Laboratory, Lunch, Supper, Jeopardy, Honey,

One thing at  least, Matt had to have blood work done today an, unlike the doctor, the lab is a 15 minute walk, if you can walk that is, so a kick and a spit by car. There is a doctor there, I just wish I could get on to his books. No go though.

Later, ladydog picked us up and we went to lunch at Red Lobster which I now have been told that someone calls Dead Mobster. Unjust. I always enjoy my food there. I thought today's was very good, It is lobsterfest at the moment so of course I had a dish with lobster, two kinds of shrimp and scallops. Yummy. Matt had his usual tilapia and ladydog had pasta with a lobster and shrimp sauce.  Matt and I ordered Chocolate Wave Cakes to go and the ice cream they serve with it to eat there. Matt's dessert was free of course. I have to wait til September to get my free dessert.

I had planned to have macaroni cheese cooked in the Instant Pot tonight. Haven't had it for a while. Much to my horror, only a small spoonful of macaroni left. In the end I took two chicken breasts out of the freezer and did a dump and go recipe in the Instant Pot. Finally, when I went to release the pressure, the pin was already down. I opened the lid with trepidation but no steam eventually I realised the frozen chicken had stuck to the inner pot. Never happened before. So I had to set it cooking again. In the end, it turned out just fine. However, I have made a note to myself never to let the frozen chicken sit on the bottom before I add the rest of the ingredients. I don't know if it showed BURN or not, the sauce was bubbling but the chicken was by no means cooked. Live and learn.

Funny, watching Jeopardy tonight, I managed to answer a question which stumped the contestants, it was Panama Canal. I knew it because ladydog did the trip last year and I had checked out the actual route through the canal out of interest. Clever me. Well I thought I was clever anyway.

Matt loves cheesecake - me I'm not so keen. He would probably enjoy this one. I notice it says honey will keep up to a month, I was always given to understand that honey would never go off. Mind you, I always buy it at the farm. Decided to check my facts:

Shelf life for commercial honey has been established at around two years. Honey stored in sealed containers can remain stable for decades and even centuries! However, honey is susceptible to physical and chemical changes during storage; it tends to darken and lose its aroma and flavor or crystallize.

Farmer's Cheesecake with Strawberries

For this elegant, no-bake cheesecake, Nicolaus Balla ferments his own farmer’s cheese (a kind of

cottage cheese). Ricotta mixed with cream cheese makes a delicious substitute for the filling, which is incredibly light, delicately sweet and wonderful inside the crumbly graham cracker crust

CRUST
5 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs sugar
1 1/4 cups packed graham cracker crumbs (10 to 12 whole crackers)
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of ground ginger
pinch of cinnamon
FILLING
1 lb fresh ricotta cheese, at room temperature
1/2 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
3 Tbs agave nectar
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
pinch of ground ginger
TOPPINGS
1 pint strawberries, hulled and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 cup honey

1. Make the crust

In a small saucepan, melt the butter with the sugar over moderately low heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs with the salt, ginger and cinnamon. Stir in the melted butter until the crumbs are evenly moistened. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and up the side of a 9-inch fluted tart pan. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour.

2. Make the filling

In a large bowl, using a handheld electric mixer, beat the ricotta with the cream cheese, agave nectar, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and ginger just until smooth. Using a spatula, spread the filling in the chilled crust. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled, about 2 hours.

3. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings

In a medium bowl, toss the strawberries with the sugar and lemon juice. Let stand at room temperature, stirring once or twice, until the berries are juicy and slightly softened, about 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings

In a small saucepan, toast the caraway seeds over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a mortar and lightly crush the seeds. Return the caraway seeds to the saucepan and add the honey. Warm the honey over moderately low heat for 10 minutes. Strain the honey into a bowl, discarding the seeds; let cool.

5. Meanwhile, prepare the toppings

Cut the cheesecake into wedges, top with the strawberries and caraway honey and serve.

Servings: 8

Author: Nicolaus Balla
Source: Food and Wine

Author Notes
The cheesecake can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. The honey can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.

