Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Happy New Year

To all my friends in the blogging world, thanks so much for your friendship, for reading my blog, and for writing such interesting things for me to read.

New Year

Hope you have a wonderful New Year’s Eve and that 2015 ends up being everything you wished for.
Jo_thumb[2]

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Holiday Season, Another Plane?

I was thinking about all the food we, as a group or I as a person, Christmas Foodconsumed over this Christmas period and wondering how come the celebration of the birth of a holy child turned into such a guzzle fest. How many people even stop to think what it is they are celebrating but party hearty and thoughtlessly for the whole period. Manger SceneFor many it doesn’t end there, they celebrate the death of this same child by eating roast lamb and consuming chocolate bunnies and Easter eggs. Most of us do not celebrate our own birthdays with so much food. I know a lot of the celebrations include getting together with families which is a great thing, but tables groaning with food don’t quite equate with mangers in a stable somehow. I am not pleading innocence in all this, I have been stuffing myself as much as anyone the last few days and I cannot imagine my Easter without roast lamb and a Lindt gold bunny. Yes, I know a lot of people go to church, but I would guess a lot more don’t.

A Beer for the Shower referred to Malaysian Airlines and the fact of the disappearance of a plane, but it seems we have another disappearing plane in the news. How dreadful this must be for the families but if they really have crashed into the sea, can you imagine the terror of being on the plane and knowing it was crashing and where. They haven’t a clue about the Malaysian plane, I do hope the same won’t be applicable to this Asian plane.

As you may have guessed, having started with a 9lb lump of pork leg the other day, we have a lot of pork left. We have, of course, had a couple of meals of cold pork with various leftover veg, however, the following recipe arrived in my email from MyRecipes.com on Monday so I adapted it to use cooked pork. I shredded some cooked pork and then near to serving time I warmed it through in the microwave. Obviously that means I skipped steps one and two. It was delicious and I will be doing it once more whilst we still have the pork. Not worth buying Almond Sauce specially, not something we would eat normally.

Photo: Kana Okada; Styling: Sara Quessenberry

Noodles with Roast Pork and Almond Sauce

Serve this delicious Thai-inspired pork dish over noodles or, if you prefer, rice.
Cooking Light OCTOBER 2009
  • Yield: 4 servings (serving size: about 1 1/2 cups)
Ingredients
  • 1/2 teaspoon canola oil
  • 1/2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed ( I used cooked pork and warmed it in the microwave)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine (I used egg noodles)
  • 1/4 cup almond butter 2 1/2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce (I used peanut butter)
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce (used Tabasco and fresh garlic)
  • 1 cup thinly sliced green onions
  • 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint (didn’t have so left out)
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 425°.
2. Drizzle oil in an ovenproof skillet. Sprinkle pork with 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper; place pork in pan. Bake at 425° for 10 minutes. Turn pork over, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until a thermometer registers 155°. Place pork on a cutting board; let stand 10 minutes. Shred pork into small pieces.
3. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain pasta in a colander over a bowl, reserving 2 tablespoons pasta water; keep pasta warm.
4. Combine almond butter, 2 tablespoons pasta water, remaining salt, soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, and chili garlic sauce. Divide pasta evenly among 4 bowls; top evenly with sauce, pork, onions, and mint.

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

Monday, December 29, 2014

Dinner, Softened Water,

Our Boxing Day 2014-12-27 02.45.54dinner went pretty well although I made one mistake, I followed the advice of Jamie Oliver (British cook) about blasting the pork on the highest heat to get the crackling crisp. I ended up with somewhat singed crackling and with the outside of the roast overcooked. I won’t do that again. I served a sherried consomme to start. With the roast pork we had puréed carrots, Brussels sprouts, gravy and apple sauce and roast potatoes. Our guest went nuts about the roast potatoes which considering it was the only thing I didn’t cook (Matt did) made me a bit peeved.

I have never made puréed carrots before and I thought they were delicious, I will Pureed Carrotscertainly do that again. Also, I have always loved sprouts and broccoli but recently went right off them, couldn’t stand them. Having been thinking about it, I decided it was the softened water in the building, it does add a different flavour to vegetables. I decided to use distilled water this time, guess what, I like sprouts again. In a private house, you usually end up with at least one source of unsoftened water, but not so in an apartment building, at least as far as I know. Of course I didn’t take a picture of any of the food, I was too busy cooking it I suppose. Thinking about it later, when I was kicking myself for not doing so, I realised I wouldn't have had time really.

