Killers, Cut Backs and Bald Eagles.

In the news, here in Canada, is the story about Luka Magnotta who is accused of killing and dismembering a young Chinese student in Montreal. Magnotta was apprehended in Berlin, Germany and has been flown home. At the same time I am reading some cop novels which include similar horror stories and one tends to dismiss it as fiction, but of course it isn’t. I am not sure writers can think of anything which hasn’t been done before. Looking at a picture of Magnotta today I am wondering just what makes someone do such horrific things – I suppose there are researchers studying the behaviour and brains of criminals like this, I can’t believe in this modern age we haven’t figured out some way to predict these tendencies. You could say he looks like a killer, I think he just looks like a sulky and maybe somewhat pissed off young man. Matt, who was a prison officer for a large part of his life, frequently got asked what a criminal looked like. His standard reply was “you”. It is perfectly true that some of the most horrific killers do look like ordinary people. Even the serial killer, Robert Pickton, doesn’t look like what he is although photographers have tried to make him look worse. Another couple of serial killers who come to mind are Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka, can you honestly say, looking at this photograph, you would have expected them to be killers? He, in particular looks such a nice young man. I suppose officialdom cannot go around looking at the brains of everyone to see if they have the potential of harming others. Maybe they should analyse the brains of all killers though and see if they can identify something in common. There has surely got to be something somewhere that makes these people turn into beasts.

I am beginning to hear more and more about the government having cut back on what they are paying our doctors and that now the doctors cannot afford to administer tests to patients which they previously offered. There was a segment on the news last night with Matt’s cardiologist, Dr. Pandey, in the forefront. I believe he is a very active campaigner for doctor/patient rights. He certainly campaigned to get the drug Pradax paid for by the health system. That seemed a logical step to me because on Cumadin the patient has to have frequent blood tests which was costing the government more than paying for Pradax will. However, that doesn’t help with all the other cut backs which doctors are experiencing. I wonder why it is that when governments want to cut costs they attack services like health, schooling and old age? Their own salaries and pensions are sacrosanct.

Apparently researchers are very worried about lead poisoning in eagles and in P.E.I . at the Atlantic Veterinary College they have been taking blood samples from eaglets to see if it is passed on by the parents. Interesting, they climb a tree, put the eaglet (which is quite large) in a  5 gallon bucket, bring it down, take a sample and then climb back up the tree to replace the nestling. The researchers seem to think that a lot of the problem is the use of lead bullets for hunting – the adults are consuming the lead from dead critters and bringing it back to their nests. A lot of adult birds have been found dead with lead poisoning. With all the problems they have faced I am surprised we have any Bald Eagles left. They are yet another critter which is hunted for its feathers and claws which are valuable apparently. People will do anything for money. I remember buying a furry wolf skin purse when I visited Greece. Now I know better, and wouldn’t touch it with a barge pole, but at the time I thought it was a wonderful thing to have. People buy such stuff through ignorance, but there are many more who buy it in the full knowledge of what it costs the bird or animal to provide them with what they want. That’s why I have a sign which says Tiger parts belong to Tigers, this applies to any critter.

I thought this recipe sounded pretty good. If it has asparagus in it, it attracts my attention.

Penne with Roasted Asparagus and Balsamic Butter

Contributed to Food & Wine by Quick From Scratch Pasta

SERVINGS:4

Simmering the balsamic vinegar both mellows and thickens it. When tossed with the hot pasta and the butter, it forms a smooth, uniquely flavored sauce.

 More Fast Pasta Recipes

1. 1 pound asparagus
2. 1 tablespoon olive oil
3. 2 teaspoons salt
4. 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
5. 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
6. 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
7. 1 pound penne
8. 1/4 pound butter, cut into pieces
9. 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving

1. Heat the oven to 400°. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus and discard them. Cut the spears into 1-inch pieces. Put the asparagus on a baking sheet and toss with the oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Roast until tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, put the vinegar in a small saucepan. Simmer until 3 tablespoons remain. Stir in the brown sugar and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Remove from the heat.
3. Cook the penne in a large pot of boiling, salted water until just done, about 13 minutes. Drain the pasta and toss with the butter, vinegar, asparagus, Parmesan, and the remaining 1 3/4 teaspoons salt. Serve with additional Parmesan.