Have a great day

Honey, Temps, Bowling,

I like local honey - the stuff they sell you in the stores is a mix of honey from all over the place and not nearly as good either for you or to taste. Anyway I have a jar I have been using for a while and for some reason had never read what was written on it. I think these are incredible statistics. To make you 1 lb of  local honey, one hive of 80,000 bees flies a distance equal to twice around the world, visiting some 2 million flowers around Perth and Waterloo counties. A single bee will contribute about 1/10th of a teaspoon of honey over its lifespan of about 45 days. Amazing isn't it? And after all that hard work we pinch it. Of course whilst they are visiting those 80,000 flowers they are pollinating which is their major function as far as we are concerned. This is why the loss of bees is so worrying. A lot of people in this part of the world say 'bees' when they mean 'wasps' or 'yellow jackets'. This too is worrying that they don't know the difference. The asparagus farm now has their own hives. I have forgotten to ask about their progress. I bought some honey their the other day but not sure where it came from.

All week they were predicting snow for Sunday. Guess what, not a single flake. In fact it was a lovely day, not very warm, about 6°C and the forecast for the week puts our highs at about 14°C for the latter part of the week. Not very much yet. Come on spring - we need you.

Although the Winter League has finished, Matt and I are going to bowl today and Thursday this week. Next week the Summer League starts on Wednesday 17th so I expect we will bowl on Wednesday and Thursday. Later in the summer the alley doesn't open on Monday and Tuesday anyway.

Here's a good one from Bon Appétit. Wish I had enough lemon and orange for some zest. Of course, as usual, if you have farm fresh asparagus, you don't need to trim. You know, since I learned that, I have often wondered about the asparagus I grew in my back yard in the UK. I don't remember that I didn't trim it and I probably didn't need to.

Charred Asparagus with Citrus Bagna Cauda

The one-two punch of citrus zest and juice balances all that anchovy richness in our new favorite

dressing recipe for spring veg.

2 Tbs skin-on almonds
2 oil-packed anchovy fillets
4 garlic cloves, smashed
1 sprig oregano
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
2 Tbs unsalted butter
3 Tbs olive oil, divided
2 Tbs fresh orange juice
1 Tbs fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1 ½ lbs asparagus, trimmed

1. Place a rack in upper third of oven and preheat to 350°. Scatter almonds across a rimmed baking sheet and toast, tossing once, until darkened a little and fragrant, 8–10 minutes. Let cool slightly, then coarsely chop.

2. Cook anchovies, garlic, oregano, lemon zest, orange zest, butter, and 2 Tbsp. oil in a small saucepan over low heat, swirling occasionally, until garlic is golden, 15–20 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in orange and lemon juices and season with salt and pepper. Let bagna cauda sit while you prepare the asparagus.

3. Heat broiler. Toss asparagus with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil on a rimmed baking sheet to coat; season with salt and pepper. Broil until deeply browned in spots and crisp-tender, 5–8 minutes.

4. Toss asparagus and bagna cauda together on a platter; top with almonds.

Servings: 4

Author: Alon Shaya
Source: Bon Appétit

Have a great day
 

H is for Honey

Honey is pretty incredible stuff. It is one of the few (if not the only) foods that doesn’t spoil. It is another thing I buy at Barrie’s Asparagus farm as they have a source from a local apiary. It is delicious honey and for me, having diabetes, it is wonderful for a quick sugar lift if and when necessary. I wish I could carry it with me but I have to rely on gummy bears or something then. Honey is made by honey bees and other less well known bees as well as honey wasps.  We only eat honey bee honey though.They collect the nectar from flowers and turn it into honey By a process of regurgitating and evaporation then storing it wax honeycombs for storage. Although it doesn’t spoil, it is not recommended for infants as it does sometimes contain a bacterium  Clostridium botulinum which can be dangerous to them. It has a long history and has been used for flavourings, making alcohol, and has a role in religion and symbolism. It’s flavours can differ depending on the bees’ source of nectar. One of the oldest drinks in the world is Mead or Honey Wine and if you are ambitious, you can Google recipes to make it. Apparently it has become a lot more popular since A Game of Thrones. I also read an article which I researched about crystallised honey. I knew there was nothing wrong with such honey, but was unaware that it was due to storage in cool temps. In fact crystallised honey is delicious on all kinds of things such as toast, muffins, oatmeal, rhubarb. You name it.  Only the pure honey bought from apiaries will crystallise as it is in it’s natural state and has not been processed in any way.

