Diabetes Study, Weight Loss, Egypt, Ball Cutter Fish.

Not bad, just earned myself a hundred bucks for participating in a diabetes study. I had to fill out a diary every day, and an extra diary once a week, for two weeks. Talking of which, I read an article talking about diabetes and weight loss. It said how much 15 to 20% weight loss will affect one’s blood sugars positively. I figured it out, I have a bit of a way to go yet. I’m gettin’ there though. My biggest problem at the moment is my shorts, they are all too big for me and flap around, but I sure don’t want to buy any new ones  yet awhile, in fact, probably not this summer. Trouble is I don’t sew and anyway, don’t have a sewing machine. I could borrow one, but I don’t know what I’m doing even if I do borrow one. I used to have a very old machine many years ago in the UK, made curtains and such, but basically those are just straight seams. The good fairy didn’t wish me domesticity, other than cooking, I’m afraid.

What a mess in Egypt. At the time of writing this, 278 people have been killed in all the clashes and rioting. Is it worth it? Such a pity – apart from anything else their revenues from will obviously go down.

Just realised, my mother would have been 100 today. Just mentioned in passing.
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A joke plus some unverified reports have Scandinavian men terrified to swim because the Pacu, seen on the left of the picture, has a pretty strong bite and it was rumoured they were “ball cutters”. You should read the article, it is quite funny, especially the reference to the fish driving men out of the water quicker than the theme music of Jaws. Part of the fish’s diet is nuts which has added to the nervousness of the males in the area.

Here's a recipe from Cooking.com which I got the other day and which makes me drool. I won't be making it, way too many calories even in a tiny piece, but I thought some of you might like to.

Mississippi Chocolate and Coffee Cake Source: Close-up on Cakes
Active Time:  15 Minutes Total Time:  1 Hour 50 Minutes Serves 10
Coffee, bourbon, chocolate, and butter make this cake one decadent dessert. INGREDIENTS For the Cake: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda Pinch salt 1 3/4 cups strong brewed coffee 1/4 cup bourbon 5 oz unsweetened chocolate 1 cup butter 2 cups sugar 2 large eggs, lightly beaten 1 teaspoon vanilla extract For the Chocolate Icing: 6 1/2 ounces semisweet chocolate 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
DIRECTIONS FOR THE CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Oil a 9-inch round cake pan. Line pan with parchment paper. In a mixing bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. In the top of a double boiler set over simmering water, heat the coffee, bourbon, chocolate, and butter, stirring until the chocolate and butter are melted and the mixture is smooth. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the sugar. Let the mixture cool for 3 minutes and transfer to an electric mixer. Add the flour mixture to the chocolate mixture, half a cup at a time, and beat medium speed for 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 1 1/2 hours, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool completely in the pan. When cooled, turn out onto a serving plate. FOR CHOCOLATE ICING: Combine the chocolate and butter in the top of a double boiler and stir over low heat until they are melted and combined. Cool slightly and then ice cake.

Have a great day

Rhino Force, Funny, Books.

Yesterday I received a delightful gift from South Africa, in the mail. It was a Rhino Force bracelet the proceeds from which will be used to fight against rhino poaching which is such a big problem these days. I  nearly fell over when I saw they were R 199, then found out that is $20 Canadian. I then thought I wouldn’t mind getting the little bead rhino Baby Ralph. Its a delightful way of aiding rhinos which are dying by the hundreds to provide medicine for Asians which nothing can convince them is useless. There is a lot of money in the trade and not only do they steal rhino horn, not always killing the animal either, but they kill the rangers too. Elephants are also under attack because of their tusks. Soon the only ones of these creatures will be in zoos.

Here’s another funny I picked up on Facebook and which I thought I would share.
Someone commented this gag has legs.

I am very upset, I have just found out the last book in the series I am reading, In Her Name, won’t be out til December this year, I thought it was already published. Woe is me and all that. How very frustrating, I am not far from the end of the penultimate book having read seven so far, it has been a gripping series and I could wish it to go on forever.  This is a copy of the proposed last book, I gather the title is not yet fixed. I now have another book by this author called Season of the Harvest. The author, Michael R. Hicks gives away the first book in his trilogies so, he says, you can find out if you want to read the rest. I will see what this other trilogy is like. If this first set of books is anything to go by I should enjoy them. If you haven’t yet tried them, I recommend you pick up the first book for free. It’s called First Contact.

I really am not familiar with the following dish, but it sounds delicious and apparently only needs a fried egg on top to make it into a non vegan dish if that is your choice. I love this kind of dish so am sure I will enjoy it, if I can find the ingredients locally.

Crispy Tofu Bibimbap with Mustard Greens and Zucchini

Contributed by Michael Natkin 

• SERVINGS: 4

Michael Natkin’s version of the Korean dish bibimbap—rice topped with a mix of pickled and cooked vegetables—forgoes the usual runny fried egg on top to be a delicious vegan dish.