So it’s over once again. Just one more celebration to get through. We certainly won’t be doing much for New Year. We used to throw parties in NC but nobody seems very interested here. Last year we sat up til midnight, drank a toast and went tamely to bed. At least we get to go bowling today and on New Year's Day. Plus I should be able to do my exercise class at least once this week.

Caviar If you are planning a party for New year's Eve, first thing, invite me, secondly here is a super dish to serve to your guests. I know many of you are going to say you don’t like caviar, but for those of us who do, this looks absolutely fabulous and I wish I had a reason to make it. Matt, by the way, does not like caviar. With a glass or two of champagne or sparkling wine, it would go down a treat. To quote Food & Wine Caviar may be pricey, but on New Year’s Eve it’s worth splurging. This caviar “cake” (below) is actually a simple chilled custard that’s topped with crème fraîche, onion and two types of caviar. It’s a deliciously luxe way to start 2015.  Of course you don’t have to splurge for the best caviar, I just found a place with a special on 3 small jars of Beluga caviar reduced to $189. That is the real stuff you understand. It’s normal price is $285. I’ve even linked to it in case you want to try. I have never eaten top quality caviar I am sad to say, but I love the cheaper versions. My mother once got to eat genuine, top quality, Beluga caviar and loved it. I was jealous.

Swedish Caviar Cake

Food & Wine, Contributed by Malin Elmlid
  • SERVINGS: 8 caviar-cake

This caviar "cake" is actually a simple chilled custard that's topped with crème fraîche, onion and two types of caviar. Malin Elmlid's family in Sweden serves this at every holiday smorgasbord, including Christmas and the summer solstice celebration known as Midsommar.
  1. 1 3/4 cups whole milk
  2. 3/4 teaspoon salt
  3. Butter, for greasing
  4. 5 large eggs
  5. 1 cup crème fraîche
  6. 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
  7. 3 tablespoons red caviar, such as trout roe (about 2 ounces)
  8. 3 tablespoons black caviar, such as paddlefish roe (about 2 ounces)
  9. 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill
  10. Freshly ground pepper
  1. In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil over moderately high heat. Immediately remove from the heat, stir in the salt and let cool to warm.
  2. Preheat the oven to 325 and butter an 11-by-7-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. In a medium saucepan, bring 1 quart of water to a simmer.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the cooled milk with the eggs until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Set the dish in a roasting pan and pour enough of the simmering water into the roasting pan to reach about halfway up the side of the baking dish. Transfer the roasting pan to the middle of the oven. Bake the custard for about 30 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Transfer the baking dish to a rack and remove the foil. Let the custard cool completely, then refrigerate for about 1 hour, until chilled.
  4. Spread the crème fraîche in an even layer over the cooled custard. Spoon the onion, the red caviar and the black caviar over the crème fraîche in alternating diag-onal rows. Sprinkle the caviar cake with the dill, season with pepper and serve.
Make Ahead The caviar cake can be made through Step 3, covered and refrigerated overnight.

Have a great week and in case I don't post much, Happy New Year.
Jo



Friday, December 26, 2014

More Christmas

People Sweet-and-Soour-Shrimp_thumb1keep talking about the goodies we are going to have over the holidays. I don’t think I am fixing a lot more than any of you would and in some instances probably a lot less. However, starting with Christmas Eve, we had Sweet and Sour Shrimp which I posted on May 1, 2014. It is a very simple recipe and quick to do. We followed it with a slice of the mincemeat tart I bought in November at the Crossroads Restaurant when we went on our Travel League Bowling.

Once upon a time my family used to serve slices of delectable ham York Hamand champagne as a brunch. Matt and I turned that into champagne cocktails as Matt isn’t that enamoured of champagne. Then I found out I had diabetes so we have changed it so that I have breakfast at the normal time and the ham for lunch. I will probably have a Kir Royale and Matt, still not being that keen on champagne, will probably Kir Royalehave beer. When I say delectable ham, in those days first my parents and later on us, would buy a cooked ham such as a York ham (not available in North America) or the best we could find. A good ham should still have the fat on it too which improves the taste. We did not make the mistake of cooking it again. Unfortunately these days it really isn’t worth it for the two of us to buy a large ham Colman's(and we can’t get small ones, not like I am describing) so we are having thin slices of Black Forest ham. The other important thing is, of course, Colman’s Mustard. That is a must. I guess that is a play on words but… I am sure there are other English hams as good but after 40 odd years away from the UK, I don’t remember what they were. The mustard should be powder form that you mix fresh as needed. I don’t wish to imply one cannot buy good ham in Canada, in fact the Black Forest ham we had was delicious.

