My Noisy Life, Stand up to Falls, Barrie's Asparagus Farm,

What a short memory I have. Monday morning I heard voices outside and thought it was the tenant upstairs who uses his cell phone on his balcony and talks in a loud voice. Matt reminded me it was the construction workers once more. A couple of hours later, the alarm bells rang. We were warned that they were testing them today but I had forgotten that too. The bells will be rung frequently throughout the day and the construction workers will be there til about 5:30 using their crane which beeps when backed up. Not to mention all the other noises. Ain't life grand. One compensation just occurred to me, once they start working on our wing the cell phone guy won't be able to go out onto his balcony. Three cheers. Unfortunately we can't just disappear because I have exercise classes and the Stand Up to Falls seminar to attend. For two pins I'd say nuts to it and let's go bowling, but I really don't want to miss the seminars.

Oops, having written the above, I went back into my computer room, in my nightdress and this is what I saw.

Guess I will have to be careful from now on. It will be even worse when they are working on our wing. Our living, dining room wall is all window and looks out onto the balcony where they will be working.

Unfortunately, our exercise class, followed by our Stand Up to Falls seminar was rather spoilt because they were drilling right outside the window. With the exercises, she could just do something and we could copy, but the poor young lady who was trying to talk to us about falls had to keep stopping whilst they made one heck of a noise. I even asked them if they could stop drilling for 20 minutes or so, but they wouldn't do so. With any luck, they shouldn't have to do any more drilling there on Friday. Our instructor was laughing at the end, drilling one moment, alarm bell the next. At least we won't have the alarm bells for another year.

As we finished early decided to head out to the asparagus farm. I had $65 worth of orders for both asparagus and rhubarb and then I forgot one friend. I ended up dividing my asparagus with her. I was going to make more soup but don't have enough now. My fault, I goofed. The farmer served me and popped a bag of their Kettle chips in my rhubarb bag as a thanks. I wish he hadn't, I tried some later, they are delicious. Very moreish. I have had to hide them from myself.

Asparagus Shandong-Style (Liang Ban Lu-Sun)

1 ½ lbs asparagus, trimmed and cut crosswise on the diagonal into 2" pieces
1 Tbs Japanese reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tsp Asian sesame oil
2 drops red chile oil
½ tsp toasted sesame seeds

1. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add asparagus to pot and cook until tender-crisp and bright green, 1½–2 minutes. Do not overcook. Drain, then immediately plunge into a large bowl of ice water; set aside to cool, 2–3 minutes. Drain again, then transfer to paper towels, pat dry, and set aside.

2. Whisk together soy sauce, sesame oil, and chile oil in a medium bowl. Add asparagus and toss. Transfer to a serving bowl and garnish with sesame seeds.

Servings: 2

Source: Saveur

Author Notes
A specialty of Shandong province, this dish is traditionally reserved for banquets because asparagus is so expensive in China. But in the United States, when the price comes down in summer, take advantage of this flavorful dish.

Have a great day
 

Passwords, Rhubarb, Falls Prevention.

I had to share this from How to Geek. It is so very true. I get so tired of passwords, some I agree are necessary, but some, what on earth does it matter?

Ii made the asparagus with endive salad on Friday. I must admit it left me somewhat cold. We both agreed it needed something, not quite sure what. Will have to think about it before I try it again. I was concerned this weekend because snow, of all things, was forecast. We did get some which lasted about half an hour but a friend who lives about 45 mins. away actually got snow on the ground. I just hope the asparagus didn't get any. However, not planning to go til Tuesday so maybe it will have recovered anyway. Got lots of orders from my exercise class for asparagus and rhubarb. I bought a little last week and really enjoyed it. They sell it either by the pound, or a $5 bag which they say is enough to make a pie. As I don't make pies, a pound is plenty for me.

Tomorrow the Stand Up to Falls classes begin, following the exercise class.  This is a series of classes

covering all kinds of things affecting older people including falls prevention. A lot of the exercises are designed with muscle memory in mind. In other words if you do trip, your muscles will remember how to react to stop you falling. That's the science behind it I gather anyway. Of course I don't suppose they tell you what to do if a chair jumps out at you in the middle of the night!!! The answer to that is turn on the light I guess. I forgot to do so the other night and had to creep around carefully, I don't want to fall again. The people in this picture are a lot younger and obviously use floor mats, but they are doing some of the balances exercises we do. However, they insist we stay behind a chair close enough to grab it if necessary. Or, in many cases to hold onto anyway.