1. 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2. 1 teaspoon sugar
3. 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced
4. 2 teaspoons grated peeled fresh ginger
5. Kosher salt
6. 1 cup sushi rice
7. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
8. 2 garlic cloves, minced
9. 12 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and caps thickly sliced
10. One 14-ounce box extra-firm tofu, patted dry and cut into 3-by- 1/3-inch sticks
11. One 12-ounce bunch of mustard greens—stems and inner ribs removed, leaves coarsely chopped
12. 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
13. 1 small zucchini, cubed
14. 2 tablespoons kecap manis (Indonesian sweet soy sauce) or 2 tablespoons of soy sauce mixed with 1 teaspoon of molasses
15. 4 scallions, thinly sliced
16. Gochujang (Korean chile paste, see Note) or Sriracha, for serving

1. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar with the sugar, cucumbers, 1 teaspoon of the ginger and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the rice with 1 1/3 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until tender, 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.
3. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. Add the garlic and shiitake, season with salt and cook over high heat, stirring, until browned, 6 minutes; scrape onto a platter. Heat 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil and add the tofu. Cook over high heat, turning, until browned, 5 minutes. Scrape the tofu onto the platter, keeping it separate from the mushrooms.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the skillet. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon of ginger and stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the mustard greens and sesame oil, season with salt and cook until the greens are wilted and just tender, 4 minutes. Add the greens to the platter. Wipe out the skillet. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in the skillet. Add the zucchini and cook over high heat until softened, 3 minutes. Add the kecap manis and cook until the zucchini is glazed, 1 minute; scrape onto the platter. Keep warm.
5. Mound the rice in bowls and arrange the cooked vegetables in separate piles. Using a slotted spoon, add the pickled cucumbers to the bowls. Garnish with the scallions and a dollop of gochujang and serve.

Notes Gochujang is available at Korean markets or from hmart.com.

Have a great day

Plumbing, Old Time Ablutions.

Hilary Melton-Butcher, in her recent blog, mentioned singers and the fact that once upon a time they didn’t have microphones and therefore had to have very strong voices. Something we don’t often think about. We take mikes for granted. However, having started thinking about it, I carried it quite a bit further. I love to read Regency stories, but most writers gloss over the conditions in which they lived. If you were rich enough and had servants you could get them to fill a bath for you in your room, but this didn’t happen very often even for the richest people, as for ridding themselves of bodily wastes, in their bedrooms they used chamber pots at night, I am not quite sure what they did during the day. Water closets were popularised by Thomas Crapper, whom many people believe invented the flushing toilet, I know I did until I started researching. They began to appear in the better homes at the end of the Regency period. The poorer classes would have had little or no access to baths or toilets so their smell necessitated the use of pomanders among the richer classes, the smells must have been atrocious although the poor obviously were inured to it. Pomanders were often made of oranges stuck with cloves. They were also believed to be a ward against disease.

In earlier times, such as Elizabethan, the time of Queen Elizabeth I, slops of all kinds were flung out of bedroom windows into the streets which were not, of course, paved. In order to protect passers by, they built houses where the upper stories projected into the street and foot traffic could walk underneath. Reading about flush toilets, it appears that they had been available from quite early times, not as we know them of course. I quote from Wikipedia circa 31st century BC: Britain's oldest neolithic village, Skara Brae, Orkney, used neolithic hydraulic technology. The village's design used a river and connecting drainage system to wash waste away. So it seems the Scots were ahead in terms of sewage disposal.

Even when I was a kid, most people didn’t bathe every day and not all homes had a toilet inside their houses. Some had flushable toilets which were added on at a later date perhaps and which, to use, necessitated braving the snow and ice in the winter. Sticking to the seat was not unheard of. In Canada, many country homes, particularly farms, had outhouses without flushable toilets until quite recent times. These are all things we don’t think about and tend to take for granted the facilities that are available to us nowadays. I have stayed in places with outhouses and wouldn’t use them at night unless Matt came with me, I was afraid of bears for a start and I always figured there could be snakes too. Just my imagination I think (hope). Last time I came across such things was in the Dominican but I have no doubt there are still lots of places in Canada without indoor plumbing.

The following is a recipe from Kevin at Closet Cooking. I thought the picture looked mouthwatering.

Grilled Jerk Shrimp and Pineapple Skewers 
from ClosetCooking.com
Servings: 4


Prep Time: 10 minutes
Marinate Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

1 pound (16-20) shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 cup jerk marinade (see below)
2 slices pineapple, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

Directions

1. Marinate the shrimp in the the jerk marinade for at least 20 minutes and up to over night, skewer the shrimp and pineapple and grill over medium-high heat until cooked, about 1-3 minutes per side.

Jerk Marinade

A quick and easy homemade jerk marinade that is packed with flavour and spicy heat!
Servings: make 1 cup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 1+ scotch bonnet pepper
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
• 2 green onions
• 1 tablespoon thyme, chopped
• 1 tablespoon allspice
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon oil
• 2 tablespoons white vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark rum
• 1/2 orange, juice and zest
• 1 lime, juice and zest

Directions

1. Purée everything in a food processor.

Have a great day

Weight Loss, Kindle,

This dieting business really is a pain when you are ancient, diabetic and pumping all kinds of pills into your system, all of which are, I understand, reasons I lose weight so slowly. I have finally clocked up 23 lbs. but that’s since January and it has become so slow lately. Luckily I am able to eat things I enjoy most of the time although obviously there are things one has to avoid. I walk 30 minutes a day on my treadmill, but pretty slowly so it doesn’t burn up a whole lot of calories. I am gradually increasing the speed, but with the vascular problems I have had and am still having, it does have to be very gradual. Couldn’t do it at all without a good book to read. God bless my Kindle.