Turkey BreastThen for dinner I cooked a turkey breast, which I served with homemade gravy, roast potatoes, Brussels Sprouts and bread sauce. How odd, I have mentioned bread sauce several times since I started blogging but I have never given a recipe. This will be followed by Christmas Pudding (Plum Pudding) and rum butter sauce.  No, no cranberry. I recently discovered the reason it’s called plum pudding, when there are no plums in it, is because the Victorians used to call raisins, plums. We will be drinking a white wine with dinner, probably La Vielle Ferme which is a wine we both enjoy very much.

Tomorrow a large piece of pork leg. I should say today I guess.

Bread Sauce

I make bread sauce the way my mother used to make it. I don’t Bread sauceknow, and have never worked out the amounts, I use a small pan and a small onion so I am guessing not a lot more than 1 cup of milk – enough to just cover the onion. I then use three slices of bread from which I have cut the crusts and crumbed them in the blender.
Stick whole cloves into a small onion and place in a pan of milk. Sweat this as long as possible. I usually start early in the morning so it can really absorb the flavours. I then throw away the onion and add fresh breadcrumbs, a knob of butter and add cream until I get a nice creamy consistency.

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

Christmas

merry-christmas-wallpapers-hd

Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, and a prosperous, successful New Year.

To those who don’t celebrate Christmas I wish you the very best of the season for the festivity you do celebrate.

See you soon

Jo_thumb[2]

Monday

Sorry, not up to much tonight. Had a good time at the bowling alley but I wasn’t feeling too good then either.

More tomorrow hopefully.
Jo_thumb[2]

Monday, December 22, 2014

Christmas Week

Christmas2
I am not sure how often I will be blogging this week.  It’s for sure many of you won’t be bothering to read them this week. It looks like we will be getting a green Christmas. I’m not too disappointed because the friend who is coming to have dinner is going to be in Stratford on Christmas Day and would have trouble getting home again in time to come here for Boxing Day (Dec 26.).

Today the bowling alley provides us with a Christmas lunch which will be sandwiches of all kinds and sweets. Last year it was Pin_Animation1[1]excellent, the sandwiches are made by the two owners’ wives and they really did a great job last year. We then waddle over to the alleys to play our usual three games one of which might be bowling Bingo which I think is great fun and some people don’t enjoy. We shall see. If you are wondering, the electronic scoreboard shows a whole bunch of scores you have to get, strikes, spares, 4, 3, and so on, usually 2 of each. The team has to throw for those and only those scores. It isn't as easy as it may seam. I remember one year throwing for a 3 and I kept getting strikes which were no use as we already had them. Mind you next time I played a regular game I decided to throw for threes on the principal I would get a strike, needless to say, it didn't work.

This is  a dessert suggested for Christmas. It certainly looks delicious. I’m not sure about the 16 servings. Seems to me it would be a very small serving.

Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake

Kraft Kitchens.
Two classic desserts—pineapple upside-down cake Pineapple Upside-Down Cheesecake recipeand cheesecake—combine to make the ultimate sweet treat.
16 servings

What You Need

2 Tbsp.  brown sugar
5 Tbsp.  butter, melted, divided
2 cans  (8 oz. each) pineapple slices in juice, well drained
7 maraschino cherries, well drained, stemmed
1 cup  graham cracker crumbs
3/4 cup   plus 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
3 pkg.   (8 oz. each) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 cup  BREAKSTONE'S or KNUDSEN Sour Cream
2 tsp.  vanilla
3 eggs

Make It

HEAT oven to 325ºF.
MIX brown sugar and 2 Tbsp. butter in 9-inch round pan; spread to evenly cover bottom of pan. Top with pineapple slices, cutting if necessary to make even layer. Place cherries in centers of pineapple slices.
MIX graham crumbs, 3 Tbsp. granulated sugar and remaining butter until blended. Press gently into tops of pineapple slices.
BEAT cream cheese and remaining granulated sugar with mixer until blended. Add sour cream and vanilla; mix well. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating on low speed after each just until blended; pour over pineapple.
BAKE 55 min. to 1 hour or until center is almost set. Run knife around rim of pan to loosen cake; cool 40 min. Invert cheesecake onto plate; remove pan. Refrigerate cheesecake 3 hours.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Note
If using a dark baking pan, reduce oven temperature to 300ºF.
Substitute
Prepare using PHILADELPHIA Neufchatel Cheese.
Note
For best results, the pineapple slices and cherries should be well drained and patted dry before using as directed.
Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Saturday Recipe

