Car, Delivery, Supper, Sheets, Visa,

Well it appears that it was definitely the Security System which had been triggered in my car but unfortunately it is taking a while to deal with, possibly because the garage is so fearfully busy anyway, there was some mention of taking out the steering column too. I will not be getting the car back before Friday that is for certain. As I said yesterday, I am wondering if I can claim this off insurance as there have been several break ins in the underground garage. Trouble is, nobody can say for certain that that is why the security system came on. David Gascoigne suggested I should sell the car as it would be cheaper without it, but not so convenient and would completely take away my independence.

I had planned to go to the liquor store as we were getting low, had to use the delivery company who don't charge much for delivery, but there seem to be lots of add ons, $5 for using a credit card, another couple of bucks for taxes (on what? Do the government charge taxes on services?) and so on and so on. I wonder how many people pay in cash these days?

Later we were having a drink, Matt had a second which he doesn't often, then got up from his chair at the dining table and went to his lounger. I said supper would be ready in a few minutes, he told me he had eaten enough already?? He never did have any supper. Weird. What do you do about that, damned if I know.

Tomorrow, I finally have some new sheets coming. I used to have lots of bed linens, some from our first mobile home in the States, plus what we had anyway. Somehow we got down to 2 sets and ladydog pointed out I should get some more. She was right. It has taken forever for them to arrive. I had a notice from Visa that I had been charged for them today plus another notice of an unknown charge. Having phoned Visa and then with the bank, they decided to cancel my Visa card, again, plus make enquiries. That's twice I have had my card cancelled lately. I have yet another arriving in about a week. At first they were going to cancel both cards but I persuaded them not to. Not sure why they needed to cancel both anyway.

I came across some recipes for salmon cakes made with canned salmon which I don't have, so I thought I would check fresh salmon fish cakes instead.

The best salmon fish cakes

A fail-safe recipe for a speedy fish supper - flaked salmon flavoured with parsley, dill and some

secret ingredients

450 g floury potatoes, cut into chunks
350 g salmon (about 3 fillets)
2 tsp tomato ketchup
1 tsp English mustard
zest ½ lemon. plus wedges to serve
1 heaped tbsp chopped parsley
1 heaped tbsp chopped dill
3 Tbs plain flour
1 egg, beaten
100 g dried breadcrumb
4 Tbs sunflower oil
salad, to serve

1. Place 450g floury potatoes, cut into chunks, in a pan of water, bring to the boil, cover and cook for 12-15 mins until tender. Drain and leave to steam-dry, then mash.

2. Meanwhile, season 350g salmon fillet and grill for 5-6 mins until just cooked. Cool for a few mins, then break into large flakes.

3. Mix the potato, 2 tsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp English mustard, the zest of ½ lemon, 1 heaped tbsp chopped parsley, 1 heaped tbsp chopped dill and some seasoning. Lightly mix in the salmon, taking care not to break it up too much.

4. Shape into 4 large fish cakes.

5. Put 3 tbsp plain flour, 1 beaten egg and 100g dried breadcrumbs in 3 shallow dishes. Dip the cakes into the flour, dust off any excess, then dip in the egg, and finally coat in breadcrumbs.

6. Heat 4 tbsp sunflower oil in a large pan. Fry the cakes over a medium-low heat for 3-4 mins each side until deep golden and heated through.

7. Serve with salad and lemon wedges.

Servings: 4

Source: BBC Good Food

Have a great day, stay well, stay safe.
 

Bowling, Visa, Rain, Shopping,

So, having boasted about my bowling games last week, this week I am now crying. I had appalling games today. Kind of knew I would because they were so good last week. In the end I dropped 1 point on my average. Mind you, we were also bowling against one of the best teams.

Gas was pretty low priced today, for us that is, $1.02.9 so I stopped and filled up. Trouble was my Visa wouldn't work in the pumps. I have been using it here and there and it wouldn't tap so I had to insert the card. I guess I need to get in touch with my bank. Pain in the butt. Thinking about it I could probably use Matt's car instead. Dead cert he never uses it any more.

It was raining all day today, well until the evening, and I was hoping I would get another free car wash, but it wasn't enough to do the trick. If anything it kind of turned the dust into mud. However, I did buy another car wash so when the weather is fine, when being the operative word.