Talking of my Kindle, I knew it was possible to read it in the sunlight, but I had never had occasion to try it. Yesterday I decided to try it when I was endeavouring to catch a few rays. Lo and behold, it really works. I gather it’s because of the paperwhite technology, whatever, it’s marvellous. I am actually very impressed because so many electronic things you cannot see in sunlight. I am still reading the same series of books by the way, the trilogy is The First Empress, In Her Name. I did proof read a book in the middle of this, it was such an exciting book too that I couldn’t decide which one to read so ended up reading them almost simultaneously.

Only a month to go before we head dahn Saath on vacation and I am already beginning to salivate at the thought of fresh seafood, particularly shrimp, so when I saw this recipe, I had to share it. Matt and I would eat this in one sitting although maybe I wouldn’t these days as it would be 438 calories for half the quantity.

Lemon-Garlic Marinated Shrimp

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Marinating precooked shrimp in garlic and lemon-infused oil is a simple yet elegant appetizer.

Makes 12 servings as an appetizer.

Ingredients
3 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 1/4 pound cooked shrimp
Instructions

1. Place garlic and oil in a small skillet and cook over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper. 
2. Toss with shrimp in a large bowl. 
3. Chill until ready to serve.

Have a great day

Amazon and Art, Bees or Wasps.

In the news, Amazon.com is now selling fine art. I cannot imagine going to Amazon for expensive pictures. Not that I can afford them of course, but spending $4,800,000 or something with Amazon is mind boggling. On TV they are also talking about the founder of Amazon, Jeff Bezos, buying the Washington Post. That surprises me because I believe newspapers will soon be a thing of the past.

One of the things I find somewhat irritating is the confusion in North America between bees and wasps. There is actually a lot of difference, but so many people persist in calling wasps bees. Just saw something on TV where they were talking about bee stings, or yellow jackets. They were wasp stings. One thing with a bee, if it stings you, it leaves its stinger in you and then the poor bee goes off and dies. You should be sure to remove the stinger from the site. The wasp on the other hand goes off to sting again. Personally I like bees, to me they are working really hard pollinating plants and making honey. Without them (they are dying off in droves) we will be in serious trouble.

I think probably Matt’s favourite fish would be swordfish. It really is delicious and in Europe it was described to me as being like a pork chop, it is certainly a very solid flesh.

Grilled Swordfish Kebabs with Sake-Orange Glaze

Source: Cooking.com

Grilled with a gingery Asian-fusion style glaze (a kind of teriyaki sauce), meaty swordfish makes a fine feast, indeed. For maximum grilling ease and colourful presentation, the fish is cut into cubes and alternated on skewers with cherry tomatoes. Serve the kebabs over a bed of rice, snow pea and mushroom salad tossed with a sesame dressing, and drink ice-cold Asian beers.

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sake
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons grated peeled fresh ginger
3 garlic cloves, crushed through a press
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest
1 tablespoon plain (unsalted) rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon oriental sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Three 1 1/4-inch-thick swordfish steaks (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
30 cherry tomatoes

DIRECTIONS
Combine 1/2 cup sake, soy sauce, sugar, ginger, garlic, orange zest, vinegar, sesame oil and red pepper in small, nonreactive saucepan. Bring just to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir remaining 1 tablespoon sake and cornstarch in small bowl to form smooth paste. Reduce heat and whisk cornstarch mixture into soy sauce mixture. Simmer until thick, about 30 seconds. Remove from heat and cool.
 
DO-AHEAD TIP: Can be prepared up to 3 days ahead. Use cold or at room temperature.
Remove skin and dark-colored flesh from swordfish. Cut fish into 30 equal square or rectangular pieces. Divide fish pieces among 6 metal skewers, alternating them with cherry tomatoes, and positioning them so that their flat sides align, for more even cooking.

Meanwhile, prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Position rack about 6 inches above heat source.
Brush sake glaze over one side of fish and tomatoes. Lay skewers sauced side-down on rack. Cover and grill 1 1/2 minutes. Brush kebabs generously with glaze, turn and grill another 1 1/2 minutes. Continue to grill and turn kebabs until glaze is used up, fish pieces are nicely marked by grill on all 4 sides and are just cooked through while remaining juicy, about 6 minutes total.

Slide fish pieces and tomatoes off skewers and onto plates. Serve immediately.

Have a great weekend.

Fall? Python.

To me this is incredible, it’s early August, not even September and there are stacks of leaves on the ground everywhere. I don’t know if the trees are shedding because of the lousy weather we have been having, not a naturalist, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this were so. Maybe they think winter is coming. Rain may have something to do with it as well I suppose, we certainly have had lots of that.

Yesterday I read that the Pet Shop owner who’s python killed the two little boys, didn’t have a permit to run the pet store in the first place. Not only that the authorities have searched the place and come across 15 illegal critters, reptiles I assume, which at least they are going to place with zoos and so on. Boy that man is in trouble. Reading some more of the story  HERE it seems to imply that this wasn’t totally his fault. Someone mentioned the alligators in the Florida swamps, this is what the pythons do to them. They say do not handle these on your own or try to feed them alone. Advice I would certainly take. Anything give you the idea I am fascinated by these snakes? Not a pleasant fascination you understand. I am especially horrified at the conditions in the Forida Everglades.