Variations:

• Penne with Roasted Broccoli and Balsamic Butter When asparagus is not in season, cut 1 pound of broccoli into small spears for roasting. Toss them with 2 tablespoons oil and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and roast for about 15 minutes. Continue with step 2.

• Penne with Roasted Vegetables, Toasted Nuts, and Balsamic Butter Toss in 1/3 cup of toasted pine nuts, hazelnuts, or walnuts at the end with either asparagus or broccoli.

Have a great day

Breakthrough, Doo Rag, FN Key, Wallenda’s Shoes, The Yucca

I completely forgot to pass on the message about Stephen Tremp’s book Breakthrough which is being offered by Amazon.com for two days as a free download. Today is the second day. I got my copy yesterday, I already have book 2 which is Opening so I am looking forward to reading them. The books sound very exciting – full of wormhole technology and a discovery seeker called Chase Manhattan who doesn’t want to do anything but settle down as an associate professor of physics. The blurb sounds good to me. I understand it can be downloaded for both Kindle and for an iPad.

I guess I am a bit behind the times, but I was reading a book, one of a series about Detective Stephanie Chalice by Lawrence Kelter, and the book described the heroine as going into an area where she was probably the only person not wearing a doo rag. What on earth, thought I, so of course I had to Google. Here is the information according to Wikipedia. I had, of course, seen these worn, in fact there is a guy in our building who wears one, I just didn’t know what they were called. I cannot really believe they are worn, these days, to protect hair dos!!! If so, there are a lot of very fussy men around .

I have discovered that some of the trouble I have typing on my laptop is caused by brushing the touchpad on the keyboard. The cursor starts jumping all over the place and even decides to delete lumps of text without my permission. Aggravating to say the least. Then I discovered one can disable they touchpad. Finally I discovered that I could do this by holding down my FN key and pressing F9. Didn’t work. I phoned Toshiba and talked to them. They now tell me that the software for my FN key isn’t working and they would have to charge me to trouble shoot. I don’t think the FN (function) has ever worked; never had occasion to use it and didn’t really know what it was for, but I have depressed it once or twice since I have had the laptop and no menu has ever appeared which is what is supposed to happen. So, rather than pay Toshiba, I have called my trusty computer repair man.

By the way, did you hear Wallenda wants to cross the Grand Canyon now? They kept saying he was wearing shoes which had been made by his mother and it sounded as though they were made of elf skin. I knew that wasn’t possible, much as I like to read fantasy books, and I finally found out that it was elk skin. I wonder why elk in particular? Gotta do some more research. I have found an article from Natural Running Centre which talks about the elk skin soled shoes which Nik was wearing and why. There was a lot on TV about the balance points on one’s feet and the elk skin enables the feet to feel the walking surface almost as well as bare feet which would, of course, have been unable to maintain the grip on the wire. More science to this stuff than one realises. I noticed that he spent time, prior to his walk, kind of roughing up the leather on the soles. Helps with the extreme wetness he experienced when he went through the Mist.

Well I’m damned. When we lived in North Carolina the place abounded with Yucca plants. I have seen them here too, but not as many. I have just discovered that parts of them are edible. This page tells you how to eat Yucca, you can apparently eat the petals raw, you can harvest the fruits after they have flowered too. The reason I found all this out was because I received a recipe in my email the other day which came from Cooking.com which immediately peaked my curiosity. It appears that not all yucca are edible, there are different varieties. I guess you have to know which is which. Now I have to investigate how you tell.

Buñuelos (Yucca Fritters)

Source: Saveur Magazine

About 40 fritters

These simple fritters are a favorite Cuban snack.
INGREDIENTS

2 1/2 pounds yucca, peeled and cut into small pieces

1 small white sweet potato, peeled and cut into pieces

1 egg yolk

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground aniseed

vegetable oil

flour

2 cups sugar

1 cinnamon stick

DIRECTIONS

Put yucca and sweet potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water by 2-in. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook until soft, about 20 minutes. Drain, then mash with a potato masher until smooth, discarding any fibrous pieces. Set aside until cool to the touch, then add yolk, salt, aniseed, and 1 teaspoon of the oil.

Rub hands with a little oil, then form dough into 1-in. balls. Roll each ball on a lightly floured surface into 8-in. ''ropes'', then twist into open bottomed figure eights.

