Chocolate, South Pacific

A friend in the UK was telling us about a Mother’s Day present she got (March is Mother’s Day in the UK) and finally took advantage of recently. With her daughter they went to My Chocolate http://www.mychocolate.co.uk/ where they had a fabulous time learning about chocolate and making various chocolate items which they could then take home. She said they had a wonderful day. I just wish there was something similar round here, it would be right up my street. I would probably have a hard time staying away from the place.

The other night we watched a new production of South Pacific at the Lincoln Centre. It has been running for a while now and there is also a touring company which is presently performing in Toronto. Apparently this is the first time the show has been performed live in many years. The movie was made in 1959 and the show itself was first staged in 1949 adapted from Tales of the South Pacific by James A. Michener. It is touted as one of the greatest musicals of all time and it certainly has my vote. Of course I was in love with Rossano Brazzi who played the lead in the movie opposite Mitzi Gaynor. I blubber all the way through the movie and I blubbered watching it on TV the other night. In other words, I really enjoyed it. If you don’t know the show, and you are not in a position to see the live performance I recommend getting the movie of South Pacific one way or another. Then you can swoon over Rossano Brazzi as I did. I was just remembering the first time I saw the movie in London, in Leicester Square I think, but it was a long time ago.

A new email from Hershey’s containing all kinds of delicious looking sweet things – I chose these brownies to share with you.

Double Peanut Butter Paisley Brownies

Source: Hersheys

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1/4 cup REESE'S Creamy Peanut Butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup packed light brown sugar

3 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1-2/3 cups (10-oz. pkg.) REESE'S Peanut Butter Chips

1/2 cup HERSHEY'S Syrup

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 13x9x2-inch baking pan. 2. Beat butter and peanut butter in large bowl. Add sugar and brown sugar; beat well. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Blend in vanilla. 3. Stir together flour, baking powder and salt; mix into peanut butter mixture, blending well. Stir in peanut butter chips. Spread half of batter into prepared pan; spoon syrup over top. Carefully top with remaining batter; swirl with metal spatula or knife for marbled effect. 4. Bake 35 to 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into squares. About 36 brownies.

Have a great day.

Windows, Bulls, Eggs and Kites

I recently read that it is advisable always to use the “Safely Unplug Hardware” button to disconnect a USB device. Unfortunately although that was around on Windows XP it doesn’t seem to be a feature of Windows 7. There are features on Window 7 which I enjoy having, there are other things which were on XP which I miss. I don’t really need some of the features, including extensive graphic capabilities, but it becomes necessary to upgrade because other programmes do so and you can no longer run them adequately on your old Windows system. I have, in fact, ended up with Windows 7 32 bit on my laptop and 64 bit on my PC. As they seem to be perfectly interchangeable, that is fine by me, but I find the 32 bit version runs some of my older programmes which the 64 won’t even recognise.

Talking of recognition, I have a spelling problem. I spell most things the English way and naturally my computer software thinks I should spell the American way. Actually, I have been in North America so long I no longer remember which is which and so am surprised when I get a nasty little red line under my typing. Canada tends to use the English version, but isn’t really consistent. One company I worked for which had American owners, insisted we used American spelling so this is why mine comes out mixed up. For instance, I never spell tire any other way now and yet when I was in England it was tyre. Churchill said it first, two nations divided by a common language. Its not just how things are spelled but also what is said or how it is phrased. Takes a while to get used to when you emigrate.

Quite frightening; on the TV news last night, a bull in an arena near Pamplona, Spain jumped up into the spectator area and rampaged around. http://tinyurl.com/2auxxvt to see the video and an article in the Daily Telegraph. Lots of people were hurt – eventually they got a rope round the bull and finally shot it. But seeing the bull jump up, I am surprised it has never happened before. Oops it has – looking for video of what I saw last night, I found quite a few videos on YouTube of different bulls jumping into the stands. The thing that upset me in the video of this particular bull, Quesero, was the distressed sounds coming from the bull once they subdued it. And why, pray tell, do they bother to name bulls they are about to kill in such a horrible fashion anyway? I read that bullfighting bulls are bred differently and have smaller bodies but very powerful hind quarters which is why jumping into the stands is not so difficult for them. I am amongst the many who consider bull fighting should be banned. I think it is a barbaric sport. In ancient days they used to bull dance, now that I would like to see. So now I have discovered that they do something similar these days, its called Course Landaise and there is some video http://tinyurl.com/23ydv6 which shows a much more humane way of bull fighting.

Another scary item on last night’s news was a lot of salmonella in American eggs. Luckily none were distributed to Canada. However, there has been a massive recall plus warnings that if you are going to risk eating the eggs you should make sure the yolks are properly cooked through, no sunnyside ups or soft boiled eggs. I thought I heard someone say the salmonella was on the shells so I wonder if you washed your eggs whether it would be sufficient. Not worth taking the risk I guess.

Apparently more and more parks in Toronto are banning kite flying, particularly because of the abandoned clumps of strings which are left lying around as a trap for birds and animals not to mention humans. Toronto is following in the footsteps of the Taliban who have banned kite flying in many places, such as Afghanistan, already, for much the same reasons. The strings are not biodegradable and the TV showed great clumps of tangled strings just lying around in the parks. Apparently they are beginning to introduce safer kite strings which do biodegrade, whether this will reverse the decisions or not, I don’t know. I once went to see a kite demo/tournament on the beach in North Carolina and it was pretty spectacular. I couldn’t resist adding the Star Wars Kites.

I picked this delicious sounding recipe up from Cooking.com and thought it would make a good dish for a party, but also one could make it for the family. I didn’t mention, we had Chorio for supper last night, I gave the recipe a few days ago. First time we have eaten it in quite a long time, it was delicious.

Crab Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

By Kim127 on May 09, 2003

Photo by Kim127

Makes 40

Ingredients

• 1/4 lb lump crabmeat
• 1 -2 teaspoon chili sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon dijon-style mustard
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped
• 40 cherry tomatoes ( about)
• salt

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, combine the crab meat, chili sauce, mustard, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, scallions and herbs.
2. Mix well.
3. Cover and refrigerate until needed.
4. Using a serrated knife, cut a very thin slice from the stem end of each tomato.
5. Carefully scoop out pulp and seeds with the tip of a teaspoon.
6. Lightly sprinkle the insides of the tomatoes with salt.
7. Invert them on paper towels and let them drain for about 15 minutes.
8. Using a small spoon, stuff the tomatoes with the crab, mounding the filling slightly on top.
9. Serve cold.