Here’s an easy little recipe which came from Web MD. It calls for ricotta cheese, but you could also do this with mascarpone too.

Quick Mini Chocolate Cheesecakes

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com


Here we stir a little melted chocolate into ricotta cheese for a cheesecake-like topping for chocolate wafer cookies.

Ingredients
1/4 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips, melted (see Tip)
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
12  chocolate wafer cookies
1 tablespoon 100% fruit jam, such as raspberry or cherry
Instructions

1. Combine melted chocolate and ricotta in a small bowl. Spoon a scant 1 tablespoon of the mixture on each chocolate wafer and top with 1/4 teaspoon jam.

Tip: To melt chocolate, microwave on Medium for 1 minute. Stir, then continue microwaving on Medium, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted. Or place chocolate in the top of a double boiler over hot, but not boiling, water. Stir until melted.

Have a great day

Cartoon, :Pythons, Bowling.

I liked this cartoon so much when I saw it in my How-To-Geek email, I had to steal it and share it with you.


I don’t want to keep harping on the snake death of the two little boys, but there is some very interesting information about snakes and warnings about buying them as pets and handling them on your own. I hadn’t realised this was the same python that has become an ecological problem in Florida due to people releasing them in the wild and the snakes having no predators. I often wanted to visit the Everglades, don’t think I will bother now. Bearing in mind the damned things can grow up to 18 ft. I don’t want to run into one anywhere.

A bunch of us met for bowling again yesterday and had a fun time. It didn’t matter whether I bowled well or not, so, apart from my first game, I racked up some good scores. Last week when I was bowling to save for when we are away, I couldn’t bowl for love nor money Typical innit?

Matt and I both like BLTs, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato sandwiches for the uninitiated. Yesterday morning on GMA Emeril Lagasse came up with a different take on the old favourite. They looked absolutely delicious when the Good Morning America crowd were diving into them. I’m not sure why you would need crab boil - unless your shrimp were not straight out of the ocean.

Emeril Lagasse's BLT with Fried Green Tomatoes and Shrimp Rémoulade

From the Kitchen of Emeril Lagasse

Servings: 4

Emeril Lagasse puts a twist on the beloved BLT sandwich with
shrimp, fried green tomatoes and a French rémoulade sauce.


Ingredients

Shrimp:
4 quarts water
1 tablespoon liquid crab boil, such as Zatarain's
2 lemons, halved
2 bay leaves
Salt
1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
Fried green tomatoes:
1 pound medium green tomatoes
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 large eggs, beaten
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup vegetable oil, plus more as needed

BLT:
4 cups chopped romaine lettuce  
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
8 slices Pullman bread or other white sandwich bread, toasted
8 strips thick-cut applewood-smoked bacon, cooked until crisp and
cut in half

French Rémoulade Sauce
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped capers
1 teaspoon chopped cornichon
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh tarragon leaves
1 canned anchovy fillet, minced
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Directions
1. To prepare the shrimp: In a 6-quart saucepan set over high heat, combine the water with 2 teaspoons of the crab boil, the lemons, the bay leaves, and a generous amount of salt (enough to make it taste almost like sea water), and bring to a boil.
2. Prepare an ice bath, and add the remaining 1 teaspoon crab boil to it along with enough salt to make the water taste like the sea.
3. Add the shrimp to the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, or until just cooked through. Immediately transfer the shrimp to the ice bath and allow them to cool. As soon as the shrimp are cool enough to handle, chop them into bite-size pieces. Toss the shrimp with enough of the Rémoulade Sauce to coat (about ¼ cup), and refrigerate until you are ready to assemble the sandwiches. (Reserve the remaining Rémoulade Sauce.)
4. To prepare the French Rémoulade Sauce: Combine all the ingredients in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Chill thoroughly before using. The rémoulade will keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
5. To fry the tomatoes: Slice the tomatoes crosswise into ¼-inch-thick slices. Season the tomatoes with 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and ¼ teaspoon of the pepper. Put the flour in a shallow bowl and season it with the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, and the cayenne. In another shallow bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Put the cornmeal in another shallow bowl. Dredge the tomatoes first in the flour, coating the slices evenly on both sides and tapping off any excess. Dip them in the egg wash and let the excess drip off. Then dredge them in the cornmeal, tapping off any excess. Set aside on a plate.
6. Heat the 1/2 cup vegetable oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Pan-fry several tomato slices in the hot oil until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Add more oil to the pan as necessary to fry the remaining tomato slices.
7. To assemble the sandwiches: In a small bowl, toss the chopped romaine with the extra-virgin olive oil.
8. Lay 4 slices of the toast on a work surface, and top each one with 1 tablespoon of the remaining Rémoulade Sauce. Evenly divide the lettuce among them, top with the fried green tomato slices, and add the bacon. Place 1/2 cup of the shrimp on top of the bacon, and then top each with a remaining slice of toast. Cut the sandwiches in half and serve immediately.

Have a great day

Snake Disaster, Books.

