Bowling, X-Ray, Pork Chops, Mislaid Letter, Chinese Dam,

Well it seems we bounced fairly well at the weekend. I acquired a few bruises somehow but Matt doesn't seem to have any. He did have a touch of dizziness but I checked sugars and blood pressure and they seemed OK. He didn't have any problem bowling.

Needless to say we went bowling and in my first game I could do no wrong. I got 4 strikes in a row and ended up with 224. However, my second and third games were nothing to write home about. There were only the two of us on our team and I guess we got tired or something. Matt didn't bowl well at all. Still, after the good game at the beginning my average went up another 2 points. It's a funny game, in the first one I could do no wrong and the second and third I could do no right.

I had a requisition to go for an X-ray (because of my sore buttock which they don't think is sciatica as everyone said) so we went after bowling. It is a fair distance and then I had to wait an hour to go in. X-ray was particularly busy. Decided I might as well wait as we were there. After that I decided Subway was the place to get supper. This lab does all kinds of stuff as well as X-rays and the waiting room was crowded. I actually ended up waiting less than an hour I think.

When we got home I discovered a letter for Matt from the Civil Service in England about his pension increase (1% if you are interested - we will try not to spend it all at once) but although the address is absolutely correct, they had not added Canada. It appears the letter went through the Netherlands to the Czech republic!!!! The British postal service has never heard of Ontario???

An interesting bit of trivia I picked up from How To Geek today: The mass of the water pooled behind the huge Three Gorges Dam in China is so significant that it actually affected the rotation of the Earth, lengthening the day by 0.06 microseconds I am not sure that is a good thing though. Doesn't sound good to me.

Yesterday Bryan (A Beer for the Shower) said he had tried the recipe for Korean Pork Chops and they were awesome. I had kind of forgotten about them I must remember them for this weekend.

I was asked by a friend at bowling for a Christmas Cake recipe so I looked up one I use from Mrs. Beeton. My copy of Mrs. Beeton's Cookery book was printed in 1936.  Not that I have made a Christmas Cake for a very long time as Matt doesn't like them and I don't need them, or my hips don't! Of course I always covered this cake with marzipan and then Royal Icing. Strictly speaking this is not a Christmas Cake, but it is what I used to use and it always made a super cake. We can get mixed peel in Ontario, but I could never find it in North Carolina.

Christmas Cake

12 oz. butter
12 oz. sugar
6 eggs
1 lb all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
12 oz. currants
6 oz. rasins
8 oz sultanas
4 oz. mixed peel
grated rind of half a lemon
3/4 tsp ground cinammon
1.4 tsp. nutmeg
a little milk if necessary
1/2 gill brandy (about 1/4 cup)
1/4 lb almonds

Cream the butter and sugar together in a basin, add the well beaten eggs, one at a time, and brandy, stir quickly. Mix in the sieved flour and baking powder, fruit, 3/4 of the almonds (chopped) and lemon rind. Add a little milk if necessary but the mixture must not be too moist.

Place the cake mixture in a prepared tin, sprinkle over the remainding almonds and bake it in a moderate oven (about 375°F) for about 2-2 1/2 hours. When cooked and firm to the touch, place the cake on a wire rack to cool.

Source: Mrs. Beeton's Family Cookery.

Have a great day
 

Recipe Try Out. Pelee Island. Books,

I posted a recipe on Friday for pork chops with couscous. I decided to try it out but without the couscous, I wasn't in the mood for it. However, I made it with the tomato, onion and caper sauce and because I ended up with too much liquid, I added some cornstarch to thicken it. It was delicious. We really enjoyed it. One of these days I will try it with couscous, but these days I don't eat a lot of starchy, high carb things so I have to plan when to eat them.I did cook up a few snow peas to go with it and Matt had a baked potato. It ended up looking somewhat like this picture. bright spark that I am I for got to take a photo of course. We drank a Pelee Island Baco Noir with it. Good. Pelee Island wines are made in Ontario although the winery itself is on Pelee Island. Went there a few years ago. Pelee Island is the southernmost tip of Ontario and was named because it is totally flat and looks like it's been peeled which is what Pelee means.We spent a weekend there and enjoyed ourselves although it only takes half an hour to get right round the island.

Also finished reading a book by Juliet Marillier, Dreamer's Pool. Excellent story and I have ordered the next one from the library. Juliet Marillier takes Irish legends and makes a different story of them. They always work and are always worth reading. This series is known as the Blackthorn and Grim series. Recommend them. Then, wondering what to read next, I received a very first draft of a story by Elizabeth Seckman. She wanted to know what I thought. What I thought was it would be a great book. I really enjoyed reading it. I do enjoy Liz's books and this is no exception. Her latest book Swept Away was a great story and this new one bodes fair to being another one.