Here is an easier drink recipe using honey. Pale Ale is made in the States.

Honey Lime Ginger Pale Ale Shandy

Ingredients

1 cup honey
3/4 cup Fresh-squeezed lemon juice
6 cups Filtered water
1/3 cup Lime juice
1 inch Piece of fresh peeled gingeroot
Lime wheels for garnish
1 bottle Half Pints St. James Pale Ale

Directions

In a blender, combine honey, lemon and lime juice; process for about 30 seconds. Using a fine food rasp, grate ginger and add to blender with half the water; process for about 30 seconds. Pour contents from blender into a large mason jar with remaining water, stirring to mix, and place in fridge to chill.
To Assemble:
Pour half of beer into a tall chilled glass. Fill to top with chilled Honey Lime Ginger Lemonade. Garnish with a lime wheel and serve.

Have a great weekend.

Jacaranda, Hospital, Honey, Hip Dysplasia.

 For those of you who were curious yesterday, here is a picture of a branch from a Jacaranda where you will see it has green leaves and purple blossoms. This is what Wiki has to say about the Jacaranda.

Jacaranda is a genus of 49 species of flowering plants in the family Bignoniaceae, native to tropical and subtropical regions of Central America, South America, Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica and the Bahamas.


In case you didn't see it. here is the picture I posted yesterday. This came from Australia which means they grow there, in the tropical regions I assume.

Tuesday afternoon we went to the hospital to get Matt's stitches removed. Everything went  well and she told him to keep an eye on his skin and consult the dermatologist asap if anything suspicious occurs as he is likely to get more such spots. We will lady, we will.

After the hospital we went to the asparagus farm to get honey. Well fresh asparagus isn't available now unfortunately. I bought two large honeys to, hopefully, see me through the winter. I also got a jar of pickled asparagus. I love that stuff. Looking around I couldn't see anyone and was thinking of leaving some money or a note or something when Tim Barrie turned up. He had been collecting his puppy from the vet's and he was cuddling her in his arms. She was somewhat dopey. Turns out she has hip dysplasia. I thought that was only a problem with big dogs. Something we had to watch for when purchasing German Shepherds, and breeders would offer certification of several generations free as it is a hereditary problem.  I used to be very involved with the breed and at one time had three German Shepherds. This picture is not the same make of raw honey, but this is the type I buy. Absolutely delicious and not as runny. Wonderful by the spoonful or spread on toast. Tim tells me they now have the hives on their land so it will be interesting to see what their honey tastes like. He says it will be available next year.

We have a local rain warning - it sounds like they are expecting quite a storm.

 Hallowe'en recipes are beginning to flood my inbox.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake

By Baking Bunny on April 16, 2008

 

• Yield: 1 cheesecake
  

About This Recipe

"A friend brought this to a silent auction, I was the lucky winner of one. This is so easy and so delicious! She got the recipe from the back of a cream cheese container. I would have taken a picture but the cheesecake vanished too quickly!"

Ingredients

• 2 (8 ounce) packages low-fat cream cheese
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 eggs
• 1 graham cracker crust ( ready to go type)
• 6 Reese's Peanut Butter cups

Directions

1. Mix cream cheese, sugar and vanilla on medium speed until well blended.
2. Add eggs and beat until mixed.
3. Pour into crust.
4. Chop candy bars and sprinkle over filling.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until center is almost set.
6. Cool.
7. Refrigerate 3 hours or overnight.
8. Tip: This can also be made as a Snickers cheesecake by chopping three bars instead of using the Reese's.

Have a great day
 

Alarm Testing, Rhubarb, Honey.

Matt and I are being driven mad today, the alarms are being tested and they ring every few minutes. We have nowhere particular to go today so we are putting up with it but I am at the point of screaming. We go through this every year, I think, but this year it seems particularly aggravating for some reason. We have a bell right outside our apartment which doesn’t help of course. I'd not long finished writing this and they stopped, about 2 hours earlier than estimated. Hurrah.

I finally cooked my rhubarb, not the best I have ever seen but I have no doubt it will taste just fine. I used Splenda to sweeten not wanting to turn it into a high calorie dessert. I have enough for two servings. I got some for a friend, hope hers is OK as well.

Spring has left us, it is cold and windy today. Matt has gone from shorts yesterday to long pants today and said he actually needed a coat when he went out this morning.