Here is a pretty simple, but tasty asparagus recipe.

Asparagus alla Milanese

28 stalks of asparagus, medium size
4 Tbs unsalted butter plus 4 tablespoons
4 large eggs
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

1. Bring 4 quarts water to boil and set up ice bath. Trim asparagus of hard ends and drop into water. Cook 70 seconds. Remove with tongs and refresh in ice bath. Drain and set aside.

2. In a 10 inch to 12 inch sauté pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter until very dark brown. Add asparagus and toss until warm. Remove asparagus and divide among 4 plates. Towel off saute pan and add remaining butter. Cook until foam subsides. Crack eggs in and cook sunnyside up, about 2 minutes. Place one egg over each plate, sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Servings: 4

Source: Food TV

Have a great day
 

Saturday Recipe

I am always looking for different breakfasts. Matt is quite content to eat the same thing every day, but I get bored. P & G have come up with the following for batch breakfasts.  For me, I would have to find out how many calories.

Breakfast Burritos

Make these filling breakfast burritos, freeze them and reheat them in the microwave for about a minute and a half when you’re ready for a quick breakfast.
This batch should take about 30 minutes to make, and makes about 8 burritos. Use smaller tortillas

and fill each with a little less if you want to make more, smaller portions.

Ingredients

455 grams (1 pound) bacon or breakfast sausage
1 red pepper, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 medium white onion, diced
12 eggs
250 mL (1 cup) shredded Jack cheese
8 large tortillas
Salsa
1-2 dashes hot sauce
Salt and pepper (to taste)


Instructions

1. Combine 12 eggs and hot sauce in a bowl. Do not over mix. Set aside
2. In a sauté pan over medium heat, cook bacon or sausage until crisp and drain on a paper towel. Chop cooked bacon or sausage into bite-sized pieces and set aside
3. In that same pan, sauté the onions and peppers until soft (about 2 minutes)
4. Add in the egg mixture and slowly stir until the eggs are cooked
5. Lay out the 8 tortillas and spoon in the egg mixture evenly in the centre of each tortilla until it’s gone
6. Distribute the Jack cheese and bacon or sausage evenly throughout each burrito
7. Top each burrito with salsa
8. To fold: Fold each side of the tortilla in over the edges. Take the side facing you and begin rolling and folding the mixture under. Repeat for each burrito
9. Wrap each burrito individually in plastic wrap and toss them in the freezer
10. Reheat for 90 seconds to 2 minutes before eating

Tip: They should stay good in the freezer for about a month.

Have a great day
 

Book, Shopping, Bowling.

I never realised it was so difficult to take a picture of a book. I received my copy of The Fall of the Dagger from Glenda Larke a couple of days ago and wanted to write about it. I was useless at taking a picture though so borrowed one. This is the last of Glenda's current trilogy which has been another terrific read from this author. I get to help her with Beta reading and proofing which is why she is kind enough to send me a copy of the book. Glenda creates the most fascinating worlds and peoples them with characters who are charismatic but you can still identify with. There is always magic. Every book or series she has written has it's own form of magic. Beats me how she can think up these different forms but they are all great. This particular series concerns a background of spice trading in foreign lands and incredibly evil sorcerers in the home lands. All good reading material. The trilogy starts with The Lascar's Dagger, then The Dagger's Path and now The Fall of the Dagger.

Couldn't go shopping on Wed. our normal day (or Matt's normal day at 7 a.m.) had to take the car in,

but he went on Thursday. He was back by 7:30 a.m. turned out that all the computers had crashed in the store. Not just our store, but all the Loblaw owned stores in the area. The computers came back on at 10 so we went back. You notice I said we. Matt dragged me with him because he figured there were things he wouldn't find. We ended up spending $152 which actually cost us $42 because I used our accumulated points. I have done this many times now. I think it is a wonderful system. They call them loyalty points. I always try to make sure that the things we buy each week are on the points special list. Doesn't always work unfortunately, but mostly it does. I know in the end I am paying for it, but it would probably cost me the same at other stores and I would not get the quality and satisfaction I get from Zehrs.

We got home at 11 and then had to rush around to put stuff away, make lunch and get to the bowling alley although really and truly there is no set time for us on a Thursday but we like to get there around 12:30. Matt beat me in all three games but I had a consistent score all through and they were not too, too bad. Next Wednesday is our Summer League start so I am hoping my scores will improve.