I love Cornish Hens although I have rarely ever cooked them. I found this recipe which I didn't know I had in my cookbook programme and thought it sounded pretty good. Maybe I should pick some up this week.

Herb-Roasted Cornish Hens with Root Vegetables

2 1- to 1-1/2- pounds Cornish game hens

4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
4 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch lengths
2 small turnips, peeled and cut into wedges
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
3 Tbs olive oil or cooking oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp dried rosemary, crushed
2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp salt

1. Skewer neck skin of hens to back; tie legs to tail. Twist wings under back. Place hens, breast up, on a rack in a large shallow roasting pan. Place carrots, parsnips, turnips, and onions around hens in pan. Combine oil, garlic, rosemary, oregano, and salt; brush onto hens and vegetables.

2. Roast, uncovered, in a 375°F oven for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours or until hens are no longer pink and the drumsticks move easily in their sockets.(Internal temperature should be 180°F with an instant-read thermometer.) During roasting, turn vegetables occasionally. Transfer hens from roasting pan to serving platter. Cover and keep warm. Remove rack from roasting pan. Stir vegetables. Increase oven temperature to 450°F. Continue roasting vegetables for 15 to 20 minutes more or until tender and browned.

3. To serve, using a slotted spoon, spoon vegetables around hens on platter. Makes 4 servings.

Servings: 4

Source: Better Homes and Gardens®.

Have a great day
 

Books, Dinner, Exercise.

Not a lot going on in our lives at the moment, principally because I am trying to read all these library books which have turned up at roughly the same time. The other day I finished the latest Valdemar book Closer to the Heart by Mercedes Lackey. Part of the Herald Spy series. Now I am wading through a huge book by Robin Hobb called Fool's Quest. I think I may have missed the one before so I guess I will have to get hold of it. But boy is it a big book. - 754 pages. Then I have a thriller (I think) called Little Black Lies and yet another David Weber book waiting at the library to be collected. Phew. I do love to read, but this inundation of books is proving a bit much. The trouble is, I reserved the books ages ago, as I've said, but I had no idea they would all become available at once. Not only that, some of the newer books, like Robin Hobb's, are being awaited by other people. I have very much enjoyed all of Robin Hobb's books and this one is proving to be no exception. Being a dragon fanatic I particularly enjoyed the dragon books which are part of the series although written as a separate trilogy.

Saturday night we had pork chops and I was wondering what to do with them so browsing through

my recipe programme, I discovered one which I had invented and of which I had no recollection. I decided to make it again and it turned out very well. It's odd that I don't remember it one little bit. This is my plate. I have lots of green beans because I don't have a potato. These are French sliced flat beans by the way. Basically the only kind we eat these days unless I do something with the other beans, but we don't enjoy them plain at all. Anyway, as you will see the chop has mushrooms on it, I used more than I had written in the recipe but I wanted to use some up which I had had a tad too long. Maybe I will add the recipe tomorrow. It was pretty good.

Today, Monday, is bowling of course, one of our favourite days of the week. I missed not having an exercise class on Friday and there won't be one on Wednesday so I have been trying to do some of the exercises on my own. It's surprisingly difficult to remember all the things we do. I am more concerned with copying the aerobic exercises. Some of the other things I am fine at anyway. Balance in particular. Since learning T'ai Chi it has improved my balance tremendously. I just wish I could persuade Matt to join these classes. Oh well.

This is a new one on me, something I have never seen before. I don't eat pizza much, but I think I would like to try this one.

Rick Easton's Pizza With Potatoes

 Mark Bittman - New York Times

Potatoes may seem an odd topping for pizza, but the Pittsburgh-based baker and cook Rick Easton has developed a crust that is so sturdy it can actually support more than its own weight, and these potatoes – boiled until soft, hand-crushed, flavored with olive oil and rosemary and made even more delicious by the addition of mozzarella – are not only traditional, but amazing. Be sure to bake the pizza until it is good and brown on the bottom; take a peek if you’re not sure.

Ingredients

Pizza dough

• 3⁄4 teaspoon or 2 grams yeast
• 1 7⁄8 cups lukewarm water
• 3 ½ cups or 500 grams bread flour, plus more for dusting
• 3 teaspoons or 8 grams kosher or sea salt
• 4 tablespoons or 40 grams extra-virgin olive oil