I just read an interesting article about crystallised honey. It is one way to tell that you have got the really good stuff from a local apiary rather than processed stuff which doesn’t have such a good taste and nor is it as pure and good for you. You can de-crystallise it by standing the jar in warm water, but if you do this too often you end up with a tasteless product. I actually love the crystallised form anyway. It is much easier to handle and I don’t have to watch for honey drips when I spoon it from the jar onto my toast. Just might add a little to my rhubarb too.

I actually don’t like roasted asparagus as much as steamed or boiled although certain dishes it works better. This one looks pretty good so I thought I would share it. Some of you may remember I have been making baby kale smoothies. I was wondering how kale compared with asparagus and I find that the main difference is in the Vitamin A component. Otherwise they are very similar in nutritional value.
 
Roasted Asparagus with Hollandaise

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Kitchen
 
Yield:4 servings

Ingredients
Asparagus:
1 pound medium asparagus
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Sauce: 1 large egg yolk
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch cayenne pepper
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Trim the woody ends from the asparagus. Spread the spears in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and roll to coat thoroughly. Roast the asparagus until lightly browned and tender, about 10 minutes, giving the pan a good shake about halfway through.
Meanwhile, put the egg yolk, lemon juice, and cayenne in a blender. Pulse a couple times to combine.
Put the butter in a small microwave proof bowl and heat in a microwave until just melted. With the blender running, gradually add the melted butter into the egg to make a smooth frothy sauce. If the sauce is really thick blend in a teaspoon of lukewarm water to loosen it up. Season with the salt and serve immediately or keep warm in a small heat-proof bowl set over hot (but not simmering) water until ready to serve.
Spread the roasted asparagus on a serving platter. Grind a generous amount of pepper over the top.
Cook's Note: This recipe can be easily doubled. If you double the recipe, be sure to place the stems on the baking sheet so that the tips are pointed toward the center, and the bottoms are pointed out, toward the edges of the pan. Since the tips are thinner than the stems, they tend to cook faster. However, when roasting, items at the edges of the pan cooked more quickly than those in the center. Taking the time to lace them this way helps the asparagus cook evenly.

Have a great day

Mantas, Asparagus, Honey.

This is, without doubt, the most incredible spectacle. I hope this is going to work. It was on Facebook this morning and I just had to post it here to share. The origin was from National Geographic and was shown by PetFlow. If you aren't blown away by this video, I will be surprised.

Monday afternoon we went to Barrie’s Asparagus farm to replenish our supply. I had a chat to Tim Barrie about the asparagus I was given last week, and learnt a few things like how they grow asparagus with cover in order to avoid grit in the spears. Plus the different ways of marketing – Tim supplies a lot of restaurants and caterers whereas other farms supply stores and farm shops so they don’t take so much care apparently. Whilst there I bought some honey as I was almost out. I haven’t had raw honey in years, we both had some at supper time, it was delicious. Not expensive either.

Monday evening, sitting watching TV with the balcony door open and on screen, I could hear lots of bangs. Turned out there were several June Bugs hanging on to the screen door. Not seen so many for a long time.

This recipe came from Food and Wine.

Chicken Stir Fry with Asparagus and Cashews

Contributed by Stéphane Vivier

• SERVINGS: 4

Good News Cashews contain oleic acid, the same monounsaturated fat that makes olive oil so heart-healthy. This chicken-cashew stir-fry is a lighter take on a dish that Stéphane Vivier orders at Rin's Thai in Sonoma, California. Its Asian flavors come from a bright mix of fish sauce, oyster sauce and basil—and just a little oil.

1. 1/2 cup raw cashews
2. 1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
3. 2 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
4. 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5. 1/2 cup chicken stock or low-sodium broth
6. 1 pound asparagus, sliced on the diagonal, 1 inch thick
7. 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
8. 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
9. 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
10. 1/2 cup chopped basil
11. 1/4 cup chopped chives
12. Freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the cashews in a pie plate and toast in the oven for about 8 minutes, until they are nicely browned and fragrant. Let cool.
2. In a medium bowl, toss the chicken with 1 tablespoon of the fish sauce. In a wok or large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chicken in an even layer and cook over high heat, turning once, until browned and just cooked throughout, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken to a clean bowl.
3. Pour the chicken stock into the wok and bring to a simmer, scraping up any browned bits. Add the asparagus slices, cover and cook over moderate heat until they are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the asparagus to the bowl along with the chicken.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of fish sauce to the wok along with the oyster sauce, lime juice and cayenne pepper. Simmer until the sauce is reduced to 1/3 cup, about 2 minutes. Return the chicken pieces and sliced asparagus to the wok and toss to heat through. Remove the wok from the heat and stir in the cashews, basil and chives. Season the stir-fry with black pepper and serve right away.