I finally got round to cooking my rhubarb on Thursday evening. I had some for dessert. Matt will not eat it. I just cook it simply for me using Splenda and - although I forgot - maybe some ginger.



Avocado Asparagus Wontons

McCormick

Looking for a twist on the avocado egg roll? Go the seasonal route this spring with baked (not fried)

Avocado Asparagus Wontons. Asparagus and avocado become fast friends when seasoned with Italian herbs and stuffed inside traditional wonton wrappers. Dunk finished wontons into a perfectly paired soy-citrus sauce and devour.

For the Dipping Sauce, bring all ingredients to boil in small saucepan, stirring occasionally to dissolve sugar. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute. Set aside.


For the Wontons, preheat oven to 400°F. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add asparagus, bell pepper and spices; cook and stir 2 to 3 minutes or until vegetables are tender-crisp. Remove from heat. Gently stir in avocado.


To form wontons, place wrapper on clean work surface. Brush lightly with oil and flip over. Spoon 2 to 3 teaspoons vegetable filling in center of wrapper. Bring up the corners of the wrapper, pinching together to seal. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling. Place wontons in single layer on wire rack in baking pan sprayed with no stick cooking spray.


Bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp, turning halfway through baking time. Serve wontons with dipping sauce.

Cooking tip

Steamed Wontons: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet on medium-high heat. Add 12 of the wontons; cook 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown. Gradually add 1/4 cup water; cover. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until filling is cooked through and water has evaporated. Remove wontons to serving platter; keep warm. Wipe skillet dry. Repeat 2 more batches with additional oil, wontons and water.




Have a great day
 

Balconies, Asparagus,

I have been a somewhat interested spectator of the activities going on outside our windows with the guys doing our balconies. Our own balcony is not scheduled to be touched til next year. Today they have put up fences and they are building a kind of hoist-cum-crane-cum-platform.

If you enlarge the pictures you can see that they have cut out some grass in order to stand the foot of the hoist. They are in the process of adding new sections of the hoist to enable them to lift the platform further. Silly me, I thought they would be using a crane. Shows what I know. I guess this is movable scaffolding.

Here I tried to show that the whole area is now fenced off. Not sure if that is to prevent people walking into the area, but we are close to schools and the kids could certainly climb this fence. I took these pix as much to show some of the women in the exercise class who live on the other side of the building and cannot see what is happening. One woman commented they had put up a Porta Potty right on the front lawn. Why couldn't they have put it somewhere more discreet.

I finished making my asparagus soup on Wednesday, and we had some for supper. It was good. I haven't done the Crunchy Asparagus Fries yet. Maybe this weekend. I will definitely be making the salad below.

By the way, forgot to mention that I rented the new Star Wars movie The Force Awakens. I wasn't overly impressed with the movie. I enjoyed it, but found it dragged somewhat. However, I will still be interested to see the sequel(s). I was pretty lucky, I was still 92 on the waiting list, but they just happened to have a short loan copy in the library when I was in there.

Funny I posted a couple of recipes for Endive or Whitlof in the A to Z Challenge. This is one we really enjoy.

Asparagus and Endive Salad

1 lb fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces

1/2 tsp grated orange peel
1 Tbs Juice, orange, fresh
2 Tbs seasoned rice vinegar
1 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs small shallots, minced
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp Dijon mustard
1/8 tsp black pepper
8 oz Belgian endive, fresh, head , cut lengthwise into 1/4 inch strips (2 heads)

1. Place 1/2 inch of water at the bottom of a 12 inch pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Add in asparagus and cook until tender yet crisp, about 2 minutes. Place in strainer, rinse under cold water, drain, and pat dry with paper towels.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the orange peel, orange juice, vinegar, oil, shallots, sugar, salt, mustard, and pepper until well combined.

3. Add the asparagus and endive to the bowl with the dressing. Mix well to evenly coat and serve.

Servings: 4

Source: dLife

Author Notes
Light and elegant salad combining asparagus and endive in a homemade orange dijon vinaigrette.

Try using a sugar substitute instead of regular sugar.


Have a great day
 

Balconies, Landlords, Bits and Pieces.

Monday they finally started preparing to do the balconies which we had been told they would start in April?? Matt said they were talking outside, quite loudly, at 6 ish and he figured people wouldn't be too happy about that. All they seem to have done is bring round a lot of machines and other stuff but they haven't yet, as far as I can tell, done anything about scaffolding etc. They do have one machine which beeps when it backs up. I wonder how tired of that we will be by the time this is all over. There is one tenant who plants a garden every year but he sure won't be able to do that this year.

