Useful Tip

I came across this the other day. When cooking ground meat, i.e. beef or chicken, the instruction is usually to make sure the meat is cooked through and broken up. Always something of a pain. The tip is to use your potato masher whilst frying the meat in order to help break it up.

Unfortunately the last 24 hours haven't been good for me. Didn't sleep well because of nausea then when I got up spent most of the morning asleep. I didn't realise before that it is possible to suffer after effects from a Colonoscopy. My stomach area, particularly at the top, feels as though someone has been beating me. Inside of course. We didn't go bowling, I just wasn't up to it. Will try again tomorrow perhaps. Must admit I have been asleep most of the day. I called the office of the gastroenterologist and never got a reply!!! I have never heard anyone complain of after effects before but did some googling and it is not unknown.

This is the dish I hope to prepare on Friday, I have all the ingredients. I thought I had posted this before, but seems I was wrong.

Thai Pineapple Shrimp Curry

Green curry paste is the base of the flavorful sauce—look for it in the Asian foods aisle of your

supermarket.

3 Tbs canola oil, divided
2 Tbs green curry paste
1 13.5 oz can light coconut milk, well shaken
2 Tbs granulated sugar
2 Tbs fresh lime juice
1 Tbs lower-sodium soy sauce
1 1/4 lbs peeled and deveined tail-on raw medium shrimp
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion
1 1/4 cups chopped red bell pepper
2 cups fresh pineapple chunks
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
3 Tbs thinly sliced scallions
3 Tbs chopped unsalted roasted peanuts

1. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high. Add curry paste; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add coconut milk and sugar; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer; cook until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in lime juice and soy sauce.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over high. Add shrimp; cook until opaque, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove to a plate. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Add onion and bell pepper; cook, stirring often, until tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add curry mixture, shrimp, pineapple, and 1/4 cup cilantro; cook until sauce is thickened, about 1 minute.

3. Divide shrimp mixture evenly among 4 bowls. Top with scallions, peanuts, and remaining 1/4 cup cilantro.

Servings: 4

Source: Cooking Light

Have a great day

Rice Cooking,

I have been wanting to cook rice in my Instant Pot since I got it, but all the recipes made too much rice. Then I Googled and found I can keep cooked rice, in the fridge, for 4-6 days. Everything I had been reading had frightened me off keeping rice. So Friday evening I made Thai Pineapple Shrimp Curry and put 1 cup Basmati, 1 cup water and a smidgin of salt in the Instant Pot. I cooked it for 4 minutes and allowed it to vent naturally for 10 minutes. It was great and I have enough for leftovers. I am so pleased because I frequently boil over the small amount of rice I cook in a pan. So, three cheers. Tomorrow I am doing the Pork Tenderloin I did a couple of weeks or so ago.

I have never heard of this cake before and yet I can taste it. From the description before the recipe, it sounds absolutely wonderful.

The Best Hummingbird Cake

Hummingbird Cake is a fantastic combination of banana bread and carrot cake (sans the carrots) with

a touch of pineapple! This recipe never disappoints and delivers a special treat for any occasion.

3 cups flour (gluten free or regular)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs , room temperature
1 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fresh pineapple , crushed (see below)
2 cups roasted bananas* , mashed (approximately 4 large or 6 medium-small bananas with peel left on; instructions below)
1 cup chopped pecans
Parchment paper to line bottom of the cake pan
Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting:
1 ½ sticks unsalted butter , chilled
3 8-ounce packages of cream cheese , chilled
1 tsp vanilla
1 ½ cups powdered sugar , sifted
1 ½ cups finely chopped pecans

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F

2. How to Roast Bananas

3. Place bananas on a cookie sheet with peels left on. Bake in the oven for 12 minutes until the skins are black (the bananas may leak which is fine). NOTE: Leave the oven heated to 350 degrees.

4. Remove and let cool until they can be handled. Peel bananas, place in a small mixing bowl and mash. Set aside.

5. Peel bananas, place in a small mixing bowl and mash. Set aside.

6. Making the Hummingbird Cake

7. Butter and flour 3-9 inch round baking pans.

8. Trace the bottom of the pan (for all three pans) onto parchment paper, cut out circle and place in the bottom of each pan.

9. In a sifter over a large mixing bowl combine the flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Sift into the bowl. Set aside.

10. In a second large mixing bowl combine the granulated and brown sugar; stir to combine.

11. Add the eggs and stir briskly by hand to combine all ingredients into a smooth mixture.

12. Whisk the oil and vanilla into the sugar/egg mixture until combined and smooth.

13. Add the flour mixture all at once and hand stir (do not beat) to combine the mixture fully.

14. To crush the pineapple: Place 1 cup of finely diced fresh pineapple in a medium mixing bowl and using a potato masher, crush the pineapple.

15. Add the crushed pineapple fruit and juice to the batter.

16. Add the mashed banana and the pecans. Stir just until combined; do not over stir.

17. Divide the batter evenly between the three pans. Tap the pans on the countertop to release any air bubbles and place in the 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until cake bounces back to the touch and a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.