Here’s a delicious one from the New York Times. I have a large lump of the leg from the top part which I will be cooking on Boxing Day (Dec. 26) and I might follow this recipe for it to make a change. I have never used pork shoulder. I eat this type of pork more for the crackling than the meat. It’s absolutely delicious and crunchy but NOT low in calories. So, it’s Christmas!!!!

Porchetta Pork Roast

Melissa Clark
  • Time4 to 5 hours, plus marinating
  • Yield 8 to 12 servings
 
This rich, crackling-coated pork roast has the all the intense garlic, lemon and herb flavors of a classic Italian porchetta, but is much simpler to make (case in point: you don’t need to de-bone a whole pig). The only potentiallyPorchetta Pork tricky part is scoring the skin. If you are buying the meat from your butcher you can have them do it for you. Or, use your sharpest knife. It’s worth the effort for the amber-colored cracklings it produces. The recipe feeds a crowd, so make it for a large gathering. Or plan on leftovers, which make excellent sandwiches for lunch the next day.
 
Ingredients
  • 1 (7- to 8-pound) bone-in, skin-on pork shoulder roast, or a 6- to 7-pound boneless roast, fat trimmed to 1/4-inch thickness
  • ¼ cup chopped fennel fronds
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh rosemary
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
  • 5 garlic cloves, grated or mashed to a paste
  • Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon fennel seed
  • ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
Preparation
  1. Score skin and fat all over pork, taking care not to cut down to the meat.
  2. In a food processor or mortar and pestle, combine fennel fronds, rosemary, sage, garlic, lemon zest, salt, fennel seed, red pepper flakes and black pepper. Pour in oil. Pulse or mash until it forms a paste. Rub all over pork. If using a boneless roast, tie with kitchen string at 2-inch intervals. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.
  3. Remove pork from refrigerator 1 to 2 hours before you want to cook it. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Transfer pork to a rimmed baking sheet and roast 35 minutes. Reduce temperature to 325 degrees and cook an additional 2 hours 45 minutes to 4 hours, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat reads 180 degrees, which will give you sliceable, tender meat. (Bone-in roasts will take longer than boneless ones.)
  4. Transfer pork to a cutting board and let rest 15 to 30 minutes before serving. Make sure everyone gets some of the cracklings.

Have a great weekend.
Jo



Friday, December 19, 2014

Laptop, Bowling. Libera.

My laptop is not well and has gone to hospital. I think I will be without it for a couple of days. No real problem, but because of my vascular problems, sitting at the desktop for any length of time means I end up with very swollen ankles. I don’t like the look of them in the first place, and in the second place they can hurt. So I may not be doing much blogging for a while.

Dobos TorteWhilst I am here, I have to report a pretty good game at the bowling alley today, also, the league who play on Thursdays (we are not members) invited us to have some of their Christmas lunch goodies. Nice of them, but having had lunch Matt didn’t want to partake, I did though, I had a piece of Dobos Torte – couldn’t resist that – and a glass of white wine. I don’t know where one buys that round here, I know Swiss Colony sell it, but shipping costs put up the price. I used to buy quite a bit of Swiss Colony stuff when we lived in NC.

We just watched Libera, Angel Voices doing a concert in America. They were in Washington in a huge church there. If you’ve never seen them, and enjoy a good boy’s choir, you really should try to catch them. They were on PBS and I think they will probably broadcast the programme again. We have a DVD of them from 7 years ago and, oddly enough, one of the singers then is the pianist on this latest DVD. Joshua Medine. He said that his younger brother was in the group too. They are a fantastic choir and are popular all round the world, Japan, the Philippines to name a couple.

When I saw this recipe, I really couldn’t resist it. Something to appeal to most kids.

Reindeer Poop

Tastebook
Tara Tuckwiller

These are just as easy to make as regular Rice Krispies treats, but they’re rich and chocolatey—a fun little Christmas treat that both grownups and kids will love.Reindeer Poop

Makes 40 1-inch balls
 

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 10-ounce bag marshmallows
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Pinch salt
  • 5 cups Rice Krispies
  • 5 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips

 

directions

  • In a large saucepan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the marshmallows, cocoa, and salt, and stir until the marshmallows melt. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
  • Stir in the cereal to coat completely. Fold in the chocolate chips. Roll into 1-inch balls and set aside on a sheet of parchment or waxed paper to cool.