Actually I am somewhat upset with the realtor who manages this property. I directed them to something in our bay in the underground garage and the next thing I know we get a letter accusing us of having installed a power line in order to charge our car? We have a gas engine and that would be pointless for batteries. We were told we were contravening the tenancy agreement and the implication was that we had been stealing electricity. I am pretty upset about the whole business. I phoned them and said the electric outlet was nothing to do with us, I am pretty sure it has been there since before we came here. The owner said OK, she would strike it out, but I am still somewhat teed off about the whole business.

Our feet were done today, Tuesday,, feels so much better. I also did a fair amount of cooking having made a large batch of Unstuffed Cabbage Rolls. We then shot off to the asparagus farm and I got more in order to make soup. I have the first part - the purée - made but will finish the rest today. Also, much to my surprise, our new coffee pot arrived on Monday but as we were bowling, had to go fetch it from the post office. Whilst there I saw a set of stamps showing all the Star Trek characters. I think I will buy a set. Always been a big fan of Star Trek.

Here's a new recipe to me.

Skillet-Baked Eggs and Asparagus

Asparagus and eggs have an affinity for each other. The voluptuous yolk softens and smoothes the grassy sharpness of the vegetable, while the asparagus brightens up the dull richness of the egg. The

pair’s most classic expression is asparagus hollandaise, but that is too fussy and time-consuming a preparation for a regular home-cooked breakfast. This dish combines the flavors in a time- and cook-friendly way.

3 Tbs olive oil, more for drizzling
¾ lbs asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 scallions, white and light green parts, thinly sliced
8 large eggs
6 Tbs roughly chopped soft herbs like basil, cilantro, chives or parsley use at least 2
1/3 cup heavy cream
2 Tbs grated Parmesan
Salt
black pepper, to taste
Lemon wedges, for serving
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling

1. Heat the oven to 300°F. In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the olive oil until shimmering. Add the asparagus and the scallions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until asparagus is browned and tender.

2. Whisk together the eggs, 4 tablespoons of the herbs, and cream. Whisk in Parmesan, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over asparagus and place the skillet in the oven.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes, until set, but still slightly jiggly in the center. Cool in the pan for about 10 minutes before serving. It is best warm, not hot.

4. Squeeze one or two lemon wedges over it, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt and remaining herbs. Cut into wedges.

Servings: 4

Author: MELISSA  CLARK
Source: New York Times



Have a great day

Diamond, Foot Nurse, Bowling, Asparagus.

On Saturday I came across a news story about the world's second largest diamond which is as big as a tennis ball. It was unearthed in Botswana but is owned by Canada's Lucara Diamond Corporation and is called the Lesedi la Rona. It is expected to fetch $90 million and it's not even cut yet. It is the biggest stone discovered since 1905 when the world's largest diamond, the Cullinan, was unearthed. That was cut into nine pieces which are part of the British Crown Jewels. At the link above it talks about Joseph Lau a Hong Kong billionaire who recently bought a huge diamond at auction for something like $48.5 billion US and gave it to his daughter for her 7th birthday. I would assume it will spend most of her life locked up in a safe somewhere. Of course if I had a stone like that, I would be set for the rest of my life.

Today, finally, our foot nurse is calling. She hasn't been since we first got bed bugs. The reason being obvious. However, my feet really need her attention. I have a foot nurse is because of my diabetes and as Matt is pre diabetic he uses her too.

We went bowling Monday, last  time on a Monday until the Winter League starts again. It was incredibly quiet. Three young girls came in and bowled one game. At two a crowd of handicapped people came in downstairs. They come every week I believe. They tend to be a bit noisy, some more than others. Brad, the son/grandson of the owners, said he had had emails from his dad and they were enjoying themselves. Of course Brad emailed them for Mother's Day. I believe he actually went to his Grandmother's for Mother's Day.

As she is coming at noon, I think I will spend some time today making cream of asparagus soup as I have totally run out of last year's supply. This recipe was originally provided by Tim Barrie's mom (Barrie's Asparagus Farm) and we enjoy it very much. It is also very simple to make. I just realised I need more asparagus as I like to use 2lbs at once. Plus I have to get a couple of bags of asparagus for others in the building. Think I will get some rhubarb too. I meant to the other day and then forgot.


Barrie's Asparagus Soup Recipe

My Mom's Famous!!!