Put sugar, cinnamon and 1 1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan and simmer over medium heat until pale gold, 40 to 50 minutes. Set syrup aside.

Pour oil into a large skillet to a depth of 2-in. and heat to 375 degrees F on a candy thermometer over medium high heat. Fry buñuelos in batches, turning them, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Serve warm, drizzled with a little syrup.

Have a great day.

Urinating Debate, Tourists Found Dead, Reactors Turned On.

Is sitting down to urinate healthier for men? Swedish groups (labelled as feminist) are maintaining that urinating standing is less healthy for men. They are trying to introduce unisex toilets maintaining it is healthier all round and will help to eliminate prostate problems and prolong a healthy sex life. Swedish politicians are arguing about this at the moment. I notice a couple of comments anti unisex toilets, the French and Belgians have had unisex toilets for  years. I remember it shook me the first time I discovered this when I was about 16. I’ve told this story before, but I was wandering around the bar with a beer in my hand looking for the necessary. I found it, saw a long tiled shelf area so put my beer down in it. When I had done what I came to do, I came out of the toilet and found out just what this tiled area was for. Needless to say, I picked up my beer and then left it on the nearest table. A year or two later we were in Belgium and a young English soccer team were over there; they were horrified when a friend and I walked into the toilet where they were relieving themselves. It was funny really.

Saturday there was a news story about two Canadian women who had been found dead in their hotel room on an island in Thailand. At the moment no-one is quite sure what happened to these women but there is speculation that they were poisoned. There were rashes on their skin. Seems they hadn’t been there very long – they checked in on Tuesday, didn’t answer the door on Thursday and were found on Friday. Autopsies are being performed of course. The women were young, 20 and 25. This is a picture of the beach at the Phi Phi Palms residence. Looks a beautiful place to stay, not one you would associate with death.

The Japanese government have approved restarting a nuclear reactor for the first time since the earthquake and tsunami last year which led to a nationwide shutdown. The public is  basically opposed to using nuclear reactors after the near disaster with the Fukushima Dai-Chi plant; all 50 reactors were taken off line for maintenance and safety checks. The government appear to be concerned that there will not be nearly enough power to cope with the high demands of the summer. It is a problem in as much as Japan is prone to earthquakes and reactors being, of necessity, by the water, are vulnerable to tsunamis.

I’ve been hunting around for steak sauces and Saturday night I tried out a new one from cooksunited.co.uk which we enjoyed. Silly me forgot to take a picture and there isn’t one with the recipe. However, the picture I have found looks very much like the final product. I proceeded slightly differently by melting the butter in a pan and adding the flour to make a roux. I used 1 tsp. Coleman’s mustard and I think I should have used at least half as much again. It was a delicious sauce though and we both enjoyed it.

Steak Sauce

Author: Alexia_cu

Ingredients per portions

(This is supposed to be an individual portion, but was plenty for both of us.)

2 tbsp. butter, softened

1 tbsp. flour

50 ml milk

100 ml single cream

1 beef stock cube

some dried mustard (Coleman’s)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 dash Worcestershire sauce

1 dash whiskey

salt and pepper, to taste

Method

Mix butter and flour until well combined and then spoon into a saucepan.
Stir in a little milk, and then some cream until desired sauce consistency.
Add minced garlic and add the beef stock cube. Cook over low heat until stock cube dissolves.
Stir in lots of mustard and black pepper.
About 5 minutes before serving add a bit of whiskey and Worcestershire sauce.
Pour over steak.

Have a great day

Wallenda Does It, Snopes

I said to Matt, yesterday morning, I wonder if Nik Wallenda is carrying his passport, Matt told me that one of the GMA anchors had asked that question and the reply was “yes, I’ve got it on me” – I wonder if the Customs and Immigration really would make a fuss about that. By the time this is posted, it will all be over and done with. Friday was constant news on all media that he was feeling calm and collected. That he wouldn’t be eating much and that he would be spending the day with friends who had come to Niagara to support him. Sam and Josh from Good Morning America commented that he seemed very laid back. I hadn’t realised before that when Blondin did the walk, it wasn’t directly over the falls like Wallenda’s walk was. Although this was done in the dark, Nik Wallenda still had to cope with the spray from the falls which is constant. But it was the swirling winds in the mist area which were the most difficult apparently. What is interesting to me, the Blondin picture was taken in 1859 – look at the difference in the curve of the falls in 153 years – the river has certainly carved out a chunk since those days. The flow is reduced in the winter because of its use for hydro electric generation,  but even so, the water still thunders over the falls. I think they allow more water to flow during the tourist season. I haven’t done the touristy bit for years, but we went behind the Canadian falls several times and went out on to the platform just below them. Very impressive.