Have a great day

Mothers and Kids, PC Funny.

Yet another woman who has killed her kids, this time by suffocating them first and then driving her car into water and claiming an accident. I was wondering, the other night, whether these women ever wake up to what they have done or are their minds completely otherwhere? I cannot imagine what it must feel like realising that you have killed your children. I don’t have children but it gives me the horrors thinking of the terror of those poor mites being killed by the one person they should have been able to trust most. It isn’t that rare unfortunately, there are many stories in the news of parents killing their children. It makes me think that maybe the “sci fi” books where they have different people doing the jobs they are most suited for and therefore people who love children bringing them up, isn’t such a bad system at all. Yargo by Jacqueline Susann comes to mind although the heroine persuaded the aliens to live the way we do in the end. Mistake in my opinion.

Another story this morning of a mother on a flight slapping her 13 month old baby on the face to stop it crying. Sounds a bit illogical to me anyway, obviously the child is going to cry more. The stewardess eventually took the child away from the mother and then the father came and took the baby and held it until it slept.

There has been a lot of fuss about a TV host Dr. Laura who, on one of her broadcasts, questioned why only black people are allowed to use the “n” word and not whites; she used the word right out. I am not risking using it here but I hope you know which word I mean. Anyone can use the “f” word and similar obscenities, but God forbid you should use the “n” word unless you, yourself, are black. Dr. Laura has now left the show because of all the fuss although she did make an apology.

A friend sent this error message this morning and I thought it very appropriate so I thought I would share it with you. It is perfectly understandable to most of us computer users.

Having added that File Missing picture, I keep seeing it out of the corner of my eye and thinking I am getting an error message of some kind, *g*.

A lot of places in North Carolina serve a form of Shrimp and Grits. I must admit, I tried grits once and found them rather bland and have never tried them since although there is one restaurant we go to which makes a specialty of the dish and I have been told it is excellent. I keep meaning to order it but something else always catches my eye. Coming across this recipe today, I just had to share it with you.

Shrimp & Cheddar Grits

Source: © EatingWell Magazine

4 servings

The South's version of creamy polenta, grits are easy to make on a weeknight—especially when topped with quickly broiled shrimp and scallions. Use the sharpest Cheddar you can find for these cheesy grits. Serve with: Sautéed greens and a tall glass of iced tea.

INGREDIENTS

1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth

1 1/2 cups water

3/4 cup quick grits (not instant) (see Shopping Tip)

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided

3/4 cup extra-sharp or sharp Cheddar cheese

1 pound peeled and deveined raw shrimp (16-20 per pound; see Shopping Tip)

1 bunch scallions, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/8 teaspoon salt

Tip: Shopping Tips: Look for quick grits near oatmeal and other hot cereals or near cornmeal in the baking aisle. 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 be sure you’re getting the size you want, order by the count (or number) 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. Look for fresh or frozen shrimp certified by an independent agency, such as Wild American Shrimp or Marine Stewardship Council. If you can’t find certified shrimp, choose wild-caught shrimp from North America—it’s more likely to be sustainably caught.

DIRECTIONS

Position rack in upper third of oven; preheat broiler.

Bring broth and water to a boil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk in grits and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cheese. Cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, toss shrimp, scallions, oil, garlic powder, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper and salt in a medium bowl. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, stirring once, until the shrimp are pink and just cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Serve the grits topped with the broiled shrimp and scallions.

Have a great day

Michael Douglas, World Disasters.

It was announced this morning that Michael Douglas has a tumour in his throat which is malignant and is about to undergo 8 weeks of radiation therapy. http://tinyurl.com/38a6bg4. I have always enjoyed Michael Douglas’ performances and wish him the best of luck, the prognosis is, in fact, good. He has been struggling to quit smoking for years apparently and has never managed it – his doctors figure that is definitely a contributing factor as well as the fact that he is a self admitted alcohol abuser. He has had a bad year with his son being jailed for drug pushing – one wonders why, there must be enough money in the family surely, or is that being naïve? I just checked, his Dad, Kirk Douglas is, incredibly still alive, he is 94. I always loved his acting too. One of Kirk’s most famous films was Spartacus but I always remember him in The Vikings, quite a story that one, I had the book for many years, not sure if I still do, but it was pretty fantastic. One of my favourite Michael Douglas films is The American President with Annette Benning.

Still lots of terrible reports coming out of Pakistan, even now there are people who have had no kind of aid. I am sure distribution is a factor here. I don’t remember so many major disasters as we have been having in recent years – is this all to do with global warming I wonder? Countries are pouring out millions, but for some, tragically, help will come too late. There are lots of disasters taking place on this continent too with fires and flooding, in the broad picture of such major events as Pakistan’s problems these smaller news items tend to get lost. Not smaller for those who have lost their homes to fires or other natural phenomenon. I find I keep thinking lately, thank God we live in a high rise on a hill.

Today we have decided to defrost our freezer. A job I hate, but it has to be done. I don’t know why they can build fridge/freezers which defrost automatically, but freezers, even uprights, have to be defrosted. It was easy when we were in NC, the freezer was in the shed and we just left the door open on a warm day and didn’t have to worry about anything (yes we did move the food of course), but here we have to use bath towels all over the floor to catch all the water – maybe if we did it more often it wouldn’t cause so much problem. I notice too, that some of the shelves are looking a tad rusty, I wonder if they can be replaced.

The other day, sorting through what ‘stuff’ I can still open on my new computer, I came across part of the book I tried to write a number of years ago. I have it all on paper, but I was gradually trying to copy it back onto the computer. I am stuck now though, no scanner. Will check them out when we go on vacation. Anyway, I was talking about my father and some of his favourite recipes, one of which was Chorio. I have no idea where he got this recipe from, but it was always a family favourite. Unfortunately I don’t have a picture but think I will be making this again very soon.

Chorio

1 Tbs Olive Oil

1 1/2 lge onions, chopped

1/4 demitasse garlic, crushed

2 tsp paprika

1 tube tomato purée (4 1/2 to 5 oz.)

1 small can tomatoes

cornstarch

red wine

Pinch cayenne

Pinch Mace

1 fillet of haddock or cod per person

A little wine vinegar

Salt and pepper

Slice of bread per fillet

Oil for frying bread

Soft fry onions and garlic in olive oil, add paprika, purée, tomatoes. Simmer for 5 minutes, thicken with cornstarch and then reduce with red wine to a nice smooth consistency. Add cayenne to taste and the mace. Simmer the sauce for about an hour until all well blended to form a purée. Place fillets in a greased baking dish, sprinkle with vinegar and seasonings. Cover with greased wax paper. Poach for approximately 20 minutes at 425°F. Meanwhile fry bread in the olive oil until crisp, serve fish on top of fried bread covered with the sauce.