1 lb asparagus chopped
1/4 cup chopped onion
2 cups chicken broth
2 Tbs butter or margarine
2 Tbs flour
1/2 tsp salt
dash pepper
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
1 tsp fresh lemon juice
fresh chives for garnish

1. In a covered saucepan, boil the asparagus, onion and 1 cup of chicken broth. When the asparagus is tender and still bright green, blend to a purée (this purée can be frozen and used for future batches of soup.

2. In a large saucepan heat the butter and flour on medium to make a paste (roux). Cook until golden. Stir occasionally as you add the 2nd cup chicken broth, making sure lumps don't form.

3. Stir in the salt, pepper, purée, milk. Bring to a boil.

4. Take soup off heat. Measure the yogurt or sour cream into a bowl and stir in spoonsful of hot soup, little by little. Now, carefully stir this warmed yogurt or sour cream mixture back into the pan of soup.

5. Add a teaspoon of lemon juice, or to taste.

6. Serve in individual bowls, sprinkled with chopped chives - makes 3 1/2 to 4 cups of soup.

Servings: 4


Source: Mrs. Barrie


Have a great day
 

A to Z Reflections, Coffee Maker,

I have taken part in the A to Z challenge several times now. This year I found a couple of constant problems:

People who had written books instead of short blogs, there was no way I, or most people I imagine, would have time to read them during the challenge even if they were the most interesting blog around. We are encouraged by the A to Z team to write short posts but some people were just not taking any notice. The reason for short blogs is to allow everyone time to visit  as many other bloggers as possible.

Secondly was those who left comments but to whom I couldn't return the favour because they hadn't left a working link. Every year the A to Z team publish instructions on how to use a hyperlink.  It makes it so much easier for everyone concerned. With those I did reach, I found a number of times that there were no links to enable me to follow the blogger on a regular basis.

Many people were kind enough to congratulate me on completing the Challenge but in my case I am kind of cheating because I write a blog every day but Sunday anyway. Thanks to all of you just the same. I admire those of you who did finish the challenge but don't normally post so often. Funnily enough I found it hard getting back into the rhythm of writing a blog every day again because mine mostly were pre-written. On the first Sunday/Monday I forgot to post what I had written anyway.

Last Thursday, my coffee pot broke down. Panic stations. I knew we had another pot but I thought it used different shaped filters, cone shaped. We even got the coffee maker out and then hunted for the filters - I just knew we had some. We couldn't find them although I was sure I had seen them recently. So, I ended up ordering a new coffee maker just the same as the one which broke. I have had it for a number of years and it has worked very well. Then, after Matt had gone to bed, I decided to see if I could fold our filters to work in the other coffee maker. Got it out once again and, lo and behold, it takes the same filters, round ones, which I normally use. I wonder what happened to the machine which took the cones? So then I decided to make sure the clock showed the right time, I even managed to find the right book of instructions. I had filled it with water and coffee and wanted to programme it for the morning. I didn't have any luck changing the clock. I ended up with a full pot of coffee and wasn't even sure how I achieved that. Friday morning I tried again, the clock set easily. Total mystery to me as to what I was doing wrong. I have left the order for the above pot as it is a great coffee maker. But, at least, I can get my coffee now. Question - why do they call it a 12 cup coffee maker and yet you actually only get around 11 cups?

As I said, I got some asparagus on Friday so I made a dish of salmon and asparagus baked in foil. We enjoyed it. I will certainly be doing this one again.  I am trying to ensure we get more fish in our diet. Not so easy in Ontario being so far from the sea. A very expensive commodity.

Baked Salmon and Asparagus in Foil
Classy Cooking with a Sprinkle of Fancy

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients
4 (6 oz) skinless salmon fillets
1 lb asparagus, tough ends trimmed (unless they are fresh picked)
2 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 lemon thinly sliced
Fresh dill sprigs, or chopped fresh thyme, rosemary or parsley


Directions
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut four sheets of aluminum foil about 14-inch long. Divide asparagus into 4 equal portions (about 8 spears per foil packet) and layer in center of each length of foil. In a small bowl stir together oil with garlic. Drizzle 1 tsp of the oil over portion of asparagus then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Rinse salmon and allow excess water to run off, then season bottom of each fillet with salt and pepper. Layer fillets over asparagus. Drizzle top of each salmon fillet with 1 tsp of the olive oil mixture and season top with salt and pepper to taste. Top each with about 2 sprigs dill and 2 lemon slices (if using fresh thyme or rosemary use about 3/4 tsp per each if using parsley use 1 1/2 tsp). Wrap sides of foil inward over salmon then fold in top and bottom of foil to enclose.
Place foil pouches in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until salmon is cooked through, about 25 - 30 minutes. Unwrap and serve warm.
Have a great day

Saturday Recipe

I phoned the asparagus farm and they just had a small amount for sale on Friday so I went beetling over there and got myself 3 lbs. I ate some raw and I made a delicious salmon and asparagus dish. Recipe later.