The New Brunswick python tragedy report reveals that the African Rock Python was illegal in that Province. I really hope the owner of the store is heavily penalised. He was extremely lucky his own kid was not one of the victims. Apparently they have put the snake down, like it was the snake’s fault. Poor critter was abstracted from its habitat (or its parents were) and expected to adapt to our conditions. I get so angry at things like that. No, I wouldn’t want the snake around me, but I think it’s a shame when a creature is put down for something which is not the fault of the animal in question. It just keeps going through my mind as to whether those poor little kids knew what was happening to them, I do so hope not. There needs to be much stricter control over the import of exotic animals or reptiles, if it was illegal in NB then it shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I suppose the response will be that it’s very difficult to keep track of such pet stores and costs too much perhaps. I hope the people of New Brunswick will petition for a) the closure of this store and b) stricter controls. I now wonder if we have such stores here, I don’t know of them, but I bet they are around. I guess I should put my money where my mouth is.

Damn, that’s the second time the In Her Name books have made me forget everything else, including blogging, to stay up reading. I have now finished the two original trilogies and the next lot go back in time several thousand years, however, I had better leave them alone for a while as I am not getting anything else done. I have a book to proof read for someone too and although I have made a start, I have neglected that too for this series. I have very much enjoyed these books and am, of course, sorry they have ended.

I love carrot cake, I love chocolate, this recipe combines both so what’s not to like. This is another from the LCBO’s Food and Wine.

Double Chocolate Carrot Cake with Mocha Frosting
BY MONDA ROSENBERG

If you’re in the mood for a rich dessert, this one takes the cake. Just one bite tweaks your taste buds—think a shot of cappuccino and a hit of chocolate at the same time. The warm, comforting flavour in the coffee-spiked frosting comes from mascarpone cheese, the star in classic Italian tiramisu.

5 cups (1.25 L) grated carrots
2¼ cups (550 mL) all-purpose flour
2 tsp (10 mL) baking powder
1 tsp (5 mL) baking soda
1 tsp (5 mL) salt
1 tsp (5 mL) cinnamon
¼ cup (50 mL) cocoa
4 squares (4 oz/125 g) semi-sweet chocolate
¼ cup (50 mL) milk
¾ cup (175 mL) vegetable oil
1¼ cups (300 mL) granulated sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp (10 mL) vanilla
 
MOCHA FROSTING
1½ cups (375 mL) mascarpone cheese
1 cup (250 mL) cold whipping cream
2 tbsp (25 mL) instant coffee granules
1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla
2 cups (500 mL) sifted icing sugar
 
GARNISH  
Shaved Chocolate

1 Preheat oven to 325°F (160°C). Spray or lightly oil two 8- or 9-inch (2- or 2.5-L) square cake pans.
2 Grate carrots using a food processor. Measure out 5 cups (1.25 L) and set aside. Place flour in a large bowl. Sprinkle with baking powder, soda, salt, cinnamon and cocoa. Stir until blended, then make a well in the centre. Separately, coarsely chop chocolate and place in a small microwave bowl or saucepan. Add milk.
3 Combine oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla in a medium bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium speed for 3 minutes. Microwave chocolate and milk combo on medium for 1½ minutes. Stir, then heat on medium for 1 more minute. Stir until smooth. Or on stovetop, stir over low heat until chocolate is melted. Pour into cake batter while beating on low speed. Scrape into well in fl our mixture and stir with a spoon or spatula until even in colour. Stir in carrots. Batter will be thick.
4 Divide batter between pans, adding about 3 cups (750 mL) to each. To remove air pockets, bang pans on counter 5 to 6 times. Bake until centres seem set when lightly tapped and cakes start to come away from sides of pans, 35 to 38 minutes. Remove pans to a baking rack to cool. After about 15 minutes, turn cakes out of pans and fi nish cooling on racks. It’s best to bake cakes a day ahead of icing and leave at room temperature overnight.
5 Place mascarpone in a bowl. Microwave ¼ cup (50 mL) cream in another small bowl or heat in a small saucepan until bubbles appear around edge. Stir in coffee until dissolved. Then, beating mascarpone on low, gradually add hot coffee-cream. As soon as no lumps remain, beat in cold cream and vanilla. Gradually beat in icing sugar. Beat about 30 seconds. Beating too much will cause thinning. Refrigerate until frosting has a good spreading consistency, about a half-hour, before icing cake.
6 To assemble, place 1 cake, flat-side up on a platter. Generously spread with icing, leaving a narrow border of cake around the edge. Top with the second cake, fl at-side down and gently press down. Smoothly spread icing over the sides of the cake, then the top. Garnish top of cake with shaved chocolate. It’s best to refrigerate several hours or overnight before serving.
 
Serves 10

Have a great day.

In Her Name, Death by Snake.

I wrote last week about the books by Michael R. Hicks, at that time I was reading the first trilogy, In Her Name The Last War, now I am reading, I should say devouring, the second book of the In Her Name: Redemption trilogy. I am absolutely fascinated by the stories and the aliens portrayed. It is a long time since a series of books has kept me so interested from start to the current point. This series started with the history of a young human, Reza, who after all kinds of vicissitudes is captured by the Kreelans and taken back to their home world and then his problems there adapting to his host planet and to a people who would kill him as soon as look at him. As the author points out himself, the first trilogy is more militaristic than the second trilogy, but both are, to me, absorbing. Michael R. Hicks allows you to obtain the first ebook in each trilogy for nothing so that you can decide if you like the story. Being on book five, you can see that I like them. I can’t recommend them highly enough.