Have a great day
Jo





Thursday, December 18, 2014

Gas, Prosecco Cocktails.

When we were out and about on Tuesday we were comparing gas prices. They were mainly running about 96 ¢ a litre (give or take a Old Gas Pricespenny or two) which is the lowest we have seen it for very a long time. However, I read some headlines saying the government stood to lose $13 billion a year because of the plunge in oil prices. Seems we have been right, they have been overtaxing gas as everyone has been saying for a long time. However, that is one hell of a loss for the government and I wonder what benefits of ours they will cut or tax further. They could, of course, stop sending soldiers out of the country to attack ISIS and others. I think that would save us a buck or two. They could also redirect some of the largesse being given to foreign countries back into Canada to help those that need it here, there are lots of them. These ideas seem to be very much the song sung by several other countries, the States and the UK to start with. It doesn’t seem to me that whoever you vote for, the people who finally get in do the same thing the previous bunch did. The picture shows the prices just a week or two ago.

I was talking about Brazil nuts yesterday. A friend from Oz, Pinky Poinker mentioned the benefits of selenium in these nuts but also stated that one can overdose. I Googled it and found this article about it which, if you like Brazil nuts, you should read.

This is a link to recipes for 10 Prosecco cocktails, it is from BBC Good Food. I am not sure if we prosecco-maincan get Prosecco here but if not we can certainly make them with champagne or any sparking wine. Prosecco is somewhat softer than champagne I understand. There is a wine here in Canada which I think could be used for these. I cannot for the life of me remember what it’s called. It was a Trius brand by Hillebrand. A Canadian winery.

Cheesy Potato Soup

Cheesy Potato Soup Recipe

Serves 4 (serving size: 1 cup)
from Cooking Light

1 tablespoon butter
1 cup chopped onion
2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups chopped red potato (about 1 pound)
1 1/4 cups 1% low-fat milk
3/4 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth 
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup (2 ounces) shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
2 tablespoons chopped green onions

Preparation

1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion to pan; sauté 5 minutes or until onion is tender. Sprinkle with flour; cook 1 minute, stirring onion mixture constantly. Add potato, milk, broth, and 1/2 cup water to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes. Add 1/2 cup reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese and ground red pepper; cook 2 minutes or until cheese melts, stirring frequently. Top each serving evenly with 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped green onions.

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

Nuts, Pakistan Shooting, Shopping,

chestnutsMatt picked me up a few chestnuts the other day and I have been experimenting with them in the microwave. I have finally got it down to cutting the tops (cutting crosses is not only difficult but doesn’t work particularly well) and then cooking them in a little water in a covered dish for 2 Brazil Nuts1/2 minutes. However, they are not the best tasting chestnuts I have ever eaten. Luckily I have now figured out how to peel them without messing up and breaking my nails etc. I have ordered a couple of packets of Brazil nuts for Matt as a stocking stuffer I guess. One doesn’t see them around much any more, I believe they got a disease only can’t find anything about that online. In fact I now find all kinds of places I can order them on line but they don’t have them in our local grocery store.

Horrifying news out of Pakistan today, 141 people killed in the school by the Taliban, most of them were kids. What a dreadful thing to do, as I said to Matt they (the Taliban) are human too, they presumably have kids of their own, how could they do such a thing. I am not posting pictures but there are videos and pictures on this website. Along with the rest of the reasoning world, I am desperately sorry for the families of the slain.

I went to my local jeweller this afternoon (Tuesday) because I wanted to ensure the stones in one of my rings were OK. They cleaned it for me at the same time. They also told me to use Windex, a toothbrush and then warm water. Never heard of using Windex before. I used to use Liquid Ajax but that is unavailable any more, here anLeg of Porkyway. Now I use rubbing alcohol. I like the Windex idea better though. We went to the jeweller after we had been to the Meat Market and bought a piece of pork for Boxing Day (Dec. 26 for those who don’t have Boxing Day). I managed to find a piece of leg or ham, as they say in the south, which still has the skin on so I can score the skin and cook it up really crispy. Yum. We also went to the liquor store to stock up on beer, wine and champagne to cover us to the end of the year. Expensive afternoon. I would like to be able to buy some really good ham, but that only comes in huge pieces too so it really isn’t worth it for the two of us. Traditionally, in my home anyway, we used to have slices of cold ham with Coleman’s mustard and champagne on both Christmas and Boxing Day morning. We bought a smaller piece of ham last year but it wasn’t nearly as good. A decent ham should have the fat on too which improves the taste. No I don’t eat the fat usually, but for Christmas I do, it’s delicious.