Well, if you were watching, you will know he did it. He wasn’t happy having to wear a safety harness and I must say it didn’t look all that safe to me, I figured it could snag and drag him off. Harness or no, it was still wonderful to watch and I was sitting on the edge of my seat. Especially when he said he was getting tired during his run home. His hands were beginning to numb as well. One could hardly see him when he walked through the mist and he was soaked to the skin but he made it. Way to go Nik Wallenda, I was thrilled I was there to watch history in the making (Matt went to bed) and to see something which may never happen again. It took two years to convince both the US and Canada to allow him to do it and then to make all the necessary arrangements. Did you see them ask him for his passport? They even stamped it for him. There are all kinds of information and lots of videos on the linked site. This is a Canadian Press picture of him over the falls. Dunno if I sound excited, I am, I can assure you.

I do wish people would check things with Snopes before they forward them on to others. I constantly get emails with good ideas, things to do for security, missing kids, etc. etc. and when I check them they are false or way, way out of date. It should be mandatory that every new computer user should be taught about Snopes and have a button for them on their browser. 

This is a recipe we tried on Friday night. It is fairly simple but the chops came out moist and tasty. We had some chicken stock in the fridge so that is what we used.

Sage Pork Chops (2 servings)

1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp fresh sage leaves chopped
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 center cut bone-in pork chops
1 Tbs butter
1 cup beef stock (may not need all that) pre-prepared or made with a stock cube.

1. Combine the salt, sage and black pepper in a small bowl and rub on both sides of the chops. Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium high heat and sauté the chops for 5 minutes per side, or until well browned.

2. Meanwhile, in a separate small saucepan over high heat, combine the water and the bouillon and stir until bouillon dissolves (or use pre made stock). Add this to the chops, reduce heat to low, cover and simmer chops for 45 minutes.

Servings: 2

Source
Source: Tiffany Nixon, All Recipes

Author Notes
"Pork chops rubbed with a pungent seasoning of dried sage, salt and pepper are pan fried in butter until golden brown then simmered in a simple beef bouillon."

Have a great weekend

Driving Tests, Wallenda, Shooting Judge

The other night we were talking about Ontario Driver Tests once you reach 80. We knew there was a written test and no hands on driving test (which I think is wrong) so I decided to Google about it. Obviously you have to know the law for driving on the roads of Ontario, but why, please tell me, do you have to know what the fines and penalties are? Isn’t that what the law courts are for? It is the same for any drivers’ test here, you have to have a written test and you have to know the fines and/or punishments. That seems absolute rubbish to me. If you know something is wrong or criminal that should be sufficient. Do they think knowing the penalties will deter you from wrongdoing?

Tonight one of the Wallenda family, Nick, 33, is planning to do his walk across Niagara Falls. I don’t know what the TV picture will be like, but I plan to watch if possible. They had a low wire set up in Times Square and the hosts of Good Morning America all tried walking the wire without much success. Then Sam Champion, the weather man, tried trapeze but found he wasn’t too good at that either. He had all kinds of safety belts and wires, but all power to his elbow, he was 25 ft. in the air. Funny to watch as was them trying to walk a wire. This is Sam, Josh and Nick. Sam and Josh were doing all they could to make Nick fall off, which he didn’t. The two of them, couldn’t stay on. From all the pictures one sees, the cable is pretty thick, but.. way above the Falls I wouldn’t want to know. One of the women, Lara Spenser, had a go at walking the wire too but didn’t see much of whether she had any success or not. Of course the Wallenda family have been doing wire walking through generations and its not so many years several of the Flying Wallendas were killed trying to do a stunt on a high wire which they had been doing for 15 years. Clicking the highlight will give you a background on the Family and their tragedies.