Have a great day

The Gulf and its Seafood,

President Obama is spending his holidays on the Gulf Coast and there are pictures of him swimming there. The message being ‘come back to the Gulf for your vacation, all is well’ – is it? Maybe for vacationers: they have now cleaned up the beaches and the local waters, but from films I have seen, over the past few months, there is probably still oil suspended in the waters of the gulf and there is certainly lots of it on the seabed. What that is doing to the local ecology I dread to think. Fishing is also taking place there and I am sorry, but personally I wouldn’t want to eat it – at least not yet awhile. According to reports, tourism is badly down and the local businesses are losing money which is why the President is there.

This morning There was a report on Good Morning America who sent their own people down to investigate the health of the seafood in the Gulf. They sent samples of their catches to a Texas laboratory for testing and the upshot was “no contamination was present” which is what the FDA is saying. However, even the fishermen were doubtful about the seafood  they were catching. There is a video here http://tinyurl.com/25jsma4 from today’s programme. The trouble is, shrimp, crabs and oysters are all on the bottom which is where the oil has settled and eating the oil could, over time, cause cancer in humans. However, THE WORD is that it is safe to eat this seafood.

What concerns me in particular, when we go to North Carolina for our vacation next month, and want to eat seafood, you cannot always guarantee where this seafood, especially the shrimp, has originated. The restaurants, I have discovered, do not buy raw shrimp and shell them – too expensive for them – so they buy pre-prepared shrimp which could come from anywhere. I wonder, I have never checked, whether the same applies to the flounder one eats in local restaurants there. I think I had better stick to buying my seafood from a fisherman and cooking it myself. Maybe I am over reacting, as I said, the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) say the seafood is safe.

After all that, obviously we need a shrimp recipe.

Asparagus Shrimp Salad

Source: Shrimp Recipes

Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients List:

Dressing
½ cup salad oil
¼ cup vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
¼ teaspoon salt
Dash cayenne
Pinch pepper
Salad
1 ½ pounds asparagus, thick ends removed,
1 pound cooked shrimp, shelled and cleaned
1 slice fresh lemon
1 medium red bell pepper, sliced
¼ cup sliced green onion
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
Lettuce leaves
1 ounce grated Monterey Jack cheese

Directions:

Dressing
1. Combine everything in large mixing bowl or blender and mix until combined.
Salad
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add asparagus and boil 2 minutes, until bright green. Drain and chop asparagus.
3. Place asparagus, shrimp, lemon, and prepared dressing in medium mixing bowl. Toss to combine and refrigerate.
4. Meanwhile, combine red pepper, green onion, and parsley in small mixing bowl.
5. To serve, drain shrimp mixture and arrange on plate with lettuce and cheese. Serve with bell pepper mixture atop shrimp and asparagus.

Have a great day.

The Kiss, Humiliation Diet.

At the end of World War II a photograph was taken of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square which became an iconic symbol of the end of the war. Now they have erected a statue which is a copy of this picture and the intention is that today they will have a kiss-a-thon in Times Square to celebrate both the end of that war and to pay tribute to the people of that time. There is a video clip here in which the organiser explains the intention behind the event http://tinyurl.com/2aclcan which explains the idea behind it, also there are two more statues, one in Florida and one in California.

There is a new ‘fad’ on Twitter at the moment, posting your weight and your dieting each day to show people how you are doing and to keep yourself on track by shaming yourself into it. They call it the Humiliation Diet. A dietitian was interviewed on GMA this morning and she thought humiliation was not a good way to feel when you are dieting. Much as I would like to lose weight, I can’t imagine sharing it with the world. Even at Weight Watchers®, the only people who know your weight are the counsellors although if you have a particularly good loss it will be shared with the others in the room.

The floods in both Iowa and Pakistan continue to worsen with the rain being non stop. We also heard of some flooding in North Carolina last night, I am not sure how bad that is. A lot of the trouble is because people have, over the centuries, ignored the flood plains – oh look a pretty river, lets build a house – but however pretty, rivers have been flooding since time began. When we bought our land in NC, we didn’t check into the flood plain either, but in fact we looked into it later and we were outside the known flood area, in our case flooding would have been from the sea if there had been enough wind to drive it inland. Talking of which, I was reading Driving Force yesterday by Dick Francis which included a lot about hurricanes. A good book, but then as I have said, I love all Dick Francis books. Another book about hurricanes which I really loved was called Wyatt’s Hurricane by Desmond Bagley, an author I used to read a lot of at one time.

Continuing with the breakfast theme, here is another recipe from Eating Well.

Mini Mushroom-&-Sausage Quiches

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/mini_mushroom_sausage_quiches.html

From EatingWell: April/May 2005

These crustless mini quiches are like portable omelets. Turkey sausage and sauteed mushrooms keep them light and savory. Small and satisfying, they're also a good finger food for your next cocktail party.

1 dozen mini quiches

Ingredients

8 ounces turkey breakfast sausage, removed from casing and crumbled into small pieces

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup sliced scallions

1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

5 eggs

3 egg whites

1 cup 1% milk

Preparation

1. Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 325°F. Coat a nonstick muffin tin generously with cooking spray (see Tip).
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook until golden brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Add oil to the pan. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage. Let cool for 5 minutes. Stir in scallions, cheese and pepper.
3. Whisk eggs, egg whites and milk in a medium bowl. Divide the egg mixture evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle a heaping tablespoon of the sausage mixture into each cup.
4. Bake until the tops are just beginning to brown, 25 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a rack on top of the pan, flip it over and turn the quiches out onto the rack. Turn upright and let cool completely.

Nutrition

Per quiche : 90 Calories; 5 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 1 g Mono; 105 mg Cholesterol; 3 g Carbohydrates; 9 g Protein; 0 g Fiber; 217 mg Sodium; 108 mg Potassium

Exchanges: 1 medium-fat meat

Tips & Notes

• Make Ahead Tip: Individually wrap in plastic and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, remove plastic, wrap in a paper towel and microwave on High for 30 to 60 seconds.

• A good-quality nonstick muffin tin works best for this recipe. If you don't have one, line a regular muffin tin with foil baking cups.

Have a great weekend.