Foot nurse tomorrow, then I have to shove some lunch down my throat because they are picking me up to go collect my shopping. Could perhaps wait but my body is used to eating at 11:45, give or take, and I start feeling a bit nauseous if I don't eat. Stupid, but there it is.

I'm always looking for something different to do for breakfast, unlike Matt who eats the same cereal every morning and has done so for years.

Breakfast Burrito

How many lunchrooms have disgusting Taco Tuesdays?" asks chef Spike Mendelsohn. As an

alternative, he stuffs burritos with scrambled eggs (lightened with egg whites), feta, turkey bacon and spinach.

1 Tbs extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
4 slices of turkey bacon, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch strips
2 packed cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, thinly sliced
Kosher salt
4 large eggs
4 large egg whites
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1 Tbs snipped chives
4 8-inch, whole-wheat tortillas, warmed
4 red leaf lettuce leaves

1. In a nonstick skillet, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oil. Add the red onion and cook over moderate heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the turkey bacon and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and season with salt. Wipe out the skillet.

2. In a bowl, whisk the whole eggs and egg whites and season with salt. Heat the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil in the skillet. Add the eggs and cook over moderate heat, stirring gently, until set, 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the bacon mixture, feta and chives.

3. Spoon the egg mixture down the center of each tortilla and top with the lettuce. Fold in the sides of the tortillas, then fold the bottom of the tortillas over the filling and continue to roll until the filling is enclosed. Cut the burritos in half and serve

Servings: 4

Source: Food and wine

Have a great day

 

Bowling Final, PC Points, Olympics,

Hurrah for my team, we ended up in 4th place. Considering we were once at the bottom I think we made a wonderful recovery. If one of our team hadn't forgotten the start date and not turned up, the owner thinks we might have  made it to 3rd. Oh well. Maybe next summer. Next week we have one more bowling session with everyone preceded by a sandwich lunch. We just play fun games as well as bowling bingo which I enjoy but have never been on a winning team.

I have mentioned our grocery store giving us points for certain items every week. Today I used $80 worth to pay for most of our bill today. We still earned some 29,000 points from what we bought today including 15,000 for buying more than $150 worth of groceries. I think this is a wonderful system and we ourselves have used over $1,000 worth of points already. I can't remember if I mentioned we get a percentage back from our Visa expenditures which means we end up with about $300 or so at the end of the period. Not a heck of a lot of money but better in my pocket than theirs.

Boy am I sick of your politics America. On TV right now.

Whilst bowling today they had the Olympics on TV. I saw some canoe slalem. I have never seen that sport before, I didn't know there was such a thing. It didn't look very easy either. I don't know if that is a new sport this year or not.  I think it would be fun to watch mind you.

This is somewhat different.

Shrimp Piccata with Zucchini Noodles

From: EatingWell Magazine May/June 2015


The tangy lemon-caper sauce in this healthy Italian makeover recipe is a natural with shrimp. Serving

it over zucchini noodles (aka zoodles) keeps the dish summery and low-cal, but it's also delicious with whole-wheat spaghetti.

5-6 medium zucchini (2 1/4-2 1/2 pounds), trimmed
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced
Olive Oil Extra Virgin
1 pound raw shrimp (21-25 count; see Tip), peeled and deveined, tails left on if desired
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 cup white wine
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons capers, rinsed
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Preparation

Using a spiral vegetable slicer or a vegetable peeler, cut zucchini lengthwise into long, thin strands or strips. Stop when you reach the seeds in the middle (seeds make the noodles fall apart). Place the zucchini "noodles" in a colander and toss with salt. Let drain for 15 to 30 minutes, then gently squeeze to remove any excess water.
Meanwhile, heat butter and 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add shrimp and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.
Whisk broth and cornstarch in a small bowl. Add to the shrimp along with wine, lemon juice and capers. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp is just cooked through, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the zucchini noodles and gently toss until hot, about 3 minutes. Serve the shrimp and sauce over the zucchini noodles, sprinkled with parsley.

Tip: Shrimp is usually sold by the number needed to make one pound. For example, “21-25 count” means there will be 21 to 25 shrimp in a pound. Size names, such as “large” or “extra large,” are not standardized, so to get the size you want, order by the count per pound. Both wild-caught and farm-raised shrimp can damage the surrounding ecosystems when not managed properly. Fortunately, it is possible to buy shrimp that have been raised or caught with sound environmental practices.

Have a great day