Notes One Serving 369 cal, 17 gm fat, 2.8 gm sat fat, 9 gm carb, 2.4 gm fiber. Serve With Steamed rice.

Have a great day

TV I have watched lately

Well boo hoo, one of my few favourites on TV has just ended until the BBC make some more, or Public TV in Canada buy some more, whichever is appropriate. I am talking about New Tricks which I told you about a day or two ago. This time they left us with a cliff hanger. Not necessary, its a good enough show without that.

I seem to be watching a lot more TV lately, this morning on Good Morning America the weatherman Sam Champion, went to beekeeping school and learned how to handle bees. He did get stung, once. They are trying to encourage people to keep bees at home - you can learn from the school and they they will mail you all you need including several thousand bees, through the mail????? Yes its true. As a dare, though, we were disappointed, we thought we would see him covered in bees as in the picture on the left.

To quote Good Morning America:

""I'm not real comfortable around a swarm of bees for some obvious reasons … but there's a major world crisis that I want to address. Millions of bees are dying because of a mysterious malady called Colony Collapse Disorder, and without bees many of our crops won't get pollinated. We're talking about $6 billion worth of crops here in America alone! And without that pollination, you can bet that the world's food supply is going to take a major hit," explained Sam Champion.

Some beekeepers in states reporting Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) have lost 50 to 90 percent of their colonies, often within a matter of weeks. This translates into thousands of dead colonies and millions of dead bees."

I would love to buy bees and have my own apiary, but it wouldn't work in an apartment. There appears to be a lot of interest in people buying their own bee colony, how about you if you have the space. Apparently you can get honey in about a month, great to have your own supply. Nothing nicer than a chunk of honeycomb. Yum. Did you know honey is the only food which doesn't spoil?

Another interesting segment on GMA this morning was about the ingestion of corn. They now consider it may be making us obese. Apparently corn is in practically everything we eat, even farm bred salmon is fed on corn. One of the few things which doesn't have corn in it is bananas. Animals are fed on corn, apples are polished with a wax substance containing corn, you name it, it probably has some connection with corn. Fast food is a particular culprit they said. There is a documentary film going the rounds right now. The National Corngrowers are saying the facts are already outdated because the film was made in 2005. If you want to read more about it click here and see what GMA has to say.

As for a recipe today, how about Cornish Hens? One of my favourites, so here is a good recipe.

Cornish Hens with Lime Spice Marinade

Servings: 4

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons lime juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 whole scallions, finely chopped
Grated peel (no white attached) of 1 lime
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 to 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
4 Cornish hens,

Instructions:
Combine the lime juice, olive oil, garlic, scallions, lime peel, black pepper, cayenne, chili powder, cumin, dry mustard, salt, and coriander into a paste.
Flatten the hens by pressing heavily on the breast, cracking the bone. Spread the paste evenly over the hens. Cover with plastic wrap and then weigh them down, using cans on a plate for instance. Marinate in the refrigerator 24 hours if possible. (This flattening allows the hens to cook evenly.)
Place skin side next to heat and cook on a hot grill about 20 to 25 minutes per side, turning occasionally to prevent overbrowning, although a little dark flecking is pretty and tasty.
If roasting, preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease or spray a shallow roasting pan with nonstick spray. Place the hens side by side, but not touching, in the prepared pan. Cook the hens, uncovered, until a meat thermometer measures 170°F. and the juices run clear, about 45 minutes. If you are using two pans, rotate them periodically to allow even browning.
The hens may be cooked up to a day ahead and refrigerated. Reheat under the broiler or in a hot oven.
Split the hens completely and place them on a serving platter, piled up in a circular pattern at 15-degree angles. Note: I just served them whole, they look better to me.

Have a great day.