Migrant Ship, GMA Concerts.

Canadians, and in particular the authorities in British Columbia are very concerned about the Tamil ship which has now reached their shores. There may be all kinds of undesirables hidden among the genuine refugees and time will have to be taken to discover who they are. Meanwhile they will be housed in special compounds and I understand it may take months before they can be certain there are no Tamil Tigers amongst the refugees not to mention human smugglers – read here http://tinyurl.com/2e3sq6b There are already a lot of protests in Canada that immigrants/refugees are treated better than seniors who have lived, worked and contributed to the country during their lives.

As usual we had Good Morning America on TV today. Towards the end they had the Jonas Brothers on to do one of the summer concerts in the park. Fine, if they want to do that, and people want to go, OK, but they try and do interviews with other guests (or even with the Jonas Brothers themselves) with the screaming background of the audience and it is totally impossible to hear what is being said. Even a weather report was completely incomprehensible with all the screamers surrounding the meteorologist. Pointless. They should continue to do interviews in the studio as usual rather than sending the whole crew over to the park.

I am always on the lookout for different breakfast foods as cereal and toast can get a tad boring. Actually I saw a chef on the Dr. Oz show the other day who had lost a lot of weight since discovering he had diabetes and one of his tips was to eat like a king at breakfast, like a princess for lunch and a pauper for supper. It is a fact, I have trouble losing weight these days which is not a good thing for someone with diabetes. Anyway, here is a slightly different twist on breakfast from Eating Well. Only trouble is you then have to figure out what to do with the yolks.

Egg & Salmon Sandwich

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/egg_salmon_sandwich.html

From EatingWell:  July/August 2008

Smoked salmon and egg whites on a toasted whole-wheat English muffin is the perfect power breakfast. For a more substantial meal, pair it with a piece of fruit or a glass of 100% juice.

1 sandwich | Active Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion

2 large egg whites, beaten

Pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon capers, rinsed and chopped (optional)

1 ounce smoked salmon

1 slice tomato

1 whole-wheat English muffin, split and toasted

Preparation

1. Heat oil in a small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 1 minute. Add egg whites, salt and capers (if using) and cook, stirring constantly, until whites are set, about 30 seconds.
2. To make the sandwich, layer the egg whites, smoked salmon and tomato on English muffin.

Nutrition

Per serving : 214 Calories; 5 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 2 g Mono; 7 mg Cholesterol; 25 g Carbohydrates; 19 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 670 mg Sodium; 221 mg Potassium

1 1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 1/2 starch, 2 lean meat

Have a great day

Floods, Mud and Superbug. Superb Singer.

I haven’t mentioned any of the current disasters lately, there just see to be so many of them. In particular the flooding in Pakistan, what devastation, seeing all these poor people wading through water which is waist high and sometimes higher. I haven’t heard anything mentioned about the animals, I don’t know what has happened to them, particularly the cows which wander all over the place. I’m not quite sure if the holiness of cows as in India is the same in Pakistan, but they certainly have other animals which will have been affected by this flooding. matt saw a newspaper picture of a farmer wading neck deep in water with his cows swimming alongside him. Then of course the mud slides in China which are pretty terrible, I can’t imagine which is worse, mud or water, I think you maybe have more chance in water so long as it isn’t too violent. I don’t want to try either, thank you. Of course there are forest fires all over the place, the Muscovites are having a hard time of it, and now they are talking about the fires spreading to the Chernoble area and disturbing the irradiated ground in that area; a lot of people living in the Western States have lost their homes due to fires, doesn’t seem to be any end to it at the moment. Just to add to everything else, there is a tropical storm brewing in the Gulf of Mexico so they are going to have to abandon the work on the wellhead for a while. Then reports of more flooding in the States this morning.

On top of everything else, there are the more usual problems of heat and tornadoes in the Central States, the Eastern States are expecting a bit of cooling for the next few days, I am sure they will appreciate that. North Carolina, where we are heading next month, is suffering from high temps in the 100°F range.

The superbug (NDM1) I mentioned yesterday is causing a lot of problems and medical people are apparently working round the clock to find something to defeat it - http://tinyurl.com/3x475of – sounds a pretty scary bug to me when there is nothing out there to stop it. It has apparently started in India and Pakistan in 2008 and has already been found in Canada and many other parts of the world.

Jackie Evancho is the new and up and coming superstar – see this article with a video -http://tinyurl.com/26hg6ml – if her voice doesn’t send chills up and down your spine I will be very surprised. She is 10 years old and has the mature voice of a 30 yr. old. Absolutely incredible. She appeared on America’s Got Talent after submitting a YouTube clip. The winner of the show will receive $1 million. She already has a date at Carnegie Hall on December 2. Her voice is fantastic and just listening to this clip through my old PC speakers, I was in tears. She is a very mature young lady altogether.

We have a margarine in Canada called Becel, a very healthy product full of Omega 3 etc. I get a newsletter from them too. Here is a dessert from their latest issue which sounds great for the summer.

Molten Lemon Lime Pudding Cake

Makes: 8 servings

Ingredients:

Ingredients

2 omega-3 eggs

1 omega-3 egg white

1 lemon

1 lime

1 tbsp Becel margarine

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1 Pinch salt

1 cup 1% milk

1/2 cup Icing sugar and berries, (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350F (180C) and spray an 8-inch (20 cm) round casserole or baking dish using non-stick cooking spray.
2. Separate eggs, placing yolks in large bowl and whites in a medium bowl. Whisk yolks with 1 tsp (5 mL) each lemon and lime peel, 2 tbsp (30 mL) each lemon and lime juice and Becel until blended. In a separate bowl, stir sugar with flour and salt until mixed. Whisk into lemon mixture alternatively with milk ending with flour mixture.
3. In a separate bowl, beat whites until soft peaks form. Fold into lemon mixture until no whites streaks remain. Turn into dish and gently smooth. Bake in preheated oven until golden and cake is set, 35-40 minutes. Let stand 5 to 10 minutes before serving. Best served warm, with fresh berries.

Have a great day

Fraud, Words and Superbugs

Something I haven’t talked about this week, is the Canadian woman who pretended she had terminal cancer in order to raise money from her friends and later from strangers on Facebook. Her father is absolutely disgusted with her and was instrumental in getting her to turn herself in. She shaved off her hair and plucked her eyebrows so she would look as though she was going through chemo and I have heard rumours she raised as much as $20,000 – all of which has disappeared of course. She says she did it because she wanted to be noticed not just a nondescript person. She has certainly achieved that ambition. Her friends are very upset. Her mother was called all kinds of names because she asked her for money to pay for chemo and her mother pointed out that chemo is free in Ontario.