We have to start with one of my favourites, Crispy Asparagus Fries. I could eat these forever although they are a bit messy to prepare. For those of you unfamiliar with them, Panko breadcrumbs are a Japanese product widely available. Panko is a Japanese-style breadcrumb traditionally used as a coating for deep-fried foods such as tonkatsu. The biggest difference between panko and standard breadcrumbs is that panko is made from bread without crusts, says Pam Becker, media representative for Progresso, which makes both types but they work to produce a crispy, crunchy food, whatever you use them for. I use them for baked or fried fish for instance.

Crispy Baked Asparagus Fries

1 lb asparagus, trimmed (if you have to) 
1/2 cup flour 
2 eggs, lightly beaten 
3/4 cup Panko breadcrumbs 
1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan), grated 
salt and pepper to taste  
Alternatively used chopped almonds instead of parmesan

1. Dredge the asparagus in the flour, dip them in the egg and then into a mixture of the panko breadcrumbs, parmesan, salt and pepper.
2. Place the asparagus on a wire rack on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated 425°F oven until golden brown, about 7-13 minutes.

Servings: 2

Have a great day
 

That Green Stuff,

As you all know, I am waiting anxiously for the asparagus from our local farm. Sadly this is the pic they posted yesterday.

Not yet big enough to do anything although, obviously on it's way. I think I will still call the farm today as recommended. For those of you, who don't know, here is a list of things for which asparagus is recommended.

For those of you who are buying asparagus already, in Farmers Markets or elsewhere, I will start posting recipes, maybe tomorrow.

This looked so bright and colourful. It was actually intended to be for Cinqo de Mayo but as that was yesterday!!


Margarita Cheesecake Pie

No tequila required for this margarita! This easy cheesecake pie gets its sweet-tart deliciousness from sweetened condensed milk and fresh lemon juice.

34 RITZ Crackers, crushed

6 Tbs butter, melted
2 large limes, divided
2 pkg. (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1. Heat oven to 350ºF.

2. Combine cracker crumbs and butter; press onto bottom and up side of 9-inch pie plate.

3. Bake 10 min. or until golden brown. Remove from oven; cool 5 min.

4. Meanwhile, zest 1 lime; set aside. Cut zested lime in half; squeeze juice from lime halves. Beat cream cheese and milk with mixer until blended. Add lime juice and lemon juice; mix well.

5. Spoon cream cheese mixture into crust; smooth top. Cut remaining lime into 4 lengthwise quarters, then cut each quarter crosswise into thin slices. Arrange around edge of pie; sprinkle with zest.

6. Refrigerate 1 hour or until firm.

Servings: 10

Source: Kraft


Have a great day

Food

Went grocery shopping with Matt at 7 a.m. I know, I'm nuts, but there were a couple of things I wanted which he would never have found. I also spent my $25 gift voucher - what on? Crab Legs. Yum.

I got a recipe email today which called for hanger steak. I had never heard of it. The recipe looked like it would be tasty, but what was hanger steak. I Googled of course and found that it comes from what they call the Plate on the animal, that being what to us would be around the chest or maybe stomach. I use Flank steak a lot, but from w hat I read today, the Hanger Steak is very flavourful. I will have to check it out at the store. I will be interested to know if anyone else is familiar with the cut? I also have to find out what it is called in the UK and maybe then I will realise exactly what I am talking about.

Apparently it is a little known cut of beef in the UK although the French, who call it Onglet, use it a lot. In the UK it is often left and minced or ground for pasties and not used much at all. The writer was astounded that it wasn't used more in the UK. Obviously I have got to look out for Onglet or Hanger Steak. I wonder if my local in store butcher has it. There is one local grocery store (Central Fresh Market) which still cuts their own meat. I will have to check with them.

Yesterday I finally got rid of some lithium batteries which I have been saving forever to get disposed properly. There is a local Photo Shop who will dispose of them for me. It is dangerous to just throw them away in the garbage although, come to think of it, I don't know why. I just found lots of articles explaining how dangerous they are, but I still am not sure why. I believe they are a fire hazard amongst other dangers.