18. Allow to cool in pans on racks for 5 minutes then turn out onto cooling racks to fully cool before frosting. NOTE: Be sure to peel off and discard the parchment paper.

19. Instructions for Cream Cheese Frosting:

20. Cut sticks of chilled butter into 1 inch pieces and place in the bowl of a standing mixer (can use a hand held mixer if needed). Beat on low speed, gradually increasing speed to medium until the butter is still cool but has softened together (about 3 minutes).

21. Cut the cream cheese into 1 inch strips and add to the butter. Mix at medium speed until fully combined, and smooth.

22. Add the vanilla and slowly add the sifted powdered sugar. Beat until well blended, increasing speed to beat on medium-high for 3 minutes or until the frosting becomes light and fluffy.

23. Fold in pecans by hand.

24. Instructions for Cake Assembly:

25. Place the first layer of cake upside down (the bottom of the cake will be frosted) on the serving plate. Cover with 2/3 cup of frosting. This will be a thin covering.

26. Place the second layer of cake right side up (flat cake bottom onto the frosting) and frost the top of this layer with 2/3 cup again (note: I found I needed just a bit more to cover this layer).

27. Place the last cake layer with cake right side up and use the remaining frosting to cover top of cake and the sides.

28. Allow cake to stand at room temperature 30 minutes before serving and store any uneaten cake in the refrigerator. Cake best when made the day prior to serving!

Servings: 12

Source: Boulder Locavore

Have a great weekend
 

Waterups, Senior Medications, Cooking, Dr. Who.

This is a fascinating picture, a storm called Callum is causing the water to go upwards instead of down - Scotland.

I have written to our MP this morning about the treatment of seniors as addicts. I have also written to CARP (same as AARP in the US) in the hope that they too will become involved. Having already endeavoured to spread the information on Facebook. I do not use Twitter unfortunately, at this time it is perhaps a pity that I don't.

I kind of planned ahead this weekend. Friday I cooked Thai Pineapple Shrimp Curry which is enough for two meals, finished it Sunday night, then Saturday I did
Marmalade Pork Tenderloin which will give us supper for Monday. Mine didn't look anything like the picture but it was delicious nevertheless. I am thinking I will do the Stewed White Beans I posted the other day for Wednesday - I have an afternoon CT Angiogram to go for so suspect we will be fairly late home. The Curry calls for toasted peanuts but I usually use toasted cashews which we have in house all the time. Recently discovered where to buy them at half the price I pay in our regular grocery store. It is Bulkville, but unfortunately a bit of a walk for me. However, it can be done. In fact I will walk to the bench right outside the store, wait for my legs to stop hurting and then go into the store. Reversing the process when I come out.

Tomorrow is, of course, league bowling which we both look forward to. The son at the alley is a Dr. Who Fanatic and they have just introduced a Barbie Doll of the current Dr. Who - a female!! I was telling him he should buy it as it will probably be worth a fortune in 50 years or less. It occurs to me the programme has to have been running 50 years (actually 55) or more. Just read this interesting snippet on Google Doctor Who first appeared on BBC TV at 17:16:20 GMT on Saturday, 23 November 1963; this was eighty seconds later than the scheduled programme time, due to the assassination of John F. Kennedy the previous day. I didn't remember that. I used to watch the programme when it first started. 

Brussels should be getting good now, never so nice in the summer. This seems a tasty way of eating them.

Bacon and Brussels Sprout Slaw

1 cup thinly diagonally sliced carrots
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup canola mayonnaise
3 Tbs apple cider vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
12 oz Brussels sprouts, shredded (about 5 cups)
2 Tbs toasted sliced almonds

1. Combine first 8 ingredients in a large bowl, stirring to coat. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds

Servings: 6

Source: Cooking Light

Have a great day

Cave Men, Spicy Food,

There was a segment on GMA this morning talking about some people who have adopted a diet eating nothing but meat. They say it was good for the cave men and they are really healthy on it. However, as the TV doc, Jennifer Ashton, pointed out, cave men also ate berries. The women also used to forage for edible greens, roots and shoots.

Just read an article that says the only other mammal that eats hot, spicy peppers is the tree shrew and even then they are not sure the shrew does it for the capsaicin or just for the nutrition they can obtain. Apparently if you want to keep squirrels away from bird feeders, sprinkle the feed with hot pepper - the birds won't notice it but the squirrels hate it. Since writing this I have come across another article about the tree shrew and its liking for spicy. It has an extremely high tolerance for such foods apparently. They don't think it eats such foods for the spiciness though. Unlike the human mammal.

For our Friday night supper I did the Thai Pineapple Shrimp Curry which I posted on July 19. We both enjoyed it very much. I can highly recommend it. The recipe doesn't call for it, but I served it over rice. 

I am too lazy/tired to hunt for a recipe tonight, so I will leave you with this recommendation.

Have a great weekend