Some of you will remember I was contacted by a long lost friend Me at 12who’s mother was my mother’s long time friend. Today I received a card from her which also contained a photo of me at 12 years old. I haven’t seen this picture in years but I do remember it very well. Matt could not tell it was me. For some reason he was fixated on the teeth in the photo!! Apart from anything else it’s over 60 years ago since it was taken and my teeth were as young as the rest of me. I think I got it a bit too light when I scanned it. Will have to try again later.

This seemed like a nice pudding for this time of year. This from Food.com.

Gingerbread Pudding Cake


By MacChef

Gingerbread Pudding Cake. Photo by Delicious as it Looks
 From Bon Appetite, this pudding and cake hybrid oozes and intense, sticky syrup that is great with a big dollop of whipped cream. Fantastic for the holidays! 
 

Ingredients:

Servings 8
    • 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
    • 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
    • 1/4 teaspoon allspice
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
    • 1/4 cup sugar
    • 2 tablespoons beaten eggs
    • 1/2 cup molasses
    • 1/2 cup water
    • 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
    • 1 1/2 cups hot water
    • 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

    Directions:

    1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x8 inch glass baking dish. Whisk flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves and salt in medium bowl.
    2. Using an electric mixer, beat 1/4 cup butter and 1/4 cup sugar in large bowl until blended. Beat in egg. Stir molasses and 1/2 cup water in a 1 cup glass measuring cup.
    3. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, butter mixture and molasses mixture together beating to blend. Repeat until all separate mixtures are now one and transfer to prepared dish. Sprinkle brown sugar over the top.
    4. Stir 1 1/2 cups hot water and melted butter in 2 cup glass measuring cup. Carefully pour over top of batter (don't worry, there will be lots of liquid on the top). Bake until gingerbread is cracked on top, about 45 minutes. Serve warm with whipped cream.
Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Movie, Bowling.

I was so buDestination Tokyosy watching a war movie called Destination Tokyo with Cary Grant in the lead, I didn’t get time to write this blog. It’s an excellent movie, very gripping, and really worth watching. It was apparently made in 1944, in other words, during the war. If you ever get the chance to see it, I can recommend it. A somewhat unusual role for Cary Grant. I never think of him in serious roles at all. He did a good job on this one.

Bowling today was only fair I’m afraid. Next week we have our Christmas lunch and then the league doesn’t bowl til the New Year. Then we will have to really pull up our socks. Our team was in the lead but we have lost it at the moment so need to get it back again.

I thought these looked absolutely scrumptious. From Web MD Food & Recipes

Golden Turmeric Latkes With Applesauce

WebMD Recipe from EatingWell.com

Golden Turmeric Latkes With Applesauce
These crispy-on-the-outside-and-tender-on-the-inside latkes are delicious paired with a subtly spicy clove-scented applesauce.
Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon canola oil
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 2 cups russet potatoes, shredded peeled
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 1-2  fresh green serrano chiles, stemmed and finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup chickpea flour, or unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 large eggs, slightly beaten
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
Instructions
  1. To prepare sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a small skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger and cook, stirring, until light brown and aromatic, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Stir in turmeric and cloves. Cook until the spices are fragrant, 30 seconds to 1 minute more. Scrape the spices into the applesauce in a small bowl and stir well to combine.
  2. Preheat oven to 200°F. Place a baking sheet in the oven.
  3. To prepare latkes: Thoroughly mix potatoes, onion, chiles to taste, cilantro, flour, cumin, salt, turmeric and eggs in a large bowl.
  4. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet or griddle over medium heat. Place a heaping tablespoon of the potato mixture in the skillet and flatten with a spatula into a disk roughly 3 inches in diameter. Form as many latkes as you can in the pan without overcrowding. Cook until golden brown and crispy on the bottom, 3 to 5 minutes. Flip and continue cooking until the other side is golden brown and crispy, 3 to 5 minutes. Briefly drain on a paper towel-lined plate, then transfer to the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining oil and potato mixture.
  5. Serve the latkes with the seasoned applesauce.
Note: To assure Kosher status, prepare recipe to meet Kosher guidelines.

Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

Monday, December 15, 2014

Wordpress. Dinner, Hypoglycemia.

WordpressYou know, I do not like Wordpress. If you read and then comment on someone’s Wordpress blog you are then asked to ‘confirm follow’. Once maybe;  but every time you make a comment you are asked to do the same. It’s a flaming nuisance. I don’t understand why they can’t do it once and that’s it.

Saturday night we went to have dinner at a friend’s home and our main course was Rouladen which we haven’t eaten in years. A girlfriend’s mother used to make them and we always enjoyed them. I don’t really know why I have never cooked them myself. Below is a recipe I found from AllRecipes.com. There seem to be several different recipes available. Something which happens with an old, traditional dish.

hypoglycemiaWe had wine with our meal and later when we were home I started to feel as though I had had too much wine. I didn’t take a lot of notice at first, and went to bed. I woke an hour later and felt as though I had been “on the mop” for hours. My brain slowly told me I was probably having a sugar low (hypoglycemia) so I heaved myself out of bed and checked my readings, as I thought, very low so I ate some honey which does the trick. This is something people with diabetes need to watch for – very occasionally you can feel and behave as if you are drunk when in fact you have hypoglycemia. This can actually be very dangerous especially if hypoglycemia2others with you just assume the worst and don’t give you any help, and if the readings go low enough, you do need help. Most people with diabetes carry some emergency sugar source with them, I carry gummy bears in my purse I also have small cans of very sugary drinks at home including one in the bedside locker which I should have drunk last night instead of staggering to the living room to take my readings. As you can see from the above, confusion is a symptom too. Highlighted above is a very good article I have just been reading. I didn’t realise this is something non diabetics can also suffer from and the article explains why and what to do. To emphasize the seriousness, a young woman who was a friend’s girlfriend, died last year because of untreated hypoglycemia.

German Rouladen

Recipe by 
Serves 6

"Meat rolls filled with bacon, onions and pickles. Delicious, easy recipe learned while visiting Germany. "Rouladen
  • 1/2 pounds flank steak
  • German stone ground mustard, to taste
  • 1/2 pound thick sliced bacon
  • 2 large onions, sliced
  • 1 (16 ounce) jar dill pickle slices
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 cube beef bouillon

Directions
  1. Cut the flank steak into thin filets; about 1/4 inch thick and 3 inches wide.
  2. Generously spread one side of each filet with mustard to taste. Place bacon, onions and pickle slices on each filet and form into a roll. Use string or toothpicks to hold the roll together.
  3. Heat a skillet over medium heat and melt butter. Place the rolls in the butter and sauté until browned.
  4. Pour in 2 1/2 cups of water and add the bouillon cube; stirring to dissolve the bouillon cube. Simmer the rolls for about an hour.
  1.  My Comments: The juice is served as a gravy. I just read another recipe which recommends adding red wine to the pot as well as a can of tomatoes. This recipe doesn't say anything about thickening the gravy, never having done it myself, I don't know, but you might want to be prepared to do so.
Have a great day
Jo_thumb[2]

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Saturday Recipe

Christmas is coming as you may have heard. To me Christmas means champagne cocktails of one kind or another. I saw this one on Food & Wine and liked the look of it.
 

Champagne Mojitos

Contributed by John Besh
  • This puckery drink is prepared with rum and fresh mint like a classic mojito, but New Orleans chef John Besh makes it holiday-worthy by topping it with a splash of Champagne.
  1. champagnemojitos3/4 cup sugar
  2. 3/4 cup water
  3. 1 1/2 cups packed mint leaves, plus 12 mint sprigs, for garnish
  4. 6 limes, cut into wedges
  5. 2 cups light rum
  6. Cracked ice
  7. 3 cups Champagne or sparkling wine
  1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and cook over high heat just until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool to room temperature.
  2. In a large pitcher, combine the sugar syrup with the mint leaves and lime wedges and muddle well with a wooden spoon. Add the rum and stir well. Strain the drink into another pitcher.
  3. Fill tall glasses with cracked ice and pour in the drink, filling them about two-thirds full. Top with Champagne, garnish with the mint sprigs and serve.
Make Ahead The mojitos can be prepared through Step 2. Refrigerate the mojitos in the pitcher overnight.

Have a great weekend
Jo