Headline yesterday was about a Quebec judge who has now been found guilty of shooting his 71 yr. old wife. Seems to me pretty incredible that a man who judges other should end up committing such a crime. It did occur to me to wonder if his wife was terminally ill or something, otherwise, to me, it is inexplicable. He won’t be too popular if he goes to prison, not a good place for any officer of the law. Makes me wonder why on earth somebody in his position would do such a thing? Heard an update on the radio, it appears the wife was an invalid and he was having an affair with his secretary, nuff said.

Funny story, the police received a report of a naked and bloody man – when they went to investigate, it turned out the man had been fast asleep, sleeping in the buff, he was startled awake by a spider and dashed out crashing into some glass doors. By the time the cops arrived he had put some shorts on.

I thought this looked delicious in the pictures, reading it though, it is a kind of variation on a quiche. Won’t stop me trying it, just the same.

Tomato-Corn Pie

From EatingWell: July/August 2010

Tomatoes and corn have a natural affinity for one another: the slight acidity of tomatoes balances the sweetness of the corn. Here they partner in a delicious quiche-like pie. The dough is very forgiving and bakes up into a sturdy shell that’s great for just about any savory pie or tart. Perfect for a summer brunch or try it with a tossed salad for a light supper.

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

Crust

• 3/4 cup whole-wheat pastry flour (see Note)
• 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 tablespoons cold water

Filling

• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 1/2 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
• 2 medium tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup fresh corn kernels (about 1 large ear; see Tip) or frozen
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preparation

1. To prepare crust: Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper in a large bowl. Make a well in the center, add oil and water and gradually stir them in to form a soft dough. Wrap the dough in plastic and chill in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to 400°F.
3. Roll the dough into a 12-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Transfer to a 9-inch pie pan, preferably deep-dish, and press into the bottom and up the sides. Trim any overhanging crust. Line the dough with a piece of foil or parchment paper large enough to lift out easily; fill evenly with pie weights or dry beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil or paper and weights. Let cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes or up to 1 hour.
4. To prepare filling: Whisk eggs and milk in a medium bowl. Sprinkle half the cheese over the crust, then layer half the tomatoes evenly over the cheese. Sprinkle with corn, thyme, 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Layer the remaining tomatoes on top and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Pour the egg mixture over the top.
5. Bake the pie until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes before serving.

Tips

• Ingredient note: Look for whole-wheat pastry flour in large supermarkets and natural-foods stores. Store it in the freezer.
• To remove corn kernels from the cob, stand an ear of corn on one end and slice the kernels off with a sharp knife.

Have a great day

Medical, Creams and Cheeses

Well we wasted another hour waiting to see the doc this afternoon for my diabetic clinic. I don’t know why this always is, do they overbook, or do they not make sufficient allowance for how long they plan to spend with each patient? I realise doctor’s offices are very busy, but it is very frustrating for we patients to have to sit around waiting to see them. If you go into Emergency it is even worse, we have waited 8-10 hours on several occasions. I suppose this is the advantage of having medical services such as in the States. I don’t remember ever having to go to Emerg in the States so don’t know what the waiting times are but there is no waiting for surgeons like there is here.

Afterwards we went to Barrie’s Asparagus and stocked up, I used the last in the Quiche on Tuesday. I also bought some strawberries, two punnets, luverly. On Tuesday we had called in at Vincenzo’s – our favourite deli store – and stocked up on English cream. They had two kinds, one I hadn’t seen before, so I got one of each. We ate the different one last night, it said it was clotted cream from The Devon Cream Company, the flavour was much better than the one we usually buy, so I will be looking out for it in future. We both thought it tastier than the Double Devon cream we have been buying for years. Maybe I should make some scones when we get the next lot and have a traditional cream tea. I haven’t made scones in a very long time.