I love it when people invent new words. The first person I knew of who did so was Lewis Carroll whose famous invention of chortle comes to mind. Then Joe Barkson of World Wide Recipes invented the word franticulate describing, in particular, a dog jumping up and down in excitement. Now Karen Miller ( Karen’s Musings, see link this page) has invented puffuppery (not being puffed up in your own esteem). Lovely words – wish I had come up with something like that!!

Just caught a headline mentioning a superbug, will have to look into that.

Gotta go this morning, have an appointment early with my foot nurse.

Periodically I get an emailed recipe from my local fish shop T & J’s Seafood. This one sounded good to me and one I think we might try in the not too distant future. Maybe even in NC where scallops are pretty plentiful. The picture shows a scallop as we buy them in England, not over here. For some reason in North America the pink bit is removed, pity, its delicious.

Grilled Scallop Salad

Ingredients

24 asparagus spears, trimmed (or trade with grilled Zucchini)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon soy sauce

24 sea scallops

2 cups sliced fresh Portobello mushrooms

2 cups torn red leaf lettuce

2 cups torn Bibb or Boston lettuce

1/4 cup crumbled cooked bacon

1 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring 6 cups water to a boil. Add asparagus; cover and boil for 3 minutes. Drain and immediately place asparagus in ice water. Drain and pat dry; set aside. In a large re-sealable plastic bag, combine oil and soy sauce; add scallops. Seal bag and turn to coat. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Coat the grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before starting the grill. Grill scallops, uncovered, over high heat for 2 minutes on each side or until the scallops are firm and opaque. Arrange mushrooms on a 9-in. square piece of heavy-duty foil coated with nonstick cooking spray. Grill mushrooms on foil, uncovered, over medium heat for 10 minutes or until tender, stirring often

Arrange the lettuce on four serving plates. Top with asparagus, scallops, .mushrooms, bacon, walnuts and cheese. Drizzle with dressing.

Serves Four

Have a great day

Movies, Monterey Bay Aquarium

There has been a lot on the news lately about the new movie Eat, Pray, Love which is based on a book of the same name which shot to the top of the best sellers list and really did well all over the world. I personally haven’t read it, maybe I should. The movie stars Julia Roberts and Javier Bardim. I would never have recognised him from No Country for Old Men which was a pretty scary movie. He was interviewed this morning and was interesting to listen to.

Last night I watched a 2008 Rambo movie; I hadn’t seen it before, and would have enjoyed it more except the ads went on forever. However, during the breaks they had Sylvester Stallone talking about his new movie The Expendables in which all the film heroes are starring including Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwartzenegger. The movie is released on the 13th here. I find Stallone very funny when interviewed, he has quite a sense of humour. I just checked, Stallone is 64. That shakes me.

When we got up this morning it was thick fog. Not surprising really as the heavens opened yesterday, I think it was at its worst when we left the doctor’s and had a bit of a walk to the car. Luckily we had a golf umbrella with us although Matt had trouble staying dry as a gust of wind caught the umbrella just as he was about to get in the car. Talking of doctors, we were somewhat staggered to learn our friend had had a pacemaker installed at 3 p.m. and was back home at supper time!!!

Here is another Eating Well recipe which I think looks delicious. Salmon is something which is readily available to me and I hope to you too. Really good tomatoes should be around soon with which to make this recipe. You are directed to Monterey Bay Aquarium’s website – this is an excellent source of information on what fish comes from sustainable resources and lots of other ‘fishy” information. I have been getting regular information emails from them for a long time.

Grilled Salmon with Tomatoes & Basil

From EatingWell:  July/August 2010

This recipe is so beautiful and yet so simple to prepare—it’s perfect for entertaining. You just spread a side of salmon with minced garlic, sprinkle with fresh basil, then layer sliced tomatoes on top. Put it on the grill for 10 minutes and you’re done!

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 whole wild salmon fillet (also called a “side of salmon,” about 1 1/2 pounds; see Tips)

1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil, divided

2 medium tomatoes, thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Mash minced garlic and 3/4 teaspoon salt on a cutting board with the side of a chef’s knife or a spoon until a paste forms. Transfer to a small bowl and stir in oil.
3. Check the salmon for pin bones and remove if necessary (see Tips). Measure out a piece of heavy-duty foil (or use a double layer of regular foil) large enough for the salmon fillet. Coat the foil with cooking spray. Place the salmon skin-side down on the foil and spread the garlic mixture all over it. Sprinkle with 1/3 cup basil. Overlap tomato slices on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper.
4. Transfer the salmon on the foil to the grill. Grill until the fish flakes easily, 10 to 12 minutes. Use two large spatulas to slide the salmon from the foil to a serving platter. Serve the salmon sprinkled with the remaining 1/4 cup basil.

Nutrition

Per serving : 248 Calories; 10 g Fat; 2 g Sat; 5 g Mono; 80 mg Cholesterol; 3 g Carbohydrates; 35 g Protein; 1 g Fiber; 367 mg Sodium; 799 mg Potassium

0 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 vegetable, 5 lean meat

Tips & Notes

• Tips: Wild-caught salmon from the Pacific (Alaska and Washington) are more sustainably fished and have a larger, more stable population. For more information, visit Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch, seafoodwatch.org.
• Depending on how your side of salmon was prepared at the market, small white pin bones may still be in the fillet. We suggest removing them before you cook the fish. To remove the bones, place your hand underneath the fillet to bend it up slightly, exposing the row of bones running down the length—they will poke out of the flesh and point at an angle toward the wider end of the fillet. Grasp each bone with a clean pair of tweezers or needle-nose pliers and gently pull it out in the direction of the wide end of the fillet.

Getting Old, Pythons in Florida, Favourite Author

Ain’t life great? We have discovered this weekend we have a friend with pancreatic cancer and another with heart problems. Bette Davis said it right. Getting old ain’t for sissies.

This morning on Good Morning America they interviewed a young woman who travels all over the world looking for, and dealing with, all kinds of animals, working with National Geographic and similar organisations. Her recent project was checking on urban animals of which she found many. There are animals which have adapted to city dwelling and which most of us never see. However, she mentioned having discovered a Burmese Python outside Miami, hunh? I then went to find this story on line and what I did find is that Burmese Pythons are not that uncommon in Florida. Watch the video clip here http://tinyurl.com/2wdaptb. That is a rather scary thought; obviously their presence is caused by people who buy exotic pets and then for one reason or another release them. Burmese Pythons are NOT native to Florida although they seem to have adapted. it is all part of the illegal smuggling of exotic animals which I have talked about before. I guess if people were not stupid enough to buy them, the trade would drop. This is why I have a poster on this blog saying Tiger Parts Belong to Tigers. They too are part of the exotic animals smuggling trade.