This looks so delicious I just had to share it.

Wild King Salmon With Savory Whipped Cream

David Tanis New York Times

• Yield 6 servings

The wild king salmon season opens in May on the West Coast and continues through summer, from Alaska all the way to San Diego. The first wild salmon in spring has brilliant red flesh, a mild sweet flavor and a velvetlike texture. Farmed salmon doesn’t compare. In this recipe, the salmon is cut on the diagonal into thin slices that cook quickly. They are topped with softly whipped cream that's seasoned with mustard, cayenne and lemon zest.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pounds king salmon fillet, skin off and pin bones removed
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• Pinch of cayenne
• ½ teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Tarragon leaves, for garnish
• Watercress, for garnish
• Violets, nasturtiums or other edible flower petals for garnish (optional)

Preparation

1. Slice salmon diagonally into 6 four-ounce portions about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick (or have your fishmonger slice it). Place on a cutting board or baking sheet. Season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
2. Put cream in a mixing bowl and beat with a whisk until just barely thickened. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, some freshly ground pepper, the mustard, the cayenne and the lemon zest. Beat again until soft peaks form, but don’t let the cream get too stiff. Fold in chives. Taste and adjust seasoning.
3. Put butter in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When butter begins to foam, add salmon pieces and reduce heat slightly. Cook gently on one side for about 2 minutes, then flip and cook one minute more. Turn off heat and let rest for 2 minutes. Salmon should be cooked through but moist. Be careful not to overcook.
4. Transfer salmon to a platter or individual plates. Spoon some savory whipped cream over each serving. Garnish with tarragon, watercress and flowers, if desired.

Have a great day
 

Dieting, Spring

I just heard a report on Good Morning America about weight loss. They were talking about people such as the successful ones on The Biggest Loser as well as everyone else who has lost a significant amount of weight, saying how one's metabolism slows down after weight loss which is why people gain back the weight within 2 years. I am not sure this isn't an excuse. I would like to know what these people are eating. I lost 46 lbs in 2013 and I haven't gained it back. I still write down the food I eat which I believe helps considerably. Awareness of what you are munching all the time is very important. I bowl twice a week and I go to exercise classes twice a week. Not, I might add, that they are very strenuous classes, they are designed for elderly people, most of whom can't do anything too strenuous. We all have aches and pains which prohibit us doing certain movements. There's a woman at the bowling alley who looks like the bigger of these two in the picture. Wearing tight clothes. I had a rant about that before. Another bowler whom we don't see often in the winter, was with us last week and his shirt didn't meet his pants in front so we could see his belly. Sorry, turns me right off.

People everywhere, except round here, are burbling on about it being spring and how lovely it all is. I

have seen a few signs of new leaves although they tried it before and got caught in an ice storm. A month ago, the asparagus farm thought he might be selling by the end of April. Now they aren't sure if it will be available this weekend even. People tell me they are buying asparagus in the stores, sorry, I will only buy it from the farm where it is super fresh and I don't have to break off any ends and waste half the spear by doing so. Not only that I am waiting to bore you all with almost continuous asparagus recipes LOL. Matt keeps telling me it will be available eventually. Maybe, but I want it now not eventually. Apart from which, we have now used up all the asparagus soup. Even the recipe below talks about snapping off the ends of the asparagus and discarding them.


Spring-Vegetable Paella
Food and Wine

SERVINGS: 4


You don't need a paella pan to make paella; any large frying pan will do. Serve this paella hot or at

room temperature (as it is often eaten in Spain), as is or topped with toasted sliced almonds.


INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/4 cup drained sliced jarred pimientos, chopped (one 4-ounce jar)
1 tomato, peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 cups rice, preferably medium-grain such as arborio
3 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth or homemade stock
1 cup water
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 pound asparagus, tough ends snapped off and discarded, spears cut into 2-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1 6 1/2-ounce jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and sliced
2 cups drained and rinsed canned cannellini beans (one 19-ounce can)


HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderately low heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the pimientos, tomato, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes.
Stir in the salt, turmeric, and rice. Add the chicken broth, water, and parsley and bring to a boil. Continue cooking over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, about 7 minutes.
Stir in the asparagus, peas, artichokes, and beans. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.


Have a great day

Port and Banquets.