Talking of Vincenzo’s we were a tad disappointed because we went in for Borganzola cheese which is one of our favourites, it is a bit like Gorgonzola but creamier. It is the Canadian version of Cambazola which, funnily enough, we don’t like. They didn’t have it in stock and promised they would be getting some shortly. They didn’t have the Brie de Meaux that we enjoy either. Then I went to look for the real Italian Mascarpone, guess what, they didn’t have that either. They have promised them for next Tuesday (we only go past the area on Tuesdays after bowling) although we don’t need brie and Borganzola. When I say real Marscapone, I mean the stuff which does NOT have things like guar gum or other preservatives which end up sweetening the cheese. OK if you are making Tiramisu I guess, but to eat as cheese, no way. Actually when Matt went grocery shopping yesterday morning, he picked up some Brie from Zehrs which is a pretty good cheese so we will be chomping into that instead. He also bought me some peach jam which I then split into two pots and doctored up with jalapeño jelly which now gives me a nice spicy jam to dab on when I have Havarti at lunchtimes. Sounds like we live on cheese, we don’t really.

This is a recipe I have been using for a long time, think I have shared it before, but a long while ago. Actually what I often do for a quick side dish is get a bag of prepared coleslaw, add some onion and then use the dressing from this recipe.

Coleslaw in Triple Hot Dressing

The Ultimate Hot and Spicy Cookbook

Serves 6

Ingredients

1/2 white cabbage, cored and shredded

2 celery sticks, finely sliced

1 green pepper, seeded and finely sliced

4 spring (green) onions, shredded

2 Tbs. chopped fresh dill

cayenne pepper

For the dressing

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

2 tsp. creamed horseradish

1 tsp. Tabasco sauce

2 Tbs. red wine vinegar (or white)

5 Tbs. olive oil

salt and ground black pepper.

Mix the salad ingredients minus the dill and pepper. Mix all the dressing ingredients in separate bowl and then add to the vegetable and toss. Allow the salad to stand for at least an hour if possible, turning once or twice.

Immediately before serving season if necessary, toss again and sprinkle with dill and cayenne. In the book it says it improves overnight, I find that is true.

Have a great day

ECG, Bowling, Fruit and Veg.

Shortish blog for me today, so damned busy running around.

I finally made it yesterday for my echocardiogram. I eventually got in an hour late and as I was bowling in the afternoon, I was somewhat agitated. Not only that I think it is incredibly painful, as I told the guy, I think its more painful than a mammogram, he said a lot of women would disagree. Eventually we left and as I had made my lunch to take with me, I ate it in the car. We stopped at home for a few minutes and Matt gobbled his lunch; we picked up my balls and shoes and off we went. I made it in time. Whoopee. I proceeded to bowl pretty well, not brilliant, but pretty well, I was pleased with myself until a friend told me how well he had bowled, I became somewhat deflated. This friend used to be a fairly mediocre bowler, more like me, until a couple of years ago, then he took up lawn bowling. I don’t know enough about lawn bowling to understand, but since then his 5 pin bowling has improved by leaps and bounds. Obviously I need to take up lawn bowling!!!

Today we have more medical stuff, a visit to the foot nurse and then a visit to the doctor for her diabetic clinic. Originally Matt was supposed to see his back surgeon Friday but they changed that til the following Friday so he still can’t bowl. I am sick of the damn doctors, I’ll tell you. After we can go pick up some more asparagus and strawberries. Yum.  I forgot to say I got some golden mangoes yesterday – I only discovered them a couple of years ago and I love them. Matt doesn’t find them so enjoyable. Funny I remember my father talking about mangoes when I was very little, he used to eat them when he was stationed in Rhodesia during the war. Please don’t ask me what Rhodesia is called today, I get totally lost with those names now. Never had mangoes when I lived in the UK and like I said, only recently discovered them here. That reminds me, I just worked it out this week, I have now lived on the North American continent for the same time as I lived in the UK. 37 years in each. Matt isn’t quite there yet.

When we finally got home yesterday I put my feet up and read for a while – I’m actually reading Pride and Prejudice, haven’t read it in a very long while and I am impressed with how close the British TV movie stuck to the book. Practically everything they said in the movie was taken from the book. Then I thought Quiche, so I got up and pulled some frozen pastry from the fridge, let it thaw, cooked it in the oven before filling it, took the two shells out of the oven and threw them on the floor. I could have cried. Especially as everything for the filling was ready. Luckily I still had another box of pastry shells so I had to start again. I took the precaution of getting Matt to take them out of the oven for me for the rest of the cooking.

Asparagus Quiche

1 lb. asparagus, cut into 1/2 inch pieces (trimmed if its not really fresh

6-8 slices of prosciutto

2 (8 inch) baked pie shells – follow directions on the box.