Having nothing else to read this weekend I have been re-reading some of my Dick Francis books. A favourite author of mine, I think he tells a good tale (or did he is now deceased, February this year). Funnily enough I picked out two books which I didn’t really remember much about so it was like reading a new story. One was Straight and the other Under Orders which is a relatively new book as Francis books go. Although before he died he was writing the books with his son. There was a rumour that it was Mary Francis, his wife, who actually did the writing, be that as it may, the horse racing background came from him plus the love of racing and the despair when he could no long do so. That came over in the absolute longing felt by some of his characters who no longer were able to race for one reason or another.

This is what Matt cooked for supper on Saturday night. He did the rice pilaf and zucchini and tomatoes that we cooked a couple of weeks ago, I posted the recipes. Mind you, now I have no scanner, I took this photo from the book and the orange is obviously fresh slices whereas as you will see in the recipe, you actually cook them.

Orange Basil Chicken

Cooking Light Cookbook 1996

4 servings

Vegetable cooking spray

1 tsp olive oil

4 (4 oz.) skinned, boned chicken breast halves

3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 Tbs chopped fresh basil

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

12 (1/2 “ thick) wedges fresh orange

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp cornstarch

1 Tbs water

Fresh Basil sprigs for garnish

Coat a large nonstick skillet with coking spray; add oil. Place over med. heat until hot. Add chicken; cook 2 mins on each side or until browned. Add orange juice and next 6 ingredients; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 15 mins. or until chicken is done. Remove chicken and orange wedges from skillet, using a slotted spoon; set aside and keep warm.

Bring orange juice mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, 10 mins or until mixture reduces to 3/4 cup. Combine cornstarch and water, stirring well. Add to juice mixture; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens.

Transfer chicken and orange wedges to individual serving plates. Spoon sauce over chicken. Garnish with basil sprigs if desired.

Have a great day

From Haiti to Moscow.

There was a report on Good Morning America about a hip hop artist, Wyclef Jean, who lives in America, but is Haitian by birth, now wanting to run for President of Haiti. Sean Penn, who has been living and working in Haiti since the devastating earthquake a year ago has said, in so many words, you’ve got to be kidding. For a video clip go to http://tinyurl.com/36dv6no. I know nothing about Wyclef Jean but hopefully he would be a better President than some of their previous incumbents who have been known for their blatant dishonesty and nest feathering. The Duvalier family spring to mind. In fact many years ago Papa Doc Duvalier was featured in a an occult novel by Dennis Wheatley, an English author, which I read a very very long time ago.

Moscow is choking at the moment, having had a super hot and super dry summer so far, they are suffering from the dense smoke caused by wildfires, some 480,000 acres have been burnt or are still burning and Russia is ill equipped to deal with it. All the residents in Moscow are walking around with masks on and the capital looks as thought it is shrouded in thick fog which is, in fact smoke. If you follow the same link above, you can see a video clip.

I actually posted this recipe about a year ago, but having eaten it for supper last night, I enjoyed it so much I thought I would share it with you again. Tonight we are trying another new chicken recipe.

Pan Seared haddock with Tomato and Black Olive Salsa

2 ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 Tbs capers, rinsed and chopped
1 Tbs Basil, finely chopped
2 Tbs black olives, pitted and diced
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1 Tbs dry oregano, divided in half
1 tsp sherry vinegar
1 Tbs Canola oil
2 Haddock loins (chunky fillets)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to season

1. In a bowl combine tomatoes, basil, capers, black olives, oil, vinegar and half the oregano. Stir, cover and refrigerate until needed. Heat canola in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Rub oregano on both sides of the Haddock loins and season with salt and pepper. Pan sear Haddock in heated pan for three minutes. Flip and cook other side for same amount of time or until fish is opaque or begins to flake. Transfer fish onto a plate and spoon Salsa on top. Serve over cooked pasta tossed in olive oil and oregano.

Servings: 2

Source: Royal Sea

Have a great weekend.

Fantasy, A1C, Diabetes. Butter.

On Glenda Larke’s blog, Tropic Temper (see link this page) we were discussing when people started reading fantasy. I said I had come to it later in life because it was a genre which was frowned upon. However, I just remembered a book by Elizabeth Goudge called The Little White Horse which I had as a child and loved very much. It was certainly full of magic so would come under the fantasy genre heading. I suppose despite the general opinion on fantasy, it was alright for children. I lost my original book somewhere over the years, a pity, I bought another, but it isn’t the same as the book where I had coloured all the pictures and such. Henrietta’s House was another book I have by Elizabeth Goudge, not quite so magical as the other. Last, but not least, I have The White Witch. All of these books can still be bought at Amazon which somewhat surprises me. However, doing some research they appear to be a popular books still. The picture shows the cover I have now but I am not sure if its the original cover, I seem to remember a plain blue cloth binding.

I was pretty pleased yesterday – I went to my diabetes seminar (one on one for half an hour) and she took my A1C which turned out to be 5.7 which she assured me was lower than some people who didn’t have diabetes. If you don’t know what an A1C is, you are obviously not suffering from diabetes and don’t need to worry about it, but suffice to say 7 is considered a good number. I was also talking to one of the staff at Canadian Diabetes about an upcoming seminar they are holding. The subject being the kidneys. She asked me what would attract me, or others, to such a seminar. I have been thinking about it and d’you know I cannot think of a good way of attracting people with diabetes to such a seminar. I tend to go to most things to keep myself informed. There are people who do not look after their disease and end up in all kinds of trouble, hell you can get into trouble even if you do take care of yourself. I do know I was frightened by diabetes years ago - hearing of people losing feet or limbs because of the disease. Of course since getting it, I have heard more about all the other problems which can occur. Just today I discovered that it can delay healing; Matt could never understand why my hip operation scar took so long to heal, I guess that’s why. It is also why I take care to stay as informed as possible.

