. If you are not sure how to properly segment or supreme an orange the way the professionals do it, here is a blog entry with pictures click here which will help you. I tend not to cut the peel so square which wastes a lot of the flesh. I have posted this recipe before, but it bears repeating and can be prepared well in advance of the meal.

Fennel, Orange, and Parsley Salad
Everyday Food

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
5 x medium oranges
2 x medium fennel bulbs (8 ounces each), quartered, cored, and thinly sliced crosswise
2/3 cup fresh parsley leaves
2 tbsp slivered pitted black olives
1 tbsp olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Using a paring knife, remove the peel and pith of the oranges. Separate oranges into segments over a large bowl (to catch the juices), then add segments to bowl. Smoosh rest of orange to remove juice.

2. Add fennel, parsley, olives, oil; season with salt and pepper. Gently toss, and serve.

Have a great weekend.