Hideous tale of two young boys, 5 and 7, murdered in their sleep by a snake. It turns out they were staying in an apartment above a reptile store, one of the pythons escaped and climbed up to the floor above. The store owner, Jean-Claude Savoie, was hosting the two boys for a sleepover with his own son. Reports say it was an African Rock Python which is about 4.5 metres long and weighed about 45 kg. That’s a large lump of reptile. Being a python it crushes its victims. Another reptile expert from a small, private zoo has said that it is unlikely the snake regarded the boys as food and it is unusual for them to attack humans. They figure the snake escaped and then got into the ventilation system which carried it to the apartment upstairs. This happened in New Brunswick by the way. Personally I consider the sale and owning of such reptiles to be intrinsically wrong as is the import, transport, capture and sale of any exotic animal.

This recipe from Food and Wine interested me because it’s for crab cakes without the crab. Not sure about that, but it does sound tasty just the same and for my Vegan friends, right up your street. I am not certain if we can get Old Bay seasoning round here, but I am sure there is something similar.

Crabless Cakes with Hearts of Palm and Corn

Contributed by Richard Landau

SERVINGS: 6

When chopped, hearts of palm break down into shreds that look like fresh crab meat. Richard Landau seasons the hearts of palm cakes with Old Bay, vegan mayonnaise and Dijon mustard for a sensational main course.

1. 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for frying
2. 2 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (cut from 4 ears of corn)
3. 1/4 cup minced onion
4. 1/4 cup minced green bell pepper
5. One 15-ounce can whole hearts of palm—drained, thinly sliced lengthwise and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch lengths
6. 2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
7. 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
8. 1/4 cup vegan mayonnaise
9. 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
10. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons plain dry bread crumbs, plus more for coating
11. Salt
12. Freshly ground pepper

1. In a nonstick skillet, heat the 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the corn, onion and bell pepper and cook over high heat until crisp-tender, 4 minutes. Scrape 1 cup of the mixture into a food processor and pulse to a coarse puree.
2. In a bowl, squeeze the hearts of palm to break them into shards. Add the puree and the remaining sautéed vegetables to the bowl, along with the Old Bay, parsley, mayonnaise, mustard and the 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs. Season lightly with salt and pepper and stir until evenly moistened.
3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and fill a pie plate with bread crumbs. Scoop scant 1/4-cup mounds of the hearts of palm mixture into the bread crumbs and roll to coat. Form the mounds into eighteen 2-inch cakes and transfer to the baking sheet.
4. Wipe out the nonstick skillet, then add a scant 1/8 inch of oil. Fry half of the cakes over moderate heat, turning once, until crispy, 2 minutes per side. Wipe out the skillet and add clean oil before frying the remaining cakes. Serve the cakes hot.

Make Ahead The formed, uncooked cakes can be covered and refrigerated overnight. Serve With Green salad.

Have a great day

Havenstar. Pink Slime.

To my Canadian friends, I hope you are enjoying Civic Holiday today.

An author friend, Glenda Larke, sent me a hard back copy of her newly reissued book Havenstar which was a gift because I had done some proof reading of her electronic version of this same book. She had written some nice words in it for me and then, much to my surprise and excitement, I was also mentioned in the dedications. I was so excited. That has never happened to me before. Havenstar was Glenda’s first book and shortly after it was published, the publisher went belly up so the book went out of print fast. I was very lucky that a friend in the UK had kindly sent me a paperback and it soon became a favourite book. Don’t get me wrong I love all of Glenda’s books, but something about Havenstar resonates with me and with many others too apparently, Glenda has written that she wished she knew what it was so she could do it again. If you’ve never read it, I can’t recommend it highly enough, it is available both electronically at Smashwords (believe it will also be available at Amazon) and in both paperback and hardback at Amazon and other places where books are sold. I understand some of her other books will soon be available as ebooks.

In 2011 I wrote about pink slime for the first time which is what Jamie Oliver, British chef, calls meat products which are basically inedible but which are ‘washed’ in ammonium hydroxide and used to make burger meat. I read, over the weekend, that now MacDonald’s who were one of the biggest users of this product, have decided to not do so any more although they swear it is nothing to do with Jamie Oliver who has been ceaselessly campaigning against this for several years now. This is the article I read:

Hamburger chef Jamie Oliver has just won a battle against one of the largest fast food chains in the world. After Oliver showed how McDonald’s hamburgers are ma...de, the franchise announced it will change its recipe.
According to Oliver, the fatty parts of beef are “washed” in ammonium hydroxide and used in the filling of the burger. Before this process, according to the presenter, the food is deemed unfit for human consumption.
According to the chef and presenter, Jamie Oliver, who has undertaken a war against the fast food industry: “Basically, we’re taking a product that would be sold in the cheapest way for dogs, and after this process, is being given to human beings.”
Besides the low quality of the meat, the ammonium hydroxide is harmful to health. Oliver calls it “the pink slime process.”
“Why would any sensible human being put meat filled with ammonia in the mouths of their children?” asked the chef, who wages a war against the fast food industry.
In one of his initiatives, Oliver demonstrates to children how nuggets are made. After selecting the best parts of the chicken, the remains (fat, skin and internal organs) are processed for these fried foods.
The company, Arcos Dorados, the franchise manager in Latin America, said such a procedure is not practiced in the region. The same applies to the product in Ireland and the UK, where they use meat from local suppliers.
In the United States, Burger King and Taco Bell had already abandoned the use of ammonia in their products. The food industry uses ammonium hydroxide as an anti-microbial agent in meats, which has allowed McDonald’s to use otherwise “inedible meat.”
Even more disturbing is that because ammonium hydroxide is considered part of the “component in a production procedure” by the USDA, consumers may not know when the chemical is in their food.
On the official website of McDonald’s, the company claims that their meat is cheap because, while serving many people every day, they are able to buy from their suppliers at a lower price, and offer the best quality products.
In addition, the franchise denied that the decision to change the recipe is related to Jamie Oliver’s campaign. On the site, McDonald’s has admitted that they have abandoned the beef filler from its burger patties.