I love French butter, the taste is totally different to either the butter we get here or in the UK. So when I heard there was a Normandy culture butter available I got all excited and we bought some. Big disappointment, it doesn’t taste the same as the butter in North America, but nor does it taste like the French butter in France (or Martinique). In fact the last time I had real French butter was when we were on our one and only cruise and we docked in Martinique. The next morning and for a few days, we had French butter and I was in heaven. Matt swears I ate all the smoked salmon on the ship, I did a number on the butter too.

Eating Well have sent me their latest ezine with farm fresh ingredients packed with anti-oxidants. One recipe particularly appealed to me and will be being added to our future menus.

Thai-Style Melon & Beef Salad

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/thai_style_melon_beef_salad.html

From EatingWell: July/August 2009

We give this Thai-style beef salad a sweet twist by adding thin matchsticks of melon to the mix. Firm orange- or pale green-fleshed melon is equally good. The saltiness of the fish sauce helps to balance the sweetness of the melon.

6 servings,

Ingredients

12 ounces beef sirloin, or other boneless steak, about 1 inch thick, trimmed

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup lime juice

3 tablespoons fish sauce, (see Shopping Tip)

2 teaspoons sugar

1 clove garlic, grated or minced

1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

1 medium-to-large firm ripe melon

1 small green bell pepper

1 small red bell pepper

6 cups lightly packed torn Boston lettuce, (about 1 head)

1/2 cup slivered red onion

1/2 cup thin cucumber slices, halved

1/2 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup lightly packed torn fresh mint leaves

Preparation

1. Preheat grill to medium.
2. Sprinkle both sides of steak with salt and pepper. Grill the steak about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare and 6 minutes per side for medium. Transfer the steak to a clean cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes before thinly slicing crosswise.
3. Meanwhile, whisk lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and crushed red pepper to taste in a small bowl. Cut melon into enough 5-inch-long matchsticks to make 4 cups. (Reserve any remaining melon for another use.) Cut bell peppers into 2-inch-long matchsticks. Combine the melon and peppers in a large bowl along with lettuce, onion, cucumber, cilantro and mint.
4. Add the sliced beef to the salad. Whisk the dressing, pour it over the salad and gently toss to combine.

Nutrition

Per serving : 150 Calories; 3 g Fat; 1 g Sat; 1 g Mono; 21 mg Cholesterol; 18 g Carbohydrates; 15 g Protein; 3 g Fiber; 690 mg Sodium; 721 mg Potassium

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 fruit, 1 vegetable, 1 1/2 lean meat

Tips & Notes

• Shopping Tip: Fish sauce is a pungent condiment made from salted, fermented fish. Find it in the Asian section of large supermarkets and in Asian specialty markets. We use Thai Kitchen fish sauce, lower in sodium than other brands (1,190 mg per tablespoon), in our nutritional analyses.

Have a great day

Northern Lights, Fire Risk, Diabetes

I completely forgot, yesterday, to mention the coronal mass ejection (basically sunspots) which were occurring which will cause more Northern Lights to be apparent in the night skies. Aurora Borealis to be accurate. Last night is supposed to be the last one and unfortunately for us it was cloudy so we couldn’t see anything. We did see them once when we were travelling in Northern Ontario, pretty fantastic to see. I checked when we got home, thinking we must have been very far north, but in fact we were not that far north at all. Deceptive.

A rather scary story this morning http://tinyurl.com/23s5g9b about spontaneous combustion of linseed oil. If you use this at all, you really should read the article. Who knew it could be so dangerous.

This morning I am attending an individual seminar on Diabetes care which is run by Bayer. I’m not very clear about it all, but my pharmacist was anxious I should attend as she had very good reports of the previous sessions held in the drug store. Which reminds me, I don’t think I mentioned, I finally got the cable which connects my glucometer (for reading blood sugars) to the computer. However, the software, etc. was not very well explained and I had to get lots of help from Bayer themselves. I had to go into Device Manager and install various drivers before anything would work. However, once everything was working, the programme recorded 21 days worth of results. My only complaint now is that it does not show whether the figures were from before or after a meal. The reason being that my meter doesn’t do so either.

Yesterday, Joe Barkson published a recipe in his WW Recipes newsletter (ezine) which I liked the look of, so we decided to try it out last night for supper. We found the chicken didn’t pick up a lot of flavour, but as long as you had a piece of chicken with some vegetables in one mouthful, it was delicious and I can highly recommend it. We will certainly do it again. Just for interest, I include a picture of the preparation stage of the dish. It is, of course, a one dish meal which makes it great for serving.

Chicken and Vegetables with Balsamic Vinegar

http://www.wwrecipes.com/

1 Tbs (15 ml) olive oil 4-6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves 1 onion, chopped 2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 1 lb (450 g) baby red potatoes, halved 1/2 cup (125 ml) chicken stock 2 leeks, white and tender green parts, chopped 4-6 carrots, chopped 1 red bell pepper (capsicum) cored, seeded, and chopped Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 1/4 cup (60 ml) balsamic vinegar

1. Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet over high heat and sauté the chicken breasts until browned on all sides and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add the onion, garlic, and potatoes to the same skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, scraping the bottom of the skillet to dissolve the "brown bits."

3. Add the leeks, carrots, bell pepper, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer covered until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the balsamic vinegar and return the chicken to the pan, spooning the sauce over the pieces. Cover and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes. Serves 4 to 6.

Servings: 4-6

Source: WW Recipes

Have a great day

New York, Raising Kids, Medical Finance.

There is a lot of angst in New York at the moment, permission has been given to build a huge mosque and Islamic centre just 600 feet from the site of the 9/11 bombing. Not only that, but the Greek Orthodox church which was damaged in the fall of the twin towers, is having trouble getting permission to rebuild. If I were a New Yorker, I think I would be upset about this too. It was also pointed out the mosque would have to raise the money for the building and although they have promised strict oversight of contributors, you know there are going to be some who slip through the cracks.

Another item on GMA this morning was about children being raised by their grandparents and the fact that the grandparents don’t have the same values as the parents. I am afraid I would be inclined to say “if you don’t like the way I raise your kids, raise them yourself”. I think its an imposition to dump your kids on your parents in the first place.

By the way, if you are interested, you can now see Chelsea Clinton’s wedding photo album on line. Personally I can’t wait. I have just heard that the first wedding dance was choreographed – I can’t believe it. I hear the cake was 4 ft tall and weighed 500 lbs. It was a vegan cake, not sure what that comprises but it was also gluten free. Pity they don’t give a recipe.