4 eggs

1 cup cream

1/2 cup whole milk

2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water for a couple of minutes, tender but still firm. Drain and cool.

Cut up prosciutto into small pieces and then chop the asparagus. Reserve a few pieces for garnish.

In a bowl beat eggs and cream together and add salt to taste.

Put asparagus and ham in pie shells, top that with the cheese and then pour in the egg mixture. Bake uncovered in the 400° oven until firm, about 30-35 minutes. Let cool to room temperature before serving.

Have a great day

Robin Roberts, The Romanovs, DNA

Monday morning and Robin Roberts of Good Morning America somewhat tearfully announced that she has bone marrow disorder, MDS, due to some of the treatment she underwent for breast cancer a few years ago. The doctors are beginning to give her a number of blood tests and luckily it has been discovered her sister has an almost perfect marrow match so she can act as donor for the replacement when it happens. Apparently this is a very rare disease but Robin is determined to beat it supported by her friends (family) at GMA. I too was getting a bit tearful watching her make the announcement. She says Dr. Richard Besser, the medical expert on GMA these days, had been holding her hand all the way through this, she found out in the early spring. Josh and George were holding her hands during the announcement and Josh sounded ready to cry himself. Both Diane Sawyer and Robin’s sister were present whilst she made the announcement. Robin Roberts is very much beloved by her co-workers and her audience. Matt and I wish her well. When you hear things like this, it puts your own problems into perspective doesn’t it?

Matt is a tad annoyed, talking of medical things, he was supposed to see the surgeon for a follow up on his recent back surgery this Friday and it was postponed til the following week – he was so hoping he would be able to start bowling soon. The summer league being so short he isn’t going to be able to get a lot of bowling in before the end.

Having mentioned Prince Philip yesterday, I got a comment from loverofwords mentioning DNA testing using the Prince’s DNA to establish whether the woman claiming to be Grand Duchess Anastasia was genuine or not. I had never heard anything about this so of course I googled. What I found was a report in the Los Angeles Times from 2009 detailing the fact that they had now established that all of the Romanov family had been found in two graves, this had been conclusively established with DNA testing. If you are able to follow the science it appears that the Mitochondrial DNA of Prince Philip is closely related to some of the Romanovs, hence comparisons help to rule out any false claims. I am so sad, I always liked to believed Grand Duchess Anastasia had survived – of course I like the version where she runs off with Yul Brynner, LOL

As you will know, I love shrimp and when I saw this recipe I immediately thought ‘this is one for me’. I would always peel the shrimp before cooking them, this way you can also clean them. The only variation I wouldn’t like would be adding canned tuna. No thank you. I recently read a tip on boiling shrimp which is a good idea for those who are unfamiliar with cooking them. If they look like a C they are done if they look like a O they are overcooked.

Shrimp Marinated in Lemon and Olive Oil

Source: Quick From Scratch - Italian

Serves 4

You'll want to gobble up these succulent morsels immediately, but patience will be rewarded; the shrimp taste better the longer they sit in the marinade. Leave them for a couple of hours, if you have the time.
INGREDIENTS

1 pound large shrimp, in their shells

3 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tomato, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the shrimp, cover, and bring back to a boil. Continue boiling, partially covered, until the shrimp are just done, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain. Let the shrimp cool and then peel them.

In a large glass or stainless-steel bowl, combine the lemon juice with the olive oil, tomato, salt, pepper, and parsley. Add the shrimp and toss.

Variations

*Substitute a pound of sea scallops for the shrimp. Heat one tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick frying pan over moderately high heat until very hot. Season the scallops with one-eighth teaspoon salt. Put the scallops in the pan and sear until brown on the bottom, one to two minutes. Turn and brown on the other side until just done, one to two minutes longer. Remove the scallops and cut them into quarters. Toss with the marinade.
*Spice up the dish by adding one-quarter teaspoon dried red-pepper flakes to the marinade.
*Use chopped fresh basil instead of the parsley.
*For an extra flavor dimension, add a clove of minced garlic to the marinade.

Variations

*Use halved and pitted olives in addition to or instead of the capers.
*Add a sprinkling of chopped fresh basil.
*Toss in a chopped tomato.
*Use three chopped anchovy fillets instead of the paste.
*Add a small can of drained tuna.

Have a great day