So now our winter league is over for this season and doesn't start again until September. Some of the members will be bowling in the summer league but many won't. However we do get bowlers from other leagues bowling with us in the summer. A friend/bowler is off to Portugal for the summer again. She comes from northern Portugal quite close to where a friend lives with whom we stayed for a couple of days when we went there a few years ago. Also close to Oporto, the home of Port. I enjoy port so it was fun going to the home of the drink. They call them caves although they are no longer actually in caves. I've probably mentioned it, but the reason port came into being was one year the Portuguese wine was awful and two Scottish wine exporters didn't think it was good enough so they tried adding brandy to the wine and port was born. The brands of port still bear Scottish names like Graham's and Taylor Fladgate to name a couple. I forget, now, which cave we visited, but I had never realised there were so many qualities and varieties of port.

We had our bowling banquet Monday and the food was good as usual except for the beans which, I'm afraid were tough. I would love the caterer's recipe for her beef. It's delicious. She (the caterer) also served lots of pies for dessert including one a bit like a lemon meringue but with a lemon crumble on it instead of the meringue. It was delicious. I went back kind of hoping to get more, luckily for my waist line it had all gone. I actually won a couple of things this year. So did Matt. I got the high single with handicap and I also won a $25 voucher for our local grocery store. Our 50/50 each week has two sections, one you win money outright, the other you have to bowl a strike. It hadn't been won in a while so it had gone up to $70. Neither of us even got to try for the strike, boo hoo. Actually we are usually unlucky with the 50/50 so it was a surprise that the very last draw of the season was my gift voucher.

I enjoy Caprese and portabella mushrooms so this recipe is right up my street.

Caprese Portabella Mushrooms

Mushrooms Canada
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 30 minutes | Serves 4

Ingredients

8 portabella mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 cup quinoa, cooked
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, divided
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
16 mini buffala mozzarella balls
16 cherry tomatoes
¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Method
1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Cook quinoa according to package directions. Meanwhile, gently wash away dirt from mushrooms, then carefully cut away stems and scrape out each mushroom. Set filling aside.
3. In a large bowl, toss quinoa with mushroom filling, minced garlic, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Stuff each mushroom with filling, then top each with two mozzarella balls and two cherry tomatoes.
4. Cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes until cheese is completely melted. Remove from oven and top each mushroom with a bit of fresh basil. Enjoy!

Have a great day
 

This and That on May 2

Funny that, for a whole month I have had my blogs prescheduled so last night I completely forgot to post this blog, most of which I had written.

Now that the A to Z Challenge is over, we can get back to our normal lives. I am sure you will be delighted to hear that our bed bug problem has disappeared. Mind you, almost immediately we got an ant problem instead but with the purchase of some Terro that too has been dealt with.

Funny, I donated to a local animal charity and was given a Lambsy as a thank you present. I received it in the bowling alley and showed it to the younger of the two owners. A few minutes later he gave me a soft toy which was a bowling pin!!! I guess they think I am a big baby, well I guess I am. I thought these were both cute. Why on earth the bowling alley would have such a toy I cannot imagine. The owner wouldn't tell me.

Talking of bowling, which I do quite often, today is our last day of the winter league with a lunch first and then just some team bowling for fun plus prizes. Unfortunately I don't think we qualify for any of them. My  bowling average has been descending all winter. Our summer league doesn't start until May 18 as the younger owner is swanning around the Dominican Republic for a while and says his dad couldn't cope with all the computer stuff. Probably true. I have been warning him about things in the Dominican. They already have had some shots which is a good thing. I got an upset stomach along with many others and there was one woman so bad she had to be flown home on a stretcher. I also told him about the expanse of topless bathers and the many women in bikinis who are the size of several houses. One thing one has also to beware of is the water. You cannot clean your teeth with tap water and you certainly cannot drink it. However, they do have lots of sunshine to enjoy. I wouldn't mind going back but nowadays the hassle of airports is something neither of us want to deal with.

I haven't made a white chili in a while, but I do enjoy it

White Chili.

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

 Total Time: 45 mins

This fragrant "white" chili is an unusual, delicious alternative to traditional tomato-based chilis. Serve with lime wedges and a dollop of sour cream or a sprinkling of cheese.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 2 4-ounce cans chopped green chiles
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 3 15-ounce cans great northern beans, rinsed
• 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 4 cups diced cooked skinless turkey, or chicken
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar

Instructions

Step 1

Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in chiles, oregano, cumin and cayenne. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in beans and broth; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Add turkey (or chicken) and vinegar; cook for 5 minutes more. Serve.

Have a great day