I’m not sure why, I have never eaten one of these, but this cake really appealed to my taste buds and it would appear to be very easy to make. It was in an email from Food and Wine so thought I would share it. Because I am trying to lose weight, I won’t be making it any time soon, but I will put it aside to be made at a later date.

Ligurian Olive Oil Cake

Contributed by Anne Quatrano
SERVINGS: one 10-inch cake

Ligurian olive oil is ideal in this lovely, light cake, because it’s more delicate and buttery than many other Italian oils.

1. 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more for greasing
2. 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3. 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
4. 1/4 teaspoon salt
5. 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6. 3 tablespoons whole milk, at room temperature
7. 4 large eggs, at room temperature
8. 1 cup sugar
9. Finely grated zest of 2 lemons or tangerines

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Butter and flour a 10-inch round cake pan.
2. Into a medium bowl, sift together the 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. In another medium bowl, whisk the melted butter with the olive oil and milk.
3. In a large bowl, using a handheld mixer, beat the eggs with the sugar and citrus zest until pale and thickened, about 3 minutes. Alternately beat in the dry and wet ingredients, starting and ending with the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for about 30 minutes, until the cake is golden brown and the side pulls away from the pan. Transfer the cake to a rack and let cool before serving.

Make Ahead The cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.

Have a great day

Civic Holiday, Diabetes, Joint Pain Lies.

Sitting in the hospital on Friday being given my radioactive injection, the nurse (I think she was a nurse, how do you know these days?) says they are super busy because of the holiday. Holiday? What holiday? It turns out that Monday is Civic Holiday and we knew nothing about it. That’s what comes of being retired, you don’t pay a lot of attention to such things; we usually know when a holiday weekend is upon us. Not this time though.

If you don’t have diabetes, this won’t mean much to you, but I read yesterday that there is a possibility that Botox proteins may hold a solution for curing diabetes. This would be absolutely wonderful. I don’t pretend to fully understand the science as explained in the article on dLife, but I do understand the possibility of a cure - particularly for those who’s sugars are not under control and who are at risk for so many side effects. The first time I realised you could lose a limb through diabetes was the first time I sat up and took notice and I didn’t even have the disease in those days. The picture shows blood sugar testing which I do every morning, some people do it several times a day and others neglect to do it at all, not a good thing to neglect either.

In the medical field, I read another article posted on Facebook by a friend, which emphasised natural cures for joint pain, and pointed out that so many of these cures have been around for a thousand years or more. It also pointed out that as we get older we accept stiffness and pain as part of our existence and unless we fill ourselves up with the painkillers which are prescribed by physicians, we end up as virtual cripples. The article was in RealPharmacy.com and I found it very interesting. The main thrust was that our doctors lie to us. Not sure about lying, I know mine continues to point out that I am old. Considering I recently saw video of a woman of 86 doing gymnastic routines I am beginning to realise its all balderdash to put it politely.

Yesterday I did receive a recipe from Cooking.com which appealed to me. It contains alcohol but possibly you could substitute something like ginger ale, I don’t know if you can poach in ginger ale but I don’t see why not.

Peaches Poached in Wine

Source: Casual Cuisines of the World - Pizzeria

One of the wonders of summer, peaches are showcased in this easy dessert. The amount of sugar added to the poaching liquid will depend upon the wine's relative dryness; the liquid should be just sweet enough to heighten the natural sweetness of the peaches. To dress up the dish, top each serving with a dollop of mascarpone.

INGREDIENTS
6 yellow- or white-fleshed peaches
1 bottle fruity white wine or red wine or Champagne
1/3-2/3 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

DIRECTIONS
Bring a saucepan three-fourths full of water to a boil. One at a time, dip each peach into the boiling water for 5 seconds. Lift out with a slotted spoon and, using a sharp paring knife, peel the peaches. Halve each fruit along the natural line and remove the pits.

In a saucepan large enough to hold all the peaches in a single layer, combine the wine, 1/3 cup sugar and vanilla bean. Place over low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Taste and add more sugar as needed to achieve a pleasant sweetness. Bring to a simmer, add the peaches and simmer until barely tender, 2-5 minutes, depending upon their ripeness.

Transfer the peaches and their cooking liquid to a deep glass bowl (the peaches should be completely covered by the liquid) and let cool to room temperature. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 days or for up to 3 days.

TO SERVE: Using a slotted spoon, transfer the peach halves to large wineglasses, placing 2 halves in each glass. Half-fill each glass with the poaching liquid and serve.