Toppings

• 1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes
• 8 ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon chopped rosemary leaves
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a comfortably large, preferably rectangular plastic container, dissolve the yeast into 13⁄4 cups of lukewarm water. Mix in the flour with your hand, squishing it together, just until the flour is absorbed. The dough will be very wet and shaggy. Remove what stuck to your fingers, and mix into the dough. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
2. Dissolve the salt in remaining 1⁄8 cup of water, and mix with your hand into the dough. Don’t worry if it doesn’t all mix in. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and rest for another 20 minutes at room temperature.
3. With wet hands, release the dough from the sides of the container. Coat the top of the dough with 1 tablespoon of oil, and make a trifold or letter fold by lifting up the dough one-third of the way through and letting the end drop and fold underneath. Repeat this action on the other side so that the seam is on the bottom. Cover with a lid or plastic wrap, and rest for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Repeat this process two more times. After the third fold, rest the dough in the refrigerator for about 24 hours. Sometime halfway through resting, repeat the trifold with oil one last time.
4. If you have a pizza stone, slide it on the lowest rack or on the floor of your oven, and heat oven to 500. Heat for at least 30 minutes and preferably longer before baking. Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain. Once they are cool enough to handle, remove the peels and crush gently into medium chunks by hand; lay on a sheet pan or some wax paper in one layer to allow them to cool.
5. Lightly grease an 18-by-13-inch jellyroll pan with olive oil. (A cookie sheet of a similar size makes a good alternative.) Wipe the pan clean with a dry paper towel; it’s important not to bake the pizza on too much oil. Flip the dough out onto a floured surface, and gently press out into a rectangle 1⁄2-to-3⁄4-inch thick, being careful not to deflate the dough too much. Place one forearm over the dough, and use the other hand to flip the dough over the forearm and then into the pan, leaving the floured side up. Rearrange the dough on the pan, again pressing only lightly.
6. Spread the topping evenly across the dough, drizzle generously with oil and bake on the pizza stone (or directly on the bottom of the oven or lowest rack) for 5 minutes. Move the pizza to the middle rack in the oven, and continue to bake for 10 to 15 more minutes or until golden brown.
7. Using a bench scraper or metal spatula, scoop under the pizza, and scrape to release it from the pan. This may take some blind faith and a bit of elbow grease. Slide out onto a cutting board, and slice into pieces using a chef’s knife, scissors or pizza cutter. Serve immediately or at room temperature, or reheat.

Have a great day
 

Saturday Recipe

Saturday we always like to have a slightly better meal than during the week and enjoy a bottle of wine with it. We no longer drink wine during the week. I sometimes have problems thinking about what to cook. After all there are only so many ways you can cook a fillet steak or make a roast or something. So, last weekend I kind of invented a dish - not totally original but it made a nice meal. Matt had a baked potato with it and I also did some coleslaw. Of course being the doofus I am, I forgot to take a picture. This is kind of what it looked like. I don't think there is any asparagus in the sauce though. For those of you who don't like one of my favourite foods, you can, of course leave it out.


Pork Chops, Mushrooms, Asparagus and Mushroom Sauce
Jo's Version

2 pork chops
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 lb sliced mushrooms
6 or more asparagus spears chopped in 1 inch pieces
1/2 small can mushroom soup

Set oven temp to 350°F. Place the pork chops in an oven proof baking dish and season slightly. The soup will contain seasoning. Scatter the sliced onions and mushrooms on top and around the chops then sprinkle with the asparagus. Pour over the half can of mushroom soup and place in the oven. Check after 45 minutes to make sure the soup is not drying out, if it is, add a little more. Be careful though, I ended up with a lot of soup on the bottom of the oven, but then I used the whole can. Cook for a total of an hour or until the chops are tender.

Have a great weekend

Pork Chop

As I have nothing much to write about today, I am just going to post the other recipe we picked up from the local paper yesterday. We spent the morning shopping as Thursday is our usual day and bought some fish, halibut and arctic char. The char we are going to eat tonight, it is probably one of my favourite fish. So here's the pork recipe for you.

Almond-Crusted Pork with Quick Cabbage & Pears

1 (2 oz) bag ground almonds or 2/3 cup chopped whole natural almonds 1 tsp fresh thyme 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper 4 boneless pork chops (about 1 1/2 lbs in total) 4 Tbs almond or canola oil 2 Anjou pears, cored and sliced 1 cup shredded red cabbage or radiccio 1/4 cup chicken broth, white wine or water 1 Preheat oven to 350 F. 2 Combine almonds with thyme, salt and pepper in a shallow pan or bowl. Roll each pork chop in crumb mixture, coating all over. Heat oil in a large skillet and add pork chops; fry on medium heat 5 mins without touching. Turn, using tongs instead of a spatula to avoid splattering oil. Cook for 5 mins more or until golden brown. 3 Transfer to a lined baking sheet and place in oven to finish cooking, 20 to 20 mins depending on thickness. Juices should run clear and no pink should remain. 4 Scrape brown bits from skillet and discard. Add pear slices and brown on medium heat. Lower heat to medium-low and add cabbage and chosen liquid. Cover and cook until cabbage wilts and pork chops are done. Sever chops on top of cabbage and pears. Servings: 4 Source: Live It

Have a great day.