Melody Hobson, the money adviser on GMA, was giving tips on how to get discount medical services although she advised that cheaper doesn’t necessarily mean good and to check with your family practitioner. It is incredible to me, having lived in countries with socialised medicine, that you have to shop around for the cheapest medical services in the States – things are still financially extremely difficult there for the average Joe and medical services are not inexpensive at the best of times. The one good thing they do have, is the ability to obtain an operation quickly, whereas we have to wait a fair while even to see a specialist unless it is an emergency of course.

A friend, who lived in Cyprus, used to talk about halloumi cheese and how, in her opinion, the only way to eat it was cooked. I have never tried it, but I think I will give this recipe a go as it sounds pretty good to me.

Halloumi Kebabs

1/2 lb. halloumi cheese

1 yellow pepper, deseeded
1 red onion
8 fresh white or crimini mushrooms   
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp fresh chopped coriander
juice of 1 lime

1 clove of garlic, crushed
freshly ground black pepper

1. Cut the cheese, pepper and onion into even-sized pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) square.

2. In a large bowl, mix the oil, coriander, lime, garlic and plenty of ground black pepper. Stir in the cheese, pepper, onion and mushrooms and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 30 mins or overnight if preferred.
3. When you're ready to barbecue the kebabs, thread the cheese and vegetables onto skewers.

4. Place the kebabs over the hot coals, turning occasionally until charred at the edges – about 10 minutes. Brush with leftover marinade juices as you turn them.

5. Serve with rocket salad.

Makes 2 Servings.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 151

Fat: 6g

Recipe Courtesy of the Mushroom Bureau

RIM, Job Hunting, Atheism and Hairdryers.

Bad news for a local company, Research in Motion who make and market the Blackberry which I think most people have heard of; the United Arab Emirates is planning to suspend services in the near future. Checking out news pages, it seems this ban might be spreading somewhat as there appear to be security fears.

On GMA there was a segment about interviews this morning. Tory Johnson was telling us what interviewers wanted to hear, or not to hear, during the interview. What you should know and what you should do and say. Maybe a lot of this was helpful if you were a high powered executive type and looking for that kind of job, but for the average Joe who is looking for work of any kind, I thought it was too much to expect. Let’s face it, the reason most of us go to an interview is because we want a job and they are advertising that they have a vacancy. You probably don’t give a damn what the industry is (within reason) just that they are hiring, but you are expected to make like its the only company you would consider working for. Give me a break. However, they say its what the interviewers want so I guess if you are looking for work you need to prevaricate. There is a segment on their web page telling you want to say and what not to say http://abcnews.go.com/gma. When I was a young woman the big no no was to ask about salary and vacation. In North America this doesn’t seem to apply. Mind you, if I were going for an interview I still wouldn’t ask.

I think I’ve heard it all now. Apparently there was a gathering of atheists at the American Atheists Convention and their leader symbolically de-baptised people by using a hair dryer to dry up the waters which were sprinkled at baptism. What a load of nonsense. If you are an atheist or an agnostic well and good, but really!!!!! http://tinyurl.com/23yj6fk its something to do with making a point about baptism.

I love pork with orange and this sounds a good one from Paula Deen. We buy very nice pork tenderloins from Costco which will be great for t his recipe.

Paula Deen's Grilled Orange-Glazed Pork Tenderloin

The Deen Family Cookbook

Servings: 6-8

Savannah restaurateur and Food Network star Paula Deen joined "Good Morning America" to whip up a few of her favorite home cooking recipes from her book, "Deen Family Cookbook."

Here's her take on a scrumptious Pork Tenderloin with a little citrus twist.

Ingredients

1 cup orange juice

1/4 cup olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

2 pork tenderloins (1 1/4 pounds each)

1/3 cup honey

Vegetable oil, for brushing the grill

Cooking Directions

In a blender, combine the orange juice, olive oil, garlic, and salt, and blend until smooth. Place the tenderloins in a 2.5-gallon resealable plastic bag or a large bowl. Pour the marinade over them, seal or cover with plastic wrap, and marinate in the refrigerator for 8 hours or overnight.

Fire up the grill. Remove the tenderloins from the marinade and pat drive. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan, add the honey, and let the mixture boil until it is reduced to a syrupy consistency, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, brush the grill with oil and grill the pork over medium heat for 20 minutes, turning occasionally. Brush some of the orange glaze over the pork and continue to cook, brushing with more glaze, until an internal temperature of 150°F is reached (check with an instant-read thermometer), about 20 minutes more. Let the pork rest for a few minutes before slicing.

Have a great day

Civic Holiday, Mind the Sharks.

Today is Civic Holiday. Of course to anyone who is retired, it doesn’t mean too much other than a day when everyone is closed. I sometimes wonder if I would rather be working so it did mean something. I still miss working in many ways. According to my calendar it is also a Bank Holiday in Scotland!! In the UK they don’t have as many holidays as we have in a year, I think we have one every month, or nearly so.

Last night we received lots of pictures of our granddaughter who has just finished being in a play (Billy Elliot) and it is incredible to see this little granddaughter who is not really little any more. Last time we were in England she was still very much a little girl. Not any more. She is an A plus student and we are wondering if she will end up trying to make the stage a career or try for something else, I think the world is going to be her oyster.

Also, last night, we watched Swordfish with John Travolta. Have seen it before but typically there isn’t much on TV during the summer. I must admit I had forgotten the story. I enjoyed it again, despite the advertising breaks. Matt gave up on it though.

Great White Sharks have been seen in numbers off the coast near Cape Cod. Apparently there are a lot of seals in the area these days and as someone commented, its like they opened a new restaurant for Great Whites. They are also out there with harpoons endeavouring to tag the sharks in order to learn more about their movements. Ain’t too good a place to swim these days although I gather a lot of tourists are out there with binoculars. The reports have been stating that Great Whites generally don’t attack humans – other than in the movies of course – let’s put it this way, I wouldn’t want to put that to the test. This picture, and several more, can be seen at http://tinyurl.com/3yjrvl4 not something you want to see when you are planning a nice day at the beach.

I’m always looking for simple and flavourful desserts which don’t pile on the calories. This appears to be one I would like.

Strawberry-Raspberry Sundaes

From EatingWell:

Nothing says summer like fresh berries. Try this simple sundae sauce over frozen yogurt for a scrumptious summertime treat.

4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries, plus more for garnish

1/2 cup raspberries, plus more for garnish

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

2 cups nonfat vanilla frozen yogurt

Preparation

1. Puree strawberries and raspberries with sugar and lemon juice in a blender. Serve over frozen yogurt and top with sliced strawberries and raspberries, if desired

Have a great day.