Have a great weekend.

Stress Test, Kid’s Jeopardy,

So yesterday I was lucky, maybe you were all crossing your fingers for me, I didn’t have to have the nuclear medicine test when they inject Persantine into your vein and you then become radioactive, I had forgotten that part of it, tickled me when I went to the washroom there was a notice saying “To prevent radioactive contamination please sit down to use the toilet”. I remember now there was a sign when I was there last time, saying they would give you a letter if you were about to fly. I used the treadmill and they reckoned if I hadn’t been using my own regularly I might not have coped with it so they were pleased I had been doing regular stints on mine; not as pleased as I was!! Of course I had a robe on unlike the guy in the picture. I had to wait for about an hour then they took some pictures, that was the worst part because I had to put my arms above my head and my shoulder did not like that at all, finally managed to find a spot where it didn’t hurt so much. Had to stay like it for 6 minutes whilst a camera took shots. As far as I know everything seems OK, They said they would let me know. The cardiologist was a Scot made me think of Lass.

That was yesterday, I have to go back again for something else today, resting pictures I believe. It's all very well, but we are up to $32.50 for parking already. It’ll be another $10 today; makes it damned expensive although I suppose, as we don’t pay for the treatment, I shouldn’t really complain. Tell you one thing, I will be wearing long pants tomorrow, that hospital is freezing. I remember they used to keep hospitals dreadfully hot, now they seem to have gone the other way.

Matt and I faithfully watch Jeopardy every day and this week are watching kids of 10, 11 and 12 perform brilliantly. It's odd to me that things I think they would know, they don’t and things about which I have no clue, they can answer. Jeopardy used to be on in the UK but isn’t any more, I wonder why? Presumably it wasn’t popular but that surprises me. I thought, last night, wouldn’t it be great to have kids from lots of English speaking countries competing against one another, too expensive I suppose.

It occurred to me last night that, had our mothers lived, Matt’s and mine that is, they would have been 100 this year. Mine this month. Not something important, but…

Generally I don’t post recipes which don’t appeal to me. Nothing I received by email yesterday did, so its back to Food and Drink. I think a drink would be appropriate today and as I am a Scotch drinker, I chose a cocktail made with Scotch. I would not pollute a good single malt Scotch, but a blend is fine for cocktails. Scotch whisky does not have an e in whisky, Irish and Bourbon whiskeys do. My parents used to occasionally drink a cocktail similar to this made with gin, they called it Gin Mixed.


Beals Cocktail


By: The Martini Club

In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, add 1 oz. Scotch, 1/2 oz. sweet red vermouth and 1/2 oz. dry white vermouth.

1. Stir until well-chilled and strain into a cocktail glass.
2. Garnish with a twist of lemon.

Have a great day

Stress Test, Bowling, Shuck.

This morning, as a result of my Monday night health episode, I have to go for a stress test, no, not the one most of you know where you have to run on a treadmill, but the one where they inject you with something to stress your heart and immediately inject you with an antidote. I had this done once before and it was one of the worst feelings in the world when they inject the stresser, I felt so very ill for a few seconds. Absolutely horrid. I hoped never to have another, but here I am going for one today. Yuk. Having written all that I have been told I might not be getting the injection so please keep your fingers crossed for me.

I couldn’t have a cup of coffee all day yesterday and won’t be able to until after I get home from the stress test. However, we did have fun bowling with a couple of others. Only the 4 of us made it this time, but at least a couple more will be there next week. The next league doesn’t start until September by which time we will be in North Carolina, however, we have bowled ahead for the two weeks we will be away.

In the news yesterday, some students at St. David’s Catholic Secondary School have designed and built a robot which can throw frisbees. It was desgned for an Ontario competition.
The frisbot is called Shuck. I don’t know if it will have any other uses.

Another recipe from Food and Drink. This looks like a simple but tasty dessert.


Alexandra’s Raspberry Custard

Holiday 2011
By: Lucy Waverman

This dish is a simple vanilla custard that is accentuated by a little jam surprise at the bottom of each dish. Craig says, “An original recipe from my partner Alex’s mum, Elaine, that has evolved since we started using our own raspberry jam with Grand Marnier.” Use a dense jam otherwise it dissolves when the cream is poured over it.

2 cups (500 mL) whipping cream
1/2 vanilla pod slit open with the point of a knife
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
⅓ cup (80 mL) raspberry jam
2 tbsp (30 mL) icing sugar
 
TOPPING (OPTIONAL)
1 cup (250 mL) frozen whole raspberries defrosted
2 tbsp (30 mL) framboise or raspberry wine
1 tbsp (15 mL) sugar

1 Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).  
2 Heat cream with vanilla bean just to boiling point. Let steep 10 minutes; discard vanilla bean. Beat egg yolks and sugar together in a bowl. Pour in cream and whisk together. Place a scant 1 tbsp (15 mL) dollop of jam at the bottom of six ½-cup (125-mL) ramekins and ladle the cream mix overtop until full.
3 Place ramekins in an ovenproof baking dish. Add hot water halfway up the sides. Bake until just set, about 1 hour.
4 Chill for about two hours or until cold. If using topping, combine raspberries, framboise and sugar gently. Pile on top of each custard. Alternatively, simply garnish with a few fresh raspberries. Finish with icing sugar.

Serves 6

Have a great day